Chapter 13 Small Town Carnival
It has been 10 days since I left New York, and the Hummers were walking in dust on Route 94, Minnesota.
It shouldn't have taken so long, but because of the exhaustion of driving, Han's father rested in the motel for two days. Fortunately, he met a young man about 18 years old and took a ride-sharing to help drive for a whole day. Unfortunately, he never encountered such a good thing again.
It was getting late, and Han Xuan found a nearby town on the map, so he asked his father to drive in from the fork in the road. Traveling alone was very tiring.
The people who sit and the people who drive are even more tired. If necessary, he is willing to let Han Qianshan throw away the car and take a plane home.
It's still one day away from Montana, and this is the last time the father and son have rested.
We walked along the winding path for three or four kilometers. In early May, it was the time when winter wheat was approaching ripening. The green and tender wheat began to turn yellow, even more so under the sunset.
The white windmill was rotating in the distance, a little worn, it was an abandoned mill in the town.
Machinery brings speed and convenience. Except for old farmers who are decades old, there are already people using it again. It seems that it will disappear completely in no time. At this moment, it is still spinning.
The sheep are walking on the roadside, the windmills are accompanied by the green mountains in the distance, the sunset in the sky, and the endless wheat fields. This is a touching picture.
Most of the houses in town are made of pine wood, with the walls painted white, and only the roof is black.
As soon as the car drove into the town and parked on the side of the road, a white man in weird clothes walked by. There were white and red ink marks on his face, and the muscles on his arm seemed to be about to burst out, with thick tendons and veins on it.
The strong man approached, put his hand on the car window, and said to Han Qianshan: "Hi! Asian boy, it's such a good car. Are you here to participate in the Dogo Carnival?"
"What carnival?" Han's father said in confusion.
The strong man realized that they were just travelers passing by, and he didn't mind at all, and explained with a smile: "Haha, you are so lucky. Today is the 130th anniversary of our Dogo village. Come down and I will take you to celebrate! The hospitality Dogo village will never neglect your friends, and you, children, I believe you will fall in love with this place!"
"I heard that your accent comes from the west, where? Utah or Nedahua?" Before the father and son could answer, the strong man continued to ask.
Han Qianshan shook his head and replied with a smile: "California, now opens a ranch in Montana."
"Hey, I'll say, come here quickly, the bonfire party is about to begin! Oh, by the way, my name is Anthony, Anthony Smith, what about you?" Unlike Anthony, he seemed to be a talkative person and very funny.
Turning his head and looking at his son, Han Qianshan touched his head and asked, "Do you want to participate?"
Xiao Hanxuan thought for a while, and saw Anthony's longing for his eyes, nodded in agreement. In the United States, there are a thousand anniversary in a thousand towns, and even some communities have them, so it is not surprising. Moreover, the customs of each place are different. Seeing the mysterious oil paints and happy expressions on the faces of people around him seems to be a good holiday.
The place where the evening party was held was in the town center square. It was not big, only about a thousand square meters. The towering firewood piles set up in the middle of the square had not been lit yet, and balloons and ribbons were decorated in every corner.
The residents of the town are contributing their own tables and chairs, or bringing them with rough cooking but very delicious food, moving towards the square from all directions.
There are about 200 families here, and many young people go to work in big cities, so it is not crowded.
Anthony ran into a family and walked out soon after, smeared his hand on Han Qianshan and the boy's face. Han Xuan reached out and touched it, leaving white marks on his fingertips. Needless to say, his face was the same.
The sun quickly sets and the afterglow is gone.
In addition to the street lights in the square, the others were pitch black, and soon even the street lights turned black.
An old man raised the torch in his hand and threw it at the pile of firewood. Perhaps gasoline was spilled, and the fire suddenly started. People around him cheered and the festival began.
The carnival emotions were like a cold could be contagious. People around him danced around the fire. Even Xiao Hanxuan joined in, took his father's hand, and twisted his body with the songs sung by the residents around him.
Unfortunately, there was no alcohol, and Han Xuan was also very happy. He looked up at his father and considered whether he would go to jail after drinking it. The enthusiastic girls in cool clothes found this cute child in the crowd, narrowed his smile and surrounded him, held him in his arms, and took turns to ravage his little face.
Han Xuan didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so he put his head in their arms, sighing in his heart that it was great to be a baby, but unfortunately they left quickly and danced around the fire, which caused a burst of cheers.
Not far away, my father was drinking with Anthony and others. The wine made by residents or whiskey bought from small shops. In a carnival atmosphere, inferior wines can also have a different taste, probably because they were in a different mood when drinking.
The women put down the trivial matters at home and gathered together to chat, occasionally picked up the wine glass and took a sip, and joined the carnival team as their companions pulled them down. The children were even more happy, leaving behind laughter in the crowd, and chasing in the square.
Young couples hugged each other and kissed each other enthusiastically. The old man looked at them kindly, recalling their youthful years. The town carnival accompanied them throughout their lives, growing here and dying here.
Everyone can enjoy the food at will, with the most meat and pastries. Some people also add a lot of mustard to it, waiting for others to get caught, causing laughter, such as Han Xuan who was drinking water aside.
A young girl couldn't even straighten her waist. This must be her work. The boy looked at her resentfully. The girl laughed, walked up to her and held him in her arms, took another pastry and handed it to him.
The silly Han Xuan was caught again. He had long forgotten the allusion of the beauty plot. He continued to drink water in grief and anger, and the girl's laughter became even louder.
A group of people came to the stage, playing music with ancient organs, and were very happy. An old man climbed onto the stage and sang songs from generation to generation. He took off his shirt deep in his heart, revealing his ribs and flesh, and there was a lot of joy underneath.
According to Anthony's tone, this is their mayor, and he is a very serious person on weekdays.
As the fire gradually burned, someone had already drunk under the table. Han's father also hugged Han Xuan and talked about his first love.
The boy was planning to be a spy to find out his father's past, but unexpectedly he heard his mother's name. Now there is no chance to watch it.
After drinking and eating, the clock hand on the side of the square was already pointed at 11 o'clock. The children went home under the urging of their parents. They seemed to have not had enough fun. They grabbed Lao Gao and followed the family behind them, turning around and grimaced at the group of friends.
The fire finally burned out, and the lights returned to the square again. There was chaos around. The old mayor was already a little drunk and jumped onto the table and shouted loudly: "Everyone go home! The Carnival in Dogo Town, hiccup... continue next year!"
After saying that, he collapsed on the table and sprinkled with soup. An old woman cursed and asked the middle-aged man next to him to carry him home. More than half an hour later, only scattered knives and forks, tilted seats, and piles of firewood with red embers were left in the square, recording everything that had just happened.
As for cleaning up, tomorrow will come, right? Let’s take a nap and then consider these issues.
The roads in the town were covered with fine gravel, Anthony and Han's father leaned against each other and staggered towards his house. Han Xuan had just taken Fat Ding from the car, and at this moment it was lying in the boy's arms and ignoring him. Anyone who was locked in the car in the middle of the night would not be happy, even if it was a cat.
Anthony's house was not big, with only one room outside the kitchen and bathroom. You can tell that he was a typical single man living alone from looking at the scattered appearance inside. The turbid air improved after Han Xuan opened the window. Anthony put down the sofa bed, carried a clean quilt, and walked into the toilet swaying. The sound of vomiting accompanied him, and the boy felt nauseous.
He sighed slightly and poured the cat food into the palm of his hand. The boy quietly waited for the fat Ding to finish eating, while Han's father was already lying on the bed and sleeping soundly. He was so tired recently.
Taking off his shoes and socks, the boy fucked water and fell asleep with a wrap.
As for Anthony, Han Xuan only remembered him the next morning and found that the strong man was curled up and sleeping on the toilet floor.
He hurriedly washed and said goodbye. Facing the first ray of sunshine in the morning, the Hummer drove through the road pit and started on the road again with a bumpy ride.
Chapter completed!