Chapter 106 Hua Zi's Phone
Taoxi Village caught up with the rush of farming and harvested all their own rice.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, dry the millet and put it in the warehouse.
In the sun-drying field in the middle of the village, the millet from each family is spread out in pieces, exposed to the hot sun, and villagers raking millet can be seen everywhere.
In the innermost part of the grain drying field, there is an abandoned auditorium built of mud tiles.
In the past, the village used to hold meetings, watch movies, etc. here. Later, due to disrepair and seldom used, the auditorium gradually fell into disrepair.
The current function is only to provide a shade for the people who dry the millet.
At this time, a group of old women who were watching millet gathered in the auditorium to chat.
"Our village has also had a bumper harvest of rice this year, unlike previous years, when half of the rice was shriveled. My family packed more than a dozen sacks per acre of land!"
"When I was selling watermelons, I was thinking, our watermelons and sweet potatoes have a good harvest, maybe there will be surprises when the millet is harvested in October. Hey! I expected it!"
"When the millet is dry, I will immediately go to mill the rice, and taste the taste of the rice we planted this year."
"What else can rice taste like? It can't possibly taste like watermelon or sweet potato, right?"
The women laughed together.
The bumper rice harvest was the only happy event in Taoxi Village's downturn.
The land in the village is not good, and the rice planted in previous years knows what the harvest will be.
But this year is really different. First, the watermelon sold at a good price, and the production of sweet potatoes doubled. Now even the rice harvest has ushered in a bumper harvest.
It gives people the feeling that Taoxi Village has suddenly become a treasure land of geomantic omen.
"Thinking about it this way, it's really mysterious. Why didn't such a good thing come sooner?"
"People can't be too greedy, it's good now."
"Yes, yes, yes, and our village will definitely get better and better in the future. As for other far-fetched things, don't think too much."
…
In the fenced yard, Zhang Xifeng was also talking about the rice harvest.
It was noon, and the sun outside was very strong.
When the old and the young are free, they sit at the door of the main room and unravel old sweaters.
"Your uncle said, when the millet is dried and milled, he will send two loads to our family." Zhang Xifeng's eyes creased slightly, and he smiled, "He planted a lot of paddy fields, and this year caught up with the good times. There is a lot more grain than in previous years. Not only your second uncle, but other families in the village who have planted rice have also harvested a lot more this year."
Qiqi looked forward to it, "Mother-in-law, can the extra grain in our village be sold for money?"
"That depends on how much more you pay." Zhang Xifeng couldn't help laughing, wondering why the little girl was always looking for money, "When the millet is dry, every household must first go to the grain, and after the grain is delivered, there will be enough to eat at home the grain, and the rest will be sold.”
"Is that millet valuable?"
"A load of millet can cost around 30 yuan."
A load of millet is one hundred catties, Qiqi knows.
How much is that one catty of millet?
Little egg man, "Sanmao or so."
Qiqi's face collapsed.
One catty of millet can be exchanged for three steamed buns?
Why is it so difficult for the village to make money?
"Aren't you coming in yet? What are you dawdling for!" A burst of angry shouts sounded outside the fence.
Qiqi looked up and saw the village chief's grandfather walking into the yard with his hands behind his back, followed by a little boy with a bruised nose and a swollen face.
"Grandfather of the village chief? Brother Huazi?" Qiqi didn't dare to recognize him. He hadn't seen him all morning. Why did Brother Huazi become like this, with a green face?
Huazi lowered her head and said nothing.
But it's useless for him to lower his head against Qi Qi, Qi Qi is short, and he can see his deformed face when he raises his little neck.
"Brother Huazi, are you fighting with someone again?" Qiqi asked quietly behind her back.
Huazi didn't respond, neither looked at nor responded to anyone, and was stubborn and angry.
Zhang Xifeng was a little confused by the situation, got up and invited the old village chief to the house, "Village chief, what's the matter? Was Huazi beaten outside or did you beat him?"
The old village head frowned tightly, and the anger in his voice still remained, "He beat someone outside! I don't know who I heard said that his parents were working for free outside, and they couldn't get their wages back. If he doesn't come, he can't compete with others, so he started fighting. The school told him to go home and think about his mistakes, you son of a bitch!"
After scolding, the old village chief sighed, "I see that he hasn't been thinking about his studies recently. I guess he is really worried about his parents, so he just wanted to come to you to make a phone call and let Huazi talk to his parents. He is at ease."
Hearing this, Huazi, who hadn't reacted all this time, moved her eyes slightly and pursed her mouth.
The old village head took out a small phone book from his coat pocket, looked up the number in it, and pressed a number one by one on the landline.
This is the pager number my son left for him.
It has been more than a year, and he has only fought twice.
The waiting time for the return flight seems to be very long.
Qiqi saw that Huazi kept picking his nails, and the edges of his nails were already red because he repeatedly picked them.
Ring ring ring—
The moment the phone rang, Huazi's eyes lit up.
"Hello, San'er? Hey, are you still at work? There's nothing at home, it's just Hua Zi, Hua Zi misses you and wants to talk to you, is it convenient for you?" The old village chief said a few words to the phone After the sentence, the microphone was passed to the stiff grandson, "Your dad is on the other end of the phone, talk to him a few words."
Huazi held the microphone, and there was a familiar yet unfamiliar voice in the microphone, which kept ringing in his ears.
He opened his mouth to call Dad, but tears rushed out first.
"Dad, our family's watermelons are selling very well this year. It costs thousands of dollars... more than your mother's and your salary combined."
"If you and my mother come back, our family can open a few more fields and plant more watermelons next year, so we won't be short of money."
"Also, our rice has already been harvested, and the whole family can't finish the milled rice for a year."
"Dad, are you coming back? Can you and Mom come back?"
There was an oppressive silence on the other end of the microphone.
"Why would you rather suffer outside than come back?"
Huazi burst into tears, and asked in a sharp and intense voice, "Are you really for me? Are you really for me!"
"You weren't there when I needed you! I've grown up when you come back!"
"I don't need you then!"
"I don't need you anymore!"
Qi Qi stood aside blankly, looking at Brother Hua Zi who was crying hysterically.
She didn't know what the person on the other end of the phone said, but if they saw Brother Hua crying so sad, they would be even more sad, right?
The phone call ended with Huazi crying and running out.
But Qiqi often thinks of the way the little boy’s eyes lit up like stars when the phone rang.
There is more than one child like this in Taoxi Village.
When will parents and children be reunited?
At that time, will the child still be the child who longed for his parents?