N City, Hezitun.
He Songbai carried a hoe to work on the mountain. The paddy fields on Heshan have been opened, and the green manure has also composted the land. When winter wheat is planted in October, rice can be seamlessly inoculated after harvesting in April next year.
After he finished his work, panting heavily, he squatted down and ate wild vegetables.
Soon a man walked up to him and said hello to him: "Mr. Gu was living in your house during the time, thanks to your help."
He Songbai raised his head, a gentle-looking man was talking to him, his face was fair and his tone was very easy-going.
The man was wearing coarse clothes, his palms were covered with stains, and he also looked like he had just finished rough work. But He Songbai recognized him, and he was Wu Gong of Heshan.
He Songbai continued to chew on the wowotou, which was hard and rough, and scratched his throat with a dryness. He drank half a jug of water, neither salty nor bland, and wet his mouth.
Wu Gong continued: "The project in Qinghe County has to be rushed, otherwise it will be difficult to do it in winter. I want Teacher Gu to take over this project..."
He Songbai's movement of drinking water stopped for a moment.
With a hoarse voice, he coughed: "I'm uneducated, it's useless for you to tell me, hey—"
He uttered the word "I" and spoke to Wu Yong in a strong local accent.
He Songbai usually doesn't talk to people much at work, and is silent and withdrawn in the impression of others. At this moment, he can talk as much as he likes, and no one will find it strange if he deliberately pretends to be vulgar. He was reluctant to talk much with Gu Gong's students. The hard work in the pig slaughtering farm took a lot of energy. His cat was eating under the tree and wanted to rest for a while without being disturbed.
Wu Yong continued gently: "Help me convey my opinion to Teacher Gu and persuade him to come back and take over this project."
"Mr. Gu probably still remembers my anger. If it is someone around him, he will listen to it."
He Songbai responded calmly.
Wu Yong continued: "I heard that your grandmother stayed abroad before?"
He sat beside He Songbai, as if chatting with friends.
He Songbai's distress disappeared. He narrowed his dark eyes dangerously, and a light flashed through his silent and gloomy eyes, looking like he was angry, withdrawn and indifferent.
Wu Yong seemed to have heard that He Songbai was a famous second-rate in Hezitun. He paused for a moment and asked sincerely, "Have I offended you?"
"Actually, I didn't mean anything."
"I myself came from an intellectual family. My father has overseas experience and has been sent to the Northwest Forest Farm to do labor..."
He Songbai stopped chewing the wowtou, "I don't understand what you said, I'm full, it's time to work."
He swallowed the dry food in his hand, put Wu Yong down, and carried his hoe to work in the field.
In the evening, He Songbai carried his hoe home, stopped when he passed the cowshed, and said to Gu Gong casually:
"Your students told you to go back to engineering."
Gu Gong let out a sigh, and lay back on the straw pile with no energy.
Prophet Hu said: "Junior Brother Wu has done his best to the teacher, and he is working hard to restore your reputation."
"If the teacher can take over the project, he won't have to do such dirty and tiring hard work. Maybe he can still... turn his credit off."
Gu Gong was in a good mood at first, but was drowned out by the word "criminal deeds".
He snorted coldly: "The clearer is self-cleaning."
Prophet Hu said again, "Mr. Gu, shouldn't you still suspect Junior Brother Wu? Don't be fooled by the words Sun Xiang left on purpose, and deliberately make trouble with yourself."
Gu Gong didn't speak, closed his eyes and rested himself, counting on Zhao Lanxiang's return with his fingers.
…
Zhao Lanxiang took the car all day and night, and returned to N City with a heavy suitcase.
When I went there, I brought a half-full box. When I came back, the box was stuffed so full by Feng Lian that it was almost impossible to carry it.
He Songbai finished the whole day's work in one breath, and happily stepped on his bicycle to pick up his partner at the train station. He pedaled the Phoenix car with both feet, pedaled a dozen miles of mountain roads, and then took the car. He took the last train. When he arrived at the train station, it was already dark and the streets were sparsely populated.
At a glance, he saw the person who was about to fall asleep with his luggage in the waiting room, and he walked in front of her with a trembling heart.
"You're back."
He lowered his head and stared at the jet-black swirl and said in a muffled voice.
Zhao Lanxiang was so sleepy that she was about to touch the chin of the wooden box, but suddenly stopped.
She raised her head happily, and saw the same man who was also troubled. His wheat-colored face was dusty and dirty, but his dark eyes were still full of energy, as if full of light.
He Songbai picked up her suitcase and carried it on his back.
He said, "Are you hungry?"
Zhao Lanxiang nodded and touched his stomach.
He Songbai took out a warm corn cobs from his pocket, which he had asked for five cents from a family when he first got out of the car.
Zhao Lanxiang took the food from the man's hand and nibbled the crisp corn sweetly.
He Songbai carried the wooden box in both hands and silently followed behind the subject. He stared straight at the subject's slender figure with his dark eyes, and was startled.
It wasn't until he walked out of the train station that he said, "I didn't ride my bicycle here..."
Cycling a long mountain road from the country to the city, it is almost impossible to make it in the middle of the night. Moreover, she was squeamish and could not stand the bumps for so long.
But now... the last train has left.
Zhao Lanxiang pursed her lips, stared at the man's embarrassed and embarrassed face, and silently took out a letter of introduction from her pocket.
"I went to the hotel to stay for one night. Originally, I didn't want to rush back in the middle of the night."
He Songbai nodded, carrying her luggage and following her through the bustling streets of the city to the state-run hotel.
Zhao Lanxiang took out the letter of introduction and paid the money. The front desk of the hotel looked suspiciously at the man and woman in front of him. Zhao Lanxiang explained, "He's my brother."
The relationship between men and women is still relatively strict these days, but with the natural and confident appearance of the guests, it is difficult for the front desk to think about anything. Presumably good-looking people all look alike, and the front desk tacitly acknowledged the sibling relationship between the two.
He Songbai silently carried her luggage and put it in the room. He went to the tap with sweat profusely, washed his face, and walked out of the room wet, sitting on a chair and wiping the water stains on his face.
He coughed and said, "I'll go outside and hang out for a night, and I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
Zhao Lanxiang was wearing a pair of black leather shoes, stepping on the old concrete floor and making a banging sound. She walked towards He Songbai step by step, her pink and tender lips pursed, slightly raised, with a slight smile.
She was obviously dissatisfied with He Songbai's statement.
"Going to mix outside, what a way to mix it up. Sleep on the floor?"
"There are ready-made beds for you to sleep in, why do you want to go out and hang out?"
Zhao Lanxiang propped up his hands, propped up on both sides of the wooden chair he was sitting on, and looked at his shy face and sturdy body...