On the first day of the Lunar New Year, my father left early in the morning to greet the elders of the clan. My father originally asked me and my sister to go with me, but my mother stopped me when she saw that I was a little reluctant. She said that someone would come to greet us soon. You both left. It would be bad that there was no man at home, so let Daping stay at home. My father thought for a while and took his sister away a little lost.

On the first day of the New Year, it is a tradition for neighbors to greet each other. Shortly after my father and sister went out, several groups of guests came to the house. My mother was busy serving tea and water for adults and bringing candies and snacks for children, so I chatted with all over the world. Men always asked me about my work and the situation in the county. Women often interrupted the topic and said that I was already old and planned to get married when I would get married. Since Sister Hong made a stunning appearance last year, she has aroused the enthusiasm of the villagers for my marriage. When I saw me embarrassed, my mother wanted to come and interrupt, but as she spoke, she also came into it. The topic had changed from getting engaged to having children, which made me laugh and cry.

Before the second concubine entered the yard, a very exaggerated laughter came. My mother quickly greeted her with a smile and walked in with her hands in her arms. I didn't understand when they suddenly became intimate. When I saw the second concubine's flat face, I felt very uncomfortable. When she mentioned Sister Hong again, I couldn't bear it anymore and said that I had a stomachache last night, and was anxious to go to the bathroom, so I stood up and slipped out of the house.

The sun was already rising, and the snow on the road began to melt gradually. As soon as I walked on the sticky road, I had no place to go, so I came to the door next door. I knocked on the courtyard door for a long time, and then Widow Zhang opened the door and poked out the tired horse face.

"Aunt, I'll pay New Year's greetings to you." I smiled.

Widow Zhang did not reply, but squinted at me. Seeing that I was empty-handed and didn't bring any New Year gifts, my face was longer.

I was a little embarrassed and hurriedly took out ten dollars from my pocket and stuffed it into her hand: "Auntie, it snowed heavily before the New Year, and it was not easy to walk on the way back. I didn't call me any New Year's goods to bring in. This is a little bit of my wish for my aunt."

Seeing that money was jealous, Widow Zhang let go of her frown and called me into the yard and cursed at the east wing: "Ergoudan, this turtle boy is still raising a corpse in the house. Daping is here to wish us a New Year."

"Sister-in-law, the child hasn't even gotten up yet?" I asked in a little surprised.

"Hey--don't mention that devastating star. Since my son's legs were broken, that little bitch has never had a good face. He has been quarreling with Ergoudan all day long, and he always returns to his parents' home in anger. He took the child away before the New Year and has not been here for many years." Widow Zhang spitted and starry-like flying around, almost splashing on my face. "I guess... do she dislike my son and find a good friend in her hometown."

I took my face a little further and comforted me with peace of mind: "Auntie, you can't talk nonsense about these things. You should persuade the couple to live a good life. I think my sister-in-law is still a kind person."

Just as I was talking to Widow Zhang, Ergoudan moved out of the east wing with a pair of crutches: "Mom - stop talking nonsense, let Daping come into the house quickly."

Ergoudan had a shaved beard and had a haggard face, staring at Widow Zhang with dissatisfaction.

"You useless thing, I dare not say a big deal to your wife. I dare to be tempted by your mother all day long and be with your dead father!" Widow Zhang said a word and turned back to the main hall.

Ergoudan welcomed me into the east wing where he lived, and went to bed and rolled it into the quilt. He reached out and took half a bag of cigarettes produced by Lunan from the windowsill, took out one and handed it to me.

"Give up." I waved my hand and pushed the cigarette back.

"It's the New Year, what's going on? Are you having a quarrel with your sister-in-law?" I couldn't help but the sour smell in the room, and opened a small window beside the bed, and a fresh and dry air came in.

"What window is open in the cold weather?" Ergoudan sneezes and wraps the quilt tightly on his body.

"You have a smell here. It's really not like living a life. No wonder my wife and children have to go back." I replied to him and sat down beside the bed.

"She doesn't think it smells bad. He thinks that my legs are broken and I can't make money at the mine." Ergou complained, lit the cigarette in his hand, and sniffed hard.

"No wonder sister-in-law, if you didn't steal plaster and sell money for a good friend, you were defeated by Caoshan Mine's dog-dance trick, would you be able to get to this point today?" I angrily said to him.

"Fuck, women don't have a good thing, they're all for money." Ergoudan slapped the broken legs in the quilt hard.

"Don't say that women are bad, it's because you can't hold on to your crotch and make trouble by yourself." I heard Ergoudan complain and teased.

Ergoudan was speechless for a moment. Seeing his pain, I felt a little embarrassed: "Don't think so much about things now. Just go through the past. You are like this now, just install a prosthetic and do some work within your ability. The key is to stop making trouble, take your sister-in-law and children back, and live a safe life."

"How much does it cost to pretend to be a prosthetic limb? Can I take it out like this?" Ergoudan raised his face and looked at me and said, "Daping, I'm going to steal plaster, one for money, and the other for anger. But you said, the plaster mine underground is the wealth left by our ancestors. It should be everyone's? Besides, it's big, it's the collective of the country, right? Now, how can it become the private property of Sanhong's brother?"

"This..." I really didn't think about this problem, and I got stuck for a moment. "How to say this... The mine was dug out by Sanhong's brother, so it should be theirs."

"Fuck! Why can they dig everyone's things? If you and I want to dig too, can they dig it for you?" Ergoudan refused to give in and continued to ask.

I was a little blushed when asked, and I don’t know how to explain: “We… have no money and no one is above. Even if we want to dig, they won’t approve it…”

"That's right. Now, as long as you have power and money, you can mine whatever you want and turn everyone into your own. Isn't this fucking unreasonable?" Ergoudan yelled with red eyes.

Ergoudan's momentary anger also aroused the sorrow in my heart. I thought that the factory was about to be contracted by individuals after the Spring Festival, the country's decades of accumulation, and the efforts of several generations of workers will eventually become a private property like a gypsum mine? I was a little afraid to think about it.

"I won't talk anymore. We can't control these things. Let's think about what to do." I stood up and closed the window again. In just a moment, I was blown into a cold air.

"Let's stop talking." Ergoudan sighed, returning to his former appearance, and a thief light shone in his little eyes, "Daping, your partner hasn't been blown yet?"

"I didn't blow, what's wrong?" I saw his muddy eyes, and I didn't know what bad things this kid was thinking about again.

Ergoudan grabbed my hand and blinked mysteriously: "You kid is so lucky. You found a woman like a fox fairy. However, such a woman is stubborn and will bite your hand if she doesn't do it well. Just like my good looks, she will cheat me..."

"Don't mention your good-looking face, why did Sister Hong be with her? She is with you just for money. We get along with each other and we have a relationship in times of adversity." I shook Ergoudan's hand away.

"True love is seen in times of trouble? If it is not, then is the true love still there?" Ergoudan burped and a smell of rotten teeth came out of her mouth. "As such a handsome woman, why did she follow you a poor boy? I think that... it was because people used you as a lifesaving straw when they were in trouble, and once they got ashore, they would throw you away. You kid have to be too careless! It was you who suffered a great loss and lost half of your legs."

I was in a good mood when I came, but after a while, I was upset by Ergoudan. I didn't want to sit down anymore, so I stood up and prepared to go home.

"I don't listen to your nonsense, I have to go back. I came to pay New Year's greetings at home in the morning. I was annoyed and ran out to breathe." I told the reason for coming here.

"I just know your kid's thoughts. Every day, there are women like fox fairy sleeping, and their souls have been hooked away. I'm afraid even parents don't think about them anymore, and they can still think of us brothers." Ergoudan curled his lips and showed a smirk.

"Only you don't want your parents, your wife and children." I didn't want to argue with him anymore, so I was about to leave. Suddenly I remembered something again, "Oh... Is there any news about Caoshan Mine that harmed you and finally ran away?"

"What else do you want? This kid is in Sanhong's mine. I heard that Sanhong's brother even made him a little leader in charge." Ergoudan said gritting his teeth.

"What's going on? Didn't he steal the gypsum from the mine and run away from Sanhong's brother?" I was shocked and looked at Ergoudan in confusion.

"Hey-I think now that Caoshan Mine may have colluded with Sanhong and his brother, and came to deal with me on purpose." Ergoudan lowered his head.

The sun had risen to the top of my head, and the ice under the eaves were dripping water. The ice on the ground had melted and was trampled into mud by the people who were paying New Year's greetings. My cheeks were cold. I walked to the door of my house and stopped, leaning against the wall of the courtyard to ponder what Ergoudan had said just now. My father came to me at some point and asked me why I didn't go in? I said I wanted to bask in the sun here for a while. My father looked at me in confusion and said, "Your mother has prepared the meal, hurry up and eat, don't let the food be cold." The moment I followed my father into the courtyard, a thought of revenge suddenly flashed out.
Chapter completed!