There is still a lot of land to be planted in the old Feng family. The whole family transplanted the watermelon seedlings into the fields one by one. " Yimin, I plan to go to the south in a few days to buy some in-demand goods and sell them in our provincial capital. Why are you looking at me like that? Yes, I just want to be a self-employed person."
Feng Yimin couldn't believe his ears, what did he hear? His father is already an old man. He wants to be self-employed, and still has to go to the south to buy goods. He, a strong young man, almost lost a lot of weight when he went to the south. His father is so old. If something happens to him, then he will feel so guilty.
Without thinking, he shook his head and said, "Dad, how can this be done? Being self-employed is too hard, and going to the south is even harder. How can I let you go and do this?"
"Why can't you let me go? Then tell me, which is not as hard as farming and going to sea? At least you don't have to work hard to be a self-employed person. Isn't it just going to the south? I can still do it."
Feng Yimin also knew that his father was stubborn and wanted to be a self-employed person. That was his father decision and he couldn't say much, so he looked at Mrs. Feng with a look of asking for help and said, "Mom, you also help me persuade Dad, he's so old. Isn't it good just to stay at home? How can you feel at ease when you go out?"
The old lady Feng was of the same mind as her old man, and she stared at Feng Yimin and said, "Yimin, your dad is doing this for our family. Your dad is still strong, if you have any prospects your dad doesn't have to work hard."
Feng Yimin felt sour in his heart. He was also a father. Of course, he knew his father's thoughts. Thinking of his father's old bones, he was still working hard for this family. His eyes were slightly red, and he had a lot of words in his heart. I wanted to say it, but I couldn't say it. Thousands of words only turned into an affectionate cry: "Dad."
"What did you ask me to do?" Old Man Feng caught a glimpse of his son's stupid look, and closed his eyes with some disgust, and said, "I'm not doing this just for you, I'm doing this for our Mengmeng. Her eldest brother and second brother are Male dolls that can fight on their own, but it is not easy for female dolls. Mengmeng is so delicate and white. I am not willing to let her grow up to farm and put down a basket. I will save her dowry money now. When she gets married in the future, she will have money to use, and you don't need to be angry with others. Even if didn't marry, she can live comfortably. So don't pursue me anymore. All the money I make will be reserved for Mengmeng. Yes, none of you are allowed to even lay a hand on it."
"Dad, look at what you said, you said that you want to leave it to Mengmeng, that's Mengmeng. If those two stinky boys dare to grab them, I will break their legs and throw them out." Feng Yimin was so moved that he wanted to cry. Isn't it all because of him? When the family split up, he took the lead. Both his parents and his mother were good at farming in the sea. They helped their family over the years, so he was able to live the most prosperous lives among the three brothers. They were really nice to him. The more Feng Yimin thought about it, the more moved he felt. If Mrs. Feng knew about his idea, he would definitely say that he was thinking too much.
Old Man Feng saw that he was stunned for a long time and didn't speak, and he didn't care about him. He just patted the table and said, "That's my decision. I'll go to the south to buy goods in two days."
Why are you so anxious? Feng Yimin raised his head and said worriedly, "Dad, it's too hard to go to the south. You can't go alone."
Old Man Feng touched his chin and said proudly, "I'm not going alone, and the old stone will also go with me."
Feng Yimin was so shocked that he was stunned on the spot. It seemed that Guangming went to the south and his mind became more active. The old man in his family was also persuaded. The two old men together were over one hundred years old. Self-employed? Not to mention his father's age, he doesn't even have such courage, his wife is so powerful, he really deserves to be his father.
Regardless of whether Feng Yimin agrees or not, the matter of his father going to the south is settled like this. He has to try his best to explain to his father what to pay attention to along the way, and where to buy the in-demand goods, one by one. He had to explain everything to his father, because he was afraid that his father would suffer a loss when he went to the south if he didn't know the place well.
Old Man Feng and Old Man Zhang became anxious. It was like the old house was on fire. After two days, they decided to go to the south and set off in time for their family's farewell early in the morning. .
Before leaving, old man Feng still hugged Mengmeng and said, "Grandpa is going to make money for you. Mengmeng should remember to think of grandpa at home."
"Well," Mengmeng nodded obediently, and put a small pebble into Old Man Feng's hand and said, "For grandpa."
"Okay, we Mengmeng are the best." Feng old man touched the pebble like a treasure, stuffed it into the pocket of his underwear, and set foot on the road with food stamps and a letter of introduction. up the mountain road.
On this day, Feng Yimin went to the commune, and when he came back, he turned on the village radio and said, "Everyone in Taoyuan Village, whether you are at the seaside or in the fields, put down your work and listen to me. Each family will send a representative to the brigade for a meeting and urgently convey the order of the superior. Each family sent a representative to the brigade for a meeting, did you hear it clearly? Come now."
The sound of the broadcast made the villagers explode. They didn't know what was going on, so they quickly sent one person from each family to the brigade, and the whole village was there in a short time.
Seeing that there were people whispering in the darkness below, Feng Yimin took out a loudspeaker and said, "Everyone be quiet and listen to me. After everyone goes back today, they should clean all the corners of the house and the roads in the village. After a while, the person I named will stand up..."
Before Feng Yimin's words were finished, the people in the village all shouted, "Village chief, what's going on? Why do you have to clean up all of a sudden?"
Feng Yimin held a loudspeaker and said with a particularly happy smile: "Today I went to the commune for a meeting, and the leader assigned a task to our village. A reporter from the United States will visit us. Do you know what tourism is? Foreigners go out to play and see the scenery. Our Taoyuan Village has good scenery. The leaders want us to prepare for the American reporters that will come and visit our village. This is a political task. So, you should all go. Make sure to clean every nook of your house & the road. Don't lose face to our Taoyuan village."
"Wow!" The people in the village were shocked, as if they had been struck by lightning. Is there a foreigner coming to their village? Or an American journalist? They have never seen what foreigners look like in their entire lives. I heard that foreigners all look like monsters.
A villager said worriedly: "Village chief, what should we do if we don't speak their language? We can't act like a mute. If a foreigner wants to ask something and we can't answer it, I will be ashamed. Have you been thrown abroad?"
Feng Yimin waved his hand and said without worrying: "Don't worry, I have met this foreigner, and I have spoken to him. He can speak Mandarin, and he speaks better than us, so you don't have to worry about talking. Son, the leader also provided him with an interpreter, you just need to remember, don't lose the face of our village, such as the dirty and messy things in the house, please clean up for me quickly, the American reporter said, when the time comes Take pictures of our village, if it can be published in foreign newspapers, then people all over the world will know about our Taoyuan Village, do you think it doesn't matter?"
Hearing what the village chief said, the people in the village were even more shocked. Good guy, now he is going to become famous and go abroad, and people all over the world can know what a glorious thing this is. The leaders are so kind to them. Now, such a good thing was left in Taoyuan Village. They must perform well, and they must not embarrass the leaders or discredit Taoyuan Village.
After listening to Feng Yimin's arrangement, the villagers' hearts were full of enthusiasm, and they rushed home. Soon the whole family knew that an American reporter was coming to their village, and they were both excited. As if he had been beaten with blood, he cleaned all the corners of the house that afternoon, and also turned out the best clothes in the house, waiting for the American reporter to come, so that he could put them on.
Feng Yimin's family was even more busy, because their house was hosting American reporters. When Mrs. Feng heard about it, she was so excited that she almost fainted. She finally had a chance to see foreigners, so she quickly vacated the best room in the house, and specially washed the quilts and sheets and put them in the yard to dry.
The adults were busy, and the little dolls were not idle either. Several brothers ran to the mountain and dug up a lot of wild flowers, which were planted in the yard and outside the yard under the command of Mengmeng. The little dolls in the village saw and felt This method was good, and they all went to the mountains to dig wild flowers and planted them at home.
On the day when the American reporter came, the elementary school students in the village all put on their most decent clothes, held two bouquets of flowers in their hands, and stood in two rows at the intersection of the mountain, looking forward to the arrival of foreigners. They had already rehearsed. , the moment you see foreigners, you will shout in unison: "Welcome, welcome, warm welcome."
After waiting for a long time, a few people finally appeared on the other side of the mountain road. Among them was a foreigner with yellow hair and blue eyes. He looked like he was in his thirties. He was taller and taller than many people in the village. A lot taller, this foreigner is still carrying a big bag, almost as tall as his people.
Seeing him, the people in the village were stunned. It turns out that foreigners look like this. The eyes, nose and mouth are different from theirs. The hair is still yellow and it seems to shine. No wonder they are foreigners. Sure enough He looks like a monster, you look at his blue eyes, as if the vortex in the sea is going to suck people in. Seeing that the people in the village don't dare to look at it, for fear of being sucked in by him.
The villagers bowed their heads and whispered there, forming a buzzing sound, and then the village chief raised his voice and said to everyone: "American reporters are here, everyone is welcome."
Those elementary school students were the first to react, waving their bouquets and shouting loudly: "Welcome, warm welcome, welcome welcome, warm welcome..."
When a few people approached, Feng Yimin turned on the loudspeaker and said, "Folks, this is a reporter from the United States. His name is Henry. The two next to him are Translator He and Officer Lei. Everyone applauds."
In the warm applause, American reporter Henry took the horn from Feng Yimin's hand and said with a particularly happy smile: "Hello, comrades, your place is beautiful, I like it here, and it's a pleasure to meet you."
When the villagers heard Henry's Mandarin speaking so well, they couldn't believe it. After reacting, they all gave thumbs up and said, "The foreign comrades are polite and speak Mandarin better than ours, so how are you, Henry? , welcome to our village."
His translator is a staff member assigned to the province, and he has no use here. He didn't care much. After clearing his throat, he said to Feng Yimin, "Comrade Feng, Mr. Henry is too tired to come here, so hurry up and find someone else. A place for him to rest."
"Oh, just stay at my house, let's go, I'll take you there." Feng Yimin walked over to help Henry with his luggage, but he refused, and a few people walked along the village road to the old Feng's house, Feng Yimin pushed away long ago The prepared room said: "This is the best room in the house. The bedding and sheets have been washed and dried. Mr. Henry is welcome and treats this as his home."
Henry put down his backpack and saw the rudimentary furnishings in the room, as well as the blue cloth sheets on the bed, as if he had returned to more than ten years ago. China at that time was not much different from China now. He smiled. He nodded and said, "Thank you, it's fine here."
They came just in time for dinner. Madam Feng and Su Wan were preparing dinner at home. They set up tables and chairs in the main room. At first, they wanted to eat separately. It doesn't matter if we eat together, Mrs. Feng will be together. She hasn't eaten with foreigners before, so she put two tables together and brought the cooked meals to the table.
Henry came out with a camera and was a little surprised to see the meal prepared by the old Feng family. It was full of big fish and meat. The fish was freshly caught from the sea. There is also a plate of big red peaches, which is very attractive to look at. What is even more amazing is that there is a glass of coconut milk with ice cubes in front of everyone.
Seeing the ice cubes in the coconut milk, Henry said with interest, "Old lady, do you still have a refrigerator at home?"
Madam Feng already knew that this foreigner could speak Mandarin, she covered her mouth with a smile and said, "It's not a refrigerator, it's an ice drink machine made in the United States, do you want to have a look? Take you to the kitchen."
Madam Feng opened the kitchen and let Henry in. Seeing him bending over to study the ice drink machine carefully, she also opened the iron box in the middle to take a look. She couldn't help but said curiously, "Didn't you eat this every time? You don't have to watch it, the machine has no electricity, and the ice cubes are gone."
Henry didn't expect to see an American-made machine in this remote small fishing village. He smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, Americans love to eat ice. Can I take pictures?"
The old lady Feng smiled and said, "Come on, shoot, I'll just say, this machine must be authentic American-made, you can see that everyone in the United States said yes."
Henry finished taking the photos, and then went back to the main room to start eating. Dawa and Erwa sat opposite Henry, flushed with excitement. It was the first time they saw a foreigner when they grew up. If Feng Yimin had not warned them in advance not to lose face, They didn't know how to put their hands and feet together. Among so many people, only Mengmeng was still like a normal person. She should eat and drink, but her big eyes raised from time to time betray her curiosity.
That night, Henry, a reporter from the United States, fell into a dream after listening to the frogs in the village. The next day he got up before the sun came out. He took a camera and ran to the beach to take pictures of the sunrise. The villagers hadn't seen enough of the foreigner Henry yesterday when he was picked up by the village chief. Now he came out by himself and gave everyone a chance to take a closer look. He didn't even go out to sea. Henry was surrounded and asked many questions by the villagers.
When the sun came out, all the people in the village ran out, and they surrounded Henry. They would follow Henry wherever he went, and watch him walk around the village to take pictures, as if he didn't want money. He even took pictures of all the villagers, so that the villagers happily praised him and said, "Henry, you are a bright person, you can take more pictures, and then they will be published in the foreign newspapers. You must say that this is our Taoyuan Village, okay?"
Henry nodded in a good-natured manner, and only then did the people in the village go home with satisfaction. They certainly did not embarrass the village. Seeing how clean the road was, even the houses by the road were full of flowers and plants. When Henry publishes the photo, their Taoyuan Village will definitely become famous.
Henry turned back to the Old Feng's house. Mengmeng had just woken up and finished eating. She was wearing a light blue tutu skirt, which made her little arms and calves white and tender, like a doll. Cute, it reminded Henry of his little daughter at once, squatted in front of Mengmeng, raised the camera and said, "Mengmeng, do you want to take a picture?"
Mengmeng looked at him, then looked at the camera in his hand, smiled with two small dimples and said, "Okay."
Henry took a few photos of Mengmeng, and a few older brothers also ran over to ask for a group photo. Henry asked them to stand in two rows in front of the stone house, and took them with a click.
After they finished shooting, Brother Rui raised his head and smiled politely and said, "Uncle Henry, take a picture for Mengmeng and me as well."
Henry looked at his short curly hair, with a few strands of broken bangs loose, and eyes like obsidian. When he smiled, he showed two small tiger teeth. He was the best little model who found a place among the wildflowers in the yard for them to lean together.
Henry squatted on the ground with a camera and said, "Come a little closer, a little closer, put your shoulders together, laugh."
Henry strolled in Taoyuan Village for two days, photographing the village, the sea, the farmland, the mountain road in Longling, the Dragon Bone Temple and the Mazu Temple. Before returning, he waved to Feng Yimin and said, "Feng Yimin , I will send the photos to you after I have finished printing them. Your village is really beautiful."
Feng Yimin waved goodbye to Henry, full of infinite gratitude and hope in his heart, and only hoped that Henry's photos could bring a different path to Taoyuan Village.