Volunteer Literature ｜ Youth Flying Low (Novel II)
Photo courtesy of vision china
(Continued)
three
At noon, Fei Fei, who lost tofu buns in the morning, did not turn grief into motivation. Instead, he was preoccupied. The "lunch annihilation war" went on very slowly, in stark contrast to Zheng Thin, a colleague who had a meal together. "Why? Do you think today’s food doesn’t respect you? Or do you want to be a’ local flower’ in the future and start dieting to lose weight? "
"Don’t be disrespectful, think about things!" Feifei is not in the mood for jokes now. "What am I going to say at the volunteer sharing meeting tomorrow!"
"Say that according to the essay! Why do you want to be a volunteer, do something embarrassing, and get some harvest … Don’t you all say so? "
"The atomic bomb is all know the principle, not a few can be made! The key is that there is nothing to say. "
"I also want to ask you, alas, why did you choose to be a volunteer in the west?"
"At the age of seventeen or eighteen, when I was still in college, I saw a sentence that let the flowers of youth bloom where the motherland needs them most. I was very encouraged at that time, and then I went to sign up! " Speaking of this, Feifei straightened her back proudly.
"Wow, aren’t there many inspirational or touching stories?" Comrade Zheng’s thin gossip is burning, and his eyes are shining.
This question, Feifei just held her head high for less than 5 seconds and let off steam. "This is what bothers me. I didn’t pay attention to it. I have been a volunteer for two years, but I can’t tell what I did. You see that people’s volunteer lives are so rich and there are honors. I feel too ordinary. Ordinary!"
"I remember that year, I was seventeen or eighteen …" Feifei’s feelings seemed to cause some memories of thin comrades, and were immediately interrupted mercilessly.
"Stop, stop! This is talking about my problem! " Feifei tapped his rice bowl with chopsticks discontentedly, but suddenly he seemed to think of something, and leaned forward to lean, his chubby face full of smiles.
"Then let me ask you, if I choose the most beautiful young people along the river and let you share it on stage, what would you say?" The witty Feifei was particularly excited about the way she had a brainwave, only hating that she didn’t bring her notebook.
"Cui Fengfei! Why are you so fat and thoughtful? We are different. I can definitely tell you that your biggest problem now is that you have not found your own value. What is the most beautiful volunteer in the west? It must be that you have paid and contributed in your volunteer career, reflecting your life value at this stage. " Thin comrades a little hate iron not to produce, so while analyzing, they walked along with a meatball in Feifei bowl.
Feifei was stunned and asked blankly: "What … what value!" Grape-like eyes full of doubts.
"Just like me, I think my value is: First, I have paid time and energy in various jobs without complaining, and I have added overtime to the hospital for a long time. Second, in the agricultural work, we have done all the work well, and the leaders are satisfied and colleagues are at ease. Third … Anyway, I feel that my value is enough to become the most beautiful youth along the river, and I have confidence. " In Zheng’s thin eyes, the most beautiful is the most valuable.
Flying feels very reasonable, but the brow is still sad. "Thin, you are good as everyone knows, but I’m not! According to your meaning, my value should be: first, I mended the window for grandma Xiong in the morning. Second, I will go to Zhang’s house to check the biogas digester in the afternoon … There is no comparison at all! "
"Are you happy these two years?" Compared with the sad flying, Zheng’s thin mouth is still inputting, and the meatballs are pulled more and more smoothly.
"I’m still very happy to say it. Maybe I was born with a big heart."
"That’s all right. Happiness proves that there are gains, and gains prove valuable, but you have to find them yourself. Anyway, there is still some time … Feifei, you eat slowly, and I have to work overtime."
Before the sad little girl could say anything, the thin comrade who was still chewing meatballs disappeared with a wipe of his mouth. The Feifei girl who reacted looked at her plate with chopsticks, wondering whether she was digesting food or digesting thin words, or whether she was playing meatballs when she was cooking.
four
In the afternoon, the sun is also listless. Feifei and Zhang Hengheng face each other and pinch the pea tip on the small bench in the main room. Zhang Hengheng has a biogas digester in her house. Every time Feifei comes to check the safety of the biogas digester, Zhang Hengheng always takes the opportunity to ask her to help with some small work. Of course, Feifei always enjoys it. After all, Zhang Hengheng, who lives alone, is not well and her children are not around.
"The baby is not in spirit today, what’s on her mind!" Zhang Hengheng looked at the flying of the pea tip in a listless way, leaned together and continued in a low voice: "I’m afraid I’m not in love, but I’m suffering from love!"
"I’d like to, the conditions are not allowed!" Feifei girl will only be shy about this topic, but the speed of pinching pea tips is a little faster. Zhang’s words made Feifei have a new idea, and she was even more shy and said, "Hey, what do you think of me?"
It was Zhang Hengheng who hesitated this time. "Baby, I don’t have a suitable young man here to introduce you."
"I’ll talk about the young man later. If you judge one of the best volunteers in our county, will you choose me?" Feifei simply doesn’t pinch the pea tip, and her big eyes are full of expectation.
"Of course, it is to choose you. Don’t worry that you are not stingy." Zhang Hengheng didn’t even lift her eyelids, but she was just fooling the children.
"What if you are running against a lot of people? Everyone is excellent." Feifei asked after him, but he was obviously much happier.
"That will also choose you, and who will choose you together … Baby, are you grabbing a boyfriend with others?" Zhang Heng Heng finally raised his eyelids. The important person in the rural information center felt as if he had caught something terrible, and the pea tip in his hand was dumped. "Kids don’t be afraid, as long as the other party is not married, we all have a chance. Now male kids like it …"
"Heng Heng! Hang on, hang on! I haven’t got a boy yet! If you talk nonsense everywhere, you will delay me in the future! " Feifei is a little anxious, and she feels that she has been led astray. "Have no male kids! It is a volunteer, just say which one to choose! "
Zhang Hengheng lost interest in an instant. "Choose you, choose you with whom!" Conveniently picked up a handful of pea tips.
"Why?"
"Because I have to count on you to help me plant sea peppers tomorrow morning."
"hey!" Feifei was so anxious that she began to coquetry, and the small bench moved forward.
"Ha ha ha ha ….. teasing you" Zhang Hengheng herself was also teased, revealing the sly smile unique to rural Hengheng. "Because others won’t check the biogas digester for me, pinch pea tips for me and plant sea peppers for me …"
"What if people are praised in the county? I’m not as good as others. " Feifei’s chubby little face can’t hide her happiness, but she still keeps asking. Girls love to chase after good words.
"That is to choose you, the somebody else didn’t give me pinch pea tip. In the past two years, I have been in poor health. It is difficult for me to do anything without you. "
"But I will also help you do this little thing!"
"In my here is not small! I don’t understand the truth, but I know that life is much better now than before. The house was repaired with cement by cadres. When I was sick, the village cadres took me to see a doctor. My old woman was ill and couldn’t move. These little things were all done by you dolls, which is a big deal for me. I have no education, but I know in my heart that you are good. I don’t know if others won the prize, but if I have to choose, I will choose you! " Zhang Heng Heng’s voice has become particularly gentle. For her, the people who have taken pains to help her are the best people. They have experienced the changes in their lives for several years and are very recognized for their efforts.
"Heng Heng! I will come to help you with your work in the future, and I will plant sea peppers tomorrow! " I am very happy to be sure of Feifei! I have completely thrown away my troubles, and my pride is as crazy as my fat body, and I feel that my whole body has inexhaustible strength.
"Hey, hey, don’t pinch it. I’ll pinch these pea tips. It’s flying time!"
five
In the evening, Feifei, who rushed back to the county seat, looked around at the midnight snack stall, and finally found Gao, the director who was wolfing down, and the mung bean powder that had just been served.
"Uncle, want a plate of qianzi, and then cut a small ear!" Feifei picked up chopsticks, mixed with mung bean powder and shouted at Uncle Stall, with a brisk tone!
Director Gao wondered at her state and inquired curiously: "I’m very happy. Did Zhang Hengheng introduce you to a boy?"
"No, I have decided what to say on Monday!" Feifei put a chopstick in her ear and worked hard, and there was no such melancholy in the morning. "Director, I just found out today that I’m not so bad. I’ve done a lot of things in the past two years!"
Director Gao rarely put down his chopsticks and asked with interest, "Yeah? What did you find yourself doing? "
"I spent many weekends chatting with my mother-in-law and caring about them. Many of them are alone at home, so I spent time with them and helped them do some small work!"
"Those are trivial things. These are not the most beautiful volunteers. There are so many outstanding western volunteers in our county!" Although director Gao is joking, the folds in the corners of his eyes are visibly wrinkled.
"Those volunteers are really excellent and worth learning, but I am also very satisfied with myself now. Although what I did was trivial, it did help those girls. I was nothing compared with excellent volunteers in ability, but it was also my harvest! I don’t care if I am the most beautiful volunteer. As long as my mother-in-law agrees with me, I am the most beautiful volunteer in their hearts. This is the value of my volunteering in the west! " Feifei happily shared with Director Gao what she wanted to understand this day, but it didn’t affect the speed of clamping chopsticks at all.
Director Gao gently put chopsticks on the bowl, rarely mocking Feifei, but said in a gentle and unaccustomed tone: "I told you you had’ self-knowledge’!" Some flowers in this world are beautiful, and some flowers are fragrant. This is their value! "
"Yes!"
Director Gao paused a little, as if remembering something, and continued: "We used to be a place with deep poverty along the river and poor economic development. At that time, many people took root in this land without hesitation, went into the countryside and did such trivial things as you did. Especially a few years ago, all cadres in our county were engaged in poverty alleviation while doing business. Rooted in the countryside, taking the villagers to repair houses, aqueducts and power lines. These ordinary cadres are doing extraordinary’ little things’ in this land in the countryside. Some people are exhausted, some people are sacrificed, many stories are left in the countryside, and many contributions are unknown. In the end, we won the battle against poverty by these little things and created this beautiful river. "
"Director, I know!" Feifei listened to Director Gao’s words and became serious. She forgot about the volunteers, as if she had flown to that era and became a member of the cadres who were fighting poverty.
"Feifei, I’m glad you can understand this truth and find your own value. Some people fly high and are really magnificent, while others fly low but are equally light, and they can all fly out of their own value. Remember: on the road of volunteering, you should aim at the same goal and find your own gains. Those who don’t pursue glory are often glory themselves! "
"Director, I understand!"
The moon rose slowly, the soft moonlight spread slowly, and Director Gao and Feifei with a mouthful of oil were shrouded in the quiet fireworks of the years.
The next day, chubby Feifei carried the tofu steamed stuffed bun that she was thinking about, and walked briskly to Zhang’s house in the morning. Oh, she didn’t jump, she just flew low!
(End of full text)
Source: China Youth Daily client
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