Chapter 14 Section Fourteen

The fourth sister had a cloth towel wrapped around her head to prevent the wallwashing water from splashing on her hair, but her body and cheeks were already covered with white mud made of white clay. She was standing on a table with a pot of white clay on it. For the slurry, use a short-handled millet broom to dip it in the slurry, and then brush it on the wall.The painted and dried loess mud has been painted on the wall, showing a ray of elegant white, and there seems to be an imperceptible ray of very light green in the white, making it even more elegant. "Jianfeng! Add some syrup to the basin."

She stood on the table and watched Jianfeng shouting on the steps outside the door. He was building a pot there. Hearing her cry, she put down the trowel, rubbed her muddy hands, and walked in the door.He said with a little displeasure: "Look, I'm busy too. You get off the table, add slurry, and then go up to brush, so that I won't stop if you stop." She squinted at him: "Don't you know? Is it convenient for me to go up and down?" He looked at her belly, shrunk his neck, smiled happily, and scooped the syrup out of the iron bucket and poured it into the basin on the table.

"Tie the scarf tight for me," she said, squatting down. Jianfeng turned around again, and clumsily pulled off her turban, tied it, and she shouted again that it was too tight.He smiled and let her relax again.He asked: "Is there anything else?" Then he lowered his voice and asked teasingly: "Is the belt loose? Do you want me to tie it for you?" After finishing speaking, he lovingly wrapped around Simeizi's waist She pinched it, then stretched out her hand to touch her face. The fourth sister did not refuse, and suddenly exclaimed: "Your father is here!"

Jianfeng immediately withdrew his hand.Seeing his embarrassing expression, Fourth Sister giggled and said teasingly, "The old man can't control us now!" She dipped the millet broom into white starch water and spread it on the wall. The fourth sister figured out the whole story of the separation last night. The old father-in-law invited the mediation committee members and team captains of the brigade as official representatives; and according to the clan rules, he invited the elders of the clan and the mother-in-law's natal brother-Jianfeng's third uncle. People together to rule on the major matters of this family that is about to fall apart.According to the established village rules, the parents must invite cadres and elders when the family is separated.

Within the family, the father-in-law only allowed the three sons to attend, and the three sisters-in-law were not even eligible to attend.From the old man's point of view, the division of the family is a matter between the father and son of the Lu family, whether it is discussed or noisy, in short, they are raised by one mother, and it is always better for him to control them.After all, the sisters-in-law are people with different surnames, and there is no common nipple to connect them!They should not be allowed to talk too much and argue more than argue. In front of cadres, elders, and uncles, Lu Laoba did not show a trace of frustration or resentment on the outside, but had a pleasant face, humbly giving cigarettes and tea to the guests, as if inviting them to congratulate the Lu family on some happy event.When he raised the matter of family separation, he did not sigh like ordinary peasants, full of sorrow. He stated all the family conflicts at the beginning, explaining that separation was inevitable, and he always blamed his son for being unfilial and his wife for being unvirtuous.Lv Laoba smiled brightly, was shrewd and sophisticated, and kept silent about his son and daughter-in-law. Instead, he praised the eldest daughter-in-law, the second daughter-in-law, and even the third daughter-in-law he hated. The reason is all attributed to "I am old and want to live a quiet life for a few days", come from above.This is a wonderfully neutral ground that doesn't hurt anyone.The old man said sincerely and plainly: "Everyone! There are more than a dozen people in my family now! It's not easy for a dozen people to have a family! Ah! I'm already sixty years old. It's really hard for me to take care of such a big housework. I can’t work it out! My memory is slow! For example, I went to the street the day before yesterday, and I kept talking about the quilt I bought for my second daughter-in-law and brother’s wedding. Once I entered the street, I walked around the pig market, carrying This little piggy is back, and he has completely forgotten the quilt...Look, how can he be so forgetful..."

The old man said it emotionally, hiding the real reason for wanting to separate from the bottom of his heart. The three sons, no matter what they thought in their hearts, were unanimously opposed to the separation of the family on the surface. They all blamed themselves for not fulfilling their due family responsibilities, and for not disciplining their wives and children well. They made their dear parents worry too much. The mediation committee member of the brigade and the captain of the small team inadvertently glanced at each other, and their eyes exchanged such meanings: the father and son are so harmonious, and the brothers are so reasonable, as if we came here deliberately to break up the family...

The uncle with only three sons dared to face the reality. He had long been impatient with the hypocrisy of his brother-in-law and nephews, and interjected: "Don't say anything, just talk about how to divide the family!" He turned his head and said to Lu Lao Ba said, "Brother, you speak out your thoughts. If it suits you, do it that way! If it doesn't suit you, discuss it later. Let's talk!" The frugal old man had already planned a plan to divide the family.In fact, it is the simplest thing to divide the family nowadays. There is no land, only houses, and the grain stored by the family is several buckets, which is meaningless.The key lies in the support of the elderly, which must be put into practice.After many days of repeated thinking, he finally brought out the plan that had been revised and deliberated countless times from his heart——

"Our family has three upper rooms and four mansions. There are three of you brothers, so it is supposed to be divided into three parts. I told your mother several times, and your mother said, 'The three children are good children, and the three daughters-in-law They are both good daughters-in-law, and we old people can't lose us with either one.' But no matter which one you follow, it will increase the burden. So, we two simply don't follow anyone. When the two old people can do active work, I don't want you to wait. I thought, your mother is right! In this way, we have to divide it into four families for the time being. How is the division method? Three upper rooms, one light and two dark, the actual open room is a corridor, and no one can live in the bunk The two big houses belong to me and your mother, and they will be given to the third child to build a peak. What about the four mansions? What if you can’t live? Boss and second, each of you prepares materials for a building for the third, and asks the team of the third dynasty to apply for a piece of Xinzhuang base and build two buildings. Your mother and I will only eat the other when we are alive. Do, when you die, the boss and the second will be responsible for the funeral. The boss will take care of me, and the second will take care of your mother. After your mother and I pass away, these three rooms will be used for you, and you will each have one and a half rooms. This is a compensation for your burial. Fee, coffin money..."

The old man's voice trembled and he couldn't continue... After listening to Jianfeng's words, Fourth Sister didn't care much about the ending.She could see that when Jianfeng narrated all this, besides telling her the process and results of the separation, he also had another important purpose, which was to sincerely explain and persuade her to accept the results.He said: "A good son is not in the family, and a good girl is not in the dowry. It is all earned by myself! You can't rely on the old man..." The fourth sister just wanted to know the situation of the division of the family, but did not pay much attention to the result.She sneered and said, "Even if our father is eccentric and gives us all three upper rooms and four mansions, what can we do? What kind of good houses are those houses! You don’t even like it!” Jianfeng stared in surprise when he heard this.

"You go and tell our dad later that we don't want the upper room (open room) that was allocated to us, and we don't want the eldest brother and the second brother to prepare materials for us." The fourth sister stared at Jianfeng and said.Jianfeng frowned, and it became tighter and tighter.She said, "Let's build it ourselves. The most important thing is that we should immediately write an application to the team, requesting that we allocate a new foundation for a hospital." "Where's the money?" Jianfeng opened his eyes wide. The fourth sister climbed onto the kang, opened the box, took out a thick stack of RMB, and threw it into Jianfeng's arms: "I was criticized and fought, and I got this money..."

Jianfeng held the money, but didn't twist his fingers to count it. He looked at it for a long time, and tears welled up.His wife, his daughter-in-law, his fourth younger sister, behind the backs of the public family members, the old man and his brother-in-law in his own house, and even himself, sold eggs from dawn to dusk like thieves, and saved up so much money!Not only did he never love her, but he also reprimanded her coldly, fearing that she would bring disaster to his family... Now, he was holding this stack of big and small bills, his hands were trembling, and his heart was trembling.He suddenly hugged the fourth sister who had just climbed off the kang into his arms, and wept against her face. The fourth sister got up early in the morning and walked into the fourth aunt's house.Four aunts, three daughters and one son, the daughter is married, the son has finished college, falls in love with the next female classmate, and lives at home in Xi'an.The fourth aunt lived in Xi'an for less than a month, and came back to Lujiabao, saying that she lived in the city, and the most difficult thing was to poop, and she couldn't squat in the small toilet in that house... Fourth aunt lived alone There is a courtyard room, and two mansions are vacant.As soon as she opened her mouth, the fourth aunt agreed, and slapped the fourth sister affectionately, saying that she was too small to pay the rent, and the fourth aunt said that it was rare for her to come to live, and she could gossip if she had a companion . She immediately cleaned the house and ordered Jianfeng to build a pot.When she and Jianfeng were busy until dark, all the belongings were moved from the old house to the shabby house of the fourth aunt's house in the west of the village.After everything was settled, she finally tidied up the surface of the kang, spread out reed mats, mattresses and sheets, and she was going to stay here tonight.Here, far away from the old father-in-law with strict family laws, she can talk to Jianfeng, whisper sweetly, laugh, and sing, without worrying about her old father-in-law's reprimand.She felt liberated from the bottom of her heart. She lit the wheat straw under his new stove, which produced a puff of yellow smoke.The bellows were temporarily borrowed, and so was the pot.She gently pulled the bellows, feeling extremely comfortable.She never pulled the bellows in her hometown in northern Shaanxi, where there are all suction stoves.She pulled the bellows under her father-in-law's eyelids, and she was always nervous.Now, she was pulling the bellows leisurely, the flames flickered, and for the first time she felt proud of being a housewife.Jianfeng squatted in front of the pot, looked at the front, stood up and looked at the back, and asked her if the blowing was smooth.She didn't speak, but only answered him with her eyes, charming and tender: very good!Everything is great! She warmed a pot of water, scooped up a basin, and asked him to wash his body.Sitting on a low stool, he smoked a cigarette and said, "I'm exhausted, let's take a rest first. You can wash first! Look, fourth sister, you've been smeared like a stove queen!" She closed the door and separated herself from her fourth aunt, who had the habit of going to bed early and getting up early, so she had already gone to bed.She took off her blouse and trousers, and in the light of the electric light, she took off all her clothes and began to wash happily in the sink. "Turn around and wash at me," Jianfeng said. She still turned her back to him and said, "Aren't you afraid of offending... your father's family law?" One sentence was too strong for Jianfeng to speak. She rubbed and washed her body vigorously, and her breasts, which had become visibly swollen, trembled.She heard Jianfeng's footsteps walking behind her.He said flatteringly, "I'll wipe your back..." "You are not afraid of offending your father's family law..." "Stop saying those words again!" She heard a growl.She was pinched by his shoulders with his hands as hard as iron tongs.He turned her sharply around.She saw his face turned from embarrassment into anger.She was intimidated.After thinking about it for a while, she was delighted again. She had never seen such a fierce look on him, but he looked like a fierce man! "Don't say any more..." He looked closely into her eyes, still fierce.She realized that her teasing words several times had annoyed him.She instantly became lingering and gentle, pursing her lips coquettishly, with a confession that was not sincerely mocking him, she kissed his flushed face, put the towel into his hand, and whispered Said: "It's so fierce to wipe someone's back! My third brother..." The warm summer night wind blows the leaves of the sycamore trees in the courtyard of my aunt's house, making a crackling sound, and the grasshoppers on the cliff behind the house squeak.The freshly painted white clay slurry in the room exudes a faint earthy smell. "Fourth sister, don't say those words anymore..." "Ok……"