Chapter 15 race for honor

After a month of training, the Bashan basketball team officially went to Maodong City to participate in the competition. Maodong City was the city of Jiazhou in ancient times, an important town in Lingxi Province, more than 50 kilometers away from the provincial capital Lingxi City, governing three districts and five counties, Qiuchi District, Zhongshan District, Xinjiang District, Bashan County, Tangcheng County, Bihe County Counties, 7 Qian'an County, Yingshan County, with a total population of about 7 million people. Sitting in the Jinbei car with bright and clean windows, Hou Haiyang had an illusion, as if a successful person was inspecting his territory.But the hallucinations can only be hallucinations, and a voice pops out from the bottom of my heart at any time to remind: "You are the teacher of Xinxiang Primary School, and all the glory comes from playing basketball. Sun Wukong's big stick hits back to its original shape."

After this idea came out, Coach Li would think about the fact that the Public Security Bureau often poached people from the county team in his mind, thinking: "I was playing in Maodong, and the people from the County Public Security Bureau couldn't see it, so why should they poach people?" people?" The Public Security Bureau wants to recruit top basketball players. This is undoubtedly the best opportunity to change fate.He recalled Liu Youshu's secondment of the town government, and he waited foolishly and passively, never thinking that there was another way. How Liu Youshu got in touch with Liu Qingde, and called Liu Qingde his eldest brother, these things are all small talk by Li Suansuan.Although these small stories cannot be verified, Hou Haiyang has learned a way of doing things from them.He thought: "Do you want to find Coach Li? Let him talk to Director Du from the Public Security Bureau."

Came to Maodong Hotel, which was the first three-star hotel in Maodong. It was newly renovated. Behind the glass door stood a woman wearing a cheongsam. When the team members entered the hotel, the woman bowed politely to say hello.Coach Li often led the team to travel north and south, expressing emotion: "I used to live in sports hotels near the stadium. I didn't expect to live in a three-star hotel. It just went up the grade." It was the first time for Hou Haiyang to enter a three-star hotel, and when he stepped on the thick carpet, he was immediately shocked.Xinxiang School is a house with earthen walls. The walls are mottled, the ground is moldy, rats and mosquitoes are rampant, and there is a strange smell.The walls of the hotel rooms have patterned wallpapers, snow-white bedding, a magnificent Changhong TV, and toilets in the bathrooms.The contrast between the two was so strong that Hou Haiyang couldn't calm down for a long time.

The same dormitory is still Zhang Ming, the construction committee member. He put his luggage on the ground, lay on the bed with open arms, and said, "Take a good rest. The first battle tomorrow will be Qiuchi District. Qiuchi District is a traditional strong team. If you win Qiuchi District, at least To be in the top three." "Have a good night's sleep, and I will kill the Qiuchi team tomorrow." When it comes to playing basketball, Hou Haiyang returned with confidence. After a month of training, he became the number one killer of the Bashan County team with his super physical strength and skillful basketball skills.

Zhang Ming lay on the bed and flipped through the newspaper. When he saw a piece of news, he said loudly, "No wonder Zhang Dashan didn't come to play. It turned out that he was transferred to Maodong." Hou Haiyang quickly took the newspaper, and there was a palm-sized piece of news in the corner of the newspaper, which was the appointment notice of the Maodong Municipal Party Committee, one of which was to remove Zhang Dashan from the post of Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee, and to appoint another. "It's really a house leak and it rains all night, so Zhang Dashan will be transferred when he says he will." In Hou Haiyang's mind, Zhang Dashan is just a cake drawn on paper. Although he can't eat it, he can at least add some psychological comfort. Now even this little psychological comfort has left Bashan, which makes Hou Haiyang feel even more confused about his future. "Regardless of these things, it is the most serious thing to play basketball first and do the current affairs well." Hou Haiyang shook his head subconsciously, as if he could leave all his troubles behind.

After entering the toilet, looking at the shiny toilet, Hou Haiyang was a little worried. He had heard of the name of the toilet, but he had never used it. He pondered: "The toilet has a lid and a circle. What is the function? When I untie my big hand, does the ring go down or pull it up?" He squatted next to the toilet and observed for a while, and finally made a judgment: "The ring on the toilet should be used for buttocks." He put the toilet ring down, and his buttocks felt very solid when he sat on it.When sitting on it, a new problem arises, because sitting on the toilet, the butt problem is solved, but the little brother in front can easily touch the toilet wall.After carefully untying his hand, he sighed: "This toilet is a foreign thing. It's not as useful as it looks, and it's not as easy to use as a rural toilet." After a day's rest, the Maodong City basketball game officially started.On the day of the competition, the mayor of Maodong personally announced the start of the competition. Hou Haiyang walked in the front holding the red flag of Bashan County with his head held high.Lingxi Provincial TV Station, Maodong TV Station and some print media sent people to conduct on-site interviews.The scene of Hou Haiyang raising the flag was captured beautifully by Lingxi Evening News and was reprinted by many newspapers.Zhang Xiaoya, Maodong Zhang's family, saw this report, and felt a little fond of the handsome standard-bearer.A 15-year-old girl has beautiful dreams, always imagining that there is a handsome prince waiting for her.The banner bearer in the newspaper had a handsome face and a tall and straight figure, but the only pity was that he was not a prince, but an elementary school teacher in a remote village, and the vague dream lover in her mind should be an all-powerful hero.

Mr. Zhang put on his glasses, first marked the game schedule with a red pen, then carefully looked at the picture of Hou Haiyang, and said to himself: "This kid plays basketball well, and he has the demeanor of the team leader back then." The captain in the wheelchair sighed again: "No matter how strong a person is, they can't stand against time. A person as fierce as the captain is also in a wheelchair. If he hadn't been injured by those brats from the Red Guards, he might still be able to play." He put the newspaper on the table, picked it up and read it again: "Don't tell me, this kid still has a picture with the head of the group. What's his last name? I seem to have heard him introduce himself as Hou."

Zhang Xiaoya said, "How do I know what his last name is?" As she spoke, she took the remote control panel and started watching TV. Mr. Zhang looked at his granddaughter with loving eyes, and said: "Your mother said, watch less TV, and you will look ugly when you wear glasses in the future." Zhang Xiaogui twitched his lips and said, "Only when you wear glasses can you look educated." "The chicken-footed snake wears glasses—pretending to be gentle." Mr. Zhang has been in Bashan for decades, and has long been localized. He blurted out an allusion that Bashan people often say.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Xiaoya's mother returned home. She was a cadre of the Propaganda Department of the Maodong Municipal Party Committee, with short hair, shrewd and capable. She put the bag of braised pork head on the table, and said, "Xiaoxi, tomorrow is Sunday, you don't have class, you go to watch the ball with grandpa, grandpa is old, don't fall." "When it comes to the basketball court, grandpa is more energetic than me." "It's because of this that I let you look at it. Age is not forgiving. Don't let grandpa wrestle."

In the morning, Zhang Xiaoya was still sleeping, so Mr. Zhang knocked on the door and said, "Smelly girl, get up quickly, today is the first game, Bashan team vs. Qiuchi team." Zhang Xiaoxie glanced at the alarm clock, and said dissatisfiedly to his grandfather: " Grandpa, it's not seven o'clock yet, so get up early." Mr. Zhang pretended to be angry, and said, "I'll leave when I arrive, and I won't wait for you." After dawdling until eight o'clock, the old and the young came to the gymnasium.The red flag was fluttering in the municipal gymnasium, and the stadium reverberated with the passionate march of athletes.Players from both sides practiced in their respective halfs of the court. In the Bashan team, Coach Li stood near the free throw line and threw the basketball to the players who lined up.Hou Haiyang received the basketball from mid-air, and before the basketball hit the ground, he made a beautiful three-step layup. During the layup, he deliberately twisted his body 180 degrees, and with a light flick of his wrist, he sent the basketball into the basket. the basket.

Zhang Xiaoya's eyes followed Hou Haiyang involuntarily. This was a subconscious affection for a handsome boy from a girl with a spring heart. Almost most girls had it. Very few girls put their affection into action, but they often got bitterness. With a whistle, the game officially started. Hou Haiyang squatted with his legs slightly, his eyes fixed on the basketball in the air. Teammate Jiang Gang touched the basketball smoothly and slapped it in Hou Haiyang's direction.According to the tactics formulated by the coach, Hou Haiyang's feet were like springs, and he jumped up at the first time, and with a copy of his right hand, he held the basketball in his hand.He swept his eyes and saw that the opponent's player was not following him closely, so he immediately exerted his strength and went straight to the opponent's basket.When the opponent's two tall players chased him, Hou Haiyang had already completed his first attack and sent the ball into the basket, which took less than three seconds. The stadium boiled, and the audience roared and applauded like thunder.Most of the spectators in the stadium were from Qiuchi District, and they also applauded because of the wonderful goal.After Hou Haiyang scored the goal, he readily accepted the cheers from the crowd. When Zhang Ming, Jiang Gang and others ran over, they gave each other high-fives to show their congratulations. "This kid, good." Mr. Zhang patted his thigh, praised, and said, "When the two armies meet, the brave wins. This kid is a good hand at sharp knives, but it's a pity that he doesn't fight now." He has been a peace officer for decades , what Mr. Zhang misses the most is the years of war. Compared with the war of blood and fire, the battles in the peaceful age are too wretched and unmanly. To be honest, the Qiuchi team is of a very high level, and there were wins and losses in the previous games against the Bashan team.Amid the cheers of the audience in Qiuchi District, the Qiuchi team began to attack the Bashan team fiercely.In the first half, the scores of the two sides rose alternately.In the second half, Hou Haiyang was so energetic that he was like a clockwork machine, hitting the rebounds repeatedly on the court. As most of the Qiuchi team's physical strength declined, his power became more and more obvious.In the last five minutes, with his flexible pace and unrivaled explosive power, he continued to play the routine of riding a thousand miles alone, and shot five consecutive shots. The Bashan team led by 10 points. At the last minute, the Qiuchi team saw that the possibility of winning the game was zero, so they gave up the game. The audience in Qiuchi District scolded their team and applauded the No. 10 of the Bashan team.Eighteen-year-old Hou Haiyang became the decider of the first game.In the last 24 seconds, he received the pass from his teammate and hit the opponent's basket like a whirlwind. Qiuchi's players stood on the sidelines and no one blocked him. In the last three seconds, Hou Haiyang didn't make a strong layup. He dribbled the ball beyond the three-point line and calmly shot a three-pointer. The basketball went into the basket with a beautiful arc. At this time, the final whistle sounded.The audience was silent, and then burst into warm applause.In the first game, Hou Haiyang scored the first goal and the last goal, scoring as high as 38 points, and won the veritable best player on the spot. After the game ended, a reporter from "Maodong Daily" interviewed Hou Haiyang, and then sent an enthusiastic commentary on the game. On Monday afternoon, Zhang Xiaoya came home from school, took a big sip of the cold warm water on the tea table, and then her eyes fell on the newspaper.When watching the game yesterday, whenever Hou Haiyang scored a goal, she couldn't help applauding desperately. When the game ended, her palms were all red.After seeing the interview in the newspaper, I learned that the primary school teacher's surname was Hou. The living conditions of Zhang Xiaoya's family are pretty good in Bashan. They usually deal with officials at all levels, including factory directors and secretaries of state-owned enterprises, so they have a very high vision.When he put down the newspaper, the halo on Hou Haiyang's body began to fade. Mr. Zhang was very interested. Sitting in the living room, when he saw the little girl coming home, he smiled and said, "There will be another game in Bashan on Tuesday, but unfortunately our Xiaoya won't be able to see it. I think this year's posture, the Bashan team said Maybe you can win the championship. I don’t think your brother’s level can catch up to that No. 10.” Zhang Xiaoya is a natural defender of her brother, and argued: “What’s the use of playing basketball well? , riding a rocket is no better than my brother." The scar on Mr. Zhang's face jumped, he raised his voice, and said seriously: "In revolution, there is only a division of labor, and there is no distinction between high and low. How can you have a bourgeois worldview at such a young age?" Zhang Xiaoya knew that she had poked a hornet's nest, and stuck out her tongue , and hurried back to the back room.She originally wanted to tell her grandfather that the primary school teacher's name was Hou Haiyang, but she didn't say so. On Tuesday, the second game ended, the Bashan County team played against the City Publicity System team.The publicity system team is mainly composed of physical education teachers from Maodong District, with a high level of 7, and has been able to reach the top three in previous competitions.This time, the two teams met and played extremely fiercely. Ten minutes later, the two teams began to mark each other.This is the strategy and tactics coach Li formulated based on Hou Haiyang's outstanding physical strength. In the first half, the publicity system team was dragged into the tight rhythm of the audience. Coach Li had a cunning expression: "These physical education teachers are all good at playing games, but they often drink and play cards. Few of them get up for running in the morning, and their physical strength is exhausted. In the second half, Haiyang showed his power and dragged these tired soldiers to death. " In the first half, Hou Haiyang only played for ten minutes, and after helping the Bashan team lead, he was replaced by Coach Li and sat on the bench. He was very scratchy. At the end of the first half, the Bashan team trailed by five points. During the halftime break, Coach Li called Hou Haiyang to his side and said, "It's up to you in the second half. The whole team takes you as the core and plays fast breaks to drag down the propaganda team." When he entered the field, Hou Haiyang, who had held back for half the time, was like a fierce tiger out of the cage. He jumped vigorously in the field and roared.Many of the spectators watched the first match, and when they saw No. 10 appearing on the stage, many whistled. Xiong Youzhi, director of the Municipal Education Commission, accompanied several ministers of the Municipal Party Committee's Propaganda Department to watch the game.Peng Jiazhen, the new director of the Education Bureau of Bashan County, came over and took turns distributing cigarettes to the leaders of the city.Xiong Youzhi smoked a cigarette and joked, "Who is Jia Zhen helping in today's game? You are from Bashan, so you should help the Bashan team, and you are from the education system, so there is nothing wrong with helping the publicity system team. This is a dilemma." .” Peng Jiazhen rushed over to watch the game, the main purpose was to get in touch with Xiong Youzhi. He sat next to Xiong Youzhi and said, "I helped the Bashan team in the first half, and cheered for the publicity system team in the second half." Xiong Youzhi laughed and said, "Jiazhen, you cut tofu with a sharp knife, and both sides are smooth." After the second half of the game started, Peng Jiazhen always felt that No. 10 looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he met him.He only met Hou Haiyang once, and at that time his attention was focused on Hou Houde, but he only remembered Hou Haiyang's name and didn't remember his appearance in his heart, so he asked casually. A deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee took the lead and said, "You all haven't read Maodong Daily seriously. No. 10 is the star of this competition. His name is Hou Haiyang. He scored 38 points alone, which is amazing. He is Bashan The teachers at Xinxiang School and the Qiuchi District Education Committee are all discussing transferring this young man to Qiuchi, Lao Peng, you have to act first." Peng Jiazhen was taken aback, and said, "It's from Xinxiang School?" He swallowed the word "Hou Haiyang" and pretended he had never heard of Hou Haiyang. At the time of assignment, Hou Haiyang was one of the city's three good students, and in principle he could enter an elementary school in the urban area. Peng Jiazhen was a person who held grudges. He forgot the selfless help Hou Houde gave him, and only remembered the embarrassment Hou Houde had given him.At this time, Hou Haiyang's fate was in his hands, and he retaliated by sending Hou Houde's son to the most remote school in Xinxiang. As the saying goes, if you don't do something bad, you will not be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door in the middle of the night. If you do something bad, you will always worry about being retaliated.While watching the football game, Peng Jiazhen used his brains, no matter what, he wanted Hou Haiyang to have no chance to stand up. Naturally, Hou Haiyang didn't know that Peng Jiazhen, director of the Bashan County Education Bureau, was sitting in the stands. At this time, he only had one mind on the court, which was to attack non-stop and use his speed to drag down the panting opponent.In the last five minutes, Hou Haiyang time appeared on the court. Under Hou Haiyang's rapid impact, the publicity system team had to send more than two players to intercept him.This created a great opportunity for the Bashan team. After losing points one after another, the publicity system team was defeated.In the last two or three minutes, the Propaganda System team had the same situation as the Qiuchi team. They lost their offensive awareness, and their defense was just pretending, watching the Bashan team attack. After the end, Coach Li gave Hou Haiyang a bear hug. In this game, Hou Haiyang only played for half an hour and scored 27 points. He quickly defeated the publicity system team and won the title of best player at the same time.The news reporter distributed a photo of Hou Haiyang's attack under the title "The young general shows his strength, Bashan wins another round". After graduating from the middle school, Hou Haiyang has never been in a really happy mood, and he always encounters various troubles.This basketball game made him very proud. Basketball is his weapon. He used the strength, speed and courage of a man to completely defeat his opponent.In the non-stop attack, the harvest is full of applause and praise from the news media. In the fifth game, the Bashan team had already appeared as a champion, beheading Bihe County cleanly, and Hou Haiyang was the main player doing his part. Hou Haiyang has always disliked playing cards, let alone gambling. After dinner, he hid in the dormitory alone and wrote letters to Lu Ming.In the letter, as usual, he first expressed his lovesickness, and then wrote: "Today Jiang Gang from the Public Security Bureau received a call from the director of the Public Security Bureau Office to ask about my situation. It is said that Director Gao intends to second me to the Public Security Bureau... …This competition is a very important opportunity for me. I will give full play to my abilities and strive to help the Bashan team win the championship. The championship of the Bashan County team was ten years ago. If I can win the championship this time, I will be regarded as The meritorious minister, the opportunity has come..." Since he was on the basketball team and did not have a fixed address, he did not expect Lu Ming to reply to the letter, and insisted on writing letters, more to express his inner thoughts. After writing the letter, pasting the envelope and stamps, Hou Haiyang went out, and he walked aimlessly along Zhongshan Avenue in Maodong City.The street lights are bright, people are walking in the clean and tidy streets, and countless beautiful women in fashionable clothes walk among them. The charm of the city is completely different from that of the countryside. At this time, Hou Haiyang is full of longing for the big city.The buildings on the street are gradually lit up, and in each illuminated room, a family is interpreting their life stories. These stories are worth recalling in detail.But there are very few stories that can be written in history and novels, and a large number of ordinary people's stories are buried silently in the passing years. Hou Haiyang, a young man from the countryside, walks alone on the streets of the city. There are thousands of people on the streets, all of whom are strangers. The only thing that can bring warmth is the letter to Lu Ming.After walking a few streets randomly, I finally found the post office. After putting the letter in the mailbox, Hou Haiyang stood by the mailbox for a while before walking away. The 1993 Maodong City Basketball Competition ended at the end of December. The Bashan County team won the championship and Hou Haiyang was named the best athlete.At the award ceremony, Deputy Mayor Liu of Maodong City personally presented awards to the champion and the best athlete.Hou Haiyang shook hands with Deputy Mayor Liu. The soft and thick hands of Deputy Mayor Liu made people feel warm.He secretly said: "Mayor Liu is a great leader, and he is so kind and amiable to others. Liu Qingde is just an official who is not an official. He still displays his official authority every day. What a joke." During the entire sports meeting, Hou Haiyang stole the limelight and won countless honors. With the end of the competition, all the honors will come to an end, and he will return to the remote Xinxiang school.In Xinxiang School, the elementary school teacher who has become unknown again has no flashes of cameras, no applause, and no news in newspapers. When returning to Bashan in a minibus, the people in the car were very excited: First, the Bashan team won the championship. For Bashan, which has a very prosperous basketball culture, this is a very important honor.Second, everyone got a reward of 1,000 yuan.For most players, this sum of money is just a generous sum. Hou Haiyang is the best player, and he also got 500 yuan more. This 1,500 yuan is a huge fortune for him.He has worked in Xinxiang School for so long and only received 200 yuan, which is enough to support him to live a happy time. "Since the words from the Public Security Bureau are on my lips, I still have to try my luck." Having figured this out, Hou Haiyang turned his attention to Jiang Gang. After getting out of the car, all the team members dispersed with their bags.Hou Haiyang found Jiang Gang and said, "Brother Jiang, Director Du of the Public Security Bureau once mentioned that he wanted to recruit someone who could play basketball. Could you introduce me?" Jiang Gang was bold, and said: "Let's go, we're going to the bureau now." He glanced at Hou Haiyang, and said: "Director Du is a big smoker, why don't you give him two cigarettes? The Party Committee of the bureau held a team meeting to study, and in essence Director Du proposed it to our boss, and after the boss agreed, he went through the motions at the team meeting." Being able to be seconded to the Public Security Bureau is of course a blessing, Hou Haiyang said: "Brother Jiang, wait a moment, I'll go get two cigarettes." Seeing that Hou Haiyang was on the right track, Jiang Gang became more active in handling affairs, and said, "There is a cigarette seller over there. I'll call Director Du." The security department and the office work in the same building. The advantage of the security department is that Having mastered a large number of social resources and managing the food, drinking and entertainment industry in the county, the advantage of the office is that it is very convenient to follow the leader closely, and it is very convenient to chat or make suggestions.Jiang Gang, the deputy chief of the security department, and Du Qiang, the director of the office, hold different powers in their hands, and they can exchange with each other. In addition, Jiang Gang is refreshing enough, so their relationship is quite good. No one in Du Qiang's office answered the phone, so Jiang Gang called. He was watching Hou Haiyang while waiting for Du Qiang to call back. Hou Haiyang hesitated a little in his heart. He was not hesitating what cigarettes to buy, but thinking about buying a few cigarettes.After a short thought, he made a decision to buy three Hongta Mountains, one for Jiang Gang and two for Du Qiang.When buying cigarettes, he didn't care about money at all, in order to achieve.My own goals and my own money are nothing. Jiang Gang looked down on the kind of people with small hands and feet the most. Seeing that Hou Haiyang bought three Hongta Mountains, he secretly agreed. "You buy me some cigarettes, we are brothers." Jiang Gang tried to decline. Hou Haiyang said: "Brother Jiang, you're welcome." As he spoke, he stuffed cigarettes into Jiang Gang's hand.The two pushed for a while, Jiang Gang took over Hongtashan, and said: "Let's wait a little longer, Du Qiang should call back." After receiving Du Qiang's reply, Jiang Gang raised his hand to hail a taxi and went straight to the office building of the Public Security Bureau.After waiting in the office for a while, Du Qiang appeared, and he said affectionately: "Jiang Gang, I was in Boss Gao's office just now. This is Xiaohou. He plays basketball very well. Please sit down." In Hou Haiyang's eyes, Du Qiang is a person who can change his own destiny. He sits respectfully on the sofa with his back straight. After Du Qiang took Jiang Gang's smoke, Hou Haiyang immediately stood up and lit the lighter. After chatting about this basketball game for a while, Du Qiang took out a piece of paper and said, "You write down the basic situation, don't write on the coffee table, just sit here." Hou Haiyang sat across from Du Qiang's desk, thought for a while, and began to write.Du Qiang was originally leaning his head on the chair and blowing smoke rings upwards, but he accidentally glanced at Hou Haiyang's words, and suddenly regained his energy.He stood up from the chair and walked behind Hou Haiyang. Hou Haiyang stopped writing and turned his head. "Don't stop, keep writing." Du Qiang is a pen of the Public Security Bureau. His writing is good and his calligraphy is beautiful. Seeing Hou Haiyang's good calligraphy at this time, his interest immediately increased. Du Qiang picked up the basic situation written by Hou Haiyang, flicked the paper with his fingers, and said: "Talent, talent. Yes, a three-good student in Maodong City, and has published articles in Bashan News." After reading the resume, he flipped the paper Putting it on the table, he scolded: "Those whores from the Education Bureau, who assign such a child with both civil and military skills to Xinxiang, are so fucking blind. Xiaohou, you will come to the bureau in the future and write articles for a few years. Go out and be the director." Hou Haiyang nodded respectfully, he did not say that he had met before.After chatting for a while, Jiang Gang winked at Hou Haiyang.Hou Haiyang looked at no one around, picked up the Hongtashan Tobacco in a black plastic bag, put it on the table, and said, "Director Du is a big writer. If I have the opportunity to follow Director Du, I will definitely learn a lot. Director Du has Whatever the arrangement, I will definitely do my best to complete it and not let the leader down." Du Qiang liked this talented young man from the bottom of his heart, and he said to Jiang Gang: "Young Hou just came out to work, and how much money you have, you still teach him how to do this." Jiang Gang chuckled, and said: "This is Xiaohou's wish, and I hope that Director Du will give me more advice, my little brother." Du Qiang threw two cigarettes into the drawer, and said, "Don't leave at noon, go to Ba Dao Yuzhuang for dinner. Let's make a deal first, this is my treat, and no one can argue with me." Ba Dao Yuzhuang was opened by Du Qiang's wife in the name of her sister-in-law, and is usually managed by her sister-in-law. This is an open secret within the Public Security Bureau.The signature dish of Ba Dao Yuzhuang is pointed fish. Gao Zhiyong, the director of the Public Security Bureau, likes this one. Sometimes he will lean on the chair, pat his belly when the meeting is late at night, and say: "Old Du, tell your little aunt to make some fish. A sharp-headed fish, put more sauerkraut, let's enjoy it." The business of Yuzhuang is good, and the small shop in the past is inevitably crowded.Du Qiang rented a second floor of 500 square meters as a branch store, and the business was a little deserted.Jiang Gang is in charge of special industries, eating, drinking and having fun is a common thing.Du Qiang invited him to the branch for dinner for future business. After leaving the office, Du Qiang ran to Director Gao's office to deliver the documents. Jiang Gang said: "I didn't expect that you are still a master of calligraphy. If Du Qiang is handled, the matter is 90% complete. You just wait for the good news." Hou Haiyang said sincerely: "Thank you Brother Jiang, without you, I would not be able to find the gate of the temple." Jiang Gang joked: "In the future, you will become the person next to the leader, don't forget us brothers." Du Qiang quickly came out of Director Gao Zhiyong's office and said, "I asked the boss for leave, let's go." Walking in the courtyard of the Public Security Bureau together with Du Qiang and Jiang Gang, Hou Haiyang was refreshed, and the haze after being assigned to Xinxiang was swept away. When he saw the policemen in uniform, he felt extremely cordial.Du Qiang drove the police car in person and went straight to Ba Dao Yuzhuang. Ba Dao Yuzhuang is located in the commercial area of ​​the old city. On the capital on the left side of the gate, there are two pointed fishes churning in the water.The pointed fish has a slender body and is portrayed as a dragon in the water. Du Qiang waved his hand, and said to the waiter who came nearby: "Here are three catties of pointed fish." The waiter looked distressed, and said: "The sharp-headed fish is only about ten catties, and there are five tables to order." Du Qiang looked bitter, and said: "Why is it only ten catties, enough shit, for those fish sellers Call and ask them to send it over, and don't hide private goods for me." Seeing the waiter's embarrassment, Du Qiang took out a black leather notebook from his pocket, went to the front desk, picked up the phone, and said loudly and forcefully: "Big head, do you still have pointed fish? Don't talk nonsense. Hurry up and give it to me." I'll send it over." After making four or five phone calls in succession, he put down the phone. After entering the private room, Du Qiang complained: "Ge Laozi, there are fewer pointed fish than the water rice seeds and yellow peppers in the Yangtze River. There are traders going to the banks of the Ba River every day to collect them, but it is still not enough." Hou Haiyang said: "I used to catch sharp heads in the river in Xinxiang and Liuhe Town. Afterwards, I caught sharp heads and sent them to Director Du." Du Qiang touched the cigarette, threw it to Jiang Gang and Hou Haiyang, and said: "Hou Haiyang, I will give you the phone number of Yuzhuang later, and send me all the pointed fish you have. There are a dozen or so, I can also send someone to pick it up. As for the price, it is absolutely fair." Hou Haiyang took the note with the phone number on it, folded it, and put it in his pocket. Ten minutes later, the fish soup with pickled cabbage and sharp head was served. The sour soup tasted very delicious.Hou Haiyang drank two big bowls one after another, only to feel that it was too good to drink. After winning honors and money in the basketball game, making friends with Du Qiang, and drinking pickled cabbage pointed fish soup, Hou Haiyang walked the streets of Bashan County with hope.Pedestrian Xixi, he walked aimlessly along the sidewalk: "I have at least three days at my disposal, go back to Erdaoguai to meet my parents, or go to Tieping to meet Lu Ming?" There was a brief battle in their hearts, and the idea of ​​meeting Lu Ming clearly gained the upper hand.Hou Haiyang carried his luggage and went straight to the county station. Tieping and Xinxiang are both remote towns. Compared with other towns, the buses are older, mottled on the outside, with simple internal facilities, and there are many sundries such as baskets piled up on the aisles.Sitting next to Hou Haiyang was an elderly man wearing a headscarf, smoking choking leaf cigarettes, and kept spitting on the floor.It is an old custom in Bashan to wear a scarf on his head. Nowadays, few people dress like this. Coupled with his black and yellow complexion, he looks like a figure from history. Compared with the large, clean and bright Iveco, the country coach is vomiting.Hou Haiyang secretly encouraged himself: "I must go back to the city, and bring Lu Ming back to the city." The bus stopped and walked as slowly as a tortoise. It started at two o'clock in the afternoon and finally arrived at Tieping Town near six o'clock. Tieping is located in the south of Bashan Mountain. The terrain is generally flatter than that in the north. Agriculture is the supporting industry, and there are more people doing business than in the northern area.There is a saying in Bashan that the northerners are stupid to work in coal mines, while the southerners are good at running companies.In Hou Haiyang's eyes, remote towns in the south and north are equally poor and ignorant, far from modern civilization. Stepping on the stone street in Tieping, Hou Haiyang felt a sense of déjà vu. There are mostly two-story wooden buildings on both sides of the street, some are off-white and some are black, exuding the stale atmosphere accumulated over decades.To put it another way, these buildings carry history and have special symbolic significance.With Hou Haiyang's current state of mind for survival, these decades-old buildings are a representative of occlusion. Tieping Primary School is located on a small dirt hill next to Changzhen, and the national flag is flying at the highest point.Thinking of seeing Lu Ming soon, Hou Haiyang became excited, took a deep breath, and quickly walked up the stone ladder. In Bashan, every elementary school is copied like a copy machine. The playground is mixed with mud and weeds, and the national flag is flying on the top of the red brick teaching building. The biggest difference is that the primary school and the middle school are very clear, unlike Xinxiang. . Living with Lu Ming was a teacher in her thirties with a round face. She stood at the door and asked kindly, "Are you looking for Teacher Lu?" Hou Haiyang said: "My name is Hou Haiyang, I graduated from the middle school, and I'm Lu Ming's classmate." The round-faced teacher took a step back, smiled, and said, "It's Teacher Lu, come in and sit down." When Hou Haiyang entered the room, she sighed exaggeratedly, "He's so tall." The dormitory was quite crowded, full of pots and pans, and on the wall was a photo of Meng Tingwei, the actress who sang "Come to Taipei to See the Rain in Winter", and some floral cloths were placed on the wall, showing strong femininity.Compared with Xinxiang school residences, there are two differences. Xinxiang school houses are made of earthen walls, and Tieping is a red brick house. Each suite in Xinxiang school is a front and back room, and Tieping is a less formal suite. The two rooms have an area of Relatively small living room. "My surname is He, and I live with Lu Ming. The house is a bit messy, you drink water." The big round face saw Hou Haiyang for the first time, and already knew his identity. She looked at Hou Haiyang with curiosity, Then he deliberately asked, "You are Lu Ming's classmate, where do you work?" "I'm in Xinxiang Primary School." The fat woman with a round face said, "It's far to the north." Hou Haiyang took a sip of water and asked, "Mr. He, when will Lu Ming come back?" The fat woman with a round face said to herself: "Today Lu Ming and Zhu Bingyong went to eat, and they don't know when they will come back. It is best not to let them meet, otherwise it will be troublesome." She enthusiastically said: "Sit down for a while, I'll go next door and ask where Teacher Lu has gone." The round-faced Teacher He went to Teacher Zhu's house next door, closed the door, and said in a low voice, "Lv Ming's boyfriend from Xinxiang is here, and he is sitting next door. Tell Xiao Zhu quickly, and tell him not to come over, so as not to bump into him." It’s embarrassing.” She said again: “Young man’s name is Hou Haiyang, he’s tall and handsome.” Teacher Zhu’s expression was gloomy, and he said unhappily: “Lv Ming wrote to this young man, stating that he wanted to sever ties. This young man has a thick skin and even came to pester him." Teacher He said: "The young man looks knowledgeable and reasonable, not like a troublemaker." Teacher Zhu said: "I'll go to my nephew right away and tell him about it. Hold that person down." She hurried out, stopped at the door, and said, "Mr. Said that Lu Ming went to study in the county, and it will take three days to come back. Then I will cook a bowl of noodles for that person, and when I come back, I will take him to the guest house by the town government." The round-faced teacher had a crush on the handsome, tall and polite Hou Haiyang. She couldn't bear it, and said, "I'll cook a bowl of noodles for this young man. As for Lu Ming's matter, you need someone to tie the bell. Teacher Zhu Say it yourself." Teacher Zhu hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, okay, let me tell you about it, you cook a bowl of noodles for that person, I have meat dumplings in the kitchen, dig more." Adding a little taste makes it different, and it has the magic effect of finishing touch. Hou Haiyang looked at the closed door, he really wanted to go in and see what his lover's room looked like, and even imagined the scene when he closed the door and kissed Lu Ming in the room. “侯老师，你没有吃饭吧，我是今天才出差回来，没有见着吕老师，等一会儿，我再帮你问一问。”圆脸何老师开始在厨房里拿碗，问了问她认识的新乡老师。 两人聊天时，何老师手脚麻利地用煤油炉子下面条，当作料调好以后，她端着碗来到朱老师的家里，打开装肉臊子的盆子，狠狠地舀了一块。看着何老师忙来忙去，侯海洋觉得甚是过意不去，解释道：“何老师，真是太感激你了。我是参加了巴山县的篮球比赛，比赛结束以后，还有点时间，没有给吕明写信，就来了。” 何老师道：“你来之前，其实可以给校办打个电话，让校办的老师给吕老师带个话。” 在新乡中学，校办的电话就安装在刘清德办公室里，侯海洋与刘清德关系不佳，他从来没有打电话与吕明联系的想法。 肉臊子面特别香，侯海洋原本想斯文一些，可是他没能抵挡住香味，将一大碗面一扫而光。 何老师圆脸上满是笑容，道：“我好羡慕你，有这么好的胃口，以前胃口好时缺衣少食，去年开始不用粮票，可以敞开吃，胃口又不行了。”她一边聊天，一边暗道：“这个朱老师也真是，为了给侄儿找女朋友，活生生将这个好小伙子拆散，真是没有良心。” 终于等到朱老师回来，何老师松了一口气，走到门口，悄悄做了一个手势。朱老师已经做好了安排，走了进来。何老师介绍道：“侯老师，这是朱老师。” 朱老师身穿灰色长裤，小方领外套，廉价皮鞋，头发上还带着粉笔灰似的花白，形象气质完全符合巴山乡镇小学老师的典型。进门以后，她满脸堆笑，道：“你是新乡来的侯老师吗？新乡在最北边，铁坪在最南边，跑一趟不容易，比跑茂东还要累。怎么不提前联系？吕明老师出差了，得有两三天才能回来。” 侯海洋有些蒙：“吕明出差了？” 朱老师点了点头，道：“吕老师是我们学校重点培养的教师，这一次教学交流是很好的机会，全部派的是年轻人。” 在新乡学校，侯海洋从来没有见到小学教师出差，根本没有考虑到吕明不在铁坪的情况。他没有怀疑眼前这位中年女教师，失望地道：“那真是不巧。”略为停顿，又问：“现在还有没有回县城的班车？” 朱老师一直在揣度着侯海洋，听到他这样说，悬着的心完全放了下去，道：“现在没有班车了，这里老师的住房挺挤的，我带你到镇政府的招待所，内部的，不对外开放。” "thanks." “你这小伙子，还这么客气。” 侯海洋真诚地道：“我在铁坪是人生地不熟，吕明又不在，若不是朱老师安排，我今天晚上就惨了。” 朱老师笑了笑，道：“明天早上七点钟，有一趟班车要回县城。小地方，班车不准时，你得早一些。”她有意试探道：“早上过来吃早饭，朱老师家的面条还是不错的。” 侯海洋忙道：“明天早上我自己安排，不麻烦朱老师了。” 铁坪政府的招待所在铁坪镇政府大院外的一个小院子里，是一层平房。朱老师用侄儿给的钥匙打开院门，道：“这个地方还算可以，是镇里唯一的招待所，县里领导也住过，挺安静的。这是我的开水瓶子，你早上就放在这里，不用管，到时我来收。” “我早上给朱老师提过来。” “不用了，我晚上失眠，只有早上才能睡好。你就把水瓶放在这里，我中午过来取。” 站在招待所的门口，目送着朱老师身影消失，侯海洋心里有说不出来的郁闷，仰头看天，自语道：“吕明啊吕明，为什么偏偏这两天出差？”天空彻底阴了下来，一阵北风吹来，冷气逼人。 “吃顿饭，跑这么远？”吕明坐在三轮车的车斗里，缩着身体，用自制的围巾将脸遮住，只露出眼睛。 机动三轮车是镇财政所的制式装备，用于收农业税、农业特产税以及猪儿税费。开一辆蓝白相间的机动三轮车，行走在青山绿水间，在镇里是一件很拉风的事。朱柄勇脸被吹得麻木了，心情却格外愉悦，大声道：“我找了一条腊土狗，小妹用慢火熬了几个钟头，等着我们去吃。”这段时间，朱柄勇经常从县城下来，天天与吕明见面，两人已经分别与双方的家人见了面。只不过吕明态度一直挺消极，很少主动与朱柄勇联系，而且不肯与朱柄勇有亲密的接触。 朱柄勇是过来人，只要吕明不是旗帜鲜明地拒绝，自己就有着大把的机会。 四十来分钟后，到了清水镇，朱柄勇差点被冻成了冰棍，吕明也被冰得僵了。 机动三轮车进了小院，在“汪汪”的狗叫声中，两人进了门。 朱柄秀在镇里开了杂货店，还开了一家饭店，做狗肉的手艺很有一套。等到两人进屋，她道：“里边坐，饿了吧，我把狗肉端过来。” 在暖和的屋里坐了一会儿，吕明才缓过气来。朱柄秀端了满满一盆子腊狗肉，散发着浓浓的香味。朱柄秀老公被称为王木徵，素来没有多少话说，手里提了一瓶酒，倒成了四碗，道：“喝。” 吕明道：“我不喝酒。” 朱柄秀不容分说地将酒碗放在吕明桌前，道：“吃狗肉，喝白酒，神仙日子，你随意喝，喝多喝少都没有事。” 吕明不好拂朱柄秀的面子，吃了两块煨得耙软的狗肉，喝了一小口高粱白酒，肚子里升起一股暖流在全身游走。四人吃过狗肉，吕明趁着朱柄秀收碗，道：“朱柄勇，我们早些回去。” 朱柄勇用很无奈的神情道：“没油了，明天加了油，早点回去，晚上只有住在妹妹这边。” 朱柄秀站在门口，高声道：“这么大的风，走啥子，翻了车，谁负责任，听我的话，都不准走。” 晚饭后，朱柄秀洗碗，朱柄勇悄悄地凑了过去，道：“大妹，晚上给我们准备哪一间房？”朱柄秀翻了个白眼，道：“这个吕妹子是个本分人，你要好好对别人，别猴急。”朱柄勇道：“下手晚了，有风险，煮熟的鸭子才飞不脱。”朱柄秀没有理睬大哥，道：“少鬼扯，在我这里不行，你们各睡各的房。如果你再去打牌，我找把刀把你手剁了喂狗。”十点，吕明正准备休息，朱柄勇轻轻敲了门。 "Who?" "it's me." "What's up?" “想聊会儿天。” “晚了，明天要早起。” 吕明态度很坚决，她不想弄得太僵，挤出一个笑脸，然后把门关紧。她背靠在门上，听着脚步声离去，心情格外萧瑟，在心灵深处，始终站着另一个男人的身影，让她在面对朱柄勇时没有丝毫幸福之感。