After entering July, summer has officially entered. People's robes, jackets, and coats have all been replaced by light and cool linen shirts.
As soon as the sun came out, it was scorching. The blacksmith shop was closed during the hottest month, and the work in the fields couldn't be done during the day. I had to get up early and do it while it was still dark. Fortunately, it only needed Remove weeds and insects.
Because irrigation canals were dug in the spring, although it cost a lot more money, the watering problem was completely solved and a lot of effort was saved.
Even though something bad happened to the hired worker, he did a good job.
Qingyan had never experienced such a day before. It would get dark late in the summer. Because he got up early every day, he would often be so sleepy and tired that he couldn't open his eyes before it got dark. He would go to bed early after scrubbing.
After working in the fields, Qiu Henian would pack the vegetables picked by the two of them and put them on the cart. He would also put away the farm tools. He would leave a space for Qingyan in the cart, prepare a thick mat, and go back On the way, Qingyan sat on it, holding an oil-paper umbrella to shade him from the sun. He took a sip from the water bag from time to time, ate a few bites of pancakes, and waited with squinted eyes for his husband-in-law to take him home.
Sometimes when there are too many vegetables to pick, the two of them don't go back and go directly to the town to set up a stall and sell them, so they can make some money.
On the way back, Qingyan, who was sitting in the car, had either an extra bowl of iced licorice soup or an extra portion of sweet ice and snow. He ate it happily, calling out "Crane Year" from time to time, and the man pulling the cart said He shook his head and said, "I won't eat it."
After a while, Qingyan called "Ms. sir" again, so the man had to park the car and go over to take a bite of the ice cream his husband fed him.
One time, Qingyan ate too much iced medicinal papaya, which made his stomach upset for two or three days. He lost a lot of weight. This project that made him feel so wonderful was forcibly stopped by Qiu Henian.
After that time, Qingyan didn't want to eat anymore, because his bad stomach in those days made him extremely embarrassed.
On the first day, he went to the hut more than ten times. The doctor saw it and drank the medicine by holding his nose. However, the medicine did not take effect so quickly. By the second day, the skin on his buttocks was bruised. However, I still have to go to the hut again and again. Every time I go, the place where the skin has just grown is scratched again.
Qingyan was originally afraid of pain and would not stop even if the skin on her finger was broken.
At this moment, my stomach is still cramping, and my buttocks are also hurting.
Seeing that he hadn't come back for a long time, Qiu Henian went to look for him worriedly, and saw him standing there holding on to the wall with his face full of tears, crying silently.
In the past, Qingyan would cry secretly by herself when she felt uncomfortable. After crying twice in front of others, she no longer had any small self-esteem and would cry once when she felt uncomfortable.
Qiu Henian felt distressed and amused when he saw him like this, so he took him back to the bed as if he was a patient who couldn't take care of himself. I brought a basin of water and wiped my face and hands.
Later, the stove was lit and hot water was boiled.
When Qiu Henian finished his work and entered the house, Qing Yan asked with tears in his eyes: "Why are you boiling water? I won't drink it."
Qiu Henian poured the hot water into the basin, mixed it with cold water, tested the temperature, and said, "I will wash you every time from now on. It will make things easier for you."
Qingyan was stunned for a moment, a little doubtful whether his understanding was correct, but Qiu Henian had already given him the answer with practical actions.
The curtains were drawn, making the room much darker. Qiu Henian walked up to Qingyan and lifted his waist and abdomen with one arm. As if without any effort, Qingyan was hanging off the bed like a little chicken. , the hot water basin was placed behind him on the floor beside the bed.
Qiu Henian whispered: "Put on your shoes and squat down."
Qingyan subconsciously obeyed, and then his shoulders were held, and his body leaned forward involuntarily. His hands were pressed on the board under the edge of the bed for stepping on.
He was stripped of his clothes just like that, and it was so cold. When hot water was applied to it, he trembled all over, and his eyes widened and he couldn't believe what was happening.
Qiu Henian had already washed him as carefully as possible.
He didn't know how long it took to wash him. Qiu Henian didn't dare to wipe him with the cloth commonly used at home for fear of hurting the delicate skin, so he wiped it with his own clean soft clothes and washed it after wiping it.
After he finished wiping and making sure it was dry, he went to help Qingyan up, only to see him crying again, his face red from crying.
Qiu Henian quickly picked him up, let him sit on his lap, coaxed the child and patted his back like that, and asked in a gentle voice: "What's the matter? Did I rub it for you?"
Qingyan shook his head, hugged Qiu Henian's neck and choked with sobs: "You wash so slowly, I feel so embarrassed."
Qiu Henian smiled and kissed his forehead, "I've never seen anything about you, so there's nothing to be ashamed of."
"No," Qingyan hiccupped and said, "You wash so slowly... I want to go to the latrine again, wuwu."
Qiu Henian was startled for a moment, then laughed out loud and said, "It's okay. I'll wash you again when I'm done. The hot water hasn't cooled down yet."
It will be two days later when Qing Yan recovers.
Every time I wash it, it really helps. I went to the latrine less often on the last day, and the skin on my skin slowly grows back.
Small problems are also very tiring. When Qingyan is so good, I just feel that the sky is very blue, the rice is very fragrant, everything is so good.
At dawn that morning, a big rooster stood on the fence and crowed, and a little hen also followed suit and kept crowing at the top of her lungs.
Qingyan thought it was the old kite who came down to catch the chicken. This happened before, biting the chicken's neck until it bled. Later, the little hen's neck kept being crooked, and it didn't straighten out even after it had grown up. So she could only Fortunately it survived.
As soon as Qingyan heard the crow of the chicken, she felt distressed and ran to the yard faster than Qiu Henian. However, the old kite didn't see it and found a warm egg in the chicken coop.
The first egg laid by his chicken had a little blood on the eggshell. Qingyan showed the egg to Qiu Henian who was following him.
He had tanned a bit recently, but he was still paler than others. He had diarrhea for a few days, and the flesh on his cheeks had lost weight. His chin was pointed, and his clothes were loose, making it painful to look at him.
I was extremely happy now, my eyes were bright, and my expression was excited and somewhat showy.
Qiu Henian looked down at him, with a smile on his face. He raised his hand and pinched his chin, and praised, "Qing Yan is really amazing."
This morning, three more chickens laid eggs one after another, just enough for a plate of frying.
Qingyan wanted to cook with great interest, but was stopped by Qiu Henian. He washed his hands and put on an apron, kneaded a pot of light noodles, took two of four eggs and poached them.
Qingyan was a little disappointed, but taking good care of her health was important at this time, so she could only endure it.
Early the next morning, Qiu Henian went to work in the fields. He was so gentle that he didn't wake up Qingyan. Qingyan didn't get up until he woke up naturally.
This time, there was no pain anywhere, I felt comfortable everywhere, and I was finally completely healed.
After the chickens laid eggs, they needed to eat some good nutrition. Qingyan went to the oil shop in the village and bought a few pieces of bean cakes made from the leftover bean dregs from oil extraction. When she got home, she cooked them in a large pot over slow heat.
Then I put on a straw hat and dug half a basket of endives by the river in front of my house. These are available until autumn. After digging one batch, another batch will grow soon, which is best used to feed chickens and ducks.
After digging, Qingyan took it back, washed the roots, and put them aside to dry.
When the bean cakes are cooked, while they are hot and still soft, cut them off piece by piece with a hatchet, chop them into pieces and let them cool down. Chop the radishes as well, mix them together, and put them in a bowl. The chickens all gathered around and ate very deliciously.
Qingyan watched from the side and felt more satisfied than eating by himself.
He rinsed the cutting boards and knives, tidied up the yard, and prepared to go back to the house to rest.
At this moment, someone knocked on the courtyard door, and Qingyan heard a familiar voice asking outside: "Is Qingyan at home?"
The smile on Qingyan's face gradually faded away. He stood with his lips pursed for a while before agreeing and saying, "Here he is." Then he went to open the courtyard door.
Shen Wen stood outside the door with a small basket on his arm. When he saw Qing Yan coming to open the door, he smiled and said, "I just picked some peppers from the ground. I heard that you don't grow them in your land, so I brought some for you." ."
Qingyan also smiled at him, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He opened the door and said, "Come in and sit down."
Shen Wen walked in with a smile and looked at the tall grape vines growing along the fence along the pergola. She couldn't help but admired: "Your grape vines are growing really well. My grape vines are growing really well." What is sown does not grow."
Qingyan smiled and said, "Yeah."
Shen Min glanced at him, lowered his eyelids, and when he raised them again, he still curled his lips and smiled.
But when his back was turned to Qingyan, his expression quickly became lonely. It wasn't until he sat down at the table in the outer room and Qingyan brought a basket to catch the peppers that he quickly stood up and said with a smile: "It's not a good thing, don't dislike it. ."
Qingyan returned the basket to him, sat across the table, and asked, "How are you doing at home recently? I heard that the village chief and a few old people made the decision and allotted ten acres of land to your family?"
Shen Wen nodded and said: "The land at home was sold by Wang Heyao, and we couldn't eat anymore. The village chief said he couldn't watch us starve to death, so he evened out ten acres of land from each family, but this time It's considered a debt, and the money to buy the land will have to be paid back slowly every year."
He lowered his head, "It's good to have land to plant. At least I can eat. The village chief also raised money for me to buy seeds and fertilizer, but it's too late to plant rice or sweet potatoes. Last month I planted peppers, cucumbers, Persimmons and loofahs, these can be eaten until autumn, and we can sell some more, enough to make a full meal."
Hearing this, Qingyan nodded and said, "That's good."
After that, the two fell silent. Qingyan lowered his eyes and looked at the table. He didn't say anything or ask anyone, but his attitude was obviously not as enthusiastic as before.
Shen Wen's expression also darkened. After a long while, he said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Someone from the county came to my house just now to get a message. Wang Heyao has been sentenced to death and will be executed after the autumn trial."
Qingyan looked at him suddenly, Shen Wen lowered his head, and a smile gradually appeared on his lips, "His mother passed away after hearing the news. When I came out of the house, she was lying on the ground crying."
Shen Wen raised his head, looked at Qing Yan, and said, "You must have seen what happened to me. I can't help you and Dalang." He didn't tell the specific things. If he didn't tell them, they could Quan Dang never knew that nothing would go wrong in the future.
Qingyan moved her lips, lowered her eyes, and said, "I know it's difficult for you."
Tears suddenly flowed from Shen Wen's eyes, like a stream, and he said: "I don't expect you to treat me the same as before, but if you need me in the future, just ask and I will do my best. "
With that said, Shen Min wiped his face, stood up, and was about to leave.
Before going out, he turned around and wanted to say something, but gritted his teeth and still didn't say anything. He turned around with red eyes and strode out of the door.
In the middle of the night, the drunk Wang Heyao sat on the floor of the outhouse like a dead dog. He took a hammer, used the low stool as a human skull, and hammered on it hard. As he hammered, he murmured in a low voice: "Have that one to death first." Bitch, kill the dead old lady who didn't get a cent, hide the hammer in that ugly monster's house, and then go to the county government to report the ugly monster to be beheaded. I don't want the little beauty anymore. Behead them together, and I will own the house and shop. That's it, no one will bother me anymore!"
Shen Min was lying behind the door, feeling chilled all over.
The next day, he came back with two kilograms of pigs and gave Wang Heyao subtle hints and guidance again and again.
Shen Min thought that it would be meaningless to say this, and it would not change the fact that he had planned to take advantage of Qingyan and his wife.
...
Seven or eight days later, Mrs. Wang died.
She moaned in bed for several days before she died. Shen Wen invited her doctor to come over. The doctor looked at her and shook his head, telling her to prepare for the funeral.
These two things happened to Mr. Wang's family recently, and everyone who heard about it was filled with sighs and sighs.
The villagers living nearby collected some money for Shen Wen. The coffin was too expensive and they couldn't afford it, so they bought a straw mat to wrap it, hired someone to pull the cart, scattered paper money along the way, and buried it on the mountain on the road out of the village. At her feet, she was buried with her husband, who died young.
After the burial, Shen Wen packed up all the things in the old lady's house. He sold everything that could be sold and threw away everything that was useless.
Shen Wen took her big bunch of keys and opened all the cabinet doors one by one, but she didn't find a penny in the end.
The person is gone, dust returns to dust and dust returns to earth, and the grudges of the past no longer exist, that's all.
...
Mrs. Wang died in the early morning.
No one knew that before she died, the old lady who was lying in bed and unable to get up had ever gotten out of bed.
At that time, she had lost much strength, so she stumbled to the firewood shed in the yard, found a cloth bag under the pile of firewood, went to get a shovel, and returned to her house in a breathless step.
She spent a lot of time digging a deep hole under a pillar in the corner of the room, and then took the cloth bag over. Her dull eyes lit up, and she held it in her arms for a long time.
After that, she opened the cloth bag, and there was a dazzling amount of silver inside.
Mrs. Wang patiently counted them one by one, and found exactly one hundred taels.
After counting, she touched it again and again with satisfaction. Then she closed the cloth bag, pulled a straw mat from the bed, wrapped it in the cloth, and put it in the newly dug hole.
After the soil was filled back and compacted, the ground in the house was originally made of soil. People walked and stepped on it every day, so it was originally uneven. After it was finished, no traces could be seen.
After Mrs. Wang finished the work, she still held her breath and carried the shovel back to the yard, wiped the soles of her shoes clean, and then lay down on the bed.
Not two hours later, she died.
Wang Heyao was careless. She knew that she was used to it, but it was already like this and she had no choice.
She knew that the money in her hand could not be touched. If she did, she would not be able to live her life.
If Wang Heyao knew that she had this money, he would probably lose it all in one night, so she would have to hide it.
Hiding it again and again, after so many years, this money has become her obsession.
Ever since her son married a wife, she has been keeping the money in her hands.
Her son wanted to take a concubine, but she was reluctant to take it out. Her son was forced to die by Qian Lei, so she didn't take it out. The family was so hungry that they ate moldy rice, but she didn't take it out either. Her son was taken away. Seeing that she was about to be beheaded, she didn't even think about taking it out and trying to unblock it.
This money is her whole life. Now that she is dead, no one can use it.
As long as the house is not demolished and the foundation is not dug again, no one can get it.
When Mrs. Wang died, she had no regrets and only felt satisfied.