Even though no one was checking attendance, Zheng Qinglan still arrived at the mine ahead of time. The workers had all gone to work, and the miners 'dormitory area was quiet. The few families in the small courtyard did not see it either. They were probably all at work at this time. Just as Zheng Qinglan was about to push the door open, Shang Liu Xin walked out of her room. Her hair was messy, her face was sallow, and her lips were dry. She looked like she hadn't slept for a night. Zheng Qinglan hesitated for a moment, but still greeted him,""Good morning!" Shang Liu Xin replied with a half-answer. "Aren't you going to work today?" "It doesn't matter if you go up or not.”"What's wrong? Weren't you very active at work in the past?”"The past is the past, and now is the present. Sigh, it's really annoying.”Zheng Qinglan knew that she must be worried about her marriage. She couldn't help her with this matter, so she went into her room. Last night, he did not sleep well. He kept thinking about how to deal with his marriage and what kind of person he should find. In the end, his head was still dizzy. Now that he heard Shang Liu Xin say this, he felt a little uncomfortable. What should she do this morning? It seemed like he couldn't stay here anymore. The knot in his heart couldn't be resolved, so he naturally wouldn't be in a good state when he worked. It was better to go out for a walk. Dealing with people could distract him and relieve his nervousness and anxiety. After making up his mind, he carried his bag and walked out of the Kuangqu. He didn't want to take the main road, afraid that if he met an acquaintance who asked him what he was doing, he wouldn't be able to answer. There was a bamboo forest in front of them. There must be a family there. Zheng Qinglan walked toward the bamboo forest. Zheng Qinglan couldn't help but praise the beautiful bamboo when she got closer. Each bamboo could not be held with two hands. The bamboo joints were long and well-proportioned. There were no bamboo branches in the lower part, but the branches and leaves in the upper part were dense, and one could not see the sky when standing inside. "Sitting alone in the secluded bamboo forest, playing the zither and howling, the people in the deep forest do not know, but the bright moon shines on us.”Could the bright moon shine down on such dense bamboo leaves? This bamboo forest was indeed elegant. No wonder so many scholars loved bamboo.
Suddenly, he heard a cursing voice,"You old thing, you're already in your eighties, but you're still dragging us down in this world."”Zheng Qinglan took two steps forward and turned around the bamboo forest. A house with red walls and gray tiles appeared in front of her. The main house and the side rooms were complete, but the house was short and small. The walls covered with white lime were uneven and mottled. There were three people in the courtyard. A short, thin man with sparse hair and a bald head had a pair of triangular eyes. His face was skinny and sallow. He looked just like the house in front of him. A woman who was almost as tall as the man was also staring at him. The man and woman were staring at an old man sitting on the ground. He was wearing a hat that was torn in several places. His white beard was so disheveled that it looked like it had been dug out from a pile of dust. A long cotton robe that was covered with cotton was wrapped around his body, making him look empty. His feet were bare and had turned purple from the cold. They spasmed from time to time.
The man pointed at the old man and cursed,"Go look for the village officials and then go look for them. Let them feed you. Why did you come back? Old fart, isn't there a pond on the road? Why don't you jump in?”The woman was not willing to fall behind either. She cursed angrily as if she was competing with the man." You don't do anything all day long. We give you free food and drinks, and you're still not satisfied. You run around and embarrass yourself. You embarrass your son and daughter, and you embarrass yourself. You're shameless, but we find it embarrassing. Go sue him again and see what you can get out of it.”The old man couldn't sit still anymore. He lay on the ground, trembling. After a long time, the woman found the old man's other shoe and kicked it in front of the old man." Put it on now. If someone sees it, they'll say that we've treated you badly, right?"”The man said," What's there to wear? He runs around every day. His feet are hot from running. Is he afraid of the cold?" He's been with us for a month now, so he's going to be raised by Fourth Brother and the others today. Get up and go to Fourth Brother.”The old man said weakly,"I can't walk. You can send me there."”"Sending you there? Are you slapping us in the face by saying that we don't want to support you and let others poke our backbones behind our backs? You old thing, you want to harm us all the time. Good people really don't get rewarded. How did we end up with an old thing like you who doesn't care about benevolence and righteousness?”
"It's not that…I want to harm you, it's…I'm really going…not moving…just be nice and send these things over. I don't want you to send me, I'll walk over slowly.”
"In your dreams. It's fine if you're going or not. Anyway, you can't stay here today.”
It was obvious that this was a family dispute about supporting the elderly. The old man was indeed pitiful. Zheng Qinglan's heart ached. She walked over. When the man and woman saw him, they were stunned for a moment, but they acted as if nothing had happened.
"Hello."
"What is it?" The man asked in a bad mood.
"I came from the county…"
The woman glanced at Zheng Qinglan and said to the old man lying on the ground,""Hurry up and get up!" She then said to Zheng Qinglan," This is my dad. The four of us take turns to take care of him. He has already been staying at our house for a month. Next month, he will be the fourth sister. He hasn't come to pick him up yet."”
"Didn't we agree to go to Fourth Brother's house after lunch? You just had breakfast."
"What are you talking about? What do you mean you just had breakfast? You didn't eat, did you? I fed a big bowl of porridge to the dogs, didn't I?”
"What's the use of a bowl of porridge? It's such a cold day.”
"When you're full, you run around and gossip everywhere. Let's see if you still have the strength to run now.”
"Look at the old man's clothes and bedding. How can this be? It's so cold.”
The man said angrily," Why not? We're considered good. Look at what we're wearing. Isn't it different from him? My family only has such conditions. He can go to whichever family has better conditions. We didn't stop him.”
The woman said to Zheng Qinglan," There are only a few acres of land and a small harvest in this family. We have to pay the government's taxes and the children have to study. What can we do?"”
"You should take good care of the elderly. Please get up, it's so cold on the ground.”As he spoke, he pulled the old man over and moved a chair for the old man to sit down.
"No matter where the leader came from, I have to say it. I did my best. I didn't let him sleep outside. I didn't let him eat. This is all I can do.”The man's words were obviously meant for Zheng Qinglan.
The woman stopped him." Don't say so much. It's our own business. Why are you blaming others?"”
"You only know how to f * cking protect your father. Speaking of which, he's your biological father. But let me ask you, what did he leave you? Did he have a few decent houses or a few decent belongings? And leave thee only a bone of debt. Ever since I broke into your house, I have never lived a single day. I have been paying my debts all year round and paying my debts all year round.”
Zheng Qinglan finally understood that this man was a live-in son-in-law.
"It's useless to talk about this now. Life will be better in the future. The most important thing now is to let the old man eat his fill and wear clean clothes.”
The man was disdainful and squeezed out a few words from his nostrils."Respect, how can you talk about respect like this? I still want respect. Who will give it to me?”
The woman glanced at the man and went to the kitchen. After a while, she heard the sound of washing pots. The man said to the old man resentfully,"Old man, you have food and drinks here today. You should burn some incense. Let's see who will treat you as well as we do in the future.”Then, he grabbed a sickle and left.
'It seems that not all the people living in the bamboo forest are elegant and wise,' Zheng Qinglan thought as she walked back. Why was this happening? No matter what, the current conditions were much better than when he was young. How could the old man be left alone? This would never have happened in the past. Zheng Qinglan suddenly remembered something from her childhood. There was an old man in the village. Zheng Qinglan called him Third Grandpa. Third Grandpa and Third Grandma didn't have any children of their own. They adopted a boy from their relatives. Later, the adopted son grew up and married. Third Grandpa still kept his word in front of his son. Sometimes, he even beat his son and daughter-in-law until they cried for their mother. However, their son and daughter-in-law didn't dare to touch Third Grandpa. There were also elders in the other families. Although it was inevitable that there would be some conflicts, they were only minor verbal conflicts. As the children of the younger generation, they did not dare to quarrel with the elders. Unlike the couple they saw today, they were simply too much. What was going on? The conditions had improved, and the old people should be enjoying themselves. Why did they lose their status instead? Zheng Qinglan was puzzled.
Unknowingly, Zheng Qinglan had returned to the mine. Suddenly, he heard Lan Guiying call him,"Brother, where did you go? I've been looking for you."”
"What's the matter?"
"I'm not looking for you. Someone else is looking for you.”
"Who else?"
Lan Guiying smiled mysteriously and said,"Miss, a beautiful girl."”
Zheng Qinglan was shocked. Miss, who could it be? It should be Jin Ling. She said that she would come to me to discuss some problems.
"Sister-in-law, where is the girl you mentioned?”
"Sit in front of my house. Brother, I didn't expect you to be so honest. I didn't expect you to get such a beautiful girl. She came all the way to see you and even brought you this and that. The chicken pecked the rice grains until it was full. This was what it meant to judge a book by its cover.”
"Sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense." Zheng Qinglan hurried into the courtyard and saw two people sitting in front of Lan Guiying's door. One was Shang Liuxin and the other was Fu Qian.
Shang Liu Xin saw Zheng Qinglan first and said to Fu Qian,""The person you've been waiting for is back. You guys chat. I have something to do and I'll be leaving first.”
" What are you doing here?" Zheng Qinglan asked.”
Fu Qian smiled and said," You're still talking. You didn't even tell me you were here. I thought you were missing. Come, help me hold it."”As he spoke, he handed over a paper box and a large plastic bag.
"Why are you here?" Zheng Qinglan asked.”
"What's wrong? You're the only one allowed to come to this place.”
"That's not what I meant. I'm asking how you knew I was here.”
"I asked around as a detective." Fu Qian was in high spirits because of her excitement. The red windbreaker made her look even more charming.
Zheng Qinglan took out the key and opened the door. Fu Qian followed behind her. It was unknown whether it was because of the wind or because Fu Qian had used too much strength to open the door, but the door closed behind them with a bang. This place immediately became a world of two people isolated from the world. It was such a mysterious and attractive quiet world. There was no noise here, no noise, only peace and relaxation. In stark contrast to this environment, there was a raging wave in her heart. Zheng Qinglan felt that nothing existed. All she could feel was the strong impulse and desire in her heart and the girl in red standing in front of her. He looked at Fu Qian. Fu Qian's eyes were blurry, as if she was drunk. Her cheeks were flushed, her nose was moving, and she seemed to be mumbling. Zheng Qinglan raised her hand and saw that Fu Qian was a little unsteady. However, his remaining rationality told him that if he reached out his hand, he would definitely not help but pull. What would happen next was self-evident. He did not help Fu Qian up. Instead, he placed his hand on his forehead and opened his arms. He used his big and middle fingers to press on his temples and massaged them vigorously.
Fu Qian also returned to normal. "Ah, it's still similar to a kennel.”
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming and didn't tidy up.”
"Forget it. Even if I told you I was coming half a month in advance, you wouldn't be able to clean up.”
"No, if I knew you were coming, I would have swept the floor clean, arranged everything neatly, and bought a few paintings to paste.”
"Come on, even if you have the heart, you won't have anywhere to buy it. What time was it now? Where could I find a place to sell paintings? It was still too early for the new year. Come, look what I brought for you. You can guess what I brought you.”
Zheng Qinglan pointed at the paper box." This is the box for the tape recorder. Is there a tape recorder inside?"”He couldn't believe it.
"You can open it and take a look." Fu Qian said with a smile.
Zheng Qinglan opened the paper box, and a brand new small dual-card recorder appeared in front of her. The recorder was wrapped in a transparent film. Through the film, she could see the spotless body and bright buttons. Zheng Qinglan was excited.
"Take it out and try it. I tried it when I bought it. The sound quality is not bad.”
"This costs a few hundred yuan. What are you buying it for?”
"I'm giving it to you. I'm afraid that you'll be lonely in this desolate place.”
"If you have something to do, you won't feel anything. I'm busy outside during the day, organizing documents at night, and sleeping at night. Most of the time is fulfilling, and occasionally when I'm idle, it's inevitable that I'll be a little lonely.”
"You can't work all day. You have to adjust accordingly. In the past, every time you went shopping, you wouldn't want to leave when you heard the music playing on the loudspeaker. I know you like to listen to music. It's good for you people who use your brains. Here, I also bought a few tape recordings. These three are the original tracks and this one is a copy. Listen to it first. When you're done listening, you can exchange it with someone else. This recorder was relatively small, and the sound quality was only so-so. When he had money, he would buy a big one. It was a floor-standing model. It was stylish and had good sound quality. He could listen to it as much as he wanted.”In the past, Zheng Qinglan only thought that Fu Qian was a shallow girl. She was always boisterous and talked about family matters. She didn't have anything to do with her. However, from what she said just now, Fu Qian seemed to have a deeper meaning. She clearly knew that she liked to listen to music, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she bought it when she thought she needed it the most. Zheng Qinglan was flattered by this. She felt that she was too cold to Fu Qian and gave her too little, whether it was material or spiritual.
"Here, this is a shortbread. I asked my mom to make it. It's a specialty from my hometown. Every family has to make it during the New Year. I told you before that the conditions are better now. You can make it if you want to eat it. There are five or six catties here. It's enough for you to eat for a while.”He opened a pink paper tube and tore it open. He took one out and put it in front of Zheng Qinglan's mouth. Zheng Qinglan didn't open her mouth but took the pastry.
"Zheng Qinglan, you're really an old antique. You're unwilling to be fed.”
"No, Fu Qian, let's... let's... let's cook some vegetables for lunch. We won't eat in the cafeteria.”
"Sure, do you have a stove here?"
"There's a stove, but it hasn't been used for a long time, and the pot has rusted. I'll go buy some groceries. After I get them, I'll go to Shang Liuxin's place next door to cook them. She's the one who sat with you at Guiying's place.”
"Oh, she uses the stove a lot. Do you often cook with her?”
"She doesn't have a stove, only a coal stove. I've eaten at her place twice. It takes a long time to start a stove, but when the fire is strong, it burns quite quickly. We've troubled her in the past, so we'll take this opportunity to repay her today.”
"Alright, you go buy the vegetables. I'll clean up this house first.”
Zheng Qinglan borrowed a bicycle from Lan Guiying and quickly rode to Jin Zhu's place to buy a few dishes. After chatting with Jin Zhu for a while, he rushed back. He wanted to ask why he didn't see Jin Ling, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
Zheng Qinglan pushed open the door and saw a bright light in front of her. The floor was clean and spotless. There was even water. The quilt and clothes on the bed were folded neatly. The bedsheets were pulled flat and the things on the desk were neatly packed. If she hadn't seen Fu Qian in the room, Zheng Qinglan would have suspected that she had walked into the wrong place.
Zheng Qinglan smiled embarrassedly and said,""Sorry to trouble you again."
"Don't say that. We're not outsiders. Come, bring the vegetables over. Let's choose the vegetables first.”
"You choose first, I'll go find Shang Liu Xin to get the key to start the stove, otherwise you'll have to wait for my stove after you've finished cooking, wasting time.”
Zheng Qinglan came to the office in front to look for Shang Liu Xin. She saw her sitting there in a daze. Zheng Qinglan coughed lightly, but Shang Liu Xin acted as if she didn't hear anything. She didn't react at all. Zheng Qinglan knocked on the door again, and Shang Liu Xin came back to her senses. She covered her face with her hands and rubbed it a few times before asking Zheng Qinglan,"What's the matter?"
"I have a guest today who wants to cook by himself. Can I borrow your coal stove and invite you to have lunch with us?”
"Take the stove and use it. This is the key. I'll eat in the cafeteria at noon so as not to disturb you. It's not easy for her to come all the way to see you.”
"It's okay. It's livelier with more people. You must come. We'll wait for you.”Without waiting for Shang Liu Xin's reply, he hurriedly walked out of the office.
Fu Qian had almost finished choosing the dishes. "You're so fast. You've finished choosing the dishes in such a short time.”
"Of course, practice makes perfect. The hands of a textile female worker are naturally not slow.”
"Are weaving and choosing vegetables the same thing?”
"The textile industry is competing with machines, so the speed has to keep up. Even if I didn't do weaving, I used to choose vegetables often. "You know, I don't like to study, so I used the method of doing housework to get my parents to like me. After a long time, I practiced it. In the past few years, I haven't had many opportunities to do it, and I'm a little slow. Otherwise, I would have finished choosing these dishes long ago.”
"If you say you don't like reading, I'll believe you. I've never seen you read a book.”
"Don't laugh at me. My brain goes numb when I read. I can't remember anything I read.”
"It's better to study more. Nowadays, everything depends on a diploma.”
"Forget it. It's better to just take my life. Besides, we textile workers only need skills. What's the use of a diploma? You might not believe me, but many of the people in our factory have higher academic qualifications than me, but few of them can compare to me in terms of skills. Otherwise, how could I be the class monitor?”
"That means that your brain is still very useful. If you read more books with such a brain, wouldn't it be like adding wings to a tiger? You might even be able to become a manager.”
"Manager, hehe, forget it. I'm not cut out for it. I'll let someone else do it. I just want to be a small worker in the factory. I'll go home... I'll just go home and cook.”
While they were talking, they had finished choosing the dishes. Fu Qian carried the dishes to the sink in the small courtyard to wash them. Zheng Qinglan brought Shang Liu Xin's stove and pot over and placed them in the small courtyard. Then, she took out a few pieces of waste paper on the table to use as fuel. She looked around and saw that there were no matches, so she went to Shang Liu Xin's room to look for matches. There was a matchbox on the table, but it was empty. He turned around and looked around, but he didn't see it. He lowered his head and saw a roll of paper in a desk-like table by the wall. Zheng Qinglan took it out and opened it. The first line was " Description of my relationship with Chen Sanfu ". Zheng Qinglan quickly scanned a few lines. God, what is this? Why did she tell the head of the organization about her relationship? Could it be that their relationship had broken down and she was asking for help from the organization? Zheng Qinglan's heart was beating fast. He felt like a thief. He didn't dare to look at it anymore. He quickly rolled up the paper and put it back. Then, he slipped out of Shang Liu Xin's room in a panic.
"Where are the matches you found?"
"Ah…ah, I didn't find it, I didn't find the match.”
Fu Qian glanced at Zheng Qinglan and said,""What's wrong with you? If you can't find it, then so be it. Why are you stuttering? Why are you so nervous?”
"No…no, I ran…away. I'll go to the shop to buy it. Don't worry, it's not far.”
Zheng Qinglan spent a lot of effort to ignite the coal. The house was filled with smoke, which made him and Fu Qian cough. Zheng Qinglan carried the stove outside and let the wind blow. The stove gradually became brighter. The blue flame was roaring and jumping up. He then carried the stove back to the small courtyard. Fu Qian held the pot and the spatula, acting as a chef. Zheng Qinglan opened the window to let the smoke in the room out.
" Salt, condiments…" Fu Qian shouted. Zheng Qinglan didn't dare to go to Shang Liu Xin's room to get anything. She could only run to the store to buy salt and other seasonings. After a while, the dishes were done and it was time for dinner. Shang Liu Xin also came back from the office. Zheng Qinglan got two portions of rice from the canteen and divided them into three bowls. The three of them sat together and talked as they ate. In fact, there were only two girls talking. Zheng Qinglan couldn't interrupt at all. She didn't want to interrupt either. She was just an audience. Zheng Qinglan found their conversation funny and boring.
"Don't just eat, express your opinion.”Fu Qian said.
"No objections. It's pretty good." Zheng Qinglan replied.
"It's a lie. You're only eating and haven't eaten the vegetables.”
"No, no, you guys eat more.”
Shang Liu Xin said," You don't have to give us food. We just need to eat a little. As for you, if you're not running around outside, you're thinking inside. You need to eat more."”
"You guys have worked hard. Come, eat. I'll help you with the food.”
Fu Qian and Shang Liu Xin quickly said,"No need, no need. We'll do it ourselves."”
"Then I'll take the lead." As he spoke, he picked up a large piece of bone and placed it in his bowl.
Fu Qian said," I'll learn from you. But that piece of yours looks big. It's an authentic bone. There's no meat at all. Come, let me help you pick up a piece."”As he spoke, he picked up a piece of bone with meat and placed it in Zheng Qinglan's bowl.
Shang Liu Xin said,"Little Fu, you're a guest, you should eat more."”
"Heavens, if you guys are so polite, how are we going to eat? From now on, there's no need to be polite. Everyone gets what they need and eats well.”
After the meal, Shang Liu Xin helped Fu Qian pack up the pots and pans and returned to her room. Zheng Qinglan said to Fu Qian,""You can rest on the bed for a while. I'll return Guiying's bicycle.”
"I'll go too. I think this sister-in-law Guiying is a warm-hearted person. There's no harm in interacting with her.”
Zheng Qinglan handed the bicycle to Lan Guiying. Seeing that the two were chatting happily, she went back to the cottage and read for a while. Her eyelids were twitching. He walked out of the door and didn't see Fu Qian and Lan Guiying. They probably went to Lan Guiying's room to chat, so they came back to close the door and fell asleep on the table. When he woke up, he realized that there was a piece of clothing draped over his body. Fu Qian was lying on the bed, her head leaning against the blanket as she slept soundly. Zheng Qinglan looked at her. Her skin was smooth and fair, and her long eyelashes fluttered occasionally. She closed her red lips and let out a soft snore. He instinctively looked at the door, which was tightly shut. He listened to the movements outside, but there was no sound at all. He turned around and looked at Fu Qian again. Her eyes were slightly closed, and one of her hands seemed to be raised. She seemed to be calling out softly. The primitive desire in his body grew even stronger. He couldn't help but stand up and extend a hand. As if to cooperate with him, Fu Qian's hand moved and lifted a little, as if to welcome him. The sound of "coming" was ambiguous but clear. Just as their hands were about to touch, the few lines of words that she saw in Shang Liu Xin's room earlier appeared in Zheng Qinglan's mind like a ghost. Do I love Fu Qian? If I love her, why am I in such a hurry? If you don't love her, why did you do such a thing? I have no right to hurt her. Zheng Qinglan sat down and turned her head to look at the tape recorder on the table. She seemed to hear Fu Qian's sigh.
Fu Qian coughed lightly. Zheng Qinglan took off her clothes and covered Fu Qian with them. Fu Qian suddenly reached out and put her arms around Zheng Qinglan's neck. She seemed to be begging and complaining."Qinglan, why are you so cold to me?”Zheng Qinglan's body was almost on top of Fu Qian's. His desire made him want to jump on her, but his rationality kept him in an upward posture. In the end, he removed Fu Qian's arms from his neck. Fu Qian's face was flushed red, her chest was heaving up and down, and her eyes were filled with tears. "Qinglan, why? Do you despise me? Let me tell you, talking to you is the first time in my life that I'm serious.”
"No, Fu Qian, listen to me. We still have a long life ahead of us. Let's keep each other's mystery until the last moment, okay?”
Fu Qian sat up. "You don't have to say anything. I'm like a pile of dead ashes now. I don't want to think about anything. I should go now. This trip is my wishful thinking.”
"Fu Qian, don't say that. I'm being responsible for you and myself.”
"Thank you for your responsibility. I'm sorry for coming to your door to ask for trouble.”With that, he walked out without looking back.
Zheng Qinglan stopped her." Fu Qian, don't misunderstand. I really didn't mean anything by it."”
"I know that you cherish your body and your reputation. It's my fault for not respecting myself. Let go, I want to go back."
"It wasn't easy for you to come here.”
"Stay one more day? I don't have a home or a job here. What's the point of staying here? I don't know how others will poke at my spine.”
"We'll maintain a proper relationship. No one will say anything about you behind your back. There's a movie going on in the mine tonight. It's a romance movie and a martial arts movie. Stay and watch the movie.”
"Forget it. I don't want anything now. I just want to leave this place as soon as possible.”As he spoke, he tried to pull Zheng Qinglan's hand away. Zheng Qinglan held on tightly. "Are you going to let go or not? If you don't, I'm going to call for help.”Zheng Qinglan had no choice but to let go. Fu Qian opened the door and walked out. Zheng Qinglan wanted to explain to her again, but when she saw Lan Guiying and Shang Liuxin standing not far away, she gave up.
"Sister, where are you going?" Lan Guiying greeted Fu Qian.
"Big sister, you guys are busy. I have to go back.”
"Didn't you say that you've already settled with someone else and that you're going to take two days off? Why do you want to go back? If you want to leave, ask your brother to send you off. Come, brother, ride your bicycle and send the girl to the car.”Zheng Qinglan quickly went to ride her bicycle. Fu Qian had already walked far away without looking back. Zheng Qinglan caught up with her and said,"Let me send you."”"No need. I'll go back the way I came. I don't need you to send me back. Who do you think you are to me?”
"Fu Qian, you will understand my intentions in the future.”
Fu Qian ignored him and walked forward. Zheng Qinglan caught up with her and left with her. A person walked over and asked Zheng Qinglan with a smile,""Xiao Zheng, you must be in a relationship. You don't even ride a car when you have one.”Zheng Qinglan was most afraid of others looking at her strangely. He said to Fu Qian,""See, they treat us like monsters. I'll send you off.”"You're afraid of being laughed at. If you go back, who needs you to send me off?”The road was just ahead, and there would be more people. Zheng Qinglan was afraid that people would see him arguing with Fu Qian, so she stopped. When Fu Qian got on the road and walked to a row of houses, she was out of sight. He pushed the cart back unhappily. He didn't dare to look around, afraid that people would talk about him. When he returned to the courtyard, he saw Lan Guiying looking over. Obviously, she was waiting for him to come back. Zheng Qinglan returned the bicycle to Lan Guiying. Lan Guiying asked him,"What's wrong with you guys? Little Fu just told me that he wanted to spend the night here. Why did he leave just like that? It looks like he's holding back his anger. Did you offend her?”" No."" Or you've neglected her. She came all the way here to see you. She brought you this and that. She was afraid that you'd be lonely, so she even spent a few months of her salary to buy you a tape recorder. How many meticulous and kind girls can you find? You should be good to her."”"I didn't neglect her." Zheng Qinglan knew that people like Lan Guiying couldn't bear to see anything happen. She would do anything she saw. A sesame seed could be said to be a watermelon, so she tried not to give her the chance to exaggerate. She just casually replied. As for sensitive information, he didn't reveal it at all.
"Brother, you must have offended her. When she first arrived, she called me Big Sister. After I introduced our relationship, she immediately changed her address to Sister-in-law. It's obvious that she treats us as a family. However, when she left just now, she changed it back and called me Big Sister again.”
"Maybe he was just casually calling her that. Don't think too much.”
"Tch, I'm thinking too much. I guess something must have happened between the two of you. Tell Sister-in-law honestly, did you take advantage of the girl?”Then, he stared at Zheng Qinglan's face, trying to get an answer from it.
"What kind of bargain?"
"Tch, you already know the answer. It was when you coaxed the girl and got into bed with her, and then changed your attitude with the girl.”
"Sister-in-law, what are you thinking? There's nothing between us.”
"Hmph, who would believe that? What era is it now? How many young people would sleep together without seeing each other twice? Moreover, you've been dating for several months and have met countless times. As the saying goes,'When a man misses a woman, there's a mountain between them. She came all the way here, and once the door is closed, it's just the two of you. What's impossible? This era is different from our time. Hmph, you still want to hide it from me. It seems that you're not an honest guy.”
"Sister-in-law, don't think too much. We really didn't do anything. Don't ruin her reputation.”
"Forget it, forget it. Sister-in-law is not forcing you to admit it. I just think that both of you are young and hot-blooded. Who doesn't want to do that? It's normal to think about it, and it's normal to do it. Look, the one next door is one of them. Not only is he playing, but he's also playing tricks.”
Zheng Qinglan knew what she was talking about, so she didn't want to hear it anymore. She mumbled,"" I have something to do." She left Lan Guiying, who was still in high spirits.
Although Zheng Qinglan felt a little guilty about Fu Qian leaving in anger, she believed that she was right and that Fu Qian would understand him in the end. After we get married, I will treat her well. I will repay her double what I owe her, including words and sex. This way, our married life will definitely be happier and happier. It's like boiling a bowl of soup. The more it is boiled, the more fragrant it will be. It won't be a marriage that is unscrupulous before marriage and dull after marriage. Zheng Qinglan comforted herself. At the same time, she had made up her mind to explain to Fu Qian when she returned to the city this weekend.
Zheng Qinglan wasn't in the mood to work. She turned on the tape recorder, but she felt annoyed after listening to a few sentences. He turned off the tape recorder in frustration, picked up a pen, and wrote a few lines. However, he couldn't continue. He lay down and couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know what was bothering him. He just felt that his heart was in a mess, and his mind was empty. He couldn't think of anything. If this continued, how could he complete the mission given by Director Luo? Zheng Qinglan calmed down a little when she thought of work. Work was a lifelong matter. If he did not fall in love or get married, he had to do his job well. Otherwise, what was the point of coming to this world in a muddle? The old people often said that plants and vegetation lived for a lifetime. Plants and vegetation had their own way of living, and humans naturally had their own way of living. He looked through the things he had collected over the past week and made a list. There were only a few folk stories, the conversations and hopes of the old artists. This result was too shabby, and it would be difficult to explain. He went through the events of the past few days in his mind again. He felt that some of the changes in people's mentality and their views on today's society could be added. After all, culture was not only passed down. Artists and artists also had to use pen and art to reflect the current social life. Since it was a reflection of social life, it should be broader and deeper. He thought of the Book of Songs and the officials sent by the government. At present, wasn't he just an official? How could he collect wind? How could he maximize the collection of social life information? First, he had to rely on his own observation experience. Second, he had to borrow the power of others to collect information from their speech and behavior. Obviously, staying in the house was not a good idea. It was not good to have a small circle of contact, and it was not good to have shallow contacts with people. It was better to go out and live with more people. Only then could he gather more valuable information.
During dinner, Zheng Qinglan said to the head miner,""Captain Dong, I want to go down the well with you tomorrow.”
The captain didn't seem to understand him and glared at him. Zheng Qinglan said it again. The captain said,""What are you doing down there?”
"I want to write about you coal miners.”
"Come on, what kind of coal miners are we? It's just a small coal mine in the village. Who knows, the government might close it down one day. Only the people in the big mines are considered coal miners. We're similar to farmers. We can work if we want to, and we can leave whenever we want to.”
"Just say that I will comply with any request you have.”
"Do you really want to go down?"
"Really?"
"Alright, come with us to the tool storage room after breakfast tomorrow to get a set of work clothes and a safety helmet. You'll only bring paper and pen with you.”
The next day, Zheng Qinglan woke up early. In fact, he was both excited and nervous about going down the well. He really wanted to know what it was like to be a few hundred meters deep underground. Moreover, this was a step he had to take to understand society. But on the other hand, he had a deep fear of the darkness. When he was a child, he had watched documentaries on earthquake prevention. After watching them, he even had nightmares when he slept. He was scared out of his mind by the devastating darkness several times. For a year or two, he had to put his shoes neatly in front of his bed before he went to bed, in case an earthquake suddenly struck. At that time, he was only eight or nine years old, but his fear was unusually strong. He had asked his friends who were similar to him, but they did not take it seriously at all.
Zheng Qinglan changed into work clothes, rubber shoes, and a miner's hat. She, Captain Dong, and five or six other miners stood in the iron cage. The door of the iron cage was closed. A sense of fear immediately haunted Zheng Qinglan's heart. He groaned in pain. Captain Dong patted him and said," Zheng, it's okay. It's the same for the first few times. You'll get used to it." Close your eyes and don't look." Zheng Qinglan closed her eyes as she was told. She could only hear the sound of metal rubbing against the steel wire rope and the capstan. It was unbearable for her heart, and there seemed to be the sound of the wind whistling in her ears. Zheng Qinglan's legs were shaking, and her heart was cramping. Sour water surged up from her stomach. She gritted her teeth so hard that her cheeks were sore. After what seemed like half a century, the iron cage hit the bottom. Zheng Qinglan was shocked. Then she heard Captain Dong say,""Little Zheng, we've landed. Come out.”Zheng Qinglan walked out of the cage in a daze. She squatted there and vomited. It took her a while to calm down. Captain Dong said to him," There are three coal mining sections underground. Each section has more than ten miners. You can go to any of the sections, but don't get too close to them. It's not safe to hinder them from doing their work. Don't go to places without light. It'll be troublesome if you get lost. You're not used to it, but you'll feel better in a while. Rest first. I have to make arrangements. If you need anything, look for me.”
Zheng Qinglan sat on the ground for a while and gradually got used to the environment. The tunnel wasn't very high, at most two meters high. There were thick logs everywhere, each of which weighed about a hundred pounds. Other than the places where people often walked, which were slightly flatter, the other places were uneven, just like the rocks in the quarry. Zheng Qinglan walked along the path to the nearest coal mining area. Before he could get close, he felt like he was choking. He quickly pulled down his mask. There wouldn't be an accident with such a large amount of dust, right? If an accident happened in such an environment, it would be a disaster. He quickly found Captain Dong and expressed his concerns. Captain Dong said angrily,"We've told the villagers about this many times, and they always ask us to be patient. They don't know that this is a life-threatening matter. We can't help it. I'll immediately arrange for someone to spray water to suppress the dust. The fan couldn't be stopped, and the drill couldn't be stopped either. If the coal was less, the village cadre wouldn't let it go. You can't help much. Just stand and watch from afar. I'll arrange for someone to spray water.”After a while, Zheng Qinglan calmed down.
He should do something for the miners. He should write poems to praise them and write novels to reflect their lives. These should be done, but they were not the most important. The most important thing at the moment was safety. For a salary of tens of yuan a month, he would lose his life. What was the point of singing praises?
"Captain Dong, big brothers, I think you have to seriously make suggestions to the leaders to improve the production conditions in this underground mine. If anything happens, it will cause a lot of trouble.”Zheng Qinglan said to everyone during lunch.
"Yes, Captain. Brother Zheng is right. The conditions in the well are too bad. We can't lose our lives here just to earn some money.”
"To be honest, every time I go down the well, I'm on tenterhooks. If this continues, I can only leave. I don't want to lose my life.”
"Be more cheerful and don't say those depressing words.”
"You call this depressing? There's a saying that goes 'be prepared for danger in times of peace.' Besides, our production conditions are already very poor, so we should consider safety issues even more.”
Captain Dong said," Brothers, it's not like you don't know the situation. We've already strongly requested Secretary Pei several times, but he always said that he doesn't have the money to solve these problems.”
"No extra money, no extra money. That's all he knows how to say. He has extra money to entertain the people above him, to give to prostitutes, and to save his father's life. If he does that, he won't be able to change it for the rest of his life. After this meal, we'll quit. Whoever wants to do it can do it.”
"Whoever wants to do it can do it! It was not worth it to take such a big risk.”
Zheng Qinglan quickly said," Brothers, don't quit. It's not easy for you to earn money, and it's not easy for you to find a way to earn money. I think we should continue to work, but we must pay attention to safety. I suggest that we arrange a water spray worker for each section to spray water continuously to suppress the dust. We have to report this situation to Secretary Pei in time, but we have to pay attention to the method. We can invite him down the well to check the actual situation. If he knows the pros and cons, the problem might be solved.”
"Yes, Captain, we will do as Brother Zheng says.”
Captain Dong said," A scholar's brain works fast. We should let him come down and take a look. Otherwise, he'll think that we're lying about the military situation."”
Zheng Qinglan said," Big Brother Dong, I've already thought about it. I'll tell you later. Let's discuss it and see if my method works."”
"Alright, it's settled then. When we work later, first, we have to put in some effort to increase the production. Second, we have to be especially careful not to have any accidents. Bao Gen, Lao Er, Qing Ping, from now on, the three of you will be responsible for spraying water.”
When the miners went up to the platform, Captain Dong asked Zheng Qinglan,""Brother, what method are you talking about? Zheng Qinglan said," I asked a reporter friend of mine for help. I asked him to come and interview the development of the village's business. This is a good opportunity to become famous. Secretary Pei will definitely be willing to be in the newspaper, so he will invest in solving the safety problem underground. What do you think?"”
"Brother, your idea is really great. It's almost perfect. When the matter is done, I'll treat you to a drink.”
"No need, this is what I should do."
That night, Zheng Qinglan came to Pei Tianwen's house. Pei Tianwen asked,""Xiao Zheng, what's the matter?"
"Secretary Pei, it's like this. I have a friend who is a reporter in a newspaper company and specializes in reporting on enterprises. He wants to interview some township enterprises or village enterprises. I recommended the coal mine in our village to him.”
"Really? Which newspaper company is your friend in?"
"Oh, it's the Oriental Daily, the most influential newspaper in the province.”
"Alright, alright. I've been thinking about this problem these days. You see, our coal mine has also created a lot of value, but it's not very well-known. Now, it's great. Oh, look, what other preparations do we have to do before he comes for the interview?”
"I think you have to go down to the well and see for yourself before making a decision. You also have to listen to the opinions of the miners and see which areas need to be strengthened so that you can make a big hit.”
"They also made some requests to me. I don't know much about this. In the next two days, I will definitely go down to the well to take a look and then ask the engineers of the county coal mine to help plan.”
"That would be great, but it would cost a lot of money.”
"Money is not a problem. This coal mine has been in operation for many years. We have some savings. Take out our savings first. If it's not enough, we can think of a way to get a loan. In short, we can't be careless about safety.”
After returning from Pei Tianwen's place, Zheng Qinglan went to the work shed to find Captain Dong and called him out.
"Big Brother Dong, Secretary Pei will be going down the well with you in the next two days. He said that he would also like to invite the county's engineers to come over and help with the planning to completely solve the safety risks.”
Captain Dong punched Zheng Qinglan's shoulder. Zheng Qinglan covered her shoulder and grimaced. Captain Dong laughed and said,""Brother, I'm just happy. This problem has been reflected for at least two years, and it hasn't been solved. Now that you've mentioned it, Secretary Pei is going to go down the well, and the problem will be solved. You're indeed a scholar. You have a lot of ideas and know how to do things. I'm impressed.”
"Big Brother, I only did a little thing within my ability. Actually, I don't know anything about safety. I just feel that everyone's lives can't be treated as a joke, so I did this. In the future, you have to be more careful.”
"Brother, this is enough. In the future, we will know how to report problems to those in power. Don't worry, no matter how poor people are, they are still fated.”
"Big Brother, from my point of view, I would say that no matter how poor a person is, they are still the inheritors of outstanding culture. Your songs and dramas made me drunk.”
"Brother, to be honest with you, I also think that our songs and dramas are extremely beautiful. They have already soaked into my bones. Without them, my days are like vegetables without oil and salt. I don't have the energy to do things. When she was young, she would run after the show during the holidays. The adults did not stop her, but only instructed a few older children to take care of her younger brothers and sisters. Now you see, you don't even sing opera here, and our singing is also gradually sparse. The older generation of opera singers are old, but the young people don't like these old things and can't catch their breath. I have an idea. If I can save some money, I'll go back and start a troupe. I'll gather those old artists who are scattered all over the place.”
Zheng Qinglan didn't expect that in this place, a man who only knew how to dig coal would have a hobby of traditional culture. However, he didn't know how to put it. He couldn't see what the future would be like. However, one thing was quickly verified. At noon a day later, Lian Gouzi went to the mine to find Zheng Qinglan and said to him,""Author Zheng, Secretary Pei asked if you have time tomorrow afternoon. He has something to ask you.”
"Oh, I know. When you see Secretary Pei, tell him that I will visit him tomorrow afternoon.”
After dinner at the mine, Zheng Qinglan said to Captain Dong,""Secretary Pei is probably going to make the final decision on the safety investment. He asked me to go to the village tomorrow afternoon.”
"Do you want us to provide the materials?"
"There's no need. He probably heard something. Asking for materials at this time will only backfire.”
"Is it true that your friend works in a newspaper company?”
"It's true that she works in a newspaper office, but she's not responsible for corporate reporting.”
"Then you won't be exposed. How are you going to explain this to Secretary Pei? He's the emperor of this village.”
"It's fine. I'll get my classmate to contact his colleague. It shouldn't be difficult for him to come down. It was just that his reaction to Secretary Pei was not good. If this was reported, it would not be good.”
"Then what should we do?"
"The most important thing is to ensure the safety of your underground well. This kind of thing cannot be delayed.”
"Then I'll find a bicycle to send you there.”
"No need. We can't get too close to each other at this time. He might think that we're conspiring against him. This place isn't too far from the village, so I'll just walk there.”
The next afternoon, Zheng Qinglan arrived at the village early. Lian Gouzi said that Secretary Pei was not here yet and asked Zheng Qinglan to wait in the meeting room. Then, he opened the meeting room and let Zheng Qinglan in. Zheng Qinglan looked around and saw that the conference room was quite stylish. The long tables were covered with purple-red gold velvet. She couldn't see the color or material of the tables, but it didn't matter. She could tell that the tables weren't bad by looking at the chairs beside the tables. On both sides of the table were two rows of sofa chairs. They were all purple-red and polished to a shiny color. They could be used as mirrors, and the backs were made of real leather. At the upper end was a boss 'chair, which was one size larger than the other chairs. Needless to say, this was Pei Tianwen's " throne ". Just this set of chairs alone was unimaginable for an ordinary village. The walls were covered with all kinds of honor boards. Most of the award winners were from the party and government departments, and there were also some industry associations. Zheng Qinglan thought as she looked at them. It seemed that she had done a lot of work and achieved a lot. Otherwise, why would these signs be hung here? Suddenly, she heard Pei Tianwen say," Little Zheng, you're early. I had something to deal with. Sorry for making you wait."”His tone and attitude were no different from when Zheng Qinglan first met him. Zheng Qinglan quickly replied," Secretary Pei, don't stand on ceremony. I just came here. Why don't you take care of it first? I'll wait for a while."”
"It's all settled." Pei Tianwen casually asked Zheng Qinglan about her work in the village, and Zheng Qinglan answered him one by one. Pei Tianwen changed the topic and said," Little Zheng, I'm a straightforward person. I like to be straightforward. Let me ask you a question. You said last time that your friend who works at the newspaper office wanted to report on our village's coal mine. Is that true?”
"It's true. I can call him now.”As soon as he said that, he regretted it a little. Pei Tianwen stared at Zheng Qinglan and said,""There's no rush. It won't be too late to talk about it after I put the safety facilities in place and the production increases. When the time comes, I still need to borrow the light of a god like you. Don't refuse.”
"Secretary Pei, don't worry. I'll do my best.”
"Contact your friend first. Use our village's phone and see when he comes down. Our village cadre will go down tomorrow to take a look and buy whatever he needs.”
Zheng Qinglan made a call for a while before she came out and said to Pei Tianwen,""Secretary Pei, my friend said to contact him when you are almost done with the coal mine construction.”
"Then let's do as he says. We'll put in more effort on our side and try to get them to come down earlier. I'm also quite anxious.”
After Zheng Qinglan went back, she made a record of her meeting with Pei Tianwen. When she saw that it was about time, she went to the well and waited. When Captain Dong came out, Zheng Qinglan pulled him aside and said,""Big Brother Dong, it's done. Secretary Pei will bring the village officials down to the well for an inspection tomorrow.”Captain Dong patted Zheng Qinglan and said happily,""You're really something. We've been urging you for a year or two, but you've actually done it in two days. Brother, you're a good friend. I'll treat you to a drink tonight.”"Don't, don't. It's not too late to drink after everything is done. Think about it first. What kind of equipment do you want to add to the underground mine? We will add what we need. We will not add what we are not in a hurry. We must also save some money for the village. It is not easy for a village to have only one enterprise.”"Alright, it's a deal. I'll owe you this wine first. When we're done, we'll get drunk.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。