Hunger for a hundred years

Chapter 46 (3)
From the place names, such as Huangjiaba, Zhongjiaba, Wangjiaba, Houjiaba, Xujialiang, etc., it can be seen that many villages in the Qingxi River Basin basically gather together with the same surname. Over the years, a family-style structural model has naturally formed. Although this model tends to become rigid, it is also conducive to the formation of simple folk customs, especially in the relationship between men and women. Generally speaking, everyone is quite cautious, because If you are not careful, you will plunge yourself into the abyss of incest.The reason why those sailors on the Qingxi River did not go to the stilted buildings to find women to buy sex every time they went like the sailors in Xiangxi, because apart from the factors of hard work and poverty, the structural model of the village is also an important criterion for regulating their behavior; A lock has been put on the place long ago, even if you meet a woman with a different surname from another place, unless you are a brute like He Tuanjie, you usually don't open the lock easily.However, in those famine years, even the men and women in the same village couldn't take care of so much!Women in several villages gave birth to freaks after more than half a year.These freaks either have no nose, no ears, or have an extra tail on their buttocks, or have an extra penis between their legs, or don't know how to cry.
Comparatively speaking, the folk customs of Hejiapo were not completely destroyed. Except for Hu Mian, those who sold their bodies for a morsel of grain were all old and decrepit women. They had lost their fertility, so they were lucky. He did not give birth to a freak for He Jiapo, did not fundamentally disintegrate He Jiapo's lineage, nor did he completely destroy He Jiapo's morality psychologically.

Besides, in the near future, even if the women don't want money or food, the men won't have the energy
The situation is very critical. In order to take precautions and prevent robbery and even murder from happening, proposed by Tian Mingliang and approved by the commune, He Tuanjie, who is fearless and fearless, was appointed as the commander of the Zhouzisitai militia, that is, the commander of the militia of the brigade; The vegetable root that got up is the platoon leader of Hejiapo militia.

Soon after He Tuanjie was appointed as the commander of the militia, a rumor spread quietly on the slope:

Every night, strange noises sounded from the upstairs of the veterinarian He Jiangao.

In the years of famine, what sounds make people strange?Only the sound of threshing grain!
Sure enough, before long, there was more definite content in the rumors: it was He Jiangao's wife and daughter shaking the sieve.

Shake the sieve?How is this possible?The wild grains dug back do not need to be shaken in a sieve, they are steamed to eat, or crushed with a hammer, crushed with a stone mill, mixed with water, and made into attractive "baba", even the soil on the wild grains is reluctant to wash Clean, let alone shake a sieve to remove the hulls.Shake the sieve at this time, mostly to remove the chaff from the rice.Many people in Hejiapo have already eaten bran, but they can only eat fine bran. The coarse bran sticks their tongue, gets stuck in the throat, cannot be swallowed, and cannot be digested after swallowing. No matter how difficult it is, they can only give the coarse bran to the pigs eat.

Those with good intentions wanted to confirm this, and squatted outside the house for several nights, but He Jiangao's house was as silent as an ancient tomb, and there was no voice like that of other people's houses.

Despite this, the rumors about He Jiangao's family shaking the sieve late at night became more and more popular. On the entire slope, except for He Jiangao's family who were kept in the dark, it can be said that all women and children knew about it.Whenever He Jiangao's family came out sick and weak, people looked at them strangely and thought they were just pretending.However, a deep doubt torments those red-eyed people: In Hejiapo, apart from He Jianshen and He Da, He Jiangao's family may be considered poor. If he is really shaking the sieve, he Where did the millet come from?
Finally, we have the answer: a huge theft case in Hejiapo shocked the whole commune.

The seriousness of its nature lies in the fact that what was stolen this time was the stored grain in the public warehouse, which was the life-saving food for all members of the team as a last resort.The public warehouse is equivalent to the national treasury, and stealing the treasury is a capital offense, not to mention the large amount, stealing more than 200 catties of millet!
Whether it was Tian Mingliang, Yan Huzi or the cadres and members of the team, He Jiangao's name suddenly popped up in his mind.

This is a natural thing. He Jiangao's kitchen and public warehouse are only separated by one wall. The investigation found that the thief poked a hole in the wooden wall, and the grain flowed out of the hole, and more than 200 catties flowed away. A suitable wooden wedge was plugged; although the hole was not in the siding immediately adjacent to Jiangao's house, but next to the intersection from the middle courtyard to He Kuiyuan's house, this is also easy to explain: Although Jiangao is now foolish, Brilliantly clever as a kid—it was just a little trick on his part.

There was no need to search from house to house. Tian Mingliang and Yan Huzi led the one-eyed brigade secretary and captain He Zhongbao, and militia company commander He Tuanjie directly broke into He Jiangao's home.

At that time, Jiangao's wife and daughter went to the mountains to look for wild food, and only he and his son named Dog were at home.The weather was soaked in coolness, but Jian Gao, who had been in poor health, was lying on his back on the bench with his chest exposed. The 12-year-old dog is looking for chicken feces in Chai Yilao, and every time he finds one, he can't wait to stuff it into his mouth.A large group of people came into the room, but Jiangao and his son didn't notice it.

Looking at this scene, Tian Mingliang gritted his steel teeth bitterly, "Pretend to be poor for me!"
"Jiangao, get up!" He Zhongbao shouted.

The dog trembled in fright, curled up and hid deep in Chai Yilao.

He Jiangao didn't react at all.

"He Jiangao!" He Zhongbao said again.This one is louder.

He Jiangao seemed to be awakened from a dream, and looked up in panic, "Which one?"
"You're not blind, let's see who these people are!" He Zhongbao grabbed his clothes and lifted him up abruptly.

"Tell me honestly, where is the millet hidden? Don't you tell me? If you don't tell me, we will overturn your house and smash the boxes and cabinets for you!" Yan Huzi threatened.

He Jiangao said before that what he was most afraid of was not Tian Mingliang, but Yan Huzi.Yan Huzi's beard is very special, like two short blades pinned to the wall.

"Upstairs, in the rice vat upstairs."
Tian Mingliang sneered twice, and excitedly led the team upstairs.

When the rice jar was uncovered, there was indeed a little grain in it, but even if the grains hanging on the spider web along the edge of the jar were swept off, it would not be enough to feed a chicken.

Tian Mingliang felt that he had been fooled, so he picked up a weight on the floor and threw it into the tank.

The jar suddenly shattered.

At this time, He Jiangao was completely awake. He climbed upstairs, looked at the group of majestic people tremblingly, and cried: "Why are you beating me? I don't even have a warehouse, only this The jars are used to store grain. There is no need to store it this year, but we will need to store it next year."
It was just an ugly show.The one-eyed secretary approached him: "If you don't tell the truth, we will sit at your house and eat! We will not leave until you tell us!"
He Jiangao was at a loss, "What do you explain?"
He Zhongbao slapped him across the face, "You're still pretending to be stupid when you're about to die!"
Tian Mingliang gritted his teeth again: "If you want to hit him, focus on your hands, it's not like swatting mosquitoes for him!"
He Zhongbao and the one-eyed secretary rushed forward to fight again, but Jian Gao fell to his knees with a bang, "I don't understand."
"Go!" Tian Mingliang made a move.

A member meeting was held that night, and the venue was chosen ingeniously: He Jiangao's main room.Although the main room is large, there is no room for a hundred people. Therefore, the main members of each family sit in the room, and the women and children sit outside in the dark.There was a fire in the middle of the house, and lanterns were hung wherever lanterns could be hung, illuminating the surroundings magnificently.

He Jiangaoyi sat on a long bench alone with his arms open.In the row opposite him sat Tian Mingliang, Yan Huzi, Secretary Cyclops, He Zhongbao, He Jianshen, He Tuanjie and Cai Gen.

"Is it your idea to steal the grain from the public warehouse, or did you discuss it with the mother-in-law?" Tian Mingliang asked.

"I didn't steal it."
"What day did you commit the crime? What time did you commit the crime?" Yan Huzi asked.

"I didn't steal it."
"Why is your asshole so black that you almost emptied your warehouse once you stole it?" He Zhongbao asked.

"I didn't steal it."
"After you stole the millet back, how did you grind it into rice grains? Was it pounded in a pestle or rubbed by hand?" asked the one-eyed secretary.

"I didn't steal it."
"How many nights did you shake the sieve before you finished?" He Jianshen asked.

"I didn't steal it."
"Where did you hide the rice?" Yan Huzi asked.

"I didn't steal it."
This is what happened on the first night.Of the cadres present, only He Tuanjie and Cai Gen didn't say a word.

On the second night, the above content was completely repeated, but it lasted longer, and the meeting was held until the sky was light and the dawn was over.Except for He Jiangao and his family, even the few cadres who asked the question were exhausted by the monotonous repetition.

On the third night, the atmosphere was obviously different. Compared with the previous two nights, more lanterns were hung, and the fire was lit more vigorously. Everyone sitting in the room showed every slight change on their faces.Several cadres sitting opposite He Jiangao had iron frost on their faces.

Before the meeting was announced to start, Tian Mingliang stopped drinking: "He Jiangao, sit upright!"
He Jiangao sat up nervously, with his arms wide open.

"Stand up!" Yan Huzi stopped drinking again.

He Jiangao stood up again.

"If you don't tell the truth about the problem today, you will be handcuffed, taken to the commune, sent to the county, and put in jail!"
After Tian Mingliang roared, he shook out a pair of shiny handcuffs!
He Jiangao's face changed abruptly.He had only heard of it, never seen it.

"I. Didn't. Steal."
The voice was not a plea, but a desperate plea.

The one-eyed secretary stroked his sleeve, opened his eyes hard, and then said slowly: "It's you and you, and it's you if it's not you!"
He Zhongbao immediately said: "It's you and you, and it's not you and you!"
He Da, who was sitting in the corner, was shocked. He recalled that he went to Principal Lu in order to let He Jiian go to high school. Principal Lu said: "I, Lu Minghuan, are the principal. Good." How alike are these two words with bones
He Jiangao collapsed and sat down on the bench, curled up into a ball.

"Play dead!" He Zhongbao said.

"Stand up!" He Jianshen roared, and the house almost collapsed.

He Jiangao struggled and tried his best, but his efforts were in vain. He was like a snake that had been shaken apart, and could only coil in a pile.

He Jiangao's wife, Mrs. Gu, was standing outside the threshold with her daughter and son. At this time, she whispered to her daughter, "What should we do? Let's admit it." The daughter had already cried into tears, no matter what the mother said , just nod vigorously.

Gu Shi walked in.

"We stole the millet in the public warehouse." She said very calmly.

The cadres and the masses, who had been exhausted by the long interrogation, suddenly regained their spirits and fixed their eyes on the sallow-faced woman.

This is a very active woman. If He Kuiyuan is the male singer of Hejiapo, Gu is the female singer of Hejiapo. She sang when she was gathering seedlings, and she also sang while working alone on the mountain. The songs she often sang were: "One fan, let's keep going, two fans, let's go, three fans, let's hey, Chairman Mao, let's go."
There was no sound in the venue, even the roaring Qinggang Liaohuo fell silent.

Only He Jiangao sat up straight suddenly, his eyes bulging, staring at his wife.

"Comrade Tian, ​​Comrade Yan, the millet is hidden in our self-retained firewood mountain under Zhu's board. We dug a cellar in the firewood mountain." The woman said calmly, "You can dig it now, or you can go at dawn. I admit it, please don't handcuff Jiangao away, he is weak and timid, he is scared to death when he is handcuffed. In addition, I have already explained where the millet is hidden. If you don't dig it out tonight, you will You must send someone to guard it, otherwise, if it is stolen, it will not be my responsibility."
Both He Zhongbao and the one-eyed secretary looked arrogant, as if it was all their own fault for finding out this thug; Yan Huzi had his usual playful expression, as if using the curve of his mouth to show: there is no villain who can live up to my hand Tian Mingliang's expression was stern, and he couldn't see what he was thinking; He Tuanjie and Caigen were flushed.The crowd who were skeptical about this interrogation seemed to be bitten by a centipede.For a moment, there was a strange loneliness inside and out.

"What unity!" Tian Mingliang suddenly shouted.

"arrive!"
"You lead the militia tonight to guard He Jiangao's Chaishan in Zhushiban."
He Tuanjie hesitated: "Such an important task."
Tian Mingliang thought for a while, and said to Yan Huzi: "You go too." Yan Huzi nodded and said, "The meeting is over."
each go home.On the way home, many people thought regretfully: I passed by Jiangao’s Chaishan Mountain several times, but I didn’t think to go in and have a look. If I found the cellar and moved the millet secretly, I would not face the danger of starving to death. up.

People have been so sorry for a long time, and He Jiapo finally calmed down completely.

In the middle of the night, suddenly there was a dog barking on the slope.One dog barking, ten dogs barking, in the past, there was always such a scene on the slope, as long as one dog barked, the other dogs would follow suit, and the startled barks tore the night of the mountain village into pieces , so that people can smell the smell of black blood and the cruelty of cold night even in sleep. --It's different tonight, there is only one dog barking, and the other dogs seem to be dead.The scream came from an unknown corner, it was violent at first, then there was a short gap, then it barked quickly as if being attacked, and then, the voice gradually became weaker, like a gossamer, but it continued for a long time.

Everyone on the slope was awakened by the gossamer-like barking of dogs.Both adults and children were silent, with their eyes open, staring at the dark night.The barking of the dog is so strange, so strange that it makes people lonely.They all felt that something must happen tonight.

The barking of the dog lasted for an entire hour, and it stopped when it entered the condensed black night before dawn.

However, the mountain village without a sound is even more terrifying.

Just at the moment when people's hairs were standing on end, a black figure walked out from the dam in the middle of the courtyard, went up the ridge of He Kuiyuan's dam, crossed a ditch, passed through the bamboo bushes outside He Jianshen's house, and turned into a pigsty alley. .

In less than half a minute, there was a slight knock on He Da's door.

No one in the family was asleep.Since half of the building in my new house collapsed due to the earthquake, I stopped sleeping there. After the building was repaired, He Kou He Ji went to sleep on the building.At this moment, we all heard that small voice except the two of them.He Ju He Yue screamed and pulled the quilt over her head; I was sleeping next to He Ju He Yue, but I rushed out immediately, climbed upstairs, and squeezed into the bed of my father and He Ben.He Da was very dissatisfied with He Ju and He Yue's screams and my panic: "The mouse is scratching the door, why panic!" When He Da's voice stopped, the whole old house fell into a deathly silence.We all pricked our ears to listen outside.The tapping sound is intermittent and very persistent.He Da stroked the heads of He Ben and me and said, "Your mother is back, she wants to see her relatives." This aroused our fear even more.After He Da finished speaking, he got up and struck a match, lit the kerosene lamp, and said to us: "You guys come down with me, and open the door for your mother." We couldn't ask for more.When my mother was alive, she often had activities upstairs. Without my father, we would not dare to stay upstairs.

Walking to the door, the knocking stopped.

"Which one?"
He Da's questioning voice was very soft, as if he was talking to himself.He Ben tightly grasped the corner of my clothes.

no answer.

"I understand your thoughts. After dawn, I will ask He Kou to take a few sisters to burn paper for you." He Da said to a moth in the corner.

As soon as the words fell, three moths flew out from the corner of the wall.He Da said, "Your grandpa, grandma, and Bai'er are all back."
(End of this chapter)