Chapter 43 Chapter 85

In the autumn of 1972, Mina and Platoon Leader Fan returned to the village of Jiexiu, Henan, where Platoon Leader Fan is.They lived in their hometown for a few days, walked around the village, their parents yelled, and their three aunts, six uncles and nine aunts also kowtowed one by one. I heard that the cadre school of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry is nearby. The old senior political commissar Qiu is here as the head of the military propaganda team, so he wants to take a look.Mina guessed that Lu Tiehan must still be in the cadre school, so she came to the cadre school of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry with Platoon Leader Fan.

The cadre school is next to Daliu Village, and the autumn in Henan is still very warm. We walked through a section of willow forest, and then walked a section of river beach road, stepping on large and small pebbles, and the two walked bouncingly.Originally there was a big road, but they wanted to take a shortcut. The cobblestones were as big as cow butts, smaller like human butts, smaller ones like goose eggs, eggs, and chess pieces, and some bits and pieces like badges and pig liver-colored ones. , White, blue, all over the river bed, all the way over the past, rushing.Mina thinks this section of the river beach is really good, a stream of water flows casually in the cobblestone river beach, falling down the slope with twists and turns, like a child peeing, and the colorful pebbles reflect the sun like a badge under the water .She took Plato Leader Fan's hand, and the two of them ran for a while happily like middle school students. Platoon Leader Fan pointed to her and told her that this river was connected to the river behind their village, and he had been walking along this river since he was a child. Went to Daliu Village.The two talked and laughed and came to the gate of the cadre school. The cadre school had a low mountain as the background, and there were two gate pillars. The fence was stretched with barbed wire, and a wide dirt road swam in like a python. There are rows of red brick bungalows inside.

As soon as I stepped into the gate, I found a group of people running around like ants on a hot pot. The autumn light that was flirting in the river beach just now disappeared completely here.They looked at each other, let go of their hands, and walked in suspiciously.The red dirt road gradually straightened, and wires for drying clothes appeared on both sides, supported by concrete pillars.Groups of people were running in one direction, as if there was a bottomless pit in the lake, and water from all directions rushed there, forming a whirlpool, and they followed the rushing crowd towards the whirlpool.The closer you are to the vortex, the denser the people, and the louder the noise.Mina couldn't help being a little nervous, and subconsciously grabbed Fan's hand, as if she could be protected in this way.Mina said, "Let's not go there?" She couldn't help shaking.Platoon Leader Fan said, "What are you afraid of? Let's go and have a look." As Mina walked forward, she felt more and more nervous. Her body trembled, and Platoon Leader Fan also felt it. He patted Mina on the shoulder and said: "Don't be afraid, this has nothing to do with you, what's going on here has nothing to do with us, what are you afraid of?" Mina felt relieved.

The dense flow of people shoots to a center, like thousands of arrows shooting to a bullseye, all the arrows stand there densely, no arrow is willing to be pulled out from the bullseye, and they become two of the most powerful The arrows squeezed into the crowd.Surrounded by thousands of people, there is a confrontation. On one side is a Jiefang truck, which is full of tables, cabinets, boxes and packages. They were all young soldiers, and a middle-aged soldier with a long dark face was standing under the car, and he was talking angrily with his hands crossed.Platoon Leader Fan recognized it at a glance, and said, "This is the political commissar I want to see today." Around him, there were not many twenty or thirty people.Standing opposite them was a much larger group of people shouting fiercely, and in the center of the front of this group stood Lu Tiehan tall.Mina immediately poked Platoon Leader Fan with her elbow, looked left and right, pointed to Lu Tiehan and said, "That's him." Standing there old, his protruding forehead glowed yellow in the sun, and his face with sunken cheeks was covered with thick beards.He folded his elbows and stared straight at Political Commissar Qiu opposite him, and the people around him were gesticulating and yelling at Political Commissar Qiu and the truck.

The two quickly understood the reason for the quarrel. The cadre school was about to be handed over. Most of the cadre school's cadres would be assigned to several provinces in North China. Political Commissar Qiu would also be transferred from the cadre school. When he took his belongings away with a truck today, When they were transported to their home in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, they were stopped and surrounded by a group of people from the cadre school.A young cadre with a white and thin face raised his chin and waved his hands fiercely and said, "You took away two carts yesterday, and two more today. Where did you get so many things?" Political Commissar Qiu said angrily with his hands on his hips: "If I move, do I have to give you an account?" The young cadre said loudly, "Not to me, but to the cadre school." Political commissar Qiu said, "I represent the cadre school." The young cadre said, "This is the cadre school." The cadre school of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry is not your cadre school alone." More men and women around him waved their arms and shouted: "When you came three years ago, you came empty-handed." A middle-aged female cadre pointed to Political Commissar Qiu yelled: "It is not allowed to make money in national disaster." Political Commissar Qiu said sternly: "The situation is very good now, what is national disaster? This is a reactionary speech." He waved his hand upwards and shouted: "Drive." The car started The motor started slowly, and the crowd immediately crowded in front of the car, and the car could only keep the motor running. The driver was a young soldier with a blushing face. At this time, he turned his head from the car window to look at Political Commissar Qiu. Is good.

Mina and Platoon Leader Fan watched the conflict as it went back and forth, with the noisy crowd piled up behind them like piles of corn stalks, and like cattle fighting for food. move.There are times when all wars in the world are fought enough, and after arguing for an hour, both sides are tired out of breath.Political Commissar Qiu put down the rolled up sleeves of his military uniform, clasped his hands on his hips, and said expressionlessly: "What are you going to do?" A large group of people shouted at each other, and Lu Tiehan coughed and opened his mouth. Said: "Everyone be quiet." The crowd fell silent.Mina stared at it intently. This was the first time in several years that she heard Lu Tiehan speak in public.There were three deep wrinkles on Lu Tiehan's forehead. His grown face was much more haggard than before, but he still had a dignified voice. He said in a muddy voice: "We ask for equal treatment. You can move, but also allow us to move." "Lu Tiehan pointed to the people around and behind him and said: "I originally planned to settle down in the cadre school and stay for a lifetime. When everyone came from Beijing, they brought all the furniture. Now, they are assigned to work in various places. You are allowed to take away the furniture you brought with you.” Political Commissar Chou said: “Your furniture used to belong to the government, not to you personally. He calmed down the noisy noise with his muddy voice, and continued to speak: "Our people also belong to the public, and the furniture of the public follows the people of the public. There is no mistake. We go to various places and still work for the public. Go? That means handing over, we should also hand over back to the Beijing Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry, not here.” The crowd was clamoring again, and Political Commissar Qiu turned his head and waved at the people in the cab and the truck, saying: “Turn off the engine, get off. car, lock the door, leave the car here, and let them do what they want." Then he led the people surrounding him through the crowd and left.

The noisy crowd suddenly relaxed, seeing a cart of furniture tied up and down with thick ropes left and right lying here empty, they were all at a loss again.Someone yelled angrily: "Get in the truck and unload the things and check them. A lot of them are furniture from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry." However, people looked at this grass-green Jiefang truck like a sleeping tiger. , no one dared to move.Slowly, various plans were heard, and the crowd slowly dispersed in all directions like the tide that lost the exit of the vortex.Platoon Leader Fan took Ramina's hand and whispered in her ear: "Let's go visit Political Commissar Qiu first." The two of them walked out through the dense and scattered crowd, and the big truck seemed to be passing by. Like monitoring the crowd, lying there eyeing a tiger.The two of them walked through a bed of vegetables on the side of the road and saw a young soldier in military uniform. Platoon Leader Fan asked him about it. Following the soldier's instructions, they wandered here and there into a very spacious row. in the house.Some soldiers and local cadres were walking around the door. Platoon Leader Fan and Mina walked in. Political Commissar Qiu was sitting on a chair by the desk, smoking a cigarette, thinking about something while smoking.The room is quite large and empty, the concrete floor is a bit damp, and the white walls on all sides have traces of the furniture that once leaned against it. A damp and dusty smell fills the house densely like mung bean cakes. The loofahs are still crawling with green vines that are not so yellow. The yellow and green vines and leaves cover a pergola. A few old loofahs that are less green and more yellow are hanging straight and curved, reminiscent of a stallion. Genitals, too, are reminiscent of sausages hanging in a deli.

Platoon Leader Fan saluted Commissar Qiu, who responded with blinking eyes, and Platoon Leader Fan reported, "I'm Xiao Fan." sit down.Platoon Leader Fan introduced Mina again: "Her name is Mina, and she teaches a middle school in Beijing. I am going back to my hometown with her this time, so I can see the chief." Commissar Qiu glanced at Mina, his face softened, Hehe smiled: "Are you going to treat me to a wedding candy?" Platoon Leader Fan blushed, scratched the back of his neck and said, "That's what I mean." Political Commissar Qiu was obviously in a better mood, and asked someone to move another chair , told Mina to sit down.

The doors and windows were always wide open, and he looked at the people walking in and out and said, "The cadre school is about to be handed over, and I'm leaving here soon." Platoon Leader Fan said cautiously: "It seems that the cadre school is quite chaotic. Political Commissar Qiu waved his hand: "That's right, once the cadre school is disbanded and people are scattered in all directions, people's hearts must be floating." Platoon Leader Fan and Political Commissar Qiu talked about some personnel affairs in the army in the past. When talking about the current situation of the cadre school, platoon leader Fan said: "Just now I saw a large group of people in the cadre school making a fuss. I don't know what it is for?" Political Commissar Qiu said: " When I moved, they blocked the car and refused to let me go." Platoon leader Fan asked knowingly, "Why?" Political commissar Qiu said, "It's unreasonable to make trouble." I am not satisfied. This time, not only young cadres but also older cadres took the lead in making trouble. A few years ago, they were submissive. Now that the establishment of the cadre school is about to be abolished, they are all assigned new jobs, and their tails are turned upside down. Get up. Inside there is a deputy minister named Lu Tiehan, a ministerial leader, who is also making trouble inside." Platoon Leader Fan asked: "Why is he making trouble?" Political Commissar Qiu said: "It's not that there are complaints and dissatisfaction, let's make use of it. Not long ago, his wife died of tetanus, so he must have an idea to put the responsibility on the cadre school." Platoon Leader Fan and Mina looked at each other, and Platoon Leader Fan asked again: "Lu Tiehan is alone now. Cadre school?" Political commissar Qiu said, "He still has a daughter with him." At this time, five or six people walked in quickly and asked Political Commissar Qiu for instructions. Turn around, I will treat you to dinner at noon."

Mina came out following Platoon Leader Fan, and Platoon Leader Fan said, "Go and see him." Mina thought for a while and said, "You can go with me." Platoon Leader Fan said, "That's fine, I'll take you there." The two walked in the sunny cadre school, where the red soil was lazily steaming, half-yellow and half-green weeds decorated the ditches by the side of the road, and there were huge vegetable fields growing in rows. The cabbage is very fat, like a row of silly little fat people, the radish tassels have turned yellow in the green, and the radish heads are exposed to the soil, and they are white and eye-catching.Walking and asking, they came to a row of red brick houses, asked again, and found the right door.Mina knocked lightly on the half-open door. The room was low and dark, and someone inside said, "Please come in." The muddy voice was indeed Lu Tiehan.

She opened the door a little wider, and the sunlight fell straight from the door into the room. Lu Tiehan was sitting on a chair with his back against the wall facing the door. The light shone on his face, his forehead glowed yellow, He looked at Mina suspiciously.Mina knew that she was in the darkness against the light, so she first saw clearly the dark blue shirt on Lu Tiehan's body, with a brown cardigan over it. Lu Tiehan didn't recognize Mina, he blinked his big protruding eyes, as if waiting for Mina to speak.Mina heard Platoon Leader Fan say behind him: "You go in and talk openly, it's still early." Hearing that Platoon Leader Fan walked away wearing Jiefang sneakers, he left very briskly. She stepped over the threshold, landed on the floor of the room a little lower than the outside, and said, "Minister Lu, it's me." Lu Tiehan first heard her voice, and then recognized her face, and was a little confused for a while. measures.Mina said: "I came with someone else. I have other business, so I stopped by to see you." Hearing Mina's peaceful voice, Lu Tiehan reacted from the shock, and he stood up awkwardly and looked around. , I didn't know how to receive Mina, but I still thought of reaching out, and Mina also reached out and shook him.Lu Tiehan's hands were still as thick and warm as before, and they became rougher and stiffer, which somewhat ached her hands.Lu Tiehan let go of her hand, pointed to a chair next to her and asked her to sit down.The two sat down, and between them was a simple coffee table nailed up with broken packing box boards, with a few sheets of white paper on it, and an enamel plate with red flowers on a white background, inside which were a few upside-down coffee tables. porcelain teacups.Lu Tiehan asked: "Drink water?" Mina shook her head.Sitting in a dark room is like sitting in a deep cave.After a few seconds of silence, Lu Tiehan asked, "Have you been doing well these past few years?" The voice vibrated hoarsely.Mina said: "Afterwards, the situation gradually got better." Lu Tiehan looked at her carefully and said, "Your face is no longer visible." Mina knew that he was referring to the scars on her face, and she slightly With a smile, she faintly felt that the two horizontal and three vertical scars were still hanging on her face. After several years, in such a dark room, there was indeed nothing to be seen on her face. She felt that she should care about Lu Tiehan, so she asked, "Are you okay?" Lu Tiehan sighed, and said, "It's either good or not." He took out a cigarette, lit a match in his mouth, slowly shook the match and exhaled smoke, and said: "I went to Beijing for a physical examination in summer, and there is something wrong." Mina asked, "What's wrong?" Lu Tiehan said: "Heart." Mina said: "We still need to pay attention to the body. What about other conditions?" Lu Tiehan pondered for a while, then said: "There is also a problem in the family." Mina already knew the details, she let it go The voice asked, "What's the matter?" Lu Tiehan said, "Xiaolong's mother was working in the cadre school this summer and was pierced with an iron nail and hurt her foot. She died of tetanus." Mina didn't speak any more, waiting for Lu Tiehan to continue.Lu Tiehan flicked the ash in the ashtray, and said: "The cadre school has been passed, and I will be assigned to work in Shanxi soon." Mina asked: "What are you doing?" Lu Tiehan said: "Go to a region to manage agriculture." Mina said, "That's still your job." Lu Tiehan nodded and said, "Yes." Mina said, "This is still a good situation." Lu Tiehan thought for a while, nodded clearly, and said : "Yes." Mina couldn't find a topic anymore.Lu Tiehan smoked a cigarette full of thoughts. In the smoke and fire, it was hard for Mina to imagine the story between her and Lu Tiehan. Lu Tiehan was obviously aging, like a rough and wrinkled man Walking slowly in the field like an old cow.She didn't know how to end the conversation, so she said, "I'm planning to get married this time." Lu Tiehan raised his eyes and looked at her in surprise.Mina said: "I came with him. He was the captain of the former military propaganda team of our school. His surname is Fan. His hometown is Jiexiu, Henan. This time, he went back to his hometown to live for a few days." Lu Tiehan understood, Said: "Then I should congratulate you." Mina said: "Thank you." Lu Tiehan asked: "What about others?" Mina said: "I went to see his old chief, and his old chief is from your military propaganda team. Hate political commissar." Lu Tiehan thought for a while, smiled slightly, and nodded. Then, thinking of something, he stood up and looked around the room, and said, "I should show you that you are married." Mina said, "No need, Your mind is the expression." Lu Tiehan said: "Sometimes the spirit must be expressed through matter. Just wait a moment." He said, and he walked to the inner room.It was only then that Mina noticed that there were two rooms inside and outside. The outer room contained a square table, a long table, a small cabinet with two drawers and two doors, and a single bed. The inner room was darker. , I can't see what furniture is there.After a while, Lu Tiehan came out gropingly, folded an envelope and stuffed it into Mina's hand, saying: "This is for you." Mina said: "What is this?" Lu Tiehan said: "A little money " Mina resisted and said, "I can't have it." Lu Tiehan said, "Take it, buy a desk lamp, a pair of thermos pots, and a blanket, even if it's my wedding present for you." Mina also wanted Rejected, Lu Tiehan waved his hands with a gloomy face, and said, "It's better to accept it, and let me have an expression, so that I will feel better." Mina stopped pushing and stuffed the rolled envelope into her pocket Here, Lu Tiehan was still smoking.Mina said again: "I met Lu Xiaolong in Beijing." Lu Tiehan said: "I saw him when I went to Beijing for a physical examination." The two had nothing to say again.Mina watched Lu Tiehan smoking, and after a while, she said: "When I arrived at the cadre school today, I saw a large group of you making a noise." Lu Tiehan said: "Oh?" Mina said: "I saw you and the enemy The political commissars are arguing." Lu Tiehan smiled ironically, and asked, "Have you visited political commissar Qiu?" Mina said, "Yes, he has something to do now, and he will treat us to dinner later at noon." Lu Tie Han nodded and asked, "Has he talked to you about what happened this morning?" Mina said: "We asked about it." Lu Tiehan said: "What did he say?" Mina smiled and said: "Of course he said that you are making trouble out of no reason, that you are making use of the problem." Lu Tiehan put the cigarette butt out in the ashtray Li, sniffed, and said: "It's not right to say that it's unreasonable to make trouble. It's possible to say that I use the problem to make use of it. Everyone has been imprisoned in the cadre school for a few years, and it has become popular. I want to use the problem to make a use of it." Mina said: "Then In the end, do you want to let his truck go?" Lu Tiehan said: "What is there to let go? We are all home, and whether he can go or not is not his freedom?" Lu Tiehan stood up. , pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, the room was very short, and he stood tall and tall in the darkness.When he walked through the sunlight pouring in from the door, his figure was still as high and heavy as a stone pillar.The ground is covered with bricks, some of which are not well laid, and some bricks move with noise when walking on it. After walking for a while, there was a voice outside: "Dad." Then, a girl in her twenties came in.Lu Tiehan introduced calmly: "This is my daughter Xiaohui." He then introduced to his daughter: "This is Mina, the teacher at your brother's school." Mina stood up awkwardly, feeling nervous when facing Lu Tiehan's daughter. Lu Xiaohui smiled brightly in the dark. She looked at Mina and said friendlyly: "I heard my brother talk about you, and I know you were miserable during the Cultural Revolution." Mina said, "Yes, it was miserable for several years. " Then Lu Xiaohui remembered being surprised, she looked at Mina, then at her father, and asked: "Why are you here?" Lu Tiehan immediately introduced happily: "Mr. Mi is getting married, and she and her lover returned home In Jiexiu’s hometown in Henan, the old head of his lover is our political commissar Qiu, so they came to the cadre school, one to see political commissar Qiu, and the other to see me.” Of course Lu Xiaohui knew very well in her heart, and said with a smile: “What a coincidence, today just happened to catch up with him. My father had a quarrel with Political Commissar Qiu." Mina nodded and said, "We caught up right after we arrived." The three of them mellowed the atmosphere amidst the practical jokes, and each of them had a way to make the atmosphere harmonious. obligations, the joint effort quickly paid off.Lu Xiaohui said: "What about your lover?" Mina felt her face was hot, and she said: "He sent me here and left, maybe he went to the political commissar Qiu." Lu Xiaohui said: "You can eat here today, I'll cook for you." Mina said, "No need, Political Commissar Qiu just agreed to treat us to dinner." Lu Xiaohui said, "Then sit down a little longer and talk to my father." Mina said: "I have been here for a while, we have talked." Lu Tiehan also said with a smile: "We have almost talked." Lu Xiaohui said: "Have you checked in the cadre school?" Na said, "Just walked around for a while, without looking carefully." Lu Xiaohui said: "Then let me show you around. You are going to Political Commissar Qiu, and I will take you there." Lu Tiehan said: "Alright, Mina and Xiaohui will go for a walk." Mina nodded, and Lu Xiaohui gently supported Mina's arm and walked outside the house.Lu Tiehan also walked out of the door to say goodbye to her.The sun was shining brightly, and standing face to face with Lu Tiehan, she suddenly smelled the familiar smell on Lu Tiehan's body, and thought that she had kept his letters, and the smell on those letters used to excite her night after night .Now, six or seven years have passed all of this.I felt dull when I was talking in the room just now, but now when I was about to break up, there was an unspeakable feeling welling up strongly.Lu Tiehan seemed to have similar psychological activities. He looked at Mina with the melancholy of parting in his eyes.Mina said: "You have to pay attention to your health in the future." Lu Tiehan said very optimistically: "In the future, when you have a job, your mood will improve, and your body will get better." Mina still wanted to say something, but she felt the pressure from Lu Tiehan's daughter beside her. She felt jealous of Lu Xiaohui in an instant, and also felt a deep attachment to this tall and tall man of the older generation. Lie down on this chest, the sun must be very hot on this chest.However, she could only smile like this, and waved goodbye to Lu Tiehan. Walking out of the rows of red brick bungalows and through a barbed wire gate, one can see the mature rice fields, the golden rice is full of energy in the sun, and a few frogs are jumping and dragging beside the rice fields.Lu Xiaohui pointed to the rice fields far and near and said: "These are all planted by the cadre school." Mina asked: "Then you leave, and you won't harvest it?" Lu Xiaohui said: "It's all handed over." Walking on the small path, the soil on the path is neither dry nor wet, and some cobblestones are scattered here and there, and one piece will be turned up when stepping on it, stopping occasionally, pointing around, and looking around, Mina is not impressed by this scene. She is more interested in listening to Lu Xiaohui's speech.Lu Xiaohui was obviously very kind to Mina. She told about her father's experiences over the years, and specifically talked about how Lu Tiehan felt heavy when she heard about Mina's tragic experience.Mina couldn't help but turned her head and glanced at Lu Xiaohui. Obviously, Lu Xiaolong's brother and sister already knew about their relationship with Lu Tiehan. She was moved by their kindness to her, but at the same time she was very disturbed. Uneasy together. The two idly walked around, crossed several dry canals, and walked around a pig farm. Several big pigs were still snoring and screaming against the wall, as if they were about to jump out.After passing through a field of farm tool repair workshops, he walked around to the dormitory area of ​​the cadre school.Lu Xiaohui stopped, pointed to the front and said, "That's where Political Commissar Qiu works, go there by yourself." Mina nodded, she didn't want Political Commissar Qiu to know that she came to visit Lu Tiehan.Lu Xiaohui said: "I won't see you off. We will go to Shanxi in a few days. Let's meet again in Shanxi when we have a chance." Mina suddenly felt that this might be the last meeting with Lu Tiehan, and couldn't help her nose sore, she hesitated, and said: "I want to say goodbye to your father again." Lu Xiaohui said: "Okay." The two went around again. He came to the door of Lu Tiehan's house. When he saw Mina, Lu Tiehan immediately came out to greet her. Mina stretched out her hand and said, "Minister Lu, I'm going back to Beijing soon. I don't know if I can see you again in the future." Lu Tiehan Stretching out her hand to hold her, Mina felt her nose sore again. She let go of her hand, looked at Lu Tiehan again, and said, "You should pay attention to your health in the future. You'd better smoke less." Lu Tiehan nodded and said "I'll pay attention, don't worry." Mina looked at Lu Tiehan again, and said, "Then I'm leaving." Lu Tiehan said, "I wish you happiness." Mina lowered her head, turned around and walked quickly up.