"I got there first!"

The nephew, who was holding Hauff's left leg, laughed, his mouth open and a little slurred.

"Father, brother, he bullied me."

The little niece pouted and began to take out her housekeeping skills: complaining, just talking in a milky voice, listening to it, it became a coquette.

She had dark hair, a small red mole on her brow, and a fleshy cheek pouting, which was very cute—although the black husband's family was not very wealthy, but her mother, as a grandmother, preferred to eat less for herself, but was sure to feed her two children. His family is not the poorest, as long as he does not encounter epidemics and famines, and saves money, the children in the family can thrive.

"Yang, you are a brother, but you have to let the moon go more."

Heifu crouched down, wiped the snot that was about to flow into his mouth with his sleeve, and patted his niece's little head with his other hand, in front of them, he was a kind elder.

"Go wash your hands, I've got something good for you."

Yang and Yue glanced at each other, and ran away with a smoke. This is the quirk of the middle father since September, every time he eats, he has to urge the two to wash their hands first, and they are a little uncomfortable at first, but they slowly get used to it. Especially Yue, she gradually felt that her white little hands were quite comfortable after washing, and she began to dislike the girls next door who played with her for having dirty hands.

What Heifu brought back to them was the children's favorite sweet of this era: caramel candy. This is a food made from wheat and other grains by fermentation. The liquid is the maltose that was often eaten in later generations, and what Heifu bought at the county market was a harder white starch sugar, made of millet, which had a faint sweetness after drying, and was quite fragrant, but it was a little sticky to the teeth.

"Thank you, Father!"

The two children giggled and ran away, and the black man passed by the kitchen again, and said hello to the sister-in-law who was cooking, and then walked up the steps and entered the main house, where an old woman with gray hair and a silk skirt was sitting under the eaves, bowing her head and weaving things with strips......

Her complexion is yellow, her face does not look very old, but her hair is less black and white, her body is not very healthy, and her spirit is also a little decayed, as if she has just recovered from a serious illness.

"Mother, my son is back."

Heifu knelt down and bowed to the ground, it seemed that the eldest brother was right, because of his business, his mother was seriously ill.

"You still know how to come back."

The mother knew that he was back, but she only sent her youngest son to pick him up, and she didn't go out yet, and she still had a straight face at the moment, and she didn't know who she was angry with.

Of course, Heifu knew what was going on, so he leaned over and said with a flattering smile: "Mother is weaving bamboo sieves again, this winter, how about it be good if your hand is cut, let my son come......"

But his mother lightly slapped the back of his hand with a bamboo stick and reprimanded: "Among the three brothers, you are the most clumsy, and the sieve you make up, not to mention the sieve rice, can leak down the sieve stones!" I don't want it! ”

Heifu had no choice but to retract his hand and look at the eldest brother who was cleaning up the fish in the yard, but the eldest brother just smiled and shook his head at him.

Sure enough, after a while, my mother finally couldn't help but speak: "When you fight with the thief, which hand was hurt?" ”

"Right hand." Heifu hurriedly said: "Small injury, don't worry." ”

"A small injury? Let me see. ”

Hefu had to roll up his sleeves and show off his almost healed wounds.

Mother touched the slender and hideous scar, a little distressed, and sighed: "What did I say when I sent you out the door?" Don't be impulsive, let alone do anything with someone, let alone a vicious thief. When your uncle came back to tell me about the matter, others praised you for being one against three enemies, and you were strong in martial arts with empty hands, but I was so frightened that my heart was about to jump out. You said that if the thief's sword was more accurate, your hand would be useless, and maybe your life would not be saved! Are you trying to make an old woman angry? ”

After poking Heifu's head with his finger fiercely, the old man stopped weaving the bamboo sieve and began to wipe away his tears.

A few years ago, her husband died, and the eldest son injured his leg on the battlefield the year before last, and it was difficult to work in the fields, and the third son was young and ignorant. If the most stable second son on weekdays has three long and two short, she really doesn't know what to do.

"Mother, isn't Heifu good, it's all over."

I was busy coming to comfort my mother, and Heifu also beat his back and pinched his legs, saying all the good things, and it was easy to make the old man no longer sad.

"It's okay to have nothing to do, you have the title of duke, and you can be regarded as a glorious family, I walk in it, I hear people praise my son, and there is light on my face."

Mother is such a person, she can't stop her tears when she should be sad, but after a while, when she is sad, she stands up again and does what she should do. In Heifu's memory, whether his cheap father died or his eldest brother was carried home in blood, it was the old lady who gritted her teeth and maintained the family.

At this time, the old man's words chattered again, patted Heifu's hand and said: "The sheepskin jacket you bought from the heart is warm, but I am so old, I don't have to spend any more money." I will put all that money under the bed and save it for you. After two years, I will become an adult, and I will discuss with your uncle that you should be separated and go out, and the house will naturally be built first. ”

Unlike later generations, the division of families in this era is a helpless thing. When Shang Ying changed the law, in order to collect more taxes, it was stipulated that "if the people have more than two men and no differences, they will be doubled"! As a result, in the Qin State, the once big clan family was broken up into a small peasant family of five to eight people.

There are now 7 people in their family, with three brothers, and when they reach adulthood, one of them must go out.

Shocked by this temperament, I don't know if I can survive if I can survive alone, my mother must be not at ease, so it's better to stay by my side and watch. He is married, has a pair of children, and is responsible for taking care of his mother. Since Heifu became a public servant and was assigned a homestead, the best way was naturally for him to divide it, and Heifu had no opinion on this.

But what happened next, he had a lot of opinions......

But I heard my mother say again: "You will be 18 after the winter solstice, and now you are a public servant, it is time to talk about a family matter, I am planning to go to your aunt in a few days to talk about this matter in the plaque, to see if there is a suitable woman......"

Heifu couldn't cry or laugh, his eldest aunt knew the "Book of Days", and liked to match people the most, a bit like a matchmaker in later generations. And the eldest aunt's biggest achievement was to help the eldest brother marry the eldest sister-in-law, and also contracted the marriage of Heifu and Shock.

But Heifu has no plans at all now, and with his aesthetics as a later generation, even if he wants to marry a wife, it must be a beautiful and fair-skinned fair lady, and he can't just find a crooked melon and cracked dates in the neighboring village to make do.

So Heifu hurriedly said: "Mother, let's talk about this matter slowly, I will come back today, and I have one more important matter to discuss with my mother and uncle!" ”

The mother stopped talking, put down the work in her hand, and even poked her head out of the kitchen to look at him.

Heifu said with a smile: "Mother, because I made meritorious contributions to capture thieves and won the first place in the guard exercise, the county lieutenant admired me very much, so he asked the county to recruit me and let me be the chief of Huyang Pavilion!" If you can pass the assessment, you will be able to take office next month! ”

"Pavilion Chief!"

As soon as these words came out, my eyes widened in amazement and joy, and I laughed out loud in surprise, but my mother's face was mixed......

……

The next morning, Heifu was woken up by the crisp sound of rice......

Although the couch at home is also rice straw, it is warmer and softer than the outside, he slept very soundly last night, especially peaceful, and the family is just the right day, although it is a little bitter, but it is the most comfortable.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom......"

At a glance, the sky was not yet bright, and the sound of rice was heard outside again, heavy, powerful, and rhythmic, penetrating the hazy morning color, rising and falling one after another in the inside.

This is the village life that Heifu has long been accustomed to.

He closed his eyes and listened to these sounds, but suddenly his heart moved, and he was about to turn over and stay there.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he found that the shock of sleeping on the opposite couch had already risen, and he was kneeling in front of the black man's couch at the moment, looking at him with bright eyes!

"Why?"

Heifu was taken aback by the kid.

"Brother Zhong!"

There was bloodshot in his eyes, but his eyes were blazing, and he said that he was not so excited that he didn't fall asleep last night, he couldn't help but say, and made a big salute to Heifu, and then pleaded earnestly:

"If you go to Huyang Pavilion to be the pavilion chief, take me with you!"