A misty rain painting the hometown

The cough seemed to tear the chest, and it came out continuously from the low tiled house in the east of the village.Gu Ji dragged the rag bag and turned around the courtyard wall at the back alley of the village, the chicken fence, and at the top of the front, at the threshold, an old man on crutches was hunchbacked and coughing loudly.There was a pottery bowl on the threshold, the old man abandoned his crutches and reached for the bowl, but when he couldn't reach it, he fell to the ground and coughed more and more.

Gu Ji ran up to the threshold dragging the rag bag, picked up the pottery bowl, patted his back with one hand, and passed water with the other.A bowl of cold water is even colder, but time waits for no one.

He buried his wrinkled face in the pottery bowl, drew water, and coughed a few more times. The old man gasped, and his cloudy eyes saw the tattered mud monkey in front of him clearly, and it brightened for a moment.

"Good grandson, help grandpa get up."

When helping people into the house, the musty smell rushed into the nostrils.After the old man sat on the bed, Gu Jifang looked at the damp room.The bed has no tent, the patched quilt is messy, and the long round blue cloth pillow is black.An oil lamp hangs on the right wall above the bed, below, there is a wooden cabinet half the height of a person, on the low table is a brown long-mouthed pottery pot, and a small wooden bench is nearby.The two bright paper windows are tightly closed, and the wooden pestle of the supporting windows has many holes.Gu Ji opened the two windows first, and the room suddenly became bright.

"Can you light a fire and cook?"

The old man's voice was excited.Not daring to look at people, Gu Ji nodded.

"meeting."

The old man pointed to the wooden cabinet.

"There are rice and noodles here. There are Chinese cabbage in the vegetable field outside the house, and eggs in the woodshed. You go to the kitchen to cook and eat."

Did not listen to what the old man said.Gu Ji opened the cabinet, took out the noodles, went out and turned left into the kitchen.I lit a fire to boil water, washed my hands and face, rinsed pots, bowls, chopsticks, knives and other kitchen utensils with the remaining hot water, and boiled a pot full of water. I went to the house and brought a long-mouthed clay pot to clean it, and filled most of the pot with water. Put it back on the coffee table, wash the bowl on the low table, and put half a bowl of boiling water on the wooden cabinet.

He ran down the ridge, picked a cabbage, and pinched two scallions next to it.After peeling two yellow leaves of cabbage and throwing them into the fence, the two hens clucked and became more angry.

The kitchen is rich in flavors. In addition to salt, chili powder, and peppercorns, there is also a small pottery pot of rapeseed oil, star anise, fenugreek, tangerine peel, cinnamon bark, sugar, rice wine, and a small pot of lard.This meal is only salt and rapeseed oil, chopped green onion.

It's noon when the two bowls of noodles are short.

The old man had already drank the water in the bowl, and he looked at the bowl on the short table, with two lines of old tears hanging down.

"Where are you from?"

Seeing people shaking his head, he asked his parents how old they were.Guji still shook his head three times.Seeing him like this, the old man's face became more and more wrinkled.Gu Ji went outside the house and dragged in the broken bag and the deadwood crutches, and the old man understood instantly.

During lunch, the old man chatted eagerly.

"Would you like to follow your grandfather's surname? Grandpa settled in Guzhong Village for you. You are still young, and it's not a good idea to live forever. If you want to be named, Grandpa will call you Guji, which is also the name your grandma married her son. Grandpa's name is Gu Li Li, after marrying your grandma, she had nothing to do, and your grandma passed away due to depression. Since then, grandpa has been known as a wife and child, and he has been married far and near without marriage, and has nothing to support. He has lived alone until old age. Failing, hoping for a ready-made one to take care of the elderly. Ashamed to say, because I have nothing to support, I have to eat and drink by myself, and I lived to ninety years, and only a good coffin is left. "

After staring at the old man for a while, Gu Ji opened his mouth, and he actually saw the person who said the rumors.Seeing that he didn't respond, the old man choked up and wiped his eyes, then looked at the skinny boy in front of him again.

"It's okay, just stay until you want to go."

"My name is Gu Ji, and Gu Ji is willing to provide for grandpa until the end of his life."

The old man howled through his tears.

"Good grandson!"

Today, a grandson fell from the sky to die. He did not burn incense in vain, and the ancestors finally showed signs of recovery.The grave grass of the peers is already higher than that of the elders, and only now does Old Coulee know what it means to be comforted by old age.

After lunch, Gu Ji cleaned up the kitchen. Old Gu Li dug out the house and the one-acre land deed. In the afternoon, he asked Gu Ji to help him go to the west of the village to look for Lizheng to register his household registration and register his family tree.He just needed to clear the household registration, but he never thought that Gu Li would be so eager, and Gu Ji felt a little guilty.

Lizheng looked at Gu Ji for a while, he recognized the little beggar, after washing it, he turned out to be a pale young boy, and his body was too thin because of begging for the day.He wasn't sure if this little beggar really wanted to give old Coulee his retirement, because old Coulee was often cheated by beggars before.

"Uncle Li, the fields are busy with work. We will start to do it in a month's time. You two have already discussed it. There is no rush, no rush."

On the way, I saw the fields, and the villagers were working in full swing.Old Coulee was going to the fields without further delay.

"After the month, just after the month. Good grandson, help grandpa go back to the house and wait."

On the eastern outskirts of the capital, between the foothills of the East Mountain in Jianan County, Guzhong Village.At this time, it was the Grain of Grass, and a crow rested on the thin green branch of the old tree at the head of the village. As soon as Gu Ji returned to the village from the market, he looked up and saw the bird. The promising black-haired crow bent down, dug a small lump of wet soil under the dry grass roots on the roadside, squeezed it firmly, and threw a parabola towards the sky. The mud ball that appeared in the air was frightened, and it flapped its wings and flew away.

Old Guli adopted Guji, and the villagers talked a lot.Some people have seen the little beggar Guji, and said that the beggar is for the old Guli's family property.Some people also said that Gu Ji was bought by old Gu Li and human traffickers.Some people also said that Guji was not like a mud-legged countryman, that he would not live long and would not die for old Guli.

After being served by Haosheng for more than half a month, Old Coulee is in good spirits.While Gu Ji was busy cleaning up and didn't pay attention, he leaned on crutches and went to show off to 60-year-old Li Zheng Gu Shuang that he had a baby grandson, including the whole process of serving him.The seamstresses on the road also wanted to spread the word, and those in the village who had ridiculed him said he was an old man.

The bedding, pillows, and clothes in the house were all changed and washed in the ditch in front of the door.Seeing him like this, the village aunts were always unwilling to reconcile, and tried to pick up old things to make up old Coulee.

A month later, Li Zhenggu was free and knew that Guji was sincere to Guli, so he asked his grandfather and grandson to set a date to recognize their relatives, and he also began to discuss the matter of household registration.There are a few old people who are in the way, Gu Shuang is unwilling to embarrass the two grandparents, not to mention they all say that it is better to live a long life than to be human.

It was already the eighth day of May, the household registration was confirmed, the genealogy was listed, and the relative wine was set up.Old Coulee and Guji both feel that the world is getting warmer.The next day, the grandfather and grandson went to visit the grave of old Guli's wife. Guji arranged the sacrifices, put three sticks of incense, kowtowed three times, and called grandma.Old Coulee sat on the grave in the grass and whimpered for a while.

Knowing that old Gu Li had a miserable life, besides being a diligent and filial grandson, he must not persuade him as an old friend, so Gu Ji sat with him all morning.

Guji Shangxiang Ji added household items, mosquito nets, bowls and chopsticks, and plates and cups.In my free time, I accompanied Old Coulee to visit the village, and bought a group of chicks to raise.Eating, drinking, going to the toilet, washing, and sleeping, Guji took good care of her.Seeing that old Guli became more energetic, and occasionally hummed a little tune to his brothers, all the old people gritted their teeth.

Originally planned to go to the capital to sell all kinds of prescriptions and make money to buy a hospital.Now it is impossible.Although he can pass the checkpoint with the household registration documents, he cannot and will not leave the elderly Gu Li alone.

At the end of the month, Hong Shengshi, the magistrate of Jianan County, sent two yamen servants to deliver most of the basket of green plums early in the morning.Gu Ji first slaughtered an old hen and stewed it in a pot, washed green plums and cooked sour plum soup to cool off the heat.The two yamen servants were each drinking a big bowl, listening to old Guli talk about Guji serving him in detail.

The old hen has already tasted stewed, and the cured meat was cut in half yesterday to stir-fry the vegetable head, and then stir-fry a vegetarian dish.The two yamen servants looked at all the inside and outside of the house, and they didn't let go of the firewood toilet room, so they went to the kitchen to see people.Gu Shuang had already heard that Gu Ji was a beggar who was adopted by Gu Li, but this beggar had been raised for two months and had recovered to its shocking original appearance. Now, there is no trace of beggar.

Stewed for two hours, fished and cut two large pieces of chicken belly, peeled and chopped, added three handfuls of rice, used chicken broth, boiled for half an hour on high heat, added seasoning and put it in a big cup, and then started lunch.

A month ago, the dining table and stools moved from the firewood house had been washed and washed five times. This month, both of them had already eaten at the table. Today, the four of them just sat on each side of the room.

Old Gu Li scooped up the chicken soup and rice, watching the two yamen servants devouring it, he was really satisfied and moved.

"Your children must be raised well, so that they can grow old like Gu Li and have a good life and good fortune."

"Well, delicious, delicious, blessed is Old Coulee!"

After lunch, the two yamen servants chatted about some interesting things, and Guji let old Guli rest.Put chicken soup and sour plum soup on the table, leaving the two yamen servants to take a nap, while he took the baskets brought by the two yamen servants to pick vegetables.

Old Coulee slept for half an hour, got up and drank a small cup of warm boiled water.When Gu Ji returned to the house, the sour plum soup and chicken soup on the table were gone.The two yamen servants stood up and said goodbye with red faces and red ears.Gu Ji handed over a basket full of fresh vegetables to the two of them, helped the old Gu Li to send people to the village, and drove the carriage back to the county government.

"It's her, Wang Qin, who often helps grandpa, the widow of the Li family, the only one with a different surname in this village. It's not easy to live with her son alone."

Gu Ji carefully looked at Wang Qin, 34, five years old, with crow's feet in the corners of his eyes, he should have been pretty when he was young, but he withered prematurely due to hard work.

The widow of the Li family saw the two approaching with support, and called Uncle Guli.Old Guli nodded and pointed to Guji.

"My dear grandson, named Guji, take care of me more in the future."

"Hello, Aunt Li."

Wang Qin looked at Gu Ji for a while, and said with a smile.

"It's true that Tianxialuo came here specially for Uncle Gu Li."

Old Coulee smiled triumphantly.

"Burning incense every day, the ancestors have appeared. Your child has not been in the village for four years."

Wang Qin said a word.

"Sent him to the county town as an apprentice, we can't let him stay on the farm to make a living. He usually only goes home for a day after the festival, and he doesn't want to go out. It's rare to see him last time."

Old Coulee nodded.

"No wonder we haven't seen each other. It's not good for the two of you to meet and talk next time. It's not good to be bored by yourself. In the future, if there is something in the neighbors, we can help each other."

Wang Qin smiled and hurriedly went.

On the tenth day of the seventh lunar month, the county magistrate Hong Shengshi and Zhi Shu came to visit by boat.Gu Shuang brought someone to the door.At that time, old Coulee was sitting by the threshold chasing chickens with a loud voice.Gu Ji was cutting rice in the field next to the vegetable field in Kanxia.In the past ten years, Wang Qin helped plant the vegetable plot in front of Old Guli’s house. Although he spent a hundred coins each time, the favor was still there. Seeing that it was not easy for her alone, Gu Ji helped her cut the rice, while Wang Qin rubbed the grain with a basket on the ridge of the field.