Since then, Zhou Lao lost his soul, fell ill for many days, and closed his eyes in the Chinese New Year's Eve. This incident spread quickly and caused a great sensation in the local area, becoming a hot topic of discussion after tea and dinner, and it is also a negative example for bad people and unfilial people, and the warning education is of great significance. All unfilial people, every time they hear others mention this, they bow their heads and are speechless, and quietly leave from the crowd.

When did Wu Pingshun get angry and angry, the story of Zhou Lao's murder of his son appeared in front of him, haunted by dreams, but after all, it was a new society, and the feudal approach would definitely not work, but it could be sued in court, but I thought about it again, but there is a way that it is difficult for a clean official to decide family affairs, and the public generally does not ask, so he is helpless, so he has to go with the flow.

After that, in order to reduce unnecessary trouble, others gradually came less, and the burden naturally fell on themselves. Although he has been going to school, he has never delayed his work during the busy farming season, and the teacher has also taken special care of him and granted him leave, although he has a certain impact on his studies, it is also a helpless move.

The past is vivid, the ups and downs, heart-wrenching, the service to the army has not been completed, it has always been a piece of Wu Pingshun's heart, and it is a responsibility and burden that cannot be shirked. As Xiaojun grows up day by day, that is, in recent years, when he gets married and starts a business, he will land on the ground with a stone, and there is only the matter of providing for the elderly. The sons of the family do not understand their own pain and difficulties, and each takes care of his own small family, not only does not take the initiative to share the worries, but restricts everywhere, the family is not harmonious, the grievances are increasing, and the contradictions are deepening.

At present, the crops have not been harvested, the land has not yet been plowed a ridge, and the "Admission Admission Notice" requires that the report be reported today and tomorrow, which has been postponed for one day, and it will definitely not work if you don't send Xiaojun to school tomorrow.

At this time, the door rang, and it was the eldest daughter Xiaoyun who came over pushing a bicycle with a quilt on the back seat of the car. Park the car and take off the quilt, "Dad, haven't you eaten yet, have you finished breaking the corn in the south depression?" After asking twice, seeing Wu Pingshun bowing his head and smoking a cigarette silently, he knew that the momentum was not right, and something must be wrong. After a long time, Wu Pingshun reacted, "Xiaoyun is here." ”

"Xiaoyun, don't ask, your father is angry. Give your big brother a fight early in the morning. Xiao Yunniang came out of the kitchen with a rice bowl and said.

"Alas, it's really infuriating, it's really eight generations of blood mold to be spread on such a child." Wu Pingshun got up and washed his hands and face.

The busy farming season is the most bitter and tiring season for rural people, getting up early and being greedy for darkness, dressing without particularity, eating at no regular time, making do with three meals, and rushing to harvest and grab seeds. Wu Pingshun walked to the dining table in the courtyard and sat down weakly, "I am full of gas, and I have no appetite at all." ”

"Dad, let's eat a little, there are still a lot of things. Xiaojun's luggage has not been prepared yet, tomorrow you will send Xiaojun to Pingxi to school, a thousand handfuls of land, two or three days, the car is also very tiring and uncomfortable, how can you stand it if you don't eat something. Besides, it's the first time Xiao Jun has gone out in a car, so what can he do if anything happens to you in the car. Xiaoyun said as he ate, tears almost flowing.

Under Xiaoyun's persuasion, Wu Pingshun reluctantly picked up the bowl, drank a bowl of noodle soup, ate a piece of steamed buns, and hastily passed away breakfast.

After the meal, the four of them discussed the preparation of luggage for the army. "Tuition, accommodation, and books need 1,300 yuan, plus transportation and living expenses, you need to bring at least 2,000 yuan. A few days ago, I just sold the calf for 800 yuan, the wheat for 500 yuan, and the previous leftover, a total of 1600 yuan, it is still not enough, I borrowed some from you Brother Xiaoliang at noon, it is enough, other quilts, clothes, you see what else you need, what you can get at home can prepare some first. Wu Pingshun said.

"I don't need to prepare clothes, the padded jacket, cover, and shirt that my third brother used to wear are all good, but after I take it back, I haven't worn it yet, so I don't need to prepare." Xiaojun said.

"I brought a quilt with me, it was just unsewn and relatively new," Xiaoyun interjected.

"In the past, when the third child went to school, the quilt issued by the school was better, so bring it, two quilts are enough." Xiao Junniang said.

At this time, someone outside the hospital was talking, and it could be heard that it was the old Sanxiaosen who had returned. Xiaosen entered the courtyard, put down the bicycle, took off the plastic bag in the basket, walked over and asked, "Xiaoyun is here, have you eaten breakfast?" ”

"I just finished eating, I'm talking about serving the army to go to school, tomorrow is the last day to report to work, and I'm preparing things." Seeing the third brother coming back, Xiaoyun stood up and took the things in his hand.

"I'm on the night shift today, and I'll come just after checking the house, have the crops in the field been harvested? I like many of them are cultivating the land. Xiao Sen asked.

"Not yet, I thought that Xiaojun and I would hurry up today and take all the corn home, but we took back a cart in the morning, and let Xiaofu and his family mix it up, and almost didn't make people angry." Wu Pingshun sighed and said.

"What's wrong again?" , Xiaosen saw that Wu Pingshun's face was ugly, and his words were wrong, so he asked eagerly. Xiaoyun told the story of the morning before and after.

Xiaosen is thirty-seven or eighteen years old, of medium stature, with a daughter's melon seed face, which can be described as a white face, although he is middle-aged, he is not lacking in the spirit of a handsome scholar. Although he is away all the year round, he is a typical career type, and he doesn't listen to things outside the window, and he goes straight to children's books. Its business is exquisite, easy-going, looking for its patients, an endless stream, in the county hospital pediatrics is second to none, unmatched, excellent reputation, this is Wu Pingshun in front of the villagers in front of the most proud son. However, in addition to concentrating on seeing a doctor, they do know very little about other things, and they are quite poor and scarce, such as social relations, human affection, climbing up and down, and participating less. For the slightest wisp of the family, the east is long and short, and he has never known anything, and he can't figure out any clues, which is also well known to relatives and friends and neighbors, even if there is something missing, everyone will always forgive the past with "he doesn't understand this matter".

After hearing this, Xiaosen was silent for a while, his eyes stared at his father, who was full of vicissitudes of life, thin and yellow, disheveled, with torn shoes and open toes, and mud all over his body, "It's not once or twice, there's nothing to worry about, and it's not worth being so angry, let's prepare for the affairs of the army, there is no time." There is still a lot of difference in tuition fees, and when I came back, I brought 500 yuan to pay for Xiaojun's tuition. Casually, he took it out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Wu Pingshun.

"The money is almost ready, you better take it back. It is my business to serve the army, and I am still the same as you were before, and I will not ask for anyone's money, and I will be wrapped up in it, so as not to leave any truth in the future. Wu Pingshun bowed his head weakly and said.

"What's this, I shouldn't take some, besides, I already have this ability now, although I've been working for almost ten years, you haven't asked me for a penny, and I haven't helped you a little bit with the work at home. Do you want this money, colleagues and relatives asked, how should I explain it. Besides, I didn't tell Chunyan that I wouldn't consider my daughter-in-law's affairs, and there should be no such thing. Xiaosen saw that his father didn't want it, he was very helpless, and he also knew his father's hardship, and the two of them bowed their heads and were speechless for a while.

Today's scene makes Xiaosen seem to go back to eleven years ago, and its taste and bitterness are not as good as those back then. Eleven years ago, in order to make up for his travel expenses, his father led his beloved big scalper overnight to the market town fifty miles away to sell it cheaply, and he was not willing to eat even a baked cake, and when he came back, he bought him a blue suit and a pair of sneakers, and the rest was used as travel expenses and living allowance for him. However, in order not to owe favors to others, not to shorten other people's mouths, not to leave the truth in front of others, and to be able to speak confidently in front of others in the future, relatives and friends do not want any qiē gifts. At this time, it is not the same as back then, colleges and universities have also begun to charge tuition, it is not the era of national all-inclusive, the cost of living is also high, the previous food stamps are gone, and I don't know if there are any grants, and the cost must be much higher. However, seeing that the father doesn't want it, it is for the sake of serving the army, and he would rather shed his skin himself than let the child be wronged.

"Dad, if you don't pick up, the third brother is also very embarrassed, you can continue, don't say that your sister-in-law doesn't know, even if she knows, what can she say, and besides, your sister-in-law is also a scene person, serving the army and going to school is a big deal, I'm afraid I won't be uneasy if I don't get a point, I won't care about this matter, don't think so much." Xiaoyun interjected on the side.

"Alas, since that's the case, I'll continue, as for whether there will be unpleasantness between you in the future, I won't think about it, but I really don't want to embarrass Xiaojun in the future."

This matter has been sinking in the hearts of several people at the time, and for several years, it has not been made public, and it has always become a matter of Zhang Chunyan's guilty uncle, whenever someone mentions the helplessness of Xiaojun when he goes to school, she feels very ashamed.

Qi has to be born, it is difficult to stop if it is not born, work has to be done, and it is difficult to wish if you don't do it. Wu Pingshun was comforted by his daughter and son, and his mood was much better, and he simply ate a little food, and several people went to the field to harvest crops together.

At noon in early autumn, the sun is shining, sweeping away the fog and rain and dew in the morning, which is cold and silky, revealing warmth.

The strength of the people is great, and the two acres of corn have been broken by two o'clock in the afternoon, and when they are pulled home, they are all covered with sweat, flowing down their cheeks, and they need to be wiped with their sleeves from time to time, accompanied by the dust emitted by the dead leaves of the crops, forming lumps of mud, which are all over the hair, face, body and shoes, patches and dots, and feel that the skin is prickly and ragged, and they are like beggars in rags. After loading the last corn into the car, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and finally finished harvesting, even if it rained, they were not afraid of rotting in the ground, so that the hard work of a season came to naught, which is the greatest wish of every farmer. At three o'clock, the four of them pulled forward and pushed back, returned home, washed their faces, and had some food. Wu Pingshun and Xiaojun went down to the ground to cut corn stalks. Xiao Sen, Xiao Yun, and Xiao Junniang peeled corn husks at home.

At four o'clock, the second daughter Xiaomei came and brought a set of mattress noodles, "Mother, eldest sister, the child is small, and he often makes trouble, and I haven't had time to sew, so let's do it, you still have useless cotton to play, and sew it for Xiaojun to take away, so as not to be cold in winter." ”

"Okay, Xiaoyun, you go and clean up, the needlework and thread are in the drawer of the hall, the cotton is in the urea bag in the middle, and you two sew the quilt for Xiaojun." Xiao Junniang said.

After a while, Xiaoyun prepared the needle and thread, and because the courtyard was full of corn, he had to spread out the plastic cloth and sew the quilt outside the door. attracted a group of children to watch, the neighbor's aunt who had nothing to do, and some little daughters-in-law with children in their arms also came to join in the fun.

"Xiaoyun, Xiaomei, sew a quilt for your brother Xiaojun. Look at how good your family is, it's really enviable to have two college students, this is all the blessing that your father and mother cultivated in their last life. Neighbor Qiao Er's grandmother said.

"Second grandmother, what is the blessing or not, the father and mother do not suffer hardships is the greatest blessing, speaking of my eldest mother, how to say that it is also full of children and grandchildren, but what's the use, it's not all day to get up five watches and climb in the middle of the night, cold and starving, housework, work in the field, serve the army to go to school, the others are young and vigorous, and no one gives them a hand, pushes, and from time to time adds fuel to the fire, adds encouragement, it is simply raising a group of animals." Xiaomei has always spoken straightforwardly, in one sentence, the words were prickly, unforgiving, when the stitches looked up, the second brother got up, then lowered her head, pretended not to see, and casually replied to the words of the second grandmother.

"Xiaomei, you can't say that, the equivalent army graduated from school, no longer have to be a farmer, no longer have to be a monkey in the field all day long, endure hardships and don't make money, find a good job like your third brother, live the life of a city person, you don't have to worry about anything, just wait to enjoy Qingfu." Aunt Ma said happily.

"Third aunt, those are all things in the future, but Xiaojun is not at home, neither can I help my mother work to earn money, but also have to pay tuition, food and clothing, the cost is not small, my mother is old, can neither go out to work, nor can I do a small business, I can only rely on these ten acres of land to grow grain and sell money to supply, you also know, now we are how difficult it is to farm, no one, no strength, how can we plant, think about it and want to shed tears, how will I live my mother's life in the future." Xiaoyun said, his eyes reddened.

"Xiaoyun, Xiaomei, what about sewing quilts, is Xiaojun at home?" Xiao Qi walked over and asked.

"I just came back, I grinded a few bubbles on my hands to chop corn stalks, and they broke, and I peeled the corn husks in the yard." Xiaoyun bowed his head and said.

After listening to it, he didn't say a word, and went directly to the courtyard.

"Xiaojun, I heard that you are going to Pingxi to go to college tomorrow, I haven't been to school, I can't read, my family conditions are not as good as your third brother, and I can't take anything, give you ten yuan as travel expenses." Said Xiaoqi.

"In this way, since you are illiterate, don't say that you are illiterate, your family conditions are not good, and it is not easy to make money, you should take the ten yuan back to buy oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, we have always told me that no one will ask for money." Xiaojun listened to Xiaojun's awkward speech, and his words were prickly, neither taking his money nor replying to him painlessly.

Xiao Sen bowed his head and was silent, he knew that the second child's words were directed at him. Over the years, the second child has said a lot of such things, no matter what happens, he opens his mouth to say, "I don't want to go to school, if I go to school, I would have been admitted to the university a long time ago, and I don't have to be tired of farming all day long." My child I have to try to get him to school, even if he doesn't go, I have to beat him up." Actually, that's not the case, the eldest and second were born in the fifties, compared with other people's families, because Wu Pingshun was engaged in construction in Pingxi, he could earn some savings to supplement the family, and naturally the two children could also be sent to school to study. However, the eldest son Xiaofu often fought with others at school, from the school teacher, the principal to the village cadres, they all had a headache, and they were directly expelled later. The second son went to the third grade from elementary school, and every exam was the last in the class, and later, he had a phobia of going to class, as long as he mentioned going to school, he cried and cried, Wu Pingshun had no choice but to give up. After graduating from university, he was directly assigned to Yuanzhen County Hospital, where he lived a life in the city by earning a salary, and was respected and envied by many people. Many things, maybe the speaker is unintentional, but the listener is intentional, saying once or twice others may not care, but saying too much cannot help but attract the attention of others. What's more, every time something unpleasant happens in the family, especially when there is a dispute with the father, this kind of thing blurts out, which has to be annoying.

"Xiaojun, the second brother will give you the money, you can continue, this is a little bit of the second brother's heart, you see, the second brother is also quite embarrassed." Xiaomei came over with the sewn quilt and said.

"Tell him to leave quickly, I won't want it, I can't afford it, don't delay my work." Xiao Jun said angrily.

"Xiaojun is a college student, relatively strong, backbone, and I am illiterate, who can afford me, I can't climb high. Besides, when he went to school and earned money, he spent it himself, and others couldn't take a point. We are rich, I am poor, no matter how much I earn, it's not all for him, who will give it to me. "Say one sentence from the east and one sentence from the west.

"Second brother, go quickly, don't say it again, it's not good to say it again." The more Xiaomei listened, the more wrong she felt, and if she continued to talk about it, she was afraid that Xiaojun would not be able to stand it and would fight again, so she eagerly dissuaded.

"Xiaomei, let's take a look at sorting out the things that Xiaojun wants to bring, put them in a bag, and I'll bring them over first when I go back later." Xiao Sen saw that the momentum was not right, and it was inconvenient to say more, so he stood up and said to Xiao Mei.

"Well, how can you speak like that? Are you here to send money to the army, or are you here to make fun of people, what do you want to do? Xiaojun can be admitted to university, no matter what, it's also a good thing, Xiaojun goes to school, it's better than going to prison, right? If you talk like this, no one will feel like it, and no one will ask for your money. Xiaojun hasn't left yet, you see how many things are going on in a day today, in the morning your eldest brother's family is looking for something for him, Xiaojun and you haven't come to their senses yet, you talk about it again, how will you get along in the future. Xiao Junniang couldn't help it, and said on the side.

As soon as I listened to my mother's words, I became energetic. "What's so great about going to college, there are more people going to college than rabbits, what does it have to do with me, no matter how much money he makes in the future, others can't spend a penny, no matter how big his ability is in the future, others can't get a little light. I was born with a hard life, a poor life, and I was delayed for a lifetime, and I was harmed for a lifetime, if I wasn't harmed by others, I'm afraid I would have become the secretary of the county party committee now. They think I'm honest, and the big and small people look down on me and bully me. Whoever earns the money spends it is comfortable and down-to-earth, and takes other people's hands short. ”

"Effect, the more you talk, the more unpleasant it becomes, who bullies you, wants to bully you, I don't want you since I was a child, pull you so big, is it easy for me to talk to you, you still don't talk about your conscience." Xiao Junniang said energetically, and tears flowed down her eyes.

"Roll, roll, roll, roll", Xiaojun really couldn't suppress his anger, so he picked up a broom and threw himself at Xiaoqi.

"Second brother, let's go, look at our girly. Xiaojun, what are you doing, put the broom down. Xiaoyun just finished packing up the things outside, walked to the door of the aisle, saw Xiaojun pounce on the broom, ran over quickly, grabbed Xiaojun's hand, and scolded Xiaojun.

Seeing that the situation was not good, he had to take advantage of the situation, ran out of the door with a curse, and left.

"Mother, serve the army, forget it, he's just this kind of person, it's not interesting to care, there's no such thing as power, don't let us know. Besides, Xiaojun will leave tomorrow, and it is difficult to say what this departure will be like in the future, and there will be very few opportunities to meet. Maybe tomorrow's departure will be the beginning of the period of no return for you to leave this village, the road is longer, the time is longer, and the opportunity to deal with them, or even us, is very rare. Think about everything, don't take it too seriously. Xiaoyun patiently persuaded.

An unexpected turmoil temporarily eased down, and at this time, Xiaomei also packed up the things that Xiaojun was going to bring, packed a large bag of ammonium carbonate fertilizer, put it on the back seat of Xiaosen's bicycle, and tied it with a rope.

Unconsciously, one is the sunset, the people working in the fields return to the village one after another, and Xiaosen, Xiaoyun, and Xiaomei also go home.