Chapter 4: New year

Chapter 4 Chinese New Year ()
In the next few days, Zhang Cai’s family was all around the circle. Fortunately, on the sixth day, the water that everyone had been waiting for for a long time was finally dug out. Finally, it was a difficult task before the winter, and everyone was relieved. Just when Zhang Cai was busy with the digging wells to settle the wages, the three brothers of Zhang Xiaolong were busy repairing the road from the field to the well. The gloomy winter clouds were pressed against the top, and some salt-like snow fell from the sky, indicating the arrival of winter.
The first snow fell, and the cold wind was even worse. It was not far from the New Year.
Zhang Cai was very satisfied this year. He gave the family more land and made a good job. After that, the land was not afraid of drought. The good service should be the main source of rations at home. Therefore, near the end of the year, he ordered Guo Sufei to prepare a new year's goods. The family had a good year, and the old mother-in-law was also older. After one year is a year, the body of the old mother-in-law is getting worse and worse in the past few days. I was lying in bed for a long time, and I don’t know if I could pass the next year. When I think of my parents and think of my old father-in-law, he can’t stand the hot heart and look forward to a happy new year.
The farmer’s new year is very good, and the so-called richness is just a lot of styles. As far as the style is concerned, most of the goods are dried in the weekdays. Only a few things are purchased by Zhang Cai from a far-reaching market. Because of the relationship of the mother-in-law, Zhang Cai purchased some foods that he had not seen before this year. Instead, he let the three brothers of Zhang Xiaolong see it, just want to hurry up early in the New Year. In addition to the things that are busy with Chinese New Year, Guo Sufei spends more time going to the village to find familiar relatives, and sometimes go to the nearby village to inquire. Her concern is still in the marriage of her eldest son. However, looking at her sometimes gloomy and sometimes happy face, I feel that things are not as smooth as I expected.
Time rushed through the busyness of Zhang’s family, and the New Year finally came to the attention.
On the first day of the new year, just around the stove, talking about the harvest of the coming year, the situation in the field is Zhang Xiaolong's future daughter-in-law. Suddenly I heard the noisy shouts outside the village, and there was a mess outside.
Is it a robber to rob the village?
Zhang Cai’s mind immediately came up with a thought. However, it should not be, because Guo Zhuang is very small, Guo family is also a small family, each family is very poor, the robbers who are kings nearby are never coming to the place where the bird is not pulling, no reason will come here today. Let's go. Although I thought so, Zhang did not dare to start, greeted the three children, took the guy with iron and other iron, and carefully walked out of the house. The wall of Zhangjia is half-height. At first glance, I saw the situation in the village. In the village, there are many people who are gathering and talking, and some people are running, but there are no people who don’t know, although everyone’s face is a little scared, but I can still see a little bit of happiness and gloating. Zhang Cai was very strange. He told the three children to go back to the house and put the "weapons" back and went out to inquire about the news. Of course, Zhang Xiaolong did not want to be idle, but also strolled out and mixed with young people of the same age.
There are a lot of people in the village, standing or sitting in the middle of the day, or sitting, they are talking about one thing. Zhang Cai went to a group of old men who were smoking a cigarette, and said that he was more familiar with Liu He, who was familiar with him on weekdays. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Old Liu, what is going on? "The hustle and bustle is so chaotic." Liu Blacksmith is smoking a cigarette silently, seeing that Zhang Cai asked him to speak, and he just smashed the smoke that had just been smoked, and reloaded a new pot of cigarette from the cigarette bag. Carefully, take a deep breath, and this is dull:
"Brother, you know one eye north of the 80-mile village of the village, the robber who stood at Xi Cuishan?"
Zhang Cai said: "Know, that's the biggest thief in our radius. How can I not know? But they have always been active in the wealthy places in the north. Are you running here?"
Liu Blacksmith took another cigarette and said, "Yeah, do you remember that some time ago, Mr. Wu of Xinzhuang dug the well and dug a box of baby?"
Zhang Cai suddenly realized: "Is it, they...". Zhang Cai no longer asked, already knowing the reason of the matter, the wealth is not exposed, such a conspicuous huge foreign wealth, being targeted by the robbers, can there be any good results?
Next to the Guo butcher who saw Zhang Cai did not ask, he squeezed over and said mysteriously: "Not only that, Mr. Wu was still lucky at the beginning, saying that there is nothing at all, not acknowledging, that one eye I rushed dozens of people from Mr. Wu’s family to the ancestral hall, and sent people to turn Mr. Wu’s home to the bottom. As a result, from the leeks, a pile of treasures was found in the bottom of the well, and one eye was angry that Mr. Wu deceived himself. On a fire, the Wu family’s ancestral hall was burned, and dozens of people who lived, none of them ran out. Fortunately, Xinzhuang was slightly stronger than ours, they were all poor, and one eye was not difficult for others. When these robbers are gone, they are still quarreling and let the villagers be careful not to report to the officials, otherwise the people of Xinzhuang will follow the funeral."
Liu Blacksmith said: "If you have a good fortune, you thought you were rich a few days ago. Now you are full of extinction. Miserable~"
Guo Butfu went on to say: "There is no such thing as destroying the door. Mr. Wu’s brother-in-law returned to the village yesterday to see her mother. Today, she did not go back and escaped. She did not report any news. She only knew that she was looking for someone to go see it. Moreover, the person who listened to the letter said that when the thief left, he dragged a woman on the horse immediately, and could not see the face. It was estimated that it was the daughter of Mr. Wu. It was smashed by the mountain thief and swept up the mountain. Maybe it was done. Mrs. Zhaizhai."
The three brothers of Zhang Xiaohua have long stood behind the shackles. After listening to the villagers, they said that they had a cold heart. I also heard the robbers’ sinister behaviors on weekdays, but they all talked about it. Now it’s happening to them. Mr. Wu is also seen by several people. Hum has also taught Zhang Xiaohua to know a few words. Now No, it was burnt into coke. Although he did not see it, he also felt sad and scared. Zhang Xiaohua unconsciously rubbed the bracelet with his left wrist, and secretly thought: "Fortunately, what I dig is not really a treasure, even if I don't tell anyone, lest I bring it to myself and my family. Disaster." The husband is guilty of his sin, so reason is so deeply introduced into the heart of the young Lang.
The three brothers and Zhang Cai said that they wanted to go to Xinzhuang to see what happened, but Zhang did not agree. After all, it’s time for the New Year, to hit the disaster, and the luck of the next year is really bad, and the Wu family of Xinzhuang is now a scorched earth. The scene of the horrible people makes people look scared. It is estimated that the people of the government should also be there now. Going on, maybe there will be a lot of trouble.
As said, the people in the village are also scattered. After all, the days of the people are over, and their own days are still to be passed. The truth of the snow before the door sweeps, even the farmer and family know. It’s getting dark, my new year is coming, or I’m going to pack my mind and be busy with my own business.
Zhang Cai and the three children returned home and saw the mother-in-law and Guo Sufei roasting around the stove, and they told them what happened in Xinzhuang. The two people were shocked and both of them prayed to heaven, hoping to die. I can reincarnate early, and I hope that I will never encounter such a disaster. Until the sky was dark, and the home was lit with oil lamps, Zhang Xiaohua’s grandmother was still swearing:
Blessings and sorrows, but good fortune.

The same New Year, this year's Guo Zhuangyuan has no previous excitement. Under the night, only children play with lanterns, and only they do not know the sinister world, letting go of their nature. Most of the villagers are like Zhang Cai’s family. After eating the rich New Year’s Eve dinner, they have packed up the hard work of the past year. I hope that the new year will be sweet and happy, and my heart will have a hint of gloom. Think about Mr. Wu’s experience. Think about this weak meat and strong food world, it is inevitable that there is "I am a fish" idea, looking at the world, but I do not know how to protect the stability of my own family.
The New Year’s Eve, which should have been so busy, has passed quietly. I don't know if there are other people in the village who have happiness in their dreams, whether they have joy, or harvest and sweetness, but Zhang Xiaohua has only flickering, and the flashing seems to have a hint of clarity.
The new year of the farmer’s family is actually very simple. Apart from each other’s New Year’s greetings, there is only a market in the distant town of Lu. Every day on the third day of the New Year, there is a street in Luzhen that is surrounded by the lively
sets
of the neighboring eight towns. Everyone is wearing new clothes, dragging their homes and bringing a purse with a slightly filled waist. Come here. Feel the breath of the New Year.
Zhang Cai’s family, Guo Sufei wants to take care of Zhang Xiaohua’s grandmother at home, and Zhang Cai’s three children came to Luzhen to gather.
Luzhen is located in the south of Guozhuang, 30 miles away from Guozhuang.
There are not many streets in Luzhen, and there is not much excitement for people to share on weekdays. It’s easy to catch up with a New Year’s rally, and everyone took out the energy that has accumulated for a year, and squeezed out a climax in a street in Luzhen. This is a north-south-oriented street. The street is relatively wide. It seems to be the main street of Luzhen. There are many shops on both sides of the street. No matter what business, business is very good, and the gates are wide open. Many people came in and out, and the folks in the store stood in the store and outside the store to greet the guests. There were also many peddlers who took their own set of small livelihoods and placed them on the street, screaming and shouting. Inviting people to flow in front of them. On weekdays, if the folks in the store saw someone blocking the door, they would definitely greet them, but today is an exception. They all come out to find a way to live. In order to discuss the New Year’s jackpot, everyone will not be hurt and angry, even When you meet, you will bless each other.
As a result, the streets that are not too spacious are becoming more and more crowded. And Zhang Xiaohua, who went to the market with his brother and sister, did not know where the eyes looked.