The bamboo forest under Yantai Mountain is full of flowers. Last year's summer bamboo shoots stripped off the bamboo shoot shells and extracted a green forest; This year's bamboo shoots also go straight into the sky, standing tall and beautiful.

Children brave the scorching sun and look for a little guy called "bamboo worm" in the bamboo forest. Break off its sharp front paws, and use the dog's tail grass to penetrate it, and let it fly in the air, and at most turn a round whirlpool, which cannot escape the palm of the children's hands; When you are tired of playing and feel bored, put it in the firewood pile, simmer for a few minutes, or put it in the oil pan and fry it, and you will salivate one by one - put it in your mouth, and it will be crispy!

"Seven or eight stars in the sky, two or three points in front of the rain mountain". The comfort of the evening painted Yangjiawan with a layer of poetic color.

Yang Zegui sat on the circle chair left by his father, gently shaking the pu fan in his left hand, holding a newspaper from the previous days in his right hand, and the old wooden crutch was still placed next to him. The iron crutch brought back by the seventh brother is not practical, and it is no problem to bear the weight of one person, but whenever he carries a heavy basket of corn cobs, or picks up a load of dung and water, it is obviously impossible to support it!

Shufei was doing her homework in the eaves. The rain under the eaves was dotted and pillared, and the moss-covered place had been pierced by dripping stones. The cicadas closed their mouths because of the sudden white rain, and the children, who were still mowing the grass, broke a lotus root leaf at the edge of the field and ran home.

Shufen, who was picking mulberry leaves, and Shufenniang, who was mowing the grass, had also just returned home, and the rain had wet their clothes. Shufenniang fed grass to the old cattle in the cattle pen, the old cattle still lay there motionless, no matter how tender green the grass could not arouse its appetite, it was old and tired, gently closed its eyes like a copper drum, and tears slipped from the corners of its eyes.

"Dad, scalpers may not be able to do it!" Shufenniang patted the water droplets on her body and went up to the eaves.

"Veterinarian Zhu came to see him in the afternoon, poured some medicine, and still didn't eat grass?"

"Don't eat! Hey, it's been more than ten years since the production team, I'm afraid I won't survive! ”

"If it doesn't work, sell it, while it's still possible, let the beef seller on the street take it, so I can buy a hundred yuan!" This is an understandable thing, as a beast, it can't escape such a fate.

The rain became heavier and heavier, and a thunderclap pierced the darkening night sky, causing the stars that had just blinked their eyes to hide in the clouds.

Shufen, who came out of the silkworm house, didn't make a sound, and went to the cattle pen with a flashlight.

The old scalper was sloppy, and there was white spit in his mouth all the time, and the pair of horns that should have been sharp were also broken a few years ago. When the little mistress came, she knelt on her two front legs and tried to stand up, but she was unable to do so, and failed again and again, and finally fell to the ground helplessly, and put her head on the edge of the trough, as if she wanted to eat grass.

But it was all in vain, the old scalper couldn't swallow anything, and what followed was a rapid drying, choking out more white saliva.

Shufen put down the handful of grass she had just grabbed and gently stroked its solid forehead. This behemoth, which weighs thousands of pounds, is definitely comparable to two laborers in an ordinary family in the countryside. But now, after a lifetime of hard work, it is about to leave this world. How, it doesn't know.

Shufen burst into tears. For as long as she can remember, the old scalper has been cultivating the land here step by step. When it was dying, my father brought it back to his house from the production team's barn, ploughing four plowshares and six grinding rakes. Every grain in the house has its dripping sweat.

A sad Shufen took down the cow pen, she wanted to clean the old cow's dung-stained fur, and to drive away the hateful long-legged mosquitoes, who were wantonly bullying the honest cow who had no strength to wave his tail......

The scalper finally closed his eyes and ended more than half a month of struggling. From then on, it no longer has to climb down the hill, no longer have to go out early and return late; No one will whip it, no one will dictate to it.

Shufen cried and returned to the eaves. Shufei, who was slaughtering pigweed, saw her sister's tears and cried too.

"Dad, I beg you for one thing!"

"Shufen, it's a beast, and the beast has the yin and yang of the animal, hey......" Yang Zegui didn't know where to start, this stubborn second daughter had always prevented him from selling cattle. Originally, she called all the cattle sellers to her house more than ten days ago, but she and Shufei blew away the cattle buyers.

"Dad, I know, but I can't bear it, can I ...... Can you bury it? ”

"Nonsense, how can there be a cow buried! The weather is so hot, as soon as the rain stops, shouting to the river people to shake the throat of Guoqiang, let him go to the street to invite someone to unload the beef! ”

"......No," Sister Shufen cried and prayed at the same time.

It's not that Yang Zegui is ruthless, it's the invisible pressure of this family that makes him have to do this! If ten days ago, the cow could still graze, it would have been sold for at least one hundred and fifty dollars; Even if it is sold during the day today, as long as it is alive, it can be sold for eight hundred and ten dollars; But now that there is a dead cow, people are willing to pay labor to collect it, and it is good to give a few dozen yuan by the way!

He's not trying to make any money from the old scalper! It's that the family can't do without a cow at all. The old scalper is gone, so you have to buy a small scalper. The current price of a cow, even for a calf, will not be lower than one hundred and fifty yuan! Last year's savings had already been used to buy seeds, fertilizer, and Shufen's saplings during spring ploughing. The two seasons of silkworm cocoons that have just been sold are only about 100 yuan, not to mention that Guoqiang is still 50 yuan short of returning.

Therefore, the death of the old scalper is tantamount to the collapse of the pillars of the family. Selling meat is better than burying it!

It's not that Sister Shufen doesn't understand this principle. But how can they comfort their deep feelings for the old scalper?

"Dad, I want to find a way to buy the money for the cow, you let me bury the old cow!"

"Dad, I don't go to school anymore, the tuition fee ......" The innocent Shufei cried and ran over to hold her father's hand.

Yang Shuzi slapped Shufei in the face, and it hurt hotly. When Shufen saw her sister being beaten, she hurriedly came over and pulled Shufei over, crying and hiding in the house.

Shufenniang has already started to nag, crying and accusing the man, and went to comfort Sister Shufen again. Yang Zegui looked at his hands and couldn't help but burst into tears, since Fushun left, he vowed not to do anything to the child again, but ......

Shufen lay on the bed and wept. She knew that the thousands of pounds of old scalper, with the strength of her and her sister, it was almost impossible to drag it and bury it. In Yangjiawan, no one will help them, and no one will understand them - except Fushun!

－－－－－－－－

When Fushun knew the news, it was almost summer vacation!

He opened the letter and burst into tears. Mr. Zhao spoke vividly yesterday and became boring, and the dense mathematical calculus could not hide the grief in his heart. The partner who had been with him for five or six years was gone. The hateful executioner is stained with its blood, and the cruel "Cu Ding" has made it beheaded!

A low sobbing caught the attention of the front row. Xiang Yu shifted her position when the teacher turned around, and she looked at Fu Shun's tears, and she also became melancholy. What kind of blow did this strong child encounter?

After a semester of understanding, Li Xiangyu learned the story of Fushun, and the simplicity, perseverance and tenacity of rural people deeply infected her. She will pester Fushun to talk about rural affairs, and she will also teach Fushun to play basketball when there is no one on the court at noon; She would learn to go to the other windows of the cafeteria to get a few cents of food, and she would also give up taking the tram after school and follow Fushun back to her home on the south bank; On weekends, she will also go to the dock to shout and cheer for Fushun who works! It can be said that she has become one of Fushun's best "buddies" in the technical school.

Xiang Yu threw a ball of paper. She was eager to know what grievances her good buddy had suffered, and in her opinion, Jiang Yun had not yet had anything to do with her "unevenness".

Fushun has become accustomed to this way of handing and responds in the same way. In the end, he simply handed the first page of the letter to Xiang Yu.

"Tomboy" can certainly understand Fushun's mood. The old scalper in the letter is like the pug raised by herself, if it dies one day, she will also be heartbroken, not to mention, Fushun's "pug" has been dismantled?

Xiang Yu didn't know how to comfort Fu Shun, because the "light bulb" had already targeted her. She could only pretend to be calm and pretend to take notes, and threw a ball of paper when he was unprepared.

Fushun slowly unfolded, and a stick figure of a winged cow was drawn on it, and a line of words was written next to it: "Genius, mourning and change!" Your old ox has turned into a big flying cow and gone to the sky to plow the fields for the Jade Emperor! ”

Fu Shun smiled with tears in his eyes, handed over a piece of paper, and wrote "Thank you!" Fish-flavored shredded pork! ”

Xiang Yu looked at Fu Shun and smiled, and wrote on a small note: "I swear, I will never eat beef in my life!" ”

The next few days are for final exams. Teacher Zheng arranged for Fushun to do more than a dozen sets of questions in her office, and the real simulation did not disappoint Zheng Yunxia. Except for "Architectural Engineering", which scored 97 points, the other 12 professional courses were all scored 100 points. This score is second to none in the whole school.

Today is the day of leaving school, and it will be almost two months of summer vacation next! This is a blessing for the students. Children in the city can hide in a fanned room and watch TV dramas for thirty or forty days to escape the hot summer; When the city dolls returned to their hometowns, they didn't have much farm work, and even if they were to harvest rice, it would have to be after school started.

Fushun found another good buddy of his in the technical school, Wang Guangwen from the sixth class of the first grade. Guangwen's hometown is very close to Fushun's home, and he lives in Yahe Village, Chahe Township, not far from Shiqiao. More than a month ago, Li Xiangyu, who has great powers, found this fellow of Fushun through various channels and brought Fushun to him.

When Fushun entered the Guangwen dormitory, the students were packing their luggage and preparing to go to the bus station or dock to catch the boat.

"Guangwen, I want to entrust you with something!"

"It's all fellow countrymen, what's polite! Why don't you go back to the stone bridge? ”

"I ...... I'm not going back, can you bring something to the stone bridge for me!" ”

"No problem, what's the matter!"

"You can help me bring some books to my sister, and a letter, and a hundred dollars!"

"A hundred bucks?" Guangwen was a little surprised, although he had known each other for a while, he still didn't know where this fellow came from. Auditors who don't have a student status? A self-taught engineering genius? A "bamboo stick" that doesn't cost money to study?

"Well, our family is from Yangjiawan Village, Shiqiao Township, please go to the communication room of the township government to wait for my sister when you are in Shiqiao, oh, her name is Yang Shufen, and he will go there when he rushes to the scene!" Fushun explained. He knew that the things he had brought with him would be at the stone bridge in five days. If it is mailed through guò, it will have to be delayed for more than ten days, and it may be lost. He knew that this kind fellow was definitely a reliable and down-to-earth person.

"If you want it! I'm going to catch the car right away, it just so happens that there is a car to go today, if I can catch it, I will get to Jiacang in the evening, and I will be able to get to Chahe tomorrow. It just so happened that the day after tomorrow the stone bridge was gathered, and I sent it over! Guangwen took the things in Fu Shun's hand, counted dozens of heavy "great unity", and then carefully kicked into the hidden pocket sewn by himself on the inner layer of his pants.

"Thank you, Hirobun......"

Without waiting for Fushun to finish speaking, Guangwen packed his bags and walked out. This equally thrifty country doll is ready to walk to the bus station......