Chapter 10 Chapter Four Ten

During the meal, someone called for transition across the stream, and Cui Cui scrambled to get off the boat. When she got there, she knew that the person who was transitioning was the sailor sent by the ship's Shun Shun family as a substitute. Go as soon as you have eaten, he has gone down the river." Seeing the grandfather, he said, "The second elder wants you to go after you have eaten, he has already gone down the river." Open your ears and listen, you can hear the sound of drums in the distance. From the sound of the drums, people think of those very narrow boats, when they are going straight in the Changtan, what beautiful long lines are drawn on the water surface!

The newcomer didn't even eat tea, so she stood at the bow of the boat. When Cui Cui was having dinner with her grandfather, she invited him to have a drink, but she just shook her head and declined.grandfather said: "Cui Cui, I won't go, can you go with the puppy?" "If you don't want to go, I don't want to go either!" "Where should I go?" "I didn't want to go, but I would like to accompany you." The grandfather smiled, "Cui Cui, Cui Cui, come with me, okay, come with me!" When my grandfather and Cuicui arrived at the big river in the city, the river was already full of people.The drizzle had stopped and the ground was still wet.Grandfather asked Cui Cui to cross the river to see the boat from the owner of the boat on the street, but Cui Cui thought it would be better to stand by the river.The two stood by the river for a short while, and sent someone to invite them by the way.There are already many people on the Diaojiao upstairs.During the transition in the morning, the wife and daughter of the gentry, whom Cui Cui noticed, were entertained by Shun Shun's family and occupied the best window. When they saw Cui Cui, the girl said, "Come, come!" Walked a little shyly, sat on the bench behind them, and grandfather walked away.

My grandfather didn't watch the dragon boat races, but he went half a mile up the river for an acquaintance, to a new mill to watch the water rollers.The old boatman was very interested in water rollers.There is a small thatched hut leaning against the mountain and the water. In the house, there is such a round stone piece, which is fixed on a horizontal axis and placed obliquely in the stone groove.When the sluice gate is pulled out, the running water rushes against the underground dark wheel, and the stone flakes on it fly up.The master manages this thing, pours the corn into the stone trough, takes out the milled rice and puts it in a sieve in the corner of the house, and then sifts out the chaff and ash.The ground is full of chaff ash, and the master's head is wrapped with a white cloth veil, and his head and shoulders are also full of chaff ash.When the weather is good, some radishes, green vegetables, garlic, and green onions are planted in the gaps before and after the mill.When the ditch was broken, he took off his trousers and went to the river to pile up stones to repair the drain.If the water mill dam is built well, a small weir beam can also be installed. When the water rises, there will be fish on the beam, and you will get something for nothing!It is more interesting to manage a mill by the river than to manage a ferryboat, as the situation will show.But it is impossible for a ferryman to have a mill.As a rule, the van mill was the property of the small local rich man.When the acquaintance brought the old boatman to the mill, he told him who the owner of the mill was.The two looked around and talked at the same time.

The acquaintance kicked the new grinding pan and said: "The people of Zhongzhai sit on the high mountain village by themselves, but they happily come to this big river to buy property; this is the head of the Zhongzhai Wangtuan, and the big money is 700 hanging!" The old boatman rolled his small eyes, appreciating everything enviously, appreciating everything, nodding his head, and giving decent criticism to the objects in the mill one by one.Later, the two of them sat on the unfinished white wooden bench, and the acquaintance talked about the future of the mill, which seemed to be a dowry for the daughter of the head of the regiment.Then the man thought of Cui Cui, and remembered what the old man had entrusted to him, so he asked:

"Uncle, are you Cuicui in his teens?" "Fourteen to fifteen years old." After the old boatman said this, he continued to count the past years in his mind. "What a capable fourteen year old! Whoever gets her in the future will be so blessed!" "What good fortune is there? I don't have a mill to marry me, so I'm a naked man." "Don't talk about a bare man, a useful man, two hands are worth five mills! Luoyang Bridge was also built with Lu Ban's two hands!..." He said this and that, and then the man laughed. The old boatman also laughed, thinking: "Cui Cui has two hands, let's build Luoyang Bridge in the future, something new!"

After a while the man said again: "Young men from Chadong have bright eyes and are very good at choosing a wife. Uncle, if you don't care about me, I'll tell you a joke." The old boatman asked, "What kind of joke?" The man said: "Uncle, if you are not careful, you can listen to this joke as the truth." The next thing to talk about is how the elder of the Shunshun family praised Cuicui in others, and how he entrusted him to listen to the tone of the old boatman.Finally, I told the old boatman about the situation of another conversation. "I asked him: 'Old man, old man, are you telling the truth or a joke?' He said: 'You go and find out about the old man for me. I like Cui Cui and I want Cui Cui. It's the truth. I said, "I'm very blunt. How about a slap when I say it?" He said, "You're afraid of being hit, so make it a joke first, and you won't get spanked!" So, Uncle , I will tell you this real thing as a joke. Just think about it, how should I answer him when he comes back from eastern Sichuan to see me on the ninth day of the lunar new year?"

The old boatman remembers what the old man said in person last time, and he knows that the old man's meaning is true, and he knows that Shun Shun also likes Cui Cui, so he is very happy.But according to the rules, this person had to go to Bixiyu's house to tell the story in person, so that he could be cautious, and the old boatman said: "When he comes, you say: After the old guy has heard the joke, he himself After telling a joke, he said, "Cars are the roads of cars, horses are roads, each has its own way. The old man walks the road of the car, and it should be decided by the old man. He invited a matchmaker to come and talk to me seriously." You are walking on the road, so you should decide for yourself, stand on the high cliff opposite the ferry, and sing a song for Cuicui for three years and six months.'”

"Uncle, if Cui Cui's heart can be moved by singing the song for three years and six months, I will sing by myself tomorrow." "Do you think if Cui Cui is willing, I will still refuse?" "It's okay, people think that if you are willing to do this, Cui Cui will not refuse." "You can't say that, it's her business!" "It's her business, but it must be decided by the old man. People still think that singing songs for three years and six months under the sun and moonlight is better than asking uncle to say a word!" "Then, I said, let's do it like this. When he comes back from Eastern Chuandong, he will ask Shun Shun to explain it to him. As for me, I'll ask Cui Cui first; It would be more interesting to walk with that singer, so I ask you to persuade Tate to take his winding road."

"That's good. When I saw him, I said, 'Boss, is this a joke? I've already said it. To be honest, it's up to your own fate.' It's really up to his fate, but I understand that he Your fate is still in your hands." "That's not what I said! If I can decide on this matter, I will immediately agree." After the two of them had finished their conversation, they went to another place to see a three-cabin boat that Shunshun had recently bought.In the area of ​​Shunshun Diaojiaolou on Hejie, the following happened. Although Cuicui was called to sit next to her by the squire girl, she was in a very good position, looking out from the window, she could clearly see everything in the river, but her heart was not at peace.The people who crowded into the other windows to watch the excitement seemed to often shift their eyes from the scenery in the river to the few people here.Some people deliberately pretended to have other affairs, and walked from one side of the building to the other, but in fact they all did so to take a closer look at Cuicui's side.Cuicui was always uncomfortable, and just wanted to run away with an excuse.After a while, the cannons below the river sounded, and several boats that lined up across the river rowed straight towards this direction.First, the four boats were not far away from each other, like four arrows shooting at the water surface. Halfway through, two boats took the lead. After a while, one of the two boats overtook the advancing boat. forward.See when the ship reaches the gate of the tax bureau, the second cannon fires again, and the ship wins.At this time, the victorious one has been determined to belong to the one rowed by the people of Hejie, and small firecrackers are going off everywhere to celebrate.Then the boat rowed along the stilted buildings on the river street, the drums were beating loudly, and people shouted at the same time to express their happy congratulations at the riverside and the stilted buildings.Cui Cui saw that the young man who was standing at the bow of the boat waving a small flag and commanding the advance and retreat with a red cloth on his head was the elder who sent wine gourds to Bixiyu, and the past three years ago was printed in her heart, "Big fish eat Get rid of you!" "Eat it or not, don't worry about it!" "Dog, dog, you can see people barking!" Thinking of the dog, Cui Cui noticed the yellow dog beside her, and she didn't know where it went , left her seat, looked for her yellow dog everywhere upstairs, and forgot about the man in the bow.

While looking for the yellow dog in the crowd, she listened to what he was saying. A woman with a big face asked: "Whose family is it that sits in that good place in front of the window in the middle of Shun Shun's house?" A woman said: "It's the eldest girl from Shang Wang's family in the village. Today she said she came to see the boat. In fact, she came to see people and let people see her at the same time! She has a good life and is blessed to sit in that good place!" "Who are you looking at? Who are you looking at?" "Hey, you still don't understand, the squire wants to beat Shun Shun's in-laws."

"Who is that girl suitable for? Is it the elder or the second elder?" "It's the second elder, wait until you see this Yue Yun, you will go upstairs to see his mother-in-law!" Another woman interrupted and said, "It's done, it's great! They have a brand-new mill to marry, and it's better than ten long years." Someone asked: "How is the second elder? Are you happy?" Someone said softly: "The two elders have already said it, so there is no need to read it. The first thing I don't want to be the owner of that mill!" "Did you listen to the old Yue Yun's words?" "I heard what others said. They also said that the two elders like the one who supports the ferry." "He's not a fool, he doesn't want a mill, but a ferry?" "Then who knows. Hengshun people are 'beef stir-fried with leeks, everyone loves', just eat what everyone likes. The ferry will not be inferior to the mill!" At that time, everyone's eyes were facing the river, and these gossips were said in their mouths, but no one turned around and noticed Cui Cui behind him. Cui Cui walked to another place with a burning face, and heard two people mention this matter.And said: "Everything has been arranged long ago, and only a word from the old man is needed." He also said: "Just looking at the energy that the old man has today, you can guess that this energy was given to him by a girl with yellow flowers on the shore!" Who is the yellow flower girl who excited the two elders?Hearing this, Cui Cui felt a little confused. Cuicui was a little shorter, and he couldn't see the situation in the river behind him, he only heard the beating of drums getting closer and more intense, and the shouts on the shore approaching from far away, so he knew that the old man's boat had just passed downstairs.The people upstairs were also shouting, mixed with the names of the elders, the wife of the squire, and someone set off firecrackers for Xiaobaizi.Suddenly he shouted in another surprised voice, and at the same time he saw many people walking down the river.Cui Cui didn't know what happened, she was a little confused, she didn't know whether to go back to her original seat or still stand behind the person.I saw that someone was taking a tray over there, filled a large plate of rice dumplings and small snacks, and was asking the ladies and gentlemen of the country to have snacks. I was embarrassed to go over there, so I wanted to squeeze out of the gate and go down to the river to have a look.When going down the river from a corridor next to a salt shop in He Street, I met a group of people between the beams and pillars of a row of stilted buildings, and came to embrace the old man with a red cloth on his head.It turned out that the two elders had gotten up from the water because they slipped and fell into the water.The road was too narrow, even though Cui Cui stepped aside, she was still elbow to elbow with the oncoming person.When the two elders saw Cui Cui, they said: "Cui Cui, you are here, is grandpa also here?" Cuicui's face was still hot and she couldn't make a sound, thinking: "Where did the yellow dog go?" The second elder said: "Why don't you come upstairs to my house to see it? I've asked someone to find a good seat for you." Cuicui thought to herself: "It's a strange thing for the mill to marry as a dowry." The two elders couldn't force Cui Cui to go back, so they went away separately.When Cuicui arrived at the bottom of the river, Xiaoxin was filled with an inexplicable thing.It's trouble, no!It is sorrow, no!Happiness, no, what could make this girl happy?She must be angry—yes, she really felt as if she was angry with someone, and also as if she was angry with herself.There were too many people by the river, in the shallow water by the pier, on the masts and canopies of ships, and even on the pillars of stilted buildings.Cui Cui said to herself: "There are so many people, what kind of three-legged cat is there?" At first, she thought that her grandfather could be found on some boat, but after searching for a while, there was no sign of her grandfather anywhere.She squeezed to the water's edge, and at a glance saw the yellow dog in her family, who lived with Shunshun's family for a long time, and was watching the fun on an empty boat a few feet away from the shore.Cui Cui screamed twice, the yellow dog opened its ears and raised its head to look around, then jumped into the water and swam towards Cui Cui.When she got to her side, the dog was covered in water, shaking the water and jumping endlessly, Cui Cui said, "Come on, why are you pretending to be crazy. If you don't capsize the boat, who wants you to fall into the water?" Cui Cui and Huang Gou went to find their grandfather, and happened to meet him in front of a wooden walkway on He Street. The old boatman said: "Cui Cui, I saw a good mill. The mill is new, the water wheel is new, and the straw on the roof is also new! The dam is holding a lock of water, and it is running fast. When the sluice is pumped, the water wheel turns very fast Like a spinning top." Cui Cui asked a bit artificially, "Who does it belong to?" "Who does it belong to? It belongs to Wang Tuan who lives on the mountain. I've heard people say that the people in Zhongzhai used it as a dowry for their daughter. It's very rich, and the labor contract is seven hundred yuan, and they don't care about the windmill or their belongings!" "Who will beg for that family's daughter?" Grandpa looked at Cui Cui and smiled dryly, "Cui Cui, big fish bite you, big fish bite you." Because Cui Cui had a number in her mind about this matter, she still pretended not to understand at all, and only asked her grandfather, "Grandpa, who got that mill?" "Elder Yue Yun!" Grandpa said and said to himself, "Some people envy the second elder to get the mill, and some envy the second elder who got the mill!" "Who is envious, Grandpa?" "I'm envious." Grandpa smiled again as he said. Cuicui said: "Grandpa, you are drunk." "But the second elder also praised you for your beauty." Cui Cui said, "Grandpa, you're crazy drunk." The grandfather said: "Grandpa is neither drunk nor crazy... Go, let's go to the river to watch them release ducks." He also wanted to say, "If the second elder catches a duck, he will definitely give it to us again." Yes, standing in front of Cui Cui smiling.Cuicui also smiled. So the three of them went back to the Diaojiaolou.