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墨書 Inktalez
The long-distance bus is bumping along on the provincial road, and she in my arms is also leaning back and pressing against me. When there's oncoming traffic, the sound of the horn, she would also make a few suppressed moans. When the bus arrives at Ming River, it's almost midnight. I can't see her expression.
We got off the car and started packing our luggage. Wei Hongxia said, "We can only find a place to stay for now."
Isn't this what they call "getting a room"?
We walked around two corners and went about 300 meters to a two-story building with a sign that read "Meibang Inn" at the entrance.
He presented his ID, and the middle-aged boss, who spoke little, carefully registered the IDs of the two of us, and finally handed us a key with a room number tag: "Room fee is 50, deposit is 20, a total of 70 yuan." I quickly paid the money. Without saying anything else, the information output by Wei Hongxia on the way alone is already substantial, and it has also pointed out the direction and train of thought for my work, which cannot be bought with money.
Moreover, I also "did that" to someone. There is a small noodle shop near the station that operates at night. This time, Wei Hongxia insisted on paying the bill. At the hotel, she lay in my arms and asked me in detail about where my family is from and who is in my family, just like a woman getting to know the situation of a man she is dating.
She asked me what I thought of her?
I said seriously, "Very good!"
"Do you think I'm a casual person?" she asked me, looking very serious.
I said, "I believe in love at first sight."
She laughed and placed her hand on my chest, "You literary types always know what to say."
It was only then that I realized Wei Hongxia was actually from the Chai Guo Township, Dongtai Village that I was heading to, but she had hardly been back there in recent years.
We talked all night, she told me about her family situation, and I told her about the mischievous trouble I caused when I was young...
I said, after this trip, I will come back as soon as possible to meet her parents.
She said she would come find me and go back to my hometown with me.
On the second day, we took the bus to Xikou together again. On the bus, the two of us sat closely together, holding hands. I didn't think of this as a love affair; I was convinced that she was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. When the bus arrived at Xikou County, we had to part ways. I was heading to Dongtai Village in Chai Guo Township, the village that made Wei Hongxia famous, while she was going back to Wanjizhen.
When we were about to part ways, Wei Hongxia handed me a note: "My parents and I haven't been back to our village for over ten years, but I still have an uncle there. He also used to sell blood in his younger years and is also infected with that disease... You can tell him that you're my classmate from the medical school in the city and ask him to accompany you for your interview work. I've written his name and house number on it. Wishing you success, and... wishing you safety!"
I left her the office phone number and my pager, then hugged her tightly, saying, "Sis, thank you. Give me a call when you get back to Jiangbei! I'll come find you after I'm done with my work!"
She hooked her finger with mine and said seriously: "Hang oneself on a railing, not allowed to change for a hundred years." When I saw Wei Shuangcheng, the uncle of Wei Hongxia, I had a creepy feeling. The man, who was not yet sixty, was completely emaciated, looking like a skeleton covered with a layer of skin. When he saw me enter the room, the old man showed no joy or sorrow, his eyes empty, allowing me to place the fruits and soy milk powder I brought on the low table.
I sat down on the stool, Wei Shuangcheng forced a smile and said, "I won't pour you water. Since Xiaoxia asked you to come, feel free to ask whatever you want to know." I took out my notebook and recorder. In the early 1980s, poverty was widespread, and the economic level of some remote villages was unable to improve.
The poor are going crazy for money. In the 1990s, "blood collection stations" appeared in Ming Jiang City. In Wei Shuangcheng's memory, during the time when one could only earn five yuan a day for work, selling blood became a "most effortless, quickest, and most profitable" way to make money.
Here, at that time, selling blood seemed to be a well-established way to make money, and no one worried about the risks of selling blood, had no concerns about their health, and did not worry about whether selling blood was legal and legitimate. They only focused on the idea of making money by selling blood.
Various illegal operations at the "blood collection stations" were rampant. They would collect and purchase large amounts of pure blood without rigorous disinfection processes, sterile operating environments, or professional guidance. They would simply separate the albumin from the collected blood and then return the remaining plasma to the blood sellers.
Viruses also spread wildly along with these illegal operations.
Afterwards, more and more people in the village died. Over time, the villagers gradually concluded from their experience that those who passed away became increasingly emaciated after selling blood, often accompanied by high fever symptoms, and in severe cases, diarrhea. Some also developed unexplained red rashes on their bodies.
They also went to the village barefoot doctors or the township health center to get medicine, but after taking the medicine, the symptoms of the sick villagers did not improve. Then, a large number of villagers fell ill and died, and no one could save them!
As time went on, the villagers began to feel afraid.
The originally peaceful village would occasionally hear the sound of funeral suona and firecrackers.
Until now, the girls in the village can't get married, and the boys in the village can't find wives.
For nearly three hours, Wei Shuangcheng spoke intermittently, panting heavily at times, accompanied by coughing, expectoration, and even spitting blood!
I was worried that he might "pass out" while speaking, and I tried several times to stop him from continuing.
Wei Shuangcheng I could see the reluctance and pity in my eyes, and I forced a smile again, saying, "Don't worry, I've been like this for a long time. It's just a matter of time before I go... I can hold on for a while longer!"
I also said, "My wife passed away a few years ago from the same illness, but fortunately my son didn't get infected. He went to work in the south when he was young and never came back, starting a family there. I also have grandchildren, so I'm content! It's just that over the years, I can only see them in photos!"
I also said, "When his mother passed away, my son insisted on coming back, but I wouldn't allow it. I told him that if he dared to come back, I would have him take care of my affairs along with his mother's!"
When it comes to his son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter, Wei Shuangcheng's eyes lit up. I interviewed him for three full days in Dongtai Village, Chai Guo Township, Xikou County, Ming Jiang City. During these three days, I had to stay with Wei Shuang, who couldn't stop coughing, in his home.
I clearly know that this disease is not contagious through contact, but Wei Shuangcheng insists on not letting me eat or drink at home. After the interview, I had to borrow a bicycle and ride to another village to buy bottled water and instant noodles. After three days, because of the heat, my mouth was full of sores, and I felt like throwing up at the smell of instant noodles! During these three days, Wei Shuangcheng accompanied me to visit several AIDS families, witnessing the pain that can never be healed in these families.
At first, the epidemic here was transmitted through blood, and later, as the number of patients increased, it gradually evolved into mutual infection between couples. Finally, it also formed mother-to-child transmission due to pregnancy and childbirth. Many babies became victims of AIDS shortly after birth. In Dongtai Village, every deserted courtyard indicates that this family has died out.
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