Chapter 3 third chapter

Women are born different creatures than men.That daughter-in-law's miraculous hands changed the inside and outside of old man Xing's house within a few days.It used to be that the white alkali around the base of the wall of the adobe house spread all the way to the brick foundation and eroded a layer of adobe. Now, the house is clean, warm and dry, and even the depressed walls are much brighter.Every noon and night when the old couple came back from work, old man Xing chopped firewood and lit the fire, while his woman kneaded noodles and chopped vegetables. At this time, old man Xing really felt that every second was meaningful.If he drove out and came back just in time for dinner, when he saw the smoke curling from the roof of his house outside the Zhuangzi, he would be so happy that he would swing his legs under the shaft of the car.

We Chinese have our Chinese way of love, and the love of Chinese workers is crystallized through hardships and hardships.They supported and encouraged each other on the bumpy road of life, shielded each other from wind and rain, and together bore the material and spiritual burdens that weighed on them; In the mutual care during the time of neutralization, injury, illness, hunger and cold, the pulse of love was silently transmitted.This is meaningful, creative love.Although this woman is silent, she understands old man Xing's feelings; she not only never refuses old man Xing's warmth, but also returns with more care.And a poor and lonely rural old man wants spiritual comfort and satisfaction, and he doesn't need anything more, a bowl of noodles made by his woman's hands, more spicy peppers, a piece of noodles made by his woman's hands. Patches, needles and threads, and a warm snort next to him at night, that's enough.Therefore, the old man Xing seemed to be ten years younger in those few months, and he walked with great strides, which caused an old man in his seventies who had studied in a private school in Zhuangzi to say to everyone: "It's really what the ancients said. That's right: 'A man can't have a family without a wife'. Look at old man Xing, he is getting fat right now, his face is radiant, even Yintang is shining!"

However, as time went by, a shadow gradually sneaked into old man Xing's life like a dream.Originally, women were indispensable for holding weddings in Zhuangzi. On the night of old man Xing's wedding, the small adobe house was completely surrounded by a group of women.Under the undisguised judgmental eyes, the beggar woman was as frightened as a stray dog, shaking her head and rubbing the hem of her clothes with her hands.However, it didn't take long for her to win the general sympathy of the women in Zhuangzi with her humble, docile, indifferent attitude and meticulous work on the quality of farm work.They began to be willing to get close to her. Some came to ask her to cut a shape with shoe upper cloth, and some came to chat with her with the sole of the shoe they were accepting.However, this woman still looks preoccupied.Although her haggard face has gradually plumped up, and the holes in her clothes have been patched up neatly, and she is no longer as "flappy" as the old saying goes, she still has a timid, vigilant, as if Feeling hurt anytime.On the way to the end of work, she always walks alone, holding tools in one hand, and either a bundle of firewood or an armful of wild vegetables under the other arm; when she rests in the field, she also sits far away by herself. No woman can learn from her past experiences and present thoughts without participating in the women's twitter conversation.If you have lived in the countryside, you know that it is impossible for a foreigner, especially a foreign woman, to keep the women in the village from talking about it.Before long, gossip about this beggar woman who lived alone and lived alone in Zhuangzi spread in Zhuangzi.The women used their meticulous logical reasoning to come to a conclusion: this woman must have a man in her hometown.

One day, old man Xing was driving a cart to pull dung, and Captain Wei followed the cart, sitting on the shaft of the outer head.Seeing old man Xing raising his whip with a contented look, he felt pity instead, and couldn't help pointing him out: "Old man Xing, don't be sloppy, you have to ask your woman to move her household registration. Otherwise, it's not safe." In fact, this was a lump in the old man's heart.He also heard some gossip in Zhuangzi, but he didn't believe it.However, he also knows that if the household registration is not transferred, and there will be no baby, women will have to go back to their hometown sooner or later, and it is difficult for farmers to leave.He once discussed with his woman, asking her to open a detailed address to move her account and baby, but the woman always lowered her head and replied simply: "How can it be done..." He couldn't bear to hold her back I mean, I don't need to ask any more questions.

"Don't stare in a daze." Captain Wei said again, "I'll go to the commune to issue a permit for relocation once I have the address. But if there is another one in her family...it will be difficult." That evening, Old man Xing came back from unloading the car and finished his meal. He saw that his woman was still the same as usual, sitting on the threshold and sewing with the light of the setting sun.A group of children ran to play under the poplar tree in front of their house, and she stopped what she was doing to look at them, then leaned her head on the door frame, staring straight at the misty distance.Old man Xing knew that she was thinking of a doll, but he couldn't find any words to comfort her, so he took a piece of clothing and put it on her shoulders. "Don't be cold..." He sat with her, thinking about how to ask her about the household registration again.

This beggar woman is a careful person.At this moment, she saw from Old Man Xing's considerate yet slightly nervous and doubtful expression that he had something to say, so after the sun had completely set on the western mountain, she put away the needle and thread in her hand, went into the house, and After sweeping the kang, he knelt down on the top of the kang, lowered his head, and hung his hands between his knees, waiting quietly like a prisoner in an interrogation room. Old man Xing first sat on the kang with his waist bowed, smoking a cigarette.A cloud of smoke and an unsettling silence hung over the cabin.He smoked until his mouth became bitter, and finally mustered up the courage:

"Baby's mother, you'd better provide an address and ask Captain Wei to go to the commune to get a certificate. With the permit of relocation, we will go and pick up the baby." The woman still bowed her head and did not answer. "Hey——" Old Man Xing hummed for a long time, "If... if there are men in your family, then... we are also concerned about our conscience." At this point, Old Man Xing was out of breath.In fact, he doesn't know how this "conscience" should be interpreted. "No!" Although the woman spoke softly, she said decisively, "No!"

"Then—" Old Man Xing's eyes lit up, "What is that for?" After a short pause, the woman began to sob violently, tears falling down on the old felt on the kang.Old man Xing panicked, stood up and leaned against Kang. "Then...does that mean I treat you badly?" "No," the woman wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "I've always wanted to tell you, but I was afraid that you would dislike me..." "Say it! Who disliked you? It's good that you don't dislike me." "I...our family is a rich peasant." "Hi," old man Xing fell to the ground with a stone in his heart, and knocked the soot in the smoking pot off the soles of his shoes with two slaps. "I don't think it's a big deal. Now I work hard to eat. I don't know if I'm a rich peasant or not!"

"No, you don't know yet. The old family doesn't allow rich people to come out to beg for food. I can't watch my baby suffer. They escaped secretly. Not to mention changing their household registration, even the certificate of fleeing from famine can't be issued. That's it, I still I don't know how the father-in-law and mother-in-law are being criticized." After talking, the women talked more.She blew her nose and wiped it on the edge of the Kang. "I can see that you are a good person. In the spring of next year, if you give me some food, I have to go back. When the spring comes in my hometown, life will be even more difficult." After finishing speaking, the woman stood up on her knees, respectful Respectfully kowtowed to old man Xing on the kang.

"Ah, ah! What are you doing?" Old man Xing hurriedly sat on the kang and helped the woman to sit down. "If you say this, you will be divided. The things in this house don't belong to you? Let's try to get a household registration. What are we going to do when we go back? The place is scorched. The blind sparrow can't starve to death, there is always a way !" That night, the woman sobbed and cried for a long time, and she didn't know what caused her to be so sad.The old man Xing felt at ease, and persuaded her for half the night.