Chapter 8 Cotton Road
The silvery-white mercury lamp at the gate of the cotton processing factory is still jumping like a bit of phosphorous fire. The black silhouette of the tall open-air warehouse of the cotton processing factory is just like some huge steamed buns sitting on the hills. The cotton ginning factory The roar of machines in the workshop still sounds like a swarm of bees buzzing in the distance.In short, it was still far away from the gate of the cotton processing factory, so Du Qiumei had to stop her car.All kinds of vehicles full of cotton have crowded the main road.Du Qiumei originally wanted to lean the car forward as much as possible, but as soon as she pushed hard, the handlebars poked at a man who was feeding the horse, causing the man to mutter in displeasure.Du Qiumei stuck out her tongue secretly, apologized repeatedly, and retreated the car helplessly behind the carriage.
It was the beginning of September in the lunar calendar, it was a standard autumn night at the beginning of September, and it was the middle of the night on a standard autumn night. Although the chilling autumn air was not too cold, it was still enough to bear.Du Qiumei walked forty miles with 800 catties of cotton, stumbled and drove for several hours, and was sweating profusely along the way. At this moment, when the air-conditioning blew, she felt cold all over her body, trembling involuntarily, and her upper and lower teeth were chattering. He pulled out a sack from the car and put it on his shoulders, then sat in the car and waited quietly for the dawn.
It was already midnight, and the night was deep and deep.But the road was not quiet. From time to time, the sound of carriages and horses could be heard on the road, and there was another long queue behind Du Qiumei's car.At this time, the dim yellow light from the wind and rain lamp hung by the carriage owner on the pole was shining in front of and behind her. The mules, horses, donkeys and cattle were all eating grass, and the rustling sound made the cold autumn day The night seemed longer and more unpredictable.
It seemed that it was getting colder and colder. Du Qiumei jumped out of the car and danced on the ground in a sack. After jumping for a while, she climbed back into the car and suffered.Time seemed to freeze, the night seemed to never come to an end, Du Qiumei seemed to have been waiting for several years.But the night is still so thick and gloomy, there is absolutely no joy to appear.On a whim, she took off her shoes and socks, rubbed her feet on the flower bag a few times, then stretched her body into a cotton bag, leaned her upper body back, and lay down on the car, pulling over the sack to cover her. head.She finally fell asleep in a daze.
At dawn, she woke up from the cold.At this time, the sky suddenly became extremely dark, and the dark blue sky became pitch black.The sky was dotted with cold stars, and the air was cold and damp.After a while, the darkness gradually faded, the sky became lighter, and the sky became higher.Half of the sky is dark blue like sea water, and half of the sky is light blue like duck eggshell.Soon, the stars disappeared, and it seemed as if a pile of fires had ignited under the eastern horizon, dyeing half of the sky orange again, and several long radiating clouds stretched to the western half of the sky, like several clouds sweeping across the long sky huge pen.Although the sun has not come out, but the sky is already bright.The people driving the carriages blew out the lights one after another, packed up the hay racks, and prepared to drive forward.
It wasn't until this time that Du Qiumei really saw the long snake-like caravan, and also figured out the position of her own car in the long snake formation: the cotton processing factory is located on a small mountain. , a gravel road climbed down from the opposite ridge and climbed up again, until it climbed into the factory.These two ridges are just like two big waves, and Du Qiumei's position is exactly in the trough between the two peaks.
The sun rose, and the red light shone on the thin layer of hoarfrost that fell on the ground, on the vehicle, and on Du Qiumei's head. Everything reflected a warm red light, and even the people and mules around Du Qiumei The hot air from the mouths of horses, donkeys and cows also has charming colors.Du Qiumei ate some dry food, moved her body that was numb from the ice, and began to chat with a sister-in-law who was pulling a row cart on the right side of her car.From the conversation, I know that this sister-in-law is called Lamei, she is the wife of a soldier, and there is a nursing girl at home.She arrived a little later than Du Qiumei, and also drove dozens of miles overnight.At first, I thought I would be ranked among the top few. I sold the cotton in the morning, and I could go home in the afternoon. I never thought it would be such a battle.The sister-in-law was very worried, her brows were furrowed, and her face was pale.Du Qiumei is a young girl with no worries at home. It doesn't matter if she goes back early or late, but she is worried about this Lamei wife who looks to be in her thirties.Although she is not married and doesn't even have a partner, her woman's nature enables her to fully understand Sister Lamei's mood, so she tries to comfort Sister Lamei.She said, maybe it will sell quickly, we are like a river that has been blocked, as soon as the gate is opened, it will flow through, don't worry, maybe we can go back in the afternoon... Her words Although she said it casually, Mrs. Lamei seemed to believe it, nodding her head again and again, with a blush like that of a healthy woman floating on her face.
In front of Du Qiumei's carriage was a carriage packed like a hill. The owner of the carriage was wearing a bare sheepskin jacket and a black dog fur hat. He looked like an old man, but when he took off the fur hat, Du Qiumei found him Is a very young boy.His face was as normal as a square adobe, with edges and corners all over his body.He wore a shiny electronic watch on his wrist.At this time, he threw off his leather jacket, and with his head steaming, he picked up the horse manure from the front, rear, left, and right sides into the leather bucket hanging under the car.The horse manure is still wafting with wisps of hot air, exuding a smell that does not displease the peasants, and even has a kind of friendly feeling.
Du Qiumei came to sell cotton for the first time, and she had no idea, so she asked the young handlebar to listen.The handlebar was busy picking up dung, and he raised his head as if unwilling to answer, but when he saw Du Qiumei's dark red face with big watery eyes, his face was immediately full of spring breeze.Du Qiumei asked: "Brother who picks up dung, you are a car handlebar. You have traveled a lot and have seen a lot. I guess when our piece will be sold?" It's seven twenty-eight minutes and thirty-one seconds now, maybe twelve o'clock is about the same." After hearing this, Du Qiumei was very happy, and suddenly remembered what happened at night, so she asked with a smile, "brother, what happened to my car last night?" You were the one who poked me, right? I'm sorry..." The handlebar grinned, revealing a mouthful of pale yellow teeth: "Hey, it's nothing, that's just my fault, I like to mutter, so don't take it to heart." How can I blame you?" Du Qiumei couldn't help but burst out laughing.The laughter alarmed the owner of the 12-horsepower tractor on the right side of the carriage, a young man with a purple ocher skin, a mustache, and flared trousers. He was quite playful.He was sleeping with his head covered on the roof of the car. At this time, he got up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and gave Du Qiumei a hard look, as if blaming her for interrupting his dream.He jumped out of the car, turned around and pissed in the ditch.Du Qiumei spat at the tractor, blushing and went back to the car.Mrs. Lamei scolded softly: "Shame dog! Shameless." The handlebar style was not pleasing to the eye, and she rushed over, grabbed the mobile phone by the neck and gave it a hard push, shouting: "Hey, buddy! Dog You’re so big, how can you be ashamed!” The driver was shoved by the handlebar, and almost all the remaining half of his urine was spilled into his pants. He suffered a small loss, and he felt very angry. , intending to fight with old fists, but when he looked at the stump-like body of the handlebar, he knew that he was no match, so he yelled: "Damn, I didn't urinate in your nest, I need you to take care of it!" !" "There are women here!" "What's wrong with women? Who doesn't know what's wrong?" "Rogue! I'll kick out your dung soup!" The handlebars were furious and rushed towards them, but they were quickly dragged away Living.An old man in his fifties patted the tractor driver on the shoulder and said lightly, "Young man, don't be ashamed here, just think about having women in your family." Jumped onto the bridge and was silent again.
Du Qiumei was greatly favored by the car handlebar's vicious and vengeful behavior. She looked at him with trusting eyes and gave him a sweet smile.He stepped forward on the handlebars, just about to open his mouth to say something, but before he could say a word, he heard a commotion in front of him, and when he looked back, he saw the hustle and bustle of chariots and horses, which looked like a long dead snake. The brigade began to squirm.The handlebar quickly ran back to the car and picked up the whip.Du Qiumei also drove the car excitedly, and put the loop on her shoulders.The tractor cranked up, and the diesel engine screamed strangely, spewing out clouds of choking black smoke.For a while, the road seemed to be boiling, with horses neighing, cows braying, and drivers yelling loudly; people were excited, excited, eager to try, busy and waiting in joy.Everyone stared at the front with one eye, and all thought with one heart, moving forward, moving forward, even moving forward step by step every minute, is a great comfort to people.Du Qiumei stared forward with round eyes, the loops of the car were stretched taut, reaching into her shoulders, her firm and plump chest was gently rising and falling, ready to move forward at any time.She can't wait to fly to the cotton processing factory, sell the cotton, and then go to the department store with a lot of money, no!First go to the restaurant to buy ten sizzling steaming fried buns, eat them all in one sitting, then go to the barber shop for a perm, take a photo in the photo studio, and finally go to the department store for a stroll. Buy three and buy four, to show off the extravagance and generosity of a big girl in the countryside... Du Qiumei's parents died early, and an older brother was assigned to Haijiao Tianya after graduating from university. A character who boldly lets go and spends money.
However, the reality made Du Qiumei very disappointed. Her row cart only moved five meters forward, and then touched the tail of the carriage, and could no longer move.The car and horse brigade was paralyzed on the road like a chain with a broken buckle.This is the first pause in progress, and it doesn't hit people hard.Everyone believed that it was accidental, that the cotton mill had just opened its doors.Just like a person who chokes while eating, coughing a few times will pass.So everyone patiently waited for the cotton processing factory to "cough" and clear its throat. Then, the continuous stream of horses and horses and the cotton loaded with horses and horses would rush in like running water and flow from the other end. Get out the person holding the ticket.
Half an hour later, the convoy finally moved again, about ten meters away.After that, the convoy moved forward at a speed of about forty meters per hour.This crowded, yelling, stop-and-go way of moving forward tortured Du Qiumei's nerves and irritability.She kept looking up at the sun that could replace the clock, and kept looking back at the place where she parked at night, where there was a slender young poplar tree, still clearly discernible.Facts have proved that her row car has only advanced a total of 150 meters, and it has been more than ten hours since she parked the car there.
At about twelve o'clock, the car and horse brigade froze on the road again like a dead snake.Du Qiumei was bored, so she chatted with Mrs. Lamei again.This time, she thoroughly understood her sister-in-law's situation in all aspects. She knew that her sister-in-law looked to be in her thirties, but she was only a little over twenty-six years old; In the self-defense counterattack in 1999, Vietnamese bullets plowed a furrow on his scalp, and there is still a big bright scar, which made him embarrassed to take off his hat on a hot day; he also knew that her 60-year-old had a tracheal Yan's mother-in-law and the eight-month-old little daughter with a dimple on her left cheek, etc., etc., etc.After everything was said, all the saliva in the mouth was exhausted, but everything was the same, and the caravan remained motionless.
The mules and horses kicked their hooves anxiously, and a few yellow cattle pulling carts in the distance fell to the ground regardless of their master's shaking.The handlebar supports the hay basket to feed the livestock.The tractor driver had already turned off the engine, got into the hole on the roof propped up with flower bags, and turned on the radio. The radio station was playing the Peking Opera "Fishing and Killing the Family", and the tractor driver sometimes sang along with a broken voice. In a fit of anger, he rolls up his tongue and whistles from time to time, acting like no one else is there, enjoying himself.
The sun was shining, there was no wind, and the weather was muggy.Du Qiumei recalled the time when her teeth were pounding from the cold at night, and she felt a sense of a world away, and she felt a little nostalgic.Around thirteen o'clock, a hot climax of the day was formed. The white sun shone on the snow-white flower bags, glowing with dazzling white light, and the gravel road was covered with golden yellow light; the air was full of The smell of sweat, urine and the disgusting smell of diesel oil; the mules and horses drooped their heads, and the people bowed their heads, suffering the torment of the "autumn tiger" in humiliation.Later, when intermittent northeast winds blew, it immediately cooled down a lot, and people and livestock became more energetic.Du Qiumei's stomach growled. She took out a piece of cake and took a bite, but her tongue was as dry as a piece of paper, and the food was hard to swallow when she rolled it like a rattling sound.She gave the cake to Mrs. Lamei, who smiled wryly and shook her head.
He came forward on the handlebars, discussed with Du Qiumei, and decided that Du Qiumei would take care of the animals for him, and he would go to the surrounding ditch to get some water, one to moisten people's throats, and the other to drink the animals.Du Qiumei said with embarrassment: "What if the front walks away? I can't take care of two cars by myself." After thinking about it for a while, she finally came up with a plan to get the best of both worlds.He tied Du Qiumei's platoon cart to the tail of the carriage, so that the carriage would drag the platoon cart forward.The handlebar also said that even if he came back from looking for water, he didn't need to untie the car, which would save her some effort.Du Qiumei also wanted Mrs. Lamei to tie the car to the tail of her own car, but the car was connected end to end and it was difficult to get in. Mrs. Lamei refused repeatedly, so she had to give up.
Aunt Lamei's lips had already bulged, and the overflowing milk formed two teacups on her chest. She secretly wiped her eyes with her sleeve several times, wiping away the tears that almost came out of her eyes. Du Qiumei peeked at Lamei. Sister-in-law, it's not a good feeling to feel sour, but there is nothing I can do to help.The tractor driver seemed to have been suffocated by the sun just now, but the cool wind returned the sun again, and he turned on the radio again.The radio station started to broadcast advertisements, and the stereotyped voice of the announcer was mixed with the chaotic sounds, rolling in the mottled space, aggravating people's irritability.People can no longer sit still, and have lost the patience and confidence to wait for the car to move forward.Some people carried buckets to look for water, and some people asked each other why the carriage and horse brigade stagnated.In this way, the news came from the front one after another.After a while, the reason why the horses and horses are stagnant is that the processing factory is so full of cotton that there is no way for people to walk. Workers have to peel the cotton to get in when entering the workshop, and of course they have to peel the cotton to get out of the workshop.The cotton farmers held on to the director of the processing factory and asked him to find ways to speed up the purchase. The director was so anxious that he fell to the ground, unconscious, and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment... After a while, it was reported that the director was not at all. I went to the hospital, patted the top of my head with cold water, and came out. I was leading people to rush to lay new stacks and add new scales. Even the lame county magistrate was alarmed, and he was limping to investigate the situation in the processing factory... Later, it was reported that there was no such thing as the factory manager passing out, and the processing plant was not full to that extent. After crossing the ditch, the mobile phone broke three ribs. The Public Security Bureau sent police to protect the scene. After taking pictures of the scene in a while, the road will be unblocked... The news came continuously, probably before and after affirmation, negation, negation of negation, negation Negating the situation of negating more than a dozen rounds, God bless, the chariot and horse brigade finally moved forward again.
Du Qiumei hurriedly greeted the animals.While looking anxiously at the direction of the handlebars, hoping that he will come back soon.Although the convoy was still slowly wriggling like earthworms, the tractor driver kept slamming on the accelerator, turning the insufficiently burned diesel into puffs of black smoke, which sprayed towards Du Qiumei, enveloping her in the dirty smoke.This kind of provocative trickery, with obvious vindictive color, the tractor driver probably has listed Du Qiumei and the handlebar style as "raccoons of the same breed".
Du Qiumei never suffers from being dumb. She waved her whip and said angrily, "Hey! Can you accumulate some virtue?"
The machine hand shrugged his nose disdainfully, and retorted: "What's the matter, ma'am, I threw your child into the well? You drive your car, and I drive mine. We are on the road facing the sky, and each of us walks on the other side of the well. Water does not violate river water."
"What kind of accelerator are you on?!"
"Nonsense! Can the car move without gas?"
"Is there anyone who gasses like you? It's like a shofar! Don't think that your aunt has never seen a tractor. Your aunt has two big cars at home and she doesn't want to drive it!"
The people around laughed friendly.Embarrassed, the mobile phone found the steps to get off the donkey, and said, "You are a wife, I don't have the same knowledge as you."
"Fart!" Du Qiumei yelled, raised her hand to whip a whip, the mobile phone dodged and dodged.The whip didn't hit, Du Qiumei scolded immediately: "Your mother is a wife!"
The mobile phone jumped out of the car and rushed in front of Du Qiumei, but when he saw Du Qiumei's frowning and ready to go all out, he spat hard and shrank back.
At this time, the handlebar came back with a bucket of water.Du Qiumei rushed forward, put her mouth on the water, and gulped it down.Mrs. Lamei also drank a little water, and then everyone ate some dry food.The tractor driver sat in the driver's seat without looking back, smoking one cigarette after another.The handlebar greeted him: "Hey, buddy, do you want to drink water? If you don't drink, you'll have to drink the horse." The mobile phone remained silent as if deaf.Du Qiumei said in a low voice, "Take care of him!" The thirsty horse stretched out its neck and barked wildly. "If you don't drink, you really want to drink the horse..." The horse's mouth had already been plunged into the bucket before the handlebars finished speaking.
After a while, the northeast wind suddenly picked up.On the northeast horizon, some fluffy gray clouds also rolled up.The sunlight was no longer strong, and the harsh light on the road became softer. At this time, the convoy had advanced about 200 meters continuously for an unprecedented time.During the march, Du Qiumei suddenly smelled a smell of burning cotton cloth or cotton.While fluttering her nostrils, she checked Mrs. Lamei's row car.Mrs. Lamei said: "It's probably because something is burning on the tractor. He smoked a cigarette just now." Du Qiumei ran forward and shouted: "Stop!" The tractor driver gave her a look and ignored her.At this time, Du Qiumei had already seen the flower bag emitting white smoke on the car, and hurriedly shouted: "Your car is on fire!" Car body, throw the burning cotton bales to the ground.As soon as the flower bag fell to the ground, Hula burst into flames half a foot high.Du Qiumei stretched her waist and rolled down the ditch dragging the cotton bag.People rushed down the ditch together, holding earth to suppress the fire...
About one-third of the bale of cotton was burned, and the remaining two-thirds were checked repeatedly by everyone, and only when they were sure that there were no embers, did they help the machine operator carry it to the car.In the morning, the old man who persuaded him and the handlebars stepped forward and said, "Young man, why do you do things without assholes? How dare you use fireworks when you do this work? The old man is less addicted to cigarettes than you? Cigarette bag Throw them all at home and dare not take them..."
Everyone also commented: "Dude, you are in a great disaster today! If you are later, this car of cotton will be reimbursed!"
"Even we have to follow suit! The northeast wind is so strong, why not set fire to the camp!"
"Hey, thanks to the girl's good nose, I can still smell it against the wind..."
Everyone cast their admiring eyes on Du Qiumei again, which made her feel embarrassed.There were several large blisters on her hands, and a hole the size of an egg was burned in her trousers.
The mobile phone blushed, and muttered: "...Eldest sister, your prime minister is running a ship, just now..." But Du Qiumei turned around and ignored him again.
The handlebar came over with concern and asked her to sit in the carriage, but Du Qiumei shook her head and refused.At this time, the vehicles in front moved again, and the handlebars rushed back to take care of the vehicles and horses.Aunt Lamei insisted on not letting Du Qiumei pull the cart for her again, but she couldn't resist, so she had to hand her another pull tab.The two bent over and followed the tractor one by one.
The northeasterly wind is getting stronger and stronger, and the wind is mixed with moisture and the smell of soil. The harvested crops on both sides of the road are exposed to the chest, and the vastness is far away. non-stop.Du Qiumei's row car traveled about one li, climbed one-sixth of the big slope, and got closer to the gate of the cotton processing factory.At this time, the noisy caravan came to a complete stop again.
Mrs. Lamei cried anxiously.Her breasts, swollen as hard as rocks, reminded her of her beloved daughter crying from hunger and her old mother leaning against the door.This embarrassing situation made her resent the man who was the deputy company commander in Malipo; because of him, she was a woman who pulled a cart like an animal to sell cotton day and night.Du Qiumei also shed a few tears of sympathy with Mrs. Lamei, which made Mrs. Lamei choke with grief.Du Qiumei was afraid that she would break her body from crying, so she comforted her sister-in-law and said, "Sister-in-law, you don't have to cry. There is no river that cannot be crossed, and there is no slope that cannot be climbed. The child is eight months and three days, no! Four days, no longer You said that you still have milk powder, malted milk, and her father's milk bottle with latex nipples at home, and grandma at home, who will take good care of her...how about you go home? Back and forth Baili Road, I have to exhaust you on the road..." The cart brought over half a pack of biscuits, and found a big red radish from somewhere, cut it in half with a knife, and forced Du Qiumei and sister-in-law to eat it .The tractor driver also came over to say a few words of consolation, and expressed his willingness to tie the sister-in-law's row car to the tail of his car and drag it away; if the sister-in-law is willing, he can drive the sister-in-law home after the cotton is sold , if Du Qiumei is also willing, he is more than happy to serve...
People complained angrily, and the tractor driver even cursed.He scolded that the cotton processing factory was full of bastards, and he must write a letter to the newspaper office to sue them when he got back... The mobile phone had had enough scolding, and suddenly remembered his radio, and he took it out and turned it on.The radio station is forecasting the weather: From today night to tomorrow, it will be cloudy to overcast... There will be thunderstorms in some areas...
Du Qiumei jumped up sensitively, and shouted: "Did you hear that? There is a thunderstorm! There is a thunderstorm in some areas!" Hearing this news, people felt like fifteen buckets fetching water in their hearts.Du Qiumei said, "People are not afraid of thunderstorms. They should take a cold bath, but cotton and cotton will be finished. The processing factory will not want wet cotton. We have to take it home to dry and dry again; It’s useless to hang it in the sun, and the cotton will turn yellow, red, downgrade, lower the price, and sell for less when exposed to rain. We have to queue up again and stay up late...”
The thunderstorms that are rarely seen in the coming autumn obviously pose a greater threat to the caravans than the closing of cotton processing factories at night.The handlebar type did not hesitate to light up his low-fuel weather lamp.More and more people gathered, and the dim light illuminated a panicked face.Everyone looked up at the sky, the sky was really not good, the wind was strong and strong, and the humidity was heavy. The sky in the northeast seemed to have thousands of troops on standby. If you come here, you will be overwhelmed.In the clear sky engulfed by dark clouds, there are still a few stars trembling; the crescent moon like a slender eyebrow on the forest top in the west seems to be trembling.After a while, like a ghost, in the far northeast, a bright lightning flashed across the night, and after a long time, there was a dull thunder.
As soon as the thunder sounded, people ran back to their cars one after another. As for why they ran back, I am afraid no one can explain clearly.Du Qiumei, the handlebar type, the tractor driver, and Lamei sister-in-law, who did not know each other, got together and analyzed the situation calmly. If you want to turn the car around and rush home before the thunderstorm, it is almost as difficult as going to heaven.So, there is only one way left, stay here, resign yourself to fate, and pin your hopes on luck.Didn't it mean that there were thunderstorms locally?Maybe we are outside that part.But some precautions must also be taken...
There is a tarp for the tractor hand and a plastic film for the handlebar type.The handlebar type proposes to unload all the cotton on the four cars and stack them on one side, and cover them with tarpaulins and plastic films, so that under normal circumstances, they can be safe.Du Qiumei and Lamei sister-in-law didn't want to cause trouble for them, especially the tractor driver, because his tarpaulin was so big that it could cover the tractor.The tractor driver hesitated for a moment, then showed generosity, and said something like sharing suffering with happiness, Du Qiumei and Lamei sister-in-law were very moved for a while, so everyone acted according to the plan.
The cotton is covered.The people had nowhere to hide, so they sat in the carriage together, waiting for the thunderstorm to come.The handlebar-style windshield boiled out of oil, jumped a few times, and went out.The wind also suddenly stopped.A rain letter bird screamed and passed through the air, and the sound of its wings flapping could be heard clearly.Qiu Chong, who had been singing softly before, also stopped singing.Everything seems to be waiting patiently; everything seems to have entered the realm of nirvana beyond birth and death.I didn't know how long I stayed like this. Suddenly, a rustling, snoring, and rumbling sound came from the northeast. For a time, it seemed that there were countless spring silkworms biting the mulberry leaves in the wild. A house cat was snoring, and wild horses galloped across the fields.Immediately afterwards, the lightning that had been slashing horizontally and vertically in the northeast came to the top of the head, and the deafening thunder also rang in people's ears.In an instant, the wind was loud, and the wind mixed with sparse but powerful raindrops swept down, whipping people's faces like whips.Du Qiumei and Mrs. Lamei cuddled tightly together, trembling all over as if shaking.The handlebars covered the two women's heads with his bare leather jacket.Wind, rain, thunder and lightning, like four monsters biting and entangled with each other, rolled and tumbled to the southwest.The only thing left is the strong and cold northeast wind, blowing the people who are still in shock.Gradually, at first, a trace of dark blue night sky and a few dazzling stars appeared from the northwest direction, and soon the sky became clear and full of stars.
It was very lucky that this thunderstorm, which was strong on the outside and dry on the inside, did not fall much, and even the bare leather jacket was not wet.The cotton was covered under the tarpaulin, which was supposed to be defenseless, and Du Qiumei felt a little relieved.No one spoke, each thinking about his own thoughts.The handlebars opened their eyes wide, trying to see Du Qiumei's two moving eyes clearly, trying to imagine Du Qiumei's bright red lips.The tractor driver fiddled with his radio again in boredom.Mrs. Lamei hugged Du Qiumei tightly all the time, squeezing her breast full of milky smell on Du Qiumei's shoulder.In this way, they sat quietly until midnight.The autumn wind swept the earth mercilessly, and the cold came in waves, piercing through people's thin clothes.Du Qiumei and Mrs. Lamei hid under their smelly leather jackets and were still trembling.Just at this time, that matter came to Du Qiumei according to its own inherent cycle.Du Qiumei never thought that selling car cotton would take such a long time outside, so she was completely unprepared.The embarrassment, annoyance, and pain caused by the many inconveniences and disadvantages made this strong girl sobbing uncontrollably.Mrs. Lamei immediately understood what was going on with her sensitive sense of smell and the common psychology between women, but she couldn't help it for a while. She didn't even have a piece of paper at hand, and she was surrounded by cold and speechless men. Seeing the inconvenience of being a woman, I couldn't help but wiped my tears again.
Hearing the crying of the two women, the car handlebar took off the dog fur hat and put it on Du Qiumei's head, and put the raincoat on the two women. The two women said they were not Cold, returned the hat and raincoat to the handlebar and mobile phone, still sobbing.
He grabbed Du Qiumei's hand in the dark and asked her if she was sick. If she was sick, he could carry her across the field to another road and seek medical treatment at the nearest hospital.Du Qiumei shook her head again and again, and asked why?Mrs. Lamei finally said: "Women's affairs, what are you asking?" The handlebar let go of Du Qiumei's hand like throwing a piece of hot iron, only then did he realize that he had grabbed the hand of a big girl absurdly and boldly.He rubbed his hands knowingly, jumped out of the car hurriedly and went behind the cotton bales.It was Mrs. Lamei who was so quick-witted that she took out a large handful of cotton from her cotton bag and gave it to Du Qiumei...
At four o'clock in the morning, Du Qiumei was woken up by Mrs. Lamei.She opened her blind eyes and saw that the handlebars and the operator had reinstalled the tractor and the two carts, and the operator was using a rope to tie Mrs. Lamei's cart to the tail of the tractor.The two jumped out of the carriage in a hurry, and their numb legs and feet made them limp and limping, which was very ridiculous.They were so full of gratitude that they couldn't say a word, they just shed lines of hot tears on their cold cheeks.They helped to load the carriage, and re-hung Du Qiumei's row cart to the carriage by the handlebars. The east was already white with fish belly, and from the village behind Xiaoling came one or two cries of immature but serious cocks. Call.The coldness of dawn attacked them again, and Du Qiumei was quite embarrassed because of her busy schedule and the lack of food and clothing due to exhaustion.
After a night of solidarity in the storm, the four of them are now good friends who can trust each other.Judging from the progress of the chariots and horses yesterday, they don't have much hope for today.In this way, all four of them got together to discuss that they should go to the neighborhood to buy some food and come back, and plan to stay here for another day.The handlebar style proposed to buy two thermos pots and go to the nearby villages to fill two pots of boiling water.Du Qiumei suggested that the two men buy a bottle of shochu and let them drink a little to drive away the cold and relieve their sleepiness.This proposal was immediately approved by Mrs. Lamei.The two women didn't bring any money, and there were only a few steel coins in the mobile phone pocket. He touched the pocket like a handlebar, looked at the watch on his wrist, and suddenly said that he had money, and he took care of everything.But Du Qiumei made it clear that she was willing to bear all the accounts after selling the cotton; the other three of course would not do it, so they decided to ignore this matter for the time being, and then they decided to send two men to purchase, and the woman stayed behind to take care of the vehicles. .
At around seven o'clock in the morning, Du Qiumei, who was standing on the car and looking southwest, cried out excitedly, and Lamei's wife also saw the handlebar and mobile phone stumbling towards this direction.They brought the two of them back like gods, and put the bought thermos and other items on the car. The handlebars were covered with sweat, panting heavily, and hastily unzipped the leather bag. The steamed steamed buns exude a tangy aroma.Du Qiumei suddenly felt so hungry that she wished she could swallow all the buns in her pocket.People around also gathered around to inquire about the source and price of the steamed stuffed bun.While the handlebar type replied, he politely asked the people around him to have a taste, but they all politely refused.After a while, several young men rushed towards the county seat.
The four gobbled it up for a while.According to their stomachs, when they were still half-full, Mrs. Lamei advised everyone to stop in moderation. One is that they are afraid of breaking their stomachs, and the other is that they must be prepared for long-term persistence, because according to yesterday’s experience, whether they can sell cotton today It's still unpredictable, so keep your fingers crossed and save some buns for lunch.
After dinner, the handlebar pulled Aunt Lamei aside, blushed and handed her a paper package, asking her to pass it to Du Qiumei.Mrs. Lamei opened it and looked at it one by one, and immediately understood.She took Du Qiumei and walked towards the small woods in the distance.Sister Lamei boasted as she walked, "This young man is good, he has a good heart, and he even thinks about this matter so thoughtfully."
Half an hour later, each of them came back with some grass.Du Qiumei threw the grass to the mules and horses howling with hunger, her face was flushed, her eyes were fixed on the handlebar-shaped simple and honest face, and she said in a low voice: "My kind brother, I will never forget you..."
The tractor driver caught a glimpse of this scene with an extremely complicated expression on his face.
It was time for the sun to rise to a pole high again, and the caravans and horses began to move forward.Suddenly news came from the front that the secretary of the county party committee came to the processing factory to solve the problem in person. Last night, the aisles were cleared, new pile bottoms were laid, and new scales were added.At first, people were skeptical, but after a while, the team was advancing at an astonishing speed.不到两个小时，杜秋妹坐在高高的马车上已经清清楚楚地看见了棉花加工厂挂在门口的大牌子以及门口挤成一个蛋的人马车辆。阳光照耀着杜秋妹欣喜的笑脸，车把式不时回头向车上看看，问一问杜秋妹的饥饱冷热。杜秋妹用会说话的眼睛使他得到了满足和幸福。腊梅嫂坐在拖拉机上，居高临下地看着这两个年轻人，脸上不时出现会意的笑容。
中午时分，她们和他们的车涌进工厂的大门，经过扦样、测水、检验、定等级等手续，再到垛前过磅，过完了磅又把棉花包滚到高高的垛上去，最后到结算室算账领款。领到了钱，杜秋妹要付给车把式买东西的钱，车把式哪里肯依，说只当是自己请客，其他两位也只好这样作罢。
临分手时，杜秋妹突然想起：一整天没见车把式捋着袖子看电子表了。她对这位尚不知姓名的青年，大有相见恨晚之感。她用深情的眼睛向车把式发射着无线电渡，同时，她的大脑里最敏感的部位也不断接收到了从车把式心里发出的一连串的脉冲信号……