Chapter 5 (2)

Evening came when the sun left Guanyin Mountain and overflowed the Yangliu River, scattering the afterglow on the counter of the dry cleaner.

Gao Chun had already returned, and brought Gao Jinsong dinner, a few steamed buns, a large pot of fried meat with green vegetables, and a chicken leg. The chicken leg was specially bought for her brother when she took her children to KFC for fast food, and she wanted to add more nutrition to her brother. It's just that she doesn't know that the nutrition of this thing is actually very limited. Now she is busy at the counter, and at the same time she keeps an eye on her doll at any time, her husband has a party at night, and she can only take care of the doll. Now the two little ones were waving willow branches that their uncle had broken for them, babbling and playing on the sidewalk in front of the store.

Gao Jinsong had already finished dinner and was standing on the ground with his head smoking.

He was waiting for his sister's opinion.

Just now, he had already told Gao Chun all about his idea of leaving Shanghe to look for opportunities outside.

Since Gao Jinsong finished speaking, Gao Chun has been silently busy with the work in his hands. The trousers were ironed and buttoned on, she carefully aligned the legs of the trousers, pinned the receipt to the hem of the trousers, took out a hanger from under the counter, folded the trousers in half and stuffed them into the hanger, and hung the hanger in the middle of the storefront in the clothes waiting for the customers to pick them up. Then she picked up another coat of women's clothing, spread it out on the counter and examined it back and forth, and then compared it to the manifest and took out a small bag of buttons that had been taken from the dress earlier, took the needle and thread, and prepared to sew it back on.

When she did these things, Gao Jinsong never spoke again.

She didn't want to talk either.

Her brother's words made her sad and sad. She was sad that her brother had to go out to earn money a few days after he put aside his crutches, and his legs and feet were not completely clean. She was worried that he was going out this time. When he went to the provincial capital, he still hoped to get a football job again, but this time he went out to work to earn money to pay off the unpaid bills he was carrying......

Every time she thought of this huge amount of debt, she couldn't help but wipe her tears quietly. If it's 58,000, or 12,000, she can still help him pay it back, but it's 340,000, where is she going to raise money for him! Even if she built the house she lived in and this shop, she wouldn't be able to make it up! Besides, after selling the house, where will her family live? After selling the store, what will the family eat? The husband's monthly salary was not enough for him to use himself, and he still had to take money from her from time to time.

Or, just like what her husband said to her when he went to the telecommunications bureau to stop the phone in the store, if there is no phone, the contact will naturally be cut off, and since the contact is cut off, the person who borrowed the money will naturally lose his head, and of course the money can not be repaid.

She was ashamed of the ugly thoughts that had sprung up in her heart, but she couldn't help but pretend to pay the bill. There's too much money......

But she knew that this idea could only be thought of in her own heart, and she and her husband did not have the face to bring it up with her brother. Whether this idea can be realized or not, the younger brother's hard-hearted temperament is also destined to teach this thing to not work! It is impossible for him to let himself live in the world with the bad reputation of "owing money and not paying it back"!

However, if you want to really pay off the account, for a long time in the future, the younger brother will have to endure hardships and earn her life, which teaches her how to feel at ease as an older sister? He is only twenty-two years old, and he has not even talked to friends once, and he is burdened with such a heavy burden, how will he live in the future......

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes with her hands.

After hanging up the female coat in her hand, she felt that her mood was calmer, so she thought about it and said to her younger brother: "Your injury is good, the doctor explained, you need to recuperate for a few more days." ”

"There are no problems with the legs and feet." Gao Jinsong bent and stretched his left leg back and forth a few times as he spoke. His injuries had healed, and he could feel the strength in his legs and feet regaining and gathering every morning jog. He can now jog up to the observation deck halfway up Mount Guanyin in one go, and then slowly run back. "Besides, I'm not going out to play football this time, and if I walk normally, it doesn't make much difference."

Seeing that this reason could not persuade his younger brother, Gao Chun had to change the subject: "Don't be too anxious about money." Since people are willing to lend us money, it means that the money is not useful in the hands of others for a while. Besides, your brother-in-law and I can't let you worry about this alone, and we're trying to find a way for you...... I discussed with your brother-in-law about the dry cleaner that I told you about the last time, and he agreed. ”

Gao Jinsong "squeaked" and smoked a paper cigarette, and when Gao Chun finished speaking, he immediately stated his position again and said, "I don't want it." ”

“…… It's not that the dry cleaners are given to you, it's that we ...... together."

"That's not going to work either!" Gao Jinsong cut off his sister's words. He snuffed out the fire on the cigarette butt and threw it into a dustpan in the corner. He can't ask for a store, not even half of the store, it's not negotiable! No matter how good the business of the dry cleaner is, there is a limit, and the money earned is not much to pay off the various expenses of the store, and there is not much left, and it does not dare to expect it to pay its debts; Besides, the famine caused by the eldest sister who hospitalized him for medical treatment last year also needs to be filled; Moreover, the two little nephews are old enough to go to school when they speak, which is another big expense. What's more, he didn't believe that his sister and brother-in-law had discussed the matter of the store at all!

"Why don't you wait? Your brother-in-law knows a lot of people outside, let's see if he can find a suitable thing for you to do. ”

Just those friends he knows? The words poured into Gao Jinsong's mouth, but it turned into a long sigh: "...... I don't want to trouble my brother-in-law, after all, I owe someone a favor. "The eldest sister has had enough distress, and he really can't bear to stab the eldest sister with unpleasant words.

Gao Chun pinched his fingers painfully, and said for a long time: "It costs money to go out, but the family can't come up with money at the moment, so I paid off some debts, and your brother-in-law lost ...... money by speculating in stocks."

"I have money." Gao Jinsong said. How could he take money from his sister again! He still had about 300 yuan on him, and the landlord who rented the house also had a deposit of 200 yuan, which was almost 600 yuan in total. It would definitely not be enough to go out with such money, so he was ready to go to the provincial capital to find something to do first, save two thousand yuan and then consider other destinations. He thought that there would definitely be hardships and expenses when he went out, and he would not panic when he had a little money in his pocket. He hasn't made up his mind exactly where to go, Guangdong, Fujian or the Yangtze River Delta can be, these places have developed economies, and there are definitely more opportunities than provincial capitals.

Gao Chun tugged at a bunch of buttons and didn't speak. No matter what, she didn't want to let her brother go away again, but for now, it seemed that it would be difficult for her to stop him. She understood that her brother did not want to consult her about this matter, nor did he want to get any good advice from her; He told her it was out of pure respect. He was twenty-two years old, and he could have made any idea for himself; And she has been married for several years, and according to tradition, she is not even a member of the Gao family......

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel even more sad.

It's getting dark. Under the gradually deepening night, only a hazy huge figure remained on Guanyin Mountain. Several large areas of newly built residential areas at the foot of the hill shone with faint and colorful lights. The pedestrians lingering along the Yangliu River gradually became scarce. There was a faint smell of cumin floating in the air, and it seemed that several barbecue restaurants on both sides of the street had started to open their doors tonight......

Gao Chun was silent for a long time before he said, "I know, you have been in the football team for so many years, and you must be sad when you suddenly can't touch the football." Sister sees you sitting in the store in a daze every day, and she is sad for you...... It can't be helped. That's the way the world is! When Dad was dying, he told me to take good care of you and my second sister, but ...... But ......" she wringed her hands, too painful to speak, and let the tears run down her cheeks. I won't talk about my sister's affairs, what happened to her has something to do with herself; But the younger brother's current situation is caused by her as the eldest sister, one by one, in fact, the younger brother has no home in Shanghe County! The year before last, she bought a new house, and at the behest of her husband, she sold the half-old house left by her parents, and as a result, her younger brother can only rent a house outside......

Gao Jinsong gritted his teeth and didn't squeak. Tears also filled his eyes.

Two dolls sweated profusely and ran in with their clothes open, one was lying on the counter and stood on tiptoe to straighten his arms to get the tea jar, and the other shouted at the corner of Gao Jinsong's clothes: "Uncle! Water! ”

Gao Jinsong wiped away the tears on his face, and held the tea jar to let the two nephews take turns to drink water. He hated their dad, but he liked these two naughty little ones. He also said to Gao Chun that the two dolls were as tough as the people of the Gao family, and they got up on their own when they fell.

Gao Chun found that both sons were covered in dust; The youngest son's face was still painted, and his eyebrows were marked with blood from willow branches, and the blood and soil stained his forehead. She can't care about her own sadness, and she doesn't care about blaming her younger brother, and she doesn't care about the irony implied in her brother's words, saying that her son is like the Gao family, in fact, she is ridiculing her husband Chen Gangli! She quickly wiped her face with her hand and rummaged through her handbag for a Band-Aid.

It seems that the two little ones are also tired from playing. They poured most of the teapot water, and they were tired of being by their mother's side, so they had to let Gao Chun tell them stories.

Gao Chun didn't have the heart to play with his son, so he gave them two yuan and asked them to buy snacks to eat by themselves.

When the two nephews went out, Gao Jinsong followed the eldest sister's half-section just now and said: "I've been idle at home for too long, so I want to go out for a walk. If you don't have a chance, you'll come back after a while. He thought for a moment and added, "I will keep in touch with you and my brother-in-law at all times when I go out." Nowadays, transportation and communication are convenient, and you can contact your home at any time. ”

This time, Gao Chun did not find a reason to persuade his younger brother. She let out a long breath and said sadly, "So, when are you going to leave?" ”

"Just these two days."

Gao Chun nodded, thinking about what else she could do for her brother, but before she could think clearly, a customer came to pick up the clothes. She had no choice but to put her brother's affairs aside and take care of the customers first.

She quickly followed the receipt from the customer to find the suit pants. But things are a bit troublesome, although the pants have been washed, they have not been ironed and have not been sewn with buttons. She had to say sorry while proposing a solution: Can the guest wait a few minutes? She can do these things right away!

The customer agreed. He also asked if he could get his clothes when he came back from shopping.

Gao Chun immediately assured him that of course he could!

Since there was no delay in shopping and picking up clothes, the guest went about his own business.

Just as Gao Chun was carefully ironing his pants, someone came to pick up the clothes.

Gao Chun looked at the receipt, and asked Gao Jinsong to take down a women's medium coat and a women's leather jacket hanging on the wall, and put them on the side of the counter for customers to check.

There was no problem with the clothes, and the guest was very satisfied and asked, "How much does it cost to have two pieces together?" ”

"Eighty-five!" Gao Jinsong said.

One customer immediately pouted and said, "So expensive!" I was only sixty-five last time I sent it for dry cleaning. As she spoke, she took out her small purse, took out three neatly folded bills, unfolded them in her hand, and carefully counted them again, before putting them on the counter, and said, "Eighty, take an auspicious number." ”

Gao Jinsong couldn't say anything. But Gao Chun said: "The two pieces together were originally charged a hundred. Because you are the first guest to come back to the door, I will give you a discount of fifteen. ”

The customer apparently thinks the price of $80 is more reasonable and fair. One of her companions was also there to help her, thinking that Gao Chun's 20% discount was not a lot of money; And five dollars cheaper can get one more repeat buyer, which is obviously a good deal. But Gao Chun said that washing a piece of clothing was originally only a few yuan of profit, and the eighty-fifty discount no longer made them money, even if they wanted to attract buyers, there was no reason to lose money and do business......

When they were arguing over five yuan, Gao Jinsong took two plastic bags and put the two neatly folded clothes in them and put them on the counter. He was impatient with this kind of bargaining thing, and he didn't have the ability to bargain, so he didn't follow suit.

Suddenly, he heard someone whispering in amazement.

"It's you!"

Most likely, someone has met their acquaintance again. He turned his face curiously, but saw his acquaintances, the little fellows he had met in the provincial capital the year before. He was very impressed with the memory of the little foreman of this fast food restaurant.

He immediately smiled and nodded at the little fellow, and asked, "You're here to do the laundry?" Seeing that the little fellow pursed his lips and didn't speak, but glanced at the two women next to him, he understood that she was accompanying someone else to get clothes. He put down the pen and receipt notebook that he had already held in his hand, and asked, "When will you be back?" ”

"I'm on annual leave, and it's been five days since I came back, and I'm going back to the provincial capital tomorrow. What about you? The little fellow asked him with a raised face. Probably feeling that the meaning of her words was not very clear, she added, "When did you come back?" ”

It's a difficult question to answer. Gao Jinsong smiled crampedly and said vaguely, "It's been back for a while...... However, I will also be going to the provincial capital in a few days. ”

"Oh."

The topic could not continue at this point, and neither he nor the little fellow knew what to say. Fortunately, in the short time they spoke, Gao Chun and the customer had reached an agreement: in order to attract one more mature buyer, Gao Chun gave up the profit of five yuan; The customer and her companion said that if they needed to dry clean their clothes in the future, they would send them to Gao Chun's shop......

Before leaving, the little fellow said to Gao Jinsong: "Then, let's see you in the provincial capital when we go back." ”

Gao Jinsong smiled and nodded in agreement, and also said, "Okay, I'll see you in the provincial capital when I go back." ”

Watching the three women disappear into the hazy night through the street, Gao Chuncai asked, "Who was that girl just now?" "Without waiting for my brother to speak, her questions were thrown out like a cannon." Did you meet in the provincial capital? I didn't introduce my sister just now. Look at that girl's appearance, not much younger than you; Listening to the accent is what we are on the river one by one, what does she do at home? The appearance is also good, quite popular......"

Gao Jinsong hurriedly interrupted his sister's words and said, "I met her twice, and I don't even know the name, where do you think of it!" ”

"I don't even know the name, so you just say to people, 'See you in the provincial city'?" Gao Chun raised his voice to learn what he said, obviously not believing his explanation.

Gao Jinsong smiled bitterly. People say "see you in the provincial city", what else can he say?

Early in the morning two days later, he carried a loose and shriveled travel bag and a non-slippery sauce jar in his hand, and bought a ticket to Huochuan, the regional capital, at the passenger transportation center of the county seat. Before getting into the car, the eldest sister Gao Chun stuffed an envelope into his hand; Inside the envelope were twenty new hundred-dollar bills.

He tucked the envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket so that it snuggled against his chest.

He left Shanghe with the care and warmth of his loved ones. An hour and a half later, this warm concern accompanied him to leave Huochuan City and run to the provincial capital......