Paradise

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and the days are passing by quickly, and the atmosphere of the New Year in the village is getting stronger and stronger.Smoke curls from the roofs of every household, and the farmers are busy inside and out, cleaning the room, unpacking and washing bedding, washing clothes, tidying the courtyard, and preparing some New Year’s food for guests every day.

Steamed steamed buns today, steamed buns tomorrow, steamed rice cakes the day after tomorrow, fried peanuts, chestnuts, and tofu. People who have the conditions will also stew a few fish and a few squares of meat...

It's rare to have a good meal, and the whole family sits together. The men will pour a glass of dirty wine and sip it. Their cheeks turn red and they talk louder and louder.The women and children ate vegetables and meat, their faces full of satisfaction, and the family talked and laughed, eating and drinking, and it was very lively.

Chinese New Year has always been the children's favorite festival. They can eat food that they seldom eat on weekdays. If the family conditions are better, they can also wear new clothes.

On the morning of New Year's Eve, the family had breakfast early, Lin Yu found a bamboo basket, took a few steamed buns and bean buns made in the past two days, put them together with the snacks he bought earlier, and brought the incense paper that he had already bought , They are going to visit the grave of Lin's parents.

Thinking of their deceased parents, the two Lin Yu brothers felt very sad. The scene where the family used to live happily together is still vivid, but now things are different.

"Let's go see father and mother and tell them that we are doing well now." Lin Yu said sadly.

Seeing this, Zhou Ze stepped forward silently, hugged his husband's shoulder, patted him lightly on the shoulder, silently comforted him, raised his hand to take the bamboo basket, and held it in his hand.

Lin Bao no longer had a smiling face at this time, and followed behind the two of them with heavy steps.

The three of them came to the grave of Lin's parents, pulled out the weeds around the grave, and added new soil to the grave with a shovel.

Lin Yu lit the incense candles and arranged the tributes he brought.Zhou Ze came to Lin Yu's side, kowtowed to Lin's parents three times with his brothers, lit two firecrackers, and the sound of firecrackers was loud.

Lin Yu burned the paper over and over again, while whispering some recent events, focusing on the matter of Lin Bao's marriage, "Father, mother, Lin Bao's marriage was also settled a few days ago, it is the little brother of the Yuan family. Brother Yuan Dong, you have all seen him before, he is a capable little brother, our little treasure likes him, and he is also happy with Xiaobao, if you know the truth, you can rest assured, everything is fine at home..."

As Lin Yu spoke, his eyes turned red and tears fell. He thought that it would be great if his parents were here. They would be very happy to see their younger brother's engagement.

Zhou Ze let Lin Yu cry, thinking to let him vent his emotions. He knew that it was not good to keep these emotions in his heart. The most reliable to rely on.

Lin Bao watched his elder brother crying and felt uncomfortable, but he knew that he was a man and should be the pillar of the family, so he just lowered his head and quietly wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

Lin Yu cried for a long time before he stopped crying, vented his emotions, and became more awake, and found that he was leaning against Zhou Ze's arms, and the clothes on the other's chest were already wet, Lin Yu suddenly I feel a little embarrassed.

"Brother Zhou, it's my fault. I got your clothes wet." Lin Yu said.

Zhou Ze looked at his little husband crying pear blossoms with rain, his eyes were red from crying, and he was very distressed. He stretched out his thumb and wiped his wet eyes with his fingertips, wiping away the wet tears, "I feel uncomfortable, It will feel better if you cry, don't you feel better now?"

Lin Yu nodded with a red face, "I just remembered the scene when my parents were still there. I couldn't control it, so I cried. It's much better now."

"After crying, it's over. We will live a good life in the future, and life will get better and better. Parents will be happy to see it in the spirit of the sky. They certainly don't want you to be so sad." Zhou Ze comforted, pulling up Lin Yu's hand, "Let's go home."

Zhou Ze patted Lin Bao on the shoulder twice as a sign of comfort and encouragement. The three of them walked home along the country road, and met many people who went to the grave along the way. At this unspeakable moment, no one laughed, and no one talked much.

Walking all the way home, the heavy heart gradually dissipated, and when they entered the yard, the three members of the Lin family packed up their moods and started to get busy.

"Brother Zhou, let's go and paste the couplets, and hang the pair of newly bought red lanterns on the gate." Lin Bao said.

"Okay, let's go." Zhou Ze took Lin Bao to post couplets and hang lanterns.

Lin Yu was in the house, preparing the noodles and fillings for making dumplings.This year they plan to make pork and cabbage dumplings for Chinese New Year.According to the folk customs here, dumplings are eaten on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the new year, and on the [-]th day, several meals of dumplings will be made together, usually several dumplings covered with curtains. The Lin family is small, only Three people, they plan to make three gailian dumplings, and it is enough to cook one gailian dumpling when eating.

Festive couplets with black characters on a red background were pasted on both sides of the gate, and a huge blessing character was pasted in the center of the two gates. Two fiery red large round lanterns were hung high, lining the ordinary farmyard with joy.

Not far away, Liu Changwang’s family was also moving ladders to paste couplets. After Liu Changwang pasted them, he came to the gate of Lin’s courtyard. The red ones look really festive, I never thought of buying such a pair, I just saw that people in the city like to hang them, they really look good, and you young people have vision."

Hearing what he said, Zhou Ze smiled, "Uncle Liu, if you like it, I still have some in my shop, which was originally prepared for the Chinese New Year. I don't think people in the village are interested in this, so I will use it for myself first." gone."

Hearing this, Liu Changwang's eyes lit up, "Boy Zhou, you still have some over there. Quickly get me a pair, and I'll hang them up right now. Such festive things are so beautiful, and how much they cost, I'll give them to you."

Zhou Ze waved his hands again and again, "Uncle Liu likes it, so I'll give it to you, talk about money or not, maybe if you hang up this lantern, other people in the village will come and buy it when they see it, and it will also open a way of making money for my shop. "

"You really have a brain," Liu Changwang smiled and shook his head. Their village really doesn't like this kind of thing. At most, they would buy small lanterns in the city, which are not as grand as the ones hanging on the door of Lin's house, but it is inevitable. There are people who look like him and want to buy it.

"Uncle Liu, I'll get it for you!" Lin Bao volunteered, trotted into the shop, took out a pair of red lanterns, and trotted back.

"Uncle Liu, here you are. Candles can still be lit inside this lantern. It hangs brightly in front of the door at night, but this candle is too expensive, so we can't help but burn it. When we went to Fucheng, we saw that the lights in front of the tall buildings there were even brighter than this." It needs a much bigger lantern, and at night, candles as thick as an arm will be lit inside, which can burn all night.” Lin Bao said while gesticulating with his hands, his eyebrows beaming.

Liu Changwang stroked his beard and listened to him with a smile, "So, this lantern still comes from Fucheng, it's really rare, I'll go and hang it right away, haha..."

"Uncle Liu, let me help you. I just hung up my own lanterns, and I know them well." Lin Bao became addicted to hanging lanterns, and wanted to hang a few more.

"Okay, let's go!" Liu Changwang patted Lin Bao's shoulder with a smile, "Well, my body has become much stronger, and even my head has grown a lot."

Zhou Ze originally planned to go with him to help hang the lanterns, but Liu Changwang waved to him, "Ayu is busy at home alone, so you can help too, I have enough hands."

Zhou Ze went back to the house. Lin Yu was already alive and was chopping cabbage in front of the chopping board. Ping-pong-pong chopped up, forming a special rhythm.

Tian Guihua in the village passed by and saw the gates of the Lin family and the Liu family standing opposite each other, with a pair of red lanterns hanging on each of them. in front of the door.

Tian Guihua guessed that this lantern must have come from the Lin family. His family opened a grocery store. I heard that the goods came from the Fucheng side. She has also been to the grocery store several times. The things sold there are no worse than those sold in the county. Some are much better. The most important thing is that the price is not expensive. Because of the proximity, they are willing to come here to buy things.

Thinking of this, Tian Guihua stopped, turned around and walked to the Lin's house that had just passed by. She first came to the door of the grocery store, pushed the door and found that the door was locked, and suddenly understood, this New Year's Eve People in their thirties are busy working during the New Year, whoever still runs a shop must be busy in the yard.

Tian Guihua wanted to leave, but she was unwilling to do so. Looking at the red lanterns hanging at the door of the house, she was greedy. She didn't hesitate for too long. A few barks of "Wow~Wow~Wow~" called the people in the yard for her. out.

It turned out that Huangmao discovered her. Huangmao has long been used to this kind of errand to remind the owner. When a customer comes to the door, it is more active than anyone else. Worrying around the door anxiously, looking at the yard eagerly, wagging his tail quickly.

Tian Guihua was taken aback by the dog that suddenly ran out. Fortunately, she knew Huang Mao and knew that she was not a biter, otherwise she would have picked up a stone and thrown it at him.

Lin Bao ran out when he heard the cry, and greeted Tian Guihua, "Aunt Tian, ​​why are you here now, but there is something missing at home, come and buy it?"

"There is nothing missing, everything is ready. It's not that I walked by here and saw such beautiful red lanterns hanging in front of your house and Lao Liu's house. Your aunt and I are very happy to see it. I don't know you Do you still have them in the shop? I want to buy a pair and hang them up too."

Hearing that the business was coming, Lin Bao's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "There are still some in the shop."

"It's good if there are more, how much is a pair of these lanterns?" Tian Guihua asked.

"A pair of sixty characters." Lin Bao replied.

Tian Guihua was shocked, "So expensive?! It's almost a penny. I don't think the lanterns sold by people in the county are as expensive as yours. Someone in the village bought them, and a pair of lanterns is only [-] yuan. Yours It's twice as expensive."

"Aunt Tian, ​​I've seen the lanterns in the county you mentioned before. They're much smaller than the ones in my house. They're not as good-looking as the ones in my house. The ones in my house are more than twice as big. Don't talk about that. Just look at how delicate the lanterns are in my house. Look at them. There is also this long tassel below. My lantern is not only beautiful, but also strong. If you use it for the Chinese New Year this year, put it away and put it away, you can use it next year. You haven’t seen it. People in Fucheng hang this kind of lantern. It is said to be auspicious and to ward off evil spirits..." Lin Bao now speaks the same way, and it is not a problem to boast about his own things.

Tian Guihua was moved by what she said, but after all, sixty Wen is not cheap, enough to cut a few catties of meat for the family, so she still hesitated.

Lin Bao saw that she wanted to buy but was hesitant, stomped his foot for the last time, and said cruelly, "Aunt Tian, ​​I see that you like it and want to buy it, so I'll make the decision and give you five cents cheaper, how about it?"

When Aunt Tian heard that it was five cents cheaper, she became even more moved, but she saw that Lin Bao was still a child, and thought that he could really make the decision to save so much money, and don't let his family regret it later.

"Little Treasure, if you say five cents cheaper, it's five cents cheaper. Can your brother agree? And your brother-in-law, don't let me sell you for cheap, and then your family will chase me to ask for money " Tian Guihua asked uncertainly.

"Of course, I mean what I say. I can still do this. If you really don't believe me, you can go to the house and ask my brother." Lin Bao said, slapping his chest to pack the ticket.

Tian Guihua heard what he said, and her heart was settled. Seeing the lantern, she really liked it very much. She gritted her teeth and decided to buy it. Anyway, it doesn't mean that it will break after hanging for a year. As long as she takes good care of it, it can last for a few years. , no loss.

"Okay, I bought it, but I don't bring that much money right now, I only have [-] cash here, and the rest, when I get home, I'll have Brother Dachun bring it to you." Tian Guihua said.

"Okay~ You can think about it, just don't forget it." Lin Bao said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm from a village. I can't do it on purpose. You're getting more and more slippery." Tian Guihua carefully picked out two red lanterns and carried them away. , beaming.