1. Encounters

The fiery red sun brought warmth to the cold earth, and also made the cleaned farm yard more beautiful.

The magpie cries in the tree, and the happy event comes to an end. A pair of flower magpies were jumping and chirping on the jujube trees in the yard. Li Baiwang hugged Chai He, looked at the magpie on the tree, closed his mouth happily, and said to himself: Magpie, you are too late to report the good news.

As soon as the day dawned, Li Baiwang got up from the kang, swept the yard, and went to the kitchen to cut meat, wash vegetables, and boil water. At this time, he took a kitchen knife and a large porcelain bowl to the yard and put it down, then walked to the chicken coop, opened the door of the chicken coop, and grabbed an old hen from inside. The old hen flapped her wings violently in his hands and hissed, struggling desperately with her legs. Several other chickens came out of the nest and scurried around with their chirps, some flying to the wall in fright, some screaming and running out of the gate. Li Baiwang carried the struggling old hen in his hand to the big porcelain bowl, held the chicken's neck, grabbed the kitchen knife, aimed it at the chicken's throat, and said "I'm sorry". The blood of the chicken slowly changed from a rapids to a dotted stream, dripping into the porcelain bowl drop by drop. Li Baiwang waited for the chicken's blood to run out, threw the chicken on the ground, and the old hen's two wings flipped a few times and then disappeared.

Although Li Baiwang is not yet sixty years old, his temples are already frosty, his thin face is wrinkled, and his hands are covered with hard calluses. He was a hardworking and family-oriented man.

Li Baiwang took out the boiling water in a large aluminum basin, brought it to the yard and put it down, went into the kitchen and took out a small bench, put the old hen into the large aluminum basin, sat down and carefully removed the feathers on the chicken, and said to his wife Song Xiuqin who came out of the house: "I have already washed the meat and vegetables, you can cut and fry them later." Then he shouted to the house: "Yingzi! Yingzi! "There was no echo in the house.

Song Xiuqin picked up the porcelain bowl containing chicken blood and said with a smile: "You be quiet, the child hasn't woken up yet." ”

Li Baiwang muttered: "Lazy Nizi, I can't afford to burn my ass in the sun." ”

"Who can be like you, pretending to be unable to sleep in your heart, and being unable to breathe as if you were steaming dry food in a broken cage."

Li Baiwang's shouting had woken Li Xiaoying up, and she came out of the house rubbing her eyes: "Dad, what's the matter?" ”

"You go to the commissary and buy a bottle of wine."

"Can someone open the door so early?"

"Do you think people are like you? Sleep in. ”

"What brand are you buying?"

"Southern Hebei Daqu!" Li Baiwang said very simply.

The clinking of chopping boards, the laughter of pots and spoons, and the smell of stir-fried vegetables overflowed from the kitchen to the yard and from the yard to the street. Li Baiwang, who has always been careful and thrifty, why is he so busy today? Li Xiaoying, who went to the street to buy alcohol, revealed the inside story - her brother arrived home today.

A large car is running on the Dexing Highway in the North China Plain, looking forward through the driver's cab, the highway is like a trapezoidal long belt, and its two edges are rapidly unfolding in front of people's eyes. The tall poplar trees stood on both sides of the road, greeting the passengers like a guard of honor. In the warm carriage, sat a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, dressed in a green military uniform, with a smile on his dark face. I saw him wipe the glass window that was not very transparent due to the high temperature and heat in the carriage with his palm, looking at everything outside the window, the chatter and laughter in the carriage, and the bumps of the car, which did not affect his attention at all, he was Li Xiaoying's brother, Li Minqiang, the commander of a company of the People's Liberation Army.

The car stopped at the bus station in Mingyang Town, Li Minqiang walked out of the carriage, and when he saw a cyclist coming to him, he recognized it and shouted happily: "Uncle Datian!" ”

Dong Datian was stunned by this sudden shout, stopped the bicycle to take a look, and said happily: "Oh, it's a strong son!" He took a few steps to hold Li Minqiang's hand, looked at Li Minqiang with both eyes and said happily: "You are fatter and stronger than when you left, if you don't call me, I won't dare to recognize you." ”

Li Minqiang said happily: "I haven't seen you for a few years, you are still the same, there is no change." ”

Dong Datian smiled and said, "Why hasn't it changed?" There are more and more wrinkles on my face, and after forty days and noon, I am forty-one years old, half a lifetime person. Will you come back for a longer stay? ”

"I won't leave when I come back this time."

"What's going on?" Dong Datian asked with wide eyes and puzzled.

"I've changed jobs."

"Oh! Wow! The place needs people like you! ”

"Uncle Datian, where are you going?"

"The town government asked me to come to the meeting, saying that it was going to send people to repair the reservoir."

"Then hurry up, don't be late."

"Okay, I'll see you at home later." Dong Datian rode away.

"Uncle, ride slowly!"

"Okay!"

Li Minqiang saw Dong Datian away, then stepped forward and hurried to his hometown, Shagang Village.

Shagang Village is under the jurisdiction of Jinan County, in the northeasternmost corner of the county's jurisdiction. The villages in the east of Shagang Village are under the jurisdiction of Zaolin County, and the villages in the north are under the jurisdiction of Jibei County, and the distance between villages is only about one kilometer, so there is also the saying of "three counties of chicken song". There are more than 250 families and more than 1,000 people in the village, which is a village composed of many surnames. The south, east, and north sides of the village are surrounded by sand dunes, and according to the old man, it used to be a place where strong winds blew in the spring, and yellow sand flew all over the sky, making it impossible to open your eyes. In order to fix the sand and prevent the wind, the sand dunes were planted with all kinds of trees, the most common are pear trees, apricot trees, peach trees and jujube trees, and apple trees were planted a few years ago, these fruit trees form a patch of orchards, and some poplars are mixed in the middle of the orchard. Below the sand dunes to the east of the village is the Dasha River (known in the history books as the Luluo River) that runs through several counties. A patch of willow and poplar trees was planted on the banks of the Dasha River, and the trees are now mature. Most of the cultivated land in the village is concentrated in the west and south of the village, and only a small part of the village is in the north of the village. A not-so-spacious country road to the west of the village leads directly to Mingyang Town, the seat of the town government, and the poplars planted on both sides of the road have grown taller, and the whole road is like a large green corridor with no end in sight.

Li Minqiang was walking hurriedly, and a cyclist caught up with him behind, and as soon as the cyclist turned around, Li Minqiang recognized that it was Li Minshun from the same village, and shouted happily: "Shunzi!" ”

Li Minshun stopped the bicycle and looked at it, and said happily: "Oh, it's you!" ”

Li Minqiang stepped forward and shook Li Minshun's hand, and said with a smile: "I'm so happy to see you." ”

Li Minshun smiled and said: "You have been gone for so many years and have not come back, it is so easy to come back, do you want to stay longer?" ”

"No, I'm changing jobs."

Li Minshun said happily: "Wow! We're together again and again! Hey, you put your things in the car and let's go together, talk as we go, I miss you a lot. ”

"I miss you too." Li Minqiang said while putting his backpack on the back seat of the bicycle.

Li Minqiang and Li Minshun are the same age, according to the month of birth, Li Minqiang is only two months older than Li Minshun, and the two of them grew up together with bare butts. When he became a soldier, Li Minshun also registered, but due to physical reasons, he did not realize his dream of becoming a soldier.

"Where have you been?"

"I bought a little piglet at the market a few days ago, and I didn't have enough money to borrow ten yuan from our classmate Feng Delu and sent it to him."

"Delu is good, isn't it?"

"He had a good life, he was a primary school teacher, and his daughter-in-law opened a children's clothing store in town. Last year, I got another big fat boy. ”

Li Minqiang said happily: "Really? Junko, you're a dad too, aren't you? ”

"I'm a father! Dream on. There is no hairless single on the duster! Li Minshun shook his head and said with a smile.

"Are you like me?"

"How can I be like you! You're an officer, and the pretty girl in the city has been waiting for you. ”

Li Minqiang said with a smile: "It's also a matter of eight characters, we haven't met yet." You're not too young, you have to hurry up and find one! ”

Li Minshun sighed, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Why don't you want to look for miles, but which girl is willing to follow me." ”

"What's going on?"

"It's not just me, it's the hail that smashed the cotton trees in our village, and it's all single!"

"Why?"

"Why, poor! Our village is poor, which girl is willing to come to our village to suffer poverty. ”

Li Minqiang pondered for a while and said, "Don't worry, our village will slowly get better." ”

"I hope so."

They talked all the way to the orchard on the side of the road, and Li Minqiang said, "Shunzi, you go home first, I'll go to the orchard to have a look." ”

"Okay, let's go home and talk."

Li Minqiang took the backpack from the bicycle, and Li Minshun said: "I'll send the backpack to your home." ”

"No, it's not heavy."

Li Minqiang put on his backpack and said to Li Minshun, "See you back in the village", and walked towards the orchard.

Li Minshun waved his hand, boarded the bicycle and left.

Li Minqiang walked into the orchard, stood on the high sand dunes, looked at the village surrounded by fruit trees, and felt a lot of emotion. Shagang Village, your son is back! While admiring the rows of fruit trees, I found an old man at the foot of the Shagang Slope, dressed in a black cotton coat, with a white towel wrapped around his head, holding a small short whip in his hand, standing with his head bowed against a large poplar tree, and a few sheep eating the dry weeds and dry leaves on the ground. Li Minqiang took a closer look and recognized that it was the poplar forest in this village.

Yang Shulin is the second oldest in the family, and Li Minqiang should be called his second master according to his generation. He admired the old man in front of him very much, he was a village cadre in the village for several years when China was just liberated, and because he was fair, he was very authoritative in the village. Li Minqiang hurriedly walked over and shouted, "Second master! ”

Poplar looked up, just looking at him without squeaking.

"Second master, you don't know me anymore, I'm Minqiang!"

The old man squinted his eyes and asked, "Are you a strong son?" ”

"Ahh

"Look at the look in my eyes, you didn't recognize it when you walked up, hehe."

Li Minqiang excitedly took the old man's hand as if he had seen a long-lost relative and said, "Second master, you are quite strong. ”

"It's okay, except that the legs and feet are not very convenient, and the eyes are a little dizzy, but there has been no major problem. People are over 70 years old, and I am almost 80 years old, and I am content to live so old. The old man said with a smile.

Li Minqiang looked at this kind and honest old man affectionately. His weather-beaten face was full of wrinkles, his hair and beard were as white as silver, but his body bones were still very strong, his bronzed face was like a polished walnut, and the moist folds revealed the heroism and fortitude of his early years, and the big and divine eyes under his thick eyebrows seemed to be the same as they were back then.

Li Minqiang said with a smile: "Second master, it is so cold and you still come out, you must pay attention to your body." ”

"I'm too old to do any heavy work, so come out and let go of these sheep and look at this orchard."

"Life is good, isn't it?"

"It's okay, it's a good time." The old man had a smile on his face.

"You're managing this orchard well!"

"It's okay. It's all about these fruit trees that can be exchanged for a little pocket money, or life will be sad. Hey, don't stand all the time, sit down, let's chatter, people are in love when they are old. As he spoke, he threw the whip in his hand on the ground, bent down and pulled the dry weeds beside him, "It's cool underground, pad the grass." ”

Li Minqiang hurriedly grabbed the old man, and said while untying the backpack on his shoulder: "As the saying goes, whether it is sweet or not is the hometown water, whether it is close to the hometown people. I miss you in the army, so sit on your backpack. ”

"It's all dirty."

"Our dry sand will fall off as soon as it is slapped, and it will be fine."

Yang Shulin sat down with a smile, looked at Li Minqiang with both eyes, and took out a dry tobacco bag from his pocket.

"Second master, smoke mine." Li Minqiang said as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to the old man.

Yang Shulin waved his hand and said, "Your cigarette is boring, I can't get used to it." He didn't take the cigarette, but continued to fill the copper tobacco pot with the tobacco leaves, and said with a smile while filling the cigarette, "You're not too young, twenty-nine, right?" ”

"Twenty-eight."

"Oh, I'm talking about the virtual year, and we all say the virtual year in our family. You've been gone for eight or nine years, haven't you? ”

"It's been more than eight years."

"I heard that you did a good job in the army, became an official, and managed a lot of people, right?"

"As a company commander, we have more than 100 people."

"It's still a good person in the army!"

Li Minqiang looked at the large orchard and said with a sigh: "When I left, the fruit trees were still small, but now they are all big trees." ”

Yang Shulin also looked up at the fruit tree and said with a smile: "The peach has three apricots and four pears for five years, and the dates will be repaid that year." You have been walking for so many years, can the fruit tree not grow taller! Pick a lot of fruit every year. ”

"This fruit tree earns a lot of money every year, right?"

Yang Shulin sighed: "Cough, there are a lot of fruits harvested, but they can't be sold for much money, good apples are only a few cents a catty, and pears are cheaper." ”

"Are you going to the city to sell it?"

"We don't know anyone in the city, and we don't have any means of transportation, so we take our own cars to the market to sell, but there is only one market in five days, and we can't sell much, and most of them rely on second-hand dealers to buy. But the people who bought it came and desperately lowered the price, and we couldn't help but sell, so we had to sell it if we gave money, and there were still a lot of rotten, how heartbreaking! Ahem, no way. The old man shook his head.

"Won't the village cadres help think of other ways?"

"The orchards are all distributed to individuals, each with its own little abacus, people are not in agreement, opinions are not consistent, what can the cadres do! Not only is the fruit not easy to sell, but after the town canceled the cotton station and grain station a few years ago, even the cotton and grain were purchased by the second-way dealers from other places. ”

"Is the harvest good in the field?"

Poplar said, "The harvest is not much," said Poplar Grove, while knocking the ashes of his cigarette pouch on the soles of his shoes. The two deep wells in the west of the village when you didn't leave have been used for many years, and the water level here is sinking, so we often can't pump water, and there are not enough wells! Basically, I still rely on the sky to eat. The harvest is sometimes good, sometimes bad, a good year can also solve the problem of eating, our croppers are not demanding, just rely on being able to fill the stomach, if you catch up with the bad year, the days will not be good. ”

"Can't we dig more wells in the village?"

"Now that the land has been given to individuals, how can anyone want to dig a well? Besides, there is no money to dig a well in the village! ”

"Didn't you have a side hustle in the village to make some money?"

"Yes, there is a FRP factory, and you can still make money, but a few years ago, the factory was contracted to individuals, and the village couldn't make much money. At the end of last year, the province alleviated poverty, carried out lighting projects, and installed street lights on the streets of our village for free, making it much more convenient to go out at night. Life is better than before, but it is still a poor village, and many people are still living on government assistance. ”

"Really?"

"Not really. You look at Beisunzhuang, there is not as much land as our village, and there are not so many fruit trees, but people are prosperous, almost every family uses a walk-behind tractor, rides an electric car, and the young people also have mobile phones in their hands, who is not greedy? Everyone has a block of heaven on their heads, why can't we do a good job? Could it be that the people of Shagang Village are born poor? No! There is an old saying that the village looks at the village, the household looks at the household, and the masses look at the cadres. It's a good leader of other cadres! ”

"Is Uncle Qinglin still the secretary in the village?"

"It's Qinglin who is in charge of the village, but he has changed a little over the years, he doesn't care about the upper and lower levels, he just entertains the upper side, and he cares less about the people, and often eats and drinks with some people. Although the wine cup is small, drowning people, although the chopsticks are thin, the waist is broken! His mass prestige is getting worse by the day. Besides, Qinglin is also old, and his health has been poor for the past two years, and last year he had waist and leg disease and often went to the hospital, so he basically couldn't take care of the affairs of the village. Now the affairs of the village are supported by the village director of Daejeon. Datian is willing to work, but his culture is low, and he can't think of any tricks when he loses his temper; Deputy Secretary Wang Wensi is a bit cultured and has ideas, but he just calculates his own little things, and he is a master who does not benefit from getting up early. One person has one heart and one heart is broken, several people in the team have their own hearts, they can't pee in a pot, one person has a trumpet, each blows their own tune, how can they do it well! Everyone knows that the train runs fast because of the headband, and the people get rich by good cadres. cough, there is a lack of people in our village who have the ability to do things for the people! When Yang Shulin said this, he raised his head and asked, "Qiangzi, will you come back this time to stay longer?" ”

"I've changed jobs and left the army."

Yang Shulin had a smile on his face and asked, "Have you returned to our village?" ”

"Nope. I was assigned to the county public security bureau. ”

Yang Shulin was disappointed, and said in thought: "The work of the Public Security Bureau is not bad, it is an official meal. ”

At this time, two young men were walking on the road next to them with their luggage talking and laughing.

Li Minqiang asked: "Second master, what are they doing?" ”

Yang Shulin looked up, sighed and said, "That's the eldest son of the Baisheng family and the second son of the Dong San family, I must be going to work outside." After a year of hard work at home and not much harvest, young people don't want to farm at home, so they go out and find a way to earn some money and come back to build a house and marry a daughter-in-law. Our village is poor, and we can't stop people! ”

Then the sheep ran away, and the old man stood up and said, "The sheep have run away, you sit first, and I must drive them back." ”

Li Minqiang looked up at the sun, he was almost at the beginning, and said: "Second master, it's almost noon, it's time for you to go home for lunch, I'm leaving, let's talk about it again when we go home." ”

As he walked through the poplar forest, he replied, "Okay! ”

Li Minqiang had just left the poplar forest when he saw a man with an iron shovel on his shoulder, not far from him, looking at him as he walked.

Li Minqiang recognized it, it was Mu Youlin, he was five years stronger than Minqiang: "There is Brother Lin!" ”

Mu Youlin stood and looked at it, recognized it, and said happily: "Minqiang!" It's you, who am I? ”

The two hurried to greet each other, their hands clasped tightly together.

"I heard you're doing a good job in the army!" Mu Youlin said happily.

"So-so."

"How can you still be so-so when you are an officer, you can win glory for our village."

"You're busy, aren't you?"

"Busy."

"Why are you busy, you must get something for your work!"

"That being said, in our village, it would be good to work hard for a year, and it would be good if the hard work was not in vain. I can't help it, if it weren't for my mother's old age and illness, she would have gone out to work a long time ago, and doing anything outside is better than farming in the countryside. You've come out and left our poor village. ”

"As the saying goes, 'Thousands of trades and thousands of businesses, it's better to have ten acres of land in front of the village', how can you not love farming."

"That's an old saying, who wants to farm now! The young people in our village are almost gone, and there are only some old arms and legs left to guard at home, and someone made up a sentence, 'There is a dog tied in front of the door, and the old couple live in the house'. There was not even a hint of anger in the village. ”

"Really?"

"Not really."

"How did the old man plant it!"

"That's it! The grass in the fields grew taller than the seedlings, and some of the fields were left unplanted. ”

"Why?"

"Isn't that obvious! Seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers have a price a year, and they are rising sharply, and after a hard year facing the loess with their backs to the sky, there is no money left for the two jujubes after the cost is removed. This has to catch up with a good year, and if there is a drought, it will be even worse. Our village is so poor that the young man who just farms can't even marry a daughter-in-law. They all felt that there was nothing to run in the countryside, so they all thought of ways to run out. ”

"Poverty can be changed!"

Mu Youlin shook his head and said, "Change, how to change?" I don't see a show. The government has called for reform and opening up, invigorating the economy, and revitalizing the countryside for so many years, but there has been no major change in our village, and it is still a poor village. ”

"I've heard that some villages are doing well!"

"How can we compare with others! People get rich by a variety of operations, and they can't get rich just by digging food in the soil. ”

"Our village can also be operated in a variety of ways."

"I want to do it too, but how can I do it one by one?"

"The village is doing it collectively."

"Whether the rural areas are rich or not depends on the cadres. The officials in our village are not people who do practical things at all! I know that I care about the hardships and tiredness of the people by eating and drinking and getting subsidies under my black gauze hat! Let's just say that this fruit can't be sold when the time comes, and the big guy can't sleep with sadness, which official in the village has asked? They are all looking for their own way, so they can only stretch their necks and let the second dealer slaughter them, or they will rot at home. ”

Li Minqiang saw that Mu Youlin was a little excited, so he changed the topic and asked, "What are you doing here?" ”

Mu Youlin sighed and said, "A few days ago, a few big poplar trees were lost in the village, and I came out to take a look. ”

"Then you go quickly, and we'll talk again when we come back."

"Okay! Hurry up and go home, Uncle Baiwang is so happy to see you come back! ”

"We'll see you later."

"I'll see you later."

Li Minqiang had just walked to the edge of the village when he saw an old man, holding a wooden stick in his right hand, bending over with his head bowed and walking out of the alley. ”

Wang Wenchang raised his head when he heard the shout, looked at Li Minqiang with a smile and asked, "You are a strong son, are you back?" ”

"Ahh It's back! ”

Li Minqiang looked at the old man's black, thin face covered with wrinkles like ravines and ruts, and his deep-set eyes showed a sad gaze. His chapped, scorched lips seemed to have been sealed dry for a long time, and his thin left hand was holding a broken plastic bag.

"Kid, go home, it's cold outside." Wang Wenchang said with a smile.

"I'm not cold. Uncle, what are you doing here? ”

"I'm old and can't do any work, so I come out and look around, pick up some things thrown by others, and exchange money for some oil and salt."

Li Minqiang looked at a few drink bottles and a beer bottle in the plastic bag, and his heart was sad, tears rolled in his eyes, and he whispered: "How much can this be sold for?" ”

"A bottle sells for five cents."

Li Minqiang took out 200 yuan from his pocket, stuffed it into Wang Wenchang's thin hand and said, "Uncle, go home quickly, don't pick it up." ”

Wang Wenchang was stunned, pushed and said, "Qiangzi, how can I ask for your money?" ”

"Uncle, don't pick it up, go home quickly." After saying that, he turned around and walked away.

Wang Wenchang looked at Li Minqiang, who was leaving, and shouted: "Qiangzi!" Tears flowed down his thin, wrinkled face.

Li Minqiang didn't look back, his heart was crying, no, bleeding! After so many years of reform and opening up, the old man is still living such a hard life, why doesn't he feel uncomfortable.

is very familiar with Wang Wenchang and Li Minqiang, he is over 70 years old. is a very hard-working person, there was a commune when he was also the captain of the production team, his only son drowned in the summer bathing in the sand river, and later his wife also died of illness, Li Minqiang lived alone before he became a soldier.

Li Minqiang's pace slowed down, and his heart was very uneasy: Li Minshun couldn't marry a daughter-in-law because he was poor; The old man of Poplar Forest is very dissatisfied with the development of the village; A hard-working person like Mu Youlin doesn't want to farm at home; Wang Wenchang relied on picking up waste products in the village to exchange oil and salt. These touched his heart deeply. He pondered as he walked: After so many years of reform and opening up, the state has given such a good policy, why is Shagang Village still so poor? Shagang Village has such good natural conditions, why hasn't it embarked on the road to prosperity? How wasteful is it for young people to run away and not farm, and the land is wasted? How much blood did the predecessors shed for the land, how many people sacrificed their lives, and didn't plant good land to live up to them? Shagang Village is the place where I was born and raised, and I should repay the kindness of my hometown. I love this land, I love the villagers here, I can't watch the villagers in Shagang Village suffer from poverty! It is also my responsibility to make Shagang Village rich and let the villagers live a good life! The road is walked out by people, as long as you struggle, you don't believe that Shagang Village can't get rich!