The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Lijiatun started to get busy.
First, the whole family offered sacrifices to the Kitchen God.
Then, the women started to clean, and the men, young and old, went to the city to buy New Year's goods again. This time they did not buy them in small quantities as before, but led the animals to carry back large quantities.
When the old and young masters come back, they will take a bath and shave their heads.
As the saying goes, whether you have money or not, you should get a haircut during the New Year. This is the truth.
While the men, young and old, were bathing and shaving their heads, the women, who had just finished cleaning the house, were cutting paper-cuts for the windows.
In the evening, we started making the first dumplings.
Eating dumplings means the New Year has begun, that is, from today until February 2, Lijiatun begins the long winter.
Of course, it is not absolute.
This is the case with Lijiatun, but the black soil is so vast, so it must be a little different.
What’s more, the situations in Haimen, the imperial capital, and Shencheng which are farther away are even more different.
In the morning, Mr. Li's family also offered sacrifices to the Kitchen God.
The cleaning was entrusted to Aunt Six and others.
Old Li's wife died of illness early, the wife that Li Changhai liked was raped by a gangster, and Li Fugui is still young, so it will take at least two years before they can get married. Therefore, the old Li family, with three bachelors, relies on the help of people in the village during the New Year.
People in the village are also willing to help.
Because Lao Li is capable and loyal.
Even though his family became wealthy, he did not forget the people in the village.
Not only do they let them work in their own shops, but if they are not satisfied, they will be introduced to other jobs. Even if they are hard and tiring, they are better than staying in the mountains for the rest of their lives.
Therefore, the whole village not only follows Lao Li's lead, but also is full of gratitude.
"Changhai, go and invite Mr. Mo!"
"Fugui, don't talk nonsense when you see your grandmother later!"
Old Li was smoking a pipe.
Li Changhai walked quickly to the back of the village.
Li Fugui scratched his head with a simple look on his face.
Different from Li Changhai who believed that there are extraordinary people in the world and that famous mountains and rivers are blessed, Li Fugui was at the other extreme and basically ignored all these things.
Think it's a lie.
Of course, this was before Mr. Mo showed up.
After Mr. Mo appeared?
Li Fugui went from one extreme to another.
Even more fanatical than his brother.
However, due to the cold words he had said in the past, I felt embarrassed to get close to Mr. Mo at this time.
In your heart?
Just look at the envy on Li Fugui's face when he looks at his brother at this moment and you will know.
Old Li looked at his youngest son and kicked him lightly.
"Go if you want to. I'm not a wimp."
"Mr. Mo is a reasonable man. Will he argue with you?"
Old Li said unhappily.
"Dad, I know Mr. Mo won't bother with me."
"The less Mr. Mo cares, the more uncomfortable I feel."
"It feels like something is blocking my heart."
Li Fugui scratched his head and smiled bitterly.
"Well, he's quite manly. I'll go talk to Mr. Mo later..."
Old Li felt sorry for his son, so he prepared to step forward in person and expose the matter.
But before Old Li could finish speaking, Li Fugui waved his hands repeatedly.
"Dad, please don't get involved in this. I'm already feeling uncomfortable. If you get involved, I won't be able to face Mr. Mo. I'll figure it out on my own, okay?"
"OK."
Old Li nodded and grinned.
He, Old Li, could not read or write, but the son he raised lived a life of honor.
It won't lose face even if it's there.
Be a good boy.
The more he thought about it, the happier Lao Li became, and he often felt relieved in his heart.
"Xiuqin, Old Li has been very kind to you. Next time you come to me in your dreams, please don't scold me, Old Li."
Old Li muttered to himself.
In the distance, Li Changhai came over with Goethe.
"Mr. Mo!"
Old Li quickly greeted him.
Goethe nodded.
Then, the group of four walked out of the village.
Goethe and Lao Li walked side by side in front, while Li Changhai and Li Fugui were holding things in the back.
"My godmother is in the forest ten miles ahead. The biggest tree as soon as you enter is - when I was born, the midwife said that I had a weak fate and needed to find a powerful godmother so that I could grow up smoothly, otherwise I might die young."
"My father was an old man who had a son. He felt sorry for me and immediately spent a lot of money to find a doctor to take care of me. In the end, he abandoned my godmother."
"I'm an incredible godmother."
"Before, there were yellow foxes in the village. I was almost bewitched by one and went blind. Later, I fell ill. When I recovered and my father took me to see my godmother, there was a bunch of yellow foxes hanging on the tree branch."
Old Li talked about his godmother tree as he walked.
It's half true and half false.
The midwife said that he had a weak fate, and that was true.
It is true that I spent a lot of money to find a gentleman.
And the yellow-skinned man who came later?
It was Lao Li's father who hunted with the hunters in the village.
It was just because the yellow fox was considered one of the five fairies, and they were afraid of being retaliated against, so they followed the master's advice and hung themselves on the godmother tree.
Goethe listened to what Lao Li said and didn't say much.
He had seen the godmother tree.
It's similar to the Wang family's 'guardian fairy'.
They are all good spirits.
However, unlike the Wang family's 'guardian fairy', this godmother tree seems to be more 'selfless'.
You don't need a fairy tower or daily worship. Just remember to do it during festivals.
It’s almost the same as the real elderly people in the family.
Sitting in front of the door every day, waiting for the children to come back.
Goethe remembered that he went to junior high school at that time. Since there was no junior high school in the welfare home, he could only go to a public junior high school. The director of the welfare home sent him to the bus every day and waited for him at the bus stop in the evening.
This happened every day for three years in junior high school.
It wasn't until he went to high school and lived in the school dormitory that we began to wait for him to come back for the holidays.
"call!"
Goethe took a deep breath and suppressed his thoughts.
By this time, we had already reached the woods.
Among all the trees, the godmother tree stands out.
It's not just because there are red ropes tied to the branches, but also because this godmother tree is extremely tall. Among the trees, it is like an adult standing among children.
“Is this…Spruce?”
I had seen it from the air with the help of the [Blood Crow Spirit] before, and didn't think much of it. But when I actually stood under the godmother tree, I realized that the height of this godmother tree had already exceeded the level of ordinary spruce trees.
Goethe looked on.
Old Li and his two sons got busy. …
Incense, candles, fruits and offerings were placed one by one.
Each person tied a red rope to a tree branch.
"Godmother, Lao Li and his two sons are here to see you."
"Kowtow to your grandmother."
As Old Li spoke, he picked up the incense stick and knelt down.
Li Changhai and Li Fugui knelt behind Old Li.
Goethe stood a little further away.
He could clearly feel that as Lao Li and his two sons knelt down, the "spirit" of the godmother tree began to become active, as if it had awakened from a deep sleep and saw its loved ones.
That's exciting.
Even more delighted.
It was just like the dean's smiling face in his memory.
Old Li and the other two stuck the incense sticks into the soil in front of the roots of the godmother tree. It was not that they didn't want to put up an incense burner, but if they put up an incense burner they would have to lose it. There were too many wild animals in this forest, and who knows what might take it away.
After lighting the incense, Lao Li sat at the root of the tree and chatted with his godmother tree.
There are the daily lives of people in Lijiatun, the development of shops in the city, and some difficult things that could not be told in the past. It really is like talking to one's own parents.
In this world, no one except parents can unconditionally tolerate their children.
But Mr. Li lost his parents early.
The only one I can confide in is my godmother tree.
Goethe looked on with some envy.
Like Lao Li, he told the director's mother everything about himself.
"Are you all right?"
Goethe whispered to himself.
It took a full half hour for the incense to burn out three times.
"Godmother, I'll come again when I'm thirty!"
As Old Li said this, Li Changhai and Li Fugui, who had been waiting for a long time, picked up the tribute. However, they did not take it back, but broke it open, crushed it, and scattered it in all directions.
This means a treat.
Old Li bowed again and greeted everyone around him.
After confirming that nothing was left out, the four of them turned around and returned to the village.
By the time we entered the village, the men and women who had gone to buy New Year's goods for the last time had already returned, and a group of children were pestering and asking for candy.
If this had happened under normal circumstances, he would have kicked me in the face.
But today is the Little New Year, so the situation is different.
The adults in each family took out one or two candies from their pockets.
There's more to candy than just that.
But the big head must not be taken out now, who doesn't have relatives and friends? When visiting relatives and friends in the first month of the year to entertain people, peanuts, melon seeds, and sugar melons must be available.
In the early years, when Lijiatun was poor, people would stare at the candies they saw when they visited relatives and friends' homes. If their own children wanted candies, they would be scolded.
Some kids are so violent that men have to take action.
It’s really difficult to beat a child in the first month of the year.
The daughters-in-law wiped away their tears quietly.
Who made your family poor?
The following year, the family worked even harder.
No reason, just so the kids can have a piece of candy during the New Year.
It’s a pity that I still can’t eat it.
It was not until Lao Li dug up the century-old ginseng that he and the entire village became rich.
Therefore, when they saw Lao Li coming back, the men, young and old in the village greeted him one after another.
"Boss, come to my house to eat dumplings tonight."
"Brother Li, come to my house tonight."
"Lao Li, come to my second uncle's house tonight."…
There are all kinds of names for them. The Lijiatun people are related to each other, and Old Li has not forgotten his roots even after he became rich, which makes the names more and more confusing, but also more and more close.
"Okay, okay, okay."
Old Li smiled and nodded repeatedly.
Why does he, Lao Li, work so hard?
Isn't it just that you hope your son will have a bright future and the folks in Lijiatun can live a good life?
Now more than half of the goal has been achieved.
Then what's there to be unhappy about?
Later, Lao Li was lucky enough to stand on a big rock in the village that was weighing down pickled cabbage. He shouted loudly: "Today is the Little New Year. Our village has a good harvest. Lao Li's shop also depends on the support of all the old and young gentlemen. Come to my house tonight, and there will be plenty of wine and food. However, the dumplings must be made by each family. There is no woman in Lao Li's family who can make dumplings."
Everyone burst into laughter at this sentence.
Old Li ordered Li Changhai and Li Fugui to ride horses to the city to buy wine.
There is no shortage of meat at home.
I also saved a lot of vegetables.
But, there is definitely not enough wine.
Throughout the year, the men in Lijiatun only occasionally indulge in drinking.
Once you start drinking, each person should drink at least half a catty. If you can drink, drinking two catties is no problem.
The man who is the head of the village has more than 30 wives.
If we cut off the head and tail and assume that each person weighs one pound, it would still be 40 pounds.
Old Li has stored wine, and apart from the wine used to make medicinal wine, there are only about seven or eight kilograms left, which is definitely not enough.
"Got it, Dad."
The two boys from Old Li's family walked out happily.
The money was spent.
But happy.
When the men saw this, they told their wives to put more meat in the dumpling filling, so that they would not eat the dumplings full of sauerkraut in the evening when they were drinking.
Then are you still a human being?
Even if it smells bad, it will make you die.
Goethe stood aside and watched the bustling Lijiatun.
Busy, but with a smile.
A very pure and simple smile.
It's like the smile of the dean's mother.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Goethe knew that he missed home.
Think of that family that is not very wealthy, that needs older children to get subsidies from working, and that younger children have to restrain themselves to maintain their family.
There were some unpleasant things, but they were all just children playing around.
Feeling a little uncomfortable is just the nature of children.
But there is more happiness!
The fat boy who always bullied him was strangled by him in the middle of the night and almost suffocated. During the New Year, he took the initiative to admit his mistake to him and said that he was wrong at that time.
The street kid who wanted to take advantage of the dean got drunk and was put in a sack by him and Xiaopang and beaten with a stick.
Later, he got drunk, slipped, fell into the river and drowned. It had nothing to do with him.
Those annoying guys became his friends after he communicated with them in a friendly way.
It won't work.
They also disappeared.
It's nothing.
He couldn't remember those guys, he just remembered the orphanage.
That's his home.
He also wants to go home and eat dumplings.
The strong thought made Goethe's breathing quicken and his heart began to beat violently.
Dong, Dongdong!
Each beat was like the beating of a war drum.
Each one was like a thunderous explosion.
Everyone in Lijiatun looked over, and when they saw that it was Goethe, they immediately showed a look of relief.
It turned out to be Mr. Mo!
That's fine!
How capable is Mr. Mo!
What does this little strange noise matter?
Everyone went about their own business.
Goethe turned and returned to the room.
His heart calmed down.
But his heart was unusually active.
His thinking became active, and Goethe could even feel that his soul was constantly rising.
The welfare home appeared before his eyes.
There, everything was just as he remembered.
Every blade of grass and every tree.
Exactly the same.
His mother, the dean, was standing there waiting for him.
Dong, Dongdong!
The calmed heart starts beating again.
An active [heart] is more joyful.
The two constant movements began to fit together.
As if it should be so.
This kind of fit, from being uncomfortable to being comfortable.
In one breath, it's done.
And when the heart and the [heart] complete the match again and again, they begin to become inseparable.
The yearning of the heart.
It is the reflection of the [heart]!
What Goethe thought deep in his heart materialized with his heart, the existence that he needed most at this moment—
Occupation: Returnee!