Chapter 2 early summer

The season has passed Xiaoman, and it is close to Eargrass. It is noon, the time when the sun is the most poisonous in a day. From the embankment covered by the dense branches and leaves of poplars and willows, there was the blunt and heavy sound of iron knives chopping the wooden boards, bang... bang... bang... In the sound of the knife, there was strength, and it seemed to be full of breath. Accompanied by the sound of chopping, someone is cursing! "Put the shackle on my head... Guisun!" The dark green leaves of poplars and willows swayed gently in the breeze down the river.

This is the old man Feng Er, the manager of the fish pond of Fengjiatan No. 3 team. Readers, you have met an acquaintance once in "The First Knife". The second old man sat on a flat and smooth river rock, and the surface of the stone was soaked purple and greasy with sweat.He grabbed a handful of grass with his left hand and pressed it on the wooden board in front of his feet, and with his right hand held a long, bent knife to chop the grass.Chopped and cursed. The old man scolded his nephew, Feng Baozi, the captain of the third team who took office at the beginning of the year, and the group of cadres who worked with him.They made a contract with old man Feng Er: joint production and pay!If there is no fish in the fish pond... Alas!A contract tied the two old men tightly together! The happy days and months of "Xiong Guanwa" will not be able to pass!The two old men packed up the grass sickles and blades that had been discarded for many years, and carried a big kudzu cage on their shoulders. Since the grass sprouts emerged from the ground, they spent three hours a day digging and cutting on the river beach and along the canal; Go to the fish pond...

The short beard, which was once neatly trimmed, is barren; the hair has grown, and I can't find time to go to the barbershop in the small town across the river to shave it off; it is always a clean gray cotton viscose shirt, shoulders On the back and back, there are circles of dry sweat marks; the front skirt and sleeves are stained with the yellow of the earth and the green juice of the grass. After the grass was chopped, the lips of the second old man were dry from cursing.He took the broken grass into the cage and walked along the river bank towards the fish pond.In the wheat fields that have turned yellow in the river, in the rice fields that have just been planted with new seedlings, in the cotton fields that cannot be covered by green, and on the poplar corridor that leads directly to the village from the river beach, there is no one there.The cuckoo flits over the tops of the poplar trees in the blue sky, leaving an urgent call, cuckoo... cuckoo...

"Wow..." A handful of green grass was thrown out, and those little creatures gathered around the food foil from all directions in the fish pond, picked up a blade of grass, and sank into the water again.The second old man smiled. After spreading the green grass, the two old men squatted by the fish pond, watching the active life in the green water comfortably... "Boys! Do you want to punish me? Give me a favor! When I hold a pile of banknotes in my arms, haha... I'm Feng Erling!" The second old man washed his hands in the water, walked up the embankment, and looked at the road leading to the village. It was time for his daughter Xiaoli to deliver food.In order to guard against those fishermen from the city, he had three meals a day, and his daughter or wife brought the meals to the river beach. His stomach was empty and his limbs were tired. He wanted to take a nap, but he was too hungry to sleep.Who do you want to gossip with? At lunch time, ghosts come to this steaming river beach!

"Second!" Hearing a cry, the two old men turned their heads, and an old man with different surnames and the same generation, Liu Hongyan, came to the front from the embankment behind him.This is a person who specializes in matchmaking, so it must be that the matchmaker is back.He asked Liu Hongyan to "find directions" for his daughter Xiaoli, what happened? "Old man, take out the cigarette pack, your throat is so itchy you can't stand it!" "The matchmaker is so hungry, let's shovel it!" When the two old men met, they laughed and scolded for a while, feeling comfortable.

The second old man handed over the pack of cigarettes, with a half-sarcastic tone, "Who are you going to be a matchmaker for again? How many bowls did you eat?" Liu Hong's eyes widened as if she had never had eyelashes at all, and said in a subdued tone, "The meeting is in the commune." The second old man pursed his lips in disdain, it was very funny, the old matchmaker who went from the East Village to the West Village, what kind of meeting did he have at the commune!What a big load! But Liu Hongyan said proudly: "What kind of marriage agency is established by the commune, and invited me to be a consultant!" The second old man was a little surprised, and hurriedly asked: "Well! Then should I go to work in the commune?"

"Yes." Liu Hong said angrily. "Is it a salary?" "earn." "how much?" "It hasn't been decided yet." Liu Hongyan said, "Call to work first." The two old men looked at each other, their faces were still crooked and soapy, with a few sparse yellow beards on their chins, and those eyes as red as chicken buttocks still had no eyelashes. Such a person was going to work in a commune!And just a few decades ago, Liu Hongyan was still a character who was ridiculed. Although the children's marriages would inevitably ask him for help, when the marriage was completed, people would turn their faces and laugh at Liu Hongyan.Running errands and talking about matchmaking, in the impression of ordinary farmers, should be regarded as the same as drummers. Although every family will inevitably need their help, they cannot be respected by others.Whenever the working group came from the village, Liu Hongyan always kept evasive, but once she was really dragged to the stage to confess: How many gifts were planned?Buy and sell marriage!Such a person actually wants to ride a bicycle, put on a four-pocket uniform, and go in and out of the commune compound as a cadre.The second old man seemed a little uncomfortable in his heart, and became jealous.

"The Secretary of the Youth League Committee insisted that I go, if I don't go, I won't succeed!" Liu Hongyan boasted.The second old man laughed and said sarcastically, "The gnat has turned into a dragon!" "If you change, you will change!" Liu Hongyan said, "I didn't expect..." The second old man was no longer interested in teasing Liu Hongyan, and asked sincerely: "The matter that my brother entrusted you..." "What's the matter?" Red Eyes stared. "What about our little Li..." "Oh... oh..." Liu Hongyan raised her head and sighed loudly, "That thing... can't be done!"

"What's wrong?" The second old man hurriedly asked, "Is there no suitable family?" "There are many suitable people." Liu Hongyan also became serious, "The problem—it can't be solved!" "If I tell you it can be done, it can be done!" The second old man knew in his heart that some people in the village were talking about what happened to Xiaoli and Niuwa!It was precisely because of these gossips that the second old man entrusted Liu Hongyan to find a suitable partner for his daughter as soon as possible so as to set the record straight.Unexpectedly, Liu Hongyan actually listened to the rumors and did not do anything for him at all.He said rightly: "You can do it yourself! Don't listen to gossip!"

"I'm afraid it's not gossip!" Liu Hongyan asked tentatively. "It's not gossip or the truth, it doesn't work! No way!" The second old man got angry, "You do as I entrust you!" "Then...isn't it good?" Liu Hongyan was a little embarrassed, "If the marriage is not going well, the parents arrange it. The first thing is that the children are willing... Besides, I am now... a public official... I have to follow the policy..." "Dog! What kind of cadre! I recognize you, you are Liu Hongyan!" The two old men became irritable, and they didn't take the old staff of the marriage agency that was about to be established seriously. Speaking of policy..."

"Hey hey hey hey..." Hongyan was not angry, but just laughed along with her. "Are you listening? Do it! Hurry up!" "Hey hey hey hey..." "What are you laughing at?" The second old man held on tightly, "Do it!" "Look, he's here—" Liu Hongyan stood up, pointing at the river beach. The second old man turned his head and saw that Niuwa was walking across the river. "I'll only dare to do it if you get his consent!" Liu Hongyan turned around and stuck out her tongue, "If I do what you say, it's no wonder that cold guy doesn't beat me to death!" After saying that, With red eyes fluttering slyly, he walked lightly and walked away. What does a cow baby do?What qualifications do you have to be the son-in-law of the second old man?The second old man glanced at the river beach, Grandma Niu had already waded through the river, wearing a straw hat, bending over to wash his feet and put on shoes... Just because of his two dilapidated small buildings that cannot be repaired?Apart from his amazing appetite, what other strengths does he have?The second old man thought contemptuously, you, Feng Niuwa, have been introduced to many people. When people come to meet, look at your two shabby buildings, and they don’t even grab chopsticks... Anyway, no girl is willing to learn three ways. The girl digs and raises shepherd's purse with you to live!You asked someone to buy a "mountain girl" from the mountains, spent more than a thousand yuan, and the debt was not paid off, but the daughter-in-law ran away without a trace... In the mind of the second old man, there are only serious political flaws (such as ingredients), physical defects (such as lameness), and those who have to buy from the mountainous areas speak foreign accents, how dare such people look at the few households living in Fengjiatan? What about the daughter of the soft-hearted old man Feng Er?Too much! On the wide sandy beach, the gold dust glistened in the sun, and Niuwa came hurriedly, carrying a bamboo cage and striding forward. The two old men turned their backs, moved to the dense bush of Amorpha fruticosa, and hid themselves...Niuboy, a guy who is in a hurry to be a bachelor, always has two wrinkled bumps on the bridge of his nose, and speaks awkwardly Stubborn, unexpectedly came to the river beach a few times with nothing to do, and asked with a smile: "Uncle, can you hold on alone? Do you want to send you a helper?" "Uncle! Don't just try to save feed and mow the grass vigorously! The bran that should be paid is still the essential..." Hearing these caring and considerate words at that time, the second old man felt very comfortable!He once wondered that once the young man who seemed so cold and recalcitrant had shouldered the heavy burden entrusted by everyone, he gained strength, obviously overcame his own weakness, spoke kindly, and made people listen to him... Now, the second old man sneered: "Sexy love!"It's all about being courteous and coquettish to the two old men!I want to talk to Xiaoli in my heart... "Uncle hey—" The expected moaning cries finally came, and the two old men stood up from under the soft branches of Amorpha fruticosa, tensed their faces indifferently, and watched vigilantly at the young deputy captain standing next to the amorpha bush. , that fawning look, disgusting! "Aha! The joint production contract has been contracted, and everyone is staring at the crops in their own fields. The livestock is sick, and there is no one to fetch medicine!" Niuwa said, and put the bamboo cage on his arm on the ground. Inside was a stack of neatly bundled paper packages of traditional Chinese medicine for livestock. Sex!The second old man frowned disdainfully, did you come all this way just to tell me about the medicine you gave to the livestock?It doesn't matter whether others want to hear it or not! "Eat persimmons—here!" Niu Wa took out two or three bright red tomatoes from the bamboo cage, and sincerely handed them to the chest of the second old man. "No, no, no——" the dry throat of the second old man had already been prodded by the tempting tomato, but he refused.If it was normal, why would someone ask for it, it would have been long ago to reach out and grab it.The second old man still had a straight face, forcibly controlled his greed, and said, "No!" Only then did Niu Wa realize the unusual indifference on the old uncle's face, and his hand holding Tomato froze.It's not good to put it back in the cage; it's not good to hold it all the time.Sincere courteousness, met with wary refusal, the straightforward young man bent down in embarrassment, put three tomatoes on a clean river stone, turned around and left, hey! "Give him some color, and give up as soon as possible!" The second old man firmly believed that the way of handling this matter was not excessive, so as to save trouble in the future, "Wait!" He grabbed three tomatoes, walked two steps quickly, and stuffed them into the cow baby's bamboo cage. Niu Wa looked at him in embarrassment, but didn't speak. "I want to ask you something." The second old man stood in front of Niu Wa, "Is the contract going to change?" "Who do you listen to?" Niu Wa was stunned and asked. "You don't care who said it, you just say, is there such a thing?" "No!" Niu Wa denied loudly, and smiled in relief.Now he understands the reason why the old uncle is indifferent to him. He thinks that the old man is afraid that the cadres will change their minds about the contract, and the fish he has painstakingly raised will not get any benefits (in fact, he is thinking of Chaer again), so he freely promises, "It's just a rumour. .” "My temper—" said the old man with a stern voice, "If you say what you say, if you sign a contract, you must do it according to the contract! If you say it can't be done, you can't do it!" In fact, as early as a week ago, he heard that someone wanted to overturn the contract signed at the beginning of the year. He asked the captain Leopard, and Leopard had already given him an affirmative answer. Now Huang wanted to overturn the contract, but Leopard didn't even pay any attention.The matter that had already been made clear was brought up in front of Niu Wa again. He wanted to take advantage of this matter to touch on Niu Wa and Xiaoli's marriage.Listen to the tone: If I say it can't be done, it can't be done... "Don't listen to other people's fuss!" Niu Wa ignored it and continued to explain, "I forgot to tell you something, you sleep on the river beach every night to guard the fish pond, and the team committee decided to add a second division of work to you every night. When the original contract was signed, I didn't expect someone to steal it at night..." Is this flirting?Add two divisions of work every night, the team committee decides!The second old man's heart trembled suddenly, and he closed his mouth.When recording work points at the end of the year in previous years, how many people rolled their eyes at the manager of the fish pond and said "pension work points!" He pretended not to hear.Now, this is the first time I have experienced the strange feeling of being cared and respected by others.The person who never stumbles with his tongue is now dumb and speechless... "What a good persimmon!" As soon as the old man raised his head, his daughter Xiaoli was already standing in front of her. She generously took out a tomato from Niuwa's bamboo cage, wiped it on the skirt of her shirt, took a bite with a smile, and bent down to put down the rice jar. "Uh—" The second old man was disgusted!Glancing at her daughter, she was squatting on the ground, scooping noodles from a porcelain pot into a bowl. "Brother Niuwa! Eat a bowl of noodles!" The daughter gave way. "No—" Niuwa said to Xiaoli with a smile, then glanced at the second old man with crooked nose and grinning eyes, restrained his smile, turned and left. "Wait!" Xiaoli yelled, "I'm done scooping up the rice, let's go back together!" Niu Wa stopped and turned around hesitantly. "You—don't worry!" The second old man said to his daughter angrily, "I have something to say to you!" Looking at the back of Niuwa going away in the golden wheat field, Xiaoli looked displeased and asked, "What's the matter? Tell me." snort!Want to walk shoulder to shoulder with Niu Wa on the road?Don't be shy!The second old man glanced at his daughter's expression and raised his beard: "I... ask you a word!" Xiaoli glanced at him alertly, but pretended to be calm: "What are you talking about? Tell me." The second old man wants to ask: You and Niuwa... how can you ask this question?It should be a matter for the woman's mother to ask.He picked up the bowl and finally swallowed the words that had rushed to the tip of his tongue into his stomach along with the noodles.In the distance, on the Baiyang corridor, the white shirt worn by Niuwa became more and more blurred in the yellow sea of ​​wheat. "Dad, the brick yard is going out of the kiln today, and I'm still busy!" Xiaoli said, "Speak up if you have something to say, I have to go to work." The daughter's floral blouse was stained with new brick-red powder, and her hair was also covered in dust. The brick kiln in the team fired the first batch of products.He couldn't delay his daughter's going to work: "You..." His mouth was wide open, unable to speak. "What am I doing?" "you……" "What the hell am I doing?" "Did you... hear people talking... gossip?" "I heard that." Xiaoli said bluntly, "I don't care." "How can you ignore it?" The second old man was dissatisfied, "What's your idea?" "I have my own ideas." Xiaoli said, "I don't have time to listen to gossip." What is the daughter's idea?The second old man said sincerely: "Xiao Li, you are not young anymore. Your red-eyed uncle will let you see a family in the vegetable area on the edge of the city..." "I don't want him to worry about it!" Xiaoli was really neat and unambiguous, "I don't have time to think about it!" All of a sudden, the detection of the second old man was confirmed, and the anger burst from the bottom of my heart: "What is your idea?" "I haven't figured it out yet!" Xiao Li didn't reveal it. "Don't coax me!" There was no one else in the river beach during the lunch break, and the two old men spoke loudly, not afraid of being heard, "You say...why are you...washing clothes for Niuba..." Xiao Li's face turned slightly red, and there was a look of resentment against her father in her eyes. She concealed and said, "I have washed several people in the brick yard, and it's not just for... him!" He heard more gossip, some said that Niuwa and Xiaoli were settling accounts in the brickyard office, and their heads were about to touch each other.Some said that Xiaoli and Niuwa had already negotiated that in three years, Fengjiatan's third team would be overthrown and a new house built.Wait until Brother Leopard finds a partner, and then hold a wedding together... Not to mention the bitter words, the old man can't bear to think about it.He picked and picked, and came up with the facts about washing clothes.Unexpectedly, Xiaoli's words rushed seamlessly. "Anyway... Anyway..." The second old man summed it up in a general way, "No way!" "Dad, if you have nothing else to do, I'll go to work." Xiao Li stood up, "It's time to cut the wheat, and the brick yard is working overtime. The bricks will be finished tomorrow, and there will be another brick kiln in a hurry!" The two old men looked at their daughter angrily. After the daughter finished speaking, she walked briskly across the river embankment, turned onto the poplar corridor, and was submerged in the yellow wheat field. Following their daughter's heels, the two old men rushed back to the village from the river beach and walked straight into the yard of their nephew Leopard. The leopard sits on a stone pier in the courtyard, with the dense branches and leaves of the walnut tree and numerous green fruits on top of his head.The second old man noticed that his nephew had become thinner and darker, and the yellow cloth shirt he wore back from the army was covered with red powder, black ink smoke, and sweat. "Second Dad." Leopard held the big old bowl, and with the sound of noodles rolling into his throat on the chopsticks, he stood up and greeted the elders. "I heard that the kiln bricks are of good quality." The second old man asked.My nephew is in charge of the construction and production of the brick yard with one hand, and the first brick kiln has been fired, and my second father is also happy. "It's in good condition!" Leopard said lightly, "What's the matter with you?" The second old man sat down, with a heavy expression on his face, brought up the matter of Xiaoli and Niuwa, and asked, "Did you hear that?" "I heard it, I didn't care about it." Leopard said lightly. "How can you ignore it! Xiaoli is your sister..." "Second Dad, if this happens, what do you think?" "No way!" The second old man rebuffed straight away, "I'm looking for you, and I want you to tell the story to Niuwa." "If Xiaoli is willing, what will you do?" "I can't tell her to jump off a cliff with my eyes open!" "How can this be jumping off a cliff?" Leopard asked with a smile. "Tell me, which one of the cow babies is the best?" Second Dad asked back. "Which one is bad?" Leopard still smiled and publicly defended his friend, "No house, no money, poor! But you can have all these things!" "We don't think people are poor!" The second old man declared. "Actually, tell me, Xiaoli and Niuwa... are quite good." Leopard pondered and said, "You and Erniang are both old. The eldest brother and the eldest sister-in-law are in Tibet. Although they can give you money, they can't help you. Well, if Xiao Li and Niu Wa get married, they will not leave our village, you two old people have a headache, you are always on call, and you don’t seem lonely..." Thinking about the problem in this way, the old man felt that it was practical and kind.It's a pity, it's a pity that Xiaoli can't marry him, it's all assumed that this year's labor value will rise to one piece, what about next year?What about the year after?Can your leopard be the captain for a lifetime?Will the current policy never change?And once Xiaoli marries Niuwa, it will be a lifetime affair!He has already designed a life path for his daughter: find a stable family for her in the professional vegetable team near the outskirts of Xi'an.At present, it is too difficult for rural girls to find someone to work outside.He just needs to find a place for Xiao Li in a vegetable production team with a stable income. In the eighth festival of the new year, his son-in-law will often send fresh vegetables, and it will be fine... "If she can't live in the future and comes to me crying, what should I do?" the second old man asked. "Aren't we working hard?" Leopard said. "Let's do it. Things in the world... are difficult!" The second old man smiled, expressing his appreciation for his nephew's ambition, but also expressing his admiration for his nephew's ambition, but also expressing that it may not be reliable. What he believes is the world events he has experienced for more than sixty years: "You Tell Niuwa, stop thinking about it." After the second old man said, he glanced at the leopard, his nephew's face was not very good-looking, and if he was not very good-looking, he would not be very good-looking.Just pass the message to Niuwa.After all, he turned and walked out of the yard. In the streets and alleys, a group of men and women wearing straw hats, pushing small carts, talking and laughing, gathered from the streets and alleys to the intersection leading to the river beach.The quiet atmosphere in the village alleys and fields during the lunch break disappeared.The sound of yelling oxen, the sound of joking and laughing, and the rough or high-pitched voices of calling people all merge together from the village to the river beach. The second old man walked off the field and walked towards his fish pond.He suddenly felt that the burden in his heart was too heavy, and others seemed to be more relaxed and less troubled than him.Are these burdens on his mind necessary?