When the pears are green

The stalls at the market stop at the intersection.

Song Li looked around and said to Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye, "Qingzhou, Qingye, there are no more stalls. Let's go back. I'll make meatballs and pork skin jelly for you when we get home."

Jiang Qingye asked with his eyes shining: "Sister-in-law, can you cook it? Meatballs are delicious."

Song Li thought about it, and she smiled and replied: "I've seen others do it before. With Qingzhou, we will definitely succeed."

After hearing this, Jiang Qingye hurriedly grabbed Jiang Qingzhou and wanted to go back, and Song Li followed them with a smile.

When Song Li and the other two passed by Rongxing Bookstore, they saw Master Li climbing up the ladder tremblingly, with a boy holding the ladder beside him.

The three of them stopped, Song Li glanced at Jiang Qingzhou, Jiang Qingzhou smiled and took off the backpack, then walked to the ladder and said loudly: "Master, let me help you!"

Master Li lowered his head and recognized Jiang Qingzhou and the other two. He shouted, "No need, I can do it myself. I have done it in previous years."

The boy looked at the trembling Master Li and said, "Grandpa, my father did it in previous years, but he is away on a long trip this year. Don't be so stubborn."

After hearing what the boy said, Master Li slowly climbed down, rubbed the boy's head and said, "Nian Nian is right, I forgot that your heartless father left us and went on a long journey. Young man of the Jiang family, I'll leave everything to you."

"Master, you are too polite." Jiang Qingzhou said, then took the bamboo duster from Master Li, quickly climbed up the ladder, and carefully cleaned the gatehouse of the study.

After moving the ladder back and forth three times, Jiang Qingzhou finally finished cleaning the gatehouse.

"Master, is there any other place to clean?" Jiang Qingzhou asked Master Li softly after coming down from the ladder.

Master Li looked at Jiang Qingzhou as if he saw Jiang Wan in his memory again. He was stunned for a moment, then said: "No more, no more, come in and have a glass of water!"

Song Li, who was talking to Jiang Qingye and the boy, also came over. She smiled and said to Master Li, "No need, Master."

The boy came over and pulled Jiang Qingzhou's sleeve, his eyes shining and he smiled at Jiang Qingzhou and said, "Brother, you are so awesome."

Master Li watched the boy's actions and gently scolded him, "Nian Nian, don't be disrespectful. Call me uncle."

After hearing this, the boy quickly let go of Jiang Qingzhou's sleeve and protested in a low voice: "It's obviously my brother."

Jiang Qingye liked the boy very much. He walked over, took the boy's hand and said, "Niannian is right. He is my brother."

When Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou saw this, they covered their mouths and laughed secretly.

Master Li looked at Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou who were laughing secretly, and then looked at the two children holding hands. He said to the three Jiang family members with a tangled look, "I remember your name is Qingye, right? Nian Nian is a nickname given by family members. You can call him Li Yi."

"Okay, then I will call you Li Yi from now on." Jiang Qingye patted Li Yi's shoulder and said obediently.

When Master Li saw that the Jiang family was unwilling to enter the house, he walked into the courtyard and brought out some bamboo sticks and bamboo tubes. He said to Jiang Qingzhou with a bit of shame, "Young man, since you are unwilling to go in, I will give you some bamboo sticks and bamboo tubes."

Song Li hurriedly walked over, took it, and put it in her backpack.

"Niannian, let your brothers and sisters-in-law go back. They are all carrying backpacks and baskets. They must be going to the market." Master Li pulled Li Yi who was still talking to Jiang Qingye.

Li Yi looked at the backpack on the ground and waved to the three people from the Jiang family. Song Li smiled and put the small sandbag that Song Yue gave her at the market into Li Yi's hand, asking him to play with it.

After saying goodbye to Master Li and Li Yi, the three of them continued on their way home.

While throwing sandbags, Li Yi said to Master Li: "Grandpa, I like them very much."

"Niannian, don't pull other people's sleeves or hands casually. Grandpa dresses you up as a boy so that it is convenient in the study. But you can't forget that you are a girl, okay?" Master Li kept nagging at Li Yi.

Li Yi looked at Master Li with a sad face. She didn't want Master Li to worry about her anymore. She nodded quickly and said, "Grandpa, I understand. I just like them very much."

Master Li had seen Li Yi break his promises many times. He shook his head and whispered, "I hope so!"

After Song Li and the others returned home, they rested for a while.

Jiang Qingzhou took out the bamboo branches and bamboo tubes from the backpack, then tied the bamboo branches to the bamboo poles and put the bamboo tubes aside for use on New Year's Eve.

Song Li was watching from the side. She shook the bamboo pole and said to Jiang Qingzhou with a smile, "Qingzhou, I didn't expect it to be so strong."

Jiang Qingzhou was still tying another bunch of bamboo sticks in his hand. He looked up and answered Song Li: "Yes, let's clean every corner of the house first. Has Xiaoli done this before?"

Song Li shook her head and said softly: "I didn't participate. It was all done by my family. When I got home, they had already finished it. They used to go to school, and later they worked."

Jiang Qingzhou took Song Li's hand and looked down at her. Song Li smiled and told Jiang Qingzhou, "I'm not sad. Go forward and don't look back. Qingzhou, tie this up quickly. We can do it together. There's no need to call Qingye."

Jiang Qingye shouted from the window of the room: "Sister-in-law, why didn't you call me? I am a man and I have to work."

Song Li smiled and stood up with the tied bamboo pole, and said loudly: "Are you as tall as me?"

Jiang Qingye ran out of the room in a hurry. He stood beside Song Li. Song Li gestured, and Jiang Qingye's head just reached Song Li's shoulder. Jiang Qingye ran back to his room dejectedly.

Jiang Qingzhou looked at the two of them and said softly, "Xiao Li and Qing Ye really look like siblings."

"We are." Song Li looked up and said to Jiang Qingzhou with a smile.

Song Li returned to the room and quickly cut her scarf into two halves, wrapping one half around her head and the other half around Jiang Qingzhou's head.

"When it's all used up, I'll sew it up with a needle." Song Li said to Jiang Qingzhou with a smile.

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and patted Song Li's head. The two of them walked into the house with bamboo poles tied to them and began to slowly clean the cobwebs and dust on the wall.

After cleaning the room at home, Song Li felt sore in her neck.

Jiang Qingzhou asked Song Li to rest aside first, and he and Jiang Qingye cleaned the door and windows together.

"Brother, why do we have to clean the house and yard before the New Year?" Jiang Qingye asked while wiping the door with a rag.

Song Li looked at Jiang Qingzhou's somewhat embarrassed expression, and she answered for Jiang Qingzhou: "Clearing the field, removing dust is also removing the old, the old old. Every New Year, people clean their homes thoroughly, not only to remove dust, but also to remove the suffering of the past year. A clean house is also a good way to welcome good luck in the new year."

Jiang Qingzhou continued Song Li's words and said, "So, on New Year's Eve, we have to burn these bamboo branches and then step over the fire."

"So that's how it is!" Jiang Qingye nodded.

Song Li thought for a moment, and then she continued, "It is said that there is a Three Corpse God living in every person, and it is sent by the Jade Emperor to monitor people. Every New Year, the Three Corpse Gods will return to heaven. It deceives the Jade Emperor by saying that people will speak ill of the Jade Emperor, and that people on earth are not united, unfriendly, and always scheming against each other. It says that it has already marked the house with spider webs. The Jade Emperor was very angry and wanted to send heavenly soldiers and generals to capture them. When the Kitchen God Siming heard about this, he sent a dream to people, asking them to clean up the spider webs in their homes before the New Year. Although people don't know why the Kitchen God Siming said this, they still clean up the spider webs in their homes. In this way, when the heavenly soldiers and generals came to the human world to capture them, they found that every household was very clean and harmonious, and reported it to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor later discovered that everything was a conspiracy of the Three Corpse Gods, so he imprisoned the Three Corpse Gods."

Song Li was talking so much that her mouth was dry, so Jiang Qingzhou quickly poured some water to Song Li's mouth.

"Sister-in-law knows so much!" Jiang Qingye couldn't help but sigh.

Just as Song Li finished drinking the water, she heard a knock on the door, and Jiang Qingye hurried to open it.

Not long after, Jiang Qingye came running over and said with a smile, "It's my second brother. He said he will write couplets for the villagers at the door tomorrow and asked us to cut the red paper."

After cleaning the door and windows, Song Li and the other two hurriedly cut the red paper they had bought.

Jiang Qingzhou saw that Song Li was always in a daze, so he asked, "Xiao Li, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how to write the couplet?" Song Li replied with a smile.

"Second brother will write it." Jiang Qingzhou said with a smile.

"But, I want to think of something myself and let my second brother write it tomorrow." Song Li was still sitting on the stool with his chin in his hand, in a daze.