On a June day, even sleeping on a mat at night is still as hot as a fish in a steamer.
It was quiet in the Du's yard, and everyone had already slept.
Zhang Xiaohua held her stomach straight and was more afraid of the heat than others. She tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep, but Du Baoqiang was still snoring, so annoyed that she kicked him.
"Um... what's the matter?" Du Baoqiang fell into a drowsy sleep, thinking that she wanted to drink water, but she was about to get out of bed without opening her eyes.
Zhang Xiaohua pulled him, "Why, I can't sleep, talk to me."
"What?" Du Baoqiang fell back, his voice faded, and his snoring started again.
Zhang Xiaohua was so angry that he wanted to pinch him, but seeing that he was so sleepy that he was not willing to do anything, he slapped a palm fan by himself.
After an unknown amount of time, a cool breeze blew in through the half-closed window, and she quickly took advantage of the coolness to brew sleepiness. She was in a drowsy state when Du Baoqiang suddenly sat up and shook her awake, "Daughter-in-law, did you call me just now?"
After finally coming, he fell asleep and ran away, Zhang Xiaohua was about to cry in anger, and when he sat up, he was beaten for a while.
Du Baoqiang didn't dare to fight back, and when she was tired, she got out of bed and poured a cup of tea, which she served diligently.
Zhang Xiaohua hummed angrily after drinking the tea, seeing that he was still confused, even more depressed, "Look at how stupid you are, fortunately you have a handle, if it were a girl, with the eccentricity of our parents, I would have taken you earlier. Sold it for their precious daughter to study!"
"Don't our parents..." Du Baoqiang scratched his scalp.
"Nothing? No partiality?" Zhang Xiaohua squinted at him and hummed: "If there is no partiality, how come the two daughters, one works hard at home every day, the other says she wants to study, and she says she wants to go to university, so she goes to university?"
Du Baoqiang glanced outside the house and whispered, "Isn't that Baoqin saying that she did not get good grades, so she took the initiative not to study?"
Zhang Xiaohua sneered and said nothing. Du Baoqin's grades are not good? I am afraid that only the Du family believe this. She has a cousin who studied in the same class as Du Baoqin back then, and she complimented her back in front of her, saying that the girl who came first in their class was graceful and beautiful, with good grades. Later, Du Baoqin finished junior high school, but did not go to high school. Which of her classmates was not surprised
Zhang Xiaohua also came to the Du family to know that Du Baoqin didn't study at that time because Du Baozhen was at the age of junior high school and the family couldn't afford two tuition fees at once, so she took the initiative to say that she was not as smart as her younger sister, her grades were not good, and she did not study. .
Or how about the crying child has candy? Last year, Du Baozhen was going to high school, and she had to pay dozens of dollars a year for tuition.
"Even if I don't talk about reading, I only talk about the two eggs every day. The rabbits at home, mowing, feeding, shearing, and cleaning the rabbit cage, which one is not made by Baoqin? In the end, the rabbit hair was replaced. Eggs, on the other hand, don't have her share. You and father work don't talk about it, I have a child in my stomach, otherwise I would have no face to eat. But what about Baozhen? She said that she needs to supplement her brain when she reads, you see it's a holiday These days, which day did she hold the book and read it? You Du family are all blind, but I am not blind. "
There was still a word in her heart that she didn't say: Don't think that no one doesn't know what Du Baozhen does by running to the reservoir alone every day, not for a wild man! The man was admitted to the university and went back to the city, and she had to go to high school and university if she had to live or die.
Du Baoqiang scratched his cheek and didn't speak, but Zhang Xiaohua still put another bomb, "Today Mom asked Baoqin to go to Zhao's house. I think it's probably because Baozhen doesn't want to marry, so she wants to push Baoqin out."
"No way..." Du Baoqiang raised his head immediately.
"Nothing?" Zhang Xiaohua sneered, "Don't tell me you really didn't feel anything before? Actually, everyone knows this, just cover your shame with a layer of window paper and don't pierce it. This is your Du I, a person surnamed Zhang, don't care about family affairs, I only care about this child in my belly. I tell you Du Baoqiang, if I have a daughter in my belly, if your Du family dares to be so biased, don't blame me for not ending with you! "
After speaking, she lay down with her back to her side and said nothing.
After going to Zhao's house that day, Jiang Rui still digs rabbit grass, shears rabbit fur, and does housework as usual. On this day, she went to the back mountain to pick up firewood, and when she saw an unowned tea tree, she picked a handful of tea leaves and packed them back in her clothes.
As soon as she entered the house, Wang Tonghua pulled her into the room, "Girl, let me tell you something."
She was covered in sweat, her bangs sticking to her forehead was uncomfortable, so she wiped it with her sleeve, "What's the matter, Mom?"
"Didn't you go to Zhao's house a few days ago? Aunt Zhang came just now and told your mother that she liked you very much and wanted you to be her second daughter-in-law. What do you think?"
Jiang Rui had already anticipated it, with a surprised look on her face, "It's not that Baozhen..."
Wang Tonghua interrupted her, "You saw it too, Baozhen doesn't want it. Besides, your Aunt Zhang clearly told me that she likes you more. Girl, it's a good thing, you see that you are getting old, this year or two. People often ask, I only tell them that I hate you and want you to stay for two more years. In fact, my mother is afraid that you will not marry into a good family and suffer like me. Look at my mother's life, because of poverty, because of you Dad is incompetent, how much hardship has he suffered? How many people look down on it? I don't think about anything anymore, I just count on you three brothers and sisters, as long as you are all well and live a good life, no matter how hard you suffer, mother is not afraid."
As she spoke, she wiped away tears when she thought of the sad things.
"Mom, don't do this, it's all over." Jiang Rui persuaded her softly.
"Yeah, it's all over." Wang Tonghua wiped the corners of her eyes, "Look, now the Zhao family wants to marry you as their daughter-in-law, girl, your day is coming!"
Jiang Rui said embarrassedly: "I have never met Zhao Nan..."
"It's alright," Wang Tonghua hurriedly went to the drawer and took out a photo, "Aunt Zhang said just now that Anan is busy and won't be back in a while, so I took a photo to show you. This is him. Those who stayed at home before, look how energetic they are!"
The photo was stuffed into Jiang Rui's hands. The man in it was in his thirties. He was wearing a neat military uniform, his hair was cut short, and he looked at the camera solemnly. Compared with the 15 or 16-year-old Jiang Rui that Jiang Rui saw a few days ago, the man in front of him was more masculine and calm. The sword is sheathed.
Wang Tonghua added: "What you mean by Aunt Zhang is to ask us to take a photo for Anan to see. Girl, you can go to the county to take a photo tomorrow."
Jiang Rui frowned slightly, "It's a lot of money to take a photo."
"Don't be afraid, Mom is rich!" Wang Tonghua patted her chest as if she was afraid she would disagree, and said, "You just need a good night's sleep, keep your spirits up, and take a beautiful photo tomorrow, and nothing else. Don't worry about it!"
With all that said, Jiang Rui has no room for rejection.
The next day, she put on her really good clothes again, and carried a cloth bag, which contained the rabbit fur she had saved recently. She used to take it to the commune supply and marketing cooperative to exchange for some household items. Today, she is going to the county seat. Change. When asked about it on the road, they only said that they sold rabbit fur.
From Chaoyang Commune to Yang'an County, there are only two trains a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Jiang Rui walked from the Xishan Brigade to the commune, afraid of not being able to catch up, so she set off very early, and waited at the station for nearly half an hour before the train departed, and the ticket cost 25 cents.
This road is not in good condition. It is paved with yellow mud, and the road is full of potholes. The seat of the car is hard. When I got off the car, half of my body was numb.
This is the first time for Jiang Rui to come to Yang'an County. Fortunately, I heard people say that the whole county is the most prosperous street, and the supply and marketing cooperatives, state-run restaurants, photo studios, Xinhua Bookstore, etc. are all in one place. After she got out of the car, she asked someone for the way, and she found it quickly.
The county seat is much larger than Chaoyang Commune, the roads are much wider, and the people walking on the street are dressed in brighter clothes, unlike the people in the village, which are gray. The supply and marketing cooperative is also much larger than the one in the commune, called Yang'an Department Store. As soon as you enter, you will be dazzled by the dazzling array of items. The glass counter is filled with fabric food furniture by category. Behind the counter stands a young salesperson, wearing a white shirt and braided, looking very fashionable.
Jiang Rui strolled around the store with a cloth bag before finding a purchase station in the corner. There were already many people queuing up, all of them from the villages like her from the commune and the brigade, selling eggs or waste materials, as well as herbs and animal skins.
The team progressed very slowly. When it was their turn, everyone kept an eye on the scale in the buyer's hand, and the money in exchange was counted back and forth several times.
Rabbit hair is calculated by two, one or two or four cents. They have four rabbits in their family. After three months of saving, they have saved a pound of a little more than one or two cents, and sold them for four yuan and fifty cents. In the past, there were still rabbits for sale, but this time there were six babies in a litter, four of which were exchanged for eggs with other people in the same brigade, and two were returned as gifts to the Zhao family, leaving only the rabbit fur.
She counted the money, carefully put it in her close-fitting pocket, walked out of the door of the department store, walked for a while, and found the photo studio.
Taking pictures is both foreign and extravagant. Du Baoqin has grown so big that she has never even entered the door of the photo studio. This time, it cost Jiang Rui nearly three yuan for each entry and exit. The photos could not be obtained immediately, so she left her home address, and after it was developed, someone from the photo studio would send it to her.
Before going out today, Wang Tonghua prepared three yuan for her self-defense. She didn't move the three yuan. She also set aside a ticket for the return trip, and she still had one yuan and four cents on hand.
She went back to the department store and bought a set of matches, which contained ten small boxes, two cents, two catties of coarse salt, and fifty cents. She also saw sugar and soap, but both of them were in short supply and needed to be purchased with tickets. Without tickets, money could not buy them. In the end, she only bought a few eggs, and spent eight cents on a pack of cheap cigarettes for her father, Du Youfu.
At noon, a group of young people came and bought bread and biscuits with food stamps. They were only fifteen or sixteen years old, so they should be students, and they came out to play together.
Jiang Rui watched curiously for a while, until they left, and then took out a cake from the bag to eat.
She stayed in the department store until the afternoon, and only then did she have a train back to Chaoyang Commune.
As soon as they got home, Du Baozhen rushed over and pulled her cloth bag, took a few glances, and said disappointedly, "Sister, Mom said you went to the county town to sell rabbit fur. I thought there might be something different in the county town."
Her temper came and went quickly. In the past two days, Wang Tonghua didn't propose to her to marry, so she wouldn't be angry.
Wang Tonghua waved her away and chased her away, "I just wanted to eat, the starving ghost is reincarnated!"
Du Baozhen stuck out her tongue and went back to her room.
With no one around, Jiang Rui handed over the remaining money to Wang Tonghua, and told her about today's affairs.
"You girl is just too honest. What are you doing so clearly? Go to the county and buy yourself two candies to eat."
Jiang Rui just smiled.
The photo was sent to the house several days later. Jiang Rui only glanced at it, and then it was put away by Wang Tonghua. I don't know when she sent it to Zhang Liyun.
About a month later, in a military region thousands of miles away, Zhao Nan was looking at a combat training plan behind his desk.
A series of footsteps came from outside the office. The person who came slammed the door twice and pushed in, "Lao Zhao, I have your letter."
Zhao Nan still stared at the document in his hand and reached out to take it.
Zheng Bin didn't give it to him, he put the letter between his two fingers, and shook it in front of him with a look of schadenfreude, "Looking at the address, it was sent from your hometown, and looking at the feel, there should be a photo in it. Lao Zhao Ah, it seems that my aunt can't hold it anymore, she's going to urge you to get married!"
Zhao Nan did not accept his move, and took his hand back.
"What? Why don't you take it apart and see? Let me see what the girl looks like. Could it be the peach blossom you met last time when you went home to visit relatives? Okay, you haven't made a sound after coming back for so long. Solve a life-long event at night? Isn't that girl beautiful? How old is she? Huh? Hurry up, Lao Zhao, tell me." Zheng Bin was irritated and harassed around him.
Unbearable, Zhao Nan frowned and took the letter over. As soon as he tore the seal, a photo slipped out of it. Before he could pick it up and take a look, it was snatched by a hand next to him.
"I'll check it out for you!" Zheng Bin said with a smile, taking a closer look at the photo against the light by the window.
The photo is of a girl of 18 or 19 years old, with two braids, an oval face, big eyes, fair skin, a small smile at the corners of her mouth, and two pear eddies on her cheeks. sweet.
The author has something to say:
Regarding the male protagonist of this article, I am afraid that the cubs will step on the thunder. Let me talk about it here. Every world has a male protagonist HE, and the male protagonists are all soul fragments, and the main world is combined into one. The cubs can understand it this way: the male protagonist is like a crystal glass man who accidentally fell to the ground and shattered into 800 pieces. Therefore, this is a blue pot friend assembled by the heroine by herself!