Chapter 17: Old Five is Gone

On Li Dafa's birthday, the big stupid dog was silent early in the morning. It lay motionless under the tree. The second sister went over and kicked it, shouting, "Dead dog." Its four legs were stiff, and it was really dead. The owner of the cooked meat shop heard the news quickly. He was invited into the yard by the second sister. He kicked the big stupid dog with his foot and said, "The dog skin is only worth two dollars. The dog meat may not be cooked even if it is boiled for a day. Twenty yuan, take it away!" The second sister said, "Such a big dog, it will sell for at least fifty yuan in the town market. It's too little!" The owner of the cooked meat shop said, "If you think it's too little, then you can sell it in the town. I think it's too much to cook dog meat." Then he was about to leave. The second sister didn't have time to sell the dead dog at the market. She quickly changed her words: "Twenty is twenty, it saves trouble." So, the Sichuan woman saw the big stupid dog being dragged away in front of the window in the inner room. The big stupid dog that accompanied Li Dafa under the sycamore tree for thirteen years finally exchanged twenty yuan for its owner. If possible, she really wanted to bury the big stupid dog under the sycamore tree.

Li Dafa's eldest sister came on this day. She remembered what the blind man said.

After a short rest, the eldest sister looked better. She called in front of the bed: "Old Five, Old Five."

Old Five opened his eyes and closed them powerlessly.

The second sister said: "He is like this during the day. Who knows if he is sleeping or unconscious? He may be awake for a while at night."

Then the second sister lowered her voice and said to the eldest sister: "He was seduced by the little hen."

The eldest sister said: "What are you talking about? I am worried about you."

The locals always celebrate their birthdays with a meal of dumplings. Whether in poverty or in the era of food and clothing, dumplings represent reunion. During festivals and birthdays, no matter how rich the banquet is, buns can never be served at the banquet. Dumplings are justified.

Sichuan women don't know how to make dumplings. When they lived with Li Dafa in the past, Li Dafa took care of everything, and she only needed to take out her mouth and wait for it to be eaten.

However, after working in Xi'an for a month, she has already mastered the art of kneading dough.

She is responsible for kneading the dough. The eldest and second sisters joined together and soon formed a row of dumplings on the lid curtain. Steam bubbled up, and the dumplings jumped into the boiling pot one by one, stirring clockwise a few times, and then covered the pot. When the dumplings were almost boiling, they added cold water three times, scooped them out with an iron colander, and the dumplings with bulging white and fat bellies were majestically placed on the plate.

The dumpling filling is the classic cabbage and pork.

Pork is indeed much cheaper. The No. 5 disease has not passed yet, but the country people do not believe in evil. Those who should eat meat take the opportunity to eat and drink, and those who should not eat, even vegetables will be poisoned.

A plate of dumplings and a pair of chopsticks are left for Li Dafa. Even if he can't eat it.

On this day, Li Dafa's eldest and second brothers called from Jiamusi and Tianjin respectively to ask about the situation of the fifth brother. The second sister can communicate easily with the second brother, but it is much more difficult to communicate with the eldest brother. The eldest brother's hearing was getting worse and worse, and the second sister almost had to yell at him when she spoke to him. At this time, the little piglets in Liu You's family howled, and the second sister couldn't hear the eldest brother's irrelevant reply, so she hung up the phone.

Liu You's wife was using a branch to whip a few disobedient piglets. When the pig price was high, these little foodies were treated like princes by their owners, and Liu You's wife's branches always blew over the pigs' butts. When the pig price fell, the prince fell into trouble among the people, and the people's branches were vigorous and resolute, regardless of the pig's head and pig's butt. Liu You's wife wasted her time secretly: Who said that people born in the year of the pig are blessed to raise pigs? In this situation, they have simply lost their butts.

That day, the village chief came with a cigarette in his mouth. As usual, he threw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground before entering the door. He twisted his leather shoes and the cigarette was sacrificed again. The village chief looked at Li Dafa, who didn't open his eyes, and his breathing was like gills out of water.

The village chief said to the elder and second sisters: "As soon as spring comes next year, the house will be demolished. Li Dafa will not live in the building anymore."

On this day, Chen Xiaomei's brother came with a box of eggs, saying that he was visiting the two sisters. Chen Xiaomei never said anything to pay for the house. Every time she called, she only asked about Li Dafa's situation. The brother was afraid that the pending deal would fall through, so he occasionally brought some things to take care of the elder and second sisters, and reported Li Dafa's situation to the younger sister, hoping that the younger sister would suddenly make a decision. From his understanding of the younger sister, it was just a pretense of the wife of an official towards the poor. If a person does not take care of himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth.

The brother and sister each have their own concerns.

The second sister also has her own concerns. The second sister said to the eldest sister: "If the house is sold for 60,000, isn't it too cheap? If it is demolished next year, we will have to pay 100,000 or 200,000 yuan at once. Wouldn't we lose a lot?" The eldest sister is of course not stupid, she is just afraid of the long night and the dream, she said: "You treat people as fools, you think this is the land in the city, more valuable than gold. This mountain valley is full of poor beggars, what else is there except lice?" The second sister immediately interrupted: "Eat a lot! Phlegm a lot!" The eldest sister continued to express her opinion: "Even if you give some money to poor beggars, poor beggars still think that they are foreign turtles if they live in a building? If you want to live in a building, in addition to the little money you spit out, you have to put your old bones in it! The times change faster than clouds, today it is windy and tomorrow it is rainy. Buildings are a big cake, not everyone can eat it. Now, silver is called money when it falls into your pocket, and it is called paper when it doesn't reach your pocket." The second sister was surprised by the eldest sister's opinion, and felt that it was not the words of an illiterate person. The eldest sister's two daughters are in the city. She lives in the city for some time of the year. The world she has seen is like the saying: "I have never eaten pork, but I have seen pigs running on two legs. And I have definitely seen more pigs than the second sister."

The second sister has too many worries. The house is heavy, and it is more difficult for her to weigh than an elm box.

At dinner time, the second sister drank the millet porridge with a slurp. Her appetite is amazing. She just added to the eldest sister casually that the poor beggar eats a lot, but in fact, he left herself out. She is the wife of a scholar, and she feels that she is different from those rural women and men who eat a lot and spit a lot. Eating a lot and spitting a lot are actually a couple with deep affection, such as the neighbor Liu You and his wife. Recently, in addition to Liu You's wife beating the piglets to make them scream, Liu You's spitting spit is also earth-shattering. She always feels upset when she hears it.

After drinking three bowls of porridge, she put down the empty bowl and said to the Sichuan woman: "You have been very hard these days. We have seen it and remembered it in our hearts, but we Shandong people speak directly. We don't like to hide anything. We must do things in front of us and say things to the surface." The Sichuan woman said: "Well, second sister is right. People in our place have similar principles to you. We don't like to beat around the bush." ​​The second sister said: "Since you are all straightforward, then I will say it directly. No matter how long you serve Lao Wu, you will not get a penny after his death. Because you don't have a marriage certificate, the national law does not recognize you as husband and wife." The Sichuan woman said coldly: "I know. I don't even have the qualifications to attend the funeral. When Lao Wu is 100 years old, I will pack up and leave immediately. Second sister, please put your heart at ease." After the Sichuan woman said this, the second sister felt a little embarrassed, so she got up and scooped the fourth bowl of porridge. Seeing that Li Dafa was still in the same state as before, the elder sister said, "I said, a blind man is telling lies. But the dog went to replace the master first."

Because the three of them had a tight accommodation at night, she went home with a clear reason.

The Sichuan woman fed Li Dafa water, a porcelain spoon of water for a full quarter of an hour, a total of two spoons, which was more troublesome than feeding a baby. However, when Li Dafa lay down, water flowed out of his nose.

She wiped it gently for him, and mist appeared in her eyes.

At this time, Li Dafa woke up in time like he went to a date every night. In the 40-watt light, he saw his beloved woman, he wanted to smile, but his expression was difficult.

The Sichuan woman lay beside him like a cat and said to him, "Li Dafa, do you know that today is your birthday?"

Li Dafa blinked.

The Sichuan woman said, "You mean you know, right? My elder sister and second sister made dumplings today, and the cabbage dumplings are delicious. When you get better, I will learn to make dumplings for you, but no matter how southerners learn, they are not authentic, just like the Sichuan cuisine made by your chefs, no matter how they make it, it is not authentic. Sichuan cuisine is not Sichuan cuisine without adding more chili peppers, there are many things to learn. When you get better, I will make it for you, but you can't eat spicy food, so it seems that I have to use less chili peppers. It seems that this Sichuan cuisine is not authentic again." The Sichuan woman said, "Li Dafa, why do I think of my birthday when it's your birthday? My birthday is young, in the beginning of the twelfth lunar month. Don't Shandong people pay attention to the age in lunar calendar? According to your customs, I am one year old just a few days after I was born, and some one-year-old children can walk. This is not appropriate, I won't follow the local customs." The Sichuan woman said, "Li Dafa, do you remember the birthday when I broke my waist? I spent all the savings in the family. I know you have no money, but you made dumplings that day and exchanged more than a pound of tofu with dried sweet potatoes. It's not appropriate to exchange so many dried sweet potatoes for such a small piece of tofu. You said that eating tofu on your birthday is a blessing. It seems that I am too blessed. If it weren't for you, I might have been paralyzed in bed and fended for myself in this life. Li Dafa, I'll make tofu for you, add a little chili, cut the sausage into thin slices, stew it together, and add some garlic sprouts when serving, which is better than adding MSG. It tastes good. "

The Sichuan woman said, "Li Dafa, I brought some sausages and bacon this time, all made by myself, and I'll keep them for you. Sausages are not just lean meat, they must be delicious, they must have some fat, preferably fat with pig skin, mixed with lean meat, add some chili powder and cumin powder... I'll steam sausages for you, whole. When the sausages are steamed, don't cut them, just bite them one by one, they are fragrant but not greasy, chewy and soft..."

Li Dafa swallowed his saliva gently in the Sichuan woman's description, even though swallowing his saliva made him extremely difficult.

Under the 40-watt light bulb, the Sichuan woman created a simple picture of the lives of men and women in the secular world, with the fireworks of a bowl of porridge and a meal. Life is so beautiful, as if death is a very distant thing, and has nothing to do with the people in love.

Time took small steps forward, approaching the second twenty-nine days. Li Dafa broke the blind man's prophecy and rushed to the second twenty-nine days.

Second sister, this agile woman, was already a little overwhelmed. She called Xiucai to complain: "It's been 55 days. In four days, he will pass the second level. After that, there will be a third level. Oh my god, what should I do..." Xiucai felt the same way as his wife, except that the word "oh my god" made him swallow a mouthful of jealousy. He thought that when his wife was most depressed, the first thing she thought of was his dead mother-in-law instead of himself who was alive and kicking. But as a cultured person, he chose to ignore it and continued to listen to his wife's complaints. The second sister said, "People close their eyes all day, breathing hard, unable to go up or down, just not moving, it's almost killing me."

The scholar quickly gave spiritual encouragement: "It looks like there are only a few days left. You have been holding the position for so long. You can't let down at the critical moment. Remember to drink more bowls of millet porridge at night. Millet porridge is confinement food, and confinement food nourishes people."

The second sister said, "I can drink four bowls."

The scholar said, "Only four bowls, one less than me. Have you forgotten that you could drink six bowls in one breath when you were in confinement!"

That night, the second sister finally drank five bowls of millet porridge like the scholar, and she went to the toilet again and again. When she slept, she was afraid of getting up in the middle of the night and blowing cold air, so she took the urinal into the room. Covered it with cardboard and placed it in the corner.

Her stomach was bloated, and she didn't want to tiptoe to listen to the room. Even if she listened, she never heard clearly. Before she went to bed, she saw the Sichuan woman enter the room with a towel and hot water. I thought: "This little girl really loves cleanliness."

Under the 40-watt light bulb, Li Dafa woke up as promised, and he looked better than ever. His eyes followed his beloved woman again, as agile as a fish.

The Sichuan woman leaned close to his ear and whispered: "Li Dafa, you haven't wiped your body for a few days. The house is warm these days, and I'm afraid your body will be dirty. I'll wipe your body tonight."

Li Dafa made a "hmm" sound in his throat.

The Sichuan woman soaked the towel in water, took it out and wrung it half dry. The warm breath of the towel came to Li Dafa's face, along his head, forehead, eyebrows, nose, cheeks, lips, and chin, like a Sichuan woman's hot kiss, kissing all the way down.

He watched the slight beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, and her freckles were as vivid as bird droppings on the ground. She still looked young, only in her forties, and had a more moving flavor than ten years ago.

When the towel wiped the tumor, the tumor looked less bright and seemed to be withering. This time, there was no mist in her eyes, and she even wiped the devil's fruit carefully.

She still lifted a corner of the quilt from the side to wipe her body, wiping the waist and abdomen that she had fantasized about countless times in the past ten years, all the way to the big feet with thick soles, and even wiped every toe gap clean. The diaper didn't seem to be wet, but she changed it with a new soft white cotton cloth.

Then, she put the towel in the basin, washed it, wrung it dry, spread it on the warm fort, and baked it. She turned lightly and saw that the person on the bed was breathing steadily like a baby. There was a kind of brilliance in Li Dafa's eyes that had never been seen before. He used to be considered a handsome man with big and beautiful eyes. At this moment, just like when he looked at her at night ten years ago, his eyes were lively. At this moment, how could he be a patient? He was her lively man, lying there a little tired after a day's work, which made her suddenly distressed and wanted to comb her hair with her fingers.

Li Dafa moved his mouth and uttered some words intermittently. He had been unable to speak for several days. After he finished speaking, his face was actually stained with a rare blush.

The Sichuan woman heard it clearly. This time, she did not tell him a story at night. She climbed onto the bed and knelt beside him. She leaned down like a swallow about to fly over the water. She got closer and closer, and her lips began to kiss him.

Her kiss was like a gentle drizzle. In the spring when the grass grows and the warblers fly, it rustled over the forehead, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, and then, with the warmth and softness of a woman, it went all the way down.

She carefully got into the quilt, inch by inch. The drizzle moistened the wild grass. In spring, the wild grass will always sprout. A man's skeleton rises and falls. In the private night of two people, life is so beautiful. The warmth and softness of a woman bathes even her toes in the drizzle.

With ten years of beautiful imagination, she kissed until her eyes were full of mist and her heart was as soft as a mother.

It seemed that such a long wait was just for this moment. There is no convention in this world. If you love someone, you must be together.

Li Dafa lay in bed like a baby. In his world, there was no more fear of falling into a black hole, no deep sorrow of separation and longing, no loneliness of sleeping alone, no endless pain and tears. People are born lonely, and it is rare to have a soul that is connected to them. The sun was dazzling, and he was in a warm and soft embrace, circling and rising, flying to the extreme of happiness.

His face was stained with a blush, and there was a smile on the corner of his mouth. This flower called a smile was frozen on his lips. His eyes seemed to be looking at her, but his eyes were motionless.

She leaned down again and kissed his lips, which were cold.

The Sichuan woman lay down beside her beloved man, like a docile kitten. Her tears were like a silent river, about to drown her. She looked at him, like a mother saying to her baby: "Li Dafa, my husband, you go to sleep, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Don't be afraid, I'm here. He said this to her in the hospital ten years ago.

Early the next morning, the Sichuan woman heard the rustling sound of the second sister getting up, and then the door opened. The second sister carried the heavy urine pot from last night, yawned, and went out. After a while, the door rang again, and the second sister returned to the room.

The door of the inner room was suddenly pushed open, and the second sister turned her head to take a look. Standing at the door, the Sichuan woman's petite body, the Sichuan woman's face was as plain as a chrysanthemum.

Her voice seemed to float from another world: "Second sister, Lao Wu is gone..."

End of the article