Chapter 36 35

Spring seems to come to Peiping with its warmth and fragrance regardless of the sorrow in the world.The ice on the ground and in the river melted quickly, and thin green shoots appeared from the riverside and the bottom of the wall.The wicker is dotted with light yellow dots, and the wild geese lined up in the air, echoing with a long cry.Everything is in business, only the people of Peiping are still frozen in ice. Xiao Shun'er and Niu Zi suffered a lot.This is a good time to buy a few molds and make mud.Knock out the clay figurines and mud cakes with loess mud, put them on the small stools, and then pick herbs with rolled leaves from the bottom of the wall, put them in front of the clay figurines, and then you can sing: "Ni Ni Dumplings, clay figurines, the old man drinks and won't let him!" What a proud thing this must be!However, my mother didn't give me money to buy molds, and when I dug up herbs and sang "Xiangxiang Artemisia, spicy pot!", my father always said unhappily: "Don't shout! Don't shout!"

They don't know why mother is so stingy these days, she won't even buy a model of a clay pot.Dad is even more strange, he is always so aggressive, and stares when he speaks.Grandpa was originally their "savior", but recently his old man seems to have changed.In the past, whenever the willows turned green, he would take them to the Huguo Temple to buy red bun seedlings, gourd seedlings, small pots of "not enough bloom" and various flowers.This year, he didn't even grow radish heads or cabbage heads, let alone buy flower seedlings. Grandpa didn't come back often, and every time he came back, he forgot to bring them something to eat.Isn't pea yellow, Aiwowo, rose jujube, persimmon cake, and Tianjin radish being sold at this time?Why does grandpa always say that there are no snacks for sale on the street?Xiao Shun'er told her younger sister: "Grandpa must be talking nonsense!"

Grandma still treated them well, but she was always sick and moaning and unhappy.She often talked about third uncle and hoped that he would come back soon, but when Xiao Shun'er volunteered to find third uncle, she refused.Xiao Shun'er thought that as long as his grandmother allowed him to go, he would be able to get his third uncle back.He is sure!Niuzi also misses third uncle very much, and is willing to accompany her brother to find him.Because of this, their little brother and sister often quarrel.Xiao Shun'er said: "Niuniu, you can't go! You don't know the way!" Niuzi denied that she didn't know the way: "I even know the four pailou!"

In the family, there is only the strange spirit of the second uncle with a red face.However, it's not that he doesn't come back because of old age.He only came once during the New Year, and he kowtowed to his great-grandfather and grandmother in a big way, and then left without even buying a catty of miscellaneous food for them.So the two of them refused to kowtow to him to pay New Year's greetings, and his mother wanted to beat them; stinky second uncle!The fat second aunt never came, probably because they guessed that there was too much meat and she couldn't walk. What they envy the most is the Guan family.See how people know how to celebrate the New Year!When mother was not paying attention, the two of them sneaked out and watched the fun at the door.Oh, how many beautiful girls came to the Guan family!Each of them was so fancy and beautiful that the little girl was stunned, her mouth was open and she couldn't close it for a long time!Not only are they dressed fancy, their heads and faces are well-dressed, but they are also very lively, talking and laughing loudly, not at all as sad as their mother.When they came to Guan's house, they would all hold some gifts in their hands.Xiao Shun'er put her index finger in her mouth and took in breaths.The little girl counted "one, two, three"; the biggest number in her mind was "twelve", and after a while she counted to "twelve bottles! Twelve packs of snacks! Twelve boxes!" She couldn't help but They expressed their opinion: "How much delicious food do they have for Chinese New Year!" They also saw once that their fat aunt also went to Guan's house with a gift.At first they thought she was buying delicious food for them, so they ran over to call her, but she walked into Guan's house without saying a word.Therefore, they both envy the Guan family and hate the Guan family - the Guan family deprives them of good food.They went home and reported to their mother: It's not that the fat aunt is too fat to walk, but she deliberately doesn't come to see them.Mom told them in a low voice, don't tell grandma and grandpa.They don't know what it's for, but they just think their mother is too strange; isn't the fat second aunt from their family?Could it be that she is already a member of the Guan family?However, it is not easy to disobey the mother's words, so they have to keep this annoying thing in their hearts.Xiao Shun'er told his younger sister: "We have to listen to what mother says!" After speaking, he nodded like a little adult, as if he had increased his knowledge.

Yes, Xiao Shun'er has indeed learned a lot.You see, although the adults in the family are not happy to hear about the Guan family, they always talk about the Qian family.He heard from the adults that there was only one vacant house left in Qian's house. Young Mistress Qian returned to her mother's house, but the old man who was good at growing flowers suddenly disappeared.Where has he gone?Nobody knows.Grandpa whispered to Dad about it when he was free.Once, great-grandpa actually shed tears because of this matter.Xiao Shun'er was busy avoiding it, adults don't like to teach children to see their tears.Didn't mother's tears always fall on the kitchen stove?

What made Xiao Shun'er's heart skip a beat was that he heard that the Qian family's empty house had been rented out by Mr. Guan, and he planned to rent it out to the Japanese.The Japanese have not yet moved in, but the house is being repaired—the windows are lowered, and the floor is replaced with wooden boards to accommodate the Japanese "tatami".Xiao Shun'er really wanted to go to see it on the first day, but was afraid of running into a Japanese.He had to make some loess mud and teach his sister to be a mason and build a small house.He himself was an overseer.No matter how short my sister made the window, he would always be picky: "It's too high! It's too high!" He made a very small clay figurine, only half an inch high. "Look, sister, the Japanese are short, only this tall!"

This game was banned by my mother again.Mom seemed to think that the Japanese were not only not so short, but also seemed scary; she seemed to be worried about what to do with the Japanese as neighbors.Xiao Shun'er saw that his mother's expression was wrong, so he couldn't ask further questions; he just ordered his sister to destroy the small mud house, and he also crumpled the clay figurine, which was less than half an inch high, into a small ball and threw it outside the door. What saddened the two of them and the whole family was that Second Master Chang was beaten up by the Japanese in the city gate and forced to kneel in the urn circle.

Chang Erye's life is the most regular, and this regularity has been maintained for so long, it seems that he is a pendulum of nature, always swinging so regularly, never getting tired or stopping.Therefore, although he is over sixty years old, he doesn't seem to feel old; his age seems to be for others to see, like a big clock telling people the time.Therefore, although he eats simple food, lives in a house that looks like a brick kiln when the fire is lit, and wears shabby clothes, from youth to old age, he is so lively and strong, just like a red one just dug out. Radishes, although soiled, are fresh and cute.

Every New Year's Day, he greeted the gods in the middle of the night, offered sacrifices to his ancestors, and then ate countless vegetarian dumplings mixed with real sesame oil-his little pork had to be saved until the second day of the new year after offering sacrifices to the God of Wealth before making a round of dumplings. Ton ingot soup.After eating vegetarian dumplings, he must stay up all night.He doesn't gamble, and he has nothing else to do, but he has to stay up late, because there is always a fire on the teaching stove, and there is always a thread of high incense burning in front of the Stove Lord on the wall.This is his religion.He doesn't believe that the Stove Lord and the God of Wealth really have a spiritual connection, but he wishes there is some light and warmth in the house.He couldn't afford firecrackers and huge red candles, so he only used a sliver of incense and charcoal from the stove to welcome the new year, hoping that the new year and his heart would be bright.In the second half of the night, when he felt sleepy, he would go out to look at the stars in the sky; the cool breeze would blow him, and he would regain his energy.Coming in, he grabbed a handful of iron broad beans specially prepared for the Chinese New Year and chewed them loudly.

He didn't necessarily like those beans, but he was really happy with his teeth.At dawn, he stretched his belt and went to "walk around" Dazhong Temple along the path.No one came to visit the temple so early, and he himself didn't want to see any bean juice stalls, big candied haws, sand geese, windmills and those red men and women.He just walked these few miles to have a look at the ancient temple; as long as the temple still exists, the world seems to have not changed, and he feels safe. When he saw the temple gate, he turned back and paid New Year greetings to relatives and friends along the way.At about ten o'clock, he came home, had something to eat, and slept a good night.On the second day of the Lunar New Year, he worshiped the God of Wealth very early and ate two or three bowls of wontons. Then he went to the city to pay New Year's greetings. The Qi family must be the first one.

This year, he didn't go to Dazhong Temple, nor did he come to the city to pay New Year's greetings.His world changed, and he became completely confused.At night, there were always gunshots in the distance, and sometimes shells were fired.He didn't know who hit whom, and he couldn't let it go.Like a frightened child, he wakes up suddenly when he falls asleep.Sometimes, his dog and the neighbor's dog barked desperately, making people tremble.The next day, someone told him: There are soldiers coming again at night!What soldiers?Is it ours, or the enemy's?no one knows. If he can't sleep well at night, he won't feel at ease during the day.Rumors abound.Although it was so quiet in front of his door, as long as a big car or a pedestrian came over, there would be rumors.Some said how many enemy soldiers had come to Beiyuan, some said that Xiyuan was building an airport, some said that the enemy soldiers wanted to arrest thousands of cases, and some said that roads were being built along the avenue in front of his gate.arrest?His son is young and strong!He had to try to hide his son.Build roads?A few acres of his field are right next to the road; not too much, if it only takes up two acres of him, he can't stand it!He decided not to leave the house, he had to keep an eye on his son and the field day and night! Others said: The Japanese slaughtered two or three villages in the northwest of Xiyuan because our guerrillas were hiding there.This, Chang Erye thought, can't be a rumor; aren't all the gunshots in the middle of the night in the northwest?He is willing to believe that we still have guerrillas and dare to fight the Japanese devils.At the same time, he was afraid that his own village would also be slaughtered by the enemy.Think about it, wasn't the prison at Deshengmen closed by our guerrillas?His home is only seven or eight miles away from Deshengmen!Slaughtering villages is possible! He not only heard, but also saw with his own eyes: along the road, there were many people heading to the city from the northwest, and they all supported the old and the young, carrying or carrying luggage.He inquired clearly: These people are at least from well-to-do families, with houses and land in their families.They sold the land for free, gave up the house, and moved to the city.They are afraid of slaughter.These people also told him: The Japanese will not need land tax in the future, but will need food, even straw and straw.How much land you plant and how much grain you harvest, the Japanese will send people to monitor; if you harvest grain, he will take it away!If you don’t plant it, he will still want it!If you don't pay, he will put you to death! Second Master Chang's heart beat into his mouth.Walking around the edge of his field with his hands behind his back, he had to think carefully.He has wisdom, but his brain is very slow.Did he also move into the city?He shook his head towards Xishan.The mountain, him, and his land can never be moved!Can't move!Really, his few acres of land did not give him any material enjoyment.He only eats pork at most two or three times a year, and his only dress is the blue cloth coat that has been laundered countless times.However, he was still reluctant to leave his land.Leaving his land, even if food, drink, clothing and housing are better than now, he may not necessarily be happy.Only when there is land, can he do things; only when there is land, can he have roots. No!No!You may meet anything, but it is a rumor that only the Japanese come to grab the crops, an authentic rumor!He can't believe the rumors first and scare himself.Looking at Tucheng, he nodded.He didn't know that it was a relic from the Jin Yuan era, but he only knew that he had seen it every day since he was a child, and it has not been blown away by the strong wind until now.He should also be like this earthen city, standing here forever.Looking back from Tucheng, he saw the field in front of his feet, wheat seedlings, short, black and green wheat seedlings, all the way to the neighbor's field, and then to the far, far away place. , and...he saw Xishan again.rumor!rumor!This is his land, that belongs to the Wang family, that belongs to the Ding family, and that is... Xishan; this is the real thing!Everything else is a rumour! However, what if the enemy really wants to grab food?Even if you don't come to grab it, but trample it down with soldiers and horses, what should you do?He can't think of a way!His back was itching like he was about to sweat!He could only guard his land day and night.If someone really came to rob, he would do his best!Having decided so, he was a little happier, and began to pick up horse manure along the road.Picking up a pile of horse manure, he looked back at his land, and told himself: It's all rumors, the land can't be lost!Gold and silver are easy to lose, only this black and yellow land can never be lost! It was almost Qingming, and he was even busier.When he was busy, he felt a lot more at ease.Although gunshots were heard from time to time at night, the enemy did not send anyone to ask for food.The wheat seedlings no longer lie on the ground, but stand up with the spring breeze, bright green.Rows of green wheat, trimmed with strips of loess, what else in the world is more beautiful than this?Look again, how neatly my own land is tidied up, how straight the wheat ridges are!The nature of this land is not very good, but his spirit and labor are not slackened by the soil at all.If it doesn't rain, or if it rains too much, he can't save the drought or flood; but as long as the weather is not too bad, he will use his full strength to operate without saving a drop of sweat.Looking at his land, he felt that he should be proud and happy!His land not only produces food, but also expresses his personality.He and the land are one and the same.With this piece of land, even the sun, moon and stars belong to him! For the Qi family's cemetery, he worked no less than his own. "It's almost Qingming!" He said in his heart, "We should pat their graves! Who cares whether they come to burn the paper or not!" He added soil to the graves, and the pats were neat.While filming, he missed the members of the Qi family. He couldn't go to the New Year's greetings on the second day of this year, and he always felt uneasy.He hoped that they could come to visit the grave during the Ching Ming Festival.If they can come, it means that the people in the city are no longer afraid to go out of the city, and the rumors about the Japanese grabbing food are mostly rumors. The young master of the Ma family, who was two miles away from him, had a loud throat and had been unable to eat for more than a day.The Ma family has a few acres of land, but it is not enough to eat. Thanks to the young master who works as a bailiff in the city court, he can pay the family three dollars and five dollars a month.Since the young master's illness is so serious, the whole family panicked, so they came to Second Master Chang for advice.Chang Erye was busy in the field, but it was his duty to save lives.He is not a doctor, but based on his life experience and personality, the neighbors may believe him to a higher degree than they believe in doctors.He remembered a lot of herbal remedies, which could be cured by digging from the ground, saving money and trouble.In his view, only people in cities need doctors, and the only reason is that people in cities have money.For Master Ma's illness, he recited many folk remedies, but none of them seemed applicable.A loud voice is a serious illness.Finally, he remembered Liushenwan.He said: "This is not herbal medicine, you have to buy it in the city, it's very expensive!" You can't help it, it's important to help!When the Ma family heard the name of the medicine from Second Master Chang, they seemed to think that the patient's life could be saved.They didn't doubt Liushen Wan at all.As long as it comes from Chang Erye's mouth, even the Qishen pill can also cure diseases.The only problem is where to raise a few dollars and who to entrust to buy it. After patching together, I got ten yuan.Who will buy it?Of course it was Second Master Chang.Everyone's logic is: since Erye Chang knows the name of the medicine, he must know where to buy it; moreover, if Erye Chang doesn't buy it, even if others can buy it, it may lose its effect! "Go to Qianmen to buy it!" Chang Erye was reluctant to leave home, but it was inconvenient to refuse, so he had to ask Qianmen to teach everyone to think about it.The front door, in everyone's mind, is a scary place.There are countless people, horses and vehicles crowded there all day and all night, and they will hurt people at every turn.Also, the land wealth in the countryside is mainly for spending money in the city, isn't it all spent outside the front door?There are women wearing clothes made of gold thread. It is said that such women "eat" ten hectares of rich land as easily as eating a sesame seed cake!Besides, Qianmen is still more than ten miles away from Xizhimen. However, it is only because of the horror of the front door that the second master can't help it.How could a man without a beard just walk in the front door! Chang Erye was wrapped up in his own words!He must go!Well, what more is there to say?With the ten yuan in his pocket, he tightened his belt and prepared to enter the city.After walking a few steps, someone told him to take a tram as soon as he entered Xizhimen, and he would arrive at Qianmen in a while.He nodded, and his mind was confused; he didn't know how many formalities and rules there were when taking the tram.All his life he only knows how to walk, and taking a car is already a hassle, let alone taking a tram!No, he told himself, instead of taking a car, walking is the most appropriate way! As soon as he entered Xizhimen, he was stopped by Japanese soldiers.He was a little scared, but decided to calm down.I said in my heart: "I am the number one honest person in Tianzi, what are you afraid of?" The Japanese hand gestures taught him to untie his arms.He quickly understood, and he was almost happy for his composure and intelligence.Before unbuttoning the button, he took out the ten-yuan note tucked in his arms and held it in his hand.I said to myself, "I'm sure you won't find anything but this! If you're capable, you might catch a lice or two!" The Japanese snatched the money with their hands, but they responded with two mouths.Several clusters of gold stars flew in front of Second Master Chang's eyes. "Very bad, you!" The Japanese soldier pointed to the old man's nose and said.After finishing speaking, he pinched the old man's nose with his hand and pulled it towards the city wall; the old man's head hit the wall, and the Japanese soldier said, "Look!" The old man saw it, and there was a notice on the wall.However, he didn't recognize so many words.Facing the notice, he swallowed a few breaths.Anger burned his heart, and slowly he clenched his fist.He is a Chinese, a Chinese from the north, a Chinese from the suburbs of Beiping.He doesn't know many words, but he knows the etiquette, righteousness, honesty and shame handed down by Confucius.What he eats is chaff, but what he preaches is benevolence and righteousness.He has several acres of land, and his personality is worthy of the sky.He is the most reasonable, shame-conscious, and most capable of all human beings, man!He can't be beaten and humiliated for nothing like this, he can die, but can't just throw away "reason"! However, he is also the most peaceful person in the world.Slowly, he let go of the fist he had grasped.His neighbors are waiting to take their medicine!He can't just focus on his own face and forget about Young Master Ma's life!Slowly, he turned around, as if he were dealing with a vicious dog, he held back his breath and begged: "The few dollars are for medicine, give it back to me! If it is my own money, I don't want it. It's not easy for you to be soldiers!" The Japanese soldier didn't understand what he said, and just pouted at a Chinese policeman next to him.The policeman came and grabbed the old man's arm and dragged him into the urn circle.The old man asked in a low voice, "What's going on?" The policeman whispered in the old man's ear, "Don't use our money, use theirs! It's a crime to bring our money! Fortunately, you don't have too much of a crime. Come on," he pointed to the side of the road inside the urn circle, "the old man should be wronged for a while!" "What are you doing?" asked the old man. "Kneel for a while!" "Kneel?" The old man snatched his arm from the policeman. "A good man doesn't suffer from immediate disadvantages! You are so old, you can't stand it if you ask him to beat you up! No one laughs at you, this is a common thing! Please come back with our army and kill all these dogs. " "I can't kneel!" The old man puffed up his chest. "It's a good intention, old man! In terms of age, you are about the same age as my father! Is this the right thing to say? I'm afraid you will be beaten again!" The old man lost his mind, the Japanese soldiers had guns, and he was unarmed.Even if he is willing to work hard, what about the patients in the Ma family?Very slowly, with fire in his eyes, he knelt down.He was shaking from hands to feet.He bowed his knee to no one but his father and God.Today, he kneels in the urn circle with the most people.He didn't dare to raise his head, but gritted his teeth loudly, hot sweat dripping down his neck. Although he didn't look up, he felt that the passers-by didn't look at him; his shame was also theirs; he was an old man among them.After kneeling for about a minute, a family of funeral attendants came over, and the funeral drums were beating loudly.The music suddenly stops.A group of people stood beside him, waiting for inspection.He raised his head and took a look. Those people in filial piety were all staring at the Japanese, silent and anxious, as if they were afraid that the coffin would not get out of the city.He sighed, and said to himself, "Not even the dead can escape this pass!" The Japanese soldiers checked all the people very carefully, raised their hands, and the gongs and drums rang again.A handful of paper money seemed to fall on the old man's head as if the hand of the person who threw it was a little trembling.The Japanese soldier laughed.The policeman took the opportunity to come over, pretending to be intimidating and shouted: "You still don't get out! Be careful, next time you commit a crime, I can't let you off so lightly!" The old man stood up, looked at the patrol, looked at the Japanese soldiers, looked at his knees.He didn't seem to know everything, and stood there blankly.He didn't think about anything, he just wanted to go over and screw off the enemy soldier's head.All his life, he has always admitted that his fate is not good, so he will never even feel it is right to complain that it does not rain.What he met today was not God, but a soldier who was much younger than him.He is not convinced!People are all people, no one should teach anyone to be short and kneel on the ground! "Where are you going?" the policeman asked with concern. The old man wiped the short gray beard on his mouth vigorously with the palm of his hand, swallowed, and walked slowly into the city. He went to find Ruixuan.After entering the door, he didn't dare to stamp his feet or beat the dust off his body. He was no longer a human being, and he had to get rid of all human prestige.Walking to the jujube tree, with a crying sound, he called out: "Brother Qi!" Everyone in the Qi family was shocked, and several voices came out together: "Second Master Chang!" He stood in the yard. "It's me! I'm not human!" Xiao Shun'er was the first one to run up to the old man, screaming and pulling the old man's hand at the same time. "Stop screaming! I'm not a grandfather, but a grandson!" "What's the matter?" Old Man Qi walked out faster and slower. "Second brother, come in!" The Ruixuan couple also rushed over.The little girl hurried forward and almost fell down. "Second brother!" Seeing his old friend, Old Man Qi felt as happy as if seeing sunshine after a snowstorm. "You didn't come on the second day of the Lunar New Year! I didn't pick your eyes, but I really missed you!" "I'm here? I'm here today! I was beaten at the city gate and made to kneel! At my age, I'm fined to kneel!" He looked at everyone and tried his best to hold back his tears.However, the faces in front of him were so familiar and peaceful, and his tears finally fell down. "What's the matter? Grandpa Chang!" Ruixuan asked. "Come in first!" Although Old Man Qi didn't know what was going on, he felt anxious when he saw Second Master Chang was crying. "Xiao Shun'er's mother, fetch water and make tea!" After entering the house, Second Master Chang explained to everyone the scene on the city gate. "What's going on? Brother, I don't want to live anymore. I'm almost seventy, and I'm getting shorter and shorter. I can't stand it!" "Yes! We are not allowed to use our money!" Old Man Qi said with a sigh. "It's still used outside the city! Can you blame me?" Chang Erye put forward his reasons. "Kneeling is still a trivial matter, Second Grandpa! Don't allow us to use our money! Money is our blood, if we drain our blood, how can we survive?" Rui Xuanming knew that these few words were useless, but he was already holding back After a long time, I couldn't help but say it.Chang Erye didn't understand Ruixuan's words, but he realized something else: "I understand, this is really a change of dynasty, our money is not allowed to be used, and I was taught to kneel on the street!" Ruixuan didn't want to talk about big things with the old man anymore, but decided to please him first. "Come on, I haven't paid New Year's greetings to your old man yet, let's give you a New Year's greeting!" After finishing speaking, he knelt down on the ground. This, not only taught Second Master Chang to smile, but even Old Man Qi thought his grandson Mingli was cute.Old man Qi felt better, and immediately came up with an idea: "Ruixuan, go buy some medicine! Xiao Shun'er's mother, cook for the second grandpa!" Old man Chang refused to teach Ruixuan to go to the front door.Ruixuan must go: "I don't have to go so far, there is a shop in Xinjiekou and I will sell it! I will be back in a while!" "Really? Don't buy fake medicines!" Bought counterfeit medicine. "It can't be fake!" Ruixuan ran out. The meal is ready, but Chang Erye refuses to eat it.His anger has not subsided.Everyone talked nonsense, and even Mrs. Tianyou came to comfort him, so he reluctantly ate a bowl of rice.Gossiping after the meal, he told everyone all kinds of rumors in the countryside, and commented: "I can't believe these words today, the Japanese can pull out all kinds of shit!" Ruixuan bought medicine and comforted him. For a while the old man.The old man took the medicine and said goodbye: "Brother, I won't go to the city anymore if there is nothing to do! Anyway, we just miss each other in our hearts!" Xiao Shun'er and Niuzi understood almost half of what happened to Second Master Chang.After Chang Erye left, he began to pretend to be a Japanese, taught his younger sister to pretend to be Chang Erye, and punished him by kneeling on the steps.His mother came over and slapped him twice, "Why don't you learn, just learn from the Japanese!" Xiao Shun'er wiped her tears and went to her grandmother's room to complain.