vines and melons

Chapter 20

Guizhi is very good at tidying up, showing off Fang Jie's fancy dress, and dressing Fang Qiong in her arms cleanly.She is often regarded as a blessed person, and she is often gossiped and commented on, saying that Guizhi looks like a rich man at first sight.

The ignorant Fang Jie also has a little pride standing in the crowd of children, because she wears plastic sandals, leather shoes, and a double-breasted coat that others can't afford, and eats milk candy that other children can't eat. , when the little friend looked at her eagerly, she would smack her mouth twice on purpose, and then slapped again for fear that the pocket was really gone.She didn't lie, she really didn't.In fact, she can only eat it in the few days when her father comes back. Every time her father comes back, he will buy her a small bag of nougat.

In mid-November 1970, Fang Jie was eating milk candy and playing in the courtyard. The postman called Zhang Guizhi at the door. As soon as she heard the postman call her mother’s name, she knew it was her father who had sent a letter. She jumped and ran to the door. , with a shiny beige plexiglass hairpin on his head, and two braids tied with red hair ropes, looking complacent.Every time she receives a letter from her father, she feels a sense of pride and happiness.

Letters are delivered once every half a month, and twice a month. For several years, the postman has known Fang Jie. If it is an ordinary letter, he asks Fang Jie to take it away.

Now, the postman said to Fang Jie, who came happily running over, "Little girl, this time is different, you must let your mother come!"

Fang Jie pouted with displeasure, turned around and called her mother.For some reason, she suddenly shouted a little anxiously, maybe the attitude of the postman was different from usual.

Gui Zhi, who was washing clothes in the kiln, heard Fang Jie's urgency, quickly shook off the water on his hands, stood up, lifted his apron and wiped his hands, went to get the seal, and said to himself: "This child doesn't know anything today. What's the rush!" Thinking in my mind, I shouldn't have received Fang Qing's letter today, it might be a remittance slip.Every time she received a remittance slip, she felt sorry for her husband who was frugal, and he was not willing to eat to help the family.

Fang Qingniang, who was in the kiln opposite, heard Fang Jie shouting, and asked, "Jie, did your father write again?"

Fang Jie replied casually, "Yes."

Seeing that it was a telegram, Gui Zhi waved Fang Jie in his heart to signal her to keep her voice down so as not to wake up her sister. Fang Jie stuck out her tongue to make a face, and dragged her mother's clothes out of the kiln door.

When Guizhi saw that it was the telegram, his heart tightened, and after a closer look, it read: Fang Qing is critically ill, hurry up!Her head fluttered and she became dizzy. In a trance, she hurriedly wrapped the telegram in her apron and walked home.

Seeing her mother's anxious look, Fang Jie teased her mother's apron, patted the apron twice, and said, "Hold it! Don't fall out."

(End of this chapter)