Forty-first

When Youfu was pregnant with her first child, Yougui, who was less than twenty years old, also became a family, and Yougui married Yi Ping, the eldest daughter of Yi Zhengzhu's family. Yougui is meticulous and meticulous, and Yi Zhengzhu grew up watching Yougui, and he likes it very much on weekdays.

One day, on the way back from work, Yi Zhengzhu stopped, and when Lilac, who was more than 20 meters behind him, rushed over, he said to Lilac seriously: "Sister-in-law, I want to tell you something today."

Lilac replied as she walked: "Brother Zhengzhu, I will listen to what you have to do!" Yi Zhengzhu took off the basket on Ding's back and put it on his right shoulder, and said: "Sister-in-law, your family is expensive and big, although Yi Ping in my house is average, she is still diligent!" I wondered if you could see us match them, wouldn't you? ”

When Lilac heard this, she was full of joy, stopped and hurriedly replied: "Look at what your brother said, what else do I can't look at?!" As long as your family Yi Ping doesn't dislike me for being poor in the house, it's too late for me to rejoice! Your Yi Ping, I have been well-behaved and sensible since I was a child, she and my family are expensive and get along, when I was a child, I worked in the canteen with Ding E's sister-in-law and made fun of my in-laws! As soon as you say this today, everyone will be clear, just wronged your family Yi Pingda! ”

In this way, the two talked and talked all the way home, and two months later, they met on weekdays, and Yougui, who had some good feelings, tied the knot with Yi Ping.

In the future, Lilac was full of pride when she talked about it, saying that people marry daughters-in-law today to invite Mrs. Li, and tomorrow Yang Cao Matchmaker, I don't know how many shoes and clothes I give, and I can't marry a daughter-in-law. I'm a single widow, and my daughter-in-law has found her own house!

A few years later, the blessed and noble brothers successively added four grandchildren and a granddaughter to Lilac. Han Xiang didn't study because he didn't have a family back then, so he went to work at a young age, and worked with Lilac for Zou Long, who was reading and progressing.

Those years were the highlight of Lilac's life, a large family of brothers and brothers, children and grandchildren around the knee and joyful.

In the spring of '75, I got married after a lot of bitter cold incense since I was a child. Zou Long was thinking about the first year of high school, the blessed brothers had many children and couldn't help them, and Lilac gradually felt difficult to earn some brown ropes by himself, and he couldn't support Zou Long to study.

Yougui saw it in his eyes, and his heart hurt his mother, who was over fifty years old and had some gray hair.

One day at noon, when Yougui sent some vegetables to Lilac, he whispered to Lilac: "Mom, Zou Long is also sixteen or seventeen years old, my eldest brother and my cub girl can't help you, I don't read Zou Long's book, it's right to save some money to start a family as soon as possible!"

Lilac didn't make a sound when she heard this, and after pondering for a while, she took over the expensive dish and started to cook. Neither of them noticed when the two of them chattered, and at this moment, Zou Long, who was returning home from the town to get rice vegetables, was listening to it clearly outside the window, and he silently avoided it after hearing it, and did not enter the house until Yougui went back.

When Lilac saw Zou Long coming back, she asked, "Sanyaji, why did you come back earlier than before?" I wonder if you still have an hour to come back, go, I just added the rice stove, you go and burn the fire, and the rice will be ready at once! Zou Long didn't answer, turned around and went to the wood house, picked up some firewood, and burned it.

Zou Long was silent during the meal, and Ding Xiang felt a little strange, so he asked, "Third child, why didn't you speak today, did you take the exam this time?"

Zou Long was a little heartbroken, this time he took the first place in the class, there was originally a physical education class to attend, he was happy to ask the head teacher Teacher He for a leave, originally wanted to go home early to surprise Lilac.

He subconsciously touched the midterm exam report card in the yellow schoolbag, hesitated for a moment, and then let go of his hand and said to Ding Xiang in a slow tone: "The exam is average, Mom, I want to talk to you about something, don't be angry!" Many teachers in our school said that now I go to college because I am recommended by the brigade commune, and good grades are not a top priority, I think it is necessary for me to read this book. Tell my eldest brother tomorrow, I'm going to work on the team, I don't do much work on weekdays, so I can earn a five-point work, right?! ”

Ding Xiang was silent when she heard this, and said with some regret: "Third child, I heard that as long as the grades are good, the teacher will nominate them, and then they will be recommended by the commune brigade!" Your school performance on weekdays is okay according to Mr. He's teachers, why do you give up? ”

Zou Long put down the dishes and chopsticks, took a deep breath, and said, "Don't say it, I don't read books anyway, whoever likes to read it will read it!" After finishing speaking, he turned around and went to the eldest brother's house.

Youfu was also a little surprised after hearing Zou Long's intentions, so he persuaded Zou Longlai, "Third child, you read well, why don't you read it!" In the past, the old brothers read the book because of their father's illness and starvation in the house, but now you are hungry and still have it, is it a school crime?! ”

Zou Long didn't defend himself, I won't read the next sentence anyway, just arrange something for me to do tomorrow!

Since that day, Zou Long has not been back to school, and he has no choice but to temporarily arrange for him to work in a group with the women. Zou Long didn't pick or choose, and the same group of little daughters-in-law and big girls started work at sunset.

Two weeks later, Mr. He, who had gone to the county seat to participate in the study and research assessment, came back to see that Zou Long was not there, and only after asking did he realize that he had not come to class for more than half a month.

In addition to being shocked, Mr. He felt a little regretful, and he also knew that it was not easy in the countryside at that time, and dropping out of school was a common thing. After thinking for a while, he decided to go to Zou Long's house to make a home visit to find out what the reason was.

Teacher He is the grandson of He Hongguang, the former county magistrate of the Kuomintang, and is in the same brigade as Zou Long. He has been a poet and book heirloom for generations, and he is a book lover. Although the family composition has been bad since childhood, he has always believed that there is a golden house in the book, and there is a truth in the book, and he deeply understands the importance of knowledge.

On the dam of the reservoir built during the *** period, Mr. He saw Zou Long holding the cow from a distance, so he shouted excitedly: "Gui Zou Long......"

When Zou Long saw that it was Teacher He who came, he was not excited, and turned his head without saying a word and led the old buffalo back to the team cowshed. Looking at the back of Zou Long, who was holding textbooks and asking him for advice all day long, Teacher He was thoughtful and didn't care about continuing to come to Lilac's house.

Seeing Teacher He's visit, Lilac hurriedly warmly entertained her. After hearing Teacher He's intention, Ding Xiang was very grateful, so she sent someone to find Zou Long and go back to school with Teacher He.

Left and right, from the sun to the sun, when the remnant sun is like blood, Zou Long is still missing. Teacher He looked at the sky, and said to Lilac: "Auntie, Zou Long in your house reads ruthlessly, and he is smart!" Reading well will always be useful in the future. Well, it's not too early, I'll go back to school first! You do Zou Long's work, come to class early tomorrow morning, I say hello and the school will not be punished for absenteeism, I will personally make up for the homework that has been missed, others are smart, and they will catch up in a month! After finishing speaking, Mr. He said goodbye and went back to school, and the lilac sent half a mile before returning to the house in the sunset.

Zou Long didn't return to the house until midnight, and saw the two lilacs sitting around under the oil lamp, he lowered his head and ignored it, slammed the door into his own room, and then lay down on the bed and fell asleep under the quilt.

Seeing this, Youfu said to Zou Long through the door: "The third child, alas, you are guilty of that kind of mind!" When I am the eldest brother, you ignore me, and I don't care about you. Teacher He treats you like a brother and a father on weekdays, how can you ignore others? You've been reading for a few years longer than the old guys, and you should know that! ”

Zou Long listened, and after a while, he stretched out the quilt and replied, "I will apologize to him if I have the opportunity to see Mr. He in the future!" Then he said no more. Seeing this, Youfu relayed Teacher He's intentions and what he had said, and then said: "Third child, tomorrow you will follow the eldest brother's words, listen to the teacher's words or go back to school!"

No matter what the blessed Lilac mother and son said Zou Long never responded again, the third mother and son were so dull for a while, and Lilac Youfu went back to the house to sleep with some regret.

As soon as it was dawn the next day, Zou Long went to the cowshed to work on the cowshed, and did not return to school.

A few days later, it was not reasonable for Fu Si to think about it, so he took the time to go to the school and found Mr. He. Teacher He warmly received Youfu, and after thinking for a while, he said to Youfu: "Blessed brother, let's do it, your third child's thinking has turned a corner!" I will deal with the school for him first, and it is best to come to study as soon as possible, but I can't help him get a certificate of suspension, and I will read the same next year. Youfu was very moved when he heard it, and he was very grateful. When he left, he took Zou Long's textbooks and books home.

Taking the books that his eldest brother brought back, Zou Long silently put them into the closet at the head of the bed.

Another ten days passed, and when Mr. He saw that Zou Long had not returned to school, he thought about it and discussed with Mr. Luo, a math teacher who was a good friend of Zou Long, to visit his home again. Teacher Luo was also very distressed, and without saying a word, he went to Lilac's house with Teacher He.

Seeing the two teachers, Zou Long, who had not seen him for more than a month, did not hide anymore. He diligently helped Lilac entertain the two teachers, poured tea and cooked. Teacher Luo took Zou Long's tea and said jokingly: "Zou Long, I am reluctant to drink your cup of tea, and I want to wait for you to sponsor you to go to college before drinking your Xie Shi tea!" As soon as Teacher Luo said this, his anger suddenly eased, and everyone talked about Zou Long's reading one by one. Zou Long listened quietly while doing things, and his heart was quite touched.

When the two teachers left, Zou Long did not go back to school with them, but sent the two teachers a long way before returning home.

When parting, Mr. He said to Zou Long earnestly: "Zou Long, I am only three or five years old for you, just call your brother in terms of age!" If you are in terms of generation, I still want to call you Uncle Sheng, and my grandmother is my second grandmother! I don't talk about much, to say a taboo nowadays, digging hoes can not dig up a strong country, only by reading good books and mastering knowledge can we completely change the fate of our ancestors who have been looking to the earth for generations, begging in the mud! You go back and think about it, if you are late, you may not be able to keep up with your homework, and the school leaders will not allow it! If you don't come tomorrow, I'll help you get a certificate of suspension, and I'll read it again next year! When Zou Long heard this, his tears almost overflowed.

In the twilight, Zou Long bent down deeply and bowed to the two teachers who were like brothers and fathers!

The next day, Zou Long still didn't go to school, and Youfu took the time to go to school again and helped Zou Long apply for a suspension certificate. Before leaving, Mr. He made an exception and gave you a blessed ride, explaining that your third child is a piece of reading material, and it is a pity to delay!

In the ninth month of the 75th solar calendar, Zhou Kang, the eldest son of the Fu family, went to elementary school. Zhou Kangxing rushed home with the newly issued textbook, clamoring to be blessed to write his name on the new textbook. Youfu glanced at Zou Long on the side and said, "Your father Lao Tzu reads a few sentences, and the words are as ugly as chicken paws!" Your uncle reads a lot of books and has beautiful words, let him write one for you! When Zhou Kang heard this, he took the book and found Zou Long.

Zou Long stroked his eldest nephew's new textbook, sniffing the fragrance of ink from the new book and was silent for a while before turning around and finding a pen he hadn't used for months from the closet. After shaking off the ink, he cautiously wrote Gui Zhoukang, 1975.9.1 on the new textbook.

At dusk, Youfu, who went back to the house to look for something, accidentally saw Zou Long digging out his textbook in his room, reading it carefully without distraction, and from time to time he was still annotating something in the textbook. Seeing this, Youfu went out of the house in fear, for fear of startling Zou Long, who was reading.

Later, when he went to work, Zou Long also fought with Gui Fang on the team because of reading.

It was the season of digging sweet potatoes, and Zou Long went to the mountain early when he went to work in the morning, and by the time the others went up the mountain, he had already dug most of the load. When he had dug a load and loaded it home, he had only started digging with some tows.

He carried the sweet potato to the remote place at the bottom of the mountain, and secretly took out the geometry book he had brought with him and read it. Originally, he only read a book for ten or twenty minutes, but this time he was stumped by an example question. After pondering for a long time, he couldn't figure it out, so he picked a piece of yellow flake stone and wrote it on the ground. As soon as he fell into a trance, he forgot the time, and later Gui Fang came behind him with the dug sweet potatoes and didn't notice it.

Gui Fang put down the sweet potato and teased: "I thought you were so enlightened today, it turned out that you were hiding here and being lazy!" Zou Long was a little embarrassed when he heard this, and hurriedly put away his books and prepared to carry sweet potatoes home.

When Gui Fang caught a glimpse of Zou Long's book, he changed his book and laughed harder: "Yo, it's amazing! Pretending to be a college student, he is not a red-footed pole like us, and his butt is stinky! Zou Long was anxious when he heard this, and replied: "I read that my book is about your, and you will clean up your mouth for me......"

That Gui Fang is not easy to mess with, so the two of them quarreled with each other, and finally twisted into a ball and moved. The people working in the soil rushed over when they heard the noise, and they persuaded them to pull away. After knowing the situation, Youfu trained the two of them hard for a while, and left them to dig an extra load of sweet potatoes at the end of the day.

When this matter reached the ears of the second sister-in-law Yi Ping, she was concerned about the little brother-in-law's study. After several questioning, she learned from Yougui's mouth that Zou Long was because Yougui told her mother-in-law that she didn't want Zou Long to study anymore.

After listening to Yougui's words, Yi Ping said a little angrily: "No wonder the third book suddenly stopped reading it, it turned out that you did it!" I think the third child is like a person who reads, is it a waste for you to let him touch the hoe, is there still a lack of his hoe in the world?! ”

Yougui asked Yi Ping to give this training, and only then did he understand how stupid what he said at that time.

The next day, he and Yi Ping took the initiative to talk to the blessed couple about Zou Long's study, and said that if the third child can't afford it, the two of us will do our best to help as big brothers! It's just that Yi Ping deliberately concealed what Yougui said to Lilac that time.

When Youfu heard this, he immediately agreed with the opinion of Yougui and his wife. It's just that the wife next to him, Cao Yinxiu, has a reluctant look on her face.

On the day of the winter solstice, Youfu organized a family meeting for the whole family to discuss Zou Long's studying.

The main meaning is that the third child's book must be read in the spring next year, as for the burden of the third child's reading, my mother is also fifty or sixty years old, and she is already powerless. We always earn more work than she earns, and the problem of eating food in the second year of high school for the third brother is provided by the two eldest brothers' family for 200 jobs, and then go to high school first. In the future, if the third child is fortunate enough to go to university, the expenses will be even greater, and each family will pay 700 points of labor at that time. In the future, the third child of my family will be out of breath, are you afraid that he will forget us?!

Blessed with this, everyone dared to say it, and even if all of them passed.

Ding Xiang was a little moved when she saw the attitude of the blessed brothers, and hurriedly pulled Zou Long and said: "Third child, you must continue to read the book well, you must remember the kindness of the two brothers when you have a good future in the future, brothers in this life, they may not be reincarnated in the same house in the next life!" Teacher He, Teacher Luo is so good to you, I only sent a Meng, and I also know a few words about the position of the prince of heaven and earth on the blessed shrine! Blessed are you, there are a lot of big brothers and cubs. This year, the third child has been studying for more than half a year, and he has earned more than 1,000 points of work in five times a day, and it is still possible to have more than 3,200 points of work by the end of the year, and it is expected that he can still afford to cope with high school in the second year! That's it, my mother said that I will deal with it for the time being in the second year of high school, and it will not be too late for you to help me if I can go to college in the future! ”

Cao Yinxiu, who was a little unhappy, heard her mother-in-law say this, and immediately agreed, and said a lot of beautiful things, but she secretly thought in her heart that it was not certain whether the third child could go to college!

When Zou Long saw the attitude of his brothers and sisters-in-law, his tears turned red, and his tears didn't fall!

In the spring of '76, Zou Long packed up his books and went back to school accompanied by his eldest brother.

Coincidentally, Mr. He originally taught the sophomore graduating class, because the school temporarily transferred a teacher Fu to be the graduating class teacher, and Zou Long studied in Mr. He's class again after taking a break for almost a year. Teacher He and Zou Long were very happy, and Teacher He also said excitedly and blessedly: "Fate, fate!" It is destined that I will have two years of teacher-student friendship with your third child! Youfu hurriedly replied: "Fortunately, Teacher He, the third child in my family depends on you!"

When Youfu returned home, Zou Long sent him off for a long time. When parting, he was blessed and earnestly taught Zou Long to study hard and be worthy of his widowed teacher. Zou Long nodded heavily after listening.

Zou Long, who re-entered the school, studied even harder. Seven or seven years later, the central government officially resumed the college entrance examination, and Zou Long, who got the news, was very happy.

In the days of the college entrance examination, Lilac took the time to go to school and sent some good food to Zou Long. In the examination room, Zou Long's wonderful pen is full of flowers, writing and writing life; Outside the examination room, the loving mother Lilac was uncertain and anxious.

On the day the results were released, the Lilac family was boiling! In the first college entrance examination that was interrupted and resumed after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zou Long lived up to expectations and was admitted to university. Lilac's hands trembled when she took the red admission letter from the postman, and she led Zou Long to kowtow several times in the direction of the original shrine in the hall.

Before going to Changsha to go to college, Lilac was lively and lively to go to school, and Teacher He and Teacher Luo also came. Mr. He also personally wrote the couplet with a brush that 'there is a road in the book mountain, and there is no end to the sea of learning' and gave it to his favorite students.

Lilac held the couplet sent by Teacher He in both hands, her mouth was full of joy, and she muttered in her mouth: "Mr. has a heart, the prince of heaven and earth who was talked about on the shrine before, the two teachers are better than me as a mother." In the future, Zou Long will have a lot of talent, and he must repay you! ”

When he went to Changsha to study, Ding Xiang handed over the tuition and food stamps made up by the two brothers, and Youfu also gave Zou Long the white shirt that he only wore once when he got married.

Zou Long, who was deeply concerned and affectionate by his widowed brother and brother, came to the provincial capital to read and opened up a different life path from his parents and sisters.

End of the forty-first round