After walking for about five or six miles, the vast plateau turned into a different scene. There were sand pits everywhere. Occasionally, a walking tractor with a tow bucket would crawl out of the bottom of the pit, roaring and puffing out black smoke. There are more tractors like this the further you go.
"Dig the sand!" Wang Shan said.
"Oh, third brother, is this very profitable?"
"Wairui, these idiots are making crazy money from digging sand."
"Then why doesn't your village dig?"
"We also think about it. Ever since my father's time, I have thought that there is no way out for one piece of wood and there is no market for the second piece of wood."
"Oh, how do they get out?"
"They walked along the river beach road in Zhaomagou. They went all the way to the Yellow River in Xizhou, where there were people collecting sand."
"Is there a river here?"
"Well, yes, Zhaomagou is connected to the Yellow River. You can see it soon." The carriage walked another two or three miles, and there were gradually more tractors on the road. A row of black trees could also be clearly seen. The closer they got, the clearer they became. Liu Fang found that these trees were the same as those at Wang Shan's house. They were all willow-like trees with their tops cut off.
"Third brother, what kind of tree is this? I also saw it in your village."
"Oh, beheading willow."
"Pfft, so cruel. My name is Liu Fang, taboo. Hahaha..." Liu Fang said jokingly. "It is indeed a willow tree, why do you want to chop off the head?" Liu Fang continued to ask.
“The wind and sand here (in our area) are so strong that if we don’t cut off the growth, it will be blown off.”
When the two were approaching the river in a carriage, they saw a bridge over the river and several tractors queuing to pass.
"Ouch, we have to go down to the river."
"Ah, third brother, what are you doing in the river?"
"The bridge is not strong! A tractor pulling sand is allowed to cross at one time. Don't scare my horse. If you have never tasted a woman, you will die. Hahaha... ." Wang Shan joked, pulling the reins of the horse on one side and letting the horse pull the cart toward the river bank farther away from the bridge.
When we reached the shore, we found a rutted opening and stopped the carriage. Wang Shan took out a length of rope from under the carriage and tied it to the back of the carriage. He asked Liu Fang to pull from behind and told him to pull with all his strength. He himself held the reins of the horse with both hands in front and let the horse Walk towards the river. The river channel washed out by the river has a very steep slope and is not very deep. Perhaps it is the dry season and the river water is pitiful. Different from the clear green river water in the south of the Yangtze River, the river water covering the bottom of the river is yellow. Liu Fang thought, maybe this is the Yellow River water that was mentioned in the books in school as "one bowl of water and half a bowl of sand".
The two worked together to drive the carriage to the water. Wang Shan and Liu Fang loosened the reins and tow ropes, rolled up their trousers, Wang Shan skillfully drove the carriage and waded into the river, Liu Fang followed Wang Shan and waded across the river, late autumn. The river water is cool, and the depth is just below the calf. The bottom of the river is a thick layer of flat sand, which is soft and comfortable for your feet. Liu Fang, who was born in the south of the Yangtze River, was very happy to see the river water for the first time in a long time. Occasionally, the wind blows, and the branches of the beheaded willows on the river make a "woo-woo" sound, as low and beautiful as the sound of a flute.
Soon after crossing the river, Wang Shan drove the carriage along the ruts to the embankment on the other side. Not far from the shore was a slightly wide gravel road. On the road that had been crushed by tractors all year round, the uneven gravel was exposed. . Chen Shan drove the carriage to the gravel road. Liu Fang got on it and walked along the gravel road for a long distance. During this period, tractors passed by from time to time. Every time a tractor filled with sand roared by, Wang Shan would Hold the reins tight so as not to startle the horse. After walking about four or five miles, we turned onto a slightly narrow fork road. The fork road was deeply rutted by tractors. The wheels of the carriage Wang Shan was driving fell into the ruts on one side from time to time because the wheelbase was not wide enough. . The two had to stop and use a wooden stick to prop up the carriage to get it back on track.
After wasting some time, we arrived at a village called Zhaomacuan before noon. Both are villages, but this place is much better than Shiyi Village and Wangshanjia Village. Although they live in cave dwellings, they are relatively regular, and every house has a yard and a half-person-high yard wall. The yard gate is still relatively rough, but because of the vegetables planted in the yard, it looks full of life. People who are busy in the courtyard feel much more peaceful. In addition, many courtyards have stones placed at the entrance, giving people a very solid feeling.
Wang Shan's unmarried daughter-in-law's family lives in the center of the village. Because she is the village chief, her family is more prosperous than other families. Not only is the courtyard wall higher than other families, but there is also a small gatehouse made of blue bricks. When he reached the door, Wang Shan stopped the carriage, picked up the iron piece on the door nose and knocked on the door: "Dang, Dang, Dang."
"Fat (who)." A female voice like a silver bell came out.
"Yinhua, it's me! Wang Shan." A sweet smile appeared on Wang Shan's face instantly.
"Why are you here?" The door opened, and Zhao Yinhua, who had double braids, a handsome face and a tall and plump figure, came out with a sweet smile on her face, but when she saw someone next to her, she blushed instantly. He lowered his head and gently kneaded the ends of the braid with both hands.
"Um (I) asked Er (I) to come to you with the hired carpenter and ask you to order some furniture. I also want to ask the old man (uncle) if there is any cooling oil and antipyretic medicine in the village (yuo) ). Well, this is Xiao Yang, who makes furniture for us."
"Well (I) can decide anything!"
"Look, you are the head of our family!" Liu Fang thought to himself, no wonder Chen Shan from a poor village could "cheat" the girl who is the head of such a beautiful and wealthy village, she has such a sweet mouth. One sentence made Yinhua feel elated.
"real?"
"Of course! It's up to you!"
"Then come in quickly! Big, big, Wang Shan is here." While letting Wang Shan and Yang Liufang go into the courtyard, he shouted to the cave dwelling in the courtyard.
"Why don't you call me Sani (Xizhou dialect: what to call me)! Call me Hun'er!"
"Big! It's uh (me), uh (me). Big let uh (me) bring the carpenter to you to order furniture. It's easy to cut down the (tree) after the autumn harvest. And ask if there is a shortage of antipyretic medicine in the village. (yuo)." Hearing what Chen Shan said, Zhao Yinhua quickly rolled her eyes at Chen Shan, watched them come in, turned around and closed the courtyard door.
"Uh, come in. You're old enough, even your mother is okay."
"Well done Ni (here), well done Ni (here). Da, this is Xiao Yang, the southern carpenter invited by E family's second brother-in-law (my). Originally he was doing business in Xizhou, but he gave E (me) a carpenter. After my second brother-in-law finished repairing the tables and chairs at his home, his second brother-in-law thought he was good at his craftsmanship and asked him to make southern furniture for me and Yinhua." Liu Fang discovered that Wang Shan was really sharp-tongued. , and some did not get a single call, which not only raised Liu Fang's worth, but also showed that the whole family and even relatives paid enough attention to this marriage.
"Hey, do you want some fat (water)?" Village Chief Zhao asked Liu Fang.
"Sou, I'm not thirsty. Thank you."
"Sit down!" Liu Fang saw a square table with two stools on the left and right of the village chief's cave, so he followed Wang Shan and sat on one of the stools.
