Hunger for a hundred years

Chapter 49 (6)
After hearing the news, He Kou was extremely excited, but He Da just said lightly: "They have done too much."
Two days later, He Zhongbao took He Zhongcai and He Mangzi to the commune to report He Tuanjie.

A young secretary received them.When He Zhongbao finished narrating the incident, the young secretary did not directly express his opinion, but told them one thing: After taking off his hat, an old landlord in Huangjiaba held thirty tables of banquets to entertain guests, but was arrested Yes, and maybe sent to prison. "Huangjiaba, you know," said the secretary, "Huangjiaba and Zhongjiaba, the people there are such powerful characters. For trivial matters, men, women and children all hold machetes and axes, and put them back to back. Fighting posture, this is better than you? This time to arrest people, they come to the same old way, thinking that they can scare the police away, but the government has compromised with them for so many years, and now they don’t want to compromise. They broke up and fired warning shots, and those who should be arrested will be arrested! Not only the old landlord who took off his hat, but also the main culprits who caused the trouble were arrested!"
He Zhongbao's scalp was numb with fright, and he didn't dare to speak again.

The secretary said to He Zhongcai: "What I want to ask is, can you get the support of the old landlord in Huang and Zhong Erba in Hejiapo? Even if you get that kind of support, what can you do?"
He Zhongcai twitched his nose with some white spots, and didn't know how to answer.

At the end, the young secretary said: "I don't want to do this kind of thing on my own territory, so I will hide your affairs for you, but each of you must be conscious! You know, be conscious! Huangjiaba's The reason why the old landlord was arrested is that Huang and Zhong Erba’s people are usually too unconscious! If you are not conscious, I, a local cadre, don’t need to protect you.” After a pause, the secretary gave instructions: “All of He Jianshen’s The medical expenses will be borne by He Zhongcai. He Tuanjie is worthy of praise for his brave actions. Of course, it is wrong for him to chase and beat you, He Zhongbao, but he did not hurt you after all. In this matter, I suggest you, Mr. He, make a gesture , apologize to him, and comfort him well."
The blow that the young secretary gave to He Zhongbao is indescribable. The excitement that he had just floated up was cut off by the secretary who "has not yet grown all his hair."After leaving the gate of the commune government, he took his brother and went directly to the district. He wanted to find the colleague who used to work in the township government to comment and give him an explanation. "The colleagues who helped him during the period have long since disappeared from the district, and where he was transferred, even the office clerks don't know.The three brothers had no choice but to return to Hejiapo.

Of course, He Zhongbao didn't apologize to He Tuanjie, but he obviously became silent. His lowered eyes were not only depressed, but also the vicissitudes and aging that the years had brought to him.From then on, he was like a shadow. After the land was settled, he was busy all day long in the contracted field like a scalper. After returning home, he immediately hid in the back room, took out the dog-beating stick left by his father, and stared at it for a long time. Dejected.At the end of the month, he will leave Hejiapo and go to the countryside to receive his pension
After the new year, He Da got a letter from the village: the country has resumed the college entrance examination and high school entrance examination long ago!

He Daben was going to buy salt, but when he heard the news at the animal defense station, he turned around and walked home without buying any salt.

He wants He Ji to take the technical secondary examination.

He Ji was 21 years old at the time, and he was very tall (he was taller than He Tuanjie, but not as strong as he was). He refused to take the exam for the rest of his life.

He Da was poured cold water on his head, and said sadly, "You are getting old? There is a man named Jiang on Dongba Street who is in his thirties, has two children, and has been admitted to university." Well, I passed the exam last year!"
"I want to test you to go by yourself, I won't go!" He Ji threw down a sentence, carried the pod on his back, and went up to Chaishan with a machete.

At this moment, He Kou came back, saw his father grumbling, and asked him what was the matter, and He Da told him about it.

He Kou said: "I also heard that Majiazhai passed the exam alone, and that person lives in the courtyard on the first floor with Yaomei."
He Da asked, "How old is that man?"
"About twenty-six seven."
"That's right! He Ji said he's old—that bastard!"
He Kou pondered for a while and said, "I guess, he is afraid that he has lost his books for several years and won't pass the exam."
He Da became anxious: "His grades are so good, why can't he pass the exam?"
"His good grades are a thing of the past." He Kou stared at his unconscious father, "Teacher Wu from Anzi Temple said that although He Ji was talented, his ambition was mediocre. Teacher Wu heard from the teacher of Xuyang Middle School that after his mother passed away, , He Ji often played truant from school and went to the Dongba field to find someone to play table tennis. Anyway, the ferry boats from Huang and Zhong Erba to Dongba field were idle by the river, so he just untied himself and supported himself. At the end of junior high school He really didn't learn anything that year."
He Da was dying, and looked at He Kou: "So, Principal Lu didn't wrong him?"
"He was not wronged."
He Da was silent for a long time, and said: "He is smart and has a good foundation, as long as he tutors, he can pick up what he forgot."
He Kou agreed.

He Da was very happy, and said to He Kou: "Baby, you have been the boss, and you have suffered a lot these years. We two father and son will work harder and push your second brother out. He is a student, so he should let him go." He goes to school. As a family, we have nothing else to do, but we are good at reading, and we suffer from you." Before he finished speaking, He Da's tears had already flowed down.

He Kou said: "I don't care, as long as they are good."
He Da's tears flowed more violently, and he choked up and said, "Baby, are you still angry with Dad about the past? Dad was feeling uncomfortable at that time. You are the boss. If I don't vent my anger on you, who else will I turn to?" Besides, each of you has done some clumsy things, no wonder I scolded you, right? You think... I don't feel sorry for you, I.
He Kou's tears also flowed out.

After a while of calm, He Da said: "Since your mother died, which one has contributed the most to the family? It's you, baby! Brothers He Zhongbao came to demolish our house, and it was you who asked the cadres to solve it; when the sky was dry and hungry, you No one ran on the slope day and night and dug the most wild grain. Although you were fierce to your younger brothers and sisters, you saw them crying from hunger. You went to steal wheat and sat in the prison; Which one has more earthworks than you? Which one has more work points than you earned? At that time, you could only sleep three or four hours a day, and you saved a few meals on the construction site to buy cotton caps for your father. With you , our family will not be ruined like pigs and dogs. My son, these. Dad remembers it. Dad knows it well."
He Kou cried out loudly.

"Dad, I'm sorry, you're already 25 and six, and you haven't found a little girl for you yet." He Da burst into tears.

The father and son sat facing each other, with their heads bowed because of sadness and excitement, letting the tears flow freely.

At the end, He Kou said: "Dad, don't worry, I will go to work for He Ji. I have to find a teacher for him. He doesn't know the current market situation of the exam, so self-study may not work."
He Da wiped away the tears from his face: "That's a good word, but ask the teacher for money. Your third brother is also in junior high school, and you have to pay dozens of yuan for tuition and miscellaneous fees a year."
He Kou said: "Xu Jialiang has two teachers, one teaches Chinese and the other teaches mathematics. It is said that they both teach very well. They have already recruited six students, and two of them are from the street. They don't charge much money."
He Da pondered and said, "Not much. It's money too. How miserable your third brother is." As he spoke, tears came down again.

Mentioning the third younger brother He Zao, He Kou was also a little sad: "Every time I send rice to him, whenever it's meal time, I see him eating alone outside the school wall. No leafy greens either."
He Da was completely overwhelmed by grief, and said to He Kou: "Your third brother saved money to buy meat for me, that baby!"
What he was talking about was that I bought back a copy of Shaobai.At that time, the school sold meat at most once a month, and it cost three cents a piece. If it was pork ribs, it cost five or six yuan, and if it was roast white, it cost four or five pieces.On the day of the meat sale last month, I just had three cents of money on me, so I bought a portion of Shaobai. I was reluctant to eat it, and thought I must bring it back to my father.However, that day was only Wednesday, and I would not be able to go back until Saturday afternoon. The annoying spring warmth would definitely make the meat moldy.Sure enough, when I opened the box for a sneak peek on Friday, the body was covered with dense white hairs.I didn't care about it, just hoped that time would pass faster.After school on Saturday, I didn't bring anything, so I went home with the bowl of meat.How could the father eat alone? He washed off the white mold with boiling water, tore the meat into small pieces, and distributed them to his children. The father also said, "My sister didn't eat it. My heart hurts."
He Ji didn't chop much firewood, but he came back from the mountain very late.

At that time, He Kou had already returned from Xujialiang, and he went to find the two teachers.The two teachers knew He Ji's reputation when he was studying, and also knew the prestige of my grandfather He Di when he entered the school. They were full of joy and promised to reduce the tuition by half.

He Ji had just stepped into the house, and before he could throw the scimitar into Chai Yilao, He Kou said, "He Ji, go to school tomorrow."
Isn't He Ji staying on the mountain for so long just to avoid He Da's "temporary whim"?I didn't expect that as soon as I got home, I didn't have time to wipe off my sweat, so why would I say such absurd words again!Throwing the scimitar away, he said angrily, "If you want to go to school, go up by yourself!"
He Kou said unhurriedly: "If I had your intelligence, I would like to go to school."
He Ji was stunned for a moment, then went into the back room.

The next day, He Ji still refused to go to school, He Da and He Kou, father and son, pushed him to Xujialiang like a prisoner.

He Ji's intelligence is indeed good, he quickly retrieved all the knowledge he had forgotten, and within three weeks of going to Xujialiang, he became the natural No.1.

Since then, a ray of sunshine has shone into our gloomy home.This ray of sunshine is no longer like when he was studying or when He Ji and I first entered school, because it leaked through the thick clouds, so we can't feel its warmth. With a happy explosion.In the past, in Hejiapo and even the entire Dongba Township, the information about academic success was limited to the legends of He Tiaoyuan or He Tiao, but they all died young, not to mention that neither of them could be said to be successful; now, in Qingxi Didn't someone in the river basin step into the sacred university threshold?He Ji only has a junior high school education and cannot be admitted to university, but it is not bad to be admitted to a technical secondary school!

We all waited a few months later for He Ji to receive his admission letter back gloriously.
Although He Ju has long stopped studying, and He Yue also dropped out of school automatically, but besides He Ji Nian Middle School and I, He Ben is still in Anzisi Primary School. With these few expenses, He Da really can't do anything.He had to borrow money.We don't know how many roads he walked, how many hardships he went through, all we know is that he borrowed money for me and fell off a rock ridge several feet high three times. He got out and wet his whole body; every time he fell off the rock, he had to moan in bed for ten and a half months.In fact, the three rock falls were during the daytime. In the past, he would not fall off the rocks while carrying a [-]-jin dung bucket, but now he fell off the rocks.

As long as he can go to the ground, He Da has no time to rest, and he only lays down on the bed in the middle of the night.As soon as the sky became overcast, the lump on his shoulder blade was in unbearable pain, and his waist felt like being hit with a wooden club.He would lie down on the bed, sleep less and moan more.He wanted to swallow the groan into his stomach, but it leaked out from between his sparse teeth.In that situation, it was definitely like he had a dental disease.What's even more strange is that when he moaned, the dogs on the slope barked.First, the old dog of He Zhongbao's house curled up under the eaves of Liang's Street barked, and then all the dogs on the slope barked, one after another, violently and shrillly.In the countryside, it is a sign of bad luck for a dog to bark for no reason.He Da thought of the wild dogs fighting to eat the bones of the dead after the murder by the Qingxi River. At the same time, he thought of his father's death, and felt that his days were numbered.This thought plunged him into great sorrow from which he could not extricate himself.Several of his sons are still studying, and none of them have started a family. His mission has not been completed, so he is not qualified to die.

People on the slope were also suspicious of the dog barking.In the past two years, except for occasional people who came to steal firewood, He Jiapo had almost never stolen. Dogs didn't bark because they found strangers; even if they found strangers, they didn't call them that way.

They all said that people were going to die on this slope.

Who is going to die?People on the slopes like to think about it.In terms of age, Mrs. Liang should be damned. She was already old enough to make others feel annoyed. Every time someone younger than her died on Poshang, regardless of her close relationship, she would go to the coffin and cry bitterly.However, she showed no signs of dying at all. Every morning, she was the first to get up on the entire slope. She moved her little feet up the mountain from the big field ridge, and wiped away all the dew along the way. The chickens were driven out of the house.She won't die, it seems that she doesn't want to die, and no one else gets sick, so why is the dog barking?

Soon, the people on the slope knew the reason.It turned out that He Da was ill, and He Da was about to die!
It was He Zhongbao who first discovered that the dog was barking because of He Da.That night, He Zhongbao had a bad stomach and often got up at night. The first two trips, the dog didn't bark, but the third trip, the dog kept barking.He Zhongbao quietly climbed up the stone ladder, and his old dog barked more vigorously when he saw its owner.He Zhongbao stood there like a ghostly shadow, looking at the dim lights in He Da's house, he suddenly understood everything.The corner of his mouth moved slightly, and then disappeared like a shadow.

After returning, he stroked the dog-beating stick for a while, then quietly pushed open the door of his son He Guanghui, and stood in the darkness for a long time.When he withdrew from his son's room, the spirit of the dead recovered a lot.He sat by the fire hall and smoked, wrapping up another bag after smoking one.After three bags of cigarettes, he knocked the pipe vigorously on the fire stone.

At that time, before the darkness before dawn, He Zhongbao went up the mountain with a hoe on his shoulder.

Soon, someone on the slope said: That day when He Da passed by the weir pond, he saw Chen Yuexiang crouching in the pond looking for pigweed. He Da stood aside and waited. When I was young, I went to carry it on my back, but my foot slipped and fell into the weir pond, soaking my pants.After being shocked by the cold water, he woke up, only to find that there was no pigweed and no flower baskets at all, and only then did he find out that his wife Chen Yuexiang had been dead for several years!

I don't know how this rumor came about, but it became more and more popular anyway.Everyone agreed: He Da must be dying, and Chen Yuexiang was urging him.

But in the end, He Da did not die. He still went to work in the mountains and borrowed money and food for his son who was studying.

The time for He Ji to take the exam is getting closer.

But at this moment, something happened.

At that time, the village was recruiting substitute teachers, He Ji secretly went down the mountain to take the exam, and was admitted as No.1.The day the list was published was a busy day, and everyone who went to the street in Hejiapo saw the blackboard embedded on the outer wall of the township center school, and He Ji's name was listed first.They quickly brought the news to Hejiapo, men and women, old and young, passed on the news: He Ji is also a teacher!
(End of this chapter)