That year, when I bumped into my aunt's secret, I kept my mouth shut for many years, but I didn't expect to achieve a happy ending
In the 90s of the last century, my hometown was not the prosperous scene it is today, the transportation was inconvenient, the information was blocked, and few villagers went out to work, but my cousin was an exception.
Li Suozhu, my cousin's name, a few years ago, he married his cousin Xiuqin, and the two had a chubby little boy. In order to improve the livelihood of his family, he traveled thousands of miles to work, only returning home once a year, and he was hardly seen in normal times.
There is an ancient well in the south of my hometown, the spring is continuous in all seasons, especially in the hot summer, when I get home, scoop a bowl of clear water that has just been drawn from the well, and drink a few sips of it, the feeling of being cool and penetrating is intoxicating.
Next to the ancient well, a thick piece of wood is horizontally placed on two half-human-high stone piers, and the roller is set at one end of the wood, which is aimed at the wellhead. Every morning from 5 o'clock in the morning until more than 9 o'clock in the evening, there is an endless stream of villagers carrying water from the ancient well.
Once there are more than three people waiting to carry water, there is usually a queue on a first-come, first-served basis, unless there are special circumstances. My house is near the ancient well, and every morning, while still asleep, I can hear the sound of the wheel turning and the flat pole carrying water, which accompanied me as I grew up.
In the summer, people waiting to carry water will sit under the grape trellis next to the ancient well to enjoy the shade and chatIn winter, although there are no chatting crowds under the grape trellises, there are still many people carrying water, so that the small stone slope not far from my house becomes slippery on a frozen day, and I will fall if I am not careful.
At that time, I was still a half-grown child in the family, and after school, when there was no one at noon, I would join in the ranks of carrying water, filling the water tank in the yard again and again.
One day at noon, I picked up a bucket of water as usual and prepared to go to the ancient well to fetch water. When I came to the ancient well, I saw my aunt squatting alone at the mouth of the well and looking down. There were three buckets and two pairs of buckets on the edge of the well, and I guessed that my aunt's bucket might have fallen into the well.
Auntie. I greeted her from afar.
The cousin turned around and said with a smile, "It's Zhijun!."”
What's wrong, auntie?Did the bucket fall into the well?I'm going to find someone to help you get it, shall I?”
No need, your cousin went down the well. ”
Hearing this, I put down the flat burden in my hand and squatted at the mouth of the well to look down. The well is about ten meters deep, and I vaguely saw a man pedaling on the stone crack of the well wall, holding the well wall with both hands, and moving down cautiously.
Looking at the moss-covered, inconspicuous well wall, my heart suddenly rose to my throat, this is really a technical job, if it is not bold and careful, who dares to go down, the slightest carelessness may fall.
Auntie, why don't you find a long rod with an iron hook?I asked her casually.
I found it, but it was useless, the bucket was filled with water and sank to the bottom of the well, and it was not easy to salvage. ”
As she spoke, the cousin stood up and was about to leave. I told her I had it at home, and I went get it. With that, I rushed home, put on the hook, and by the way, took a rope, and soon returned to the ancient well.
The hook was six meters long, tied to the rope and went down, and the cousin caught it at the mouth of the well, and at this time, the cousin had already come to the ground. He shouted at it, "Go find a long rod with an iron hook." ”
The cousin answered, stood up and prepared to leave. I immediately smiled at her and told her that I had it at home and that I would get it. I left the ancient well as soon as I smoked it, ran home, put on the hook, and by the way, took a rope, and soon returned to the ancient well.
The hook is six meters long, tied the rope and went down, my cousin caught it, and when I saw this, my aunt looked at me, patted me on the shoulder with satisfaction, and praised me for thinking so thoughtfully. Uncle Cousin kicked his legs on the crack in the stone at the bottom of the well, and tried to find the bucket again and again at the bottom of the well with both hands, and after a while, there was the sound of water bubbles churning at the bottom of the well, and the bucket was hooked.
He crept up to the ground cautiously, looking wet from top to bottom, with droplets of water in his hair and mud on his back and trouser legs. He sat down at the base of the wall, lit a cigarette, rested for a while, and told me that the well was muddyed and that it would take an hour or two to fetch water. There was no way, so we went back to our respective homes and left the ancient well temporarily.
Uncle Cousin is a middle-aged widowed man, usually quiet, I didn't expect him to be so warm-hearted. In my heart, admiration for him arose.
In the village, some of the residents go to school, some work, and some do small business outside the home. Usually, everyone's letters are stored in the village supply and marketing cooperative, this "mailbox" is actually a wooden basket, open, not locked, anyone can go to look through it.
One day at noon, the other children went to the small river outside the village to catch fish, and I was too lazy to go, so I thought about buying a compass at the supply and marketing cooperative. As soon as I entered the door, I saw that the "mailbox" in the corner of the supply and marketing cooperatives was full of letters. I found that someone was rummaging, so I stepped forward to join in the fun, but I didn't expect to find a letter from my cousin. So, I copied it and decided to surprise my cousin.
The fence of my aunt's house was empty, so I pushed it open and went out into the yard. Seeing that the yard was extremely quiet, I stood in the yard and shouted a few times, for fear that she wouldn't hear it during her lunch break.
After a few minutes, my cousin pushed the door open and asked me why I was in such a hurry to find her. I suddenly realized that she might be on her lunch break and was disturbed by me, so I grinned at her and held up the envelope in my hand and waved it.
Suddenly, Uncle Chang De walked out of the house with a wrench in his hand. Seeing me standing in the yard, he nodded at me, saying that the bicycle was broken and he wanted to borrow a wrench to use it, and left first.
I froze where I was, then handed the envelope to my cousin, turned around and prepared to go out.
My aunt probably noticed the change in my demeanor, she took the envelope from my hand, followed me to the door, grabbed my arm, and said to me, "Boss, my aunt has something to tell you." ”
Auntie, just tell me if there's anything going on. ”
That, boss, my aunt wants to say, you are still young, what you see may not be what you think, don't go out and talk nonsense. ”
Isn't it normal to borrow a wrench?Ah, I see, my aunt doesn't want people to misunderstand. I nodded at her and hurried out of her house.
Actually, Aunt Cousin is usually quite good, she is a warm-hearted person, she is beautiful, and she pays attention to dressing up, especially the relationship with my family is really good, and she often walks around when she has nothing to do.
I remember when she just married her cousin, there was a hole in the room at night, and my cousin's friends who usually played well made them happy, I sat in the corner of the wall stupidly to watch the excitement, looking at her charming appearance in a red dress, I was stupidly guilty of nymphomaniac, and I really thought that when I grew up, I would also find a gentle and beautiful woman like my cousin to be my daughter-in-law.
Later, my cousin went out to make money, and my aunt supported the whole family by herself, and during the day she had to work in the fields like men from other families, sometimes it didn't rain, and she had to line up to water the fields at night, which was really not easy for a woman.
After dinner, the neighbors sat under the big willow tree at the edge of the village and chatted, talking about their aunts, there was no one who did not praise, saying that such a flower-like little daughter-in-law actually married an honest cousin, and after marriage, she was not afraid of hardship or tiredness, and she kept the family in good order.
That night, I went down to the field with my father to water the field, and seeing that it was late at night, my father thought that I would have to go to school the next day, so he asked me to go home and rest.
Who is my aunt talking to?Out of curiosity, I turned around and walked to the head of her house, and in the moonlight, I saw Uncle Changde helping her water the wheat field, and my aunt was talking to him. Seeing this, I think Uncle Chang De is really good-hearted, considering that there is no helper at my aunt's house, it is a hand to take the time to help.
After experiencing the incident of meeting Uncle Changde at her house, and later meeting Uncle Changde to help her harvest wheat, I also kept my promise, and then did not say a word about the things I encountered, although I was not very old at that time, but I could realize that a sentence can become a family, and a sentence can also destroy a family. This is how it passed, and the days passed peacefully.
After many years, I also grew up, and I took an engineering team to work everywhere, and a few years later I bought a house and a family in the city. Over the years, I've been home less and less, and sometimes I think back to my youth.
When I got out of the car, she happily took my hand and asked me to make time to sit at her house and chat with my uncle whenever I wanted. Actually, I also have this intention, over the years, I have been away from home, and my family has been helped by my cousins and aunts.
The day after I returned home, I came to my cousin's house, my cousin also looked old, his temples were gray, his hair was thinning, but he was in good spirits, and he was very happy to see me, so he pulled me and said, "You don't come back easily, our uncle and nephew have a drink today." As he spoke, he called Aunt Tang to hurry up and stir-fry.
Uncle Cousin didn't go out to work a few years ago, but now, he and his aunt take care of the family's affairs together, Uncle Cousin has contracted all the farm work in the family, and Aunt Cousin is much more relaxed, I heard that his son is about to get married, and then look at their loving appearance, I am really happy for them. There is a saying that "young couples come together in old age." "That's true.
The past is like the wind, let it pass in the past, some things we have seen and encountered, more tolerance and love, maybe we will see a better ending, for example, cousins and aunts.