Chapter 17 of "Camel Xiangzi"

(This chapter has 6537 words, it takes about 18 minutes to read)

Xiangzi slowly told the story of the people and the factory I found out: Mr. Liu sold some of his cars and gave the rest to a famous car owner in Xicheng. Xiangzi could guess that the old man was old and he couldn't continue the business without his daughter to help him, so he simply closed it and took the money to enjoy himself. Where has he gone? Xiangzi didn't find out.

He couldn't tell whether he should like the news or not. Speaking from his own ambition and arrogance, Fourth Master Liu was determined to abandon his daughter, so Huniu's plan was completely in vain; he could honestly pull a cart to earn a living, without relying on anyone. Judging from Fourth Master Liu's small fortune, it's really a pity; who knows how Old Man Liu managed to get the money out, as he and Huniu didn't even get a single copper in their hands.

However, now that the matter has come to this, he has not thought much about it, let alone been tempted by it.

This is what he thinks. Anyway, his strength is his own, and if he is willing to work hard to make money, eating will not be a problem. He told Huniu simply without emotion at all.

She was moved. After hearing this, she immediately saw her future clearly - it was over! It's all over! I have no choice but to be the wife of a coachman for the rest of my life! She can never escape from this courtyard! She thought that her father would marry another wife, but she never expected that she would leave so tremblingly. If the old man really marries a little wife, Hu Niu will fight for the property, and maybe she can contact her stepmother and get some benefits... There are many ideas, as long as the old man keeps running the car factory. I never expected that the old man would be so determined and vicious, turning all his property into cash and hiding it secretly! She originally thought that her falling out with him was just a ploy and she would make peace soon. She knew that the relationship between the people and the factory was dependent on her. Who would have thought that the old man would let go of the factory? !

The news of spring has arrived, and the scales on the branches have become noticeably red. But in this large courtyard, spring does not arrive on the branches first, and there is not a single flower or tree here. Here, the spring breeze first blew up some small pockmarks on the ice in the courtyard, blew out some fishy smell from the filthy soil, and blew the scraps and shredded paper to the corner of the wall, creating a small whirlwind. People in the courtyard are in trouble all the time. Only now did the old people dare to come out to bask in the warmth; only now did the young girls remove a little of the soot on their noses, revealing some red and yellow skin; only now did the women dare to drive their children away without feeling ashamed. Go and play in the courtyard; only those children dare to pull a piece of torn paper as a kite and run around the courtyard at will without breaking a few holes in their little black hands. However, the porridge factory stopped making pots, the people giving relief stopped giving out rice, and the doers of good deeds stopped giving out money; it seemed as if the poor people were handed over to the spring breeze and spring light! It is when spring wheat is just as green as grass and old grain is in short supply, grain and rice increase in price as usual. The days are getting longer, and even the elderly cannot lie down early to deceive their hungry stomachs with dreams. Spring has arrived in the human world, and it has only increased difficulties in this large courtyard. Elderly lice--particularly powerful--sometimes crawl outside the cotton bumps of the elderly or children to enjoy a little bit of spring!

Huniu looked at the melting ice in the courtyard and the tattered clothes, smelled the complex and slightly hot smell, and listened to the lamentations of the old people and the cries of the children, and her heart felt cold. half. In the winter, people hid in their houses, and dirty things were frozen on the ice; now, people come out, and things show their original shape. Even the broken brick walls are falling down, as if they are ready to collapse on rainy days. The courtyard is full of green flowers, with poor flowers blooming, and they are several times uglier than in winter. Huh, just at this moment, she felt that she would live here forever; her little money would eventually be spent, and Xiangzi was just a cart driver!

Teaching Xiangzi housekeeping, she went to Nanyuan to find her aunt and inquire about the old man. The aunt said that the fourth master did come to her house once, probably on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, firstly to thank her, and secondly to tell her that he planned to go to Tianjin or Shanghai for fun. He said: I have lived my whole life without ever leaving the capital, so I can’t be considered a hero after all. While I still have some breath, I go to various places to see things. Besides, he himself has no shame in wandering around the city anymore because his daughter has disgraced him.

The aunt's report only contained this point, and her judgment was even simpler: the old man might have really gone out, or he might just be talking about it, and he was hiding in some secluded place; who knows!

When she got home, she threw herself on the kang and started crying. She cried for a long time without any hypocrisy or cunning, until her eyeballs were swollen.

After crying, she wiped her tears and said to Xiangzi: "Okay, you are so arrogant! I have to follow you!

I bet my treasure on the wrong place. Marry a chicken Suiji, don’t say anything. I’ll give you a hundred yuan and you can buy a car!”

Here, she made a mental note: She originally wanted to buy two cars, one for Xiangzi. Pull it yourself and rent one. Now she changed her mind and just bought one and taught Xiangzi to pull it; she still kept the rest of the money in her own hands. The money is in her hands, and the power is also in her, but she refuses to spend it all; what if Xiangzi changes his mind after spending all the money to buy a car? This cannot be ignored! Besides, Old Man Liu left like this, which made her feel that nothing was reliable. No one could know for sure what would happen tomorrow. It was best to be happy and have some money in hand. She could eat whatever she liked. I have always been used to eating snacks. Use what Xiangzi earns - he is a first-class coachman - to live on, and then have the little money of his own to supplement his pocket money, and focus on the present happiness first. One day the money will be spent, but people will not live forever! Marrying a cart driver—even though it was a last resort—had already wronged me. I could no longer ask him for money every day with my hands down, but I didn’t have a single copper in my pocket. This decision made her a little happier. Although she knew that the future would be terrible, she would not immediately turn her head down now. It was as if when the sun set, the distance was already dark, but there was still some light in front of her, so she took advantage of the opportunity. Let's take a few more steps under the sun.

Xiangzi didn’t argue with her, just buy one. As long as it’s your own car, you can earn sixty or seventy cents a day, enough to chew grain. Not only did he not argue, he also felt a little happy. All the hard work I endured in the past was just to buy a car. Now that I can buy it again, what else can I say? Of course, if a car is used to feed two people, there will be no money left over; the car may become old, and there is no preparation to buy a new car. Danger! However, since buying a car is so difficult, you should be satisfied if you can buy it now, so why think so far ahead!

Er Qiangzi in the courtyard is about to sell a car. Er Qiangzi sold his nineteen-year-old daughter Xiao Fuzi to a soldier last summer. Sold for two hundred yuan. After Xiaofuzi left, Erqiangzi became quite wealthy for a while. He redeemed all his pawns and made some new clothes. The whole family was dressed neatly. Erqiang's wife was the shortest and ugliest woman in the whole hospital. She had a swollen forehead, big cheeks, no hair on her head, her old teeth were exposed, and her face was covered with freckles, which made her look disgusting. Her eyelids were also red, and she put on a new blue shirt while crying for her daughter. Er Qiangzi had always had a bad temper. After selling his daughter, he often drank a few glasses of wine. After drinking, tears would form in his eyes, and he was very easy to find trouble. Although Er Qiang's sister-in-law had a new coat and had enough to eat, her joy was outweighed by the pain, and she was beaten almost twice as often as before. Er Qiangzi is over forty and plans not to pull carts anymore. So I bought a pair of baskets and a grocery pick, including melons, fruits, pears, peanuts and cigarettes, all of which were well stocked. After doing business for two months, I made a rough calculation and not only lost money, but also lost a lot. If he is used to pulling a cart, he will not know how to deal with business; pulling a cart is a hit-and-miss thing, success will be achieved and failure will bring him down; he will not know how to deal with the hardships of small business. The man who pulled the cart knew how to get things on credit, so he was reluctant to let his acquaintances owe money; if he owed money, it would be difficult to get it back. In this way, the good-looking master couldn't get it, and everyone who dealt with him was greedy for credit and refused to give him credit, so he had no choice but to lose money. He feels sad when he loses money; when he feels sad, he drinks more. When he was drunk, he often quarreled with the patrolmen outside and was murderous at home with his wife and children. I offended the patrolman and beat my wife, all because of alcohol. When he woke up from the wine, he felt very regretful and miserable. When he thought about it again, he had to pay for this money in exchange for his daughter, and he was paying for it in vain, and he was drinking and beating people. He felt that he was not a human being. At this time, he could sleep for a whole day and leave his troubles to his dream.

He decided to give up the business and went to pull the car instead, and he couldn't let all the money go to waste. He bought a car. When he was drunk, he was unreasonable. In his sobriety, he was above all respectable. Because he loves dignity, he often puts on airs of poverty and has a plan for everything. He bought a new car and was dressed neatly. He felt that he was a high-class coachman. He had to drink good tea and pull a decent seat.

He could show off his car and his white trousers at the entrance of the car and chat with everyone, never bothering to do business. Sometimes he slapped the car with a new blue cloth, sometimes he stamped his new white-soled double-faced shoes, sometimes he looked at the tip of his nose and stood by the car with a smile, waiting for others to praise his car, and then he started talking and said Endless. He could "soak" like this for a day or two. When he got into a good seat, his legs couldn't run without the strength of his car and clothes! This made him very sad. Whenever I feel sad, I think of my daughter, so I have to go drink. In this way, all his money was put away, leaving only the car.

Maybe around the beginning of winter, he got drunk again. As soon as they entered the house, the two sons—one thirteen and one eleven years old—wanted to hide outside. This trick overturned him and gave each of them a kick. Erqiang's wife said something, and he ran towards her and kicked her in the stomach. She lay on the ground without making a sound for a long time. The two children were anxious. One picked up the coal shovel and the other picked up the rolling pin, and fought for their lives with their father. The three of them fought together and stepped on Erqiang's wife several times. The neighbors came over and finally pushed Er Qiangzi down on the kang. The two children hugged their mother and cried. Erqiang's wife woke up, but she still couldn't get off the ground. On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, she stopped breathing and was wearing the blue shirt she made when selling her daughter. Erqiang's wife's mother-in-law didn't agree, so she had to go to court.

After much persuasion from her friends, her natal family gave in. Erqiangzi also agreed to send her away properly and give her natal family fifteen yuan. He took the car out and deposited sixty yuan. Next year, he wanted to sell the car, but he had no hope of redeeming it himself. When he was drunk, he wanted to sell his son, but no one wanted him. He also looked for Xiao Fuzi's husband. They didn't recognize him as an old man, so there was no need to say anything else.

Xiangzi knows the history of this car and doesn’t really like it. There are so many cars, so why buy just this one? This is an unlucky car. This car was bought in exchange for his daughter. The car I bought after killing my wife! Huniu didn't think so. She wanted to spend her early eighties to buy it. It was cheap! The car has only been driven for half a year, and even the color of the belt has not changed much, and it was authentically made by Dechengjia, a famous factory in Xicheng. Why don’t you pay fifty or sixty yuan to buy a 70% new car? She couldn't bear the bargain. She also knew that soon after the New Year, money was tight everywhere, and Erqiangzi would not sell it for a big price, but she was eager to use the money. She went to see the car in person, negotiated the price with Er Qiangzi, and paid the money; Xiangzi had to wait for the car to be pulled, saying nothing, and it was inconvenient to say anything, because the money was not his own. After buying the car, he looked at it carefully and found that it was indeed very strong. But he always felt a little awkward. What made him most unhappy was the black-painted car body, which was paired with a white copper body. When Er Qiangzi drove the car, it was black and white, which looked very beautiful; . He really wanted to change his condom to something earthy yellow or moon-white, or something that would make it less sober. But he didn't discuss it with Huniu, so as not to cause her to gossip again.

Everyone paid special attention to the car when they pulled it out. Some people actually called it "the little widow". Xiangzi felt unhappy. He tried his best not to think about it, but the car followed him all day long, and his hair was cooing, as if something was going to go wrong at some point. Sometimes I suddenly think of Er Qiangzi and his encounter with Er Qiangzi. It seems that he is not pulling a car, but a coffin. In this car, he often saw some ghost figures, as if they were ghosts.

However, nothing happened since he got into the car, although he felt uneasy in his heart. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, and you can wear single pants and a jacket without having to wear cotton clothes. There is not much spring in Peiping. The sky is getting so long that it almost makes people impatient, and everyone feels sleepy. Xiangzi went out early in the morning, and by four or five o'clock, he felt that he had exerted enough effort. The sun is still high. He didn't want to run anymore, but he also refused to put the car away, and he yawned long and lazily hesitantly.

The days are so long. If Xiangzi feels tired and bored, Huniu will be even more lonely at home. In winter, she could keep warm by the stove and listen to the sound of the wind outside. Although she was depressed, she still had some comfort in "it's better not to go out". Now that the stove has been moved to the eaves, there is almost nothing to do in the house. The courtyard was so dirty and smelly, there wasn't even a blade of grass. When I went to the street, I didn't worry about the neighbors. Even if I went to buy something, I had to go straight there, and I didn't dare to wander around for a while. She was like a bee trapped in the room, staring at the sunshine outside but unable to fly out. She could not talk to the women in the courtyard.

What they said was that the parents were short-lived, and she was used to being wild and toneless. She didn't like to talk about it, and she didn't like to listen to it either. Their grievances come from the pain in life, and every little thing can lead to tears; her grievances are caused by dissatisfaction with life. She has no tears to shed, but wants to scold someone and make a fuss. Stifling. She and they can't understand each other, so it's best to do their own thing without talking to each other.

It wasn’t until the middle of April that she had a companion. Erqiangzi's daughter Xiaofuzi is back. Xiao Fuzi's "person" (person, here refers to a man. This term is limited to informal relationships between men and women) is an officer. He set up a very simple home everywhere, spent 1,200 on a young girl, bought a large plank and two chairs, and then he could live happily. When the army was dispatched elsewhere, he let go and put the people and the planks where they were. Spending so much 1,200 yuan, you won’t be at a loss in a year and a half. Just for small things like washing clothes, cooking, etc., if you hire a servant, you won’t even have to spend a month to earn money. A ten or eighty yuan? If you marry a girl like this, she will be a servant, you can sleep with her, and you will be sure to be clean and not sick. I'm so happy that I can cut her a large floral blouse for a lot of money. If she's not happy, there's nothing she can do if she has to squat at home without seeing anything. When he left for work, he didn't regret the plank and one or two chairs at all, because she had to find a way to pay the two months' rent that was owed, and selling the planks at a discount might not be enough to pay off the debt. Of.

Xiao Fuzi sold the shop floor and paid the rent, and returned home wearing only a floral foreign cloth shirt and a pair of silver earrings.

After Er Qiangzi sold the car, in addition to paying back the deposit and interest, he still had about twenty yuan left. Sometimes he feels that he has lost his wife in middle age and is very pitiful. When others don't pity him, he drinks a glass of wine and good food by himself to feel sorry for himself and masturbate. At this time, he seemed to have a grudge against money and spent all his money. Sometimes he thought that he should work harder to pull the cart and raise the two boys properly, so that he would have some hope for the future. When he thought about his son, he bought a lot of food for them both. Seeing them gobbling up the food, he had tears in his eyes and said to himself: "Motherless child! Poor child! Dad goes to work hard, but it is the child who is running! I will not give in, I will eat enough." It’s not a big deal if you’re not full, you have to let your children eat enough! Just don’t forget about me when you grow up!”

At this time, he also has a lot of money to spend. Slowly, all the twenty yuan was paid out.

When he ran out of money, he drank and lost his temper. He didn't care what the children ate for a day or two. The children had no choice but to think of ways to get some coins and buy something to eat. They would work as deacons for people who were doing business, and they would pick up scraps of copper and scrap paper from the carts. Sometimes they could buy a few sesame seed cakes, and sometimes they could only buy a pound of wheat stubble and white potatoes, and they even swallowed the leather and whiskers. Later, sometimes the two of them only had a large copper, so they had to buy peanuts or iron broad beans. Although they could not ward off hunger, they could chew them for a while.

Xiao Fuzi came back, and they met their relatives. Each of them held one of her legs. They had nothing to say and only smiled at her through tears. My mother is gone, my sister is my mother!

Er Qiangzi had no expression for his daughter's return. When she came back, there was an extra person to eat. However, seeing his two sons so happy, he had to admit that there should be a woman in the family to cook and wash clothes for everyone. It's not easy for him to say anything, just go wherever he goes.

Xiao Fuzi is not ugly. Although he was very thin before, he has gained some weight and become taller since joining that officer. He has a round face and well-proportioned eyebrows. There is nothing particularly outstanding about him, but he is solid and not ugly. The upper lip is very short. Whether you want to be angry or smile, you open your lips first, revealing some very white and neat teeth. That officer just loved her teeth. With those teeth exposed, she looked a little stupid and thoughtless, and at the same time she seemed a little coquettish. This air made her - like all girls who are poor but not ugly - like flowers and plants, which are selected for sale in the market if they have the slightest fragrance or color.

Huniu always ignored the people in the courtyard, but she regarded Xiao Fuzi as a friend. Firstly, Xiao Fuzi looked pretty, secondly she had a floral robe, and thirdly Huniu thought that since she was married to an officer, she had seen the world, so she was willing to associate with her. It is not easy for women to make friends, but they are quick to make friends; within a few days, the two of them had become close friends.

Huniu loves to eat snacks. Whenever she gets some melon seeds or other things, she always calls Xiao Fuzi over and eats them while laughing. While joking, Xiao Fuzi showed his white teeth stupidly and told many things that Huniu had never heard of. She did not enjoy the blessings of being with the officer, but the officer was happy and took her back to the restaurant and to see a show, so she had something to say and said it to make Hu Niu envious.

There are many things she cannot say: for her, this is ravage; for Huniu, this is enjoyment. Huniu begged her, saying that she was embarrassed to say it, but also embarrassed to refuse. She has seen the erotic palace, but Huniu has never seen it. Huniu heard things like this once and liked to hear them a second time. She regarded Xiao Fuzi as the cutest, most enviable and enviable person. After hearing that, and looking at her appearance, age, and husband, she felt that her life was too wronged. She has never had youth, and there is no hope for the future. Now, Xiangzi is as dead as a brick!

The more she was dissatisfied with Xiangzi, the more she loved Xiaofuzi. Although Xiaofuzi was so poor and pitiful, in her eyes, he was a man who had experienced blessings and had seen formations, even if he died immediately. injustice. In her opinion, Xiaofuzi represents the enjoyment that a woman should have.

Huniu didn’t seem to notice Xiao Fuzi’s hardship. Xiao Fuzi didn't bring anything back, but she had to take care of her two brothers no matter how tough her father was. Where would she get the money to prepare meals for them?

Er Qiangzi got drunk and had an idea: "If you really care about your brothers, you can find a way to make money to support them! They are all pointing at me. I will work as a livestock for others all day long. , I have to eat first; can I run on an empty stomach? What do you think of Coke? You have nothing to do with it, so what are you waiting for if you don’t sell it? >

Looking at his father who was as hungry as a drunk cat, at himself, and at his two younger brothers who were as hungry as mice, Xiao Fuzi could only cry. Tears couldn't move her father, and tears couldn't feed her brother. She had to come up with something more real. In order to feed her brothers, she had to sell her own meat. Holding her little brother in her arms, her tears fell on his hair, and he said:

"Sister, I'm hungry!" Sister! My sister is a piece of meat and I have to give it to my brother!

Not only did Huniu not comfort Xiaofuzi, but she was willing to help her: Huniu was willing to spend some capital to teach her to dress up neatly, and then return the money to her. Huniu was willing to lend her a place because her own house was too dirty, but Huniu's house was more or less decent, and since there were two rooms, everyone had a place to turn around. Xiangzi would not come back during the day, so Huniu was happy to help her friends, and she could see more, understand more, and do things she lacked and couldn't do even if she wanted to. Every time Xiao Fuzi used the room, Huniu made a condition that she must give her two cents. Friends are friends, things are things. For Xiao Fuzi's sake, she has to clean up the house well. She has to work and spend some money. Shouldn't she spend money on buying brooms and dustpans? Two cents is not much, because we are friends, so we can meet each other like this.

Xiao Fuzi showed some teeth and tears fell in his stomach.

Xiangzi didn’t know anything, but he couldn’t sleep well again. Huniu "fulfilled" Xiao Fuzi, and she also wanted to find the lost youth in Xiangzi.