It was late at night, the moon was hanging high, and everything on the earth fell asleep. I arranged the new family in the small building, and then returned to the distribution room where I lived behind and lay tiredly on the small bed.

The family of three came to live tonight. They were a female worker in our former brothel. Her husband was also a soldier. She was stationed in a certain place in the Central Plains. During the Spring Festival this year, she was unable to come back due to the combat readiness duty. Now she finally took a leave of family vacation. The couple has a beautiful girl, about four or five years old. I have seen her in the living area before. I found that this quiet and beautiful girl didn't say a word for a night. No matter how my father pleased her, she couldn't get a smile. The elder sister of the wheel blocker told me helplessly that the little girl was shy and only saw her once a year. Her previous impression was blurred. I looked at her sad expression and felt uncomfortable.

I endured the noise of the weaving machine every day and finally survived a month. During this period, I met Li Qin several times and asked her how the corduroy experiment was. She smiled bitterly and said that the velvet link would not be enough. Director Hou arranged for someone to go to the south to hire a master.

I came back and told Master Liu about this matter. Master Liu curled his lips: "If you want to attack the matter first, you must first sharpen your weapon."

"You mean this corduroy, we can't do it?" I asked bitterly.

"I think it's hard." Master Liu rubbed his ears with both hands and responded loudly.

"Then how long do we have to stay here?" When I heard this, my heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

"Wait until the old man stopped tossing." Master Liu waved his hand in the workshop with the rumbling sound of the machine.

"He is not trying to make trouble, he will go to other places, right?" I was anxious and continued this topic.

"I can't control what's going on. I'm going to transfer back to my hometown." Master Liu picked up the purple clay tea cup in his hand and took a sip.

It was about to hand over the shift in the afternoon. I was in a mess and wanted to smoke a cigarette, but I walked out of the weaving room depressedly. The sunlight outside was very strong, and my eyes were a little unopened. I came to the shadow of the sycamore tree and took out the cigarette from the pocket of my work clothes. Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly saw Xiao Meihua, a big forehead, coming from the crowd coming to take over.

"Xiao Meihua-" I shouted.

When Xiao Meihua heard this, she nodded slightly, and walked forward again.

"Hey-Xiao Meihua, I have something to ask you?" I rushed two steps and stood in front of her.

"What's the matter with me?" Xiao Meihua's bright forehead shone in the sun, and her eyes glanced at me coldly.

"How are you... your home?" I asked a little guilty.

"There is nowhere long, I'll open a gypsum mine for me." Xiao Meihua did not look at me, but looked into the distance with an empty eyes.

"Where... have they lost money?" I asked stammeringly.

"I lost 100 yuan per acre, 500 yuan per acre." Xiao Meihua's eyes did not change, as if she was talking about something someone else's business.

"Where...how is your family living now?" I asked with concern in my heart.

"If you don't farm, you have to find a way to live." Xiao Meihua turned her eyes to me, and I saw tears flashing inside.

"What's wrong with you? I...we're we help?" I lowered my head timidly.

"You can't help, no one can help." Xiao Meihua replied to me, pushed me away and walked forward.

The sunshine above my head was still bright and warm, but I couldn't help but shivering and felt a chill on my spine.

The spring day has become longer. After I took a shower after get off work and returned to the small courtyard of the guesthouse, the setting sun was like a red fireball, showing half of the smiling face on the treetops in the distance. When I opened the yard gate, I saw the little girl who lived in last night, playing with a small windmill in the yard alone. She saw me coming in wearing work clothes, raised her tender little face, and gave me a innocent and bright smile.

"Little girl, hello, why are you playing alone in the yard? Where are your parents?" Perhaps because she was used to seeing the uncles and aunts wearing work clothes in the factory, she seemed to be familiar with me at all.

"Mom is at work." The little girl lowered her head.

"What about your dad?" I squatted down and asked kindly.

The little girl glanced at me glaringly, pouted her mouth and stopped talking. Obviously, she didn't want to talk about her father.

I felt sad, and I took the little girl's hand, patted the soil on her hand, looked at her clear big eyes, and said word by word: "Uncle knows that your father loves you especially. In order to give you, mom, and all of us a stable life, he has to go far away. We are all very grateful to your father and admire your father."

My words probably played a role in the little girl's heart. I saw a hint of joy flashing in her bright big eyes. I continued to say softly: "You are a very good girl. Can you promise something to my uncle? Tonight, you must call me Dad."

The little girl nodded slightly sensiblely, and her face suddenly turned to the side. I looked over her gaze. In the gilded sunset, a tall man in the corridor wiped his eyes and quietly turned his face. My heart was poked and I touched the pair of pigtails on the top of the little girl's head, and slowly stood up.

I have been insomnia for many days. I was lying in the small bed that night, but tossing and turning. The corduroy test was hopeless. I didn’t know when I was going to stay in the cloth room. Master Liu was leaving, Xiao Meihua’s house was gone, and the little girl called her father. During the day, everything was in my mind, making me feel pounded. Finally, I thought of Yin Hong without exception. When I met in the hospital last time, she said that since the child was born, Peng Dazhuang had not come back. What was the name of her child? I didn’t ask last time.

The stars are shining, the magnificent Milky Way, and the orchid night sky is boundless. I put on my clothes and got up and walked out of the distribution room. The wind is filled with a hint of coolness, and it is very comfortable to blow on my skin. I looked up and suddenly there was an endless sadness. The universe is infinite and life is limited. Why do we have to live like this? It is like a flash of time, generation after generation, with so much pain, so many helplessness, so many regrets... That day, I stood in the yard and thought for a long time.

The next day, it was the 10th of that month. I slept for noon after noon. I got up and quickly went to the water table in front of the building to wash up. I hurriedly got some noodles and ate. The time for the afternoon to take over is coming. I didn’t see the little girl living on the first floor. I thought this well-behaved little girl probably called her dad last night, and her dad took her and her mom out shopping. Thinking of this, I actually did something meaningful for myself like a primary school student, and became proud of myself.

I didn't sleep well last night, and I fell asleep and had all kinds of strange dreams. I walked out of the living area gate dizzyly. After I arrived at the factory, I went directly to the power distribution room of the front spinning workshop. As expected, Squad Leader Xia was inside. On this day of the month, he was always there all day.

"Come and get the salary?" Team Leader Xia greeted me and handed a small stack of banknotes wrapped in a salary slip to my hand, "Count it for yourself."

I took the money, and before I could see it, Master Liu hurriedly walked in, nodded at me, and then took his monthly salary from Squad Leader Xia.

"Why are there so many missing?" Master Liu raised his face in surprise and asked Squad Leader Xia in a daze, "Is the statistics wrong?"

"That's right, that's all." Captain Xia nodded helplessly, "It's said that the new product testing task this month has not been completed, and the salary of the entire factory has fluctuated downward."

"This is really a scam. I knew that this old man was not good-minded. In order to transfer, I have been running back and forth for the past few months and almost all my salary was thrown on the road. Now that Old Man is doing this, it is really a big deal for me." Master Liu said with heartache.

"Don't worry, you're having a temporary difficulty. You'll get a lot of money when you're transferred to the south. The key is that we can only stay here, what should we do in the future?" Squad leader Xia looked at Master Liu and comforted him.

I looked at my salary. Because the base is relatively small, it was not as low as Master Liu and the others, but it was seven or eight yuan less than usual (I had a salary of more than 20 yuan at that time, and I used to add bonuses of more than 30 yuan). I went to the finance department of the factory department and received my father's pension for that month. Fortunately, his salary did not fluctuate, which made me feel more at ease. I took out my 15 yuan and put it in my father's salary, intending to take it back next time.
Chapter completed!