The spring famine around the mining area is getting worse and worse, the dead are dead, those who have fled the famine are gone, and some villages in the Red Star Commune have become empty. Wormwood grows wildly, devouring fields, devouring villages, and even country roads. It was also at this most serious moment that the county came to instruct the rightists who were to be delegated to the Red Star Commune to go to the river to work and eat on the water conservancy site. When issuing this instruction on behalf of the county party committee, Long Zhifei, secretary of the county party committee, made it very clear: These rightists are all intellectuals, like Zhou Xiuyu, who is also a famous playwright, and her "3442 Heights" has had a very good influence, and we must try to protect it and try to avoid unnatural deaths.

Zhao Sibao, secretary of the party committee of the Red Star Commune, was not convinced, and when he conveyed the instructions of the county party committee to Tian Jianchuan and Zhou Xiuyu, the rightists, he was furious: "You rightists give me the most headache!" Look at your appearance, you can't pick up your shoulders, you can't lift your hands, and you dare to attack the party! As for your kind of waste, the county secretary also said that according to the policy protection, he wants you to go to the construction site to eat - who doesn't want to go to the water conservancy construction site to eat these days? I can't satisfy them, I have to satisfy you, think about it really makes me angry! ”

Tian Jianchuan and Zhou Xiuyu listened silently, not daring to breathe.

Zhao Sibao said again: "Woqi is woqi, we have to listen to the words of the county!" You should start working on the river today, and when you dig up the river mud, dig out all the stinky culture in your dog's head, decorate it with mud and cow, and completely transform your mind! Another point, I also have to tell you that in the Ming place, the rations of your river workers must be halved, and the half saved will be given to the poor middle peasants who have run out of food! Who dares to say this on the construction site, I can't spare him when I come back! ”

Zhao Sibao was really bold, and after announcing that the rations would be halved, he really cut the rations in half. On the first day of the construction site, the new rightists of the Red Star Commune were given only one wowotou and a bowl of salty soup. Cadres on the construction site said that the rations for these people were only halfway and could only be distributed at half.

The head of the guy complained: "Who can afford to do such heavy work and only send one nest head?!" ”

The construction site cadre said, "What can be done then?" The Red Star Commune withheld their rations! ”

Tian Jianchuan, who was queuing up to receive food, asked: "Does this violate the policy?" ”

The construction site cadre said angrily: "Violate the policy and ask your commune secretary Zhao Sibao to mention it!" ”

Tian Jianchuan dared to mention it, he could only scold his mother in front of his sixth aunt Zhou Xiuyu.

In those difficult days, fortunately, thanks to Zhou Xiuyu, Tian Jianchuan did not commit suicide.

Once, Tian Jianchuan said to Zhou Xiuyu: "Sixth aunt, I think it's better to die than to live like this!" ”

Zhou Xiuyu immediately sank her face: "Jianchuan, I can warn you, don't be confused!" ”

Tian Jianchuan sighed: "It's good if I'm really confused, the problem is that I'm not confused." I know that I still have a wife and children, and they don't want me to die, so I can't die. ”

Zhou Xiuyu said: "Yes, just at Cheng Fen, you can't die!" Think about it, how good Cheng Fen is to you! In this case, she didn't divorce you. ”

Tian Jianchuan asked rhetorically: "But Aunt Six, why did you propose to divorce your sixth uncle, Sun Likun?" If you don't file for divorce from him, you may be in a much better position than you are now, and you will not end up being fired from public office. ”

Zhou Xiuyu smiled bitterly: "I don't file for divorce, and your sixth uncle won't file for divorce, I know this." But what's the point? In fact, we didn't have much of a common language before the anti-rightist movement began. We broke up, it should be said that it was a rational choice. ”

Tian Jianchuan asked: "Sixth aunt, don't you regret it at all?" ”

Zhou Xiuyu shook her head: "I don't regret it, I don't regret the divorce, I don't regret everything I have done, I have no shame in my heart." In 1940, I betrayed my exploiting class family and chose Yan'an; In 1957, I opted for double expulsion. Why? Nothing more than to hold on to the truth. Likun had advised me to abandon my position, but I refused, and I told him that history would prove me right. ”

Tian Jianchuan sighed: "Maybe history can't prove anything." ”

Zhou Xiuyu said: "Jianchuan, you have to have confidence that the party will one day correct its mistakes!" ”

Later, Tian Jianchuan learned that Zhou Xiuyu's confidence was not without any basis. It was at that time that Long Zhifei, secretary of the county party committee, took the initiative to find the construction site and talked a lot with Zhou Xiuyu, who was boiling water in the room. It was from this county party secretary who had no clear class line that Zhou Xiuyu saw her hope.

Long Zhifei was an enthusiastic viewer of "3442 Heights", and talked about "3442 Heights" with Zhou Xiuyu for the first time. Long Zhifei said that he watched "3442 Heights" in Beijing, and it was the first time he went to Beijing on a business trip, and it happened that this play was performed, so he went to see one. said that this play was good, it was very touching, and Liu Ruhua sang well.

Zhou Xiuyu said: "After liberation, Liu Ruhua became famous for singing this play. ”

Long Zhifei asked, "Are you still writing plays now?" Can you write a drama about our main drainage and irrigation canal? ”

Zhou Xiuyu said honestly: "Secretary Long, I haven't thought about this. ”

Long Zhifei enthusiastically encouraged: "You can write, even if you can't act now, you can act in the future." ”

Zhou Xiuyu shook her head: "It's not a question of whether you can act or not, the main thing is how to grasp the tone." On the one hand, under such difficult conditions, it is really not easy for us to eat melons and vegetables instead of this sunny canal; On the other hand, there are many questions that I can't understand, I really can't understand them. Secretary Long, tell me, how did our national economy suddenly come to this point? During the first five-year plan, the economic situation was still so good...... "I immediately found that this topic was out of place, and hurriedly stopped," forget it, don't talk about it. ”

Long Zhifei said: "If you don't say it, I say, this is a subjective desire divorced from objective reality." The principal leading comrades of our provincial party committee have already said at an important meeting within the party that the situation has reached such a level, and there are so many people who have died unnaturally, that we have not made ordinary mistakes, but have committed crimes against the people! ”

Zhou Xiuyu was taken aback, and was immediately stunned, and only after a long time did she say: "This leading comrade has courage!" ”

Long Zhifei nodded: "We, the main leading comrade of the provincial party committee, presided over the release of the country's largest satellite, but he is still a communist who seeks truth from facts after all, so he has the courage to say the words of asking the people for their guilt!" ”

Zhou Xiuyu said movingly: "This is where the hope of our party lies and where the hope of our country lies!" ”

Long Zhifei was also emotional: "Comrade Zhou Xiuyu, I am telling you this, I still regard you as a comrade, I personally do not believe that the playwright who wrote "3442 Heights" will be anti-party and anti-socialist. However, this is the end of the matter, I hope you don't spread it again. ”

Zhou Xiuyu said "um" and said, "Secretary Long, thank you for your trust in me." ”

When Long Zhifei was leaving, he said again: "Comrade Zhou Xiuyu, I really hope to see your new play again as soon as possible!" ”

Zhou Xiuyu nodded first, then shook her head again, she really wanted to cry at that time.

Also in the evening of this day, Tian Jianchuan, who was hungry and cold, fainted on the construction site and was carried to the house by the migrant workers for rescue. While the head of the gang was busy feeding Tian Jianchuan salty soup, he complained loudly, saying that it was this kind of cow horsepower, even the prisoners had to be full! Just like that, other people's rations are deducted!

Long Zhifei was furious when he heard this, and immediately asked: "Who deducted the rations of the migrant workers?" ”

But the man didn't dare to say anything.

Zhou Xiuyu sighed and said softly: "Secretary Long, it's Zhao Sibao, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Red Star Commune......"

Long Zhifei was furious, and immediately ordered: "Send someone to tie up Zhao Sibao for me immediately, immediately!" ”

Two hours later, Zhao Sibao came, however, he was not tied up, but carried on a stretcher. Zhao Sibao on the stretcher was swollen all over, the person had been deformed, and at a glance, he knew that his life was in extreme danger.

Zhao Sibao obviously didn't know what was happening on the construction site, and when he saw Long Zhifei, he tried to open his mouth and asked, "Long ...... Secretary Long, it's so late, look for ...... What do you have to find me...... What's going on? ”

Long Zhifei looked at Zhao Sibao blankly, understanding the grim truth of the hunger of the Red Star Commune.

Zhou Xiuyu didn't expect that after half a month, Zhao Sibao would be tortured by hunger like this.

Zhao Sibao still asked with difficulty: "Long ...... Secretary Long, isn't it us...... The work of our Red Star Commune is not ...... Didn't do a good job, give ...... Add ...... to the construction site Messing up? ”

Long Zhifei grabbed Zhao Sibao's hand, and tears fell from his eyes.

Under the starry sky of the Republic, countless pairs of eyes silently watched this scene on the Xiangyang Canal in 1961.

Long Zhifei gave up the pursuit of Zhao Sibao, and said in front of the countless pairs of eyes reflected by the bonfires on both sides of the river: "Comrades, my fathers and brothers! I thank you, and the party and the country thank you! Thank you very much! You are hungry, six taels of raw grain a day, or even three taels of raw grain, eating melons and vegetables, and working on the river here ......" Long Zhifei burst into tears and couldn't go on.

Piles of bonfires were burning, and pairs of eyes looked at Long Zhifei.

Long Zhifei softened his tone and said, "The comrades standing on this construction site today are all good, including Secretary Zhao Sibao of the Red Star Commune. You are the good sons and daughters of this land, the good sons and daughters of New China, and the backbone of New China......"

This scene made Zhou Xiuyu sigh: Who is easy in this difficult period? Zhao Sibao, as the secretary of the commune, was not easy. Zhao Sibao is just a grassroots secretary, he only knows how to do things with simple class feelings, although this person is not at a high level and violates policies, but he is really not for himself, and he is essentially a good grassroots cadre.

Tian Jianchuan became more and more incomprehensible, and stubbornly asked Zhou Xiuyu: "Yes, Aunt Six, you are right, Secretary Long and Zhao Sibao are both good party members and cadres, but our party has so many good party members, good cadres, and such good people, why did it get to the point where you can't even fill your stomach?" Is this the happy life we want to pursue? ”

Zhou Xiuyu was asked, and after thinking about it for a long time, she couldn't answer this question.