Chapter 50 (1/2)
When Ying Qiao dawdles to the door of Jiang Jiu's house, he sees that the door is open. He should know that he is coming and open it specially.
In the living room, Jiang Jiu is packing his suitcase. The lion dragon and Jiaotu's things are packed in a suitcase, and even the flat board is taken with him.
As soon as he looked back, he saw Ying Qiao at the door and said, ”are you coming? Would you like to have a rest first? ”
At this time, Ying Qiao just wanted to go back and tidy himself up. He was afraid that he would notice that he was scribbled all over, and he had no mind to sit more. He only said vaguely, ”no, you have to get up early tomorrow. I'll take them over, and you'll have an early rest.”
Jiang Jiu gives the suitcase to Jiaotu, while lion dragon squats on the suitcase consciously.
”This week, I've been busy going to the countryside, so I'll trouble you to take care of them for the time being,” Jiang explained to his two younger brothers' preferences, and specially told Ying Qiao, ”don't let them play games for too long, four hours a day at most.”
”I will go to see you when I have a rest. Don't make trouble for Ying Qiao,” he said
Both brothers should be good.
Jiang Jiu is not at ease to finish, just will younger brother to should Qiao.
Ying Qiao has been careful to keep a distance from him, and he was quietly relieved to see that he didn't notice his scribbled description. Fearing that Jiang would notice after staying for a long time, he exchanged a few greetings at the door and said goodbye to Jiang. He picked up the lion dragon in one hand and took the suitcase in the other and went downstairs.
Jiang Jiu wanted to send them down, but they were all stopped by Ying Qiao.
*
Seeing off Ying Qiao and his younger brother, Jiang Shu puts the things he will bring tomorrow into his bag and washes early to have a rest.
At 5:30 the next day, just after dawn, Jiang Zhou got into Xue Meng's car and set out for Sanshui village.
With the road map Xiao Xiaoyu sent out yesterday, they had a much smoother journey. They didn't take a detour. They arrived at the entrance of the village about a quarter past eight.
Maybe it's cloudy. Today's Sanshui village looks gloomy. There is a thin black man with a hunchback at the entrance of the village. When he saw their car, he waved. According to his figure and clothes, it should be Huang Youtian, the village branch secretary.
Jiang Shu stops his car under the big tree at the entrance of the village, and Huang Zhishu comes up. When he sees Jiang Shu and Xue Meng, he looks stunned. He rubs his hands and asks, ”why didn't the female comrades come yesterday?”
”We are her colleagues. The leader arranged us to come here in turn.” Jiang Jiu always thinks that it's strange for him to ask Xiao Xiaoyu as soon as he comes up, so he can't help looking at him more.
The man is black and thin, a head shorter than him. I don't know the exact age, but only by looking at the frost on his face, he is estimated to be in his fifties. The palm is broad and rough. It looks like a farmer in the field. Even his face also has the unique honesty of the farmers.
”Well, please come in. Yesterday two comrades helped us a lot and said they would solve our difficulties.”
Huang Zhishu seemed to mention it casually. After that, he didn't ask any more questions. He only warmly asked them to sit at home first, then asked if they had breakfast, and called his mother-in-law to cook some eggs for them.
Jiang Shu and Xue Meng ate bread on the way, but naturally they quickly refused and said they had eaten it.
Sanshui village is really poor. Even if they don't have breakfast, they are embarrassed to ask the village branch secretary to spend money to prepare breakfast for them.
Seeing that they were not polite, Huang Zhishu stopped persuading them and took them around the village to get a general idea of the situation.
There are not many households in Sanshui village. After Jiang Shu counted them, there are only more than 30 households, which is different from the 45 households shown in the data. Many of the houses were empty and deserted.
Jiang Jiu was puzzled, so he asked: ”have the owners of these empty houses left the village?”
”Yes, all of them.” Huang Zhishu looked at the vacant houses and saw more and more vicissitudes.
”We are the only ones who are half buried in the earth, waiting to die in the village.”
Xue Meng was very close to his grandfather. He couldn't hear the old man say these words. He said quickly, ”don't say these words of frustration. After the road is built in the village and the tap water is supplied, life will be better.”
Huang Zhishu laughed, rubbed his rough palm and said, ”yes.”
”This time, we are here to give a head start to the comrades of the Poverty Alleviation Office. First, we will understand their difficulties and ideas. When the comrades of the Poverty Alleviation Office come back, we will try our best to solve the difficulties for you...”
Xue Meng gave full play to the nature of his speech. He had obviously forgotten his fear before he came here. He had a good chat with Huang Zhishu.
Jiang Jiu followed them, glancing over old houses.
It's probably because of the bad weather and no lights, the houses look dark. Jiang Jiu lightly looked away and went to see a family in front of the funeral.
There was no one in the village because the villagers gathered in front of the house where the funeral was held.
At a glance, there are more men and less women, and most of them are middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s. There are only a few young people and children.
They stand in two rows on both sides of the master's door. In the middle of the main room is a black coffin. In front of the coffin, there is a middle-aged couple kneeling. Kowtow to the coffin.
The atmosphere was very solemn.
After kowtowing, the middle-aged couple helped each other up and said in a trembling voice: ”wake up!”
Then there were four strong men waiting on one side, one by one, lifting the coffin and burying it in the woods to the north of the village.
Jiang Shu and Xue Meng are watching the ceremony. Xue Meng and Huang Zhishu are already familiar with each other, and each uncle cries out: ”do we still have earth burials in our village? Now the State advocates cremation, environmental protection. ”
Huang Zhishu looked back at him, but his eyes didn't turn for a long time.
Xue Meng was a little annoyed by him and gave a dry smile.
Huang Zhishu took back his eyes and said with a strange smile: ”this set of Customs in the village has been popular for many years, and they have been changed in a disorderly way. I'm afraid they will anger our ancestors and kill us.”
Xue Meng knew that cremation was taboo in some villages, so he stopped talking about it and changed the topic to ease the awkward and stiff atmosphere: ”yesterday Xiaoyu said that the fat in Mrs. Huang's field had not been finished, let's continue today. When the funeral is over in the afternoon, I'd like to ask you to gather us together. We'll do an investigation and mobilization on the intention of going out to work. When the number of applicants is confirmed, we'll go to contact the surrounding enterprises and factories to fight for jobs for you. ”
Huang Zhishu rubbed his hands and said, ”good.”
”Huang Po's field is finished, so I don't need to trouble you. It's hard for you to go all the way, but when you catch up with the funeral in the village, you'll have a rest in the morning and I'll call someone for you when everyone comes back in the afternoon. ”
Then he led Jiang Jiu and Xue Meng to his home to sit down. Huang Zhishu's wife brought two bowls of tea. The bowl is an open porcelain bowl for eating. The black stem soaked in it should be inferior tea stem. When you hold it in your hand, you can smell a bitter taste.
Two people in order to show respect, drink two just put down the bowl.
When Huang Zhishu saw that they had drunk tea, he picked up the water flue beside them: ”I have to go and have a look over the cemetery. Let's have a rest here first.”