Chapter 4: Freeze at a Certain Moment

The 18th Street Fried Dough Twists on the table was still writhing his waist and legs enthusiastically. The second brother had disappeared, and he had gone back to Tianjin. Although he is in Jinghai, he always says he is in Tianjin.

His two sisters took turns on duty to take care of him again.

His pain, like wildfire, burned down to his toenails. It's okay during the day, the sunshine and bird songs play hide and seek with him through the old glass. Thick night, unable to endure to the edge.

When the elder sister is around, he can only make a sound of 'ouch, ouch' at most. Big sister is already in her seventies, and he sympathizes with the difficulties of the old nurse and wants her to sleep a little longer.

When Second Sister was there, he was in excruciating pain and shouted out without restraint. He was an old dog at night, emitting a mournful cry. Second sister, come take a look and then go back to sleep.

Sometimes, he angrily curses, as if setting off a burst of firecrackers, making the night come alive. His second sister is used to it and speaks a foreign language like the fifth brother.

However, his neighbor Liu You's wife always listens clearly. The next day, Liu You's wife ran over with a gust of wind and asked Second Sister, "Li Dafa cried all night. What's going on

Erjie said, "It hurts. This illness is still painful until the end

Liu You's wife said, "I heard that there is a type of needle called Ding that needs to be injected

Second Sister said, "What kind of Ding? She can't be a mother-in-law Ding on the ground, can she? That's easy to say, there are plenty

Grandma Ding is a dandelion. In the late autumn season, flowers fly and leaves fall.

Liu You's wife shook her head and said, "Definitely not. It's an injection, and once you get it, it won't hurt anymore. I'll go ask

Speaking, she ran home with a gust of wind and called her son-in-law, who works as a pediatrician at the city children's hospital.

Another gust of wind swept over Li Dafa's house, and she said to her second sister, "It's not Grandma Ding, it's Du Lengding. Getting a shot won't hurt anymore, and you'll have to suffer less when you leave

Second sister asked, "Is it expensive

Liu You's wife said, "It doesn't seem expensive, but you can't drive it casually. What proof do you need? Sigh, it sounds even worse than that cat calling spring. I can't even sleep. Can you sleep

Second Sister said, "If I can't sleep and cure his illness, I will sit as a Buddha every night

Liu You's wife said, "Who says a stick is useless? I think Li Dafa is lucky. Thanks to two good sisters who take care of him, or else we would have met earlier

At this moment, her sharp ears caught a grunt from the pig in her own pen. At the critical moment, she stuck the words "King of Hell" in her throat, and another exclamation slid out of her mouth next to the edge of King of Hell: "Ah... his second sister, every family has a difficult story to recite. Did you hear my pig barking again just now

Second Sister said, "It seems like Old Wu has called out

Liu You's wife Gu Zi said about the pig, "The old sow in my big pen is about to give birth. It seems that there are at least ten in a litter. There are also two male pigs in the pen. I'm used to being domineering, and I'm really afraid that when the little pig comes out, he will be trampled to death by those male pigs. Fathers are not as concerned about their children as mothers

The second sister looked at Liu You's wife suspiciously and said, "No animal can compare to a human. My scholar is more anxious about our child than I am

Liu You's wife Gu Zi said to the pig, "How about I borrow your big pen for two days and bring the boars over? When the piglets are one month old, they will all be sold, and then we can free up space and bring the boars home

My second sister thought to herself, 'There's an old sow, two boars, and your old sow has two men. No wonder there are ten in one litter. It turns out they are the offspring of two fathers.'.

However, she didn't say that. She knew that since Li Dafa was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, Liu Yous wife often came here in a gust of wind, sometimes with noodles rolled by herself, sometimes with dumplings made by herself, and sometimes with big Steamed rolls steamed by herself. Li Dafa often mentioned the benefits of Liu You's wife to his two sisters, and as they listened, they coincidentally shared a truth: "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative

However, the two sisters felt that Liu You's wife was acting suspiciously. They eat dumplings for a few more years than Li Dafa, so naturally their hearts are thicker.

Just now, someone came over warmly to offer some advice, and Second Sister couldn't say anything, so she said to Liu You's wife, "How about this, I'll discuss with Old Wu and Big Sister, and then get back to you. Anyway, your old sow won't be able to sit for her postpartum period for a while

Of course, the second elder sister doesn't discuss with Li Dafa. Her sincere brother must be for the sake of those noodles, dumplings and big Steamed rolls. She warmly welcomes the two boars from the neighbors to stay here for a while. Every drop of grace should be repaid by the spring.

The second sister said to the eldest sister, "Liu You's old sow is going to give birth to ten piglets. Liu You's wife said her old sow is going to give birth to ten piglets. I think she's bragging about it. Pork is so expensive now, and piglets are also expensive. Her old sow is just trying to make a living with her belly. She can't hold two male pigs at home anymore, so we need to use our big pen. We still have shovels and brooms in our big pen, but we don't have time. What do you think we should do

The second sister said to the eldest sister again, "That wife's little eyes narrowed and her heart narrowed. Why should she treat someone who is going to die? She must have ulterior motives. You haven't seen those people who died at home, and the rest of the old house has been occupied by neighbors. First, she left things and then rightfully occupied them. I understand this common sense. No, her boars are the emperor, and they cannot be allowed to come in

The elder sister agreed and also felt that Liu You's wife was acting suspiciously.

Second Sister said, "Last time I pulled corn, I saw several burlap bags of bran for pigs placed there. When I asked Lao Wu, he said it belonged to Liu You's family. It seems that they had a plan in advance. They used pig feed to occupy the north house first, and then used boars to occupy the south fence. The plan was so well planned that even the villages could hear it. I think it's a good opportunity to let her take away the bran as well

The elder sister expressed her agreement again, and her heart skipped a beat when she remembered the corn that her younger sister had taken away.

Second Sister's concluding statement: There is no love or hatred without reason in the world.

After saying this, Second Sister felt that she was particularly knowledgeable. Those who are close to vermilion are red, those who are close to ink are black. Who told her to marry a scholar. She is only three years older than Li Dafa and can be considered a trendy figure in the new countryside.

The next day, Liu You's wife came again and said that her old sow had been a bit restless these past few days, constantly fighting with boars. She estimated that she was about to give birth, and the scientific name was prenatal depression.

The second sister said, "Yesterday, the blind man from our village came to calculate a divination. The blind man said he wanted to improve the condition of my fifth son. There should be no animals that are incompatible with his zodiac sign in the south direction. My fifth son is a monkey, and monkeys and pigs are incompatible. If your pig goes to his pen, wouldn't that curse him to die early? Although his illness is hopeless, we still can't bear to see him leave. So, this is absolutely unacceptable. If he is physically strong normally, not to mention two pigs, raising a yard of pigs is not a problem

Liu You's wife said, "Is there a conflict between those born in the Year of the Monkey and those born in the Year of the Pig? Liu You is born in the Year of the Monkey and I am born in the Year of the Pig. We have been together for most of our lives, except for our child who had a fight when he was a child and was crippled by my rolling pin. Aren't we both doing well? This is the first time we've heard about it

Second Sister said, "Your family is a woman born in the Year of the Monkey and a man born in the Year of the Pig. If we reverse the order, bad things will turn into good things. So, your days will get better and better. Look at your old sow preparing to give birth to ten offspring at once. Oh my, it's amazing

Liu You's wife knew that Li Dafa's second sister was a talkative and cunning person. The plan to occupy the pen with boars was declared aborted, and before she could feel sad and angry, something even worse happened.

Li Dafa's second sister asked her to move the bran in the west wing back to her own home, stating, "These bran are feed for animals that compete with each other, and also play a secondary role in competing with each other

Second Sister smiled when she said these things, leaning against the door frame. Liu You's wife also leaned against the door frame, but she lost confidence in this gust of wind.

Liu You's wife asked, "Did you beat Li Dafa's mother-in-law? No, it's Du Lengding! I heard him howling again last night

My eldest nephew went to the hospital for a check-up today, and the hospital said they still need a certificate from the village. It's obvious that the surgery was performed there, isn't it unnecessary to take off your pants and fart

At dusk the next day, the nephew brought a box of Du Lengding and invited a pot lid doctor to give him an injection.

The pot lid said, "This is something even more effective than gold. You can save money and get one shot every three days

Late at night, Liu You's wife next door propped up her ears, like a bat coming out of its hole. But she didn't actually collect Li Dafa's howling voice, instead it was the old sow in her pigsty who howled all night.

Du Lengding is really something better than gold. The painful wildfire burned to ashes, and Li Dafa's life will never be revived by the spring breeze. However, it's okay to freeze at some point, even though winter hasn't arrived yet.

Every morning, before seeing the sunshine, he heard the first chirping of sparrows, always thinking about whether there was still any grain scattered in the yard. He had been lying down for half a month, and perhaps sparrows had already pecked away the corn, sorghum, and millet grains left over from the past.

Early that morning, a magpie on the wutong chirped happily. As the sun set, his elder brother in Jiamusi arrived.

Thinking back, Li Dafa hasn't seen his elder brother for almost ten years. The eldest brother is the second in line at home, but his figure is hunched and wrinkled, forming a network of wrinkles that make him look unrecognizable. When Li Dafa saw his second brother, he felt sorry for him and shed tears. When he saw his elder brother, he remained indifferent, but he was on the verge of tears of heartache.

Big brother said, "It has snowed twice in Jiamusi

Big sister said, "It's really cold, just wear a woolen coat over here

Big brother asked, "What's wrong with your wife? Has something happened to Da Ni or Er Ni

The second sister reminded the elder sister, "His ears are behind his back, so you have to play the trumpet when talking to him

But Li Dafa didn't have the strength to blow the horn. At night, Big Brother is on duty and sleeps lightly, but his ears are behind him. Even if he hears the movements made by Li Dafa, he cannot translate them. Drinking water is a small thing, you can endure it, but there is a vast ocean under your body, and the night is already deeper and heavier. The warm urine soaked in old clothes quickly cools down. Pure cotton is fine, but many synthetic clothes do not absorb water. Li Dafa feels that he cannot endure the long night. He cannot hit him with a wooden stick like he did with his second brother. In his heart, he respects and cares for his elder brother.

The scholar has come to visit his elder brother again. After the frost, the cabbage in the field has been rolled up firmly, and the dumplings made have a true cabbage flavor. Li Dafa lay in bed watching them eat, and the nutrient solution in the hanging bottle was like freshly melted snow after the sunlight came out, drop by drop, dripping through the rocks.

He saw dumplings, round and plump like the plump girl he saw when he was young, which made him have a desire to eat. However, a mouth that has turned even pesticides into eggs is the most ordinary delicacy in the world.

His body was temporarily calm, and he dared not provoke it. Even just watching them eat, he felt happiness.

However, he was a little worried, afraid that the scholar would lift a curtain and let everyone see a scene that he knew was going to happen in the future but dared not face in advance.

Big brother doesn't drink, the scholar drank four cups by himself. Her face was dyed red again. The scholar said to his elder brother, "Big brother, I don't know which year or month you will only see you this time in Northeast China. The thought of not knowing which year or month you will only see you makes my heart ache

After speaking, he took off his glasses and took out a handful of water.

Li Dafa thought to himself, fortunately, the scholar was not talking about himself.

Big brother said, "Why have you lost weight again? Haven't you always been considered fat? It's hard to buy a thousand pounds to lose weight in old age. In our family, only the second child is considered fat. The fifth child wasn't thin before. Look at what they look like now. Sigh

As soon as Big Brother spoke, Li Dafa's heart dimmed again.

After dinner, Xiucai was about to go home. Before leaving, he saw the rectangular object covered with a towel on the table. He said to Li Dafa, "I think this DVD player is outdated and you don't need it anymore. I'll borrow it for now. Whoever gets married or has a funeral, maybe they can use it to play music

The words' funeral 'once again lifted the curtain and made Li Dafa very unhappy.

The scholar lifted the towel, blew his mouth on the DVD player, and then wiped his glasses with his hand. His own breath smoked his glasses, so he tucked the DVD player under his armpit and wiped his glasses with his hand. Then, along with the towel that covered the DVD player, they took it away.

He said, "The scale cannot do without the weight, the old man cannot do without his wife, and the DVD player cannot do without a towel. They are a perfect match

Big brother only stayed for four days before preparing to return to Northeast China. Regardless of whether Li Dafa is alive or dead, it took him a week to bring it back, including the exhausting time of traveling by boat and car. Big brother found a job in his later years, guarding the gate of a martyr cemetery. He returned late and was afraid of losing this job.

When Big Brother came, he brought something as light as a feather. When leaving, big and small bags feel like returning home in glory. The scholar used an electric tricycle to take him to town. The electric tricycle is loaded with a bag of peanuts, a bag of sweet potatoes, half a bag of yam, ten pounds of ginger, five pounds of fried chicken cutlets, four pounds of pig intestines, two roasted ducks, and a convenient bag of cicadas.

Big brother said in Northeastern dialect, "We don't have these things in our bumps

Second Sister said, "Don't be fooled by Big Brother's life in the city, it seems that he's not doing well. Jiamusi is really a poor place

Big sister said, "It's okay if he leaves. Staying here won't make much difference. We still have to take care of him

Before leaving, Big Brother sat by Li Dafa's bedside for a while. He extended his equally withered hand, like a river, flowing through Li Dafa's bald head, passing through his forehead, crossing his nose, and then resting on Li Dafa's fallen cheeks, merging into a bay.

In late autumn, there are still a few shaky leaves on the branches, waiting for the wind to come and leaving. With this farewell, I can no longer see the tender buds of spring on the branches. Big brother is getting older and may not have a reason to return to his homeland anymore. Upon hearing the sound of the scholar launching three rounds, Li Dafa's throat suddenly let out a mournful cry, like a hovering bomber, flying low over the sky of memories and exploding.