The children of the Qiao family

Chapter 18

3
Qiao Erqiang has grown taller again, surpassing his elder brother.

He also gained some weight, Qiao Yicheng was angry and laughed: After eating at home for so many years, he became thin like a monkey, and the food changed when he brought it to work?Especially nutritious?

Sanli bit the tip of her chopsticks and teased her second brother: Is there a master chef in the unit who can cook for you?What good did you eat?The second brother said, it’s good if we don’t have enough to eat.

Er Qiang didn't answer, just slurped the soup.

It was Ma Suqin, the female master, who was not the master teacher who gave the second strong man a small stove in the unit.

Ma Suqin brings a little more food to the unit every day, and distributes some to the second-strongest.Most of them are stews from the north. Er Qiang has never eaten them before and thinks they are very delicious.

The master is indeed a good master. The second strong man is not strong. He didn’t take care of the heavy work assigned to the master as his colleagues and seniors thought. Sometimes he dragged the materials, and the male masters always liked to call him. Qiao Erqiang, Ma Suqin probably stopped him from going, saying that he was a young boy, his bones had not grown well, and he would fall ill in the future when he was tired.

The male masters joked: A flower hurts the apprentice like a son.

Some said: It's not like loving a son, it's like loving a little man.

Ma Suqin forcefully refuted them one by one, her cursing voice was crisp and loud, mixed with many northern dialects, Er Qiang couldn't understand it very well.Those men were as refreshed as if they drank ice water in summer, and they burst into loud and rough laughter.

Erqiang was so ashamed that his face burst into flames, he bowed his head and did not dare to speak.

When the man was far away, he secretly asked the master: Master Ma, that, why did they call you a flower?

Ma Suqin gave him a squinting look: Little boy, don't ask this.

Er Qiang is quite willing for the master to look at him sideways. Ma Suqin's slender single-lidded eyes are often picked up to look at people, as if they are flying sideways at people, but her expression is dignified, and the two eyes are combined together. , in the eyes of Er Qiang, it has a special taste and looks very good.

The master treats him really well, besides bringing him an extra dish, he is also very dedicated in teaching the work.Ma Suqin is a master craftsman with good skills and a lot of experience. She has worked in the factory for almost 15 years. Her hands and feet are not fast, but there are few defective products. With a little effort, he will learn.

The people in the factory were mostly bullying, and they didn't have too much evil intentions. Sometimes the inspectors would inevitably pick on the little apprentices, and Ma Suqin always protected the second best.

She is very popular among men, they like to tease her, but they protect her invisibly.The women then treated her with a bit more sourness, and from time to time they would gossip behind her back, and occasionally a sentence or two drifted into Er Qiang's ears, as if they were saying something about her man, but Er Qiang dared not talk to her in front of people. Telling people to shut up loudly, he turned his face and poohed on the ground fiercely, thinking that women are really the most difficult creatures in the world.When thinking this way, he forgot that his master is also a woman.

In the workshop full of things everywhere, Er Qiang breathed the air mixed with the smell of rust, and felt that he was at ease like a small fish. The pond was small, but there were enough nutrients, and there was still scenery on the shore. Qiao Erqiang felt himself I found a place to live and work for the rest of my life.

He became more and more acquainted with the workers and masters, and everyone felt that this child was careless, obedient, sweet-mouthed, and very lovable.The male masters would gradually ask him to take a bath in the factory bathhouse together, make vulgar jokes with him, and laugh at him for being a white chicken when he stood naked under the shower.

After taking a bath, it was the most relaxing time. The masters asked Er Qiang: Do you know why your Master Ma is called Yizhihua?
The question Er Qiang had been thinking about for a long time finally had an answer, his heart was beating happily and nervously, and he answered honestly: I don't know.

The big master said: When your master entered the factory, he was about the same age as you are now. He was really beautiful, with two long braids dragging to his buttocks. It's 1.7 meters tall. It's scary. I have never seen a little girl who is as tall as that, and she is so beautiful.Once when she was a bridesmaid, she wore a pink flower on her chest, which made the bride far inferior, so she was called a flower from now on.

The master on the side came up and said: Don't be too eye-catching in our factory back then!Everywhere she went, people stared at her, their eyes were sunk in her body and they couldn't get it out.Now, of course, it cannot be compared with before.

The big guy said: Can't you be more hungry than you?You say sour when you can't eat grapes!
Didn't you eat grapes too?What are you pretending to do?According to me, if she hadn't married that man, she wouldn't have aged so quickly.Only 32 three.Look at the wife of our factory manager, she is almost forty, and she still wears powder, and she wore a rose red dress a few days ago. (The word "frightened" is pronounced "he" in Nanjing dialect, which is the same as "black" in Nanjing dialect)
The big guy made a hissing sound: don't talk about her family, don't talk about it, let that evil man know about it, it's not easy to deal with.

Qiao Erqiang listened ignorantly. There seemed to be a mystery hidden in the words of the masters. He couldn't solve it, and he couldn't understand it. Satisfied, somewhat proud.

That beautiful, bright woman who is always talked about by everyone is his master, and she looks like his mother.

When men are together, most of the topics cannot be separated from women. When talking about women, smoking a cigarette is always inevitable.

The big man gave Qiao Erqiang the first cigarette in his life. They patted his skinny back and shook his hands so hard that he was encouraged to try to take a puff.

The smoke was inferior and powerful, and Er Qiang only took one puff before coughing until he was about to die.

Just when he felt that he was dying, someone stroked his back vigorously to comfort him.So powerful, fitters have stronger hands, and even toothbrushes are more laborious than others.

Er Qiang burst into tears and saliva, finally opened his eyes and saw that it was his master, he was so ashamed that he wanted to dig a hole in the ground.

Ma Suqin yelled loudly at the men for killing them, letting a child smoke such a strong cigarette.

With tears in his eyes and snot in his nose, Er Qiang followed the master back to his workshop in extreme shame.

Ma Suqin gave him a piece of candied garlic and told him to get rid of the bad smell in his mouth.

Ma Suqin said: Children, don't fail to learn well. Let me tell you, don't smoke, drink, prostitute or gamble for the rest of your life. With these problems, you will have a bad life.If you have nothing to do, read more books and study.

Er Qiang was a little aggrieved and said: I am so stupid, master.

Ma Suqin said: Then you can read newspapers, that's also good.

So Erqiang often read newspapers.I have read even the most boring editorials several times, and I still read them if I don’t understand them.

Ma Suqin taught him to use fine salt to wash off the yellow sweat stains on the collar of his shirt; taught him to trim his fingernails frequently, so as not to accumulate black dirt inside, which would be unsightly when stretched out in front of people; taught him not to hunch his back, and not to shake his shoulders when walking; Teach him not to be shirtless no matter how hot it is in summer; teach him not to babble when eating; teach him to stay away when men tell dirty jokes, and don't lean forward to listen shamelessly.

She corrected this boy bit by bit, she would like to see him become cleaner day by day, more decent and polite, day by day, and even his appearance become more correct day by day.

She also pampered him and gave him a lot of love.

At one stage, there was always a kind of small hairy fish in the canteen of the factory. It was deep-fried and cooked with sweet and sour, which made everyone's mouth smell slightly fishy.

The intestines of the hairy fish were thrown in the garbage in the cafeteria, and they could be smelly for three miles against the wind.

Er Qiang was happy, and secretly hid the "half" in his arms, and brought him to the factory. During his lunch break, he let him eat fish sausage and bibimbap.

When Ma Suqin saw it, Er Qiang was a little embarrassed, and subconsciously rushed over to grab the "half" and hid it in his arms, but immediately realized that he couldn't hide it, so he smirked.

Ma Suqin saw the cat with the broken tail, just finished eating, lazily rubbing against the boy's feet.

On the boy's feet were a pair of half-worn sneakers, yellowed from washing, probably left over from his older brother's wear. They were a little too big, and they rattled when he walked.

Ma Suqin stopped talking, thinking about how difficult it is for this child, who is only eighteen, to come out to do things, as thin as a chick, and not very smart.

Ma Suqin told Erqiang: Watch it carefully, don't let it run around, turn around and let those guys see it, they have the ability to peel it and roast it to eat!
So the "half" often paced slowly in the small world of the workshop that belonged to the two strong masters and apprentices. Gradually, he became fatter and became lazier, sleeping on the tool box from time to time.

When summer comes, the top two will be full of eighteen.

Because he was not well nourished since he was a child, his first nocturnal emission came late.

It was a morning in early summer. When Er Qiang woke up, he found something strange in his body. Qiao Yicheng also noticed it. He kicked Er Qiang who was in a daze, picked out the shorts and told him to change them.

After the replacement, Er Qiang suddenly realized what was going on. He opened his mouth wide and his mind went blank in the dark corner behind the bed that never sees the sun.

Then he recalled that he seemed to have had a long and messy dream, in which there were groups of white shadows, tangled hair like long tree vines, faces were vague, but seemed to have a smell.

The scent of toilet water, Shanghai-made Shuangmei brand, green in color, is hidden in the corner of the master's toolbox.

From then on, Er Qiang dared not look at the master directly, Ma Suqin was really surprised, why this child became awkward.

Until one day, after dinner, Er Qiang hugged the "half" and hid in the shade to rest his sweat.

A dragonfly flew in through the window, its wings turning pale gold in the midsummer sun.

Marling.Ma Suqin said.

What?Er Qiang turned his head to look at the master.

Marling.Our corner calls this Marling.It is Manchu.

Marling.Erqiang followed and repeated, this strange fresh pronunciation.He smiled at the master.

Ma Suqin suddenly felt that in her boring and resentful life, the child's smiling face was like a ray of light leaking through the wooden gate.

In summer, the heat is unbearably hot, and the fitter workshop is exposed to the west. In the afternoon, the sun makes people have nowhere to hide, and it is bright and annoying.The workers covered each other and took turns to go to the bathhouse to take a shower. At first it was only the two or three men who went, and then the women couldn't stand it anymore and also sneaked away.

Er Qiang didn't dare, sweating profusely, curled up in the shade as big as a palm, and wiped away the sweat one by one.

The big man took a shower and went back to the workshop. Seeing Qiao Erqiang who was so hot, he asked him: Why don't you wash it with cold water, it will be comfortable for a while.

Erqiang said: I dare not, I am afraid that the director will know.

The big guy said: Chairman Mao taught us that all reactionaries are paper tigers.Hey hey, you really don't want to wash?There are good things to see.

Erqiang was really curious and asked what it was.

The big man mysteriously asked him to sneak into the bathhouse with him tomorrow.

It turned out that the men's and women's bathrooms were only separated by a wall, and there was a very small and very high window on the wall, which was full of dirty dust, and Er Qiang never noticed it.

The good thing the big guy said was to use a ladder to climb up to the small corner of the dirty window that had been deliberately cleaned, and look towards the women's bathroom.

Er Qiang was very surprised, why there are windows in this kind of place.

The big man smiled maliciously: Maybe the guy who built this bathhouse had stored a lot of bad water and did it on purpose.

The big man laughed again: Little boy, have you never had meat?It just happens to pass the eye addiction first, so that you won't get dizzy when you actually go to the battlefield.Don't you want to see a flower from your master?
Er Qiang was so angry that his blood surged in his heart, wishing he could slap the big guy on the face.Look at that wide face, if you slap it, it must be solid.

The next day, the men who sneaked in to take a shower found that the corner of the window glass had been coated with a thick layer of black paint, which could not be scratched, and they were all angry.

Er Qiang thought proudly, he didn't want to imitate their thick-skinned faces.

He couldn't be sorry for that beautiful and kind woman.

If he likes her, he likes her seriously.

He likes her!

Er Qiang was taken aback by himself.

4
Suddenly, the two boys of the Qiao family, Yicheng and Erqiang, fell in love at the same time.

Love gathers sand and forms a tower day by day, but it appears in a sudden manner, and a guy hits the two boys' heads with a bang, making them dizzy with joy.

That's why when Qiao Yicheng saw the man caressing the little girl Ju An with an extremely intimate gesture, he felt so angry, similar to but completely different from many years ago.

Without even thinking about it, Qiao Yicheng kicked towards the door. The first kick didn't shake the door, but it made his foot hurt. Qiao Yicheng hissed and kicked again.How much he wished that he was like those men in the movie, when he stepped down, the door fell apart, majestic and murderous.

In fact, he didn't kick the door open, it opened it from the inside. The man's surprised expression made him look even older. Ju An hid nervously behind the man. When he saw Qiao Yicheng, the expression on his face was a little relaxed. It's kind of weird.

Qiao Yicheng pushed the old man in, the man staggered, and Qiao Yicheng's fist followed.

Ju An screamed and rushed to block it. This made Qiao Yicheng very embarrassed. He was afraid that he would hit Ju An by mistake, so he withdrew his hand, but he didn't see the man hitting back. Qiao Yicheng thought he must have done something bad and had a guilty conscience. Angrily, lift your foot and kick it over.

Ju'an hugged Yicheng from behind, his thin arms holding him tight.

Yicheng shouted: "Ji An, let go, don't be afraid, I'll beat him to death for you!"

Ju An also called: Don't hit me, don't hit me, don't hit my father!
Qiao Yicheng was stunned.

He is your father?
It's my dad, it's my dad, dear dad.Ju'an's voice has a weeping tone.

The man pushed Qiao Yicheng away forcefully, and Qiao Yicheng fell on the chair.Ju'an choked up and said: Don't tell my mother, okay?
Qiao Yicheng looked up at Ju An in a daze, and then at the man, trying to see the similarities between the two faces.

He found that the father and daughter really looked alike.

It's like a faint feeling, a certain movement, the way you turn your head, the expression when you frown.

Qiao Yicheng couldn't sit still, stood up and said: Then I'm leaving.

Ju An caught up and grabbed him, her palms were wet with cold sweat, she said: Brother Yicheng, I will go with you.Dad, I'm leaving!

Along the way, Ju An didn't let go of Qiao Yicheng's hand.

Ju An kept furrowing his thin and pale eyebrows, walking slower and slower, step by step.The unbearable feeling in Qiao Yicheng's heart was getting stronger, and his palms began to sweat coldly. Their hands were wet and sticky, and Qiao Yicheng was reluctant to let go.

He comforted Ju An: Don't be afraid, I won't tell Aunt Wen.

Ju An's eyes were immediately covered with tears, and she bravely held back the tears from rushing out of her eyes.

When approaching Ju An's house, Ju An suddenly stopped and said she didn't want to go upstairs.

Qiao Yicheng sat with her in the corner of the small garden downstairs. It was very hot and the sun was shining on the backs and tops of the two of them. Both of them were sweating. Their hands were still holding each other. I forgot or maybe I didn't want to let go.

They had been sitting in the sun like fools, their lips glued together with thirst, and it was a miracle that they didn't have heatstroke.

It was almost dusk before Yicheng was sent upstairs to Juan.

When he got to the second floor, Ju An suddenly said: My dad carries the gas bag every time to the seventh floor, but she won't let him eat at the table.

Ju An cried.

Qiao Yicheng patted her on the back, a little scared, this is a corridor, someone will come up at any time, but he had to comfort her.She made his heart throb and hurt, he thought, so this is what people often say about angina pectoris.

Ju'an and Yicheng's first hug, because it was in a public corridor, should be short, but in Qiao Yicheng's memory, it was eerily long, like a stop frame in a movie.Qiao Yicheng felt that it was the closest time for the two of them, the closest, maybe he would never be so close to any girl in his life.

(End of this chapter)