Chapter 8 chapter eight

The weather was strangely warm, hardly like winter.Maybe it's going to rain.A large group of grasshoppers was faintly flying around the treetops.From a distance it looks like the tree is smoking.  Someone knocked on a small gong from the front of the village to the back of the village, shouting, "A meeting! Go to the village office for a meeting! Everyone must go!" Yuexiang had no choice but to take the child with her because there was no one at home.She took Ah Zhao to the next door to find Mrs. Jin Yousao.The golden root is going back and forth.At such times, it will always be "men against men, women against women." Even in the venue, although there is no express regulation, men and women still stand on one side. 

The meeting was held in the large courtyard in front of the main hall of Wusheng Temple.Everyone crowded around, shouting hello to their acquaintances, closing their eyes in the afternoon sun.A table was placed under the eaves in the middle of the main hall.The director of the peasant association patted the table with a piece of bamboo, and the meeting place fell silent, and the crowing of roosters could be heard in the distance, and the confusion was like a dream.Then the director of the peasant association coughed and began to speak.  Since returning to the village, Yuexiang has held meetings all day long. There are many more meetings here than in Shanghai, but Yuexiang is still not used to holding meetings.When it was time for everyone to raise their hands, she was always the last one to raise their hands.When doing this, the women giggled and laughed, and the men were equally shy, taking care to keep their eyes straight ahead and away from the people next to them, so as not to embarrass everyone; The smiling expression is like saying: "This is just a kind of etiquette. In fact, it is the same as paying a donation. Although it looks ridiculous, is this kind of thing popular now? Everyone is like this now." Then Jin Gen stood in the crowd Standing up from behind, he said, "I propose to invite Comrade Wang to speak." Everyone applauded along with Pipipi.Yuexiang's heart was beating wildly.When others stood up to speak, no one clapped their hands, but as soon as Jin Gen opened his mouth, everyone clapped together.But shouldn't she clap her hands too? - She will be told as a joke, and the wife will cheer her husband on, and she will become the target of the village.But on the other hand, she felt that it was not appropriate for her to be the only one who did not clap her hands, as if she was the only one who disagreed.When it was difficult to make a decision, the applause had stopped, and Comrade Wang had already walked up the stone steps and began to give a speech. 

His speech was very long, and the subject of his lecture was entertainment.The purpose of his speech today was not to enlighten the masses, but to awe Gu Gang.Later, he officially introduced Gu Gang to the masses, and asked Gu Gang to also tell them a paragraph about cultural and entertainment activities.By this time it was already dark, and an oil lamp was placed on the table.The audience fidgeted, but no one slipped away because the door was guarded by militiamen.  Because Gu Gang didn't prepare in advance, he had no choice but to think of a few words to cover his responsibilities, and it was over in less than a quarter of an hour.After the meeting, the masses practiced Yangko dance in the open space in front of the temple.The light and shadows of lanterns and torches danced on the red wall.big gong

The small gong was knocked one by one.  "Chuck, choke, choke! "Cheek, choke, choke, choke, choke!" The young people wore sulfur scarves on their heads, raised their eyebrows and eyes high, and suddenly changed their faces, turning them into vicious and terrifying strangers.They began to dance, moving forward and backward, shaking their arms.Golden root is also included.Women, old and weak, stood around watching, smiling.But among the group of onlookers, there gradually became a fluctuating movement, and many people were squeezed out, pushed out despite protests on the one hand, and joined the dancers. 

A woman was dragged away, as if unwilling to reconcile, dragged Yuexiang out of the crowd, and shouted: "You too, Mrs. Jin Gen!" Yuexiang giggled and tried her best to resist, but Finally forced to stand in the ranks.She has never danced, and her ancestors have not danced for more than a thousand years, in southern China.She thought this gesture was ridiculous.In fact, when she was in Shanghai, she also saw female students and workers performing Yangko on the road, and she thought it was a fashionable thing at the time.  Finally, the torches were blown out, and the lanterns scattered, and they followed each other slowly.Everyone walks home.Yuexiang was sweating coldly under her padded jacket, she was so tired, she felt a little light, and felt strangely excited.She has always liked to be lively.She led Ah Zhao and walked side by side with Mrs. Jin Yousao.In the darkness, she could hear Kim Gen's voice talking to someone else.Although she couldn't see him, hearing his voice from such a distance gave her a sense of comfort and made her feel happy. 

The moon is behind the clouds.Layers of clouds huddled together to form a cave, and the entrance of the cave was dyed with a touch of amber light.It's drizzling.But the moon was still there, a dim light in the amber cave.It was raining heavily before they got home.On the last stretch of the road, everyone ran wildly.  Kim Gen arrived home first.The oil lamp has just been lit, and there is still a little smoke.  "Don't give me a hug for Zhao," Yuexiang complained. "Heavy dead, like a big rock." "I didn't see you."  As soon as she sat down, someone was already letting her in outside. 

"Who is it?" Gold Root went to the door.The sound of the rain on the roof tiles and the rushing down of the eaves made him shout loudly.  It's Mrs. Jin You, who came to borrow a washbasin, pot or water tank. "Comrade Gu's room is leaking," she said. "We took everything, but it wasn't enough. Everything got wet."  Yuexiang helped her carry a large tank over there, and saw that they were in a mess.Gu Gang's things were all piled up in Aunt Tan's room, where the old couple were discussing how to sleep tonight.Yuexiang came back and told Jin Gen, and Jin Gen went to invite Gu Gang to stay with them overnight.The old couple frowned and laughed, not daring to show joy.  "Okay, then," Aunt Tan said hesitantly. "Let Comrade Gu Gang stay with you for two days, and move in after our roof is repaired. Anyway, we will fix it as soon as possible."

But they still dare not send Gu Gang out of the house without authorization.Boss Tan put on spiked boots and an umbrella, braved the rain and went to the temple to find Comrade Wang and ask him for instructions.With the permission of Comrade Wang, I started to carry the luggage here.Yuexiang cleaned out the room where Jinhua lived.Aunt Tan helped spread out Gu Gang's bedding.Jin Yousao is a widow, and it is inconvenient to come forward with some things.But their whole family followed and took care of them very thoughtfully.  Gu Gang was as overjoyed as they were about the move, but like them, he also covered it up and didn't want to show it.Ah Zhao circled around his box and cage, feeling this way, feeling that way.She is very courageous, because Gu Gang has always treated her differently among these children. 

Mrs. Tan finally stood up and left, Mrs. Jin held an umbrella for them.They cursed and laughed as it rained so hard.Once the guests left, their voices became much louder, and even their coughs became louder.  Now it was Ginger's turn to chatter with his wife.Gu Gang could hear them talking softly in the next room, as if there was a patient at home.Only the little girl sometimes suddenly went in and shouted a sentence or two, without any scruples.  Sitting on the bed, facing the oil lamp, he was suddenly filled with nostalgia, and missed his own home and wife very much.He pushed the bamboo lampstand a little to make room, spread out the letter paper, and wrote a letter to his wife.He told her how he had moved house hastily tonight because of a leaky house; how kind the peasants were to him, how touched he was by their concern for him.He also talked about his teaching situation in the winter school, and reported his speech on entertainment activities today. 

The wind howled at its throat on the horizon.The wall made of bamboo rattled.His room was divided into two by a bamboo wall, and the other half belonged to Boss Tan and the others, who raised a pig.The pig grunted uncomfortably, because of the sound of the wind and rain, and because it could not understand the strips of light leaking through the wall, reflecting on the ground.  Gu Gang wrote halfway, his hands were frozen, and he opened his hands on the small flame of the oil lamp to keep warm.The door behind him creaked, and the flame flickered and was almost extinguished.He turned around and saw Yuexiang walking in with a smile.In the light, she looks even more gorgeous.He felt that she seemed to appear in a dream, as in those stories, a beautiful statue in a wild temple made a scholar see it very upside down, and dreamed of her that night. 

"Are you still asleep, Comrade Gu?" she said.She brought a basket with some burning coals covered with ashes.In the past, Aunt Tan always brought it to him every night.At first it was her idea, he protested, but it didn't work, and later he felt that it would be nice to have such a thing for feet, because the night is really cold.Aunt Tan must have told Yuexiang just now that he needed one every night.He hated the old woman, she was too considerate.In this area, except for the elderly and infirm, no one uses this kind of basket. He doesn't mind if Mrs. Tan took it and put it under his quilt, but Yuexiang made him feel very ashamed. In her eyes, he has become an old woman, right? "It's really not necessary," he murmured. "Next time, don't bother." She smiles at him. "No trouble at all." She went away.  The basket protruded high under the quilt, and the foot of the bed seemed to have a hump. He sat down on the bed desolately, turned around and stared at it.He has never been so afraid of the cold like this winter.Must be due to nutritional deficiencies.He smiled again to write letters, but the oil lamp gradually dimmed.He moved the wick impatiently, poked it back and forth, and the lamp went out.He couldn't find his matchbox in the dark.When I moved just now, I didn't know where it was received. There is no way but to go to bed.The rain is still beating like a drum, and it keeps falling.He was so hungry that he couldn't sleep; thinking of Moon Scent made him feel troubled.When she doesn't wear cotton jacket and trousers in summer, she doesn't know what she looks like.He was always tossing and turning, and he was worried, don't kick over the basket, burn the bed, maybe even burn the house down.  When it was almost dawn, he finally made up his mind.The next day, when the rain stopped, he walked into town to post the letter, and ate at the restaurant as usual.But before he came back, he bought some food and brought it back in his pocket—something he had never done before.He bought some dried red dates and tea eggs.He felt guilty because he sort of lived with the peasants, and he had to eat what they ate.  After eating tea eggs and red dates that night, he carefully wrapped the eggshell and date core with a piece of paper.In the morning he went for a walk with the bundle in his pocket.It's strange, too, that in such a large and untidy place in the country, there's literally nowhere to throw rubbish like this.He had to go far away, to the hills, and scatter the eggshells and date pits among the long grass.  Yuexiang washed his socks and handkerchief for him.When the sun went down, she brought in the laundry, folded his socks and handkerchiefs neatly, and took them to his room, perhaps intending to linger there for a while to talk.The truth was, she didn't dislike the city guy, and it wasn't even out of the question that he would talk to her and flirt a little—although she would never admit to herself that she had such a heart . It was not yet dark, but it was already dark in his room, but the lights had not yet been lit.Standing at the door, she didn't see him eating a tea egg at first.When she understood it, she blushed and stood there in a dilemma, as embarrassed as he was.  Then she said, "Your socks are dry, Comrade Gu." She smiled hastily at him, put the things on his bed, tried her best to look natural, and hurried away.  When it was time for dinner, Gu Gang brought the two remaining tea eggs to the dining table, and they wanted to cut them up and share them with each other.He explained embarrassingly, saying that he bought it when he went to town that day, brought it back and put it there, and kept forgetting to take it out to eat.He said such a few simple lines very badly, and he felt very annoyed.Their attitude wasn't great either.Anyway, as long as it is related to food, they can no longer deal with it with a natural attitude.Food became a mere obscenity, calling upon the basest and most savage instincts of them all. Yuexiang smiled reluctantly, her face was very ugly, she repeatedly pushed back and told him to keep it for herself.Jin Gen grabbed his arms and pushed his hands away desperately.But because of politeness, they had to accept it.Dinner that day was very unpleasant.Usually there is nothing to say, and it was even quieter that day, and no one opened their mouths.From then on their attitude towards their guests cooled down.  Since that day, Yuexiang seldom came to Gu Gang's room.Before each visit, she would always talk loudly with others to give him a warning in advance.She seemed to think he might eat there at any time of the day.Her assumption annoyed him, as if it were insulting.  Ah Zhao never enters his room now, obviously it is forbidden by order.He never saw Ah Zhao peeking at him while eating, but her mother probably caught her peeking there many times.Suddenly, he would hear wah wah wah outside, scolding and beating, and the child burst into tears.  He went to town more often, but every time he went, he still had to make an excuse.There is really nothing to buy in the small town. He often buys red dates, because they are "supplementary"; he also buys that kind of hard hemp cake, five inches in diameter; and small sesame cakes called "money cakes". —He's had it before, but never noticed how loud it was when he ate it.I couldn't close the door during the day, so I had to sit and eat with my back to the door.He felt that it was a shameful experience to steal food like this.But in any case, it did alleviate the pain of hunger and mental uneasiness, enabling him to continue working.  One afternoon he was basking in the sun in the yard, writing the story of the dam.Yuexiang sat under the eaves sewing clothes.Her child was standing next to her, Gu Gang was so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice what was going on there at first, the child had a stubborn look on his face, and she rubbed it on his mother In the past, with a lot of effort, even though Yuexiang ignored her, she was pushed and swayed from side to side. The child sometimes muttered in a low voice, not knowing what he was talking about, and humming in his nose. , making a whining sound.Sometimes she tugged at her mother's sleeve in despair.  "Wu Li Wu Li what's going on?" Yue Xiang suddenly called out, throwing her away. "What do you want, bastard! You're just a beggar who nails the target, and you won't let go if you're nailed! A born beggar! This happens every day, regardless of whether there is anyone around! Why don't you die, bastard ? Why don't you die?" The child began to cry, raised his arms, and tested the tears with the two sleeves in turn.Yuexiang never stopped mending clothes, and she didn't look at the child, she just repeated those few words upside down, over and over again.Just as if her anger had gradually dissipated, suddenly another burst of anger surged up.With a decisive movement she set down the dress she had mended, pinning it carefully so as not to lose it.The kid knew from experience that disaster was coming.She turned around in a hurry, wringing her hands together, chattering and not knowing what to say.Gu Gang watched from the side, feeling very surprised. This five or six-year-old girl showed terror and anxiety, just like a bad actor on the stage performing too much.Her skinny little face looked strangely old, as if she was the most primitive human being, meeting an irresistible enemy.At this moment, Gu Gang had an unreasonable impulse, he almost wanted to turn around and run away, as if he was the one being threatened.  Yuexiang grabbed Ah Zhao and beat him head-on.The child howled.  "Okay, okay, Mrs. Jin Gen!" Gu Gang stepped up to pull them away. "The child is ignorant, how can you be serious with her" Well, well, forget it!" She ignored him completely.Even his interference caused her to hit her twice more.She finally stopped, and sat down again to mend her clothes.Ah Zhao stood in the center of the courtyard and wept.  "Wipe your nose!" Moon Scent yelled sharply.  Gu Gang went back to his seat.The sun soon went down, and he went to his own room, taking the chair with him.Yuexiang didn't even look at him.  That night, the child had been timidly very quiet.After she fell asleep, Yuexiang sat beside her doing needlework, feeling a little regretful in her heart.  She suddenly said to Jin Gen, "When the Chinese New Year comes, we will also sell some meat and make something for Ah Zhao to eat." She had money left over, Kim Root thought.She didn't lend it all to her mother.He shouldn't think that - he finds it despicable, like he's there to spy on her.But he couldn't help thinking so.  Having said this, she repented again, and turned to examine the face of the sleeping child. "If she hears it, it will be terrible. There will be no meat to eat, and you will die!" She giggled with shame.But after a while, she pondered again, "Actually, all I need is a little lard. Buy some lard to make rice noodle dumplings... bean paste stuffing. Children love sweet things."