A Xiang often looks out of the window and daydreams. She will say to her grandmother in an awkward way, "His spring ..."

Grandma wears reading glasses and sticks to the Bible in her hand, and a kind smile flows from deep wrinkles. A Xiang still continue to look outside, don't talk.

Jiangnan is always like spring all the year round. Grandma planted a Cinnamomum camphora in her yard, which was always green and dropped a leaf or two from time to time. When you open the window, you can smell the faint fragrance of camphor trees.

Jiangnan is always rainy. Every rainy day, A Xiang will miss the sunny sky outside.

It's a sky from Xia Ge 'er.

Before the age of eleven, A Xiang had been living with her grandmother in the rural areas of northern Jiangsu. A Xiang is not her name-that's grandma's name, and grandma will call her Nell. A Xiang also always thought that her name was Ni 'er, or "Shannon" in Xia's mouth.

When she was a child, A Xiang was afraid of the dark, and her grandmother taught her to make lanterns. The method is also very simple, that is, a paper box with a red candle inserted in the base and a nice pattern pricked on the side of the box with an awl.

One day, A Xiang walked gingerly through a forest behind grandma's yard with a lantern in his hand, and suddenly a figure jumped out. A Xiang was so scared that he shook out the lantern in his hand and retreated to the firewood on the roadside. But the firewood pile was soft, and A Xiang didn't fall.

I saw that dark figure stretched out a hand and said to A Xiang, "Don't be afraid, it's me."

A Xiang held out his hand in disbelief, and barely saw it by the faint moonlight. It turned out to be Xia Ge, the grandmother's front yard.

A Xiang asked, "Brother Xia, what are you doing here?"

He said, "I'm digging earthworms."

"What for?"

"Fishing"

So they made an appointment to go fishing in the "seedling field" in the north of the village tomorrow.

It's still a little cold and windy in the spring in northern Jiangsu in April. Grandma put on a big red cotton-padded jacket for her before going out. A Xiang is a little angry. She thinks this cotton-padded jacket looks stupid.

When Xia Ge came to see her, he laughed and said, "You are like a chick that came out in the spring."

A Xiang looked at grandma angrily.

Grandma holds the chick she just bought from the market in her hand and says to A Xiang, "Look, it's furry, it's lovely!"

when the wind blows, the chicks stumble.

In contrast, Xia Ge's clothes are thin. He only wore an old, green sweater, and a circle of wool had fallen off the neckline.

On the way, Xia Ge talked endlessly about all kinds of flowers and plants on the roadside to A Xiang. Xia Gang loves to talk, and A Xiang loves to ask.

So A Xiang got to know many strange plants.

For example, "snake crawling grass" always grows in the wet swamp, and its leaves have serpentine purple lines. Picking a leaf and chewing it in your mouth will give you a sour and sweet taste like hawthorn.

"Mushroom Twist" is a kind of grass. When it just grows, it is picked from the grass heart and peeled off. The white floc inside is soft and juicy, and it has a grassy aroma. But Xia Gang reminded A Xiang not to eat more, or he would have a bad bowel movement.

There is also a strange flower, which is abundant on the roadside. Xia Ge calls it "Dead Flower". This flower is full of thorns, even the purple-black petals have thorns. It is said that it was planted on the roadside to remember the way home after death as a guide for the soul. Since then, A Xiang has kept this kind of flower at a respectful distance from others, even full of disgust.

When the field is full of plants, A Xiang sits on the stone bridge and watches Xia Ge go fishing.

"The fields are full of plants" is really too big to see the endless wheat waves at a glance. A Xiang fancied that he should become a fish and swim among the sunshine, the breeze and the wheat waves. There are people flying kites in the distance, flying higher and higher, and finally becoming an invisible point.

After watching others fly kites for a long time, Xia Ge has caught three or four fish. A Xiang hurried over to see it. Xia Ge pointed to the ugly fish and said, "I'm lucky today, and I can catch pigeons and swallows."

"dove swallow? Is it a pigeon or a swallow? "

"Haha, it's not a pigeon or a swallow. Look, his head is full of thorns. Don't touch it easily, or his fingers will be punctured."

A Xiang drew back her curious fingers.

"The others are ginseng seeds, you see, they die when they come out of the water."

A Xiang looked down and saw two or three lifeless fish with blades.

After sitting on the stone bridge for a long time, A Xiang ran to the edge of the field to pick mint, and soon he picked a full bag. Grandma taught A Xiang to pick mint. After picking, grandma will pound the soaked beans into bean money in a stone mortar, and then fry the chopped mint with the bean money. The mellowness of beans and the fragrance of mint penetrate each other and have a unique flavor.

The northern end of the "full field" is the big weir of Fangting River. After crossing the weir and crossing the river, the town is on. If you want to save trouble, you can save a lot of roads by walking "full of plants" than by walking around the main road in the east of the village. A Xiang once walked with his grandmother from the big weir. There was a ferry boat on the river. The boat crossed the river without paddles, relying on a thick steel wire, and people needed to pull the wire when crossing the river.

A Xiang put the last handful of mint in his pocket and saw a yellow dot not far away, suddenly far away and suddenly near. A Xiang turned and stood on the pier of the stone bridge, only to see that it was a figure. After a while, the yellow dot was near again, and A Xiang saw that it was the same aunt.

The second aunt is wearing a yellow square towel, almost covering her face. A Xiang shouted "Auntie" and waved when he saw that it was his usual warm-hearted aunt.

The yellow square towel stood still for a while, and then approached again. My second aunt smiled and said to A Xiang, "A Xiang, what are you doing here?" He also took a lollipop out of his pocket and handed it to her.

A Xiang took the sugar, pointed to Xia Ge 'er who was cleaning up his fishing net and said, "I'm catching fish with Xia Ge 'er."

The second aunt smiled sweetly at her and said, "It's almost noon, so hurry home and have dinner."

A Xiang looked up, and the tiny fluff on her face was clearly seen in the sun.

The second aunt carried the box, climbed over the big weir and walked away.

Brother Xia gave A Xiang three "pigeon swallows" that he caught. Grandma left Xia Ge for dinner at noon.

grandma's "pigeon swallow" is a must. Fry the fish on both sides until golden brown, add hot water, and then cut the tofu into pieces and put it in. Stick a circle of bread around the edge of the pot, and the delicious taste of "pigeon swallow" will be sucked into the bread. Grandma saw Xia Ge gorging herself, sighed silently, and gave him another bowl of rice.

in the evening, the sun has sunk behind the clouds, but the flaming clouds reflect everything red. A Xiang blushed, and grandma's orange cat meatball turned into a red meatball.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was Liu Dabo, a cattle farmer. He shouted, "Sweet her milk. Something happened to her uncle's house in the front yard."

Hearing this, Grandma quickly took A Xiang by the hand and made small steps towards the front yard.

Go through the narrow alley and turn three doors to the east, which is the second uncle's house. He is A Xiang's father's cousin.

there are already several layers of people crowded inside and outside the door of my second uncle's house. In the yard came the hysterical curses of my uncle and the crying of my uncle's son who just turned one year old.

A Xiang is too short to squeeze in. She tugged at Xia Ge's sleeve while watching and asked, "What happened?"

Xia Ge lowered his head and murmured, "You ... your second aunt ran away."

Lying in bed at night, A Xiang's mind kept repeating the picture of her second aunt handing her a lollipop.

That night, A Xiang had a dream. She dreamed that her second aunt turned into a yellow-headed snake, and A Xiang swam desperately in the green wheat waves, with her second aunt chasing after her. Abrupt A Xiang woke up with a start, and the bell just struck six times. Maruko, who was sleeping by the fireside, was awakened by the bell and went to sleep somewhere else.

During the day, A Xiang asked her grandmother, "Why did Auntie run away?"

Grandma said, "Because she is a bad woman."

A Xiang remembered last night's dream. Grandma went on to say, "Xia Ge's mother ran away without saying a word."

A Xiang asked, "Is Na Xia's mother a bad woman, too?"

Grandma smiled and said, "Why do children know so much?"

A Xiang originally wanted to talk about meeting his second aunt in the "seedling field" that day, but when he thought of Xia Ge's poor life experience, he seemed to hide such a secret that had nothing to do with him, so he stopped talking.

spring is getting deeper and deeper. Last year, the swallows came back and made a nest under the eaves of the corridor, chattering and the yard became lively. The leaves of Toona sinensis, which are long next to the Western Wall, germinate. Grandma will break off the tender buds, cut them into pieces, mix them in tofu, and then pour sesame oil on them. When A Xiang smells it, the saliva can flow for a long time.

When the peach blossoms are in bloom, Xia Ge takes three or four children and calls A Xiang to go for a spring outing.

There are so many peach blossoms in the Taoyuan of Nanhu Lake! A Xiang is going to get drunk in this pink ocean! A gust of wind blew, and there was a peach blossom rain on A Xiang's head, and his hair was covered with peach petals.

A little girl with a gaping tooth said, "Let's play house!"

A Xiang said with a petal at one end, "I want to be a bride!" "

The little girl with a gaping tooth said, "You are the bride, who will be the groom?"

Xia Ge pulled a bunch of wild flowers and said, "I'll be the groom!" "

so A Xiang blushed.

The wedding was very simple. Xia Ge presented flowers to A Xiang, and everyone made a wild noise on the hillside covered with peach blossoms for a while, then it ended.

then we will have a "wedding reception". Xia Ge brought a pot and rice. One person went into the river and caught seven or eight grass fish with a net bag. One person touched a nest of bird eggs in the reeds and one person dug a basket of wild vegetables. And A Xiang can't do anything, so he has to pick up some dry firewood to make a fire.

Xia Ge began to show his extraordinary craftsmanship. First, a earthen stove was dug in Banpo to steam rice, then a rack of grilled fish was set up with wire, and a large plate of bird eggs was fried with wild shepherd's purse.

As the sun was setting, Xia Ge and several children were lying on the peach blossom slope, happily burping.

when the plums in grandma's yard turn yellow, spring will be over.

A Xiang was picking apricots in the garden, and she heard the gate creaked open. She saw her parents come in carrying some boxes. A Xiang instinctively leaned behind her grandmother and looked at the two exhausted adults, eyes flashing with horror.

At dinner in the evening, A Xiang followed her grandmother, and the adults were talking about things she didn't understand.

all she knows is that her parents have come back and won't leave for the time being, so her life may not be so calm.

The yard is getting lively, but in A Xiang's eyes, it is a kind of chilling excitement. Mother wouldn't let her go out and run around. A Xiang saw Xia Gang standing at the door several times, looking through the crack of the door.

A Xiang is unhappy, so he can only pick a few snails from the loofah vine in the garden, put them on the watermelon skin and watch them crawl from one end to the other.

After a while, A Xiang probably figured out why his parents were coming back. Grandma told her that mom and dad were laid off from a cement factory in another city. Being laid off means that there is no job to make money to eat.

It's another spring, and A Xiang goes to kindergarten. Father or mother comes to pick her up by bike every day. They set up a barbecue stall in the town, and business is very good every day.

They got busy, but A Xiang was liberated.

On weekends, parents' business is very busy, so A Xiang naturally stays at home with her grandmother without going to school.

Xia Ge also had a tacit understanding. He stopped looking for A Xiang from Monday to Friday and appeared at the door on time on Saturday morning.

Grandma began to nag A Xiang: "Don't always run out crazy, lest your mother come back and beat you."

A Xiang never looked back, like a dandelion scattered, and disappeared with a gust of wind.

At school on weekdays, my parents took A Xiang to the barbecue stall, while A Xiang was playing with meatballs without running around.

Once Xia Ge came from afar, A Xiang heard his mother say while grilling skewers, "This wild child has been wandering around every day for years, and no one cares."

Dad followed suit and said, "His father collects junk everywhere every day, and his mother runs away again. Who cares-"

Before Dad finished, Mom interrupted, "Oh, go back and talk to your mother. Don't let our daughter run around with him every day. What a scandal."

hearing this, A Xiang felt a sharp pain in his heart. She only thinks that Xia Ge is an omnipotent and magical person who can bring her endless happiness.

She looked at Xia Ge, who was walking weakly on the other side of the road, and her eyes were red.

My parents were talking about one thing without another, when suddenly a crowd gathered in front of the barbecue stall. A Xiang doesn't know what they do, but they look fierce and want to eat people.

The leader kicked over the barbecue stall with one foot. A Xiang turned pale with fear and quickly hid in his mother's arms.

A Xiang's father turned to his mother and said, "You take A Xiang first."

A Xiang was so scared that she burst into tears.

The leader pointed to A Xiang's father's nose and said, "Don't ask, whose territory dares to be in this stall!"

A Xiang's father pulled out a wad of money from his pocket and said to the leader, "Brother Zhu, this is a little something."

The leader knocked over A Xiang's father's money, and several of them immediately fought together. But he was obviously outnumbered, and A Xiang's mother rushed into the crowd, hugged him and begged them to stop fighting. A Xiang saw a green stick fall on his father's head, and his head suddenly gushed with deep red blood.

At this moment, A Xiang saw a black shadow flash past his eyes, like a meteor, and quickly smashed into the crowd.

all of a sudden, the crowd became quiet, as if for an instant, a god came, and everyone was still.

A Xiang saw Xia Ge holding a knife against the leader's neck in one hand and a fat ear in the other.

Xia Ge said quietly, "Who dares to come? My knife is blind!"

The crowd continued to be quiet, and only the leader broke into an earth-shattering cry.

A Xiang's father is in the hospital. My mother is accompanying me in the hospital.

A Xiang didn't go to kindergarten any more. She was kept at home by her grandmother every day. I have never seen Xia Ge again. Before that day, Xia Ge also promised her to take her to the South Lake reeds to pick up duck eggs.

She often has a dream that her parents' barbecue stall is still open there, but the fire is cooked neatly, all of which is Xia Ge's fat ear.

so she woke up from her dream.

It's late spring, so it's time for the hairy mushrooms to get old, and the peach blossoms in Nanhu Taoyuan should all be withered. The duck eggs in the reeds should have been picked up long ago.

A Xiang often looks under the door, hoping to see Xia Ge passing by.

one spring has passed again.

another spring has passed.

A Xiang's parents went to work in the south, and Sunan is her mother's maiden. With the help of relatives and friends there, life is getting better and better. They have settled down for two years, ready to open the spring, and they will take A Xiang over.

Well, A Xiang hasn't seen Xia Ge for two years. He's like into thin air.

another spring.