Chapter 16: Past, Future, Hometown, Words from a Foreign Land

When the sun was about to reach Jinshan, the big stupid dog with the iron chain rushed violently, and the Sichuan woman came back.

At that time, Liu You's wife happened to go to the delicatessen shop on the street to buy a piece of pork head meat to make a snack for Liu You. Liu You also had a revolutionary wine in the evening, which was also a dragging drama. When she saw the Sichuan woman, she pretended to see her for the first time and greeted her enthusiastically: "Oh, you just came, just in time for dinner."

She turned around and went into the house and said to Liu You: "The Sichuan woman is back again, it seems that she is staying here permanently. With the monkey temper of Li Dafa's second sister, she will have a hard time."

The second sister took a big spoon to stir a pot of boiling millet porridge. She was briefly stunned by the return of the Sichuan woman and continued to stir the millet porridge.

After stirring for eight times, the second sister put the big spoon on the edge of the pot and decided the current situation: "Well, since you are here, I will fulfill your wish. But it is useless to have so many people at home. Why don't you go home? You are not in good health, go back and rest first. If there is anything, we can notify you with a phone call, so that everyone will not be exhausted." So, with a phone call, the eldest nephew came to take his mother home. The little grandson saw his grandmother and asked happily: "Is my uncle dead?" Grandma said: "Not yet. I miss you, so I came back to see you first." The little grandson said: "Why is he not dead yet? Is he a monster?" In the eyes of the villagers, Li Dafa has become a monster. He survived for more than 40 days. He couldn't get a needle in, couldn't swallow food, and relied on water every day to survive. Some people said: "His soul flew away, and the little woman brought him back again." When Li Dafa woke up, he saw the Sichuan woman coming back again, and there was always a flower on his face that wanted to smile. His eyes followed her figure as it moved around the room, and he fell into a daze as he swam.

The Sichuan woman went to the outer room to poke the stove and add new charcoal. The flames jumped up and passed through the flue to the earthen heating fort in the inner room, and the inner room also became warm.

The second sister thought to herself: "I enjoy myself as soon as I come here, and I'm afraid I'll get cold."

She said: "There's not much charcoal left. You can use it slowly. It's not too cold yet, so you don't need to be so warm."

The Sichuan woman didn't say anything. She mixed warm water in the basin, soaked the towel in it, and then carried it into the inner room. She wrung the towel a little dry and said to Li Dafa: "Li Dafa, I'll wipe your body for you."

She called him Lao Wu in front of her two sisters, and called him by his name when she was alone with him.

Li Dafa made a confused and vague sound, and she knew he agreed. So, the warm towel started from Li Dafa's head, gently and softly wiping his forehead, eyebrows, eyes, cheeks and chin, like their last kiss of the night. Li Dafa woke up at that moment. The pain in his body later became numb, but he could feel the warmth of the towel at this moment. He saw his woman under the 40-watt light bulb. The tip of her nose was slightly sweaty, and her freckles were as vivid as bird droppings. He moved his mouth, and he wanted to kiss those freckles.

At this time, the Sichuan woman just wiped his neck. The two symbols of his illness stood there majestically. The tumor squeezed the person out of shape. Her eyes were filled with mist, and she couldn't see the person in front of her clearly. She covered him with a quilt, put the towel in warm water, washed it once, wrung it out, and started the scrubbing journey again.

When she wiped his buttocks, she covered the quilt on top, revealing a little bit of his body from the side. In the past ten years, she had many imaginations about his body. She planted some radishes in front of the door. When she harvested in autumn, she thought of her beloved man every time she put a radish in the basket. She unconsciously had a sweet smile on her face, and her blush was stained, and even the freckles were vivid. The old lady next door saw her and asked her what she was laughing at. She suddenly realized her loss of composure and cursed herself as a hooligan.

There are two reasons why a man makes a woman miss him: technology and being good to her. Technology is the joy that no one shares in the depths of the soul, and the most secret comfort in ordinary life. Being good to her is something that will linger on your lips and teeth after thinking about it for a long time. Without goodness, there is only love, just like a flower that will wither soon no matter how beautiful it is. With goodness and love, memory is a pot of wine, which becomes more mellow as it is stored.

Li Dafa is the pot of wine of Sichuan women. Now the wine is in front of her, but she has mixed feelings before drinking it.

She propped up the quilt with her hands and wiped it with a towel. Bones were sunken everywhere. The place that was once full of vitality had already withered with weeds all over the ground. The 40-watt light shone in, and all her imaginations about life were shattered... She saw the diapers under her body, she touched them, and they were as stiff as paper shells, and she gently pulled out the diapers. The 40-watt light shone in, and his thin skin had already been worn out like wrinkled paper.

Her eyes were misty again.

She covered the quilt, washed the towel again, and wiped the rest of his body clean. No, it was a skeleton.

She searched the sack that contained diapers, but couldn't find a few pieces of pure cotton fabric. Most of them were synthetic fabrics from old clothes, and with urine alkali, they were as hard as sandpaper.

Li Dafa could still drink a little water every day. His body was still consuming, so he would definitely have urine. The Sichuan woman found a few diapers that looked like cotton cloth and prepared to wash them.

The second sister said, "There is less hot water tonight, so you should use less and save it for washing your face and brushing your teeth tomorrow morning." So the Sichuan woman soaked the diapers that looked like pure cotton in cold water. She rubbed them with soap several times, but found that they still did not regain the softness of pure cotton. She spread the diapers on the warm fort in the inner room and waited for them to dry.

There was a smell of urine alkali and soap in the room.

Li Dafa was awake this night. His eyes followed the Sichuan woman's figure.

At this time, it was the second sister who came in. He spoke to the second sister, and the second sister understood: "I know, you want me to open the box and take the quilt to cover the little Sichuan. You don't need me to tell you, I can't think of it? I'm lying there worrying about it."

The second sister opened the elm box, took out the quilt, put it on Li Dafa's bed, and said to the Sichuan woman: "I've been saving it, and there's a hole waiting. Cover it with this tonight."

The room was like an old cage, the lights were dim, the mandarin ducks were playing in the water, and the red and green were full of joy. The Sichuan woman saw that the quilt she had covered that year was still as beautiful as before, and her eyes were misty again.

At night, the second sister heard a whisper in the inner room. She tiptoed to the door and listened for a long time. It was the Sichuan woman who was talking. The Sichuan woman's voice was originally low, and with a strong accent, the second sister came back confused.

The next morning, Liu You's wife came over and said to the second sister: "My ten piglets are one month old, and they look so cute. People say they look like the one they are from. Outsiders say the piglets look like my wife, and they are fat. The adults and piglets are so well raised, and it's all my credit. I get up early and go to bed late. Plus, his mother has eleven pigs, and they eat half a bag of bran a day. The bigger they are, the more I can't afford to feed them." The second sister thought: There are more than a dozen people in your family, including pigs and people. What does it have to do with me whether they eat bran or steamed buns? She guessed that the pig farmer was going to make some plans again, so she stayed put and waited for her to shake out the feed in her stomach. Liu You's wife said, "I discussed with Liu You all night. We have to sell them sooner or later anyway, so why not sell five now? Today is a big market."

The second sister replied, "How much money can we make from selling five piglets? Piglets are more expensive than pork. Women born in the Year of the Pig are really blessed. Are you coming here so early to let me get some of your blessings?"

Liu You's wife knew that the second sister was a smart person, so she stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point: "Last time when I was moving bran from your west wing, I saw a bundle of hemp rope. I thought it would be easier to tie pig trotters than thick ropes, so I came to borrow it first."

The second sister certainly knew the bundle of hemp rope. Liu You's wife would definitely not return it after using it. This time she sold five piglets, and next time there would be five more waiting to tie trotters. However, when Yumi moved last time, the scholar's four eyes had already caught it, and he took advantage of the opportunity to install the hemp rope on the electric tricycle.

The second sister secretly felt lucky, but said with an apologetic look: "It's unfortunate that my scholar used it. It can be used by anyone who hangs a banner for weddings or funerals. It would be better if you sold the piglets earlier. But thick ropes are stronger. Your piglets are fat and strong, and the thin hemp rope will break if you pull it. If you don't believe me, try it." Liu You's wife didn't borrow the hemp rope, so she had to go home in disappointment and think about using a thick rope. One morning, the Sichuan woman heard the ghostly howling of Liu You's piglets, and then the sound of the electric tricycle starting. She ran out of the house, ran out of the yard, and ran to the electric tricycle. Liu You's wife had a yellow headscarf on her head, and a thick layer of cream was applied on her weather-beaten face. She sat on the back of the electric tricycle, holding the edge of the car with one hand and carefully placing her feet on the side of the car to avoid taking up the position of her beloved piglets. Five piglets were tied up with their legs tied together, unable to move, and howling constantly. People thought they were going to the slaughterhouse, but in fact they were looking for new owners to live a well-off life where they would no longer eat bran but pig feed.

The Sichuan woman said, "Sister, please buy me three feet of white cloth for three yuan and three cents."

Liu You's wife asked loudly in the sound of the electric tricycle starting, "What? Say it loudly."

The Sichuan woman had to repeat it again, "Three feet of white cloth for three yuan and three cents, buy it for me at the market." Liu You's wife heard it clearly this time, and said in a hoarse voice, "Sister, what era is it now? Twenty years ago, white cloth was three cents and three cents a foot, ten years ago, white cloth was three yuan and three cents a foot, and now it is more than three yuan and three cents."

The Sichuan woman took out a small handkerchief from her pocket, took out a banknote with the largest denomination from the handkerchief, and handed it to Liu You's wife. Liu You's wife said, "You don't need that much money. If the price goes up, you can definitely buy it within fifty yuan."

Ten years ago, Sichuan women bought cotton cloth to make quilts, and white cloth was three yuan and three cents. The memory of the white cotton cloth still stayed at that time.

So the Sichuan woman carefully took out a fifty-dollar bill and gave it to Liu You's wife.

At this time, the second sister came out and poured a basin of water, looking over here.

Liu You's wife glanced at the second sister and took the Sichuan woman's money without hesitation. She wanted to keep a distance from the Sichuan woman, but the new and old hatreds of not being able to borrow the hemp rope came to her, and she decided to stand on the side of the Sichuan woman. She has always been curious, and she didn't ask why the important task was entrusted to her. In the electric tricycle thumping forward, Liu You's wife's yellow headscarf was as bright as a flag. The yellow headscarf stubbornly thought: Even if the piglets can't be sold, we must buy white cotton cloth.

After noon, Liu You's electric tricycle stopped at the door. Liu You and his wife jumped off the car, each carrying a piglet home. After being tied up for a whole morning, the piglets had no strength to howl. The old couple worked together to move them to the yard and untied the ropes. The piglets that had been tied up for a long time were finally freed and returned to their home after a whole morning. The world is not as good as home, so they had fun and the piglets were running around in the yard. Only Liu You's wife was dejected. The second sister brought another basin of water and poured it out. She asked Liu You's wife with a smile: "Why did you bring it back? You don't want to sell it. You've developed feelings for it." Liu You's wife didn't want to pay attention to her, but Liu You was quick to say: "No, the price is not right. The money has fallen by more than half compared to the first half of the year. They said that no one eats pork because of the disease No. 5. Isn't this a lie? I ate pork head meat last night, and it's still alive and kicking today. It's all the disease No. 5 that the city people are afraid of. The town built a few buildings and thought it was a city. They follow the city all day long, inserting green onions into pig noses and pretending to be garlic!" Liu You's wife had to add: "There is a lot of bran at home. It's the same for one pig or ten pigs. What's there to be afraid of? Not to mention the disease No. 5, even the disease No. 10 will pass. We can afford it." At this time, the Sichuan woman came out. When Liu You's wife saw the Sichuan woman, her voice was like a warm desert: "Little Sichuan, I bought the white cloth you wanted. It has indeed increased in price, but it is not too expensive. We produce cotton here, and this thing is not as expensive as gold."

The Sichuan woman took the white cloth and the remaining money and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Liu You's wife immediately praised: "You are so polite. We don't say thank you here. Only people in the city say thank you. If you need anything from your sister-in-law in the future, just let me know and she will definitely help you. We are old neighbors. Sister-in-law is a warm-hearted person. Don't treat me as an outsider."

The second sister was so angry that she raised the basin, only to find that the water in the basin had been spilled out.

The second sister closed the courtyard door and strode back to the room. The Sichuan woman was folding the white cloth again into a square, and then she went to find a pair of scissors.

The second sister said, "Oh, you bought white cloth. Lao Wu hasn't died yet, why are you in such a hurry to buy this thing? Besides, even if he died, it wouldn't be your turn to buy it. We have the money to buy it."

The Sichuan woman looked up, not knowing what the white cloth had to do with Li Dafa's death.

The second sister said, "You've been here for three years, don't you know the local customs? When someone dies, relatives need three feet of white cloth, which is called wearing hemp and mourning. You're preparing this thing so quickly, aren't you cursing him to death?"

The Sichuan woman suddenly realized, and she explained like a child who made a mistake, "Second sister, don't be angry, I didn't think about that, I just saw that Lao Wu didn't have enough diapers, and there were not enough pure cotton ones, so I tore three feet of the cheapest white cloth to pad him under his body, so that he would suffer less."

After that, the Sichuan woman took scissors to cut the white cloth into square pieces, and then put them in a basin and poured boiling water to soak them.

My second sister's mouth was like a TV that suddenly went out of power. She just said "hmm" and then shut up.

At night, the second sister heard the Sichuan woman's whimpering voice coming from the inner room again. She tiptoed to the door and listened for a long time, but still heard nothing.

At night, Li Dafa was awake more than during the day.

He woke up and saw the Sichuan woman lying beside him like a cat. There was always a flower of laughter on his face, although the flower looked a little strange and hideous, but it would quietly bloom at night.

Li Dafa had difficulty pronouncing, but the Sichuan woman was speaking.

The Sichuan woman said, "Li Dafa, do you know where Ya'an is? Ya'an is southwest of Chengdu. Every time I come back here, I take a train to Chengdu, then transfer to Xi'an, and then I go to Shandong. Ya'an is a small place, but you must know big cities like Chengdu and Xi'an. Chengdu people love to play, there are many teahouses and mahjong halls. Xi'an has a lot of snacks, all kinds of noodles, which must suit the appetite of you, a native northerner. Do you know the buns in mutton soup buns? They are broken smaller than fingernails. Do you know there is a ramen restaurant called Laowu? There are four types of ramen noodles: hairy, thin, two-thin and nine-leaf. The hairy noodles are as thin as hair." The Sichuan woman said, "Do you know what treasures there are in Ya'an? Don't blink, it's not me. I don't look good. No one likes me except you and my parents and children. There are giant pandas in Ya'an. You must know that giant pandas eat bamboo, but sometimes giant pandas are as greedy as humans and eat meat. You haven't heard of it. Giant pandas eat rotten meat. Where can they eat so much rotten meat? Isn't it said that greedy cats are greedy cats? They must be the same as It's about giant pandas. One time, a giant panda entered my house and ate the bacon I dried. I saw them but couldn't bear to drive them away because I was afraid that the bacon was too salty and they would be thirsty. This time I brought a lot of bacon and sausages. You can eat them after you get better, but I put a lot of chili peppers in it, which will make you cry and have snot. Hehe, you blinked, you don't believe it, wait and try it. "The Sichuan woman said: "In fact, giant pandas eat bamboo rats, which are what we call mice here, oh, say I am afraid of rats again, and I always think of the first time I came to your house and was scared by rats. Well, let's not talk about this scary thing. Anyway, I am not afraid of anything, but there is one thing that scares me the most. But with you, I am not afraid of anything. "

The Sichuan woman said...

The Sichuan woman said...

The Sichuan woman talked to Li Dafa about the past, the future, the hometown and the foreign land in the night with a 40-watt light bulb. The smile on Li Dafa's face was like a flower, quietly blooming in the endless darkness. He never thought that his woman had so much to say. Life is so beautiful, as if death is a very distant thing, and has nothing to do with the people in love.

In a blink of an eye, Li Dafa's birthday is here.