Chapter 7 The Bear and the Red Plum Blossom

The cost of fertilizers is increasing, the price of agricultural films is increasing, the cost of irrigation during droughts is increasing, and all the relatives and friends who are related to the land are growing taller. At the same time, the amount of grain handed over is increasing, and farming is becoming less and less profitable. Many young people leave the land and fly to factories to work.

No matter how unprofitable it is, Li Dafa feels that land is the foundation of farmers' livelihood. Farmers leave the land, and the money they earn is like duckweed in the water. Only when they have grain in their hands can they be calm. The problem is that the harvest in the fields is ups and downs, and the mood is unstable, and there is no extra duckweed floating over. So, he has to earn duckweed.

The way to earn duckweed is to work. There is a labor market in the neighboring village, which is prosperous in spring and autumn. When he finished his farm work, he went there to wait. Many people were waiting there too. The faces of men and women were all tanned to a caramel color. The men smoked low-quality dry tobacco, the best of which was a small goldfish. The women rubbed Friendship Cream, which was fragrant. The smell of tobacco and cream entangled in the air. They made bold jokes, and their laughter startled a group of sparrows. They stood or squatted, like livestock waiting to be sold, waiting for the employers who needed them to pick them up one by one to help those professional households plant and harvest.

In the same group as Li Dafa, the men were generally as strong as mules, and the working women were plump and fat, with the enthusiasm of a cooked meat shop. There was a thin Sichuan woman who was plain, with a flat chest and sparse freckles on her face. If she didn't smile, she looked pretty. When she smiled, she showed her small buck teeth.

The reason why this inconspicuous woman was chosen by the employer was said to be because she was quick and honest at work, and one person could do the work of three Shandong women. She is well-known in the local labor market.

The most famous joke about this woman is that in the autumn cotton field, white flowers are blooming everywhere. The petite Sichuan woman was submerged by the cotton plants when she lowered her head. She quickly carried out a large pile of cotton, and finally weighed it, and hers was the most.

Li Dafa also did the cotton picking. He was huge, and his clothes were always scratched by the cotton branches. In addition, the movements of bending over and squatting made him feel like a stupid bear.

In the autumn cotton field, white flowers are blooming everywhere. When the bear Li Dafa was crouching to pick cotton, he was scratched by the sharp cotton branches. The old clothes he wore were too old, and the fibers that had been secretly harmed by time were waiting for the right time to be ripped open and make the owner embarrassed. Therefore, the cotton branches were understanding of the clothes. Before picking much cotton, his clothes were scratched out with a big hole. Li Dafa's back was like wearing a tuxedo, revealing his thick waist.

During the break, the Sichuan woman saw it and said briskly, "Come, I'll help you sew." As she said that, she took out a small sewing kit from her bag like a magic trick. This sewing kit was her usual embroidery belongings. She sometimes brought these belongings to work and embroidered during breaks.

The Sichuan woman found a dark blue thread, spit a little saliva on her hand, twisted the thread end, and the thread whizzed through the eye of the needle, like a flash of lightning, and lit up Li Dafa's eyes.

The embroidering hand threaded the needle, and Li Dafa's tailcoat returned to the original color of the coarse cloth of the working people. After the Sichuan woman sewed Li Dafa's clothes, she stepped aside, took out her embroidery belongings, and embroidered in the fields.

The young girl was flirting in the green gauze tent, and the women's cooked meat shop opened by the cotton field, always wanting some meat. Li Dafa was considered a handsome man among a group of rough men. He did not take the initiative to provoke those old women and young wives. He thought women were tigers, and he was somewhat afraid of tigers. But the old women and young wives never let him go easily.

The old woman asked him: "Li Dafa, is your quilt cold when you sleep alone at night?"

Li Dafa said: "It's okay, not cold. Those dogs and cats also sleep alone, and they don't feel cold."

The old woman said: "Those dogs and cats have to call in spring, but now even the call is early. In the middle of winter, you can only hear cats calling. Li Dafa, you are alone all year round, how can you bear it?"

Li Dafa's quilt is often cold, and he has to warm it up for a long time before it can be warm. He has tasted the taste of women, and countless nights are restless like dogs and cats. Dogs and cats can call and mate everywhere. He feels that since he is wearing human skin, he can't do anything wrong. He was defeated in several blind dates. Others treated him as a night market carrot, but he treated himself as an onion. He was waiting, but he didn't know what he was waiting for.

Li Dafa didn't know how to respond to the old woman's words. The young wife said, "Oh, sister-in-law, if you feel pity for Li Dafa, go and warm his bed, hahaha."

Unbridled laughter broke out in the mule herd and the cooked meat shop, and the birds in the field had long run away. Li Dafa was a little embarrassed. He raised his eyelids and saw the Sichuan woman sitting at the edge. The Sichuan woman lowered her head to embroider, revealing her small buck teeth.

Of course, the old women could not admit defeat, and they became more and more arrogant: "Li Dafa is young and has great energy. I am afraid that I can't handle it. I think a good horse should be equipped with a good saddle, and those of us with families should stand aside. So, the Sichuan girl who just sewed clothes for Li Dafa is pretty good. Sichuan girl, stop embroidering, do you want us to be your matchmaker?" People know a little bit about Sichuan women: "She is a widow who came to Shandong to work. Her cousin married here. She has a backer." The Sichuan woman raised her head and responded generously: "No, I can earn enough to eat and drink. When I am hungry, I will let you be my matchmaker." The Sichuan woman lowered her head to embroider again. The Shandong women were not on the same channel as her and continued to make fun of Li Dafa. Li Dafa responded in a disjointed manner. Sometimes his eyes drifted to the snow-white cotton field, and sometimes his eyes drifted to the Sichuan woman's embroidery. It was a bright red plum blossom. The cold winter was bleak, and the labor market was also deserted. The number of animals waiting for buyers is also decreasing. The occasional farm work in the vegetable greenhouse is quickly shared. Li Dafa met a Sichuan woman in the labor market. She was wearing a bright red cotton jacket, which was a little empty. It didn't look like her size, and she looked even smaller. Her face seemed a little whiter than when she picked cotton in the fall, and the bird droppings were more obvious.

They were selected to cut leeks for a leek professional. There is a leek village nearby. Every household grows leeks. If each family does not have ten or eight acres of leek fields, it is simply embarrassing to be called a leek professional. The price of leeks is always affected by the weather. In warm winters, leeks are grass, so cheap that even cows are reluctant to eat them. In cold winters, leeks are cordyceps, riding a rocket to the sky. Not only is leek fried eggs served at banquets, but it is also a tonic that men flock to.

This winter is very cold, so cold that the runny nose will freeze into chopsticks before it falls to the ground. The leek master is also preparing to ride a rocket. Before riding a rocket, someone needs to harvest carefully.

The chive greenhouse is not as majestic as other vegetable greenhouses. They are all low arched greenhouses. People cannot stand up inside, and the highest height is squatting. People who cut chives need to crawl forward like stealing landmines.

Li Dafa and the Sichuan woman are in a chive shed, one at each end. When they meet, all the chives have been harvested. In many cases, they are old partners in work and old revolutionary comrades on the land.

This is simply the stage of the Sichuan woman. Her petite body drilled in, and her hand holding the sickle was fast and accurate, just like Peter Pan in a martial arts movie.

Over there, it was simply Li Dafa's nightmare. He was big and if he was not careful, he would lie on the chives and crush a piece of delicate aphrodisiac grass. Therefore, he was always careful and tried to make fewer mistakes.

It was winter with howling cold wind outside, and it was summer in the low chive shed. Li Dafa was sweating like rain and his chest was a little stuffy. He was like a gorilla, curling up his huge body and moving forward step by step. Over there, the Sichuan woman was getting closer and closer. She had taken off her cotton jacket, but the sweater underneath was also red.

Li Dafa's breathing became more and more rapid. He felt that the arch shed was too stuffy. He tried to even out his breath, cursing himself in his heart for being useless and made of paper. He glanced ahead and saw a red figure blooming like a red plum blossom in the green mist.

The soldiers crawling forward finally caught up. Li Dafa saw the red plum blossom, and his eyes went dark. The red plum blossom was like a ball of mist and dispersed.

How much strength did the Sichuan woman have to drag the fainted gorilla out of the arch shed? Li Dafa woke up when the cold wind blew. When he woke up and found himself leaning on the arms of the Sichuan woman, he cursed himself: "You are made of paper. You can't even do this little work. It's so embarrassing. No, don't count my wages for today. I'll give it all to you."

When calculating the wages, the Sichuan woman insisted on half for each of them, and didn't take a penny more.

The leeks flew up to the sky on a rocket, but no one was willing to use a paper man to cut the leeks. Li Dafa has been idle since then. Sometimes he sits by the wall with his hands in his pockets to bask in the sun and chat with those very old men. Sometimes he goes to Wang Dapangzi's store to drink the cheapest jasmine tea and brag. Sometimes he just watches the black and white TV programs with only two channels at home. There are meetings on TV all day long. On Tuesday, the black and white TV is full of snow, and the meeting is resting. The price of coal blocks has increased again, and there is no duckweed to earn money. The coal slag is mixed with too much soil, and the fire in his house is always not strong. At night, he simply turns off the fire and heats the kang with firewood. The quilt is warm. Lying in the warm quilt, he thinks of the red plum blossom.

One winter, there were many snowflakes, and he was thinking about the red plum blossom.

In spring, cats are calling for spring, and dogs are looking for partners. The leaves are about to bud, and the insects are agitated.

Li Dafa went to the labor market again. There was not much farm work at this time of year. He unexpectedly met the Sichuan woman. The weather was a little warm, and the woman had not taken off her red cotton jacket. He said to his old revolutionary comrade: "Happy New Year." He found that his little heart actually beat a few times, and he also found that the New Year thing had passed a long time ago.

The New Year thing had passed a long time ago, and the Sichuan woman actually said to him: "Happy New Year."

For several days in a row, no employer came to the labor market to find people. He went every day, and the Sichuan woman was there every day. They were still like animals that had not been led away, from morning to afternoon. Until one day, the routine of turning around and going home before the sun set was suddenly broken by the Sichuan woman.

The Sichuan woman said: "Li Dafa, I have no place to live. My cousin and my cousin's husband fight every day, and it seems that they can't live anymore. I can't bear to see them fighting to death every day, so I want to move out, but I haven't found a place yet. I heard that you have four big north rooms, so I'll stay at your place for a few days. Don't worry, I'll give you the rent."

Li Dafa finally knew what pie in the sky meant! A pug immediately jumped out of his heart, and he went to meet it and caught it! But he deliberately pulled the dog's tail and said, "I have four big northern rooms, one for me to live in, one for a small living room, and the other two wing rooms are used for food and work tools, so they can't be lived in. Otherwise, I'll clean up the room for storing food for you. I have a big wooden board at home, and others can't sleep on it. You are small, so it will definitely be no problem. As for the rent, you can live there first. Anyway, you won't live there for a few days, so you don't need to pay. Last time you helped me cut leeks and didn't ask for money, so this money can be used as compensation."

The Sichuan woman and Li Dafa began to live together.

In the eyes of outsiders, they really slept in the same bed. A single man and a single woman together, without the little things in the bed, seems to be sorry for the smacking mouths of people after dinner. A widow from a neighboring village who had been dating Li Dafa said, "I heard that Li Dafa married a mouse. The woman is so small that she doesn't look like a human. However, Li Dafa's level is just right for a mouse."

Li Dafa cleared a space in the west wing where he stored grain. He took out the big wooden board and used it as a bed. The woman lay down and tried it. When she turned over, she rolled down. Although she was petite, the board was still too narrow. So Li Dafa found another piece of wood to put together. There was a big zigzag trench in the middle, but he finally made a bed. He used bricks to support the two ends. The weight of the Sichuan woman should not be a problem.

During the day, they still went to the labor market. In order to avoid gossip, they always left one after the other. Even so, spring plowing had not yet started on a large scale, and there was still little work in the labor market. But there were always many opportunities for Sichuan women to be picked up. When she came back at night, she always said that she had dinner at the employer's house. However, Li Dafa always saved food for her. He had food, so he was not afraid of eating.

One night, Li Dafa made leek dumplings by himself. At this time, leeks fell from the rocket. When the weather got warmer, they almost became grass, but spring leeks were still delicious.

The Sichuan woman said, "I've had dinner, but I want to try Shandong dumplings, just one."

After tasting it, the woman swallowed a plate of dumplings into her stomach. She praised, "Li Dafa, you are really capable. Not only do you do farm work well, but you also make dumplings so delicious. This is the most delicious dumpling I have eaten in Shandong. The dumplings you make look like piglets!"

Men can't stand sugar-coated bullets. The Sichuan woman's praise was like a warm spring breeze, which made Li Dafa dizzy.

At night, the Sichuan woman suddenly screamed. Li Dafa still heard it even though he was half asleep. He got out of bed and went straight to the west wing. He turned on the light and found that the Sichuan woman was curled up in a torn quilt, holding her head and closing her eyes in a mess. There were two huge rats running around in the room.

In the spring breeze, all animals are in love. Two fat and strong rats came out of their holes at night to make trouble. One climbed onto the quilt of the Sichuan woman, and the other walked on the woman's head. The woman touched the rat's tail in a daze. The rat squeaked and the woman also screamed, and her soul flew away. Rats are the most feared thing for the Sichuan woman. She feels that the end of the world is coming.

The two rats who were dating in the mortal world disappeared. Li Dafa sat by the woman's bed and comforted her, saying: "Tomorrow I will take a mousetrap and kill them both, and their descendants. These guys have stolen so much of my food. It's okay, you don't have to be afraid."

Even if the rats are killed, the Sichuan woman is still afraid of this room where she has slept with rats.

She suddenly plunged into Li Dafa's arms.

Li Dafa felt dizzy again. He subconsciously hugged the little woman in his arms. He smelled the scent of friendship cream on her body. This scent was the scent of the woman he had been thinking about day and night. This scent made the flames in his body rise. He pressed the Sichuan woman under him and said, "Don't be afraid. If the mouse is not afraid, I am not afraid either. Be my woman. With me, nothing will happen." This was the boldest love confession of Li Dafa's life. After saying that, he kissed the red plum blossom with his mouth, and their tongues were entangled passionately, with a strong smell of leeks. Suddenly, there was a click. The bed board that supported the Sichuan woman's petite body could not bear the weight of two people and broke at once. The bear and the red plum blossom both fell into the sea trench...