The plastic film covering the wooden lattice windows showed a dim light, and it was dawn. As soon as Lao Wu turned over, he slipped off the kang and put on his cotton jacket and trousers neatly.

A majestic and loud chicken crow came from the chicken shed in the backyard, and Feng Laowu woke up. The plastic film covering the wooden lattice windows showed a dim light, and it was dawn. As soon as Lao Wu turned over, he slipped off the kang and put on his cotton jacket and trousers neatly. In order to wait for his son, he never unbuttoned his clothes last night.

Feng Laowu walked out of the upper room, tightened the belt around his waist, and walked into the small courtyard. A light snow had fallen at night, and a thin layer of white snow sat in the tile ditch. The sky had cleared, and the waning moon at the end of the first lunar month hung on the top of the east plateau.

There was an iron lock hanging on the wooden door of the wing where my son lived. Lao Wu was shocked, where had he gone in Ye Hei?

If good things and bad things happen to happen together, it will make people particularly worried! Feng Laowu finally obtained a quota for a company-run factory from the commune secretary for his son who had returned from the army. Yesterday evening he returned home excitedly, but his wife told him that the society members meeting was held that afternoon and his son was elected as the team leader!

He pushed his wife out of the door and asked her to find her son!

My wife searched all over the village, in the front streets and back alleys, but there was no sign of her son.

Lao Wu finished his soup, sat down to smoke, and waited.

The rooster crows too much, but my son has not come back. He was so sleepy that he couldn't stand it anymore, so he lay down on the bed with his clothes on...

It was bright and quiet in the village. From the front street, there was the sound of brooms brushing the frozen land, swish, swish, swish -

The Spring Festival was over, and the team had not started work yet, so the farmers could sleep in the morning. Where can I find my son now? Knocking on someone's street door to ask about his son's whereabouts at night, how many illusions will it cause? He picked up a long bamboo broom and swept it from the courtyard to the street door. He opened the wooden bolts of the street door, stepped over the high threshold, and was preparing to clean the street, when a burst of laughter came from the river beach...

Lao Wu leaned on his broom and looked at a wisp of white snow on the beach. , dazzling, he squinted his eyes, concentrated his vision, and finally saw two or three figures dancing in the willow forest on the embankment. The chatter and laughter came from there to the village. He seemed to immediately have a premonition that his son was there. He listened carefully and finally caught his son's deep voice, which further confirmed his hunch.

Feng Laowu set his broom along the door frame, walked through the field in front of the door, left the field, and walked onto the dirt road leading to the river embankment.

The thin snow made a crunching sound underfoot.

Feng Laowu walked up the river embankment, but there was no one there. In the rainy season, wisps of faint blue firewood smoke drifted out of the tile-roofed houses where the embankment people lived.

Lao Wu walked into the small tile-roofed house. On the floor in the middle of the house, there was a huge pile of ashes of corn stalks. The unburned corn roots were shining with sparks and emitting blue smoke. On a stone next to the fire, there was a half-baked cornmeal bun...

He looked at the kang head again, and there was a newly ordered white paper book with a few words written on the cover. He could still read it: "Fengjiatan Third Team Committee." He opened the cover. What system was written on the first page, and what management methods were written on the next page. He smiled indifferently and threw the book back to its original place.

Feng Laowu immediately came out of the small tile-roofed house and walked onto the No. 3 Dam. He was surprised to see that at the head of the No. 2 Dam, his son, Feng Baozi, was washing his face with water in the ice cave with two young men.

These are the three cadres that his wife told him were elected at noon yesterday, and they boasted that they would make the third team rich in Haikou! After they finished washing, they stood up one after another. One of them probably spotted Lao Wu and pointed to his son, the tall man wearing only green and yellow velvet clothes. The son looked back and then walked towards the stone dam where his father was standing.

"Dad!" The son stood in front of him, a little unnatural, "You came here early in the morning..."

Feng Laowu asked deliberately: "What are you three doing here?"

"Meeting." The son said, "The third team management committee is meeting for the first time."

" Fengjiatan Village still can't let go of you three senior cadres? "Feng Laowu felt a little funny when he heard his son's serious tone, and said sarcastically, "It's such a secret! "

"It's quiet here, no disturbance! "The son still explained seriously. The two young men stood behind the leopard, facing each other, winking, pouting, and making faces, showing that they didn't buy it.

"Leopard, come here, I want to say something to you. "Feng Laowu called his son. He wanted to avoid the two annoying young men, "Just go home. "

" doesn't work! dad! "Leopard said, "I have a meeting! What kind of meeting is "

" holding? "

" member association. "

" What does it do to open a membership meeting? "

" studies this year's production, management and system. The son said, "The three of us put together a plan at night and wanted to discuss it with the members. "

Feng Laowu said coldly: "Don't worry about it yet! Do the cadres you elect comply with principles? Why don't you say hello to the branch? "

" When the election meeting was held, you went to the commune and couldn't find it anywhere, so you asked the deputy party secretary to participate. If you're not here, the deputy secretary can't be in charge? "

" will be discussed after the branch study. "Feng Laowu said.

"No, Dad! We decided last night after research. "Leopard begged, "You can't... let the first decision of our new team fail. "

" won't work. The branch will have to study it later. "Feng Laowu felt that in front of the two young men, the only way to hold back was to bring out the branch. He said sternly to his son, "Go back! I have something to say. "

The leopard stood there, with two thick black eyebrows pushing toward the bridge of his nose, forming two high bridges of flesh. He was silent, not looking at his father or the two companions. After a long time, he suddenly turned around and said to the two young men: "You two go back to the village and ring the bell! Have a meeting! "

Feng Laowu was dumbfounded and his face turned red. The son standing opposite him neither respected the branch nor his father. He was so crazy that he couldn't be decent! He was so angry that he couldn't speak. "You..."

The two young men got the leopard's order and ran down the river embankment. Before leaving, He deliberately rolled his eyes at Lao Wu: Let's see who is more powerful!

Leopard glanced at Lao Wu, ignored his father's change of mood, and yelled at the two young men:

"Er Niu, go ring the bell and greet each house; Ninba, go to the breeding room and clean up the venue!" "

Erniu and Ninwa turned around again and ran away.

It was dawn, and the egg-green color on the top of Dongshan Mountain became more and more translucent, and began to show bright and clean white light. The mountains, rivers, Nanyuan and Beiling have already shown clear outlines.

Feng Laowu was in the most irritating scene just now. At that moment, I wanted to walk away! Think about it, what should I do? He forced himself to endure it, squatting on the stone, and took out his cigarette pack.

Now, there were only his father and son on the empty and silent river embankment. Leopard walked up and said awkwardly: "Dad, you have to be considerate of me. I just took office. I am the first one." "

The son spoke sincerely, but Lao Wu didn't look at him.

There was silence for a while.

Feng Laowu lit up the cigarette, looked at his son, and said with hatred: "Do you know what I did in the commune yesterday? "

" knows. The son said calmly, "Find a way out for me." "

" Since you know, why do you still want to take the captain into your hands? "

" Dad, I told you, I don't want to go to a social enterprise! "My son said.

Oh my God! Feng Laowu was so angry that he couldn't speak again. If he hadn't been the branch secretary and tried to sell his old face in front of the commune secretary, would there be any work like your leopard? There are so many demobilized soldiers in the commune every year, and how many of them can work as workers in commune-run factories. He didn't want to go! What a tone! How high-minded! Lao Wu was so angry that he lost his mind and said something ugly: "The officers in the army have a good reputation, why don't you do it right? "

"You——" The son twitched in guilt and pain. He probably never thought that his father would use such unpleasant words to stimulate him.And he clearly knew that after seven years as the squad leader of the machine gun squad, he was pushed out by the son of an officer while he was being promoted...

"Dad!" The son walked up to him, crying, "Don't be angry with me! Do you know why I want to be this captain?"

Feng Laowu turned his head and looked at his son.

"For you!"

"For me?" Feng Laowu was surprised, inexplicable!

"For you." The son affirmed, "Do you know what the members think of you?"

"I have been a cadre for more than 20 years, and I have never stolen or robbed! Who has anything to say about me?" Feng Laowu said confidently, "Your son ...Hmph! "

"But when you started as a cadre, everyone was given enough food to eat. After working for more than 20 years, you can't have enough to eat! When I joined the army, I worked for 23 cents. When I came back from demobilization last year, I grew 7 cents or 30 cents!" said Leopard.

"It was the 'Gang of Four' who caused trouble and destroyed agricultural production..."

"It has been three years since the collapse of the 'Gang of Four'. You see how much the neighboring teams have changed! But our team is still the same. Now that the first month is over, I don't see anything happening in the branch! The members said, how long and how long can we earn the value of our thirty cents of work?" Baozi said.

Feng Laowu fell silent. Since his son came back last autumn, he has been worried about his son's future. He thinks little about things in the team, and he is not sure about them. There was just a general call in the commune, he didn't dare to make his own decisions! Who knows what to do?

"Dad! The club members say you are a good person." The son said, "But I don't have much hope for you."

had to admit that what his son told was the truth. Feng Laowu himself had already sensed this.

"You go to the community-run factory, and I'll put your brothers in place! I'm stepping down! I didn't want to be an empty party secretary!" Feng Laowu said, "I'm not here for you!"

"Dad! Big officials make big profits, and small officials make small profits. As a rural party secretary, you can only find a worker for your son in a cooperative factory!" Leopard said mockingly, " Where are the members?" At this point, Leopard became excited and raised his voice: "How many young men in our 20s and 30s have married here?"

Feng Laowu felt that his son's words were too harsh and said: "Don't brag! You haven't experienced the complexity of rural affairs. Yes, let’s talk about the third team. They have had 12 captains. No one can do it! Don't be nervous first! "

" I have learned about each of the 12 captains of the third team. "The son said confidently, "The three of us studied the gains and losses of the 12th captain yesterday and set rules for ourselves! "

"Think again! Don’t be blinded by your passion for a moment! By the time you regret it, it will be too late. Feng Laowu said, "The third team is in this mess, just because of the three of you?" Hum! Weigh it carefully! "

" We have considered it! You will never be blinder than you are now! Leopard said, "If there is no change in a year, I will never stay on stage!" "

The sound of two cows calling for a leopard came from the entrance to the village.

"Dad, I'm going to a meeting." Baozi said, "You should go and listen too. You are the party secretary and a member of the third team!"

"I won't go!" Feng Laowu said.

"You should go! Dad!" Baozi said, "We have come up with a new management method for the members, you will be surprised!"

"How... do you do it?" Feng Laowu was worried, "We must pay attention to the policy!" Baozi He had already left, and when he turned around, he said proudly:

"It's a big fuss! It's a bustling fuss! Let's make a fuss as long as we can keep the members fed and clothed!"

Feng Laowu watched his son walk down the river embankment, and walked towards the village.

The sun has just glowed, dyeing the peaks of the mountains red, and the snow is shining with dazzling colors.

Feng Laowu felt even colder, and a feeling of loneliness and sadness suddenly sneaked into his heart. What should I do?

1980.7.30Baqiao