On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, haircut.
On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, make cakes and steamed buns with applique flowers.
The Spring Festival was getting closer and closer, and Zhou Wenzhong was woken up from his sleep at around 9 o'clock in the morning.
Looking through the window, I saw a group of children in the courtyard fighting for a firecracker. 100 firecrackers cost 2.1 cents.
"Bang! Bang..."
"Huh? This kid is quite rich! He lets you go two by two. I'm really used to it."
Dressed neatly, she walked out of the house and bowed her hands to Yan Bugui who was moving a table across the door.
"Hey~ Happy New Year, Mr. Third."
"Don't bother me! How old are you? If you wish me New Year greetings, will I give you New Year's money? Besides, it's not the first day of the Lunar New Year yet."
"Okay, then I'll give you a couplet for the New Year."
Yan Bugui looked Zhou Wenzhong up and down and said with a smile: "Do you still have this ability?"
"Look, you are looking down on me. No matter how you say it, you have taught me for several years. Although you are my math teacher, my ability to make couplets was stolen from you."
"Okay, okay... Then I have to listen carefully. Just tell me. Boss and eldest brother, go and take the table and red paper to sit at the door of the courtyard."
"okay."
"I understand. Xie Kuang, go get the ink and brush."
Seeing that the second generation of the Yan family were all busy with their own work, Zhou Wenzhong bowed his hand to Yan Bugui again.
"Teacher Yan, you are doing very well."
"Well, I'm listening."
"Teacher, the peach and plum trees are full of mulberry trees, and the crimson curtains, pearls and jade are all role models."
Yan Bugui nodded and said, "What you said is too big. There are five allusions in one couplet."
"Six. Just take your time and go. Come on, you're busy."
"Wait a minute!"
Yan Bugui ran forward, took Zhou Wenzhong's elbow, and nuzzled at the door of Zhou's house.
"I noticed that the door frame of your house is quite plain."
"Hey, what do I care about? I'm just going to the grain depot to collect my salary. Just wait. It's just one and a half hours. I'll find you to polish my pen after I get home."
"Look, I often tell the eldest and second eldest brother in our family that Zhou Wenzhong is the only one who is interesting in this courtyard."
"Haha~ Just wait, I'll go now."
"No need to worry, no need to worry. I'll just set up the table behind the door."
"Yeah, I remember. Just wait."
Zhou Wenzhong waved his hand and walked into Wudaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative two minutes later.
"Serve the people! Get me 2 small whips."
"call……"
When the salesperson saw that the person coming was Zhou Wenzhong, he took a deep breath.
"Four and two cents."
"Give."
Zhou Wenzhong picked up these two firecrackers made of newspapers. They were not pure bright red at all, but turned black and dark red.
After walking out of the supply and marketing cooperative, he waved to an 8 or 9-year-old child.
"Little comrade in red scarf! Little comrade in red scarf!"
Hearing Zhou Wenzhong's shout, the child straightened his waist even more, tightened the red scarf around his neck, and walked forward with a kick.
"that…"
"Just call me comrade."
"Comrade, what's the matter with you?"
"Do you know me?"
"Why should I know you? You are such an interesting person to talk to."
"Sorry, I twisted my foot. Comrade Red Scarf, can you do me a favor?"
"Say it."
"Someone asked me to deliver this letter to the Red Star Police Station. He also told me that as long as I deliver this letter to the hands of the police comrades, I can get their praise and touch their guns. You can
Can you run to my house? Ask my brother to come quickly and help me deliver this letter."
"Comrade, I know where the Red Star Police Station is. I'm going!"
"this……"
"Leave the matter to me and I will ensure the task is completed!"
"Well...well then. You are such a warm-hearted child. You can hold these firecrackers. You can't use them in vain."
"I don't want it! Bring me the letter."
"Give."
"If I ask you your name later, how will I answer?"
"My name is Katsuko Chuan."
"Why do you seem to have heard this name somewhere? Don't worry about it. I'm going to deliver the letter now."
"Okay, thank you."
"Uh-huh."
Zhou Wenzhong put the firecrackers in the space and walked towards the entrance of a house at the entrance of the alley in the west of the courtyard.
"Huh...huh..."
I blew some dirt on the [Baogu Stone] at the door, sat on it with my legs crossed, and started eating two steamed buns in my hands.
Forty minutes later, Zhou Wenzhong felt that his buttocks were numb. If he continued to sit on such a cold stone, he would have diarrhea. Looking around the corner of the alley, he saw two middle-aged men wearing leather shoes wearing red scarves.
The middle-aged man stood at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative and looked around. After searching for a few minutes, the child shook his head at the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man touched the top of his head, and the child left with a sigh.
Zhou Wenzhong knew it was time for him to appear, so he quickly changed his clothes. He put on a cotton coat, held a hanging firecracker in his hand, walked past two middle-aged men and said:
"This year is really good. Each firecracker hangs for 2 cents. Then I go to Teacher Yan to buy a pair of couplets. It's much cheaper than selling them at stalls outside."
After Zhou Wenzhong left, the two middle-aged men looked at each other and followed him.
The back-seat house is a lively scene. There are more than 20 households in the whole courtyard, and there are 50 households in the neighboring courtyards. In front of Yan Bugui's table, people are standing on tiptoe in three circles inside and three outside.
Look at the table with your toes.
Yan Bugui rested his left hand on the table and picked up a brush with his right hand to write. Two bamboo baskets filled with peanuts and melon seeds served as rulers.
Zhou Wenzhong was lining up to say hello to the people around him. When he saw the two middle-aged men just now, 6 or 7 meters away from him, he quickly shouted loudly.
"Everyone lines up! We can't cause any trouble to Teacher Yan. He has to go to school today to watch his classmates do their duty!"
Two police officers heard the sound and gathered around.
"Wen Zhong, it's your turn soon. Just wait a little longer."
"It doesn't matter, I'm not in a hurry. We guys are not in a hurry, and it doesn't matter if we wait for a while. Teacher Yan's couplets are not only well written, but they are also much cheaper than those sold outside. Isn't that right, guys?
"
"That is!"
"That's right! Otherwise, why would we only buy it from Teacher Yan?"
"I must also say that you people in Courtyard No. 95 are lucky to have a steward who can write couplets. The liaison officer in our courtyard cannot do that..."
"Of course, that's the benefit of our Courtyard No. 95."
After some heckling, we queued up to see Zhou Wenzhong.
"Third uncle, please write to me: Mutual help and cooperation will increase production, and collective hard work will help us celebrate the harvest."
"good!"
"Third uncle, I didn't get any money from the work just now. Do you think this is okay? I'll give you 1 firecracker to offset the bill."
"Okay! That's great! I've taken advantage of you. I'll be the first to write the couplet for you next year."
"thanks, thanks."
"You're welcome. We all live in the same courtyard. We can't see each other when we look down."
"The word you write is like a hook and a stroke. It's much better than the word "stick"."
"Is there anyone like you who praises others so much?"
Zhou Wenzhong held the couplet in both hands and squeezed out of the crowd. Two middle-aged men were already waiting and pushed the crowd away.
"Quiet, everyone!"
"Which hospital do you belong to?"
"Who are you? Are you running wild here?"
"That's right. If you keep doing this, we'll have an affair!"
Another middle-aged man shouted: "We are the police! This is my work permit, Yan Bugui? I want to find out more about the situation and come back to the station with us."
Zhou Wenzhong opened his arms to protect Yan Bugui.
"Why? What if you arrest people randomly?"
"Don't look for trouble, I have already explained our identities."
"So what's wrong? The police can arrest people indiscriminately? This is the liaison officer in our hospital and a fifth-grade teacher at Hongxing Primary School. Can you two be taken away like this? As the saying goes, it doesn't matter.
It's not clear. You can't explain it clearly. You have to tell the truth. What kind of law did Mr. Yan commit?"
Yan Bugui looked at Zhou Wenzhong with a grateful face and almost couldn't help but shed tears.
"What do you do?"
"I am just an ordinary third-generation farmhand. Great men have said that if the masses complain, it is because you have not done a good job. You should find the reason from yourself. Besides, Teacher Yan has been in the courtyard for so many years, rain or shine.
Who did he offend by selling couplets?"
"Little comrade, don't get too excited. We don't blame you if you don't understand the policy. Bang bang bang..."
A police officer clapped his hands and signaled to everyone.
"Everyone, please listen to me. This is not a small incident of selling couplets. The relationship here is huge! You don't understand the policies and regulations. You should read more and read more newspapers. Yan Bugui, let me ask you, are you selling couplets?
Have you reported to the street office before?"
Yan Bugui shook his head and said, "I forgot."
"That's right! Can't you forget it this year? I definitely reported it in previous years! Teacher Yan, don't you think so?"
Yan Bugui scolded: "Shut up!"
The two police officers laughed and waved their hands to Zhou Wenzhong.
"Okay, okay, enough trouble. We will figure out the whole thing later. We will arrest you when you need to, and sentence you when you need to. Just wait for the street office to notify you of the specific results.
Let's go, Yan Bugui, don't let us put cuffs on you for the Chinese New Year. You're such an old man, so you should have some dignity, don't make everyone look bad."
"well……"
"Teacher Yan, we are not afraid. You are being reasonable. What are you afraid of? I will go to your school now and ask your school leaders to rescue you."
"Haha... We will definitely notify his school when he comes back, so you don't have to worry about it. Also, who does your little comrade think our police officers are? The scumbag cave of the old society?"
"Oh, what should I do with these melon seeds, peanuts and so on?"
"These are considered physical evidence for now. I will give you an answer later."
Another police comrade rolled up and put away the things on the table, picked up the bamboo basket and prepared to leave the courtyard.
The third aunt who heard her child's narration ran out of the house.
"Lao Yan! Lao Yan, you can't leave. We are all counting on you. Comrades from the police, please show some kindness. We have four children, all of whom are counting on Lao Yan to make money alone. Wuwuwu... we can't
Take him away!"
"Hurry up and help me up! How can you two be sons? Hurry up!"
Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang supported their mother on the left and right.
"Mom, please stop making trouble, everyone in the courtyard is watching."
"Snapped!"
The third aunt slapped Yan Jiecheng on the face.
"You know nothing. Children who eat shit are smarter than you! Comrade police officers... we can't take Lao Yan away! You two... ugh... can't..."
Police comrades have long been used to this situation.
"Take good care of your mother and don't let her get angry. After we investigate, we will come to your home and notify everyone in the hospital. The matter is not clear yet, so don't spread it.
Maybe you also have to cooperate with the investigation. We are all neighbors who have lived in the same courtyard for so many years, and we don’t want to add insult to injury! Let’s go, let’s go..."
Two policemen picked up Yan Bugui, whose legs were weak, and dragged him out of the courtyard. The residents who had just praised Yan Bugui for his beautiful handwriting ran away like a swarm, all avoiding the third aunt. They were afraid of getting such bad luck.
There are many people in my body who even point fingers at the Yan family and speak dirty words.