Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Floating Life Tribulation

Guo Pingyuan's eloquent tongue finally impresses Lao Dan.Lao Dan had no confidence in his political sensitivity, and he had long been dizzy in waves of campaigns and instructions.As to whether it was Guo Pingyuan's fault or not, I was just guessing. The commune leaders only made a decision, and did not explain the ins and outs of the matter.Now that Guo Pingyuan is still coming to clarify, he really has no idea, it seems that things are still bad on him. "What will you say about tomorrow's criticism? Are you in charge?" Lao Dan's tone softened. "I presided over it, so I came to discuss a solution with you! I think the leadership of the commune came down to organize this criticism meeting, which means strict rectification. It's not for you personally, but just to let a few brigades shut down the work." The idea is to continue to meet the construction deadline. Nothing else, could it be that you are really sent to the labor farm in the east? The delicious food and drink, you can’t do anything, isn’t it cheap for you? Being criticized in our village, and being raised in our village after being approved, is better than anyone else..."

Guo Pingyuan's words are warm, like Lao Dan's close comrade-in-arms.After hearing this, Lao Dan breathed a sigh of relief. "If you have the heart to protect me, I thank you. I became a rightist for the sake of the folks. The folks will think of me and won't toss me like a local tyrant. Can you stay in our village? There is no difference between the right leaning and the ball. You should preside over this village official. My body is useless, and my head can't keep up with your thoughts... It's good to step back... I can rest... " "Tomorrow's Ten Thousand People's Meeting is just for show. Don't take it seriously when you are criticized on stage. I also have to pretend to criticize you, so that our brigade can pass this test. Otherwise, the commune will stare at us every day. , Come here every two days to guide, where is the leader! By the way, Mr. Yuan Bai will be criticized tomorrow. Restoring the fields to each household and demanding the permanent shutdown of the water conservancy project, isn’t he just looking for trouble?”

"Mr. Yuan Bai? Why didn't he discuss it with us? We are almost 80, how can we survive?" "Then what should we do? Let's get another asylum? Liberation, don't be confused! He was a rightist the year before last, and he didn't let it go. Who will he punish now? You should first think about letting yourself pass this level, and don't Fuck this indifferent... I have my own plans in my heart..." "Okay... just do as you say." Lao Dan's brows relaxed a bit.Guo Pingyuan may be more suitable to take the helm of Banzi Village in this year of constant movements. It is good to serve as a soldier and fight, but it will not work.Even if it becomes a right deviation, it is still a wrong line, so what will happen?My military achievements are still there, so the organization won't let me lose my place, right?

"By the way, let me tell you a letter! My old comrade-in-arms who came back from North Korea said that he was also captured by the US imperialists, and he was exchanged back later. He said that there is no doubt that all members of their army should be in Taiwan, your son Since there is no news of death, and they have not been exchanged back, it means that they were left behind, and they should be in a prisoner-of-war camp in Taiwan. They are probably still alive..." "This? Is it true?" Lao Dan jumped down from the kang and grabbed Guo Pingyuan's hand, as if grabbing a rooted hand.

"Oh, I still can't lie to you. What time is it? I'm still here with you. We are all people who have taken guns. These things are connected to each other! Others say that I have an extra heart ...As long as he is not dead, he will come back sooner or later..." The Ten Thousand Criticism Conference was held as scheduled. The mighty flow of people squeezed the wide entrance of Banzi Village like a tightly packed chicken shed, which could not even blow through the deep winter wind.Lao Dan and a group of right-leaning secretaries or village cadres were rushed to the high platform set up overnight, and received criticism amidst the loud and small trumpets.A gust of north wind was blowing, and the temporary platform was creaking.The folks in the audience grinned their teeth from the cold, and the rightists on the stage looked as dull as wooden stakes.Lao Dan was wearing a thick jacket, standing straight in the middle, his eyes only staring at the gray world in front of him.One of his sleeves was blown up by the wind, making a fluttering sound when it hit his body.Tweety stood right under his eyelids, looking up at her stubborn man motionless, and saw the wrinkles on his face twitching slightly.Mr. Yuan Bai put on the uniform of the "Rightist" who had been blacked out, and his gray beard was blown into disorder by the wind.The old man was already used to being placed on a high platform, so he simply closed his eyes and rested there.

The decision made by the commune to Laodan was very simple: he was dismissed on the spot, ordered to repent, report his thoughts to the organization on time, and continue to participate in commune labor.At the same time, the commune officially announced the decision to appoint Guo Pingyuan as brigade secretary, Xie Guoya as deputy secretary, and Xie Laogui as militia company commander.After the approval by the commune leaders, each brigade began to approve.The leading groups of each brigade took turns to denounce the incident severely.Guo Pingyuan and Xie Guoya are representatives of the Banzi Village Brigade. They seem to be ten years younger. At the meeting, they verbally criticized Lao Dan in all directions with incredible passion and eloquence.The two political enemies who seemed to be sworn to death the day before yesterday became class brothers in a pair of trousers on the stage where Lao Dan, the common enemy, was overthrown. Even Lao Dan on the stage was amazed.In order to enter the kitchen, the mouse made the cat a bridesmaid, why didn't he find this clue?Although Guo Pingyuan's speech was harsh, it was full of clichés often heard on the loudspeaker, and the villagers did not make any movement.However, the newly appointed brigade deputy secretary Xie Guoya's speech was different.

"Old Jiefang knows that the diversion canal project is the "No. 1 Project" of our commune. The construction plan has been set. If it is not completed on schedule, it will seriously damage the production of spring roots next year and the water storage of the reservoir. The whole brigade spread negative emotions and ideas of failure. In the face of objective and surmountable production difficulties, he not only failed to mobilize the enthusiasm of the broad masses of the revolutionaries, but uttered nonsense, saying that there would be no steelmaking next year anyway, and that it would be impossible to start work after the winter. It’s too late. This is simply an act of sabotage that disregards the interests of the commune and the collective! It’s an out-and-out counter-revolutionary act of sabotage!”

Xie Guoya slammed his hand downward on the stage, as if slashing at Lao Dan in the air.When all the villagers heard him say the word "counter-revolutionary", they all raised their heads with a "huh".Tens of thousands of eyes from the four brigades shot at the rostrum, as if surprised to see a shedding dog in the cold winter months.How can such a naive person chew out such vicious words?The commune and the county working group only gave Lao Dan a right-leaning position. What happened to you, Xie Guoya, gave the title to the parents?The villagers of Banzi Village were very disdainful of this, and deliberately spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm at their feet with the loudest sound.Some youngsters twisted their bodies and let out several loud farts, mixed with the wild barking of a few dogs that were kicked and fled in all directions.

The crowd was disturbed by a sudden noise.A gust of wind suddenly blew up from the audience, and the blown sand caught Xie Guoya's eyes.He wanted to rub it with his hands, but he suddenly felt that this was not the style of a deputy secretary, and he couldn't lose face in front of the commune leaders.So he endured it like this, staring fiercely at the pair of blood-red eyes, while gnashing his teeth and criticizing sharply.But his eyes were unbelievable, unable to bear the burning pain and the strong emotional shock wave of the master, they were dry, sore, sore, and swollen.It seemed that someone had stuffed cinders under the eyelids and poured spicy oil on it. In the blink of an eye, I could feel the intense friction between the eyeballs and eyelids.Finally, Xie Guoya couldn't bear it anymore, his cheeks trembled, and two lines of sour tears flowed down.

"Deputy Secretary Xie, don't you cry? Everyone is in the same brigade, and you are considered righteous. Secretary Laodan made a mistake, and our Banzi Village brigade will count on you in the future! Don't worry, no one will give you Stab a black gun, don't cry because you feel aggrieved, what kind of revolution is that?" The crowd burst into laughter.Turtle Monster is small but has good eyesight. Seeing Xie Guoya's embarrassment from a distance, he yelled loudly.They tormented their Uncle Yuan Bai, so they naturally wanted to poke him.Banzi villagers echoed sincerely.Xie Guoya saw that the crowd didn't agree with him, so he spit on Mr. Yuan Bai.

"Yuan Bai, as a rightist, instead of repenting and reporting your thoughts to the organization, you have repeatedly written letters attacking the great revolutionary production cause of our commune and spreading the theory of failed revolution in the brigade. What is your intention?" Mr. Yuan Bai was dozing off while standing on the stage, when he suddenly heard Xie Guoya's scolding question, he woke up with a jolt.The old gentleman looked at Xie Guoya who was pretending to be strict, and he laughed. This is Xie Guoya's wife's poem, and Mr. Yuan Bai can't forget it, so he recited it slowly.The audience was completely silent, and people wondered what Mr. Yuan Bai was doing reading this?Xie Guoya was furious, but it didn't happen easily.The leaders present on the stage didn't know the reason. Hearing this poem was boasting of sports, they were confused for a while.Mr. Yuan Bai continued: "This is your mother-in-law's masterpiece, is it more talented than you? Tired enough to vomit blood is a bird? Satellites are flying all over the sky? Let your mother's shit... Do you have a conscience? Let everyone live in the mud soup in the cold winter One soak lasts for a month, and the folks are not only so tired that they vomit blood, but also those with prolapsed anus, injuries, and frozen fingers and toes, more than half of them! Even the county magistrates in Manchu Qing know that they love the people like children, but you have the heart to do so Harm the common people... You bastards, you don't respect the times, you don't study geography, you don't ask people's sentiments, you don't accept explicit words, you only know how to fool the common people, you only know to trade the blood, sweat and lives of the common people for your chickens? , Blindly act perversely, harming nature and reason... I, Yuan Bai, was not talented, but I caught up with a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. I spent half my life in war, and lived in the world for seventy-eight years. Whoa, it's really your mother's fault! It's ridiculous to the world..." Mr. Yuan Bai was furious, and the audience was greatly surprised.This old man has never been like this in front of the Japanese and the Kuomintang!What's wrong?Wasn't he happy when he was called a "white flag" last time?Why did you suddenly change your face today?Didn't Guo Pingyuan and Xie Guoya say hello to him?What happened to Xie Guoya?You want to show your head in front of the commune secretary, can't you restrain yourself? Mr. Yuan Bai's waist seemed to stand upright, standing tremblingly on the high platform, and in an instant he looked like the Mr. back then.He yelled at the top of his voice, his shriveled cheeks fluttered like wind-blown skin. "Heaven's evil is forgivable; self-inflicted evil cannot live! What is the difference between you doing this and committing suicide? My old man has been beaten by bandits, devils, and the Kuomintang. For the sake of the folks, the old man can endure humiliation. But in the new China, now you are going to be bullied by a mangy and vicious dog like you! The world has changed drastically since it was first established, and even a ruthless, shameless person like you can occupy a high position in the temple. It is useless to be arrogant and wanton Arrogant! You forgetful dog, when you froze at the head of the village, it wasn’t my old man’s bowl of rice wine, your bastard’s dead body was picked up by a wild dog in the wilderness... You are a heartless thing, if you give root ball hair, you will Can be used as a crutch... Cough! If you keep doing this nonsense, will the common people still want their lives? The common people will help you bring down the world. After a few days of comfortable life with the land, this land was taken back by you, and now it is almost deserted It's all gone, and all the farm tools have been burned into iron towers. It's a crime... Now I'm not in a hurry to plan how to save next year's spring plowing and the lives of the villagers, but I'm still here! I'm an old man who is still tossing and about to die I still want to torment the already disabled revolutionary hero Lao Daner here... Damn it! Lao Daner asked to stop work to save the lives of our villagers and prevent the people of our village from starving, but such a hero was You gang of sinister villains are trying to harm you... Those who are good at the top will be the ones who go down! The yield per mu is 10,000 catties, 200,000 catties? There is too much food to eat? All fucking farts... The demons are dancing around and advocating, Jumping beam clown, the leader of the troubled times! The old man has studied the world for a hundred years, but he never expected that it would be so ridiculous now? The old man has no wife, no children, no relatives and no friends, and is an out-and-out lonely family. He has no worries in this life. My old man is going to die anyway. Now, it’s better to be happy than to be bitten to death by you gang of wolves and mad dogs, and to starve to death in this new China! Haha-haha! Idiots--the old man will go here--" Mr. Yuan Bai took two quick steps amidst wild laughter, and leaped high towards the crowd.It's hard to imagine that a haggard eighty-year-old man can jump so high.He seemed to stop in the air for a moment, like a bird hit by a bullet, and then fluttered down.Everyone in the audience shouted in shock, Tweety and a group of villagers rushed forward to catch it, there was no time!Mr. Yuan Bai's frail body seemed to be blown sideways by the wind in the air, and he turned half of his body before falling to the ground. There was no sound and no dust was thrown up.He turned his back to the sky, spat blood, clenched his fists, and opened his angry eyes.Tweety moved forward to touch his body, within a short while, the old man's whole body didn't have a trace of heat.Crying and shouting on and off the stage immediately became a mess.The villagers rushed forward, but Xie Laogui hurriedly asked the militiamen to stop him. Xie Guoya was shocked.He never expected that Mr. Yuan Bai would come like this, and he was panicked immediately. The revolutionary prestige he had propped up had long since disappeared, and he just stood there blankly with his hands empty. "I fuck your mother!" Turtle Monster shouted in a loud and sharp voice, accompanied by a brick flew up to the high platform, and hit the door of Xie Guoya's face, Xie Guoya's face was pale immediately, and he fell on his back. Lao Dan was shocked.I have known Mr. Yuan Bai for decades, but I have never discovered that the old man has such a character!Whenever there is a catastrophe in the village, it is this old man who steps forward and risks his life to negotiate so that the villagers can live in peace with him.The bandits tied him up, the devils kicked him, the Kuomintang beat him up, and the old man never committed suicide, but now he went away so resolutely.He wiped his face, and stretched his head to look down the stage. The old man's body had been lifted up by the militiamen, like a bamboo pole with broken bones.The loess sticking to his long black coat is very eye-catching, and his gray beard is blood red, and there is also dirty dust sticking to it. Guo Pingyuan was also shocked, but he calmed down immediately after being shocked.Seeing Xie Guoya sitting on the ground with blood streaming down his face, the secretary of the party committee of the commune was already very unhappy. He rushed up to push Xie Guoya down and ordered the audience to maintain order.After the villagers of Banzi Village panicked for a while, they finally fell silent. The death of Mr. Yuan Bai made the people of Banzi Village feel cold and windy.The most understanding person in the village let go, and this day is no longer just a day that can be passed by with a few witty words. Guo Pingyuan once again emphasized the importance and political purpose of the aqueduct project, calling on all members of the commune to carry forward the fearless revolutionary spirit, etc., and to draw a clear line with rightists like Yuan Bai, etc.The tens of thousands of people in the audience were already disheartened and restless.The party secretary of the Xiheyan brigade was probably frightened by this, and fell to the table with a "plop".The members of the Xiheyan brigade let out a burst of exclamation, and the order that had just been restored fell into chaos again.Seeing that the situation was out of control, the leaders of the commune hurriedly gave Guo Pingyuan winks.Guo Pingyuan felt lucky that the meeting of ten thousand people came to an end. Under the urging of the new leadership team, the Banzi Village Brigade immediately fought against the ice and snow again.All the men, women, old and children in the village, as long as they can walk, are dispatched to the construction site.At Xie Guoya's suggestion, Xie Laogui led the militia and the supervisors of the commune to supervise the labor with more than a dozen rifles and dozens of red-tasseled guns. The members of the commune were finally timid and afraid, and they could only bear the pain of freezing and cracking to work. .Many people fell down again, and the heavy labor of thirteen or four hours a day made everyone exhausted.Members generally suffered from edema, dizziness, cracking, vomiting blood, and prolapse of the anus.Lao Dan was assigned to the right-wing group of Turtle Monster, so he didn't have to go to the construction site.This was indeed Guo Pingyuan's care, Guo Pingyuan even arranged for Tweety to be with him.The team members of the Turtle Monster took good care of Lao Dan, and only assigned him the job of boiling water and delivering meals. Being able to sit around a stove in the ice and snow is considered a beautiful job.Seeing the desperate efforts of the villagers, Lao Dan thought of Mr. Yuan Bai's words "I'm going to leave here", and felt heavy in his heart, but he also felt that it might not be a good thing for the old man to show his integrity and leave angrily. "Tweety, is this our socialism? Pointing a gun at the folks at work? Aren't the working people the masters of their own country? Is this the new China that I worked so hard to build?" "My life! Can you shut up quickly? Do you still think that you have caused little trouble? Whether it is socialism or not is not up to us ordinary people. The most important thing is to save your broken body quickly. Don't let People spread the word... You were beaten as a rightist, and now you are not punished for the hard work of others, so you are considered blessed. Think about our children when you have time, I don’t know if you know about it..." Xie Youpan has been almost decadent for several years since his brother disappeared on the battlefield. Worry, fear, helplessness, all kinds of strong emotions that he has never felt oppressed him and made him very sad.But when he learned that his brother was captured by the enemy, the image of the brave brother in his heart suddenly collapsed, and all his emotions turned into anger—you are a glorious soldier of the proletariat, the eldest son of the great father Lao Dan, Heroic soldiers of the 38th Army of the Long Live Unit of the Chinese People's Volunteers, how can you surrender?Captured?And how could they surrender to the vulnerable South Korean troops?You are nothing short of a traitor!You are simply a traitor!Xie Youpan also couldn't understand his father, why didn't you lose your temper?How can you accept that your son is so cowardly and bloodless?Your glorious record in the 38th Army was almost wiped out by this unsatisfactory brother. How much damage did this bring to your reputation?Why can you still lick your face and go to the army to inquire about him again and again, don't you feel ashamed?You unbelievable Xie Yougen did not bring a sliver of honor to our family, but brought great shame. You are not worthy to be the son of Lao Jiefang, nor Xie Youpan's elder brother!He felt that he could no longer hold his head up in the county middle school. He was originally a cheerful and popular person, but now he has to walk sideways. Now his father was downed as a "rightist" who sabotaged revolutionary production and was dismissed on the spot. The glory that his father once brought is fading away in Xie Youpan's heart.Father, why are you so ignorant of current affairs to oppose the construction of water conservancy projects?Do you have to fight against the commune?Why can't you take the initiative to walk in the forefront of the revolution?Xie Youpan's sky cracked like a dry earth.The two spiritual pillars that were once proud of it all fell apart.He no longer shared stories about the Korean War with his classmates, and no longer took the initiative to bring up his family's situation with his classmates.In a trance, everyone looked at him with contempt and even hostility.A classmate inadvertently mentioned the Chinese prisoners who went to Taiwan during the Korean War. He thought it had ulterior motives and punched the classmate until his face was covered in blood. The days of torment began.Xie Youpan's character became withdrawn and impulsive in the pain.His interest in exercising and studying boxing, and his interest in cigarettes and kitchen knives far outweigh his interest in learning.He paid great attention to all kinds of political events in the county. He often asked to participate in the criticism and denunciation of the five types of elements in the name of the Communist Youth League, and charged in the school with complicated emotions.Due to the influence of family composition and his ignorance, Xie Youpan went to junior high school for five years. In 1958, when he was nineteen, he passed the test and entered high school.He was always involved in vicious fights in No. 1 County Middle School. He was often involved inexplicably, and then actively participated, and eventually became the chief culprit in instigating and planning the fights.The children of high-ranking cadres who used to be kings and hegemons in the school finally ran away in the face of this descendant of the rightist elements of the national army who came from a remote area.Xie Youpan's once thin body is now bulging muscles, and his once gentle eyes are now radiating coldness. A kitchen knife and cigarettes are his best partners. If he can talk to someone, he will hand him a cigarette. If he can't agree with each other, he may pull out a kitchen knife .Xie Youpan cried when he cut blood out of a high-ranking son for the first time, Xie Yougen, what kind of shame did you leave to your younger brother?Want him to use the violence of blood in exchange for the dignity in his heart!Father, what scars have you left on your son?You can embarrass yourself even mentioning your name! Xie Youpan's high school grades are still terrible, and he ranks at the bottom of the class. Of course, his parents don't know anything about this grade, but he used to improvise, and he could get a good grade in the exam after reading books for a week.Occasionally, he would think of becoming a soldier, but there is no war around the Republic now, and even if there is, it will stop as soon as there is a fight, so there is no chance of making a contribution.So his troubles continued, and the repeated events in the county town made him feel dull.The secretary of Chu Jian in the county was imprisoned in the farm.The scholar-type Principal Liu was also recognized for his proposal of "Three Grasps, Two Grasps, and Double Giving Way" (grasping teaching order, stressing teaching quality, stressing classroom discipline, stressing cafeterias, stressing work and rest, labor and social activities make way for teaching), and Put on the hat of "right leaning" and be transferred from the school.Several teachers who taught me were also labeled as rightists, and they didn't concentrate on teaching very much.What else is going on?What future are you talking about?Instead of dawdling in high school, it's better to go home and take care of your parents.Xie Youpan thought over and over again, completed the formalities for suspension of school, packed up his bed and returned to Banzi Village, but he didn't expect that it would be three years since he came back. Father's condition is better than Xie Youpan imagined, at least his body is not too haggard.My mother has also adapted to the disaster, and she still talks and laughs when she sees her, asking questions.Great changes have taken place in the village.Many houses were demolished, and almost all the trees except the big poplar at the entrance of the village were cut down.An inverted trapezoidal aqueduct about two meters deep and ten meters wide extends from the south of Banzi Village to the southwest, and the water flow of the Daizi River has been diverted into this ditch.So many familiar and kind uncles died in the water conservancy project last winter. To the north of the aqueduct is a hillside with dozens of tombstones densely packed, surrounded by wild grass. Mr. Yuan Bai's predictions will always come true, and this last time is no exception. There was a serious food shortage in Henan, and Banzi Village was not spared.Last winter, the labor force for steelmaking was far greater than the labor force for farming. A while ago, all members of the commune were working hard on water conservancy projects. The grain sowing was delayed, irrigation was insufficient, and the area sown in autumn was less than half of previous years.From spring to early summer, northern Henan suffered another drought, and large areas of grain fell. The actual grain harvested in the autumn harvest was only half of the previous year's.The commune has already ordered the brigades to reserve next year's grain seeds, preferring to eat bran-swallowed vegetables in winter rather than move the seeds.The quality and quantity of food in public canteens has been declining rapidly. It used to be possible to eat to the full, but now it is even a luxury to feed the rest to the pigs.There was not a few pieces of meat in the pot for a week, and the militiamen supervised the members' meals in the cafeteria. If anyone's bowl was not licked clean, there would be a curse.According to a beggar from the east, the east of Henan had already fallen into famine, and there was no living thing on the ground.Their brigade didn't grow any land for steelmaking and water conservancy repairs. Anyway, the commune said there was too much food to eat.Nowadays, more than half of the villages have starved to death. This beggar from Xinyang said that there are dead bodies everywhere in their place, and the whole village has died.There is not a single grain of grain in Xinyang, but militiamen with live ammunition are everywhere, and no one is allowed to enter or leave.He fainted from hunger, and was thrown into the pit as a dead body before he ran out.Lao Dan stuffed him with a steamed bun and asked him if he knew how Changtai Village in Pengjiawan, Xinyang was like. It's flat.Lao Dan silently recalled that it was the hometown of Wu Genzi who died in his arms. A once-in-a-century famine! The Banzi Village Brigade held an emergency meeting.Guo Pingyuan knew a thing or two about the situation in the east, and thought it was necessary for the whole village to survive this winter.Xie Laogui's militia company will set up guards at the entrance of the village to prohibit any beggars and refugees from entering the border of Banzi village.Re-count the grain and livestock of the whole brigade, and do what the secretary Lao Dan did back then. No matter how important steelmaking and water conservancy are, they are not as important as farming!It's no match for survival. Fortunately, Lao Dan didn't fully implement the commune's instructions of seven points for steel and three points for fields, otherwise this winter would not be able to survive.Thinking positively, it is estimated that this famine and the old society, after winter, the country's relief will arrive. Xie Youpan came back. Although Lao Dan was happy, she was a little uneasy after all, feeling that she had brought undue shame to her son.The son didn't speak much, he could feel the almost collapsed soul in that eighteen-year-old body.Xie Youpan explained the reason for the suspension of school in a few words, but Lao Dan didn't persuade him, the world is in chaos, and the school must not be much better.There is already a son whose whereabouts are unknown, and I am already unable to support the burden of the family, so let the last hope stay with me. It's still cold this spring. The New Year's Day editorial of "People's Daily" pointed out that in the first year of the 1960s, we must achieve a good start, a full house, and a successful end, and we must further promote the climax of the "Great Leap Forward" under the "excellent situation" throughout the country.But the situation in Banzi Village is that the door is opened and the house is full of hungry men, and the rice warehouse of the brigade will soon bottom out.Lao Dan looked at the newspaper and wondered, what?Is the country still in good shape?Is it not worth mentioning that so many people starve to death? In the summer of this year, the land in northern Henan suffered another drought on the scale of ten years ago, with very little rainfall.The diversion canal project in exchange for dozens of lives in Banzi Village has become a decoration.The Daizi River almost stopped flowing after it entered Banzi Village, and Guo Pingyuan's vision of "clean water irrigating ten thousand mu of fields" turned into an earth ditch more than ten miles long.As Mr. Yuan Bai said, the water of the Luohe River cannot be diverted to the north through the reservoir at all, because the terrain drop is too large, and the power of the water pumping equipment in the reservoir is not enough, so it is pumped up. This idea is exposed before the water reaches Banzi Village. dry.According to the order of the commune, the drought-tolerant crops of beans and buckwheat that the villagers used to cultivate have been replaced by wheat, which requires a lot of water.Without water, many of the seeds saved by the people of Banzi Village tightened their belts, and many of the seeds were left barren in the scorching sun before they could be pumped.Leaders such as Guo Pingyuan and Xie Guoya panicked and led the whole village to collect water from the mountains day and night.Even though Guo Pingyuan led everyone to work in the fields day and night, disasters still appeared in the autumn harvest.Thirty percent of the land in the Banzi Village brigade has no harvest, 50 percent is seriously under-harvested, and only 20 percent of the land has reached the level of yield per mu three years ago.But at last there was still food. Guo Pingyuan realized that this was the last life-saving food for the whole brigade, and strictly ordered that it be provided to the commune members according to the minimum standard, as long as they were not starved to death. When the first cool rains of autumn fell, a famine horribly descended upon the land like a demon. There was no more talking and laughing in the cafeteria.The most important thing for people every day is to wait for a bowl of porridge at the door of the cafeteria.The famine came so quickly it was like lightning striking a field.The commune's relief food was nowhere in sight, and everything that could be eaten was eaten, and the stems and stems of the crops were all made into vegetable balls and eaten up.The animals were seriously short of food, unable to stand up, and even lost interest in mating.The most edible cows and mules were killed first, then the horses, then the pigs and sheep, and finally the chickens that did not lay eggs and the dying watchdogs.Xie Guoya organized everyone to attack from all directions, and captured all the wild dogs, wild cats, weasels, mice, geckos, sparrows, locusts, cicadas, earthworms, dragonflies and all the living things that could be cooked around Banzi Village, and they all became villagers. Food to fill your stomach.At the same time, Xie Laogui led a team to pull out the edible corn stalks, wild vegetables, weeds, and elm leaves in the wilderness, or dry them into dried vegetables for storage, or crush them and mix them with chaff.But these unfinished things cannot survive the winter, and everyone knows it well. Every household began to try their best to store food privately, and no longer participated in the activities of encircling and suppressing creatures and wild vegetables collectively.Prey dwindled rapidly and soon became extinct in the barren fields. People who went out to hunt for food began to disappear and were found dead on the way back.They were so hungry and physically exhausted that they fell from dizziness and couldn't get up again.The collective production activities of the brigade finally existed in name only, and the organization of Guo Pingyuan and Xie Guoya had no effect.Xie Laogui's militiamen could no longer hold guns, and the life-saving food they guarded was also stolen by the guards. The militiamen who stole the seeds were quickly caught by the commune, and the organization ordered them to be shot.The leader was Xie Laogui's second cousin. The day before he was shot, his father and mother both died of eating too much.The whole village finally realized that everyone is doomed, and this winter is their grave. Lao Dan watched the women shrink day by day, saw the once strong Youpan'er become thin and skinny, watched his burly figure turn into a thin bow like shrimp, and watched the whole village, men, women and children, become hungry ghosts. A fear that he had never felt before floated in his heart: how could this happen?How could it be more miserable than the old society?In his lifetime, although he had countless memories of hunger, he had never encountered such a large-scale famine where every family was starving, had nowhere to go to beg, and was desperately hungry.So many people died in Banzi Village, which has relatively good land productivity, so how can the people in the Yellow River Flooding Area survive this winter? The canteen is closed, and the hope of the folks is also closed.The calls of the commune and the brigade had no effect, and the loudspeakers were still shouting "the form is good", but every family was looking for the last food on the earth in the severe cold and despair.A heavy snow completely buried their last glimmer of hope, and everything was covered under the snow, as if nothing had happened. Lao Dan is now so thin that only a bony skeleton is left, all supported by his hard breath, but fortunately, Youpan can get some food back every day, and he can barely open his eyes every morning.Youpan's tenacious perseverance was revealed. Last year, the wheat grains that fell in the fields and the sparrows that fell from the trees could always be recovered. He even caught a few hares in the mountains.Lao Dan and Tweety'er are gratified by the son's ability. Lao Dan thinks that Hopeful is born to be a scout, but Tweety only thinks that this son is the last hope of the family. On the day when the snow melted, Xie Guoya, who was swollen from hunger, brought good news.When the villagers were looking for food in the mountains, they accidentally discovered a material storage station used by the Japanese. It was buried on the hillside, and it was covered by the soil washed down by the rain for many years.There are a lot of weapons and ammunition, and dozens of bags of food.The bad thing is that the surrounding brigades already knew about this incident, and the people from the North Brigade of Xidi happened to be in the mountains at that time.The people in Banzi Village and the people in the north of Xidi only took a rough look, and they were already fighting there. As soon as the two sides started fighting, both the beating and the beaten fell to the ground, and both sides ran back to rescue soldiers.Xie Guoya and Guo Pingyuan agreed that this is the only hope for the people of Banzi Village to survive this year, and they must get it back at all costs, and Lao Dan can't handle this matter. As soon as Lao Dan heard that there was food, his stomach immediately gurgled, a stream of sour water poured out of his stomach, and he retched.Youpan gave him a sip of ice-cold snow water, and Lao Dan suddenly looked refreshed.More than 200 people in the village have starved to death. This little food can barely survive the harsh winter, but if people from several surrounding villages rush over, there will be nothing left in Banzi Village. "Our people discovered it first? How many?" Lao Dan asked panting. "That's right, Xie Lao Liu and his elder brother dug it out first, but at that time they didn't expect that there was grain in it... people from the north of Xidi also came up to dig it, only then did they find that there was still dried grain, twenty bags of wheat, a little stale, But I can still eat..." Xie Guoya almost fell down from hunger, his hands were trembling nervously when he spoke. "No matter what, we can't let the people in the north of Xidi rob the food...this is how to do it! Let Lao Gui quickly lead people to fight for aid, and bring all the guns, but don't beat people unless it is absolutely necessary! The rest of the people go Grab things, keep food...we also need weapons, bring them back and hand them over to the public." "Liberation, you should bring the militiamen to help. Lao Gui is just a bluffing display. If the other party is also carrying a gun, he will definitely be sloppy... I think you have to be in charge of this matter!" "Where's Pingyuan?" Lao Dan suddenly felt surprised, why didn't Guo Pingyuan come back to him. "He was injured in the leg by Xidi North Village, and he is still at the grain depot." "They dare to beat our village secretary?" Lao Dan was furious. "People are hungry and crazy, so what if the Heavenly King Lao Tzu comes? Just as Ping Yuan went up to reason with people, he got a rake on his leg." Xie Guoya seemed to still have lingering fears when he thought of the fierce appearance of the people from the north of Xidi. "Smash you with a rake? Ball hair! Organize the people of the militia company and set off immediately. But there is one thing, no one will move when the food is stolen. The brigade must be managed and distributed door to door. You know that. What?" Lao Dan's tone was frosty, with a look of contempt for him. "Oh, I got it, Pingyuan and I have already made up our minds, and the folks all know that no one can do anything..." Fighting for food and aid is much more difficult than Lao Dan imagined.There are so many people on the other side!So many guns!Lao Dan only brought more than 30 militiamen and more than 20 rifles.Faced with seventy or eighty guns, I really have a headache. I really don't know how they hide so many weapons?Lao Dan scattered 30 people on the hillside by the road and hid them well, not showing up without his order.Seeing the men and horses from the north of the West Causeway approaching in mighty form, the crowd in front of them looked around with guns in their hands, and looked around with arrogance.Lao Dan felt nervous for a while, not because he was afraid, but because he was worried that the militiamen, idiots who had never fired a gun, would pee their pants in fright.Seeing that the person on the opposite side was approaching, Lao Dan held his breath, took a 38 big stick, stood up and fired a shot into the sky, and then slowly got up to speak. "Are you from the north of Xidi? Stop! Please come out and speak, the secretary. I am from Banzi Village, called Lao Jiefang." The crowd in the north of the Xidi was stunned when they heard the gunshots. Many people dispersed in a panic. The few in front reacted quickly and squatted down in an instant to get ready to shoot.After hearing the resounding name of Lao Jiefang, they chattered together.A man about the same age as Lao Dan stood up, with a fat body, half of his face was almost gone, and even the eye sockets could not be seen completely, as if a piece had been torn off alive.When Lao Dan saw it, he knew it was the trauma of shell shrapnel, and he also lost such a piece on his thigh.The man stood still and said: "What a big sign! Is it Lao Dan who fought against Lizhuang on the Huaihai battlefield? Is it Lao Dan, the commander of the 38th Army's assault battalion? I think Lao Dan sounds better." Lao Dan was very familiar with this voice, this person's appearance had been disfigured, and he couldn't tell who it was from a distance.He looked up and down the short and acquainted figure of this man, and suddenly remembered that Zhong Wenhui, who once let him go and was mercilessly killed by his knife, wasn't he from Xidi North Village?It's been a long time, and I even forgot that there is an old enemy here. "It's Zhong Datou? You're not dead? You didn't die and you didn't come to Banzi Village to look for me? You didn't suffer this injury in Huaihai. I didn't cut your face with a knife. Where are you honored?" "Hmph, just like you, you are from the 38th Army, and I am from the 42nd Army. We went to North Korea." "Our secretary led people to go another way, and I have the final say here. Since your sign is on, I am not as high as you in the volunteer army, and my military achievements are not impressive, but I was injured and disabled, just like you. Blind in one eye. The folks found the grain and had to go out and get some back. Why, the two of us have been friends for more than 20 years, so we want to shoot for this grain?" "It turns out that you went to the 42nd Army, and you helped us out of the siege! Let's talk about the polite words. Since we are a family, we don't have to turn around when we talk. Lao Zhong, the people in Banzi Village discovered the food first, so there should be a first-come-first-served one." , you beat up the secretary of our village, and now you come here with a hundred guns. I just brought such a few people to explain the truth to you, or occupy the space? According to the military rank of the year, you are my superior, according to the current rank, I am your superior, and it is not too much to order you to lay down your weapons now." "If I'm still in the army, I'll obey your orders, but you and I are both recovered farmers, so I won't listen to you. I don't have a military rank. I never take this stuff seriously. , Don’t eat or drink right now, don’t you feel hungry and swollen at this time? You guys discovered the food first, it’s true, and our village is not bad for it. But now so many people in your village and our village are starving to death People, everyone is only half a breath away, so you have to tell someone who has a share? When we were lurking in North Korea, a frozen potato was eaten by each shift, no matter who it was... oh, you didn’t survive These days, I returned home with honor after a single battle. Besides, the food was found under the ravine, which is the junction of our two villages. It is under the jurisdiction of the devils back then, and that place is still the boundary of our village. Bringing people here to pick up the trophies that were not cleaned up back then, is this a matter of course? I originally only wanted to bring a few militiamen here, but the folks are hungry and crazy, and there is no way to stop them. Since you are in your early days, I invite you, the old chief Give us an explanation, from our old comrades in arms, from the principle of proletarian solidarity and mutual assistance, you can give us Xidibei people an explanation. More or less we have to take some food away, so that we can survive the early spring That’s fine. I heard your Secretary Guo said: Banzi Village doesn’t have enough food for himself, and he can’t control how much Xidibei Village starved to death. I listened to your words back then, and joined the revolutionary team after I recovered from my injury, just to finish the fight earlier. Let our folks in Henan get down and have a meal as soon as possible. Now that the cave is obviously full of 44 sacks of wheat, 150 catties per bag, and more than 6,000 catties of life-saving food, you would rather eat it Whole body is full, and the whole village of people in the north of Xidi is starved? Seeing death instead of saving?" Zhong Wenhui's uprightness made Lao Dan feel guilty.If the people in the north of Xidi had no food relief, they would be doomed. Since the beginning of last winter, they have been out of food, and many families have died.The amount of food he said was half of what Xie Guoya said, and Guo Pingyuan's statement was impossible to verify at this time.Although Zhong Wenhui's relationship with him is not deep, they have a deep connection. It is absolutely impossible to shoot at this moment, but both sides are so hungry that they are going crazy, and it is not an option to freeze here. "Since you said that our village discovered the grain first, it is reasonable. You said that there is so much grain, but I don't know. Everyone can go to see it together, but you can't do it again. You hurt our secretary, we hurt If you have a few of you, everyone will be even. You restrain your people, I restrain my people, everyone take away the guns, take them back, let’s go to the food place together, no matter how much, our village will share with you, let everyone To be able to last for a few more months is also a heart of our village... If you want to grab it hard, everyone will fight to the death, I can't watch the life-saving food that the people of Banzi Village eat so much, how about it?" Zhong Wenhui looked back at the villagers who were crumbling from hunger, and felt dizzy for a while. Hearing the word "grain", his stomach burst into acid, causing severe pain.Lao Dan's suggestion was considered a way of saving face for himself. Shooting for these grains would cause the recoil to be unbearable, and people would not be able to hit them. Moreover, the crime of shooting and robbing grains would not escape the commune's investigation sooner or later. "Middle! Just do as you said, your people also took all the guns. Take all the guns, Er Xizi, you guys take all the guns back to the village. No matter how much food is, we will share it!" "No, at most twenty or eighty. According to what you said, forty-four bags of grain, if you take nine bags, that's more than 1,300 catties of grain, enough for you to last for a while." "No, there are more people in our brigade than you, and more people died of starvation than you. This is not enough food, at least give Sanqi?" "We are not enough, is there more, or just fight here!" Lao Dan gritted his teeth and said. Zhong Wenhui lowered his head and sighed, he knew that Lao Dan was in this village, he knew it since he returned to the north of Xidi, but he never wanted to go to him, he couldn't bear the crime of humiliating in front of Lao Dan, didn't he just surrendered a few days ago what?He is higher than his official position.Only now did I feel that although the person in front of me was broken, he still had a strong military power, which could not be suppressed by himself.Zhong Wenhui waved back.The people in the north of Xidi did not express their opinions. From their point of view, there is not much difference between 37% and 28% at the moment. It is serious to go to get the grain and chew a handful of wheat grains dry.So they obeyed Zhong Wenhui's words very much, and after a while they bundled the guns into stacks, loaded them into the cart and pulled them back.Lao Dan asked Xie Laogui to take back the guns as well.Xie Laogui was a little reluctant, muttering in his mouth.Lao Dan angrily reprimanded softly: "Damn it, you can't even eat a grain of food with your hands. They have five or six veterans, and that Scarface can kill you dicks by himself. He was my defeat back then, but Now that I am missing an arm and a few ribs, I can't even stand up, so I am no longer his opponent." The reinforcements from the north of Xidi and the rescue team from Banzi Village came together and staggered towards the place where the food was found.The grain had been moved out of the cave by Guo Pingyuan and others, and there were indeed forty-four sacks, all of which were opened for inspection.Seeing people from both sides rushing over, Guo Pingyuan and the others panicked.Lao Dan explained the whole story, and told Guo Pingyuan that his old comrade in arms was on the north side of the Xidi, and he had to take care of him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to gain advantage in the fight.Guo Pingyuan looked at the blood-red eyes of the Xidi Beiren and the villains in front of him, and he was a little scared, so he said to Xie Guoya: "There are forty-four bags of food in total. Give them the nine bags on the side, and move the rest away!" The people in the north of the West Dike rushed up to the bags of grain. The crowd was crowded, trampled, and blocked each other, but no one could reach the grain.Zhong Wenhui and others wanted to stop them, but they were pushed aside by the people.Xie Guoya and the others had already loaded the thirty-five bags of grain onto five carts and trotted to Banzi Village.Lao Dan and Guo Pingyuan broke up.Lao Dan looked back at Zhong Wenhui, and saw that he was already submerged in the hungry crowd. After walking for a mile, Lao Dan heard a group of people chasing him, and when he turned around, he saw Zhong Wenhui and a group of angry young men with guns in their hands.Lao Dan turned pale with fright, not understanding what happened, and turned to look at Guo Pingyuan, who was also pale and almost sat on the ground in panic. "Old Dan, you fucking talk like farting, do you have any credit?" "What's the matter? What did you say? Isn't the nine bags of grain agreed? Are you still not satisfied?" Lao Dan asked in panic. "The nine bags were all pressed at the bottom. They were soaked by the rain, and they were all dried up in the f*cking moldy wind. They seemed to be fine, but when they twisted their hands, they turned into ashes. Just now, a few queens in our village I ate it raw, and now I’m foaming at the mouth. You’re so ruthless that you don’t even give us a single piece of good food, forcing me to grab it!” At this moment, Lao Dan saw clearly the gun in his hand, it turned out to be a brand new 38 gun, probably just pulled out from the hole.Guo Pingyuan's legs were trembling, and because Lao Dan was supporting him, he retorted stiffly: "Everyone's food is the same, it's all moldy, and you have to cook it before you can eat it. The food was originally discovered in our village. Now it's a savior for you. You still pick and choose. If I had known I won't give you any..." "Damn you, a few people in our village have starved to death just now beside the food, and the food would rather be starved to death than eat...Damn you! Starved to death, poisoned to death anyway, I will take you first Come rest your back..." Zhong Wenhui's eyes almost spewed fire, his hands and feet trembled like chaff, and a stream of blood rushed out of his nose.He picked up the gun suddenly, and pulled the bolt very skillfully, that was the voice that Lao Dan was no longer familiar with.Zhong Wenhui pointed his gun at Guo Pingyuan like lightning, and before Lao Dan could speak, he pulled the trigger. "boom!" The sound of gunfire that should have been clear and crisp turned into the sound of a small steel cannon.In the light of the flames, parts such as the bolt of the 38-gun and the seat were blown away, smashing half of Zhong Wenhui's head.Lao Dan was stunned for a while, and then he realized that the gun had exploded. After all, it was an old gun many years ago, and it was unknown whether it was rusted or sand and stones had entered it.Zhong Wenhui is a veteran, so it is impossible not to understand this point, but he has already completely forgotten to check the guns in his rage. Half of Zhong Wenhui's head flew one meter away with red and white brains, staining a young man next to him mottled.Seeing this horrific scene, those younger generations were already terrified, dropped the guns in their hands, and ran away with one step at a time.Lao Dan lowered his head to look at Zhong Wenhui's face, but only saw a wide open eye, and the most grievous look in the world was fixed in his pupil. "My day is your mother!" Lao Dan was furious and kicked Guo Pingyuan.Guo Pingyuan was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground, and was kicked far away by him.Guo Pingyuan's dripping feces and urine flowed out from his trousers, emitting a stench... "father……" Lao Dan suddenly felt a pain emanating from his body, as if his heart was tightly grasped by a sharp claw piercing through his chest.In an instant, he felt dizzy and dizzy, and there was a flood of water in front of his eyes.In the light of the water, Youpan was running towards with a few young people. They were as thin as the wormwood in the ditch, fluttering closer.It was pitch black before Lao Dan's eyes, and he fell heavily to the ground. The food that was brought back saved the lives of people in Banzi Village. Although the remaining food was somewhat moldy, it was cooked and eaten by everyone.A very small amount of food was distributed from house to house, and it was just like that until the turn of spring and summer in the second year.Xidibei Village sent people to negotiate twice, but there was no grain left to distribute to each family. After that, the people from Xidibei never came again. The death of Zhong Wenhui in the north of Xidi was portrayed by those terrified youngsters as Lao Dan's rapid shooting—the bullet had already exploded Zhong Wenhui's head when Lao Dan didn't take the gun.The Xidibei people gave up the idea of ​​provocation by force, and at the same time gave up their lives.At the beginning of spring, there was news that the entire village had probably starved to death, and the rest gathered together and staggered out to the north of the West Causeway, whereabouts are unknown.Those who died later were not buried, and bones of different sizes were sitting and lying in every household.Passers-by pushed aside a house, and saw four bones lying neatly on the kang, their clothes might have been ripped off, not even a piece of cloth was left.On the four walls of the house, someone wrote dozens of words with kang ash: Miserable! Lao Dan fell ill, and it took more than half a year.Guo Pingyuan knew a little about the diagnosis and treatment of barefoot doctors, and said that he was not sick, but that he was hungry for a long time and hurt his vitality.The bones of his injured body were originally fragile, he hadn't eaten any meat for almost half a year, and he only had a little vegetable soup to satisfy his hunger every day, and his body was already in a mess.Guo Pingyuan was extremely surprised by Lao Dan's vitality. It was almost a boiled oil lamp, and he was able to continue to breathe with just a few mouthfuls of porridge.After experiencing the fright of the death in the north of Xidi, Guo Pingyuan suddenly developed great respect for Lao Dan, and developed a superstitious worship, thinking that the reason why Zhong Wenhui's shot didn't kill him was not because of the old man. It's only a gun problem, but Lao Dan's evil spirit has blessed him.He brought a three-month-old yellow dog from a relative's house and gave it to Lao Dan as a caretaker, and Lao Dan readily accepted it.Guo Pingyuan seemed to have realized something, and he no longer cared about power gains and losses as before, and spoke kindly like an old lady.The commune's investigation of the grain robbery incident was also blocked by him, and the criticism meeting of Lao Danxin was also unable to be held because of his protection.The villagers' respect for him suddenly increased, and they felt that this man had turned back to the cheerful Xiaoping atom who pushed the cart for Balu many years ago. When the people in Banzi Village were about to eat the last grain of rice, the national relief food finally arrived at the commune, and then distributed to each brigade.The people who survived the catastrophe didn't even have the energy to cheer, and they just chewed the wheat and rice that had almost forgotten their taste.After a full meal, they hugged each other and cried loudly. After crying for a while, some people began to shout "Long live Chairman Mao", so everyone shouted until their hoarse throats were broken.At this time, the sun was shining brightly, there was no wind and no clouds, but it suddenly rained.People silenced all of a sudden, and looked up at the sky one after another, only to see that the rain was densely packed, with small water columns hanging down to the ground.The villagers really feel that it is rare, and they are amazed again and again!Isn't this a good day with good fortune and double arrival?Many people stick out their tongues to taste.Some people say that the rain is sweet, some people say that the rain is astringent, and the turtle monster says it is neither, it is a breath of blood.In any case, the villagers felt that the rain was God's favor after all, and it seemed that they could see the lush green crops and vegetables. After all, God still left a way for everyone to survive. "Long live God!" The high-pitched voice of the turtle monster screamed loudly. "Close your beak quickly! What are you thinking? Do you still want to live? Apart from Chairman Mao, you dare to shout long live to others?" Xie Laogui pushed the turtle monster hard, the turtle monster was caught off guard, and sat on the ground with a firm butt squatting.The turtle monster's wife quit, and a head hammer pushed Xie Laogui onto his back, causing him to be covered in mud and water. "What's wrong with calling God long live? God doesn't rain, and if we don't let us find the food of those devils, we will die a long time ago!" The turtle monster's mother-in-law also has a good voice, and almost everyone in the village heard her shouts.Xie Laogui's wife saw that the man was suffering, she stretched out her ten claws and grabbed the turtle monster woman. The villagers pulled them away, saying that if they wanted to beat them, they would beat them when they were full. Lao Dan finally managed to eat decent rice noodles, and gradually plumped up from the endangered state.There were rice noodles in the brigade, and soon there were vegetables, and finally pork and eggs.Although the amount is limited, it seems that the coarse grains, chickens and ducks in Banzi Village will soon catch up, and the days will be like gods.Youpan went hungry for more than 30 catties, but he was still full of energy. He became the vanguard of the production team. At this time, the central government began to carry out a campaign of "clearing work divisions, clearing accounts, clearing warehouses, and clearing property" in the countryside.Banzi Village began to carry out production and construction adjustments in an orderly manner. The recovered villagers did not dare to neglect and put into new production one after another. Tweety finally did not recover.She was shriveled and fragile, as hopeless as a big poplar tree that had been peeled off at the entrance of the village. She could stretch as much as she ate, and her rickety body could no longer straighten up. Although the edema disappeared, her headaches were gone.Fortunately, Guo Pingyuan gave her some herbal medicine, saying that it would not harm her life, but she suffered too much and couldn't stand it anymore.Guo Pingyuan took care of Tweety, saying that Tweety no longer needs to go to work.After not going to work, Cui'er was happy to go out and walk the dog with Lao Dan. This dog is very humane and loves his master very much. He doesn't eat what others feed him.Lao Dan named it: Wugenzi, which commemorates the lovely fellow boy on the battlefield. "Com