Rebirth 90s: Sweetheart Cub

Sunny mist.

The sound of birdsong.

Waking up to morning in the countryside.

A new day begins.

On the banks of the river at the entrance of Taoxi Village, a group of women and women who came to wash clothes gathered, and the sound of clubs and hammers kept coming and going.

In the lower reaches of the river, a group of ducks swam freely in the water, quacking.

There are also a few big buffaloes scattered across the river bank, burying their heads in eating fresh grass, and making a mooing sound from time to time.

When Zhang Xifeng arrived with Qiqi, the big stone slabs by the river bank specially built for laundry were almost full.

Qiqi's sharp eyes saw that there was still a space between the two old women, "Mother-in-law, here!"

When the laundry women heard the voice, they all turned their heads to look over, and when their eyes fell on Qiqi, they took a good look.

The little boy was wearing a button-down shirt, with short, yellow hair tied into a small bun. Although he was small and thin, his appearance was so delicate that the big guy had never seen it before.

"He, Aunt Zhang, is this the baby you picked up two days ago? She looks so good-looking, and she is also clever." On the big stone board, an old woman with the same gray hair smiled and stepped back a little, leaving There is a bigger space in the middle for Zhang Xifeng, "Come here and squeeze, there will be more and more people later, it will be difficult to occupy a good place."

Zhang Xifeng was cheerful and not polite.

Every day at this time in the village, the river is full of people who come to wash clothes.

Too many people will inevitably be crowded, and the big guys will take care of each other humbly, chatting and chatting while washing clothes, talking about family matters, it can be regarded as a little leisure time for women like them.

Qiqi was praised by the strange mother-in-law, she was a little shy, her little face was red.

It works very neatly.

Squatting next to Zhang Xifeng, took out the dirty clothes from the wooden bucket and put them into the water, carried them up, soaped them, rubbed the cuffs and necklines and other parts that get dirty, and then grabbed the wooden stick and mallet with two small hands and beat the clothes , turn it over, and beat it again.

Zhang Xifeng never had a chance to do anything.

"..." The ladies next to me were dumbfounded.

Although the children in the farm family have to help with some work at a young age, they are all simple and light, such as collecting firewood, herding cattle, and driving ducks.

There are almost no people in the village who help wash clothes at such a young age as Qi Qi.

And judging by the baby's posture, she is as proficient and agile as these mothers-in-law, it is obvious that she has practiced from doing these jobs often.

"Aunt Zhang, how old is this kid?"

Zhang Xifeng pursed her lips, "Four and a half years old."

The cheerful smile on her face has faded, and anger and pity are suppressed in her eyes.

Only those who are waiting to grind their children will make such a young child do heavy work.

At first, she only thought that Qiqi had suffered a lot while wandering, but it seemed that the truth was far more than that.

"Qiqi, let the mother-in-law do the laundry. You are still young, and play by the side, just a few clothes, and the mother-in-law will wash them in a while." Zhang Xifeng stretched out his hand and took the mallet over.

The mallets used for laundry in the farmhouse are all made of solid wood, thicker than the baby's two arms combined, and very heavy.

It takes a lot of effort for adults, let alone little dolls.

Qiqi didn't fight for it, but squatted aside, and when the clothes were washed, they took them and soaked them in water.

The clothes are shaken in the water and washed by the river water. As the dirt dissipates, the clothes are clean and clear.

A total of four or five pieces of clothes, one old and one young, are all thin summer shirts, which wash quickly.

With Qiqi as a little helper, Zhang Xifeng finished washing the clothes, saving nearly half of the time and effort than usual.

At this time, the sun had risen, and the golden sunlight evaporated the morning mist, and sprinkled on people's body hot but not burning.

Wa'er washed the soap box and the mallet and put them in the bucket, wiped the sweat off his face casually with his little hands, looked up in the sun, and smiled with crooked eyes.

"Grandma, let's go home, the little piglets haven't been fed yet."

"Okay, let's go home and feed the little piglets." Zhang Xifeng carried the bucket in one hand and the little baby in the other, said something to the surrounding women, and then walked home with the baby.

One old and one young, their backs are all thin and thin under the sun.

The two walked a little slowly, but there were laughter from time to time, and the atmosphere between the two was harmonious and warm.

The sound of the club by the river weakened for a moment and then sounded rhythmically again, and the topic of the women and wives naturally turned to that place.

"His Aunt Zhang has been widowed for decades and has no children. It may be a good thing to find such a sensible little doll now."

"That's right, Qiqi's work is so agile, I'm afraid that all three of my Xi girls can't keep up. With her help in the field work at home, his Aunt Zhang will also be able to relax."

"I don't think it may be easy. Raising a baby costs money. Where does the Zhang family get money? Relying on her two pigs a year and a vegetable garden? Relying on her two acres of sweet potato fields? She used to live alone. It's still tight, now... oh."

"That's what I said too. I can't see that baby now, but when she grows up, she can really be filial to Zhang's mother-in-law? If her parents turn around and leave when they grow up, where will you go to complain?"

The atmosphere became a little serious, and someone changed the topic, "Didn't you say that people from Xizhong Village came today and are going to report the price of melons and fruits? Wash your clothes quickly, and we will go to the village chief's house to check later, Let’s see what price we can get this year.”

"Hey, I almost forgot about this, hurry up and wash it up!"

...

Zhang Xifeng and Qiqi returned home, dried the clothes, and the temperature of the pot of pig roe boiled in the morning dropped just right.

Little Piggy didn't have diarrhea that night, so she was completely relieved.

While feeding the pigs, she turned her head and looked behind her. Xiao Qiqi really couldn't be free for a moment. He was already holding a bamboo broom that was taller than her, and started to clean the yard.

"Qiqi, let's take a break from the meeting. After breakfast, let's go to the old village chief's house."

"Grandma, what are you going to do?"

"The people from the next door village want to come to our village to make an offer today, and they will collect what we grow in our field. My mother-in-law has two acres of sweet potatoes, and they harvested them in previous years." Zhang Xifeng explained seriously without perfunctory, "Let's go and see if we can sell them this year. What's the price."

If the price can be better, Zhang Xifeng plans to take the baby to the town to go to the market and buy some things for her.

No matter whether the baby is willing to stay or not in the end, she wants to treat her better and love her more.

Qiqi blinked her eyes, not knowing what her mother-in-law was thinking, but the way her mother-in-law looked at her made her feel sour.

It was as if... she was her beloved little doll.

The old and the young went to the village chief's house after a simple breakfast. When they arrived, many people had already arrived in the yard, and the scene was noisy and noisy.

Qiqi heard angry questioning from the crowd.

"In previous years, it's fine to lower our price by 30%, and everyone gritted their teeth to get through it. This year, we will lower the price by half. It's obviously boiling oil with our bones! Xizhong Village, you bully people too much!"