Suddenly, Miao Qing threw the dry and hard steamed bread in her hand into the desert and said, "Fuck you, Li Bing. Fuck you, marriage. I'm leaving here."
Miao Qing returned to the dugout. The so-called dugout is a hole about two meters deep dug at an angle underground in the desert, surrounded by adobe bricks and covered with various grass leaves and mud on the top.
This kind of dugout is warm in winter and cool in summer, but it is not breathable. If someone farts in it, it will probably stink all night unless you use newspaper or a fan to blow it out.
Miao Qing persisted in such a difficult environment for almost a year. She originally wanted to take advantage of her day off to find Li Bing to complain, but she didn't know which military region Li Bing was in.
She asked the soldier standing guard at the door to take a message to Li Bing, hoping that he could come to see her. It would be even better if he could bring some food, as the conditions were too harsh and she hadn't seen any meat for several months.
But Li Bing had never appeared in front of her, as if he was a stranger she met on the road, who took her to a place and that was it.
"Miao Qing, what are you doing? Why did you lose the steamed bread?"
A man stood at the edge of the dugout and shouted towards the inside. He saw with his own eyes Miao Qing throw away the steamed bun in his hand. He felt very embarrassed because this was food.
"I'm in a bad mood."
"Even if you're in a bad mood, you can't go against the food. We can step on the sand. If we step on it too much, the gas will come out. This is the steamed bread my mother made. It's a little softer than the ones you buy in the cafeteria. Have some."
Miao Qing looked up and saw a turmeric-colored enamel rice bowl in the man's rough hands. The enamel had almost fallen off and looked very mottled.
"Thank you, I'm not hungry, you can take it back."
Miao Qing knew this man. He was a local of the Hexi Corridor. His family conditions were not very good, so he came to the shelterbelt to plant trees every day and earned at least ten yuan a month.
"If you're not hungry, leave it there. It will be uncomfortable if you get hungry at night."
The man put the enamel rice bowl at the door and turned to leave, but a gust of wind blew towards him, mixed with sand, blinding the man.
"Miao Qing, close the door quickly, a sandstorm is coming."
There are sandstorms here every other day. When a sandstorm comes, most people will hide in their dugouts. Even those who don’t have time to hide in their own dugouts will find a dugout nearby to hide in.
"Come in quickly and close the door."
Miao Qing was also anxious. If someone died at her doorstep, she would be spit to death by the saliva of the people around her. She could obviously let the person hide in a cave, so why didn't she do it.
The man happily picked up the enamel basin on the ground, walked into the dugout, closed the door, and took a wooden stick from the side to prop up the door.
Yellow sand was flying all over the sky and leaking in through the crack in the door. Soon, the ground and the bed were covered with a thick layer of sand.
Looking at the dugout where she had to shake out the quilt and sweep the sand every other day, Miao Qing suddenly squatted on the ground and started to cry. She lamented why her life was so miserable.
"Marry me. I live in a cave. Although the conditions are not very good, it is better than here."
The man stretched out his hand several times, wanting to pat Miao Qing's shoulder to comfort her, but he never dared to do so. He liked this girl in his heart, but he didn't know her background.
"You will marry me."
"I am 28 years old this year. Because my family is poor and cannot afford the bride price, no local girl is willing to marry me. If you are willing, I will raise enough money for the bride price even if I have to borrow money."
"How much do you give as a gift?"
"It depends on the conditions. If you have good conditions, you can get one hundred, fifty or eighty. If you have bad conditions, you can get twenty or thirty."
"But you get a salary of ten dollars a month, so why don't you save any money?"
"I have too many brothers and sisters, and I have to support them all."
"ah… "
"But now it's better. My brothers and sisters have grown up and are working, so I save eight yuan every month. Now I have more than one hundred yuan, which I can use as a betrothal gift to you."
"I have no dowry and no money."
"No money, how can you work here without getting paid?"
Miao Qing was silent. It was agreed at that time that three meals a day would be provided, as well as simple daily necessities and a dugout. There would be no money at all, otherwise how could it be called a test.
"Because I made a bet with someone, I bet I would definitely win, but now I know that I will never win."
"It doesn't matter. A man who marries a man will provide him with food and clothing. If you don't have money, I will work harder and support you."
"May I have your name?"
"My name is Hancheng, Bai Hancheng. I am 28 years old this year. I have a father, a mother, four brothers and five sisters. My youngest sister is fourteen years old, so my mother said that I don't need to support the family anymore."
"What's the meaning?"
"It means that as long as I get married, I can live separately. I can apply for a smaller cave house, and we can build a family. You don't have to work here anymore."
There was a light in Miao Qing's eyes, which was an expectation for a new life. Li Bing, go to hell. Even if you don't want me, there are still people who want me.
"Can you give me three days?"
"Of course, take it and eat it quickly, or you won't be able to chew it anymore."
Miao Qing picked up the steamed bun and started eating. He found that it was made of cornmeal. He quickly poured a glass of water from the kettle and started eating it slowly, taking a mouthful of the bun and a sip of water.
The next day, Miao Qing took a leave and went to the base. She asked the soldier on guard to tell Li Bing that she was getting married and came to discuss the return of the betrothal gift.
Li Bing finally appeared in front of Miao Qing. Miao Qing looked at the tall and mighty Li Bing and suddenly felt that she had lost her mind. How could she be worthy of Li Bing
"I'm going to marry a local man, but I can't return the 300 yuan betrothal gift you gave my father because I don't have the money."
"No need to return it. My brother blew up your kitchen and food. Even if I have to pay you a hundred dollars, you actually have a salary, eight dollars a month, and it's almost a hundred dollars now. The remaining hundred dollars is my share of the money I give you."
"Brother Li Bing, actually I had no choice at the time. My father wanted to sell me out, so..."
"Don't need to say it. I know everything. You should never have been the first to harbor ill will towards my brother and sister-in-law. That's why a series of reactions happened later. These eleven months can be considered a punishment for you."
Miao Qing nodded. She had suffered a setback on her road to growth and hoped that her future life would be smooth sailing. Of course, she had to be kind first.
Miao Qing left. Meili walked out from the back door and looked at Miao Qing's back. She couldn't help but sigh. Environment shapes people. It's no wonder that Miao Qing grew up crooked since her parents were so reckless.