When Zheng Qinglan returned to the mine, it was still very quiet, just like the fields he had just walked through. When he passed by Shang Liu Xin's office, he saw her sitting there motionlessly, as if she was in a daze. He didn't think too much about it and returned to his room. He drank two mouthfuls of water and sat down to organize his gains for the day. Unknowingly, the sky gradually darkened, and it became lively outside. Zheng Qinglan stood up and rubbed her eyes. She took her bowl and went to the cafeteria to eat. He had been here for two days, but his social interaction was still limited to the few people in the small courtyard. He had no contact with the miners at all. Although he liked the jokes sung by the miners, sometimes he felt that they were too casual. Some of the things they said were things that Zheng Qinglan couldn't say. Sometimes he even worried that they would fight because of a sentence, because those words were too direct. However, they didn't. It seemed that they were used to this way of speaking. He fetched some food and took it to the side to eat, but his ears were listening to what the miners were saying. The miners talked about a variety of things. They talked about their wives and children, their future plans, the underground production, their wives and daughters. They talked about everything except Zheng Qinglan. This was what Zheng Qinglan needed. The last thing he wanted was to be the center of attention. It was partly because of fear and partly because of his personality. On the day of the junior high school graduation ceremony, the principal gave him a task to speak as the student representative at the graduation ceremony. He refused without thinking. The homeroom teacher felt sorry for him and said,"Does everyone have such an opportunity?" The people attending the graduation ceremony were the village secretary, the village head, and the village secretary. If you performed well, the leaders would have a good impression of you. This would be your pass to enter society in the future. I had a student in the previous two batches who, like you, performed quite well in school. He was also the class monitor and also spoke at the graduation ceremony. He was chosen by the village. As soon as he graduated from junior high school, he was arranged to work as a messenger in the village. Later, he was promoted to be a messenger in the village. Now, he was promoted to the government office. I heard that he has a very promising future. Even if that wasn't the case, it was still good to train a little. Such a good opportunity was given to you, but you didn't want it. Instead, you gave it to someone else.”Zheng Qinglan still refused. He was not interested in showing his face in public.
After dinner, he returned to his room. When he passed by his sister-in-law's door, she waved at him."Brother, come here." Zheng Qinglan walked over. Lan Guiying let him into the room and asked him mysteriously,"Brother, did you hear anything these two nights?”Zheng Qinglan knew what she wanted to ask. She was disgusted by people who were so concerned about others and gossiped about others behind their backs, so she said,""There's no sound." Lan Guiying stared at him as if she didn't believe him." You really didn't hear it?”"I really didn't hear it. What did you hear?”"Strange, why do I hear someone crying?”Zheng Guangrong walked out of the house and said angrily,"You have sharp ears. If you don't hear this, you hear that. Why are you meddling in other people's business?”"Am I meddling in your business? I'm just reminding your brother to be careful and not get too close to that damned girl next door. He had just arrived and did not know the situation. What was the good of causing some trouble?”
"Sister-in-law, what do you mean? What kind of trouble will I cause?”
"I won't say much. If I say too much, your brother will say that I'm gossiping. In short, you should stay away from Shang Liu Xin. She's a bold person who dares to do anything. Be careful that she doesn't get you involved.”
How could he be tricked by a woman? Zheng Qinglan was very confident about this. Although he also yearned to be friends with girls, especially beautiful girls, he always kept a distance from them, including his girlfriends. He didn't want to hurt any girl, but he was very willing to give his heart to one of them. For one person in his life.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. I know my limits.”
"It's good that you know. You're young and hot-blooded. You have to take care of yourself.”
"Yes, my brother already knows. Don't repeat it again and again.”
The sky had just turned dark. Just as the lights were about to be turned on, the electricity stopped. Zheng Qinglan sat in the dark and waited for a while. The electricity came on, but the voltage was unstable. The lights were flickering. She was not used to seeing things. Zheng Qinglan looked at the documents in her hand and saw that they were almost done. There was still half a day tomorrow morning, so she should be able to make it. If she was fast, she might have extra time. She was indeed a little tired today. It was better to rest early. Today's harvest meant tomorrow's harvest. Zheng Qinglan slept soundly that night.
After lunch the next day, Zheng Qinglan left the bowl and went straight to Master Pangu's house with a pen and paper. Before she left, she took a pack of the best cigarettes and tea leaves from a small shop in the mine. The sunlight was very comfortable on his body. If there was nothing else, he could find a place to lean against the wind and enjoy the quiet and comfortable afternoon. However, Zheng Qinglan didn't have such leisure time. She rushed to Pangu's old and dilapidated courtyard excitedly. When he arrived, the three elders were already waiting for him.? Zheng Qinglan took out a cigarette and said," I'm really sorry to trouble you again. Come, let's have some smoke and tea."”He gave each of them a cigarette and placed the rest on the table. Then, he took out tea leaves and placed them in the cups that had already been arranged. He mixed them with water and handed them to the three old men one by one.
"Little Zheng, don't be too polite. If you're too polite, you'll seem distant. Let's continue our conversation from yesterday.”
Second Master Luo said,"Today, I will tell you a story about a brother and sister getting married." A long, long time ago, there was a place with excellent conditions. The land was flat, open, and extremely fertile. Whatever was planted grew. The trees in the mountains were as tall as they could be. There were countless animals in the forest. There were also all kinds of products in the water, such as shrimp, fat, and fish. In such a place, people's lives were naturally beautiful. When people were bored, they would look for excitement in different ways. They would play as exciting as they wanted. They would steal, cheat, and do everything. Of course, they did not do this for wealth, but for fun. What was even more terrifying was that they had become shameless. Women looked for men, and men looked for women. However, there was a pair of siblings who were different from those people. They had always kept themselves clean. No matter how others provoked them, they would not be moved. Those people treated the siblings as monsters and thought that they were too unbelievable. Some people even said some very unpleasant words. At first, the leader of this place thought that it was no big deal. People were just eating, drinking, and having fun looking for excitement. However, gradually, the atmosphere of this place became worse and worse. Other than the brother and sister, there were almost no good people. It was already too late for the leader to change this atmosphere. No one listened to him. Those people were already sick to the bone marrow and could not be cured. Later on, the leader gave up on correcting his mistake and played with those people. They were just as noisy and tormented, and they played better than ordinary people. He was the leader after all.
Man-made disasters became more and more serious. Natural disasters also came one after another. It was either not a drop of rain for several years, or floods. There were also various diseases that had never been seen before. It was as if they had received a notice. Usually, before this disease had passed, another disease would come. The strange thing was that those common diseases that could be cured with one or two doses of medicine had become difficult to cure. Faced with such a severe punishment, these people not only did not repent, but also played even more crazily, as if they were completely bewitched by the devil. The people here lacked food and clothing. They went begging everywhere, and as a result, they brought the infectious disease to other places. In order to punish those evil people who refused to come to their senses, the God of Heaven had rained heavily for 49 days, turning the place into a place of Wang Yang. Those who only knew how to seek pleasure all day were drowned. However, the siblings caught a big wooden basin when they were in extreme danger. The siblings sat in the wooden basin and escaped the disaster. In fact, this big wooden basin was sent by the God of Heaven. Later, the water receded and the siblings returned to their home, but everything had changed. One night, the God of Heaven told them to marry and bear the responsibility of carrying on the family line. The siblings felt that this was against the laws of nature and firmly disagreed. The God of Heaven said to them,'There is a millstone at your door. Roll over it once, and your relationship as brother and sister will be dissolved.'The siblings obeyed the will of the gods and rolled around on the millstone before becoming husband and wife.”
Zheng Qinglan knew that folktales were not just folktales. They recorded information passed down from ancient times. For example, the story of the brother and sister's marriage could be a manifestation of the early marriage system in primitive society. However, he didn't say anything. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to explain clearly and ruin the mood of the elders.
"In the past, when I told such stories, I always thought that people were making them up. Now it seems that some stories are like prophecies. He didn't expect that people would become more and more shameless as their lives became better. It was exactly the same as the story.”
"Yes, I don't know how many things have been done. There were people who ate and drank with the government's money, and more and more people were stumbling over them. At first, they were still hiding it, afraid that others would find out. Now it's all made public. For example, the head of our village. He had done some good things for the village over the years, but he couldn't control his thing. Today, he heard that he spent the night with his lover in this group, and tomorrow, he took the woman from that group to the streets to stay in a hotel. It was rare for him to return to his home a few times a year. He heard that his wife was about to go crazy.”
"Sir, who are you talking about?"
"Who else? The leader of our village.”
"Pei…Pei…Are you talking about him?”
"Who else could it be?"
" I watched Pei Tianwen grow from a retired soldier to the secretary of the village branch. I also watched him grow from a good secretary to a secretary of the Five Poisons Bureau. I don't know what's wrong with society. Are we old and can't keep up with the situation? Or is the situation changing too fast and going too far? It's unbelievable.”
"This Secretary Pei used to be such a good person. For the sake of this coal kiln in the village, he worried a lot. He didn't have the money to buy equipment, so he took out all the money he had to build a house. All those years, we all thought that we had found a good leader, but now, sigh!”
"Grandpa, is what you said true?”
"How can this be fake? You've only been here for a few days, so you don't know the twists and turns. Have you been to the canteen in the mine?"
"I have been there. I eat there every day.”
"Do you know the private room there?”
"I entered once on the night I arrived.”
"It's luxuriously decorated, right? Every time someone comes from above, Secretary Pei will entertain them inside. The master will also be hired from outside at a high price. Now, it's even more convenient. If he kept going like this, even if there was a mountain of gold in the Black King Village, it would be emptied by him.”
"The worst thing is that he often brings some indecent women to the village. He tells others that he's talking about business or helping to introduce business. However, I haven't seen him close a business deal all these years, and he has spent a lot of money.”
"Aren't the higher-ups investigating him?"
"Above? He had already fed the stomach above him. After eating and drinking his food, how could he care about him anymore? It made a small number of people fat, damaged the entire village, and even led to a bad atmosphere.”
"Old Pangu is right. I heard that some of the village officials are just like Pei Tianwen. They occupy the position of the party and have private money in their hands. They want to play with young and beautiful women day and night. It was said that a village official took a female village official on a sightseeing tour in the name of an inspection tour. In the end, the two of them got together. The female official's man wanted a divorce, but the female official refused to do so. She had no choice but to ask the village official to write a certificate to prove that the two of them did not have those scandals. Who could prove this except for themselves? Sigh, it was really ugly for eight generations of ancestors.”
"In the past, we were a little poor and bitter, but today, we lost all the good things that we should have, and all the dirty things that we shouldn't have appeared. I wonder what the world will become in the future.”
"Old fellows, let's not talk about these annoying things. We smoked Little Zheng's cigarettes and drank Little Zheng's tea. We haven't done anything for Little Zheng yet. Come, Little Zheng, let's continue telling stories.”
"No, no, what you said is quite valuable. Although I'm not a government worker, we pay attention to all kinds of phenomena in society. We can write what we see, hear, and think about to let people have a more comprehensive understanding of the changes in society and also cause people to think.”
"Xiao Zheng, do you think this change is normal?”
"I'm not sure either. I've never studied these things before, so I agree with you very much. The current phenomenon should be said to be a normal phenomenon in the process of reform. For example, if you dig lotus roots and fish in the pond, you will get good things and valuable things. It is inevitable to mix up the water.”
"Since ancient times, when people are full and warm, they think of lust. People can't have comfortable days. These days of not worrying about food and drink have only passed for a few days, and people have begun to walk the evil path. "I think the bad things are all on this boss. If they don't take the lead, who would dare to mess around?”
"Second Brother, don't we villagers always say that if a female dog doesn't raise her tail, how can a male dog climb? It was a matter of mutual consent. One had money and power and wanted to play, while the other wanted money and a happy life. This was called a pair of adulterous couple. It was not a matter of either side.”
Zheng Qinglan felt that the vulgar words they said were very vivid, but she felt that it was too explicit. She felt embarrassed and coughed unconsciously. Lord Pangu seemed to have sensed this as well and stopped the topic."Brothers, let's not talk about these things. How about this, Little Zheng? It's getting late. Let's cook dinner.”
"No, it's too late. I'm not familiar with the roads in this area. If I go back late, I won't be able to find the way.”
"We'll send you to the main road. You can go back to the mine if you follow it. We only have this main road here. There are no forks.”
Zheng Qinglan declined the elders 'kindness again. "It's fine if you don't want to have dinner here. Come, let's each tell Xiao Zheng a story. He came all the way here.”Lord Pangu said. "Yes, yes. We even smoked Little Zheng's cigarettes and drank Little Zheng's tea. We can't treat him slowly. Come on, continue. Zhang Laosan, it's yours.”The three of them explained one story each. Zheng Qinglan listened and jotted down the gist of the story. Sometimes, she would interrupt and ask questions.
Seeing the sky darken, Zheng Qinglan said goodbye and walked home alone. The sun had already set. Looking into the distance, the bluish-black undulating mountain looked like a winding city wall. There seemed to be a blue-gray curtain hanging above it. Above it was an orange curtain that was wider than it, and above it was a light blue sky. The connection between the various levels was natural, without any traces of penetration. This Heaven was really a top-notch expert. All the leaves had fallen, and the bare branches were exposed in the air. They were like open hands, struggling, crying, and shouting. The gentle sky and the vigorous branches didn't seem to be in harmony.
When Zheng Qinglan opened the door, Shang Liu Xin also walked out and said to him,""Little Zheng, you haven't eaten yet, right? I've already called it back for you. Coincidentally, my dad sent me a chicken today. It's just cooked.”Zheng Qinglan immediately remembered what Lan Guiying had said to him, so she said,""You eat first. I'll sit down and rest for a while.”"Then I'll wait for you. I'm not hungry now anyway.”"You eat first. I'll eat by myself later.”"Little Zheng, you're really something. Are you afraid that I'll eat you up or something?”Zheng Qinglan couldn't push him over anymore. She followed Shang Liu Xin into her room. There was a pot of chicken stewed on the coal stove in the middle of the room, emitting a strong fragrance. There was also some tofu in the pot. There were many honeycombs on the tofu, and it seemed that it had been simmering for a long time. There was a small plastic basin on the table with soft green cabbage. Shang Liu Xin picked up a small basin and put some cabbage into the pot while saying to Zheng Qinglan,""A thousand boiled tofu and ten thousand boiled fish. It's delicious even without oil and salt. Look, the tofu has already turned into a beehive. Hurry up and eat.”Zheng Qinglan lowered her head and ate. Although she had interacted with Shang Liu Xin a few times, she was still not used to it.
"Have you heard of anything?"
"No, I haven't."
"Didn't Sister-in-law Guiying call you over yesterday? Why did she call you?"
"Nothing. She just asked me if I had heard anyone cry.”
Shang Liu Xin's hands trembled. After a while, she asked Zheng Qinglan in a low and hoarse voice,""What did you say?"
"I said I didn't hear it, but she didn't seem to believe me.”
"Then did you hear it?"
"I heard it and saw it."
"Where did you see it?"
"One time, I passed by your office and saw you wiping your tears. Why are you crying? I heard that you're getting married soon. You can't bear to leave your parents, right?”
"Xiao Zheng, don't tell others that you heard someone crying, okay? And I beg you... will you come with me to the village accountant tomorrow?”
"Why are you going to the village accountant?"
"A marriage recommendation letter."
Zheng Qinglan was shocked. Her face turned red, and her heart beat like a drum. She said,""How can you do that? If word gets out, people will laugh at you. You should ask your boyfriend to come and accompany you.”
Shang Liu Xin said sadly,"He said he was busy and didn't have time, so he asked me to open the recommendation letter and give it to him."”
"What does he do?"
"I'm working as a secretary for the leader in the town. I said that I just joined the job and wanted to leave a good impression on the leader.”
"You have to be careful when working beside the leader, but you should have time on Sunday.”
"I really want to beg him. He always says that he doesn't have the time and can't get away. It wasn't like this in the past. He often came to my place, sometimes two or three times a week.”
"I can help you with other things, but people will definitely laugh at me or say something else about the marriage recommendation letter. I can't accompany you.”
"Forget it, you go do your own thing. Pretend I didn't say anything. I'll go alone tomorrow.”She sounded very sad and did not look like she was about to get married. Zheng Qinglan felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. They were about to register their marriage. The next step was to prepare the dowry, inform their relatives and friends, and hold a banquet. What else could they have?
After breakfast the next day, Shang Liu Xin came to find Zheng Qinglan.""Little Zheng, I still have to trouble you. Follow me to the village accountant's place. It's not far. From here, we'll walk a section of the main road, then pass through a forest. He said that if I don't send the letter of recommendation over, he won't care about me. Please help me. I'm a little afraid to go through that forest.”With that, she wiped her tears away.
What else could she say? No matter how worried she was, she had to help. However, Zheng Qinglan said,"I'll go with you to the accountant's. I won't go in there. You go in alone.”
"Okay, Xiao Zheng, thank you so much. Come, I'll treat you to my wedding candy.”
The two of them walked on the road one after the other. There was a distance of about a meter between them. It was not good to walk next to each other, nor was it good to be far apart. Zheng Qinglan felt like there was something wrong with her body. She was especially uncomfortable. It was so awkward to accompany someone else to type the marriage recommendation letter. In order to cover up her embarrassment, Zheng Qinglan broke a branch from the roadside and held it in her hand. Sometimes, she would pull the branch in the middle of the road, and sometimes she would wave it. When she passed by a relatively wet farmland, she simply stopped and dug a ball of mud. She rubbed it into a few mud balls and put them on the branch. Then she waved her arm and the mud balls flew out. Only after Shang Liu Xin had walked far away did he follow her. Hearing that Shang Liu Xin was talking to someone, he stopped there, not knowing if he should walk forward. At this moment, Zheng Guangrong rode his bicycle over. When he saw Zheng Qinglan, he got off his bicycle and asked,""Brother, what are you doing here?”
" Ah, ah," Zheng Qinglan replied in a panic." Nothing. I'm just taking a walk."”
"Then you can go. I have to rush back to work.”
At this moment, Zheng Qinglan saw Shang Liu Xin walking back and couldn't help but feel puzzled. When she got closer, she asked,""Why aren't you going?" Shang Liu Xin said disappointedly," The village accountant isn't at home. Brother Zheng told me just now. He said that the village accountant went to a meeting. Even if he went, he wouldn't be able to get a recommendation letter. It was a wasted trip. Let's go back." Why is my life so bad? Nothing I do goes smoothly. Sigh!”
Back at the mine, Zheng Qinglan was no longer interested in working. He walked around the room a few times and sat down again. After sitting for less than two minutes, he stood up again and walked to the small courtyard behind him. He stared at the empty sky. The sky was blue as usual, smooth as flawless satin. However, Zheng Qinglan didn't care about this at all. He didn't know why it suddenly became like this. After a while, Zheng Qinglan calmed down. She picked up the pen and prepared to write something, but there was nothing in her mind. Forget it, rather than staying like this, he might as well go out and take a walk. But where should he go? He thought of Jin Zhu's family. That was a good place to go. The whole family was warm. It would be good if Brother Jin Zhu was at home. It would be more convenient to talk. With this thought in mind, she walked out of the door. Coincidentally, Zheng Guangrong also came out of the door. Zheng Qinglan quickly ran over and called out to him,"Brother, I want to borrow your bicycle.”
"Where are we going?"
"I want to buy some paper and ink on the street.”Zheng Qinglan was afraid that Zheng Guangrong wouldn't lend it to her, so she quickly added," It won't take long before she comes back."”
"I'm not afraid that you'll use the car. I'm afraid that you'll be careless and let someone steal the car.”
"No, I'll keep it locked at all times, and besides, it won't take long just to buy some paper and ink.”
Half an hour later, Zheng Qinglan arrived at Jin Zhu's house. Zheng Qinglan was nervous. Should she go in or not? What if…he suddenly heard Jin Ling calling him,""Brother Qinglan, why are you here?”
Zheng Qinglan looked up and saw Jin Ling smiling at her. She was wearing a large lapel, small checkered, scarlet and dark blue waistcoat, a turtleneck sweater, and a pair of slim-fit pants. However, they were much thicker than the ones Zheng Qinglan had worn when she first saw her. She was wearing a pair of black leather shoes. Zheng Qinglan couldn't help but feel her heart pounding. He didn't dare to look at Jin Ling, but looked away and answered incoherently,""I, I was passing by." "Where are you going?" "I'm going down the street to get some paper and ink.”
"These things are available in the small shop in your village.”
"Yes…yes, I wanted to come over and take a look. Are Brother Jinzhu and Sister-in-law Xianglan here?”
"My brother accompanied my sister-in-law back to her mother's house. Come in and sit for a while. Look at you. You must be tired from riding. Your head and face are covered in sweat. Come, come in. I'll get some water for you to wash your face and dry your sweat. Don't catch a cold.”After saying that, she walked in first. Zheng Qinglan still stood there without moving. After a while, he heard Jin Ling calling him again,"Come in, the water is ready." Zheng Qinglan walked in. Jin Ling handed him a towel and said,""I'm going to the front, you wipe yourself.”With that, he left. The towel was new, and the water temperature was just right. Zheng Qinglan covered her face with the towel, then slowly rubbed her face. She felt a kind of considerate warmth rippling in her heart.
After washing her face, Zheng Qinglan smoothed out her messy hair. The comb was beside her, but he didn't want Jin Ling to think that he was a person who cared about his appearance. He patted his body with a towel to make sure that there was no problem before walking to the front. Jin Ling was reading a book when Zheng Qinglan started talking to her.""Have you finished the thick book you read last time?”" Yes, I just read it in one gulp. I haven't even figured out the relationship between the characters yet. Although the novel is enjoyable to read, it's much more difficult to understand. I'll put it aside for now and think about it when I have time. I'll read it again after a while. Here, I'm looking at this. It's a selection of foreign short stories.”Zheng Qinglan took it and flipped to the table of contents.""Not bad. They are all great authors. These works are worth reading.”
"Brother Qinglan, why do you think these great writers are so good at writing? Even if it's just a short story, they can write it so emotionally. Look at this 'The Gift of the Magi.' It's just a couple giving a gift during a holiday. The author has written it, and the plot has been enriched. The characters have become more vivid, and the ending is both unexpected and reasonable.”
"Needless to say, a great author is not just a boast. He must have something extraordinary. In my opinion, he has the talent to become a great writer. He has keen observation skills, superb language skills, and extraordinary creativity and imagination.”
" Yes, yes. It's the same thing. Ordinary people only see the surface, but writers see the touching things contained in the story. It's no wonder that the story is so beautiful and profound. Just like 'The Gift of the Magy', the author wrote such a touching story. No matter how poor the life was, the author did not feel bitter anymore.”
Zheng Qinglan wasn't good at talking about family matters. When she talked about these things, he became mute and could only listen. However, when it came to writing, he had some experience. Now that Jin Ling talked about writing, he was naturally in high spirits. He naturally abandoned his usual shyness and dullness.
" Therefore, as a person who is interested in writing, you should go deep into life, observe life in life, understand life, and then write. That is to express life and show life.”
"You sound like a theorist. What have you observed these past few days?”
" There's a lot. There's the lives of people in ancient times. I've heard fairy tales. There's life in ancient times, and it's also stories that I've heard. There's life from twenty to thirty years ago, my life when I was young, and my life now.”
"Ah, it's only been a few days, and you've already walked for thousands of years? You must have expressed a lot.”Jin Ling said playfully.
"I just made some notes. I didn't bring enough paper and ink when I came. I had to buy all these things, so I borrowed a bicycle from someone today. I wanted to take this opportunity to see your brother and sister-in-law, but unfortunately, they weren't here.”
Jin Ling slammed the book on the counter and said angrily,"Oh, my brother and sister-in-law aren't here, so you ran away for nothing. I'm not human. I even poured water for you to wash your face.”
"Jin Ling, Jin Ling, that's not what I meant. I, I can't explain it clearly. I'm not good with words.”He rubbed his hands anxiously and sweat appeared on his head again.
Jin Ling couldn't help but giggle. Zheng Qinglan was at a loss. After a while, Jin Ling held back her laughter and said,"Forget it. There's no one else today, so I won't argue with you. If you say that in a crowded place the next day, I'll really be unhappy.”
"I won't, I won't. I'll be careful in the future and won't dare to offend you again.”
"Ah, you can say witty words too. I thought you could only say serious words.”
"I don't say it often. If it's bad, you have to bear with it.”
"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Brother Qinglan, you're not talking, you're doing crosstalk. You should change your profession and write crosstalk.”
"You're making fun of me again. I can't even speak properly, so how can I perform crosstalk?”
"I'm just joking with you. I haven't been this happy in a long time.”
"What's there to be unhappy about? Your family background is so good. Your parents love you, and your brother and sister-in-law dote on you. What else do you want?”
"You're really a fool. You won't understand even if I tell you.”
"What's there to not understand? You want to find a boyfriend, right? I'll introduce one to you in the city, okay?”
"Go to hell. A cultured person wants to be a part-time matchmaker? Do you know what kind of person I'm looking for?”
"Name your conditions, and I'll choose according to your conditions. I guarantee that you'll be satisfied.”
"You're making me angry again. If the person who meets the requirements is a piece of wood, introduce him to me. You don't have to worry about my matters. By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"
" There's one." Zheng Qinglan hesitated for a moment and said," We just started talking about it."”
"How long have you been talking?"
"A few months."
"What does she do? Are they government officials like you?"
"No, she's from the cotton mill."
"Have you been to her house? Have you seen her parents?”
"No, I don't think we know each other well enough. I don't want to go to her house so early.”
"Then when do you plan to go?”
"I haven't thought about it. I don't think I can go this year. You see, I still have to stay outside for a month or two. When I go back, I still have to hurry up and tidy up. I don't have time to think about this.”
"You're quite dedicated."
"I can't say that I'm dedicated. I have to do things well, don't you think?”
Jin Ling didn't say anything. At this moment, a customer came and Jin Ling went to greet the customer. After the guests left, Jin Ling smiled and said to Zheng Qinglan,""Since you made me happy, can I treat you to lunch today?”
"No, no, no. I have to go back. I have something to do in the afternoon.”
"Look at how nervous you are. It's as if you're eating lunch instead of lunch.”
"If you really have something to say, give me a bottle of ink and a few books.”
Jin Ling put a bottle of ink and a few books into a plastic bag, then covered it with another layer and handed it to Zheng Qinglan." These are for you. Just let me read your writing. I might come to visit you in a few days."”
"How can I not pay?"
"What's wrong with that? These things aren't worth much. I can afford it. Don't say anymore. Besides, you won't be able to make it for lunch when you go back.”
Zheng Qinglan had no choice but to take the bag and bid farewell to Jin Ling. She got on the bike and headed back. Perhaps she was waiting for the car. Zheng Qinglan felt comfortable and happy. She had spent so much time with a young and beautiful woman and told so many jokes. This was something that any man should be excited about. Although Zheng Qinglan was a little reserved and even clumsy when it came to getting along with men and women, it didn't mean that he didn't like young and beautiful girls. It didn't mean that he didn't like to communicate with young and beautiful girls.
In the next two days, Zheng Qinglan went to Master Pangu's house again. She stayed there for a few hours and listened to the three old men telling stories and singing ancient operas. She also wrote a document about the decline of the old operas and showed it to them. The old men said that he should write it like this and asked him to submit it as soon as possible. Zheng Qinglan agreed to their request. Before leaving, Zheng Qinglan told them that she had collected a lot of things during this period of time. In addition, she had other things to deal with, so she couldn't go to their place for a while. They asked Zheng Qinglan to come to their house on rainy and snowy days to drink tea, chat, and listen to old plays. Zheng Qinglan naturally agreed. After bidding farewell to the old man and walking back, he felt a little disappointed. These few simple and kind old men did not ask for anything from others, but they treated others with everything they had and took out their most precious things to entertain guests. In the past few days, he had also felt a lot from them. Their anxiety, their loss, their uneasiness, and even their dissatisfaction. This made Zheng Qinglan feel that these old people were not old people who were about to die. They were old people with thoughts and needs. Perhaps their thoughts were not entirely correct, but it was necessary to use them as a reference. The accumulation of decades of life had made their thoughts and thoughts covered with a thick layer of color. This thickness was a kind of stabilizing device in the situation of rapid progress. The wheel turned too fast, and if it encountered a little bump, it would capsize. The wheel of history was the same.
After lunch on Saturday afternoon, Zheng Qinglan rested for a while. He did not see Fu Qian for a week and did not say goodbye to her. Wouldn't she blame him? Tonight, he would accompany her for a while longer. She could shop as long as she wanted, unlike usual, where he would just shop for a while. Just as she was thinking, she heard someone say,"Yes, that's the room. You knocked on the door. He should be in the room."”Then, she heard a knock on the door. When she opened the door, she saw that it was Fourth Aunt.
"Fourth Aunt, how did you know I was here?”
Fourth Aunt was very happy to see Zheng Qinglan. She smiled and said,""How did I know? I have a dog nose and smelled you. You too. You didn't go home to play even when you came. You're afraid that Fourth Aunt can't care about your food.”
"No, Fourth Aunt, I've only been here for a week. There are many things that I haven't had the time to do. I want to make some progress before I go see you and Uncle.”
"If you have something to do, then do it. If you have time, come home and sit. We're idle now and don't have much to do.”
"Is there anything else you want from me?”
"Yes, your parents asked me to send you a message to ask you to go back this week.”
"I didn't tell them I was here. How did they know I was here?”
"Your father was going to take a taxi to the city to look for you today. When he heard that you were here, he asked me to send you a message. I haven't been back to my parents 'home for a while. I took advantage of the slack time to go back and send a few fish to your parents. Do you want it? We have plenty of them."
"No, I'm eating at the canteen in the mine. If I don't cook myself, it's useless even if I want it.”
"Alright, I won't disturb you anymore. Remember to go back today. If you have time, come to my place to play.”
Zheng Qinglan was caught in a dilemma. If she didn't go back to the city, Fu Qian would definitely have her own ideas. For the past few months, they had met two or three times a week, especially on weekends. Sometimes, if they didn't have time, Fu Qian would tell her in advance. Now that he had been out for a week, he had not seen her once in a week. Now, he was even exempted from weekends. He did not even have a chance to catch his breath. Anyone would have objections. However, he had to go home. My parents never let me go home easily. No matter how busy and tiring the work in the fields is, they never let me go home to help. This time, his father had to spend money to take a ride into the city to find him. There must be something. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find a way to get the best of both worlds. It would be great if he had a phone. He would call Director Luo to report the situation to him and ask him to pass a message to Zhang Changfeng that he had something to do at home this weekend and could not go back to the city. Zhang Changfeng was a shrewd person. He definitely knew that she was asking him to pass a message to his cousin, Fu Qian. Thinking of this, Zheng Qinglan got up and walked out. She was going to call Lian Gouzi in the village before going home. But when they arrived at the village, they didn't even see Gou 'zi's shadow. The door of the village was locked and there was no one. Zheng Qinglan walked around the village four to five times but didn't see anyone. " Could it be that the villagers have gone to the weekend like the city people?" Zheng Qinglan thought in frustration. After waiting for a while, no one came. Seeing that the sun was about to set, he still had more than ten miles of mountain road to go home. He did not dare to walk when it was dark, so he had no choice but to leave the village.
When the sky turned dark, Zheng Qinglan walked into her house. Grandma was cooking dinner, and her two sisters were sewing. Her parents were not at home. Zheng Qinglan called her grandma. Grandma heard her and stuck her head out from behind the stove. Seeing that it was Zheng Qinglan, she smiled happily. The blazing fire reflected on her face, like a pile of happiness on her face. "Grandma, where are my parents?" "They're working in the fields and haven't returned yet. They'll probably be here soon. You should rest first. We'll have dinner when your parents come back later. I knew you were coming back, so I prepared something good for you.”
Zheng Qinglan returned to her room. It was a small room with a bed facing east and west. On the west side of the bed was a three-sided table made by her father. In front of the table was a wooden chair made by her father himself. There was nothing else. In fact, there was nothing left. Zheng Qinglan turned on the light and dusted the table and chairs with the reed brush she made herself. Then she opened the drawer and flipped through the things inside. There was nothing much inside. There were only a few books she liked. Some were prizes from her school days, some were comic books she bought after she worked hard to pick firewood and sell money. The most memorable thing was the collection book she had when she was studying. Zheng Qinglan flipped through the pages casually. She looked at them and thought about them. Images from a long time ago and blurry faces appeared in front of her. Suddenly, she heard the door creak. Her parents had returned. Zheng Qinglan's mother said happily,""Our son is back." Zheng Qinglan responded, turned off the lamp, and walked out of the room.
His parents simply washed their faces and sat down on the porch outside the kitchen. " Fourth Aunt said you called me back to discuss something. What is it?" Zheng Qinglan asked.”
His parents looked at each other, and his mother smiled and said,"It's like this. Two days ago, Uncle Shen came to our house and said that he wanted to introduce you to a partner. He's from the northern mountains. He's nineteen years old and has graduated from junior high school.”Zheng Qinglan didn't expect this. Her heart skipped a beat. His mother continued," Miss Yuxiang in our group married from that village. I asked her about it. She said that the girl is really good. She's diligent and capable. She doesn't fall behind in anything." If you don't have any objections, I'll give Grandpa Shen a reply tomorrow and ask him to make a trip to arrange a time for you to meet.”
Zheng Qinglan had never thought of asking someone else to introduce her to a partner. Her subconscious thought was that she should find a partner herself. She should find a woman who looked comfortable and had a good character. They should also love each other. Zheng Qinglan had a very clear confidence in her heart. Even if she didn't love her that much for the time being, it didn't matter. With her kindness, honesty, and initiative, she would definitely win her heart in the end. The premise of all this was that she had to like that girl. Therefore, he had an instinctive aversion to being introduced to others. He believed that he could find a partner who would bring him happiness with his own ability. Zheng Qinglan had been obedient to her parents since she was young, but she couldn't accept what happened today.
"Dad, Mom, I'm still young and haven't been working for long. I don't have any results. I don't want to date yet.”
"You're already twenty-three years old and still young. Some of the people in the group who are the same age as you are already married. Besides, we can only consider your sister's marriage if your marriage is affected. Your sister is not young anymore. She is at the age of marriage. There are already two or three matchmakers who have come to propose marriage to your sister.”
"Then let your sister get married first."
"To put it nicely, the stone roller still has a big head and a small head. You, as the elder brother, are not married yet, but you want the younger one to get married first. Our family will definitely not do this. I don't want people to gossip.”His father was obviously angry.
Zheng Qinglan didn't argue. He had always been filial to his parents. Besides, his parents were thinking about him. He couldn't be heartless, but he had his own opinions and standards when it came to finding a partner. The three of them didn't speak. The atmosphere was a little tense. Zheng Qinglan heard her father's breathing become rough.
"Then let me think about it."
"What's there to consider about men and women getting married when they're of age? We'll have to take this step sooner or later.”his father said.
"If the child says he wants to consider it, then let him consider it. Why are you in such a hurry?”Her mother wanted to ease the atmosphere. His father didn't say anything. He stood up and left. In the end, what was supposed to be a joyous dinner ended up being eaten coldly. No one in the family spoke. Zheng Qinglan had been thinking about whether she should tell her parents that she was friends with Fu Qian. Zheng Qinglan didn't want to tell her parents about it now. After all, he still had a long way to go. He hadn't made up his mind yet. They were just talking about it now. It was just that he had a little more interest in another girl. If he didn't say anything, it would be hard to explain to his parents. After making up his mind, he said," Dad, Mom, it's not that I don't want to meet the girl introduced by Grandpa Shen. I already have a girlfriend. She's from the cotton mill.”
"Then why didn't you say anything just now?"
"We just talked about it. I wanted to tell you guys when I had some progress.”
"It's fine if you talk about it yourself. We're not stupid parents who insist on interfering with their children's marriage.”his father said.
"Talk to her yourself. Do you know her family situation? Do you know her temperament?”
"Mom, I don't know who I'm dealing with. Are the introducers that trustworthy?”
"You're right. As the saying goes, those who are good at introducing will hide from each other, and those who are not good at introducing will pass it on to each other. You have to remember one thing. A girl's character comes first. If her character is bad, she will not be a daughter-in-law but a gas bag. She will always be angry. She will make a small fuss every three days and a big fuss every five days. She will cause trouble for the family. There were many such examples. There was a daughter-in-law in front of the house who was lazy and lazy. Not only did she beat up her father and curse her mother, but she also had an ambiguous relationship with someone else. The poor family was a family, but they married such a wicked daughter-in-law. Their lives were really not human. This family was really unlucky.”
"I know."
"We're a decent family. We can't do anything harmful to the heavens and reason, but we can't let others harm us.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。