(Continued from previous episode)
Three
Spring is coming! Zhao Stonemason crawled under the bed and took out two large urinals from the corner. Erdan is strange, the weather is warm, and there is urine in the yard at night to pee, so it is not cold, what kind of urinal? Dad grabbed the urinal, turned his wrist, and the mouth of the urinal turned down like pouring urine to the dining table. Before Erdan could worry about the urine flowing out, a string of silver dollars fell on the table with a clatter.
Erdan stared at the silver dollar on the table a little stupidly, he didn't understand how his family could have so much money. Dad said, "I'm going to take your mother to a big place to see a doctor, I can't always let your mother lie on the bed!" Zhao Mason felt that there were people who could cure all the diseases in the world, and if they were not cured, they did not find the right person. Didn't my wife be frightened? She didn't flash her waist or break her legs, she didn't get hurt all over her body, and she ran home from the county seat. The doctor in Guqian Village couldn't do a good job, and the doctor in the county town couldn't help it, so he went to the provincial capital to find a doctor; the doctor in the provincial city shook his head, so I took her to Beijing to find someone; if the doctors in Beijing couldn't do anything, it would not be too late to accept her fate. He thought fiercely.
Over the years, he has never forgotten the matter of treating his wife, but he has dispelled his thoughts again and again. When the Japanese devils were there, their family couldn't eat enough, not to mention that they had no money to see a doctor for their wives, and the road was full of turrets and checkpoints, so it was difficult to go to the provincial capital even if they had the money. The devil surrendered, and there was trouble everywhere. After liberation, the world was peaceful, and he asked the little merchant in the village if it was safe to go out and run away? The merchant said that it was safe! No one stole or robbed, and there was no need to be afraid when walking at night! He said "oh" and his face was full of smiles.
Zhao Mason took four silver dollars from the table and handed them to Erdan and said: "We may not be able to go home one day, you can keep your ...... home." Erdan was not much shorter when he stood in front of his father, but he was still a child, and listened carefully to his father's words, and kept replying to one word-"um"! Father finally advised: "When I am not at home, you should not go to the stone pit to collect stones, let alone let others move our stone pit, whoever moves you will fight with whom! The mountain god gave us this stone pit, we will guard it well, and if you don't keep it well, there will be retribution." Zhao Mason's voice was not loud, but it was very serious. Erdan still replied, "Hmm!" On the catalpa tree in the courtyard, a magpie cried, "Ga-" overshadowed Erdan's answer. Dad scolded angrily: "A man who stands up to the sky, he doesn't talk as loud as a bird, how can he make a living in the future!" Erdan had to reply again: "Remember, Dad!" Dad was satisfied, and set up a wheelbarrow and strode out of the yard.
He held his chest up, as if he was going to push stones in the western mountains again, his face was full of strength and confidence, and he did not have the sorrow and pity of the patient's family at all. The wheelbarrow was covered with a bed and a freshly made quilt. Take a closer look, the needlework of the quilt is not good, this is what Zhao stonemason has done under the guidance of his wife in recent days. He felt that it was good to go out and pack up his ropes. The wife was curled up and lying on the quilt, her eyes were full of happiness and excitement, it didn't look like going to the doctor, it was like going to the city to catch a big gathering. It was a big day, lying on a wheelbarrow, and she was pushed out of the village by Zhao Mason, into the long dirt road leading to the city in the fields. She couldn't see the dirt road that wasn't wide and uneven under the wheels, and occasionally tilted her head to see the green wheat in the fields. She knew that there was a wheat field that belonged to her, and her eyes were full of happiness. She straightened her head, her eyes were full of blue sky and white clouds, and she felt like she was floating in the air or walking on auspicious clouds.
Dad and mother are not at home, and the second egg is as regular as usual, and honestly does what his father explained before leaving. Wake up, cook, work, and sleep on time every day. When he saw the villagers carrying hoes to the wheat fields to hoe weeds, he went to hoe the grass, and when he saw the villagers scattering dung in the fields, he followed suit. Don't look at Erdan is a child, and he has just learned farm work, and taking care of the wheat field is no less than those old crops, it is difficult to see a single grass in his field, and the wheat seedlings grow black and green and strong. When there was little work in the fields, he did not dare to be idle, and honestly sat in front of his house to beat stones. Someone came to buy the door pillow stone, he sold it according to the rules set by his father, and carefully hid the money in the pillow after receiving the money, so that he could give it to his father.
After beating a few blocks in front of the door, he got up early in the morning and, like his father, pushed a wheelbarrow to the mountains to the west to buy stones. The road has been built into a smooth sandy road, and it is much more convenient to walk and trolley. The people in the village asked: "Erdan, why don't you go to your own stone pit to pick stones, and go to Daxi Mountain to buy them so hard?" Erdan replied: "My father said that except for him, no one can go to my stone pit to pick stones!" Speaking of the latter sentence, Erdan himself didn't understand and his tone suddenly aggravated. Someone joked with him: "What if you go to the stone?" "My dad will beat me!" said Erdan in a humble voice. "Your father is not at home, how can he know?" "He knows!" The man asked again, "What else did your father tell you?" "Someone went to the stone pit to pick up stones, let me lift the stones and beat him to death!" The man heard Erdan say this, and felt a cold air on his back, he knew that the strong character of Zhao Mamason regarded the stone pit as the root of his life.
Erdan has a good temper, listens to his father's words, and goes to the Zhao's stone pit every few days to have a look, for fear that someone will take advantage of his father's absence to go to the stone pit to steal stones. Seeing that the stone pit has not changed, my heart is steady.
The weather is slowly getting warmer, and people are turning their clothes from thick to thin. The wheat in the field also grew from leeks to waist-high green seas, and then the wheat began to turn yellow. The wheat harvest was approaching, and the villagers began to clean up the wheat field. Erdan was a little anxious, his father and mother were not at home, he was harvesting wheat alone, and he had no backbone, so he couldn't help but be a little flustered. He had no choice but to learn from others, clean up and level the wheat fields at the entrance of the village, sweep up the water and wheat bran, and then pull the stones and turn around and crush them. He wanted to clean up the yard first, and then he said, no matter whether his father could rush back or not, the wheat must be harvested. It was the middle of the morning, and the sun was already a little hot, and he was sweating as he pulled the stone. This little bit of work is nothing to Erdan, but the constant spinning in circles makes him feel a little dizzy. He stopped to take a breath, wiped his sweat, and looked up at the wheat field in the distance, so that he could see more and reduce his dizziness. He saw a man walking along the path in the fields towards the entrance of the village, looking like his father, followed by a woman. Waist-high wheat hid the lower half of the two men, and he could only see the part above the waist of the two men.
Erdan stared at the two of them vigorously, getting closer and closer, he recognized it, it was really his father who walked in front. The wind blew, the wheat came to a lodging, and the tall second egg saw the wheelbarrow pushed by his father, and the cart was empty. From the pace of his father's walking, he could also feel that he was pushing an empty car. What about the mother? He couldn't help but look at the person behind his father, and carefully confirmed it a few times, it was really a mother! Mother had been lying in bed for several years, and she was walking on the road at this time, which made Erdan extremely unfamiliar. The people in the courtyard at the entrance of the village also saw Zhao Mason and his wife. In the eyes of the villagers, the two walked step by step from the field path where the wheat waves were tumbling towards the village. Zhao Mason still looked calm, taking a relaxed step, as if he had come back from the village in the morning. The mother was much more excited, with a strange and happy expression on her face.
"Stonemason Zhao is back!" someone greeted, "Sister-in-law's illness is getting better, thanks to you for having the heart to take your sister-in-law to the south and north of the world for treatment!" "Stonemason Zhao grinned, smiled innocently and said, "What's this, it's not an incurable problem!" The wife walked behind, listening to what Zhao Stonemason said, her face smiled like a flower.
Erdan trotted over to his father and mother and happily took over his father's wheelbarrow. Dad followed behind him with his hands behind his back, looking at his son, who had grown a lot taller, with a proud face. The mother walked closely behind her father with her little feet, greeting people with a smile on her face, as if she was a general returning triumphantly. Zhao Stonemason's family of three walked into the village under the gaze and greeting of the villagers, walked into the courtyard of their own house, and threw the stone in the mill yard at the entrance of the village alone.
Entering the house, Erdan first took out the money hidden in the pillow, held it in both hands and handed it to his father. "This is the money I sold for the pillow stones. He said. Dad didn't answer, and asked with a dark face: "Where did the stone come from?" Erdan hurriedly replied: "I went to Xishan to buy the stone." Dad smiled and asked, "Didn't you really go to our stone pit to get it?" "No!" Dad brought the money over and said, "You kid is okay, it's okay!" Erdan said with a serious face: "I went to the stone pit every two or three days, and I didn't find anyone moving the stone pit!" Dad nodded with satisfaction, and said very seriously: "We relied on the stone pit to save some money and cure your mother's illness." We have to treat the stone pit well, we can't just dig its flesh, otherwise we will be punished!" The mother stood beside her, not speaking, tears rolling in her eyes. Erdan didn't seem to understand his father's words, and seeing that his father looked serious, he nodded his head very seriously and agreed: "Hmm!"
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Erdan thought that the work in the yard had not been finished, so he went to the wheat mill again. When my father and mother came back, the second egg had the backbone, and then he was full of strength when he ran over the yard.
After a round around the inside and outside of the mother's house, everything was cleaned up, and the water tank was full, so I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch happily, and I didn't look tired at all. Her illness was cured by an old Chinese medicine doctor in the provincial capital. After taking 7749 pairs of Chinese medicine, she was able to get up from the bed, and the old Chinese medicine doctor prescribed her eight more pairs of medicines, and she was able to walk like a normal person after eating. After two more days of recovery, Zhao Stonemason and her remembered the second egg, so they rushed home from the provincial capital. She walked slowly on her small feet, and she had just been cured, and she relied on Zhao stonemasons to push her on a wheelbarrow on the road, and occasionally walked a few miles by herself, just to move her legs and feet. Zhao Shimason pushed her to the boundary of Guqian Village, and she said, "I want to go home by myself." Zhao stonemason said, "Okay!" The two had the same idea, and the villagers watched her walk into the house with her feet on her feet. For this reason, the two even made a slight calculation, and specially chose the time when the most people on the streets of the village entrance entered the village.
Zhao stonemason didn't bother to take a breath, and hurried to the stone pit. He still didn't feel at ease when he heard Erdan, and he could only feel at ease when he saw it with his own eyes. He circled the pit, then to the bottom of the pit and examined the marks he had made with a chisel before going out. The markers stayed there honestly, and he thought that the second bastard was telling the truth, and that no one had come to mine his stone. Zhao Stonemason smiled.
Returning home from the stone pit, Zhao saw several female neighbors sitting at the door of the kitchen house chatting with the wife who was cooking, and they all spoke with exaggerated expressions. One said: "The old sister-in-law is so blessed! I found a good man like Zhao Mason!" The other said: "The man is good, the child is also good, you two have been out for so many days, and none of the living eggs in the field at home have fallen to the ground." When he heard these women chatting back and forth, he was envious of his wife's good fortune, and he was clearly praising himself and the second egg, so he hurriedly entered the house by himself.
When they saw Erdan walking into the yard, one of them said, "Erdan should find a daughter-in-law at this age." Erdanniang hurriedly said: "Yes! Yes, yes! If there is a suitable girl, please make a matchmaker for the child." When the second egg heard these words, his face turned red. Erdan's mouth follows his father, he doesn't talk much, his temper follows his mother, his temperament is soft, and his personality is introverted. Dad has a violent personality, his mother can speak well, and he hasn't inherited the second egg. Someone said something to Erdan, and the words he used most often were nothing more than "um!", "Very good!", "Not bad!", "Do as you say!" When he really needed to say a few words, Erdan didn't embarrass his mother's face, and what he said was reasonable, and it was simple, as real as the stone he made, and there was no empty content.
With the land, the life of Zhao's stonemason's family is even more prosperous. When the farm is busy, the father and son work in the field, and they have extraordinary strength to serve the crops thoughtfully. For example, the ground is ploughed deeper than others, the grass in the field is cleaner than others, the fertilizer is applied more timely than others, and the harvest is no worse than that of others, whether it is corn or wheat. Guqian Village is a hilly area, and it takes more effort to harvest crops than in the plains, and the people in the village either raise mules to help pull carts, or raise bullocks to help plough the fields. Zhao Shi's family does not raise livestock, his strength is not much smaller than a donkey, and the second egg is as strong as a calf. His family feeds the pigs with the grain and forage they have saved, and when they are slaughtered during the Spring Festival, they can be exchanged for a sum of money.
When the farm is not working, everyone else plays, and the father and son pick up the stonemason work. Zhao stonemason became a grinder, which stone mill has been used for a long time, and the grinding grain is slow and coarse, so he was asked to pick it up, and the stone mill is easy to use. The one who does this work is called a grinder. He carried a bag, put a hammer, chisel, and chisel, and walked the streets and alleys all winter to polish and be idle. Erdan also hit the door pillow stone, and the stone used either went to the West Mountain to buy, or went to the stone pit in the back mountain to pick. The stone quarrying was still done by Zhao stonemasons. He said: "People don't know how to communicate with the stone pit, and they will hurt the stone pit!" The people in the village said: "The second egg is not blind to the species of Zhao Mason, and he grows tall and big." "He is also bigger than my father, and his strength is greater than that of my father. Someone in the village came to buy the door pillow stone, and he was close to him and carried a pair of door pillow stones directly with his shoulder, too lazy to use a single wheel. His father carried a door sleeper stone very easily, and it still took some strength to carry a pair of door sleeper stones.
"La Qi Laba freezes to death and calls flowers!" These two days are the coldest days in Guqian Village, the whistling northwest wind is blowing, and there are no people standing in the sun nest on the street, and people are hiding in their houses. A woman trotted into the courtyard of Erdan's house. She wrapped her head with a scarf so that only two eyes were exposed, pushed open the door and said, "This day, I can really freeze a person to death!" "The eldest sister came just in time, I was too cold to go out, and I didn't have anyone to talk to, but I was suffocated!" she said. The woman said: "I still have steamed steamed buns in the pot, and I can't sit down with my buttocks, so I am in a hurry to discuss something with you, I want to be a matchmaker for Erdan, see if you agree." Erdanniang cracked her mouth, "Oh, my own sister! What are you talking about, come to propose marriage to Erdan, our whole family can't ask for it!" Then he asked, "Which girl are you talking about?"
Throughout the winter, many people came to the door to propose marriage to Erdan, and the girl had both from her own village and from the neighboring village. The girls in this place are simple, and the two things that are most important to marry are close: one is to be close to the in-laws, and the other is that the man must be strong. The in-laws' homes are close, and they can see their parents every day when they get married, and it is convenient to go back to their parents' homes when they have something to do. Erdan is strong, he is a stonemason, and there is a stone pit at home that can change money at any time, and the girls who are about the same age as him in the village are staring at him, and even the girl's father and mother are optimistic about Erdan. The mother asked Erdan's opinion: "You also know the girls mentioned by the matchmaker, which one do you think is good?" Erdan replied: "All of them are good! There is nothing bad!" The mother smiled and said: "You just pick the best one to marry, do you still want to marry all of them home?" Erdan blushed and said: "Any one is fine, as long as people are willing, you and your father will agree!" Erdan feels that he is a stupid big man, except for a little strength, to look good, to be eloquent and eloquent, not to know a single big word, it would be good if a girl could take a fancy to herself.
This side of the water and soil nourishes people, and the girls are all smart. Erdan is right, those girls are indeed very good-looking. Dad and mother discussed and discussed, which girl was not bad, but he didn't know which girl to order, so he deduced that the second egg was still young, so he dragged it first. Erdan is indeed not very old, and there is still time to wait. The people in the village don't think so, they all think that the conditions of the Erdan family are good, and the eyes are high, and they don't look down on ordinary girls. The words that the woman said when she entered the door, in addition to being polite, also had a reason.
The woman said: "Qiaoyu, the daughter of Uncle Chen Ba on the front street, is one year younger than Erdan, she is good-looking, capable, sensible, and healthy, living in a village, old and young know the roots, and you can rest assured when you marry!" He said again: "I have to hurry home and see the steamed buns in the pot!" and trotted away from Erdan's house.
Erdan and his father rubbed corn cobs in the back room. The weather was cold, and Dad and Erdan couldn't stay idle, so they took down a few hangs of dried corn cobs under the eaves, rubbed the particles off with their hands, and stored them in the clay jar. What was said outside, both of them could hear it clearly. Erdanniang picked up the door curtain with one hand, stepped into the middle with one foot, and was stepping on a corn bone, thanks to her other hand holding the door frame, she didn't fall to the ground. Corn cob rubs off jade particles, and the people of Guqian Village call corn bones. The ground in the back room was full of corn bones thrown by the father and son. Erdanniang said angrily: "You two are going to throw me to death!" Erdan and his father were startled by their mother just now, and they didn't dare to squeak. Niangcai said: "Among the girls mentioned by the matchmaker during this time, Qiaoyu is not the most beautiful, but she is also beautiful. After thinking about it, he added: "She has many brothers and sisters, as the eldest in the family, Qiaoyu is hard-working and can live, so our family should find such a daughter-in-law!" Dad immediately said, "Uncle Chen's daughter is good." This is good! This is good!
The surname Chen is the largest surname in Guqian Village, accounting for more than 70% of the entire village's population. Qiaoyu's family has a larger population. Qiaoyu's grandfather had five brothers; Qiaoyu's father, Uncle Chen, had nine brothers, and uncles and brothers together were twenty-eight; to Qiaoyu's generation, there were ten sisters, and Uncle Chen gave birth to four girls and six boys. Thinking of this big family, the second dad's eyes are hot. The Erdan family has been passed down for several generations, but there is still only one single seedling and Miao son, and he can't even add more daughters, and he has lived in the village for I don't know how many lifetimes, and the Zhao family is still a single family, and there are no relatives. It usually doesn't matter, if something happens, there are few people in the family, so there is no one to add strength, and there is no one to help with ideas.
"Erdan married Qiaoyu, our family has a large group of relatives in Guqian Village, Uncle Chen's family is prosperous, marry his daughter, maybe our family Ding will also prosper!" Erdan Dad said slowly while rubbing the corn kernels with his hands. The corn kernels fell into the dustpan with a clatter, and the words flew into the ears of Erdan and his mother. Both of them felt that these words were like chisels chiseled into stone, and they were real, and they carried a kind of power.
The mother smiled and asked Erdan, "What do you think of Qiaoyu?"
"Of course Qiaoyu is very good!" replied Erdan. Then, he reflected the appearance of Qiaoyu in his mind, not tall, with fair skin, no problems with his arms and legs, and no defects in his facial features. She has many brothers and sisters, and Qiaoyu is the eldest and is also known for being sensible and capable in the village. Erdan thought about it, and forgot to rub the corn particles in his hand.
The mother simply found a small bench and sat in front of the two of them to discuss the matter. The mother said: "You two think Qiaoyu is good, I think Qiaoyu is also good, then I'll go and reply to the matchmaker." Dad immediately said: "Okay, hurry up, this matter must be settled early!" The mother stared at the second egg and said: "As long as you promise someone, you can't regret it anymore, you have to think about it!"
"If my father and mother have no opinion, I will have no opinion. Erdan said to his mother. Then he lowered his head, rubbed the corn in his hand and said: "Since ancient times, the major marriage events have been the mastery of the father, the father and mother have seen a lot, and they can see accurately, and they can't suffer a loss if they listen to their father, and no father and mother will pit the baby since ancient times." Father and mother laughed. The marriage of the second egg was thus decided.
In the spring, Erdan's father went to the market to buy some wood, and asked the carpenter master to make doors, windows and beams, and purlins, and Qiaoyu's younger brother helped Erdan to beat thousands of adobes together; When summer was approaching, the wheat in the field was yellow for a while, and three new houses were built next to the old house of Erdan's family. Dad felt that the second egg was engaged, so he had to take advantage of his strong body and hurry up to get him a new house when the days were prosperous, and he would get married in a grand manner. The second egg and his own face have face.
On the front wall foundation of the new house, there are first three layers of bluestone, then three layers of blue bricks, and the top is adobe. The stones and bricks were made of white plaster, and the adobe was sealed with mud. The material of this wall foundation alone is also the head of Guqian Village. When the new house was built, the people in the village came to see it, and everyone pointed to the three-story blue brick and bluestone foundation and said, "This house is built like the one in the yamen." Hearing this, Erdan's face burst into laughter, and he hurriedly said: "Thanks to the Communist Party coming and distributing the land, we poor people can build this house." ”
This year, the two eggs are twenty years old, Qiaoyu is one year younger than him, and the two crops in the village in Guqian Village have a bumper harvest. When Erdan pushes the wheat bundles with a wheelbarrow, the same number of sheaves of wheat obviously feel a lot heavier, and the corn grows like a cow's horn, large and full of grains, and the four large porcelain urns of Erdan's house are filled with corn and wheat. Erdan's father and Erdanniang discussed that the new house was built, and while this year's situation was good and the food in the house was enough, they simply went to Uncle Chen's house to ask for a kiss, and the marriage was done for Erdan and Qiaoyu. In this way, you don't have to the heart of the second egg anymore, just wait to hold your grandson. Erdanniang felt that it made sense, so she cut a knife of meat on the day of the fair, grabbed and tied up the two big red roosters raised at home, and handed them to Erdan's father together, so that he could take them to Uncle Chen's house to ask for a daughter-in-law. This is the custom of Guqian Village. When Uncle Chen saw the second father walking into the house with things, he understood that he was here to propose. Uncle Chen has a lot of family, and he can't wait to marry his daughter as soon as possible, reduce the burden on the family, and he will be happy if he agrees.
At the end of the year, taking advantage of the slack in the farm, Erdan got married, and Qiaoyu of Uncle Chen's family also lived in the Zhao family's house. The father and mother of the two eggs live in the old house, and the husband and wife live in the new house, the father and mother are so happy that they can't keep their mouths together. The two houses go in and out of a courtyard gate, and there is no change in the house, the days are still the same days, that is, there are more people in the yard, and there is an extra pair of dishes and chopsticks when eating. This is the most idle day for rural people, in addition to carrying water and sweeping a yard every day, the rest of the energy is used on Qiaoyu's body. The second egg who lay in Qiaoyu's warm embrace seemed to have forgotten the flow of the sun and the moon.
(To be continued)
About author:Chen Zhaotian, a native of Qingzhou, Shandong, currently lives in Foshan, Guangdong. He is a member of the Guangdong Writers Association and the deputy secretary-general of the Foshan Writers Association. His novels and essays have been published in literary magazines such as Tianya, Prose (Overseas Edition), Shandong Literature, Guangzhou Literature and Art, and Foshan Literature and Art.
Huainan Bagong Mountain has a rich history and humanities, and it is also the place where the book "Huainanzi" was written, and the place name brand is well-known, which has a great influence on the works of propaganda writers. "Bagongshan Literature" (yearbook) is an internal publication supervised by the Propaganda Department of the Bagongshan District Party Committee and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, guided by the Huainan Writers Association, and sponsored by the Bagongshan Writers Association. The journal is committed to the development and prosperity of literature, and provides a platform for writers, poets and literature lovers in Bagongshan District, other counties and districts of Huainan City, as well as all over the country to exchange and display their works. As of this year, seven issues of Bagongshan Literature have been published (2016-2022 volumes). It has had a great impact on the literary world.
Today's headlines "Eight Public Angles" cooperated to select the outstanding works among them. Chen Zhaotian's novel released in this issue of "Bagongshan Angle" is selected from the 2022 volume of "Bagongshan Literature" "Langji Qingqing" novel column.
(Editorial Department of "Bagongshan Literature" of Huainan Bagongshan Writers Association)
On May 1, 2024, today's headline "Eight Pictures Angle" was released