The Ladder of Love (Part II) Zhang Baotong 2017.10.10

At this time, the sun is already in the west, after all, it is an autumn sun, and it is still a little hot. So, the forehead is already sweating, and the jacket can no longer be worn. I took off my jacket and put it on the grass. However, the wind on the mountain is very strong and cool, which makes people feel very comfortable.

I asked, "Why hasn't Uncle come back?" because I think he sent someone to the bottom of the mountain, and it was time to come back. But the aunt said, "He's just afraid to go home." Because it is not easy to go to the mountain next time, he sometimes goes back to his house to see the children or go to the market to buy something. I asked, "When will he come back?" said the old man, "before the sun goes down." ”

After eating bread, we were not very hungry, and we continued to hoe the weeds, and when the sun ran to the western sky, and there was still half an hour before the mountain set, the old man said, "No, let's go home and cook." "We took our hoes to the creek and started washing our hands and feet.

Back in the house, putting down the hoe, the old man went into the kitchen to cook. I sat on the edge of the ditch on the west side of the house, looking at the scenery in the west of the sun. Rhubarb was by my side, looking at me with gentle eyes. In the past two days, we seem to have become good friends.

At this time, the sun shines brightly in the western sky, and the mountain peaks stand quietly under the sun like rolling waves. This mountainous area based on primeval forest belongs to the north side of Da Lou Mountain on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and belongs to the geological inverted mountain. The mountain is high in the south and low in the north, the mountain range is surrounded on all sides, the streams are vertical and horizontal, the green trees are verdant, the Danxia landform is abundant, the rain is abundant, the average annual temperature does not exceed 14 degrees, it belongs to the humid climate of the middle subtropical monsoon. From a tourist point of view, it is indeed an ideal place to visit. However, it is not an easy task for a single family to live in this rare mountain all year round.

After a while, the old man made the meal and laid it on the small table, a plate of boiled potato vegetables and a few corn stickers. I've seen other people make this kind of sticker. When cooking, the cornmeal is pasted on the side of the pot, and when the vegetables are cooked, the cake is ready. I'm really hungry, and I can smell the enticing fragrance just by looking at the food. I sat down at the small table, ready to eat. However, when he saw that the old man was not in a hurry to eat, he said, "You can also sit down and eat together." ”

But the old man waved his hand and said, "You eat first, and I'll come when I have something to do." So saying, he went out of the door and hurried towards the path down the slope in front of the door. I was so hungry that I didn't want to wait for her to come back, so I started eating. The cake is crispy and chewy, so it tastes very tasty. And the little potatoes were the size of quail eggs, and they were cooked thoroughly, and they tasted very good. Maybe I was too hungry, or maybe the meal was delicious, so I ate three stickers at once. It was a bit of a surprise to myself that in normal times, I would only be able to eat one cake at most. However, even though my stomach was full, my mouth still wanted to eat again.

I burped and stood up from the small table. By this time, it was already dusk, the sun was about to set outside, and it was already a little dark inside. I was standing in front of the door and feeding the rhubarb with half a sticky cake, but a flock of chickens also came running over and wanted to compete with the rhubarb. However, they are not as fast and agile as rhubarb, so they can't compete with rhubarb.

After a while, I didn't see Aunt Xu come back, so I wondered what she was going to do? So, I wanted to go to her. I followed the path down the slope of the ditch in front of the house in the direction of the downhill. Walking through the flat path at the bottom of the slope, I still didn't see Aunt Xu, so I continued to walk down the path, and went down to a section of several steps, walking about two or three kilometers, I saw a person standing on the edge of the cliff in the twilight, staring at the bottom of the cliff with longing eyes, it looked like Meng Jiangnu standing on the Wangfu Cliff.

I walked up to Aunt Xu and knew that she was waiting for and welcoming Uncle Liu, so I silently accompanied her. At the bottom of the cliff is a vertical climbing stone staircase, about 30 meters high, and it is also the most dangerous section of the stone staircase. Therefore, it is so late, Uncle Liu has not come back yet, and Aunt Xu is naturally very worried.

The old man asked me, "Have you eaten?" I said, "I have eaten, I see that you don't come back for a long time, so I want to see what you are doing." ”

The old man said, "There is no one in the mountains, the road is very difficult to walk, and every time he goes out, I am not at ease, so I have to come here to pick him up." When I heard this, I was astonished and said, "But you are not afraid when you go so far as a woman?" for I know that there are not only wild boars but also tigers in the mountains.

She smiled mildly and said, "It's okay, it's been like this for decades, I'm used to it." Then she added, "The young man always told me not to come out to pick him up, but he didn't come back, and I was not at ease, and I couldn't stay at home, so I had to come out to pick him up." I said, "The love and relationship between the two of you is so touching." She said, "He cherishes me, and I cherish him." That's it. I said, "The mountain road is so long, twenty or thirty miles, and you know when he will come back?" said the old man, "and he usually comes back when the sun goes down, but I don't know what happened today, and he hasn't come back yet." ”

As he spoke, he heard the sound of someone singing from under the cliff. We looked down, and at the turn of the stone staircase, a figure was walking briskly in this direction. Aunt Xu shouted at the top of her voice, "Young man." He replied, "Mother." I also shouted loudly, "Uncle Liu, are you back?" ”

After a while, Uncle Liu came to the bottom of the ladder with a basket on his back. I saw that he was climbing so fast, faster than the young man, so I said worriedly, "Uncle Liu, be careful!" Uncle Liu said, "I know." Uncle Liu finally climbed the ladder, and Aunt Xu happily took his hand and asked, "Why are you back so late today?" Uncle Liu said, "I sent the guests down the mountain, went home to see the children, had a meal, and then went to the market to buy some things." ”

Aunt Xu took Uncle Liu's back basket and wanted to carry it herself, but Uncle Liu wouldn't let her carry it. So, I took the opportunity to rush to put the backpack on my back, and then walked briskly towards the mountain, so that Aunt Xu and Uncle Liu could talk.

When I returned to the house, it was already dark, Aunt Xu lit the oil lamp, put it on the small table, and then was busy giving Uncle Liu a hot meal. Uncle Liu took out the contents of the basket and put it on the small table, with a small bag of rice, a small bag of salt, two boxes of matches, two batteries and a piece of bacon. I asked Uncle Liu, "Why do you buy rice when you don't grow your own rice?" Uncle Liu said, "If you want to stay here for a few days, we don't have anything to eat here, so I'll buy some rice to entertain you." When I heard this, I was very moved and said, "You are still afraid that I will not be able to eat rice, I am in Chongqing, and I have to eat rice every day." ”

The meal was served on the small table, and Aunt Xu and Uncle Liu began to eat. In order to save fuel, the lamps were turned very small, so the room was still very dark, and only the bright light around the small table could be seen. Aunt Xu asked Uncle Liu about the situation of his children and family, and asked him in great detail, and Uncle Liu also answered in great detail. From their conversation, I could tell that they seemed to have six children. So, I asked Aunt Xu, "Do you have six children?" But Aunt Xu said, "Where, we have eight children, and one of them is no longer there." "I really can't imagine that my aunt and uncle can raise eight children in such a difficult environment, which is really amazing.