Most of the buses running the line of the coal mine in the eastern suburbs are classic cars, which can turn people apart all the way.

Chen Mo took off his coat and put it on his lap, let the little girl sleep on her pillow, and he looked at the passing scenery outside the window in a daze. In just over an hour, we will be home.

In fact, he still can't believe that he can make so much money by boxing.

When he got the twenty-eight thousand three hundred, he counted them seven times.

Chen Mo's first job was carrying coal in a small coal kiln, 5 cents per basket, and the blood scabs on both shoulders were nearly a finger thick. He was 12 years old that year, and the deepest impression was that one day in the bucket of cold water, I don't know who threw a cigarette butt into it. The indescribable smell of tar in the water made him want to vomit, but he had to drink it.

There is no second clean bucket in the well, just as he can't find a second better way now.

At that time, there was a Jiangbei person who had always been good to Chen Mo, that guy was black and thin, and he was always drunk when he didn't carry coal, saying that if he didn't drink, he would come to the world for nothing. On a violent afternoon, a group of people hid in the well and bragged, and the Jiangbei people pulled the rancid rice in the enamel jar, saying that if they made a fortune one day, they would definitely find their wives who ran away with others. He was laughed at by his co-workers, but he didn't care, and asked Chen Mo what he wanted to do most when he became rich in the future.

Chen Mo remembered that his answer was to buy a room of rice and cook dry rice for Chen Jing every day.

In the most difficult years, most coal mining families would burn a pot of gruel and a little dry rice during meals. Because they have to go down to the well to sell their physical strength, only men can eat dried food. Chen Mo carries coal in the small coal kiln, and the coal kiln takes care of one lunch every day, he has always rushed to ask for pots, and it doesn't matter if he has less, because he can take it home for Chen Jing to eat. At that time, the conditions at home were extremely poor, and I drank gruel for three meals, and there was no such thing as cooking dry rice at all. Once, Chen Jing was dizzy from hunger at home, so she went to the small coal kiln to find her brother, and when she walked on the mountain road, she saw a wild peach tree bearing fruit, so she went over to pick it. The peach tree was born on a high hill, Chen Jing was too young and didn't know the danger, so she couldn't get up for a long time when she stepped on the air. When she finally walked to the coal kiln, the blood on her forehead had not dried yet, but she looked at Chen Mo but smiled happily, took out more than a dozen green and small wild peaches, and said Brother, I am not willing to eat any of them, and we are eating together now!

Chen Mo didn't even frown when he fought with adults in the coal kiln, but he cried like a dog that day. He swore that he would make a lot of money in his life, so that his sister would be fed, clothed, and carefree.

Everyone has crazy thoughts, but Chen Mo's shopping this time was not out of control, but did what he always wanted to do, but was unable to do it. He can't remember how long Chen Jing hasn't bought clothes, his sister is second to none among girls of the same age in terms of appearance and learning, and being born in such a family, it can only be said that he wronged her.

Today, Chen Jing wore that woolen coat and walked in the crowd after school, attracting countless amazing eyes. The little girl was embarrassed, but Chen Mo, who was following behind, was smiling, and her mind was as calm as an old man.

"Ermao, get up!" After the bus arrived at the station, Chen Mo pushed his sister, who was sleeping soundly.

The two got out of the car and walked a few miles, and the towering coal gangue mountain and the wellhead appeared in view. When he was a child, Chen Mo often picked up a tractor on this road to go to school, hanging a back bucket on both hands, and he was covered with coal dust. Sometimes when he encounters a good-tempered driver, he will stop and let him stand next to the driver's seat, all the way "suddenly" majestic.

The scene of coal transportation in full swing is now long gone, Chen Mo walked to the mining area and saw the car repair stall in front of the big store from a distance, a familiar figure was sitting there alone, bowing his head and filing the bicycle tires with a triangular file, and the surroundings were deserted.

"Daddy!" Chen Jing rushed over.

Chen Laoshi raised his head and saw that Chen Jing was a little afraid to admit it, and slowly smiled. The man, who was in his early fifties, had gray hair, wore shabby polyester overalls, and was missing three fingers from his left hand. When he saw Chen Mo behind the little girl, he immediately stood up and widened his eyes in surprise.

"Xiao Mo, you're back too!" Chen Laoshi wiped his hands indiscriminately on his body, and took the things that Chen Mo carried, "Go home, go home quickly!" ”

Chen Laoshi's real name is Chen Jinbao, and he got such a nickname because he couldn't make a stuffy surname with three sticks. He was one of the first laid-off workers in the mine, and he stayed at home for a few days after receiving the news, and then set up a car repair stall until now.

Chen Mo didn't talk much to his father, but when he saw his slightly stiff back at this time, he couldn't help but feel sour. Chen Jingbing was smart, smiled and held him with one hand, and his father with the other, and changed his way to lead the two to talk. Halfway through, Bai Xiaoran sent a text message and asked if Chen Jing had arrived home and if someone was around. Chen Jing pursed her lips and stole fun while replying to the message, not noticing the strange looks from her neighbors.

During dinner, Chen Jing cooked a few dishes, bought wine, first poured it for Lao Tzu, and then poured a cup for Chen Mo, "Brother, you can drink some too!" ”

Chen Mo glared at her, and the little girl stuck out her tongue and grimaced.

Chen Laoshi drank two glasses of wine, and saw that his son had never moved, and was thinking about finding a conversation, but a voice pretending to be surprised came from outside the door, "Brother Chen, is there a guest at home?" I've been smelling wine from afar! ”

"It's Section Chief Wang, have you eaten it?" Chen Laoshi stood up and greeted the middle-aged man who walked in the door, "Xiao Jing, Xiao Mo, call Uncle Wang!" Hurry up and move a stool for your Uncle Wang! ”

Chen Mo sat still, Chen Jing smiled reluctantly, got up and moved a stool.

"I heard from the people in the mine that Brother Chen's family came to a star-like eldest lady, so I came to see the excitement, I didn't expect that it was Xiaojing! It's really a female college eighteen changes, and now the longer she gets, the more beautiful she gets, look at this dress, isn't it a star! Wang Zhigang laughed a few times, sat down and took out a cigarette from his pocket, threw it to Chen Laoshi, thought about it and turned the cigarette case to Chen Mo, "Xiao Mozi smokes?" Why don't you see me moving, don't you recognize me? ”

"How can you not recognize it, didn't I cut that scar on your head?" Chen Mo replied lightly.

The smile on Wang Zhigang's face suddenly froze, and the hand holding the cigarette case froze in the air.

When Chen Mo was carrying coal in a small coal kiln, his mother had liver cirrhosis, and every time Chen Laoshi went to the mine to reimburse medical expenses, he would be financially troubled to death. Once this honest man was also anxious, and shouted with the finance, he was smashed by Wang Zhigang, the head of the security section, and his face was covered with blood several times, and he didn't even dare to return his hand. The finance is Wang Zhigang's sister-in-law, and it is a well-known thing that the two are not clean. Chen Laoshi thought that he would be over after being beaten, but he didn't expect to go for reimbursement for the second time, and Wang Zhigang, who had drunk too much, slapped him more than ten times with a bow left and right, and asked him to go back immediately to feed the sick ghost mother with rat poison, and throw money into the bottomless pit in the provincial mine.

Chen Mo didn't sleep all night after knowing what happened, and still went to work in the coal kiln as usual the next day, just as if nothing had happened.

Until his mother died a year later, the day after the burial, Chen Mo found a newspaper wrapped in a kitchen knife at home, and went directly to the security department to find Wang Zhigang. He was too short, but after jumping up, he still slashed at the other party's head, Wang Zhigang touched his hand hot, and he was paralyzed at that time, and the whole office was in a mess. Because Wang Zhigang's injuries were not serious, and the coal mine was rated as an "advanced unit for safety precautions" at the municipal level at that time, the matter was finally covered up. The people in the security department later wanted to clean up Chen Mo, but they were dumbfounded by his simple single sentence, and they didn't dare to do anything.

"Unless you kill me, you won't want to live in peace for the rest of your life!" The ruthlessness shown by the twelve-year-old Chen Mo is still fresh in Wang Zhigang's memory to this day. Listening to him revisit the old story at this moment, Wang Zhigang was embarrassed for a long time, and suddenly laughed, "Don't talk about the past!" Little Mozi, come, Uncle Wang toasts you! If you don't feel happy after drinking this glass of wine, you can slash me again! ”

"Xiao Mo, what nonsense are you talking about, hurry up and drink!" Chen Laoshi shouted angrily.

"I'm kidding. When I was a child, I was not sensible, Uncle Wang was a cadre, and there were a lot of adults, so how could he be as knowledgeable as me. Chen Mo also smiled, picked up the cup and dipped his lips.

"Alas, what cadres are not cadres, the efficiency of the mine is sluggish, and 300 living expenses are paid a month, and there has been no movement for half a year!" Wang Zhigang sighed after drinking, chewed a piece of pig's head meat in his mouth, rolled his eyes and saw Chen Jing's mobile phone on the table, and exclaimed, "Xiao Jing has used her mobile phone?" This thing has to be thousands, right? ”

"One thousand two, my brother bought it." Chen Jing didn't pay attention to Chen Mo's eyes and proudly admitted.

Wang Zhigang sighed a few times, looked at Chen Mo, and asked tentatively: "Xiao Mozi, after all these years of studying in the city, you don't seem to care how many times your father reached out to ask for money, where did you make a fortune?" ”

"What kind of wealth, Uncle Wang has something to say." Chen Mo's attitude seemed to be much more relaxed.

"My unruly son is still idle at home, and Uncle Wang wants to ask you to give him a hand and help him find a ......job that can earn as much money as you," Wang Zhigang said.

"This can't help, the place where I work is not hiring." Chen Mo refused.

Wang Zhigang was obviously very disappointed, he didn't even drink the wine, hesitated for a long time, and then said: "Xiao Mozi, I know you still hate me, if Uncle Wang really can't help it, and he can't pull down the old face to open this mouth, you can do it!" ”

"Uncle Wang, I really can't help, even if I still recruit people, your son can't do the work I do. Actually, I have to thank you for the past. If it weren't for someone like you forcing me to run forward, I wouldn't have the strength to make it this far. Sometimes I can't sleep at night, so I lie in bed and think, my mother is still watching from the ground, waiting for her son and daughter to fight, so I can't die. Chen Mo said calmly, "Now please get out, I'm afraid that if I look at you twice, I can't help but look for a kitchen knife." ”

When Wang Zhigang went out, he hung his head down, and his face was more ugly than a dead man. Chen Mo watched him walk away coldly, and when he turned around, he found that the little girl was staring at him, her face full of tears.

After Chen Jing returned to his room, Chen Laoshi looked at his son and said in a muffled voice: "Xiao Jing said that you can make money now, but you never said how you earned it." You're older now and have your own ideas, and I won't be too long-winded. I just hope that you don't go the wrong way, and when you do anything, think about how you still have a sister to take care of. ”

"I know." Chen Mo replied.

"Ever since your mother got sick, we haven't been able to save our salary. When a person is poor, he has no confidence, and the reimbursement of medical expenses has to go through the woman's hand, so when Wang Zhigang beat me, I could only hold my head and beat him. Your sister was often bullied when she was a child, and they all said that she had a soft father, so you often protected her to fight with others, and I was so distressed that I could see it. But there is no way, your mother is sick, and we can't get up. Chen honestly muttered.

Chen Mo lowered his head and clenched his fists, and the arm that was still healing began to ache faintly, but he didn't realize it.

"Later, the mine said that there was no money, and I didn't care about your mother's life or death anymore, so I went to the mine manager's house, Wang Zhigang was also there that day, and when he saw me, his mouth was not clean. I ignored him and asked the mine manager if he didn't plan to pay your mother's medical bills, and the mine manager said yes and told me to get out of his house. Chen was honest for a long time, showing an astringent smile, "I will chop my fingers with a knife, and say that if you want my wife to die, I will let your whole family be buried together." The mine chief's legs were weak, Wang Zhigang peed his pants at that time, and they all nodded desperately at what I said. That's it, and your mom spent another year in the hospital before leaving. I'm an incompetent person, I can't make any money, so I can only point to the mine. You don't want to learn from me, you have to get ahead, and you have to walk steadily. A man's life is not just for himself. ”

"Dad!" Chen Mo looked at his father in shock, only then did he know that his three severed fingers were not mutilated in the well.

The scene of that year is still in front of him, Chen Mo still remembers his father's hand wrapped in a blood-soaked torn towel, while comforting Chen Jing, who was crying in fright, while smiling bitterly at himself.

My father was not a good liar, but this matter has been kept secret to this day. Chen Mo's eyes widened, and he only felt that something was about to burst out of his eyes, but he forcibly endured it, "Dad, why did you never say it?" ”

Chen Laoshi raised his glass to him, still with a wooden face full of duty, "If your mother is still alive, I would rather be called a soft egg every day." ”