Chapter 48 Chapter Forty-Two

At dusk, Li Xiangnan rode to Chencun alone. He went to Chencun Middle School first.As soon as he reached the open space beside the playground, he held onto the station to stop.Lin Hong is painting a portrait of a rural woman and a little girl in her arms.A group of young people watched, gesticulating, talking and laughing.A few middle school students stood behind Lin Hong, looking at the drawing board under her hand.While Lin Hong sketched quickly with a pencil, she kept waving her hands to adjust the postures of the mother and daughter, and waved her hands from time to time to reprimand them, making people who blocked her view lean back.The young people obeyed her very willingly, pulling each other back.Li Xiangnan stood on the side watching, unexpectedly Lin Hong has such a cheerful other side now.

Following everyone's gaze, Lin Hong turned her head to see him, quickly drew two strokes, and stood up holding the drawing board between her hands. "Draw it." Li Xiangnan smiled slightly. "I'm done." "Secretary Li." The painted rural woman stood up and greeted respectfully. It turned out to be Mrs. Wu who received petitions on the second day after Li Xiangnan took office. "Is it your girl?" Li Xiangnan pointed to the girl beside her and asked. "Yes. Xiaoyingzi, quickly call Secretary Li." "Call it Uncle Li." Li Xiangnan said with a smile.

"Secretary Li, Teacher Lin, let's go first and come back another day." People chatted and laughed around Li Xiangnan for a while, and then dispersed happily. "To see your nanny?" Lin Hong asked. "yes." "Auntie Sun, the head of the east of the village?" "Come with me?" "You don't remember the way?" "I want to walk with you." Lin Hong glanced at him with eyes that understood everything, shook back her short-cut hair, and smiled: "Okay, let's go." "It's better if the hair is cut short." Li Xiangnan pushed the cart, turned his face to look at Lin Hong and said as he walked.

"What's the matter? It's all turned into charcoal of blood in Hengling Valley." "People appear more energetic." "Vigor?" Lin Hong laughed self-deprecatingly, a shadow passed over her face, "I am very unfamiliar with this word." The two left the school and walked to the village ahead.The wheat ripens early here, and the wheat fields on both sides of the road have been harvested piece by piece, and the stubble is exposed.In the middle and west of the wheat field, the threshing floor, where the wheat has been harvested and flattened, is mostly clean, leaving only mounds of chaff mixed with wheat.The chickens that have not returned to their nests are still scratching and pecking in twos and threes.The faint twilight is quietly melting into the warm orange dusk.Li Xiangnan frowned slightly, walking slowly thoughtfully.Lin Hong turned her head and glanced at him: "Are you going back to the county tonight?"

"No, I plan to stay at the nanny's house for two days, and do some research in Chencun by the way." "What purpose?" "I want to consider the long-term development of rural China from the perspective of thousands of years of history." Lin Hong walked a few steps silently. "Is this the whole reason why you lived in Chencun for two days?" She asked casually. "No." "Is there any other reason?" Lin Hong's voice was slightly lower, and she restrained a kind of tension in her heart. "I'm a little unhappy. Quiet in the village and clear my mind." Li Xiangnan said in a tired voice.Stepping on the soft dirt road, a group of sparrows flew overhead.

"Did Zheng Dali call you for a big meeting the day before yesterday?" "Have you heard?" "I heard what the old principal said, and she heard what Deputy County Magistrate Hu said." Lin Hong paused for a while, "It's a lot of pressure on you?" "A little bit." Li Xiangnan's situation is not good, which makes Lin Hong feel a mild change in the relationship between the two. I met Zhu Quanshan at the entrance of the village, pushing a cart and waiting for someone: "Secretary Li." He raised his dull eyes and looked at Li Xiangnan.

"How did you come?" "I came here specifically to find you. Director Kang said that you are coming to Chencun." "In a hurry?" "I……" "Is there anything bad to say?" "I think... I want to go back to Huangzhuang Reservoir." "why?" Zhu Quanshan bowed his head in silence for a while, sweat dripping from his forehead again. "I think twice about the heavy responsibility you entrusted to me, and I think I can't handle it." He said with difficulty. Li Xiangnan looked at Zhu Quanshan and understood everything. "Gu Ling has been going back and forth these few days. When the situation becomes clearer and you think you can do it, come find me again, okay?" he said gently.

"Secretary Li, I..." Zhu Quanshan blushed even more because of guilt, and sweat flowed down his face. Li Xiangnan looked at him quietly. "Secretary Li, I... I'm sorry for you." "There is no such problem." Zhu Quanshan raised his eyes and squinted at Li Xiangnan. "Do you still have any difficulties?" "I'm... leaving." Zhu Quanshan turned around slowly, pushed the cart and took two steps, stopped again, and turned back slowly, "Secretary Li, be careful." "Watch out for what?" "I... when I was twenty-five... I also served as the secretary of the county party committee for a year."

"Thank you, it's not that serious now." Zhu Quanshan pushed the cart away.Li Xiangnan frowned and stared at his back slowly disappearing around the corner.Lin Hong looked at Li Xiangnan sympathetically. A jeep appeared around the corner in a cloud of dust and screeched to a halt in front of them. "I saw you before entering the village." Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Pingping jumped out of the car, smiling with those very dark eyes. "What's the rush?" "I have written a report on Uncle Men and the Fenghuangling Brigade. I would like to invite you to read it. I will take the train back to Beijing at midnight today."

"That's all?" "Also, I want to talk to you. I don't know if you have time." Huang Pingping glanced at Lin Hong next to him. "I want to hear from you about your long-term vision for rural development. Don't you have a 30-year plan?" Prospect?" Li Xiangnan smiled: "You can really follow and chase." "As a reporter, you have to 'hunt' your target like this." Huang Pingping smiled happily.She looked at Lin Hong again. "Let me introduce you," Li Xiangnan said, "this is Huang Pingping, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency, and this is Lin Hong, a teacher at Chencun Middle School."

"Lin Hong? I heard about you as soon as I arrived at the ancient tomb." Huang Pingping extended his hand enthusiastically. Lin Hong extended her hand friendly.Huang Pingping's energetic character, her fluttering hair, and the heat and brilliance shining from her black eyes made her faintly feel jealous. "Well," Li Xiangnan looked at Huang Pingping and said, "you keep the article. I'll read it tomorrow when I'm clear-headed. You go back to Beijing, and go back tonight as originally planned. In two days, someone will go to Beijing and give the article to you. You send it. If you have any comments, I will attach it to you. Do you like it?" Huang Pingping thought for a while and asked, "Who is the person going to Beijing? Is it reliable?" "Of course it's reliable, and you'll be satisfied with the safekeeping." Li Xiangnan said with a hint of humor, "As for the 30-year outlook, I'll hide in Chencun these two days and think about it. At that time, maybe I can talk to you about the 50-year outlook. okay?" Huang Pingping thought for a while, then looked at Lin Hong again: "Okay, that's it." She took out the article from her schoolbag and left it, jumped into the jeep and left. Seeing the jeep going away, Lin Hong withdrew her dazed gaze, looked at Li Xiangnan, and sarcastically said with kindness: "You are really a reformer. You are looking forward to 30 years while working side by side." Li Xiangnan pushed his bicycle and walked slowly, mocking himself, "I want to reform society, and I want to reform life." "Do you think that a few outstanding people can change such a large society? Before you start to act, you have already deprived you of the power to transform society." Li Xiangnan stopped suddenly, turned his head and said angrily, "I want to fight for this power." Lin Hong lowered her eyes and was silent for a while: "There are already man-made public opinions saying that you are ambitious." "A careerist?" Li Xiangnan sneered and said angrily, "Use such a public opinion to suppress the real careerist, and the real careerist will grow up in being cautious, obedient, flattering, and highly appreciated. .” "Then what society are you going to transform?" "I'm going to fix this one first." The nurse's home is here.The earthen courtyard wall, the small gate, and a stone mill parked under the wall next to the gate.Li Xiangnan looked at the roller and stopped. "Auntie Sun's house is here, here it is." Lin Hong said. "I know." "Then what are you stunned for?" "I'm looking at this roller." Li Xiangnan gently pushed it with his hand, and the roller rolled on the roller plate, making a small rumbling sound, "This roller was here twenty-six or seven years ago, and it's still here now , nothing has changed." He stroked the roller and said. "Emotional?" An old lady with a strong body was gently splashing water with a ladle in the yard that had been swept clean.Seeing someone entering the yard, she straightened up.Li Xiangnan recognized this nurse at a glance, and at the same time saw how old she was.More than twenty years ago, she was in her thirties, and she was a robust middle-aged woman, but now she is a wrinkled old lady. "Nurse, I'm Nan Nan." Li Xiangnan hurriedly leaned on his bicycle, and took a few steps forward to hold the old man's hand.The mill has not changed, the yard has not changed, the house has not changed, but the nanny who has nurtured him is already old, a kind of desolation wells up, and his eyes are wet. "Oh, you are Nan Nan." Aunt Sun rubbed her eyes, "I dare not admit it. Let me see, you are so tall. You look the same as your father, taller and thinner than him. Please help me People brought a letter saying that they are coming today, why did they come here when it was almost dark. I have been cooking and waiting for you." Aunt Sun laughed and wiped her tears, not knowing what to say, she was busy making food. "Nurse, I came here after dinner, don't worry about it." "I ate it, and I was hungry all the way. Smelly, come here quickly." She shouted while busy inside and out.A ten-year-old boy came running. "Call, this is your Uncle Nan." "Uncle Nan." The little boy called. "How old are you, ten years old? Nanny, is this brother Genxi's child?" Genxi is the nanny's son, half a year older than Li Xiangnan. "Yes, this is his big one. Smelly, go and call your father and say that your Uncle Nan is here, go quickly." Aunt Sun sent her grandson away while nagging, and placed the low square table on the ground. In the yard, pots and bowls were piled up in a short while, and there were scrambled eggs, stewed meat, and tofu. "I'll make dumplings for you right now. I've already made them for you. It's hot on the road. Let's have a bowl of jelly first. This is your favorite food when you were young. It's mustard. Do you want spicy food? Pour the vinegar on it. This is sesame oil, pour more. Mr. Lin, you also eat a bowl. This jelly is not bad for your stomach. You brought Nan Nan here? He has been away for 26 years and has not returned, and he has disappeared at the door of the house. " "Nurse, I haven't come to see you for more than 20 years." Li Xiangnan picked up the jelly and said. "Forget about me." "Nurse, I haven't forgotten." "If you don't come, you forget it. If you don't come here, you don't forget it. If you don't come for a few years, your nurse will be covered with loess and won't be able to see you." Aunt Sun said, pulling up the front of her clothes, and wiping the old man who was bleeding from her face. tears. "Nurse, your body looks very strong, and you can live another thirty or forty years." "It's already sixty, why live so many years? It's too old to crawl, and it will make children and grandchildren hate it." "Nurse, I will be able to visit you often from now on." Li Xiangnan said as he put down the bowl and stood up, took a travel bag from the back seat of the bicycle, and took out a bag of cloth from it, "Nurse, this is for you Bought something." "Bought it for me?" "I remember that when you were young, you used to nag that you wanted to tear a piece of corduroy to make clothes. This is coming, I pulled two feet for you in Beijing to make clothes for you. There are also two feet of fine cloth and two feet of floral cloth. You see It doesn't matter if you do it or make clothes for Genhee and the kids." Aunt Sun stroked the soft and fluffy black corduroy with her thin hands, and tears came down again: "Do you still remember that I nagged that I wanted to tear the corduroy?" While speaking, Smelly ran into the courtyard: "Grandma, my father is here." A shaved, thin, middle-aged farmer hurried into the yard, followed by two children aged six or seven, a boy and a girl . "This is your brother Nannan." Aunt Sun said, wiping away her tears. "Brother Genxi." Li Xiangnan went up to hold Genxi's hand with both hands. "Brother Nannan." Genxi also shook his hand vigorously, "I went to the county town twice, and they said you went to the countryside." Genxi's daughter-in-law Narcissus also came with a three or four-year-old daughter in her arms. "Sister-in-law." Li Xiangnan called. Narcissus blushed slightly, "Brother, why didn't you bring our sister-in-law to Guling?" She hugged the child and asked. "Sister-in-law," Li Xiangnan looked at Lin Hong next to him, and smiled embarrassedly, "I'm not married yet." "Not married yet?" Aunt Sun spoke up, "Nannan, in terms of your first birthday in the city, you are thirty-two; in terms of age, you are a small birthday, and you are thirty-four. You can't be so late when you get married. Ah? Do you have a partner?" Li Xiangnan blushed: "Not yet." "Such a big Beijing can't find a good girl?" Li Xiangnan smiled awkwardly. Seeing Li Xiangnan blushing, Lin Hong found it very interesting; hearing people talking about such a topic with Li Xiangnan made her a little uncomfortable. A crowd of people came in bustlingly again, all of them were Li Xiangnan's friends who played bare-bottomed on the river beach when he was a child.Some were happy and called Nan Nan, and some were restrained and called Secretary Li.Li Xiangnan took out a "Phoenix" cigarette from the travel bag, smiled and scattered it to everyone.The small courtyard was soon full of people, talking about fishing for shrimps when they were young, talking about the experience of the village for more than 20 years, talking about the current situation of each family, talking about the leaders of the East Village and the shortcomings of the West Village.When talking about Li Xiangnan being the secretary of the county party committee and the legend about Li Xiangnan in the countryside, the yard was even more joking. "Xiangnan," a middle-aged man named Dongsheng who had been squatting and smoking in the bustle of the courtyard, said at this moment, "I heard that you will be transferred again, is it true?" Everyone in the courtyard fell silent. "What nonsense is this?" Aunt Sun was angry when she heard it. "I heard from my second uncle who came back from the county." Dongsheng said, his second uncle worked in the county grain bureau. "Nannan, is this nonsense?" Aunt Sun asked. Li Xiangnan was silent for a while: "Nurse, there is such a saying." "Why?" Aunt Sun asked, "You did a good job and chased you away?" "Have you offended those gentlemen?" Someone said angrily. "Tune you to go, and you don't go." Aunt Sun said. Li Xiangnan smiled: "If you really want to transfer, how can you not leave?" Aunt Sun was also stunned. "It's okay, nanny, I won't go. I'll talk to the superiors, they may let me stay." "If you have to speak well, speak well, be soft-spoken, and you won't suffer if you speak more good things. You were a stubborn person when you were young, so don't be stubborn this time." Aunt Sun quickly instructed. After a meal and a chat, it was dark and the partners dispersed.Li Xiangnan told his aunt that he was going to visit the village, and when he came back, he would sit on the kang and talk slowly with her, and then he and Lin Hong went out of the courtyard. Every house in the village was lit with electric lights.There are no street lights on the streets of the village, so it is dark. "Walk around the village and I'll take you back to school, okay?" Li Xiangnan said. "Okay." Lin Hong hesitated for a moment before replying. "Almost all my grandparents passed away when I was young," Li Xiangnan said as he walked. "Sentimental again? It's the first time I realized today that you also have so much melancholy." Lin Hong said in the dark. "There is a sense of vicissitudes of life. In fact, a person's life is very fast, so we have to hurry up and do something." "Is this your philosophy of life?" "Pleasure in time is a philosophy; detachment from the world of mortals, self-cultivation, and turning into nothingness is a philosophy; absolute self-interest is a philosophy; sacrificing one's life for historical progress is a philosophy. There are many philosophies of life. In fact, each philosophy is a kind of philosophy. created by the social situation.” "Then what situation created your philosophy?" Lin Hong looked at Li Xiangnan and asked. "It's hard to say a word. But, to put it simply, I advocate that people should pay close attention to doing something worthwhile and living a worthwhile life because I can do things now and pursue a worthwhile life. History has given me this condition .” "If history deprives you of this condition, you will also sink and collapse?" Lin Hong asked sharply. "Of course it is possible." Li Xiangnan admitted this frankly. "Despair for career and life can sometimes cause the strongest beliefs to collapse. Are there few such precedents in history? Regarding this," Li Xiangnan euphemistically Pausing for a moment, "You should have a personal experience." The country streets sandwiched by courtyard walls are slowly moving backwards.The voices of adults and the cries of children came from the courtyards.There was a brightly lit uproar in the street ahead.In a large open space in the center of the village, two large light bulbs with a temperature of several hundred degrees were hung on a broken basketball hoop.Dozens of young men were yelling, long wooden poles were tied up and down the brackets, nailed to the wooden boards, and the curtain was pulled.This is putting on a stage.After the wheat harvest was over, the peasants in the village joined together and invited the opera troupe to sing a three-day opera. Another dark, narrow street. "According to your theory, you are so ambitious and energetic now, just because you are in a lucky situation?" Lin Hong continued what he said just now. "Of course there is a reason. I admit that I am a lucky person. Therefore, I will never underestimate those who are unfortunate and depressed. Others may have difficulties that I do not have." Li Xiangnan said sincerely, "But on the other hand, the same situation, Some people are broken and some are not, this is the difference between the strength of character. Therefore, I encourage everyone to be stronger and overcome the situation." In the darkness, I heard a rude voice shouting on the roof next to me: "Mother, throw me the cigarette pipe and fire." It was a man who was afraid of heat, and he lay down on the roof and fell asleep looking up at the sky and the earth. . "You are a materialist." Lin Hong said. "Maybe. That's why I say that to change a person's attitude towards life, the most powerful thing is to change his life. To change the life philosophy of the whole society, it is necessary to change the life of the whole society." "But will you become discouraged one day and collapse?" "You asked me this question more than ten years ago." Lin Hong was silent.The scene of walking on the playground before jumping in line resurfaced.It is also the night, it is also so quiet, and it is also such a slow footsteps side by side. "You are still those eight characters, persevering in spite of all setbacks?" She said softly. "This may be my motto in life." Li Xiangnan said in the dark, "I thank history for giving me a strong character, and I will never fail history." They left the village and were on their way to Chencun Middle School. The night is getting dark.From a distance, I could see the dots of lights in the direction of the county seat, a faint river of stars in the sky, and the intoxicating smell of wet soil and crops rising from the fields.The two walked in silence, the road seemed very short.Far away from the north entrance of the village, someone was still shaking the pulley creakingly in the dark night, twisting water from the well, and watering the vegetable field with a splash. The sound showed an ancient desolation in the middle of the night. "I checked the historical data, and this potter's wheel has a history of more than 2,000 years." Li Xiangnan said with emotion, "Many of our current farming methods and farming tools are from one or two thousand years ago." "Sent your historical emotion again," Lin Hong smiled, "Aren't you going to fight for the right to reform society? How do you plan to fight next?" Li Xiangnan was silent for a while: "I'm going to make a big move." "In the ancient tomb?" "No, on the upper floor. In two days, I'm going back to Beijing." "You told Huang Pingping that someone went to Beijing in two days. Is it you?" "yes." "What are you going to do in Beijing?" "First, I want to convince my father and get his support. Otherwise, his intervention can block me. Second, I want to be active in as many upper-level policy research institutions as possible, and broadly win support for me. .Thirdly, I want to get in touch with this generation of thinkers and broaden my thinking. I also want to invite some young economic theorists to come to Guling to help me make long-term reform plans.” "The plan is grand enough." "The second action, I'm going to the province, talk to Gu Heng, the first secretary of the provincial party committee, and win his support for me." "Can he support you?" "I think it's possible. I've talked to him a few times. He's very fond of ambitious young people. I wrote him a letter last week." "Is it that simple?" Lin Hong asked. Li Xiangnan thought for a while, and looked at Lin Hong in the dark: "It's a bit complicated. One is the influence of Gu Rong. If you are a real brother, it will be particularly convincing." "It's not just this one, is it?" "There is also the tendency of Zheng Dali, secretary of the prefectural party committee. This may also affect the provincial party committee's judgment on the ancient tomb." Lin Hong was silent for a while: "This may not be the most complicated." "It's complicated enough." Li Xiangnan said, pausing for a moment, "There is another factor, probably Xiaoli." "What's her attitude towards you now?" Lin Hong asked after a while. "I have a conflict with her uncle, she won't be too supportive of me, right?" Li Xiangnan said vaguely. "I'm asking about her specific attitude towards you." Li Xiangnan was silent for a long time: "I got angry with me, and I have already returned to the provincial capital." "Is it after meeting me at West Cliff that day?" Li Xiangnan hesitated for a moment: "Yes." "She is in love with you." Lin Hong said nonchalantly. Li Xiangnan shrugged mockingly: "I don't know." "How could you not know?" The two walked silently on the dirt road in the field late at night. "There is such a factor, it is probably difficult for you to get support from Gu Heng." Lin Hong said. "I talked to the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee about the work of Guling County. What does this have to do with it? What does it have to do with her? I don't hinder her in anything." Li Xiangnan was a little annoyed. "You probably know that Gu Xiaoli is not an ordinary woman." "What does she have to do with me? Does the secretary of the county party committee and the secretary of the provincial party committee depend on his daughter's face when they talk about work?" "Don't get excited. You also know that this has something to do with you." Lin Hong said. "She's not that bad." Li Xiangnan whispered, "To be precise, she's not bad at all." "I didn't say she was bad." Li Xiangnan's words immediately angered Lin Hong, "Whether she is bad or not depends on who she treats. For those who hinder her and those who are jealous of her, she can be bad to the end." Li Xiangnan looked at the excited Lin Hong and fell silent. "Do you know my relationship with Xiao Li?" Lin Hong said calmly. Li Xiangnan was silent. "She has a brother..." "I know everything." Li Xiangnan said. "You know?" Lin Hong stared blankly at Li Xiangnan. "Xiaoli told me." "Do you know? Her brother is the most hypocritical and shameless person. Before we got married, I told him everything about the past, but in the end he..." Lin Hong suddenly became excited. "Her brother is bad, it has nothing to do with Xiaoli herself." "It has nothing to do with her. What reason does she have to abuse me together? Bitter and vicious, they have the same blood." Li Xiangnan shut his mouth tightly and remained silent. "Then why do you still come to the ancient tomb?" He asked. "I didn't know it was their Gu family who became the county magistrate, and I didn't expect Xiaoli to come to Guling later." "You should be more objective towards Xiaoli, we should be lenient and understanding towards others." Li Xiangnan said consolingly. "Sorry, I made your situation complicated." Lin Hong stopped suddenly and said coldly. Li Xiangnan got angry, reached out and grabbed Lin Hong's shoulders, and shook him roughly: "I don't want to hear you talk to me like this, do you know?" "You have no right to order me like that." Lin Hong said calmly. Li Xiangnan was stunned in the dark, stopped for a while, and slowly let go of his hand. "Secretary Li." With the sway of the flashlight, a bicycle chased up from behind, and Xiao Zhou, who was at the County Party Committee's Petition Reception Station, jumped out of the bicycle panting. "Xiao Zhou, what's the matter?" Li Xiangnan asked. Xiao Zhou looked at Lin Hong beside Li Xiangnan, with a complicated expression on his face, "Secretary Li, there is an urgent mail for you from the province, Director Kang asked me to send it to you. I found Aunt Sun's house, She said you and Teacher Lin came out." Li Xiangnan took a brown paper envelope, opened it, and took the flashlight from Xiao Zhou. This is a short letter written with a brush. Comrade Li Xiangnan: Hi.I read the letter and am very interested.The questions raised were both important and timely, and the ideas raised were valuable.The letter said that we should pay attention to the overall strategic research, draw out the line of force from all the intricate forces, and the long-term plan for the direction of rural development, which made me very excited.Young people are terrible.The latecomers prevail.The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead.Let me forward the letter to the Standing Committee members for reading.I would love to speak with you as soon as possible. Sincerely, salute Gu Hengcao Li Xiangnan slowly folded the letter and turned off the flashlight.In the darkness, he looked at Lin Hong.Lin Hong also looked at him in the dark.Xiao Zhou rode away, leaving only the two of them standing in the vast and quiet field. A conflict is a conflict only while it is in progress, and when it is interrupted it ceases to exist.None of them remembered the conflict just now.They only feel that the night is as deep and peaceful as the sea, gentle and harmonious. Under the star-studded sky, a moist, fresh and touching atmosphere is rising from the ancient and vast land.The solemn dawn, new life is being conceived little by little in this breath. A clear star rises slowly on the dark horizon.It shines confidently, calmly, and stubbornly, illuminating the corner of the sky that it should illuminate.With the rotation of the celestial body, it draws its tenacious and upright rising trajectory in the dark blue sky. The two stared. That star slowly merged into the sea of ​​stars in the sky. Starry. One star in the sky, one Ding on the ground. ………… An old folk song. Finished in Yuci, Shanxi in January 1984 Revised in Beijing in 2002