It's not easy for my father to go out. He is still in good health, so it is not a problem to drive. The point is that a sick mother can't live without him. It's easy to say during the day. At night, my mother gets up, dresses and undresses, and so on. My father helps me, and no one else can replace me. Therefore, when my father goes out, he can only carry out "two regulations": to complete the prescribed things within the prescribed time.
Time is tight and the task is heavy, so I have made full preparations for it. I bought gifts for visiting relatives, medicine for preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, white paper for the grave, firecrackers, mingbi and drinks on the way. Don't forget to put some boxes of good cigarettes and lighters in your pocket, so that you can meet the old people in the village to smoke. All these, I want to be perfect.
At first, my second aunt said she wanted to go back, and so did my brother and sister. In the end, they didn't come for various reasons, and I was glad. He said to his father, "Dad, it's just the two of us today. It couldn't be better. We can stop, take our time, leave when we want, stop when we want, and go to ancient times to find poetry. They are all impurities, and if they are not good, they will ruin their interest. " Father smiled and said, "Yes, yes."
The first day of the third month of the lunar calendar. Hometown custom, it is best to go to the grave five days before Tomb-Sweeping Day, and the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth days are the best. It is said that only "Gui Chong" will go to the grave on or after Tomb-Sweeping Day. "Asshole Advocacy" is a musician who plays instruments such as suona. In the old society, people who sang operas and played music were inferior. After death, they can't enter the old grave. It is obviously discriminatory for future generations to pay tribute to others after paying tribute to them.
The morning went well. We waited for the bus at the station, got on the bus and arrived in Ma Yuan an hour later.
Ma Yuan is a small market town, surrounded by mountains and waters, which makes people feel relaxed and happy. All passing cars stop here, and there are some snack bars and grocery stores scattered in the town. My father and I stopped to sit in front of the food stall for breakfast. Millet porridge, steamed bread and sour vegetables are very refreshing. Stone steamed buns are a kind of cakes unique to the local area. They are made of clean stones, poured with oil, fried in a pot and then boiled in stones. I have eaten in the county, but it is hard and hard to bite. I'm afraid dad can't bite, so I said, can I get you a pancake? Father said, we should make buns with stones. Who knows that the steamed buns here are delicious, with chopped green onion and sesame seeds, which are delicious. The female stall owner is simple and enthusiastic, and is busy explaining to us that the steamed buns here are different from those in the city. She said, our side is leaven, which is well made. Steamed buns are made of firewood, and the fire is booming. They are willing to be padded with oil, chopped green onion and sesame salt. It was delicious when it came out. Father said happily at this moment, I also played with stone buns when I was a child. When I came back from school, there was a steamed stuffed bun shop in the village, so I helped people light a fire and learned it slowly. For this meal, my father and I ate two bowls of millet porridge, three steamed buns and two dishes of sour and yellow vegetables. After dinner, my father said happily, "Today is the best breakfast I have ever had. Very comfortable, very comfortable. " Then my father said to me, "I'm still used to this life in my hometown." I get up in the morning and do some work before eating. " And your mother, I eat it as soon as I get up. I'm not used to it. "
The village is seven or eight miles away from the town. After dinner, I went to discuss with a taxi driver. "Hey, master, how much does it cost from here to Wan Min Village?" "Twenty dollars." "It's too expensive, just seven or eight miles. You only need to start at five yuan, but in fact it only needs ten yuan. Can you get less? " "I can't." "Then you have a rest." Dad and I went to take a tricycle again. "Master, how much is it to Wan Min Village?" "Four dollars a person, get on the bus." I got on the bus with my father and another girl who went to Wanmin Village. The road is much wider than last year, but the road surface is not paved with asphalt, so it is very confusing to sit in the car. Father smiled and said, "If this person is not strong, I am afraid that some parts will be knocked out."
Before we arrived at the village, my father and I asked the man to stop. "Master, turn around. There is still a long way to go. Let's leave now. It's too bumpy. " The master said, "Yes, this road won't work." When I gave him change, I gave him ten yuan. I said, keep the change. I'm sorry to make you run so far. "But he insisted on looking for it.
While speaking, we came to the second brother's bungalow, but the door was locked. A neighbor saw it and said, "It's up there, in his shop." Another old woman shouted, "Go and call them." Just then, a young woman came along pushing a shelf wheel. The man said, "This is his wife." As soon as I heard it, I knew it was Yunzi, the daughter-in-law of Haibo, the son of the second brother.
The three rooms outside the store are full of goods, including beds, stoves and other items. On the bed, there is a chubby baby, just seven months old. This is the second brother's little grandson. The room is messy, but I feel very cordial. Haibo, the son of the second brother, drove three rounds and went to town to pull goods for others. Sister-in-law has gone to her mother's house, and my second brother and daughter-in-law are packing up to catch the temple fair. I like meeting relatives very much. My daughter-in-law served tea, and my second brother brought me and my father stools. He pulled the stroller by himself and sat on it to talk.
Grandpa, grandma, the second child, the third child and the fourth child, the five main branches of the genealogy were cut down by "Zhazha" in the revolutionary era. Not only that, but also humiliated the living for decades. The surviving father and his nephews have stronger feelings for each other and a little more compassion than other families. My father fled his hometown at the age of 17, and finally settled in a suburban town more than 50 miles away from his hometown. Our sisters were born and raised in suburban towns, so we don't have much perception of our hometown. Before the Second Liberation, he was the mayor of Ma Yuan Town, and his reputation spread far and wide. The second brother is the second eldest son. The son of the former mayor is now a 64-year-old man and has grown into a mature plowman. My son and daughter-in-law have been working outside the home until they gave birth to a child last year. I bought a tricycle, went to the store to pull goods and people, earned some cash, and opened a consignment shop. My second brother planted more than ten acres of land by himself. Besides planting crops, he also planted cigarettes and fed two cows. I installed a telephone at home, and my son bought a mobile phone and installed cable TV. Life is getting better.
Second brother told his father about Haibo, but he just didn't want to do farm work. He knocks on one thing for three days and another for two days. He is still baking bread in the oven. Oh, my God, he can throw it everywhere. Father said, young man, don't want to do farm work. No matter what you do, it is better to make a living than not to make a living. My father advised my second brother that there are too many specimens, so we should take care of them. People always suffer from diseases. Let's sell this cow. It's convenient to plow the land with a small four-wheeled cart. Second brother said, yes. Now returning farmland to forests and forbidding grazing, cattle have no place to put, and they are fed at home, lacking grass. I want to sell it, but this cow is getting fat now. Here's your chance. Sell it. Father said to his second brother, take care of yourself. Your eldest brother has cerebral thrombosis. I am most afraid that you will get it, too. The brothers are watching. Early prevention, often eat Danshen tablets and Weinaolu. These medicines are not expensive, no matter how busy you are, you should pay attention to your health. The second brother said, nothing, my blood pressure is low. I measured it and it was lower than the average person. Father said that low blood pressure and high blood pressure are abnormal, and low blood pressure can easily turn into high blood pressure, which should be paid attention to.
While speaking, it's already past 10 in the morning. The second brother said, Dawu, you have a rest first. I will help Yunzi pull things to the meeting. She'll watch the booth and I'll be back. I think we are bored sitting at home. Why not take the opportunity to visit the temple fair in the countryside? The main purpose of going back to my hometown is to take a walk and have a look. He said to his father, let's go to the temple fair. As he spoke, he helped to load things into the shelf car, including drinks, biscuits, toys, fruits and toilet paper. Finally, I simply put the stroller on, so that when I get to the venue, I can let the baby sit and make room for my second brother. We will take him to the old grave.
The second brother pulled the car, my father and I pushed it behind, and Yunzi walked behind with her child in her arms. It's also fun.
I have no feelings for my hometown. That's the painful place in my memory. When I was a child, my father never mentioned it. Whenever he has to say something, he is always vague and covers up the past. It is often said that your hometown has good feng shui, and the house you built is exquisite. Carving flowers in the courtyard is mysterious. Until the 1980s, people came all the way to see the house. Later, I saw from the county annals that my house in Wan Min was specifically mentioned in the chapter about folk houses, but I couldn't turn the description in the book into a three-dimensional concept. Now the house has been demolished and a pigsty has been built. Only the poorest villagers still live in the stables. I've been here a few times, but I've never been interested.
After the reform and opening up, although class struggle is no longer talked about, hometown is still a taboo for us. It was not until my father was old in recent years that he gradually had the idea of going home. Last year in Tomb-Sweeping Day, I proposed to accompany my father to my hometown temporarily. But I didn't realize anything by car all the way. I originally planned to charter a car in the county this time, but I was worried that it would not be free. When I wanted to go around, I was anxious for the driver to accompany me. Just discuss with my dad and let's take the shuttle bus to the village for a walk. It is convenient to rent a motorcycle or a tricycle if the town is far from the road. Father was right.
Now, walking on the winding village road, I can feel the charm of my hometown. My hometown is located at the intersection of two rivers five miles north of the town. I walked eastward to Zhangjing Street, 20 miles away. There is a natural village every few miles along the way, just like a melon on a vine. Go north to the end of Zhuangke Village, and then turn to Lingbao. There are also natural villages along the road. The mountains here are mountains, tall and majestic, endless, and the ditches are ditches, wide and flat. People here are called "ditch", not "ditch", but "leisurely", which is leisurely. You mean long, far, quiet, deep and curved. Originally an adjective, it is obviously used as a noun here. Explain the distance and depth of the ditch. The ground is in the ditch, and there are not many slopes. The water turns around the mountain along the way, and the road follows the water. The river is clear, cheerful and stable, and the water is covered with tall walnut trees, elms, poplars and nameless trees. Watching it makes people feel cool and meaningful. Although this river is not big, it is quite big compared with many small rivers that have been cut off. Father said that when I was young, ducks and white geese swam in the river, which was beautiful.
The temple fair is in Beigou Village. There is a wheat field to the north of the river, which sets up a big stage. The banner says lingbao city Pu Opera Troupe. Below the stage are big stalls such as steamed stuffed buns and bean jelly. On this side of the river, there is also a wheat field, and in the distance there are grocery stalls, toys, food, fruits and cloth stalls. It looks like a market. Before the play started, the old man and the children went to the venue in twos and threes. What temple is far from the stadium? There are yellow flags fluttering in the wind in front of the temple.
I helped my second brother and them put goods in the yard, and my father, who was walking behind, talked to three old people under the tree. I walked up to him, handed my father a box of cigarettes and listened to them. As soon as my father introduced himself, the old people immediately remembered and said with surprise, "Hey, Wu Ying, so many, I haven't seen you for decades." An old man with a white beard trembled and said, "You are a man of great destiny. How have you been these years? " Father said, "wait, wait." This is my eldest daughter. " My father turned to me and said that the old man's name is Qin Yong, and he is 90 years old this year. He used to be the company commander of Fu Jun's commander Dong, who was active in resisting Japan. After liberation, he was beaten into four types of molecules and suffered a lot. Later, the policy was implemented, and now the civil affairs department gives a subsidy of 200 yuan a month, and life is not bad. Just as he was talking, an old man came over and asked his father, "Can you recognize me?" "You are ..." "I am a knot in one's heart. When we were young, we played with bulls, remember? " "Oh, you are a pimple. You have to meet in a nearby place, I don't recognize you. " "Tut tut", sigh, surprise. At this time, three grandmothers came again. Among them, the old lady dressed in black flowers said to her father, "You still have to call me grandma. I am on the stage. " "You are …" said an old man next to me. Her man is Sui Wen Zi and her name is Gu Duo. "Oh, I remember, I remember, they are all family." The old woman's eyes were red and she said, "Alas, you were still young at that time, so you escaped and survived." He lifted his skirt and wiped his eyes. Hearing this, my tears soon flowed down, and I quickly turned away. Grandma said to me again, "You don't know, I was so scared. At that time, I was only a teenager, and I didn't even dare to go to the meeting or watch it. " Say that finish shook his head, mouth bother to "gee". I understand that the meeting she said was about land reform, beating landlords and shooting people.
Three grandmothers are going to burn incense in the temple. I asked them what gods they worshipped in the temple. They say, the god of the royal aunt. I said, what the hell? They said, whatever. I said to my father, Dad, let's burn some incense. Father agreed. At the place where I buy incense, I have to pay the money for incense and firecrackers for my third grandmother, but they won't let me live or die. They also said: "You can't do it, you can't do it, you have to do it yourself, and you can't let others buy it." The stall owner also said: "You can't pay for it. If you want to show your mind, you can buy them something to eat later. " I am.
Embarrassed, I lit incense in front of the candle, stuck it in the Buddhist shrine, bent down and kowtowed, thinking nothing. The temple is donating money, saying it is renovated. I asked how much to donate? Grandma said, one piece will win, or two pieces will do, as you like. Write down your name with any number. I donated twenty dollars and wrote my father's name. Come out. We're whipping again. Father is obviously very happy. I didn't expect to meet so many old friends here today If it weren't for the temple fair, I might not even see them if I tried to find them. Father said, come next February 15. February 15 is a temple fair in Wanmin Village, and we can meet more people. I didn't believe in god originally, as if to follow a mood and a custom, and I would like to believe it.
We are going to the grave, and we dare not delay. After bidding farewell to my grandmother, my father and my second brother returned to Wan Min Village. Cut white paper, rub paper rope, and prepare everything for the grave. As I was leaving, I took out the prepared 200 yuan money and handed it to my second brother, saying, Stop, don't go out and tear up the prisoners. The second brother didn't pick up one or two, and even said, I have miles, I have miles. Father said, grasp it, she is better than us economically. Second brother finally caught it. When I came, my dad said that he also brought money and wanted to give it to my second brother. Now that I have given it to him, there is no need to give it.
The old grave is in Lujiazui. If you take the main road, you have to walk around an arc for 20 miles. If you cross the mountain from Zhuangke, it's much closer. We decided to climb the mountain. The weather is fine, and my father and second brother are in high spirits. When I met acquaintances on the road, I asked them kindly, are you going to the grave? The second brother replied loudly, go to hell! The mountain is steep, but my father walks faster than us, without breathing or shaking his feet. Along the way, people went over mountains to visit temple fairs.
We came to Lujiazui, where the old grave is located. Under the guidance of the second brother, hang a note for grandpa and the three graves. White paper is poor in texture and fragile. Father and second brother carefully hung white paper on the cypress tree in the grave. I couldn't hang up, so I just leaned down and pressed the paper on the grass in the grave with stones. White paper flutters in the wind, as if telling relatives underground that we are coming. Both graves are short, and I regret not bringing a shovel. Hang up the note, burn the paper money, and then put the whip. Only grandpa and the Big Three are buried here. Both of them died a year before liberation, and they were buried calmly, so the tombs have been preserved. Father and son have been together for decades. Grandma, the second and the fourth are still straw mats and thin coffins, and they are buried hastily. Later, after the Great Leap Forward in 1958, all the graves were leveled, leaving no trace. While burning paper money, I said to myself, you should give grandma some money, and we should be able to meet often in that world. I think I have no impression of my hometown, and now I have feelings that I can't give up, let alone? For decades, even if there is no grave, their souls will not leave their homeland, and they will always wander and look for it. We'll know when our relatives come.
After going to the grave, we sat down to have a rest. On a warm spring day, we sat in front of grandpa and uncle's grave, smoking, drinking and chatting at will, and felt very cordial and practical. The grave is covered with golden dandelions, which are scattered all over the place and beautiful. What we talked about seemed to be heard by relatives underground, without a trace of estrangement. Although I have never seen them or been to the grave, I feel very kind and not strange at all. I think this is a blood relationship. A person is like a tree, and the old grave is our root.
Father said that grandpa and the three graves were originally buried in the middle of the ground. In the 1980s, when the old grave was dug, Third Brother's life was slightly better. Later, it moved to the edge of the ground. People who dig graves have two meanings, one is to see if there is any treasure inside, and the other is to destroy the wind pulse. And two new graves were erected at the front of grandpa and the three graves. They want a little pulse. People in my hometown are superstitious and believe in Feng Shui. I asked my father, is it true that people say that our grave has good feng shui? Father said, probably, it was Mr. Lei who led people for half a month before he named this place. It's too far from the village. People here are superstitious. I carefully studied the front and back of the old grave. Behind it is a big mountain, in front of it is a big river, and across the river is a hill. The water swirled in front of the mountain and then flowed away. Behind the hill is a big mountain, which fluctuates continuously. There is a lush tree by the river, and a faint breath flows into my heart. The second brother said that people say that the old grave is good, but it is in front of the mountain, with a history and never stops. I don't believe in Feng Shui, but I'd rather believe it now. In fact, where the living look comfortable, the dead must be comfortable to live in.
The sun is quiet, only the sound of water in the distance is ringing. Sitting in front of the grave, overlooking the opposite mountains and rivers, listening to the conversation between my father and my second brother, I feel very kind, familiar and nostalgic. Suddenly back to the past, suddenly back to the present. History and reality, past and future, seem to be integrated, flowing on my body and shaking in front of my eyes. It seems that I didn't leave yesterday and I haven't come now. After decades of experience, I seem to be mature at once, and I seem to understand everything. Yesterday, my father's generation, the future, what people need. At the same time, I feel that I have a great responsibility on my shoulders and there are still many things to do.
I really want to sit down like this, thinking aimlessly, sinking into ancient times and sinking into the wilderness. But we still have 50 miles to catch. When we arrive at the county seat, my father will return to the village. Therefore, there can be no further delay. Go back the way you came. Back to my second brother's house, my son Haibo also came back from the city and wanted to take us to the town with a tricycle. Just as the engine was running, a taxi came from the village behind, saying that it was going to the county to pick up people, and it took us on. It's better to catch well than to catch skillfully. Second brother was reluctant to see us off, complaining that he left without eating. I said loudly, "Don't worry, we will arrive in the city soon."
Today, my father is very happy. He returned to his hometown and achieved the expected goal. He met the person he wanted to see and did what he wanted to do. But what makes my father happy most is that my second brother, who has been missing him, is in good shape now. Better than expected. Sons and daughters-in-law are very capable, filial, sensible and friendly. The son is not the second brother's own, but the second brother raised him since childhood. The raised son is very kind to the second brother, which is rare in the countryside. We have suffered a lot from our second brother, and we are most gratified to have a happy home in our later years.