Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

The militia went to the town to report to the district government. When they passed Zhoucun on the way, they once brought a letter to the village cadres.The cadres went to the village to notify each house, telling everyone to be vigilant and to report any suspicious person immediately.A number of "counter-revolutionaries" are at large, and they may be heading in this direction. They spoke very carelessly, but the real news soon leaked out, and the village was buzzing with rumors that something happened to Tan Village.Jin Hua was very worried when she heard that, she didn't know what happened and whether her own family was affected.

At dusk that day, she went to the stream to draw water, carried a load and walked down the stone steps, her eyes were always looking blankly at the opposite bank, where her natal village was.She absent-mindedly turned her shoulders slightly to one side, and a bucket sank into the water; with another twist, the bucket came up again, full to the brim.It was getting dark, and fell softly over the darker hills and jungles, only the stream was pale and bright, a broad silver-grey. A stone flew over and hit her on the back. "Brat," she murmured without turning away.In the village, people still call her "the bride", and the children often follow her and play with her.

Another stone skimmed over her shoulder and fell into the water with a splash, splashing in all directions.She filled two buckets of water, unloaded the pole from her shoulders, turned around, put her hands on her hips, and was about to curse, but there was no one on the shore. "Sister! Sister Jinhua!" Someone called softly. She raised her head suddenly, then supported it with a pole, and quickly picked it up the hillside.In the bamboo forest on the hillside, she and her sister-in-law stood facing each other.Yuexiang has a head of hair unkempt, curled up and hugged her arms, wearing only a white cloth shirt with a pair of cotton trousers tied underneath.

"What's the matter with you?" Ai Ai said during the golden flowering period. As soon as Yuexiang opened her mouth to speak, her teeth collided with the cold, making her unable to speak intermittently.She was angry because it was like she was shaking with fear. "Why aren't you wearing a padded jacket?" "Dropped it for your brother. He's wounded and bleeding." "What happened to him? How did he get hurt?" Jin Hua asked anxiously. "He's fine." Yuexiang replied quickly.She didn't know why, and she seemed to be a little defensive about this. "He got shot in the leg. It's all right, the leg."

"Where is he now?" "It's on this mountain." "I'll go see him with you." Moon Scent hesitated. "It's not good to leave your two buckets down here--in case anyone sees them." "Why did you fire the gun?" Jin Hua asked again. "Oh. No need to mention it. Everyone is making a fuss, saying that they want to borrow food, borrow food, borrow some food for the New Year, and guns are fired here." She added this sentence very easily, with a very bright expression Looking at Jinhua, "Azhao is dead. He was trampled to death."

"What?" Jin Hua asked in a trance. "We didn't believe it either. We took her with us all the way. We carried her up the mountain—dead! He's already dead." She continued to look at Jinhua with bright and cheerful eyes that were slightly surprised. She also told her how the militiamen fired guns. Everyone blocked the door of the granary and squeezed out desperately. At that time, they couldn't help themselves, so they had to squeeze out with everyone.She struggled through the rushing crowd, getting up again and again for fear of being knocked down.Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.It was Jin Gen, who carried Ah Zhao on his shoulder.They ran hand in hand, only to hear the whining of the bullets flying past their ears, and the sharp whine.Bullets were constantly falling on the ground.She had never felt like she had a body like this before, as if it was all chilled and exposed, spread out in a big soft plane, waiting to be hurt.But at the same time, I had the opposite feeling that I would not be seriously hurt because they were running hand in hand like this; like a child playing some kind of game.

He fell forward on the ground, and at first she thought he was dodging bullets.It was later discovered that he was injured.She hugged Ah Zhao, helped him up, and helped him walk. "We're almost home," she said encouragingly. "Not going home--can't go back--" he said with difficulty. "Let's hide somewhere else for two days first, to avoid the limelight." She wanted to go to her mother, but the road was too far for him to walk, so she decided to go to Zhoucun.They took a small path through the mountain, which was safer and less likely to meet people.

It was a cold afternoon, and the mountain was very desolate.The trees all over the mountain stand up straight, with their long white toes spread apart, as if they are ready to walk down the mountain at any time, all the way to the village, because the mountain is too lonely.The hills go up step by step, like earthen steps built for them.This kind of step is too high for human use.Yuexiang struggled to climb up step by step, dragging Jin Gen up too.In fact, she already knew that the limp and crushed child she held in her arms was dead.In the end she was so tired that she had to leave her, and there was no time to grieve.They hid the little house in a cave, hoping that no one would find it for a while.

It was not until the last stretch of the road, when she had to cross the bridge, that she really felt frightened.it's getting dark.The narrow wooden bridge stood on tall black stilts, standing in the silver-gray water.In winter, the water is shallow, and the rickety high bridge is exposed on the water, almost three feet high. She helps Jin Gen to cross the bridge. His heavy body is tilted left and right, and he can never know where it is going. Face down.The two planks of the bridge body are joined together, revealing a slit in the middle, and the planks are soft under the feet.There is no leaning on either side, only the soft, numbing emptiness.The vast expanse of water under the bridge was pale, and it kept receding below, farther and farther away from them. ...

She is very happy now, finally seeing Jin Hua, and can tell her these words, so many things happened today.But after she finished speaking, she could see that Jin Hua didn't really understand what she said, although Jin Hua dutifully showed panic and anger on her face.Her experience of the day stood between them like a wall, and as the day grew darker they looked into each other's gray faces.The bamboo forest whispered in all directions, exhaled cold breath, and blew it from the back of their necks. "I'm making a fuss about arresting people, so I'm arresting you." Jin Hua suddenly realized.She lowered her voice again. "They say counter-revolution."

"Counter-revolution!" Yuexiang called out. "How could we be a counter-revolutionary?" But as she protested, she became a little fuzzy, not knowing what the word "counter-revolutionary" meant. "We can't stay here any longer. We'd better go to Shanghai. Shanghai is a big place, and they can't find us." She said decisively. "But I can't walk right now—he can't walk. I have to hide in your house for a few days." Jin Hua opened her mouth slightly, her front teeth glistening in the darkness.She closed her lips with difficulty and swallowed. "Where are they hiding? There are so many people in the family, my sister-in-laws and their children, all day long." "There's always a way to keep them out of your house." "Kids are running in and out all day long, what can be done with them." Yuexiang fell silent, but soon spoke again. "I have an idea: You just say it's a miscarriage, and if they refuse to enter the blood room under the full moon, they will definitely prevent the children from entering." "They knew I didn't…" "Let's say you're happy, and you're not ashamed to tell people—isn't that easy?" Yuexiang said impatiently. Jin Hua also knew that this was indeed a good way, and it seemed imperative.The dreadful thing that had happened to her brother was about to spill over into her everyday world.She is responsible for being there.She is now very serious about being a wife and daughter-in-law.And her sisters-in-law are all enemies, always watching the tiger by the side, and she has to be very careful in every move, otherwise how can she behave in their family in the future.She had left her childhood far, far behind.Her elder brother seemed to be the same way. Seeing his expression when she came back to borrow money that day, he seemed to have forgotten the relationship he had at that time. She pressed one hand heavily on the long turquoise arm of a bamboo branch, sliding up and down.She thought of many things, but all she felt was the cold slipperiness of the bamboo, and its length, and its rings of knots, like bracelets on her arms. "Jinhuamei," Yuexiang said softly, reaching out to hold her hand. "I know you're in trouble. But your brother can't spend the night outside tonight. He's going to freeze to death. He won't survive." "I'm afraid it would be bad for him to be seen in the village." Jin Hua said angrily with a blushing face. "The investigation must be very tight tonight." "Fortunately, it's already dark. You hold him by the arm and say that brother-in-law came back drunk." At the mention of her husband, Jin Hua stiffened immediately. "He didn't go out all day today," she said coldly, "everyone knows." "Then ask him to bring your brother in. By the way, let him come, it's better than you. All the dogs in the village know him, and he won't bark so much. Tell him to bring a bed for you. My brother covered his head and wrapped himself around his body. If he met someone, he would say it was you. He just fished you out of the river. You heard that something happened to your natal family and the whole family died. So you jumped into the river too. " Jin Hua just stared at her dismally, without making a sound. "By the way, it's better like this." Yuexiang thought for a while.So again. "I'm too embarrassed to lift the quilt. I heard that it's a young woman." This time Jinhua was silent for a while, then spoke. "No, it's useless. He'll tell his mother." "Don't let him tell anyone." "I can't stop him. He will be scared. Let them catch him and treat him as a counter-revolutionary," she said bitterly. Yuexiang pushed her and said softly, "Tell him well, silly girl! Tell him well. The bride who is only two months old can do whatever she wants." What a silly girl, Jin Hua thought bitterly.Her sister-in-law really took her for a fool and told her to kill her husband—isn't this simply letting him die?Thanks to her being able to speak out, she wanted someone to kill her man.Maybe she doesn't know what the relationship between husband and wife is like.Originally, Yuexiang had always been a cruel and pungent person. Her brother himself would never have asked her to do such a thing.He would understand and forgive her.She suddenly remembered how good he had been to her.She recalled how they depended on each other all these years, and couldn't help feeling sad, and two lines of tears kept pouring out.She felt that there were only the two of them left in this vast world, just like when they were orphans at first. She still had to save him.She broke free from Yuexiang's hand, turned around quickly and left. "You wait here," she said. Yuexiang hesitantly took a step behind her, then stopped again. "Sister Jinhua," she said anxiously. Jinhua blushed, thinking that Yuexiang must think she was going to run away and never come back. "Don't worry, I'll be here in a while." She said as she walked without looking back. "Remember to ask my brother-in-law to bring a quilt," Yuexiang said. "Hey, you forgot to take the shoulder pole with you." She chased after her.Bending over the mountain cloak, he handed the pole to her. "I'm just worried about my brother," Jin Hua said again in a low voice, sadly. After she left, Yuexiang climbed to a higher earth cliff, where the trees were denser.She was still not very reassured about Jin Hua. "He'll know by now—his sister who's always been so fond of him," she thought. "It's still the same old saying: Even if a married daughter splashes water, even if she comes back crying and complains about her in-law's family, at this time, the first thing to do is to take care of her in-law's family." She thought to herself that maybe she should take a risk just now, no matter whether the dog barks or not, it will sneak into the village without waiting for anyone to take it, and once it enters the door of Zhou's house, it can blackmail them.The Zhou family knew that they were inseparable, so they were somewhat afraid, or they had no choice but to help them hide it. She hugged herself tightly in the cold wind.Countless tongue-like bamboo leaves kept shaking, making a sighing sound, the coldest sound in the world, it was unbearable to not wear a cotton-padded jacket in such a cold day.She didn't dare to walk around to stretch her blood vessels, or kick her feet to warm herself up, for fear that someone might hear her. Little lights appeared in the village.On the other side, the vast gray plain lay in the twilight smog.Its silence is full of subtle sounds of interest rates, like a person sucking in his nose, tossing and turning under the quilt, too cold to sleep. The first time Yuexiang came to this village was when she had just been a matchmaker for Jinhua, a boy from the Zhou family.The members of the Zhou family saw Jin Hua during the meeting to welcome the gods and fell in love with her.The Tan family had never seen the boy, and they made an appointment, and they would come to Zhoucun on that day, and they could see him working in the fields.They brought the golden flower and told her to take a closer look, but she turned her head away.However, when they were discussing later, someone praised the boy for his good looks, but she said contemptuously, "So feminine, and he wears earrings." The Zhou family child probably had his ears and eyes pierced for fear of his premature death when he was young. , Wearing Silver Earrings.But how would she know without looking, it has become an old joke in their family. They went to Zhoucun that day, and they took lambs, chickens and ducks, and went to the town to start the market, passing by there.Before setting off, the lamb was stuffed to increase its weight.Its belly was swollen and round, as hard as a big stone ball, and it fell under the body, swaying every step.But that didn't stop it from running happily ahead of them.Jin Gen was carrying the load, with a cage of chickens and ducks hanging in front, and Ah Zhao in a bamboo basket behind.She clings to the edge of the bamboo basket with both hands, looking at the world with burning eyes. Thinking of this, Yuexiang burst into tears, and couldn't help sobbing for a while, but still tried her best to restrain herself and not make a sound. Listening to the sounds at night, she saw that the lights in the village were gradually fading away, so she knew it was getting late.At first it was just uneasiness about Jinhua, but now that uneasiness has turned into fear.It was almost completely dark now.She was startled suddenly, and saw a dark moving figure reflected on the shining water below.Then she saw a small hard round cake protruding from the back of the man's head. It was obviously a middle-aged woman with her hair tied in a bun.Her heart sank, she knew that it was Jin Hua's mother-in-law, she didn't bring a lantern, and she came here in the dark. Jin Hua must have leaked the news, or was discovered by someone accidentally, or told others on purpose. "That bitch." Yuexiang cursed in a murmur. "Damn girl." She couldn't decide if she should hide or not. There was a rustling sound in the darkness below. "Sister-in-law Jin Gen," the woman said softly. "Sister-in-law Jin Gen." "Auntie, save us, Auntie," Yuexiang also called softly, and then appeared next to her. "Oh, Mrs. Gold Root," the woman called affectionately, groping for her hand. "Fortunately, I knew it early! You know Jinhua's temper. She is just a child, and my son, they are really a couple, and they are not sensible at all. It would be terrible if we depended on them for help!" Yuexiang knew that what she said was scolding herself for not going to her son-in-law for help behind her back. "Ma'am, we are really in a hurry and have nowhere to go," she said quietly. "I was relieved when I saw your old man coming. I always knew you had a good heart." "It's a pity I knew this early," the woman repeated. "Otherwise, you guys are really in trouble, I didn't say that! Think about it, our house is so small, and there are so many people in the family. The mouth of the bottle is tightly tied, but the mouth is not tightly tied—" "Don't blame others. If others don't report it, you will be the first to report it," Yue Xiang thought to herself. "You know that on normal days, when a relative comes to stay overnight at home, you have to report it immediately. Not to mention this time, I just came to the door and asked. Who is not afraid of arresting counter-revolutionaries?" "Auntie, how could we be counter-revolutionaries? Aren't we just like you, we are all native-born ordinary people. Whoever has never had a bad luck──" She didn't wait for Yuexiang to finish, and cut off her words. "Well, let's put it this way: if you know where they are and don't report them, you'll be one of them, and they'll be tied up and sent to the district immediately. The crime is worse than 'accommodating fugitive landlords'!" Yuexiang wanted to talk but couldn't get in. "Now to get this field, I think you have no other choice but to go to the town and take a boat. Fortunately, you have traveled far, and you have traveled this way." She put a small cloth bag Stuffed it into Yuexiang's hand. "Hey, I brought you some food. I have to go, and I don't dare to delay any longer. The delay will be long, and it will be inconvenient for everyone." Yuexiang grabs her sleeve tightly. "Auntie, please take pity on us, I will kowtow to you old man." She knelt down on her knees, sobbing and crying because she felt hopeless and because she was humiliated in front of this hateful woman. "No, no, Mrs. Jin Gen. Don't do this!" The older woman tried her best to pull her up, but she couldn't pull her up, so she had to kneel down herself, and returned the salute, expressing her disapproval. "Sister-in-law Jin Gen, you are a sensible person, you should know. It's not that I don't want to help, it's all for your sake. You should leave quickly. There can't be any delay in this place." "His legs are inconvenient, he can't walk, ma'am. Otherwise, we'll hide in the mountains for a few days, and ma'am will ask Jinhua to bring us some food every two days—" The woman said angrily, "How can you spend the night outside in such cold weather? Some people go up the mountain to collect firewood during the day, and maybe people will see it." "Then let's go up some more, no one is going up there." "Nobody's going—there's a wolf!" She struggled to stand up with the bamboo, and tried her best to break free from Yuexiang's hand. "It's useless for you to pester me as much as you can. Go to the town quickly and take advantage of the night." Yuexiang burst into tears unknowingly, grabbing the woman's clothes and not letting go. "He is bleeding like this, how can he get away? How can he get on the boat at the pier? There are soldiers checking there, so he can't get through." "I advise you to leave while you can, so hurry up, Mrs. Jin Gen!" the woman said meaningfully. "I didn't intend to tell you this at first—you'd better leave quickly. I don't even know if my son has reported it. My advice to you is out of good intentions, you should know that, right?" She finally got away. Yuexiang believes that her last few words are just empty threats, and she can urge them to leave here quickly, even if they die, don't die near Zhoucun and hurt them.But it's hard to say, and it might be the truth. She struggled to climb up the mountain, holding the bag of food tightly, as if there was a heat coming from it.Although he returned with bad news, he finally returned with some food. Thinking about it this way, he really felt a little warmth in the infinite desolation. In the dark, everything looks a little different.She couldn't find the spot just now.Before she left, Jin Gen leaned against a tree, half sitting and half lying down.At first she thought it was the big naked tree over there, but she must have misremembered.She also reminded herself that when the road is unfamiliar, it always feels very long, especially like now, it is like going deep into the enemy's territory, and every step is full of danger. But she walked all the way, and gradually felt more and more that she must have passed that place.Terrified, she turned and walked back again, searching the area more carefully.Where did he go?She was gone for a long time.Had he already been caught by them?Or had he heard a noise, or seen something, and got frightened and hid?I hope so.She tried to convince herself that it was so. "Where are you?" she whispered, groping about in the jungle. "Father Ah Zhao. Where are you?" The vast space was shrinking, shrinking so tightly that she couldn't breathe.She kept whining softly, with great difficulty, and her throat was swollen and painful, like a heavy iron ring around her throat. Wolf!They must have smelled blood and came down the mountain.Usually they would not run to such a low hillside, but it was hard to tell at this time.She had an illogical idea that wolves, like humans, were starving in this man-made famine. But if it's a wolf, it's bound to drop something, a shoe, or a hand.Their eating habits are not very neat.She seemed so level-headed and terribly realistic.She searched all over the place, but found nothing.Then she found herself looking at a tree by the stream.Looking down from here, the tree is a bit strange, reflected in the gray-white stream, the black outline of the small tree can be clearly seen.There seemed to be a bird's nest in the tree branch, but the bird's nest was too big and the position was too low. She climbed and rolled down the hillside.With numb and cold fingers, she took out a bundle of clothes from the tree, it was his cotton-padded jacket, and tied the two sleeves together to form a neat bundle.Her padded jacket was carefully wrapped inside, and at this moment, she completely understood, as if she heard him talking to her himself. The pale bright stream sloshed under her feet.He put on his cotton trousers, because they were torn anyway, stained with a lot of blood, and were useless.But even though his padded jacket was worn out, it was still wearable, so he kept it for her. He wanted her to go alone, and he didn't want to burden her.He must have known he was badly hurt, even though she had been refusing to admit it.He didn't say anything, but now she thinks back, just now when she was about to walk away, she sat on the tree root for him first, and she just stood up straight when she suddenly felt his hand holding her ankle At that time, he seemed to feel that it was a childish impulse, and he held it tightly and didn't let her go, as if he didn't want to let her go.Now she knew that it was because he felt that he couldn't make up his mind at that moment.His fingers were wrapped around her ankles, the feeling was so real and real, that moment seemed to be right in front of her eyes, but she could never grasp it, which made her feel so uncomfortable that she was going crazy. She stood there for a long time without moving.Then she finally put on her padded jacket and buttoned it up.She put his padded jacket on her body, and tied the sleeves loosely under the collar.The old padded jacket became thinner and stiffer, standing stiffly around her face.She rubbed her cheek against it. She walked slowly, then gradually picked up her pace and walked towards home.