Chapter 5 Fives

Xiao Ai thought about it for a while, and could only smile and said, "That's fine, I'll come as soon as I'm well." Jin Huai said: "That's the only way." He sat across from her, kicked a pair of shoes in front of her bed for fun, kicked them into a figure-splayed style, and put them together again.Both of them were silent, and after a while, Jin Huai said again: "I heard that it is difficult to find a house in Hong Kong, so I'll find a good place first." They discussed what they should take with them, and Jin Huai said that cotton clothes were unnecessary, since the weather in Hong Kong was hot.Xiao Ai told him to take a thermos bottle, Jin Huai said:

"I'll bring it when you come. You still need it for the next two days." He laughed again: "You ran there alone, and you can't speak Cantonese, and you will be abducted and sold later." Xiao Ai smiled, "I'm not a child anymore?" The two were talking and laughing on the surface, but they were a little flustered in their hearts. Xiao Ai was lying there hugging a red floral quilt, the yellow electric light shone from above, and in the cabin-like attic, Everyone couldn't tell what kind of feeling it was in their hearts, it was probably the feeling that life was like a dream.

On the night before Jin Huai's departure, the suitcases, baskets, and bundles had all been arranged. He suddenly remembered, pulled out the drawer on the table, and rummaged through the contents for a while.Granny Feng watched from the side and said, "What are you looking for there?" Jin Huai only replied vaguely: "I'll see if there's anything else I need to take with me." When Mrs. Feng walked away, Jin Huai asked Xiao Ai, "Where's that photo?" They rarely took pictures, and Xiao Ai didn't have any other photos except for a casual photo they took together when they got married.When he asked this day, Xiao Ai smiled and said, "I gave that photo away." Jin Huai was a little unhappy, grunted, and said, "There's only that one left, so I gave it to someone anyway. "Later, Mrs. Feng washed all his handkerchiefs, dried them and put them in a box for him.Jin Huai opened the box, and there was a clip pocket inside the box lid, and he stuffed a stack of handkerchiefs inside. Apart from a new toothbrush, there was one other thing inside, which was cold to the touch, flat and smooth, a piece of cardboard , You don’t need to look at it to know what it is.He took out half of the photo to look at, then looked at Xiao Ai and smiled, Xiao Ai gave him a sideways look, and then smiled too.

That night, Jin Huai got up at three o'clock.He knew that his mother and Xiao Ai had just fallen asleep, so he didn't want to wake them up. He gently turned on the light, carried the small luggage first, went down the ladder, and washed in the kitchen. Let's go up and get the box.With a slight noise, Xiao Ai woke up with a start, trying to sit up and put on her clothes and get out of bed. Jin Huai hurriedly held her down and said, "Don't get up." She was still a little sleepy, and only felt that his face was cold. , There is a cool toothpaste smell.Then he left.She heard him go all the way down, and the back door slammed shut.With the sound of "Bang!", there was a moment of loneliness rushing in like a tide.The silence almost rushed in, flooding the room.The clock on the table was ticking, and it seemed particularly loud.

After Jin Huai went to Hong Kong, a letter came soon saying that the house had been found there, and some money was remitted at the end of the month.Here, Xiao Ai also asked Mr. Sun who lived downstairs to write a letter back to her, and wrote another letter to her brother and sister-in-law in the country, asking Jin Huai's brother to come out and take her mother back.Everything is arranged, but Xiao Ai's illness is not getting better, and I am very anxious.Mrs. Feng also said that looking at it like this, it might be a disease rather than a joy.There is a Chinese medicine store near them. There is a doctor who lives there often, and the consultation fee is relatively cheap. Xiao Ai went to see it and took two prescriptions, but it didn't work.Her uncle Feng Jinfu has already arrived.Xiao Ai has never been back to the countryside since she got married, so this is the first time we met.

There was always a delay of one or two days when Jin Fu came, and he had no place to stay, so he had to build a bed in the living room downstairs.They blocked half of the living room at the back and rented it out as another room, but removed a row of ~* fans in the front and expanded it into the courtyard, occupying half of the courtyard, so it is called the living room, and half of it is open-air. , It was windy at night, and it was very cold to sleep there. Jin Fu hadn't been to Shanghai for many years. On the second day of his visit, he got up in the morning and ate a bowl of rice, then said he wanted to go for a walk outside.After going out for a while, he came back and said that it was very chaotic outside and the road was impassable.Mrs. Feng was laughing at him for being useless, and Xiao Ai was lying on the bed, but said: "Mom, listen, why is there such a commotion outside today?"

Mr. Sun, who lived behind the living room, worked as an old man in a foreign firm. He went to work on time every morning. He also came back at this time and brought shocking news that Japanese soldiers had entered the concession, and people outside were panicked. It was a mess. On this day, everyone closed the door and guarded at home, and did not go out.Mr. Sun went next door to borrow a phone call, but at first he couldn't get through because the phone was too busy.It was not until after dinner that I got connected, and I also heard some news that the Japanese attacked Hong Kong on the same day. Mr. Sun came back and said that Xiao Ai heard that Hong Kong was already fighting, and he still refused to show a very anxious look on his face. Use words to comfort Mrs. Feng.Although Jin Huai was unaccompanied in Hong Kong and stuck there alone, so many employees had left their printing office this time, and there was always someone to take care of them when they were in a hurry.Moreover, Hong Kong is such a big place, with so many people, it is not necessarily that he alone will be in danger.Having said that, the urgency is still the same.Xiao Ai didn't regret anything else, but hated that she didn't go with him, even if she died, she would die together.

Ten days later, news of the fall of Hong Kong appeared in the newspapers, at least the fighting there was over.But one month and two months have passed, there has been a lack of information between Shanghai and Hong Kong, and life and death are still uncertain.Xiao Ai and the others have no income at this time, and they have a little savings, which are almost used up.Jin Fu still lived with them. At first, it was because the road was difficult and he didn't go back to his hometown, so he added another person to sit and eat out of thin air.Jin Fu lives here, and he feels very uneasy, so he is also eager to go back.Suddenly one day, his third younger brother Jintao also came to Shanghai and said that Jin Fuxing was not in his hometown.When Jin Fu heard this, he had no choice but to stay still.Instead, another person was added to eat.The two brothers asked people to find work everywhere, and they were anxious where they could find work.

When Xiao Ai was sick, and now she was able to get up gradually, she also wanted to go out to find trouble.When people like her go out to work, the usual way out is as a servant, but she is very unwilling. She thinks that she has lived enough of that kind of labor life, and it doesn't matter if the work is more serious.She wanted to work in a factory, but there was no way out, and she couldn't get in. Jintao found a solution, and was introduced by his cousin to a stove shop to learn business. At this time, their family couldn't keep going, and Xiao Ai was so anxious that there was nothing he could do. It happened that Mr. Sun downstairs had a friend who wanted to add a maid to his family, and the Sun family recommended her.The family name of this family is Wu, and the male owner was originally a colleague of Mr. Sun. Colluded with the Japanese, doing some small illegal business.Mr. Sun looked hot-eyed and a little angry, so he told him all these things, and sighed that he himself was unwilling to do this kind of thing, otherwise he would also get rich.

When Xiao Ai arrived at Wu's house, they had already hired a cooking aunt there, and she was in charge of washing clothes, doing odd jobs and taking care of the children.That Mrs. Wu was a middle-aged woman, with a scorched yellow and pointed face, she was so thin, but her body was quite fat, with a chubby body, and she was wearing a golden brocade cheongsam.She has a temper, and she refuses to let the servant be idle for a moment, otherwise she feels that she is a bit wronged to spend the money to hire such a person.So as long as she sees people resting there and not doing anything for a while, she will think of something to do for them when she has nothing to do.Every day she ate the leftover chicken, fish and duck, she would rather pour it out than give it to the servants, saying: "Give them meat, and if they don't have any meat, they will grumble someday! Simply give them vegetarian food all year round, it would be better if they don't eat meat." I didn't make a sound." Sometimes I would scold the cooking bowl for not doing well, so I would pick it up and pour it into the spittoon, saying:

"I thought it was burnt and I gave it to you? I don't want to give it to you!" Xiao Ai couldn't stand this scolding voice the most, it seemed to be the echo of another world, and she thought it was a farewell world.But she can only endure. Although the wages here are not big, people often come to play mahjong, so there is a lot of extra money. She recommended Jin Fu to them again, and set up a store in Mr. Wu's business.Jin Fu knows a few words very well. After Jin Fu got a job, he also sent some money back home, but not long after that, his wife dragged his son and daughter to Shanghai.It's also because of the strong men in the countryside, all the men in their family ran away, and they got money if they didn't get someone. So I took several children and their youngest brother to Shanghai together.Of course, he still lives with Xiao Ai. Fortunately, Xiao Ai is now a servant and does not live at home, so Jin Fu can live in the attic with his wife and children without avoiding any suspicion. Xiao Ai sometimes goes home to have a look, and it seems that a situation of Nestlé dove has formed.But she thinks it should be, because she has no one in her natal family, she has always treated Jin Huai's family members as her close relatives.At the same time, she can never forget that she used to be a girl. People always say that girls from rich families are lazy and can't live. She wants to fight for this, so she has always been very hardworking, and always wants people to say that she is virtuous.She seldom uses her monthly income and always brings it home.Not only does Mrs. Feng rely on her for support, but even Jin Fu and his wife rely on her for support. Jin Fu's income is limited, and there are so many children waiting to be fed, which is really not enough.The youngest brother-in-law, Jin Hai, has been sent to a leather shoe store as an apprentice, and the two brothers-in-law are both studying business in the store. pay out.She sometimes complains a little bit, but whenever she sees them, she always feels very kind.Especially now, it has been almost four months since Hong Kong fell, and Jin Huai has not received a letter yet. She gradually feels desolate, horrified and hopeless. What comfort is there for her, as long as she hears their family chatting with their hometown accent, she can't help but feel a sense of warmth, and for some reason, she seems to feel more at ease. One day after dinner, Jin Fu suddenly came to Wu's house to look for Xiao Ai, and said excitedly: "Jin Huai has a letter! It arrived this morning, and they don't know about it. They won't see it until I go back." As he spoke, he took out the letter from his pocket and read it to her.It reads: "My dear wife, Yuzhen, I have arrived in Guiyang safely, so don't worry about it. After the war in Hong Kong, although we were terrified, fortunately we were not injured. However, the work of the printing office was suspended, and the boss avoided seeing each other and refused to help , so that people have nowhere to borrow money, and they live in other places. The weather in Donggang is extremely cold, we did not bring cotton clothes, and we were hungry and cold. We later decided to take the risk and walk to the inland. Now we have arrived in Guiyang, and we have found a job here. I can make ends meet for the time being. I don’t have anything else right now. I just worry that you are in Shanghai. I don’t know when you will be able to reunite again. And there is no life at home. I don’t know if you have recovered from your illness? Your health is not good, but my mother and family members I still have to rely on you to take care of it. The book is not exhaustive, husband Jin Huaibai." When Xiao Ai heard it, she couldn't feel a burst of bitterness in her heart, and two lines of tears flowed down. She originally wanted to write a reply right away, so she asked Jin Fu to write it for her, but she was a bit reluctant to ask him to write this letter, so she went to find a character tester to write it.In fact, there was nothing in it, but telling him the current situation at home in detail was just to reassure him.She also knows a few words now, and when the letter is finished, she takes it and reads it herself. She didn't write it by herself, and she always feels that there is a layer of separation.She suddenly remembered that the three typefaces of "Feng Yuzhen" he had given her before could be used as a seal to stamp one at the end of the letter.He must smile when he sees it, he has no idea that she still keeps it. The next afternoon, while Mrs. Wu was out playing cards, she slipped home to get the typeface.When Mrs. Feng saw her coming, she talked about Jin Huai's letter, because she said: "This Jin Huai is the same, and he ran to that place - didn't he go further and further away?" Xiao Ai didn't defend him either. , She didn't understand even if she thought about it. Her typeface was wrapped in a small paper bag, and it was placed in an old tooth powder box, with a big colorful butterfly printed on the box.She remembered that it was in the back corner of the drawer, but she couldn't find it after looking for it.Mrs. Feng asked: "What are you looking for in the drawer?" Xiao Ai said: "I have something in a tooth powder box, but I can't find it." Mrs. Feng said: "The other day I saw Amao playing with a tooth powder box. She must have lost it." Amao is Jin Fu's eldest daughter.Xiao Ai didn't say anything at the moment, thinking that if she asked, her sister-in-law would be overthinking, and if the things were in the child's hands, they must be gone, so asking was useless.But she was very angry and sad because of this trivial matter.At the same time, they noticed that there was a small stainless steel pot with two ears under the table, which she had lent them for use, and two pieces had been knocked out. When you have kids at home, things tend to break more easily.Jin Fu and his wife lived here with several children for two or three years, and the furniture gradually became missing arms and legs.This is nothing, Xiao Ai came back once, and saw that a mirror round her waist was also smashed, tied up with a red velvet rope, barely used, and a crack was cut across the mirror.Xiao Ai saw it, and felt very bitter.It has been two or three years since Jin Huai went to the mainland. At first, letters kept coming in. It seems that he lived in a very difficult life there. He once went to Chongqing, and later drifted to Hunan because of unemployment, where he worked in a small printing office in Hunan. worked for a period of time.This year, there has been no letter, and I don't know why.She inquired about other people, and some people said that they hadn't received a letter from "inside" for a long time. She has a little sister named Sheng Axiu who lives next door to them. One day Axiu heard that she was back, so she came over to chat with her.Only the two of them were in the attic, and Axiu was a straightforward person, and she couldn't hold back, so she told Xiaoai how her husband was betrayed. people.After talking for a long time, she suddenly remembered to ask Xiao Ai: "Do you have a letter from Jin Huai?" Xiao Ai smiled wryly: "No, I haven't had a letter for almost a year. I've heard people say that I can't believe it now. "Axiu said: "Where!Yesterday I also heard a person say that he had received a letter from a relative in Chongqing. "Hearing this, Xiao Ai couldn't help being shocked. Axiu also fell silent.After a while, Fang said: "I heard from them that almost all of these people who went to Chongqing have asked for other women. Black conscience, leave us here, and plan not to give up. I don't accept this tone—we Won’t you look for another man? Are men okay with us women? To be honest, it doesn’t matter in this kind of world now!” She blushed and spoke loudly, Xiao Ai listened to her tone as if she also There is another object. They were talking in the attic like this, and one could hear Jin Fu's wife downstairs taking out the soles of the shoes and pulling out the hemp thread one by one. At this moment, the screeching sound stopped suddenly, and she must have pricked up her ears. Listen to them.I will have to tell Mrs. Feng later. Mrs. Feng's temper is also like that of an old person. She often tells Xiaoai how bad the eldest daughter-in-law is, but she will still tell the eldest daughter-in-law that she is not good. .Xiao Ai could imagine how they would talk about her behind her back, and it must be that Axiu was there to persuade her and tell her to be more active.Originally, living outside like her, it would be very convenient to meet a boyfriend. Maybe they would suspect that she was a little unreliable.She suddenly felt very bored. She has worked so hard to earn money to support these people, but she just let them spy on her actions. In the future, Jin Huai will come back, so she can spread rumors in front of him?She has become like the widow she used to be, she has to avoid suspicion everywhere, and she is always afraid of being gossiped. Sometimes she gets angry, wishing she could leave them alone and go to the interior to find Jin Huai by herself.But his mother was entrusted to her by him, how could he ignore it?So after thinking about it, I still endured it, but I gradually felt very tired in my heart. She works in the Wu family.The Wu family is getting richer now and bought a new tricycle. One day their tricycle driver was sitting in the kitchen when a visitor came, a man and a woman, who handed him a business card at the back door. Give it to her to take it up.Xiao Ai sent the "Tao Yougeng" business card upstairs, and Mr. Wu came down immediately and let the guests sit in the living room.Xiao Ai immediately poured tea and brought it in. Before stepping into the door, she heard a voice from inside that sounded familiar. She took another step forward, and at a glance, she saw a fat man in a suit sitting on the sofa—it was Yougen.However, she is much fatter than before, her face is enlarged around her face, and the brows and eyes are narrowed, so she hardly recognizes her at first sight.Xiao Ai was holding a tray, and stood at the door in a daze.Ever since she got married, she hadn't heard any news about You Gen. It turned out that he had made a fortune.Although You Gen was sitting facing each other, he was talking there, but he didn't see her. Xiao Ai's first impulse was to go back and go to the kitchen to ask the coachman to bring the tea.Just thinking about it, when I turned around, I saw Mrs. Wu coming down the stairs. Mrs. Wu changed her clothes and came down to entertain the guests.Here Xiao Ai stood holding a tea tray blocking the door, unable to hesitate any longer, so she had to bite the bullet and walk into the living room.Mrs. Wu also came in, everyone was only paying attention to Mrs. Wu, and didn't pay much attention to this maid.Xiao Ai quietly walked around behind the sofa and put a cup of tea on the coffee table next to You Gen. He also came with a young woman in colorful clothes and put a cup of tea beside her. Mr. Wu offered them cigarettes. Yougen laughed and said, "Oh, I have it here! I have something wrong with my throat. I'm used to this brand, and my throat hurts when I eat other brands." While talking, he reached out and took out a The red gold cigarette box, open it for Mr. Wu to smoke. Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "Make your clothes wider." Two guests stood up and took off their coats. Xiao Ai was about to go out with an empty plate, but Mrs. Wu turned around and muttered to her: "The coat hangs up." Get up." Xiaoai had no choice but to go forward, and when Yougen handed the coat into her hands, he couldn't help but look at her, his face was stunned, and he looked at her a few more times, although he didn't talk to her Greeting, but also a little smile.But in Xiao Ai's eyes, this smile seemed to have a hint of sarcasm.With a straight face, she took the two overcoats indifferently, hung them on a hanger in the corner of the room, then went out and went upstairs.She went upstairs to do the laundry and never got out of the car.After a while, I suddenly heard Mrs. Wu shouting: "Mama Feng, thank you Mrs. Tao!" Presumably the rooted woman dropped the bounty before leaving.Xiaoai pretended not to hear, and did not go down.Later, at the window, I saw Yougen and the woman got on the tricycle and left, she just went downstairs.Mrs. Wu said angrily: "I didn't even call you, and no one thanked me for the money!" Xiao Ai said: "The baby woke up just now, and I changed his diaper there, so I couldn't leave." Mrs. Wu pushed a few banknotes on the table and said, "Hey, take it. You and Mama Zhao are half of each other." Xiao Ai really didn't want to take the money, but it seemed a bit strange not to take it.I had no choice but to reach out, and as soon as I got the banknote in my hand, I felt a strange feeling all over my body. She heard them talking about the two guests just now, Mr. Wu said when he would invite them to play cards, but Mrs. Wu felt that this Mrs. Tao was not formal, so she was a little reluctant.From what they said, Xiao Ai probably made a fortune by running orders.But she had mixed feelings in her heart, she never thought that You Gen would have today.Thinking about it, I really dissatisfied, Jin Huai is not as good as him in any way.At the same time, he thought: "Jin Huai is stupid. He always talks about patriotism, patriotism. What good does this country do to us poor people. You will suffer and starve all your life. If you follow the rules, you will never make it. Doing business, who knows, maybe I will still make a fortune. In my life, the grass grows in autumn, and I will live a few days with peace of mind." She made up her mind and slipped out early the next morning to discuss with Sheng Axiu. Axiu had two little sisters who belonged to the Dan Gang.Xiao Ai exchanged a pair of gold earrings and made some purchases. While doing this, she resigned from the Wu family, saying that she was going back to the countryside.People in her family disagreed with this matter. Jin Fu told Mrs. Feng many times that it is better to be a helper. If you go out, you will not come back for many days, and men and women are mixed, which is not something young women can do. .But Xiao Ai always believes that as long as a person acts upright and stands upright, and she has honed her skills after working outside for the past few years, no one should try to take advantage of her.However, going out at this time, she really couldn't imagine the chaotic situation on the journey.As long as a women's singles gang looks better, there are many barriers everywhere, and it is difficult for those "black hats" who are doing all kinds of evil to deal with it.Xiao Ai went to the single gang twice, and felt that she couldn't do it any more, so she changed her career to carrying rice.When you are lucky, you can make a lot of money by memorizing it once.But the body couldn't support it anymore, the root cause of the disease was there, and it was about to flare up due to overwork. One day Jin Fu's daughter, Amao, was squatting in the courtyard, using an old iron spoon to make briquettes there, when she heard a clattering sound, something hit the gate, she rushed out to have a look, but it was Xiao Ai who came back Somehow, he fainted at the gate, and the bag of rice on his back was thrown a few feet away.Amao cried out, and everyone came out, rushing to carry her in. Seeing that her illness was serious this time, Mrs. Feng felt a little flustered, and suggested asking a doctor to see her.The next day, her sister-in-law accompanied her to a hospital. There were a lot of outpatients in this hospital, and registration had to be arranged in shifts. The queue was very long. There were several departments of internal medicine and surgery. .Jin Fu's wife saw a nurse passing by, so she went up to ask her with a poignant smile, and before she could speak, she called "Miss" first, and said "Miss" one word at a time.The nurse looked at her clothes with a cold face, pointed slightly, and said, "Stand over there." Then he walked away. Xiao Ai watched from the side, feeling very disgusted.After the shift was registered, another shift was scheduled to wait for the doctor. Everyone crowded in a large room with turbid air and waited for several hours.Xiao Ai couldn't hold it anymore, her eyes went black for a while, and she was still reciting her illness silently, as if preparing for an exam, lest she forgot to say something when she saw the doctor, and missed that moment. Chance.Finally it was her turn, and she recited what she was going to say, and the doctor prescribed a prescription without saying anything, telling her to take the medicine and come back in three days.