Chapter 19 eighteen

In June, there were almost no human voices in the courtyard during the day.The children picked up the things they could find in the broken baskets; at nine o'clock, the poisonous sun was about to crack their thin backs, so they had to take back the things they found and eat what adults could give them. their food.Then, if the older ones can find the smallest capital in the world, they will buy and pick up some ice cores and sell them.If you can't find this capital, you will go out of the city together to take a bath in the moat, steal a few pieces of coal from the station, or catch some dragonflies and cicadas and sell them to the children of rich and noble families.The smaller ones didn't dare to go far, so they all went to the place with trees outside the door to pick up locust worms, dig "golden steel"① and so on to play.All the children went out, and so did the men, and the women were all naked in the house, and no one was willing to come out; not because they were afraid of being ugly, but because the ground in the yard was already scalding their feet.

It wasn't until the sun was about to set that the men and children came back one after another. At this time, there was a shadow of the wall and some cool wind in the courtyard, and the heat of the day surrounded the room, like some fire cages; everyone sat in the courtyard and waited. Watching the women cook.At this moment, the courtyard is very lively, like a market without goods.Everyone has suffered from the heat all day, their eyes are red, and they have no good temper; they are hungry, and all of them are anxious and pale.If a sentence is wrong, some will beat their children, and some will beat their wives;It was noisy like this until everyone had eaten.Some children lie in the yard and fall asleep, and some go to the street to have fun.After the adults were full, their tempers became much calmer, and the chatty ones formed a group, talking about the hard work of the day.Those who can't eat should have nowhere to pawn, and nowhere to sell—even if there is something to pawn or sell—because it is getting dark.No matter how hot the room is, the man stuck his head on the kang, not making a sound, maybe yelling loudly.With tears in her eyes, the woman tried to accommodate everyone, and she might have encountered many difficulties before she could borrow a 20-piece ragged note.Holding this baby ticket, she went out to get some miscellaneous noodles, and made a pot of porridge for everyone to eat.

Huniu and Xiaofuzi are not in this order of life.Huniu is pregnant, this time it's true.Xiangzi went out early in the morning, and she always didn't get up until eight or nine o'clock; pregnant women should not exercise more is a traditional false belief, and since Huniu believes in this, she wants to use this to show her status: everyone has to get up early to operate, only She can lie down freely and love as long as she wants.At night, she would take a small bench and sit in a windy place outside the street gate. She didn't come in until almost everyone in the courtyard had fallen asleep. She didn't bother to chat with everyone.

Xiao Fuzi also got up late, but she had another reason.She was afraid that the men in the courtyard would look at her sideways, so she waited until they were all gone before daring to leave the house.During the day, she either came to find Huniu or went out for a walk, because her advertisement was herself.At night, in order to avoid the attention of the people in the courtyard, she went out to walk around the street again, making sure everyone was lying down, and then she sneaked in. Among men, Xiangzi and Erqiangzi are exceptions.Xiangzi was afraid of entering this compound, and even more afraid of going inside.The poor talk of the people in the courtyard made him flustered, and he was willing to find a quiet place to sit alone.In the house, he felt more and more that Hu Niu was like a tigress.It was so hot in the hut that it was suffocating, and with the addition of that tiger, he seemed to be suffocating as soon as he entered.A few days ago, he had no choice but to come back early, in order to save Hu Niu from quarreling with him.Recently, with Xiao Fuzi as a companion, she doesn't control him very much, so he will come back later.

As for Er Qiangzi, he hardly comes back home recently.He knew about his daughter's business, so he had no face to enter that street gate.But he couldn't stop her, he knew he couldn't afford to support his children.He had no choice but to never come back, as out of sight and out of mind.Sometimes he hated his daughter, if Xiao Fuzi was a boy, he wouldn't have to make such a fool of himself; since she was a girl, why did she vote for him!Sometimes he feels sorry for his daughter, who sells herself to raise two younger brothers!Hate it, hurt it, he can't help it.When he had drunk and had no money in his hands, he no longer hated or felt sorry for her, so he came back to ask her for money.At a time like this, he saw his daughter as someone who could earn money, and as he was a father, it was justifiable to ask her for money.At this time, he also thought of dignity: Didn't everyone despise Xiao Fuzi? Her father didn't spare her either. He forced her to take the money, and he cursed, as if for everyone to hear—Er Qiangzi was right. , Xiao Fuzi is naturally shameless.

He was noisy, and Xiao Fuzi didn't even let out his breath.Huniu, on the other hand, scolded him and persuaded him, and dealt with him, so naturally he would get some money from him.Such money only allowed him to drink again, because if he was sober and saw them, he would jump into a river or hang himself. On the fifteenth of June, it was maddeningly hot.As soon as the sun came out, the ground seemed to be on fire.Some gray air, which looks like clouds but not clouds, or fog but not fog, floats low in the air, making people feel suffocated.There was no wind at all.Xiangzi looked at the gray-red sky in the yard, and planned to go out late—after four o’clock in the afternoon; if he couldn’t make money, he could stay until dawn: no matter what, the night was better than the day.

Huniu urged him to go out, afraid that he would get in the way at home, in case Xiaofuzi brought a guest. "How do you feel when you're at home? Even the walls are hot in the room at noon!" Without making a sound, he drank a ladle of cold water and walked out. The willow trees on the street looked sick, the leaves curled with a layer of dust on the branches; the branches didn't bother to move, and drooped listlessly.There was not a single water spot on the road, and it was dry and glowing with white light.The dust on the sidewalk flew so high, connecting with the gray air in the sky, forming a vicious dust array, burning the faces of passers-by.Everywhere is dry, everywhere is hot, and everywhere is stuffy. The whole old city is like a burnt brick kiln, which makes people breathless.The dogs crawled on the ground sticking out their red tongues, the nostrils of the mules and horses were so wide that the peddlers dared not shout, the asphalt road melted; even the bronze plaques in front of the shops seemed to be melting.The street was unusually quiet, save for some unnerving monotonous tinkling from the copper and iron shop.People who pull carts know that they will have no food if they are not active, and they are too lazy to do business: some put their carts in a somewhat shady place, set up a shed, and sit on the cart to take a nap; some sneak into a small teahouse to drink tea; Some didn't pull out the car at all, but went to the street to see if there was any possibility of getting out.Even the most beautiful young men who were pulling deals were willing to lose face and dared not run any longer, they just walked slowly with their heads down.Every well platform became their savior. No matter how many steps they took, they would run over to the well when they saw the well; if they couldn't keep up with the newly drawn water, they would fill the tank with the donkeys and horses.Others, because of heatstroke or fever, fell to the ground while walking and never got up.

Even Xiangzi was a little timid!After walking a few steps with the empty cart, he felt that he was surrounded by hot air from his face to his feet, and even the backs of his hands were sweating.However, when he saw Zuoer, he still wanted to stretch, thinking that maybe it would be a little windy when he ran.He pulled up a deal and pulled up the car before he knew the weather had gotten to the point where no one was allowed to work.As soon as he ran, he couldn't breathe, and his lips were burnt. He knew that he was not thirsty, but he wanted to drink water when he saw it.If you don't run, the poisonous sun will crack your hands and back.Anyway, he pulled it to the place, and his trousers and jacket were all wrapped around his body.Picking up the plantain fan to fan, it's useless, the wind is hot.He already drank several breaths of cold water, but ran to the teahouse again.After drinking two pots of hot tea, he felt calmer.The tea goes in from the mouth, and the sweat comes out from the body immediately, as if the body is already empty, and there is no longer a little water stored.He dared not move any more.

After sitting for a long time, he got bored.Not daring to go out, and having nothing to do, he felt as if the weather was trying to make things difficult for him.No, he cannot be subdued.He has been pulling the cart for more than a day, and this is not the first time in Xia Tian, ​​he can't just "soak" for nothing for a day.I wanted to go out, but I was too lazy to move my legs, and my body was very soft, as if I hadn't taken a bath well. Although I sweated a lot, my heart was still not happy.After sitting for a while, he couldn't sit still anymore. Anyway, he was sweating while sitting, so he might as well go out and try.

Once I came out, I realized my mistake.The gray air in the sky has dissipated, and it is not so oppressive, but the sun is also much stronger: no one dares to look up to see where the sun is, but they feel that it is shining everywhere, the sky, the roof, the walls, and the ground are all white and bright Yes, there is a little red in the white; from top to bottom, the whole is like a huge fire mirror, and each light is like the focus of the fire mirror, which makes things burn.In this white light, every color is dazzling, every sound is unpleasant, and every smell is mixed with the stench that evaporates from the ground.There seemed to be no one on the street, and the road suddenly seemed to widen a lot. It was empty and not at all cool, and the white flowers were frightening.Xiangzi didn't know what to do, he lowered his head, pulled the cart, and walked forward very slowly, with no idea, no purpose, groggy, with a layer of sticky sweat on his body, and a foul smell.After walking for a while, the soles of the feet and the shoes and socks stuck together, as if stepping on a piece of wet mud, which was very sad.I didn't want to drink water at first, but when I saw the well, I couldn't help but drank it again, not to quench my thirst, but to enjoy the coolness of the well water. From the mouth to the stomach, it suddenly cooled down, and the pores on my body slammed Shrink, take a chill, and be super comfortable.After drinking, he hiccupped again and again, and the water was about to rise up!

Walking for a while, sitting for a while, he was always too lazy to make deals.He didn't feel hungry until noon.I want to eat something as usual, but I feel sick when I see the food.The stomach is almost full of all kinds of water, and sometimes there will be a slight noise inside, like a mule and a horse, the sound of the naked stomach after drinking water. Compared with summer and winter, Xiangzi always thought that winter was more terrible.He never thought that Xia Tian would be so uncomfortable.It had been more than one summer in the city, and he didn't remember ever being this hot.Is it because the weather is hotter than usual, or is my body weak?Thinking of this, he suddenly became less groggy, and his heart seemed to cool down.My body, yes, my body is failing!He was terrified, but there was nothing he could do.He couldn't drive Hu Niu away, he was about to become the second strong man, the tall man he met that time, and Xiao Ma'er's grandfather.Xiangzi is finished! At one o'clock in the afternoon, he made another deal.It was the hottest time of the day, and it was also the hottest day in the summer, but he decided to go for a run.He doesn't care how hot it is in the sun: if it doesn't matter after a trip, it proves that his body is not broken; It would be better to die on the burning ground! After walking a few steps, he felt a little cool breeze, like a little cool air coming in through the crack of the door in an extremely hot room.He couldn't believe himself; looking at the willow branches beside the road, they did indeed move slightly.Suddenly there were more people on the street, and the shopkeepers rushed out, covering their heads with cattail fans, looking around: "There's a cool breeze! There's a cool breeze! The cool breeze is coming!" Everyone almost jumped. Get up and shout.The willow tree beside the road suddenly turned into an angel, conveying the message from heaven: "The wicker is moving! My God, let's enjoy the cool breeze!" It's still hot, but I feel much calmer.A cool breeze, even a little bit, gives people a lot of hope.A few cool breezes passed, and the sun was not so strong. It was bright and dark for a while, as if there was a piece of flying sand floating on it.The wind suddenly picked up, and the wicker that had not moved for a long time seemed to get something gratifying suddenly, and it swayed freely, and the branches seemed to grow a section.A gust of wind passed, the sky darkened, and all the dust flew into the air.The dust settled a little, and black clouds like black ink appeared in the northern sky.No sweat on his body, Xiangzi glanced to the north, stopped the car, and put on the rain cloth. He knew that summer rains come when they say they want, and there is no time for it. As soon as the rain cloth was put on, there was another gust of wind, and black clouds covered half of the sky like black clouds. The hot air on the ground mixed with the cool wind, mixed with the smelly dry soil, it seemed cool and hot; half of the sky in the south was sunny and sunny, and the sky in the north was dark like ink, as if some catastrophe was coming, everything was in turmoil. Panic.The coachman was in a hurry to put on the rain cloth, the shopkeepers were busy collecting the cover, the peddlers hurriedly cleaned up their stalls, and those on the road hurried forward.Another gust of wind.As the wind passed, the fronts, stalls, and pedestrians on the street seemed to have been swept away by the wind, and they disappeared, only willow branches dancing wildly with the wind. Before the clouds covered the sky, the ground was already very dark, as if the bright and hot sunny afternoon had suddenly turned into night.The wind brought rain stars, as if they were looking for something on the ground, bumping here and there.There was a red flash in the distance to the north, as if a piece of black cloud had been lifted to reveal a large amount of blood.The wind has subsided, but the whistling is strong and makes people tremble.A gust of wind like this passed by, and everything looked as if somehow, even the willow tree was waiting for something in amazement.Another flash, right on the head, followed by bright white raindrops, smashing up a lot of dust extremely hard, with a slight rain smell in the soil.The heavy rain hit Xiangzi's back several times, and he shivered twice.The rain stopped, and the dark clouds spread evenly across the sky.Another gust of wind, stronger than before, the willow branches flew sideways, the dust moved in all directions, and the rain fell; Wrapped in it, it is impossible to tell which is the tree, which is the ground, which is the cloud, and all directions are chaotic, full of noise, and full of confusion.The wind passed, and there were only straight rain trails left, falling down from the sky and the ground. I couldn't see the strips clearly, but just one piece, one after another, countless arrows shot from the ground, and thousands of waterfalls fell from the houses.In a few minutes, the sky and the earth were inseparable. The river in the sky was falling, and the river on the ground was flowing horizontally, forming a gray and dim yellow, sometimes white and bright, a water world. Xiangzi's clothes were already soaked, and there was not a single dry spot on his body; his hair was completely wet through the straw hat.The water on the ground was above his feet, making it difficult to walk; the rain above hit his head and back, swept across his face, and wrapped his crotch.He couldn't lift his head, open his eyes, breathe, or move.He seemed to stand still in the water, he didn't know where the road was, he didn't know what was around, he just felt the bone-chilling water pouring on his body.He didn't know anything anymore, he only felt a little hot in his heart, and there was a sound of rain in his ears.He wants to put the car down, but he doesn't know where to put it.Wanting to run, the water wrapped around his legs.He was so half-dead and half-alive, with his head lowered and he dragged forward step by step.The driver in the car seemed to have died in the car, letting the driver struggle for his life in the water without making a sound. As the rain became lighter, Xiangzi straightened his back slightly, and let out a sigh of relief: "Sir, avoid it before you go!" "Go! What's the matter with you leaving me here?" shouted the driver, stomping his feet. Xiangzi really wanted to put the car down and find a place to hide.However, looking at his body, water was already flowing down, and he knew that he would tremble into a ball if he stopped.He gritted his teeth, and ran through the water no matter how high or low it was.After running not far away, it was dark for a while, and then it was bright, and the rain fascinated his eyes again. When it arrived, the bus driver didn't even pay a single copper coin.Xiangzi didn't say anything, he couldn't care less about his life. The rain stayed for a while, and then fell again, much smaller than before.Xiangzi ran home in a fit of anger.Holding the fire and roasting for a while, he shivered like a leaf in the wind and rain.Huniu made him a bowl of ginger syrup, and he drank it like a fool holding the bowl.After drinking, he got under the covers, didn't know anything, and seemed to be asleep, with the sound of rain rushing in his ears. At around four o'clock, the black cloud began to show fatigue, flabbergasted with a faint red light.After a while, the cloud in the west split open, the black cloud peaks were bordered with golden yellow, and some white air rushed under the clouds; Shandu went to the south, followed by a few quiet thunderclaps.After staying for a while, the sun came out from the gap in the clouds in the west, turning the leaves with rainwater into a golden green.A pair of seven-color rainbows hang in the sky in the east, with both ends inserted in black clouds, and a piece of blue sky stands on the back of the bridge.The rainbow soon dissipated, and there was no longer a single black cloud in the sky. The blue sky and everything that had been washed seemed like a new, cool, and beautiful world had just emerged from the darkness.Several dragonflies of various colors also appeared on the puddle in the courtyard. However, except for the children chasing the dragonflies with their bare feet, the people in the courtyard did not bother to appreciate the sunny day after the rain.A piece of the back eaves wall of Xiaofuzi's house collapsed, and the three sisters and children hurriedly lifted up the kang mat to block the hole.The walls of the courtyard collapsed in several places, and everyone had no time to take care of them. They only cared about cleaning up their own houses: some steps were too short, and the water had already poured into the houses. Everyone rushed out with dustpans and broken bowls.Some knocked down gable walls and tried to fill them up.Some roofs are leaking like a watering can, and the things are all wet, and they are busy carrying them out, putting them next to the stove to bake, or putting them on the window sill to dry.When it was raining, everyone hid in the house that could collapse at any time and buried them alive, and gave their lives to God; after the rain, they calculated and packed up the losses; A catty of grain may cost half a copper, but their losses cannot be compensated by this.They spend the house money, but no one will ever repair the house; unless it collapses to the point where no one can live in it, one or two plasterers will come and build it loosely with plain mud and broken bricks—preparing for it to collapse again.If the rent was not paid, the whole family was kicked out and their belongings were deducted.The house is broken, the house can kill people, no one cares.With their little money, they can only rent a house like this; broken and dangerous, they deserve it! The biggest loss is being irritated by rain.Even their children and adults are looking for business on the street all day long, and the summer torrential rain can pour on their heads at any time.They are all working hard to make money, and they are always covered in hot sweat, but the heavy rain in the north is so fast and cold, sometimes with hail the size of walnuts; the cold raindrops, hitting the open hairy eyes, at least teach them to lie down. On the kang, I had a fever for a day or two.The child is sick and has no money to buy medicine; a rain that raises the old corn and sorghum in the fields can also drown many poor children in the city to death.When adults are sick, it is even worse; after the rain, poets sing about lotus beads and double rainbows;One rain may add a few more prostitutes or thieves, and some more people will go to prison; when adults are sick, it is better for children to be thieves and whores than starving!As it rains on the rich, it rains on the poor; on the righteous, it rains on the unjust.In fact, the rain is not fair, because it falls on a world without justice. Xiangzi is ill.He is not the only patient in the courtyard. ① Jin Gang, that is, the pupa of Sophora japonica. ②Sa Huan originally refers to the running and running of animals, and it is also used to refer to children's actions.