The tractor was parked at the entrance of the village. The canopy on the rear of the tractor had been removed, and the entire tractor was scrubbed spotless, glowing with a cold metallic light in the morning light.
Men love cars by nature. No matter how busy Xie Zhao was, he would always clean the car thoroughly after each trip, and regularly inspect and repair all parts, keeping this second-hand car in good condition.
The villagers who wanted to go to the city had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Xie Zhao and Cheng Yaoyao coming together, they all greeted them warmly. Now they had to take Xie Zhao's tractor to go to the city, and from time to time they asked Xie Zhao to bring things. Moreover, Xie Zhao kept the car clean, spoke little but was not as rude as some drivers, so the villagers naturally had a better impression of Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao put all the things he brought from home in the back seat, and put a small cushion near the driver's seat. He settled Cheng Yaoyao in before returning to the driver's seat. The back seat of the car was packed full. Every time the villagers went to the city, they brought a lot of things, chickens, ducks, vegetables, grains, and the most common thing was eggs.
Chicken-butt banks were a feature of this era. For rural families with a single income and little money, eggs could be used as currency or sold to supply and marketing cooperatives in exchange for oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, needles and thread.
Cheng Yaoyao leaned on the guardrail behind the driver's seat. This was her exclusive seat, where there was no wind and no bumps. Today, Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin were not going into the city. Cheng Yaoyao leaned on the guardrail boredly, looking at the back of Xie Zhao's head through the gap. The pulse of his tan neck was clear, and the muscle lines of his shoulders looked very nice when he held the steering wheel.
Suddenly, the wheels rolled over a pothole and everyone in the car shook.
"My dear Xie Saner, can you drive a car?" an old woman cursed shrilly.
Cheng Yaoyao also shuddered, and when he looked up, it was Lin Wangshi. Her two daughters-in-law, Liu Min and Zhang Aihua, were flanking her on the left and right, and the three of them didn't know what they were going to do in the city.
Mrs. Lin Wang was sitting diagonally opposite Cheng Yaoyao. She lifted the floral cloth on the basket at her feet and took a look. Wow, it was a basket full of eggs, with the seams stuffed with rice bran. There were more than two hundred eggs in total.
A woman said, "Hey, Auntie, why are you bringing so many eggs into the city today?"
"Why do you care so much?" Lin Wang picked up the eggs one by one and looked at them distressedly, cursing, "You broke my eggs, I won't forgive you, what kind of car does this landlord's son of a bitch drive?"
Cheng Yaoyao said angrily, "What are you talking about? The pit was on the road, not dug by Xie Zhao. Besides, did you break your balls?"
Lin Wangshi has been running Tianshui Village for many years, and can be said to be invincible in the whole village. How could Cheng Yaoyao be so presumptuous? "He wants to break my balls, how can I spare him? You are too impatient. You haven't even entered the house, but you rush to speak for the man."
Cheng Yaoyao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "No matter how impatient I am, I can't be as impatient as some people. They want to sell their granddaughter before their son and daughter-in-law's bodies are cold."
"What are you saying?" Lin Wang howled, the eggs in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, and she stood up and was about to tear Cheng Yaoyao apart.
The other women hurriedly grabbed him and said, "Let's talk it over."
Liu Min also pulled Lin Wangshi and said, "Mom, mom, it's still in the car, please be careful."
What Lin Wangshi hated most was people saying that she treated her deceased eldest son badly. She was not willing to give up after Cheng Yaoyao stabbed her lungs in public. She broke free from her daughter-in-law's hand and threw herself at Cheng Yaoyao. The car braked suddenly, and everyone in the car shook violently. Lin Wangshi stood up and fell directly on several women opposite, causing the chicken in the basket to fly up in shock.
For a while, the whole rear car was in chaos.
Only Cheng Yaoyao was holding onto the baffle, feeling somewhat frightened when he saw Lin Wangshi falling on the street.
Xie Zhao jumped out of the car, walked around to the back of the car and looked at everyone and asked, "What are you arguing about?"
"Nothing, nothing." Aunt Jinhua said, "Lin Wuxing's family is worried about his daughter, so he is just nagging." Aunt Jinhua and Lin Wang are cousins from her mother's side, so naturally she speaks to her in a biased way.
Others were speechless. The women who were being held down by Lin Wangshi pushed her away and checked their dishes and chickens with concern. Lin Wangshi held her waist and groaned, "Xie Saner, what kind of car are you driving? I'm going to report you to the police."
Xie Zhao only looked at Cheng Yaoyao and asked, "Are you okay?"
Cheng Yaoyao complained, "She was going to hit me."
Lin Wangshi yelled, "How dare you lie, you damned girl?"
Before Lin Wang finished speaking, Liu Min covered her mouth tightly and winked at her. Xie Zhao's expressionless face was quite scary. Lin Wang gasped and swallowed the dirty words.
"Stop and take a break." Xie Zhao said, and reached out to Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao stood up. The car fight was filled with all kinds of messy things. Cheng Yaoyao carefully stepped over, walked to the edge of the car fight, put his hand in Xie Zhao's palm, and jumped down using the force.
The tractor stopped at a valley, where spring water gurgled down from the mountain and formed a small spring. The air was very good. Cheng Yaoyao took a deep breath and said comfortably, "The air here is really good. The diesel smell in the car is too strong."
Xie Zhao said, "Go wash your face. We still have an hour to get to the city, so just bear with it."
The two walked to the spring to drink water. The water was cool and sweet, very thirst-quenching. Cheng Yaoyao also washed his face and immediately felt much better. "Does this spring look like the one at Fengyu Bridge?"
Fengyu Bridge is where the two first fell in love. Xie Zhao's eyes were deep and he said, "Do you still remember?"
Cheng Yaoyao rolled his eyes at him and said, "Of course I remember. You were so fierce back then and you bullied me."
Xie Zhao also washed his face happily, with water dripping down his brow bone. "How did I bully you?"
"You made me so angry." Xie Zhao was fierce and wild at that time. Cheng Yaoyao was afraid to look at him for a second and chased after him to please him. Cheng Yaoyao got angry every time he thought of him. He wanted Xie Zhao to hold him and walk all night.
Xie Zhao said, "I don't remember anything after I fainted."
Cheng Yaoyao tried to recall. That was the first time that Xiao Heye had an attack. She fainted after she bumped into Xie Zhao. When she woke up, Xie Zhao carried her to the Fengyu Bridge. Then Cheng Yaoyao said, "Then I woke up."
Xie Zhao raised his lips in a strange arc, as if he was about to laugh. "Yes, and then you woke up."
It was late autumn, and the leaves on the trees had turned yellow or deep red. Only this valley was still green and lush because of the spring water.
Xie Zhao asked, "Sister, do you want to eat fruit?"
Cheng Yaoyao said, "Shouldn't we go back to the car? They are still waiting."
Xie Zhao glanced over there and said, "No hurry."
On the slope next to the spring, there was a large bush of groundweed growing, stained with dew. The seeds are about the size of soybeans and shaped like thorny blueberries with a small indentation. The flowers of ground knotweed are pink, the flowers of unripe knotweed are reddish-purple, and they turn black when ripe.
Cheng Yaoyao was surprised and said, "This is different from the myrtle you picked for me."
"These are ground seeds, and myrtles are mountain seeds." Xie Zhao explained. After a while, he picked a large handful, washed them with spring water and handed them to Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Yaoyao picked up one and threw it into his mouth. After a sip, the berries exploded on the tip of his tongue with a wonderful sour and sweet taste. The skin of the Dizhuzi is a bit astringent, but the fragrance is rich. "It's delicious. You're so good. You can always find such delicious things."
Xie Zhao couldn't help but laugh. Cheng Yaoyao was obviously a spoiled child, and had seen everything, but a handful of wild fruits could make her happy.
The silhouettes of young men and women smiling at each other were pleasing to the eye, but the people waiting in the car were not so happy. The country people came to the city early, and they had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange the eggs they had collected for money to buy the things they needed.
Lin Wang held her twisted waist and said, "I told you long ago, this landlord's son of a bitch is just an untrained wolf. He got out of the car halfway through driving and got tired. He is shameless and a hooligan."
Lin Wangshi kept swearing for a long time, but no one paid any attention to her. Lin Guijia said coldly, "Old man, please stop talking. You don't want to go into the city, but I do."
Lin Wangshi pulled her neck and said, "How come he dares to do it but I don't dare to say anything?"
The others also came to their senses and said, "If you don't want to take the bus, get off and walk. Don't cause trouble for us."
"That's right, he always stays at home and comes out to hurt others."
"You haven't been to the city for many years. No wonder you don't know how bumpy the tractor is. You used to walk there." The country women were also very good at talking together. They talked so much that Lin Wang's face turned pale. Lin Wang's two daughters-in-law, one kept silent, and the other was grinning.
Cheng Yaoyao ate up a handful of twisters, washed his fingers that turned purple in the spring water, and suddenly said, "They are quarreling, let me go and listen."
"Don't go." Xie Zhao grabbed her and rubbed her fingertips carefully with water.
Cheng Yaoyao wanted to go see the scene where Mrs. Lin was being scolded by the crowd, and said, "They are arguing with Mrs. Lin. She is so annoying."
Xie Zhao said, "I heard everything. She is old and has no self-respect. You shouldn't say that about her."
"I" Cheng Yaoyao glared, "She was the one who scolded you, I was speaking for you"
Xie Zhao squeezed her hand and said, "I know my sister is standing up for me. But her son is dead. You shouldn't mention this. If the villagers hear about it, they will say you are disrespectful to the elderly."
Cheng Yaoyao blinked her peach blossom eyes, revealing a thoughtful expression. Xie Zhao said, "Be good. If I'm not here today, what will you do? I'm here for everything. Don't be so impulsive next time."
Cheng Yaoyao was about to say something angrily, but Xie Zhao scratched her nose and added calmly, "If grandma knew you were talking like this, she would be angry."
"Don't tell tales." Cheng Yaoyao completely gave up the idea of arguing with Mrs. Lin.
The two of them stayed comfortably for a while, and Auntie Yingui came over and said with a smile, "Zhao'er, Yaoyao, let's get in the car. It's getting late, and we're in a hurry to get into the city. That old lady Lin is getting confused, we've all said so."
Xie Zhao just looked at Cheng Yaoyao. Auntie Yingui lived next door to Xie's house and was always nice. Cheng Yaoyao decided to give her this face and said, "I've rested enough, let's go."
Auntie Yingui took Cheng Yaoyao's arm affectionately and said, "Girls in the city are sensible and generous."
The three of them returned to the tractor. The other women had already been waiting eagerly. Now they all said, "This old lady Lin has such a bad mouth!"
"That's right. There are always bumps and bruises when riding in a car. You are so rich, why don't you just walk there yourself?"
"Xie San brother, don't pay attention to her. Let's drive quickly, we are in a hurry to go to the city to exchange things."
Xie Zhao helped Cheng Yaoyao get into the car, and after Cheng Yaoyao sat down, he glanced at everyone and walked around the driver's seat. The car started rumbling and finally got back on the road.
Auntie Yingui and Jinnier sat next to Cheng Yaoyao. Everyone smiled as they talked to him, as if they were afraid that he would quarrel with Lin Wangshi again. Cheng Yaoyao felt amused and glanced at Lin Wangshi. She seemed to have lost the quarrel, and she hunched her back and said nothing. Her skinny legs tightly clamped the basket, and she looked left and right like a bat, as if everyone wanted to steal her eggs.
The journey was safe and sound. It was already 7 or 8 o'clock when we arrived in the city. It was completely bright and the city was bustling. Everyone got off the car at the city gate. Xie Zhao drove the tractor to the fertilizer factory and parked it. He helped Cheng Yaoyao get off the car and took down the fruits.
Xie Zhao was about to deliver the goods to the factory director's office, and told Cheng Yaoyao, "Wait for me for a moment, don't run around."
Cheng Yaoyao obediently ran to the gatehouse and waited.
The old men who guarded the fertilizer factory all knew Cheng Yaoyao. After all, she was such a pretty girl. "Cheng Zhiqing, you went to the city with Xiao Xie again today."
"Master Zhou." Cheng Yaoyao greeted the old gatekeeper sweetly and handed him a basket of vegetables. "I grow them at home. I bring them for you to taste."
Mr. Zhou was so happy that his wrinkles narrowed. "Your food is so good. There are very few vegetables in the store recently. I queued up all morning yesterday and bought a few rotten leafy vegetables. Your vegetables are really fresh."
Cheng Yaoyao said proudly, "Of course not, we grew this ourselves."
Mr. Zhou happily took out a bag of things and said, "I also saved some good things for you."
Cheng Yaoyao opened the newspaper and saw a few pomegranates. The pomegranates were not big, but cracked open to reveal bright red seeds. There was a big pomegranate tree planted in the compound of the fertilizer factory. In summer, the pomegranate flowers were like fire, and in autumn, the tree was full of pomegranates. Cheng Yaoyao had been eyeing it for a long time.
Grandpa Zhou remembered something else. "By the way, someone named Wang Yong came to see you and told you to go to the Cultural Center when you get to the city."
Cheng Yaoyao asked, "Did he say anything?"
Mr. Zhou said, "No, I think he's in a hurry, I've looked for him two or three times."
I've finished the mushroom sauce. I want to buy a few more bottles. Cheng Yaoyao was eating pomegranates and didn't take it seriously. "Oh."
Xie Zhao came down quickly after finishing his work. The two of them said goodbye to Mr. Zhou and went to have breakfast first.
The breakfast stalls on the roadside are steaming. The older generation in Lin'an City have deep memories of breakfast stalls.
The white soy milk swirls and gurgles in the big barrel, becoming more fragrant as it cooks. The steamed buns are plump and white just out of the pot, and a large amount of white mist comes out as soon as the lid of the steamer is opened. The sound of frying dough sticks is sizzling, and the aroma of oil makes people unable to move.
Cheng Yaoyao likes to watch fried dough sticks the most. The chef sprinkles a handful of flour on the chopping board, lifts the wet gauze, takes out a piece of flattened dough, and neatly cuts it into finger-width strips. Then he presses the middle of the dough stick with a bamboo stick, lifts it up, and puts it in the oil pan in a circle. The dough sticks are put into the pan, and a lot of bubbles come out of the boiling oil, making a sizzling sound, and the dough sticks soon float up. Several dough sticks are fried in the oil pan at the same time. The chef uses a pair of long bamboo chopsticks to pick up the dough sticks and stir them. The dough sticks soon expand and turn yellow, and finally become a golden and expanded dough stick, which is picked up and placed in a black wire basket to drain the oil.
Cheng Yaoyao stared at a fried dough stick that had just come out of the pot, quickly picked it up and put it on the plate, and then took two hot steamed buns and a steamed bun. Xie Zhao also brought two bowls of soy milk and put them on the table, and took up chopsticks.
Cheng Yaoyao couldn't wait to take a bite of the fried dough sticks. They were crispy, fragrant, and so hot that he almost cried. "Hot, hot, hot!"
"Eat slowly." Xie Zhao was helpless. He stirred a bowl of soy milk and put it in front of Cheng Yaoyao. "This bowl has sugar added."
"I'll give you half." Cheng Yaoyao tore the dough sticks in half and gave half to Xie Zhao. The soy milk was cooled to the right temperature. It tasted rich and smooth. The soy milk of the time was ground from real milling and boiled in a big pot for a long time. The taste was incomparable to that of later generations.
"Eat quickly, we still have grandma's business to attend to." Xie Zhao bit off half of the fried dough stick in one bite, and then ate the bun. He ate with great relish, and Cheng Yaoyao followed suit and ate a few more bites.
A particularly outstanding young couple sat facing each other to eat, and the intimate and charming atmosphere was obvious to everyone. Many people in the restaurant stared at Cheng Yaoyao openly or secretly, and simply couldn't take their eyes off her.
Cheng Yaoyao was used to this kind of stare, so he just chatted and laughed with Xie Zhao, and the two of them ate happily. But the people at the other table were not happy.
Wu Man and several girls from the art troupe were having breakfast. Wherever they went, they were the focus of everyone's attention. However, Cheng Yaoyao stole all the limelight as soon as he came in, which made her feel depressed.
Someone recognized Cheng Yaoyao and said, "She is not the one from last time who came to the director to find a backdoor."
Wu Man looked carefully and found that it was indeed Cheng Yaoyao. She had not seen him for several months. Cheng Yaoyao still had fair skin and a beautiful face, more beautiful than last time. Who was that handsome young man opposite her? He was really unruly. Xie Zhao changed into a blue work suit today and looked respectable. Wu Man did not recognize him.
He sneered, "So what if I used the backdoor? I still didn't get elected."
"That's right. Some people are not as strong as others, so they try to find shortcuts." Others praised Wu Man, "They still want to compete with you, Wu Man."
Someone asked, "Who do you think will be selected this time?"
Another said, "It must be Wu Man."
Wu Man looked pleased and smiled reservedly, "Yang Yu and Ji Youyou are also very powerful, but it's not certain yet."
The others praised her in a flurry of comments. Wu Man floated up in joy. Her confidence, which had been hurt by Cheng Yaoyao, was greatly satisfied. "Eat quickly. After eating, we will go back to the group to practice. Director Rong and his team will come to visit us today."
These words reminded a few people, and they quickly finished the soy milk in their bowls and went back.
At the county cultural center, the music of Liang Zhu was playing on the speakers, and the girls were rehearsing on the stage in their training clothes. The dozen or so girls, all of them in their prime years, were one in a hundred with beautiful figures and looks, and their dancing postures were neat and uniform, which was a delight to watch.
When Director Wang Yong respectfully led a group of people in, the music was reaching a climax, and the girls were dancing gracefully and showing off more and more vigorously. They all knew that this group of people came from Shanghai and this time they were selecting people to make a movie.
This group of people came for three days in a row, watching them rehearse every day, but they never expressed their opinions. Today was the same, sitting in their seats and watching, Wang Yong whispered something in the ear of the leader.
Something unexpected happened on stage. The lead dancer Ji Youyou suddenly fell to the ground, knocking down Wu Man and another girl as well, and everyone fell into a heap.
This was a major performance error in front of the visiting leadership group. Wang Yong stood up and asked, "What happened?"
Ji Youyou frowned in pain, Wu Man said, "Youyou accidentally fell down, and she was hurt quite badly. I don't know if she hurt her bones."
Wang Yong said angrily, "Ji Youyou, you've had two accidents this month. Go to the infirmary."
Ji Youyou's eyes suddenly turned red, but she couldn't say any words to defend herself. She looked at Wu Man deeply, and was helped to limp to the infirmary.
Wu Man said timidly, "Director, what should we do if there is no one to lead the dance now?"
Wang Yong said, "Wu Man, you lead the dance."
"I" Wu Man was ecstatic, but managed to control myself so as not to lose my composure. I quickly asked someone to start the music again and get ready.
As soon as Wu Man moved, the director interrupted and said, "No need."
The music was turned off again. Wu Man could not hide her disappointment, and the other girls looked at each other in bewilderment.
Wang Yong smiled and said, "I'm so sorry. Director, these girls usually perform well and are very diligent in rehearsing dances. Today..."
The director didn't let him finish his words, frowning and saying, "We came all the way here, not to watch dancing, but for this photo."
In the black and white photo, the young girl looks back, her stunning face frozen in the photo, her peach blossom eyes contain a hint of surprise, yet there is still a charm that blows across her face and touches people's hearts.
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