Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 43
On New Year's Day in [-], Liu Xiaonan took the initiative to greet Guan Xiaoyun and wanted to go home together.

Guan Xiaoyun stared at Liu Xiaonan: "I thought you would never go home and never see anyone."

Liu Xiaonan laughed and said, "So I want to go home with you and let people in Liuzi Street see that we are still brother and sister."

Yu Zhiyong didn't have a colleague. I don't know where he got a batch of celebrity wall calendars. He sells them in dormitories and residential areas every day. There are still dozens of copies that have not been sold.

Liu Xiaonan used the manuscript fee and the saved wages in advance to buy a watch for his mother and uncle, two bottles of Laojiao wine in hardcover ceramic bottles from local production for the third uncle Guan Deyu, and a palm-sized watch for the fourth brother. radio.In addition, he also bought five special issues of his debut work, and prepared to give them to those who cared about him at home.

Buying gifts for the fourth brother is the most troublesome, and I have never known what to buy.Occasionally, I saw a small radio placed on the counter before finally deciding.The small radio is small and full-featured, and the fourth brother can carry it with him when he is doing farm work and herding livestock, at least it can relieve his worries and boredom.

It is not a major festival, the textile factory only has one day off, and it is impossible to send a car.After lunch, Liu Xiaonan and Guan Xiaoyun rushed to the long-distance bus station and boarded the return coach.The rise of individual passenger transport has greatly facilitated travel.

On the windows of the long-distance bus, there are thick ice flowers (there is no heating on the bus at that time, and I have never heard of the air conditioner), and the doors are deformed and cannot be closed tightly.The cold wind crept into the car door and whistled, and the passengers exhaled misty white air from their mouths.

A middle-aged passenger near the car door told the car owner a cold joke with a cold shiver: it's time to find a carpenter to grind and grind the door.The owner of the car was very embarrassed and kept explaining, and the laughter of the passengers was also very stiff and helpless.

Along the way, Liu Xiaonan and Guan Xiaoyun seldom spoke to avoid the cold in their stomachs.In fact, they really had nothing to say.Dong Xiaojun has already started chasing Guan Xiaoyun, helping Guan Xiaoyun dress up at work, and often taking Guan Xiaoyun out to play after work, watching movies and shopping malls, or going to Guan Xiaoyun's dormitory, playing guitar and singing.

The love affair has been made public, Guan Xiaoyun seems to be very satisfied with Dong Xiaojun, and laughs loudly every day.In Liu Xiaonan's heart, there was only silent blessing.

Enduring the cold journey for more than two hours, Liu Xiaonan and Guan Xiaoyun finally arrived at the station, got off at the entrance of the store and went back to their respective homes.

I have been away from home for more than three months, and everything in my hometown has become strange.When I left, it was busy in autumn, and there were busy figures everywhere in the village and fields.Despite being hit by a typhoon that has not happened in a century, large areas of crops have been reduced and heavy losses have been suffered, people are still sweating and rushing back home what can be harvested.

At this time, it was freezing cold and covered with heavy snow, and the small village seemed to be a miniature landscape.There is no flowing color, no noisy flow of people, and it presents an indescribable dilapidation and sparseness.

In three months, not only did the seasons complete the space transformation, but also the vision and mentality unconsciously produced a sense of alienation.

Liu Xiaonan carried a green travel bag and walked home along the path in the middle of the vegetable garden.Looking at my low and biased house, the gray mottled back wall, the narrow and messy backyard, the yard wall made of gravel that can be kicked down with one foot, and the lonely crow's nest hanging on the old elm tree outside the yard wall, Everything made him unable to lift his spirits, and his mood became gloomy and gloomy.

A son doesn't think his mother is ugly, and a dog doesn't think his family is poor.People are not dogs, people must dislike the poverty of the family, how to generate motivation to change the situation of the family if they don't dislike the poverty of the family.

There was a sound of footsteps behind him, and Liu Xiaonan turned around to see that it was the fourth brother.As soon as the fourth brother came out of the store, he saw the back of the person in front of him like Liu Xiaonan, so he chased after him.

The fourth brother held a pair of newly bought Jiefang farmland shoes in his hand, looked at Liu Xiaonan happily and said, "Now I'm from the city, and I don't want to come back after I leave. Do you remember the fourth brother?"

Liu Xiaonan took out the radio from the travel bag, handed it to the fourth brother and said, "I don't remember, I only remember the man who taught me how to wrestle."

The fourth brother took the radio with a smile, and looked left and right lovingly: "Does what I taught you work?"

"It's very useful." Liu Xiaonan put his arm around the fourth brother's shoulder, shook it vigorously and said, "I can't knock down the fourth brother, but it's more than enough to throw those little bastards."

The fourth brother smiled happily and put the radio in his pocket, like a child who has to hide his treasure quickly because he is afraid of being snatched away by others.

Walking through the vegetable garden and the ridge of the rice field, Liu Xiaonan saw his father and mother feeding the pigs by the pigsty on the street from a distance, discussing something while pouring the pig food.

The all-too-familiar scene is actually a little distant and unfamiliar. What is blocking the gaze from looking back at home?What fetters the pace of going home?At this time, he just wanted to stand quietly beside his parents and listen to their scolding with a shame on his face.

The fourth brother shouted, "Xiaonan is back."

Liu Zhixin and Jiang Changling raised their heads at the same time, looked at their son, and approached step by step with strange smiles on their faces.Liu Zhixin turned her head and said to Jiang Changling: "It's really not easy, he hasn't forgotten this family yet."

"Look at what you said, how can my son forget home." Jiang Changling held the pig food bucket in one hand and picked up the travel bag in his son's hand with the other, rambling: "You didn't write a letter in advance when you came back. Discuss which day to kill the pigs. Stay a few more days, and you can leave after killing the pigs.”

Liu Xiaonan handed the travel bag to her mother, and took the pig food bucket from her with the other hand.He said: "Mom, I have to go back to work tomorrow afternoon. You don't have to wait until I'm home when the pig is slaughtered at home, just leave me some pig-killing vegetables and blood sausage."

Jiang Changling looked at Liu Zhixin: "I haven't prepared anything, and it's too late to kill the pig tomorrow. Or, when you and your father are on holiday during the Chinese New Year, our family will kill the pig again?"

Liu Zhixin nodded in agreement, and then said to Liu Xiaonan: "Your mother misses you all the time, why do you only remember to go home after walking for three months? No matter how wild your heart is, no matter how high or far you fly, you always want to come back and see , lest your mother worry."

Liu Xiaonan made an excuse for herself: "I didn't have any money left in the first two months, so I don't want to go home empty-handed."

The fourth brother said at the side: "Xiaonan bought me a gift, he will never forget home. He can come to my house to play when he has time, but unfortunately there is no place to wrestle in winter."

The fourth brother said hello and left, staggering and wondering how happy he was.

Liu Xiaonan secretly felt sorry for the fourth brother's injustice, shook her head and followed her parents home.After entering the house, it took a while for the eyes to slowly adapt to the dim light in the house.

After dinner, Liu Zhitai and Liu Erya brought their two children over to join in the fun.Liu Xiaonan opened the travel bag, first brought out delicious and interesting things for his younger siblings, then took out the watches bought for his mother and uncle, and finally handed a literary magazine to his father.

Liu Zhixin was taken aback for a moment, not understanding why his son gave him a book.Seeing his son looking at him expectantly, he opened the cover suspiciously, and saw his son's photo on the second page of the cover.Wearing the clothes I wore when I was at home, I was still so immature and innocent, but just published in the publications, I have a different look.

A sense of pride suddenly surged in my heart.Continue to scroll down, see the novel written by my son, and immediately understand everything.

The son successfully "defected" and left home, and the textile factory did not send a car back on National Day. He thought his son was just attracted by the outside world.Or, in the son's heart, the conflict with him as a father has not been resolved.

When he received a letter from his son explaining that he had terminated the engagement with Guan Xiaoyun privately, he flew into a rage and scolded his son in front of his fellow workers.He wanted to write a letter to tell his son never to go home, he couldn't afford to lose that person.

Under the persuasion of his fellow workers, he gave up the idea.Yes, the son has grown up, and the son has gone far away, no matter how long his arms are, he can't control him anymore.At that moment, he experienced the sadness and heartache of being a father.

He came to the door in person and apologized to Guan Deyu and his wife on behalf of his son.Guan Deyu and his wife didn't say anything, they just expressed regret, which actually made him hate his son even more.

The son never came home. Although he often wrote letters and introduced his work situation in the letters, he never explained why he didn't go home.He thought that his son was avoiding the possible blame for breaking the engagement without permission, but now it seems that he underestimated his son.

The son wanted to prove himself, to stand in front of him upright.When did your son start writing novels?Thinking of the words he said sarcastically and belittling his son before, and remembering that he broke his promise not to borrow books for his son, he realized for the first time whether he had made a major deviation or mistake in educating his son?
Liu Zhixin said to his son with complicated emotions: "I'll let you finish it!"

Liu Xiaonan explained to her father: "I have been busy with this matter, not because I don't want to go home. The title of farmer rotation worker itself is not reliable, let alone think about future job prospects. I have to find another way out for myself."

Liu Zhixin was very ashamed: "Father didn't understand you before, and he misunderstood you and hurt you."

Liu Xiaonan self-reflected: "When I was at home, I didn't know what to do, and I made my parents worry."

Liu Zhixin asked: "How can you explain to your third uncle what happened between you and Xiaoyun? I can't hold my head up in front of your third uncle."

Liu Xiaonan said, "I'm willing to be beaten and scolded, I will take care of everything myself."

Run away from disdain!Although in the letter to Guan Deyu, Liu Xiaonan blamed himself for all the reasons, saying that he had always regarded Guan Xiaoyun as his younger sister and could not find the feeling of being in love, but he felt that it was necessary to listen to the third uncle in person. scolding.

The third uncle is not an unreasonable person, and it is easy to get along after talking.

With this mentality in mind, Liu Xiaonan walked into Guan Deyu's house with two bottles of wine.Guan Deyu's family was sitting on the kang watching TV, when they saw Liu Xiaonan coming in, Guan Xiaoyun hurried down to greet him, took the wine in his hand and put it on the top of the cabinet.Guan Deyu only glanced at him, and continued to stare at the TV without saying a word.

Liu Xiaonan sat close to Guan Deyu on the edge of the kang, and leaned sideways to get close to Guan Deyu: "Third Uncle, I bought you two bottles of wine, which are said to be quite delicious."

Guan Deyu said coldly: "Am I entitled to drink?"

"Look at this, and then decide whether to drink or not." Liu Xiaonan took out a special issue of her debut work from her bosom, opened the text and handed it to Guan Deyu: "Third Uncle, I have always had a wish to express my gratitude to Mr. Guan in words." kudos. I did it."

Guan Deyu looked at the serious and respectful Liu Xiaonan with a complicated expression, wanted to say something but didn't say anything, immersed himself in the novel written by Liu Xiaonan, and relaxed after watching the stern expression.

Liu Xiaonan didn't come back with Xiaoyun on National Day, so he had a premonition.When he received Liu Xiaonan's letter, he was so angry that he would slap Liu Xiaonan twice when we met again.

Later, from Xiaoyun's thoughts gradually revealed, he saw that this was not Liu Xiaonan's fault alone, it was indeed a joint choice of two people, and one cannot unilaterally determine who is right and who is wrong.

Even so, when he saw Liu Xiaonan, Guan Deyu was still furious.Liu Xiaonan has always been favored by him, and he is really unwilling to be his son-in-law.After reading the chapter about his old father written by Liu Xiaonan, he understood that sooner or later Xiaoyun couldn't keep up with Liu Xiaonan.

Guan Deyu put down the book, and said to Guan Xiaoyun: "Bring me the wine Xiaonan bought, and let me see if it's a fake wine or a cheap one, to fool his third uncle."

Liu Xiaonan sat at Guan Deyu's house for a long time, chatting a lot, and when he was leaving, Guan Xiaoyun sent him out.Walking out of the house, Liu Xiaonan stopped Guan Xiaoyun, it was very cold and he was not a stranger, so there was no need to send him outside the gate.

Guan Xiaoyun stopped outside the house, closed the door and said, "There should be a manuscript fee, right? Didn't you say you bought me new clothes to wear?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "One moment, another moment, in the future someone will be willing to buy you new clothes to wear."

"Stingy." Guan Xiaoyun said disdainfully: "You save it all, and save it to please that evil spirit later."

Guan Xiaoyun's angry words reminded Liu Xiaonan, he said: "After returning to the factory, don't tell anyone about my novel writing."

"You are always clouded in what you do. What can you not say? Others can't write it if they want to."

"You don't know, I've already confirmed that the evil spirit you mentioned is in the textile factory."

"Then why don't you hurry up and see her? Maybe a remembrance of old love can help you transfer your household registration to the city."

"People don't want to see us, so why do we bother to meet her? Isn't that just asking for trouble and demeaning ourselves? I don't want her to know that I published a novel, just as if we never knew her."

"It's really cruel, no wonder you can treat me like that." Guan Xiaoyun turned around and entered the house, closing the door.

(End of this chapter)