The Most Simple Wish

The sun hasn't risen yet. The village was shrouded in fog.

Just after the closing day, it's autumn. The stream outside dacha village is shallower, but no fish. A figure barefoot standing in the stream, looking at the endless stream upstream, water from the direction of rapid flow down. In the broad area of the stream, there is a beach like land stranded. In the narrow area of the stream, there is grass on both sides.

The figure of that road is thin and tall. Two legs reached into the mire deep in the stream. She has short black hair. It looks like it's chin length. It's thick and heavy. It's not messy in the wind. The girl looked back and looked down the river. In the empty morning, the shop outside the village was desolate. When she looked back, her cat's eyes were shining like jewels, and the center of the pupil overlapped with the pupil of the Green Peacock.

Qiuhe's grandmother said that she looks like her mother, and there is a trend that she is more and more like her mother, except that her mother, like Dai women, has traditional long hair. But she always prepared a pair of scissors. When her hair grew long, she went down to cut it. She said that she was resisting nothing too much. Mother and daughter's eyes are more like, and the proportion on the cheek is different from that of ordinary people. It takes a few more milliseconds to open and close your eyes than normal people.

Grandma also said that she was a different kind of Dai nationality. She liked to have short hair. When she was supposed to have good skin, she was not like a girl. She has made a compromise to fate, but she has to look forward to miracles all day long. Her life is different from the contradiction of Dai people.

"I do farm work every day. It's going to be tanned, of course After hearing this, Qiu He always retorts.

"People are born to work. Xiaoqiuhe should know this most. " Grandma turned her head to the direction of her tea terrace and looked at it. When she was young, she often went to the tea field, just like her granddaughter now. Help the family work day and night. She was also tanned when she was young, but when she carefully recalled her childhood, she could not find the contradiction of compromise and expectation of Qiuhe. In short, in her time, people were very pragmatic.

The old woman's thoughts went back to the sixties more than 40 years ago. In a trance, she looked at the small earthen house in the yard. The light and shadow of the times flow in her muddy gray eyes. She felt really old.

Qiu he stares at her grandmother with a slight boredom in her eyes. Grandmother's words must have been heard from grandfather. This is grandfather's life theory.

"When you are in a good mood, you have to bow your head. When you are in a bad mood, you have to resist. One has to constantly change his mind. Is it normal to have contradictions?" Qiu He always has his own theory. She also said that the temple is unfair and the Buddha does not help people. The traditional Buddhist culture of the Dai nationality is only passed on to the male Wazi. If the female Wazi is not asked to learn the Buddhist culture of the Dai nationality, she has no place to learn the characters. She has tried. She is not allowed to enter the temple. Otherwise, she would like to shave her hair and become a monk.

She doesn't care about what she looks like in other people's eyes, and she seldom decorates herself. She felt that people like her were walking in the dark and cold corner where the light could not reach, and they had to crawl hard. Because you can't shine on yourself, others won't notice your existence. There is no way to illuminate others. But at the same time, she realized another truth. After staying in a place without light for a long time, even the tiny light can bring her dazzling light.

She knows that in dacha village, there is a woman with the same fate as her. That person should be Dao Xiaotong. It wasn't until she found the Green Peacock in the depths of dacha mountain that she understood why Dao Xiaotong hugged her every time she saw her. Hold her tight in your arms. She later learned that when Dao Xiaotong hugged her, she was always conveying such a message: A Mei, there were only two of us left.

For people like them, what should be lost has been lost, and there is nothing to lose. They should put all their strength into the training brought by life, rather than other "metaphysical" things. However, this is just the words of Qiuhe's family. In her values, there are not too many changes in her life. Since she was born, she has been confined in a small tea field and family yard. She is the spiritual support of her grandparents. In a certain way, her grandparents have become her shackles. She never thought about breaking the shackles. This idea is very important to her life. Dancing under the starry sky is just a regulator after working. Crawling towards the light, it's just that she wants to make life wonderful without breaking the shackles. She thinks so anyway.

The other kids want to read and learn culture. In fact, she also wanted to, but her grandparents separated her ideal from reality. According to the theory, if the distance between ideal and reality is too big, she should naturally approach the reality. The children of dachacun primary school are eager for the outside world and get rid of reality, but she just wants to find her own value in reality. Knowing that this road is plain, she also needs to show all her enthusiasm... Spiritual support, spiritual support is shackles. Over time, it has become an unshirkable responsibility. She felt that way.

In fact, she also fantasized that at a certain moment when she woke up, there was a major turning point in her life. The original ordinary life changed its color. But she can't see or think of the way her established road will change direction. She seems to have seen the day when she is old, and she is still in the level of fantasy as she is now. At most, she can only comfort herself with spiritual wealth on the basis of reality, she looks for Green Peacock, she dances peacock dance, she constantly cuts her hair... She thinks that her life can only be like this, at least in her perception, she can't escape.

The last time I met Dao Xiaotong was when she passed by the gate of dachacun primary school. She felt that Dao Xiaotong wanted to say something, but she didn't speak until their eyes crossed. Qiu he didn't ask.

The morning sun came up, a glow spread in the winding stream, the water plated with a layer of pink gold. Autumn lotus suddenly, she has been in the flow of the stream, stopped for a long time.

Sunlight into the bottom, clear water without impurities, light and shadow mottled shaking. Qiuhe's eyes are full of sunshine. She covers the sun with her palm and stares at the water.

Time goes with the stream. Qiuhe felt the sunlight just in front of her eyes and moved to her side cheek. She secretly thought that the Hu family once caught a water monkey in this stream, so there will be fish in this stream, as long as she is willing to spend time waiting for them.

She waited until noon, the sun from her hair down, the water has not seen her shadow. Qiuhe felt that his feet were trapped in the mud at the bottom of the stream and numb. But she did not dare to move. Once the water was muddy, she was afraid to miss the fish that had been guarding for six or seven hours.

By nine hours, the sun was already sliding West. Qiuhe advised himself: "go back, there is no fish here. It's a day's delay, and it can't be delayed any longer. " However, she did not move at her feet. She still firmly believed that she could wait for a fish. She is determined to catch a fish, and the whole family can have a delicious fish soup. Grandma's words linger in my ears - no one can catch fish with their bare hands.

"Yes, I don't even see the shadow of the fish. How can I catch it? But I still want to wait. I've lost too much time. We haven't cut wild vegetables for ducks today. " She blinked to herself. There is a touch of bitterness in the corner of the mouth.

She seems to be trapped in the sand, bent over, hands in the water to do a good interception posture. For a time, she felt as if her mind was not clear. She heard her own confused pulse beat. Next to her is the Bank of the stream. As long as she takes a step, she can lie down and rest, relieving her already tired body. She knew there couldn't be fish here. It was in vain for her to stay.

Let's go. Let's go. While the girl urged herself, there was no sign of action in her body. Looking forward to the red clouds in the sky, the sun is about to set. She wants to cry. As soon as the sun goes down, even if there are fish passing through the stream, she can't see it. She had been in the stream all day, and it seemed very foolish.

Just waiting for the sun to set completely, she was a complete failure. Qiuhe thought that even now she would step out and dare to give up before sunset, which is also a wise move. She would not be left alone, embarrassed and helpless in the stream by the darkness after sunset. It's not going to be that desperate. She moved her toes in the sand and sighed.

"Qiuhe, Qiuhe, you're still taking a chance. Do you think your reluctance is useful? You're only going to be completely defeated. If you don't believe it, try it. "

No matter in the heart, mouth, how to scold yourself. She still firmly guarded the place where the water passed, her hands soaked in the water for too long, as numb as her feet trapped in the mud. The light of the sky slowly gathered up, and the surface of the water became dim. It seemed that someone was putting out the lights one by one until all the lights went out. It's sunset. Qiuhe began to recall the scene of dancing on the closing day yesterday.

I always dance alone in my yard. In time for the closing day and the opening day, dacha village celebrated and lit bonfires. She also came out to join the fun and dance with the crowd. But she said she danced together, but in fact she danced alone. She is still in the crowd of insignificant self-contained.

Fortunately, at this time, she can integrate into the crowd, although she is still dancing alone. But everyone is busy laughing and singing and dancing, no one will care about her orphan status, can accommodate her. Even those little boys who were full of malice to her at ordinary times gave her a peaceful look last night, which made her feel extremely comforted.

The sound of the little elephant foot drum seems to be playing for her. She dances the traditional Dai Peacock dance. From the beginning to the end, she did not look back, but she clearly knew last night that the little elephant's foot drum was the fulfillment of her promise.

"If only there were nets."

The sky in the mountain is completely dark. Qiuhe's eyes are dark. She talks to herself powerlessly. Thinking that he has been standing in the stream for more than ten hours, whether he has died or not. She couldn't see anything. She closed her eyes and had a desire to lie on her back and float on the water. She didn't know what she was sticking to, and her mind was blank.

It doesn't matter. I may have separated my soul from my body. I don't feel hungry, I don't feel tired. I can even wait here until the sun rises in the morning.

There was a wave on the water, and Qiuhe's fingers were touched by something. The cold stream splashed and drenched her hair and face. It was a fish, and she immediately realized that it was a big fish! The moment I caught the fish, I ran away from my wrist, and the fish hit her ankle again.

Autumn lotus anxious, she can't see, ear has been ringing water flowers, can feel that the fish has not swam away. She toward the water prone in the past, struggling to let the body to a larger area of water pressure, hands in the water desperately touch. In the silent field, she let out a dull hum.

The water soon filled all her clothes, her mouth and her ears. The stream was not deep, just past her body lying in the water. The fish bumped around her stomach, and she pressed it in the mud. Then with both hands to grasp, ring embrace, toward the stream.

"It's a big water monkey fish."

Qiuhe is paralyzed in the grass by the stream, lying on his back, holding the gills of the big fish tightly with both hands. Because of too much force, his fingers have been stretched into the gills of the fish, and the big fish is beating desperately on her chest. She spits out a mouthful of dirty water with sand from her mouth, and her wet clothes are cool. After cooling, numbness of her legs and arms came, and she had no ability to get up. In order not to let the big fish escape, she curled up and trapped the fish in the middle of her body.

After a long wait, she caught a big fish with her bare hands. She thought so.

She wanted to sleep, but she was too tired and hungry. These feelings didn't surge until now. She suddenly thought, if she died here, would anyone know?

"Autumn Lotus!"

"Are you there or not?"

Qiuhe's ears are standing in the grass. Is it grandma? It was grandma who came to see her. The only 14-year-old girl wanted to respond, but found that she didn't have the strength to shout. She was weeping in the grass, silent and hot. The gills of the big fish are even tighter. Grandma's health is not good, she can't walk a few steps, but she went to the stream outside the village.

Grandma's rickety figure with a stick must be in a hurry in the dark. When she came, she should pass every family in dacha village and look inside.

"Grandma, I'm here. I caught the fish." Qiuhe's voice seemed to be squeezed out of the water, with crying and joy. Only she can hear her own response.

She moved weakly and wiped her tears. Looking at the low night sky, the stars have risen.