Sixteenth

At tea the next day, Xu Zong and his team lined up to a wide shallow bend in the river. Running all night, everyone's eyes were bloodshot, hungry and tired, and they stayed on the spot to make a fire and cook. The girl was very diligent, collecting firewood on the shore, and drawing clean water everywhere to cook. Xu Zong was the only one who ran to the shore alone, shrugging his shoulders and sullen, still angry with her about what happened last night! When the rice was cooked, Qiusheng shouted loudly: "Brother Xu, sip rice!" Xu Zong didn't say anything, and hung his head between his crotch. Seeing that the girl was silently cooking the meal, she walked to Xu Zong's side cautiously, and said with a suppressed voice: "Brother, oh da rice..."

Xu Zong raised his head from between his crotch suddenly, and looked away at the mountains opposite without saying a word. Seeing this, the woman didn't know what to do for a while, and froze in place, holding the food in her hand. After standing for a long time, the girl couldn't help but swallow and sobbed quietly, and Xu Zong heard that he turned around and grabbed the food, and took a big gulp of it. The woman stood still and didn't move, and when Xu Zong saw this, he stopped and yelled at the girl, "You don't go to eat yet!" I jumped into the river last night and want to starve to death today..."

At this time, the girl was already crying, Xu Zong saw that he hurriedly put down the dishes and chopsticks, his voice dropped several gears, and he stared at the girl with pear blossoms and rain almost pleadingly and said: "Good girl, I was upset just now, you don't see anger!" First of all, food, clothing, housing and transportation first, count me wrong, okay? ”

The girl stopped crying, sobbed and lowered her head and said, "Are you still angry with me?"

It was dark last night Xu Zong didn't look carefully at this girl's appearance, and at this moment Xu Zong looked at the girl in front of him who had her hair tied up and dragged a black and shiny braid behind her back, and she couldn't hide her beautiful face and white teeth when she lowered her head, and she was in a much better mood.

He coaxed in a gentle tone: "Sister, it's me who is wrong, I shouldn't be angry with you, you must not be surprised." Really, brother said the truth. The girl raised her head when she heard this, stared at Xu Zong for a long time, and suddenly burst into tears and laughed, and then turned around and went down to the river. Xu Zong looked at the girl in a daze, and when the girl got on the boat, he picked up the dishes and chopsticks on the ground and took a big sip.

Everyone on the boat laughed when they saw it, and Qiu Sheng also roared at Xu Zong with a smile: "It's still this sister who has a big face, I call you to ignore the food, she gives it to you, you cut off the skull and pour it directly into your stomach!" The girl's face turned red when she heard this, and she was ashamed to make a bowl of food casually, and ran the row alone, sat down and lowered her head to eat.

After eating, Qiusheng and a few people didn't care about the already scorching sunshine of early summer, and lay down their bodies on the paved boards that had been erected on the row, and after a while, the tired people fell asleep. The master Liu also snored, leaving the girl alone in the river with her feet hanging down at the head of the row, playing with the river with her hands, and looking at the river with a heavy heart. Xu Zong lay on the plank and tossed over but couldn't sleep, and then simply got up and sat down next to the girl.

When the girl saw it, she said to Xu Zong unapologetically: "Brother, I'm really causing you trouble, and I can't help it." Xu Zong scooped up a weed in the river and put it in his mouth, and said, "Sister, what do you have on your mind, if it's convenient for me to talk to my brother and brother, let's hear it?!"

In this way, on the boat line in the rippling river water with sunshine, the two young people chatted.

That girl's name is Wu Ying, her life is bizarre and bumpy, and she has also suffered a lot. Wu Ying's biological father is a blacksmith surnamed Xiong, Wu Ying's real name is Xiong Ying, only two years old, his father went up the mountain to hunt a female wild boar with cubs, unfortunately was anxious to protect the cubs of the wild boar off the cliff, the spine was broken, and he died before dawn in the middle of the night. So Wu Ying has no impression of her biological father since she was a child. When he was three years old, he remarried with his mother to his current family and changed his surname to Wu.

The stepfather was a wandering merchant in his early years, but he originally married a wife and gave birth to a son who was eight years older than Wu Ying. Later, because his stepfather lost money in gambling with others, he mortgaged his wife, and the wife abandoned her son and followed the man.

Her mother's family did not persuade peace, who let Wu Ying's stepfather be too bastard and broke the second elder's heart. Later, two boys and two girls were born there, which was far more comfortable than living at Wu Ying's stepfather's house, and it was too late for the two elders to be happy.

Although the stepfather is a bastard, the mouth of the village is sweet. When he went to Wu Ying's grandfather's house in Qingfeng Village, he fell in love with Wu Yingniang, and it was with his fanciful words and a load of small commodities that he moved Wu Ying's grandmother, persuaded her grandfather, and coaxed her mother.

When she first came, her stepfather treated her and her mother well, and Wu Ying remembered that she had eaten a lot of candy and dried dates when she was a child, and later gave birth to a younger sister named Wu Yu, who was only twelve years old this year. Since the birth of his sister, his stepfather divided several of their sisters, and the stepbrother is the king of the family, Lao Tzu, who said that if he wants the moon, he must not give the stars.

Since then, in addition to taking her sister to do housework, she has to do all kinds of dirty work and heavy work, and she has to be beaten and scolded a lot and even wronged. The stepfather gambled and won the money, but when he lost the money, he scolded Wu Ying for losing money and the ghost of the goods. But Wu Ying wouldn't sue her mother - once before, her mother just mentioned it to her stepfather, and her stepfather responded at that time, and turned around to take advantage of her mother's absence to pull her braids and split her head and cover her face. The stepbrother perfectly inherited his Lao Tzu's habits, and he didn't talk about it, but also looked for flowers and asked willows, and he didn't pick any dirty and smelly ones. A few years ago, my stepfather asked someone to ask someone to raise his relatives a few times, and they knew the virtue of their father and son, and they refused to let their daughter jump into the fire pit when they died. There are more than twenty singles, and the matchmaker can't get out of the door.

Since this year, his stepfather has suddenly gotten better to Wu Ying, and in the first month, he made an exception for Wu Ying and Wu Yu to pull the same fabric to make a new set of clothes, not to mention, he also bought Wu Ying a box of alabaster and a mirror with a copper frame alone. The stepbrother is also very attentive to Wu Ying, and he also takes the initiative to help Wu Ying share some housework when he is idle on weekdays, but Wu Ying's eyes are a little strange, and sometimes Wu Ying feels a little hairy in his heart.

On the second day of the second month of February, my stepfather and stepbrother went out to visit relatives, and Wu Ying's mother and Wu Ying were making pickles in the yard. The second lady was chatting while doing things, and suddenly her mother brushed off the hair that was messed up during work, and some seemed to say to Wu Ying casually: "Sister Ying, you see that your brother is in his twenties, and there is one guest in the house, and your father and I are sad to death!" He was ignorant before, but this year I have a lot of good ideas, alas, I don't know if there is a grandson in the season? ”

Wu Ying was chopping the dried radish with a knife at this time, and she didn't raise her head and said, "Mom, my brother has become better, and many girls are waiting to come to the door, I will help you bring your nephew next year!" When my mother heard this, she hurriedly stopped Wu Ying from chopping dried radish, pulled Wu Ying into the kitchen, and said, "Sister Ying, my mother will tell you something serious." Mom also knows that you have done a lot of things at home since you were a child, and your father is also satisfied with it in his eyes. Your father discussed with me a few days ago that if you want, he would let you marry your brother, and the real family would be without each other. Your brother didn't have a positive shape before, but his brain is active, so he will learn well and still have to get it in the future. What do you mean? ”

Wu Ying froze when she heard this, and didn't know how to respond for a while, so she lowered her head and pinched the edge of her clothes for a while, and said: "My surname is also Wu, and the family is absolutely not allowed to make people laugh."

When her mother heard this, she was anxious, and hurriedly said: "It's not in the way, your real surname is Xiong, and you are not your biological sister, if you feel dishonorable, simply change back to your dead father's surname Xiong!" None of them can risk the slightest bit of a word to speak! Wu Ying stared at her toes, pursed her lips and whispered, "Mom, even if I marry far away, I don't want to stay in this house!" After saying that, she turned around and ran, leaving her mother to stand in the kitchen for a while without moving.

The stepfather and stepbrother came home that night. When she went to bed at night, Wu Ying faintly heard her mother's crying and stepfather's scolding coming from their room. Since then, the stepfather has regained his previous virtue towards Wu Ying, and it doesn't matter if Wu Ying gets used to it for many years, she still gets up early and is greedy for night as before. The stepbrother was nothing, as usual. It's just that sometimes intentionally or unintentionally careless, as soon as Wu Ying dodged, he shook his hand and walked away, and he didn't embarrass Wu Ying anymore.

It's nothing if you stay up like this until you get married, but an incident that happened last night made Wu Ying completely chilled, and she gave up her life and ran out of the home where she had been tired and stayed for more than ten years.

Yesterday's dinner, when my stepfather came home, he shouted at Wu Ying with rare joy: "Sister Ying, get a few good dishes, today Daddy Laozi won a lot of money, and he has been fighting for several months!" Wu Ying listened and hurriedly got out of the pot to make the meal, and when the stepfather and stepbrother drank and started the ring, the stepfather and stepbrother drank wine and started the ring. As soon as she was happy, she pulled Wu Ying's mother and daughter to drink together, Wu Ying was a little reluctant, and her mother hurriedly persuaded: "It's rare for the family to be happy, don't go against your father's wishes, it's okay to take a few drinks."

Wu Ying heard that it was no longer easy to excuse herself, so she drank two glasses. Wu Ying rarely drinks alcohol on weekdays, and after two glasses, she was a little dizzy, so she excused herself, washed her face, and fell asleep first. Before leaving, the stepfather glanced at his mother, who lowered her head and did not look up.

Wu Ying went to bed and slept for a while, her head was not so dizzy, and she wanted to get up to relieve her little hands. At this time, the door suddenly creaked and slowly opened, and a person crept in in the dark, and when he was about to shout, he saw that it was his stepbrother.

When Wu Ying was about to open her mouth to inquire, her stepbrother suddenly pounced on her, covered her mouth with his hand and whispered: "Sister, don't be silent, today we are husband and wife!" Mom and Dad agreed, and it was specially arranged! After finishing speaking, the wine-smoked mouth arched and kissed Wu Ying's neck and face, and forcibly pulled up Wu Ying's clothes and pants.

At this time, Wu Ying had a line of desperate tears in his eyes, his heart was cold and cold, completely like a dead corpse, and he was unresponsive.

Just when the stepbrother had pulled her pants down to her knees, the person suddenly sobered up. Busy pushing away the stepbrother's body who was about to move further with one hand, and grabbing the hand that removed her clothes and pants with the other. Without any expression, he said: "Brother, it's up to you, but you also have to wait for me to go to the toilet first to relieve yourself." When the stepbrother heard this, he pinched her face proudly: "Okay, brother, wait for you, don't mix your feet!"

At this time, Wu Ying got up and straightened her clothes and pants, went to the door and jumped down from the ridge behind the latrine, and fled without looking back, until she met Xu Zong by the stone arch bridge.

After hearing this, Xu Zong's eyes were suddenly full of pity for Wu Ying, and after a while, he asked: "Sister, you go to Yiyang to invest in your uncle, is your uncle reliable?!" Wu Ying supported the edge of the row with both hands, kicked and splashed in the water with her feet, raised her head and squinted at the scorching sun in the sky, as if talking to the Xu Sect, and muttered as if talking to herself: "It should be reliable, right?" I can't help but live unreliably! ”

After saying that, she turned her head and told Xu Zong about her uncle's situation.

Uncle is now doing a job at Yiyang Wharf, and he has mixed well in the past few years, and he has returned to Yiyang's wife a few times, and he is generous. In addition to the money and goods given to my grandparents, there are gifts for those who are close to each other, and even Wu Ying and other juniors give red envelopes. In the first month of this year, I also told Wu Ying's parents to take Wu Ying to Yiyang to see the world, and if I didn't get it, I would marry a rich in-law in the city to eat and drink spicy food, which was much better than nesting in a ravine.

At that time, the stepfather didn't say anything, and after secretly kicking her mother with his foot, her mother hurriedly said: "We mountain people are so exquisite, just have a bowl of rice!" It's just that her brother is pretending to beg for a guest, and it's not too late to wait for her brother to marry a cousin again! The uncle pulled the sleeve of the uncle's coat for a moment, and the aunt opened the topic and talked about other things.

Two days later, Xu Zong came to Yiyang smoothly. Wu Ying had never been far away, and he didn't know where his uncle lived, so Xu Zong had no choice but to ask Qiusheng and Master Liu to get the goods first, and take Wu Ying to various docks to find Wu Ying and his uncle.

After some inquiry, he finally found a dock worker from the same township, and he knew where Wu Ying's uncle lived. The man enthusiastically led the way for Wu Yingxuzong, and talked about her uncle's situation along the way.

Her uncle worked at the docks during the day, and her aunt ran a grocery store next to the docks. A shed was set up on the empty floor behind the store, a few tables were placed under the shed, and when Uncle Wu Ying came back from work, he also had to help watch the store and do chores.

When she won the money, her aunt was very happy, and if she lost, her aunt would inevitably be scolded, and she would rush to do the dirty work in the next few days. Fine, who told him to have suffered a lot of losses from his aunt in the past - he has a long memory. At this time, the man glanced at Wu Ying, and felt that when his niece said this, it was a bit too much, so he hurriedly diverted the topic and talked about other things.

After a while, Wu Ying found her uncle, who was working on the grocery store at the time, and the store was doing well, and the workers behind him were still shouting, but her aunt was lying on the nightbed and knocking melon seeds. When I saw Wu Ying, my uncle and aunt were a little stunned, and my aunt forgot to wipe the melon seed shell from the corner of her mouth when she opened her mouth.

Xu Zong has been out for many years, so he naturally understands these situations. In the old days, the coolies on the docks were full of stinky sweat on weekdays, and they didn't have much money on them, so the brothels in the city couldn't go to the brothel. Going to Wu Ying's aunt's grocery store to sell half a catty of wine, ordering wine and snacks, and blowing Haikan nonsense is their greatest pleasure and the most realistic place. There are also workers who have a lot of money in their pockets to start and run in a big circle, and bet on the dice or roll the dice to have fun.

If you win the money, you will find a private prostitute by the Zijiang River to have fun, and the one who loses the money will go home and sleep with his head covered, thinking about winning a big win next time, Uncle Wu Ying, it is difficult for them to make money or not!

End of the sixteenth round