It was the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the farmers were unusually busy. On the vast and magnificent Yellow Plateau, the sky was high and the clouds were light.
In the early morning, the golden sunlight shone from the eastern horizon, illuminating the land that was filled with vitality. The sun was opening its broad mind, spreading its light and heat to the boundless world without bias, caring for thousands of living beings under the sky.
According to legend, in ancient times, the leaders of two tribes, Chiyou and Xuanyuan, fought to the death here for this precious land. In the end, Xuanyuan defeated Chiyou and established the first foundation of China here. Later on, the three generations of emperors, Yao, Shun, and Yu, also built their capitals here, developed, and thrived. Nowadays, in this rapidly developing era of commodification, the people here proudly described this place as the birthplace of Chinese civilization and called it the cradle of ancient Chinese culture.
At this moment, when one stood on the plains of the valley in the western suburbs of Longcheng County, standing by the river where the gurgling water flowed, and looking at the horizon in the north, the towering and majestic Phoenix Mountain in their field of vision was already sprinkled with golden sunlight. The high mountains formed by the years of wind and rain seemed to be plated with a layer of gold, shining brightly. At the front of the mountain, there was a towering earth ridge. At the top of the earth ridge, there was a verdant old pine tree. The huge crown of the old pine tree was like a circular curtain held by the entourage of ancient emperors when they went out, covering the top of the earth ridge tightly. This unique landscape became a striking landmark in this area. It was like an ingenious photographer taking a beautiful and eye-catching silhouette before sunset, standing clearly in front of your eyes.
When did this old pine tree grow? How many years had it been since then? Even the locals couldn't tell. There was once a curious person in the small mountain village under the old pine tree who found an old man in his nineties named Li Fu and specially asked him for advice. However, Li Fu stroked his snow-white goatee and said in an authoritative manner,"When I was young, I heard my grandfather say that this old pine tree was like this when he could remember.”
A long time ago, hard-working people built a small village around this ridge. This small village was named Green Pine Ridge because of the ancient tree on the ridge. Green Pine Ridge was far away from the downtown area. Transportation was inconvenient, and news was blocked. Very few people knew about the outside world. They were hardworking, loyal, and honest. They lived a self-sufficient life as small farmers by working hard. Now it belonged to Xiangyang People's Commune, its full name was Longcheng County Xiangyang People's Commune Qingsong Ridge Production Team. Time had changed. This small mountain village, which had been growing and thriving in the long river of history, now had a population of more than 1,000. There were three production teams in total. The members were proud that in recent years, the agricultural production and various work of the Green Pine Ridge Brigade had always been at the forefront of the Xiangyang People's Commune. It had always been a model brigade of the entire Commune.
It was the busiest season of the year for the village members to harvest autumn wheat. In the early morning, when the golden sunlight had just dyed the old pine tree on the earth ridge yellow and the entire village was still covered in a dark shadow, the small mountain village had already woken up from its deep sleep. The powerful bell of the production team had already passed through the old-fashioned window paper of the cave dwelling, waking up the farmers who were still sleeping soundly. The people who were exhausted by the heavy labor climbed out of their beds and became active again.
Outside the village, a group of people carrying plows and harrows and driving their livestock to the hills to harvest the autumn wheat and plant the wheat were hurriedly walking along the field road. Look, the big yellow bull was covered in multicolored light and mooed. It looked like it was not in a hurry and did not care at all. It kept swinging its long tail hard to knock away the Gadfly that was crawling on its butt and sucking blood. The old farmer behind the big yellow cow, who was carrying a plow and harrow on his shoulder, was obviously anxious. He found the big yellow cow's temper too exposed, so he whipped it hard on its back and roared,"F * ck! You lazy worm." A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy led a red mule and hurried past the crowd. On the back of the mule was a bag of wheat seeds. He went to the ground that had been polished the day before to sow. A small, glittering brass bell hung from the mule's neck, which rang as it walked with its even pace, adding a tense and cheerful atmosphere to the busy procession.
The farmers of Green Pine Ridge all knew that harvesting wheat in autumn was a major event of the year, and it was also the busiest time for farmers. As the saying goes," Three days before the autumnal equinox and four days after the autumnal equinox, wheat is not late or roasted." Today was the autumnal equinox solar term, which was a good time to plant wheat. One day was one day, and the seasons were unforgiving! Planting the wheat of that year would determine the harvest of the next year. It was a major event that determined whether the members could eat their fill! Therefore, whenever this season came, people would throw the troubles and disputes of the human world to the back of their minds. Even if there was something, it would have to wait until the autumn crops were harvested and the wheat was planted!
It was the autumn of 1968. The soul-stirring "Cultural Revolution" was like an intermittent storm, roaring and raging for two years in the vast land of China. The radical and fanatical people of the Green Pine Ridge Brigade imitated the rebels in the city and seized the power of the capitalist roaders of the Green Pine Ridge Brigade. It was a day in July of that year. The rebels of the brigade, with the support of the leaders of the newly established revolutionary committee, gathered all the members of the village and held a grand mass meeting in the courtyard of the brigade. Those men and women with red sleeves and swaggering flags once again escorted Zhang Zhongquan, the former party branch secretary of the brigade, to the conference hall like a criminal who had committed a serious crime. Two young men twisted his arm and pressed his head. They even hung a wooden board with the words " capitalist Zhang Zhongquan " upside down on it. They criticized him fiercely and then announced that the power of the " party, government, finance and literature " of the brigade belonged to the vast " revolutionary rebels ". From that day on, the brigade was replaced by a new leadership team. A wooden board painted with white paint with the words "Longcheng County Xiangyang People's Commune Qingsong Ridge Brigade Revolutionary Committee" was hung by the door of the production brigade. From then on, anyone who walked past the entrance of the brigade would be able to see this eye-catching wooden sign as long as they turned their heads slightly.
After lunch that day, a rustic but somewhat confident young man came to the front door of the brigade headquarters. Seeing that the door was locked, he walked back and forth a few times at the door. Then, with his back facing the sign, he squatted down thoughtfully.
This young man was wearing a black student uniform made of homespun cloth, barefoot and wearing a pair of old but clean black velvet square cloth shoes. Although he was dressed from head to toe like a young man in a mountain village, his appearance and the honest, handsome temperament revealed between his eyebrows left a deep impression on people. To be fair, the young man was very handsome. He was about 1.8 meters tall and had a well-proportioned body. He had a square face, a square chin, slightly thick lips, and a high, straight nose bridge. His eyes were especially bright under his thick eyebrows. It was unforgettable.
He was the eldest son of Zhong Rencheng from the village's second production team. He had just graduated from the county's No.1 Middle School and returned to his hometown. The day he was born was the 10th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar in 1949, the 1st day of the 10th month of the Gregorian calendar. It happened to be the day when a great man announced on the Tiananmen Gate Tower in Beijing,"The People's Republic of China is founded, and the people of the Celestial Dynasty have stood up!"”That day. Therefore, his father, Zhong Rencheng, who was slightly cultured, gave him a fashionable name, Zhong Guoqing.
Zhong Guoqing had been waiting for two hours, but he still didn't see the person he was waiting for. He was obviously a little anxious. He stood up with a whoosh and pressed his face against the crack of the door. He looked at the locked door of the brigade office opposite him and seemed a little disappointed. He turned his face and glanced at the brand new wooden sign. Although the big sign with the words " Green Pine Ridge Brigade Revolutionary Committee " on the white background and red words was close at hand, his face did not show a trace of novelty. He even looked down on it, as if he did not think much of this new thing that had just appeared in this small mountain village. He had been studying in Longcheng County for six years, especially since the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution". He had walked out of the classroom with thousands of students in the county and joined the unprecedented mass movement. In the past two years, the storms he had experienced in the remote and small Green Pine Ridge were completely different. No matter how intense and crazy the storm in this small mountain village was, how could it compare to the grand and vigorous momentum in the county? However, at this moment, he was not in the mood to compare the differences between the city and the countryside, nor was he in the mood to appreciate the scenery here and this extremely ordinary wooden sign. He was anxiously thinking about something, a major event that concerned his lifelong happiness.
It turned out that he wanted to say a few words to a girl on the other end of the phone through the telephone on the accountant's desk. He felt that these words were very urgent and he had to say it to her as soon as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to sleep well.
In that era, people had not heard of cell phones, and the communication between people was far less convenient than it was today. Today, as long as he wanted to talk to someone, or inform them of something, or tease them, or express his feelings, or talk about love, he just needed to pick up his phone and dial the other party's number, regardless of whether the other party was in the same city or in the north or south of the country. Whether the other party was eating, sleeping, watching a movie in the cinema, or shopping in a noisy shopping mall, they could express their infinite affection and exchange information with each other through radio waves in an instant. The comfortable feeling was as if they were close at hand, and they could even see the other party's smiling face. No matter how many intimate words you have, you can express them to the other party at any time.
However, there was already a telephone in the village at that time. There was one in the office of the brigade in the village. However, the brigade accountant, Yang Maohe, always put it in the drawer of his desk and did not let anyone touch it. It was only used once when there was an urgent business report or request to the Commune. If there was an urgent matter in the Commune, it would be conveyed through it. It was a huge black iron box that was as heavy as a watermelon. There was a handle on the right side of the phone. The person on the phone grabbed the handle and shook it for a long time before he could hear a very distant and weak woman's voice coming from the black plastic receiver. The woman was the telephone operator of the Commune. Normally," telephone operator " should be the name of a machine, and the girl who answered the phone should be called " operator ", but the villagers had never called her that. Everyone was used to calling the operator " public telephone operator " or simply " operator ".
In the past two days, Zhong Guoqing had wandered around the brigade's entrance several times. In order to get through this phone call, he had been planning for a long time. He wanted to put in a good word for Accountant Yang when he was the only one in the brigade headquarters. There shouldn't be any problems. In order to make it convenient for him and keep the secret on the phone for him, he even spent twenty-three cents to buy a box of Bai Lan brand cigarettes from the agency store, ready to " bribe " him.
Yesterday, he had been here after lunch and dinner. However, the door of the brigade headquarters was either locked or the accountant's desk was surrounded by people. He stood at the door of the brigade headquarters for a while before going home. However, he did not give up. He remembered that when he passed by this place, he would see the accountant of the brigade busy on the table. Strange, why was it so difficult to find an opportunity to make a phone call now? After lunch today, he hurried to the entrance of the brigade headquarters again, thinking that the accountant might come here for a walk after lunch. However, after waiting anxiously for two hours, there was no sign of Accountant Yang. He complained in his heart, Uncle Yang, why are you deliberately going against me? At this moment, he heard someone call out to him,"Guo Wa, who are you waiting for?”Guo Qing stood up instinctively when he heard the friendly question. Because he knew from the voice that the person who asked him was his uncle from the village, Shang Wenzhong.
Shang Wenzhong was a farmer in his forties. He was honest and strong. He was the captain of the village's first production team. He was not only an expert in the path of crops, but also very proficient in the path of masons and carpenters. The villagers said that he was proficient in both mud and wood and was a capable person. He relied on his own craftsmanship to help the villagers with this and that, so he was very popular in the village.
"Oh! Uncle, I want to wait for the brigade accountant to make a call."”
"Early this morning, he went to the county to participate in the brigade's accounting training. I heard that he will be back in five or six days.”
When Guo Qing heard this, his heart immediately turned cold. However, he still pretended to be indifferent and asked,"Uncle, why are you in such a hurry?”
"I want to find a few people to help me turn over that private plot of land at night. When the team's wheat is finished, we can also plant our own plot of land. Are you free tonight?"
"Yes! I'll call my brother along too."
"Alright! You've been to that small piece of land on Yaoer Ridge.”
"Good! After dinner, we went straight to the fields.”
Uncle was the benefactor of the National Day family. Zhong Guoqing's father, Zhong Rencheng, worked in the county grain bureau. A few years ago, Guoqing and his younger brother and sister were still studying in school. His mother earned work points alone in the team, so there were more people in the family who shared the grain and fewer people who earned work points. They owed the production team a lot of food money. Every time the team distributed food or dividends, they would always urge the arrears to repay, and the team leader and accountant would always be very tight. Her mother couldn't afford it, so she had to borrow money overnight. At that time, other than a few kind-hearted people from the neighboring families who often helped out, most of them were her mother's twin sisters and aunts who helped her through the difficulties during National Day. Usually, when there was heavy work at home, she would rely on her uncle to help. On National Day, she clearly remembered that her uncle had presided over the construction of the earthen kiln, the gatehouse, and the dining hall from beginning to end. So when he heard that his uncle was looking for someone to dig the ground, he hurriedly agreed. He felt that even if he had a big matter, he had to push it back. It was more important to dig the ground for his uncle.
After dinner, he and his younger brother each carried a shiny steel shovel to his uncle's private plot of land. By the time his uncle and the others arrived, he and his brother had already made a round trip.
That night was a clear and bright night. A full moon hung in the sky, illuminating the ground as if it was daytime. Other than the crisp sounds of the metal shovel being stepped on by the foot pedal, there was the sound of people talking and laughing. In the dark row under the moonlight, other than Guo Qing, his brother Jianshe, and his uncle, there were three other people. They were all strong farmers who had done farm work in the village for many years. National Day was very familiar with them. They were either Uncle's friends or Uncle's partners who often helped the villagers with the masons. The humorous, thin and capable man was called Wang Yongji. He was the captain of the village's third production team and was known as the smarty one. He had been a soldier and fought in wars. It was said that in 1947, when he attacked Linfeng City, he was wounded and only then did he return to the village. His injured left leg was disabled, and he still limped a little when he walked. He was eloquent, quick-witted, and full of schemes. Everyone had chosen him as captain for many years. Although the club members supported him, they were afraid of him. They were not afraid of his bad temper or fierce personality, but they were afraid that he was too cunning. This was because the production team at that time was originally eating from the same big pot. They worked like a swarm of bees, and the sun shone in the fields. It was the same whether they worked more or less. They earned work points regardless of whether they worked or not. However, Wang Yongji was never like the other captains, who would scold and curse by name. Instead, he would seize the opportunity. He often sneaked around to check when the members were working in the fields. He even hid in the dark to spy on them. As long as he caught those who were lazy or did not work well, he would immediately appear in front of them and deliberately embarrass them. Sometimes, he would expose and criticize these living examples at the general meeting of all members. Although he had always been very particular about strategy when criticizing others. They often used stories, jokes, humor, and sarcasm. Their words were also very gentle, and they did not use the swear words that the villagers used to curse. However, the person being criticized would always feel that he was half a dwarf after being ridiculed and mocked by the captain in public. Therefore, most of the people who were criticized would learn a lesson and take it as a warning. Some people would correct their mistakes from then on and strive to be good club members who were the same whether their leaders were around or not. Even thick-skinned people would be more cautious and be wary of Captain Wang at all times. In addition to being cunning, Wang Yongji also liked to tell some sour jokes when the members were tired and depressed to make them laugh and relieve their fatigue. Once, when he was leading the club members to plow the fields, he saw a young student who was returning home for the summer vacation not plowing very well. He said,"Buddy, looks like you're also a 'sharp-tongue', right? Look at how you're digging the ground like a chicken! I'll have to teach you a good lesson later." The young man who had a strong sense of self-esteem and cared a lot about his face heard the captain's criticism. His face was a little embarrassed and he immediately lowered his head with a red face. Wang Yongji immediately realized this. He felt that his words were a little too harsh for a young student, so he immediately took a remedy to ease the atmosphere. He stabbed the shovel into the ground and said,""Everyone, take a break and listen to me tell you a story about the 'sharp-tongued head'.”Hearing Captain Wang's words, everyone immediately clapped their hands in welcome and found a place to sit. The old man, Shao Xian, looked at Wang Yongji's posture and smiled. He said,""Humph! What is this ghost going to say again!" Wang Yongji looked back at the Association of Elderly Poor People and said with a smile,""Last night, I opened my youngest son's eyes. I originally wanted to sleep with my wife, but that little coward just lay on my wife's body and didn't give me any space. After waiting for a long time, there was really no other way. I pushed him away and said, She was already three or four years old. Why did she still need milk? Let Daddy have a bite too. As I said that, I climbed up. My son saw that I kept swaying on his mother's stomach and refused to come down. He said, why can't I come down? He crawled behind me and said in surprise, Aiyo! No wonder there was a nail that nailed the two of you together! Hey! Before the little coward could finish, I had already lost all my strength from laughing and rolled down obediently. Before he could finish, everyone had already burst into laughter. The young man who had just been criticized by him had also run far away with his hands covering his stomach. Guo Qing had heard a lot of stories about Wang Yongji. He had long thought that he was a character, the kind of capable person that the villagers said.
The middle-aged man with an unshaven beard next to Wang Yongji was Dong Hanlin, the son-in-law who had come to the village to find a bride. Dong Hanlin was about the same age as his uncle. He was a taciturn person who was honest and reliable. The members could rest assured. He had been the caretaker of the third production team for many years. A few years ago, during the National Day period when his family was building the clay kiln, his uncle often called him over to help with the work. He had good clay in the kiln and was willing to work hard. Although his mother would make seven plates and eight bowls for each meal, Dong Hanlin only liked to eat one dish: Spicy. Green or red chili was fine, but his favorite was spicy noodles with oil. He could eat a small bowl of spicy noodles for one meal, and he was sweating profusely. As he ate, he said, This chili is so strong, so beautiful! Behind Dong Hanlin, the one who had been laughing was the driver of the brigade's side team. His name was Li Longfa. He was still young, only two years older than Guoqing. When he was studying in the primary school in the village, he was in the same class as Guoqing. Because he could not enter the school, he did not study until he graduated from primary school. He was now driving a carriage in the brigade's side team and often went out. Long Fa was a smart and knowledgeable person who could kick and bite. According to the villagers, he was a "bachelor".
Wang Yongji was still the one who talked non-stop the whole night. That night, his topic was inseparable from Zhong Guoqing, a high school graduate who had just returned to the village. Although he was not too familiar with National Day, he seemed to have some appreciation for this young man who did not like to talk much. Perhaps he thought that he had been studying outside for a long time on National Day, and that he was well-educated and knowledgeable, so he thought highly of him.
That night, when Wang Yongji arrived at the field, he picked up the steel shovel and asked,""Guo Wa, after graduating from high school, what do you plan to do in the future?”
"Uncle, the university doesn't recruit students now. You can only come back to farm!”
"What is it? Farming? Are you prepared to be like us for the rest of your life? What a pity! Your father spent money to support you for more than ten years. Is it for nothing?”
"Sigh! There are only a few hundred high school graduates in our school this year. If they all go back, those with urban hukou might even find a job. For rural children like us, what else can we do other than farming?”
"Soldiers, soldiers! "A cultured person like you will definitely be able to do well in the team. When I was a soldier in Wang Ying's 212th Brigade, there were many cultured people there. They could speak and write, and they improved very quickly. If I was cultured back then, I wouldn't be here today.”
"I heard that the conscription in the county has started in the next few days. Aren't you going to sign up quickly?”Li Longfa chimed in.
"I've heard about this long ago. I've already registered for the brigade. When the notice comes, I'll go to the county for a physical examination.”Guo Qing replied.
"That's right. You must think of a way to get them to test you! He quickly found an acquaintance and fawned over the soldier. As long as you can join the army, any problem can be solved easily. Work hard in the army for a few years and be promoted to an official position. How good is that? Even if he couldn't get a job, he could at least be a factory worker after he was discharged from the military. This way, his job problem would be solved and he wouldn't have to worry about getting a wife!”
"Even if you train in the army for a few years and suffer for a few years, you won't suffer for nothing. Didn't Yan Jun join the army two years ago? Every year, the army gives his family 3000 work points!”The honest Dong Hanlin also interjected.
Uncle listened and said,"Guo Wa, everyone is right. Go back and take care of this matter."”
"Yes, what everyone said is the truth. I've already called my parents and signed up for the brigade.”At the mention of being a soldier, Guo Qing's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He thought of his urgent matter and made up his mind to contact her quickly.
When everyone had turned over more than half of the land, Cousin came with a load of rice. In front of him was a basket of noodles with steaming eggs, tender green onions, and green spicy horns. There was an iron bucket behind him that was half filled with diluted rice soup. Although the people were not too hungry, the fragrant eggs dipped in swirls were really attractive. Everyone used swirls to wrap onions or green and spicy horns, and they ate them alive. On National Day, they also ate two swirls, but he was chewing the swirls in his mouth and thinking about making a phone call. He did not taste the delicious swirls.
After eating the spinning dice, everyone rummaged for more than half an hour, and that small piece of land was finished. In this half an hour, Wang Yongji told a few jokes, and Li Longfa also told some of his experiences when he was driving outside, but National Day did not hear a word. He had been thinking about his own thoughts.
Who was Zhong Guoqing calling? What was he calling for? This was his little secret. He had never told anyone about it. However, he had already planned this in his heart after reporting to the militia commander that day. However, he could not make up his mind. To be honest, even if he made the call, what would the result be? He was indeed uncertain. Therefore, not only was he hesitant, but he was also a little afraid and shy. However, she would have to go to the county for a checkup in two days, and then she would be enlisted in the army. If she did not say this to her now, she would have to regret it for the rest of her life. However, the brigade's accountant had gone to the county for training and would only be back in five or six days. If she waited for him to come back and call, she was afraid that she would not be able to keep up. Therefore, on this night, he thought about it again and again, and finally decided to write a letter.
That night, Guo Qing and his younger brother returned home. His mother and sister were already asleep. He waited for his brother to finish washing up and go back to his room to rest. Then, he sat quietly at the dining table in the kitchen and spread out the letter. Under the dim light of the 15-Watt bulb, he quickly wrote the first love letter in his life. As his elegant words jumped rapidly on the letter, his young and tender heart also beat fiercely, and his cheeks were burning as if they were being baked by a fire. In a short time, he had written three pages. He read them from beginning to end, but he felt that his words did not express his feelings. It seemed to be more difficult to write than the essay given by the teacher in school. He looked at them again and again, then crumpled them into a ball, rephrased them, and wrote them again. It was not until he finished the fourth draft that he felt satisfied. He read the letter from beginning to end again, then copied it neatly. Then, he carefully folded it, found an envelope, and sealed it. When he wrote the envelope, he first wrote the recipient's address: Xiangyang People's Commune of Longcheng County. He only wrote two words for the sender's address: Please explain. He didn't write the recipient's name. He was afraid that it would be bad if others found out. He wanted to wait until he was about to drop this unusual letter into the mailbox before filling in her name.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。