Chapter 21 twenty

Xiangzi's car is sold! Money is like running water, and he can't stop it with his hands; the dead have to be carried out, and even the opening of the list of disasters has to be spent. Xiangzi seemed dumbfounded. Seeing everyone in a hurry, he just paid out.His eyes were terribly red, and there were balls of yellow and white gobs in the corners of his eyes; his ears were deaf, and he followed everyone around in a daze, not knowing what he was doing. After following Huniu's coffin out of the city, he finally understood a little bit, but he still didn't care about anything.No one attended the funeral, except for Xiangzi, who was Xiaofuzi's two younger brothers, and each of them held a dozen thin paper money in his hand, and scattered them along the way to the roadblock.

Stunned, Xiangzi watched the bearer bury the coffin, but he didn't cry.It was like a raging fire was burning in his mind, and his tears had been burned dry, and he couldn't cry even if he wanted to cry.Staring blankly, he hardly knew what it was for.He didn't think of going home until the "boss" came to explain. The house has been tidied up by Xiao Fuzi.When he came back, he fell headlong on the kang, too tired to move.His eyes were dry and unable to close, he stared blankly at the ceiling with traces of rain leaks.Unable to fall asleep, he sat up.After glancing at the room, he dared not look any further.I don't know what to do.He went out and bought a pack of "Yellow Lion" cigarettes.Sitting on the edge of the Kang, he lit a cigarette; he didn't like smoking.Staring blankly at the little blue smoke on the cigarette butt, tears suddenly flowed down, not only thinking of Huniu, but also everything.Having been in the city for a few years, this is the result of his hard work, that's it, that's it!He couldn't even cry!Car, car, car is my job.Buy it, lose it; buy it again, sell it; three ups and downs, like a ghost, never able to catch it firmly, and suffer those hardships and grievances in vain.Nothing, nothing, not even a wife!Although Huniu is powerful, how can we have a family without her?Looking at the things in the house, they all belong to her, but she herself was buried outside the city!The more he thought about it, the more he hated it, tears were stopped by the anger, he smoked that cigarette fiercely, the less he liked to smoke, the more he wanted to smoke.

After smoking the cigarette, holding your head in your hands, your mouth and heart are burning hot, and you have to scream for a while to spit out all the blood in your heart to be happy. At some point, Xiao Fuzi came in, stood in front of the vegetable table in the outer room, and stared blankly at him. He raised his head abruptly, saw her, and tears flowed down again very quickly.At this time, even if he saw a dog, he would cry; he was full of grievances, and only wanted to vent when he met a living thing; he wanted to talk to her and get some sympathy.However, he talked too much, and he couldn't open his mouth.

"Brother Xiang!" She leaned forward, "I packed everything." He nodded, not bothering to thank her; politeness in sorrow is hypocrisy. "What are you going to do?" "Ah?" He didn't seem to understand, but then he understood and shook his head - he didn't care about thinking of a way. She took another two steps forward, her face suddenly turned red, showing some white teeth, but she couldn't speak.Her life made her forget shame, but when it comes to serious things, she is a woman with a heart: a woman's heart is more than half devoted to shame. "I think..." was all she could say.There were a lot of words in her mind; when she blushed, they all disappeared suddenly, and she couldn't think of them anymore.

There are not many truths in the world, but a woman's blush is worth a lot of words; even Xiangzi understood what she meant.In his eyes, she is the most beautiful woman, the beauty lies in the bones, even though she has sores all over her body, and her flesh is rotten, she is still beautiful in his heart.She is beautiful, she is young, she is strong, and she is thrifty.If Xiangzi wants to marry again, she is an ideal person.He didn't want to remarry right away, he didn't care about anything else.But since she was willing, and because of the oppression of life, she had to ask immediately, he seemed unable to refuse.She is so kind in person, and has helped him so much, he can only nod his head, he really wants to go and hug her, cry heartily, cry away all the grievances, and then work hard together with her to move forward Run hard.In her he saw the comfort a man can and deserves from a woman.He is not very talkative, and when he sees her, he is willing to speak casually; with her listening, his words will not be in vain; her nod or smile are the most perfect answers, which make him feel really happy. Became "home".

At this moment, Xiao Fuzi's second younger brother came in: "Sister! Dad is here!" She frowned.As soon as she opened the door, Er Qiangzi had already walked into the courtyard. "What did you do in Xiangzi's house?" Er Qiangzi's eyes were wide open, his feet were mixed with garlic, and he rushed over here and there: "You can't sell enough, and you have to teach Xiangzi how to play? You don't want it." face thing!" Xiangzi rushed out when he heard his name, and stood behind Xiao Fuzi. "I said Xiangzi," Er Qiangzi twisted and tried to straighten his chest, but he couldn't even stand upright: "I said Xiangzi, are you still a human being? You don't matter who you take advantage of, just take advantage of her." ? What a joke!"

Xiangzi refused to bully a drunk, but the depression in his heart made him unable to control his anger.He catches up one step.The four red eyes met the light, as if they were about to stir in the air and sparks would be emitted.Xiangzi grabbed Er Qiangzi by the shoulder, and threw it far away as if he was pulling a child. The condemnation of conscience turned into rage by ordering wine: Er Qiangzi's drunkenness was somewhat faked.After this fall, he half woke up.He wanted to counterattack, but he knew that he was not Xiangzi's opponent.Going out so honestly is very unpleasant.He was sitting on the ground, unwilling to stand up, and it was inconvenient for him to sit like this all the time.My heart was very confused, so I had no choice but to say casually: "I discipline my children, what does it have to do with you? Beat me? Your grandma! You have to deserve it too!"

Xiangzi didn't want to fight back, but just quietly waited for his counterattack. With tears in his eyes, Xiao Fuzi didn't know what to do.It was no use persuading his father, and watching Xiangzi beat him made him feel uneasy.She groped her whole body, gathered a dozen copper coins, and handed them to her younger brother.The younger brother would never dare to get close to his father on weekdays, but seeing his father being beaten to the ground today, he was a little more courageous. "Here you go!" Er Qiangzi took the money with narrow eyes, and stood up while chattering:

"Leave you wenches alone! You overthrow the master, and you'll be slaughtered with a knife!" Almost at the gate of the street, he called out, "Xiangzi! Leave this bastard alone, see you outside!" After Er Qiangzi left, Xiangzi and Xiao Fuzi went into the house together. "I can't help it!" She said this sentence to herself, this sentence summed up all her difficulties, and contained infinite hope-if Xiangzi was willing to marry her, she would have a solution. Xiangzi, after this scene, saw many dark shadows on her body.He still likes her, but he can't bear the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers and a drunk father!He didn't dare to think that once Huniu died, he would be free; Huniu also had the benefits of Huniu, at least it helped him a lot financially.He didn't dare to think that Xiao Fuzi would kill him, but it was true that her whole family didn't know how to earn a living.Whether to love or not, poor people have to decide on money, "love species" are only born in rich families.

He started to pack his things. "Are you going to move out?" Xiao Fuzi's lips were completely white. "Move away!" He was ruthless. In a world without justice, the poor rely on ruthlessness to maintain their personal freedom, which is a very small piece of freedom. Glancing at him, she walked out with her head down.She doesn't hate, she doesn't get annoyed, she just despairs. Huniu's jewelry and better clothes were taken to the coffin.All that was left were some old clothes, some wooden utensils, and some pots, pans and spoons.Xiangzi picked out a few better ones from those clothes and put them aside; the rest, including the clothes, newspapers, belts and utensils, were all sold.He called a "drummer"② and sold it for more than ten yuan.He was anxious to move away and get rid of these things, so he didn't bother to find a few more people to slowly negotiate the price③. The "drum beater" packed away his things, leaving only his bedding and a few selected clothes in the house, which were placed on the kang without mats.The room was empty, and he felt happier, as if he had got rid of many entanglements, and he could fly away from now on.However, after a while, he remembered those things again.The table has been removed, but there are still some traces left on the table legs - piles of fine soil, forming several small squares against the base of the wall.Looking at these imprints, he remembered things and people, and they all disappeared like a dream.No matter whether things are good or bad, no matter people are good or bad, without them, the heart will have no place to rest.He sat on the edge of the Kang and took out another "yellow lion".

Along with the cigarette, he brought out a broken ticket.Consciously or unintentionally, he took out all the money; for the past two days, he never cared to settle the accounts.He took out a pile of foreign money, dime notes, copper notes, copper coins, everything.The pile is not small, and it is less than twenty yuan after counting.Adding in the dozen or so yuan from selling things, all his property is only more than 30 yuan. Putting the money on the kang bricks, he stared at them, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. There was no one in the room, nothing, only himself and this pile of old and moldy money.What is this for? With a long sigh, he put the money in his arms helplessly, then he picked up the bedding and the few clothes, and went to find Xiao Fuzi. "Keep these clothes for you to wear! Keep the bedding for a while, and I'll go to a good car factory first, and then come to pick it up." Not daring to look at Xiao Fuzi, he lowered his head and finished speaking in one breath. She didn't say anything, just agreed twice. Xiangzi found the car factory, came back to pick up the bedding, and saw her eyes were swollen from crying.He wouldn't say anything, but he tried his best to come up with these two sentences: "Wait! When I'm done, I'll come! I'll definitely come!" She nodded and said nothing. Xiangzi only rested for one day, and went to pull the cart as usual.He wasn't so eager to solicit business as before, but he didn't deliberately slack off, he just messed around every day indifferently and tirelessly.After going through this for about a month, he felt very peaceful in his heart.His face was fuller, but not as red as before; his complexion was yellowish, neither strong nor thin.The eyes are very bright, but there is no expression. They are always so bright and seem to be very energetic, but they seem to see nothing.He looked like a tree after a storm, standing quietly in the sun, not daring to move at all.He didn't like to talk before, and he doesn't like to talk now.The weather is already very warm, and the willow branches are covered with young leaves. Sometimes he parks his car in the sun, with his head lowered and talking to himself, his mouth moves slightly; sometimes he faces the sun on his back and takes a nap; , He simply doesn't talk to people much. Cigarettes are addictive.As soon as he sat in the car, his big hands groped under the breast pad.He lit a cigarette, inhaled and exhaled very slowly, followed the smoke rings and looked up, stared blankly, then nodded, as if he had noticed something. When he pulled up the cart, he ran faster than the average coachman, but he no longer ran desperately.He was especially careful when turning corners and going up and down hills.Almost overly cautious.Someone wanted to race with him, no matter how teased he was, he kept his head down and kept running at a moderate pace.He seemed to have seen through what pulling the cart was all about, and he no longer wanted any glory or praise from it. In the factory, he has made friends; although he is not very talkative, the silent geese also like to fly in groups.If he doesn't make friends, his loneliness may not be tolerable for him.As soon as he took out his cigarette box, he passed it around to everyone.Sometimes people see that there is only one left in his box, and they are embarrassed to reach out, so he simply says: "Buy again!" When everyone is gambling, he doesn't hide aside like before, he also comes to have a look, and Sometimes he makes a bet and doesn't care whether he wins or loses. It seems that he just wants to show everyone that he is very social and understands that everyone should be happy after a few days of busy work.They drank, and he accompanied them; they didn't drink much, but they paid for some wine and food for everyone to eat.Things that he didn't care about before, now he finds some meaning—since his own path is not working, he can't help but admit that others are doing right.If there are weddings and funerals among friends, he didn't know how to deal with people before, but now he also has a share of forty coppers, or just follow a "public discussion"④.Not only did he pay the money, but he also went to pay homage or celebrate in person, because he understood that these things were not just for wasting money, but some favors that must be fulfilled.Here people are really crying or laughing, not just booing. He didn't dare to move the more than thirty yuan.He got a piece of white cloth, and he sewed the money in it with a big needle, and put it on the place next to the meat forever.I don't want to spend money, and I don't want to buy a car anymore, I just keep it with me as a kind of preparation-who knows what disasters will happen in the future!Sickness and unexpected disasters can come to us at any time, so we must be prepared.People are not made of iron, he understood. It was almost the beginning of autumn, and he signed up for the moon again.This time, things in the house are much more relaxed than the ones he's been involved with before; if it wasn't like this, he wouldn't have accepted this matter.He now knows how to choose things, and has the right ability to pay a monthly subscription; otherwise, he would be able to do anything, and he would not rush into the house like before.He knew that his body should be taken care of. As a coachman, he wanted to work hard—as he did before—only to lose his life without gaining any benefits.Experience makes people know how to be more naughty, because there is only one life! This time he went to work near Lama Temple.The host, surnamed Xia, is in his fifties, educated and well educated; his family has a wife and twelve children.I recently married an aunt, and I didn't dare to let my family know about it, so I deliberately picked a secluded place and organized a small family.In this small family near Lama Temple, there are only Mr. Xia and his newly married concubine; in addition, there is a maid and a coachman—Xiangzi. Xiangzi liked it very much.Let’s talk about the courtyard first. There are only six rooms in the courtyard. Mr. Xia lives in three rooms, the kitchen occupies one room, and the other two rooms are used as servants.The yard is small, and there is a half-sized jujube tree at the base of the south wall, with a dozen half-red dates hanging on the top of the tree.When Xiangzi was sweeping the yard, he used almost two or three brooms to sweep from one end to the other, which was very convenient.There were no flowers and plants to water, so he really wanted to tidy up the jujube tree, but he knew how capricious the jujube tree was, it was crooked and unmanageable, so it was inconvenient to do it. There are not many other jobs.Mr. Xia went to work in the yamen in the morning and didn't come back until five o'clock in the afternoon. Xiangzi only had to see him off and pick him up;Mrs. Xia often went out, but she always came back around four o'clock, so that Xiangzi could pick up Mr. Xia—and when he was picked up, Xiangzi's day's work would be considered an account.Besides, the places Mrs. Xia went to were Dong'an Market and Zhongshan Park and so on. After arriving there, there was still a lot of rest time.Xiangzi did all these things like a joke. Mr. Xia's hands were very tight, and he would not let go of even a small amount of money; when he came out and went in, he did not look around, as if there was no one or anything on the street.The wife can let go, and goes out to buy things every day; if it is food, it is not tasty, so I give it to the servant; if it is supplies, when I want to buy a new one, I give the old one to the servant first, so that I can negotiate with Mr. Xia ask for money.Mr. Xia's mission in life seems to be to dedicate all his energy and money to his concubine; besides, he has no life or enjoyment.His money can only go out through the hands of his concubine, and he can’t spend it himself, let alone give it to others—it is said that his original wife lives in Baoding with twelve children, sometimes for four or five months Not a dime from him. Xiangzi hates this Mr. Xia: he bends his waist and shrinks his neck all the time, goes in and out like a thief, looks at his toes, never makes a sound, doesn't spend money, doesn't laugh, even sits like a thin monkey in the car; But once in a while, when he said a word or two, he would say it in an extremely unpopular way, as if everyone was a jerk, and only he himself was a gentleman who knew the book and the manners.Xiangzi doesn't like such people.But he regards "things" as "things", as long as the money is paid in a month, why do he care about anything else? !Besides, my wife is very open-minded, and I often get some for food and use; forget it, just treat it like pulling an unreasonable monkey. As for that wife, Xiangzi only regarded her as a woman who would give some change, and didn't like her very much.She is much more beautiful than Xiao Fuzi, and she is covered with powder and perfume, and wrapped in silk and satin, which is even more unmatched by Xiao Fuzi.However, although she is beautiful and well-dressed, for some reason he thinks of a tiger girl when he sees her; there is always something about her that looks like a tiger girl, not because of the clothes or her appearance, but because of her attitude Or divine, Xiangzi couldn't find the appropriate words to describe it. He just thinks that she and Huniu are, to use the words he can think of, the same thing.She is very young, twenty-two or three years old at most, but her demeanor is very old-fashioned, never like a newly married woman, just like Hu Niu, who will never have the shyness and gentleness of a young girl.She has a perm on her head, wears high heels, and the dress is cut just to help her twist.Even Xiangzi could tell that although she was dressed so stylishly, she didn't have the grace of ordinary wives.But it doesn't look like she was born a prostitute.Xiangzi couldn't figure out what was going on with her.He only felt that she was a little scary, like a tiger girl.However, Huniu is not as young as she is, not as beautiful as her; so Xiangzi is even more afraid of her, as if she carries all the fierceness and viciousness of all women he has ever tasted and experienced.He could hardly look her in the eye. After a few days here, he became more and more afraid of her.Taking Mr. Xia out, Xiangzi had never seen him spend any money; however, Mr. Xia would sometimes go shopping—to buy medicine at a big pharmacy.Xiangzi didn't know what kind of medicine he bought; however, whenever the medicine came, the couple seemed to like it very much, and even Mr. Xia, who was out of breath, showed a special spirit.After being energetic for two or three days, Mr. Xia lost his breath again, and his waist became even deeper, much like a live fish bought from the street, which is put in the water for a while, and then becomes honest again.As soon as he saw Mr. Xia sitting in the car like a dead ghost, Xiangzi knew it was time to go to the pharmacy again.He doesn't like Mr. Xia, but every time he goes to the pharmacy, he can't help but feel sorry for the old skinny monkey.When Mr. Xia returned home with the medicine bag, Xiangzi thought of Huniu, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.He didn't want to hold grudges against the dead ghost, but he looked at himself, at Mr. Xia, he couldn't help but resent her; no matter what, his body wasn't as strong as it used to be, Hu Niu should bear most of the responsibility. He wanted to quit his job.However, quitting his job because of such an irrelevant matter seems outrageous; sucking on the "yellow lion", he said to himself, "Why are you meddling in other people's business?!" ①Leave this ballast aside, that is, we will not end it for the time being, and we will talk about it later. ②The drummer, a peddler who collects second-hand goods in Beijing. ③Tightening the price means waiting for a high price. ④ Public discussion, a mutually agreed gift.