(xxviii)

This summer, Zhong Shan decided not to return to Qingshan, and stayed in Jiangcheng to work as a porter at the dock with Wang Zhongshu and Li Zhan. I wrote a letter to my family saying that the school was going to organize my classmates to engage in social practice activities, so I couldn't go home during the holidays.

I was looking forward to the summer vacation, hoping that my son would return to my side soon, but when I received such a letter, my parents were naturally very disappointed, especially my mother, who sighed for several days. The father also missed his son, but he pretended to be very generous and indifferent, and said, "When the child is older, let him go outside, if he is always chained to his parents, it is like tying the two wings of an eagle, and he will never fly high." ”

The mother said, "Your heart is really big enough, put the rope and never fly back, what should we do with the two eagles?" ”

"If you don't come back, you won't come back, as long as the sky outside is big enough. Don't you still have my eagle with you? ”

Li Chunhua smiled and slapped her husband's shoulder: "Who is rare about you, the old finch that has lost its hair and bald claws!" ”

Zhong Shan whimsically wanted to stay and work with him during the holiday, Wang Zhongshu smiled and said: "Zhong Shan, are you a young master who remembers the bittersweet memories of life?" The work on the docks is very tiring, and you can't afford to play the guitar with a pair of thin skin and tender meat. ”

Zhong Shan said disdainfully: "You also fool me, you and I dare not compare, Li Zhan, that thin monkey, I can't compare?" ”

"You really can't compare to him, Li Zhan is very strong when he carries the bag!"

Zhong Shan did not continue to entangle, and was twelve points unconvinced in his heart.

The next morning, Zhong Shan was woken up by Wang Zhongshu in his sleep, struggled to get up, went to the water room to wash his face with cold water, and was in good spirits.

Wang Zhongshu said: "You must eat more breakfast, otherwise you will not be able to work hard, and you will not be able to withstand noon." ”

Zhong Shan agreed, but he could only eat one steamed bun with porridge, and the other couldn't swallow it anyway. Wang Zhongshu grabbed the remaining steamed buns in the bowl and said, "Take this, you will definitely ask me for it before noon." ”

Under the guidance of Wang Zhongshu, Zhong Shan changed out of the suit shorts and T-shirt he wore on weekdays, replaced with the old jeans and long-sleeved shirt that was ready to be eliminated, wore a long-tongued hat on his head, and brought an empty water glass. Wang Zhongshu said that when working outdoors, we must do a good job of sun protection and drink water frequently, otherwise we will suffer from heat stroke.

The three of them took a bus to the pier and walked to a simple brick house, where a middle-aged man with a beard and a black face was holding a cigarette in his mouth, and when he saw them coming from a distance, he greeted them warmly: "The college student is here again!" Li Zhan said: "Not only has it come, but it has also added new fighting strength." As he spoke, he pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to his beard. The beard did not shirk, took a cigarette, looked Zhong Shan up and down, and said, "Can this young man with fine skin and tender flesh also be a coolie?" "Wang Zhongshu looked at Zhong Shan with his eyes, meaning look, I'm not the only one who doubts you. Zhong Shan swore and said: "I am two years older than the two of them, and it is not for nothing to eat those two years more!" He said, "Okay, then I'll make a note of it for you." After that, he took out a small soft-sided notebook with a very dirty cover and rolled up the edges, and asked, "What's your name?" How old is it? Zhong Shan reported his name and age, and carefully wrote down his beard one by one, and said: "Today's work is not too heavy, that is, to move down the boat of flour, a total of 1,000 bags, 25 tons, 30 yuan, you can remember it yourself." Wang Zhongshu looked at Li Zhan, and Li Zhan said: "The three of us will work together, don't bother to remember things, work hard and hard." Wang Zhongshu nodded yes.

The three of them came to the side of the cargo ship docked on the dock, walked through the hatch, and began to carry the flour. Zhong Shan wanted to carry one bag at a time, because his father bought a bag of flour from the corner grain station for 50 catties, and it was very difficult to move it to the second floor where his family lived, but when he saw that the two classmates were carrying two bags each time, he had to grit his teeth and carry two bags on his shoulders, and he took off his hands halfway. Seeing this, Wang Zhongshu hurriedly said: "Zhong Shan, you just started to do it, don't use too much force, just one bag at a time!" Zhong Shan wanted to insist on carrying two bags, but his limbs and shoulders were not in charge of himself, so he could only carry one bag at a time, less than ten back and forth, his throat and eyes were already like smoke, and he was thirsty, so he hurriedly picked up the empty cup and poured a stomach of water to the faucet. I already felt the water in my stomach, but I still felt thirsty. Seeing that the two of them were loyal and forgiven, they still came and went in an orderly manner.

The sun was in the sky, the air by the river was humid and stuffy, Zhong Shan's face was covered with sweat, and in the process of squatting together, Venus flew in front of him. finally stayed up until noon, and Wang Zhongshu said it was time to eat. The three of them turned on the faucet and washed their hands, the cup was filled with water, and in the simple brick house they saw when they walked in, they took out from their backpacks the steamed buns, eggs, and shredded salted radishes they bought in the cafeteria in the morning, as well as the cucumbers and tomatoes that Li Zhan bought from the vegetable market in the morning. Li Zhan said: "It's not okay to replenish energy without eating a full meal, there are still so many tasks in the afternoon!" Zhong Shan could only tear the steamed buns with cold water and eat them slowly, one bite at a time.

The afternoon work was still a lot of hard work, the back and forth of carrying turned into mechanical movement, and people were really reduced to labor tools at this time, Zhong Shan felt like a bound Prometheus, a sublime in suffering.

It wasn't until the sun was setting in the west and the sky was getting dark that a boatload of flour was loaded. The three of them have become snowmen, except that their eyes are black, and even their eyebrows and eyelashes are covered with hoarfrost.

Wang Zhongshu took three sheets of "Great Unity" from Luo Hu's hand, one to Li Zhan and one to Zhong Shan. Zhong Shan withdrew his hand and refused to take it. Li Zhan said take it, the three brothers are blessed and enjoy the same difficulties. Zhong Shan said that the little work I did was less than half of yours, how could I share the fruits of my labor with you, and today it should be regarded as a voluntary work. Li Zhan said How can that be, don't we become landlords and old money? Tadashu nodded in agreement. Zhong Shan reluctantly put the money in his pocket, as if he had put a big stone in it.