Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

Autumn Equinox climbed up the embankment, and when the villagers saw her coming, they laughed and walked away. Qingshan looked at her and smiled, then turned and went into the hut.The father-in-law carried a bundle of green grass from the river beach and distributed it to the goats resting under the small south window.Autumn Equinox asked with a smile: "I have been out for more than ten years, and I am getting rich?" Gao Sihai touched the horns of a big ram and said: "Whether I get rich or not, I haven't bothered to ask him; anyway, I got a group of them, and I have a whole winter's work. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Go to the house and make something to eat with him." .”

Autumn Equinox walked into the house, as if it had stepped off the sedan chair ten years ago and just climbed the threshold of this house.She felt that the hut was different from the past, suddenly bright and warm.Her husband, that tall man, was sitting on the edge of the kang looking at her. She couldn't help crying, and hurried to the pot to light the fire.Her house burns coal, and the fire buried under the hot ashes has not been extinguished. As soon as her hand touched the bellows, blue smoke rose from the stove and the red light of the flames burst out.Looking at the exuberant fire, Autumn Equinox's heart calmed down.She poured out all the white flour in the crock, kneaded it with all her strength, cut it into noodles carefully, and used all the oil, salt, sauce and vinegar as condiments.When the water boiled, she lifted the lid of the pot, and the boiling water rushed out one after another. Qiu Equi held the thin and long noodles in both hands, which seemed to be pulled forever, and went down into the pot.

Suddenly, in the corner of the kang, a little child started crying.Gao Qingshan was startled, and when he looked back, a child who was less than his second birthday woke up, clutching his hands and feet and crying. "Hmm! Where did this come from?" Qing Shan stood up, looking at the autumnal equinox. "Where did it come from?" Autumn Equinox said with a smile, "It came from afar. Don't worry too much. It's a hot day this year. A woman who escaped from the Kanto was blown up by a Japanese plane at the mouth of the river. My father told me to kill her." This child was adopted. Otherwise, where would you have such a ready-made son!"

Qingshan smiled, and he picked up the child, as if he picked up his troubled motherland, and the corners of his eyes were moist. During the meal, Gao Xiang rushed over. The two old comrades met and held hands for a long time, speechless.Qingshan took out a letter from his inner pocket, handed it to Gao Xiang, and said, "This is my letter of introduction. The organization asked me to hand it over to you. I was afraid that the road would be difficult, so I asked me to change into plain clothes and catch up with you." A herd of goats. Nothing happened on the road, and I didn't expect to meet you by such a coincidence."

Gao Xiang read the letter and said: "You came at the right time. I have no experience in the military, and the situation I encountered recently is very complicated. You don't need to go to Gaoyang, just help me complete a mission here!" Qingshan was about to ask about the mission when Gao Xiang's father brought the little girl to see his son. Autumn Equinox pulled the little girl and asked: "Who are you looking for?" The little girl said slowly: "My father!" Autumn Equinox pointed at Gao Xiang, the little girl didn't expect her father to be a completely unfamiliar person, so she didn't dare to walk over, Gao Xiang came to pick her up, Qiu Equinox teased her again: "Who told you to come and find your father?"

The little girl smiled and said: "My mother!" The cited people all laughed.Qing Shan said to Gao Xiang: "I don't think I've ever seen her, she's so tall!" Equinox says: "Where have you seen her? When you left, her mother had just confinement!" "Otherwise, adults will grow old quickly," Gao Sihai said with a smile, "Should these children be pushed up!" Gao Xiang said: "I think sister-in-law Qiufen doesn't look old, she's still the same as when we left." Autumn Equinox smiled and said: "It's your short-sightedness. You can't see when I'm old. Don't make fun of me. If you come back a few years later, I will still be a white-haired old woman. There is no complaint!"

"Your words can really make a hero short of breath!" Gao Xiang patted the child in his arms, put it on the ground, and said with a smile, "Or else, revolutionaries should not go home easily. burden." "Is it easy for you to go home?" Qiufen asked. "I'm not arguing with you," Gao Xiang said with a smile, "I'm going to talk to Brother Qingshan about the situation here and start working. You guys go outside to play for a while." Gao Sihai and Gao Xiang's father went out with their children in their arms. Qiufen pouted and said, "Can't I just listen?"

"No," Gao Xiang said, "We haven't formally connected yet. After ten years of separation, I have to investigate your history later!" "Waiting for your investigation!" Autumn Equinox lit a lamp for them, then turned and left. The two of them were talking in the house, and they sat on the embankment and waited at the autumn equinox. There were stars in the sky, and Gao Xiang's little girl pointed: "Another one came out, Grandpa, and another one came out over there!" They waited until the stars in the sky came out, and they still haven't finished talking.Gao Xiang's father said to Gao Sihai: "You said what's the use of looking forward to our sons, but they drove us into the wilderness because we were looking forward to them coming back."

Gao Sihai smoked without speaking, and the sparks in the big smoke pot flew to the river beach.The old man was happy when his son came back, but his heart was a little heavy.They came back, and they got together again to discuss and make trouble.Those fanaticism, those scenes of struggle and bloodshed, and the voices and faces of the sacrificed comrades all appeared before the old man's eyes again, and emerged and spun in the fields in late autumn.The old man was a little excited, but also felt deep pain.Since the son ran away and the struggle failed, how have you lived in the past ten years?How did parents and wives get through these ten years of day and night?Let's make a fuss again!That time it was with local tyrants and evil gentry on the ground, and this time it was with Japan.They have strong soldiers and horses, occupying such a large area of ​​China, and the country's army is all flying to the ground. How can the common people defeat the enemy with just a few guns?As he thought, the grass around him was already dripping with late-night dew, and Gao Xiang's little girl was yawning and lying in her grandfather's arms and fell asleep.

In the end, I was still impatient waiting for the autumn equinox, so I ran into the house and said: "Gao Xiang, go home, we don't have so much oil to make you boil, it's almost dawn! Your daughter-in-law is here too, and the bed is set up at home and so on." You!" "These women have no principles!" Gao Xiang stood up with a smile, "Okay, let's talk about it tomorrow. You have driven sheep for dozens of miles, so it's time to rest. It seems that if I don't leave, sister-in-law Qiufen will use it." The rolling pin kicked me out!" Gao Xiang's family left in the shadows. Gao Sihai led some sheep into the hut, put on his ragged cotton robes and said, "I'm going to find a place to stay in the street."

"Father!" Qing Shan stood up and said, "Let's talk about it as a family!" The old man said: "Home is here, how many words can't be said tomorrow, I'm sleepy, you can get in the door!"