Liu Chunhua, the mother of Osmanthus, was once the daughter of a wealthy family, and she lived a rather prosperous life in her youth. He has also eaten steak with a knife and fork, and is a very foreign character.

    Pampered at home until the age of eighteen, Liu Chunhua married the eldest young master of the Wu family, who was similar to his own family, and gave birth to four sons and a daughter, and lived a comfortable life for a few years. When liberation came, people like the Wu family were the first to be criticized. After the whole family was dragged to the streets to demonstrate to the public, they were dismantled and distributed to various places for reform through labor. Sent to Beicha Forest Farm to do coolies.

      In five months, it was so cold that the air became icy, and the whole family would have to freeze to death just by relying on this house and this broken bed.

    Faced with such a dilemma, Young Master Wu had nothing to do but wipe away tears, but Liu Chunhua was daring, she risked her death while it was dark, Young Master Wu used to hunt in Beicha Forest Farm A place to rest. Because this house is on the side of the border, it doesn't look very rich from the outside, and there are no neighbors in the front, back, left, and right sides, so it can be preserved.

    Liu Chunhua found a few clean quilts, and went to the lower room to pull a few tattered sheets and sew them on the outside of the quilts, and found a few thick cotton coats that pressed the box, deliberately After making a few ragged puddings, it took him a few nights to move it to his small dilapidated house. When he came back for the last time, Liu Chunhua glanced at his unfinished hunting map and ordered a brazier to burn. , took away only the small box containing the painting tools.

      Other than going up the mountain to pick up firewood for hunting, people don’t go out easily. Some people nearby smell the fragrance of the Wu family’s porridge, but they look pitiful, so they just turn a blind eye and no one reports them. . Sometimes they even hunted too much prey, and they would throw a rabbit leg or a piece of roe deer meat at their house.

    Mrs. Li knew the situation of the Wu family. When she brought Osmanthus back, it was the second year after the Wu family went to the forest farm for renovation. Pulling up the wood and working as hard as a man, I felt that the girl in this family could not be wrong.

    After Mrs. Li instructed Osmanthus to invite her mother to paint the kangqin, she went out with a cigarette bag to help Wang Sufen rub the sun-dried corn. Mingnan and Mingbei were shirtless In the yard in the backyard, one pours corn into the mill's eyes, and the other is responsible for the grinding. When the two people are tired, they will change their positions.

    Osmanthus did not come out with Mrs. Li, but found a rag and wiped the ash from the kangqin and the box little by little. Looking at the brand-new furniture in the room, Osmanthus couldn't help but be in a daze, until the old lady Li called her to cook, and then she came back to her senses.

    The next morning, Osmanthus returned to her parents' house with some dry food to find her mother to paint the kang qin. Now Liu Chunhua, who is almost fifty, no longer goes up the mountain to pull wood, but does some odd jobs. In the past few days, all kinds of wild vegetables and fruits on the mountain are ripening in large areas. The forest farm is on vacation to allow workers to store grain and pull wood for the winter. Liu Chunhua also got a few days of free time. He came back with a basket of wild vegetables and sat at the door to choose vegetables.

    "I didn't come back last month, why did I come back again?" Liu Chunhua looked at her without looking up: "Don't rely on your mother-in-law's goodness and you won't treat yourself as an outsider. To drive you back, we don't have a place for you to live in our house."

    Osmanthus bit her lip, went into the room and took a small stool to sit opposite Liu Chunhua, grabbed a handful of wild vegetables from the basket, pinched off the roots, and threw the selected wild vegetables aside in the basin.

    Liu Chunhua was silent for a moment, then asked her in a hoarse voice, "What's the matter with you when you come back this time? He really doesn't want you anymore?"

    "No?" Osmanthus still lowered her head, "I'm getting married and will have a wedding at the end of the year."

    Liu Chunhua couldn't help laughing, she looked at Osmanthus, and her tone suddenly lightened: "Old Li's family is good, and you are lucky to catch up with such a marriage."

    Osmanthus chose the last dish, looked up at Liu Chunhua, and asked in a low voice, "Mom, can you help me draw a kang qin?"

    Liu Chunhua's smile froze on her face, with a bit of sarcasm: "I don't know how to draw, I'm just a wood puller." She stood up quickly, holding a basin and was about to go to the house Going inside, Osmanthus got up and quickly stopped her: "Mom, this is the big happy event of my life."

    Liu Chunhua lowered her head and looked at the wild vegetables in the pot, her expression was unclear, Osmanthus couldn't help crying, and said in a choked voice: "Then the painting should be regarded as a dowry given to me by my mother?"

    This sentence seems to have touched Liu Chunhua, she raised her head and glanced at Osmanthus, and laughed at herself: "When I got married, it was two hundred silver dollars, a box of gold and silver jewelry as a dowry. , when my daughter actually has this painting, I can get rid of it."

    "Mom..." Osmanthus called in a long voice, with a bit of pleading in her voice.

    Liu Chunhua looked at Osmanthus, and finally couldn't bear to refuse her again: "Okay, I'll draw for you, who made me feel sorry for you, this is what I owe you."

    Drinking a basin of water, Liu Chunhua washed his hands and face clean, and combed his hair neatly and neatly behind his head and pulled it into a bun. She opened the box, took out a washed white but neat and clean clothes and put it on, and finally took out the small box from the bottom of the box that she had treasured for more than ten years. At that time, Liu Chunhua took it out and rubbed it.

    Liu Chunhua found a ragged furoshiki, wrapped the box in it, took out a small piece of white paper with charcoal and wrote a note, and then left with her daughter.

    Osmanthus came to Li's house for ten years. This was the first time that her mother's family had come to the door. As soon as Mrs. Li heard the door open, she greeted her and went out, talking politely with Liu Chunhua in the yard. Ming Bei came out to see it curiously, even Zhen Zhen stretched her neck vigorously and looked out from the window.

    Wang Sufen smiled and gently tapped on her forehead: "Such a small person can still watch the fun." She picked up Zhen Zhen and went out.

    Zhen Zhen also knew the identity of the Osmanthus family from the few words of her family, she looked at Liu Chunhua curiously, and saw that she was neatly dressed and her hair combed meticulously, although her face was vicissitudes and her hands were worn Thick calluses, but her back is straight and she is very energetic to that station.

    Wang Sufen smiled and asked her to go inside: "My dear, come sit in the house, this is the first time I have seen you in so many years. Osmanthus looks like you."

    Liu Chunhua had a faint smile on her face: "I've always wanted to come and see you, but you also know that my family's ingredients are not good, and I'm afraid that I'll cause trouble for you. Besides, you bought the sweet-scented osmanthus back then. Raised, it stands to reason that Osmanthus has nothing to do with my family. You are kind-hearted and let her bring things home to see us from time to time. We are already very content, how can we be proud to be your in-laws."

    Wang Sufen didn't know what to say when she heard this, Mrs. Li took out a cigarette bag from her waist, stuffed some cigarette leaves into it, struck a match, lit it, and took two puffs to relax. Slowly said: "Since we often let Osmanthus go back, we didn't want her to deny you. Don't think about it so much, just go into the house and drink some water to rest."

    Liu Chunhua thanked again, and then followed Mrs. Li into the house, Wang Sufen put Zhen Zhen on the kang, let Osmanthus speak with her, and went to the kitchen to boil a pot of water, Washed a bowl of sugar water and brought it in.

    Liu Chunhua is well educated, speaks clearly and has a very gentle voice, even drinking sugar water has a posture of drinking afternoon tea.

    After Liu Chunhua drank the sugar water and handed the bowl to Osmanthus, he thanked Mrs. Li again and stood up: "Where is the kangqin? draw something."

     Mrs. Li said, "I want you to take a rest and see again tomorrow. You are impatient."

    Liu Chunhua shook his head: "I'm used to work, but I don't get used to it when I take a break. Besides, my eyes are going to be cold today, there must be a lot of things in your family, how can I stay forever? here."

    Mr. Li had contact with Liu Chunhua once when she was buying sweet-scented osmanthus, and knew that this person was somewhat sensitive and inferior because of the great changes in her family background. She didn't continue to persuade, she got off the kang and led Liu Chunhua to the backyard: "The house at the back was arranged for their young couple. Earlier, it was prepared for Dongzi and his fourth uncle. Later, his fourth uncle married from Bingcheng. Daughter-in-law, this house is vacant."

    Mrs. Li opened the door, Liu Chunhua took a look inside. Although the house is a little smaller, the layout is the traditional style of Beicha. When you enter the door, there is a kitchen, and there is a room on the left and right.

    Mr. Li pointed to the east room: "Let Dongzi and Osmanthus live in the east room, and the west room is reserved for Mingxi." Liu Chunhua walked in and looked at the layers of paper on the wall, It looked like it had just been glued on for a while. The box made of red pine is placed on the ground, the style is simple but strong, and the Kangqin is the same, there is no color from top to bottom.

    Liu Chunhua looked at the brand-new kangqin with wood grain, and his face showed a bit of liking: "At first glance, it is a good wood, many people like to use that kind of tedious decoration when they make cabinets, according to me It is said that such a simple and generous way highlights the most authentic beauty of wood."

    Wang Sufen was a little confused, this carpenter just picked up the most common style to fight because she was still working in the business and didn’t have so much time. a good thing.

    Opening the box excitedly, Liu Chunhua checked his paints one by one, and saw that some of the paints had dried up and some colors had faded, and he couldn't help feeling a little distressed: "It's been stored for too long, I'm afraid it won't work well. , but there are so many types, and the color won't be biased if you adjust it. Aunt, what kind of painting do you think it is painted on?

    Mr. Li was also stunned by her question, and it took a long time to react, and she quickly said: "Painting festive, big red peony, lotus flowers, too, looking at the lively kind Just fine."

    Liu Chunhua paused while picking a brush, looked up at the kangqin, and seemed a little regretful: "This wood is heavy, and it may not look good with peony."

    "It's okay." Mrs. Li smiled: "The young couple will draw this when they get married."

    Since the old Li family had an idea, Liu Chunhua didn't say much more, but she hadn't painted for many years, and at first she was a little sloppy with a pen, so she asked Mrs. Li for some old newspapers, After adjusting a little color, I drew two familiar textures from old newspapers.

    Mrs. Li and Wang Sufen didn't bother her either, they painted with her in the house, and when it got dark, they asked Osmanthus to call her over for dinner, and arranged for her and Osmanthus to sleep in the same room at night.

    It was the first time in ten years that the two of them slept together. They lay side by side and did not fall asleep. Suddenly Liu Chunhua asked: "I think you are not very happy these two days, is it a marriage? What's wrong?"

    Osmanthus was silent for a long time, then said sullenly: "I don't see any joy in Brother Dongzi, I'm afraid he doesn't want to get married."

    "Have you asked him?" Liu Chunhua turned to look at her: "What if he really doesn't want to marry you? You just give up?"

    Osmanthus stared at the black ceiling without speaking for a long time.

    The next morning, Mrs. Li just woke up and called from Donglijian to the kitchen to scoop up water and wash her face. Looking at the neatly dressed sweet-scented osmanthus, she asked casually, "Why did you change your clothes and where are you going? what?"

    "Honey, I want to open a letter of introduction to Bingcheng to find Brother Mingdong!"

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