Maike Prose in Memory

At the end of May and early June, with the cuckoo singing, large fields of wheat waves turn golden in the hot summer. The roaring whistles of harvesters and the noise of farmers can be heard from time to time in the vast fields, joining in to welcome the summer harvest. Within three to five days, all the wheat was gone, leaving only wheat stubble standing quietly in the fields, marking the end of the summer harvest. When the grains are returned to the warehouse, my memory flies back to the scene of wheat harvesting in the 1980s. The farmers were bent over, wearing straw hats, braving the scorching sun, and holding sickles more than two feet long to harvest wheat one by one. As a result, a group of wheat harvesters from other places came to Yudu. Their name is Mike.

Maike’s luggage is extremely simple, just a sickle and a few glowing blades. An old shirt, full of patches, in various colors, gray and white or dark blue. There is a cloth bag on the shoulder, most of which contain white steamed buns, and a few contain cornmeal baba. He spoke with a strong foreign accent, his face, which was originally a Chinese yellow complexion, was red and darkened by the harsh sun, and his whole body was filled with the aura of a peasant.

At that time, my family had a small labor force and a large land area. My father originally wanted to select four young and strong men from the streets of Yudu, but unexpectedly he got eight. Young and middle-aged, although they are not similar in age, they look very friendly. They traveled thousands of miles, and they had a special feeling that formed a force. Even if the employer had a small field of wheat, they would not distinguish between groups, carving out the true meaning of Mai Ke.

The sky is so high; the wind is so soft and soft; the sun is so poisonous and poisonous; Mike is bending over to harvest my wheat field, eight people making eight trips. They competed and sang, and everyone fell down behind them, which was really extraordinary. People often say: "Maike has the temperament of a grasshopper and knows his fate." The sun gets hotter and more poisonous, and they jump around happily.

Cutting, cutting, I found that the wheat field under my feet was loose and soft, and there were piles. The wheat on it was also missing a lot, it was sparse, and it looked like it had died long ago. . "What is this?" said Mike from the front. Lamei's father said casually: "That is the tunnel of blind rats. It has been burrowing underneath all year round, destroying crops, and has reproduced for eternity. There is nothing you can do about it. It is one of the harmful rats in the Yudu Plain." The father shook his head as he spoke and continued. It tells a tragic legend originating from a blind mouse:

In ancient times, a general was brave and resourceful, but he was not inferior to the head of state. He assisted the marshal in the Jade City, and the marshal consulted him on all matters, big or small. Unexpectedly, the general's confidant took out his hidden sharp knife and devised a plan. He got the general drunk and bribed the general's bookboy to imitate it. The general's pen words said that he wanted to win the commander's seal. After the marshal learned about it, the smoke of emotion finally confused his eyes, and he ruthlessly ordered the villain to kill the general. Before leaving, the general shouted: "I will die. After my death, my blood will be splashed with jade and I will turn into a blind mouse. I will eat your food to avenge my shame."

My father's story is a legend, but it is a legend. When Mike heard this, he was addicted to reality, and some people sighed, and when he came back to his senses, he had already missed a section. That kind of energy can only be called joyful, and he saw the sickle flying up and down, releasing wheat dust that hit his nose, but he still stuck to his true nature and continued to cut, looking like an old-fashioned person.

The arrival of Mai Ke also brought many novel things in the outside world, which are nothing more than the things of idiot girls and unruly men. The endings of the stories are mostly sad and sad. They will also take the stories here back to their hometowns to show off. , the publicity is turned over.

There was a young man among the Mai guests, with a dignified appearance and a simple and honest face. His name is Laifu. He works extremely hard and is also diligent and sweet-talked. I learned from his mouth that they were from Changwu, Shaanxi Province. As long as Laifu could remember, his parents had died, and he had only his grandmother, who was wrapped in three-inch golden lotus feet, for company. Life was very difficult, and he sometimes didn’t have enough to eat. He couldn’t afford to pay for school. Tuition fee, I only learned a few words by peeping outside the classroom. But he is very smart and likes to use corn stalks to form various patterns and do things that can only be done with his brain. Just when he was a teenager, his grandmother died suddenly. He was lonely and suffered a lot. His tragic life experience also tempered his character, which is kind and hard-working. He was also deeply cared for and loved by his neighbors. He followed them out to cut wheat and wander around, going through many hardships and leaving a good impression on his employers.

Mai Ke is away from home. Although he is going to harvest wheat, he is also concerned about the marriage of Laifu around him. Wherever he goes, he wants to build bridges and matchmaking to achieve a beautiful marriage.

Neighbors Uncle Ren all say that life is hard. His mother died when he was young, and his father raised him up. After someone introduced him, he married Wang Juan, who had been on tiptoe since childhood and had inconvenience in his legs. They have two daughters, the eldest daughter Honglian is in high school, and the second daughter Xiaolian is in junior high school. Both daughters are very well-behaved, with thick eyebrows, light red double eyelids, crystal clear eyes, and fine long hair. People in the village like them very much. Honglian is in high school. She has dreams like songs, songs like dreams. She wants to be a teacher, face some ignorant children every day and teach them how to read, and hold on to civilization. Several times, Uncle Ren persuaded her to drop out of school, but it was her grandfather who had a lot of credibility who made the arrangements. Speaking of grandpa Honglian, she was a little proud of him, but also a little sad. Grandpa is a very optimistic person on the surface. He doesn't want to add sorrow to others. However, his silver hair has endless bitterness in his life, and the wrinkles on his face also have endless vicissitudes of life. His short beard will never Use it to rely on the old and sell the old. He often helped Uncle Ren squat in the cave to weave sieves. Now that the wheat has turned brown, a year's hard work and full belly are all counted on the summer harvest. He bent down and came to the wheat field and saw that the grains were swollen and squeezed through the sharp and sharp wheat husks. He muttered: "We have to start sickening quickly." Grandpa turned around and saw the Mai Ke in my field from a distance, and wanted to take advantage of it. Along the way, I kept a bottom line in my mind and chose a few who were strong and could cut well.

He just doesn't leave out the ears of wheat, gathers them neatly, keeps the stubble low, and binds them tightly. When this standard is met, he just screams. Unexpectedly, every Mai customer worked so hard, sweating profusely with the sun on his back. He was especially satisfied with Laifu, and he was happy to see it in his heart. It also outlines the way he worked when he was young, his movements, tall and tall, strong and not afraid of hardship. Without saying a word, he only said hello and said the price. He went home with a smile and reported the news to Uncle Ren. Mai Ke was also immersed in happiness.

At noon, the sun is still strong and persistent, enjoying the sun. After Michael finished cutting the wheat, he got a bowl of water, lit a cigarette, and squatted under a tree to sharpen his blades. He was talking and laughing, telling endless stories, and some were leaning against the earth wall. The feeling of comfort was beyond words.

In the blink of an eye, my mother had prepared the meal, which was nothing more than the famous hand-rolled thin noodles in the countryside. There were eight bowls arranged in a row, with red and green tops, and they were greedy just looking at them. They made a squeaking sound when they picked them up. Then the father brought more dishes one after another, and they were full of food and drink. The father then took out the precious liquor and poured a cup for each of them, and they drank it all in one gulp. In fact, when my employer has Mai Ke at home, he tries his best to cook something delicious, because eating well can make him energetic. Finally, my father took out the wheat money he had accumulated for many days, mostly five cents, a few five yuan, and one yuan, and gave them the wages. At that time, harvesting an acre only cost seven or eight yuan. To make money, Mai Ke's main purpose was to fill his stomach and keep himself entertained. The wages given were never too little, and some people took out one and wanted to return it to their father, but his father would never take it.

At this time, Uncle Ren entered the door of my house, first handed a cigarette to Mike, who was smoking, and then said enthusiastically and cheerfully: "You guys can cut wheat for my family." "Okay!" Mike just said All the good stories about them were written in the words, so he packed up his luggage and followed Uncle Ren, then landed in his wheat field.

The summer harvest is called the tiger's mouth to seize grain. In that era, the elderly, students and children basically went to the battle, either to glean wheat ears or to help adults pull wheat. Honglian School came back from the holiday. She took small steps, held a sweat towel, and wore a straw hat to the wheat field to help Uncle Ren load wheat into the rack truck. By chance, she saw Lai Fu, the wheat cutter, standing blankly and looking at her stupidly. , my heart seemed to be stung by something small, and my cheeks turned red in an inexplicable tremor.

As night falls, the sky is filled with stars, and a golden moon quietly climbs up the treetops, looking down at the laughing and joking Mai Ke in Uncle Ren’s courtyard. Only Laifu is moving forward while resting and conceiving. He was obsessed with the red lotus and thought hard about the equipment to get rid of the blind mouse. He took a sip of tea and immersed himself in the wood. He beamed his wisdom under the kerosene lamp and started looking for an ax to make arrows. Although the story was very simple, Hong Lian inadvertently thought that he was a well-informed man.

Uncle Ren saw it in his eyes and was happy in his heart. The marriage of Hong Lian, who was always worried, seemed to be settled. He started to mention it to Honglian again, but Honglian still said that she wanted to study, but she couldn't smooth over her father's old face and her mother's back.

The wheat harvest at Uncle Ren’s house was finished, and Mai Ke and Laifu fell into another house. Several blind mouse traps in the wheat field were waiting for the attention of Hong Lian and Uncle Ren, as well as the eyes of the folks here. inside. A miracle, a miracle finally happened. Several arrows were fired and stuck in the passage of the blind mouse. The bow was also tilted. It was a blessing from heaven and earth. Uncle Ren followed Laifu's instructions and dug out a complicated mouse hole more than a foot in the ground. Only the arrows shot in The blind mouse was unable to move. It is shaped like a mouse, with a short and fat body, a large head and well-developed incisors, short and thick limbs, a short tail and slightly longer hind legs. Its fur is gray and white, and its eyes are small and almost eyeless. Uncle Ren cheered: "Finally I caught you!" But this attracted the busy villagers, who shouted when they saw this, "Lai Fu Qiang Zhong Qiang".

At this moment, Honglian’s way of thinking suddenly entered marriage.