Chapter 13 Chapter 01 Memories of the Countryside

Anna is afraid of autumn.Among the festivals throughout the year, the last thing Anna wants to celebrate is the Mid-Autumn Festival.Every year when college starts, Anna is restless.She would often look through the calendar and ask Wang Gui, when is August 15th this year?Or ask, is this year a new year?Otherwise, when will the country people come?I don't know how the harvest will be this year, are the pears sweet? It's not that Anna has a special liking for pears, on the contrary, she gets a headache whenever she sees pears. When Anna first met Wang Gui, she heard Wang Gui say that his hometown is full of pear trees, stretching for more than ten miles, and the pear blossoms are like snow in spring. "The land is as soft as stepping on the clouds, and the branches of the garden stretch freely. When the pear fruit hangs on the branches, the plump fruit sways in the wind, accidentally falls to the ground, and shatters. The juice is honey It must attract swarms of fruit flies, and the fragrance will be ten miles away." This is the pastoral scene that Anna portrayed in her mind after listening to Wang Gui's story of playing in the pear orchard when she was a child, which is extremely poetic.

But when Anna went to the countryside with Wang Gui to meet her in-laws for the first time, and pestered Wang Gui to take her to see the Liyuan, Anna was disappointed.She said that the gap between ideal and reality is equal to the distance between her and Wang Gui.Perhaps it is because of the winter that the pear orchard is particularly in decline.The pear tree is thick enough, the trunk is only as tall as a person, and the branches stretch out like an umbrella, but unfortunately there is not even a leaf on it.What's even more disturbing is that it happened to be the time of retting, and there was cow dung and pig manure all over the ground, so you have to be very careful with your feet.

It's not that Anna has never been to the countryside, but there is a difference between rich and poor in rural areas.The place where Anna went to the countryside can be regarded as a rural area in the south of the Yangtze River. The water and soil are good. Although it is not as good as the city, it is also beautiful.The life is very hard, but the villagers prefer to be clean.Before going to Wang Gui's hometown, Anna thought the countryside was the worst. When she arrived at Wang Gui's house, she realized that there was a world of difference in the countryside.Anna and Wang Gui went back to visit their in-laws on the first Spring Festival after their marriage.I wasn't there then!The slow train is stop-and-go, the carriage is crowded, and there is a pole-carrying chicken coop on the head, which is very refreshing, so don’t accidentally call the chicken shit on your head.People fill the aisles like sardine cans, and there are people lying under the long booths so that you can't shrink your legs.It is only a dozen steps from the seat to the toilet, and it takes half an hour to move there.If you feel the urge to urinate, you have to get up quickly, otherwise it will inevitably be embarrassing.There was an impenetrable sour smell in the carriage, which made Anna suffocate.Although it was freezing and snowy outside, Anna still had to open the car window and put her head outside to breathe.When we arrived at the county seat, the train was five hours late.Then turn to the small pump pump, which is a passenger tractor, with benches on both sides of the rear compartment, and a space in the middle where people stack people.Although the canvas of the roof was riddled with holes and the door was open at the back of the carriage, it was not cold in the carriage.

When they arrived in Xiaoji Town, Anna jumped off the pump truck and saw Wang Gui rushing towards two men with red noses pushing bicycles. He introduced to Anna, "This is my brother. Big brother, second brother." Anna sat in the back of Wang Gui's car, her buttocks hurting, watching Wang Gui twist and turn on the handlebars and meander along the country road.Surrounded by a pitch-black night sky, there are not even a single star, and if you look around, you can't see any will-o'-the-wisps.Anna was very scared. Although her two younger brothers were leading the way, she was still afraid that Wang Gui would miss the field and accidentally fall into the field.The cars are getting smaller and smaller, and the people are becoming less and less.

Anna heard Wang Gui yell "here we are", and jumped off the 28 heavy-duty truck.The car was parked in front of two rows of thatched houses, one horizontal, one vertical, and one vertical. The room directly opposite was lit with oil lamps, and a nest of children was crowded on the kang.Anna felt very sad, and immediately realized that this was a money pit that could not be filled. When they entered the door, the whole family was waiting for them to eat. Under the dim kerosene lamp, the dirty children had already fallen asleep on their stomachs.When Wang Gui's parents saw that Wang Gui came back with Anna, they hurriedly woke up the litter of children. The mother-in-law introduced one by one, this is the fifth child, and this is the sixth child. .At that time, Lao Ba, the youngest, was not as tall as Kang Yan.

The meal was carefully prepared, and according to my mother-in-law, I went to Jishang to cut a piece of meat.But Anna didn't find any trace of meat at all, only cabbage sticks and lumps of twisted vermicelli, a lot of Chinese prickly ash was added, and a handful of dried chilies.The younger brothers and sisters ate very deliciously, and Wang Gui was equally devoted, and he picked up a big bowl into his stomach in two or three strokes.There was no voice in the room, but only the snoring of fans was heard as if entering a pigsty.Anna picked up the chopsticks, one short and one long.She took out the handkerchief in her pocket and wiped it, then tasted it, it was so astringent, spicy and salty, it was hard to swallow.Although Anna had been hungry all day and hadn't eaten, she decided to just stay hungry.When Wang Gui got up to fill another bowl, she quickly poured out what was in her own bowl to Wang Gui.

Anna is also not used to going to the toilet.There is no toilet here. The so-called toilet is a loose fence built with dead branches at the end of the house. When the wind blows, it wobbles, as if it will fall head-on.After entering, the female comrades hang their belts on the fence to show that there are people.Anna had always lamented that she was used to living a hard life.There are no toilets in the Jiangnan countryside, so they dig a hole in the ground, put it in a thick porcelain jar, fill it up and pull it up to use fertilizer.But here is to go into the fence and find a place where there is no shit where you can set your feet and solve the problem.Anna couldn't stand the freehand-like strands of gold blooming inside, as well as the big bluebottles who were unyielding in digging gold despite the severe winter.The flies are like luxury helicopters, standing still and staring at you presumptuously in front of you, making ear-piercing roars.This kind of close gaze made Anna terrified, wondering which fly would crawl up on the gold on a whim, and then stay on her face for a while.The rich associations made Anna uncontrollably sick.It was the first time to go to the bathroom, although Anna was mentally prepared, she couldn't help but turned around and ran to pull Wang Gui's sleeve, her brows knit together.Wang Gui entered the fence without saying a word, took a shovel left and right and threw it into the dung pit behind the fence, and then went outside to dig some frozen soil to cover the toilet.The proficiency of the movements is not at all like that of a university teacher.Anna lived in the country for only four days.After having the terrible experience of going to the toilet for the first time, Anna used the small universe of her body to the limit, fought against her body with strong perseverance, and never went to this earthen toilet again. Well, after returning to the city with a stomach full of dirty things Solution, the side effect is to hold back small acne.It was only a few days ago that Anna realized that humans, like camels, have the innate ability to endure, and can live for several days without eating, drinking or pulling.From then on, Anna often suffered from constipation, and complained that Wang Gui was the root cause of her illness when she returned home.

When Anna was on the kang at night, she couldn't sleep.She lay down without taking off her coat, but even so, she was covered in flea bites.The lingering pain, which was itchy and painful but unable to be scratched, made Anna believe that fleas were living here.Why not bite Wang Gui next to him but bite Anna?After four days, Wang Gui was at ease like a duck in water, but Anna was much haggard.Dark eye circles, chapped and pale lips, the small face that used to be as white and smooth as a boiled egg has begun to wrinkle, and he leans against the door frame all day long and doesn't speak much, just looking out of the village look up.Originally planned to stay for ten days, Wang Gui looked uncomfortable, so let's talk back!Anna suddenly had the joy of finally being able to get out of prison, so she hurriedly handed over all the money she brought to her in-laws. Together with the biscuits, white rabbit toffee, hard fruit candy, etc., she stayed in the countryside and returned without hesitation.After that, Anna didn't go back for at least ten years, until one year my aunt brought me and my brother back to the countryside to show to my grandparents, Anna was worried and took the initiative to surrender again.

That was my only rural experience.Strange, I should be born to write memoirs, the short life of childhood will be so vividly stored in my mind. When I went there, the horizontal thatched hut had been replaced with a brick and tile house, which was used as a new house for two uncles to marry their wives.And grandparents still live in the same thatched cottage.We went to live with uncle and aunt.At that time, the new aunt had just had a baby, and the diaper she used was very interesting. It was a piece of gauze with yellow mud dug out by the door inside. They called it a diaper.My son Lazard is all on the mud, and when changing, just throw the mud, and there is no need to wash it.Er Duozi really fulfilled Anna's words when he went back that time - live with the sheep.A sheep was tied by his bed.Duoduo is very happy. He eats and plays like crazy every day, and looks fatter than in the city.Anna was very reluctant that my aunt would take us back.Unexpectedly, Aunt Seven was so eloquent that she boasted that her hometown was heaven and earth compared to before.Anna has wanted to reform and open up for so many years. Newspapers and TVs said that the countryside is very good, and they told us to go back and have a look. Anyway, it was a 20-day winter vacation.When leaving, Anna made full preparations based on experience, and even packed straw paper in the big bag and small bag.I was afraid that we would not have enough to eat, so I specially brought snacks such as beef jerky, halva and chocolate; and I was afraid that I would share them with my cousins, so I bought some more.However, when these things arrived in the countryside, they were generously distributed to grandma.She said: "Take them all, take them all away. They haven't eaten anything, and they are tired of eating, you all take it and taste it!" Then she took dried sweet potatoes, sanzi and sugar triangles in exchange.I don't like eating dried yams at all. I looked at the handfuls of snacks that were taken away with a grievance and reluctance on my face, but I didn't dare to resist, and I didn't like the countryside immediately.Er Duozi had a good time eating it. He said that dried sweet potato was better than beef jerky.Anna came to the head of the village after a long journey, and saw that Er Duozi was crawling on top of the old cow by its tail, and couldn't help but say that this is really a country boy, living so comfortably.When it was time to leave, he couldn't pull him away, saying that he liked living in grandma's house and didn't want to go back.I later asked Er Duozi why he liked the countryside and had no food or drink.He said freedom, you can play all day without reading.

Grandma doesn't like me because I look like Anna inside and out.First of all, I kept a distance from the country people. I never opened my mouth to call when I came, and my grandma had to coax and scare me every time.The second is to have a fair face like Anna. In their words, he is as handsome as an actor, which makes grandma feel that I have no temperament of her family.Furthermore, I am a picky eater. After a meal, I can pick out the peppercorns caught in the vermicelli one by one. When I encounter the thick knotted stems of the vermicelli, I have to bite them off and spit them out.Grandma couldn't bear it very much, and said that the pigs were full after a meal, and I haven't finished eating yet.I also have scalp numbness when I go to the toilet, so I only hmm five times during the 20-day stay.Every time I want to er, I go to my aunt to clean it up first.As soon as grandma heard that I was called aunt, she said with a sullen face, fake clean, which one did she eat that was not poured out of dung?Don't pay attention to her, if it doesn't work, tell her to go to Tiantoula in your own house.I was very humiliated. After all, I have grown up and I am already a big girl. How can I pull around with my buttocks naked?In the end, I had to be scolded because of um.So I have never kissed my grandma, and I am afraid every time I see her.One evening, I saw Anna enter the hut unexpectedly with her two sons in her arms. The grievances that had been held back for many days and no one cared about them finally burst out like a flood. It felt like turning over a serf and seeing the People's Liberation Army. Howl!I put my arms around Anna and begged unrelentingly to go home.Grandma's face was very ugly, and she muttered: "Who is bullying you, it hurts so much, and still acts like this. This is an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf." When Anna saw me, her hair was sticking to the ground. Together, they were so dirty that they formed balls, and there was a trail of mud on the back of their hands.Anna said decisively, it's okay for boys to be dirty, but it's okay for girls to get sick. I'll take her to take a bath.My grandma murmured again: "You really raised a charming lady, she is so precious!" Grandma didn't dare to talk about Anna, so she kept talking about me in front of Anna.Anna is very good at watching the scene, knowing that this is grandma's territory, if she argues with grandma, the villagers may scold her to death.Anna never confronted her grandma head-on in the countryside, but she was very assertive: I just ignore what you say, and still do what I think.Anna took out the floral cloths she had brought to her aunts and distributed them one by one, and then asked them to take me to take a bath.

My aunts took me to the nearest town on a three and a half hour bike ride.The bathhouse was crowded with people, full of white meat.The women's bathhouse is the same as the men's bathhouse. It's not a big pool, and it's so crowded that you can't stretch your arms if you want to rub the ashes.As soon as people enter, they burn the mud first.The water in the pond was as thick as paste, but black.I suspect it hasn't been replaced in years.My aunt actually insisted, nonsense, change every two days!I was lamenting that I was so unlucky to catch up with the pool the next day.After going down, I couldn't breathe at all, the smell was too irritating.I have to hold my breath like swimming, then stand in and get warmed, and then come out to rub the mud quickly.As soon as Anna entered the bathhouse, she smelled the near-fatal breath and started to retch. She ordered her aunt to take me to take a bath, and she quickly hid out to catch her breath. After rubbing the mud, each person was given two teapots of water to wash their bodies clean.When I came out after washing, I saw Anna holding a plastic basin in her hand and said, "Go back and use water." My aunt told Anna that when winter came in the countryside, adults and adults did not take a bath, and there was a shortage of water.The water was pumped out of the well, and the sound of water bubbling at the bottom of the well could not be heard for a long time.Only half a tank of water can be collected in one day and one night, and half a basin of mud is also deposited.Use this for food and drink.At that time, I felt that although the villagers were not educated, the procedure of using water was very scientific. First, the clean water on the top was used for cooking and drinking for a day, and then half a tank of water was filled for everyone to wash their faces. "Everyone" means that the whole family uses the half tank of water and does not brush their teeth. Anna didn't care, she stood by the well in the morning and waited for water.The clearest one is left with water at night, although the amount is only enough to wet a small towel.Then he took me and Er Duozi to brush our teeth.Anna didn't force Wang Gui to brush together, knowing that grandma would scold her if she did so.Grandma doesn't scold Anna, but it's okay to scold Wang Gui louder for Anna to hear. Uncles, aunts and aunts all like Anna, probably because Anna looks very elegant, except for ignoring grandma, she is very kind to other brothers and sisters.When Anna was free, she helped her aunts comb their hair and told them to pay attention to hygiene, otherwise they would suffer from gynecological diseases in the future, and they would be in trouble if they could not give birth to children.This kind of scaring is still very effective, especially for those country girls who don't read much and don't know much about science.Every time in the market, Anna saw cheap colorful scarves and headbands and bought them for her aunts. This time when I went to the countryside, Anna stayed for another four days before returning.Anna felt that four days was her limit. Every time Anna came back, she would be very kind to Wang Gui for a while.She felt that Wang Gui was too miserable, having lived in such a poor place for so many years.It was not easy for Wang Gui to sneak into the provincial capital and get a silver job.