The sound of firecrackers bid farewell to the old year, and every household welcomes the new year with Spring Festival couplets.
At 4:30 a.m. on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Su Chunfeng woke up early from her sleep, woke up her younger brother Xiaoyu, and then went out to turn on the lights in the living room, yard, and kitchen.
It is a custom in the countryside of Jinzhou County that every house must light up at the fifth watch of the Lunar New Year.
After eating the dumplings on the fifth day of the new year, you have to go out to pay New Year greetings to the elders in the village. Regardless of surname, those who have a good relationship with each other, and those with the same seniority, they all have to go to pay New Year greetings to the elders of the other party's family. It is a serious rule.
Kneel down, but you don’t have to kowtow! If your family is junior in the village, you almost have to go door-to-door to kowtow to New Year greetings.
While Su Chunfeng was standing in the yard washing up despite the cold, her mother Chen Xiulan had already gotten up and was busy cooking New Year dumplings in the kitchen.
Father Su Cheng, on the other hand, led Xiaoyu, who was jumping and excited, to light a bonfire outside the main door and under the platform on the west side.
Under the dark night, there were already sporadic sounds of firecrackers and firecrackers.
After washing, Su Chunfeng stood on the platform outside the house, guarding the bonfire, her face filled with red light. Looking at the blazing bonfire, the fire was bright, mixed with black shadows, and sometimes the wet firewood made a crackling sound and splashed out endless water.
Counting the fleeting sparks, he suddenly felt like he was in a dream, reborn... This was the first Spring Festival he was about to spend since his rebirth.
Looking back on the past, it suddenly seems like a dream.
When he was this age in his previous life, he almost never stayed at home during the Chinese New Year. He would go out and have fun every day. On New Year's Eve, he would play at other people's houses until five o'clock the next day and go home to eat dumplings.
.
Last night, he didn't go out.
Together with my parents and younger brother, I make stuffing, dough, dumplings and watch the Spring Festival Gala at home.
Su Chunfeng was in a trance and had been thinking about something for an unknown amount of time, but it seemed as if he was not thinking about anything at all. Su Chunfeng saw his father carrying a hanging firecracker and placing it on the wire used to dry clothes in the yard, and then simply wrapped it around a few times.
.Brother Su Chunyu stood excitedly at the door of the house and stared at the hanging firecrackers. At the same time, he raised his hands to cover his ears and shouted loudly: "Brother, brother, our dad is going to set off the firecrackers, come in quickly!"
"Hey!" Su Chunfeng replied with a smile, turned around and walked into the house.
Chen Xiulan stood at the door of the West House kitchen with a smile, holding the dumpling catcher in her hand - after releasing the whip, it was time to fill up the dumplings and eat them.
Su Cheng held the cigarette in his hand and lit the firecracker, then strode to the door of the house and turned around to look back.
The rapid sound of firecrackers crackled in the small courtyard. For a time, under the reflection of lights and fire, smoke filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air - thousands of firecrackers! In the countryside these days,
Not many households in the village are willing to set off 10,000 firecrackers at the fifth watch of the Lunar New Year.
The family of four listened and watched the firecrackers go off, all showing happy smiles.
Chen Xiulan turned back to the kitchen to serve dumplings.
Su Cheng and his two sons each took a few two-gun cannons and chose their spots in the yard. Su Cheng took a cigarette lighter, while Su Chunfeng and his younger brother Su Chunyu each took out a burning piece of firewood from the bonfire.
stick.
Boom!
Bah!
The sound of firecrackers was deafening.
Su Chunfeng smelled the smell of gunpowder amidst the sound of firecrackers. She was intoxicated, happy, and sentimental. A few crystal tears flowed out of the corners of her eyes.
"Brother, why are you crying?"
"No." Su Chunfeng said with a smile: "I was choked by the smell of gunpowder just now..."
"oh……"
At this time, the sound of firecrackers and firecrackers became intensive in the village, one after another deafening explosions broke into the dark night, and countless stars blinked and looked curiously at the human world on the vast land.
…
In winter, the days are originally short and the nights are long.
The time when the villagers wander around the village to pay New Year greetings at five o'clock is the darkest time at night. Fortunately, because of the Chinese New Year, the street lights in the village will rarely be on for a few days at night. But under the dim street lights,
There is an endless stream of people coming and going in the streets and alleys of the village, all of them paying New Year's greetings.
Su Chunfeng was naturally not vulgar. After following his family members around the village to pay New Year greetings, he went to the homes of his playmates who grew up together one by one to pay New Year greetings to their elders.
After this circle, the sky became dim and bright.
As soon as I got home, my father Su Chengcheng asked: "Has the transfer been finished?"
"Well, the transfer is finished." Su Chunfeng nodded.
"Follow me to Liu Jinming's house and kowtow to his mother for New Year greetings..." Su Cheng sighed softly and said, "Although the old lady was evil-minded in the past, she has no major conflicts with our family, and my relationship with Liu Jinming is also normal.
Now that the old lady has been paralyzed in bed for such a long time, and we are neighbors, it makes no sense not to pay New Year's greetings."
Su Chunfeng responded without hesitation: "Okay."
Everyone in the world knows that there is gold under a man's knees. But the people in Jinzhou County know better, and they often joke and say: "In the first few days of the first month of the first month, a man's knees are really not worth a lot of money.
It’s just worth a few favors.” But then again, sometimes, favors really cannot be measured by money.
Su Cheng led his two sons into Liu Jinming's home.
Liu Jinming happened to be smoking in the yard. When he saw Su Cheng leading the two children in, he quickly showed a polite smile and said: "Chengzi is here."
"Hey, I kowtow to my aunt to say New Year's greetings. It's only once a year..." Su Cheng said politely.
"We're in the back room, let's take a walk." Liu Jinming extended his hand to invite him warmly.
Su Chunfeng followed his father, and he still felt that Liu Jinming seemed to be a different person now, which was unbelievable - ever since the old lady was paralyzed, Liu Jinming would be the first to say hello to Su Chunfeng every time they met on the street. And what he was saying just now
When he was talking politely, he looked at Su Chunfeng, and there was a strange look in his eyes, as if he had lingering fears.
Mrs. Liu lives in the west room of the main house.
Under the dim light, the house had not been renovated yet, with exposed red bricks and gray seams, and only some old newspapers were pasted on the wall next to the bed.
Old Mrs. Liu, who was paralyzed in bed, was half lying and half sitting on the head of the bed, with a thick quilt behind her. She mustered up her energy to watch her head together at five o'clock on the New Year's Day (the elders were waiting for the younger generation at home).
Come to kowtow to pay New Year greetings) For her now, keeping her head is also an extremely difficult task.
At this moment, the old lady looked listless and sleepy.
"Mom, Chengzi has brought the two children to kowtow to you." Liu Jinming opened the cotton curtain and said, but did not enter the room - he is a junior, and of course he cannot be beside others when they kneel.
Su Cheng and the two children walked in.
"Who?" The old lady opened her eyes drowsily. When she saw Su Cheng and his son, especially Su Chunfeng, who was standing behind and to the right of Su Cheng, her sleepy old eyes suddenly widened.
"Auntie, happy New Year, I kowtow to you..." Su Cheng took the lead and knelt down.
Su Chunfeng and Su Chunyu followed and knelt on the ground.
"Don't, don't!" the old lady shouted in horror and inexplicably, her head and body trembling slightly - it seemed that she wanted to get out of bed and reach out to stop her, but her limbs were paralyzed and unable to move.
While talking, Su Cheng and the two children stood up.
The so-called kowtow to pay New Year greetings is to a large extent just a formality. You just kneel down and then get up. It is completely different from what the older generation said about kowtowing to pay New Year greetings in the past. It is really necessary to kneel down and then kowtow. Whatever.
With the development of society, some traditional customs, whether good or bad, seem to be constantly decreasing, and slowly disappear into the long river of history like small water splashes.
Now, I have already knelt down, and it is considered a serious and respectful New Year greeting.
Who would have thought that the old lady would be so resistant?
For a moment, Su Cheng and the two children were a little embarrassed, and their expressions revealed anger that could not be concealed - the neighbors looked up and looked down, how could there be such a disgusting person?
Upon seeing this, Liu Jinming hurriedly entered the room and scolded: "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? Chengzi brought two children to kowtow to you to say New Year. Why are you becoming more and more ignorant as you get older?" It's no wonder that Liu Jinming dared to reprimand his mother, as the saying goes
Daojiu had no filial son at his bedside. Not only did this old woman become paralyzed due to her own fault, but she also caused the whole family to suffer. She spent all her brothers’ savings, and someone had to stay by her bedside every day to take care of her.
Liu Jinming, who already has a bad temper, is not afraid of my mother at this time?
Old Mrs. Liu looked fearful and said with a mouth that was constantly drooling: "That's not what I mean. It's because the child who can't stand Xiaofeng will kneel down. It will be fatal."
Liu Jinming was stunned and realized why his mother was so panicked.
After Su Cheng heard this, the unhappiness in Su Cheng's heart disappeared. He understood that this old lady had always been superstitious. When Xiaofeng persuaded her to remove the earthen pot on the roof, she refused to remove it. Later, she became inexplicable or said that
Coincidentally, she fell ill and was paralyzed in bed. Her attitude now seems to be overly superstitious, and she is afraid of what kind of star Su Chunfeng will come to earth... In short, it is the same old superstitious thinking, so she said that she couldn't stand Xiaofeng and knelt down.
It will kill her.
Su Chunfeng frowned and cursed in his heart, "Gong Hu, this old bastard!"
He judged that it was obviously not as simple as superstition to scare the old lady of the Liu family into such a state.
Instead, Gong Hu most likely told the old lady something more intimidating about magic, and he might even tell the old lady directly: "You can't afford to offend that family!" The old lady was already superstitious.
, the causes and consequences of this sudden illness and paralysis in bed are already very strange. If you think about it, Su Chunfeng's advice to her that night at a young age was more like a threat to her. This kind of witchcraft might backfire.
ah……
The old lady was frightened by Gong Hu. If she wasn't scared, she would be really old and smart.
The fact is, of course, closer to Su Chunfeng's guess - although Gong Hu did not explicitly mention the mysterious "name" of warlock that day, which was not known to ordinary people, he did talk about a bunch of mysterious and mysterious things in a very serious manner.
He originally worked as a magic stick in Xishan County, and he was a serious magician, so it was definitely a piece of cake to fool ordinary and superstitious people like the old lady of the Liu family.
In this case, not to mention the old lady, even Liu Jinming and his wife, who were already suspicious, were trembling with fear.
Because Gong Hu later said: "The person who cast the spell behind the scenes obviously showed mercy. Otherwise, old lady, you would not only be paralyzed in bed now, but you would not be the only one who suffered the backlash."
So fucking scary!
Liu Jinming couldn't say these words out of respect for his face.
So he could only explain awkwardly: "Nariko, I'm sorry for you and the two children. The old lady often gets confused after she gets sick. Don't be like her."
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay..." Su Cheng smiled and shook his head without any concern, and then led the two children out.