When the pears are green

Jiang Qingzhou stood up slowly, lowered his head and walked to Song Li, like a child who had made a mistake.

Song Li put down the pottery basin, stared at Jiang Qingzhou, and asked softly: "Qingzhou, what's wrong with you? It seems that you have been a little depressed since writing the couplets. You told me that it was because of the delay of putting the wooden box, but the wooden box is still under the table. You are depressed in your heart, but you don't say it out loud, so how can I know what went wrong?"

Jiang Qingzhou hugged Song Li and whispered to her how he felt at the time, how powerless and frustrated he felt. He said he was afraid of being disliked and abandoned by Song Li.

"Qingzhou, can you tell me why you think so?" Song Li looked up and asked softly.

Jiang Qingzhou nodded and said in a wronged voice: "I am not as talented as Master Li and Master Wu, and I don't know as much as Xiaoli. I can only go to Heihe Town to sell some things and exchange for a few copper coins."

Song Li burst out laughing, she buried her head in Jiang Qingzhou's arms, patting his chest lightly or heavily.

Jiang Qingzhou saw Song Li laughing uncontrollably, so he quickly patted Song Li on the back, fearing that she would choke from laughing.

"But I don't care about the talent of Mr. Wu and Mr. Li. I only care about Qingzhou's few copper coins. They can keep our family of three well-fed and warm, and they can allow Qingye to go to school. I also like to earn those copper coins with Qingzhou. You and I are husband and wife, we should be honest with each other, and only when the family is harmonious can everything be prosperous." Song Li looked up and said to Jiang Qingzhou with a smile.

Jiang Qingzhou smiled, let go of Song Li, and said a little frustratedly: "I am very happy to hear what you three said. I guess they should be the ideal husbands in your mind."

Song Li looked at Jiang Qingzhou like this, and she suddenly felt a little angry. She stood on tiptoe and grabbed Jiang Qingzhou's ear with her hand: "Don't you believe me?"

Jiang Qingzhou looked at Song Li's angry expression. He ignored the pain in his ears and quickly explained: "I didn't, I just don't believe in myself."

"Jiang Qingzhou, you really disappoint me. If you envy others, then go and learn and work hard instead of complaining about yourself." Song Li was really angry.

This was the first time Jiang Qingzhou heard Song Li call him by his full name.

Jiang Qingzhou was stunned. He stood there at a loss, not knowing how to coax Song Li. He had only coaxed Jiang Qingye before, and it seemed that the tricks for coaxing children were useless to Song Li.

Song Li picked up the chopsticks and stirred the minced meat angrily, saying non-stop: "Jiang Qingzhou, you don't think I like reciting poems and composing couplets, do you? How could I like something that requires such brainpower? You said before that you would let me live freely in your home, but you didn't keep your word. You still doubt me, you are not a good person, if I had known I would not have asked mother for her consent, I am..."

The more Song Li spoke, the more aggrieved she felt.

Jiang Qingzhou saw that Song Li was getting more and more outrageous, and he was afraid that if Song Li continued to talk, she would even say He Li. He hurried over and touched her forehead like a dragonfly touching water.

Song Li stopped what she was doing, her cheeks flushed, she wiped her forehead with her sleeve, and ran behind the stove holding the pottery basin.

Song Li was stunned for a moment. She opened the lid of the pot, poured clean water into the pot, and then shouted to Jiang Qingzhou who was still standing: "Why are you standing there? Why don't you light the fire?" After saying that, she even wanted to laugh.

Jiang Qingzhou quickly sat down next to the stove. After lighting the fire, he looked up and asked, "Is Xiaoli still angry?"

"I dare not get angry. Who did you learn this from? You are so young and yet you don't learn well." Song Li pretended to be angry.

"I've seen my father coax my mother in this way, and he usually succeeds. I've also seen others..." Jiang Qingzhou said as he was about to stand up.

Song Li quickly put the spoon between her and Jiang Qingzhou. She said in a panic, "I'm not angry anymore. I'm not angry anymore. Just light the fire."

Jiang Qingzhou sat back down, feeling a little disappointed.

The Jiang family was fed with sour soup meatballs made by Song Li. In the afternoon, Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou made pork skin jelly.

That night, Song Li wanted to tease Jiang Qingzhou.

Song Li looked at the drowsy Jiang Qingzhou. She was moving around in the quilt like a fish. Jiang Qingzhou instinctively hugged her.

Jiang Qingzhou felt the cold skin and he withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted. He woke up instantly. He quickly covered Song Li's neck with the quilt and whispered to her, "You are not afraid of being cold. Go to sleep quickly. We still have to go to Li's shop to buy things for Qingye tomorrow."

Song Li looked at Jiang Qingzhou's unnatural expression with pride. She wanted to get out of the quilt, but Jiang Qingzhou held her down tightly.

"You're hurting me." Song Li said aggrievedly.

Jiang Qingzhou slowed down the force with which he pressed the quilt, but still did not let go.

Song Li stared at Jiang Qingzhou with her eyes fixed on him. She smiled and said, "Aren't you very brave?"

"I didn't, I was just trying to coax you at that time." Jiang Qingzhou retorted.

Song Li started to move around again, and Jiang Qingzhou quickly said, "Xiao Li, stop being naughty. If you continue like this, I will have to go with Qingye tonight."

Song Li was amused by Jiang Qingzhou's words. She smiled and asked, "Qingzhou, let's have a child too!"

Jiang Qingzhou released his hand that was pressing down on the quilt. He pointed his finger at Song Li's forehead and said, "Xiao Li, don't tease me. You and I are still too young. Let's wait a few more years. I'm not actually the eldest in the family. I have an older sister, but she died at birth because my mother was a little young. My mother also became ill because of this incident. I guess my mother's early death is also related to this incident. Let's not rush, as long as you are fine."

Song Li stopped teasing Jiang Qingzhou. She hugged Jiang Qingzhou and whispered, "Qingzhou is right. Go to sleep."

After Song Li finished speaking, she yawned and fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Qingzhou carefully put Song Li's hand, which was exposed outside the quilt, back into the quilt, then got up and blew out the oil lamp on the bedside.

Jiang Qingzhou stared at the dark room, thinking about what Song Li said: If you envy others, then learn and work hard, instead of complaining about yourself. He secretly vowed in his heart that when Jiang Qingye entered school, he would let Jiang Qingye be his little teacher. He would work hard secretly and then surprise Song Li.

After breakfast the next day, Jiang Qingzhou took Jiang Qingye and Song Li to the Li family's shop.

Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li bought Jiang Qingye a pig-hair brush, a piece of mulberry paper, and a set of ordinary inkstones and ink sticks.

Li Yun'an gave a discount, and it still cost almost 200 coins. Song Li took out the copper coins while sighing: This bookstore is really not something that ordinary people can go to. After a year, the paper, ink, brush and inkstone alone are a considerable expense.

The three of them exchanged a few words with Li Yun'an and left.

Soon, Lingling and Hu Zhimin came in. Lingling asked Li Yunan, "Brother, why are you so happy?"

"Your sister Song and the others are here to buy school supplies for Brother Jiang." Li Yun'an replied with a smile.

Lingling hurried to the door of the shop, and Li Yun'an shouted, "They have been gone for a while. I told them that someone was selling fish at the market, so they should go there." Lingling stomped her feet in annoyance.

Hu Zhimin came out and comforted Lingling: "I'll go with you and take a look. Maybe we can meet him."

"Forget it, they will definitely have left by the time we get there." Lingling said, looked around the street a few more times, and returned to the shop.