There are not many passengers on the train from Helen to Helen, and there are plenty of empty seats to choose from. Little Six and I found a secluded area and sat down side by side, snuggling up to each other.
I gently put my arms around Xiao Liu, her head resting on my shoulder, and we leisurely looked out the window: out of the car window was an endless crop, a green patch of one after another, occasionally passing by villages, some villages really did not look big, three or three farmhouses scattered in the crop fields, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the chimneys, a few swallows flew in the air, the big yellow dogs lay in the shade of the trees asleep, and the chickens and ducks in the yard were leisurely walking and foraging, presenting a picture of idyllic rural life.
When I was a child, I always lived in the countryside, the country roads, the small rivers on the side of the road, the women laughing and washing clothes by the river, the children chasing and playing on the fluffy grass, all of which are hazy memories of childhood. When I was five years old, my father returned to the city, and we only moved to the county town, but every year I would follow my parents back to visit my relatives, so I had a special affection for the countryside. Many years later, after Xiao Liu and I settled in the city, I also fantasized about having my own house and courtyard with her on the outskirts of the city, planting my favorite vegetables, raising a little chicken, duck, goose and dog, taking a book when I had time, sitting on a rattan chair under the grapevine and reading it, away from the fast pace of the city, and allowing myself to slow down and enjoy life. Whenever Xiao Liu and I talked about this, she could always pull me back to reality, she said: "For you to idle, you will live for a few days, there is endless work in the countryside, weeding and fertilizing, feeding ducks and dogs, cleaning up the garden, holding firewood and burning kang, tired to death, even in the mood to enjoy", "also read books, you think about not turning over books for several years, every day holding your mobile phone to play, go to the countryside to disconnect the Internet for a day you can't stand it", "You are lazy, you can't even marry your daughter-in-law in rural life."
Now think about it, as long as you can be with the person you love, no matter where you live, the conditions are happy.
The train is still moving between the fields and the countryside without hurry. Xiao Liu pointed to a small earthen house and said to me, "You see, my house is like this, you won't abandon it." I said, "I can hate it, I just want you, I don't care about anything else." I think Little Six said this on purpose, like a joke with me, and like he was testing me. In the twin cities and counties, such earthen houses are rare, even in the countryside, it is also my impression when I was a child, and later with the development of social and economic development, basically every household is red brick and blue tile houses. In fact, Xiao Liu is telling the truth, my answer is also the real idea, I care about her people, the rest does not matter.
The train slowly stopped at Helen Railway Station, we got off the train with our luggage, a neighbor sister and brother-in-law of Xiao Liu drove a Songhuajiang mini car to pick us up, her home is not far from the train station, after more than ten kinds we arrived home, the house is the same as Xiao Liu described, but the front and back gardens are very large, almost the size of a basketball court. In addition to some vegetables and corn, there were several tall fruit trees and plum trees in the garden, the branches of which were full of ripe red fruits, a few old hens in the yard, and a pig in the pigsty. All of this is the idyllic life I yearn for, the idyllic life that I love.
Many years later, their father-in-law and mother-in-law also moved to Mudanjiang, and the house and the compound were left idle, and it was not long before they were sold to others at a low price of several thousand yuan. At that time, I was in a different opinion, I suggested not to sell it first, the location is relatively close to the city, should be left to see if there are other developments in the future. Then the little sister went back to see the old house, said that it has been demolished and rebuilt, and now it has been built into a farm, and Xiao Liu and I have never gone back to see it, and I miss the old house, and I miss the fruit trees...
Only the mother-in-law was at home, the father-in-law came back the next day after he went out to sell cigarettes, and the little sister came back from the weekend of high school in the county. They welcomed me warmly, cooked a lot of dishes, and I drank a lot of wine with my father-in-law at the table. We also went to Helen County together to take a shower, take photos, and visit the mall. My mother-in-law bought me a pair of pants, which I loved and wore for a long time, until they were washed white and had to be thrown away. Xiao Liu also used the money he earned to change a larger TV set for his family.
In her spare time, Xiao Liu and I walked around the village, and she took me to the village elementary school where she had studied, the orchard where she used to play when she was a child, and a small road and a small bridge that she needed to walk to enter the city to go to school. She told me that what she used to fear most was the path, in the summer, both sides of the road were long and tall corn, the wind rustled, as if there would be bad people or terrible animals popping out at any time, every day after school she had to go with a few neighbors' children to dare to go, afraid that the teacher would stay in the church or have other things delayed, the other children had already left, Xiao Liu could only go home with a hard scalp, if it was a rainy day, it would be even worse.
Primary Six is the village elementary school that left in the fifth grade. In order to let her receive a better education, her mother-in-law transferred her to the school in the county town, away from home, and Xiao Liu had to stay at her aunt's house in the city. Later in junior high school, Xiao Liu grew up a little, and often went home with classmates in the same village, every day to go back and forth for more than ten kilometers, a long part of which is still a country road, although it is hard, but Xiao Liu still likes to run home, after all, children will feel that the place where their parents are is home. Once, xiao liu was late from school, she went home by herself, that day the rain was particularly heavy, soaked xiao liu, walking alone on the muddy path, each step, the feet will sink into the mud, need to pull out hard, and then the next step into the sinking. When she stumbled to the edge of the small bridge, it was already dark, and the water of the usually dry river had risen to the point where it had not crossed the small bridge. Unable to distinguish which is the river water and which is the bridge deck, Xiao Liu can only feel the water flowing across the bridge. Listening to the sound of rushing water, she groped forward little by little, and when she was about to cross the bridge, she also fell down, and she fell all over the muddy water. Xiao Liu said that in the end she climbed back home with a rolling belt, and when she got home, she cried loudly and frightenedly, and her mother-in-law looked at her, and she was distressed and angry, and scolded her, scolding him why he still came home in such weather, and should live in his aunt's house in the county town. Xiao Liu and I were very calm when they recounted this matter, but I listened to it very sadly, I learned about her unusual growth experience, I knew that her childhood life was not as happy as other children, I secretly vowed to be good to her, do my best to protect her, do my best to give her the best, I want her to be happy, forever happy. But then I didn't do well, and I didn't fully fulfill my vows.
Xiao Liu and I said that the experience of living in my aunt's house, my aunt was very good to her, and my cousin treated her well, but when a child grew up slowly, she would always feel uncomfortable living in someone else's house, even if it was her own aunt's house, even if everyone was good to her, she always had a feeling of sending people under the fence.
In the second grade of primary six junior high school, the little sister also transferred to the school in the county, so that the two children moved out on their own. The two of them rented a house together, bought pots and pans, and a gas canister. My father-in-law and mother-in-law could not come to the county town to accompany them due to work reasons, but they would often come to see them and bring them some daily necessities such as changing clothes and vegetables and rice noodles. The rest of the time, is the two of them dependent on each other, in addition to their own study, Xiao Liu also has to take care of the little sister who is in elementary school to eat and live, responsible for buying vegetables and cooking, combing the little sister's hair, and sometimes the two ladies will have some small contradictions and small quarrels. Many years later, Xiaomei recalled that experience and felt that Xiaoliu took care of her like a parent at that time, so that when she grew up, Xiaomei also relied on this sister for many things, and she would feel that her sister was there, and her sister would think of ways for her. During that time, Xiao Liu and Xiao Mei often moved houses and changed houses, and each time they carried the gas canister and carried the luggage roll by themselves. Xiao Liu and I told me about the various landlords they had experienced: there were husbands looking for Xiao San, there were couples who often fought, there were kindergartens at home - the kindergarten children also told their parents that the two sisters were very poor. There were generous aunts who beckoned them to have breakfast together, and there were also vile landlords who insisted on deducting their money for a key.
The experience of staying at her aunt's house and renting her own house made Xiao Liu learn to observe and observe colors and treat people and things at a very young age. This is also a point that I appreciate her, she has a very good way of getting along with people, making friends with people with sincerity, ushering in the send-off, whether it is relatives, or classmates, friends and colleagues, everyone is very recognized by her. Xiao Liu is always able to seriously analyze, correctly judge, and deal with things calmly, I am with her, whenever I can't make up my mind, I will ask for her opinion, she can always give me good advice, is a competent helper.
At Xiao Liu's house, she turned over the previous photos to show me. There is a picture of herself, about twelve or thirteen years old, when she was thin and skinny, standing on her side in front of the house, with a shy expression and a shy look. Her right eye has a little squint, and Xiao Liu said that what she found when she was seven or eight years old, it was not obvious at first, and slowly affected her appearance and vision. Xiao Liu said that he could be corrected by surgery, but his grandfather was conservative and afraid that the doctor would blind his eyes and did not agree to the operation. In the third year of high school, under the repeated insistence of Xiao Liu, her father-in-law took her to Harbin for corrective surgery, in fact, this was only a small operation, the operation was successful, and the recovery was also very good. Xiao Liu said that time in Harbin, she ate pot wrapped meat for the first time, in the hospital bed, blindfolded, her father-in-law fed her food, pot wrapped meat chewed in her mouth, crisp and sweet really delicious.
If this surgery had been performed at a young age, Xiao Liu's childhood would not have been ridiculed and bullied so much. Xiao Liu and I said about the class, she went to the city to study in the countryside, the family conditions are general, the academic performance is not good, the eyes are squinting, the teacher can't look at her, many classmates also exclude her, the naughty male classmates in the class give her nicknames, deliberately find her every day to bully her, and even openly snatch her school bag in front of everyone in the class, throw the books all over the ground, so angry that she squatted on the ground alone and cried loudly, and the ears were a piece of laughter from other students in the class. Little Six asked me, if I had known her at that time, would I still like her? At that time, it seemed that every class was the same, there were naughty boys, bullied girls. I thought about it, in fact, I am a naughty boy in the class, but I will not bully others, if I met Xiao Liu at that time, I would be very sympathetic to her and would also help her, but would I like her? I do not know. I like the current little six, if such a thing happens to the little six now, I will beat the bully who beat her to the knees and prostrate myself, I will not let my beloved person be hurt a little, I will use my life to protect her.
In the few days I spent at Xiao Liu's house, I liked to eat her family's meals the most. Many of the vegetables we eat are grown in our own homes, and we eat them freshly, the ingredients are good, and the cooking skills of our mother-in-law are also great. In particular, the beans in the garden can be stewed until they bubble, which is the best I have ever eaten, and I have never eaten such a good carob again. My aunt also made a point of coming to see us from the city. When the aunt came, she specially brought some tobacco leaves, and she took it out very cherishedly and said to her mother-in-law: This is a good thing, it is specially planted by the trustees without chemical fertilizer and pesticides, and it is healthy to smoke this cigarette. Xiao Liu smiled and said: Smoking itself is unhealthy, the nicotine ingredient in the tobacco leaf itself is toxic, and it is also used to distinguish whether there is a fertilizer or pesticide! It made us laugh. My aunt later checked out the tumor, and died a few years after I married Xiao Liu, and Xiao Liu did not meet her for the last time, nor did she have time to rush back to send her on the last journey, which became a regret for Xiao Liu, and she always felt very guilty.
In the countryside, when the melons, fruits and vegetables are ripe, they can't eat at home. After the sand fruits and plums of the Xiaoliu family are ripe, the relatives and friends of the left and right bureaus can be picked vigorously, the father-in-law and mother-in-law bring people to be warm and generous, who comes to pick fruits and vegetables they are very welcome, even so, the melons and fruits and vegetables in the garden before and after can not be eaten. Xiao Liu pondered that this was a pollution-free agricultural product, and the people in the city would definitely like it. So we picked up two large bags and rode two bicycles to the city to catch the market. At this time, vegetables are concentrated in a large number of listings, the price is extremely low, we squatted in the market for an afternoon and did not sell much, and finally saw that the sky was getting late, all at a discount. Two large bags of vegetables sold for less than ten yuan, and we posted some money to buy two large watermelons and brought them home. On the way home, my bicycle brakes failed, and on a downhill road, I rushed straight down, fortunately, I chose a vegetable field in a hurry and turned in, although the fall was not light, the watermelon was saved. This experience and many years later we rushed to the market experience is similar, that time we are buying new year paintings, counting nine cold days we drove to the set, only sold five yuan a morning, the people who collected the management fee looked at us and did not want to charge my fee, just shook our heads at us, sighed and said next time don't come, money is not easy to earn, on the way back, the reversing mirror was broken. For so many years, Xiao Liu and I have been working hard, hoping that hard work can make our economic situation better and materially richer. Xiao Liu has been a tour guide, I have sold paintings, we have purchased equipment to produce puffed food, we have entered the bed sheets and quilts to be peddled in the market, we have also opened barbecue shops with noodle restaurants, sold rice and liquor, but the balance of wealth has never tilted towards us, all our attempts have not been successful, our life is still plain, but the goddess of luck is still very kind to us, we have nothing else to do in addition to wealth, houses, children, cars as scheduled, Like many ordinary families, along with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, our little days can be regarded as prosperous.
After a few days in Xiao Liu's house, it was time for me to go back to the Twin Cities, I don't know if my first visit was approved by her family, I think her family did not raise objections, I was successful. My father-in-law and mother-in-law prepared a 500 yuan gift for me, and I secretly stayed at her house. Back in the Twin Cities, pushing open the door of my home, my mood fell to the bottom.
On the day I got home, my parents had not returned from selling sour tea outside, and as soon as I entered the house, I found that inside the big house, the hot pot dinner table I ate before leaving had not been cleaned up, and the leftovers on the table had already been worms, causing countless flies to buzz and fly, and it took me a long time to clean up. I know that my parents must be busy doing business these days, they have not been to the big house, they may not have eaten seriously in the past few days, they are too hard. I began to reflect on myself, my parents worked hard to provide me with college, I ate and drank during college, I fell in love when I didn't graduate and didn't work, I grew up so old and have always asked for my family, and I haven't paid a little return. I always felt like I was still in school, and the hardships of family life didn't need me to bear. My parents were in their sixties, still running in the wind and the sun, and I didn't fulfill a little filial piety, not even the most basic company. I can say that I am not ashamed of people and things on the outside, but I owe too much to my parents. At this moment, I strengthened my belief even more: after graduation, I can no longer use my parents' hard-earned money and no longer add a little burden to my family.
