Jin Zhu rode the bike directly to his cousin's house. There was a lock on the door. He shouted a few times in front of and behind the house, calling his cousin and cousin-in-law, but there was no movement. He rode the bike to the village.
"Lian Gouzi, do you know where my cousin went?”
The village messenger called Lian Gouzi blinked his sleepy eyes and thought for a while before saying,""He told me this morning to look for him at the mine. He should be there. Why don't you rest for a while?”
"This little fellow is quite good at talking, but you're not as fast as me. I'll go myself. I won't trouble you anymore.”Then, he brought Zheng Qinglan to the coal mine of the Black King Village, which was the mine that Lian Gouzi had mentioned. When they arrived, before Jin Zhu could ask, someone told him,"You're here to look for your cousin, right? He's in the office.”Jin Zhu led Zheng Qinglan to the office of the mine.
Pei Tianwen was a big man and his voice was loud. He was a straightforward person. " You're the Little Zheng that Luo Tianyin was talking about." He said as soon as he saw Zheng Qinglan." You don't have to introduce yourself. Director Luo told me about it on the phone this morning." Let's not talk about other things first. First, arrange your living arrangements. As for where you live, there are two places for you to choose from. One is the mine. There are many people coming and going here, and there are many people who speak the vernacular. It may be beneficial for you to learn. The other is that there is a generator here. If there is a power failure, you can generate electricity by yourself. There was also the primary school in the village. It was quieter there than the mine. You and the teachers were all cultured people and easy to get along with. The downside was that there was often a blackout at night, and it would last for a few hours. It often had to wait until ten o'clock before it came. It was useless. It was a real 'take off your pants electricity.'”Zheng Qinglan had experienced this. Although he lived in the city, he often had power failures. Compared to the countryside, he was just a little better off. He pondered for a moment and said,"I'd better live in the mine."”
" Well, there's an empty room in the dormitory area of the mine. It's where the engineer who helped us check the equipment used to live. He just finished his task and left not long ago. The covers are all complete. It's too late to wash them all today. Take the covers out to dry and wash the sheets. The weather is still hot now, so it will dry quickly. It can be used at night, so I don't have to arrange for you to live in a farmer's house.”After a pause, Pei Tianwen said half-jokingly,""There's a young lady next door. You have to be careful.”Zheng Qinglan felt a little regretful. If she had known that there was a woman next door, she wouldn't have stayed here. Jin Zhu said,"Brother, this brother of mine is a dutiful person. Don't think of him as you…like the others you see."”Pei Tianwen glanced at Jin Zhu, who quickly said,""Brother, I'll be a good person until the end. I'll help you pack up before leaving.”
Pei Tianwen led them to a small courtyard and introduced them,""This place is more than a hundred meters away from where the miners live. No matter how lively it is over there, it's quiet here. It's suitable for Little Zheng to play with words and ink. There are a few families living in the courtyard. Little Zheng's neighbor is the young lady I mentioned just now. Her name is Shang Liuxin. Another family is an alchemist in the mine. I won't mention the other two, you'll be familiar with them in a few days. Tonight, I asked the canteen to cook two dishes to welcome you.”He then said to Jin Zhu," Brother, we haven't had a drinking competition in a while. Don't leave. Let's have dinner together tonight." I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first. You guys go and tidy up the room. It's the one at the end. I've already asked someone to open it. The keys are on the door. See you tonight.”After saying that, he left in a hurry.
Zheng Qinglan and Jin Zhu walked into the house. Just as Pei Tianwen had said, the bed and chairs were complete. The bedding and luggage were also neatly stacked. There was a small wardrobe at the head of the bed and a door on the back wall. When the door was opened, there was a small courtyard that was a few square meters wide. It could accommodate a small dining table. Behind it was a small kitchen. There were pots and pans in the cupboard, but Zheng Qinglan did not need most of them. They went back to the house in front of them. Zheng Qinglan pulled the switch and the light bulb lit up. He was very satisfied. The two of them washed everything that needed to be washed and carried out the things that needed to be dried. Then, they cleaned up the house, causing their faces and bodies to be covered in dust. Sweat flowed down their bodies, and there were streaks of black and white. However, the interior and exterior of the house had changed greatly.
The sun was about to set. The two of them put away the things that had been dried outside and laid them out. At this time, the people in the well also came up. The area suddenly became noisy. Some of the miners spoke Henan accent, some spoke Sichuan accent, and some spoke Shaanxi accent. Of course, there were also locals. Zheng Qinglan had never heard of some of them before. It was a small coal mine run by a village, and there were only 30 to 40 miners. Zheng Qinglan couldn't help but be surprised that there were so many people working in it. However, this surprise was quickly replaced by the resounding sound of Qin opera. Zheng Qinglan liked to watch and listen to opera since she was young. When she was young, the village would sing opera during festivals. Her friends in the village would fall asleep under the stage before the show started, but Zheng Qinglan enjoyed it very much. Sometimes, even when the adults stopped watching, he still wanted to watch. Later on, the number of people watching the show gradually decreased. The old artists died of old age, and the New Year's show that had flourished for decades disappeared. Zheng Qinglan felt very regretful about this. If he occasionally heard someone singing opera or playing opera accompaniment with the Huqin, he would often be fascinated by it. When he was in the second year of junior high school, he watched the Beijing opera movie "The Legend of the White Snake." He was so moved that he shed tears. He spent a few days and nights without sleep and turned "The Legend of the White Snake" into a long poem. However, he didn't write long poems for others to read, but purely for his own appreciation. As he read, he thought and shed tears. He was fascinated by the White Lady's beauty, moved by her firmness, and even more regretful for her unfortunate ending. Later, his classmates found his poem and asked him for it. Zheng Qinglan was afraid that others would say that he liked the White Lady, so she hid the book. Later, she couldn't find it. Zheng Qinglan felt sorry for him for a long time.
" Brother, you go to the west entrance. Little sister, I'm crying…" Without the accompaniment of the gongs and drums, a person shouted to everyone. Under the setting sun, in the mountains surrounded by mountains, it seemed so desolate but passionate, wild but poignant. Compared to the voice played by the tape recorder, it was a completely different style. Zheng Qinglan's eyes couldn't help but tear up. The vulgar and rude miners suddenly softened and became friendly in her eyes.
After a while, it quieted down. The miners went to the canteen to eat. Zheng Qinglan felt hungry but was too embarrassed to say it. Jin Zhu seemed to have seen through his thoughts and said,"Brother, don't worry. Secretary Pei said that he wanted to treat you, so he naturally won't forget.”Zheng Qinglan felt a little embarrassed and said,""I'm fine, I'm fine." Before he finished speaking, even Gou 'zi came to call them. Whenever there were guests in the village, even the young paparazzo would run errands and invite guests. Sometimes, he would also be a waiter. The two of them followed Lian Gouzi to the canteen and entered through a small door on the side. Through the small window on the wall, they could see the miners who were eating outside. Compared to the rough environment outside, it was a different world inside. The walls were painted smooth and white, and the chandelier and wall lamps on the ceiling gave off a soft light. The terraz floor seemed to have been washed, reflecting the shadows of people and things. There were four tables in the middle of the hall, but only one table was covered with a tablecloth and placed with cups, plates, and bowls.
Pei Tianwen pulled Zheng Qinglan to sit beside him and introduced her to everyone.""This is Comrade Zheng from the county. He's from Shangyou Village. We're neighbors, not outsiders. Comrade Zheng came to our village to collect and sort out folk customs and folk stories. This was a great thing. Wasn't it now strongly advocating that both hands should be grasped and both hands should be hard? What Comrade Zheng was doing was a concrete manifestation of spiritual civilization. "Also, this is also very beneficial to our village. It can let the story of our village spread longer and further. If it's published in a book or newspaper, it can spread even wider. Who knows, some big boss might choose to invest in our village. At that time, our lives will be better than now.”
Zheng Qinglan really admired Secretary Pei. Not only did he see far ahead, but he also raised his standards. "That's why everyone has to accompany Comrade Zheng today. Smoke and wine produce articles and poems. Comrade Zheng, I believe that you scholars have a special interest in cocktail parties. Come, everyone raise your glasses. The first glass of wine must be drunk. Let's not talk too much. I'll drink it first as a toast!”After saying that, he raised his head and emptied the glass of wine. Then, he turned the glass upside down and lit it from left to right. Finally, he raised it in front of Zheng Qinglan. Zheng Qinglan suddenly became the focus of the whole table. He was most afraid of being the center of attention. If he had a choice, he would rather be the blind spot of others. "I, I don't know how to drink. I, I just drank at noon.”He suddenly became incoherent, causing several village officials to laugh out loud."Brother, you don't even know how to lie.”Zheng Qinglan felt even more embarrassed. Her face was burning and she was sweating. "Brother, you're already sweating before you even drink. Your Heavenly Leaking is really powerful. I reckon we're not your match.”Zheng Qinglan was tongue-tied. She really couldn't handle such an occasion.
"Brothers, brothers, you can tell at a glance that my brother is not a slippery person. If he could drink, he would have drunk it long ago. Besides, we did drink at noon and haven't left yet.”
"Who would believe that? On such a hot day, the wine at noon has already turned into sweat.”
"It's fine if Comrade Zheng doesn't want to drink, but we need to find someone to help. It's not the first time you've eaten with us, so you know our rules.”
"The point is that I drank it at noon too. I'm still riding a motorcycle. I have to go back later. Otherwise, my parents and Xianglan will be worried at home.”
"I'll ask Lian Gouzi to make a trip later and send a message to your family so that they won't worry. If you're drunk, you can rest here for the night. Sigh, Brother Zhu Zi, you're afraid that you won't be able to sleep without Sister Xiang Lan, right?”Other than Zheng Qinglan, everyone at the table laughed.
"That's true. Who can let go of such a beautiful and virtuous wife? I can't bear to do so either. Hahaha.”
"I'll drink, I'll drink. Stop talking, I'll drink." Zheng Qinglan raised her glass. Before Jin Zhu could stop her, the glass of wine had disappeared. Zheng Qinglan felt like a piece of charcoal had gone from her mouth to her throat, and then to her chest. Her mind was filled with excitement, and she didn't know what was going on.
Accountant Wei Shangyin filled everyone's glasses. Zheng Qinglan raised her glass with the alcohol."Secretary Pei, Brother Jinzhu, brothers, I'd like to propose a toast to everyone. Please support my work in the future.”
"You're still a young man after all. You're quick-witted. Just now, one of you said that you didn't know how to drink it, and the other said that you drank it at noon. We're here to support you now. Come, let's do it!”Now, he didn't feel so hot anymore. Instead, it was replaced by a taste that seemed bitter, salty, and salty. The figure in front of him gradually blurred, and he couldn't figure out which language he was speaking. He only knew that he would drink it when it came. As for how he left the restaurant and returned to his residence, he didn't know anything.
The next morning, he suddenly woke up and opened his eyes to look at the ceiling. Where am I? How did I get here? I looked at the mat and realized that I was in my own house. He didn't dare to move, as he would feel dizzy and nauseous if he did. Jin Zhu came in with a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns. He put the things on the table and said to Zheng Qinglan,""How are you feeling?”
"I feel dizzy and nauseous. Big brother, why didn't you go back?"
"Your sister-in-law came to look for me. Seeing that you were so drunk, she was worried and asked me to stay and take care of you. I asked Lian Gouzi to send her back. If you feel better, get up and eat something. If you can't, rest for a while. You don't have to be in a hurry to collect wind. Anyway, no one cares about you. It's not too late to go when you're better. I have something to do, so I'll go back first. If I have time, I'll come to see you again. If you have time, you can come to my place to play. Let's drink and chat slowly, unlike them who drink too much. Brother, you looked so scary last night that everyone in this small courtyard came to see you. You have to be careful when you drink in the future. If you recognize the wine, you won't be able to control yourself.”
Zheng Qinglan's stomach churned as soon as she heard the word " wine." She immediately closed her eyes and tried her best to hold it in. He wanted to get out of bed to send the golden pillar off, but his entire body was weak. After Jin Zhu left, he lay in bed for another two to three hours before he felt better. When he woke up, it was already noon. He thought it was very noisy outside, but when he opened the door, it was strangely quiet. Not only was there no sound in his small courtyard, but no one spoke in the miners 'quarters. Where are they?
Thinking about how she was so drunk last night that she didn't know what was going to happen, she felt afraid and didn't dare to go out. She was afraid that others would look at her differently. She was already hungry, but the moment she saw the steamed buns, her stomach would turn sour. If only he had some hot porridge. In the past, when he drank too much and did not want to eat, he would rely on porridge to solve the problem. Congee could warm and nourish the stomach. He felt that the old Chinese doctor was right.
" Dong, dong." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Zheng Qinglan was shocked.
"Who is it?"
"Little Zheng, it's me, Shang Liu Xin, your neighbor.”It was a young woman's voice. Zheng Qinglan felt a little uncomfortable.
Zheng Qinglan opened the door and saw a young lady standing there.
"Ah, there's such a strong smell of alcohol in this room. You drank quite a lot yesterday.”As the young lady spoke, she covered her nose with her hand and took a step back." Brother Jinzhu said that you were drunk. He asked me to call you for lunch. I made porridge, and it's been cold for a while. Come and have some."”"No, no, no. Brother Jinzhu made porridge and steamed buns for me in the morning. I haven't eaten yet. I'll just eat these for lunch.”"You don't have to be so polite. We're all young people. There's no need to be so particular.”Zheng Qinglan couldn't refuse anymore, so she followed Shang Liu Xin into her room. The room was about half the size of Zheng Qinglan's room. There was a bed by the wall facing the door, and a table by the bed. It wasn't a table used by ordinary people, but a two-person desk used by students. There were a few magazines on it. There was also a similar table by the wall near the door. On it was a plate of vegetable tofu, a bowl of egg soup, and a small plate of peanuts. There was a small aluminum pot of porridge that seemed to be steaming. Shang Liu Xin scooped a bowl of porridge for Zheng Qinglan," Eat, there's more after you finish."”She handed him one of the two chairs and asked him to sit down. Zheng Qinglan rarely spent time alone with young women, especially in such a small space where they could hear each other's breathing. He didn't know where to put his hands and feet, and he didn't even dare to breathe.
"There are others. Why can't I see anyone?”Zheng Qinglan asked carefully. "The miners in the well don't go up at noon. The canteen staff will send the food down to eat. The couple in the yard had already eaten. They might have had their lunch break.”
"Do you live in such a big room?”Zheng Qinglan asked again.
"It's so big. Are you saying that this room is big or small?”Shang Liu Xin smiled and asked back.
"How can such a small area be called a big house? Of course it's small.”
"It's fine as long as there's a temporary place to stay. I go home sometimes. I'm from the village, and my home isn't far from here. Although my house is a newly built red brick house, my room is about the same size as this. The Electrician couple has a good relationship with the village officials. The house is bigger and has a small kitchen. Your house is the house of a technician in the mine, so the conditions are better.”
"Then what are you going to do when you cook? It's such a small place. Wouldn't it be filled with smoke?”
In fact, Zheng Qinglan didn't want to talk at all, but it would be worse if she didn't say anything, so he asked again.
"I usually eat in the big canteen and only cook occasionally. Besides, this coal stove is so slow that it takes a lot of effort to burn it. If it weren't for you today, I wouldn't have used it.”
After eating a bowl of warm porridge, Zheng Qinglan felt much better in her stomach. Her mind, which had been filled with noise, was now quiet. She couldn't help but feel grateful to Shang Liu Xin. He put down the bowl and Shang Liu Xin poured him a bowl of hot water. He held it and occasionally took a sip, glancing at Shang Liu Xin from time to time. She wasn't tall and was slightly plump. She didn't have much of a figure and had short hair that reached her neck. This hairstyle made her look a little old-fashioned, making her look more like a new daughter-in-law than a young lady.
After lunch, Zheng Qinglan slept for a long time. When he woke up, he felt completely recovered. What are you doing this afternoon? He couldn't waste half a day, right? How would he explain it to Director Luo then? However, there was no clue as to who to look for. It was not a good idea for a blind man to ride a blind horse and run around aimlessly. It would be better to ask the people nearby first. It would be much easier to follow the clues after they had found the clues. With this thought in mind, he began to wander around. However, there was no one in the small courtyard where he lived, and there was no one in the shed where the miners lived. He turned to the canteen and saw a female worker washing rice. He was most afraid of talking to women, so he quickly avoided them. When he finally reached the storage room where the tools were stored, a woman called out to him,"Brother, come here!" Zheng Qinglan was stunned. Why did she meet another woman? He wanted to pretend that he didn't hear her and retreat, but he heard the woman shout again,""Brother Qinglan, what are you doing? Come here, I have something to tell you." Zheng Qinglan knew that she couldn't avoid it, so she walked over. The woman was in her thirties and looked about the same as Xiang Lan, but her complexion was far inferior.
"Brother Qinglan, what are you doing?”the woman asked again.
"I didn't do anything. I was just wandering around. How did you know my name?”
"My husband is the housekeeper here. He's from the same family as you. His name is Zheng Guangrong. My name is Lan Guiying.”
"Oh, you are also from the village.”
"That's right, we're only a mountain away from you. Brother, you drank so much last night that it was scary. Your brother stayed by the door for half the night. Later, Jin Zhu repeatedly urged him to go home. You can't do this in the future.”
"Thank you. I've troubled you since I came.”
"This is a small matter. Don't take it to heart. We're not outsiders. Can you write two 'Zheng' characters with one stroke? Brother, did you have lunch next door?”
"Yes."
"Try to have less contact with her in the future.”
"I don't want to deal with her."
"That's good. It's not good for you to get into trouble at such a young age.”Zheng Qinglan understood what her sister-in-law meant by trouble.
"Just remember what Sister-in-law said in your heart. You don't have to tell anyone, including your brother. Otherwise, he'll say that I'm gossiping again. How am I gossiping? You just arrived, so there are some things you don't know.”
Zheng Qinglan was not a wise man, but she was definitely the terminator of rumors. When the rumors reached her, they were like clay oxen entering the sea, never to be heard again.
"Sister-in-law, do you know the folklore of this place?”
"I did hear about it when I was young, but I forgot about it after a long time. Nowadays, everyone was watching movies and television. Some were watching discs. Who would listen to folk stories?”
"It's precisely because there are fewer people who speak that we have to collect and organize them. Otherwise, no one will really speak.”
"Oh, go ask those old people. They must know more.”
Zheng Qinglan walked around like a headless fly after leaving the storage room, but she didn't find any useful clues. When she passed by the office, she saw Shang Liu Xin sitting alone. She seemed to have quarreled with someone, wiping her tears from time to time. What was going on? If he was quarreling with someone, he should have heard it. If he wasn't quarreling, why was he crying? Did she encounter some difficulties? Although he had a thousand questions in his heart, he knew that he was not good at dealing with women. Moreover, this might involve very secretive matters. As an outsider, how could he not read popular books? Moreover, he did not think much of his studies. Therefore, although he was puzzled, he did not have the intention to get to the bottom of it, nor did he intend to go to anyone else to find the answer. He had to think about what would happen tomorrow. It had been two days, and he had not done anything serious. He felt that he had let down Director Luo. Fortunately, he trusted him so much. He had to go out tomorrow, no matter what. He thought to himself.
After dinner, Zheng Qinglan took a quick shower and leaned on the bed to read a book. He was reading 'Dream of the Red Chamber'. Among the Four Great Classics, he had already read Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms when he was in junior high school. Although he did not fully understand them, he could roughly tell many stories. He had once told the stories of the Three Kingdoms that he remembered to the adults in the village. The adults listened with great interest and said that he told them well. He was very puzzled. When he was very young, he often heard adults say, They could speak after reading " The Three Kingdoms " and fight after reading " Water Margins ". This meant that these adults had read these books. Why did those adults praise him for speaking well when he didn't even know a little? As for Water Margins, one of the Four Great Classics, he had already come into contact with it in his elementary school days. He had only read a little when the adults were not reading it. Water Margins was missing the beginning and the end. Moreover, it was too small at that time, so he had little impression of the plot. Later on, he read a few comic strips to make up for some lessons. The plot that he remembered the most clearly was the scene where the prodigal Yan Qing saved Lu Junyi. The first time he read 'Dream of the Red Chamber' was when he was in junior high school, because there were texts from 'Dream of the Red Chamber' in the junior high school textbooks. However, he had only been reading the full version of 'Dream of the Red Chamber' for the past few months. Originally, he had thought that 'Dream of the Red Chamber' was not exciting enough, but after reading it carefully, he felt that his heart was very warm. The language and mannerisms of the characters in the book made him feel as if they were real people standing in front of him. Especially the poems in the book, they made him feel that they were so beautiful that it was difficult to describe them.
Looking at Tanchun's appearance, he thought of Fu Qian. The two of them were somewhat imaginative and liked to laugh. They didn't have anything on their minds. What was she doing? Was he chatting and playing cards with the female workers in the dormitory, or was he strolling on the street? There was one thing he was sure of. Fu Qian would never sit under the lamp and read like him. After dating Fu Qian for so long, he had never seen her flip through a book."We don't even have a family. Why do we have to read so many books? It's fine as long as we can read and calculate.”Zheng Qinglan didn't agree with her, but she never argued with her. Everyone had their own way of looking at problems. Why should they impose their own ideas on others? It was her freedom to not like reading, and it was my freedom to like reading. The two of them could influence each other, but there was no need to interfere with each other. He was thinking about every detail of his relationship with Fu Qian, using it to judge what kind of person she was. Marriage was a once-in-a-lifetime event, so one had to be careful. He couldn't find anything wrong with Fu Qian, but he couldn't tell how harmonious the two of them were either. It was good to live a normal life.
Feeling sleepy, he closed the book, turned off the lights, and fell asleep. In the middle of the night, he dreamed of a woman. It was not Fu Qian, nor was it someone he had seen before, but it was a woman he knew. He dreamed that they had entered the bridal chamber. In the bridal chamber, the red candles were high in the sky, and it was spring. His wife sat by the bed with her head lowered. He walked over and sat beside her on the edge of the bed. He took her hand, which was so soft and delicate. He stared at his newlywed wife. She was so beautiful that he could not hold it in anymore. Of course, he did not need to restrain himself at this time. He held her beautiful face and kissed her deeply. His newlywed wife also forgot about it and was as passionate as him. A strange feeling swept through her entire body. Zheng Qinglan woke up. She understood that she had encountered the same thing as Jia Baoyu's dream-traversing in the Great Illusionary Land. He turned on the lights, wiped himself clean, found clean clothes to change into, and soaked the dirty clothes in the basin. When he turned off the light again, he seemed to hear crying. Who was it? This gave him a fright. He scanned the corners of the room and even the bed, but he found nothing. When he calmed down and listened carefully, there was no sound again. Could he have heard wrongly? Zheng Qinglan wasn't a brave person. She was very sensitive to the outside world's reactions. The indistinct crying just now made him feel afraid. He wanted to sleep but did not dare to. He only fell asleep when the window was lit up.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。