The Sweet Little Fulang

The wheat straw exudes a strong smell, and in the new house, Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing are sitting in the spacious hall to tie scarecrows.

After the wheat was harvested, they hired people to plough the land to replant 10 mu of firewood beans and 3 mu of groundnuts. When the groundnuts were cooked in September and a half or October, there was no need to buy peanuts for cooking and Chinese New Year hospitality. Less is equal to one more ration.

As soon as the wheat is harvested, there is no shelter in the dry field, and the birds always fall on the ground and plan it. Whether it is firewood beans or groundnuts, it is too distressing to be turned out and eaten by them.

It wasn't very hot in the morning, and it was cool under the house, Shen Xuanqing said while bundling wheat straw: "The fence is fenced, and the chickens don't need to be put there. I want to sprinkle some grass seeds and spring rapeseeds in the fence, and they will grow out of it. Eat and peck and eat, and the chicken grass doesn't have to fight so much."

"Do you want to scatter rapeseeds too?" Lu Gu wrapped two bundles of wheat straw around the sticks so that they could be the arms of the straw man.

Shen Xuanqing replied: "Well, there are a lot of families around, I went to Liangzhang Bridge two years ago, and I heard people say that chopped vegetables and chicken grass are mixed to feed chickens and ducks, not only to grow meat, but also to lay eggs. Let’s try it too, it’s easy to sprinkle it in, and at most water, it’s up to God to see if it can grow out.”

"That's good." Lu Gu nodded. The two of them worked together to make the scarecrow at hand. He took the old clothes that Shen Xuanqing didn't wear and put them on. From a distance, he looked like a person.

After doing this, they move on to the next one.

In summer, even the dog was too lazy to move. The pup lay at Lu Gu's feet, sniffing the scarecrow on the ground with his nose twitching. He opened his mouth and wanted to bite. Lu Gu patted its head, and then it retracted the dog's head and went to the ground lazily. Once, yawn and close your eyes.

Shen Xuanqing glanced at it and said, "The house here is too big, and only Dabai may not be enough. Uncle Jinhu's big yellow dog will be born in a month. I think we will bring two back to raise, and we will be more at ease at night. ."

He stopped what he was doing and took two sips of water, then said, "It's just a housekeeping and nursing home, there's no need to buy a hunting dog. I asked, the male dog is also a big yellow dog, and the puppies are definitely not puppies."

Lu Gu glanced at the back yard. The five acres of land is indeed not small. Everyone slept at night, and only Da Bai was really hard to guard, so he said, "I listen to you."

He was so obedient that Shen Xuanqing couldn't help but smile.

The back door was open, and from afar, she saw Shen Yan coming back with a basket of grass for the rabbits. She drove the ducks to swim in the river early in the morning. Da Hui and Da Hei followed her out, but they didn't come back. Ducks guarding the river.

Before she approached, she put down the bamboo basket, and Shen Xuanqing took the stool behind her and handed it to her: "Take a break."

"Mother has been watching by the river, I don't need to go there anymore, I will come back to make needles and thread." Shen Yan said and poured herself a bowl of water.

"Your clothes are almost ready?" Lu Gu asked.

Shen Yan nodded: "Just sew the sleeves and the hem."

Although her birthday has not yet arrived, she will be twelve years old after the new year. When she is sixteen or seventeen, she will meet her husband's family. She has to learn needlework and embroidery in the past four or five years at home. Clothes are not made.

Some time ago, Wei Lanxiang deliberately went to town to pull a piece of cloth, taught her to do a suit, and then let her do it herself. This kind of work is not good, and it will take a few more times to understand and become more skilled.

Before Lu Gu was rubbing it in Du Hehua's hands, who would care if he would sew clothes after he got married, he never learned it at all.

Fortunately, he was used to embroidery work, and he was skillful and clear-headed. When Wei Lanxiang taught Shen Yan to make clothes, he watched and learned seven or eight points. When he went to town, he pulled a piece of cloth and gave it to Shen. The new clothes made by Xuan Qing was completed yesterday.

I don't want the old clothes from the past, and give them to the scarecrow to wear.

After the break, Shen Yan went home and went to work. After Lu Gu tied the straw man at hand, he lifted the bamboo basket to feed the rabbits.

The rabbit den was built in the middle of the house, far away from the house in front, so as to keep away from the human voice, so as not to disturb them. The ducks and chickens were further back in the yard and avoided them as well.

This is also good, it is farther away from the main room and the room, so that people will not be smoked.

Follow the two rows of rabbit dens against the wall to open into the courtyard. There are three rows of rabbit dens. They are two small rows of twelve rabbit dens side by side. There is no connection in the middle. Each large row is twenty. Four rabbit dens, a total of seventy-two dens.

The five pregnant female rabbits have already given birth. Except for the two dead rabbits, there are now a total of nineteen little rabbits, with a difference of less than half a month in the month. Separated.

Lu Gu stuffed grass into the nest, and he was happy when he saw the fat and round rabbits. There were four big rabbits in the nest. That's called seriousness.

There are ten pairs of breeding rabbits in the house, and the remaining five female rabbits are also pregnant. They are fed fresh grass every day, and less water in other seasons. Sometimes only grass is enough, but in summer it is different, too. When it is hot, the water has to be supplied and changed frequently, otherwise, once the water is cloudy, you can see bugs or dirty things floating on the water.

Shen Xuanqing had raised rabbits before, and told him that rabbits were delicate and had to change the water every day, otherwise they would die.

Not to mention rabbits, since the chickens raised at home get hot, the water basin is also poured every day.

The sun is getting brighter and hotter, and it shines through the gaps of the wooden rafts on one side. After the rabbit den is built, in order to prevent the rain, a grass hut is built with wood on the top of the head, and logs of uniform thickness are cut down along the mud wall. The building is also propped up with wood, and the top is covered with thatch, so it will not leak when it rains.

For ventilation in summer, there are no mud walls on both sides, the same wood is used, and gaps are exposed at intervals. It is not afraid of wind and rain. It is good to tie bamboo mats or several layers of straw.

There are thirty-nine rabbits in total, including the big ones and the young ones, and the young ones are also learning to eat grass, and the bamboo baskets soon come to an end.

In the fence ring further behind, more than two dozen hens clucked and clucked, pecking the grass and digging the ground in the ring, and there were seventeen fluffy chicks, all digging in the fence ring, chirping from time to time. , very immature.

This is the spring chick hatched by the big hen raised by Wei Lanxiang. After bred, a few died, and the remaining seventeen are quite strong. Some of the ducklings have also hatched. Wei Lanxiang has never raised too many before. There are many hens and hens, and they seem to be in a hurry when they hatch their eggs. They are not so good at taking care of them. If the ducklings are weak, they break a few. Fifteen of them survive, and they swim with the mother ducks in the river every day.

Hearing the calf mooed, it had already been given grass to eat before, so it must be thirsty.

Lu Gu hurriedly walked to the cow pen, picked up the wooden bucket next to it and poured half a bucket of water into the sink. The calf is very happy to drink water, and its mouth can be buried in it.

The cow pen was built so big that the calf wouldn't be too restrained in it. It buried its head and drank, and Lu Gu gently touched its head, and said, "I'll take you out for a swim when it's hot in the afternoon."

The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the little buffalo is naturally fond of water.

Just as he was talking, Shen Xuanqing came over with a shovel and shoveled the cattle and sheep pens one by one, otherwise there would be too many flies, which would be annoying.

Cow dung and sheep dung are piled up in a pile. In the old house, because Ji Qiuyue was pregnant, I ordered green medicine leaves. After moving the livestock over, I can order it.

While he was shoveling the dung, Lu Gu went to draw a piece of firewood under the small mud stove that was boiling water, and brought a bundle of green medicine leaves over. After Shen Xuanqing covered the dung heap with dry soil, he set the green medicine leaves on fire. , The strong smell of medicine smudges away the flies, and a sprinkle of medicine dust on the dung heap can also cover a lot of smell.

Usually when we burn firewood at home, the ashes taken out from the bottom of the stove will not be thrown away casually, but will be accumulated. In summer, it can cover the urine and feces of livestock, otherwise it will attract a lot of flies.

The site of the new house is very large. As long as the wind is not blowing to the south, the smell of livestock will not drift into the house in front.

There are dozens of rabbits in the house, dozens of chickens and ducks each, as well as cows. The sheep are caught alive and don’t cost money to buy. No matter the villagers or relatives, every person who comes to Xinzhaizi has a lot of eyes on their faces. A little bit of envy.

For Shen Xuanqing, he didn't want to show off in front of people, so as not to invite gossip and right and wrong, but he couldn't stop others if they wanted to come, and he couldn't stop them from entering.

Fortunately, the freshness of the first few days passed, and not many people came.

The livestock raised in the new house gradually became more and more lively. Every day, they had to cut grass and shovel manure. There were several baskets of bare grass. I was tired, but I was happy.

After lunch at noon, Lu Gu led the calf to the river from the back door.

The calf was very gentle, he didn't need him to pull the rope, he walked unhurriedly beside him, he was smaller than the good boy, but he looked well-behaved and steady.

However, when it also has skin, it often plays with the good boy, one cow and one dog exert strength on their heads. Sometimes, no matter who comes to feed the calf, the calf will rub its head with the head like a good boy, which is very intimate. .

The clear river water was muddy, and the calf was soaking in the water, which was very pleasant. Lu Gu hid in the shade of the trees by the river to enjoy the shade, and the sun was really shining.

Originally, Wei Lanxiang said she was coming to herd the cattle, but he and Shen Xuanqing were going to go up the mountain the day after tomorrow, and the calf was brought back a few days later.

The good boy lay on the ground with its front paws folded. It looked at the calf in the river for a while, its ears were sticking, and it shook from time to time, and then looked away bored.

The cicadas were faint, and Lu Gu sat on the stone and shook the palm fan to enjoy the coolness. A small flying insect fell on the trousers. When he saw it, he used the palm fan to drive it away.

After a while, Shen Xuanqing came out of the back door with a bamboo tube in his hand.

"It's hot, drink more water." He came over and handed the bamboo tube to Lu Gu, then moved a clean white stone from the river, and the two sat side by side.

There were few people who came to the river at noon, but there were also cattle herding, and they were far away. After Lu Gu finished drinking the water, he stuffed the lid of the bamboo tube. Shen Xuanqing waved the palm fan in one hand to cool them both, and the two were next to each other. Unwittingly, I held my hand.

"When the calf is bigger, it is not afraid of being taken away. It knows the way on its own, so there is no need to stay here and wait for it to relax." Shen Xuanqing said, pinching his palm.

The wind stops and the sun shines, and the days grow longer in summer. The dignitaries and literati will sleep for a while. The farmers are never idle, and few people will take a nap in the afternoon unless there is really nothing to do.

The shadows of the trees were mottled, the dog was dozing off beside his feet, and Lu Gu rested well at night, not feeling sleepy.

—

Because there were little ducks, they couldn't swim in the water for too long, so Wei Lanxiang released the ducks in the afternoon.

The sun moved westward, and it wasn't so hot anymore. Ji Qiuyue stayed at home in a panic and couldn't sit still, so she called Lu Gu and Shen Yan to accompany her to go out for a walk.

Shen Yan took a bite of the apricot in her hand, her facial features were all wrinkled together, she turned her head to see Ji Qiuyue eating happily, she frowned and asked, "Sister-in-law, don't you feel sour?"

When I go out for a walk, I take three or four apricots with me, which is not easy to eat.

"Where is it sour? It's not right." Ji Qiuyue saw that she didn't want to eat it, so she said, "If you don't want to eat it, give it to me."

Shen Yan only took a small bite. This apricot was bought by Shen Yaoqing at Liangzhangqiao. It cost money and it was a pity to throw it away, so she gave it to her.

"You can pick up the soft ones and eat them sweeter." Seeing that Shen Yan didn't have to eat, Lu Gu handed over the soft apricots in his hand.

"I didn't catch two and came out, I didn't pay much attention." Shen Yan said and took a bite, there was still a sour taste, but it was better than the one just now.

"I think the big brother also bought green plums." Shen Yan said as he walked.

Ji Qiuyue nodded and said, "Yes, you can try it when you go back. It's sour and sweet, but it's crispy."

Shen Yan didn't dare to believe the sweetness in her mouth, so she quickly waved her hand and said, "Forget it, I don't have as good a mouth as you, so I turned sour and I couldn't even eat."

"I heard from the third grandma that the peaches grown by Gechuan's family in the neighboring village are about to ripen, and I will ask your brother Daqing to buy some. His family has peach and nectarines." Ji Qiuyue finished eating the apricots, perhaps because of her pregnancy. She didn't eat fruit often before, but recently, when it's hot, she's hungry for everything.

When she said this, she reminded Lu Gu of the mountain peach tree he had seen on the mountain. He had been at home recently, and he didn't know if the mountain peach was ripe.

Wei Lanxiang was most happy about buying apricots and green plums. People often say that she is a hot girl. Her first grandson might be a big fat boy, so she even took out her own money and asked Shen Yaoqing to buy it sooner.

The three of them wandered to the edge of the paddy field, and while it was cool, Shen Yaoqing and Shen Xuanqing were bending over to pull weeds inside, their feet dipped in the water, and a lot of mud was splashed on their calves and trousers.

Shen Yaoqing straightened up, he was not far from the ground, he smiled when he saw his daughter-in-law, Ji Qiuyue's belly was getting bigger, and sometimes he had to support his waist when walking, after saying a few words, he said, "This place is full of mud and water, make sure to do it carefully. Dirty clothes."

In fact, he was afraid of stepping on muddy water and slipping, but it's hard to explain this kind of frustration.

Because Ji Qiuyue was full of peaches, she didn't hear what he meant, but it was close to the river, and the smell of water made her feel unpleasant. Wandered elsewhere.

In the dry land, many people set up scarecrows to scare the birds. As soon as Lu Gu arrived in front of their home, he saw that there were still sparrows jumping around, so he asked Shen Yan to stay with Ji Qiuyue and walked inside along the field ridge. , waving his hand to drive away the sparrows.

When the three of them turned to the threshing floor, and the sun moved further west, the wind finally picked up.

I saw an old lady sitting on the ground in the threshing floor, with white hair that was not brushed well enough, and looked frizzy. The old man was like this, and he couldn't afford hair oil to take care of it.

When Ji Qiuyue saw it, she smiled and said, "Grandma of the Wu family, you're picking up wheat."

Aunt Wu raised her head, and when she saw them, she pursed her lips into a smile, her face was rough and old, like an old tree bark beaten by wind and rain. A pair of cloudy eyes can be somewhat bright.

"Yes." She was a little embarrassed, but still held a handkerchief in her hand and held it up to them, saying, "I picked up a few today."

The grains of wheat in the handkerchief were mixed with soil, and she pulled them out one by one from the crushed mud in the grain field. After the wheat was beaten, even if someone picked it up, there was always something missing. She came here every day to pick it up and scrape it. When it was raining and raining, others ran to the house. She kept picking it up until it was raining heavily before returning home.

She couldn't get up after squatting for a long time, so she could only sit on the ground, making her patched clothes stained with mud and soil, making her even more slaughtered. People in the village would dislike it when she saw it, and her eyes were not concealed. After Ji Qiuyue, she dared to smile.

With a trembling hand, Nanny Wu dumped a small pile of wheat grains in the handkerchief on the other hand. When the wind blew, she also blew with her mouth, and blew away some of the mud and ash in the wheat grains, making it look much cleaner.

"I've wiped the mud on top of it. I'll wash it when I go back. It's all food, but I can't waste it." She muttered a few words in a low voice.

The Wu family also harvested one acre of land this year. Before they ran out of grain, they only had one acre of land. The whole family had to tighten their belts. A small handful of wheat could not grind much flour, but in order to survive, they had to eat it. planed out.

Ji Qiuyue looked at her, feeling uneasy in her heart.

"Huh? There are better ones here." Shen Yan's eyes were sharp, and she kicked away the mud on the edge of the field with her feet. When she saw a dozen grains of wheat in the gap, she squatted down and squeezed them out one by one. Lu Gu also came to help her.

When Nian Wu heard her words, she stretched her neck and looked here, her old face was obviously a little regretful, but unfortunately, she thought that someone had picked it up and not carefully enough.

"Grandma Wu, here it is for you." Shen Yan walked over and poured all the grains of wheat in her hand into Grandma Wu's handkerchief.

"Well, how embarrassing this is." Nian Wu's chapped lips trembled slightly.

Shen Yan didn't care, clapped the mud on her hands and said, "What's the matter, you can just take it."

Their family was poor, and Shen Yan knew what it was like to be hungry. A grain of wheat and a grain of rice were all grains. Now that their family is doing well, there is so much rice to eat, and it doesn't matter if the grains of wheat they find are given to others.

"Qiuyue." Shen Yaoqing, who came back from the field in the distance, shouted, it's time to go back for dinner, not to starve his daughter-in-law.

Lu Gu turned his head and saw Shen Xuanqing, thinking that he would have to wash his trousers later, otherwise it would be all mud.

—

In the early morning of the next day, after getting up, Lu Gu probably packed up the clothes that he was going to take up the mountain tomorrow. It was cool in the morning and he heard Shen Yaoqing and Ji Qiuyue outside saying that they were going to consult about a miscarriage.

Several nearby villages go to Wang Langzhong to see a doctor and take medicine. Since the wound on his head last year was healed, Wang Langzhong is a native of Anjia Village and has no illness or disaster. He has never been there again, not even the Lu family once.

It's not that he is cold-hearted. Sometimes when he is alone on the mountain, he will miss home and his childhood home, but when he thinks of Lu Daxiang's ignorance of him that day, and Du Hehua's slander and frame, he feels Chilled, no longer dare to think nonsense.

"Packed up?" Shen Xuanqing came in from outside.

"I just folded a few clothes, and I can pack them up later in the evening." Lu Gu put the burden on the box, and said, "I've been staying at home for a long time this time, and the vegetables on the mountain have changed."

Shen Xuanqing said: "It's cold on the mountain, maybe it hasn't died from the sun, water it to see if it can survive, I will bring a few dishes from home tomorrow, and I can eat it for a few days."

He glanced at Lu Gu, and after some hesitation, he said, "Let's go around with sister-in-law and elder brother."

Lu Gu didn't react, and looked at him suspiciously. Sister-in-law was going to see a doctor. What were they doing?

"Meng Dayue wants to slaughter pigs today, so he bought some pork on the way and brought it back with him to boil some lard for cooking." Shen Xuanqing said with a smile.

Originally wanted to go out and buy some meat, Lu Gu nodded happily, saying that Ji Qiuyue could also listen in when Ji Qiuyue saw the doctor, and there would always be his turn in the future.

Thinking of this, he made him a little embarrassed. He didn't even write a word, why did he think of seeing a doctor? At this time, Shen Yan shouted from outside, saying that she was going to the new house to feed the dogs. interrupted his mind.

Shen Yaoqing slept in the new house at night. When he came to eat, he locked the courtyard door and left the four dogs there. Because Lu Gu was going to Anjia Village with him, Shen Yan went over alone with a basket.

On the road, Ji Qiuyue walked slowly, Lu Gu followed her, Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing followed a few steps behind, and all the way to Wang Langzhong's house.

When he entered the village, he didn't see the Lu family, which made Lu Gu relieved.

"The fetal image is stable, you don't need to take medicine, and you can supplement it with your meals, but remember not to eat haise." Wang Langzhong saw Ji Qiuyue's ruddy complexion and thought that he was not short of meat, so he warned him more.

After listening to this, Shen Yaoqing was the most happy, stable and stable.

After the pulse diagnosis, Wang Langzhong took a look at Lu Gu, who was from the same village. Seeing that Lu Gu looked good, he felt happy for him. This fate is really uncertain.

Shen Xuanqing pushed Lu Gu to the side of the table, pressed him to sit down, and said, "Wang Langzhong, you also have a medical examination for Gu Zi to see if he is healthy."

"Well." Wang Langzhong nodded and motioned Lu Gu to put his hand on the pulse pillow.

"When I was eleven or twelve years old, it was the time to grow my body. I've been short for a few years. It's hard to make up for it." After the diagnosis, he retracted his hand and sighed while touching his beard.

After speaking, seeing Shen Xuanqing's brows lightly wrinkling, she seemed displeased, and she suddenly remembered that last year, in order to let the Shen family treat Lu Gu well, she said that even if she was weak, she would still be able to give birth after recuperation.

At this moment, he glanced at Ji Qiuyue, who was pregnant, and then at Lu Gu, who was not moving at all, and he was a little murmured.

After seeing him sick all his life, Wang Langzhong couldn't hear the true meaning of Shen Xuanqing's request for him to diagnose Lu Gu's pulse. He smirked and looked up to see Lu Gu's complexion.

The color of the red marks is neither light nor heavy, and it is no different from ordinary twins. It should be possible to give birth, but unfortunately, it is not easy to conceive.

He thought about it and asked Lu Gu, "You are eighteen this year?"

"Yes." Lu Gu replied, he is younger than Shen Xuanqing and can be called eighteen this year.

Wang Langzhong thought for a while, and said to Shen Xuanqing: "The foundation of the deficit has been made up. His complexion is obviously better, and the red marks on his eyebrows are the most accurate. Judging from this color, it must be possible to give birth, but the inner body is weak, and he needs more It will be raised for a period of time, you two are not too old, even after two years, it is the time to be young and strong."

Lu Gu didn't think about it too much before, and was taken aback for a while, but he also realized that this meant that he was not pregnant.

In fact, what Wang Langzhong said was uneasy, as Shen Xuanqing and Lu Gu were almost 20 years old, with other people in the village, the baby would have been able to run away long ago.

"Thank you Wang Langzhong, I understand." Shen Xuanqing nodded, he thought about it and asked again, "Do you want to get medicine?"

"The medicine is no longer needed, he has no other problems, just make up for it. If there are eggs at home, see Tian'er eat one, and have some meat." Wang Langzhong waved his hand.

No medicine was prescribed, and it was very cheap to see a doctor. Shen Yaoqing paid for it, but it was only four cents.

After leaving Anjia Village, Shen Xuanqing and Lu Gu walked behind him, and he whispered, "It doesn't matter, it's better to raise them, but I haven't made much money recently. I'll wait until I sell more prey and have money in my hands. Take care of you."

Lu Gu's palm was pinched, and his originally confused heart was comforted. He heard that Wang Langzhong was saying that he was not easy to conceive, and no one wanted to marry a husband who was not easy to bear, not to mention that he was not married to the Shen family at all. of.

I have to say that he was terrified for a while in his heart, unable to describe the loss and sadness.

But as soon as he looked up, he saw Shen Xuanqing's smiling star eyes, holding his hand tightly, not giving up at all, his heart was sour, and his eyes were a little wet.