As the sewing machine slowly emerged from the mountain, the tailor shop became smaller and smaller in my sight until it could no longer be seen. Thinking that it would soon collapse and be flattened along with other houses, and disappear forever in this mountain forest, I couldn't help but feel empty in my heart.
But Ruan Xi didn't show much. He took a few deep breaths to adjust his mood, turned around and chatted with the two middle-aged men who were holding the sewing machine, and asked them: "Didn't you go out to work?"
The middle-aged man walking behind him answered: "Yes, these days, if the country people don't go out to work, they will starve to death. There are large-scale construction projects everywhere in the city, and all the capable people in the country have gone out. It's better to move bricks and stones than to stay at home. I was notified to come back and move. The elderly and children at home can't move, so I had to come back."
Speaking of moving, Ruan Xi said: "It's still good to move out, At least the children can go to school. "
The transportation in the mountains is blocked, and the roads cannot be built, so there will never be development. Now all the young people go out to work as laborers. There are no teachers in the mountains, and it is difficult to build schools. The children still have no schools to go to.
The middle-aged man carrying a shoulder pole and walking in front said, "There are indeed many benefits to going out, and life will be much more convenient. But we were all born in the mountains, and our ancestors have all lived here. Our roots are here, so no one wants to leave. The village has been mobilizing for more than half a year, and only now are some families willing to move. Most people don't want to
leave." This is a concept deeply rooted in the bones of many Chinese people, especially those who are older. They would rather stay in their hometown and the house where they have lived for several generations until they die, than leave and go somewhere else.
It was only in recent years that the economy was opened up and opportunities for making money increased. Young people were forced to go out to work, and everyone began to leave their hometowns in waves to seek a living in better-developed places and send money back home to support their families.
Ruan Xi sighed softly: "I still have to go out."
No matter how reluctant she was, she had to go out.
Two middle-aged men helped Ruan Xi carry the sewing machine to the town. Ruan Xi paid for their transportation and invited them to have a hot meal. After thanking them, she let them go.
After going up and down the mountain and being tired, after returning to the town, Ruan Xi and Ling Yao did not go to the train station immediately, but put down their luggage in the guesthouse, prepared to rest for one more night, and then bought some things and visited Qian's family.
Although Ruan Xi has not returned in the past few years, Ruan Changsheng and Qian Chuan still find time to come back to visit Qian Chuan's parents.
Qian Chuan also has an older brother who retired from the army and worked in the county town. He has a stable job and is closer to home so he comes back more often.
After dinner, Ruan Xi returned to the guesthouse, washed up and sat down on the bed.
She stretched her muscles and said, "I'm so tired." As soon as she finished speaking, the mobile phone in her bag suddenly rang.
Ling Yao took the mobile phone out of the bag, handed it to her, and sat down next to her with a sigh of relief.
Ruan Xi picked up the phone and said, "Hello, who is this?"
Ruan Cuizhi's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Xiaoxi, this is your third aunt. Have you come down from the mountain?"
Hearing that it was Ruan Cuizhi, Ruan Xi subconsciously relaxed his tone, "It's the third aunt. We have come down. We are now in the guesthouse in the town. We plan to rest for a night and take the train back tomorrow morning."
Ruan Cuizhi: "Oh, okay, maybe there is no signal in the mountains, I couldn't get through to you before. This is what happened, your fourth aunt called me two days ago, saying that she wanted her son Dapeng and his wife to come to Beijing, and you and Ling Yao happen to be there. How about I let Chen Peng go to the guesthouse to find you tomorrow morning, and you can bring him over on the way."
Chen Peng is the son of fourth aunt Ruan Cuilan and also Ruan Xi's cousin.
When they were in the mountains before, Ruan Cuilan would go back to her parents' home every New Year and other holidays, and they would still meet. But since Ruan Xi and her family all moved to Beijing and no longer returned to Fengming Mountain, they rarely saw each other.
Three years ago, when Chen Peng and his wife got married, Ruan Cuizhi and Ruan Changsheng did come back to attend the wedding.
Although they were far apart and rarely saw each other, they had always kept in touch with each other. Of course, because they were usually very busy and each family had their own lives to live, they didn't contact each other very often.
In fact, after they had completely settled down in building a company and a factory in Beijing, Ruan Cuizhi had always asked Ruan Cuilan to go to Beijing, and even persuaded her for two days when she attended Chen Peng's wedding, but she refused to go.
Ruan Cuilan didn't go, and Chen Peng didn't go to Beijing to work either, saying that there were more opportunities in the south, so he worked there for a few years.
It was rare that they took the initiative to go there, so Ruan Xi naturally responded: "They are finally willing to go to Beijing, no problem, then ask them to come directly tomorrow morning, I will take him there."
Ruan Cuizhi: "Okay, okay."
After hanging up the phone, Ruan Xi looked at Ling Yao and said: "Fourth Aunt finally let Da Peng and his wife go to Beijing."
Ling Yao heard it, "Then take them back together tomorrow."
After speaking, he picked up Ruan Xi's legs and rubbed her legs, "Go to bed early tonight."
Go to bed early and get up early, but Chen Peng and his wife Liu Hongmei came even earlier.
Ruan Xi and Ling Yao had just finished washing and left the guesthouse when he came over.
After not seeing each other for six years, and not many times in the past when they were in the countryside, Ruan Xi certainly didn't recognize this cousin. Chen Peng didn't recognize her either, and they only recognized each other after they confirmed their identities outside the guesthouse yard.
The four of them exchanged pleasantries outside the guesthouse yard, and Ruan Xi said, "Let's go, let's go have breakfast first."
Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei just shook their heads and said they didn't want to go, "We've eaten at home, we'll wait for you here."
Seeing that they really had eaten, Ruan Xi and Ling Yao went. The two of them quickly finished breakfast at the breakfast stall, and then went to the Qian family again, and took Qian Chuan's father's tractor to the guesthouse to pick up the luggage and sewing machine.
After putting away the luggage and sewing machine, several people got on the tractor and sat on the small bench inside. Ruan Xi glanced at the big sacks at the feet of Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei and asked them, "Why do you have so much luggage?"
Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei are now in their mid-twenties. They are both good-looking and have worked outside for a few years, so they dress quite fashionably. However, they are still a little reserved when facing Ruan Xi and Ling Yao. They just said, "These are things grown at home."
Ruan Xi understood that these were things brought from home for them.
This was a token of their love. Ruan Xi smiled and said, "It's okay if you don't bring it. It's too heavy to carry for such a long distance."
Chen Peng smiled politely and said, "How can you visit relatives empty-handed?"
There was no money in the countryside, only land. If they wanted to buy something, they couldn't afford the expensive and good ones, and they felt that they couldn't give away the cheap ones, so they naturally brought the things they grew at home, which best showed their love.
Since they had brought it, Ruan Xi naturally didn't talk to them anymore. She asked Chen Peng again, "Is everything okay at home now?"
Chen Peng said, "Everything is fine. We're just relocating. We just moved out of the mountains."
Ruan Xi continued the topic, "How's the place arranged by the government?"
Liu Hongmei added, "Life is quite convenient. It's better than in the mountains. Every family has a homestead and a resettlement house. It's just that the land is not very good. It's wasteland. We have to reclaim and prepare the land ourselves. I'm afraid the harvest in the first two years will not be good."
Because the land has never been cultivated and fertilized, it will take a lot of effort for crops to grow.
Ruan Xi looked at them, "Are you still planning to come back to farm?"
Chen Peng smiled and said, "Where else can we go if we don't come back to farm? Hongmei and I will work outside to earn money, and my parents will farm at home and take care of the children. When the children grow up and get married, we will come back to continue farming."
Ruan Xi thought for a moment and asked, "Does Fourth Aunt blame us for not bringing you to Beijing at the time?"
Hearing this, Chen Peng was stunned, and then hurriedly said, "No, my mother didn't say that. She just said that the family had a lot of money. "No family lives on others, and each family has its own life."
Ruan Xi nodded after listening, looked at them and said: "Since you have decided to go there now, and we are all there, don't think about coming back in the future. Work hard there, and we will help you. Just work hard to earn money to buy a house there, and bring the children, fourth aunt and uncle over after you settle down."
If she had to rely entirely on them for support, it is estimated that Ruan Cuilan would never go there in her life.
When she first started, she didn't consider taking them with her. Of course, it was because the relationship was not that important, and she couldn't just drag people out to take risks casually. In addition, she really didn't need so many people. Too many people would be a burden at the time.
Chen Peng had never thought about this. He simply wanted to go to Beijing to work and earn some money to go home. After working in the south for a few years, it was too chaotic there. They didn't want to go anymore. Ruan Cuilan then found Ruan Cuizhi.
He looked at Liu Hongmei, who was sitting next to him and was shaken back and forth by the tractor, and then looked at Ruan Xi, and said in a low voice: "Cousin... we may not have such ability..."
They were ordinary people who grew up in the mountains. They dared not even think about buying a house and staying in Beijing.
Seeing the expression on Chen Peng's face, Ruan Xi didn't say anything more to them, and only said, "Let's see when we get there."
Chen Peng nodded, "Okay, thank you cousins."
The tractor was shaking and rumbling forward, and the four of them were chatting in the car. Ling Yao and Liu Hongmei didn't say much. They talked about getting off the tractor at the train station, carrying large and small bags of things and sewing machines into the station and getting on the train.
After resting on the train, they closed their eyes to rest, or chatted and looked at the scenery outside the window.
The next morning, the train whistled to the station, and they got off the train and left the station carrying these things. Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei carried their own packages, and the two of them carried the large sack together, while Ruan Xi and Ling Yao carried the luggage bag and the sewing machine respectively.
There were too many things to put in the car, so Ling Yao found a tricycle driver outside the station, put the old sewing machine and Chen Peng's sack on the tricycle, and asked him to take it home.
Ling Yao and Ruan Xi drove Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei back.
Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei kept looking out the window in the car, smiling and whispering, "We finally came to the capital to have a look."
Little Ruan Xi also heard their voices, and she said to Ling Yao, "Let's go around more places."
Ling Yao of course understood what she meant, so she drove the car around outside, in fact, mainly to let Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei see the Tian A Gate, because many people's impression of the capital is the Tian A Gate tower with the Chairman's portrait hanging on it.
After a round of walking, they arrived home. The man who was carrying goods on a tricycle had just delivered the sewing machine and sacks.
Ruan Xi paid the man and let him go. He opened the door and led Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei into the yard.
As soon as they stepped over the threshold and entered the yard, Liu Hongmei smiled and whispered, "It looks like the house in the dream of the Red Mansion."
They have worked in the south for the past few years. The south has developed well, and high-rise buildings are not uncommon, but they have never seen a yard like the one Ruan Xi lives in, with gray tiles and a red door, and a stone lion outside the door, which is similar to the house in the dream of the Red Mansion.
Ruan Xi smiled and said, "In order to film the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Grand View Garden was built. You can go and have a look if you have nothing to do."
The four people entered the house. Ruan Xi and Liu Hongmei carried their luggage in their hands, Ling Yao moved the sewing machine in the back, and Chen Peng carried the sack by himself, carried it through the second door and put it directly in the yard, standing there to catch his breath. Ling
Yao moved the sewing machine to the main room and placed it, wiped it dry and covered it with a piece of cloth.
Ruan Xi boiled hot water and went to the main room to make tea for Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei.
Both of them were embarrassed and hurriedly stood up to take the cups.
Ruan Xi and Ling Yao also sat down to drink water. Just as they drank a sip of hot water to moisten their throats, Ruan Xi's mobile phone in her bag rang again. Ruan Xi put down the cup, took out the mobile phone from her bag, and put it to her ear.
Ruan Cuizhi's voice came from the receiver again: "Xiao Xi, have you arrived yet?"
Ruan Xi laughed and said, "Third Aunt, you really know how to time. We just sat down to drink some water."
Ruan Cuizhi also smiled and said, "Then come over after you finish drinking water. We have already started to prepare lunch. Let's arrange for Dapeng to stay here. Just bring their luggage with you when you come."
Ruan Xi replied, "Okay, then we'll go right over."
So after drinking water, Ruan Xi and Ling Yao immediately took Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei, took their luggage and sacks, and drove to Ruan Cuizhi's house.
Ruan Changsheng Qian Chuan and Ruan Jie Chen Weidong were all there, and they greeted them as soon as they entered the door.
Seeing so many people, Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei became more and more restrained, and even their smiles were frozen.
If they were to be entertained by others, they might feel too restrained and uncomfortable, so Ruan Cuizhi asked them to talk to Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua. After all, the two old people had not changed much, and they both felt friendly, especially since they were Chen Peng's grandpa and grandma.
Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua were very happy to see Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei, and they had a lot to say.
They hadn't been back for many years, and they were always thinking about their hometown. No one had ever come to their home, and Liu Xiaohu had come before purely with bad intentions to cause trouble, and he didn't count because he was from the town.
Sitting and talking with Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei, Ruan Zhigao asked them a lot about the situation of their home in recent years. After understanding the general situation, he asked, "How far has the demolition progressed?"
Chen Peng replied, "Only some people have moved in, and the demolition has not started yet."
Ruan Zhigao couldn't help but sigh, "Our ancestors have lived there for generations, and it was demolished just like that. If your grandmother and I were not too exhausted, we would have gone back to take a look. We will never be able to see it again."
Chen Peng said, "Who says it's not true? Many families don't want to move, and they are still arguing with the village committee."
Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua have also accepted many new ideas. Liu Xinghua said, "It's better to move out. Only by moving out can we have a way out. Being trapped in the mountains, generation after generation is still the same."
...
After talking about the demolition and relocation, Ruan Zhigao asked Chen Peng: "Where are your parents? Why didn't they come with us?"
Chen Peng replied: "My family just moved and they are a little busy. They are also afraid that it will be too much trouble for them to come."
Ruan Zhigao snorted, "Wait until I die and see if they will come."
Hearing this, Liu Hongmei hurriedly said: "Pah, pah, pah, grandpa, you will definitely live a hundred years." At
their age, they no longer avoid talking about death, because it is something they need to face every day, and there is nothing they can't say. But this matter is really a bummer, so they didn't continue to talk about it.
The four grandparents talked until lunch, and Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei felt much less restrained. After all, they were all family members. Feeling the warmth and enthusiasm, the tension in my heart naturally subsided.
When the family was eating at the dinner table, they also talked about the demolition in the countryside, and then talked about what Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei were doing here. I just asked them: "Do you have any ideas?" Chen
Peng and Liu Hongmei shook their heads and said: "Let's go out and look for it. Whatever we find, we will do it."
Seeing that they had no ideas, Ruan Changsheng said: "How about this, Hongmei, you go to the factory with Third Aunt and learn the craft and let Third Aunt arrange something for you to do. Dapeng, just stay with me. What do you think?"
Hearing this, Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei were naturally very happy. But they were not very willing to bother others, so they looked at Ruan Changsheng and said, "So, isn't it a bother?"
Ruan Changsheng smiled and said, "What is the bother? There are no other requirements, but there is only one requirement for you, that is, you must be willing to learn and work hard. You can't just take advantage of being a family member and just mess around. This won't work."
Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei said in unison, "We are not here to mess around."
They were not qualified to mess around in such a place.
Ruan Changsheng had something to do, so he stayed at home for a while after lunch and then went out.
He was busy all afternoon and didn't come back until the evening. When he came back, his family had just finished dinner, so he took Qian Chuan and Ruan Dabao home directly, and the others naturally went home.
After getting home, washing up and going to bed, Ruan Changsheng suddenly said to Qian Chuan, "I ran into Sun Wei again today."
Qian Chuan felt sick when he heard the name Sun Wei, and said, "What is he doing now?"
Ruan Changsheng said, "It seems that the wine shop is closed again, but it seems that he has made a lot of money in the past few years. He is so proud of it. But the grudge is deep, so he came here to belittle me, saying that I have no ability and it is all thanks to my niece."
Qian Chuan sneered, "Does he have ability? The ability to do evil things?"
Ruan Changsheng thought for a while, "But what he said did give me some ideas."
Qian Qian Chuan looked at him, "What's your idea?"
Ruan Changsheng picked up the pillow and put it behind him, "The company's current garment business is so big, and we have a lot of money. I was thinking, why don't we invest in something else? What do you think?"
Qian Chuan was stunned for a moment, but did not reject Ruan Changsheng's idea. He just asked, "What do you want to invest in?"
Ruan Changsheng thought about it again, "We can't do something too big, and we really don't dare to do it, so let's do something small. I'll ask around recently to see what can make money, and then make a decision."
Qian Chuan looked at him and said after a moment "If you want to make some investments, you might as well invest in Xiaoxi's real estate company directly. That's the most profitable. I don't think there's anything that makes more money than real estate."
Ruan Changsheng clicked his tongue, "Doesn't that still rely on Xiaoxi? Besides, the real estate company is not owned by her alone, and it's managed by Xie Dongyang. The time when they needed money to take risks is in the past. Now it has stabilized and is on the right track. There are no risks that require funds. Do we have the nerve to say we want to invest at this time?"
Qian Chuan thought for a moment, "Yeah, it's really a bit shameless. . "
Ruan Changsheng didn't want to think about it, and just said: "I'll ask around first."
Qian Chuan suddenly looked at him with doubt: "You don't do this just to leave Sun Wei speechless, do you?"
Ruan Changsheng cleared his throat and was very frank, "Yes, but not entirely."
Qian Chuan pulled the quilt and lay down, yawning with sleepiness, "Don't develop feelings for him one day."
Ruan Changsheng glared, "Unless the earth is destroyed!"
Qian Chuan really had no interest in Sun Wei, and yawned again, "Turn off the lights and go to sleep."
Ruan Changsheng reached out to turn off the lights, and the room suddenly fell into darkness.
After a moment of silence, Ruan Changsheng suddenly said, "By the way, when the next building in Xiaoxi is put on the market, let them reserve a house for us. I want to move into the building. It's more comfortable there."
Having lived in a tiled house and a bungalow for most of her life, especially since this yard was Sun Wei's old house, Qian Chuan was eager to move out and live in a building. So without even thinking, she responded even though she was drowsy, "Okay."
Ruan Changsheng was about to say something else, but Qian Chuan suddenly said, "Go to sleep!"
"..."
After Chen Peng and Liu Hongmei adapted to the city for two days, they did as Ruan Changsheng said. Liu Hongmei followed Ruan Cuizhi to the factory to learn a craft, and Chen Peng followed Ruan Changsheng.
After getting acquainted, Ruan Changsheng asked Chen Peng: "What kind of work do you do in the south?"
Ruan Changsheng thought he would say moving bricks and carrying stones or something like that. After all, urban construction requires a large number of construction workers, and this kind of work is also done by the most country people. But unexpectedly, Chen Peng said: "Working as a waiter in a karaoke bar."
Ruan Changsheng was slightly stunned, then looked at Chen Peng.
Seeing that Ruan Changsheng seemed unconvinced, Chen Peng said, "I also learned how to mix cocktails from someone. It's not just this job I've done. I've done many other jobs, including selling things in factories. Anyway, I just wanted to see which one makes more money."
Ruan Changsheng nodded to show that he believed it, and asked, "Why don't you go to the South?"
Chen Peng said, "It's too chaotic there now. There are all kinds of people. There are even people riding motorcycles on the streets snatching bags. Especially on the trains. If you have children, you must hold them in your arms and not drag them. You must hold your bag tightly in your arms and put your money in the closest place to your body. Whether entering or leaving the station, you cannot stop for a moment, let alone look around. If you meet someone wearing sunglasses, you must avoid them. No matter who comes to talk to you, you must not respond. No matter what happens, you must not intervene. You can't be on guard. This year, all the money that Hongmei and I earned was taken away by someone, so we don't want to go anymore."
Ruan Changsheng patted his shoulder and said, "It can be regarded as a life experience."
He didn't know what he was thinking about after saying that, and suddenly asked, "Are there many singing halls in the south?"
Chen Peng nodded, "Many, especially in Guangzhou, which is close to Hong Kong and Taiwan. You can watch Hong Kong TV and listen to Hong Kong radio there, so you can hear a lot of pop songs. You are greatly influenced by them, and everyone learns quickly. There are many people who love to sing, but it is not the right place. It is very difficult to get on the stage, so most of the singers in China are there. There are also many singers from the north who go there and make money by performing in the karaoke halls. "
Ruan Changsheng thought about it again and said, "Then I'll go and ask around."
Chen Peng didn't understand, "What?"
Ruan Changsheng smiled, "Ask about the local situation."
In the late autumn afternoon, the poplar trees outside the window were full of golden yellow. The breeze blew and a few leaves fell.
Five embroidery workers were sitting in the studio, working with their heads down in front of the embroidery frame. Ruan Xi sat side by side with the five workers. After working for a while, her eyelids kept sticking together. She was so tired that she put down her needle and went back to the office to sleep.
Now there are four more workers in her studio, and she doesn't need to participate in the manual work.
But sometimes her hands were itchy and she couldn't sit still, especially when she had no inspiration and didn't want to sit in front of the easel to draw designs, she would still pick up the needle and thread and slowly do handicrafts, which was also a way to relax her brain.
After returning to the office and taking a nap, she felt more comfortable and went to the studio again.
When she got off work in the evening, she felt very tired, so she didn't stay in the company for long and went home on time. When she got home, she didn't want to bother cooking, so she went out for dinner with Ling Yao.
In the evening, after washing up, the two of them leaned on the bed to watch TV, and Ruan Xi fell asleep again while watching.
She slept so deeply that she didn't know when the TV was turned off or when Ling Yao went to bed. And when she woke up the next day, it was almost noon, and the sun shone through the window, dazzling.
On Sunday, Ruan Xi didn't have to go to work. She got up and sat by the bed to relax for a while.
Ling Yao came in at this time, walked to the bedside, looked at her and said, "Wake up, hurry up and wash up and eat."
Ruan Xi took a breath and stood up from the bed. Before she took a step, she was so lazy that she slammed her face on Ling Yao's chest. Even her voice was lazy and soft: "Am I really old? Why am I so tired recently?"
She didn't live past 30 in her previous life. Is 30 a magical critical point? After 30, people's physical condition and body functions are completely different? In her current state, she can just retire and enjoy her old age.
Ling Yao raised his hand and touched her forehead, "Are you sick?"
Ruan Xi lay still, "I just feel very tired, more tired than when I had that..."
She paused for a moment, then raised her head and looked at Ling Yao, "How long has it been since I had that?"
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