Idle until the Lantern Festival, Xiangzi could not hold back any longer.

Tigress was very happy. She took care of cooking the Lantern Festival, making dumplings, visiting temples during the day and lanterns at night. She did not allow Xiangzi to have any ideas, but the old not lack of his mouth, and find a way to buy him some of the fresh things to eat. There are seven or eight families in the compound, most of them live in a room; some of them live in a room with seven or eight families, young and old. Some of these people pull carts, some do small business, some as patrolmen, some as servants. Everyone has his own business, and no one has any spare time. Even the little children carry small baskets, go to make porridge in the morning, and pick up coal cores in the afternoon. Only the smallest of the children had their asses frozen red to play or fight in the courtyard. Stove dust and dirty water are dumped in the yard, no one cares to clean up, the yard when the middle of the child is frozen with ice, the older children pick up coal cores back to take this as an ice rink, yelling and playing ice skating play. Those who suffered most were the old people and women. The old people have no clothes and no food, lying on the cold bed, waiting for the young to earn a little money, so that they can drink a bowl of porridge, young laborers may earn money, may come back empty-handed, and come back to lose their temper, looking for a seam to quarrel. The old people have to take the empty stomach tears as water, swallowed into the belly. Those women, both have to take care of the old, but also have to take care of the young, but also have to perfunctory young earning man. They have to operate as usual even if they are pregnant, and eat nothing but dumplings and sweet potato porridge; no, not only do they have to work as usual, but they also have to go and make porridge, and solicit some work - fortunately, the young and the old have eaten their fill and lie down, and they have to hold a small kerosene lamp and wash, make, and mend for the others. The house was so small, and the walls so broken, that the cold wind came in through the cracks in this side of the wall, and went out through that side all the time, taking all the warmth with it. They had only rags hanging from their bodies, and their stomachs held a bowl or half a bowl of gruel, or a six or seven month old fetus. They had to work and feed the old and the young as best they could. They were all sick, and had already lost their hair before they were thirty, but they could not be idle for a moment, and went from sickness to death; when they died, their coffins had to be collected from the "good people". The girls, who were 16 or 17 years old, had no pants and had to wear some kind of rags in the house - a natural prison - to help their mothers do their work and catch up with the work. To go to the outhouse, they had to see that there was no one in the yard before they dared to run out like thieves; all winter, they had not seen the sun and the blue sky. The ugly ones will inherit everything from their mothers in the future; the ones who look good, even they know that sooner or later they will be sold by their parents to "enjoy the happiness"!

It is in such a miscellaneous courtyard that Tigress feels very proud. She was the only one who had food and clothes, didn't have to hurry, and could walk around. She is the only one who has food and clothes and can walk around without worrying. She has a high face, and she comes out and goes in, feeling superior, and she ignores the bitter people for fear that they will mess with her. The people who come here to buy and sell, almost all of them sell the cheapest things, what scraping meat, frozen cabbage, raw bean juice, donkey and horse meat, all come here to find a caretaker.

Since Tigress moved in, what sells sheep's head meat, smoked fish, hard noodle meat and potatoes, brine fried tofu, also in front of the door to yell a couple of times. She carried a bowl, raised her face, to the house end of these snacks, the children are iron bars like fingers in the mouth to look at her, as if she is a princess of some kind. She was here to enjoy herself; she couldn't, wouldn't, wouldn't, look at the suffering of others.

Xiangzi first look at her behavior, he is a poor boy born, know what is called hardship. He was unwilling to eat those bits and pieces of things, pity the money. Secondly, more embarrassing to him, is that he figured out the meaning: she did not allow him to pull the car, and every day good food and good food to feed him, just like fattening the cow to milk! He had become her plaything. He had seen it: a thin old bitch in the street, when running errands, chose a fat man-dog. When he thought about it, he not only loathed this life, but feared for himself. He knew how a strong man should protect his body, which was everything. If he lived like this, he would one day be a dry skeleton, still this big, and all empty. He shivered. Intending to be killed, he would have to go and pull the wagon at once, go out and run, run all day, come back and fall asleep, not knowing anything; not eat her good food, and not serve her to play with. He decided to do so, and could not give in; she would pay for the car, fine; if she did not want, he would go to lease a car to pull. Without a word, he thought better of it and went to lease the car.

Seventeen days, he began to pull the car, leasing is "all day". After pulling through two longer deals, he realized that there was something wrong with him that he hadn't experienced before, his legs and stomach were tight, and his hips were sore. He knew where the source of his illness was, but to comfort himself, he thought it was probably because he hadn't pulled a cart for more than 20 days, leaving his legs raw; he ran a few trips to open his legs, or he'd be fine.

And pulling on a sale, this time it is a gang car, four go together. The handlebars were copied, and we all let a tall man in his forties walk in front of us. The tall man smiled and complied with the real, he knew that the three cars are better than his own "great". He sold his strength, although he knew that he could not run behind the three young men, but refused to rely on the old. Ran out more than a mile, behind him praised him: "What's the matter, want strength? You really don't give up!" He gasped and replied: "With your brothers walking car, slow still okay?"

He did not run slowly, even Xiangzi had to pull out 70% to 80% of his strength to keep up with him. His running method is not good: tall, he collapsed not down to the waist, waist and back seems to be a whole board, so his whole body must be the whole of the forward flopping; body forward, the hand is significantly back; not like running, but like pulling something forward drill. The waist is dead, his hips will have to move; feet are almost pulling on the ground, intensifying the forward twist.

The twisting is not slow, but you can tell by looking at it that he is struggling. To the corner of the place, he whole body hard turn, we all for him to clutch sweat; he is always like only care about the body to drill forward, regardless of the car to pass through.

Pulled to, his sweat splitting from the tip of the nose, ears and lips, and vigorously dripping down. Put off the car, he hurriedly straightened his back, grinning. When he picked up the money, his hands shivered as if he couldn't hold the thing.

The four of them, who were considered friends after a walk together, put the car in one place. The Xiangzi wiped sweat, and joked as usual. The tall man was alone for half a day, dry coughing for a long time, spitting out a lot of white foam, only seemed to slow down a bit, began to talk to them:

"It's over! I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to do, but I'm going to be able to do it," he said, "I'm going to have to do it! No matter how much I lift my waist, I can't lift my legs; I'm in a hurry!"

"The two steps just now are not far from each other, you think it's slow." A short young man in his twenties took over, "Not bent heart, the three of us are good enough, who did not sweat?"

The taller man was a little smug, but then sighed as if ashamed.

"Let's say you run this way, almost really have to teach you to pout ①, you believe it or not?" Another young man said." Years old, not talking about it."

The taller man smiled and shook his head, "It's not all about age, guys!

I'll tell you the truth, in our line of work, don't start a family, really!" Seeing everyone's ears over, he lowered his voice a bit: "Once you have a family, you'll be idle all day and all night, and you'll be done with it! Look at my waist, the whole, not a bit of live soft air! Still don't run tight, once you bite your teeth, you cough, and your heart's mouth nest is hot! I don't know, but in our line of work, we'll be fucking bachelors for the rest of our lives! Even the little house sparrows are paired up, and we're not allowed to have a family! Another thing is, when we start a family, we'll have a child a year. I have five now! They're all waiting for food! It's hard to buy and sell, but what can we do? It's better to be a bachelor for the rest of one's life, and resign oneself to the fact that one has a white house and a big sore on one's head! A man is as good as dead! Once this game becomes a family, even with the big and small, several mouths to feed, can't close their eyes even after death! Do you think so?" He asked Xiangzi.

Xiangzi nodded, did not say anything.

This time, came a seat, the short man first price, but he gave up, called the tall man: "Big brother, you pull it! This plaything home and five children it!"

The tall man laughed: "Well, I'll run again! According to the saying can not be done so! Come on, I'll bring back a few more cakes! See you later, guys!"

Watching the taller man walk away, the shorter man said to himself, "Mixed his whole fucking life, even a daughter-in-law can not touch! In other people's fucking mansions, one person has his arms around four or five pussies!"

"Don't talk about them," the other boy took over." You see, in this business, you really have to be careful, and the tall man was right. You just say it, to become a family for what? Can you just put it up for fun? No! Okay, this is Louzi2! All day long, eat the nest head, two gas attack, how great a young man will have to climb down!"

Hearing this, Xiangzi pulled the car up and accosted, "Put it south, there is no business here."

"See you later!" The two young ones said in unison.

Xiangzi seemed not to hear. While walking and kicking his legs, the crotch shaft is still a bit sore! I would like to close the car not to pull, but simply do not have the courage to go home. The home is not a wife, but a blood-sucking demon!

The day has slowly grown up, he turned around two or three times, just to five o'clock.

He turned in his car and spent some time in the teahouse. After drinking two pots of tea, he felt hungry and decided to eat outside before going home. He ate 12 taels of meat cake and a bowl of red bean and millet porridge, and slowly walked home while burping. Quasi know that there is a Ray waiting for him at home, but he is very calm; he made up his mind: not to argue with her, not with her, fall back to sleep, tomorrow, as usual, out to pull the car, she loves how!

At the door of the house, Tigress was sitting in the outer room, looked at him, her face was so heavy that it was going to drip water. Xiangzi intends to make the best of it, pulling a long face and greeting her. But he is not accustomed to do this kind of thing, he lowered his head into the room. She did not sound, the hut is as quiet as a deep cave. The coughing of the neighbors in the courtyard, talking, children crying, can be heard really, but also like a very far away, just like in the mountains to hear the sound of the distance.

The two who also refused to speak first, closed their mouths and successively lay down, like a pair of never sound like a big turtle. Wake up a sleep, the tigress said, voice with half annoyed half laughing meaning: "What did you do? The whole day away!"

"Pulled the car to go!" He said seemingly asleep, as if something was stuck in his throat.

"Vomit! No stinking sweat to go, itching inside, you cheap bastard! I give you fried under the dishes, you do not come back to eat, around the world Huse go comfortable? You don't want to turn me over, my father was born a bachelor, I can do anything! Tomorrow if you dare to go out again, I will hang myself to show you, I can say it, I can do it!"

"I can't be idle!"

"You won't go to the old man?"

"No!"

"How bold!"

Xiangzi really hung fire, he can not still not say the words in his heart, can not endure:

"Pull the car, buy on their own car, who stop me, I will go, never come back!"

"Hmmm--" the sound swirled in her nose, long and convoluted. In this sound, she expressed pride and contempt for Xiangzi, but her heart was also twisted there. She knew that Xiangzi was a - albeit honest - hard man.

The words of a tough man are never meant to be funny. It was too easy to let go of him.

He was the ideal man: honest, thrifty, and strong; not easy to come by at her age. The first step is to make sure that you have a good understanding of what you're doing and how you're going to do it.

If you refuse to find the old man to go, so do: I go to find. Anyway, it's his daughter, it's okay to lose face."

"If the old man wants us, I still have to pull the cart!" Xiangzi willing to put words into the home.

Tigress half a day without words. She did not expect Xiangzi to be so smart. Although his words are so simple, but obviously said out he no longer on her set, he is not a stupid ass. Therefore, the more interesting she felt, the more she had to use her mind in order to get hold of this adult, or big thing, who could kick backward when he was in a hurry4. She couldn't push too hard, it wasn't easy to find such a big thing. She'd have to loosen up a bit, tighten up a bit, and teach him to keep running away from her." Fine, you love pulling carts and I can't. You must swear that you will not go to pull the baggage car, and that you will come back every day; and you see, if I don't see you every day, I'm in a panic! Promise me that you will come back early every night!"

Xiangzi remembered the tall man's words during the day! He looked into the darkness with his eyes open and saw a group of cart pullers, petty traders, and laborers, with their backs collapsing and their legs pulling. He will be like that in the future. But it was not convenient for him to twist her any more; as long as he could pull a cart, he had already counted it as a victory." I'll pull the loose seat!" He promised.

Despite what she said, she was not very enthusiastic about going to the Fourth Master Liu. Fathers and daughters in the weekdays naturally often bickering, but now the situation is different, can not be so three or two say a day clouds scattered, because she is no longer considered the Liu family people. The woman who got married is always more or less estranged from her mother's parents. She did not dare to go back straight into the public hall. In case the old man really turned his back on him, she will make a fuss, if he died not let go of the property, she did not have a law. It is someone on the side of the mediation, to the time when there is no way, can only persuade her to come back, she has her own home.

Cheung Tsz went to pull the car as usual, she walked alone in the house, several times to get dressed to go to Dad, the heart wants to while the hand is too lazy to move. She in order to be difficult. For their own comfort and happiness, must go back; for their own decency, in order not to go. If the old man is not angry, she only need to pull Xiangzi to the factory, naturally will teach him something to do, do not need to pull the car, and steadily can take over the father's business. Her heart lit up. What if the old man had been tough? She'd be disgraced, no, not only disgraced, but she'd have to resign herself to being a coachman's wife; and she'd, well, she'd be no match for the women in the yard! She would be no different from the women in the courtyard. Her heart was suddenly dark. She almost regretted marrying Xiangzi, no matter how strong he was, if dad didn't nod his head, he would be a rickshaw puller for the rest of his life. When she thought of this, she even wanted to go back to her mother's home alone, and cut off with Xiangzi, can't lose everything for him. Then she thought, the pleasure of following Xiangzi is not something that words can describe. She sat on the kang, dull, remote, thinking of the happiness after marriage; her whole body like a big red flower, fragrant and warm in the sunshine bloom. No, could not give up Xiangzi. Let him go to pull a cart, he went to ask for food, but also must always follow him. Look, look at those women in the yard, if they can suffer, she can also suffer. The company's website is a good place to find out more about the company's services, and it's a good place to find out more about the company's services.

Xiangzi, since leaving Renhe factory, refused to go Xi'anmen Street. These two days pulling a car, he always go out and run to the East Side, so that the West Side is full of people and factory cars, meet the strange embarrassment. This day, however, after the closing of the car, he deliberately passed by the factory door, not for any other reason, just want to take a look. Tigress words are still in his heart, as if he wants to test to see if he has the courage to come back to the factory, if Tigress can say goodbye to the old man; before returning to the factory, first try to dare to walk this street dare not. Pulling his hat down, he slipped over to the factory from a distance, lest he be seen by an acquaintance. He saw the light of the car door from afar, and somehow felt very sad in his heart. Thinking of his first time here in the light, remembering the temptation of the tigress, remembering the evening of Shouzhi that scene. These are all very clear, like some pictures floating in front of his eyes. Between these pictures, there are also some other, clear and short sandwiched in the middle of these: the western mountains, camel, Cao residence, detective ...... are clear, terrible, linked together. These pictures are so clear, he felt a little confused in his mind, almost like really looking at a few pictures, and forget that he is also inside. When he thought of his relation to them, his mind was confused, and they were suddenly revolving up and down, left and right, scattered and confused, and he had no way of remembering why he should be subjected to these tortures and aggravations. The time occupied by these scenes seemed so long and so short that he could not make out how old he should be. He only felt that he was much, much older than when he first arrived at Renhe Factory. At that time, he was full of hope; now, his stomach was full of worries. He didn't understand why, but these pictures would never deceive him.

In front of him was the People and Factory, and he stood still on the other side of the street, staring blankly at the extremely bright electric light. When he looked at it, a sudden movement came to his heart. The four golden letters under the lamp - Renhe Depot - changed! He could not read, but he remembered what the first word looked like: like two sticks joined together, neither a fork nor a triangle, so a simple but strange word. Looking for the word by the sound, it was probably "人". The word "man" had changed into "ren"-an even stranger word than "man". He couldn't make any sense of it. Looking again at the east and west rooms - two rooms he could never forget - there were no lights on.

Standing impatient with himself, he kept his head down and headed for home. As he walked, he wondered, could it be that the people and the factory had fallen out? He had to go slowly to inquire, first inconvenient to say anything to his wife. Back home, Tigress is in the house to get high on melon seeds to relieve boredom.

"So late again!" Her face is not a little good gas." I'll tell you what, I can't stand it if it goes on like this! You go out is a day, I even nest do not dare to move, a yard of poor people, afraid of losing things. I can't even say a word all day long. No, I'm not a wooden person. You think of an idea, so not!"

Xiangzi did not utter a word.

"You speak ah! I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to be able to do it," he said. You have a mouth? Do you have a mouth?" She said faster and faster, more and more brittle, like a small gun like a series of loud.

Xiangzi still had nothing to say.

"So," she was really anxious, but there was nothing she could do about it, her face was neither crying nor smiling, so very anxious and unable to try to seize.

"Let's buy two cars and lease them out, and you can eat them at home. Can you?"

"Two cars a day into the 30 cents, not enough to eat! Lease out a car, I pull a car, make do!" Xiangzi spoke slowly, but naturally; when he heard about buying a car, he forgot everything.

"It's still the same? You're still not living at home!"

"That's fine," Xiangzi's ideas seemed to follow the question of the car, "lease one out and get a full day's share. That one, I'll pull it half a day, and then lease it out for another half a day. If I pull in the daytime, I go out early in the morning and come back at three o'clock; if I pull in the evening, I go out at three o'clock and come back in the night. That's good!"

She nodded." Let me think about it, and if I don't have another good idea, that's it."

Xiangzi's heart was happy. If this idea could be realized, he was considered to have pulled on his car again. Although his wife bought it for him, but slowly save up money, he can buy another car. Until this time, he realized that Tigress is also a little good, he actually smiled at her, a naive, heartfelt smile, as if the previous hardship all written off, and smiled at a new world, like changing a piece of clothing so easily, painfully!