20 years of spring breeze

Chapter 2 Shuttle Bus
Loess Road.

Along the winding and undulating loess road along the mountain, an ox cart is as wide as it is wide, with plantain growing in the deep ruts on the road, dancing gently in the mountain wind, and the stones exposed on the road are quietly looking at the sky.There are dark pine forests on both sides of the road, one side is ordinary pine trees, brown and black pine needles are covered with the forest floor, and the other side is fruit pine trees, which are more sparse. The path stepped on by someone walking in the forest is twisted , there are some short grasses on the side of the road, and a few small flowers occupy it.

This is Liaodong, the mountainous area of ​​the Liaodong Peninsula. There is an inexplicable place name here, Honey Lazi.

Walking along this dirt road from Honeylazi for more than ten kilometers, it is called Toudaohezi, and walking back for about twenty kilometers, it is called Erdaogou.The National Defense Highway passes through this barren land far away. There is a shuttle bus from the city to the county every day. It passes in the morning and returns in the afternoon.Whether people in Honeylazi Village are going to the city or the county, they have to walk along the dirt road for an hour and a half, climb over two hills, one high and one low, and then stand on the side of the road and wait.The shuttle bus does not have a very fixed time, and it is considered punctual to arrive here every two days with a difference of half an hour.

In midsummer in August, the sun is hanging overhead, it is noon, the hottest time of the day.

A few middle-aged people wearing Chinese tunic suits or Han shirts that can no longer be seen in color, and farmland shoes on their feet squatted on the side of the national defense road, smoking dry cigarettes and chatting. Bags, cloth pockets, travel bags, woven bags have everything.

Not far from a few middle-aged people, squatting a half-year-old boy of fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pot head cut off, wearing a white and blue vest that has turned yellow, homespun pants, and a pair of farmland shoes. It's old, the sides are frayed and stubbled.

"Xiaowei, are you going to the county? Going to Gaha? You just happen to be empty-handed, and the car will come in a while and help me pass the bag." A middle-aged man squatted on the ground holding a cigarette pouch full of e-liquid. The half-child who was holding a straw stick to tease the ants shouted.

Xiaowei looked up at the middle-aged man who was talking, nodded with a smile, showing his crooked teeth, and said, "Okay. I have nothing to do to go and see, fourth uncle, you go to the county to have a look? See my sister Yan ah?"

The fourth uncle gently tapped the cigarette pot on the one-meter-high locust tree trunk brushed with white lime on the side of the road, pinched some tobacco leaves from the cloth bag tied around his waist with his withered and calloused hands, and pressed them into the cigarette pot Li, said: "Well, look at Xiaoyan, she is about to give birth, send me something."

Xiaowei said: "An old man like you, the fourth uncle, is really enjoying the blessings. After the daughter is married, she still cares about it, and even travels so far to give so many things."

The fourth uncle shook his head, looked at the big and small parcels around him, and said: "There is no way, Xiaofeng's family is worse than mine. I am gone, so I have an old lady and a younger sister. Besides, this is assigned to the county. Although the name sounds good, what can I do with the thirty yuan wages? There is no land to cultivate, and the family, this Xiaoyan is about to give birth, no matter how it is done?"

Xiaowei smiled, didn't answer, and asked, "Fourth Uncle, is Sister Yan's brother-in-law in the Agricultural Machinery Bureau?"

The fourth uncle showed a proud expression on his face, he immediately sniffed to cover it up, nodded and said: "Well, that kid is fine, he was picked up by the leader when he came back from the army, and it's actually nothing to work for the Agricultural Machinery Bureau, no Let's eat together."

A few middle-aged people who were smoking together praised Fourth Uncle's son-in-law one after another. Fourth Uncle's dark face shone brightly, and he was insincerely modest.

This was 1988, the first ten years of reform and opening up, and the rural areas had already contracted production to each household and divided the fields and land, and the city was full of waste.

At this time, the gap between the countryside and the city has widened. Eating imperial food has become a very tall and enviable occupation. Farmers have become the bumpkins of the city people. The development of commerce across the country has entered the fast lane, and the supply of materials is abundant and sufficient.

Liu Kuizi knocked on the cigarette bag, wrapped the bag around the cloth pocket containing dry tobacco leaves, put it in the waistband of his trousers, bared his yellow teeth full of smoke stains, and said, "Can it be the same, Xiaofeng?" This is eating the royal rations, so you will have great prospects in the future, when you become the chief of the bureau in the future, you will be a big fan of the fourth, and you will have to help these old brothers at that time."

The creases on the fourth uncle's smiling face deepened, and he nodded and agreed: "That's it, that's it, no one can forget that time, as the folks say, just say something about it."

A puff of yellow smoke gradually approached in the distance, and the bus arrived.

Several people put away their cigarette pipes and stuffed their pots into their trouser waists and stood up.

The old square-shaped round-cornered bread-shaped passenger car came to a stop in front of people covered with dust and hot wind. The door opened, and the crowded and sweaty conductor jumped out of the car, straightened his clothes, rolled up his sleeves and looked Look at the things piled up on the ground, and say: "You are fifty cents, why do you bring so many things? One piece is two cents, and you can put it on yourself. Be careful, don't loosen the top."

A shelf with the same width as the car is supported on the roof, with a fixed net on it, and a ladder for going up and down at the rear of the car.

The fourth uncle rolled up his sleeves, climbed up the roof of the car along the ladder, untied the tightly tied fixed net, piled up the things on the car, made a little space, and shouted down: "Xiaowei!" , help me pass things up."

Xiaowei agreed from below, picked up the package on the side of the road, put it on the side of the car, and pushed it up with both hands: "Oh, uncle, you, what are you carrying, why is it so heavy? "Liu Kuanzi, who was waiting for the car together, also came to help. The fourth uncle lay on the roof of the car, stretched his arms to reach down, grabbed the bag and pulled it up, and said: "The food at home, used, small Yanna, nothing, nothing, nothing, take it." He lifted up the bag with great effort, half-kneeling on the surface of the car, arranged the bag, and took another one.

The people in the car jumped down by the door to cool off. They stood on the side of the road and watched them load the car. Someone shouted: "Slow down, there is something in my bag that is afraid of being crushed, be careful, be careful! , If you crush it, you will be compensated."

The conductor gave the man a blank look, and said, "What's the matter with you? Don't worry, you go up and pretend, why are you making a fuss? Don't you hold expensive things?"

The man glanced at the conductor, sneered, and said, "Look, I can't just say a word, can't I? I didn't say anything else." The conductor ignored him, looked up at the fourth uncle on the bus and shouted: "Arrange it well, don't put it all at one end, it's too heavy, just play around, and don't overturn the car." The fourth uncle agreed while arranging things: "I understand, don't worry, it's not the first time. Can such a big man turn over?"

After putting everything on the roof and tying up the fixed net, it was already more than ten minutes later. This is why the car is not allowed to start. It is fast when there are fewer people.

The conductor waited for the fourth uncle to climb down from the roof of the car, and climbed up the ladder to have a look, pulled the fixed net, then jumped down and patted the ashes on his hands and shouted: "Get in the car, let's go, you take the money." Hand it over, nine packs and one eight, whose is it?"

Liu Kuanzi took out the money wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket, and said as he took it out, "The price is the same for big and small bags? Doesn't it matter whether it's big or small?"

The conductor looked at the money in his hand and said, "Where do you want to share it? All right, fifty cents for the big bag, and twenty cents for the small bag, will you give it? Happy, there is a carload of people waiting." Liu Shouzi took out a few sweat-drenched The gross ticket was handed to the conductor with some reluctance.

After the fourth uncle and the others had paid the money, the conductor stuffed the money into the ticket pocket on his shoulders and said, "Get on the bus, get on the bus, and go back, don't be blocked at the door, let's go."

Xiaowei was the last to get on the train. As soon as he entered the compartment, the smell of sweaty feet and dry smoke wrapped in the hot air hit his face. He sniffled and paused for a few seconds to get used to panting slowly. The conductor pushed Xiaowei's back squeezed in, the door closed, and the car started slowly.

The conductor shouted loudly behind Xiaowei: "All the smokers are pinched, what are these people smoking? Can one less puff kill you? Over there, open the window, why don't you close the window? Are you cold?" Someone followed laughed.

The person sitting by the window replied: "The dust is too big."

The conductor said: "Can you choke to death? Open it, don't you know how hot this car is?" The man slowly opened the window, and the wind and dust rushed into the car. He didn't feel how cool the car was. The smell in it has dissipated a lot.

The dirty passenger car was shaking and driving on the mountain road, the glass of the car was rattling along with the swaying of the car body, the voices in the car gradually became quieter, those who were sitting closed their eyes and fell asleep, while those who were standing were crowded into a pile and scratched their hands. The handrail looked at the receding trees outside the car in a daze.

(End of this chapter)