Jiang Sheng's writing of Spring Festival couplets in the town was later known by Niu Aihua, and Niu Aihua was mad when she heard that she had made so much money, and when Ma Aiguo came back from work, she naturally had a big quarrel.

At that time, it was already March, due to the impact of inflation, the family's expenses were getting bigger and bigger, Jiang Sheng left half of the money he earned to his mother, and the other half was mostly for me to buy food, only buying a white shirt for myself.

We are already in the second grade after the start of school, and the temperature is getting higher and higher, but the wheat in the field has been dry for a long time due to the lack of rain and snow in winter, causing many crops to turn yellow.

It took several days of physical strength for the villagers to carry water from the big river in the east for irrigation, and some of the wheat fields were already half dead, and those who had wilted the seedlings had to give up.

In those days, my mother also put down her cloak and went to water the wheat field, because our family's wheat field was far away from the river, and the ditches at both ends of the wheat field were all dried up, so my mother had to walk long distances to carry water.

When my mother came home in the evening, her feet and trouser legs were covered with dry yellow mud, and she put down the bucket and hoe to clean up the room that had been messed up by her father, who sometimes drank too much and beat her up with his relatives.

Jiang Sheng's eyes were full of resentment when he saw the wound on his mother's face, and he once said in front of me and my mother when his father was sober: "Some people just can't eat grapes and say that grapes are sour, my money I love to give to whom, some people say they don't care on the surface, but they can't get over it in their hearts, what is mine is mine, and no matter how many specious reasons you say, it's not yours." ”

"Jiang Sheng, what nonsense are you talking about?" The mother looked at her father's face and scolded Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng said: "I didn't say anything wrong, I just told the truth, I know what kind of person I am." ”

My father was so angry that my face was red, and my mother picked up the bamboo ruler and was about to hit Jiang Sheng, so I stopped in front of Jiang Sheng and pulled Jiang Sheng out of the door.

Jiang Sheng looked stubbornly to the side when he arrived outside the door, and I said, "Brother, don't say that in the future, my mother will beat you." ”

Jiang Sheng wiped his tears and said, "Jiang Rong, your father is really not a thing. ”

I never thought that my father, who had always been amiable in my impression, would become what he is today, alcoholism, domestic violence, unreasonable, Shen A-Niang once came to my house to talk to my father and was turned away.

Later, Shen A-Niang saw the bruises on her mother's face, so she asked Zhao Fugui to talk to her father, who knew that Zhao Fugui had quarreled with his father for a while when he arrived at my house, and his father blasted Zhao Fugui out of the door and told him to get out.

Zhao Fugui stood at the door and looked at his father in the yard and said: "Who hasn't had a rough time in his life, you look at your current bear appearance, it's really disappointing to me, I, Zhao Fugui, had such a brother as you in the first half of my life, I was blind." ”

Zhao Fugui and Shen A-Niang were in the store when their mother came back that day, and when they saw their mother coming back covered in mud, they called their mother over.

Zhao Fugui said: "Jiang Rong's mother, don't blame me for speaking straight, Jiang Zhengyang is now a complete bastard, people are not terrible to be poor, and they can live without human appearance, but they must at least know how good they are to be a person, if you want to divorce, I will introduce you to a man who is willing to endure hardships and has a good character to you the next day, Jiang Zhengyang is hopeless." ”

When her mother heard Zhao Fugui say this, she was stunned for a while, and Zhao Fugui continued: "Look at our tunzi, who sprinkles and beats people all day long, it is not easy for you to take care of two children alone, he is no longer worth your hard work to raise him." ”

The mother turned around and left, and said without looking back: "I don't want to hear such words in the future, Jiang Zhengyang is my man, and he will be for the rest of his life." ”

After her mother left, Zhao Fugui blamed Shen A-Niang and said, "Aren't you a good sister with her, why don't you persuade her." ”

Shen A-Niang said: "She is also a person who admits death, you don't look at other people's expressions and just care about yourself and say, if I say anything more, won't the two of them offend people, and outsiders can't interfere in this matter of their family." ”

"Then you still let me go to Jiang Zhengyang." Zhao Fugui complained.

Shen A-Niang said: "I thought that you could say two words about your relationship with Jiang Zhengyang, who knew that he would become like this now, alas, I am used to it." People, they are all fickle, let's just stay the same, compare our hearts with our hearts, what people do to us, we will treat others, Jiang Zhengyang owes you money should still be wanted, you can't take advantage of it and suffer a loss. ”

"How do I want it, his family is so poor, Jiang Zhengyang eats at home and waits for death, his mother-in-law goes out to make money, and the family is still two young, either or not." Zhao Fugui said. "Hey, I said, haven't you always been thinking about Jiang Sheng, and you can't wait to raise him as your own son, why aren't you distressed now?"

Shen A-Niang said: "One yard is one yard, it is natural to repay debts, how can I feel sorry for others?" Now that prices are growing so fast, the money is worthless, you have to urge the accounts to be collected, and our days are also going to live, by the way, you have to go and exchange all the money in the money village for gold bars and store it at home, and leave a small part of the banknotes to spend it. ”

"This juncture is exchanged for gold bars, and I must not die? What do you know about a woman's family. Zhao Fugui said.

Shen A-Niang said: "Prices will definitely rise, the money will depreciate too quickly, and when the time comes, no matter how rich you are, you will just keep a pile of papers, tomorrow I have to go to the town, visit Daochang Wu, and ask him some questions." ”

"Who is Daochang Wu?" As soon as Zhao Fugui finished asking, he seemed to remember something. "You mean that famous Daoist Wu Qingyun in our town?"

Shen A-Niang nodded and said, "It's his old man." ”

Zhao Fugui said: "What do you know about him?" That's all superstition, I can't believe it. ”

Shen A-Niang said: "I remembered something in a daze, when I first came to Beiping was not long after his guidance, he said that along the trail of Qiantang Town has been going west, to a place called Sanlitun, there is a child will be my life-changing nobleman, I think Wu Daochang's mouth of the noble person should refer to Jiang Sheng, Jiang Sheng is more sensible than ordinary children, their family has suffered a change, this child is stubborn and does not know how many grievances to suffer. ”

When we were in school, we generally read and write from Monday to Friday, and Saturday was mostly free activities outside of class.

At that time, Mr. Zhang had to attend the funeral because an old friend had died, so he took a day off in advance, and on the Saturday of the second day, the whole school organized a spring outing, and all students volunteered to participate, and the school provided a day's meals, but each student needed to pay ten yuan.

Ten yuan is not a small amount for our first and second grade children, although the price has risen, but the mother's salary has not risen much, she is more and more proficient in weaving cloaks, and she is used to this job, so she has no intention of changing for the time being, Zhao Dahai is preparing to participate in the spring outing, but Jiang Sheng and Xiao Wu do not plan to participate.

On the way out of school in the afternoon, I hesitated to tell Jiang Sheng about the spring outing, Jiang Sheng had already given me how much money he had, and I didn't have any savings, so I had to ask my mother if I wanted to go on a spring outing.

At dinner in the evening, I said while holding the rice, "Mom, tomorrow is Saturday, and the school organizes a spring outing." ”

The mother snorted and said, "Then you should be safe." ”

"The teacher said that each person had to hand over ten yuan." I didn't look up when I spoke.

The mother looked at Jiang Sheng and asked, "Jiang Sheng, are you going too?" ”

Jiang Sheng said: "I won't go with Xiao Wu, but Zhao Dahai will go." ”

"Well, Zhao Dahai's family is rich." Mother said, putting the vegetables in my bowl. "If your brother doesn't go, don't go either."

I whispered, "Everyone else is going, and I have made an appointment with the little sisters in the class to dance the rubber band tomorrow." ”

"You can also jump at home with a rubber band, and let your brother and Xiao Wu dance with you tomorrow." Mother said with a blank face.

Jiang Sheng also put the vegetables in my bowl and said, "Either we don't go, tomorrow I will jump with you and throw sandbags." ”

"You can't jump bands." I bowed my head and said. "I want to go on a spring outing."

"You're big, if you don't read well, you know how to play, when will you be able to test your brother's results, can't you see what I'm tired all day long?" The mother slapped her chopsticks on the table and walked out of the hall with a very ugly face.

I pouted, and Jiang Sheng hurriedly coaxed: "Tomorrow, my brother and Xiao Wu will take you on a spring outing, and then I can catch fish in the river and roast it for you." ”

"I don't want to go with you, I want to go with a lot of people in the school." I whispered.

After taking a shower at night**, my mother blew out the lanolin lamp in the house, and I turned my back and slept facing the wall.

Jiang Sheng leaned on my pillow and whispered, "Sister, you sleep well, and I'll give you money to go on a spring outing tomorrow." ”

"You're lying." I whispered.

"I never lie." Jiang Sheng said.

I felt a little comforted in my heart, knowing that Jiang Sheng had no money, and the school would gather and set off tomorrow morning, where would Jiang Sheng get me ten yuan?

At night, my mother and I fell asleep to my father's snoring, and the slight sound of the door opening came to my ears, and I was so sleepy that I couldn't open my eyes, so I didn't pay attention to it.

When she woke up the next day, it was only slightly bright, her mother got up early, she hurriedly ate some breakfast and was ready to leave, and when she left, she said: "Jiang Sheng, don't run around with Jiang Rong at home, I'm going out to work." ”

Jiang Sheng didn't answer, and his mother didn't wake up Jiang Sheng, who was sleeping with his head covered.

Jiang Sheng was tall, with long legs, and his feet were usually exposed when he slept, and his mother did not notice these details.

I was unwilling, so I stopped my mother and said, "Mom, I want to go on a spring outing." ”

Mother said coldly: "Jiang Rong, you'd better not make me angry, otherwise the fight will be later." ”

After my mother finished speaking, she walked out of the house, I wanted to cry aggrievedly, but when I looked back and saw that something was wrong with Jiang Sheng's quilt, I reached out and lifted it.

Jiang Sheng hid his clothes and pillow in the quilt, but the person was gone.

"Brother?" I shouted, but no one answered. "Brother!"

"What are you shouting early in the morning?!" The drunken father yelled impatiently.

I was startled, put on my clothes and walked out the door, and it was a white fog outside, and my mother's figure was already drowning in the fog.

"Jiang Rong girl, get up so early?" Zhao Shugen greeted me as he passed by my door with a hoe.

I hummed and ran in the direction of the little five families, the door of the little five families had not yet opened, and they were probably still sleeping, thinking of the school spring outing to provide food, so I hurriedly stepped on the path, walked through the fog, and walked towards the town.

Xiao Wu went out after breakfast to find Jiang Sheng, but saw Jiang Sheng coming back from behind the tunzi with a tired face, carrying a blackened basket in his hand.

"Jiang Sheng, where did you go early in the morning? How does it look like it came out of a black coal kiln? Xiao Wu asked.

Jiang Sheng nodded, his eyes were bloodshot, his hands were all blackened, and there were blood stains between his fingernails, he pushed the door into the courtyard, and saw that I was not in the house, and my father was still lying on the bed and did not get up, so he turned around and asked Xiao Wudao: "Where is Jiang Rong?" ”

"I don't know, he didn't come to me, did he go to Zhao Dahai?" Xiao Wu said.

"It should be." Jiang Sheng said as he took out a gross ticket from his pocket and stuffed it into Xiao Wu's hand. "It's just ten yuan, you help me give the money to Jiang Rong and let her go on a spring outing, I have to take a bath and sleep, and I'll play with you at noon."

Xiao Wu nodded, and walked straight to Zhao Dahai's house after going out.

Xiao Wu saw Shen A-Niang who was washing her hair in the yard, so he asked, "A-Niang Shen, is the sea at home?" ”

Shen A-Niang said: "The sea went to school, didn't you say that you went to the spring outing today, didn't you go?" ”

"Oh, I don't want to go." Xiao Wu said. "I'm playing at home with Jiang Sheng today."