The dust settles

Chapter 48

She sighed and said, "Among those who are going to die today, my life is the most worthwhile." She said that she was a Han Chinese first, but now she has become a Tibetan.Smell yourself, from head to toe; all you smell is Tibetan.Of course, the most satisfying thing for her is to change from a low-class person to a high-class person.She told me to bend down, put her mouth next to my ear and said, "I have also changed from a vulgar woman to Mrs. Toast, to a decent woman."

The mother revealed the secret that had been hidden in her heart for many years.She was a prostitute.As soon as she said this, I thought of the big colorfully painted houses in the town, heard the creaking voice of the gramophone, and smelled the hot smell of roasting meat and boiling beans.Mrs. Toast did not have such a smell.She ordered the wine to be boiled in the teapot, swallowed a few opium bubbles with the warm wine, and then ordered the second glass of wine to be warmed. During this interval, she made me bend down again, and kissed my forehead, He whispered, "This time, I don't have to worry about whether my son is a fool or not."

She swallowed a few more bubbles, lay down sideways on the flowery bungalow, and said to herself: "In the past, I wanted to eat opium but worried about money, but in Maiqi, I never worried about it. I deserve it. "Then, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.The maid pushed me out the door.I still want to look back, at this moment, a scream broke the tranquility of the morning and came through the air.

The opponent attacked for a few days, and released all those who were afraid of death.I originally wanted to fight them with swords and swords, guns and guns, but when they caught up with their impatience, I wanted to bombard them.

The first shell landed on the square in front of the official village, and with a bang, a huge earth pit was blasted out.The execution post was also shattered and flew into the field.Another shell fell behind the official village.After firing these two shots, the opponent stopped for a while.Chief Maggie waved me to stay with him, and I ran over to wait for a new shell to fall, but the shell never fell, giving me the opportunity to tell my father that my mother had eaten wine and opium.

Father said: "Fool, your mother died by herself." Toast Maiqi didn't shed tears, but just smiled ugly, and said in a hoarse voice: "Well, she doesn't have to be afraid of dust getting her clothes dirty."

Only then did I know that my mother had committed suicide.

The white Han officer threw his gun and sat on the ground, I thought he was scared.He said: "It's not interesting. People use cannons, and the third cannon is about to fall on our heads. Most people still hold their guns tightly in their hands. There is another roar of cannonballs in the sky." The sound, this time, was not a single shot, but a group of shells screaming towards Chieftain Maiqi's official village. The shells fell, and the official village was shaken by the explosion. The explosion sounded together, and the flames, smoke, and dust rose , covering everything in front of us. I never thought that people would not be able to see the world before they die. But we really can’t see the world before we die. Amid the violent explosion of shells, Chieftain Mai The huge stone building in Guanzhai finally collapsed, and we fell down with the whole Guanzhai. The process of descending was very beautiful, and it felt as if we were flying."

49. When the dust settles
I think the foolish son of the Maggie family has ascended to heaven.Otherwise, how could there be so many bright stars hanging in front of my eyes.It is the heavy body that tells me that I am still alive.I stood up from the rubble, choking on the dust.

I bent over the ruins and coughed loudly.

The cough spread and disappeared into the field.In the past, here, no matter what sound you make, it will be blocked by the tall walls of the official village and echo.But this time, as soon as the voice came out, it disappeared.I listened attentively, but there was no sound, and it seemed that those who fired the guns had all left.The Maiqi family and those who refused to surrender were buried in the rubble.They all slept in the graves created by the artillery fire, soundless.

I started walking under the starlight, towards the west where I came from, and not long after I walked out, I tripped over something.When he got up, a cold gun barrel was pressed against his forehead.I heard myself yelling: "Bang!" I yelled a gunshot, then my eyes went dark, and I died again.

At dawn, I woke up.Yang Zong, the third wife of Toast Maiqi, was crying by my side. When she saw me open my eyes, she cried and said, "Both the chieftain and his wife are dead." At this time, the new sun was rising red from the east.

She, like me, crawled out of the rubble, but found the camp of the People's Liberation Army.

The red Han people got two Maiqi chieftain families; very happy.They gave us injections and medicine, and asked the red Tibetans among them to talk to us.They fired at Maiqi Guanzhai fiercely, but treated us courteously.The red Tibetans talked and talked to us, but I didn't want to say anything.Unexpectedly, the red Tibetan finally said, according to the policy, as long as I rely on the people's government, I can still inherit the position of Chieftain Maiqi.

Having said that, I suddenly spoke.I said, "Don't you red Han people want to eliminate the chieftain?"

He laughed and said, "Until it is eliminated, you can continue to be a leader." This red Tibetan said a lot of things, some of which I understood and some of which I didn't understand.In fact, all these words can be summed up in one sentence: In the future, even if you have only been a chieftain for a day, you will be different from those who have never been a chieftain.I asked him if that was what he meant.

He grinned and said, "You finally understand."

The team is leaving again.

The People's Liberation Army took the cannon off the horse, asked the soldiers to carry it, and helped Yangzong and me onto the horse.The team meandered towards the west.When I crossed the mountain pass, I looked back at the place where I was born and grew up, and at Chieftain Maiqi's official village. There, except for the tall official village that had disappeared, there were not many traces of fighting.Spring is dyeing green orchards and large wheat fields. Among the greenery, the chieftain's village has become a large pile of stones. The lower part is the shadow cast by itself, and the higher part is shining with the sun and shining with a metallic luster.Looking at the scene in front of me, tears welled up in my eyes.A small whirlwind rose from the pile of stones, brought up a lot of dust, and swirled on the ruins.In the river valley ruled by the chieftains, at noon when the weather is clear and the sun is strong, you can see this sudden small whirlwind everywhere, carrying dust and dead branches and leaves dancing in the clear sky.

Today, I think that the souls of Toast Maiqi and his wife are going to heaven.

The whirlwind spun higher and higher, and finally exploded at a very high place.Inside, the invisible things went up to the heaven, and the visible things were dust, which fell from mid-air and covered the piles of rocks.But the dust is dust after all, and finally fell back into the crevices of the stones, leaving only the silent sunlight flickering on the ruins.Tears in my eyes intensified the flickering effect.At this time, I called my relatives in my heart, and I shouted: "Abba! Aunt!"

I also yelled: "Ah Eryi!"

My heart hurt like never before.

The team hugged me and climbed over the mountain ridge, and then I couldn't see anything.

The people I left in the valley are still waiting there, a little comfort to my aching heart.From a distance, I saw white tents set up in the valley.They also found the People's Liberation Army team.I don't know who fired a few shots at the team on the hillside. The two red soldiers in front of me snorted and fell face down on the ground, blood slowly oozing from their backs.Fortunately, only one person fired the gun.The gunshots echoed very lonely in the deep valley.My men just stood there dumbfounded until the team rushed forward.The gun was put by the butler.Standing on a large section of fallen trees with a gun in hand, he looks like a hero, but his face is very blank.Before I could get close, he was knocked down with the butt of a gun and tied firmly.I rode through the tent, faces sliding from in front of my horse's head to behind.Everyone stared at me blankly, and when I walked by, there was a burst of crying behind me.After a while, the whole valley was full of sad cries.

The People's Liberation Army was very uncomfortable hearing this.Everywhere I went, there were many people cheering loudly.They are a team of the poor, and the majority of the people in the world are poor, and the poor should cheer loudly for the world to finally have a team of their own.And here, these slaves, with their foolish mouths open, weep for their master.

We continued on to the border.

Two days later, the town appeared before our eyes again. The long and narrow street, usually full of dust, was as quiet as the small river next to the town.The procession crosses the street.In those shops with closed doors, there are eyes watching, and even the brothel where syphilis spread is unprecedentedly quiet.

Several senior officials of the People's Liberation Army lived in my big house.They could see the whole town from upstairs.They all said that I am a person with a new mind, and such a person can keep up with the times.

I told them I was going to die.

They said, no, people like you keep up with the times.

And I think being dead and not being able to keep up with the times are two different things.

They said, you will be a good friend of our communists.You're here to build, and we're here to build beautiful towns like this everywhere.The biggest officer even patted me on the shoulder and said, "Of course, there are no more opium and brothels. Your town also has something to reform, and you have something to reform."

I laughed.

The officer grabbed my hand, shook it vigorously, and said, "You will become the magi chieftain. In the future, the revolutionary situation will develop. If there is no chieftain, you will be our best friend."

But I can't live to that time anymore.I saw that the elf of Chief Magi had turned into a whirlwind and flew into the sky, and the remaining dust fell down and merged into the earth.My time is coming.I have been a fool all my life, and now I know that I am neither a fool nor a smart person, but I just came to this strange land when the chieftain system is about to end.

Yes, God made me see, let me hear, let me be in it, and made me detached from it.God made me look like a fool for this purpose.

The clerk sat in his room, writing furiously.Downstairs, there is a linden tree planted by the tongueless man himself, which is already two stories high.I think, if I come back, this tree may be the only one I know.

From the north came the news that the entire army of Ronggong Chieftain had been destroyed.

This news did not stir up any waves in my heart, because before that, Maggie Toast also disappeared.One day, the red Han people concentrated on sending me news about the chieftains. They asked me to guess what happened to chieftain Lashepa. I said, "My friend will surrender."

"Yes," said the mild-mannered PLA officer, "he set a good example for other chieftains."

But my opinion is that chieftain Lashepa knew that he was a weak chieftain, so he surrendered.Back then, "I put a little pressure on him and made him bend his knees, unlike Chieftain Wangbo who resisted desperately again and again. But unexpectedly, Chieftain Wangbo also surrendered.

What's ridiculous is that he thought that the chieftain system would exist forever, so he took the opportunity to occupy some other chieftain's territory.Among them, there are many sites of Maiqi Tusi that no longer exist.

When I heard the news, I couldn't help laughing, and said, "It's better to snatch Tana away."

Red Han also agrees with me.

"Is that the most beautiful Tana?" one of the officers asked.Let's see, how many people have heard of my wife's good name, even the pure red Han people know her name.

"Yes, that beautiful woman is my unfaithful wife." My words made these serious people laugh too.

If Tana knew Chieftain Wangbo had surrendered, she might join him and renew their old relationship. Now, there is nothing stopping her.The victorious troops in the territory of Chieftain Ronggong are coming from the grasslands in the north. In my town, they joined forces with the troops from the southeast that wiped out Chieftain Maiqi.In this area, there are no chieftains who are their enemies.Chieftain Ronggong's resistance was very resolute, and only a few people fell into the opponent's hands alive.Those who were alive were brought here with their hands tied behind their backs.Among these people, I saw Master Huang and Tana.

I pointed to the PLA and said, "That woman is my wife."

They gave Tana back to me, but they didn't quite believe that a beautiful woman with a big reputation could look like this.I asked Sangye Dolma to wash off the dust, blood and tears on her face, and then put on bright clothes. Her brilliance immediately illuminated the eyes of these soldiers.Now we were together again as a husband and wife, standing with some officers with pistols on their belts and loud voices, watching the procession pass in front of us into town.And the team that defeated chieftain Maiqi sang songs in the town and waited in line for them.The town was lonely this spring; the streets were covered with green grass.Now, when the procession reached the town, it stopped, marched and sang, and these people in yellow clothes flooded the green of the street, dyeing the town in spring with autumn hues.

I also want to save Master Huang.

As soon as I opened my mouth, the PLA officer smiled and asked me, "Why?"

"He is my master."

"No," said the officer, "these people are the real enemies of the people."

As a result, Master Huang was shot and collapsed on the river beach.I went to see him, and the bullet knocked the top half of his head off, leaving only a mouth full of sand.Beside him lay the corpses of several white Han men.

At night, Tana and I slept together. She asked me when I surrendered. When she knew that I hadn’t surrendered, but was captured alive in a daze, she laughed and laughed, and tears fell on my face. on my face, she said: "Fool. Every time you tell me to hurt you, and tell me to think you are cute."

Her sincere tone moved me, but I just lay there without moving.Later, she asked me if I was really not afraid of death.Just as I was about to answer, she put her finger in front of my mouth again and said, "Think carefully before answering me."

I thought about it.After thinking about it hard, the conclusion is that I am really not afraid.

So, she whispered in my ear: "My God, I love you again." Her body began to feel hot.This evening, I asked her again.Crazy for her.Afterwards, I asked her if she had syphilis, and she giggled and said, "Idiot, didn't I ask you?"

"But you only asked if I was afraid of death."

My beautiful wife said: "Are you afraid of syphilis even if you are not afraid of death?"

Both of mine laughed.I asked Tana if she knew when she was going to die.The answer is that I don't know.She asked me the same question again, and my answer was: "Tomorrow."

The two were silent for a while, and then laughed again.

At this time, the dawn had passed through the window lattice and fell in front of the bed.She said: "We have to wait until the next sun rises, let's sleep a little longer."

We leaned back against each other, pulled the quilt tightly, and fell asleep. "I didn't even have a dream. When I woke up, it was already noon.

I leaned on the railing, watching the darker spring colors around the town, and saw the Maggie family's enemy, the shopkeeper, walking across the town with a jar of wine in his arms.It seems that I can't wait for tomorrow.I said to my wife, "Tana, go up on the roof and see what people are doing in town."

She said: "You idiot, your requests are always so ridiculous, but your tone of voice has never been so gentle, I'll go to the roof to check for you."

I went back to the house, and not long after I sat down, there was a knock on the door.

It is my life that knocks.

The knock on the door was unhurried. It seems that my shopkeeper friend is not arrogant because his younger brother has transformed from a killer to a red Tibetan. He can still abide by the rules before the red Han people came.The door was ajar, but he knocked on it calmly again and again.It wasn't until I called to come in that he came in with a jar of wine.He held the wine jar with one hand, put the other under the front of his robe, and said, "Master, I brought you wine."

I said, "Put it down, you didn't come to deliver wine, you came to kill me."

As soon as he let go of his hand, the jar of wine fell to the ground and shattered.

Immediately, the room was filled with the aroma of wine, it was really a jar of good wine.I said, "Your younger brother is a red Tibetan. Red Tibetans cannot kill people casually. The task of revenge falls on you."

He said hoarsely, "This is my best wine. I want to treat you to a good drink."

I said, "It's too late, my wife is coming back soon, you should do it."

He then took out his other hand from under the front of his robe, and in his hand was a shining knife. Sweat was dripping from his pale forehead, and he forced himself towards me.

I said, "Wait." I climbed into bed and lay down, and then I said to him, "Come on."

When he raised the knife, I said again, "Wait."

He asked me what I wanted to do, and I wanted to say that the wine was delicious, but when I said it, "What's your name? What's your family name?"

Yes, I know that the two brothers are enemies of our Maggie family, but I forgot their family names.My words hurt the man deeply.Originally, he didn't have any hatred for me, but this sentence ignited the flames of hatred in his eyes, and the smell of wine that filled the room almost made me drowsy.The knife, the sharp knife, went into my belly like a piece of ice.It doesn't hurt, but the ice is cold, and soon, the ice starts to get hot.I heard my own blood dripping on the floor, and I heard my shopkeeper friend say goodbye to me in a hoarse voice.

Now, O God, O God who brought me into this world, my body is slowly dividing into two parts, one part is dry and rising, and the part wet with blood is sinking.At this time, I heard my wife's footsteps coming downstairs. I wanted to call her name, but I couldn't make any sound.

God, if the soul really has reincarnation, tell me to return to this place in my next life, I love this beautiful place!God, my soul finally broke free from the bleeding body and soared up, until the sun shone, the soul also drifted away, and there was nothing left in a white light.

The blood dripped on the floor, it was a big puddle, and when I got cold in bed, the blood slowly turned the color of night on the floor.

(End of this chapter)