Chapter 24 Chapter two

On the shore, a strip of bluish-purple mirage slowly wriggled on the grassy beach, crawling towards the dirt road.Under its erosion, the solid land seemed to be slowly dissolved, and the edges also turned into hazy smoke, and the color became deeper and darker. This grassy beach, this color, and the sound of water seem to have never changed.They seemed to contain a mysterious power from that distant age, evoking various impressions of his childhood.He seemed to be in the middle of a group of donkey boys again, fighting with them.The surface of the river in March is filled with a faint white mist.The wet, brown sandy beach, like steamed cakes just out of the cage, is slowly steaming.On the bank of the river washed away by the spring flood, thick, tangles of milky white reed roots are exposed.The reed root is the first-class snack for their donkey dolls. It has a sweet aroma, which fills the air with this sweet smell.The grass grows, and the "creeper" pulls out the sharp small leaves that are designed to pierce the soles of the feet.They rode on the backs of donkeys neatly, wearing brown clothes made of hand-spun raw wool on their bare backs. Their heads were hot and sweaty, and twisted together, often tearing the brown clothes made of raw wool like sacks. The neckline hung over the shoulders, and the sleeves fell to the feet. "Women in the first month, cats in February, and donkeys howling on the beach in March." This is the season for donkeys to have fun, and donkey fights on the river beach are nothing more comfortable.

I am on a high mountain, You are on a low mountain. I eat mutton noodles, You eat donkey dung. ... One side was defeated, and the two sides joined forces again, and slammed the donkey on the beach. Each doll took out a willow stick attached to his waist, dug a small hole in the sand, and played with willow kidnappers. He is an expert at beating willow kidnappers. He uses a willow stick to hit the kidnapper on the head of the pit, and the kidnapper will fly as high as the wild geese from the south. Speaking of geese, there are so many geese on the river beach!Early in the morning, when they drive their donkeys to the beach, they will see a dense layer of gray-white goose dung on the open river beach.The sun rose from the sandy slope on the other side of the river, and a warm morning breeze blew from the river. The fluff of the geese was like catkins in spring. Feiyang, it's really beautiful!During the Great Leap Forward in 1958, he led members of the commune to collect goose dung on this beach. In 1960, people began to use firearms in groups to encircle these migratory birds. extinct.Occasionally, only three or two lone geese that lost their flock can be seen passing overhead in panic.

"The wild goose is a kind bird, and it understands human nature!" The older generation said so.This is true. The older generation also said that in May, when the peas are in bloom, large carps growing in the Yellow River will jump out of the water at night and jump ashore to steal pea flowers.When they were full, they flicked their tails and twisted their waists, bouncing back to the shore, plopping into the water, and never lost their way. "The fish are night eyes. Otherwise, how could it see bugs in the muddy water of the Yellow River?" At that time, on the wasteland along the river bank, there were large fields of peas, with dense lavender and white flowers.He once groped to the riverside with a group of children in the middle of the night with a rotten sheepskin jacket between his hands, sneaked into the reeds and squatted down, trying to catch a big golden-winged carp with his bare hands.The backflow of the river bend reflected the hazy moonlight, the mosquitoes were clumped together in the reeds, and the hand smeared the face with blood.In this way, the enthusiasm of the little Gazi can't be quenched.Although you can’t catch big carp, it’s fascinating enough to imagine fish jumping on the grassy beach like rabbits, stretching their necks, and eating pea flowers under the bean trees.This is his fairy tale...

The donkey snorted again.He, like the river, indulges in his own memories.After middle age, he tends to think back and forth.Now, without Lao He's reminder, he often recalls the past with an inexplicable sense of melancholy, and often expresses emotion no matter what.This is probably what Lao He said about getting old.He is a person with strong understanding and memory. If he has culture, he may become a politician or a scholar.For example, when he recalls the past, not only the various scenes at that time will be vividly remembered, but also the atmosphere, smell, even a subtle wink and a vague sentence, he can remember very clearly, that is to say, he is not only Using his brain to recall, his senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch all seemed to be re-experiencing the past.Let’s talk about it right now, the cheerful voice of a baby and the howling of a donkey from the river beach, it’s as loud and clear as in reality, as if as long as you follow the sound, you will break into a fierce donkey battle Are you going there?Doesn’t the fragrance of pea flowers and the fishy smell of carp jumping on the river float here in the cool evening wind?

He grew up by the Yellow River.When I was young, I played in the water in the bay of the Yellow River. When I was a little older, I let donkeys, touched fish, and beat willow crooks on the bank.His field is on the beach of the Yellow River, and the roar of the river accompanies him to work at sunrise and rest at sunset.The water of the Yellow River once carried him to flee in a hurry, and the water of the Yellow River sent him back happily.However, his true love for the Yellow River and his sense of rational pride in the Yellow River came from You Xiaozhou, who was wearing the hat of a right opportunist at the time.

In the autumn of 1959, He Lide, who was still the secretary of the county party committee, handed over a cadre who had made a mistake in the county to his brigade to supervise the labor.He Lide told him that right opportunists spread pessimism and tried to overthrow the "three red flags", so he was put in isolation in the countryside. "This is a serious political task. Your team is very strong politically, so I will entrust him to you. You have to be like watching Difu, watch over and manage it well. He is only allowed to be honest, and he is not allowed to talk nonsense. Move." He also said that this guy is very stubborn, and he will not plead guilty after being approved by the General Assembly, so be careful not to let him go out and sue.

In fact, at that time, he was not "politically strong" as Holliday said.A grassroots cadre in a poor village is not much better than a villager.He only knows that there are rightists besides the landlords, the rich, and the counter-revolutionaries. They are "monsters" who say "others say it is good, but he says it is bad."I only heard rumors that a marshal named Peng Dehuai set up a stockade on a mountain in the south and gathered a group of people to oppose Chairman Mao.Marshal, it's not too bad!There may not be many soldiers and horses, but Chairman Mao still defeated them.At present, Peng Dehuai's defeated soldiers are still running around the country.No, there is one in our county.He thought that the beaten bandit must be a rogue-eyed, hideous fellow.He is ruthless to deal with this white-nosed clown!But when the political officer of the county reported to him with Holly's note and led the rogue who had escaped from the cottage, he saw that he was surprised but also a little disappointed.

"Is that him?" "Could it be him!" The political officer is from the Northeast, and he leaned into his ear and said, "Secretary He said, give him a heavy job. Don't let him go to horses, warehouses, Garmash..." You Xiaozhou was just thirty years old at that time, not tall, but heavy in stature; with a delicate face and yellowish-white skin.There is no white spot on the bridge of his nose, but he wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses. He is wearing a clean blue cloth uniform. Although he has walked more than 30 miles with his luggage on his back, the buckles are still tightly buckled; Like Holliday, he also carried a notebook in his big pocket and a gold star pen in his small pocket.The whole looks like a poor scholar.Because he was not allowed to sit, he had no choice but to sit on his own luggage roll. While looking at the brigade office converted from the north room of the landlord Wang Hai's house with novelty and tired eyes, he used a square-folded flower strip to handpaste elegantly. Wipe the sweat off your face.

"Well," he sat in a dilapidated chair left by Wang Hai with a majestic posture and pondered.I am very happy that I can surpass this kind of scholars who wear cadre uniforms and have a lot of literature in their stomachs, but at the same time, the kind of words often chanted by upright officials in the Qin opera sounded in my ears: "I look at this You are not a murderer. If you have any grievances, please complain to this government in detail." Regrettably, although he joined the party and became a social worker, when he was a child, he listened to the books of the older generation on Zhuangzi and watched dramas in Jiji, which have always affected his judgment of right and wrong and his decision to take certain actions. .

"Well, what did you do?" he finally asked. You Xiaozhou didn't answer, and lowered his eyelids with a stubborn look. The political officer said, "He is the deputy secretary of the county party committee!" "Ah, why haven't I seen it in the county?" His genius showed here: he was not surprised.He had heard that in the period of 1957, many senior officials also made mistakes. What was a deputy secretary of the county party committee? It's the same as looking at it. "He just transferred here and hasn't taken office yet. You see, it's not appropriate to have a good deputy secretary...the deputy secretary is just a little short of the secretary. Tsk!" the political officer said regretfully.

"So, why did he become a 'rightist'?" He originally wanted to ask what is a "rightist" and what is the policy for a "rightist", but he felt that this would reveal his ignorance, so he changed his mind and changed the question. "Hey! Well, I made a statement at a meeting of the prefectural committee, saying that the number of grain purchases is too high now, and farmers are asked to make steel, and the grain is rotten in the ground... It seems that others don't know, He can!" Oh, it turns out that's the case! Since the Anti-Rightist Movement in 1957, especially since the "Great Leap Forward" in 1958, the attitude of village householders towards meetings has been both serious and not serious.Seriously speaking, they regard all kinds of meetings as a kind of solemn ceremony, sitting upright, listening attentively, and shouting slogans; What should be said, what should not be said, and if they are not serious, they have never thought that the meeting is an occasion to tell the truth since then, and whoever tells the truth will be unlucky.Therefore, except for the meeting for evaluating work points, they held an attitude of indifference to all other meetings. "Hey!" He couldn't help laughing. "If that's the case, can you say it at the meeting? You, you are so stupid to read books!" He said boastfully. But I won’t go to the meeting and say, just quietly organize a group of people to catch the air and grab it back. Fishing is not at the Jishuitan. What did you say at the meeting? If you say it, the above will not give you a good fruit. Call Deep plowing of the land is two feet or eight feet long. The shady soil has been turned up, can it be cultivated? I don’t care, I will still do it. But I will not go to the commune meeting and say: 'Don't dig deep Turn it over! Dig deep into the waste ground!' What are you talking about? You don’t care about bears at the meeting! What’s going on now, if I didn’t do that, the members of Weijiaqiao would not be able to pick up hot shit. You,” he shook Shaking his head and laughing at You Xiaozhou, "Look, it's come to this point now: I'm leaving a spacious office and I'm being escorted here. Alas! Really, you're in a hurry, I'm tired, and the land god is a muddy one." , there are all kinds of things... But, if you suffer a loss, you will gain your wisdom. First work hard, get some fresh air in the countryside; Learning, what are you afraid of? Can’t teach a doll or something? People, the tablecloths in the medicine store—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy have to be touched. And you, don’t be too hard on it..." Strangely, Hu Lide did not explain the policy to him, but only told him to be strict and strict, but if he really wanted to talk nonsense according to his own interest, he would often get to the point.He just talked nonsense for a meal, and the political officer grinned when he heard it, and You Xiaozhou also put away his stubborn expression and looked at him thoughtfully. "Okay," he imitated Holliday's movement, clapping his hands on the broken table. "I'll take you to live here first." So, according to the original plan, he settled You Xiaozhou in the home of an old poor peasant—his third uncle, Old Man Wei. . Before going out, he turned his head and took another look at this gentle, "non-murderer".Unexpectedly, You Xiaozhou bowed to him and said softly with a northern Shaanxi accent: "thanks!" This made him blushed, and he faltered out the door. His third uncle, the old man Wei, chased him out. "Tiangui, I...how did I treat him?" "What's wrong with him? Isn't it what you said?" "Don't tell me it's a bad guy?" His third uncle seemed to be a little suspicious, but he knew he couldn't find out why, and then said, "Then...how can I feed him?" His third uncle was the cook in the cafeteria at that time, so he had to ask this. "Why give him food, he will be finished if he eats whatever everyone eats." He said, "Every now and then, I will cook something else for him. He turned out to be the deputy secretary of the county party committee, and he is only so different from Secretary He. A little bit. The note from Secretary He said that he still has a salary, and he will thank you." He put the emphasis on the word "thank you". He walked along the small canal next to Zhuangzi.Along the way, he thought and smiled: "Thank you!" This guy is so interesting!Also say "thank you", which is a civilized word.He has lived for more than 30 years without hearing anyone say "thank you" to him. He thinks this word is like dried apricots sold in the market, and the more he chews, the more delicious it becomes. Soon, he led his team of migrant workers to the canal.The diversion canals in the Yellow Irrigation District have to be cleared twice a year, preparing for spring irrigation in spring and winter irrigation in autumn.On the canal, the migrant workers from the nearby commune teams all live in one work area, and the serious consequences of the "Great Leap Forward" have been initially exposed. They Weijiaqiao still left some food after the high-level expropriation, while the canteens of other teams have already eaten. After the last meal, the migrant workers who were close to their homes ran home one after another, and all they brought back were bran cakes—this was the feed that was saved last year to feed pigs.So he thought of the "right opportunists" in their Zhuangzi. After the dredging was finished, he hurried home and sent his eldest son, who was in primary school, to invite his third uncle. "What's the matter? How is the county magistrate who made a mistake these days?" "Well, he works hard, but he is willing to work hard; for food, he can eat whatever he is given." His third uncle licked his cigarette pot, thinking, "He just doesn't talk all day long, as if there is a day. A lawsuit on the forehead. After eating, he would hold his books and notebooks, and be in a daze without panting... Hey! He also has a strange thing. Every morning, before dawn, he runs to the riverside, and I don’t know what he is doing. go." "Don't you just want to run away?" He remembered Holly's instructions. "Not like. He comes back every day, besides, the sheepskin raft by the river is also put away, why run?" "Hey!" He was startled suddenly, "Don't you want to jump into the river?" "Well, yes! I haven't thought of that trick yet." The next day, before dawn, his third uncle's youngest doll lay on the window in front of his kang and shouted: "Third brother, third brother..." He suddenly turned over and sat up, momentarily confused as to why he was being called, rubbing his sleepy eyes in a daze on the kang.His cousin lowered his throat and said. "That 'rightist' is gone! He's going to the riverside!" He jumped off the kang, hurriedly put on his shoes, put on his clothes and opened the door. "Which direction?" "North." The hall brother pointed. The moon has set, the stars are still shining, and there is only a faint light in the eastern sky.The rooster fluttered its wings in the chicken coop, suddenly stretched its throat, and made the first loud sound of dawn. He turned the corner, and a gust of cool morning wind rushed towards him.To the north, near a few thick willow trees, there is a hazy figure moving forward. "You go back!" He waved his hand at his cousin, and immediately strode towards the figure. After passing the willow forest, there was a small dirt slope in front of him, and the figure was gone, but he could see a dark track on the "creeper" covered with thin frost in the faint morning light.He climbed up the dirt slope along the tracks, and there was a wide river beach in front of him. This river beach is formed by the sediment washed by the Yellow River during the flood seasons over the years. Now it is the dry season, and the river beach is fully exposed.The water of the Yellow River is like a herd of galloping horses galloping in a narrow canyon, squeezed in the middle of the river bank, only 50 to 60 meters wide, rushing down. No one would come here to seek death. If he wants to jump into the river, he must go It took at least two hours to cross the river beach for more than one mile, and within a hundred meters on both sides of the river, there was mud that sank to the thighs. You Xiaozhou put his hands in his trouser pockets, shrugged his shoulders slightly, shivering in the morning wind.He seemed to be waiting for something, raising his head to look east from time to time.On the broad river beach, the man looked even smaller.But his wandering steps are steady and even, so it seems that he still has strength.Later, You Xiaozhou stopped, as if preparing for some kind of action, puffed up his chest, and looked at the top of the sandy slope east of the river. The east is brighter, with a long strip of silver-gray below and blue-gray clouds hanging above the top of the sandy slope. He lay on his stomach on the dirt slope covered with creepers, motionless, watching You Xiaozhou.He had a premonition of what this man was going to do.He observes every small movement of this object with a sense of mystery that he has never experienced before, and feels the satisfaction of curiosity and a kind of childlike mischievous pleasure in the continuous analysis of these movements, just like when he was a child and A group of dolls are hiding in the reeds, waiting for the golden-winged carp to jump ashore to eat pea flowers.This area is deserted, and on the river beach there are only claw marks left by wild geese, and feathers mixed with broken grass and leaves washed down, so it seems that there are only two of them in this world, but that person does not know his identity. So that he can not only have a clear view of that person's free and easy movements, but also can spy on that person's inner activities from various movements.This amused him immensely.He focused his eyes on You Xiaozhou. Soon, the east was bright.On the long strip of cloud hanging on the top of the sandy slope, the silver-gray side turned into bright orange-red, and the top was gradually dyed dark purple. Suddenly, red rays of light shot out from behind the sandy slope, like slopes. Suddenly, a raging fire ignited behind him.As a result, the banks, grasslands, soil slopes, fields, villages on this side of the river...the whole world suddenly brightened up, and in the moist and cool air in the morning, all of them reflected a gorgeous, transparent, golden-yellow red light. . The clear frost on the "Creeper" turned into crystal dew, and he lay on the grass slope, even his eyelashes were covered with dew.In this way, when he looked ahead, he saw extremely brilliant colors composed of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, and purple, and these rounds of mottled halos were still swirling in front of his eyes. At this time, You Xiaozhou stood on tiptoe, stretched out his arms, and took several deep breaths facing the bright east.Then he practiced gymnastics again.He served as a soldier in the old society, and he is an expert in this area.He found that You Xiaozhou's movements were very accurate and in line with the norm. "Otherwise, how could someone have read the book!" Then, the sun rose.Countless dazzling beams of light shot at him.He squinted his eyes, and when he looked up again, You Xiaozhou had already finished his gymnastics, with his hands on his hips, and his whole body was bathed in the brilliance of the rising sun, which made him see more clearly, even You Xiaozhou's vivid facial expressions are also clear.He suddenly found a soft and gratifying smile on You Xiaozhou's face.After a while, he found that You Xiaozhou seemed to be shed tears.Although he couldn't see the tears, he could see You Xiaozhou took off his glasses, took out the patterned handkerchief to wipe it, and wiped his cheekbones and cheeks with his fingers. Seeing this, he was completely ecstatic and had long forgotten Come to the purpose of spying, and enter a realm of otherworldly spiritual enjoyment.Zhuanghu people have little contact with art, and their aesthetic neurons are also very simple. Any beautiful picture has a strong shock to him. You Xiaozhou put away his handkerchief, put on his glasses, seemed to cheer up again, puffed out his chest, held his breath for a while, silently staring at the sun where the light was not too strong, and then, there was a loud and heavy "ah" sound from It came out from You Xiaozhou's chest cavity.The sound has pitch changes and is very long, long and soul-stirring. It has been passing the rushing Yellow River, rushing to the sandy slope on the opposite bank, and then turning back, lingering on the wide river beach.Among the reeds on the river beach, a group of wild ducks with flower feathers flew up from the ground.They violently flapped their wings that had been folded all night, responded to You Xiaozhou's "ah" with sharp whistles, and flew towards the river quickly.They stretched their necks one by one, soaring happily in the rising sun. He was taken aback. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that the thick voice came from this thin man.He listened carefully.He heard that You Xiaozhou was not shouting meaninglessly, but singing.He couldn't hear the words sung.He doesn't understand either.But he thought the singing was very pleasant and moving, so he lay down on the "creeper", holding the tip of the leaf in his mouth, holding his breath.He felt that the loud and melodious singing made him feel a simple joy that he had only felt in childhood. After You Xiaozhou finished singing, he stopped for a while and then started singing again.But still the tune.He knew it was the same song.This time, he recognized one of the sentences, because there was the word "Yellow River" in that sentence, he recognized it, and it turned out to be "Ah, Yellow River, you are the cradle of the Chinese nation". He also understood the word "cradle".This made him think of babies, mothers, warm clothes, families, family inheritance, reproduction and growth... It turns out that the Chinese nation grew up in the cradle of the Yellow River!really interesting!As a result, this libretto instantly made him feel as if he had received an electric shock, and his whole body was numb and trembling. He felt that his throat was blocked, but another acidic liquid surged up from the blocked part, rushed to his cheeks, and rushed to the ground. Nostrils, flushed to the fundus of eyes.And, at this moment, in the flowing water of the Yellow River, on the banks of the Yellow River, on the grasslands of the Yellow River, in the fields by the banks of the Yellow River, in childhood, youth, youth, and now middle age. Everything, all the memories related to the Yellow River, all acquired a new meaning. He couldn't tell what this meaning was, but he was moved by it.This kind of meaning is not abstract to him, but integrated with all his experiences and feelings, so he feels very intimate. "How well you sing! This guy is really a learned man!" He wiped his eyes, and "good" summed up everything he thought and said! The sun rose even higher.You Xiaozhou stopped singing, and acted stunned again. He turned around and started walking back with his head down. He couldn't explain why, but he was afraid that You Xiaozhou would find him following him when he walked up the slope. During breakfast, his third uncle came. "What did this guy do at the riverside?" He pretended to be devouring the mixed rice, a kind of soup rice made of rice and noodles, hissing in his mouth, as if he had been heated by chili peppers.He couldn't make it clear to old man Wei.He couldn't just say two words: "Sing." No one could understand how he felt this morning.A simple answer can only be a blasphemy of this feeling.He wanted to bury this feeling deeply in his heart. "Nothing. Let him go." "Ah?" His third uncle looked at him suspiciously. "Well. This guy, you can kill him a chicken. This guy is too thin, can he move?" "Hehe, I slaughtered several for him." Old man Wei blinked slyly, "How else can he become the county magistrate? It's so generous, just eat some preserved meat, it's cheaper for the baby..." However, just as he was about to get close to You Xiaozhou, He Lide sent a note from the county correspondent, saying that he wanted You Xiaozhou to gather in the province and took You away. It was a rainy day, and the fine, foggy autumn rain didn't seem to have fallen from the sky. It was floating in all directions on the harvested fields, up and down, sparse and tight.The brown earth was soaked soft, and the corn stubble was washed white.He sent You Xiaozhou and the little correspondent to the bridge.This is the intersection of the Weijiaqiao brigade leading to the county.When he handed over the bedding to You Xiaozhou, You Xiaozhou stretched out a wet hand to pinch his arm.The eyes behind the rain-obscured lenses are deep. "Comrade Wei, in the past month, I have seen that you are a very good comrade among our rural party members. You must remember that you must not forget the people at all times. 'People' are not in books or notebooks. It's not in the newspaper, it's around you, it's your folks. Protect them well..." After walking a few steps, You Xiaozhou turned around again, bumped the luggage on his back, scanned the rainy and foggy field with dejected eyes, and said: "Comrade Wei, you have to be mentally prepared. A difficulty that we have never experienced before may be coming soon." He was a man who never showed weak feelings before people.He stood at the end of the bridge with a sullen face, without saying a word, watching You Xiaozhou and the small correspondent carefully walk through the muddy water at the intersection, and disappear in the misty rain and fog... until You Xiaozhou was used as a target again. You Xiaozhou left, but You Xiaozhou's words stayed. The lyrics "Ah, Yellow River, you are the cradle of the Chinese nation" always lingered in his mind.And, like the books and dramas sung in the episodes of the older generation, it will give him an unchangeable influence at a certain critical moment.This is of course unconscious, but it is real.