Chapter 4 Chapter Four

The faint frost on the tiles gradually melted in the rising sun.There is a mountain on the roof, a large black mass.The countless trees on the mountain reflect the sunlight, and the roots of the trees become so thin that they look like just a white line, which is almost gone, only the translucent light green leaves can be seen; each tree is like a pale golden Duckweed, floating in the shadowy mountains. Yuexiang raised her head and looked, and there were small feather broom trees standing on the top of the mountain above, reflecting the skylight and becoming black silhouettes.There is a slight recess on the top of the mountain, where a small white cloud is parked.Walking home from the town last night, she saw a little light on it, and wondered if it was a lamp or a star.If there was a family living on the top of the mountain, the white clouds would be cooking smoke.Sure enough, it gradually drifted away there, as if it was faster than ordinary clouds.

Walked in the dark last night and stepped on shit.She wiped and wiped the cloth shoe with a damp rag, and put it under the eaves to reflect.It is best to wipe it with wine, you should go to the next door to borrow some wine, Boss Tan has always liked to drink two Gu. "But she thought again, who still makes wine at this time, and doesn't even have to eat. She picked up her shoes again, and wiped them with a rag twice. If I had known this before, she would not come back, and tried to get Jin Gen to go to Shanghai. Of course, this road is not easy to travel.When she came back to the countryside, as soon as she applied for it, she got a road ticket.Because it is only now that workers are being encouraged to return to their hometowns for production.So now there are far fewer tricycle drivers on the streets of Shanghai, and rickshaw drivers have completely disappeared.But she always thought, since there are still people who can suffer there and make a living, why can't she and Jin Gen, it's not because they lack an arm or a leg.

If both of them went to Shanghai, Ah Zhao had no choice but to send them to her grandmother's house, hand them over to her grandma to take care of them, and give them a little money every month.But she knew that Jin Gen would definitely not be willing to go.How can I be willing to leave when I was assigned to the field.As soon as he left, the fields were gone. What if you really can't find something to do when you arrive in the city?She always felt that there were more ways to live in the city, unlike the countryside.She could imagine herself sitting on the curb mending nylon stockings.Now many people in Shanghai still wear nylon stockings, some of which are in stock.Some were smuggled in.Her old employer might be willing to lend her some money for capital, and to buy a little suitcase containing all the necessary equipment for stocking mending.In summer, when no one wears socks, she and Jin Gen can set up a booth with simple equipment at the entrance of the alley to iron clothes for people.Spray water on clothes with mouth in mouth.She remembered that there were quite a few stalls of this type last year, and the business must always be very good.The price of the stall is always cheaper than that of the laundry and dyeing shop. At this time, no one should make plans.

If you can't do any business, you have to pick up cigarette butts, dig out garbage, and help push carts at the bridge, and go about your day.Jin Gen has a cousin who looks after the alley, maybe he would agree to let them build a reed mat tent in his alley for temporary shelter.Suffering is just a little bit harder, as long as it is a temporary thing, it can always be endured.She always believes that she and Jin Gen are not the same people who will spend their whole lives as scumbags. However, she suddenly remembered something she saw on the road one day: she couldn't help but feel a chill all over her body.One day when she was going to the small vegetable market, she saw everyone turning their heads away and looking in the same direction.Someone whispered: "Look here! Look here! We're catching wretches!" Two policemen, one on each side, held a man's arm and ran towards a truck parked by the side of the road with him.Both cops were smiling, with an air of affection and humor, as if they had caught a naughty little brother in their own family.Their shabby prisoner was held up in the air by them, his feet didn't touch the ground, and his thin shoulders were raised high. He also smiled there, as if he was a little embarrassed.Yuexiang looked at him curiously.She knew that he must also know that if he was caught, he would be sent to the Huaihe River to be treated, and sent to the slave labor camp along the Huaihe River, where he would stand and work in the river with a large group of prisoners and forced laborers, with the water filling his stomach.She knew, because some women in their alleys were family members of counter-revolutionaries, and their husbands were undergoing "reform through labor."

But these things are far away after all, and she is now in the village of her hometown.Sighing, she went back into the house and set up the mirror to comb her hair.Her black oily hair was long and fell to her shoulders, and the hair on her forehead and temples was tied high.A big crack had been smashed into this waist mirror for a long time, and it was tied with a greasy red velvet rope, which was barely usable.Usually she didn't feel anything, but now she was looking in the mirror, she had to move her face up and down from time to time to avoid the velvet rope, and she couldn't help but feel wronged.It's not her turn to use a good mirror, so use this broken mirror.Since I came to their house, I have never had a decent thing. It was rare to get a mirror, so I gave it to his sister again, and refused to ask her.

"Sister-in-law Jin Gen!" Someone called her outside.It was Jin Yousao who was watching at the door. "Nuan, Mrs. Jin, come in and sit down." "Where's Brother Jin Gen?" "I went out to collect firewood." Mrs. Jin You just walked in when she heard that Jin Gen was not at home. "Are you combing your hair?" she said. "Nuan, it's a pity that your mirror is broken. Why is it broken?" Yuexiang was afraid that she would think of that mirror from this mirror, and she really was like that.Her haggard face suddenly glowed, she bent down and leaned forward, and said in a low voice, "Nuan, really, when will you go to Zhoucun to look at your mirror. It's so beautiful!" She looked around cautiously After a while, I lowered my voice a bit, "Nuan, in fact, you want me to tell you, is it okay to keep it for yourself? At this time, you still talk about escorting, and now you don't like that. The bride doesn't sit in the sedan chair anymore, it's all Walking, no matter ten miles or twenty miles, it's just walking." She laughed.Although her life is bitter, at least she can say that she has no regrets on this point, she was carried here in a sedan chair. "You Jinhua went there by yourself. ——That's why I said, the world is different now! Don't pay attention to any escorts."

Moon Scent smiled.She also knew that Mrs. Jin You was an honest person, and she said this to protect her sincerely, but she didn't like to listen to it very much, as if everyone felt that Jin Gen was biased towards his sister and felt wronged for her. She smiled and called "Sister-in-law Jin You," and said, "The world is different now, and there is no need to pay attention to those things. But when our Jinhua sister married, she was not the only daughter-in-law in the Zhou family. The first few came , Everyone has escorts, but she doesn't. We say that the times are different, but when we tell others, it's the same thing. Doesn't it make her difficult to be a human being. Sister-in-law Jin You, are you right?"

Mrs. Jin Yousao nodded repeatedly, but she obviously didn't understand her words, she just nodded and said absent-mindedly. "Yes," "Yes," just like Yue Xiangjian is exactly the same as her.After Yuexiang finished speaking, she came closer and said softly, it was not my turn to speak at that time, as we are all outsiders.You are not at home. " Yuexiang was very annoyed, she raised her voice and her smile became sweeter. "Actually, it's the same whether I'm at home or not. I've always told him that you only have one younger sister. Although the family is poor, the younger sister always looks good when she gets married. It's just a coincidence. When rushing her to hold a wedding and encounter the current embarrassment, there is nothing good to accompany her."

Jin Yousao was stunned for a while.Nothing good to accompany her!The tone is so loud, as if the mirror is worthless.Jin Yousao couldn't help being a little angry. Yuexiang thought of something else to divert her, and asked Zhang's parents and Li's family members in the village. After chatting for a while, everyone gradually fell silent, but Jin Yousao didn't look like she was going to leave.She obviously has something on her mind. "The two elders asked me to tell you—" Jin Yousao finally mumbled, her face flushed. "They are elders, and they are embarrassed to speak to you."

They want to borrow money.Mrs. Jin You told her their plight in detail. Although the harvest was good, more than half of them went away after paying the public grain.Now those exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes are gone, and there is only one piece of public grain left, but it is so heavy that it is frightening.Silk is also bought by the government.The tea also had to be sold to the government at a very low price. "This year we suffered a loss in hemp again." Mrs. Jin Yousao said. She told Yuexiang how the old man picked hemp to the town and sold it to the cooperative. He left too early, and the cadres of the cooperative hadn't woken up yet.Unhappy to be woken up by him, Sleepy Eye Knee Long stretched out a hand from under the quilt, and asked the old man to put a strand of hemp in his palm.

"Not qualified," he pronounced at once. The old man went home dejectedly.Later, he heard people in the village say that these cadres were not qualified, and sometimes those who were rejected were picked again, but they were accepted and rated as "waiter one".So the old man took another load of hemp to the town.That day the cooperative was full of farmers who picked hemp to sell, and all the cadres were very busy.One came over, glanced at the old man's hemp, kicked it, and said impatiently, "Pick it away, it's unqualified!" They prevented him from picking it up next time, and put a bucket of red water Splash it on the white hemp.That's the new rule. The old man picked out a load of hemp dripping with red water out of the cooperative, put down the load, and sat by the river.He sat there till dark, sighing loudly now and then.Then he sees Kim-geun coming out of the co-op.Jin Gen's hemp was also dyed bright red, and his face was also flushed. When he got to the bridge, he threw the hemp into the river in a fit of anger. "What are you doing?" cried the old man. "Beware of being seen." A cadre has already followed, shouting: "What are you? Who do you want to blackmail?" "It's useless, and it's not against the law to throw it away!" cried Gold Root. "Originally you don't want it, I can still sell it to others. You dyed it red, who do you want me to sell it to?" "This guy is so tired!" the cadre yelled: "You think you threw your things away, and the government blackmailed you, didn't you? I know you guys—none of them are good. Oh, you This old man." He pointed at Boss Tan, "Why are you still sitting here? You've been here for a day and you don't want to leave. Who do you want to blackmail?" After hearing this, Yuexiang said, "Golden Root didn't tell me about this." "He was so angry that he died," Jin Yousao said. She went on to talk about the time when everyone was mobilized to make military shoes. The family bought dozens of pairs and rushed to make them day and night. Mrs. Jin You said that she used the soles of the shoes and worn out her fingers.Don't talk about buying shoe upper cloth and lining, even rags and hemp thread for making shoe soles. It doesn't cost money. Cadres will visit from house to house, and those who are slow to do it.I urged them to work quickly to complete the task; for those who did it quickly, I tried to get them to recognize another 20 pairs. "The soles of shoes should be thick and strong," the cadres said repeatedly. "Our soldiers would have to travel thousands of miles to fight the American devils in North Korea. If it weren't for our volunteers blocking them in North Korea, the American imperialists would have come to us long ago!" After handing in the military shoes, it was followed by "pre-support donation".The most powerful thing was the "donation of airplanes and cannons" that time, which forced Zhoucun to "challenge" this village.There are many new terms that Jin Yousao can’t say, but what she said is much clearer than what Jin Gen told her on the pillow last night, because Jin Gen is always hesitant and secretive, not because he refuses to tell her , He was also very contradictory in his heart. "Sister-in-law Jin Gen, let me tell you these words. You must not mention these words to Brother Jin Gen. Even in front of our two elders, you must not reveal them. If they know that I told you these words, they will be scared to death." Jin Yousao giggled nervously, then turned her head to look again.Yuexiang knew that they were afraid of Jin Gen because he was a model worker. "If I knew the country was like this, I would never come back," Yuexiang said.Now it was her turn to complain. ""Sister-in-law Jin, you know that this family relies on me to send money back every month. After a while, the child is sick again, and this time it is to marry a girl... I only make so little money in total, clothes, shoes, socks, Bedding, everything is his own, things are expensive in Shanghai, where can I save money. " "It's better than us!" Mrs. Jin You put her face in front of Yuexiang again, and said softly, "There used to be a saying: Poor depends on the rich, and the rich depends on the sky." Like in the past, when there was a famine, you could ask the rich man for a loan. Come on, now there is nowhere to borrow—— "She wanted to go on, but when she heard the door ringing in the yard, she hurried to look around. It was Jin Gen who had come back from lighting firewood. The pole was carrying two bundles of twigs, fluffy with leaves and branches, and there was a person It was as if a strange bird had spread its two big wings and perched on his shoulders. He turned sideways and tried carefully for a long time before he came in through the door. As soon as he came back, Jin Yousao walked away quietly. But that afternoon, people came to visit Yuexiang one after another in front of and behind the village, and they all came to borrow money.Their hope is very small, it is only equivalent to the price of buying a pair of fried dough sticks in the city.But all of them were politely rejected by Yuexiang.They smile when they come and smile when they go. There were so many people, Yuexiang became frightened, and said to Jin Gen, "I haven't made a fortune and come back, so I come here to borrow money anyway." "It's always been that way," he said with a smile.Whenever he mentions the current situation in the countryside, he always has a defensive air. "Anyway, as long as you come back from outside, you will always think that you have made a fortune and come back." He asked her to wash more rice and cook a dry meal at noon.She refused, and said, "I have to save some food, there is not much left. I will live in spring next year!" "It's rare to eat like this once." "Why do you have to have dinner today? It's not the Chinese New Year holiday, and your birthday is too early," she said with a smile.She wanted to hear him say that today was her first day back and it was worth celebrating. "But he just showed embarrassment, and stubbornly said, "No reason.Haven't eaten these days and wanted to have a meal. " In the end, she had no choice but to obey him, but when she came to scoop rice in the rice jar, her hands softened, and she was still reluctant to take more, so she cooked a pot of thick porridge compromised. Before sitting down to eat, Jin Gen went to close the door first. "When people see us eating, they want to borrow money." "The door is closed in the blue sky, what does it look like?" She glared at him. "I'm dying of laughter!" Except when sleeping at night, the door is never closed, no matter how cold the weather is.As a result, Jin Gen had no choice but to stand there eating with a bowl in his hand, and went to the door from time to time to listen to the sounds outside. He suddenly tensed up. "Put it away!" he said softly, "Comrade Wang is here." There was already a person outside with a foreign accent shouting, "Is Jin Gen at home?" Jin Gen handed the rice bowl in his hand to Yuexiang, and hurried out, wanting to meet him at the door, say a few words, and delay a little longer.Yuexiang sent the two to the bed and placed them next to the pillows, which were just blocked by the curtain and could not be seen.But whether it is porridge or not rice, it has to be laid flat for fear that it will flow out if it is turned upside down.She went to grab the bowl in Ah Zhao's hand again, but Ah Zhao was reluctant to let go, and Yue Xiang was afraid that the hot porridge would spill out and scald Ah Zhao, so she hesitated a little, but Jin Gen had already walked in with Comrade Yu. Comrade Wang is short and over forty years old, but the face under the brim of his hat is still that of a thin young man.He has a lovely smile.Wearing a bloated old cotton uniform, he looked a lot fatter than himself.The belt was tightened, so that his chest was raised high, and a row of pleats rose behind his buttocks, which were pushed far away, somewhat resembling the posture of a fat Western woman. "This is Mrs. Jin Gen, right?" He said politely, "Eat! Eat! It's not a coincidence to disturb you!" They insisted that they were finished.When Ah Zhao saw Comrade Wang, he was also a little scared, so he automatically put down his job bowl and put it on the chair. "Eat it while it's hot, Zhao! It'll be cold if you don't eat it." Comrade Wang smiled at her, stroking her hair. "Growing taller again! I saw her grow taller again and again." He hugged her up and held her high.Although Ah Zhao was also secretly excited, his face was still stern and gloomy. "Comrade Wang, please sit down," Yuexiang said with a smile.She hurried to pour a bowl of boiling water. "I don't even have tea leaves, let's drink a glass of water, Comrade Wang!" "You don't need to bother, Mrs. Jin Gen, you are all on your own." Comrade Wang sat on the chair I owe you a debt. "Please sit, please sit." Yuexiang sat down opposite him. "I just came back yesterday? Have you worked hard?" Comrade Wang said with a smile. Yuexiang took the road note out of her pocket and showed it to him.He looked at it and said, "Great, great, returning home to produce, great! Sister Jin Gen, you must also feel that the countryside is different from before, and the poor have turned around. The current government is the government of the people themselves. , everyone is their own person, if you have any opinions, just mention them." Then he compliments Jin-gun on her, saying he’s an activist here.He also told her what an honor it is to be a model worker.Jin Gen sat on the bed and smiled coyly, without saying anything. "Now that you're back, it's great. Everyone is working wholeheartedly," Comrade Wang said. "To do a good job in production, we need to learn culture. While we are free in winter, everyone goes to winter school, and a little gentleman from the town will teach us. Mrs. Jin Gen, men and women are the same now, and you and your wife should do the same. Let's compete, he has become a model worker, and you have to be a role model." He laughed heartily, and Jin Gen and Yue Xiang also laughed. After talking for a while, Comrade Wang stood up and left. The couple sent him out, and when they came back to the house, Yue Xiang said, "This Comrade Wang is so kind, he didn't even take a sip of boiling water." No one has ever been like this Talked to her, so earnestly, kindly, as if treating her as a person, not a woman. "Comrade Wang is a good man," Jin Gen said. But she noticed that he was very unhappy because the bowl of thick porridge was seen by Comrade Wang. "Tell you to put it away quickly, why have you been groping for a long time, and there is still a bowl left outside." He said annoyed. She explained to him that because Ah Zhao was holding a bowl and refused to put it down, she wanted to grab it with all her strength, and she was afraid that it would burn the child's hands if it spilled out.Then she got angry too. "It's also you, you must eat, I won't listen to what you say." "If you really listen to me and cook the rice, it will be fine. Who told you to cook it so lightly and dry. You don't have to worry about spilling dry rice and it will be hot to your hands." "Well, it's all my fault!" she cooed. "I haven't seen anything like you that wants to eat and be afraid at the same time." "I want to eat—who wants to eat this dry porridge and rotten rice, it's like a paste." "If you don't eat, don't eat, who forced you to eat?" She poured several bowls of cold porridge back into the pot to heat up.As a result, Jin Gen still ate his portion in silence. After dinner, she went to the stream to wash her clothes. She squatted on the bottom of the stone steps and beat the palms of her clothes with a stick.Suddenly, there was an astonishing loud noise in the forest on the opposite bank.She remembered that when she just married in this village, when she first came to this stream to wash clothes, she was always surprised when she heard this sound, and she could no longer believe that it was just the echo of pounding clothes.I always feel that something big happened on the other side, as if the ancient gods were fighting, on the high mountain and deep in the woods. Two geese floated by the water near the shore, their two apricot-yellow feet dragging behind them like short ribbons in the pale green water. "Mom, grandma is here!" Ah Zhao called from a distance and ran over. She was going to take a day off today and go back to her mother's house tomorrow to see her mother, but she didn't expect her mother to know that she was back, so she couldn't wait and ran to see her.She felt very sorry for such a long journey.I met two acquaintances on the boat, they were from her natal village, and they probably told me about it when I went back. She hastily wrung out her clothes and went back with Ah Zhao.Kim Gen sat there with her mother.She has many sisters, and her mother only likes her youngest son. She has never been very affectionate with her, but they haven't seen her for a few years, and everyone will feel a little sad when they meet. Her mother is much older.We talked for a long time about the birth, death, and marriage of the family and relatives.Her mother talked about a relative who had recently died, saying that he was hanged upside down by two cadres and beaten, and he suffered from vomiting blood.She talked and swallowed it back, only sighed, and said: "Hello, Comrade Wang.  … After a while, Jin Gen went to the yard, stood at the gate and smoked pipes, and asked the mother and daughter to talk privately. They've been there for a long, long time.He knew that her mother would definitely borrow money from her. When her mother left, the couple had been sent to the entrance of the village.In this mountain village, as soon as the sun goes down, it immediately becomes cold, and the gray-green bamboo forests all over the mountain are rustling, blowing out gusts of cold wind.The couple held Ah Zhao's hand and stood there watching the old woman walking on the road and gradually drifting away.Jin Gen guessed that Yuexiang must have lent all her savings to her mother, and she seemed very unhappy.