Chapter 8 seven

Xiangzi went to Cao's house. To Miss Tiger, he felt a little ashamed.But since the matter was caused by her temptation, and he didn't want to covet her money, he thought that there would be nothing very wrong with breaking up with her from now on.What he was worried about was Fourth Master Liu taking his little money.Go ask for it right away, I'm afraid the old man is supercilious.From now on, I won't see their father and daughter again. Maybe the tiger girl got angry and said a few bad things to the old man, and "fried the money"①.Let's continue to ask the old man to save money, and it's embarrassing to meet her as soon as we arrive at Renhe Factory.He couldn't think of a proper way, and the more he couldn't do it, the more worried he was.

He really wanted to ask Mr. Cao for an idea, but how should he say it?The part about the tiger girl is something that should not be told to anyone.Thinking of this, he really regretted it; this matter, as he began to understand, could not be resolved once and for all.This kind of thing can never be washed away, like a black scar on the flesh.He lost his car for no reason, and this layer of entanglement came again for no reason, he felt that his life was probably over like this, no matter how strong he was, it was all in vain.After much deliberation, he came to the following point: probably in the end, he still had to be willing to ask for Miss Hu; if he didn't want her, wouldn't he want those cars instead? "Be a bastard and eat two fried meat"!He couldn't bear it, but when the time came, he might have to!He had no choice but to move forward, doing good things and waiting for bad things; he didn't dare to be as confident as before.His stature, strength, and heart are nothing; his life is his own, but he has to be managed by others;

Logically speaking, he should be very happy, because Cao's house is the most lovely among the houses he has been in.The wages in Cao's house are not higher than those in other places, and there is not a lot of change except for the three-day reward, but Mr. Cao and Mrs. Cao are very kind and treat everyone as individuals.Xiangzi is willing to earn more money, working hard to earn money, but he is also willing to have a room like a room and enough food to eat.Everywhere in Cao's house is very clean, even the servants. The food in Cao's house is not bitter, and the servants will never give stinky food to eat.I have a spacious room, and I can eat three meals in a leisurely manner, and the host is very polite, Xiangzi, even Xiangzi, is unwilling to stand alone on money.What's more, the food and lodging are suitable, the work is not tiring, and it is not a disadvantage to take good care of the body.He would never eat so well if he paid for his own food. Now that there are ready-made vegetables and rice that won’t go down his spine, why doesn’t he eat with his fill? He calculated the account very clearly.Eating well, sleeping well, and being able to clean up and look human are not easy things to find.Besides, although the Cao family didn't play cards, didn't treat guests often, and didn't have much change, they could still get ten or twenty cents for any temporary work.For example, if the wife asks him to buy pills for the child, she will give him an extra dime and tell him to take the car, even though she knows he can run faster than anyone else.This little money was nothing, but it made him feel a kind of human kindness, a kind of consideration, which made people feel happy.Xiangzi had met quite a few masters. Nine out of ten masters were able to pay one day late in wages, and just one day late, which showed that the servants were useless at best, and the servants were cats and dogs at all, or worse than cats and dogs.

The Cao family is an exception, so he likes being here.He went to tidy up the yard and water the flowers without waiting for them to order him, and every time they saw him doing these things, they would say something nice, and taking advantage of this season, they found some worn-out things and taught him to replace them. Matches, although those things are still usable, and he just kept them for himself.Here, he felt a little human. In Xiangzi's eyes, Liu Siye can be regarded as Huang Tianba.Although powerful, but in terms of face and name, it is by no means black.The respectable person in his heart, besides Huang Tianba, must be that Confucius sage.He didn't know what kind of person Confucius was, but it was said that he knew a lot of characters, which was quite reasonable.Among the mansions he lived in, there were some civil servants as well as military ones; among the military mansions, there was not even a single one who could catch up with Liu Siye; As for the errands, of course I know a lot of words, but I haven't met a single one who is reasonable.Even if the husband is a little reasonable, the wives and ladies are also difficult to serve.Only Mr. Cao is both literate and reasonable, and Mrs. Cao is well-behaved and popular.Therefore, Mr. Cao must be the sage of Confucius; if Xiangzi can't remember what the sage of Confucius looked like, then he must be like Mr. Cao, whether the sage of Confucius is willing or not.

In fact, Mr. Cao is not very clever.He was just a middle-of-the-road guy who sometimes taught a little and sometimes did something else.A self-styled "socialist," he was also an esthete, somewhat influenced by William Morris.In politics and art, he doesn't have profound insights; but he has one advantage: the little things he believes in can be practiced in small events in life.He seems to see that he does not have amazing talents and can make some earth-shattering careers, so he arranges his work and family according to his own ideals; Hypocrisy.Therefore, he pays great attention to small things, as if to say that as long as the small family is organized well, then society can be free.This sometimes makes him feel ashamed, and sometimes makes him happy. It seems clear that his family is a small oasis in the desert, and it can only provide some clean water and food that come here, without any greater meaning.

Xiangzi happened to come to this little oasis; he thought it was a miracle after walking in the desert for so many days.He has never met anyone like Mr. Cao, so he regards this person as a sage.This may be due to his lack of experience, or it may be that there are not many such people in the world.Pulling Mr. Cao out, Mr. Cao's clothes are so elegant, his person is so lively and generous, and he himself is so neat, tall and majestic, so he runs very happily, as if he is the only one worthy of pulling Mr. Cao .At home, everything is so clean and always so quiet, which makes him feel comfortable and stable.When he was in the countryside, he often saw old people sitting silently with bamboo pipe pipes in their mouths in winter or under the autumn moon. Although he was too young to imitate these old people, he loved to see them so quietly Sitting there must be—he wondered—something.Now, although he is in the city, the tranquility of Cao's house is enough to remind him of the countryside. He really wants to smoke a pipe, but he can feel the taste.

Unfortunately, that woman and that little money made him restless; his heart was like a green leaf, wrapped in silk by a worm, ready to make a cocoon.Because of this matter, he himself couldn't let go of his heart; he was always in a daze to others, even Mr. Cao, and his answers were not what they asked.This made him very sad.Cao Zhai went to bed very early, and he would be fine after nine o'clock in the evening. He sat alone in the house or in the courtyard, thinking over and over again, thinking about these two things.He even thought of going to get married right away, which would definitely stop Huniu's thoughts.But how can you support your family by pulling a cart?He knew the hard-working brothers in the courtyard, the men pulled carts, the women poorly sewed, the children collected coal cores, picked up watermelon rinds on the mound in summer, and went to the porridge factory in winter.Xiangzi couldn't bear this.Besides, if he gets married, the little money in Old Man Liu's hand will definitely not come back; how can Hu Niu let him off lightly!He couldn't give up that little money, it was bought with his life!

His own car was bought early last fall.It's been more than a year, and he has nothing now, only more than 30 yuan that he can't get out, and some entanglements!The more he thought about it, the more unhappy he became. More than ten days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather is getting cooler.He calculated that he had to add two more clothes.It's money again!If you buy clothes, you can't pay back the money at the same time, and you can't even hope for a car!Even if you always pay a monthly subscription, what is going on in this life? One night, Mr. Cao came back from Dongcheng a little late.To be careful, Xiangzi walked all the way from Tiananmen Square.The open road, no one there, the slight cool breeze, the quiet lights, he ran vigorously.The depression in his heart for many days was temporarily forgotten, listening to his footsteps and the soft sound of the cart bow, he forgot everything.He unbuttoned the button, and felt the cool wind blowing against his chest. He felt happy, as if he just ran on like this, until he ran to nowhere, and it would be easy to die.He ran faster and faster, there was a car in front of him, he "driven" one, and he passed Tiananmen Square in a while.His feet seem to be two springs, and they bounce up almost as soon as they touch the ground; the wheels behind them turn so hard that they can't be seen, the wheels seem to have left the ground, and even the people and the car seem to be blown up by a gust of wind Like.Mr. Cao was probably half asleep because of the cool wind, otherwise he would have stopped Xiangzi from running like this.Xiangzi ran away, thinking vaguely that he would be able to sleep soundly today after sweating, so he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Not far from Beichang Street, the northern half of the road is covered in darkness by the locust trees outside the red wall.Just as Xiangzi was about to stop, his feet touched something high up.When the feet arrive, so do the wheels.Xiangzi fell out.Chuck, the handlebar broke. "What's wrong?" Mr. Cao fell out following his own words.Xiangzi got up on the spot without making a sound.Mr. Cao also sat up briskly. "What's wrong?" A pile of newly unloaded stones to repair the road, but there was no red light. "Did you fall?" Xiangzi asked. "No; I'll walk back, you pull the cart." Mr. Cao was still calm, feeling on the rocks to see if there was anything that fell down.

Xiangzi touched the broken handlebar and said, "It's not broken much, sir can still sit on it and can pull it!" Then, he pulled the car out of the rock. "Sit, sir!" Mr. Cao didn't want to sit down anymore, but he heard the sound of crying in Xiangzi's words, so he had no choice but to go up. When he got under the electric light at the entrance of Beichang Street, Mr. Cao saw his right hand wipe off a piece of skin. "Xiangzi, stop!" When Xiangzi turned his head, his face was covered with blood. Mr. Cao was frightened and couldn't think of what to say, "Hurry up, hurry up—"

Xiangzi was puzzled, thinking that he was being taught to run fast, so he grabbed his waist and ran home in a hurry. After getting off the car, he saw blood on Mr. Cao's hands, and hurried to the yard, wanting to ask his wife for medicine. "Leave me alone, look at yourself first!" Mr. Cao ran in. Xiangzi looked at himself, and began to feel pain, both knees and right elbow were broken; on his face, he thought it was sweat, but it turned out to be blood.Regardless of what to do or what to think, he sat on the stone steps in the doorway, staring blankly at the broken car.The car is brand new and black, with the head folded, two pieces of white wood are exposed, very discordant and ugly, like a beautiful paper doll that has not been put on its feet, and there are two naked sticks inserted. Like stalks.Xiangzi stared blankly at the two pieces of white wood. "Xiangzi!" Cao's maid Gao Ma called loudly, "Xiangzi! Where are you?" He sat without moving, his eyes fixed on the broken handlebar, and the two pieces of white wood seemed to be pierced into his heart. "What kind of bastard are you! You can't say a word, you're hiding here; you see, I'm startled! Mr. called you!" Mama Gao's words always mixed things and emotions, obviously complicated and moving.She is a widow of thirty-two or thirty-three years old, clean, straightforward, quick and careful in her work.Elsewhere, some people think that she is too open-minded, has too many ideas, and is often a little supercilious.The Cao family likes to use clean and bright people, and they don't pay much attention to those small festivals, so she has been with them for two or three years, even when the Cao family goes to other places, they always take her with them. "Mister is calling you!" She repeated.When Xiangzi stood up, she could see the blood on his face: "I was scared to death, my mother! What's the matter? You can't change it, you have tetanus! Go away! There is medicine, sir!" " Xiangzi walked in front, and Gao Mama chattered behind, and they entered the study together.Mrs. Cao was also here, wrapping her husband's hands and applying medicine, when she saw Xiangzi come in, she also said "Yo". "Ma'am, he's fallen enough to watch." Gao Ma was afraid that his wife wouldn't notice, she was busy pouring cold water into the washbasin, and she was even more busy talking: "Did I know it a long time ago, as soon as he runs, he doesn't care about his life." , sooner or later there will be something wrong. Sure enough! How about washing it soon? After washing, I will put some medicine on it, really!" Xiangzi held his right elbow and did not move.The study room is so clean and elegant, standing there is such a big man with blood all over his face, it is very unseemly, everyone seems to feel that there is something wrong, even Gao Mama is speechless. "Sir!" Xiangzi lowered his head, and his voice was low but powerful: "Sir, find someone else! You can save this month's wages to clean up the car: the handlebar is broken, and a piece of glass is broken in the lamp on the left; It's all good." "Wash first, apply some medicine, and then talk about other things." Mr. Cao looked at his hands and said that his wife was slowly wrapping gauze on them. "Wash first!" Gao Ma also remembered the words again. "Mr. didn't say anything, don't hit the ground first!" Xiangzi still didn't move. "You don't need to wash it, it will be fine in a while! A renter, fell off someone, hit a car, and has no face..." His words were not enough to help explain what he meant, but his emotions had been exhausted, and he could only cry aloud up.In Xiangzi's view, resigning and giving up his wages is almost tantamount to committing suicide.But responsibility, face, seems to be more important than life at this time, because it is not someone else who fell, but Mr. Cao.If he dropped that Mrs. Yang, he would fall, and he deserved it!For Mrs. Yang, he can show the arrogance of the street, because she doesn't treat him with respect, and he is inconvenient; money is everything, there is no face to talk about, and there is no rule.Mr. Cao is not that kind of person at all, he has to sacrifice money to save face.He didn't care about hating anyone, he only hated his own life. He almost thought: if he leaves Cao's house, he will never pull a cart again; even if his own life is worthless, he can fight for it;What should I do if I really want to fall to my death?He hadn't thought of this before, because Mr. Cao was injured this time, so he realized the reason.Well, the wages are not required, and I will change my career from now on, and I will no longer do this thing that puts my life behind my back.Pulling carts is his ideal career, and letting go of this is tantamount to giving up hope.He felt that his whole life would have to be spent in a useless manner, and he didn't even have to think about being a good puller, because he had grown so much in stature!When he was pulling out seats outside, he once unceremoniously "copied" ④ business, and was ridiculed by everyone, but such shamelessness was precisely because he wanted to be strong and wanted to buy a car, so he could forgive himself.What can I say if I got into trouble by pulling a monthly subscription?People will know about this, Xiangzi fell and damaged the car;Xiangzi has no way out!He couldn't wait for Mr. Cao to resign from him, so he had to go away first! "Xiangzi," Mr. Cao's hands were wrapped, "wash and wash! Don't say anything about resigning. It's not your fault. You should put a red light when you put a stone. Forget it, wash and put some medicine." "That's right, sir," Gao Ma recalled, "Xiangzi can't get rid of it; originally, he fell like this! But since the master said it wasn't your fault, don't be awkward! Look! He’s like this, he’s strong enough, and he’s still like a child, so he’s really anxious! Madam, tell him to rest assured!” Gao’s mother’s words were like a gramophone film, speaking in a circle, and everyone was included in it. , and there is no trace of succession and transformation. "Wash it up, I'm afraid!" Mrs. Cao said only one sentence. Xiangzi was very confused, and finally heard his wife say that he was afraid of blood, and seemed to have found something to comfort her; he took out the washbasin and washed a few at the door of the study.Gao Ma waited for him inside the door with a medicine bottle. "What about the arms and legs?" Mama Gao smeared his face. Xiangzi shook his head, "It doesn't matter!" The Caos went to rest.Gao Ma took the medicine bottle and followed Xiangzi.When she arrived at his room, she put down the medicine bottle and stood by the door of the house: "You can wipe it off yourself later. I said, don't worry so much about this matter. At the beginning, when my old man was alive, I also I often quit my job. One is that I am troubled outside, and he doesn’t want to force me to make me angry. The other is that I am young and rough, and I don’t agree with a word, let it go! Work hard to make money, not a slave; you have your stinky money, My clay figurine also has an earthy nature; the old lady has something to take care of! Now I am much better. Once the old man dies, I have nothing to worry about, and my temper will be better. Here—I have been here for three years; but No, the workers on September 9—the change is too little, but they are nice to people. We sell our strength for money; It is also beneficial to look at things in the long run: it is not worthwhile to take a casual job every three days and take a break for six months a year; If you hang around, you can still have two money left. The husband didn’t say anything about today’s matter, so forget it, why bother. It’s not that I’m a big brother, but you are still a little brother, so it’s easy to get angry. Not at all, I can't eat when I am angry.For someone as honest as you, it's better to spend some time here in a settled place than to go flying all over the sky.I'm not talking to them at all, I'm for you, it's good to be together! "She took a breath: "Okay, see you tomorrow; don't make any mistakes, I'm straight-hearted, and I have to say something!" " Xiangzi's right elbow hurt so much that he couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night.After all the calculations, he felt that Gao Mama's words were reasonable.Everything is fake, only money is real.Save money to buy a car; hanging fire can't be a meal!Thinking of this, I felt a little peaceful sleepiness. ①When the sauce is fried, it is hard to buckle and swallow. ②William Morris (1834-1896), British poet and artist. ③Small holidays, details, and small rules. ④ Snatching other people's ongoing business is called "copying". ⑤ Flying all over the sky, that is, wandering around, without a sure place to stay.