Bai Fumei in the 70’s

He Songbai took Zhao Lanxiang to the mountain for a walk.

He scratched his head and said in embarrassment, "This is a barren mountain, and there is nothing to see. If you feel bored and doesn't think that it's dirty, you can come to see me work."

Speaking of his work, He Songbai felt a pride as a man. He wanted her to take a good look at his pig farm; a place resulted from his hard work. He wanted to lead the girl, holding her hands like a boss, and patrolled his pig farm as if he was patrolling his own kingdom.1

Zhao Lanxiang nodded.

She also wanted to see what He Songbai usually do.

However, He Songbai's wish fell through because of a face slap that arrived shortly.

Today Niu Dan, who was responsible for cleaning the pigsty temporarily went away and asked He Songbai to do his job.

Therefore, Zhao Lanxiang happened to be lucky enough to saw the scene where He Songbai cleaned the pigsty.3

To prevent staining his new clothes, he took off his black coat and shoveling pig dung with both hands. Gou Sheng followed him with a broom and sweeping while also flushing with water. Sewage flowed out to the ditch outside along the wall, and the dirty pigsty had been given a new look.

A dozen of pigsties were swept down one by one by these people.

Although the weather was cold, He Songbai, who had just finished the work of shoveling the pig's excrement, oozed sweat out of his forehead.

He Songbai lowered his head and wiped his sweat. His sharp and deep eyes were full of regret.1

She came here today and just saw the scene where he was shoveling pig excrement, watching him do this dirty work without any dignity.

He was working disgracefully, with his head turned away from her. He was working numbly, feeling that his entire head was hot. He restrained the urge to look at Zhao Lanxiang.

From the corner where she was standing, the woman might secretly laugh at him!

Zhao Lanxiang was outside the pig farm, watching the man busy picking up pig manure. Her eyes flashed with a smile.

He always does this kind of dirty and tiring work, but when he did it, he looked very serious.

Serious men are always attractive, whether they were shoveling shit or worked overtime all night in a luxurious and refined office. Although the two have different statuses and occupations, they have the same love for their careers.5

What's so funny about it?

It's just that... just now, he mentioned with a proud tone of letting her "inspect" his work, which formed a strong contrast with what he was doing now. It made people couldn't help but laugh unkindly!

This pig farm was quite big. It was sheltered from the wind and rain, and ventilated and warm. It was better than the place where he chopped pigs to make money. Thinking of this, Zhao Lanxiang sincerely cheered for him.

When He Songbai was finally finished with his work, he washed his hands and came out of the building. Zhao Lanxiang quietly squeezed her nose and said earnestly, "It turns out that was how the smell got to your body."

"Is it still smelly?" His broad, upright nose shrugged, and he took a deep breath.

His nasal cavity was full of fresh air, where is the smell!

"It's stinky." Zhao Lanxiang said directly.

He Songbai's temple was sore. He rewashed his hands. He even changed his clothes to a new one. He crouched on the edge of the cold spring flowing out from the mountain stream, and said while washing, "Don't say it. All that the delicious pork you eat was raised by people like us, who are not afraid of being dirty or tired."

"No matter how dirty or stinky I am, I am also your man, right?"1

Zhao Lanxiang couldn't help but tolerate him, "Yes, yes, I can see that you can bear it."

"It's just a pig. People who don't know would think that you made an atomic bomb!"

...

In the He family's bullpen:

Teacher Gu shrank his body and couldn't help but sneeze.

He rolled up the quilt, half-covered and half-padding it on his body. His wife sent the quilt from City B in the spring. It was put away for more than half a year, and finally came in handy.

Hu Xianzhi was cutting alfalfa grass for cattle feed, and he said, "Teacher, why are you doing this?"

"There is a good house, clean and warm, but you don't want it. You prefer to lay on the floor in this cowshed. What can you do if you are too old?"

Teacher Gu turned his head indifferently. His nose suddenly itched, and he sneezed again and again.

It took a long time before he said angrily, "Don't you think that I don't know what you are thinking."

"I won't live there, and it's not your turn to say anything."

Teacher Gu was completely "offended" and vented his unhappiness on Hu Xianzhi's head. As he heard this, Hu Xianzhi almost cut his own hand.

Teacher Gu shrank under the quilt, and he faintly said, "You think that money will grow wings and fly?"

"The four of you didn't take it, the worker didn't take it, and I didn't take it. Can it be that a ghost took it?"

Teacher Gu's "transfer order" this time came vaguely, neither clarifying his "injustice" nor restoring his reputation, but only gave him the same treatment as before, which made him very uncomfortable. He would prefer to work hard tiredly than "pay for the sins" of the corruption case.

He won't move. It's better to live in a bullpen like a sinner before his reputation is restored!

If it weren't for the fact that the little rascal was not doing things well and causing the landslides, Gu Huaijin would not be willing to take the "high-level work." He would be happy to pick cow dung and digging out the toilet!

Hu Xianzhi put down his sickle and looked at Gu Huaijin with a piercing gaze, and said reluctantly, "Yes, yeah, the ghost took it."3

Hu Xianzhi wisely did not pour oil on the fire when Gu Huaijin was angry. After nearly a few thousand yuan of money in the project evaporated, the police searched Gu Huaijin's house and found things. Hu Xianzhi had long believed this "fact," but in the past few months, he looked at his teacher's suffocated look every day. He suddenly felt uncertain.

This old man really could not pretend. Maybe the money was really taken by the ghost!

Hu Xianzhi smiled contently and continued to cut the grass.

But... how could the ghost take the money? This teacher was acting like a mad fool. In fact, just considering that he tried his best to persuade them to descend from Niujiao Mountain, and for the sake of him saving so many lives, including his life, Hu Xianzhi had no objection to Gu Huaijin from the bottom of his heart. He was so grateful, thanking Gu Huaijin for his broad mind and warm spirit. In his eyes, the stain of his teacher was already erased by the "light" shown in this incident. This teacher was still his teacher.1

In life, who can guarantee that there would be no stain on their body? Even saints were sometimes confused and went astray!

Hu Xianzhi finished cutting the grass and ignored Gu Huaijin's intermittent rants. He set off his bed of broken rags and fell asleep.

...

In the afternoon, Gu Huaijin was awakened by the howling cold wind. He got up and rubbed his cracked palms.

The charcoal in the stove had long been burned, and gray ashes appeared on its place. As soon as the wind blew, the powdery ash suddenly rose, choking people's nasal cavity. Gu Huaijin glanced at the burnt firewood and went to the mountain with his sluggish body.

He picked up a bunch of scattered firewood. He followed the firewood trail all the way and picked it up when he saw dry firewood on the ground. He chose firewood that was protected from the erosion of wind and rain, which was not crisp and hollow, and can withstand burning. But he couldn't pick and choose anymore. He was so cold that he couldn't make any effort to search anymore, and he was dizzy and sloppily picking a pile of firewood.

Gu Huaijin was so tired that he stopped to take a breather. He was really old and confused. Why would he run to the mountain to collect firewood? Obviously, the older lady He sells firewood. Next time, he will spend a yuan to buy enough firewood for a month.

The farmer in the distance vaguely seemed to be yelling about something, and he saw them picking up the deadwood and straw with a hoe and rake, as if they were about to do something big.

He crouched, couldn't help but listen carefully with his old, dizzy ears.

"Back burning-back burning-"

"Back burning--"

Back burning is a light physical activity that farmers will do in winter. The withered grass and dead wood would decay in winter and would be messy, absorbing the fertility of the land. Taking advantage of the winter, farmers would set fire at the top of the mountain and burned the dead branches and leaves on the mountain into charcoal. Plant ash would cover the ground, and the ash would melt into the ground after a rain, and fertilizing the soil. In the coming year, the hilltops would be full of fat and tender alfalfa for animals like pigs, cattle, and sheep, which saves energy and would be useful.

Gu Huaijin, who finally heard the words clearly, felt anxious and ran away after pulling up his legs.

"Hey-don't burn! Don't burn!"

"I'm here!"

Holding the firewood he collected, he ran down the mountain like a 100-meter sprint. The raging fire is like the golden hue mixed with red dye on a roll of wet paper. It spreads layer by layer at an incredible speed and instantly covered the ruined mountain. The golden color mixed with red, and there is still a faint black air at the edge.

During the thrilling escape, Gu Huaijin seemed to be caught by something, and he fell into the small ditch, his ankles swelled up as he fell down.

He patted his uncomfortable old legs angrily, and his firewood fell to the ground.

"God damn it!"

Gu Huaijin dragged his bun-like swollen feet and limped. His palms dipped into the rock, and a few cut made his hands bleed.

The temperature of the flame gradually rising and began to lick his beard and eyebrows. The blazing fire burned the crisp, dry branches into a meter-high flame, and it spread aggressively towards him.

Gu Huaijin scolded, "Fuck!"

At this moment, his mind was full of all kinds of unwillingness and lamenting his fate. When he was old, he has not succumbed to old age, but was suffocated by a simple fire. His body gradually felt the scorching heat, and at this moment, his mind quickly think of countless thoughts.

His footwork was still alright, but he regretted that a stone had hurt his feet. If he can run slowly and in a hurry, he can still get down the mountain. That stone must be the saddest thing in his life.

His fists slammed the warm ground softly, and his old turbid eyes were smoked with tears.

Soon, his dizzy old eyes saw a swift figure, who slammed him up his back, and rushed violently. The man's thin bones pierced his chest uncomfortably.

He leaned on this person's back. Finally, he didn't have to close his eyes stubbornly. Instead, he closed his eyes with peace of mind and fainted