At the age of ninety-seven, it can be said that it is a gift from God to be able to see my one hundred and two-year-old brother again!

When the old lady Yu and the old sister Shi Yu hugged each other and cried, there were many old people and children in front of the courtyard. Naturally, the children came to see the excitement, and the old people were all sighing, not to mention that the brothers and sisters could see each other again after more than 80 years, and even the people who lived to be 80 years old were very few. In fact, in the eyes of Mrs. Yu and Shi Yu's family, these old people who watched the excitement were not "children".

It was nearly eleven o'clock at this time, and although the sun was not very hot on the person, it was enough to pierce the old man's eyes. Old lady Yu then beckoned to Shi Yu and said, "My eldest sister, I've been chatting outside for so long, you look at me, I forgot to invite you to sit on the house!" Let's go into the house and chat! ”

Shi Yushi looked up and saw that the house had long since lost the traces of the earthen walls, grass roofs, and pasted paper windows, and now the bottom of the wall has become a brick and stone structure, the roof is covered with a layer of green tiles, and the windows have been replaced with glass. However, the pair of door panels still look like the door panels of the year, but with a new layer of paint, it is estimated that it has been a few years, and the paint has become mottled.

"My brother, I want to walk around this courtyard first, and then go to the house!" After Shi Yu finished speaking, he walked to the only remaining jujube tree. Mrs. Yu also asked her grandson to push a wheelchair and accompany Shi Yu's "walk" around.

When he arrived in front of the jujube tree, Shi Yushi stretched out his hand and touched it, raised his head obliquely and looked up, but he couldn't see the top of the tree. This season, flower buds have already emerged between the two rows of tender green leaves on the branches, which is exactly what people say "old trees sprout new shoots". Looking at the only remaining old jujube tree, Shi Yushi wanted to sigh, and really stood at the bottom of it, but he was speechless for a while, it was older than his own age.

"I left the one on the very edge, and the others, I can't survive, so I've been planed!" Old lady Yu said.

"It's not easy to live so long! Seeing it, I remembered when I was a child, we took our younger brothers and sisters to make dates. Think about it at that time, how lively ......" Speaking of this, Shi Yushi was afraid of arousing some sad things, so he stopped saying "don't mention it" again. She moved a few steps to the jujube tree, then put her cane on the ground and said to the stone pillar: "Grandson, dig up some of this place and take a look, I remember that I buried something here, it's been almost ninety years, and I don't know if it's still there." I've almost forgotten! ”

Hearing this, Yuhei hurriedly asked his eldest son to find a small shovel and dig it there. They didn't know what was buried inside, but they heard Shi Yu say next to him: "Just dig a little lighter, just dig a little shallower." If it's gone, it's gone! ”

Just as he was talking, Yu Jianguo really dug up something. Gently brushed away the mud on the top, took it out and saw that it was a small person carved in stone.

Shi Yushi held the stone villain in his hand, and sighed again and again: "I didn't expect it, this is really there!" ”

At this time, the old lady Yu said: "Isn't this the stone man carved by my grandfather before?" Originally, it was given to each of us, but then my one was broken, and I threw it away. ”

"Yes, yes, it's carved by my grandfather!" Shi Yushi said happily: "I saw that your one was broken, so I buried this one next to the jujube tree, thinking that this one can also grow like a tree, and when the time comes, another one will grow and give it to you." Later, after a long time, I forgot about it. When I saw this jujube tree today, I remembered it again. I didn't expect it to be there! It's just that, decades have passed, and I still haven't seen it grow another stone man! ”

Hearing this, everyone laughed.

Shi Yu went to the side of the house to take a look at the hawthorn tree, and after finding the memories of his childhood, he followed the old lady Yu into the house with the support of Liu Shanxiu, and the two old men talked about their parents in the house, and greeted each other with good health.

Yu Heping's two daughters-in-law were busy making lunch, and the eldest daughter Yu Baihua, the youngest son Yu Yuejin and the eldest granddaughter Yu Weiwen were washing vegetables, lighting the fire, and helping the handle. At that time, Yulizhuang was still eating "big pot rice", and it was definitely a novelty to be able to cook such a big pomp at home privately - in fact, the members of the club had already complained about "big pot rice". Yu Heping and his family don't live here, and it is not appropriate for these people to "eat a big pot of rice", so it is beyond reproach for them to cook at home.

After about two bags of cigarettes, Yu Jianguo led an old man to Lao Yu's house, who had a goatee and gray hair, but his waist was not arched, his back was not hunched, and he walked quite quickly. Before he entered the door, Old Lady Yu pointed at him and said, "My sister, you see, he is the 'old acquaintance' I told you, can you guess which one?" ”

Shi Yushi squinted and looked, and when the man entered the house, he didn't see who it was.

The old man entered the house and greeted Shi Yu directly: "Hello aunt! You'll never know who I am. Let me give you a hint first, my surname is Li, and I am eighty-five years old this year! ”

Shi Yushi thought for a while, then smiled and said, "Your surname is Li, eighty-five, then you don't have to guess!" You must be Dunhou, the eldest grandson of my uncle's family, Li Dunhou! ”

After hearing this, Old Lady Yu said with some surprise: "I didn't expect that you really guessed him!" That's right, he is the eldest nephew Li Dunhou. ”

"Before my father took us to Beijing, my uncle's family had a grandson, and as soon as I said what his surname was and how old he was, I knew who it was!" Shi Yushi gestured with his hand again, "When we left Yuli Village, you were only a little bit, and you were still lying in the nest basket!" I often go to your house to hug you and play! To put it that way, you're really our 'old acquaintance'! ”

A room full of people laughed when they heard this. Then, Li Dunhou said: "Yes, 'old acquaintance'!" A few years after you left, my father and mother also took me and followed the barefoot gang to break through the Kanto. At that time, almost everyone in the village went! My father and mother often tell me about my hometown, saying that auntie, you like children, and you will go to play with me when you are free! Later, after more than ten years in the Republic of China, my father and mother were homesick, so I took Lao Kuai and the child to accompany them back. My younger siblings stayed in the Kanto region. ”

At this time, Shi Yushi said: "No wonder, I escaped from Beijing that year, and when I returned to my hometown, there was no one left!" Now that the country is stable, everyone has something to eat, and there is no need to go here and there to beg for a living! ”

"yes, that's good!" Li Dunhou also sighed, "Now everyone eats and works together, everyone is equal, how good life is!" But I've heard that some people want to smash this 'cauldron', isn't this smashing our own jobs! ”

Hearing this, Yu Heping disagreed, he said: "Uncle Li, if you want me to say, this 'cauldron' doesn't need to be smashed by anyone, and in a few years, it will fall out by itself." Now it's not just about having something to eat, it's about eating well. You older generation, after most of your life of poverty, will feel that the present life is good. However, this is just the beginning, I will leave it here, and I will see it when you are a hundred years old, and the days were so good that we can't imagine it now! ”

Li Dunhou did not argue after hearing this, no matter what, everyone hoped that life would get better and better. He jokingly said, "Good! Just borrow the eldest nephew's auspicious words today, and I will live to be more than 100 years old like your father! ”

While several people were laughing, Yu Heping's two daughters-in-law brought the dishes to the table one after another. First, there was a large plate of corn-baked pancakes, another plate with chopped green onions, shredded radish, shredded mustard, crushed chili peppers and garlic sprouts, and a small bowl of diluted sweet noodle sauce, which was specially soaked for the old people to soften and eat; Next is the tofu box, which is filled with scrambled eggs and green peppers; This is followed by steamed buns, dried yellow croaker, three fresh soup of old tofu, lamb intestine soup, boiled fish, shredded potatoes, and the shredded potatoes are paired with a little shredded carrots, which looks very elegant; Finally, a large bowl of hand-rolled noodles with green vegetables was served.

Looking at the dishes that were served, especially the tofu box, which really needed some skills to do well, Shi Yushi couldn't help but praise: "Two nephews and daughters-in-law...... Oh, no, no, look at me old foolishness! It's two great-grandchildren and daughters-in-law, and this cooking skill is really extraordinary! Look at the dishes made, just like the chef of the restaurant! ”

Yu Heping said with a smile on the side: "Auntie, you are really good eyesight!" My two daughters-in-law are both helping out in the canteen of the unit, although their cooking skills are not as good as the chef, they are also top masters! It's just that there are few guys in the pot house here in my hometown, and I'm afraid that the dishes made will not suit your appetite, aunt and grandmother, don't be surprised! ”

On the table of the Eight Immortals in the hall sat only the two old sisters of the Shi Yu family, Li Dunhou, Shi Zhu, Yu Heping, Liu Shanxiu and their two eldest sons, Shi Yu said embarrassedly when they saw it: "The two great-granddaughters-in-law are busy with such a big table of good dishes, why am I strange!" It's just that they can't sit at this big table, and I feel a little sorry to go! ”

Liu Shanxiu hurriedly said: "Auntie, don't get in the way!" They sat in the pot house, and the dishes were all the same. It's just that we have this big bowl of longevity noodles on this table, which is specially prepared for the three of you old people! ”

At this time, the second son Yu Yuanchao took out two bottles of Wucheng special songs, and the old lady Yu saw it and said to Yu Heping: "Peace, today, your aunt and grandmother are here, I am so happy in my heart, let me drink to the bar?" ”

"My lord, no! The doctor said, don't let you drink! Yu Heping seemed to see the displeasure on the old lady's face, so he said with a smile: "However, today is a special day, so I will make an exception to give you a small drink!" ”

"Okay, just a cup!" Being able to drink such a small cup, Mrs. Yu is already very satisfied.

There is no need to elaborate on the excitement at the dinner table, don't look at the old brothers and sisters of the Yu family, but the amount of food is not small, and they eat no less than the young people, but the speed of chewing things is quite slow, and the hands often shake twice unconsciously when cooking vegetables and soup, and it is inevitable that the grandchildren will help on the side. In order to show that they are not old, the two old men are sometimes not very happy that their grandchildren come to help.

After lunch, Shi Yushi took a nap as usual, which was her daily habit. When they got up, the juniors of the Yu family said goodbye to Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Gu and went back to Jinan, only Yu Heping and Liu Shanxiu stayed to take care of it, and the old Yu family suddenly felt a lot colder.

After sending off the juniors, Shi Yushi went to the front and back of the house and walked around slowly, and couldn't help but think of his father and mother again. When she returned to the house, she said to Mrs. Yu: "Brother me, I want to go to my mother's grave to see!" ”

At this time, the old lady Yu had a solemn expression, sat there blankly, drooping his eyelids, and after a long time, he said with difficulty: "It's been decades, those graves, almost flat, I really can't find out, which one is my mother's grave......" He knew that his sister had finally come this time, not just for a meal, he would definitely think of his mother's grave to see, but for the current situation, he revealed deep guilt and self-blame in his words.

Shi Yushi also sighed, and said in a moment: "If you can't find it, you can't find it, I'll just go there and take a look, and the paper won't burn!" After all, it's been more than eighty years! ”

The two sisters talked a lot about the past, and after breakfast the next day, Mrs. Yu asked Yuping to push him and took Shi Yu to his mother's grave to have a look. Shi Yushi raised his eyes and saw only a field of green wheat, which had already pulled out the ears of wheat, and he could barely make out a slightly higher place from a distance. Before my father took them away, he planted a willow branch on the side of the road facing the grave, but now I can't find it, and I don't know if it has ever grown into a small tree or a large tree.

Mother's grave is some distance from the house, and after walking back and forth, Shi Yu's family is really tired - in fact, Shi Zhu and Yu Heping are even more tired, one has walked a lot with his grandmother on his back, and the other has pushed his grandfather all the way.

Shi Yu spent another night at Lao Yu's house, and the next morning, she packed her luggage and prepared to return to Guanyun. Knowing that her sister was leaving, Mrs. Yu talked to her for a long, long time under the foreign oil lamp the night before. Yu Heping invited the son of his old comrade-in-arms to drive early in the morning to send Shi Yu's ancestors and grandchildren directly to Jinan Railway Station, where there are many cars to Xuzhou, if it goes well, they can rush back to Guwei before dark.

Before getting into the car, Mrs. Yu took her sister's hand and was reluctant to let go. Both of them knew - and several of them knew that this should be their last face, after all, the age is here, even if there is time in the future, it will be quite difficult to sit in the car for such a long time; Taking a step back, even if he can still take the car, the old lady will lie in the coffin at any time. A few months later, autumn had just arrived, and this "taking a step back" was finally fulfilled.

When Shi Yushi and Shi Zhu went back, it was Yu Heping who followed the car to take them to Jinan Station, and Liu Shanxiu stayed behind to take care of the old lady temporarily. After the car disappeared at the end of Yuli Village, the old lady Yu sat alone in front of the room again, her eyes empty; A few sparrows flew around in the grass again, even in wheelchairs.

When they arrived at the station, Yu Heping took them to the ticket hall, took out their documents, and said a few words to a staff member inside, and the man took two tickets out, both of which were hard sleeper tickets from Jinan to Xuzhou.

Yu Heping stuffed the ticket to the stone pillar. Shi Yushi excused himself and said, "Eldest nephew, how can you still let you buy us tickets?" ”

Yu Heping said: "Auntie, don't get in the way, these are the benefits of the unit, and the policy allows, so you can rest assured that you can take it." It's just that when you arrive in Xuzhou, you have to buy the ticket to Haizhou yourself! ”

"That's good! Then we'll take it! Thank you so much, great nephew! ”

"Auntie, you can come and see my grandfather, I am happy in my heart, this is his old man's lifelong wish. Now, he has no regrets when he dies! This time, I can't help but let you sit in the car for so long at such an age, bumping back and forth. Actually, it should be our old Yu family to thank you for being an aunt and grandmother! ”

Outside, Yu Heping asked them to wait for a while. After a while, the driver who saw them off came with a heavy bag of things. Yu Heping put things into Shizhu's duffel bag and said, "Auntie, Jinan's meat ticket can't be used in Haizhou, so I asked my friend to exchange ten catties of fresh pork and some lard; There are also some food stamps here, which are common throughout the country, and they will also be brought to you for the elderly! ”

You must know that although the "Cultural Revolution" was over at that time, it was very difficult for individuals to buy ten catties of pork at one time. Yu Heping has been in Jinan for nearly 20 years and has a wide range of contacts, but it is not difficult for him to buy ten catties of meat.

When Shi Yu saw his nephew and grandson give such a heavy gift, he resolutely refused to accept it. Yu Heping said: "Auntie, don't shirk it, I, Shanxiu, and the children are all eating in the canteen now, these tickets are of no use to us, and this meat ticket will expire if you don't use it anymore." I'll discuss with Shanxiu and give these to you, you can use them! Then, Yu Heping took out a stack of food stamps from his pocket and said, "These food stamps were brought to her two brothers by Shanxiu and asked you to give them half of the family!" ”

After hearing this, Shi Yu put the things away. After saying goodbye to her nephew, she boarded the train with Shizhu. On the train, Shi Yushi lay on the bed and thought about everything that had happened in the past few days, two days was too short, and before he could talk to his brother for a while, it was gone.

This time, Shi Yu's family also figured out what she had been trying to figure out for decades - what kind of relatives the Yu family and Li Lianying in the palace were: it turned out that the ancestor of the Li family was first in Qihe and had three sons. Later, the youngest son went to Yulizhuang and became the ancestor of Shi Yu's uncle's family; The eldest son, that is, Li Lianying's ancestor, went to Hejian Mansion; The second son went to Dacheng County, Shuntianfu. Later, I don't know how many generations have passed, Li Lianying's father "passed on" to an uncle in Dacheng County after he became an adult, and since then, Li Lianying was born in Dacheng. Li Lianying and Shi Yu's uncle are veritable distant relatives, and he has become a distant relative of the Yu family.

Even if this relationship is so "far", but Manager Li takes care of her, a distant relative who has only a little relationship, which shows why he is respected in the palace, and it is conceivable why the Empress Dowager Xi favors him alone. Shi Yu knew that if it weren't for this distant uncle and grandfather, she might never have been able to leave the palace and escape from the capital. She had thought about repaying the favor, but she never had the chance again.

Shi Yu and the two took an express train this time, and just after the afternoon, the train arrived in Xuzhou. Shi Zhu decided not to leave the station, but waited on the platform for the earliest train to Sinpo, and when he got to the train, he asked the conductor to make up two tickets. When they arrived in Xinpu, the two of them got on the bus to Guanyun at the bus station not far away, and before it was dark, they arrived at Zhongji.

As soon as he got out of the car, Shizhu heard someone shouting on the other side of the road: "Well, master, look, the old man and the old lady are back!" "This will Shi Xuan and his eldest nephew Shi Zheng are waiting for them at the intersection, with a flat car next to them.

When they got to the two, Shi Zhu happily asked, "Eldest grandson, why did you come with you?" ”

"In the afternoon, he insisted on coming with me to pick you up. If you don't take him, he won't get off the flat car! Shi Xuan said first.

Shi Zheng was very unconvinced: "Oh Dad, I told my dad and my mom that I came with my master!" ”

At this time, Shi Yushi asked, "Xuan, it's been a long time to wait here, right?" She asked as she took out two pieces of candy from her pocket and gave them to Shi Zheng.

"Well, old lady, don't let me wait for you in Zhongji late, we arrived at five o'clock, and we didn't have to wait long!" Shi Xuan said.

Shi Yushi said: "Good, good! Then hurry home! The pork in the bag has been stuffy for a day, so go home and quickly pickle and boil, otherwise it will be bad! ”

Subsequently, Shi Zhu and Shi Xuan helped Shi Yu to the flat car, Shi Xuan pulled in front, Shi Zheng pushed beside him, and Shi Zhu followed. The shadows of people and cars stretched longer and longer in front of them, until they completely disappeared into the green trees on both sides.

On this journey, Shi Yu's long-cherished wish has been realized for many years, and it can be said that she is now dead without regrets. But there is one person who has "regrets" in his heart, and that is Ji's. Since Shi Yu's return from his "mother's house", Shi Zhu could more or less feel the changes in Ji's heart, and on this day he said: "Si'en, I guess you also miss your hometown, right?" When I'm free, I'll go back to the mountain with you! ”

Ji Shi was naturally happy when she heard this, and she said: "Heda, with your words, it's enough!" I did want to go back to Yamane to see, but I was different from my grandmother, who went to Texas to see my uncle and relatives. What about me, it's different: my father is an orphan, my mother's family is gone, and there is no one to see when I go back, only those old houses, all of which have passed for more than 30 years, and it is not necessary to be absent. It didn't make sense for me to go, so I felt that although I had some regrets, I didn't have to go. Haizhou is my home, and my relatives are here! ”

Since then, Shizhu hasn't mentioned it again - there are many regrets in life!

At the end of this year, the Shi family ushered in good news - not only the Shi family, but also the entire Guwei brigade ushered in good news: the "notice to remove hats" of those who were criticized as "four types of elements" in the "Cultural Revolution" was finally sent to everyone. This is just an ordinary piece of paper, but the content written on it and the red seal of the "Guanyun County Revolutionary Committee" are worth a thousand gold to the stone pillars.

Like everyone else, Shi Zhu also sighed for a long time, held the notice in the palm of his hand, and looked at it over and over again:

Notice of hat removal

Excerpts from the Dough (1977) No. 000001

The stone pillar of the Guwei Brigade of the county's dismount commune has been able to comply with the government's reform laws and regulations for many years, work honestly, do not do bad things, and comply with policy regulations. After the evaluation of the masses, it was decided to take off the hat of counter-revolutionaries and give them the treatment of members of the people's commune. Notice is hereby given.

Guanyun County Revolutionary Committee

December 12, 1977

Seeing this notice, Shi Yushi couldn't hide the joy in his heart and said: "The government has finally helped us rehabilitate!" In the future, we will be able to raise our heads in a dignified manner, and we will no longer be a 'counter-revolutionary' family! Then, she didn't forget to ask Shizhu: "Zhuzi, tell grandma, who is the head of our country now?" ”

"Grandma, I don't know about this, but people say that now Comrade D Xiaoping has come out to preside over the work of the country, and he has 'two downs and two ups' in the 'Cultural Revolution'!"

"Oh, 'two downs, two ups'! So, how old is this D Xiaoping? ”

In fact, Shizhu didn't know how to answer this question, and when he was embarrassed, Cao Miaomiao came over and said: "Old lady, I read the newspaper in Bada Na, D Xiaoping came back this summer, he should be seventy-three years old, ten years older than Bada, and they are all big dragons!" ”

"Oh! Belong to the Great Dragon! 'Two downs and two ups', that is, 'two ups and downs', now is not the time for the 'dragon to raise its head'! Yes, yes! Shi Yu chattered for a while, and the juniors couldn't understand what she was saying, and they were used to people talking nonsense, so they didn't pay attention to it anymore. In fact, Shi Yu's heart was very clear at this time, and she already understood the meaning of what Master Fa Mao "said" to her.

The Shi family's happy event is far more than that, his family and the Liu family have already discussed and set the marriage of Shi Xuan and Liu Shuqing on the sixth day of the first lunar month two months later. At this time, Shizhu was already preparing to arrange the new house and the wedding, although everyone was poor, but no one wanted to make the wedding cold.

On the day of the wedding, all etiquette returned to normal, and the newlyweds no longer had to hold the "M Zedong Anthology", and they did not need to read a few quotations from Chairman M at the wedding, so they didn't have to worry about not eating "big pot rice" when they got married and being charged with "petty bourgeoisie". The couplets of the new house have also returned to tradition, and there is no need to worry about buttoning the hat of feudal ideology and writing funny and stereotyped.

In the middle of the month of that year, Liu Shuqing gave birth to a girl for the Shi family, who was chubby and looked bigger than ordinary children. Shi Xuan specially asked his father to ask Mr. Cao to name his eldest daughter, Shi Jinyu. Not only the name, but also the couplet of Shi Xuan's new house when he got married, he also asked Mr. Cao to write it, the big characters he wrote were strong and powerful, but the girl's name was soft and beautiful.

"Mr. Cao, you are really knowledgeable, and you give such a nice name to your daughter!" Shi Xuan saw the word "Jinyu" and liked it very much.

Mr. Cao is very modest: "Where, the old decay is just borrowing the words of the ancients - 'Hold Jin Huaiyu', in the future, your daughter will be able to get ahead and become a heroine!" ”

Later, several girls born in the Shi family were also named by Mr. Cao: in seventy-nine years, Cao Miaomiao gave birth to a daughter, and Mr. Cao named his granddaughter Shi Yuqi; In the winter of 81, Liu Shuqing's third child gave birth to twin daughters, and Mr. Cao named them Shi Linglong and Shi Zhuhui respectively.

It's a pity that a few days after Mr. Cao named the twin daughters of the Shi family, when the weather was suddenly cold on the fifth day of the lunar month, he suddenly coughed badly, and the old diseases left over from the injuries suffered by the body during the "Cultural Revolution" recurred. As the only daughter of Mr. Cao, Cao Miaomiao was naturally heartbroken, but she was pregnant at that time and did not dare to hurt too much.

That year, the Gu Wei Brigade also sent away several old people, but Shi Yu's family was not among them. At that time, Shi Yu's was already 100 years old, and the year before, the Shi family also held a "ninety-nine" birthday for her.

In the countryside of Guanyun, for the big birthday, many places retain the custom of "celebrating nine or not celebrating ten" - when Shi Yu's ninety-nine years old, it is already an age that very few people have reached, and no one knows if she can live to be one hundred years old, so Shi Zhu decided to hold a lively ninety-ninth birthday for Shi Yu's family, and the time is set before the solar calendar year. At that time, Mr. Cao also said, "Men don't celebrate nine, women don't celebrate ten", not to mention that "ninety-nine" itself has a long-term meaning, and the meaning of celebrating a big birthday in this year is very beautiful.

According to the word of mouth of the old people in the village, Shi Yu is the first old man in Guwei Village to live to the age of ninety-nine in hundreds of years. At the age of 99, he set a new record, which was not surpassed until the year China hosted the men's World Cup for the first time. Therefore, Shi Yu's ninety-ninth birthday is not only a happy event for the Shi family, but also a happy event for the Gu Wei brigade.