Sisters (short story) Zhang Baotong 2016.4.26

5. That afternoon, she was sitting by the door with her child in her arms, disturbed by the annoying feelings. A middle-aged man came to his sister. The man was about thirty-seven or eighteen years old, strong, and kind, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, and wore a red tie. He said that he was a friend of his sister, but his sister was not familiar with life here, how could he have such a friend?

She said that her sister had already returned to her hometown, and it had been more than two months. Then, I asked him how he met his sister. Because there were never guests in the house, she didn't know how to receive them for a while. The man seemed very accommodating, found a small stool and sat down, lit a cigarette, and said that one day he was driving through the suburbs, and saw a young woman fainting on the side of the road, so he helped her to the car and wanted to take her to the hospital. But she said she was hungry, and she would be fine after a while, and she didn't have to go to the hospital. So, he took her to a restaurant.

As soon as she heard that it was her sister's savior, she was going to pour water for the guests. However, there was no boiling water in the pot at all. In order to save coal, for a long time, the door of the stove was generally not opened, except for cooking. The guest saw her embarrassment, and hurriedly waved her hand and said, "Don't drink, don't drink, don't drink", and then asked her why she didn't go home for the New Year. She smiled sadly and said, there is no money, how can I go back?

The man swept around the room with a scrutinizing gaze, and asked her, "Where is the shopkeeper?" she sighed faintly and said dead. The man looked a little surprised and asked, "Why did you die?" She said she was sick and died. The man sighed, didn't ask any more questions, and continued to smoke slowly. She hadn't smelled smoke in a long time. So, as soon as I smelled the smoke and felt choked, I snorted a few times. The man immediately put out the cigarette apologetically and threw it in the garbage bowl.

The middle-aged man sat for a while, then got up to leave, and put a hundred-dollar bill on the table, saying that it was the New Year, and he should go back and take a look. She hurriedly stuffed the money into the man's pocket, saying, "How can I ask for your money?" But the man simply blocked her hand back, saying that it is difficult for you to become like this, and what kind of politeness can you say. She was so moved by the guest's words that she almost cried, and said that I borrowed this money from you, and I will pay you back when I have money.

A few days later, the middle-aged man arrived in a red taxi with a bag of noodles and two bags of milk powder for the child. She felt that she had no relatives and no reason, how could she accept so many things from others, her heart was full of guilt and panic, and she didn't know whether to be grateful or grateful.

The man said disapprovingly, "It's nothing." As a token of appreciation, she insisted on keeping the man for dinner. The man readily agreed, and said that he wanted to go out for a while. She thought that the man was going to the toilet, so she said that the toilet was on the north side of the road. No, the man came back with a lot of food and some drinks. She was even more embarrassed, so she said with a calm face, if you buy this and that, I can't let you come again. The man smiled and began to cook with her.

After the man left, the younger sister sat by the door with the child in her arms and basked in the sun. The sun shines brightly and affectionately, shining warmly in people's hearts. She squinted her eyes and began to wonder about the man she had just come, wondering why people were being so nice to her? She seemed to have some feelings and meanings, but she couldn't confirm them. But no matter what, with his help, she no longer has to worry about making a living.

A week later, the strange good Samaritan came back and brought her a new set of clothes and a pair of leather shoes. As soon as the man was gone, she took off the loose and old clothes and trousers she had worn when she was pregnant, and put on new clothes. When she walked to the mirror, she didn't recognize herself. In the mirror, she is young, beautiful, gentle and quiet, just like the girl full of dreams and vitality before marriage. At this moment, that kind of natural beautiful feelings and thoughts sprouted in her subconscious again. yes, that feeling has been lost for too long. For a whole day, she didn't know how many times she looked at herself in front of the mirror. It turned out that she was not so poor that she had nothing. She also has a woman's most precious and beautiful treasure. That's youth and beauty.

However, she also knows that a woman's youth and beauty can only shine when they are free from food and clothing. For this reason, she was deeply grateful to the man who helped her out of her predicament, and she also had an indescribable doubt about his kindness. She knew that heaven would not drop money on anyone. Most of the time men give things to women because they have something to ask for. If a man really asks for it, of course she knows what it will be. But she was born a very traditional and well-behaved woman, and she regarded that kind of thing as ugly and shameless. She was afraid that the person would really make that kind of request to her, and the ending would probably be very embarrassing and embarrassing for them. Because people have given her so much help, she really doesn't want to hurt people's face for that kind of thing. For this reason, she wondered how nice it would be for her sister to be here! With her sister here, she might be able to avoid the kind of things that worried and uneasy her.

Every time a man comes, her scruples will worsen, and the panic in her heart will also increase. However, the man seems to be very well-behaved and decent, and has never made any unruly or rude behavior, just like a very familiar friend coming to visit the door. Although this gradually dispelled her worries, the unknown doubt has always been tightly condensed in her heart.

One day, the man made her clear his true intentions and asked her if she would like to live with him. He said he owns a two-room house and works as a taxi driver for others, earning more than 1,000 yuan a month. Because it came suddenly, she was unprepared. She said she wanted to think about it. The man was very tolerant and generous to ask her not to have any concerns, and even if she did not want to, he would never ask her to pay back.

She thinks about the child the most, she feels that her life is miserable, but she can't let the child suffer like her again. So, when the man came again, she said that she was willing to live with him, but on one condition: to move the child's hukou to the city. The man said, "That's nature." Since this is the case, she really explained her matter to the man openly and honestly. The man was afraid that it would be inconvenient for her and the child to live here, so he asked her to move to his side. She said she would wait until she got married before moving in.

When the marriage was confirmed, she immediately called her sister and asked her sister to come as much as possible to help her get an idea. My sister got the letter and came early the next morning. My sister has obviously lost a lot of weight, and her eyes are sunken. She asked her sister what her relationship with her brother-in-law was like. My sister said sadly that he just wouldn't let me go out, and he had a fight with me when he went out this morning. When my sister heard this, she said that I was to blame.

After a few words of greeting, my sister asked about the man. My sister told her sister what she knew in detail. When my sister heard this, she asked the man if there was a scar on his forehead? My sister was stunned and said, "How do you know?" My sister's tone was lower, and she said, "Don't care how I know, he's not a good person anyway." When my sister heard this, she asked with a puzzled face, what happened to him? My sister hesitated for a moment, and said domineeringly, he is not good, you should not mention him again.

The younger sister felt that her sister's tone and expression were a little strange and a little unkind, so she said in a somewhat stubborn tone, did he kill someone, sold drugs or robbed the bank? My sister then asked, "Then how can you say that people are not good people?" Besides, people have been kind to you. My sister lowered her head and was silent for a while before she said that he was the one who wanted me to be a nanny. The younger sister opened her mouth in surprise, stared at her sister for a long time with wide eyes, and then slowly lowered her head. After a while, my sister said, I'm doing this for your good, this kind of man can't be relied on at all.

Her sister's words were undoubtedly a heavy blow to her heart and self-esteem, and the good impression he had in her heart was suddenly torn to shreds. But after all, she already has the tolerance and calmness to deal with the world, and the calmness and rationality to face reality and examine the future. She thought that maybe the man had behaved badly, but she couldn't forget the detail of their first meeting: when he saw that she was afraid of the smell of smoke, he immediately extinguished the cigarette butt and never smoked in the house again. But the most important thing is that she can't ignore the family and relationship between her sister and brother-in-law, and if she continues to live like this, then her sister will always be dragged and dragged down by her, thus aggravating the contradictions and crises between her sister and her brother-in-law. My sister has made so many sacrifices for her, she can't bother her sister anymore. So, my sister puffed up and stubbornly said that the person may have done some bad things, but it doesn't mean that he can't change it.

My sister felt that my sister had become less obedient, so she couldn't bear it, and said that no matter how good he is, he is much older than you, what kind of love can there be when we live together? My sister smiled bitterly and said I don't want to talk about love, if I go to find a man of the same age, there are not many in the countryside? However, how many marriages of the same age in the countryside are love and happiness? Now, having come to this point, I can't help but think about my child, as long as he is good to me, I will not let him suffer.

When my sister heard this, she didn't say anything for a long time, she was silent for a long time, and then said, I said so many things in vain. I disagree with you and that man, and if you are disobedient and have to be with that man, there will be no more sisters like me from now on. As she spoke, her sister picked up her bag and walked towards the door angrily.

My sister's heart trembled suddenly, and she ran to the door and grabbed her sister's hand, begging with tears, "Sister, you will forgive your sister this time, right?" My sister seemed a little unbearable, hesitated slightly, and then took my sister's hand, and said that you will live well, and my sister will bless you every day. As he spoke, he raised his hand, turned his back, and walked towards the main road at the entrance of the village while wiping his tears.

2016.4.27 in Xi'an