Time: 2009-4-24:11:05 Words: 3280
Zhiyuan and his cousin turned off the lights and walked out of the brick kiln. The sky was already dark. The deep blue night sky was a little dark yellow. It was unknown whether it was the reflection of the city lights in the distance or the clouds that were blown away by the wind. The stars blinked mischievously, full of spirituality, like elves filling the night sky, accompanying a crescent moon to embellish the emptiness of the night. Zhiyuan and his cousin patted the dust off each other's bodies. Hei Zi couldn't wait to light up the cigarette. The weak fireworks flickered in the dark as Hei Zi sucked, reflecting the starlight at night. Hei Zi hummed an unknown tune as he hurried to the computer room. Zhiyuan and his cousin dragged their tired bodies back to the dormitory.
The dormitory and the kitchen were brightly lit, and the lights were turned on outside the house. It was noisy. Usually, everyone would either play cards or sleep during dinner. Today was like a lively festival, without the usual silence. Si Hai and Fatty shuttled back and forth between the dormitory and the kitchen. They were afraid that someone would snatch the first spoonful of meat from the big iron pot. Seeing that they hadn't eaten yet, Zhiyuan and his cousin were so tired that they squeezed into the bed and lay down for a while. A fragrance wafted from the kitchen next door, and Zhiyuan's saliva flowed out. After all, he hadn't smelled the smell of meat for more than a month. Zhiyuan imagined what a sumptuous dinner it would be today. Hei Zi was back, and he ran into the house excitedly, humming the same tune. Hei Zi entered the house and saw them lying on the bed. He hurriedly shouted,"Damiao, Xiaomiao, go eat the meat." Before Blackie could finish speaking, he had already run into the kitchen next door with his bowl.
After waiting for another half an hour, everyone's anxious anticipation finally ended. It was time to eat. It was a stewed chicken rack. Yang Wu even brought a rare bottle of cigarettes and alcohol. Usually, Yang Wu and the other foremen would hide in the house to eat and drink. Everyone lined up from the kitchen to the outside. Everyone was waiting for the big spoon in Third Brother's hand to fall into his rice bowl. Si Hai was the first to come out. He impatiently reached into the rice bowl and fished out a piece of bone and meat and stuffed it into his mouth. It was so hot that Si Hai's mouth couldn't help but gasp. He didn't care about the taste of chewing carefully and swallowed it into his stomach. He was so greedy that Hei Zi, who was lining up behind, couldn't wait to snatch it from the pot. Zhiyuan and his cousin were at the back of the line. They had been lying on the bed for a while longer. They had stood in line earlier because they had to wait. They had already stood for the entire field. Zhiyuan's arms and neck were sore from exhaustion. Not only did he use his hands to arrange the kiln, but he also kept his head down to match the accuracy of the arrangement.
It was finally Zhiyuan's turn. There was still a lot of chicken meat left in the pot. Brother San said proudly,"I didn't fill them up at first because I was afraid that there wouldn't be enough. Now, you can help yourselves.”His cousin scooped a bowl full of chicken meat for Zhiyuan, and Zhiyuan also reached out to pinch a piece and put it in his mouth like Si Hai. It was fragrant, really fragrant.
When he returned to the house, only Hei Zi was there. He had followed them to the house to drink and smoke. Zhiyuan and the others had shared a bottle of kaoliang wine and a box of cigarettes with Hei Zi. Hei Zi was sitting cross-legged on Zhiyuan's bed and enjoying himself. When he saw Zhiyuan and his cousin, he enthusiastically distributed the cigarettes and poured the wine. His cousin generously said," Brother Hei Zi, the cigarettes and alcohol are all yours. How about it? You're a good brother, right? In the future, please take care of my cousin. Just be more tolerant if you can do it. He's not as capable as you are. You're already taking care of him by not deliberately making things difficult for him.”Blackie ate while drinking. He didn't even have time to use his chopsticks and directly used his hands to eat. Blackie chewed and swallowed as he said,"Hey, what are you saying, Big Miao? We're all brothers. When he first came, I wanted to make things difficult for him and make him make a fool of himself, but I saw that Xiaomiao was so honest that she didn't do those immoral things anymore. However, Xiaomiao is quite hardworking. You have to thank me. Xiaomiao really worked hard after being provoked by me. Look at him now, he's not doing very well. It's just that his body is a little weak, but Xiaomiao can work hard. He's a person with backbone, unlike Fatty, who looks quite big. It's just that I have strength in my body and can't use it."
Hearing Hei Zi's words, his cousin looked at Zhiyuan with relief. Zhiyuan was enjoying the delicious meal with relish and did not seem to hear his conversation with Hei Zi. Blackie was so greedy that he even threw up his bones. Blackie did not care about talking anymore. He ate and drank while he did not forget to pick up a lit cigarette. It was already very late outside, and the crescent moon hung diagonally above their heads. It was time for Cousin to go home. This place was seven or eight miles away from the coal mine dormitory. It seemed that Cousin did not intend to go back today. Otherwise, why hadn't he changed his clothes? Zhiyuan was about to go to bed when his cousin, who had been silent all this while, spoke up." Zhiyuan, I won't be coming tomorrow. I'm going to the mine tomorrow to get a wardrobe and work clothes. I'll start work officially before May Day. I'll report to the work area first, then the safety training before going into the well. The training will count as work and I'll get a basic salary. When I'm not here, you have to swallow your anger and never get into conflicts with others. The situation in the mine is like this now. I don't know how long you unemployed youths have to wait. Anyway, it's not your problem alone. There are many unemployed youths in the mine who don't study hard like you are waiting at home. If you have something to do, go to the mine and I will take you to take a bath and have your hair cut. Look at your hair. I will come to see you when I'm free. What's the matter today?”When Zhiyuan heard that his cousin was going to become an official coal miner, his envious heart flew to the high tower of the coal mine. The feeling of happiness repeated over and over again as the heavenly wheel on the tower rotated.
After his cousin left, he left Zhiyuan with a few words of advice and a tattered work uniform. It was the work uniform that his second uncle had saved. It was made of coarse cotton and dark blue. Zhiyuan really hoped that the news his cousin brought just now was about him being hired by the mine, but unfortunately, it wasn't. His cousin had left, and Zhiyuan was left alone here. It was inevitable that he would be disappointed. Si Hai and Fatty had not returned yet. They should be drinking with Yang Wu. Zhiyuan heard the snoring from Hei Zi next door. Zhiyuan looked at the empty house and thought of Yanmei. He was too embarrassed to ask his cousin to take the letter away and mail it for him. He didn't do that. He wanted to keep his secret. He was looking for the feeling of missing someone. His cousin left, leaving Zhiyuan disappointed and helpless. He was sleepy, but Sihai and Fatty had not come yet. Zhiyuan fell asleep quietly with a faint worry on his face.
The next day, his cousin did not appear in the dormitory on time. Si Hai and Fatty were very surprised. Zhiyuan proudly told them that his cousin would never work in the brick kiln again. He was now an official worker in the mine. With a stable high salary and pension insurance, he could retire in the future. Zhiyuan only knew that the official workers still had a salary after they retired, just like Yanmei's father who could receive the salary from the mine on time every month. It was something that the villagers envied for a long time. How many people in a village could eat the state's public grain?
It was a good thing that his cousin did not come. From then on, he had left the hard work of the brick kiln and turned a new page in his life. Zhiyuan could only envy and wait. He was not qualified to be an official miner yet. Perhaps he had not experienced enough hardships. Starve him." Zhiyuan thought of this famous ancient saying. He didn't know if it was appropriate to use it on himself at this time. He didn't know if his humble identity would live up to the intention of this saying. He didn't know if he was qualified to use this sentence to describe his present and future, but he believed in his own persistence. He urged his own footsteps to chase after his own future.
The sky was still blue when his cousin was not around. Zhiyuan was still the one who kept the kiln, but the person who handed the clay bricks was Fatty. Fatty and Si Hai were from the same village. Fatty was well-developed but simple-minded. Seeing that Fatty was idle at home and had no job, Si Hai brought him out to work for him. After his cousin left, Fatty became the first person to hand over the bricks. Fatty had endurance and was honest. He could be counted on, unlike Si Hai, who made him feel bored after staying in the cold brick kiln for a while and quickly slipped away. Zhiyuan and Fatty's cooperation was quite tacit. Zhiyuan just felt that Fatty's pace was slower than his cousin's by half a beat.
Just like that, Zhiyuan and Fatty cooperated unhurriedly. Three days had passed in the blink of an eye. Zhiyuan was still not used to the days when his cousin left. When he woke up in the morning, he still habitually looked at the intersection where his cousin usually appeared, looking for the figure of his relatives and support in his hometown. It was Hei Zi's humor that made Zhiyuan forget the torture of exhaustion. It trained Zhiyuan's body and his will, and also tested his calmness and persistence when facing difficulties in life independently. He should thank Hei Zi. It was Hei Zi's mockery that allowed him to face difficulties bravely. He would never back down or compromise. He had already endured the greatest test that life had given him. He should persevere now. He would experience the fatigue and hardship on his body and savor it in his heart. The memories that life had left him at that time, the memories that he often recalled, the hope that allowed him to remember the sacrifices he had made in the past to continue his dream, the hope that would never be extinguished, the strength melted by hot blood flowing in his yellow skin.
The distance between the two cave doors was finally filled. It was the result of the sweat and sweat of Zhiyuan and the others. The clay bricks of the first cave were about to be sealed with paper and lit up. Zhiyuan did not count the number of holes in this round of kiln, but the door of each cave was sealed with broken bricks after the kiln was completed. It was called sealing the door and shutting the fire. The distance between the cave doors was an independent firing area. The fire was ignited one by one in a clockwise direction. The burning smoke was independently sucked away by the tall chimney. One could enter the kiln while leaving the kiln. The fire in the entire kiln was not ignited at the same time. The fire in the cave door was ignited one by one. After sealing a hole, the next hole was used to enter the kiln. Once the kiln fire was ignited, it could not be extinguished. If the kiln suddenly extinguished during the firing process, it was unlucky. It was considered that the kiln god and the fire god were not respected. The so-called fire extinguishing caused by offending the gods was just a mockery of people's superstition and a rumor of feudal thinking. The real extinguishing of the fire was nothing more than a human error. The opening and closing of the ventilation door was not controlled well, causing the burning of the coal to be extinguished due to the lack of air.
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