Chapter 16 Chapter Fourteen

The bitter cold wind is like a sharp knife, cutting the skin and soul of the young Heizi.The cold in Quliu Village is as terrible as hunger.Cold can also sink a person into the abyss. In the coldest winter in Quliu Village, Heizi witnessed the death of an old cow. He also witnessed the death of an honest old man. Heizi was moved by Lao Niu's tears. The tears of the old man also moved Heizi. After winter, the old cattle in the production team were obviously exhausted.Generally, in the early winter season, the rice fields have to be plowed again.It was a frosty morning, the old man Wang Xigui got up early, and took a large bundle of dry straw to the cowpen. He was the breeder in charge of raising the old cattle. He couldn’t let the old cattle go hungry, although He fed it last night, but now he still has to feed it with fodder.The old cow chewed the hay slowly.The old man was very worried. A cow is afraid of the cold when it is old. Like a human, it is difficult to get up again when it falls down in the cold.

It's very cold today. There is a thick layer of white frost on the corrugated. The old man's teeth chattered, clinking up and down.He wanted the ox to be full, because after a while someone would come and take the ox to the field, and the plowman would drive it to plow the field, which was hard work and took a lot of effort. He suggested to the production team leader that this year is colder than any other year. He, Wang Xigui, has lived for more than 60 years and has never encountered such a cold winter. It is best not to let this old cow plow the field, let it rest , Let it work in the field next spring when it is warm.

The production team leader said: "Uncle Xigui, the production team only has a few cattle, and even one less cattle will not work. If there is too much land and few cattle, if the land is not turned over quickly, it will not be turned over after the winter rain, and next year's harvest will also be affected. .” The old man said nothing more. The old cow was chewing hay, and the old man was thinking about his own affairs. The production captain's whistle sounded for early work.People walked to the field in twos and threes. Li Wenzhi, the plowman, came over cursing. As he walked, he said: "The frost is so big, I'm not afraid of freezing people to death, what kind of bird labor is there! It doesn't matter if the work of plowing is delayed or delayed!"

The old man didn't like Li Wenzhi because he had a bad temper and always beat his old cow with the bamboo whip in his hand.No, Li Wenzhi was carrying a plow on his shoulder and a green bamboo whip in his hand.The bamboo whip that was about to hit the old cow made the old man angry.The old man has always been honest and honest, his anger is also in his heart, and his anger is also in his heart. If he is not in a hurry, he will not easily get angry at others.Wang Xigui is the most honest person in Quliu Village. He seldom quarrels with people in his life. Even when others bully him, he endures it without saying a word.In this way, no one will bully him. He is like the weeds in the countryside, silently changing from green to yellow in the wind of the countryside.

The old man watched helplessly as the old cow was taken away by Li Wenzhi. The cowpen was empty, and the old man hurriedly cleaned up the straw in the cowpen that was soaked in cow urine and dung, and then covered it with dry straw. He has served this cow for more than ten years, and this cow should be blessed. No one has made cattle a life of comfort like he has.Cows can easily collapse in cold weather if stalls are not kept dry. After laying the dry straw, the old man's nose flowed down.The old man is over sixty years old, and his hair and beard are all white.The children in the village call him "Grandfather White Beard", and the old man often tells stories to the children in his spare time.He couldn't have been too tall or strong when he was young, and now he is even less tall when he is old. He is a thin old man.

"Hey—" the old man exhaled a few breaths of white hot air, "Why is it so cold this year!" Thinking of the cold, he was worried about Lao Niu again. He walked towards the field step by step. He came to the edge of the field and saw Li Wenzhi holding the plow in one hand and the whip in the other, driving the oxen to plow the field.Panting heavily, the old cow walked forward step by step heavily. Where the plow passed, patches of dark soil were turned over one by one.Li Wenzhi muttered and complained endlessly. He always felt that the old cow was walking too slowly. After walking for a while, he would yell loudly and whip the old cow.After all, the cow is old, no matter how much Ren Li Wenzhi yells and pumps it hard, it will not be as strong as before.

Li Wenzhi whipped the old cow with one whip, and the whip seemed to be on the body of an old man.He said to Li Wenzhi on the ground: "Brother Wenzhi, hold your hand high and smoke it less, it is already old." Li Wenzhi said: "Don't worry, it won't kill you if you smoke it." He still continued to yell and beat the old cow. The old man said, "You will grow old too." Li Wenzhi said angrily: "It's good to be old when you're old, you'll fall down when you're dead, and you'll be punished by birds when you're alive!" The old man looked blankly at Li Wenzhi who did not show him any affection, not knowing what to do.

The sun is coming out. There was steam rising from the fields, the white steam that comes out when the frost melts in the sun. The sun shines on the old cow. Whether the old cow feels warm or not, the old man does not know.Anyway, he couldn't feel the heat of the sun, there was a huge ice cellar between the sky and the earth.The morning wind is unobstructed, sweeping from one side to the other, dancing wildly in the air like countless sharp knives. The old cow gradually struggled. It was panting heavily as it walked, and its four feet were shaking. Li Wenzhi was so angry that he whipped the old cow violently.The old cow raised his tired head, let out a long moo, and exhaled a long white gas from his mouth and nostrils.

Li Wenzhi scolded: "Damn cow, go away, you are so lazy!" He beat the old cow again and again, which was already skinny and only had a big skeleton. The old man was shaking with anger. He heard Li Wenzhi yelling at the old cow again: "Dead cow, if you don't leave, I will kill you and eat your meat!" These words sounded so vicious to the old man. He said in his mouth: "Create a crime, make a crime!" He rushed towards Li Wenzhi with a deep kick and a shallow kick. He desperately snatched the bamboo whip from Li Wenzhi's hand and threw it aside. He said to Li Wenzhi with red eyes: "Why are you so cruel? The cow is old and can't move. Can't you let it rest for a while?" Everyone will grow old, let alone a cow!"

Seeing that the old man was really angry, Li Wenzhi threw away the plow and left angrily. Li Wenzhi found the production captain who was smoking in the field: "Captain, you can't blame me, it's not that I don't want to do it, but Wang Xigui won't let me do it!" The production team leader took a puff of cigarettes and asked, "What's going on?" Li Wenzhi pointed to the old man and the cow, "You can see for yourself." The production team leader looked over there, and he saw the old man unshackle the old cow, and then led the cow to the village.

The production captain didn't make a sound. He handed Li Wenzhi an "economy" cigarette and said, "Let's smoke a cigarette!" Li Wenzhi took the cigarette and confronted the production team leader. He exhaled the smoke and said, "It's not my fault, you can't deduct my work points." The production leader said: "The cow may be really old." Li Wenzhi looked thoughtfully at the old man and the cow going away in the sun. The production team leader said, "I think it's time to add a farm ox." The continuous cold winter rain made the old man anxious. The old man changed the place for the old cow.He vacated the empty house where he kept the sundries, and led the old cow into the sundry room.Before that, he cleaned the utility room clean, and there was no cobweb on the wall and ceiling.He covered the windows tightly with tarpaulins, fearing that the bitter wind would blow in and make the old cow freeze.He spread a thick layer of straw on the floor of the utility room.Because when it rains in the cowshed, the water will flow in and wet the ground. The old cow may not be able to stand up the next morning after lying down. The cow is old. Niu felt the warmth of the old man in such a comfortable room. The old man sat in front of the old cow lying on the hay and stroked the old cow's head.The bull's eye is cloudy.The old man remembered what Niu looked like when he was young. The cow at that time was a good cow. It is tall, strong and powerful.None of the cattle in the village can compete with this one.If it fights with other bulls, it must be the winner.How much fun it was plowing at that time, not to mention one plow, even if two plows were put together, it would be too fast to pull up, and the plow hands were too tired to keep up, and they kept telling it to slow down go some. Niu was in high spirits when he was young. That look filled the old man with a sense of happiness when he thought about it, because he raised the cow.How much painstaking effort he spent growing from a crooked calf to a strong and majestic one! Flames flickered in the old man's eyes. At that time, he was still young, but now he and Niu are both old and vulnerable. He is looking forward to the sunny weather. When the weather is about to be sunny, he will take the cow to the hillside to graze at noon. It can eat some grass that is not frozen to death, and it can also bask in the sun in the wild. His own mood may be Can also get grazed. Over the years, his fate and that of the cow have been linked together. The sky finally cleared. As soon as the sky cleared and the sun came out, it became much warmer.But the weather is really warm on the days when there is no wind, and the days when the wind is blowing are still very cold.The sun is like lukewarm water that can never be boiled. It is dying, but it is better than rainy days. On windy days, the old man will not lead the cows out. When there was no wind, the old man took the cow out.On the hillside warmed by the sun, the cows are grazing leisurely. The old man sat on the grass and looked at the distant mountains.The vast mountains made him feel dull, and he could not lift his eyelids. Since the beginning of this winter, he has always had a runny nose and cough, and his chest seemed to be blocked by a huge boulder. His eyes were also dazzled and he felt dizzy. When the old cow was full, he leisurely walked up to the old man, lay down, and leaned his head against the old man's body.The old man stroked the cow's head, and the cow's eyes blinked, as if enjoying the caress and warmth of the old man. The old man will think of a past event that is still fresh in his memory. That was a thing when the cow was not yet an adult. It seems to be on another hillside, the old man took it out to graze.The old man saw that the cow was full and lying on the hillside chewing, so he went to relieve it.When he turned around, he saw the little cow turned over on his back, kicking his legs upside down.White foam mixed with green grass spit out from the cow's mouth, the cow's tears kept flowing, and the cow let out a desolate cry: "Moo—" He was terrified.He ran back to the village and called the production team leader.It was dusk at that time, and the production team leader said, "No, the cow has been poisoned!" He hurriedly said to the old man, "Xigui, hurry up to the town and ask for a veterinarian, hurry up!" The old man ran toward the town desperately. He was very anxious. If the cow died, he would be restless for the rest of his life.There are more than 20 miles of mountain roads from Quliu Village to the town.He ran wildly on the mountain road, and passers-by said: "This man is walking in such a hurry, he is not going to a funeral." When he came to the commune, it was already dark. He went to the veterinary station and found the station master.At that time, the head of the veterinary station was very enthusiastic and really served the people. Everyone called him "Old Huang".When Lao Huang saw Wang Xigui coming in, he hurriedly asked, "Xigui, what's the matter?" Everyone in the commune knew him, Lao Huang.Wang Xigui said out of breath, "It's not good, it's not good." Lao Huang poured him a glass of water, "Xigui, speak slowly, speak slowly." Wang Xigui drank his saliva and breathed a sigh of relief Said: "The yellow ox in our production team has been poisoned." When Lao Huang heard this, his expression changed immediately. He knew that the ox must have eaten the wrong poisonous weed, and it would be very dangerous if it was not rescued in time.Lao Huang put the medicine box on his back, picked up the flashlight, rode on the old bicycle that rang everything except the bell, and hurried to Quliu Village.Before leaving, he said to Wang Xigui, "Xigui, you have dinner at my house first, and you go back after dinner, I'm leaving first." How could Wang Xigui eat it? He ran after Lao Huang's bicycle. Lao Huang wanted to take him with him, but the mountain road was small, so he couldn't take people with him at all, and sometimes he had to get out of the car and carry his bicycle on his back. At the beginning, Wang Xigui and Lao Huang could keep a certain distance, but after a long time, Wang Xigui couldn't see Lao Huang anymore. Wang Xigui was running. Let’s not talk about Wang Xigui first, let’s talk about Lao Huang riding a bicycle to Quliu Village. The sun-drying flat at the entrance of the village is full of people holding torches. "Lao Huang is here, Lao Huang is here." People said happily that the arrival of Lao Huang meant that Niu Gu was saved. The production team leader immediately asked people to move out of the way. Lao Huang walked up to the cow without saying a word, rolled the eyelids of the dying cow, and said, "Bring a pot of sweet potato powder water." Soon, a pot of sweet potato The water made from the powder was sent to Lao Huang, who put the water beside him.He asked two young and strong men to hold the bull's head, then picked up a pointed bamboo tube, filled a basin with sweet potato powder water, pried open the bull's mouth, and poured water into it.After a while, a pot of sweet potato powder water was poured into the cow's stomach. "Are you all right, Lao Huang?" the production team leader asked anxiously. Lao Huang didn't speak. He opened the medicine box, took out a pack of white powdered medicine, put it in a bamboo tube, added water, shook it well, and then fed it to the cow. Lao Huang watched the cow. Everyone is also watching the cow. A man who looked like a bastard said: "I think this cow is dying, so just kill it and share some beef!" The production team leader yelled at him angrily: "Bastard!" The boy stuck out his tongue, retracted it, and didn't dare to speak anymore. Time passed minute by minute. Suddenly, the cow turned over and stood up staggeringly, spitting out a mess of things, including sweet potato powder water, grass, and other miscellaneous things.After vomiting, the bull groaned. Everyone let out a long sigh of relief. The cow was rescued. The production captain was very happy.He wants to keep Lao Huang for dinner.Lao Huang refused: "No, no, I have to go back!" The production team leader let a young man snatch his bicycle and his medicine box, and said, "It's so late, don't go back, night Live at my house, I’ll let my wife kill all the chickens, and I’m waiting for you to come! Go, have a drink!” Lao Huang was very helpless, so he had no choice but to be as hospitable as he wanted. The production team leader, Lao Huang and the production team cadres were drinking and drinking, and Lao Huang suddenly said, "I wonder if Xigui has come back?" The production team leader said, "Yes, I don't know if Xigui has come back." Keep it and go to Xigui's house to have a look.Custodian came to Xigui's house and saw Xigui's son feeding the rescued cow.The custodian asked, "Your father hasn't come back, has he?" Xigui's son is also an honest man, he only cares about feeding the cows and doesn't care whether his father has come back, so he immediately said, "No wow!" The custodian went back and called back to the production team leader. Lao Huang said: "It's not right. He should be back. We came out together. He doesn't have a flashlight or a torch. He walks alone at night in the dark. Will something happen? I think we should send a few people to look for it. .” The production team leader immediately dispatched several people to find habits with Xigui's son. As a result, they found Wang Xigui who slipped and fell off the cliff under a cliff.Wang Xigui broke his leg and was moving up the mountain.When he saw the people who came looking for him, the first thing he said was, "Has the cow been rescued?" One of them said, "Wang Xigui, you are about to die and you still care about the cattle and birds!" Wang Xigui ignored him and asked: "Has the cow been saved?" His son said, "It has been saved." Then he let out a long breath. The old cow's panting became heavier day by day, and it was getting colder and colder.The old man is heartbroken.He woke up from the cold in the middle of the night.The sky that has been cloudy for several days has snowflakes.As soon as the old man went out, he saw heavy snow falling all over the sky.The old man had never seen such a heavy snow, he was panting in the cold, his chest was extremely tight. He lit a lantern and walked towards the utility room.As soon as he opened the door, he saw the old cow squatting there with its head raised high. It had a runny nose like an old man, and the long sticky nose dragged to the ground, which were two clear lines.The old man's heart tightened. Seeing the old man, the old cow struggled to stand up, but before he could stand up, he collapsed on the ground.It tried to stand up again, but fell heavily to the ground before standing up as before. The old man's tears flowed out, and the old cow finally collapsed. He immediately went back to the room, took out his old bed of cotton wool, and covered the old cow.He stroked the old cow's head.Snowflakes are falling outside the house. ... Early the next morning, the old man's son came to the utility room after getting up.In order to reassure the old man, he would come to the utility room early every day to take care of the old cow.As soon as he opened the door, he stayed.The old cow was crying silently, and the old man was lying on the cow, his body was already frozen.The lantern has not been extinguished, like an ever-burning lamp lit by the old man for himself. Many people came, and so did the sunspots. He watched as people carried out the frozen old man.The old man's face was serene, without a trace of pain.He was always so weak, and he died as silently as he lived. After burying the old man, the end of the old cow has come. It didn't survive the winter, but it didn't die of old age, it was killed.The production team leader had someone get the old cow into the snow in Shaiguping at the head of the village.The old cow was completely paralyzed, and it looked at the white world speechlessly.Those snow-covered mountains and forests seem to wear mourning for the elderly.The old cow didn't struggle in the snow, it was waiting for the slaughter of people. "It's time to slaughter a cow!" All the adults and children in the village came to watch the slaughter of cattle on Saiguping.Heizi also came.He thought the cow would die of old age naturally, and after it died, he would bury it with the old man Wang Xigui, but he didn't expect that the village officials decided to kill the cow, and each household would share some beef to eat, and the old cowhide could be exchanged. I paid for shoes and drinks. The production team leader found a strong man, brought a big ax and came to Shauguping.The production team leader said: "All the children go back. You can't watch the slaughter of cattle. You will have nightmares after watching it!" The children had runny noses and all giggled. Heizi said in his heart: "Production Captain, please be merciful. Don't kill the old cow, let it go away quietly." Heizi looked at the snow-covered plowed fields, and a sad singing sound passed through. his soul.He always had no way to prevent death from happening, which made him feel helpless and vulnerable. He heard the voice of Chimao Granny reciting scriptures. The voice was mysterious and distant. He believed that he was the only one who could hear the inner voice of the Chimao Granny. The old woman who had lived for an unknown amount of time and devoted herself to the Buddha had a kind of enduring power in her heart that made Heizi tremble. The old cow seemed to know that he was going to be killed, and it suddenly "mooed--".The cry was full of desperation and helplessness, as if shouting: "Who will save me!" No one will answer it, neither will the sky, nor will the earth answer it.It must be colder than the thinly dressed sunspot at this time.Its coldness comes from the depths of life.The old cow's tears flowed silently, and those eyes reminded Heizi of two icy flames that were about to be extinguished. The production team leader covered the old cow's eyes with a rag. This is such a hypocritical act. You want to kill it and eat its delicious meat, but you are also afraid of those eyes, the tearful eyes.Heizi had a feeling of hatred for the production team leader. The man raised his big axe and slashed down on the middle of the bull's head. "Wow--" A child cried out in fright, and Heizi went to pick up the child and walked towards the village. That night, Heizi's family was also given a piece of beef.The boatman ate with relish.Heizi's tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn't eat anything that night.He thought to himself, if the old man Wang Xigui knew the ending of Lao Niu, would he be at peace?His soul is in the sky, looking down on the people in Quliu Village.That night, there was also a person who did not eat beef like Heizi, and that was Wang Xigui's son. The next spring, the production team bought another calf.The calf was handed over to the honest son of Wang Xigui to raise it.When Heizi saw Wang Xigui's son leading the cow to the sunny grassy slope, that desolate song would ring in his heart.