The first intuitive impression she left on Luo Xuan and Zhang Xiaoli was: this little girl's eyes are so bright and clear!
This girl looks like she is only 4 or 5 years old.
But in fact, she is already 6 years old
Perhaps due to long-term malnutrition, the little girl looks small and extremely thin!
It's so thin that it makes people's hearts tremble.
The little girl's face was covered with soot.
The snow on her head began to melt slowly as soon as she entered the house.
The black soot drew tracks on her face.
It looks like the beaded curtain on the emperor's crown
The little girl came in, stood at the door first, and carefully took off her red cloth shoes.
Then he held it in his hand, leaving only his bare feet. Using his heels to prop up his feet, he moved step by step to the stove.
Wait until the little girl puts the completely soaked cloth shoes in the hole at the bottom of the stove used to collect firewood ash.
The little girl then moved over a small stool. She was shivering all over, but she sat quietly next to her brother and warmed herself by the fire.
"Erya, you didn't bring back any guests?"
The little boy stretched out his hand sympathetically and touched his sister's head, "There's a traffic jam this time. There are a lot of people stranded in the county! Why didn't you get any guests?"
"Brother, I'm scared."
The little girl's thin body was shaking more and more violently, "I went to tell the sisters and aunts that I could stay at my house, but they always didn't believe me."
The little boy sighed, "Alas"
"Oh, I feel numb."
This boy was clearly only 7 years old, but the tone of his voice and the solemn expression on his face gave him the impression of being 70 years old.
The little boy said, "Sister, the queen has gone out to collect things. You are here to light the fire."
Now, brother is going out to recruit a few more customers for you. When the time comes, just say that you invited them back."
The little girl blinked with big eyes, "Is this okay? Your Majesty will be back soon, what should I do?"
The boy sighed again, "There's nothing you can do about it. It's all fate. If that's the case, even the gods can't save you."
With that said, the little boy quickly stood up.
He ran to the door and put on his pair of cloth shoes, which were also soaked.
Then he ran out!
Zhang Xiaoli took out two candies from her luggage and handed them to the little girl.
Then he asked her, "Little sister, how old are you? Have you ever gone to nursery school?"
The little girl looked at Zhang Xiaoli and then at the candy in her hand.
Then he shook his head and said, "Well, I'm 6 years old this year, and I'm not in kindergarten. I don't want your candy, and the queen won't let me eat food from strangers, and I won't be allowed to eat flowers."
Zhang Xiaoli smiled slightly and said, "Take it, I am a guest staying at your house, how can I be a flower girl?"
The little girl hesitated and swallowed a mouthful of saliva while looking at the candies.
But in the end, he turned his head away and continued to burn the fire.
Zhang Xiaoli looked at the little girl's thin back and sighed slightly in her heart.
Then he stood up from the edge of the kang.
He reached out and patted the little girl's shoulder gently, "Your cotton-padded jacket is all wet. You'd better take it off and dry it."
The little girl shook her head, "I'll take it off and bake it when I go to bed at night."
This little girl only has the only cotton-padded jacket she wears.
At this time, the temperature in the room was not high.
Therefore, even if the cotton-padded jacket on her body was soaked by snowflakes, she did not dare to take it off and dry it.
As the firewood in the stove burned brightly, the water in the large iron pot was already hot, and the steam was thick and slowly curling up.
The little girl's hair, which was originally wet, started to emit bursts of white smoke.
The traces of water flowing on her thin little face had completely dried up at this time.
It turned into lines of solidified drops of ink.
The little girl stood up, her feet bare.
He stood up on his back feet and walked step by step to the back room. Then he found an old enamel washbasin that could have been passed off as a cultural relic.
Scoop out water and rub a towel.
Wait until the little girl takes out the twisted towel from the basin.
She raised her thin hands and handed the towel to Zhang Xiaoli, "Sister, wash your face first!"
Zhang Xiaoli took the towel and shook it open
Then Luo Xuan, Zhang Xiaoli, and Peng Yong were sitting on the edge of the Kang.
Everyone was stunned on the spot!
This, this is also called a face towel??
I saw that the lint on the towel had completely fallen off. There was only a bare piece of cotton gauze fabric like white cloth left.
and,
This piece of cloth is like linen, and its base material is densely covered with holes, large and small, like a curtain wall that has been blasted by heavy artillery.
The big hole can fit an egg in, and the small hole can push a finger through.
Among the three people sitting on the kang, Peng Yong is relatively poor even though his economic conditions are relatively poor.
Not only his footcloth, it is definitely much better than this face towel.
Even the discarded towel Peng Yong used to clean his shoes was several times more complete than this towel!
Zhang Xiaoli held the towel and smiled slightly.
Then he reached out and wiped it on his face
This little girl is still standing in front of me eagerly! It’s impossible not to wash your face.
After washing your face,
Zhang Xiaoli handed the towel back to the little girl, then took out two candies from her pocket and handed them to her, "Thank you for getting me the towel. These two candies can be considered as my thanks to you!"
this time,
The little girl did not refuse directly, but hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the door of the cave dwelling.
Then he quickly turned around, grabbed the candy and ran to the back room, "Thank you, sister!"
Then, bursts of rustling sounds came from the dark back room.
It must be the little girl rummaging through the box to hide the candies.
"Is it very patriarchal here?"
Zhang Xiaoli asked in a low voice, "I saw that his brother's cotton-padded jacket and cloth shoes are better than those of the little girl."
Luo Xuan sighed slightly, "It's very heavy! If a boy is not born at home, it will be difficult to hold his head up in the village.
No matter how capable and diligent he is."
Luo Xuan sighed, "If there is no boy in the family and he has a conflict with other villagers, others will tell him directly that your family will have no offspring."
"This is enough to make the other party feel dumb and speechless."
Peng Yong raised his eyes and looked around: "This family is poor, but they love to be clean, and the house is neatly tidied."
Luo Xuan nodded, "Indeed. The living environment of people in Saibei is relatively poor. But they do like to be clean, and the courtyards of every household are kept clean.
The house is cleaned every day. There is no such thing as waking up without putting on the quilt, sweeping the floor, or mopping the floor."
Zhang Xiaoli also nodded and praised: "At this point, they are much better than us in Bashu.
The house of a member of the production team over there is really unspeakable! There is no quilt, and things are thrown around in a mess.
Many people have chicken droppings and duck droppings in their homes. If you take a few steps, you will definitely step on one. It’s really sad. I can’t say it.”
"Zhiqua——"
While everyone is chatting.
I faintly heard the sound of the courtyard door, and then the door curtain moved.
From the yard, a large group of women came in!
Due to the huge traffic jam on the national highway today, the jam is unprecedented and unprecedented.
Therefore, many passengers were sitting in the car waiting, taking chances and hoping that the road could be cleared as soon as possible.
As it gets later and later, the temperature gets lower and lower.
At this time, they could no longer sit still in the car.
So they got off the bus in small groups and walked to the county town to find a place to stay.
As more and more passengers pour into the county, they want to find a guest house with beds or even seats.
It has become increasingly difficult.
The little boy deserves his good luck!
At this time, he goes to the streets to solicit customers, and there is no need to work hard to attract business.
He only needs to say a few words to the other party casually, and there will be a lot of people willing to follow him.
1,2,3
As more and more people walked into the house, the number of people in the small cave dwelling became more and more dense.
After the door curtain fell to the ground, everyone poured into the cave.
Only then did everyone count the number of people who came in: 8.
They all looked at the timid and honest woman who was carrying luggage and bed rolls.
The little boy waited until everyone entered the house and quickly closed the door.
Then he turned around and lowered his voice to warn everyone, "Keep it quiet, Maura! When I came in, I felt someone following me.
If I encounter those envious neighbors who go to the ‘anti-private brigade’ to report my family’s situation, then I will be the one to blame!”
Several female aunts, at first glance, appear to be timid and fearful people.
One of the women asked fearfully, "What if someone really comes to arrest us?"
The little boy patted his chest and said, "That's my business! It's my fault with you."
When a group of women heard this, they immediately felt relieved.
The little boy waved secretly to the leading aunt, and the two of them entered the back room one after another.
Luo Xuan's hearing was extremely sensitive, and the voices they spoke inside were very low, but Luo Xuan heard them clearly.
The little boy lowered his voice and said, "Pay the accommodation fee first."
The mother-in-law asked, "How much does it cost?"
"Eight cents a person."
"Why is it so expensive? I used to live in other private homes, so I only gave him 35 cents."
"Jinha! This is Suimi City! Hurry up and pay."
"Young boys, we are all the poor people who go to the reservoir construction site and do voluntary work for no money."
The little boy was silent for a moment.
Members of the production team take turns to do voluntary work every winter.
Just like this aunt: She goes to the construction site to volunteer. Not only does she have to bring her own bed rolls and food.
Not to mention the food and strength, and not even a penny of wages.
Subsequently,
Just listen to the little boy whisper, "Auntie, I think it's not easy for you. Then just give me 6 cents and 5 cents!"
Shhhh. Stop raising the price, and don’t let those three outsiders outside know that I gave you a cheaper price. Will it hurt you?"
Soon after,
The woman and the little boy walked out pretending that nothing had happened.
Now that my mind has calmed down and these people have just come in, I can take a look at where I will stay tonight.
One of the girls frowned and said, "Young junior, you only have two people working in the kiln?"
"Three-hole kiln."
The little boy chuckled, "It's just that you can't live in a cave around that hole. It's so cold inside that it can turn you into a popsicle. Don't ask!"
Tonight, four of you will sleep in the cave inside. The remaining four will sleep outside. We have no choice but to squeeze in."
What else was that girl going to say?
Another woman who looked like a mother-in-law said, "Young ladies, when you go out, it's not as good as at home.
By the way, when you are at home, don’t you just sleep on the same kang with your parents, brothers and sisters?”
When the girl heard this, she didn't say anything anymore.
The climate in Saibei is cold, and many production team members are reluctant to burn two kangs at the same time.
So when winter comes,
The men and women in the family all sleep together on the same kang in order to save some firewood.
After this group of women were confused and confused, they settled down silently.
At this time, the water in the pot has boiled.
The little boy pointed to the boiling water channel and said, "If you want to drink water or wash your face and feet, save some water. The two wells nearby are frozen. I go to carry 3 loads of water every day, but it takes a lot of effort!"
"
The women all nodded to show their understanding.
People who have not personally experienced the suffering of water shortage in Saibei will not understand.
I saw them unpacking their respective baggage,
They took out a variety of food that Zhang Xiaoli and Peng Yong had never seen or heard of before, and ate it with the boiling water in the pot.
They saw Zhang Xiaoli in the room, so when everyone took out the food, they did not forget to give it to Zhang Xiaoli to share: "Girl, would you like some?"
"This woman, you look like a fairy in a picture. Come on, don't dislike it. Eat some of my yellow steamed buns?"
"Lesbian, you are not a person with such pimples, are you? Do you want to eat some dry food?"
Zhang Xiaoli smiled and shook her head in rejection one by one.
These things are dry and hard.
But these women eat so deliciously that they are not even willing to waste any scraps.
One by one, they all eat solid food with one hand.
The other hand was raised to the chin to catch the leaked dregs.
Zhang Xiaoli was also hungry at this time.
But there was no sign of the mutton stew.
She had no choice but to move to the stove that was connected to the kang she was sleeping on, and reached out to scoop out some boiling water with a ladle.
Then he carefully poured it into his own military kettle.
Shake it, open your mouth and drink
"puff--"
After a small mouthful of boiling water went down her throat, Zhang Xiaoli quickly turned her head and vomited on the ground, "Ah"
I saw Zhang Xiaoli's tongue stretched out, as if she wanted to vomit, "Ah, this water is so salty and bitter!"
There is no good water here in Suimi County.
They are all bitter and salty salt-alkaline water, which tastes particularly harsh on the throat.
Even if it is used to make tea, it can only be said that good tea is wasted.
On the contrary, only the cheapest and lowest-end brick tea is suitable for the salt-alkaline water here.
Saibei area,
Only Tuocheng has the "peach blossom water" originating from the desert. In the vast Saibei, the tofu made in Tuocheng has no peculiar smell and is extremely tender.
Zhang Xiaoli used to drink tasteless, pure water.
Now that she suddenly drank this salty and bitter water, of course she couldn't stand it!
When I was on the road, I used to sell water in roadside restaurants to attract business; I also wanted to make my store's business exceed that of my peers.
So the water in their hotel has been filtered through several layers, and of course it tastes much better than the boiled water at the little boy's home.
Zhang Xiaoli is feeling uncomfortable.
Luo Xuan planned to pass his kettle over to her to quench her thirst.
At this moment!
I could only hear the bang bang of the courtyard door being beaten, "Open the door, open the door! We are from the anti-private team of the street, open the door for inspection!"
"ah?!"
There was a "pop" sound.
The little girl who was sitting on a small stool lighting a fire was so frightened that she fell to the ground!
The little boy's face was as red as a ripe apple with excitement since he had made money before.
