1990

The wind and snow are continuous, and the four fields are vast.

Another year of winter has come, and the former endless Gobi Desert is covered with snow, like a piece of chalk for painting, smearing the ugly and shabby earth under this monotonous and holy white. It is like a white ocean, closely connected with the Qilian Mountains stretching in the distance, becoming an inseparable whole.

Other than that, the snow in the northwest doesn't have much poetry, and some are just cold that soaks into the bone marrow.

The snow is accompanied by the wind, and the wind rolls the snow like a sharp knife, cutting through people's exposed skin and numbing the nerves.

After a burst of mournful whimpering, only the bare poplar could stand like a majestic man, accompanied by the bitter northwest wind, constantly swaying his body, and from time to time let out a sharp and piercing whistling, as if deliberately defying the provocation of the blizzard.

In the winter in the northwest, the sun is too lazy to get up early.

Even at seven or eight o'clock in the morning, the sky was still as dark as ink.

Cheng Jiangshui got up from the dormitory of the archives, endured the biting cold like an ice cellar in the room, and stumbled to get dressed. Although there was a coal stove in the house, it could not withstand the cold wind that came in through the cracks in the doors and windows, and the temperature inside the house was only slightly higher than outside.

Since the two got married, Cheng Jiangshui has moved into He Yi'an's temporary single dormitory in the archives. It's just that every day I have to go out early and return late to Jiuzi Lane to take care of my mother on the hospital bed. I don't dare to slack off for a day, even if there is a knife outside the house, I still can't move.

Listening to the sound of Cheng Jiangshui getting up, He Yi'an asked in a daze with sleepy eyes.

"Jiang Shui, what time is it?"

"It's half past five."

"Oh, then I'll get up too!" He Yi'an struggled to get up.

"No, you can sleep a little longer. I'll put breakfast on the fireside for you, get up and heat it up again, and I'll go back to Jiuzi Alley first. Cheng Jiangshui persuaded in the dark.

"Forget it, I can't sleep either, get up."

He Yi'an got up, listened to the whimpering sound outside the house, frowned, and reminded: "The snow outside is quite heavy, you should pay attention to the slippery road." ”

"I see!"

Without caring about saying anything, Cheng Jiangshui got dressed and wrapped his head in a scarf, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. Then he opened the door and plunged headlong into the wind and snow.

When he returned to Jiuzi Lane early, he was still busy cooking some food for the Cheng family father and son, and then he should go to work and go to school.

Although Cheng Jia'an has also been dissuaded many times. But Cheng Jiangshui is still the same, running at both ends, busy at both ends, and doing his best to do his duty as the eldest daughter.

As his wife went out, He Yi'an rubbed his cold hands, opened the vent of the coal stove, added some coal to it, and pushed the aluminum lunch box by the stove to the middle. It contains today's breakfast, as usual: one steamed bun and two mustard heads.

After eating all of this, it's time to start the day's stylized work.

Wine Alley, Cheng's house.

Since Cheng Jiangshui moved out, the task of accompanying Li Xiulan every night naturally fell back to Cheng Jia'an.

Listen to the wind and snow blowing outside, and from time to time there will be snowflakes mixed with ice ballast hitting the windows, making a creaking sound. Cheng Jia'an hurriedly tucked the quilt for his wife, because he was worried that Li Xiulan, who had no functional reaction, would be frozen, he built an extra coal stove in the back room. Originally, the family home wanted to supply heating to the residents, but Cheng Jia'an thought about it for a long time, but it was because the heating fee was too expensive, and the cost of installing the radiator had to be paid by each family themselves.

But the coal-burning stove has to be done by itself, and when the temperature is low, you have to get up early, poke open the briquettes, open the fire cover, and let the flames burn a little brighter. It's a hassle, but it's also the best way to save money.

Today's snow is particularly heavy, Cheng Jia'an didn't dare to delay, got up early, tidied up the stove, sat on the kettle again, took a small bench, and sat by the stove stupidly.

In the room on the other side, Cheng Jianghai heard the sound of his father getting up, and he hurriedly got up.

Cheng Jia'an looked at his watch, frowned and said, "Why are you getting up, you still have to go to school, let's sleep more." ”

Cheng Jianghai said while getting dressed: "Dad, I can't sleep, it's too cold, I'll put a few more hot water bottles next to my mother." ”

Cheng Jia'an hummed lightly, nodded and said, "The water is still boiling, I'll watch it alone." ”

"That'...... Then I'll cover my mom first! ”

Saying that, Cheng Jianghai took off the clothes he had just put on again, left a big trouser head, jumped on the bed numbly, got into his mother's bed, and coiled in his mother's arms like an octopus, using his own body temperature to warm his mother's cold body.

Patients who are paralyzed in bed are the most uncomfortable when the blood flow in the body is too slow and the body cannot provide too much heat.

Like Cheng Jianghai, who uses his own body temperature to maintain his mother's body temperature, it is not once or twice, and it has long been accustomed to nature.

In order to save electricity, Cheng Jia'an turned off the lights and sat by the stove waiting for the water to boil.

Every time he saw Cheng Jianghai lying motionless beside Li Xiulan, he always reminded him of the days in the group field, Cheng Jianghai, who was wearing open crotch pants, loved to use this posture to obsessively pester Li Xiulan, but the current situation is like a world away from it.

The fire flickered on and off, reflecting on Cheng Jia'an's aging cheeks through the slits, and also on Cheng Jianghai's young and lonely handsome face, and the father and son looked at each other speechlessly.

Dark Night Mileage Ann couldn't help but let out a gloomy sigh, breaking the audible silence in the room.

"Jiang Hai, the high school entrance examination is coming soon, do you have any ideas?" Cheng Jia'an asked softly.

There was a silent silence for a while, and it took a long time in the dark night before Cheng Jianghai's almost low voice came: "Dad! ”

"Hmm!" In the darkness, Cheng Jia'an responded with a weak nasal voice.

"Can I not go to high school?"

Cheng Jia'an's stunned cheeks fluttered under the fire, and he looked up suspiciously and asked, "Why?" ”

Cheng Jianghai bit his lip and said hesitantly: "I want to go out early to earn money!" ”

"What nonsense!"

Cheng Jia'an seemed to be a little angry, and paused lightly on the coal drill in his hand on the ground: "How old are you, what do you want to do, go to school if you can, we earn money at home, it's enough." ”

"So where did our TV go......

Cheng Jia'an was stunned, and then there was a long silence, and only the crackling sound from the fire could be heard.

He didn't know how to answer Cheng Jianghai's question.

Not only the TV, but also some other valuable belongings at home, which can be dealt with a lot, these things can't be hidden from Cheng Jianghai, who is growing up.

In reality, the burden of the whole family is too heavy.