There is a Qin Sanye in Beiping City, who is righteous, does things vigorously, acts generously, and spends money like dirt.

Whether it is a big official in the capital, a military master in the army, a businessman who sells tea and cigarettes, or a thief in the streets and alleys, they all admire Qin Sanye.

Qin Sanye built more than a dozen schools in the capital, and also built a middle school in Qiantang Town, in addition, he also set up a relief association in Qiantang Town, specializing in relieving those homeless homeless people and helping them arrange jobs.

At that time, Chairman Mao was the reddest and reddest red sun in the East, and Qin Sanye was the God of Wealth in Beiping City, and only the portrait of Qin Sanye could be adjacent to Chairman Mao's portrait.

Unlike Qin Sanye, Xiao Wu's life has become more and more difficult.

The day after Jiang Rong went to Shanghai, her mother Zhang Xiumei fell ill on the couch, at that time Xiao Wu was looking for a job outside, for Xiao Wu such a tall and learned person, any factory is scrambling to get it, but although the factory is known as an iron rice bowl, the salary is not much.

Xiao Wu was thinking about Jiang Rong's tuition and living expenses for the coming year, and felt that the wages earned by the factory were slightly insufficient, so he was not in a hurry to enter the factory for the time being, and was ready to go back in the evening to discuss with Zhang Xiumei before making a decision.

When he went home at night, Xiao Wu saw Zhang Xiumei lying at the table in the hall, with a pool of blood in front of him, he was so frightened that he lost his voice and hurriedly helped Zhang Xiumei up.

Zhang Xiumei woke up and saw Xiao Wu running to the pharmacy in Tunzikou with her, so she said, "Xiao Wu, let me down, I'm fine." ”

The pharmacy at the entrance of the village was just built in the first few years, and the doctor inside was the former tooth extraction master in Sanlitun, surnamed Yu, and the people in Sanlitun called him Yu Tooth Extraction.

Yu Tooth Extraction used to study medicine with Lao Jiang for a period of time, and later moved to the town to live for a few years, during the plague period, his family except for a stupid son Yu Xiaoguang did not die, the rest of the people died barely, just when the town planned to renovate, Yu Tooth Extraction took his stupid son back to his hometown, he also knew a little about medical skills, he also read and read, and Yu Tooth Extraction went to try when the town recruited doctors, and the results barely passed, and he was assigned to Sanlitun as a doctor in the pharmacy.

Yu Tuya was reprimanding his son at the door of the pharmacy, and saw Xiao Wu running over with Zhang Xiumei in his arms from a distance, and hurriedly greeted him and asked what was going on.

"Uncle Yu, my mother is sick and vomited a pool of blood at home, look at what's going on." Xiao Wu said with a pale face.

Yu pulled the tooth and asked Xiao Wu to put Zhang Xiumei on the hospital bed in the pharmacy, gave Zhang Xiumei a pulse, and then put on a stethoscope to listen to Zhang Xiumei's internal organs, looked at Zhang Xiumei's tongue coating, and asked her where she was uncomfortable.

Yu Tuya looked at Zhang Xiumei and said: "Sister-in-law, this summer, it seems that she has suffered from a cold and has something wrong with her lungs, I will prescribe some medicine for you to eat, if it doesn't work, you can get a big hospital in the town to check it." ”

Xiao Wu wanted to open his mouth to ask but wanted to stop talking, took the medicine and wanted to carry Zhang Xiumei home, Zhang Xiumei waved her hand and said: "I'm so heavy, you have to change your clothes when you sweat on my back, and help me to walk by myself." ”

Xiao Wu didn't feel how heavy Zhang Xiumei was when she ran over with Zhang Xiumei, she was afraid that Zhang Xiumei would be embarrassed, so she helped Zhang Xiumei to go home.

Zhang Xiumei took medicine after going home, lay on the bed for a long time, and when she woke up in a daze, it was already the sun setting, Xiao Wu boiled sweet porridge and fried a dish, and was about to call Zhang Xiumei but saw that she had woken up.

"Mother, you're awake, I'm just about to call you to dinner." Xiao Wu wiped his hands and stepped forward to help Zhang Xiumei.

Zhang Xiumei washed her hands and sat down, took a sip of porridge, and immediately frowned.

"What's the matter, mother, isn't it delicious?" Xiao Wu is best at making porridge, and the rest are not good at it.

Zhang Xiumei said: "Little Wu, why do you put so much sugar." ”

Xiao Wu thought that the sugar was too much, Zhang Xiumei continued: "Sugar is so expensive, Jiang Rong will definitely suffer if she goes to school outside, she is your daughter-in-law, we have to save some money for her to study." ”

"Okay, I know, mother." Xiao Wu smiled and agreed, but his heart was lost for no reason, Xiao Wu said: "Mother, I went to several factories in the town today to ask, they all want me, but the salary is too small, it must be bullying me young." ”

"Do you want you?" Zhang Xiumei was a little surprised. "The factories in the town are all iron rice bowls, how many people can't squeeze their heads in, and you still don't want to do it?"

Xiao Wu said: "It's only sixty or seventy yuan per night and month, and after deducting expenses, even if you work overtime, it's less than a hundred yuan, which is too little." ”

Zhang Xiumei nodded and said: "Less is less, not more than I make money on the construction site, but it is very stable inside, you have culture, you can be promoted if you work hard for two years." ”

"I'm just going to discuss with you, if I can't find a good job tomorrow, I'll choose a factory to go into, my father's former textile factory is also recruiting people now, I'll go to see it tomorrow." Xiao Wu said.

Zhang Xiumei heard Xiao Wu mention his father, and thought of Jiang Zhengyang, he took a closer look at Xiao Wu, only to realize that Xiao Wu was talking about Ma Aiguo, and his eyes were red for a while.

The pillars of the two families are gone, just she is a woman who has survived until now, other people's children are hungry and yellow-skinned, only his children are bright-skinned and have never been hungry, if Jiang Sheng is still there, how many good girls will marry upside down, and female college students like Jiang Rong are the favorite objects of many young people.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Xiao Wu hurriedly asked.

"It's fine." Zhang Xiumei wiped her tears and said, "Xiao Wu has grown up and can make money." ”

Xiao Wu smiled and said, "Mother, your work at the construction site is too dangerous, don't go in the future, recuperate at home with peace of mind, and I will make money to support you in the future." ”

Zhang Xiumei said: "Silly boy, how can you make money alone, my body is fine, I can go to work tomorrow, let's make money together, build a big house in the coming year, and let you marry Jiang Rong when it is built." ”

"Really?" Xiao Wu was so happy, she didn't expect Zhang Xiumei to think about their marriage so soon.

"Of course it's true." Zhang Xiumei said, he touched Xiao Wu's head, and saw that Xiao Wu was still dancing happily like a child, and he was also very happy in his heart.

That night, Xiao Wu wrote a letter to Jiang Rong, mentioning what Zhang Xiumei said about building a house and getting married, and he was very sweet, and he also wrote a love poem.

The next day, Xiao Wu cooked porridge for Zhang Xiumei, and reminded Zhang Xiumei to take medicine on time before leaving, and then went to the town.

Xiao Wu first went to the town's post and telecommunications department to send letters, and then walked towards the textile factory in the center of Qiantang Town and Liyuan Town, there are still many rickshaw drivers on the Hutong Street in Qiantang Town, Xiao Wu remembers that Wang Hu, who was as fat as himself, gave him a lot of tickets, and now he thinks that those tickets are worth a lot of money.

After going to Liyuan Town Middle School, Xiao Wu has not contacted Wang Hu, Wang Hu has already dropped out of school, and I don't know what Wang Hu has become now after so many years, whether he is still timid and afraid, and he is still trembling.

When the workshop director of the interview saw that his father's column was Ma Aiguo, and the specialty column was strong, he suddenly remembered Ma Aiguo, who was a mechanic a few years ago, and chatted with Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu and the workshop director chatted for a long time, and the workshop director saw that Xiao Wu had a bright mind and thought of the old man, so he agreed to Xiao Wu to enter the factory on the spot.

But Xiao Wu hesitated when he heard the salary quoted by the workshop director, eighty yuan a month, although it was higher than other factories, but it was still too little.

The workshop director saw Xiao Wu's doubts, and said: "This salary is more than the salary of some old employees, and now the factory is not easy to enter, it doesn't matter if it is difficult to enter, I see that your father will give you more wages for the sake of patriotism, and also let you do machine repair, usually nothing to do in the office to drink tea, read the drawings, learn from the master, the machine is broken and you need to work." ”

Xiao Wu didn't hesitate any longer, and agreed, although a month's salary is not much, but there are nearly 1,000 yuan saved a year, enough for Jiang Rong to go to school, plus the money earned by his mother, Jiang Rong will not be worse than others in Shanghai.

Xiao Wu promised to come to work in the textile factory the next day, and then hurriedly said goodbye to the workshop director.

On the way back to Qiantang Town, Xiao Wu saw his grandmother's old house from a distance, and saw that there were children playing at the door, so he walked over to take a look.

Xiao Wu hadn't been here for a few years, and he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable, he followed the sheep intestine path behind the wall and arrived at Wu Qingyun's mansion, the grass in front of the mansion was overgrown, after so many years, the master Wu Qingyun and the senior brother Wu Yao had not returned.

"Presumably they've moved somewhere else and won't come back." Xiao Wu stepped on the stone lion by the wall and jumped into the courtyard with a slight jump, and the courtyard was full of cobwebs and dust, which looked a little eerie.

In Senior Brother Wu Yao's bedroom, there is a group photo of the two brothers before, in the black and white photo, Xiao Wu smiled heartlessly and rode on Wu Yao's body.

"Senior brother, do you know that I miss you so much." Xiao Wu said as his eyes clicked and fell.

For so many years, Xiao Wu has always played the role of protecting others, even Jiang Sheng needs his protection when he is in school to avoid being bullied by the gangsters, he is only the one who is protected when Senior Brother Wu Yao is around.

Senior Brother Wu Yao has learned the true inheritance of his master Wu Qingyun, and he must be famous outside.

The broom in the courtyard has rotted in the erosion of wind and rain for many years, Xiao Wu climbed out of the mansion, went to Hutong Street to buy a broom, and returned to the mansion to start cleaning, and was busy until sunset.

Xiao Wu walked to the ancestral hall in the backyard, lit three incense sticks, and then solemnly kowtowed, he said: "The disciple didn't believe in fate before, but now he believes it, and I hope that the ancestor will forgive the disciple magnanimously, bless Jiang Rong to be safe outside, and bless my mother's health." ”

Xiao Wu jumped out of the courtyard wall after worshipping his grandfather, and he marched in the direction of Sanlitun, ready to tell Zhang Xiumei about working in the textile factory.

At that time, he vaguely saw a person stumbling towards Sanlitun on the country road, like Zhang Xiumei, so he hurriedly chased after him, and when he saw that it was really Zhang Xiumei, he helped her and asked: "Mother, what's wrong with you, didn't you let you rest at home today?" ”

Zhang Xiumei was covered in mud, wiped all over her face and headscarf, Zhang Xiumei's face turned pale, and said: "Xu is suffering from heat stroke, Xiao Wu, I have a headache, it seems that I have to wash my hair." ”

Since Jiang Zhengyang's death, Zhang Xiumei has never cut her hair again, she is a person who loves her hair very much, Jiang Sheng often helps her wash and comb her hair when she is there, especially washing her hair with rice water, her hair will become black and shiny.

In the old customs of Sanlitun, after the death of the husband's family, a woman who does not cut her hair for three years is a manifestation of abiding by women's morals, Zhang Xiumei felt that she was ashamed of Jiang Zhengyang, so she decided not to marry again for life, she has not cut her hair for so many years, and sometimes she is tired from work, so she does not wash her hair.

Because the work on the construction site is tiring and dirty, Zhang Xiumei has been wrapping her hair in a cloth all these years, and her hair exudes a strong smell of head oil.

Zhang Xiumei's head hurt, after Xiao Wu helped her home, he called warm water to help Zhang Xiumei wash her hair, he ripped off the strip of cloth on Zhang Xiumei's head, and found that Zhang Xiumei's hair had solidified together, like a black and shiny slate.

Zhang Xiumei soaked her hair in warm water, and then asked Xiao Wu to come into the house and sprinkle the alkali on her hair, and it took a while for Zhang Xiumei's hair to soak up slightly.

Xiao Wu helped Zhang Xiumei wash her hair, changed the water over and over again, the water quality was black and sour.

Xiao Wu didn't dare to help Zhang Xiumei comb her hair, because Zhang Xiumei's hair had been broken, and he was afraid that his hand would hurt her, so Zhang Xiumei combed her hair with a comb, and it was broken all over the ground.

Xiao Wu said: "I'll go to Shen A-Niang's to borrow some shampoo, mother." ”

Zhang Xiumei snorted, and when she saw Xiao Wu going out, she took the lard soap used to wash her hair from the stone table, she felt that her scalp was a little burning, so she kept pouring water on the top of her head until the burning pain disappeared and her hair was cleaned up and comfortable.

Zhang Xiumei's eyes were sour and couldn't open, she wiped her hair, when Xiao Wu was coming back from outside, she saw Zhang Xiumei standing in the yard, her hair hanging down to her feet.

Xiao Wu suddenly cried.

Zhang Xiumei's originally black and dazzling hair is gone, and there is no trace of black.

Her long gray hair was spread behind her.

It's like the year-round snow on Changbai Mountain.