Short story: Two bowls of rice balls

Ji Chengbo

When a golden full moon hangs in the treetops of a lone elm tree. Li Erzi came to the outside of the village and took over the duty.

Today is the fifteenth day of the first month, in accordance with the spirit of the sixth announcement of the district: in an extraordinary period, in order to prevent the epidemic from going to the ground, try to advise the villagers not to send lamps to the land. Avoid contact between people who send lamps, contagion. Prevent the spread of the epidemic. Cars that are not residents of the village are strictly prohibited.

Li Er pole got on the special van on duty, through the left window, clearly saw the main street in the village; through the right window, he could see the only township road connecting with the main street into the village. On the main street of the village, the street lamps were lit early, and there were big red lanterns hanging in front of the farmers on both sides, stringing five color lamps, some hanging on the courtyard wall, some hanging on both sides of the big red lanterns, as a foil. The colored lights flicker, giving people a dazzling feeling. Some farmers go to the gate in the yard and pull up hanging money or colorful little bunting flags. The festive streets are empty with no pedestrians. Sporadic firecrackers sometimes explode in the air, making the village seem lonely. There were no pedestrians on the township road, no cars, covered with compacted ice and snow, and in the bright moonlight, it stretched pale to a long bend.

It should have been a class of two poles and a village book. Before taking up his post, the village secretary called and said that he would come a little later today. The first is to advise the villagers not to gather in a pile and not to send lamps. The second is to watch over the farmers to sprinkle lights and prevent fireworks when they set off fireworks. Li Erzi himself was a little lonely, and he couldn't help but think of some things that were blocked in his heart:

He was once a member of the Communist Party of China and the director of village security. In 2008, with a loan of 150,000 yuan, a family pig breeding house was built, and by the time the pig was completed, the season had entered the early winter. Go to Qing'an County to pull back 50 adult sows. Plus the freight cost less than 110,000 yuan. I don't want to because the road is too long, the early winter is cold and cold, and the pigs pulled back are cold. Three days out of the bar, a painful death, not a left. The wife who has not given birth all his life is in a hurry and has uremia. My wife dialysis for nearly three years, and finally gave up and returned to the west, and the money was empty. He was left alone, close to 60 years old, unable to repay his loan. The newly transferred director of the credit union, Qian, prosecuted him to the Municipal Economic Investigation Brigade for fraud. As a result, he was sentenced to one and a half years in prison. After his release from prison, he lost his party membership and was dismissed as the director of public security. Fortunately, in 2019, the national anti-gang crime and anti-evil work was carried out in depth, and Director Qian was sentenced to 13 years in prison for verifying that he had embezzled more than 2 million yuan...

Thinking of this, Erzhuzi's heart was much more comfortable: in the eyes of the Communist Party, it just doesn't rub sand! Black and white can be seen clearly and recognized accurately.

Because he has been the director of public security for many years, he does not smoke, drink alcohol, and cannot play mahjong. In his own words: "I can't do it myself, why don't you take care of others!" Isn't that sticking out your mouth to stop? He has two hobbies: one is to like to listen to the two people, especially "Wang Erjie Sifu"; and the other is to watch the news. When he learned of the white-clad angels throughout the country, the officers and men of the People's Liberation Army overwhelmingly asked Miao to go to the front line of the "epidemic area" in Wuhan. I understood that this is a major matter of human life. The village radio also did not advertise day and night: to stay at home is to contribute to the country. He also asked party members and cadres to take active action and do a good job in propaganda, education, investigation, and persuasion. When it came time to close the village and close the road, erzhu zi couldn't sit still, thinking: I was also a party member, and I have been working as a public security worker for more than 20 years. Although I have not made much contribution to the villagers, I am familiar with the work of the villagers, know what the people think, and know what the people like to hear. What if the chicken and garlic thing of "house finches fluttering on the eaves of the house and the old sow arching over the sauce bar" for so many years has been handled? So he dialed the village secretary's phone, asked for the obligation to stand guard for the villagers, sealed the village and closed the road, and promised not to let outsiders enter the village, so that the villagers could have a rest assured year. From the third day of the Chinese New Year to the fifteenth day of the first month of today, he and the village secretary have been sticking to it.

At some point, the village suddenly became lively. In every farm yard on the ground, fireworks were sprinkled and lit one by one with diesel fuel on brown rice or something else. A small pile, a small pile lit until it reached the gate. The bright fires, the cracking firecrackers and the big red lanterns and string of colored lanterns hanging high reflect each other. In the air, with the whistle of the flowers, it rained one after another, and the colorful flower rain was like fire; yellow was like gold; white was better than snow; green was like emerald; purple was like sunset. The golden full moon...

The second pole is fascinating. Someone was heard knocking on the car window. Then he pushed the car door. Miichi is wearing a black longboard cotton suit, and his face is wrapped around a neck that I don't know if it is blue or black. Only two eyes were exposed, and a bun was held high above his head. This man, whom he was all too familiar with, was none other than Qi Widow. Shadow spoke, "Cold, huh?" This is a freshly cooked rice ball. Eat it while it's hot. Warm and warm. "Shu Fen? Why are you here"?! Qi Widow did not answer him head-on and asked, "Are your shoes cold?" "Not cold". The second pole took over the plastic bag containing a bowl of rice balls. "Why are you here?" Shu Fen. "Fifteen, remember you". Widow Qi did not know whether she was shy or afraid that others would see it, so she turned around and left. Holding the hot tangyuan, erzhu watched sheepishly as the black shadow twisted his somewhat blessed hips, accompanied by the "rattling" sound of high heels stepping on the ice and snow, gradually disappearing into the dazzling fireworks.

Qi widow, who had no husband in her thirties, kept her only son and lived a long time. In the spring of the previous year, my son got married. Widow Qi began to abstain from smoking. Last year, someone matched her with a two-shot fight. Fish help water, water helps fish, very good. Widow Qi didn't say anything, just smiled. The daughter-in-law was not happy: "You want to marry a man, OK!" No one is stopping you. But if you divide three acres and four parts of land, the land title certificate cannot be taken away! The land will continue for another thirty years, and it will be kept for your grandson in the future! When people brought it up again, she still didn't speak, just shook her head.

Before the Spring Festival this year, the daughter-in-law led her husband and son to her mother's house in the city for the New Year. Before leaving, he told his mother-in-law: "Look after the yard." Look good home! In particular, the boiler should be burned frequently. It doesn't matter if you freeze, don't freeze the heating! Because the daughter-in-law and grandson of the feudal son did not return, the widow of Qi cooked tangyuan and gave it to Erzhu Zi.

Erzhu Zi snorted and ate the tangyuan. I feel very sweet, but at the same time I feel a little sour: in these years, it is difficult to have no children and no daughters, and it is not necessarily better to have children and daughters? People are old, really have to find a companion. It is rare for Shu Fen to have a piece of sincerity...

It was past eleven o'clock, and the full moon had hung to the middle of the day. The village has regained its tranquility and serenity. Street lights are on; lanterns are red; colored lights are shining; village roads with shining cold lights and sparse colored chips wind and open. In the distance, there were several barks of dogs. It's just that the village secretary hasn't come back yet...

The second pole was a little tired, just a little confused. The window on the right suddenly lit up, the second pole turned back, and at the turn of the country road, two beams of light shone brightly, rushing towards the card point. Not good, it's a car. Erzhu quickly got out of the car, stood in front of the van that had accompanied him for more than ten days, and raised the small red flag in his hand in the beam of light.

The light source of the two beams of light came to a screeching halt on the right side of the van. Out from behind the beam came a man, wearing a mask and carrying a insulated lunch box in his hand. Said: Hello Uncle Li Shengda. I am Sun Cheng. Just now your village secretary called me, and he was installing an "old man" in the village. Say you're on duty alone. This is the rice balls I cooked for you.

"Thank you party secretary. I... eat... pass... got it". "You're welcome, sir. It's a piece of my heart. Eat, respond to the seasons, and warm up."

Li Shengda took the tangyuan with his cold hand, and the feeling was hot from the hand to the heart to the eye socket.

February 9, 202011