The village chief, Atai, with the unique simplicity of the people in the mountains, said:

"Little brother, don't see outside, what do you have to say. ”

Although the village chief Atai said so, Lin Zhanqing knew that the burden of living in the village was not small.

He hesitated, not daring to speak.

Or Atai urged:

"The little brother hesitated, he really didn't look like a man. ”

Lin Zhanqing opened his mouth at this time:

"I would like to stay in the village for a few days. ”

Atai didn't answer, his face was embarrassed.

Lin Zhanqing hurriedly said:

"I'm not going to live here for nothing. ”

As he spoke, Lin Zhanqing took out a small handful of copper plates from his arms. Take out a count, exactly ten.

Lin Zhanqing handed the ten copper plates to the village chief, Ah Tai.

Atai didn't answer, but looking at the ten copper plates, his eyes were almost unable to move.

Ten copper plates is also a lot of money for the people in the village.

Especially now that there is no source of income at all.

Village Chief Atai looked at the ten copper plates in Lin Zhanqing's hand and thought about it again. Finally spoke:

"Life in the village is not good, I didn't entertain the little brother to live before, and the eldest brother said sorry first. ”

Lin Zhanqing immediately said:

"It's not good for me, it's really inconvenient to live alone in the village. ”

阿泰 says:

"The little brother gave ten copper plates, and of course there is no reason for the village not to entertain. It's just that where the little brother lives, it's not easy to arrange. ”

Lin Zhanqing Road:

"Just one family, no matter how bad it is, you can do it in a place like a firewood house. ”

Village Chief Atai Dao:

"The little brother may not know much, most of the families in the village are a few people crammed into one room. There are not many spare rooms to entertain people. And the people in the village are not very accustomed to entertaining strangers. ”

Lin Zhanqing didn't speak again, and only looked at the village chief Atai.

Village Chief Atai thought about it for a long time, and finally patted his thigh and said:

"Come to think of it, her family can entertain the little brother to live. ”

When Lin Zhanqing heard that he could live in the village, his face was full of joy, and he immediately asked:

"Brother Atai, whose house is it?"

阿泰 says:

"Her house has a spare room, which is clean and spacious. Only one thing, she is a widow. ”

......

"Ali, Yingshui, don't be busy doing laundry, there's a guest coming. ”

"Brother Atai, the village chief, is here, hurry up and sit at home. This is ?......"

Ali and Yingshui were washing clothes in their yard when they saw the village chief Brother Atai coming, and hurriedly wiped their hands. Stand up and say hello to Ataygo.

Ali is in her twenties, not tall or short, very thin. It's as thin as a gust of wind that can blow people away.

Ali is dressed in coarse cloth, her face is beautiful, and her complexion is somewhat whiter than that of ordinary mountain women.

Yingshui is only seventeen or eighteen years old, which is younger than Han Yuning.

Yingshui is half a head taller than Ali, her appearance is more beautiful and delicate, and her complexion is whiter.

Although it is far from being able to compare with the eldest lady who is good at maintenance every day in a prosperous town, in this big mountain, it is good.

It's just that Yingshui is very thin, thinner than Ali. The neck is almost as thin as Yingshui's already slender wrist.

Whether it's Ali or Yingshui, it's like a tissue cardboard person.

Ali's man died two years ago. Ali did not remarry, and she had her five-year-old son with her.

Yingshui, the unmarried sister, also came to Ali the year before last.

Ali, her sister Yingshui, and Ali's son are struggling to survive in the village.

Ali's house is not bad, it was repaired by Ali's man when he was there. There are three wooden huts for dwellers, and a utility room with thatched and mud walls.

But Ali didn't want Lin Zhanqing to stay.

"Brother Atai, I can't let him live in my house. ”

"Ali, only your house has a vacant house in our village. After being entertained, they stayed for a few days and left. ”

"Brother Atai, I am an orphan and widow, and Yingshui is not married yet. Entertain a big man to live at home, like what words. ”

"Ali, it's not like to live in your house, and it's even worse to live in someone else's house. ”

Ali was a little choked up at this time, how difficult the life of a widow was, outsiders couldn't imagine.

Seeing that Ali was unwilling and not in a hurry, the village chief Ah Tai slowly took out eight copper plates from his chest.

Stuffed into Ali's hands.

Ali looked at the eight copper plates and was very happy.

阿泰 says:

"People don't live in vain, these eight copper plates are given by people. Eight copper plates is not much, but it is also an income. Your family now wants to earn eight copper plates, but it's difficult. ”

Ali didn't want Lin Zhanqing to live at home at all, but the temptation of these eight copper plates was too great.

You must know that Ali worked hard to grow a season of rice, and she could only earn a few hundred copper plates.

With two crops of rice a year, plus digging some herbs in the mountains, Ali and her sister Yingshui will earn less than 1,000 copper plates all year round.

And now it's winter, the rice harvest is finished, and the herbs can't be dug up. I'm afraid I won't be able to earn a copper plate for the whole winter.

Life was already tight, and Ali hadn't spent money for many days.

At this time, the eight copper plates, Ali was really irresistible.

"Alright, village chief Brother Atay. Let him live in my house. But an outsider, I don't know what his situation is. What if he has a bad plan?"

Ah Tai leaned over to Ali's ear and whispered:

"If he has a bad plan, you call someone. ”

Ali was relieved and returned to the house.

Lin Zhanqing was sitting on the pony in the house, and Ali's sister Yingshui poured a bowl of water for Lin Zhanqing to drink.

There are very few people in the village who have tea, and a bowl of water is the best sincerity to entertain guests.

Ali's child is hiding in the back room by himself because he is afraid of being born.

Seeing Ali and the village chief Atai coming out, Lin Zhanqing quickly stood up, his eyes full of anticipation.

Lin Zhanqing's eyes are very clear, and they are very bright and good-looking eyes that are rarely seen in mountain villages.

When Ali and Yingshui saw this look, they felt that Lin Zhanqing didn't look like a bad person, and their precautions were a little smaller.

Village Chief Atai said to Lin Zhanqing:

"I told Ali that the little brother would live at Ali's house. ”

Lin Zhanqing nodded, turned his head to Ali and Yingshui and said:

"Sorry to bother you. What work can call me, I have strength. ”

Ali ignored Lin Zhanqing, but Yingshui smiled lightly and said:

"The little brother is polite, I'm afraid that our family doesn't have any good things to entertain the little brother. ”

Lin Zhanqing hurriedly said:

"You don't need to entertain me, I can eat whatever you eat. ”

In this regard, Yingshui did not reply, only smiled lightly.

After the village chief Atai finished explaining, he turned around and left.

Ali hurriedly chased out the door and asked:

"Brother Atai, how can I entertain him?"

Atai whispered:

"You don't have to deliberately entertain, just give him whatever you usually eat. When he eats four or five copper plates, you either let him renew the money. Or find an excuse to send him away. ”

Ali is very happy with this.

There is an outsider living in the house, and Ali doesn't like it very much. So Ali thought about eating a little better these days, and spending four copper plates quickly.

Okay, hurry up and let Lin Zhanqing go.

In this way, Lin Zhanqing lived in the widow Ali's house in Houshan Happy Village.

Ali and Ali's son lived in the hall, Yingshui lived in the east house, and Lin Zhanqing naturally lived in the west house.

That night, Ali's family had a rare meal of white rice and stir-fried wild vegetables with lard.

This is extremely tempting for Ali's son.

Ali's son is called Xiaojing, who is five years old this year, and he is the most naughty and gluttonous.

Since the beginning of winter, Xiaojing has not eaten white rice for more than ten days.

Even if the child grows up, he just puts the porridge in the pot and gives it to Xiaojing to eat.

Five-year-old child, that endure such starvation.

Xiaojing's size is obviously a bit bigger than the other children in the village. Not to mention the little chubby dundes in bustling towns that eat with open stomachs.

Xiao Jing was holding a porcelain bowl slightly larger than his fist, full of white rice. There are also some wild vegetables fried in lard on the rice, not to mention how fragrant Xiaojing eats.

Ali and Yingshui also held a bowl of white rice and ate it with relish.

Lin Zhanqing's bowl is the largest, a big circle larger than Ali Yingshui's bowl. It's almost three times as long as Xiaojing's bowl.

A bowl full of white rice, but Lin Zhanqing didn't put down the chopsticks.

Looking at the fragrant appearance of Ali Yingshui and Xiaojing, Lin Zhanqing felt a little sad.

I often order a big table in the restaurant, and I can't eat enough chicken, duck and fish.

But people in the deep mountains can be so satisfied by eating white rice.

This was a big shock to Lin Zhanqing.

Lin Zhanqing has seen people with very bad lives before, but he has never felt the same way as he does today.

Suddenly, Lin Zhanqing felt that his previous pessimism and misanthropy seemed to be a little redundant and hypocritical.

But Lin Zhanqing immediately changed his mind again.

Everyone has their own suffering, and everyone has their own difficulties.

Many people can't eat enough and are bitter, which doesn't mean that the truth of Lin Zhanqing's father and mother is not bitter.

Although it is very painful to not have enough to eat, the torment that Lin Zhanqing endured physically and mentally is a hundred times more painful than not having enough to eat.

It's not a simple fact that someone can't eat enough, and Lin Zhanqing is very happy if he eats enough.

People who don't have enough to eat can also be happy and happy.

And no matter whether the person who can't eat enough is uncomfortable or happy, at least Lin Zhanqing, who knows the truth about his father's mother, is indeed unhappy, very uncomfortable and tormented.

It felt like falling into lava. Frozen in the 10,000-year-old snow-capped mountains, fried in an oil pan, and rolled into the sea.

And there is no way to resist but to let yourself continue to experience this pain.

Lin Zhanqing was powerless and helpless to this pain.

The only solution is to try to forget about this pain, forget everything, even your own parents.

When a heartless, unforgiving, unconscious walking dead.

Wander slowly and heal in the wandering.

Just when Lin Zhanqing was thinking blindly, Ali's son Xiaojing interrupted Lin Jianqing's thoughts,

"Uncle, why don't you eat? The white rice is fragrant, it's delicious. ”

Xiao Jing's face was full of smiles.

It was the most lively and innocent laugh that only a five-year-old boy had.

Lin Zhanqing was stunned for an instant, and asked in his heart:

"Why can Xiaojing laugh so happily?"