Chapter 82 81

A chilly northwest wind made tens of thousands of Peiping people tremble. In previous years and this season, there must have been many chrysanthemum exhibitions in Beiping; how many male and female students from universities and middle schools went to Xishan, Juyongguan, and the Ming Tombs to travel; Elephant with nose.Poets want to carry wine to climb high, or go to the countryside to enjoy the red leaves.Autumn, in the peaceful years, brings people dew, morning frost, cinnamon and bright moon; although people know that there will be strong wind, ice and snow, it does not reduce their interest in life; on the contrary, everyone hopes and prepares to enjoy the joy of winter. Gossiping around the stove, chewing sweet and crunchy radish or candied haws.

Now, the northwest wind, the harbinger of autumn, has already blown, but no one dares to visit outside the city; the western mountains and the northern mountains still make the sound of cannons from time to time.Even if there is no sound of cannons, people don't bother to see the red leaves in the frosty forest, or climb high to write poems. Their stomachs are empty and their bodies are cold.They only know that after a night of strong winds, winter will suddenly come, and winter will be their executioner, freezing them to death. People forget everything and see only the shadow of death.They heard about the German invasion of the Soviet Union and didn't pay much attention.They have been cut off from the world, bound only to death.They didn't dare to hope for anything else, they just wanted to get through the winter, and if they didn't lie frozen in the wind and snow, it would be victory.

On the main road before the morning frost melted, they saw that there was always a truck, the truck that took Guan Xiaohe and Sun Qi to the "sterilized" giant pit, slowly marching.This is a ghost car!Whenever it encounters zombies by the roadside, dead from sickness, starvation, or half-dead, it stops casually and drags the corpses away.Seeing the ghost car, they couldn't help but think that they might be dragged away too - you fell on the road, were dragged away, and fed the wild dogs!Without doctors and nurses to greet you, no children to ask your last words, no mourning and crying to accompany the coffin, you just disappeared like a dead cat or a dead dog.Yunmei sees this ghost car every day.

With the experience of receiving food for the first time, she dared not be late again.Whenever she went to collect food, she got up early in the morning.Sometimes when it gets violent, the sky is still full of stars.After getting up, she cleaned up at least one way or another, and then went to draw out a pot of black porridge like medicine soup for everyone; after that, she packed the dishes, chopsticks and pickles.After all this, she went outside the window of her mother-in-law and called softly: "Mom, I'm leaving!" The place to receive food is not always in one place.Sometimes, she has to walk four or five miles; sometimes, she even has to go to the East City.If it was in Dongcheng, she would have to catch the first tram; foreign cars were too expensive for her to afford.She wasn't used to riding a tram, but she made up her mind to experiment.She is the responsible person, and she refuses to be a little lazy because of the teasing and cruelty of the Japanese.

Her guts are not great.She is afraid of dogs.Walking on the quiet and sparsely populated road in the early morning, she was taken aback when she heard a dog barking occasionally.She had to clenched her pockets tightly, boldly, with cold sweat on her palms, and rushed forward.Sometimes, she saw groups of Japanese soldiers.She was afraid, but it was inconvenient to show panic.Lowering her head, her heart was beating fast, and she walked briskly forward.She was afraid, but never backed down.She seemed to be using her whole life to fight for the black and smelly food. It was the ghost car that frightened her the most.Whether it's cloudy or sunny, cold or warm, once she saw it, she would immediately shiver.Sometimes, there are three, four, or even a dozen dead bodies in the car, and she can't help but close her eyes.Those dead bodies, in her mind, are not just cold limbs, but people like her; they all must have family, relatives and friends, and problems with food, drink and clothing.She thought that they must still be thinking about their children, parents, and family affairs.Yes, once she saw a dead body with a noodle bag hanging from its right wrist!Like her, she also has a pocket in her hand!That dead body could be her own!She didn't eat all day, only drank water.

Because the place where the food is received is far and near, and because they have a food certificate, they may not be able to receive the food. People in Xiaoyangpen always curse Li Siye-he issued the food certificate, so it seems that he should be responsible for all faults.Yunmei was tortured like everyone else, but she still refused to blame Old Man Li.Her sense of responsibility makes her strong, brave and hard-working. One day, she walked home with half a bag of Republican noodles.It was still two or three miles away from home, but she would neither take a rickshaw nor a tram.Foreign cars are expensive, and trams are not easy to squeeze on.She walked very slowly, because the stinky face was like a dead child, and the more she walked, the heavier she went.

Raising her head abruptly, she saw Brother Zhao.Brother Zhao (who has been released from prison and was assigned to be a "liaison" officer to monitor the Westerners in Peiping) is obviously short in stature even though he wears high heels.She was accompanied by a very tall Westerner.With her right hand tightly holding the "great man"'s arm, with her face upturned, she talked to him with a smile while walking.Half of her hair was up, like a huge bottle brush, frizzy and quivering, and the other half fell over her shoulders.Her small face is much fatter than before, and her eyebrows and eyes can be seen clearly from a distance, because she has been made up like a movie star when she was making a movie.She talked and laughed loudly, and the muscles on her face moved up and down: her eyebrows suddenly fell on the corners of her mouth, and her red lips suddenly rolled over the tip of her nose.Until she couldn't breathe from laughing, she stood up, hugged the "great man"'s arm with both hands, put all her shaggy hair in his arms, her shoulders and back twitched.Enough of laughing like this, she pulled out his tie, and gently pinched the corners of his eyes.Then, she took out a small mirror and a powder puff, and tapped powder on her face, as if the whole city of Beiping was her dressing room.

Yunmei hugged the noodle bag and stood there in a daze.Zhaodi didn't pay attention to her, nor did he pay attention to anyone, so Yunmei watched boldly until Zhaodi finished making fans, and walked away slowly with that "great man". Yunmei couldn't help spitting.She didn't know what was going on in the country, but she could see it clearly—it was only when the Japanese came to Beiping that such weird and ugly things happened.Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at the dough bag and her old blue cloth coat.After reading it, she raised her head and felt her rigidity.Don't care what she eats or what she wears, she hasn't become a recruiter who makes strange appearances with foreigners.She feels she should be proud!

When she got home, she didn't dare to tell everyone about it.Don't talk about it to everyone, but whenever she thinks of that strange appearance, her face will become hot and red. If Zhaodi's ugliness made Yunmei blush, Mrs. Liu Pengjiang taught her that women are not worthless waste or playthings. Mrs. Liu has always come to Qi's house from time to time to help Yunmei with needlework and brains.Recently, because of food shortage and high prices, Mrs. Liu decided not to ask Ruixuan to give her six yuan a month.She clumsily told Yunmei about this decision first, Yunmei could not make the decision, and she also wondered whether Mrs. Liu deliberately refused to accept the supply because she was embarrassed to ask for more money. "I have a way to live! I have a way!" Mrs. Liu kept saying that, but she refused to say how she had a way to live.

Two days later, Mrs. Liu disappeared.Lian Yunmei and all the old and young members of the Qi family were very worried.Especially Ruixuan: Although he can't take care of Mrs. Liu because of insufficient financial strength, since he is entrusted by Master Liu, he has to care about her safety. A few days later, Mrs. Liu came back suddenly, and brought a pound of millet, and gave it to Old Man Qi.Not saying anything else, she just smiled and told the old man: "Let's make some porridge!" Millet, before the war, was not very valuable; now, it can become a treasure!Whenever old man Qi felt a little uncomfortable, he would always think first: "It would be great to have a bowl of sticky millet porridge!" Today, seeing this gift, he touched the delicate yellow rice grains, It seems to be touching some small pearls.He was too grateful for words.

Pulling Mrs. Liu into her room, Yunmei asked her where and how she got the millet.Mrs. Liu spoke out her actions one after another.It turned out that since the Japanese controlled food, many people, mostly women, ventured to Zhangjiakou, Shijiazhuang and other places to do business.The business is to take some cloth or old clothes, sell them there, and bring back some grain.There is nothing to wear in those places, and there is nothing to eat in Beiping, so adventurers can make money on both ends.This is a risky thing. They or they must try to escape the inspection of the Japanese, and they must bribe the employees and patrolmen on the railway.Sometimes, they had to hide in the van, and sometimes they had to crouch on the roof.To get a little food, they or they must put it in the cuff or crotch, and bring it into Beiping City.Mrs. Liu joined the line.She refused to accept Lao Bai's supply from the Qi family, and that supply was no longer enough for her. After finishing this matter in a careless manner, Mrs. Liu neither showed her courage nor revealed that there was anything strange about the matter, but just smiled so foolishly.Until Yunmei asked her if she wasn't afraid?She simply said: "I am a countryman!" It seemed that countrymen could still walk without their heads.Two days later, Mrs. Liu disappeared again. From then on, whenever Yunmei felt scared or felt that life was too hard, she immediately thought of Mrs. Liu and gritted her teeth.She even said to herself: "If I really can't even buy any food, I have to go to Zhangjiakou with Mrs. Liu! No matter how hard it is, how dangerous it is, I can't watch the whole family starve to death!" If Mrs. Liu's bravery aroused Yunmei's strength and self-confidence, then Li Sima's broad love made her understand more about people and care about each other as she should.In the past, Yunmei rarely went out of the street except to go shopping, so although she knew that Li Sima was a bodhisattva, she always felt that the old woman was a little crazy and didn't know the rules.Now, she often goes out and often meets Li Sima, and she begins to get to know that old woman.Because she often goes to the street, she often needs other people's comfort and assistance, and whenever she meets Li Sima, she will be able to get what she needs.This moved her.In the past, her way of dealing with people was mostly in line with the Qi family's tradition, she had a sense of proportion in everything, and she would never leave anyone.Now, after being assisted many times by Mrs. Li, she began to understand that it is not the best way to be modest, and Mrs. Li's enthusiasm is not excessive and intentionally flattering.Therefore, she also tried to help others. After helping others, she felt a kind of warmth, not a warm acceptance, but a radiation; the radiating warmth made her feel full and firm. It's true that Li Sima often scolded people in the village, especially when Li Siye was attacked by neighbors.However, even though she swears, she still helps everyone; she does not put away her kindness for a little bit of resentment; she not only has a little kindness, she is great! In the whole alley, those who received the most help from the Li family were those in No. 7 Courtyard, but those who attacked Fourth Master Li the most were also those people.They are poor, so their mouths are particularly powerful.Even so, Li Sima often went to No. 7.They gossip, and she immediately counterattacks with the dirtiest village words.However, before their sickbed and in the delivery room, she was like a lamp, giving them a little light. No. 7's black-haired boy, Fang Liu, has become a star in the cross talk world since he was able to memorize the Four Books by heart, broadcasting at least two or three times a week. One day, on a radio program, he told a story, witty Japanese.Before the show was over, Fang Liu went to prison. Those who heard the broadcast unanimously sympathized with Fang Liu, but no one tried to rescue him.Li Sima didn't hear the broadcast, so she didn't know why Fang Liu was sent to prison.However, she was the first to comfort the Fang family, and then forced the "old man" to try to rescue Fang Liulai. Fourth Master Li is just a small village head, what power does he have to save Fang Liu?He went to Inspector Bai and asked if there was anything he could do. "Fourth Master, I admire your kindness, but this matter is not easy to handle!" Inspector Bai warned Old Man Li. "If I don't care, even the fourth mother and the number seven will not scold me?" "Well——" Inspector Bai closed his eyes for a while, searching for a clever plan in his heart. "I have an idea, but I'm afraid you won't agree with it!" "Tell me! Who doesn't know that you are Zhuge Liang!" "Didn't everyone complain about your old man all the time? Well, let's show them too!" Old Man Li smiled bitterly. "I'm old, I don't want to be angry with them! I'm good, I'm bad, God knows!" "Yes! I don't advise you to be angry with them! I mean, you should come forward and tell the big guys: Let's make a joint guarantee to get Fang Liu out! Let's see, how many dare to sign? If they don't dare to sign it, well, they won't speak ill of you any more; don't you think?" "What if they all sign?" "They?" Inspector Bai smiled slyly. "No wonder! I know our neighbors!" Old man Li is not happy to do such frivolous things.However, the recent attacks by his neighbors really made him unwilling to bow his head and be scolded.He was in such a dilemma, and the inspector Bai added more fuel: "Fourth Master, I don't want to provoke right and wrong, I just fight for you! Test them and see how many have bones!" Old man Li Nodding helplessly. Sure enough, as Inspector Bai expected, none of the No. 7 people dared to sign.They remembered Xiaocui, Xiaowen and his wife, who refused to die for loyalty. Old man Li was a little happy, but soon turned into a disappointment.He felt that those people were hateful and pitiful.He really wanted to tear up the security certificate and end this boring thing.However, a little curiosity spurred him on, and he continued to visit the neighbors. John Ding signed without saying anything.He didn't do it to help Fang Liu, but probably to show that the people in the British government were not afraid of the Japanese devils. Cheng Changshun looked at the guarantor, muttered something, and signed it. When old man Li arrived at Qi's house, it was Yunmei who answered the door.After understanding Fourth Master Li's intentions, she signed for Ruixuan without going in to discuss.She can't read much, but she knows how to write her husband's name. This made Fourth Master Li startled.He knew that the Qi family were good people, but he didn't expect Yunmei to be so courageous. Really, she did grow courage.She often goes to the streets, sees and hears all kinds of things, and contacts all kinds of people, and she changes her appearance unconsciously.In the past, the kitchen was her home base, and the yard was her world.Now, she seems to have opened her eyes, and she seems to have a close relationship with everything in Peking.If it was a mistake to rescue Fang Liu, she thought, Fourth Master Li would definitely not show up.Since fourth master Li is willing to stand out, she should also help; why are Mr. Li and his wife responsible for all good things? What made her most happy was that Ruixuan came back, heard her report, and didn't blame her for acting rashly.He smiled and only said: "Saving people is always a good thing!" Fourth Master Li didn't hand in the guaranty certificate. Firstly, there were too few signatures, and secondly, he knew that submitting it would not only be useless, but it might cause trouble for those who signed it.However, because of this incident, he has a better understanding of who is the real person and who is the fake person in the neighborhood. Especially for Yunmei, he felt that she was like a new harvest for him. When she was on the street, Yunmei often met the No. 1 Japanese old woman and the two naughty Japanese children.She always ignored them.She hated those two children because they had bullied Xiao Shun's son. Now, she knew that the No. 1 man was killed and the woman was a camp prostitute. She began to pity them and talked to the old woman.The old lady can only speak a few simple Chinese words, but Yunmei can guess many meanings that she wanted to say but failed to say from her eyes.Sometimes, the two of them would stand together without saying a word, and feel that they understood each other a little bit.The old woman seemed to be saying, "I'm not an ordinary Japanese, don't judge me by my appearance and clothing!" Yunmei couldn't think of any simple and clear words to explain her attitude, but the thousands of years of culture cultivated her. The feeling of equal treatment made her feel sorry for the old woman.Slightly, she thought herself very great--she could pity her enemies! The northwest wind was blowing all night, and the ground saw ice for the first time.Early in the morning, Yunmei had to go to collect food.Looking at the thin ice on the ground, she wanted to find her gloves.However, she didn't look for it.She can't be afraid of the cold, she knows that there will be a lot of suffering this winter, so she can't be scared by a little ice first.After going out the door, the cold breeze turned the tip of her nose red; she quickened her pace to give herself a little more heat. Some of the food recipients wore broken red woolen hoods that had not been seen for many years, some wore antique ear hats, some wore greasy and thick old cotton robes, and some wore only leather boards. A furless leather waistcoat.Yunmei looked at these trendy "outlandish clothes" and suddenly wondered if she was standing on the streets of Beiping.She knew that Peking people were the most respectable people; even if the clothes were worn out, they had to be washed clean.She couldn't remember when she had seen so many, such dirty, and smelly clothes. She raised her head and looked at the sky, which was as blue as a jewel, and she knew that she was indeed in Peiping.The streets, shops, and trees with fallen leaves beside the road are also good, and she is familiar with them.She just didn't know those people.If this year, the people of Peiping have become so inhuman, what will happen next year?She didn't dare to think about it any further. At this time, she dared to swear that she really saw the third child Ruiquan!He was wearing a short padded jacket, like that worn by farmers, and an old blue cotton padded jacket, with a blue cloth bag tied around his waist.Bald and sweating, he walked along the side of the road, walking very fast.She opened her mouth and shouted, "Third!" But there was no sound.In the blink of an eye, the third child has gone far away. third child!third child!How many times she cried silently, she was no longer cold; instead, her palms were sweating.The third child is back; just now, he was only two feet away from her!The third child, already "dead" in the household registration book, actually returned to Peiping!The third child, beating the enemy outside, not only was not killed by the enemy, but he openly broke into Peiping, striding on the side of the road!Yunmei's eyes lit up, and her cheeks were blushed.She no longer needs to be afraid of anyone or anything, the third child is not far from her and will definitely protect her! After receiving the food and returning home, how many times she wanted to tell the good news to the old people.However, she knew that this was not something to be joked about casually, and she had to discuss it with her husband first.Her words were like a swarm of bees eager to get out of the nest, swarming in her heart.She had to bite her lip so hard that she could make the swarm of bees quiet for a while.Whenever there was a sound of footsteps in the courtyard, she thought it was the third child.Even though there was no sound, she still saw him from time to time, in the kitchen, in the yard, everywhere, she saw him, wearing a short blue padded jacket, with hot sweat on his head.Finally, when it was time for bedtime, she got a chance to speak: "Xiao Shun'er's father, guess what, I saw the third child!" Rui Xuan had already lay down, and sat up abruptly: "What?" "I saw the third child! I swear, it must be him!" "Where? What does he look like?" Yunmei told him exactly. Hugging his knees, he stared at the wall, and according to what Yunmei said, he drew a third child for himself, hung it on the wall like a photo.Staring blankly at the imaginary photo, he forgot everything.In his ears, he seemed to only hear his own heartbeat. As soon as Yunmei took off her shoes, there was a loud noise, Ruixuan was startled; the figure on the wall suddenly disappeared.He lay down slowly. "Don't tell anyone!" "I'm that stupid?" "Okay, don't say it! Don't say it!" "Don't say it!" Yunmei also lay down. The couple wanted to talk, but neither of them knew what to say.They all wanted to pretend to fall asleep, but they all knew that no one was sleepy.After being in a daze like this for a long time, Yunmei suddenly said, "What did the third child do outside?" "I don't know!" Ruixuan pretended to add a little sleepiness to his voice, so as to teach her not to speak anymore; he wanted to quietly ponder everything about the third child, from the third child's childhood, like reviewing history, Think of the exile of the third child. But she seemed to be asking herself: "Is he really at war?" Ruixuan's eyes were wide open, but he pretended to be asleep and didn't answer her.He really wanted to talk to Yunmei about the third child, even all night; but he had to think about the whole history of the third child in order to talk in an orderly manner.The third child belongs to the Qi family, and also belongs to the nation, a hero; he can't just ramble about here and there. Yunmei didn't make a sound anymore, her imagination was fully active: she thought that the third child must have climbed mountains, crossed ridges, traveled to far, far places, and even walked to the seaside and saw the sea.She has never been out of Beiping City in her life, and she has only seen the West Mountain and the North Mountain from a distance. They are always so blue, a little darker than the sky.She wondered if everything on the mountain was also blue.As for the sea, she has only seen the "sea" in Sanhai Park, but she doesn't know how much bigger the real sea is than Sanhai. She couldn't help asking again: "How much bigger is the sea than Sanhai?" "I don't know how many times bigger! What are you doing?" She smiled. "Just thinking, did the third child see the sea?" "He saw everything, sure!" "That's so good!" Yunmei closed her eyes, the sea that was many times bigger than the three seas floated in her heart, and the blue mountain with blue stones and blue trees.There is a strong and brave third child on the seaside and mountains. In this way, a woman who has never been out of Peiping has trained herself to be stronger, braver, and more responsible during several years of torment and hardship, and she can see the mountains and the sea vaguely.Her heart has become much wider, her world has expanded from the courtyard surrounded by walls to the mountains and the sea, and the mountains and the sea may be her country.