(b)

15 years ago, Zhong Shulin's father, Zhong Fu, worked as a long-term worker for Bai Wen's family in Baijiabao Village, Antai County, doing work in the fields during the day and feeding the horses at night. On a dark and windy night, Zhong Fu went out to kick his horse. Zhong Fu is a timid and afraid person, maybe he walks at night to strengthen his courage, maybe he is too addicted to smoking to hold back, and when he goes out, he rolls two dry tobacco barrels and clamps them on his ears. Later, people said that if Zhong Fu didn't smoke and didn't have light, maybe he wouldn't have attracted the bandit leader Black Whirlwind.

That night, the black whirlwind was chased by the county security team and was cornered and jumped over the wall, and saw the light that was extinguishing and met Zhong Fu, who was leading the horse. When the black whirlwind saw the horse, he saw the hope of survival, how could he give up, and snatched the reins from Zhong Fu's hand. Zhong Fu refused to let go, his year's salary was not worth the price of a horse, perhaps Zhong Fu didn't think of these in a hurry, but just subconsciously clenched the reins. The black whirlwind was in a hurry, and when he raised his hand, it was a shot, and the gun hit the skull, and Zhong Fu was killed on the spot.

Zhong Fu died, leaving behind Zhao, a woman with small feet, and two young sons, who were 15 years old and 12 years old in the second year. The Bai family set up a banquet and invited the Zhong family's respected clansmen, and the result of the negotiation was that Bai Wenju compensated Zhong Fu's orphans and widows for ten loads of sorghum and helped the Zhong family build three thatched houses. Bai Wenju added two additional conditions, agreeing that Zhong Danian would replace his father Zhong Fu and continue to release horses for the Bai family, with the same salary, and introduce Zhong Ernian to his own in-law Zou Dashan family in the county seat as a waiter. The lives of orphans and widows are also settled.

Three years later, Zhong Shulin's widowed mother, Zhao, used up ten loads of sorghum for his eldest son Zhong Danian to marry a protégé, and in the second year, he went to the photo studio in Qingshan City to learn photography.

In the more than three years in Antai County, he worked as a waiter for the eldest and youngest grandmother of Zou Dashan's family for two years. Zou Dashan is kind to people, and he never embarrass people. The eldest grandmother, Fang Zihui, studied in the city, combed her short hair, and had a white and clean little round face, like a doll, and her personality was also lively. Two years of short stature, but the legs and feet are diligent, the mouth is also sweet, the young grandmother regards him as his mother's little brother, read the book and idle nothing, always love to make him happy, and see the two years of cleverness, from time to time also teach him to recognize a few words. After a few years, I can read thousands of words in two years.

The Zou family has a rule that boys can't wait for their daughters when they are 15 years old. This year, the second year is 15 years old, the eldest and youngest grandmother is already three months pregnant, and there must be an old mother to take care of the diet and daily life, and the Zou family can only resign for two years.

On this day, Er Nian was pouting and frowning and packing a few pieces of coarse cloth clothes into his baggage and preparing to go back to Liushutun, Fang Zihui walked into the house with two feet wearing black cloth shoes and white socks with a square mouth, and said casually while sipping on fried pumpkin seeds: "Er Nianzi, why are you not happy when you go home and wait for your mother to marry your daughter-in-law?" "I have been silent for two years, and I am busy with my life. The eldest grandmother said, "I'll introduce you to an errand in the city, would you like to find a daughter-in-law in the city?" The second year raised his eyes and looked at the eldest young grandmother, but he still didn't say anything. The young grandmother spit out the melon seed shells, patted her palms, and said, "Don't tease you, it's true, go to my father's photo gallery in Qingshan City as an apprentice, are you willing?" Ernian stopped what he was doing, with a smile on his face, and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes!" My family has no land, and when I go home, I have to work part-time jobs for other people, and I have to fill my mouth for nothing. In this way, Zhong entered Qingshan City in the second year and became an apprentice in the photo studio.

In Liushutun here, the Zhao family adopted Chunhua, and when he asked his age, he was only 13 years old, and he had already planned in his heart, so he would be a child daughter-in-law for the second year. As soon as she said what she meant, Chunhua nodded shyly, and the matter was settled.

After the New Year, someone in the village entered the city, and the Zhao family asked him to send a message to Zhong Ernian in Qingshan City, saying that he had booked a family affair at home and asked him to take the time to go home and have a look. In two years, Chunhua will be 16 years old, and the next year will be 18, and they can be given a round house. The reply was that he went to Kannai with his senior brother to do a big deal in the second year.

That's 12 years. In the past 12 years, Zhong Ernian participated in the Eighth Road, and his name was changed from Zhong Ernian to Zhong Shulin. Because there is a song with the lyrics "Arrange the camp of comrades everywhere in the dense woods", that song is familiar to him, it is the life he is too familiar with, it is the glorious years of his life that he is proud of.

After changing jobs, Zhong Shulin asked to return to his hometown Qingshan City to work, so he was assigned to Qingshan City and became a national cadre in the Municipal Cultural Bureau.