Chapter 28 Chapter 25 Marriage

Every time Noble goes to the ancient city for a meeting, it will definitely bring back a few steamed buns.At first, Li Hanzhang was a little strange, but later he found out that the ancient city is located in the northeast of Sichuan, with heavy humidity. Except for winter, the leftovers of the three seasons of the year will go bad if they cannot be put into the next meal.But steamed buns are a good thing. Even in the dog days, they can be kept for more than a month. Even if they are as hard as rocks, steamed in a cage bed, they still have the original taste: smell the sweet-scented osmanthus; look at it, the snow is white; bite One bite, soft and soft; chew, sweet.Uncle Li said: "To eat steamed buns, I have to thank the old Hui people in the ancient city hundreds of years ago. Hui people traveled thousands of miles to go on pilgrimages, and they didn't eat those messy foods. Naturally, they had to pay more attention to the food they brought. Later, early It’s not only Hui people who eat it, Han people also eat it, and they took it out for awards, the silver medal at the Panama International Expo.”

Ever since Li Hanzhang knew that people in the ancient city liked to eat steamed buns, he made steamed buns his first choice as a gift, and would buy some whenever he went around.One day, he passed by the Guanyin Temple, the hometown of the general, and quietly went to the general's grave along the way. There were a few steamed buns on the grave. After returning from the tomb of General Cheng, Li Hanzhang was in a bad mood, so he put down his empty backpack and went to take a bath by the Jialing River.When I got to the river, I saw Sun Chunhua and Chen Momei washing clothes, greeted them lazily, and walked downstream for a while before soaking in the water and floating on the water to think about my thoughts.

Now, I don't even dare to see General Cheng in an open and honest manner.Thinking of this, Li Hanzhang couldn't tell how uncomfortable he was.Fortunately, he heard people say on the road that General Cheng was an anti-Japanese hero, and his family was taken to Chengdu by the government. Mrs. Cheng arranged a job, and the children were all in school. They lived well.Now, only General Cheng’s mother, Mrs. Cheng, is with General Cheng at home—not long after General Cheng’s death, the old lady passed away because of grief. It's hard to see each other twice in a year, but now it's better, see you every day.When Li Hanzhang thought of this, he couldn't help but think of his parents. Don't talk about meeting them twice in three years. I'm afraid I won't have the chance to meet them in my life. Even if I die, I may not have the chance...

The river water was rippling on Li Hanzhang's face, making Li Hanzhang's face wet, making Li Hanzhang not sure if he had shed tears. As the sky gradually darkened, Sun Chunhua yelled at him from a distance upstream: "Brother Zhang, go back." "What are you afraid of? It's cool at night, just soak for a while." Li Hanzhang responded. "No way, the river is in a hurry, so be careful to take you away." Chen Momei also stood beside Sun Chunhua and yelled at Li Hanzhang. Hearing what the two women said, Li Hanzhang was afraid that they would be worried, so he quickly swam ashore, put on his clothes, and walked back with them.

Sun Chunhua held a wooden basin in one hand and a wooden stick for hammering clothes in the other, chatting with Momei.She just joined the Li family a few years ago. Speaking of which, she is still a new daughter-in-law, but because of her straightforward personality, loud voice, and great strength, she has already become half of the family. Chen Yaomei was also like Sun Chunhua, holding a wooden basin in one hand and a wooden stick in the other, but she lowered her head and looked shy.Li Hanzhang thought, it seems that Momei is older than Sun Chunhua, but she is not married yet.It doesn't matter if you are not married, but you don't go home and live in Li's house all year round, which is really strange.However, although he thought so in his heart, he didn't dare to ask, so he had to walk with his head depressed.

Walking across the bank of the river and going up the wooden ladder to Li's inn, Uncle Li, Laiyu and several guests were sitting on the aisle to enjoy the cool air.Li Hanzhang looked at them and asked, "Where is Noble? I haven't seen him for several days." Uncle Li said: "The people's court was set up in the county, and a meeting was held. He was sent by the town to hold a meeting." Li Hanzhang said "Oh", afraid that Uncle Li might be suspicious, so he didn't ask any more questions, thinking about the way Momei lowered her brows and her chest in the night just now, looking at the river in the moonlight in the distance in a daze...

Early the next morning, Li Hanzhang and Lao Cao went to Dongxing Field together.Most of the time, Li Hanzhang and Lao Liang, Lao Cao, and Lao Song are together, but sometimes, there are inevitable things in each family, and the people are not neat. After leaving Qinglong Town and turning around a bend in the mountain, Li Hanzhang saw a dense bamboo forest in the valley in the distance, and he could vaguely see the corners of the eaves, so he asked Lao Cao, "Where is that place? The landlord's house?" Lao Cao said: "If a person does not die, he must be a big landlord. It is a pity that he will die... It is not right to say that he will die. There is still a younger sister. But she will marry sooner or later, and she will not be from the Chen family after all."

"What does this house have to do with Yaomei?" Li Hanzhang asked. "Don't you know? I've been here so many times, and I didn't hear you mention it. I thought you knew it a long time ago." "I used to just follow you, listen to what you said, and figure out whether things would be sold. Why did I think about it? Isn't it easier now?" Li Hanzhang also couldn't understand why he only noticed the house now. I had to ramble like this. "That's right, Boss Zhang, you are a traveler after all, and you are much better than me in doing business now." Lao Cao is a real person, and he is always the one who suffers when he is with Lao Liang and Lao Song.Li Hanzhang knew it well, and whenever this happened, he secretly reminded Lao Cao by sidestepping, but he didn't show any signs.Although Lao Cao is honest, he is not stupid. He knows that Li Hanzhang is helping him, and he doesn't say anything. He just thinks that Li Hanzhang is his brother-in-law after all, so he should get closer to him.

The two continued to walk towards Dongxing. On the way, Li Hanzhang asked Lao Cao, "What's the matter with the flower house?" "Do you want to ask about Huafang, or about Chen Momei?" Old Cao teased Li Hanzhang. "I...I'm really asking about Huafang." Li Hanzhang was taken aback for a moment, then said. Lao Cao stopped joking, and talked about the flower house while walking: "In Qinglong Town, the biggest landlord in the early years was the Chen family, and the flower house was the property of the Chen family. Knowing why, one generation is not as good as the previous generation, and in Chen Dahu's generation, he is the only one left." Li Hanzhang asked, "Then who is Chen Yaomei?"

"Look at you, I said you were asking about Momei, but you are still stubborn." Seeing that Li Hanzhang was a little embarrassed, Lao Cao smiled, "He is Chen Momei's eldest brother. There are seven sons among them, one After she was born, Momei was adopted by a family in Dongxing. That family is on the way to Dongxingchang, and we will have to pass in front of his house in a while." "Oh, then you continue to talk about the flower house and Chen Dahu, why did their family die here?" Li Hanzhang couldn't think of any reason that would make the family die.

"Don't worry, listen to me first about Chen Dahu. Chen Dahu has no siblings, the Chen family is weak, and life is not at all angry. Father Chen is for the prosperity of the family, and secondly, he wants to hire less. A long-term worker, since Chen Dahu was sixteen years old, he married a wife every few years. In the past ten years, Chen Dahu had six wives and a large group of children. At that time, there were several long-term workers in the family. Later, marrying a woman came in and resigned a long-term worker. Marrying a woman entered the house and resigned a long-term worker. By the time the fifth woman was married, the Chen family had no long-term workers. People in the Chen family planted rice by themselves , cutting the wheat by myself, and the women are so busy with the windmills, mowing the grass, chopping firewood, feeding the pigs, and herding the cattle, even the young lady who has just entered the house for a few years has a dry dung basket tied to her waist , followed behind the cow's buttocks, and spread dung on the ground with a pair of embroidered hands." Li Hanzhang was in a daze when he heard this, and shouted, "How can the whole family die on such a good day?" "Don't be impatient, just listen to me slowly." Lao Cao wiped his sweat, and then said to Li Hanzhang, "One afternoon, when Chen Dahu was plowing the field, suddenly a big hole fell in the corner of the field, and all the people and cattle fell. Go down. There are toads everywhere in the pit, jumping straight at Chen Dahu. Chen Dahu was so frightened that he screamed for help. His little lady was filling the dung on the edge of the ground when she heard a muffled sound behind her. When she looked back, the man was gone. He was in a daze, and when he heard the cry for help, he quickly threw away the dung basket, ran over, stood by the edge of the pit and looked down. While beating the toad, Chen Dahu yelled at her to go back and find someone." Old Cao was talking vigorously, Li Hanzhang couldn't help but asked again: "What kind of pit is it? There are poisonous snakes and beasts swallowing his family? It's not right, there are really poisonous snakes and beasts, and Chen Dahu is the only one who died." The two were walking to a valley at this time, and saw someone drinking water under the waterfall in the valley. Lao Cao greeted them and walked over.Li Hanzhang followed Lao Cao and also drank water from the pool below the waterfall. After the acquaintances had left, the two sat under the waterfall, chatting while enjoying the shade. "Let's continue." Li Hanzhang really wanted to know the cause of death of the entire Chen family.In such a remote place, although the Japanese planes have come to bomb it several times, it is unlikely that any bacteria will be sprinkled, right?Besides, if that's the case, the Chen family is not the only ones who died. "Okay, I'll continue to tell you. However, what I know is what I heard." Lao Cao saw that Li Hanzhang was excited, and the more he talked, the more interested he was, "Chen Dahu stayed in the cave for a while and got used to it. Toads jumped out of the hole in lumps, and after a while, only the panting of Chen Dahu and the cow could be heard in the hole. Chen Dahu walked two steps east and west, groping everywhere, hands He didn't touch anything, but his feet felt uneven. He had nothing to do, so he squatted down, opened his palm-sized hands, and dug vigorously. The soil was loose, and he dug hard things within a few strokes. Chen Dahu touched Touching the shape, it was bumpy, like a gold ingot. He was so excited that he quickly cut out a piece and lifted it up to take a closer look. It was really an ingot, a big ingot of silver! He was digging all over the ground like crazy, and the ground was full of silver. After a while , his parents and a few wives all rushed over, crawling around the entrance of the cave and yelling for a while. Chen Dahu told them to go back and get him something to eat, and then pack up the thick hemp ropes and baskets at home. It was dark In the future, they will be brought quietly, and no torches are allowed to be lit. That night, the people of the Chen family moved the silver all night like a shuttle. When the sky was about to dawn, Chen Dahu looked under his feet, and there seemed to be a lot of silver. After that, They moved for another seven nights before they moved all the silver in the cellar to the Chen family's side house." Although we often hear about finding treasures, after all, they rarely happen around us. Li Hanzhang was a little surprised and asked: "So much? What did Chen Dahu use it for?" "What else can I do? Build a house. The flower house is built with that money. Think about it, Chen Dahu has so many wives and sons and daughters. The tile-roofed houses he used to live in looked down upon him, so he built five courtyards with stones." Flower house. Chen Dahu thought that with so much money, his family would have to live a prosperous life for generations. But he didn't think that when the windfall came, the disaster also came. I don't know what kind of soldiers and bandits found him. One night In the middle of the night, there were sudden gunshots, like setting off firecrackers. From the ferry of Qinglong Town to this mountain bend, all the way torches, every household along the way closed their doors and did not dare to make a sound. In the nest, the doll was smothered to death. The next morning those people left, but until noon, no one dared to come out along the way. Later, a few brave young people ran to the flower house Look, it was found that the twenty-odd members of the Chen family had all been killed. They searched all the rooms, not to mention a tael of silver, and they couldn't even see the shadow of the rat or the snake. Later, someone said, that This house is a haunted house, so I can't afford it. I haven't lived in it all year round, and the bamboo and wormwood around the house grew wildly, which is what it is now." "Who are those people? When they rob money, they rob money. Why do people kill people?" Li Hanzhang asked, "Did anyone say where the money was robbed?" "I haven't heard of it. This happened more than ten years ago. People my age know Chen Dahu, and some even went to his house to work as a helper, but no one knows who killed his family, and no one knows. Where did the money go? Some people say that the ancestors of the Chen family offended the gods and received retribution. The family who adopted Yaomei in Dongxing was also frightened. After all, she is from the Chen family, who dares to marry? The family went to the head of the house to say good things, and drove the poor woman back to Qinglong Town. She is also my sister and brother-in-law. If we live in a house, we will keep her and raise her as a daughter. Momei is a capable woman. She can not only do housework, but also can sew and embroider. The neighbors say the Li family is good." When Lao Cao said these words with a smile, Li Hanzhang couldn't tell whether he was praising his sister and brother-in-law, or sarcastic about his sister and brother-in-law.However, he himself really felt that Uncle Li and Aunt Li were warm-hearted. If it weren't for them, how could he have settled down in Qinglong Town so smoothly?It can be seen that they must have pity on Chen Momei when they took her in. The weather is getting colder and winter is coming, and the ancient city is covered with large slogans of "Support the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea".On the road, Li Hanzhang met Noble and a group of young people rushing to the ancient city by boat, and asked him, "Can I also sign up to be a soldier?" "You are so old, if you get married early, you will be a grandfather soon, why do you want to be a soldier?" The young people around Noble joked, "Boss Zhang, let us young people do the work of rushing into battle; you, hurry up and find a wife to marry, and wait a few years, I am afraid that even if you can find a wife, you will be born." I'm leaving my son." Li Hanzhang chuckled, and said, "Who would marry me?" He thought to himself, you bastards, how do you know that Lao Tzu's son is almost as tall as you? As soon as the new calendar year is over, the old calendar year follows. In January 1951, it was the twelfth lunar month of the old calendar year, and every household was preparing for the New Year. Land reforms began in the ancient city, and Qinglong Town was booming according to the policy. "Poverty small businessman Zhang Ziqiang" can also get a house and land, but where the house will be given to him is a problem.Noble approached Li Hanzhang and said, "Brother Zhang, Comrade Zhang, I will discuss something with you on behalf of the organization." "Just say it." Li Hanzhang looked at Bao's expression, knowing that he came to talk to him about the land distribution, and he was not in a hurry. "Brother Zhang, look, among these landlords' houses, only flower houses are vacant. Do you dare to live there?" "You want to share the flower house with me?" Li Hanzhang was really surprised. "Yes, Brother Zhang, look, among all the people who moved from other places, you and I are the most familiar. If you help take the lead, I will be able to do this job easily." "The people who go to live in the flower house are all immigrants from other places?" "Except for sister Mo, everyone else is." Laibao said with a blushing face, "Brother Zhang, the Chen family's affairs have been going on for more than ten years. There have been many beggars living there in these years, and nothing happened. It is lush, and there are many rats and snakes. If you agree to go, the government will also be responsible for maintenance.” "If I don't go, the government will say you haven't done a good job, right?" "Yes." Noble rubbed his hands together and said. "Then I will go, I will go up the mountain of swords and down to the sea of ​​fire." Li Hanzhang waved his fist to express his determination.Having gone through so many things from birth to death, what kind of dead person has he never seen?Li Hanzhang didn't believe those rumors of ghosts and monsters at all. In the evening, Uncle Li probably heard that Laibao said that Li Hanzhang was going to take the lead to live in a flower house, so he went to the guest room where Li Hanzhang lived and said, "Boss Zhang, you are a big man, and you want to start a family anyway, and you can't live in my house all your life." Don’t be afraid, when we move, I’ll ask someone to find some mugwort and smoke it for three days and three nights.” Because Li Hanzhang took the lead, more than a dozen families and dozens of adults and children lived in the Huafu smoothly, making it very lively.Yaomei also shared a room next door to Li Hanzhang, but she would not go back to live if she was killed. The government thought she was from the Chen family and an old girl who was not married, so they promised her to stay in Li Hanzhang for the time being. Uncle's house. Together with the house, Li Hanzhang also had a piece of land, half a cabinet of millet and corn.Counting the days, it has been more than a year since he left Chongqing. Li Hanzhang finally has his own home and can live in peace and stability.He handed over the land to neighbors to help plant, and continued to drive around and do small businesses by himself.Although she has moved out of Uncle Li's inn, Aunt Li still cares about Li Hanzhang very much and loves to visit him whenever she has something to do, treating him like a son. One day, Li Hanzhang came back from the market and passed Aunt Li's door. Aunt Li said, "It's not a solution for you to live alone, you should find a woman." "A person like me who has no relatives, no trust, no money and no influence, who would marry?" Li Hanzhang only had Sufen and Kezhen in his heart. "Chen Yaomei is also a poor person, so you should take pity on her and live with her." Aunt Li didn't know what Li Hanzhang was thinking, so she just smiled and said, "You are in your thirties, and she is only in her early twenties. Besides, His ancestors are also from a wealthy family, so there is no problem with you." Li Hanzhang smiled to himself, his actual age was over forty, and when he changed his name in Luzhou, he changed his age a few years younger in order to conceal his identity. Li Hanzhang knew that Aunt Li had good intentions, so he didn't immediately refuse, but only said to go home and think about it.Su Fen and Ke Zhen haven't heard from each other yet, if they marry another wife, it will indeed be a big deal for Li Hanzhang, and he has to weigh it carefully. Two days later, Li Hanzhang was closing his eyes to settle accounts in the house. The children from the next door ran in from outside, stood in the yard and shouted, "Uncle Zhang, a woman is looking for you!" As a prank, he said the word "mother-in-law" very emphatically and dragged his voice for a long time. Li Hanzhang is used to these dolls running wildly all over the yard, and he also likes to bring them some delicious food when he is on the way.Normally, whenever Li Hanzhang came back from the market, the dolls would gather around and yell, and they would not let him go until Li Hanzhang gave them something to eat. Li Hanzhang went out and saw a woman standing behind the dolls in the yard.The woman is not tall and thin, with a pointed chin and a smooth and protruding forehead. She wears a white cloth dress with a blue background. Her shiny thick braids hang down on her chest next to her cheeks. An old silver bracelet... Isn't that Chen Momei? "Yaomei, why are you here?" Li Hanzhang stood at the door, his tall and strong body was like a door fan. When the dolls saw Li Hanzhang coming out, they shouted "Aww" to you to push me and I to pull you, and they ran out singing: "The stars in the sky are shining brightly, Miss Luzhou has brought a letter, this year will cook wine next year, and eight tables will be decorated with flower shoes ..." When the dolls were all gone, Chen Momei stretched out her hand wearing the old silver bracelet, pointed to Li Hanzhang's neighbor, and said, "I'll come and see the house." "Oh. Sorry, you didn't come, so I piled some things inside." Li Hanzhang hurried over and helped push the door open.This house was allocated to Chen Memei by the government, but because Momei didn't move in, Li Hanzhang piled dry firewood in it.It was winter, and it was rainy and foggy in Sichuan. When the firewood was placed in the open-air dam for cooking, there would be smoke, which made people cough. "Is it all yours?" Chen Momei looked at half of the dry firewood in the room, then turned to ask Li Hanzhang. "Yes, it's all mine. No one from other families put things in. They are all a family, and they have a lot of houses. I am a bachelor, so I have a main room, and the kitchen is a side shed. You want to come Live, I'll move out immediately." Seeing that Li Hanzhang was really going to move firewood, Chen Yaomei quickly stretched out her hand to block it: "No need, I just came to see, you just leave it alone, people come in and out every day, the house is only popular. But, you alone What are you doing with so much firewood? Aren’t you going for a walk? Have you had time to chop firewood for a long time?” After Chen Yaomei said these words, she found that Li Hanzhang was looking at her with a flushed face, and then realized that she was still holding Li Hanzhang's hand.He hurriedly let go, turned his head in embarrassment and walked out, who knew that he turned too hastily without looking at the road, and bumped his nose against the door frame! Seeing Chen Momei's nosebleed, Li Hanzhang didn't care so much, and rushed out from the door sideways, and said to Chen Momei, "Look up, and wait for me to come back." Chen Yaomei looked up and waited. After a while, Li Hanzhang came back with a wooden basin of water, soaking a blue cloth facekerchief in it.Li Hanzhang put his hands into the water to soak them first, then raised his wet and cold hands and patted Chen Momei's forehead gently, and waited for Chen Momei's nosebleed to stop, then picked up the blue cloth washcloth in the basin , wringed it dry, handed it to Chen Yaomei and said: "You wipe it yourself." Chen Yaomei seemed to be stupefied by Li Hanzhang's photograph, and she didn't recover for a long time.Li Hanzhang held the back of Chen Yaomei's head in one hand, and washed the blood on Chen Yaomei's face with a washcloth in the other hand.At this time, Chen Momei seemed to have regained her senses. She took a step back, snatched the washcloth from Li Hanzhang's hand, and wiped her face.Guessing that there was no more blood on her face, she bent down and put the washcloth into the basin.Li Hanzhang reached out to pick up the basin, and said to Chen Momei: "Let me come, if you try hard, the nosebleed will come out again." "How heavy is a basin of water?" Chen Momei snatched back the small wooden basin, carried it and walked out the door. "I'll fetch water from the well." Li Hanzhang ran out of the yard, and when Chen Momei reached the well platform, he had already fetched a bucket of water and waited. The two rubbed one by one, poured water on the other, and cooperated to wash off the blood stains on the facecloth.Usually only one or two basins of water can be done, but the two actually used a bucket of water.The bucket of water was used up, and Li Hanzhang actually wanted to fetch another bucket. Chen Momei folded the facecloth and put it in the wooden bucket, and said with a smile, "No need, it's already been washed. Take it back, I'm leaving." .” Saying that, he handed the wooden basin to Li Hanzhang. "I'll see you off." Li Hanzhang took the tub, put it by the well, and walked behind Chen Momei. Along the way, the two walked in tandem.Seeing Chen Momei, Li Hanzhang always refused to speak, so he could only say: "I'm not young, and I don't know where my family is, so I'm like a lonely person." It sounds like these words are explaining and introducing, even Li Hanzhang doesn't know why he said these words.After he finished speaking, he didn't know what Chen Yaomei would think, so he had to walk behind, waiting for Chen Yaomei to express his opinion.After going down the slope, passing a few ditches, and going up the slope again, Chen Yaomei still didn't make a sound.Li Hanzhang thought she was angry, so he quickened his pace and walked side by side with her, and said in a low voice, "Send it here? I'm going back." But Chen Yaomei lowered her head and said: "Your family members just don't know where they are, they can't be contacted, at least they still have some thoughts, unlike me, everyone in my family knows where they are one by one, but they are really lonely. .” Li Hanzhang understood what Chen Momei meant, and stopped talking about going back to the flower house.The two walked through Qinglong Town one after the other and entered the inn. Chen Momei went to find Aunt Li, and Li Hanzhang went to find Uncle Li. When Uncle Li heard that Li Hanzhang said that he was going to marry Chen Momei, he laughed so hard that the flesh on his stomach was shaking. He raised the cigarette pot and knocked on the wooden pillar on the wall and said, "Boss Zhang, if you marry Chen Momei, it is equal to my marriage." There is an extra son-in-law!" It stands to reason that the flower house is Chen Momei's natal family, and Uncle Li is Chen Momei's owner.However, after a "turning upside down" change, Li's inn became Chen Yaomei's natal family, and the flower house became Chen Yaomei's husband's family instead. Li Hanzhang and Chen Momei got married on the day of Dragon Boat Festival.After that, Li Hanzhang continued to go for his walks, but he got hot food in the morning, and someone washed his feet when he came back in the evening. Of course, he didn't need to settle the accounts anymore. My sister could clearly account for the money that came in and out. Chu.At first, Li Hanzhang agreed to marry Chen Momei. Firstly, he could see that Chen Momei was kind to him and she was a good girl; secondly, Uncle Li’s family had this intention. The third and most important point is that I am not married and live alone in this country farm. It is too eye-catching, and it is inevitable that some people will have to think about it, which is prone to problems. Therefore, in the beginning, marriage was completely an expedient measure for Li Hanzhang, and he was "forced to go to Liangshan".To him, Chen Momei is just a good girl, but she has no affection.But something happened a few days later, which made him look at this country woman with admiration. That day he and Lao Liang and Lao Cao went to the Yuquan Farm, and when they got home, it was already dark.After entering the flower house, it was dark inside. Li Hanzhang felt the door of his own house, pushed the door, the door was bolted from the inside, knocked lightly, and shouted: "My sister, open the door, it's me, Zhang Ziqiang, I am back." There was an "oh" in the room, and there was a rustle. Momei found a match, lit the kerosene lamp, and then came to open the door. When Li Hanzhang came in, Yaomei closed the door with her backhand and asked, "Why did you come back so late?" Li Hanzhang talked about the business matters, and then took all the money out of his pocket.Momei stretched out her left hand wearing the old silver bracelet to take the money, put it into her pocket without counting it, pushed Li Hanzhang on the stool and said, "Sit down, and I'll get you a handkerchief to wipe your hands so you can eat." .” Li Hanzhang asked: "You know I haven't come back yet, what are you doing with the door locked?" Chen Yaomei handed the handkerchief to Li Hanzhang, smiled and said, "It's too late, the table is full of delicious food, I'm afraid some wild cats will come in and steal it." Li Hanzhang knew what she meant, knew what this country woman was thinking, and if he married him, he would not have second thoughts, so he pulled Chen Momei to sit beside him, and whispered to her: "Such delicious food, It should be left to the house cats." Chen Yaomei blushed and turned her head, put the chopsticks in Li Hanzhang's hand and said, "Eat quickly, eat, I have something to say." Although Li Hanzhang has worked as a spy for many years, he has already tempered his flesh and blood body to be like steel, but "likeness" is just "likeness" after all, and the essence is still flesh and blood. Besides, when people reach middle age, their emotions become lakes on the top of mountains. It is not easy to be seen by others, even if it is seen, it seems calm, but once the gap is opened, it becomes an unstoppable waterfall, rushing for thousands of miles. Li Hanzhang ate his meal happily, thinking to himself, it's not bad to spend half a life of ordinary life with such a simple woman and a few acres of land. Chen Yaomei sat across from Li Hanzhang, but the light from the oil lamp was too dim for Li Hanzhang to see her expression clearly. Watching Li Hanzhang pull the last grain of rice in the bowl into his mouth, Chen Momei stood up and cleaned up the dishes swiftly.Li Hanzhang took a ladle of water from the tank and got up to wash his face and mouth, then washed his feet with the face water, took off his shirt and half leaned on the bed to wait for Chen Yaomei. After finishing tidying up, Yaomei stood in front of the bed, saw Li Hanzhang's appearance, laughed "puchi", and asked him, "What are you doing?" Li Hanzhang said, "Don't you have something to tell me?" "Yeah, I have something to tell you," Chen Momei walked to the bed, sat down, put her hands on her knees, looked at Li Hanzhang and said, "Do you know that donations are everywhere." "I know, to resist US aggression and aid Korea, there are slogans posted everywhere, saying that it is voluntary." Li Hanzhang said half-heartedly, seeing that Chen Momei's eyes were about to burst into flames. "Don't go to the market tomorrow, go to the government to find Noble and donate the money." Chen Yaomei took out a folded handkerchief from under the mat, opened it in front of Li Hanzhang and said, "The money is ours. You will donate all your belongings tomorrow. You are a foreigner, and I don’t have a brother. You can only rely on the government for everything. The government has a call, and we will run ahead, and we will never suffer.” "Didn't you wrap it up? Just pay it directly, why tell me?" Li Hanzhang looked at the money, stared at Chen Momei and asked. "Why do you ask this? You are my man, and you earned the money, so you should pay it!" Momei threw the money in the handkerchief into Li Hanzhang's arms, turned her back to him, and said nothing. Li Hanzhang knew she was angry, so he didn't say a word.The flame that was still burning just now slowly cooled down, and what filled his heart was admiration for the woman in front of him.This woman has not read much. Although she was born in a landlord's family, she was sent away after she was born, and she didn't live a good life for a few days.Despite this, she is a girl who knows the general situation and thinks of herself wholeheartedly.Under such circumstances, it is really a blessing to be able to marry such a woman! Thinking of this, he thought of his more than 10 million banknotes.The reason why he has never been willing to touch that money, even when he married Yaomei, is because the vast majority of it was left by Zhou Yungang and does not belong to him.Moreover, in the eyes of outsiders, I am a poor merchant, how can I have so much money?So, before he moved the flower house from Uncle Li’s inn, he wrapped the banknotes in oilcloth while rushing to the market, buried them under a pine tree behind General Cheng’s tomb, and moved a big stone to press it , marked.Now, even Momei has thought of donating money to the government, so he naturally wants to think about the whereabouts of that money: Burying guns and silver dollars more than a year ago is a break with the past; now, what should I do with Zhou Yungang? What about the huge sum of money I left for myself... Even though it was June, the nights in the mountains were still cool.Li Hanzhang sat for a long time with his back bare, as if he had caught a cold, and sneezed loudly.Chen Momei was startled, and hurriedly pulled out the blanket that was placed behind Li Hanzhang, and covered him while saying, "Really, a man in his tens, so careless, what if he gets sick?" Li Hanzhang took Chen Momei's hand and said, "You also come up and cover it." "How long has it been? Are you still covering it? You're going to have prickly heat." Chen Momei spoke hard words, but her tone was soft. "If you don't have prickly heat, we will have a son." As Li Hanzhang said, he pulled Chen Momei into his arms... On the second day, Li Hanzhang didn't go for a walk, but slept late, and then went to Li's house with Chen Momei.To be honest, Li Hanzhang is very familiar with such things as donations. Many big figures in the party and state relied on donations to become "social sages" and then have positions and powers.However, at this time and at that time, it is also a donation, and everything is different from before.Li Hanzhang thought about what Chen Yaomei said yesterday, and thought about his current situation, so he really didn't dare to make a rash move, and decided to listen to Chen Yaomei's words completely. He never thought that he would become a man who listened to his wife.Moreover, the wife was a country woman with little formal education. Only then did Li Hanzhang realize that some things are not learned from reading, but are innate, just like birds can fly and fish can swim. After consulting Uncle Li, Li Hanzhang handed over the money saved by Momei to the township government.On the way back, I ran into Noble, and Li Hanzhang greeted him from a distance, then called him to the side of the road and asked, "Why haven't I seen you since I got married?" "After you get married, you don't go out every day, so of course you can't see me." Noble joked with him. Li Hanzhang took out a cigarette, knowing that Noble does not smoke, and he is not polite, he lit it and took a puff, and said embarrassedly: "Where did you hear that? I have been busy for three days, and I went to the market with your uncle .To be honest, I really didn’t see you when I passed by your door.” Noble said: "The district set up a steering committee for the 'three anti-five anti' work, and I was removed before I came back." "You are a capable person. The district can take you away to work, and you may not be able to become a high-ranking official in the future." Li Hanzhang said flatteringly. "Don't mention it. This time the 'Three Antis and Five Antis' was carried out. An inspector was sent from Chengdu. Regardless of the actual situation, he gesticulated and messed around, wronging many innocent people. I couldn't understand it. I had a fight with him. No, he was kicked back early." Noble said dejectedly. "Alas...you are young, so you have such a fiery temper." Li Hanzhang recalled that Bao's classmate Li Dayong had many similarities in terms of "passionate and impulsive". "His surname Gou is messing around, so I have the right to give my opinion! He is putting on my shoes!" Noble said, perhaps too aggrieved to bear it. Li Hanzhang was startled when he heard the words "Gou's surname", and blurted out, "Is that Gou's name called Gou Peide?" "Yeah? Why, you know him?" Now it was Noble's turn to be surprised. "Gou's surname is very rare... this... When I was in Fuling mustard vegetable factory, he inspected the work and shook hands with me, so he had a deep impression on me." Li Hanzhang realized that he had slipped his mouth and hurriedly covered it up. "Oh. 'Anti-corruption, anti-waste, anti-bureaucracy', in my opinion, the first thing to be opposed is 'bureaucracy' like Gou Peide. I have never seen such a cadre who came to work and even brought his cousin with him. His The cousin heard that her name is Hu Feng, she is simply a bourgeois lady, she is very particular about eating and drinking. Hmph, is this a cadre of the Communist Party?" Li Laibao only thought about venting himself, but did not realize that Li Hanzhang had lost his mind at this moment , thinking about his own thoughts: It can be heard from Lai Bao's words that Gou Peide was finally entangled by Hu Feng, and basically the old habits did not change.这样的人，居然能在共产党的干部队伍里呆得，看来，姓苟的小子，还有些神通。 “哎，张大哥，不说这些乌七八糟的事儿了。”来宝上上下下看看李涵章，笑着问，“你好久让我当舅舅？我爸爸说了，么妹是他的女儿。” 李涵章连忙拔腿就走：“你毛头娃儿晓得啥子哦？” 来宝在后面哈哈大笑。 过了二十多天，陈么妹还没有怀孕的动静儿，孙春花怀孕了。么妹于是和李涵章商量，想去李家帮忙，免得李大妈忙不过来。李涵章二话不说就答应了。这样一来，夫妻两个，一早起来，一个去李家，一个去做生意，晚上幺妹等李涵章赶完遛遛场从李家门口过的时候，一起回花房子，两口子安稳地过着他们的小日子。 但李涵章内心的平静，在两个月后就被打破了。 有了户口、有了房子、有了田地、有了家，日子过得很顺心。李涵章渐渐地真的以为自己就是张子强。他似乎忘记了自己的过去，只要听到有人叫“老张”、“张大哥”、“张老板”，就会毫不犹豫地答应。 “张大哥啊，又来接幺妹？么妹现在是越来越懒了，也不说先把茶馆收拾好了等张大哥来，偏要等人家来帮你收拾，人家跑一天不累呀？”来宝下班回来，还没进家门，就和这对“姐姐、姐夫”开玩笑。 李涵章正把竹椅子往墙角堆，方便么妹扫地，听到来宝和自己打招呼，忙答应：“我累啥？不过多走了几步路嘛。来宝兄弟，你回来了？” 来宝进了屋，也去帮忙搬椅子。李涵章见了，抢过么妹手里的扫帚、又去扫地。么妹抿嘴一笑，挽起袖子就去洗茶碗了。 “哎呀，你们两口子倒是会心疼人哦。明明晓得我还是单身汉一个，做出这么样一副恩爱的架势，故意气我啊？”来宝站在一堆椅子旁边，看看李涵章，又看看陈幺妹。 “你不小了，赶快结婚嘛。”陈么妹头也不抬，麻利地边洗茶碗边说。 “我倒是想去接她，隔山隔水的，咋接嘛？”来宝叹口气说。 “隔山隔水啊？那就是说，你有……有对象了？”幺妹惊喜地抬起头问，“这下好了，李大妈不用为你操心了。” “幺妹，不要给我家里人说。唉，八字还没一撇呀，人家来不来古城还难说。”来宝说着话，继续搬椅子。 李涵章低头扫地，不吭声。 “你去看她呀，解放了，古城这么好，青龙镇这么好，喊她来嘛。”这个好消息让幺妹忘记了她在干什么。 “去不成，这个月毛主席和党中央派的'南方革命老根据地访问团川陕边区革命老根据地分团'要来古城，慰问红、烈、军属和老红军，呵呵，还有苏区人民，西河是重点，我正忙得要命，哪有时间去重庆看她？”来宝搬完椅子，坐在边上发呆。 “她在重庆呀？”陈么妹边洗碗边说，“也不远嘛，坐船去多方便。只是，重庆是大地方，人家咋会来古城？” “就是嘛，我一直都不敢把她的事情给我爹妈说，就是这个原因。她说那边的事情处理好就过来，哪个晓得是不是真的能过来……不说了，我上去吃点东西睡觉了，明天还要继续整理青龙镇的红、烈、军属名单，上面要照着名单慰问。” 来宝从李涵章面前过的时候，李涵章问：“来宝兄弟，我和你姨夫他们去赶观音庙场的时候，听说那里出了一个好厉害的抗日将军，你的名单里有没有他们家？” “啊？张大哥，你说的是国民党那个姓程的将军呀？我晓得的。只是……他是国民党的将军哦，咋会有嘛？”来宝左右看看，悄声在李涵章耳边说，“张大哥，东西可以乱吃，话不要乱说。你不识字，不读书不看报，有好多事不晓得。这些话，你问我，没有关系，要是问了其它人，会惹乱子的。记得了，不要再说这样的话了哦。” “哦，我记得了。”李涵章看着来宝的背影，心就像被切了一刀，又被扔进了盐罐里：此前，他还曾经幻想过，程将军因为抗日而死，古城的人至今还对他念念不忘，那么，念在自己抗日有功的份上，共党也许会对自己网开一面。但现在看来，这也不过仅仅是自己一厢情愿的幻想罢了。 陈幺妹没有听到来宝对李涵章说了什么，她麻利地洗着茶碗，对自己男人说：“老张，快些扫，扫完了，我们早点回去。” 李涵章答应着，看着陈幺妹，半天才说了一句话：“我突然觉得好累哦，不太舒服。” 陈幺妹一听，赶忙放下手里的茶碗，跑过来拿掉李涵章手里的扫帚，把他扶到来宝刚才坐过的椅子上坐下，摸了一下他的额头说：“不舒服啊？病了呀？刚才来宝问你，都说不累，咋说累就累了呢？是不是中暑了？也不早说？我还使唤你帮我做事情，都怪我！”说完，等李涵章坐稳，忙慌慌地走过去三五两下洗完了茶碗，又飞快地把剩下的地扫了，倒了垃圾回来，把李涵章的背篼背上，拉起李涵章就出了门。李家的规矩，李大妈睡觉前，要把铁匠铺子和茶馆都检查一遍才锁门。 从青龙镇街上往花房子走，一路上李涵章都是无精打采的。陈么妹不知道男人的心思，急得一会儿摸摸他的额头，一会儿摸摸他的背心。李涵章被摸烦了，想要吵她几句，可一看她急得脸通红，抓着自己胳膊的手都在发抖，心又软了：这个女人，现在是唯一可以和自己相依为命的人！他想着，把她身上的背篼取下来自己背上，然后用左手把她揽进自己怀里，一路抱着她往前走。陈幺妹有些不自在，生怕被人看见，挣扎着。李涵章侧着脸亲了她一下，说：“这么晚了，路上没有人，把心放进肚子里。” “你不是很累，不舒服吗？咋还有心这样子？”陈么妹靠在自己男人怀里，伸出右手，抓着李涵章的褂子。 “我就是因为累，因为不舒服，才想抱抱你。么妹，你对我好，我心里高兴。”李涵章说这话的时候，鼻子有些酸：谁是对程将军好的人？ “莫要这样说，老张，我们是两口子，就像一个人一样。我自小就被爹妈送了人，处处看人脸色，嫁给你才算是真的有自己的家。你是我的男人，我不对你好对谁好？可惜我的肚子不争气，要是能给你生个儿子，那才是真的对你好。”陈么妹说着，放开手，和李涵章分开。前头要过田坎，没法两个人并排走。她等李涵章先走，自己跟在后面。 李涵章听了这话，暗地里骂自己不是人。他晓得陈么妹的月经周期，算准了时间和她同房，就算是同房也十分小心，确保陈么妹不怀孕。他知道这样做对不起陈么妹，但是，他只能这样做：万一自己暴露，陈么妹拖着个孩子后半辈子怎么过？孩子又能有什么前途？现在，自己这样挣钱，一来固然是为了掩护，二来不也是为了让她有好日子过？就算自己被抓了被枪毙了，或者出了意外，她身边有钱，总不至于饿肚子呀！ 到青龙镇以后，李涵章还没有这样悲观过。他发现自己比以前软弱了，比以前多愁善感了。月光下，走在窄窄的田坎上，李涵章轻声喊：“幺妹。” 陈幺妹答应了一声。 李涵章又轻声喊：“么妹。” 陈么妹又答应了一声。 李涵章停下脚步，转过身，面对陈么妹，伸手摸着她的面颊，低声问：“我对你好不好？” “好！”陈么妹笑笑，愣愣地站着，好像生怕自己一动，李涵章就会把手拿开。 “嗯。”李涵章把背篼取下来，抬起陈么妹的手臂套进去，然后转身蹲下说，“让我背你。” “要不得，你不是很累，病了吗？”么妹吓得退后一步。 李涵章回头看着自己的女人说：“我刚才累，和你说一会儿话，就不累了。你让我背你。我背了你，出身汗，病就全好了。” “是不是真的呀？” “你试试嘛。来，到我背上来。” 陈幺妹慢慢地走拢，趴到李涵章背上。李涵章站起来，背起陈么妹往前走。他偏着头，把自己的脸挨在女人的脸上，说：“看你小小的个子，咋这么重？” 陈幺妹咬了一下李涵章的耳垂，骂道：“你以为你轻？” 李涵章听出了这话里的意思，反手从后面紧紧抱住女人，把她贴在自己的背上…… 从阳历年底的反贪污、反浪费、反官僚主义“三反”，到阴历年底的反行贿、反偷税漏税、反盗骗国家财产、反偷工减料、反盗窃经济情报“五反”，这些针对机关和工商业的运动，和李涵章的关系都不大。他身边发生的最大的一件事情，就是来玉当爹、他当干爹了。 腊月二十三，李涵章一早起来，就被陈么妹拉着祭灶神。虽说他们两个平时在家吃饭的时候不多，但贴灶神像、供灶麻糖和灶麦生这些祭灶神的程序还是一个都不敢少。李涵章看到陈么妹拿着一张被叠成长方形的金黄色薄土纸念念有词，蓦然想到两年前的今天，他在金银山的那个山洞里，和周云刚说的那一夜的话。 “……兄弟我就是敬仰你是条汉子，才死心塌地追随你，而不是因为你那些专员、主任、少将的头衔，才对你这么忠心耿耿。说实话，抗战结束后，我就想回重庆乡下老家，置几亩薄田，娶个婆娘，生几个娃，守着爹娘妻儿，安安稳稳地过我小时候就过惯了的日子。哪晓得，奉调到三处后，遇到了你，遇到了一个好长官。接着，蒋委员长开始剿共，这内战，一打就是三年多，我那个'娃娃婆娘三亩田'的小日子梦，也就一直只是梦。唉，这辈子，也不晓得还有没有这个机会了……” 这是周云刚在那个腊月二十三的夜晚，对自己说的“掏心窝子”的话，李涵章至今还记得清清楚楚。这种无数人都在过着的小日子，自己现在也真真切切过上了，但在那时，却是两个人的期盼…… 明天就是周刚的祭日！ 李涵章想着，也走过去，拿起一张金黄色的薄土纸，点燃之后，眯着眼睛，和么妹站在一起，默默地祈祷。看到李涵章神神叨叨的样子，陈幺妹剜了他一眼，推了他一下说：“送灶爷哪是男人干的事儿？你搅和啥子？没有当爹的人，一辈子长不大！” 李涵章被她这一推，才觉得自己失态了，忙掩饰说：“你刚才在干啥？不是求子吧？” 陈幺妹红着脸点燃手里的纸，骂道：“这是请灶书。你以为灶神是送子观音呀？” 李涵章不吭声，转过身去，抹了一把几乎涌出眼眶的泪。眼看着陈幺妹把灶神伺候走了，他又问：“我们今天还要做啥？” “李大妈算了日子，说嫂子就在这几天生，我们早点过去吧。” 两人到了李家，在门口遇到来玉。李涵章问他：“你这是要去哪里？” 来玉看着陈么妹说：“我正要去接么妹。你嫂子疼得哭天抢地，我不晓得咋办。” “疼啊？那是要生了，你不去找医生，找我做啥？”陈么妹一边往铁匠铺和茶馆中间的甬道走，一边问。 来玉跟在后面说：“你平时和她耍得好，你在她身边，我就放心了。” 李涵章在旁边听着，想起素芬生可贞的时候，虽说住在医院里，却正碰上日机频繁轰炸重庆，只要警报一响，医生护士就要带着病人往防空洞跑，病人多、医护人员少，哪能照顾得过来？就算有家人陪着，逃跑的时候也极容易被仓皇的人流冲散。李涵章那时候是中统局专员，因为不久前刚发生了“大隧道惨案”，正陪着上司在防空现场视察。眼看着成百上千的人一边哀嚎一边奔跑，房屋像烂透的南瓜那样垮得没了形状，枯焦的树枝上挂着满是血污的破衣烂衫、断胳膊断腿，忙于疏散灾民的李涵章完全忘记了在医院待产的妻子，直到警报解除，其它人都累得立刻找地方吃饭睡觉，唯有他，急忙往医院赶，生怕父母和妻子在跑防空洞的时候失散，生怕儿子早不出生晚不出生，非要在这个时候出生…… 三个人走到来玉的卧房门前，看见李大爷和来宝早在门外守着了，正想问问有没有请医生，就听里面传来“哇”的一声啼哭，然后就听到李大妈在门帘里喊了一声：“老头子，你当爷爷了，你有孙子了！” 来玉脚一软，靠在了李涵章身上。 “嫂子啥样子？”陈么妹问着，一掀帘子，进屋去了。一会儿，她探出来说，“来玉哥，母子都好，你放心哦。” 几个男人这才回到堂屋，边烤火边吃点心，喝茶。 李大爷对李涵章说：“昨天半晚上就开始吆喝，一直疼，生不下来。你们一来就生下来了……看来，这个娃娃和你们夫妻两个有缘，你当他干爹吧。” 李涵章看看来玉。来玉说：“我没有话说，爹看着好就好。” 来宝也说：“张大哥，你和么妹都跟我们家有缘。” 李涵章只好答应了，搓着手说：“我和幺妹准备了一份薄礼，只是今天没带上……” “说这些见外的话做啥？”李大爷抽口旱烟，想了想，认真地说，“你是娃娃的干爹，给娃娃取个名字吧。” “我？我给娃娃取名字？”李涵章从椅子上站起来，红着脸问李大爷。 “正巧也是你逢生，该你给娃娃取名字。”李大爷用烟锅子示意李涵章坐下，然后说，“你虽说没有读过书，但是走的路远，也是有见识的人。” 李涵章看看李大爷，又看看来玉和来宝，问：“真的要我来取名字呀？” 三个人都点点头。来宝说：“其实，从知道嫂子怀孕那天起，我就在爹妈面前说起过这件事情。但老辈子人迷信，不准先给娃娃取名字，怕不吉利。” 李涵章心里想，他们每个人肯定都已经在心里给娃娃想了名字，我说一个凑热闹。只是，取个什么名字好呢？他问李大爷：“娃娃是啥字牌？” “新社会了，不搞那些封建迷信，不讲字牌。”没等李大爷开腔，来宝抢着说，“这是个态度问题。” “可惜我拿钱送你上学哦！”李大爷在桌子腿上磕着烟锅子，对李涵章说，“新社会新气象，只要姓李就行。” “叫李可贞好不好？”李涵章脱口说。但说完他就后悔了：李家的人怎么会同意给娃娃取这么个名字呢？自己怕是想儿子想疯了！ “听起好顺耳，是哪两个字？”李大爷问。 李涵章愣了一下，忙想起了自己是不识字的小商贩，就说：“不晓得，我只是觉得这个名字喊起好听。” 来宝大笑着说：“珂珍。好！这两个字的本意都是玉，一听就晓得是我哥哥来玉的儿子。而且，谐音可贞、可真，意思都很好。” 来玉望着弟弟，问：“你叽里咕噜说半天，我一个字都没听明白。” “来宝，你把那两个字写下来，我去找个先生看看。”李大爷像是听出了一点儿名堂，对小儿子说。 “看啥嘛？那些算命子都是哄人的！”来宝虽说不同意老爹把名字拿给算命子看，但还是从口袋里拿出随身带着的小本子和笔，把两个字写出来，传给大家看。 李大爷读过两年私塾，认得几个字，看了看，说：“好！” 来玉没有读过书，看了看，只说：“硬是好！” 李涵章假装没有看明白，说：“这么多笔画啊？只苦了娃娃回头上学写名字哦。” 几个人于是大笑。 当天晚上，李涵章和陈么妹没有回花房子，就住在么妹以前住的那间屋里。半晚上，么妹把事情收拾完了回到房间，看到李涵章捂在铺盖窝窝里还没睡，问他：“咋还没睡？” “高兴。” 幺妹脱了衣裳钻进被窝，把李涵章往里面挤了挤，说：“人家当爹，你高兴得睡不着？” “我当干爹嘛，一样的。”幺妹身上冰冷，李涵章一把将她揽进自己怀里。 “是哦，这下真的不一样了。我们原先就准备了一些鸡蛋啊、小衣裳啊，礼太轻。要不，我们去城里给娃娃换个长命锁吧。”么妹举起左手说，“这个镯子够了。” “你真的舍得你妈妈给你的镯子吗？”李涵章问。 “有啥舍不得啊？我听人说过，女人结了婚要是几年都不开怀，就可以抱养一个干儿子。对干儿子好，老天爷看见了，她就会怀上。”陈么妹蜷在李涵章怀里说，“办满月酒的那天就要送礼，最好是在年前把银锁拿回来。你明天就去，选好看的，要是银匠嫌我的镯子轻，你就再带点钱……” “好的，好的，我明天就去古城。”李涵章把女人紧紧抱在怀里，恨不得把她按进身体里，让她变成自己的一根骨头。