After the Spring Festival, Li He visited a few relatives and prepared to leave for Xinxiang.
Four said, "Brother, you're not coming with me?"
"You stay at home, I'll pick you up later."
As soon as he got off the train station in Xinxiang, he went straight to Zhang Wanting's hometown without even eating lunch. He still had to make sure if Zhang Wanting had returned home.
There was no snow in the plains of North Henan this winter, but it was very dry. As the cold wind blew, his face tightened and a layer of dead skin was embedded in it. The economic situation of the whole of North Henan and North Anhui seemed to be similar. Except for a small number of people who really got rich first, most people just had enough to eat and wear. The reform and opening up only opened up the coastal areas. In fact, it had little to do with the central and western regions. It did not have the courage and vitality of the eastern coastal areas.
It had always held the title of a big agricultural province, a big college entrance examination province, and a big labor export province.
It could only be said that the small lotus had just revealed its sharp edges.
He hurried to the entrance of the Zhang family's village. He took off his leather jacket and put it in a woven bag, only wearing the old coat that was exposed.
With the woven bag on his back, he walked into the village after a few turns. When he was near Zhang Wanting's house, he began to shout at the top of his lungs, "Collecting duck feathers, goose feathers! Do you have duck feathers, goose feathers for sale? "
He shouted with all his might in Funan dialect.
"Hey, Old Ou, look at this. It's worth a lot of money." An old woman wearing an old cotton-padded jacket and holding a small cloth bag called Li He over.
Li He grabbed a handful of duck feathers from the cloth bag, twirled it between his fingers, and said, "I'll give you 50 cents."
The old woman said disdainfully, "The day before yesterday, I didn't even sell it for 70 cents. I definitely won't sell it for 50 cents. "
"It's too damp, and it's very heavy. You should find someone else and sell it for 70 cents." Li He returned the cloth bag to the woman and turned to leave.
"You old Ou, come here. You can take it for 10 cents more."
"Keep it for yourself." Li He's purpose was not to collect the eiderdown and goose down. He walked around the eaves of the Zhang family's house. This was no longer the old house of the Zhang family. The eight large tiled houses in the front and back were all newly built. The red bricks and black tiles were particularly eye-catching in the village where all the houses were made of mud.
Did Zhang Wanting really come back? It was impossible for the Zhang Family to build such a big house with their wealth. No one knew better than him how powerful the Zhang family was.
He tried his best to shout a few more times. Finally, he managed to summon his eldest brother-in-law.
"Hey, Old An, you're here. Look at Ah Jia. "
This was the second time that Li He had been called Lao He. Most of the people who went to the streets to pick up velvet and braid had the same accent as him. They all knew that he was from Funan and were used to calling him Lao He.
It was hard to distinguish who was a barbarian and who was an old An. Generally, those who were called south were called barbarians, and those who were called north were called Lao He. However, the distinction between north and south was not so accurate. Some people wanted to save trouble and called those who ate noodles old An, and those who ate rice barbarians.
Li He smiled and took the woven bag from his brother-in-law's hands. It was a bag full of goose down.
"Tell me how much you want. If it's okay, I'll take it."
His eldest brother-in-law was wearing a brand-new coat. He tilted his head and said, "Don't tease the monkey. You do it yourself. You ask me for the price."
"Big brother, it's useless if you're not satisfied with my price. You must have a price in your heart. Tell me your price and save us time." Li He glanced at the Zhang family's courtyard. There were only two children playing with firecrackers at the door.
"Give me seven yuan to take it." His eldest brother-in-law finally said his bottom price.
Li He shook his head and said with a smile, "It's not worth that price. I can take it away for five yuan."
"Look at you. You asked Ah to name the price. You're still playing mind games." His eldest brother-in-law was very dissatisfied with Li He.
Li He said, "That's not possible. How can a rich family like yours be interested in one or two yuan? Look at this row of eaves. Who else has a house as extravagant as yours? "
His eldest brother-in-law said, "That's right. You have eyes. We don't need one or two yuan. We can't be a fool. Give me a reasonable price and take it away."
"Big brother, I rely on this to make a living. I heard that someone in your family made a fortune overseas. You're such a generous person. Why do you have to haggle over one or two yuan with me?"
His eldest brother-in-law's eyes lit up. He asked proudly, "You know about this too?"
"Hey, who doesn't know about it? Your eldest daughter is very famous."
"That's my sister, do you know? In England, she earns in pounds. Sigh, it's hard to explain it to you. "
Li He smiled apologetically. "That's true. I'm an uneducated man. When your eldest daughter comes back, she'll be a high-ranking official. When that happens, you'll be able to bask in her glory. "
"Not yet. It'd be great if she really came back."
"Oh, then she'll be back soon."
"Who knows." His eldest brother-in-law felt that something was wrong. He asked, "Why are you asking so many questions? Do you want the eiderdown or not?"
"It's not appropriate for me to take it at this price. I'll definitely lose money. Big brother, you keep it for yourself. "
Li He felt an indescribable sense of disappointment in his heart.
At that moment, he only wanted to know where his wife was!
"Sigh, five yuan it is. Take it away for five yuan." His eldest brother-in-law shouted at Li He from behind.
Li He ignored him and walked straight out of the village.
On the riverbank where he had found Zhang Wanting, he had smoked several cigarettes in succession. He sighed helplessly, took off his old coat, and put on his jacket again.
It was already past ten o 'clock at night when he returned to the county. It was impossible for him to go home. He walked around and booked a room in the largest guest house in the county, preparing to go back the next morning.
He took a comfortable bath in the guest house's bathhouse, rubbed his back, and went downstairs to eat something.
After finishing two bottles of beer, his stomach was a little bloated. He saw a public toilet nearby and was about to go in.
"Hey, bro, you look unfamiliar." Two young boys blocked his way at the toilet door, one on the left and one on the right.
"Get lost." Li He pushed one of them away with one hand. He didn't have a place to vent his anger, and there were still people who dared to find trouble with him. Did he look like a pushover? They ate so much that they even came to the toilet. These people were really terrible. Usually, when gangsters wanted pocket money, they would block the entrance of a crowded place. They would catch a few timid students and ask for 20 cents from one and 5 cents from the other. They were more discerning and would not block the old men, women, or adults. Their main targets were the students.
The best places were the game rooms, the school gates, and the public toilets.
The two young boys saw that Li He was so arrogant and wanted to attack together. Li He didn't give them a chance and kicked one of them. "Are you blind? Motherf * cker."
After dealing with the problem in the toilet, he casually lit a cigarette. When he passed by the two kids, he slapped each of them again. It was their bad luck to fall into his hands.
After sleeping in the hotel for a night, he slept for a few days when he returned home. He didn't have the strength to do anything.
Wang Yulan touched his forehead. "You can't be sick, right?"
"I'm fine."
"Then why are you like this? What do you want to eat? I'll make something for you. You didn't eat much for lunch. "
"I'm really fine." Li He was annoyed by his mother. He kicked off the blanket and went to the riverbank.
The sun had not set yet. He sat on the riverbank, and the afterglow of the sun shone on his body, making him feel warm and comfortable. He hugged his legs and closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about anything at the moment.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing. I came out for a walk." Li He raised his head. Against the dazzling light, he finally saw the figure clearly.
"Come up. The riverbank is wet. Aren't you afraid of getting your pants wet?"
"I can go up by myself." Rejecting the hand that reached out, Li He stood up and pushed himself up. Just as he was about to put one leg on the slope, the slope collapsed under his hand. He fell back onto the riverbank.
"Haha …" He Zhaodi held her stomach and laughed. "This is the result of trying to be a hero. Look at your body. "
"Sigh." Li He had fallen into a puddle of mud. Other than his face, there was no place on his body that was clean.
"Give me your hand. I'll pull you up."
"Wait." Li He used the straw to wipe the mud off his hands. "Otherwise, you'll get dirty."
"It's fine. Hurry up. It's cold down there." He Zhaodi reached out to Li He.
"Okay. Be careful. I'm quite heavy." Li He felt a pair of rough hands. They were rougher than his own. They were no longer the hands of a little girl.
He Zhaodi couldn't help but laugh. "Hurry up and go home to change."
"What bad luck." He took off his clothes, revealing his strong body.
"Sigh. You're asking for it."
"Let's take a shower first." Li He threw off his shoes and took off his pants. He was only wearing his underwear and plunged into the river. He couldn't hesitate in winter. The more he hesitated, the colder it would get. He had to have courage and drive.
"Do you want to die?" He Zhaodi didn't react at all. Seeing that Li He had gone to the middle of the river, she went to look for her boat in a panic.
"It's so satisfying. Goddammit, it's so satisfying." Li He gritted his teeth and shouted in the middle of the river. Other than his heels, which were a little warm, his whole body couldn't help but shiver. Although it wasn't sub-zero temperature today, the cold wind was still chilly. He seemed to recall the time when he was 16 years old. He followed Li Fucheng to swim to the mill across the river in the middle of winter. It was really sub-zero temperature at that time.
He had no choice but to go. Which man didn't go like that?
"Second Brother Li, you're really an idiot!" He Zhaodi didn't know whether she was angry or anxious. She was already crying. The diesel engine on the ship rumbled and rushed to Li He's side. "Hurry up and come up. Warm yourself by the fire."
Li He smiled and leaned on the side of the boat. "What's the hurry? I'll bathe for a while."
He plunged into the distance again.
"Let's see how you're going to bathe!" He Zhaodi steeled herself and turned the sand pump on the boat to the maximum. The boat circled around Li He. The river was relatively shallow in winter, and the water suddenly became muddy. Wherever Li He swam, the boat followed. The problem was that he wasn't as fast as the boat and almost hit the boat several times.
"You're just trying to make trouble." The suction of the sand pump was too strong. He couldn't stand steadily in the water and drank a few mouthfuls of mud.
"Hurry up and come up!"
"I'll go up after you turn it off! I washed for nothing! "Li He took a deep breath and wiped the muddy mud off his face. He Zhaodi, who was usually cute and lovable, was so scary when she was angry!
After He Zhaodi turned off the diesel engine, he plunged into the clear water upstream and washed his body.
He Zhaodi rowed the boat over. "Can you come up now?"
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