The violent storm in the Huaibei Plain was raging for more than half a month, and it was not until the eve of the New Year. The wind and snow gradually stopped and the light was revealed. On both sides of the canal, every household's house was covered with white clothes, and the poplar branches in front and behind the house turned into silver bars like deer antlers. The children were very happy, and they made snowmen in groups to play snowball fights, skiing on the big weirs at the entrance of the village, skating on the river beach outside the village, and their faces were red in the cold. The carefree sound of play echoed in the vast sky. In my later impression, it seemed that there had never been such a deep and thorough snow in my hometown. I don't know if it was a change in the environment and climate, or what was wrong with my memory of the beginning of decline.

My sister Hong and I went home regardless of the wind and snow before the New Year. Because of the heavy snow and frozen, the canal ferry was suspended. Sister Hong missed Xiaozhuang. Before she had time to take a breath, she traveled more than ten kilometers along the canal dam and crossed the river from the bridge of the 3o2 road downstream. I originally thought of sending Sister Hong home, but she didn't agree with anything. I guess she might have some concerns in her heart and didn't want our relationship to be known to the villagers. In the rural areas of Huaibei at that time, it was a very embarrassing thing for a widow to remarry, let alone the widow of a martyr. This is indeed a matter that needs careful consideration.

For more than half a year when I had not returned home, my father and mother quietly rebuilt the original house and turned five adobe houses into large tiled houses. So much so that I stood in the yard for a long time and thought I had gone to the wrong house. This time, in order to make me live comfortably and to drive away the weather of the new house, my always frugal father actually set up a large stove burning carbon in the main hall. He also found some scrap iron sheets, knocked and smashed and made several chimneys, and discharged the waste gas outside the house, making the originally cold room full of warmth.

During the New Year’s Eve dinner, my mother told me that this year’s life has been much better because my father was hired to a private silk reel factory in southern Shandong, and his monthly salary was more than what I received in the factory. I was a little puzzled. Now that large companies like our yarn mills are in a bad state, why are these private companies getting better?

My father doesn't like talking on weekdays, but now he may be in a good mood. After drinking a few drinks with me, he spoke with a red face: "Our yarn mill has many people and heavy burdens, and the management is chaotic. Lao Hou and other officials are traitors, thinking about their own interests and digging for the country's corners; and now there is no plan to allocate, the raw materials cannot be bought, and the cotton yarn cannot be sold, so it's getting harder day by day. I heard that the cotton yarn in the southern yarn mills has been 60 pieces, and we also produce the 21 pieces of yarn in the past. It's really too low-end, and there is no advantage, how can we compete with others?"

In addition to studying, I am also concerned about current affairs, but I am still surprised to hear what my father said: "You have retired and returned to the village for several years. You still know what competition is, and you know so many things."

"These are all things that I heard people say in the silk reeling factory." When my father saw me praise him, his face shone brightly. "Look at how flexible the boss is in the private enterprise now. As long as he has money, there is nothing that cannot be done. No matter how small the cocoon is, he can still get it."

I felt a little empty in my heart, and I blurted out unconsciously: "We workers still have to rely on the country and the collective. These private bosses are exploiting and will not really think about the workers. I have thought that they are the owner of the factory for many years. In fact, you are nothing, just a proletariat with nothing. If the yarn mill is really not good, my salary is gone, and your pension is gone, how should we survive?"

My tone was not very good. The wine glass my father was holding hung in the air, and a drop of canal roar was sprinkled on the table.

"You are in the New Year, can't you say something happy? Daping, you are in your twenties, why do you still argue with your father at any time?" Seeing that we were two fathers and grandpa were panting, we hurriedly comforted him.

"Oh... you don't understand..." Dad lowered the wine glass in his hand, shook his head gently, and his eyes dimmed, "I'm old, I just lost my salary. When I return to the countryside, I can eat any food, but what should Daping do, what should he do in the future..."

My father has been stubborn in front of me. This is the first time I have looked sad. I feel indescribable: "Dad, don't worry too much. I am young and strong. Even if the sponge mill is really not good, I can find a job elsewhere. Besides, you can have work now. I am very dependent on my skills. Can I really not be able to survive?"

"Hey--What's going on now? What's going on..." Dad stood up with red eyes, knocked his wine glass in front of him, and staggered towards the west wing where he lived.

My mother was afraid that he would fall, so she stood up quickly and stepped forward to help her father, but her father pushed her away with her elbow: "Don't help me, I'm not drunk, I can't fall yet, Daping hasn't gotten married yet, and her daughter hasn't left the house, I...I can't fall, I can't fall..."

After watching her father fall asleep, her mother turned around and came back. She bent down and picked up the boiling kettle and poked the carbon-scattered stove hard. The empty fire suddenly ignited, and the flames reflected the face of the girl opposite red.

"How are you doing this final exam this time?" I raised my face and looked at my little sister and asked.

The little sister did not answer, lowered her head and continued to eat the rice in the bowl. My mother looked at my blank gaze and nagged at the little sister with dissatisfaction: Your brother asked you, why don’t you speak anymore? Usually at home, I would say one word, and you would have ten words against me. Your brother asked you now, why don’t you say anything?"

The little sister rolled her mother unhappily and turned her head to the side. The mother stared at her fiercely, complaining to me a little disgusted: "Don't ask her anymore. She got off school last month. No matter how your father and I said it was useless, they just don't want to go."

After hearing my mother's words, I was so angry that I didn't even hit me, and slapped the chopsticks on the table: "You don't want to go to school when you are fifteen or sixteen years old. What do you want to do? I think in the future, like Ergoudan's wife, marry someone like me, suffer in the field, and dig up the lumps of soil for the rest of my life!"

"I won't marry Ergoudan? If I want to marry, I will marry someone with a gypsum mine at home." The little girl wiped the corner of her mouth, pushed the bowl aside, and raised her face, "What can you do when you study? You are not going to come back to farm again? Sister Sanhong from the neighboring village is so rich. When they first fell in love with you, you just don't want to live a good life. She has to marry a little widow and take care of a child. You... are you really stupid."

"You bastard... what kind of thoughts are all about? Who did you learn from? I won't suck you to death!" My blood rushed into my brain, raised my hand in anger, and was about to slash down.

"You hit me...it's better if you hit me to death. I don't want to live in this family anymore!" The little sister squinted her eyes and greeted her with fearlessness.

Is this my sister? Is it that innocent and playful little girl? I looked at the familiar face in front of me and felt blood dripping in my heart. Before I knew it, she grew up. On the girl's fair and smooth cheeks, her beautiful big eyes flashed with ignorance and fearlessness, and my trembling arms gradually drooped.

The scared mother saw me put down her palm and pulled her daughter behind her, complaining angrily: "You damn girl, why don't you go back to your house quickly. Your brother finally came home and you can't say anything less."

The little girl snorted from her nose, not accepting her mother's affection, and turned around and left the table with anger. The mother looked at her back as she went out and blamed her with regret: "You girl, why are you so stupid but you can't listen to others..."

The little sister did not go back to her house, but went out with a slam. I was stunned for a moment, and my mother grabbed my sleeve: "Don't be angry with this dead girl. Now these girls are gathered together, just envious of who is rich and rich all day long, and don't want to go to school. I just want to find a rich family in the future, having food and drink, and not having to work hard..."

"Mom - are you really confused? People like us have been digging food from the land for generations, no official position or money, no matter how they don't go to school and work hard, how can they have food for you?" I saw my mother protecting her baby and stroked her hand angrily.

I wrapped my work clothes tightly and pushed the door and walked into the yard. Because it was New Year's Eve, the sound of firecrackers from all over the village was heard one after another, and from time to time, "Zhuntian Monkey" rushed into the sky with fire. The air behind the snow was cold and I walked out of the yard and walked alone towards the entrance of the village. The snow had long frozen into ice boards, and it was clattering under my feet. I staggered a few times before I found a balance. That's it. When I was climbing the big weir at the entrance of the village, I still couldn't stop slipping. At least because I was mentally prepared, I didn't fall seriously.

Standing on the high weir, looking to the west through the wide river surface, firecrackers vaguely heard from the dark blue sky on the other side. I don’t know if it was the village where Sister Hong’s family was. I imagined Sister Hong was hugging Xiaozhuang at this time, enjoying the joy of mother and son reunion. An unbearable loneliness surged into my heart. In the desolation, a tear unknowingly crossed my cold cheeks.
Chapter completed!