Suddenly, Miao Qing threw the hardened cornstarch in his hand toward the desert, "Fuck you Li Bing, screw your marriage, I want to get out of here."
Miao Qing returned to Diwozi. The so-called Diwozi is a hole dug diagonally into the desert ground about two meters deep, surrounded by adobes, and topped with various grass blades and mud.
.
This kind of den is warm in winter and cool in summer, but it is not breathable. If someone farts in the den, it will probably stink for the whole night if you don't use a newspaper or a fan to fan it out.
Miao Qing persisted in such a difficult environment for almost a year. She originally wanted to take advantage of her rest day to go to Li Bing to complain, but she didn't know which military region Li Bing was in.
Ask the soldier standing guard at the door to bring a message to Li Bing, hoping that he would come and see her. It would be better if he could bring some food. The conditions were too difficult and there was no meat or fish for several months.
But Li Bing never appeared in front of her, as if he was a stranger he met on the road, taking you to a place and ending.
"Miao Qing, what are you doing? Why did you lose the cornbread?"
A man stood on the edge of the nest and shouted into it. He saw Miao Qing throw away the nest in his hand and felt very sick. This is food.
"I am in a bad mood."
"If you're in a bad mood, you can't live with the food. We can step on the sand. If we step too much, we'll lose some air. This is the steamed bun made by my mother. It's softer than the ones bought in the canteen. You can eat it."
Miao Qing looked up and saw that the man was holding a ginger-yellow enamel rice bowl in his rough hands. The enamel was almost all gone and it looked very mottled.
"Thank you. I'm not hungry. You can take it back."
Miao Qing knew that this man was a local from the Hexi Corridor, and his family conditions were not very good, so he came to the protective forest to plant trees every day, and he was paid at least ten yuan a month.
"Leave it alone if you're not hungry. It'll be uncomfortable when you're hungry at night."
The man placed the enamel rice bowl at the door and turned to leave. However, he was met by a gust of wind, which was mixed with sand and confused the man's eyes.
"Miao Qing, close the door quickly, a sandstorm is coming."
There are sandstorms here every three days. When the sandstorms come, most people will hide in underground shelters. Even those who have no time to hide in their own underground shelters will find a nearby underground shelter to hide in.
"Come in quickly and close the door."
Miao Qing was also anxious. If someone died in front of her house, she would be vomited to death by the people around her. She could obviously let people hide in the ground to hide, so why not do it.
The man happily picked up the enamel basin on the floor, walked into the den, closed the door, and took a wooden stick from the side to hold the door.
Yellow sand flew all over the sky and leaked in through the crack in the door. Soon, a thick layer of sand was covered everywhere, both on the ground and on the bed.
Looking at the nest where she had to shake off the quilt and sweep away the sand every three days, Miao Qing suddenly squatted on the ground and began to cry. She lamented why her life was so miserable.
"Marry me. I live in a cave dwelling. Although the conditions are not very good, they are better than here."
The man stretched out his hand several times, wanting to pat Miao Qing's shoulder to express comfort, but he never dared to reach out. He liked this girl in his heart, but he didn't know her true identity.
"Will you marry me."
"I am twenty-eight this year. Because my family is poor and cannot afford the bride price, no local girl is willing to marry me so far. If you are willing, I will raise enough money for the bride price even if I borrow money."
"How much do you give as a bride price here?"
"It depends on the conditions. If the conditions are good, there are 100 or 58, and if the conditions are not good, there are also 20 or 30."
"But you don't have a salary of ten yuan every month, so why don't you save any money?"
"I have too many younger brothers and sisters. I have to support them."
"ah……"
"But it's better now. My younger brothers and sisters are all grown up and have gone out to work, so I save eight yuan every month. Now I have more than a hundred yuan, which I can use as betrothal gifts for you."
"I have no dowry and no money."
"If you don't have money, why don't you get paid to work here?"
Miao Qing stopped talking. At that time, it was agreed that he would be provided with three meals a day, simple daily necessities, and a shelter, without any money. Otherwise, what would it be called a test?
"Because I made a bet with someone, and I bet that I would definitely win, but now I know that I will never win."
"It doesn't matter. If you marry a man, you will be clothed and fed. If you don't have money, I will work more and I will support you."
"May I have your name?"
"My name is Hancheng, Bai Hancheng. I am twenty-eight years old this year. I have a father, mother, four brothers and five sisters at home. The youngest sister is fourteen years old, so my mother said that I no longer need to support the family."
"What's the meaning?"
"That means that as long as I get married, I can live alone, and I can apply for a smaller cave dwelling, and the two of us can start a family, and you won't have to work here anymore."
There was a light in Miao Qing's eyes, which was a kind of expectation for a new life. Li Bing, screw you, you don't want me, but someone still wants me.
"Can you give me three days?"
"Of course, take it and eat it quickly. You won't be able to chew it anymore after a while."
Miao Qing picked up the steamed buns and ate them, and found that they were actually steamed buns made of cornmeal. He quickly poured out a glass of water from the kettle, slowly took a sip of steamed buns, and ate it with a sip of water.
The next day, Miao Qing took leave and went to the base. She asked the soldiers on guard to tell Li Bing that she was getting married and was here to discuss the refund of the bride price.
Li Bing finally appeared in front of Miao Qing. Miao Qing looked at the tall and majestic Li Bing and suddenly felt that her brain was twitching. What about her was worthy of Li Bing?
"I'm getting married to a local. It's just that I can't refund you the three hundred yuan gift you gave my father because I don't have the money."
"There's no need to refund. My brother blew up your kitchen and you still have food. Even if you pay a hundred yuan, you actually get a salary, eight yuan a month. Now it's almost a hundred yuan, and there's still a hundred more."
Yuan, consider it as part of the money I gave you."
"Brother Li Bing, actually I had no choice but to sell me, so my father wanted to sell me, so..."
"Needless to say, I know that you should never have been malicious to my siblings before you had a series of subsequent reactions. These eleven months can be considered a punishment for you."
Miao Qing nodded. She had stumbled a lot on her growth path. She hoped that her future life would be smooth sailing. Of course, she must be kind first.
Miao Qing left, and Meili walked out from the door at the back. Looking at Miao Qing's back, she couldn't help but sigh. Environment makes people. Miao Qing's parents were so generous, so it's not surprising that she grew crooked.
