Liu Xinghao took out his mobile phone and looked at it, it was already out of power. There are no cars in this wilderness, and it is not a way to wait here, so he simply walked along the road and thought to himself: "I don't believe it, I can't meet a passing car!"

It can only be said that Liu Xinghao still thinks too simply, this is a rural area located on the edge of the city of Jiangzhou City, far away from the bustling city, there are few cars to come and go. Even if there is a car passing by, they all know that most of the people who are lone on this road are people released from the detention center, and it is too late for people to hide such people, who dares to pull them into their cars!

Liu Xinghao walked for more than an hour, but he really didn't catch a car. At this time, it was almost noon, the sun had become vicious, the sun was burning and hurting on the skin, the clothes on the body had been soaked with sweat, and the stomach was rumbling again, reminding that it was time for lunch.

As we walked, a fork in the road branched out, and along the fork in the road, there was a small village not far away, and there was still a trace of curling smoke from the chimney of a farmhouse in the village.

"Where there is smoke, there must be people, where there are people, there must be food, and the peasant family should be able to talk better, if not, I will use the money to buy some food." Thinking of this, Liu Xinghao took a big step and walked towards the farm.

In the vast land of China, there is still an obvious gap between the rich and the poor, not to mention the glamorous and rich prosperity of Jiangzhou City, in the fringe of the city, many scattered and undeveloped small villages are still hovering near the food and clothing line.

The young people in the village have already left their land to work in the city, earning a lot of money in this flower world, who is willing to stay in the village to farm. Only the old people who are old and have a low level of education still stay in the one-third of an acre of land handed down from their ancestors for generations to take charge of agricultural work, and continue to face the loess with their backs to the sky.

When he walked into the farm, he found that the doors and windows of every house were closed, and the dogs in the courtyard barked one after another, and it seemed that he was not welcome as a stranger who had rashly entered.

Liu Xinghao looked for the hut with cooking smoke wafting out of the chimney, which was at the westernmost end of the Zhuangzi. The red brick courtyard wall and the silver-painted iron door were bolted from the inside, and it was vaguely visible from the crack in the door that the door of the inner hall was wide open, and there should be someone in the house. Liu Xinghao tapped on the door, only to hear the barking of the dog in the yard.

"Big black man, don't howl!" A middle-aged woman's scolding came from the courtyard, and the vicious dog was scolded by its owner, and the barking immediately stopped.

The woman walked to the door, pulled the bolt, and when she raised her eyes, she found a stranger standing at the door, her eyes flashed with a hint of panic, and she asked timidly, "Who are you?

The middle-aged woman was about forty years old, with phoenix eyes, duck egg face, and a peasant family's outfit looking simple and plain. Liu Xinghao hurriedly said politely: "Sister-in-law, I am just a passing driver, the car broke down halfway, and the mobile phone ran out of power." It's noon, I really can't help it, just see that there is smoke in your house, I want to ask you for a bowl of rice, I won't eat for nothing, I'll give you money!" This is Liu Xinghao's statement that he had already calculated in his heart, if he said that he had just been released from the detention center, he would probably be kicked out of the door immediately.

The sister-in-law saw that Liu Xinghao looked like a gentleman, and she didn't look like a bad person when she spoke politely, and when she heard that she was rich, her eyes immediately lit up, and she quickly opened the door and let Liu Xinghao in, and said politely: "This poor and remote person, and there is nothing to greet you, what money do you give! Come in and sit, come in and sit." ”

The yard is clean, the south house is a few brick and wood structure of large tile houses, the east wing is the kitchen, the west fence has a few chickens, a few grape vines climb in the corner, along the bamboo poles climb all over the grape trellis in the yard, growing luxuriantly, blocking the scorching heat of the sun, sprinkling a shade. The big black dog was chained to the door of the south house, and was constantly looking at the stranger who had entered the courtyard.

"Big brother, you go into the back room and sit down, I'll fry two more dishes, and I'll have it immediately." The sister-in-law stretched out her head and shouted into the house again: "The head of the house, there are guests at home, and I don't come out to say hello." ”

Liu Xinghao was bitten by a dog when he was a child, and now he is a little scared of dogs. When he saw that there was a small wooden bench in the courtyard, he did not go into the inner room, but sat down in the shade under the grape trellis in the courtyard to rest his feet.

The sister-in-law went into the kitchen to work on the front foot, and a person came out of the room on the back foot, the person had a big bald head with a bare back, triangular eyes and eyebrows, and a mouth that was a little crooked. He had two walnuts in his hand, and a pair of eyes purred and swept Liu Xinghao in the yard.

Liu Xinghao hurriedly stood up and said with a smile: "Big brother, hello." My surname is Liu, I am a passing driver, the car broke down in the middle of the road, and the mobile phone is out of battery, so I am embarrassed to bother you. ”

The big brother waved his hand and said, "Oh, sit down, sit down." He pulled a bench from the back room, sat next to Liu Xinghao, took out a pack of two or three cheap cigarettes from his pocket and politely said, "A cigarette?"

Liu Xinghao smiled and waved his hand: "Thank you, I don't smoke." Let me ask you something, why are all the doors locked in our village? I haven't seen many people?"

The eldest brother slowly lit one by himself, and a mouthful of cloud mist erupted, carrying the unique spicy smell of cheap cigarettes, which made Liu Xinghao almost suffocate. "Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and on the day of the market, most of the people in the village go to the town to catch the market. We didn't buy or sell it, so we didn't go to join in the fun. ”

To put it simply, Fengji is to take a township or town as the central point, and on a specific day of each month as a point in time, the villagers in the surrounding villages will rush to the township on this day to buy and sell goods, purchase daily necessities and all kinds of fresh gadgets, and the general name of this phenomenon is Fengji. Although it is already an era of free circulation of goods, this old tradition that is integrated into the blood and bones is still blooming in the new era.

"Oh, I see. Liu Xinghao nodded and asked, "Then how can we take a bus to Jiangzhou city near here?"

"If you're going to take a bus, it's not very far, it's six or seven kilometers down the road. There are buses when you get to town. ”

"What? It takes six or seven kilometers?" Liu Xinghao heard that there was still such a long way to go, and his legs and stomach immediately weakened.

"Come on, eat, you two brothers are eating and talking. The sister-in-law brought a small wooden square table and put it in front of Liu Xinghao and the eldest brother with a smile. It didn't take a while, scrambled eggs with green peppers, vinegared cabbage, fried pumpkin shreds like a trick, and the sister-in-law also cut a plate of salted duck eggs pickled by herself, the egg yolk was pickled just right, red and oily, and it was appetizing at a glance!

When the eldest brother saw that he had made so many dishes for an outsider for no reason, his face was a little unhappy, and he bluffed at his sister-in-law: "You loser, can you eat so many dishes!"

How could Liu Xinghao not know the meaning of these words, although the sister-in-law is simple, but this eldest brother is very shrewd. He hurriedly took out a bright red Grandpa Mao from the brown paper bag and stuffed it into the eldest brother's hand, and said: "Big brother and sister-in-law, I'm very embarrassed to disturb me suddenly, and let my sister-in-law work hard to make so many delicious foods, please accept this little meaning." If you don't accept it, then I won't dare to eat this meal!"

As soon as the eldest brother saw Grandpa Mao's hand, he immediately changed his smiling expression, and quickly opened his mouth and said: "Big brother, look at you, you are a guest when you enter the door, how can I ask you for any money!" He pretended to push a few handfuls, but in fact, he didn't want to let go at all when he was holding the Grandpa Mao in his hand, and was politely said a few words by Liu Xinghao, so he had to "reluctantly" laugh.

"By the way, I still have a bottle of wine in the house, and our brothers just have a cup today!" The eldest brother seemed to remember something, got up and went to the back room, entered the house and saw that Liu Xinghao didn't follow, and immediately took out the money and shook it against the sun, and saw that the watermark was no problem, so he smiled and shook the wine bottle out.

"Big brother, come, let's have a drink, Red Star Erguotou, fifty-six degrees!

"Big brother, I still have to drive, I can't drink, you drink more, I'll eat food." Liu Xinghao doesn't care about wine, but he has already coveted the food. He waited for his eldest brother to move his chopsticks, picked up the rice bowl and began to devour it.

Don't look at the four-course dishes on this table, although there is no big fish and meat, this kind of farmhouse vegetarian stir-fry is the most delicious. In the past few days in the detention center, Liu Xinghao was stunned that he hadn't eaten a meal of rice, this bowl of rice cooked in a big firewood pot in the farmhouse, smelling a unique fragrance, the grains of rice chewed in the mouth are full of elasticity, and then sandwiched the dishes under the mouth, it is really an endless aftertaste!

"Hehe, if you don't smoke or drink, how can you live to ninety-nine? Big brother, you have to learn from me!" The eldest brother raised his neck and put a cup of two pots on his stomach, a smile bloomed on his face, and the corner of his eyes unconsciously glanced at the bag of brown paper bags placed at Liu Xinghao's feet.

"You can live to ninety-nine!" The sister-in-law rolled her eyes happily and rolled her man, but she kept holding the dishes for Liu Xinghao. "Big brother, you eat more. There are no meat dishes in this house, which makes you smile, can you try these dishes made by your sister-in-law?"

"Well, sister-in-law, your cooking is really delicious! I'll have another bowl of rice later." Liu Xinghao was really hungry after walking for a long time, and he cut the rice in the bowl to the bottom after three times and five by two.

The wine has passed three rounds, and the dishes have passed five flavors. Liu Xinghao patted his bulging belly, feeling that it was the most enjoyable meal he had eaten in so many years. People who have indulged in happiness for too long often feel that everything is taken for granted, forgetting to cherish and be grateful. This simple meal may not be anything at all in the eyes of some people, but Liu Xinghao is extremely satisfied, which is to understand the value of "possession" after understanding "loss".