It would be an exaggeration to say that Qin Guan was a phoenix in the Qin Village, but the villagers thought that he was beautiful. He was like a golden pheasant that occasionally ran out of the woods. Hunters could not take their eyes off its beautiful feathers. Qin Guan was so dazzling.
Qin Guan didn't know what the villagers thought of him. He was just playing with his friends and showing off.
In winter, the trees in the village were bare and bleak. Young people usually stayed at home and played cards, but Qin Guan liked to hang out with his siblings.
There were so many activities there. Riding a donkey or a horse was nothing. Have you ever ridden a goat? Playing with cats and dogs was nothing. Have you ever dug out a hibernating snake's hole?
When it was dark, Qin Guan returned to his grandpa's yard with the monkeys. His grandma felt sorry for him. She brushed the dirt off the kids with a broom and told them, "Don't go out to play at night. There are no street lights here. You'll sprain your ankle."
Qin Guan proudly handed two magazines to his grandparents, who were sitting at the head of the table. Their faces wrinkled from smiling. Their eldest grandson was in a magazine!
The Spring Festival in the countryside was full of flavor. On the 23rd, sweet melons were sticky. His grandma boiled sweet potato sugar into sweet melons and put them in a noodle pocket so that the kids and adults could have some in their spare time. (When I was in primary school, there were sweet melons at the gate of my school for five cents each. I really wanted to eat them, but now I can't buy them anymore.)
On the 28th of the Lunar New Year, his grandma steamed a huge jujube cake with the help of the women in the family, which meant that the Spring Festival had come quietly.
On the 30th of the Lunar New Year, the sound of firecrackers could be heard everywhere. A new Lunar New Year's Eve had passed, and everyone welcomed the 2000 Lunar New Year.
Unfortunately, the happy atmosphere didn't last until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. His uncle was forced to go to the toilet by the village warden.
Grandpa Qin calmly looked at his brothers who didn't understand what was going on. Sitting on the square chair in the lobby, he tapped the ash in the tobacco pipe with the sole of his shoe, picked up a pinch of tobacco, and started smoking.
Uncle Qin, Father Qin, and Aunt Qin didn't even dare to breathe loudly. They were waiting for the Old Master to speak.
Grandpa Qin cleared his throat and called out to the juniors who were hiding behind the curtain, "Come in and listen to your uncle's story."
Led by Qin Guan, the little turnips lined up obediently and stood behind the adults in the hall.
Grandpa Qin adopted a posture of paying respects to his ancestors. He cleared his throat and said, "A few months ago, your fourth younger brother was tricked by a group of shamans into joining some God's Assembly."
"He's fine, but he doesn't want to see a doctor even if he's sick. He says that it's fine as long as Sect Master blesses him. He doesn't want to work in the fields either. He says that he's waiting for Sect Master to reward him with food. Fourth Brother's child almost didn't go to school either. I brought him home and asked my wife to take him to school. "
The siblings below were speechless when they heard this. It turned out that their younger brother had joined an evil cult. Was it appropriate for him to say it so lightly? This was such a big deal.
Their thoughts were solemn, but the following words shocked the three siblings.
"I knew it wouldn't work. Fourth Brother's wife was also tricked into joining the God's Assembly. The family was about to break up. I went to the police station at the entrance of the village and reported them … "
Reported them to the police station, reported them to the police station … The three siblings broke out in a cold sweat. Is it appropriate for you to be so incorruptible?
"Ah, it wasn't a serious crime. He was just detained for disturbing the public order. He was sent to the sandpit at the east of the village to do hard labor for half a year. Then he was released. “
You might as well have been sentenced. Generally, a minor detention would be released after a few days. Is it appropriate for you to throw your son into the sandpit for half a year?
Father Qin was about to say something good to his brother, but he became serious when he heard the latter part of Grandpa Qin's words.
"I don't know where this evil person came from. He only believes in the Wheel and doesn't teach people good things." "As soon as he said that, all the brothers in the family fell silent.
Believing in the God Lun Sect was a serious crime. Fortunately, the head of the family was shrewd. Grandma Qin felt a little regretful. Fourth Brother's family always brought back brochures of the Wheel of God.
In the future, there would be no paper to light the fire in the stove, and toilet paper in the pigsty would not be free either. Fourth Uncle Qin really didn't study much. It would be like a blind man trying to light a lamp for Grandma Qin, who was illiterate.
Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, the brothers of the Qin family gave up on pleading for leniency. The younger generation laughed and forgot about it. Qin Guan secretly took a few deep breaths.
Qin Guan took a few deep breaths. Fortunately, Uncle Qin had left early. His grandfather had suppressed him for the rest of his life. If things got out of hand and Fourth Uncle Qin was tricked into going to the capital, no one would be able to save him.
At this time, Fourth Uncle was in the sand factory, sifting the sand with a broken shovel. Beside him, the Village Chief, who was in charge of the Reform through Labor, had brought a bucket of standard sand for everyone. All of a sudden, there were so many strong laborers, and it was free.
This year, the performance of the sandpit in the village would have a qualitative leap again. He was only one step away from becoming the mayor.
… …
After the Spring Festival, Qin Guan's parents returned to Y City. His uncle and aunt went home to take care of the fields in spring. Only Qin Guan was left in the small courtyard of his grandparents.
After his rebirth, he had spent more time with the two elders who had loved him dearly, which made him feel warm.
Night fell. Under the yellow light, Qin Guan sat on the heated kang, watching his grandmother sewing and talking about the past between her and his grandfather.
Qin Guan would never get tired of hearing those stories again and again. They were not as heart-wrenching as in modern melodramas, but they were reserved and warm like in that era.
Although the gap between them was not as big as that between a landlord's daughter and a laborer, when his grandparents were young, there had been a gap between an unknown waiter and a young lady from a country gentleman's family.
That was the love they had shared at first glance.
His grandmother had always adhered to the family rule of staying indoors, while his grandfather, who had come to collect grain, had only caught a glimpse of them in the courtyard. Ever since then, he had never forgotten them.
At that time, he had been 15 and she had been 14.
He had tried everything he could to shorten the distance between them. He had begged the shopkeeper to learn how to read, keep accounts and calculate. In troubled times, he had dared to carry grain out to sea for the shopkeeper with only a sack of silver.
Through his own efforts, his grandfather had finally owned his own grain shop. When he had married his grandmother, he had been 19 and she had been 18.
They had helped each other in difficult times, and they had grown old together. They had gone through many ups and downs hand in hand. They had led the same life in troubled times and in times of peace and prosperity.
They had never left or abandoned each other.
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