Author 丨 Cao Xu
"Oh, this is Leader Lee." The big-eyed Leader Li nodded at me, and I smiled in greeting.
"This is Zhang Wen'er."
"Oh! belch! Master Cao don't listen to Sister Ju, you call me a mosquito, call me a mosquito! ”
Zhang Wen is thin, with large eyes and a light complexion. I took his outstretched hand, shook it, and said, "Hello, hello."
Xiao Ju also did not look at me, and after introducing me, he ordered everyone: "There are four deliveries today, the Tenth Middle School, the Municipal Vocational Education Center, the Elevator Company, and the Yingchang Pharmacy." Finish early and finish early! ”
Her charming eyes crossed my shoulders, as if looking at the tung tree behind me: "Master Cao, you have designed the route." He turned his head again and said, "Leader Li, Zhang Wen'er, you two come with me to inspect the goods." ”
A tall, short and slender figure gradually faded away.
After a heavy rain, between the buildings of the city, the sky is clear, the warehouse yard of the pharmaceutical company, the few trees, a row of freshly washed vehicles is fresh. The lane is curved and leaves are left on the ground.
1
The Tenth Middle School was originally in the city center, but has now moved to the western suburbs and belongs to the Balingqiao Office.
I made a gesture to open the navigation of the car, and the spectacle lenses of The leader of the li team flashed the tall buildings on both sides of the street, waved his hands and said, "Master Cao does not use it, I know the road." ”
The mosquito said, "Master Cao, Master Cao, listen to him." Old Ten Middle School, that is my alma mater, the principal Zhou Hunyuan, is my teacher, he taught me it! Later, I went to the head of the county education bureau! I heard that this person is now gone and has died of cancer. Leader Lee, hey Principal Lee, you know this! You know this best! ”
Zhang Wen didn't know why he asked Leader Li. Group Leader Li, who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, was silent, and after a long time, he responded slightly.
Mosquito said: "Principal Zhou at that time was also the class teacher of the third grade, with a sharp mouth, he knew a lot, especially he could say, talking about Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Pair", one lecture was six or seven lessons. Now I know that those strange things are the content of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"! However, you see, he talked about the premier and Premier Zhou's "Ten Miles Long Street to Send the Prime Minister", but he couldn't go on a single lesson, and he couldn't go on talking, so he went to the door of the classroom to wipe his tears in a moment. I was young at the time and didn't know why he was? What was he crying about? It's really a bit inexplicable, and there's a little bit of mixed emotion, and now I know it's sadness. Now everyone understands that it is a true temperament! It's About Premier Zhou! How did such a good person get a terminal illness? Tell me, Principal Lee? ”
Leader Li was silent and did not reply, and from time to time held out his finger to show me the way.
Just like this, gossip for a while, old news for a while, most of the time is somewhat awkwardly silent, as if only the roadside scenery is a thousand meters and a thousand meters to make a sound.
The small city should see the water in the blink of an eye.
In recent years, the city's water system has been transformed, and the original narrow waterway with lush green trees on the shore has been expanded into a lake, but what I see today is disappointing, probably the opening of the floodgates and discharges, the wide river channel is half naked, the mud is gray and twilight, and there is a burst of fishy commotion, and the scenery of the water and sky is not seen.
Group Leader Li and the Tenth Middle School are more familiar, and the teachers of the logistics department are greeted at the gate, talking and laughing with each other, and handing over the work very warmly.
This famous middle school, after moving away from the city center, not only the basic conditions are modernized, other aspects of the conditions are equally good, just what we want to distribute is relatively complete, some expensive protective clothing, protective goggles have 30 sets of complete, and the basic things of the hood needless to say more than 40 boxes.
2
On the way back. Group Leader Li was a little excited, but he only smacked his lips and said a few idle words, turning back to the mosquito and asking: "Didn't you say that a few days ago, one of your classmates drank and fell into a ditch and had an accident?" ”
Just now, Some Depressed greeted Zhang Wen, who was a little depressed and greeted the Teacher of the Tenth Middle School to count the goods, and at this time, he replied leisurely: "Falling into the ditch is not drinking alcohol and dying, it is lifting the bar to death." ”
Zhang Wen then hummed and spoke, obviously beginning to glow with passion again: "Oh! That year, a dozen of us went to Dengfeng to climb the mountain, and heard that we had arrived at the General Hall - you should know the General Hall, the General Hall near the Shaolin Temple - everyone ate and drank, almost full of wine, gossiped and bragged, saying that not far ahead was the famous 'Cliff Corridor'. Legend has it that thirteen years ago, there were two donkey friends who were exploring rock climbing, accidentally trapped at the same time, Luoyang and Yanshi came to rescue, if only one was rescued, the other would lose his life. belch! He's dead.
What's going on? At that time, the donkey friends said that the time was not early, so let's go back. However, there were two guys, who were originally on the road, and no one obeyed anyone, and the two stubborn donkeys raised the bar at this time. One of them said, what 'cliff promenade'? I've climbed twice, and it's so dangerous! The other said, "Did you climb up the road?" Did you climb up the past? You bragging! I really climbed once, it was dangerous! Why don't we try it?
Just like that, just like that, the two people had to try, ate the donkey meat jerky and ate the beef, drank the wine, and coaxed.
Of course, everyone wanted to persuade them, and they all said not to go, but the leader could not be persuaded. The result can be imagined, after more than half an hour, the two were trapped at the same time, the leader went to the rescue, and finally the leader and the guy who lifted the bar, both of them fell down and fell to their deaths. It was normal or fine, it was mainly raining in those days, plus was there a ghost there to ask for his life? Oh——!
Since then, what kind of car have you ridden and what mountain have you climbed? Usually at home can not control their mouths and quarrels with their wives, originally with a group of friends to go out to hide, try to be quiet and leisurely, the result is that everyone is familiar, they began to quarrel again, quarrel to lift the bar, have been carrying themselves to death, hard to carry themselves to death.
It's a pity that the leader, that's a good brother. Oh, climbing a mountain and falling to your death, it is better to drink and drink to death. ”
Speaking of this, the people in the car were silent for a long time, who said "go down to facilitate it", and the vehicle stopped under a row of poplar trees on the north and south roads. There is a breeze coming from the southwest, stirring thousands of green leaves, like a piece of incessant applause, and like the thousands of whispers before each meeting.
3
"It was a pity that he fell to his death at a young age and died in a foreign country!" Didn't you ask Zhou Hunyuan? Leader Li said quietly, spitting out a mouthful of green smoke in his mouth, and the smoke flowed over and the wind scattered, gradually passing away, and another puff of smoke slowly came out, a steady stream.
Group leader Li said: "There is a tradition of leadership in the past ten years, and over the past ten years, several presidents have been promoted, from the Propaganda Department to colleges and universities, and even the organization department, and one once went to Luoyang as the secretary general of the municipal party committee.
Principal Zhou was first appointed secretary of the county education bureau, and then became the director of the bureau in the third year.
The area under the jurisdiction of the county is very wide, the population is large, of course, there are many schools, there are more teachers, the tasks are complicated, it is not easy for the grass-roots level to understand the situation, and it is not easy to grasp the first-hand information.
The principal of a middle school, even if it is a middle school principal of a large school of more than 10,000 people, let him manage a large bureau and a group of schools, and do a good job in the education of the whole county. I think it's the organizational department that's not well thought out. I heard that Luohe City has this precedent, let a principal to manage the Education Bureau, it did not take long to fall, things messed up.
Principal Zhou is a good person, knowledgeable, and his personal so-called ability is also strong, but I heard that, well, that is what kind of leadership he offended, that year, the county organization department in accordance with the policy of retiring at the age of 53, engaged in one-size-fits-all, cut it down.
In fact, he and the leaders always had disputes about some issues, always loved to be reasonable, especially at the county-wide education conference, they did not choose their words, they told a lot of truths that violated the law, they did not understand the overall situation, they scolded many leaders for their 'face matters', and the audience applauded a lot, but they were caught by people, saying that he did not pay attention to politics, did not pay attention to principles, and could not get on the table.
To say that he can control his legs, do not run for office, even if the head of the authorities, it is only one of the above classmates who took the initiative to help him, that is, a drink at the party, and the classmates will help him with the water. He can also control his own hand, never stretch out his hand, do not collect money, run financial projects, all for the current ten relocation, but he just can't control his mouth. ”
Principal Li spat out another puff of green smoke, and Yuanyuan continued, "After he was cut off, his heart was unbalanced. Think about the work that has been done for decades, why all at once? The average person basically can't stand it. Look around, who can stand it? Ever been shipwrecked for water wasn't it?
After coming down, not going out at home every day, in fact, I was sulking, unwilling to see people, and disappointed in those different faces.
The family persuaded and persuaded, and went out to relax.
Go out, and go to play cards every day, all of them are those retired leaders who are full of complaints, scolding and grinning, and there is no moderation.
Smoking is also a pack of smoking every day, the body has been uncomfortable but do not care about him, to the body can not stand, to the central hospital a check, lung problems, and then to Zhengzhou to re-examination, really lung cancer.
Just like that, died, only two daughters remained, just like that, died, retired from the inside to death, a year and a half, died. ”
"Killed!" Leader Li, no, it was Principal Li, sighed lightly, threw away the cigarette butt with a wave of his hand, and his long arm stayed in the slight breeze, pointing directly to the northwest, which was the direction of the Jade Emperor Ridge Cemetery.
4
The Municipal Vocational Education Center is located in the southeast direction of the city. Principal Li said, "Old Yao, you lead them up to drink water, drink some tea, and get some good tea!" I'll take stock of the rest of the truck. ”
Principal Yao was not good at talking, his face was solemn, and led us to sit in the office on the second floor for a while, and then let us enter the side room, which was equally wide, with a bed and a set of tea tables and chairs imitating mahogany, two iron cabinets, and under the corner of the cabinet were two boxes of white wine.
When the two teas were served and the cows were drinking, Principal Yao went out to answer a phone call, Zhang Wen was not very patient, and said some news of drinking and dying, which were legends of eating and drinking brain hemorrhage, and those who always had his friends and classmates.
Chattering about domestic violence and death and freezing to death, Principal Yao and Principal Li came back one after the other, Zhang Wen could not stop, still talking.
Say that the brother has been beating his wife for a long time, his wife is a meter sixty-five tall, is a geography teacher, thin, still beautiful, will not scold people, dirty words will not say, just let her husband fight around, drunk and beaten, do not drink, do not go well when they are not happy, the wife loves face, does not tell the family, does not go to divorce and does not divorce.
When Zhang Wen said this, I interjected: "You said that you are a friend, and he beat his wife for no reason." Is he more than a meter and eight tall or a law enforcement officer? ”
Zhang Wen'er shook her head and said, "Then there must be some handle to catch it, right?" Or the teacher. ”
Group Leader Li, who was talking to Principal Yao next to him, put down his teacup and said, "Mosquito, wait until the unloading is finished, let's go, and then spray it when the time comes." ”
Zhang Wen was on his head, and he wanted to give the story an ending, so he had to lean down and whisper: "That night, oh, the brothers of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau were drunk again, and a few colleagues braved the snow to send him downstairs, rang the doorbell and called for his sister-in-law, and those people walked away, and the next day, you guessed?" The brothers froze to death in the snow pile, that night, the snow was particularly large, no one found out, at 6 o'clock when the passers-by kicked, already dead, frozen to death. ”
The light in the room, unknown like the aroma of wine under the iron cabinet, has been haunting, and the words of people who have broken people's words are not covered by masks, but you can see that there is really a mask on the mahogany tea table, which has not collapsed, and does not say a word under the support of that line of cartilage, which is a mask that has been used and is to be discarded.
Principal Li declined the invitation of his classmates and said gently: "You can't drink alcohol at noon, and you still have goods to send in the afternoon." There is time to make another appointment. ”
5
The morning task was completed, and the way back was not easy.
Leader Li said: "Mosquitoes, mosquitoes, I hinted at you a few times, interrupted you a few times, you don't understand?" What reason do you not know? Hey, my old classmate invited us to dinner, and you can't stay with that! ”
"Oh, Principal Li, Principal Li, what's up?" What's up? Zhang Wen narrowed his eyes and questioned.
Leader Li said softly: "I hinted at you a few times, you said about rolling the sheets, said that the female classmates who have not been seen for a long time, suddenly came back from the field, successively contacted you, this is all understood, but you said that one of the classmates slept with her, probably after sleeping a few times, lent her 100,000 yuan overdue, and then it is to drag it all the way back, all the way to the back, since the female classmate is a liar, after all, it is your classmate you manage him, as long as you don't roll the sheets." You're so shrewd, you won't be fooled by that. There are too many such things in this world, and you don't care about them, and he lets them do it, not to do it and not to die. ”
Leader Li sighed, took out the black mask he had just worn at school, trembled, put it up again, and then said: "I didn't interrupt you, I interrupted you about the frozen person, you don't know who the person who was frozen to death in the Industrial and Commercial Bureau was?" That's old Yao and his brother-in-law! His brother-in-law!
You also said that after his brother-in-law was drunk, his colleagues were sent back and still awake, and the geography teacher was not a bigger deal? Don't say it's a husband and wife, that's an enemy! Even if the neighbor is a passerby, is it still a death and cannot be saved?
What you hear is just a rumor that the geography teacher, the beautiful woman, is the teacher of our school, I know her better, such a kind woman, a teacher who is a teacher, how can she not do such a thing. ”
Just here, a dirty blue tricycle in front of me, full of steel pipes, suddenly cut up from the side of the path, and in an instant, my eyes went black.
Of course, a false alarm, like a nightmare awakening.
6
The "Double Happiness Braised Noodles" shop is not large, and as rumor has it, diners who come here do not fade in the summer. In the gap between the lines, the excuse came out, and one person stayed in the car, opened my notebook, and recorded the past without a cover.
Former classmates, kind, handsome and slightly reserved, rich family, good work but bad fate. At that time, the door was right, and the talent was good, which was a good match. So the time passed, the son went to school, the status of the couple gradually changed, and the beautiful woman cheated.
Surprised to learn of that, I did not believe it at first. Our two families are close, know each other, and sigh that no one is that kind of person! But his hair was small in the night drunk to tell the truth, that is, the two of them drank late at night, wept bitterly in the silence, and confided the truth; asking the bystanders, one or two acquiesced.
Does this pay off? Is it bullying my classmates to be honest and kind? Despise my classmates for having a shallow job income? Therefore, when drinking and talking with classmates again, the alcohol burned his brain, and he was somewhat uncoolly persuaded him to divorce, and even angrily thought that the person involved was himself, and the humiliation was himself. And the classmates? What about handsome and kind classmates? But he flatly denied the so-called ugly things.
The evening wind of that summer night, blowing slowly, never stopped, but it could not hide the loss and panic.
Now that the matter has been revealed, the relationship between them is gradually drifting away. As for the time when my contempt reached its peak, weChat scolded him for "nesting in trash and miscellaneous pieces." He didn't answer for a long time, and once again he scolded back: "You're a piece of shit"! But when they met, they smiled and apologized to me. But we know in each other's hearts that the rift between good classmates is tearing wider and wider until it is difficult to repair.
Later, I thought, that is someone else's family affair, someone else's privacy, what rights do I have, and what do I rely on to manage? Don't you have a hidden feeling? I think I am a good classmate and good friend, but where can I be intimate with my classmates? Why do you say broken? Whose home isn't a mess? Family affairs entangled? Intimidate people? Huff and puff.
Hear, at the moment, they are fine, their families are peaceful, they are happy and quiet.
Another brother, when I was a teenager, I was weak and bullied, he often helped boxing, fought for righteousness, fought, was famous in the city, married a beautiful woman nearby, I also participated in the wedding, but also for the appearance of talent, the audience praised endlessly.
Thinking of this, Zhang Wen called out outside that it was time for me to eat.
The driver avoided the mouth, and Li Group Leader and Zhang Wen asked for a few bottles of beer to accompany the food. The braised noodles are delicious and heartwarming, the full bowl is eaten, the soup is shallow, as shallow as the language that cannot be spoken, there is very little left, and I am sweating.
7
Taking a nap at noon, I sat alone in the breeze and continued to write the morning's story.
My brother's family was demolished, they moved away from my left and right, they lost contact with each other for a long time, they occasionally reunited, they established contact, it was ten years later, although they were still young, they had thinning hair, or their sideburns had white hair, talking and laughing with each other, asking long questions and short questions. After this, it is inevitable to get together on weekends and holidays, and the circle of friendship that year is nothing more than who returned from prison and is doing what he is doing to make a living, who has been killed from Zhengzhou to buy a house in several rings of Beijing, who was originally young and strong, and suddenly he died of advanced liver cancer and died in March.
Everyone is not old, but looking at the distance is desolate.
The lights of the shops in the old streets and alleys, or looking up at the crescent moon in the corner, some of them ghosted the tears and blurred the beautiful night. I also heard that my brother and my beautiful sister-in-law had divorced, but they were constantly entangled.
My brother's friends knew I was a brother and were not afraid to do so. That night, under the dim light or under the intoxicated eyes, the small gathering more than once threatened: "If you talk to her again, the brothers will look down on you!" "My brother is only a promise, his white face, in the dark and shaking time, changing slightly black and purple, unable to calculate, invisible, inaudible, repeated cover, lest he be injured."
Sometimes after work a little early, I will contact my brother and invite him to the house, get a few meats and vegetables on the dark red coffee table, a few glasses of spirits, and talk about the rivers and lakes.
Whenever his two bedrooms were closed, he always said that no one was at home, as if to explain something, and at a certain moment I was already reflecting on the relevant affairs, never asking the beautiful sister-in-law what the current situation was, although the slightest bit had been detected.
8
At two:30 p.m., to the company to load goods, is Xiao Ju's colleagues to help order goods, inconvenient to ask more about Xiao Ju's situation, after the car is good, everywhere looking forward to her figure, has not been seen, sent a text message, she replied that there is no lunch break, is visiting the mall with classmates, waiting for work, and then there is a cartoon picture emoji.
Zhang Wen quarreled with the security guard of the elevator company.
Zhang Wen said angrily: "I have contacted your company, it is the epidemic prevention materials distributed to you, it is subsidized by the state, and you still have so many procedures." ”
The young security guard was resolute and said, "You must approve the company's administrative office to get into the car." And stress that you don't wear a mask and you don't have identification. We have clear rules here that you cannot enter if you do not meet the relevant regulations. As he was speaking, he saw his leader come out of the office, turn around and salute, and report on the situation.
His leader was not tall, his body was straight, his face was black and red, and his facial features were handsome. It looks a little familiar.
Leader Li got out of the car, put on the black mask, signaled the mosquitoes not to explain, and gently explained his intentions to the other party, only to know that the person who came was the director of the security department.
The director said calmly: "During the epidemic last year, the city infected 39 people, did not we also deal with many people related to the incident, including the family members of our company who came from Wuhan to visit relatives, resulting in four people in our company being infected and 48 households in a building being isolated." Now that the epidemic situation has improved, the company system is still strictly enforced, and we hope to understand each other. With that, he took out his mobile phone and dialed the logistics department of the administrative department.
Later, under the scorching yellow sun, two employees, a man and a woman, came out of the shadow of the building and came out to receive them.
The local elevator unit is a branch in Shanghai, and the local government has a good relationship, this batch of epidemic prevention materials is specially allocated, no more than those disposable hats, disposable gloves, they declare all are medical masks.
Zhang Wen has been angry there, and does not go to the air-conditioning room, the handover and inventory of goods do not care, return the sky blue mask to his jaw, crouch in the shade of the lawn, one hand dancing on the phone.
Leader Li went to the office and completed the formalities with the female employees, and dozens of boxes on the truck were carried by the company's employees.
9
I work at this company as a child and know some of the situations inside. It was three or four years ago, and this company was ready to go public separately, the fourth local company to be listed in Hong Kong, but in the end it didn't work, and I quit my job here at that stall when I was a child.
Fa Xiao is a welding technical worker, that is, he returned from working in other places, engaged in more than ten years of professionalism, is the leader of the technical team.
Everyone says that it is a pity that you resigned, and the professional level can already take apprentices. If you don't improve your own technology, it is also possible to compete for welding aircraft, to go to Shanghai to weld aircraft carriers, and it is a pity to quit this professional job.
That night, I sighed with Fa Xiao that the thick night seemed to have faded, and I accidentally touched a glass of wine, and the spirit gradually receded with the brown tabletop.
If so, if he doesn't care about his resignation, but several small gatherings, he has successively told everyone that the real reason for the divorce, and why he resigned, is because he and a friend jointly run a small company, the result is that because they are not familiar with the business, they will not operate, the small company is closed, although there is no loss of money, it is the other party's investment, but in the end there is no money, the days can not go on, only divorce, wine and meat friends, rice noodle husband and wife are not?
The younger, slightly darker-skinned but beautiful and generous wife, who used to be a workshop administrator, was laid off because the factory closed, and divorced under the axis, and after divorcing her husband, she had to go to insurance. insurance? insurance! When everyone heard the news, although they did not wear masks, they were all silent, and only drinking was left. There was also the heavy night, and beyond the scattered street lights, there was the gentle sound of the thousand-year-old grain transportation river.
Put away these messy thoughts, the goods over there have been loaded, when the car arrives at the door of the company, Group Leader Li will not let the mosquitoes get off, and he will take the receipt to the office to handle the formalities for going out, and it will take a while to come out.
When going out, the security guard was very polite, but let me get in the car according to the regulations to check.
Leader Li said, "Mosquito, you go down and listen well and talk well." ”
The mosquito went down with the mask, and there it was pestle, revealing a pair of lonely eyes, like a special ghost in the naked sunlight, tolerating the security guard to climb up and down the car and drill in and out, in the hot light, the truck, the security guard and him, the picture was particularly harmonious.
10
The enterprises in the technological development zone seem to be silent, each street is a suitable sidewalk tree, not tall row of willows, in the bright and dangling has shown the summer sun, even let some decadence, crossing a layer of blurry gray, but the slight wind has been blowing continuously, the big bush of willows, still fluttering. Those almost tall and unknown shrubs, clusters of purple and gray faces, continued to drag a shadow, and another shadow, and between them, there was no sign of wind.
"I think that the commissioner is a little familiar?" After a few simple words with Group Leader Li and Zhang Wen, I asked casually.
Group leader Li said that he knew the director indirectly, and through mutual communication, he knew that the person was the officer of the security section of the Xu relay at that time.
At this mention, I remembered that when my brother and I were a little drunk, another friend came over as promised, and when he went to the bathroom in the middle of the wine, it seemed that someone pointed to the man's back and said that he had killed someone that year.
At that time, the major enterprises had their own security offices, many of which could be equipped with firearms, two and three. The manufacture of relays requires precious metals, and many thieves have the audacity to smuggle those metals outside to sell.
This chief, who was the backbone of the Security Section at the time, at the scene of a theft, he and another person in the Security Section were hunting down the gangsters, and after firing a warning shot, they shot one of the bandits and killed him on the spot.
They are all employees of a large factory, and even parents and workers know each other, and the explicit or legend is that they were killed on the spot by the public security, but in fact, they were killed by the security section officers.
For more than ten years, more than twenty years, the real situation is only rumored internally, and only people in the department and factory department know the truth. However, such a thing, the reputation is already outside, and then the enterprise restructuring, the director was hired by the elevator company, who asked about the theft of the year, he will be silent, even if the relationship is particularly good, mention the heroic past of the year, but also interrupted by the director, signaling to shut up.
Leader Li and I were complementing each other's imprints, trying to restore the past and characters of that year, and I hardly believed that the gentle director just now was the legend of that year.
The buzzing mosquito, at this time, stretched its head out from the back row to listen, sighing.
(This article is divided into two parts, interested friends can continue to pay attention)
(Image from the Internet)
☆ About the author: Cao Xu, a cadre of the Teachers' Training School in Weidu District, Xuchang City, Henan Province, pen name Chen Caoxu, has written hundreds of essays and novels in recent years, see Essay Online, Red Sleeve Tianxiang, Under the Ancient Banyan Tree, Kaidi Community and other literary websites, co-authored the biography "Candlelight that Year".
Original article, please indicate the author and source when reprinting
Editor: Yi Shusheng