Chapter 2 Chapter two

In the morning, everyone in the village crowded at his door to see the bride.Jin Hua dressed up and sat there, while a selected "Mrs. Quanfu" combed her hair, put on powder and rouge beside her.In fact, now that her hair is cut short, she doesn't need to comb it at all. She has already applied rouge and powder herself.Aunt Tan is not qualified. Although her husband and wife live together, she has only one son, but Lav left her, and there has been no news for many years. When the time came, the bride set off and walked to Zhoucun, ten miles away.A cousin came up to her and beat a gong.Jin Gen, who saw her off, hugged Ah Zhao and followed her, carrying a lantern, because he would be back late at night today.He occupies both hands, so the bride carries the bundle herself.She was wearing a thick new cotton gown with a chubby body, and she wore a big red silk flower on her chest, just like the ones worn by labor heroes, and new soldiers who joined the army also wore the same flower when they sat on the stage in the meeting hall.The little procession passed through the village, the gong was beating, and here and there women and children were screaming, "Come and see the bride! Come and see the bride!" The crowd went straight to the entrance of the village.Aunt Tan stood at the front, chanting auspicious words loudly.

She will go later, to have a wedding banquet with her husband. "Where's the old man?" She turned her head and looked around. "Where did he go? He missed seeing the bride leaving." "The old man sat on a small open-air latrine on the side of the road. It was a stone well with two wooden boards on it. He sat on it basking in the sun and smoking a pipe. The procession of brides passed in front of him, and he nodded to them with a smile. call. "Come sooner, sir!" Gold Root called to him. "Hey, I can't miss it! Eat our girl's wedding wine!" Boss Tan raised his life in a loud voice.The old man's chin was smooth, and although his face was full of wrinkles, he still had a very delicate oval face, almost cut off like a girl.Thin figure, with a wrinkled blue cloth "skirt" tied on top of the cotton robe.There is something wrong with his eyes, they are white, watery, and half-blind. He has to tilt his head coquettishly and look over from a certain angle to see clearly.

When the sun was about to set, he and Aunt Tan came to Zhou Village with a few grandchildren, leaving his wife at home to look after the house.The Zhou family has already sat down to have a wedding wine.The bride and groom sit above a table in the middle, both wearing a big red flower on their chests, and the setting sun shines into the dark room, creating a misty ray of light.The bride sat in the sun full of dust, like a red, white and white clay figurine, which seemed unreal, but strange as if it would last forever. Jin Gen is the new relative, and he also sits at the head, at another table.Boss Tan and Aunt Tan were led to another table by the host. After some humility, they were also forced to sit at the top.Several young women shuttled around to take care of him, probably his daughter-in-law.Boss Tan held his rice bowl with his head down reservedly, pretending to be eating, and sometimes picked up two grains of rice with chopsticks and put them in his mouth.

As a wedding feast, today's dishes are very poor, not even a big meat.But the bridegroom's mother was an obliging housewife, and she was very attentive from one table to another.Although she is old and has small feet, her movements are very neat.She noticed that Boss Tan only ate plain rice, and she quickly flew to his side, like a big, black butterfly with a bit of a bat. "There is nothing for you to eat, you have to be full!" She was caught off guard, picked up a bowl of fried shredded pork with winter bamboo shoots in front of him and poured it into his bowl, half of the bowl of fried shredded pork was poured into his rice bowl went.He became anxious, stood up angrily, asked everyone to comment, and shouted loudly: "What do you want me to eat? - you can't even see the rice! What do you want me to eat!" But he finally calmed down, Sit down aggrieved, and patiently dig out the rice buried under the shredded pork with chopsticks.

Halfway through the wedding, the cadres from Zhoucun came.It was Comrade Fei, very young, with a round face, puffy cheeks, and a very serious face.He imitated the style of veteran cadres, and like Comrade Wang in Jin Gen's village, he wore a cotton uniform that was very dirty, showing that he was busy serving the people and had no time to take care of himself.A shiny piece of clay stretched down from the neckline, forming a V shape.He also imitated the mass workers among the old party members, and tucked a towel behind his belt instead of a handkerchief, which was the fashion from the Japanese soldiers during the war.

Gold Root followed suit, tucking a towel behind his belt.It was covered by the cotton jacket, and only a little bit of the lower end of the towel was exposed, but this already made him a little shy, as if he was trying to learn fashion.The towels were brought from Shanghai by his wife, and they were brand new, because they were never used for anything else.There are four red letters below: "Good morning to you". Everyone stood up and let Comrade Fei sit.After repeated humility, the old woman moved to the side and let him and her husband sit at the top.There was no wine in the wedding banquet today, but on such a cold day, the room was filled with people, and with empty stomachs, they ate two full bowls of rice, and the lack of wine also brought a sense of alcohol. Everyone ate well. His face was red, and he looked like he was intoxicated with wine.

Comrade Fei was very friendly and in good spirits, and asked the guests one by one how the harvest was this year, how many dans of rice and how many catties of hemp they had harvested.During the autumn harvest, Jin Gen worked hard and was selected as a model worker. Aunt Tan really publicized it for him.She is eloquent, talking and laughing, and perfunctory.She said a lot to Comrade Fei.Sometimes her words are not directly related to the topic at that time, but the rhythm is always very accurate, well-organized and well-spoken. "Cough! It's better now! The poor have turned around! Now it's the same as before! If it weren't for Chairman Mao, how could we be where we are today? If it weren't for the Revolutionary Party, we poor people don't know how long we will suffer!" Mrs. Tan told the Communist Party A bit confused with the Revolutionary Party, she kept referring to the Communist Party as the Revolutionary Party, and sometimes even referred to him as the Kuomintang.But at her age, the mistake seemed justifiable.On the whole, she gave Comrade Fei a pretty good impression, and it was rare to see an old lady advancing like her.

She forced the bridegroom's mother to eat more, saying: "You are only busy with other people! You are hungry!" The hostess brought food for Ah Zhao, and Aunt Tan said to Ah Zhao: "Your aunt is not going back today, You are willing to follow your aunt, so you can stay here too, don't you miss her? Didn't you cry yesterday?" The little girl continued to eat her meal quietly, her dark eyes were dark and she did not look excited at all. Aunt Tan threatened her again: "We're leaving, and we won't take you away. Your father won't take you back today. Do you think it's such an easy thing—after eating enough, wipe the oil from your mouth, stand up and go Go? Sell you to others!"

Everyone laughed.The hostess said, "Hey, you've been living here since today, and you won't go back." The kid didn't say anything.Maybe she was surrounded by a layer of suspicion, maybe no, she couldn't see it at all.But as soon as the meal was over, she ran to Jin Gen and held his hand, never letting go.Wherever he went, she followed him. After eating the wedding wine, we made room as usual.But today everyone seems to be a little scrupulous because there are cadres present.But Comrade Fei obviously wanted to "have fun with the people" and led the booing, so everyone gradually became lively.Someone shouted, "The bride and groom hold hands." Aunt Tan acted as the bride's spokesperson, pleading for her and bargaining for her.After arguing for a long time, it was Aunt Tan who gave in and held the hands of the bride and groom together for a shake.

Then someone asked the bride to sit on the groom's lap and call "brother".When this request was made, everyone laughed.The groom was in a hurry and wanted to slip away, but he was pulled back and sat down on the edge of the bed.This time the negotiation took more time. "Good! Good!" The person who made the most noise finally said angrily, "The bride doesn't show face." "Uncle, don't be angry!" Aunt Tan apologized to him according to the bride's address. "Hey! Ask the bride to pour you a bowl of tea." "Who would like some tea?"

The bride sat with her head down all the time, motionless and without a smile.It became a stalemate, and in the end Comrade Fei suggested asking the bride to sing as a way of scooping up the marriage.Aunt Tan bargained again, saying that only one song was allowed.Jin Hua finally stood up, leaned on the corner of the table, turned her back again, faced the wall, and sang the Eighth Route Army March. "One more! One more!" Comrade Fei clapped and yelled, and everyone responded. "Okay! Another one!" said Mrs. Tan. "After singing this one, we must let the bride rest. It is getting late, and we should start when we are going back." The guests still refused to let go, and did not agree to leave after listening to this one.After grinding for a long time, the bride succumbed.This time she sang "Hi La La!" softly, which was also a new song she learned in winter school. "Hi la la la! Hi la la la! Hongxia is rising from the sky! Red flowers are blooming on the ground! " Comrade Fei came up and pulled her arm. "Well, turn around and don't keep your back on people." She freed her arm, and he pulled her again, laughing suddenly.The laughter was loud and clear, and there seemed to be a hint of surprise in that voice.In that short struggle, she gave him a hard push, and he hit the table, sending a teacup crashing to the ground and smashing into pieces. "Happy year to year!" Aunt Tan said immediately, almost mechanically.What kind of attitude.Over there, Mrs. Tan didn't wait for him to get angry, but she already yelled: "Hey! Why is your bride so angry? This is just a joke with you! Didn't you hear that Zhao trouble is getting worse? This If Comrade Fei has the same childish temper as you, is that okay? If he gets serious, it's strange if he doesn't get angry?" She turned her face away and apologized to the bride's mother-in-law again. "Don't be angry, old sister! Our girl suffers from the fact that her parents died early, and she was never disciplined since she was a child, and she doesn't know any rules. From now on, this will be your business, old sister! It's all up to you to teach me a lesson. This time, you just look at me and don't bother with her. You see how magnanimous Comrade Fei is, and he is not angry at all." Comrade Fei was overwhelmed by her few words, so he felt embarrassed, so he smiled faintly, raised his hand, and straightened his hat. "This bride has a real temper. The groom must be careful, or he will be afraid of his wife." He laughed twice. The matter is over, but the mother-in-law's face is still very ugly.In front of these guests, they lost face to their family.On the surface, it seems that the bride can't be blamed, but of course she brought it on herself.And I'm also afraid that the cadres will bear a grudge from now on, and as time goes by, they will inevitably find trouble with their family.But today is the first day for the bride to get married, so of course the mother-in-law can't say anything.However, the air was still very stiff, and everyone dispersed soon. Jin Gen hugged Ah Zhao, and Mrs. Tan and Mrs. Tan led their grandchildren back all the way.There is a moon, so no lanterns are lit.After walking such a short distance, far away from Zhoucun, and passing through the silent fields in the moon bladder, Jin Gen said to the old man at this time: "Comrade Fei is not a good man." The old man smiled slightly and sighed.Talking to Jin Gen, he is always careful. "Alas! There are good and bad!" he said. The old woman took it up and said magnanimously, "These cadres are also pitiful. They are not allowed to go home for a whole year. He is so deserted." Gold root was silent. "Grandma Jinhua seems to be very powerful!" said the old woman. "There is a bride who shows her face on the first day when she walks through the door. It's amazing!" She said a little gloating. "I'm not afraid now. There are women's associations." "Hey, that's right, there is a women's meeting now! They also said that they would hold a daughter-in-law meeting to fight mother-in-laws. Cough! It's not easy to be a mother-in-law at this time!" Aunt Tan said with a wry smile.She is also a mother-in-law herself. Jin Gen was silent for a while, but then said: "But it's not possible, it's all about the cadres in this village." The old couple has no interface.They all remembered the woman from Taoxi who went to the village office to sue her mother-in-law for abuse and asked for a divorce.The cadres tied her to a tree and beat her, then sent her back to her husband's house.Many old-fashioned people in the village heard it and agreed with it.But everyone felt that her husband's family seemed too much. After she came back, she was hung up by them. Her father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband beat her in turn, breaking three big sticks.It seems that breaking one is almost enough. While walking on the track and field, one of Mr. Tan's grandson slipped and fell.The old couple stopped to rub his legs for him, and Jin Gen walked in front alone, hugging Ah Zhao, who had already fallen asleep.The moon is high above the head.The oblong moon is naturally cold, like a newly peeled lotus seed.The dark sky had no color and no clouds, and it was completely empty and desolate to the extreme.Walking forward, a winding and pale path appeared in the darkness in front of him.From time to time there are coffin huts on the side of the road, crouching low in the fields.The family members had no money to bury it, so they built this simple hut and parked it temporarily.The house is not much larger than a person's body, but it is the same as the house in their family, with white powder walls and black scale tiles.I don't know why, but it doesn't mean toy.Rather, it is like a dog house, where the deceased, like a loyal dog, guards his beloved field. Jin Gen hadn't walked halfway, but he had already digested the dinner he had eaten, and he was hungry again.At this stage, it is not an unpleasant feeling. It seems that the inside of the person is empty and clean, and the whole person is light and light, as if he can be turned upside down, walking in the sky, running and dancing around the moon.He himself also felt a little strange, this stomach is simply a bottomless pit, and after a year of hard work, it will never be able to fill it. Ah Zhao suddenly spoke up. "Are you home yet? Dad?" "Keep your mouth open—it's windy. Keep your mouth shut." Walking towards home, that dark and lonely home, he couldn't help but miss his wife even more.Just now when Zhou's house was having trouble, he remembered the day he got married, when he had trouble.The congratulators still made countless requests, which seemed to be more violent than ever, probably because the bride was so bright.Even in the end, when the guests finally dispersed, a few eavesdropped under the windows and set off a string of firecrackers to scare them. Everyone said that his wife was the brightest.Maybe people are thinking about how Tan Liang's wife can rest assured that she has been alone in the city all these years.When a woman goes to the city to work as a servant or to work in a factory, she often changes her mind, spends a sum of money, and leaves her husband. For some reason, he never thought that she would do the same.Every time he didn't think of this, his thoughts stopped automatically, and he didn't know whether it was because he had great confidence in her, or he was subconsciously afraid of this matter, or there were other reasons. Maybe he was really restless, and he didn't know it.Maybe he had suspected it for too long, so even now that she said she would come back, he was still not at ease.Since she left, he has always felt ashamed that he broke up the couple for such a small amount of money.When thinking about her so much that he couldn't sleep at night, he thought that she must also look down on him in her heart, and they could never be the same as before. Thinking about her is like having a small erratic flame in my heart, as if protecting a small flame with both hands in a strong wind, lest it be blown out, but the tongue of the fire is scurrying around, but it scalds the palm of my hand. It hurts. He didn't want to think about the last time he saw her.That was a year when the countryside was not peaceful, there were raffles everywhere, and many young people were afraid of raff, so they all ran to the city.So he also went to Shanghai to look for a job, and went to see his wife Yuexiang by the way. He has never been to the city. In a big city, the houses are as high as mountains, and the roads are filled with countless vehicles, flowing like a big river.Everyone looked forward to him, either shouting loudly or laughing.He has never felt inferior in his life, this is the first time he feels stupid, with a shaved head and wearing undershirts that don't fit too tight.He has a cousin who is a patrolman in the alley. He lives in his cousin's house and visits Yuexiang's servant every day.Whenever she was free, she came downstairs and sat with him in the kitchen. There was a greasy square table against the wall, and the two of them occupied one side each.She greeted the people in the village and all the relatives in the nearby villages, and asked about them all.He answered them all with a slight smile.He always sat face out, did not look at her, leaned forward, elbows on knees, fingers interlocked. Their conversation was intermittent, but it could not be completely interrupted, because there were many people coming and going, and it would be strange to be seen sitting together without talking.Jin Gen has always been quiet, and he feels that he has never said so many words in his life. His cement-floored kitchen leads to the alley.It was always raining there, so he opened an umbrella, and Yuexiang always opened the umbrella that was dripping with water to dry, and the handle of the umbrella was inserted into the short railing on the half of the small door.The little door was painted a dirty dark red.In the dark kitchen, the orange-yellow oil-paper umbrella hung high, big and round, like a sunset. People kept coming in, Yuexiang often stopped in the middle of her sentence, and smiled at them, as if apologetic.Sometimes she jumped up and took down the oil-paper umbrella perched high on it to let people out. Every family here seems to use the back door, and the front door is often locked.The hostess wore jewels to the banquet, and she wore shiny silk and satin clothes. She still walked through the dark kitchen full of oily smoke, her golden high-heeled shoes beeping.The nurse was also pacing in and out of the outside kitchen with the baby in her arms. Gold root often eats there.Sometimes when he was late and missed lunch, she would cook some cold rice for him, and with a defiant air, she would pick up the oil bottle and pour some oil into the pot.She didn't tell him that now the wife of the family came down every day to check their rice and briquettes, making a fuss about how they were used up so quickly, implying that there was a new loophole.The maid is always unhappy when her family members come to visit her.If it is a husband, their unhappiness is further advanced, bordering on hatred.Yuexiang still remembers a time when a maid and her man stayed in a small hotel for one night. Later, everyone talked endlessly and it became a joke.The hostess raised it behind her back, laughing and scolding at the same time. She never said these things to Kim Root.But he also felt a little bit that he only made her feel inconvenienced and wronged by being here.So after half a month, he still couldn't find a job, so he said he was going back.He took the money she gave him to buy a train ticket. It was completely in vain to come this way, and it was a waste of her hard-earned money.With the money left over from buying the ticket, he bought himself a pack of cigarettes.I also feel that I shouldn't, but the more depressed I am, the more I will do such unreasonable things. He visited her one last time before boarding the train.Today there are guests here for dinner, there is duck paw soup, Yuexiang is in the kitchen, using an old toothbrush to scrub the orange-yellow duck webs there.He sat down and lit a cigarette, his bundle resting on the other end of the board.In the past fortnight, they have exhausted all the conversation materials, and now there is absolutely nothing to say.In the silence, he heard something groaning in the trash can. "What's that?" he asked a little surprised. It's a chicken waiting to be killed, with its feet tied together temporarily perched in a trash can.The train was still hours away.There is no other place to go, only to sit here and wait, because there is nothing to say, Yuexiang said what she should tell her over and over again, asking him to greet everyone for her.She cleaned the duck webs and came to peel the edamame again. She suddenly found that she threw all the peeled beans on the ground and kept the pods. She felt very embarrassed and bent down to pick up the beans.Fortunately, no one was around, and Jin Gen didn't pay attention.After peeling the beans and picking the vegetables, she swept the ground and dumped it into the trash can. The chicken clucked in panic.When Gold Root got up to go, she walked to the door, wiping her hands on her apron, with a vacant smile on her face.He opened the umbrella and walked into the alley.It was raining outside, and the yellow-gray cement was dimpled.His heart was a trampled mass stuck to the sole of his shoe. Shouldn't have come to town.