The rain is falling from the sky. Those who have not collected their clothes, those farmers who are working in the fields, and those who are running for life, have already stained your clothes before you have time to tell them. The weather is unpredictable. Just a moment ago, the

The rain is falling from the sky. Those who have not collected their clothes, those farmers who are working in the fields, those who are running for life, have already stained your clothes before you can tell them.

The weather is unpredictable. Just a moment ago, it was the smiling face of the sun, and in a moment's notice, it turned into the crying of the sky.

I remember the year when I was eighteen very clearly, and it was also such a weather.

At noon that day, I passed by Wang Hongmei’s house in the village. Hongmei was my elementary school classmate. Her house opened a small shop, and the door was full of things.

It was so hot that people couldn't breathe, the sun was scorching the earth, and everyone was avoiding it for fear of burning their skin.

I was wiping my sweat and pedaling past Wang Hongmei’s house. Hongmei was sitting on a stool in front of the small shop. There were also brooms, dustpans, fertilizers, buckets and other items for sale outside.

Inside the house, Hongmei's mother was sitting on a recliner and sleeping with an electric fan blowing on. Maybe the electric fan couldn't withstand the hot weather, so she didn't forget to shake the cattail leaf fan in her hand.

Outside, Wang Hongmei’s face was tanned, and her clothes were all stained by sweat stains. This silly girl was looking at the goods at the door. She didn’t know how to avoid the strong sun. I have seen her being raped several times. The sun is shining.

She always looked ahead and did not dare to raise her head. For fear of burning her eyes, she rarely looked at the sky.

The sweat on her body was slowly evaporating. She always pulled her clothes repeatedly, showing its elasticity like a rubber band. Her shadow fell on the ground, and the puppy lay sleeping in her shadow.

Hongmei’s hair is very messy. She is fat and tall. Her originally fair face is tanned by the sun in the summer. Every time I pass by, I call her: Hongmei, the sun is shining so much. Find someone quickly. Hiding in the shade! Don't get heat stroke.

Hongmei smiled at me and said: Don’t bask in the sun, don’t bask in the sun. Her voice was so low that it was hard for me to hear her clearly.

She always doesn't listen to other people's advice. She always says that she shouldn't bask in the sun, but I often see her wiping sweat. I can't even last ten minutes under the sun, but Hongmei has never suffered from heatstroke.

This girl under the sun is really heartbreaking. This eighteen-year-old flower actually bloomed facing the sun.

After a while, it suddenly started to rain heavily. I passed by Hongmei's house again, but Wang Hongmei was still sitting there. Her mother was busy covering the items outside with plastic sheets, and she kept cursing this damn thing. weather.

Hongmei's rain-wet hair looked very bright and dark, her wet clothes stuck tightly to her skin, and her plump figure was the envy of many women.

The rain did not wash away her dark face. She blocked her face with her dark arms and wiped the rain off her face with her hands from time to time.

I shouted: Hongmei, hurry up and go inside to hide from the rain.

She didn't seem to hear it, or maybe she didn't hear it clearly, so she smiled at me.

After her mother finished covering the items, rainwater pattered on the plastic sheet. The sound was harsh and annoying. Only then did her mother think of Hongmei, and then she pulled her into the house.

Hongmei is my elementary school classmate. She has been tall since she was little, so her seat has always been at the back of the class. She doesn't talk much, and she usually wears sloppy clothes. For this reason, most of her classmates don't like her.

Her classmates all called her Dasha Niu, and Hongmei rarely paid attention to others' ridicule and abuse. She had not studied well since she was a child, and she remembers that she was always at the bottom of every exam.

Several times in class, Hongmei did not dare to report to the toilet and peed her pants. Every time she peed, she became the laughing stock of her classmates. At that time, no one liked Hongmei, including me.

Hongmei stayed in grade three times. For this reason, her classmates had all graduated from junior high school, so she barely graduated from elementary school. After graduation, Hongmei dropped out of school and stayed at her home to help in the canteen.

Hongmei also has an older brother who is a naughty and mischievous guy. His parents dote on him and put all their focus on him. Maybe Hongmei will not feel any difference in treatment.

Although everyone called Hongmei a silly girl at that time, no one dared to bully her because they were afraid of her brother.

The canteen opened by Hongmei’s parents was very small at first. Later, more and more goods were purchased, and the house was expanded to two more rooms and still couldn’t accommodate it. Therefore, she tidied up the doorway to display large items.

She has all the villagers' daily necessities here, including some rare items. She also has channels to get them. Most people in the village will come to her to buy things.

In order to fear that things outside the house would be stolen, Hongmei was arranged by her mother to watch outside. Whenever someone came to steal things, Hongmei would stop them and call her mother loudly.

Hongmei is really worried. She will complete the tasks assigned by her mother honestly. She has not lost anything during her care. Sometimes Hongmei dare not leave even if she wants to go to the toilet. She peed her pants several times. Later, her mother I repeatedly told her that Hongmei has never peed her pants since then, and she will call her mother whenever she goes to the toilet.

At that time, people in the village said that the girl from the Wang family who ran the small shop was very beautiful, but she was just stupid.

I have been working in the south since then. When I occasionally call home, I often hear my family talking about the gossip in the village, who is getting married, who is passing away, etc. My mother often says that the daughter of the old Wang family is so beautiful now. So beautiful, she was talking about my elementary school classmate Hongmei.

Later I returned home and met Wang Hongmei smoothly. I had many opportunities to see her every day because our family had to buy things every now and then.

I see her every time I go shopping. She is taller than her parents. She is not as fat as before, but her figure is bumpy. Her skin is not as dark as before. Whenever the sun shines, she Always like to wear a hat.

Her face is a bit prettier than when she was a child. No wonder people in the village say she is beautiful. Every time I see her, I call her name, and then she says: Monitor. Because I was always the monitor in elementary school.

Seeing the graceful appearance of red plum blossoms often makes me very excited. I think most men like to marry beautiful women as their wives.

Sometimes I would reveal this idea to my mother. I thought her mother would like her because her mother, like everyone else in the village, praised Hongmei for being beautiful.

But my mother said: I can marry anyone, but I can’t marry her. In fact, I was just joking at the time, and I thought my mother might be joking too. It was not until later that I realized that they all praised Hongmei for her beauty, but they would not let their sons marry her.

One time I argued with my mother and I said: Mom, you can’t be duplicitous and you can’t look down on others. Isn’t Hongmei just stupid? Why can't I marry her.

As expected, the mother shook her head like everyone else, pointed at her head and said: Silly child, there is something wrong with her.

Hearing them talk about red plums, even my mother said this, I felt mixed emotions in my heart, which was very unpleasant.

The reason Hongmei rarely basked in the sun later was because her sister-in-law took her place, and I even went to help her brother when he got married.

After that, whenever it was hot in summer, Hongmei’s sister-in-law would be outside. She would hold an umbrella and put a rocking chair, and sit on the chair and doze off. She didn’t have her younger sister Hongmei to worry about, but Hongmei was far away. Not as smart as my sister-in-law.

For three summers, I didn’t see the red plums being burned in the sun. I was very happy for this, and I couldn’t express how happy I was.

Hongmei's skin has also turned white, and her face is like a peach, so red that water will flow out when pinched. Her hair is very long, almost reaching her waist. If you are lucky enough to see her playing in the water, it will look like a hibiscus emerging from the water. If she had been smart since she was a child, how could such a village let her go?

There are often some men in the village who want to have a relationship with Hongmei, and they will secretly ask her out, but Hongmei rarely goes out with them, and these men can only live by talking.

One time Hongmei and her sister-in-law went to the fields to pick wild jujubes. Her sister-in-law returned home a little early. She knew that Hongmei knew the road and had not lost her way yet, so she gave her a few instructions and returned home.

As a result, Hongmei was knocked down by a man in the cornfield on the way back. Hongmei was not born to yell. Her voice was not loud, she just yelled hesitantly: Rogue, Rogue, I want to tell you Mom, I'm not ashamed of you...

Hongmei is very strong. An ordinary man might have let her break free, but this man is the youngest son of the blacksmith in the village. He is over thirty years old and has not yet married. This man was full of energy. He went to take off Hongmei's clothes with two pairs of plier-like hands with his arms bare. When he took off Hongmei's pants, he realized that Hongmei had peed her pants.

The man instantly felt very disappointed and let go of Hongmei. Before leaving, he threatened Hongmei not to tell her family, otherwise... he would say vicious words, and he knew in his heart that no one would believe what this silly girl said.

Hongmei picked some jujubes and returned home with her pants wet. Someone told her mother on the way: Your child peed her pants on the road. Her mother stared at the bicycle and picked her back up, scolding her all the way.

Hongmei blushed, lowered her head and showed the movements of blacksmithing with her hands. Her brother gathered a group of buddies to beat the blacksmith's son that day, and even alerted the police station.

The countryside is a acquaintance society , and it is also an environment where human nature collides most intensely. People's hearts are equally sinister, and human nature is difficult to withstand the test. Often the fruits of evil will take root and germinate at the slightest thought.

There are some gangsters in the village who will take advantage of Hongmei when there is no one at home and take advantage of Hongmei when buying things. Although Hongmei is stupid, she can tell the price of everything after so many years of hearing and seeing.

Sometimes my mother would boldly leave her to look at the store for a while when she had something to do. I also occasionally saw some unlearned young people in the village teasing Hongmei. Whenever I saw it, I would chase them away, but there are often rumors about some hooligans in the village. Rhetoric.

They proudly said: When there was no one at her house, I went to buy cigarettes. I stuffed money into her skirt. This silly girl was still looking for money. I even touched her butt. She thought Money in the ass. After saying that, the big guy laughed.

A few gangsters went to watch Hongmei go to the toilet. They ran in unscrupulously and pretended to be panicked and said to Hongmei: I seem to have dropped my money in the toilet.

When I heard this, I felt sorry for Hongmei. How could these people be so shameless and rogue?

Whenever I hear these words, I will feel that this is a filthy place. I swear if I see them bullying Hongmei, I will beat them up.

Hongmei would not cry even when she was bullied. Ever since she was thrown into the cornfield by the blacksmith's son, she no longer went to the wild, nor did she go far away. At that time, there were also cases of missing children in the village, some Abduction and trafficking of women also happened from time to time, but Hongmei simply didn't let these people focus on her.

What troubles her family is that Hongmei, who is in her twenties, still cannot get married.

There is an old saying: Only men who cannot marry a wife have never heard of a leftover girl.

This is the truth. Hongmei is so beautiful that she can’t get married, but many matchmakers introduce people to blind, deaf-mute, dementia, and stupid people. They need an arm or a back. Although the other person’s family conditions are good, but Hongmei’s parents were unwilling.

As time goes by, Hongmei will be twenty-five years old.

Hongmei also got married this year, but who would have thought that the marriage would be so short-lived.

At that time, free love in rural areas was still a fashionable word. Finding a partner was basically through blind dates. Men were married when they were young, women were married when they were young, and parents ordered matchmakers.

The whole process of blind date is not complicated. The man and woman are introduced by a matchmaker and usually meet at the home of the introducer. Most of the introducers are matchmakers, but matchmakers are not the only ones who can do it. Who is the introducer and who is responsible in the end.

The man is responsible for buying melon seeds and sugar. Melon seeds and sugar are generally necessary at weddings and also symbolize joy. The introducer cleans the house and prepares tea, but the woman does not need to buy anything.

The man and woman meet in the introducer's house. Generally, one of the parents of both men and women will be present. Then everyone eats some melon seeds and some sweets, and chats. When the mouth is dry, drink some tea and water. Finally, everyone They all walked away knowingly, leaving the man and woman to talk to each other.

If both men and women are satisfied, they will have endless things to talk about and have many topics to talk about. If one party is dissatisfied, then it will just take time to deal with the matter and end it hastily.

In the end, both men and women have to give their opinions to the introducer, whether they like the other person, what are the reasons for not liking the other person, etc. Finally, the introducer will notify both parties of the result.

Young people will remember the good intentions of the introducer when they are dating. Of course, if something goes wrong after the introduction is successful, the introducer will inevitably complain, and some complaints may last a lifetime.

Everyone in the village knew about Hongmei's situation at that time, and the matchmaker found it difficult for Hongmei to find a suitable family.

But there was a man who saved the matchmaker a lot of trouble. He came to the matchmaker's house carrying ten pounds of eggs and said directly: I have fallen in love with the daughter of Lao Wang's family in the canteen. Can you please be my introducer?

This man is Chen Fei, Hongmei and I’s common classmate.

I once asked Chen Fei: Why did you marry Hongmei?

Chen Fei said: I like her. I have liked this silly girl since I was a child. I haven’t seen her for so many years, but she has become so beautiful.

"Then why don't you want him anymore." My tone was a little stiff.

Chen Fei frowned, his expression was serious and helpless.

Chen Fei lit up a cigarette: I still like her, but I can't help it.

At that time, Chen Fei had just returned home from abroad and had reached the age of marriage. Chen Fei wanted to marry Hongmei despite the opposition of his family, who could not overcome his temper.

After Chen Fei came back, he often stayed at Hongmei's store for the whole day. He liked to look at Hongmei. Hongmei talked very little. A few days ago, she would say: Chen Fei, you are here. When she saw Chen Fei later, she lowered her head speechlessly, and her face quickly turned red.

Chen Fei is not an honest person and has dated several partners. His parents are not economical. If I were a matchmaker, I would not introduce Hongmei to him.

Mother asked Hongmei: Do you like him? Will you be his wife?

After listening to her mother's words, Hongmei lowered her head, her face flushed. She didn't speak but nodded under her mother's repeated questioning.

In the past, when a matchmaker came to introduce a partner to her daughter, she would often explain the man's situation to her daughter, and then ask her daughter if she wanted to, but her daughter ignored her every time. She knew in her heart what being a daughter meant, and she could see everything as a mother. Come out, she doesn't want to force it on her.

She knew Chen Fei well, but she was a little worried. She was even more afraid that her daughter would be wronged in the past, and that Chen Fei's parents would dislike her.

She had said these words to Chen Fei, but Chen Fei just said nonchalantly: Don't worry, Hongmei is just stupid. We grew up together and we are childhood sweethearts. I will not dislike her.

Chen Fei's parents sighed, perhaps as people who had experienced this, they had already foreseen the outcome of their impulsive son.

Weddings in rural areas are not complicated. As long as both parties agree on a date, the process will not be described one by one. One of the most important procedures is that two days before the wedding, songs and operas must be played for two consecutive days. Speakers are placed on the roof, and three or four speakers are played in all directions, usually from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will stop for a few hours at noon.

The singing was so loud that the whole village could hear it, and the singing seemed to tell everyone to share the joy of the young couple.

Hongmei put on her wedding dress that day, which was probably the most beautiful moment in her life, and also the most unforgettable moment for her. She was speechless throughout the wedding day, but I could see that her expression was relaxed, and her demeanor was full of girlishness. shy.

I told Hongmei before the banquet: If you want to be happy, we will help you if someone bullies you.

There are still many words in my heart that I haven't said yet... I hope Chen Fei can understand.

Hongmei smiled at me and said: Monitor, I listen to you.

I didn't drink too much on the day of their wedding. I hope I can see Hongmei's happiness soberly. Chen Fei drank too much, but Hongmei's face was always red, and she also drank a little wine.

Hongmei was kicked back to her parents' home by her mother-in-law the next day. It was said that the bride would not return to her parents' home until the third day. Hongmei's mother-in-law was still yelling at her along the way. When they arrived at her parents' home, both parties also started to curse.

The two in-laws spitted and even started to fight, and the curses on both sides were very unpleasant. It was impossible to say these words. Hongmei went to help her mother beat her mother-in-law, and the two sides became chaotic.

There are different opinions on the reasons, but Grandma Hongmei always sticks to one point: This child doesn’t understand anything. He doesn’t know where to poop or pee. How can he still be a human being?

The news spread, and everyone said that Hongmei pooped under the quilt in the morning, which scared Chen Fei to death. After this quarrel, the relationship between the two parties was completely deadlocked. Chen Fei had mixed feelings in his heart, and he did not Picked up the red plum. His parents also broke off the engagement for him.

This news became a joke among the villagers, but I couldn’t laugh at this joke. I thought of Hongmei’s blushing face. How could her happiness be so fleeting?

I have become alienated from Chen Fei since then. Every time I pass by his house, I look at him with disdain.

How could Hongmei be like that on the bed? It might be that she had a bad stomach on the wedding day, or she might have caught a cold. This was not her intentional behavior.

Mother asked Hongmei why she was in bed that day... Hongmei shook her head, blushed and said apologetically: My stomach hurts, I can't help it.

Hongmei’s marriage only lasted for one day and ended like this. I don’t know what this day’s change felt like for Hongmei, and I don’t know whether she was sad or sad in her heart. At least judging from her expression that day, It's hard to see.

Hongmei is still the same, she speaks very little and has no expression, as if this marriage has never bothered her, and the harm this marriage has caused her does not seem to have touched her at all.

Later she fell in love with listening to music. After returning to her parents' home, she became obsessed with music. She would listen to it all day long with her MP3 player.

You want to ask me whether Hongmei will be sad or cry? Is she a cold-blooded animal without emotions? My answer: Of course not.

all say she is stupid, but in my opinion she just hasn't found the right person to treat her.

I rarely saw Hongmei cry when I was a child. She was not the only child who peed her pants, but she never cried. I only saw her cry when the teacher hit her, but I can’t remember what it looked like. . After

's engagement was annulled, Hongmei's parents also gave up on letting her get married again. This time, the old couple failed to find a husband for their daughter, but instead they had an enemy in the village. They were worried and their wrinkles were a little deeper. They could only sigh, but there was nothing they could do.

Something happened later. It was the first time I saw Hongmei crying clearly. Her tears seemed to be uncontrollable, although her sadness could not be seen from her expression.

But her tears penetrated deep into my bones.

If tragedies are always repeated in a family, then the so-called misery of life will be like this. Compared with that failed marriage, this incident may make the seeds of Hongmei's heartache sprout in her heart.

One year after Hongmei's engagement was broken off, her brother died unexpectedly. That day he had a car accident while riding his motorcycle on the way to get off work. He also promised to buy his sister a fashionable mobile phone, which can not only listen to music, take pictures, but also make phone calls. Plant a cell phone.

Hongmei has some expectations. She likes to listen to music. Apart from singing, the phone is not of much use to her because she has no one to call.

I don’t know what her immediate reaction was when she heard the news of her brother’s death. Who can imagine what her expression was like?

When young people die in rural areas, the process is basically simplified. Generally, they are buried on the same day after the matters are handled. I was helping on the day

was buried. I paid special attention to the condition of my classmate Hongmei. Everyone was busy and no one in the crowd paid attention to her.No one would think that she should be sad. Maybe she was heartless and stupid. That was everyone's impression of her.

I was upset that day and did not catch up with the funeral procession. The noise of the crowd dispersed and the house was very quiet. Hongmei’s parents were checking accounts in the house. According to the custom here, parents cannot send their children off for the last journey.

Hongmei was hiding in her room. I walked into Hongmei's room. She looked up at me and then lowered her head.

I saw clear tears on her cheeks, and I comforted her and said: Hongmei, your brother will always protect you.

She nodded, tears burst out again, flowing along the dried traces.

I wanted to hug her, comfort her, but I didn't do that. She didn't go crazy hysterically, let alone cry in pain. She just shed tears calmly.

I hoped that she could cry loudly and release her inner sadness, but she didn't.

I walked out of Hongmei's room. She looked at me. Her eyes were very red. She turned her eyes to the window and looked at it for a long time, and she was quietly in a daze.

Shortly after Hongmei’s brother passed away, her sister-in-law also left with her child in her arms, leaving Hongmei and her parents alone at home.

The old couple had to go on with their lives even though they were sad. They adopted their nephew as their son, and also to provide for themselves until they die.

There is nothing wrong with adopting a nephew as a son, but sometimes I wonder: What will happen to Hongmei in the future? Who will care about her in the future?

I wish that Hongmei could have an older sister, so that she would have a companion in the future. Hey...

I went out to work for two years and never came back. Then it was a hot summer, so At that time, I just returned home from working in other places. The first thing I did when I returned to the village was to buy some ice cream to relieve the heat.

I thought of Hongmei and her small shop. I saw Hongmei still sitting on the broken stool that she often sat on. The sun was very poisonous that day, and the sun was still shining on her. She was not wearing a hat, and Instead of hiding in the shade, I thought of the girl who was sunburned in the sun many years ago. Now Hongmei's skin has been tanned again, and her hair has become a mess. This person is sloppy, unkempt, and beautiful. It seems that he has nothing to do with her anymore.

She was holding a mobile phone in her hand, with a long earphone cable plugged into it. She was listening to music and shaking her head from time to time, as if the melody inside was controlling her.

I didn't say hello to her, nor did I go in to buy anything. My heart suddenly felt very cold, I was a little out of breath, and felt very depressed.

The girl who was basked in the sun many years ago has not changed. She is still a red plum. Nothing has changed. The sun is still the same sun. Sun, I want to ask you, if you shine on her and she does not hide, do you shine on her? What about the direction?

Hongmei doesn't like to look up. She has lost communication with the sky, and she has nothing to say to the sun.

She still likes to listen to music. When she sees me, she will still smile and say: Monitor.

I shouted: Hongmei, please come into the house, it’s too sunny.

She laughed and I wanted to cry.

(picture from the Internet)