godfather

During the period when Meng Xiaojing lingered in the examination room, Xiaobei returned to Xi'an. After recuperating from the injuries in both hands, the torn muscles slowly grew together and healed.

The college entrance examination is only four months away, and the teachers and students of the whole grade are struggling and fighting fiercely in the dire straits. Once Meng Xiaobei returns to school, he is the animal protection of the whole grade.

Every year, each school fights for the results of the college entrance examination.An ordinary high school in a small area of ​​Xi'an can BA produce an art genius. If he can be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, it will be the highest pride and honor pursued by the teachers.The head of the teaching and research team, who taught Chinese, and the deputy head of the teaching and research team, who taught mathematics, went to the "double insurance" to personally help Meng Xiaobei make up for the missed homework and help him analyze the sample questions of the college entrance examination over the years.With the level of Meng Xiaobei's cultural courses, it may be too late to improve his knowledge and quality in these subjects in a short period of time. He can only rely on this kid's usual cleverness, make up for the lessons suddenly, press the questions to guess the questions, and memorize the geometry examples. Recite the composition model.

The grade leader shouted slogans at the swearing-in meeting, our school's goal this year, the average score must be 280!To send our best students to USTC!Our second-class students and the top [-] students in their grades must strive to be admitted to our Xi'an Jiaotong University, Political Science and Law and Northwest! ! !And...and us art candidates, Meng Xiaobei, yes, I mean you!Don't look left and right any more and look around for me, I say you!You worked hard and gave us a score of [-]!If you pass the [-] test, you will be able to enter the cultural class of the Academy of Fine Arts and get promoted!There are a bunch of multiple-choice questions ABCD on the foreign language paper, you can't get it wrong, you can get one-third of it right for me!

Meng Xiaobei was called by name mercilessly at the meeting, and the whole grade laughed.

Meng Xiaobei has a thick skin, and the teacher can make fun of him casually.He rubbed the curtains of his hair and laughed too.As soon as he raised his hand, on the bandaged finger, the K gold ring shone with a soft and beautiful luster; it belonged to his emotional pride and glory.

The classmates in the grade gave Meng Xiaobei a nickname, and usually called him "Meng Erba" and "Two Hundred Eight". Meng Xiaobei's goal in the exam room in July is to pass the exam with 280 points!

The teachers at that time were as close as parents, and treated the students as if they were their own sons.Many teachers in the graduating class and even their own children don't have the energy to take care of them, and they just focus on the most terrible babies in the class.Seeing that the students' wishes for the gold list titles are paid is also helping the teachers to fulfill their life dreams that they may not have been able to realize in the past. No matter how difficult the road is, they will go to Beijing for the exam.

The wound on Meng Xiaobei's left hand was shallow, and he recovered very quickly. Soon the stitches were removed and the gauze was removed.In school, he used his left hand to write and make papers, and his writing was like drawing flowers.

The family also took him to a big hospital for reexamination.Shaotang sent Xiaobei a hand rehabilitation machine, the equipment prepared by their military hospital for combat wounded.The recovery machine is about the size of Liangliang's Nintendo game console.Meng Xiaobei couldn't paint and paint in those days, so he tinkered with the recovery machine at home every day.

There are seven or eight different functions on the rehabilitation machine. It can be used to stretch fingers with weight, to strum the keyboard, to exercise finger strength, and to restore flexibility.

After recovering for a week, he was able to quickly play a piece of music by pressing the keys.

After two weeks of recovery, the fingers of his right hand improved from pulling 100 grams to being able to pull a three-jin rubber rope.

Shaotang often called him and called him for supervision: "Did you practice elastic band wrapping today?"

Meng Xiaobei said: "I do it every day, and now I can easily do it in one minute."

Shaotang: "Did you do it today? Persevere."

Xiaobei: "...Actually, I dismantled the rehabilitation machine today, is it fun! I want to see how the parts are assembled!"

Shaotang: "...Is your hand completely healed?!"

After Meng Xiaobei removed the stitches in his right hand, he left several horizontal scars on his palm.Affected by the part of the blade, his index and middle fingers survived without serious damage, but his ring finger and little finger were deeply embedded.The doctor always said when stitching, if you grasp the knife harder, Little Thumber will not be able to take it. You almost broke your own little finger.

Meng Xiaobei got used to wearing gloves when going out for many years, even in summer, the kind of thin woolen gloves with five fingers exposed, to cover the scars on the palms.

He has slender fingers, and the gloves are paired with a slovenly street boy's attire, which makes him look cool!Bystanders can see that the ring finger and little finger of his right hand were bent abnormally, and then they couldn't straighten them.

Meng Xiaojing also came back after the exam, and was more nervous than Meng Xiaobei. Every night, he consciously locked himself in a small room to study by himself, drove late at night, and made up lessons.He has an awkward personality and loves to compete with each other, just like a desperate Saburo, and he resolutely does not reveal how he did in the exam, everything will be discussed after the results are announced!

A group of senior high school boys came out to take a breath after being ravaged by heavy schoolwork, and went to the billiard hall to play together.

Next door is the underground video hall that I often go to. The small owner of the video hall brought his "cousin" to play on a table.The little boss was still bare-backed, wearing big pants, and with a cigarette in his mouth, he gave Meng Xiaobei a sideways glance, nodded slightly, and said hello, "Are you here?"

Meng Xiaobei wiped the head of the pole, and raised the hair curtain with a red headband.He attached himself to the downswing, missed the target on the first shot, and slipped his hand.

The little boss raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the matter with your brat?"

Meng Xiaobei shrugged: "Don't mention it, someone blocked the knife, did you get hurt! My fingers are almost useless."

The corner of the little boss's mouth was crooked, and he said with a smile: "The one who can make you not hesitate to use your hand to block the knife, isn't it an ordinary person?"

Meng Xiaobei didn't hide it either: "Didn't you see it last time?"

Every time Meng Xiaobei took off the swing, there was a beautiful circle of metallic luster on the fingers of the bridge-building hand, shining brightly in the dim billiard hall.The little boss licked his lips ambiguously and nodded, expressing that our brother understands and understands everything!

The boy next to the little ruffian was unhappy. He sat on the ball table, stretched out his foot, and kicked the little boss's ass.

The little boss turned around: "What are you doing?"

The boy pouted awkwardly, and glanced at the things in Meng Xiaobei's hands.

The little boss bared his teeth in boredom, and coaxed in a low voice where no one was around, "Okay, okay, I love you too, and I'll block the knife for you next time too!!"

"Let's not come here who can't block the knife, this sounds unlucky!!"

"Ah? You said that ring on his hand?!..."

"...@#￥%*!"

Meng Xiaobei often comes to play billiards after school to relax.

On the surface, he is playing ball, but in fact he is also recovering his hands.The nerves of the ring finger and little finger were damaged, and the muscles were atrophied and curled up. At first, the right palm could not support the weight of the club.

He usually draws sketches and watercolors without much influence.He has always held the pen relatively lightly, with a slight force between his thumb and forefinger, and he pays attention to skill and unconstrained thinking and artistic conception in painting, reaching a certain level, without having to struggle with the pen in his hand.

Injured hands and muscles will ache and swell on rainy days, which sometimes affects the durability of his wrists hanging in the air. When drawing a sketch, he will hang down his hands for a while to rest for less than 10 minutes, and massage himself.

When you feel sad, think about the person you like, and feel that all the sacrifices are worth it. You can make a steady profit without losing money. If you hurt a little finger, you will earn the big baby's heart and soul for him!All the hardships were overcome.

Ma Baochun said later: "Our family's Meng Xiaobei is also really good. When he sees a knife, he really hits it up? He really broke him and hurt him. What should I do? What's going on in his head? Really Lu!"

Meng Jianmin said: "At that time, someone was going to stab Shaotang with a knife, and he almost stabbed him. If I saw it, I had to go up and stop him. I couldn't stab Shaotang to the point. The reason for this is that my little brother-in-law is too good-for-nothing." !"

Ma Baochun sighed: "After all, he is a child! Grabbing a knife, how much courage does he have to dare to grab that knife?! I admire Meng Xiaobei, he can really do it!"

Meng Jianmin: "...He and Shaotang are the closest, are they really as close as father and son?"

Meng Jianmin looked at his daughter-in-law, and asked about his daughter-in-law.

He also began to feel vaguely unsure.

How close and loved is this, the child dared to rush forward to grab the knife from someone, and his little finger was almost cut off?Ten fingers connected to heart, what kind of pain was it at that time.

Meng Jianmin asked the boss: "Why do you wear a ring on your hand?"

Meng Xiaobei looked innocent, without even shaking his eyebrows or eyes: "I bought it at a street stall, I think it looks pretty, it's fun to wear."

There is something in Meng Jianmin's words: "There are some things that you can do without fun. You are not young."

Meng Xiaobei: "Dad is alright..."

Meng Jianmin solemnly told the two eldest sons in the family: "You two brothers, listen carefully. Recently, there are people who have taken to the streets and marched in the city. Sometimes your mother and I have a chat and sympathy for those students, but you two brothers have heard about it and passed it , don’t follow suit! But don’t just say we sympathize, you two went to the streets to make trouble! Understand?... Don’t get involved in political movements, it’s not a joke.”

Beginning in April of this year, the situation in the city has changed dramatically, closely following the pace of Beijing, and the political situation is unpredictable.High school students like Meng Xiaobei who are preparing for exams are relatively stable, and they don't know much about national survival and people's livelihood. Most of the boys are still at the age of eating, drinking, and playing around, and they go to class every day.Students from many campuses in the city, including Jiaotong University, Political Science and Law, and Northwest University, have taken to the streets to participate in demonstrations in solidarity with students in Beijing.

There is a university next door to Xiaobei's middle school, and the entrance to the campus is open, so you can come and go as you please.Meng Xiaobei and his buddies were purely curious, so they also ran in to watch the excitement.In the triangular area in front of the school cafeteria, leaflets were pasted on the bulletin board.The campus auditorium hosts weekly democratic salons and seminars.Some student leaders gave speeches on the small lawn and shouted loudly.There are also male and female couples sitting quietly on the lawn, playing the guitar, and singing Luo Dayou's "Love Song" and "Childhood".

At that time, Meng Xiaobei learned to play the guitar from a boy who often sat on the lawn, although his playing level was average and his fingers were not flexible.He wears a red hoop and woolen gloves on his hands, only showing his strong and slender fingers. He is full of vigor and chic. He is at the age of youth and flamboyance, and he does not know the feeling of sadness.Passers-by who saw him singing thought he was also a college student participating in sports.

In April, a large-scale mourning activity began, and seven local universities formed a university federation to petition in front of the provincial government.The students occupied the Xincheng Square to shout slogans, and the provincial leaders invited the leading students into the provincial capital to drink tea. The policemen around the square maintained order, and the citizens even spontaneously came to bring water and food.All departments perform their duties, everything is in order, and there is a peaceful coming and going.

Shaotang and Meng Jianmin exchanged this matter on the phone, saying, "Young people are impulsive, young people are full of energy, they think too easily, they don't have guns, and they want to change the regime. How is it possible?"

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse from the 22nd.Suddenly news came out on the radio that students from Lanzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, Xi'an and other places simultaneously erupted into massive demonstrations.The skyline of the ancient city of Xi'an is bright red, the bells and drums are beeping, and the crows are flying.Banners and leaflets were scattered on the avenues in the main city.Some people made a disturbance and burned several cars parked in front of the provincial government and the OB van of the TV station!Molotov cocktails were flying in the evening sky, the flames rose up and burned into the air, and the red flag was wrapped in black smoke columns and fluttered in the wind.

Shaotang urgently called Meng Xiaobei: 【Where are you now?You go home and don't go out! ! 】

Meng Xiaobei and his classmates ran together and came back from watching the fun.He went there in a shoe, but lost a slipper, and his face was still stained with excitement.They ran onto the bus with their schoolbags in their hands, and the bus roared out of the city, gradually getting away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area... There were also a group of students who gave speeches in their family dormitory compound.A boy with a white cloth and blood book on his head and glasses, holding a loudspeaker, preached to the residents, calling for reform, political enlightenment, freedom of the press, opposition to economic corruption, and downing of corrupt officials.At that time, ordinary people in big cities were suffering from the throes of economic reform, and they had long held grudges against corruption, "official downfall" and skyrocketing prices. Many people watched and applauded.Some people also shouted, "A group of children are fooling around, thinking that this is a grand series of the Cultural Revolution, hurry back to school and resume classes!"

Meng Xiaobei replied to Shaotang on the phone in the reception room: [I'm home, I'm fine. 】

One minute later, Shaotang called and cursed directly into the receiver: "Stinky son is not sensible, you just have been separated from me for a long time and you owe it to me!!"

"You think I'm joking with you? Go home and stay!!"

Meng Jianmin also went downstairs to listen to the speech, came back to read the newspaper, and shook his head.

Meng Jianmin said at home: "This must be the imperialist reactionaries, spies, infiltrating the ranks of the masses, rioting, burning cars, smashing and looting, and then shifting the responsibility to the students, stirring up conflicts between the two sides. The intentions are too sinister!"

Ma Baochun said: "You save yourself, can't you say a few words at home? Fortunately, you are old now. If you are 20 years younger and a college student, you must go to the street to parade, right?"

Meng Jianmin said: "It's a pity that I didn't become a college student! The corrupt and corrupt officials in the central government and the 'official downfall' should have been dealt with long ago. If Chairman Mao was still there, it would definitely not be like this. The officials in the 60s were so clean and their hearts were so pure. , loyal, and have faith!"

While doing housework, Ma Baochun snorted: "People are old, but their hearts are not old... Faith makes you poor and sick, and ideals send you to nowhere. Those of us who came here in the 60s did come with faith... ..."

Nie Hui came to the house to visit, gossiping enthusiastically with their family members, saying that the student representatives went to the province and the TV station to petition and negotiate.

Meng Xiaobei has an active personality, constantly inquiring, and his emotions are agitated.Nie Hui said that the leaders were not doing well. They even went to Xincheng Square to speak to comfort the students and promised to report fairly.Tens of thousands of students participated in the event in Xi'an. The province was under pressure from above and could not arouse the loud voices of the citizens, so it tried to appease and delay as much as possible. No one wanted to cause trouble!

Nie Hui said: "I went around the square with the OB truck, and saw many people sitting quietly, crying and shouting slogans, which was very touching... Later, I shared the boxes of water on the van with the students. I also went down to interview them and took some real photos, and I want to make a documentary report."

Meng Xiaojing leaned on the bedside to read a book, dusted off the cigarette ash and said to Nie Hui: "Why are you discussing this? You are a girl who still cares about this. Are you afraid that something will hurt your parents?"

Nie Hui stared at a pair of bright eyes: "This is the biggest event in Xi'an since I was born 18 years ago. The rise and fall of the country is everyone's responsibility!"

Meng Xiaobei gave a thumbs up: "Nie Hui, you are a girl, you are bloody, chivalrous! I like it!!"

Meng Xiaojing: "..."

Meng Xiaobei spread his hands innocently.

In May, it was said that students from Xi'an, Lanzhou organized a group to go north to Beijing to support the movement in the square.

In Xincheng Square, a small number of students participated in the hunger strike.At this time, the city of Xi'an was still peaceful and stable as a whole.The police stood guard on all sides of the square to maintain order, and they were familiar with the group of students who often came.Every morning, the students came to take their seats, and the policemen also came to work, saying hello to each other, and chatting for a while.No one thought that there would be trouble later.

One morning, Shaotang's death call came again.Meng Xiaobei forgot to turn off the pager, and when he was in Chinese class with his homeroom teacher, the bi-bi-bi on his waist made the whole class look back at him!The homeroom teacher almost exploded, held up the pointer and said, "Meng Xiaobei, if your BB machine keeps beeping, I will confiscate you?"

Meng Xiaobei glanced down, then took a second look, carefully recognized Shaotang's call, raised his head and murmured to the teacher: "I seem to have passed the exam."

On Meng Xiaobei's face, there was a feeling of dizziness after being overjoyed and lost in the clouds, and he was so happy that he was in a daze and bubbling!

The head teacher strode over and asked eagerly, "Have you been admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts? Where did you rank in the province?!"

Meng Xiaobei: "My godfather didn't say what the number is. He might help me read the list at the Academy of Fine Arts."

The homeroom teacher was in a hurry and couldn't wait to drag Meng Xiaobei out of the seat: "Go to my office and make a call now, ask me exactly where you are, and come back and tell me. I won't be able to eat if I worry so much about us." !"

On the announcement day, Shaotang rushed to the gate of the Academy of Fine Arts early in the morning, looked at the announced big list among the crowd, and found his big baby at a glance!Because Meng Xiaobei's name was too prominent and prominent, it made Shaotang's eyeballs hurt. He stared at the name, wandering back and forth, looking at it for a long time.

The list is arranged according to the average score of the total scores of several subjects in the art test, and it is written in black and white to avoid disputes in future admissions.

Meng Xiaobei's name was ranked third.Among the thousands of examinees that year, he passed the examination of Tanhua.

The results of the third test of Chinese opera have also come out. Meng Xiaojing's name is among the top [-] candidates in the performance department.

In those few days, colleagues, workers, and neighbors who came to Meng’s house to congratulate the couple all said that even though Meng Jianmin’s fate was not good and he was hindered by the times and policies, and failed to realize his university dream, he was able to cultivate two talented students who were admitted to Beijing. The eldest son of an institution of higher learning, this life is worth it!The tiger father has no dog son, Meng Jianmin's son, how can it be bad! !

Aunt Ma next door came to sit at home and chatted with Ma Baochun in private: "It is better than anything else for a son to be successful. You said that we are parents, what else can we expect?! Your family is Xiaobei Xiaojing, and you are admitted to a school in Beijing." , This is simply the best news I heard in our family compound this spring! We ordinary people still hope to live a decent and steady life.

A family of four went to a restaurant in Xi'an, and Meng Jianmin bought two babies to eat, and ordered half a roast lamb. This was the most expensive meal their family had ever had outside.

The two sons no longer have to fight for each other, and they don't have to look down on each other anymore. Those discords in the past are ridiculous when you think about it now!This is also the happiest, harmonious and family reunion time for their family of four in the past 18 years.

Meng Jianmin stopped coughing water in his lungs for a while, and he was able to lie down and sleep for a full night. He was happy and couldn't close his mouth.Ma Baochun was happy at home, "You must have a heart disease! The two sons are happy for you without marrying a daughter-in-law, and you are all cured!!"

By the end of May, it was rumored that the situation in Beijing had taken a turn for the worse, and news spread from high-ranking circles that the army was preparing to enter the city.

One night, Qi Liang hurriedly called Meng Xiaobei and called him.

Qi Liang yelled: "Meng Xiaobei, fuck me, I almost died today! I was almost crushed into meatloaf by a team of tanks. This is the first time I've seen a real tank!!! "

Meng Xiaobei hurriedly said: "Are you going to the square to cause trouble? Don't go!"

Qi Liang said: "Fuck me, I'm such a coward who is afraid of death, you don't know me! Besides, I won't go to the city to parade, smash cars and shout slogans, and don't give money to the onlookers! "

That day, Qi Liang went to the pager shop near Dongdaqiao to deliver goods. He carried Teacher Xiao on the back seat of his three-wheeled motorcycle and went home together.

They were going from Dongda Bridge to Balizhuang, and they happened to meet the military vehicles entering the city from the suburbs of Beijing via Hujialou!

In Qi Liang's voice, there was the excitement of surviving a catastrophe: "At that time, we were still going against the road, and I was driving the motorcycle against the side of the motorway!"

"I'm still wondering, why are there so few people on the road today?"

"Our Xiaoyi said that something is wrong, let's get out of the car and push it, and see the situation before leaving. I also said at the time, it's okay, I'll be home in a few minutes!"

"Walking and walking, I found that all the motor vehicles on the main road have disappeared?! Even the 112 trolleybus didn't dare to stop, and just ran away without a trace!"

Meng Xiaobei scolded on the phone: "Just make trouble, Liangliang, you are really going to die."

Qi Liang was both excited and terrified: "I'm really going to die!"

"At that time, thanks to our little Yiyi, who had sharp eyes and quick reactions, he hugged me from behind and yelled to stop, stop quickly, run quickly, there are tanks in front!!!"

"I was scared to death at the time, just like the TV show, a long line of armored tanks, the scale of the rear of the line is invisible. The metal tracks of the tanks are slowly pressing across the road, and the long iron barrels Face me straight, in the same lane as me, drive straight towards me!..."

Qi Liang left his car behind, turned around with his teacher Xiao, and was chased by a string of tanks!

Their motorcycle was hit by a tank on the road, and scrap iron parts were scattered scattered on the road.

There is a thick green belt of shrubs between the motorway and the bicycle lane.Qi Liang and Mr. Xiao were extremely embarrassed, they forced their way between the cypress bushes, hid in the tree pit, squatted down and hugged their heads.Xiao Yi hugged Liang Liang in his arms to protect him, shivering with fright.The two of them were born and died once, if a shot of a gun swept through the tree hole, they would be cannon fodder.

The tank barrels did not fire at them either.The barrel of the gun was aimed at their hiding place and slid over the tops of their heads.The heavy crawlers rolled over slowly, sweeping away tiny stones and dust along the way.A pale blood rose from the sky, and the wheels of history rolled forward, unstoppable.