On that desperate night in the spring of 1983, Liu Yuan, a professor of Chinese at Peking University, was invited to the Central Investigation Department, and when Professor Liu Yuan and Tang Weidong appeared at the door of my grandfather Huang Kexing's office, my mother told them that he had gone crazy.

Professor Liu Yuan and Tang Weidong saw my father, Huang Lian Weiguo, dancing in my grandfather's office through the window, with white hair, and Professor Liu Yuan said: It seems that he is really crazy.

Tang Weidong said: There are only people in our unit who are loyal to the country, and there have never been crazy people. Is it crazy or not? Professor Liu, you'll know right away.

By this time it was already dawn.

Tang Weidong stood at the door and said: I invited the professor you want for Weiguo, can you come out?

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: Who are you? I won't come out, that Tang Weidong said, let me die in this house, so I can't come out.

Tang Weidong stood at the door and said: I am Tang Weidong, you forgot about it.

My father Huang Weiguo said: Are you Tang Weidong? Are you kidding. You are Tang Weidong, so who am I?

Tang Weidong said: You are Huang Weiguo of our unit.

My father Huang Weiguo said: Who is Huang Weiguo?

Tang Weidong said: Don't you have any questions to find Professor Liu?

My father Huang Weiguo said: You tell me who Huang Weiguo is first?

Tang Weidong said: Are you crazy, you are Huang Weiguo.

My father Huang Weiguo said: You are crazy, I am Huang Weiguo, why don't I know?

Tang Weidong said: Do you have any questions for Professor Liu?

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: What are you kidding, how can I have a question to ask? Professor Liu has any questions to ask. I can help you out.

Professor Liu Yuan said: What is a "drought dam"?

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: Be quiet, this is a state secret, you can't say it, it's a secret that can't be said. Professor Liu, are you the best ethnolinguist in China?

Liu Yuan said: Liu has no talent and does not dare to call his family, but he knows a little about the national language.

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: How can you get a white-collar salary in a white-collar country just a little bit about it? Let's put it this way, can you answer me how many ethnic languages there are in China?

Professor Liu Yuan said: There are 56 ethnic groups in China, which of course means 56 languages.

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: "No, no, as far as I know, there are more than 120 ethnic languages in China, and this is only an approximation, and some are not yet within the scope of statistics. Well, I also count your answer correctly, then, you answer me again, how many national languages can you speak? Can you describe the "drought dam" in each of the 56 national languages?

Professor Liu Yuan said: This, this really won't.

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: Oh, this won't be? Then you're just a professor, and you really can't be called an ethnolinguist. Professor, please come back, you're not the person I'm looking for.

Tang Weidong vaguely noticed what my father Huang Weiguo had found, and said: Then who are you looking for?

My father Huang Weiguo said: This is a heavenly opportunity, I can't tell you, tell you, you don't understand, let's put it this way, give you a question, answer correctly, let's continue to talk, answer wrong, you leave by yourself.

Tang Weidong said: Say it.

My father, Huang Weiguo, said: Actually, it's very simple, can you use the 120 known ethnic languages to describe the "drought dam"? You can't do it, so you can leave, I don't need to continue talking to you, I don't have time, if I can't think of an answer before dawn, I'll have to die in this room.

My father, Huang Weiguo, stopped talking to the people at the door, turned around, looked up at the roof and shouted, "Tell me, what is Zosa?" What is Zosa? What is Tsusa? It's going to be dawn, and if I can't think of it, I'll just die in this house. Huang Buxing, what kind of father are you? You leave a secret for your son to guess, I can't guess. You deserve to be a hero, you don't deserve to be a father. You have never loved me well, you have never loved me, in your heart there is only the country you love, who is my mother? Who is my mother? You never told me that, and I didn't even know where I came from. Is there a more ruthless father in the world than a father like you? I want to love you, I don't know what to love you. I want to hate you, I don't know why I hate you. Father, I really love you, no matter what kind of father you are, in fact, I want to see you, because you are my father. But in my heart, your presence and disappearance are a phantom.

Both Tang Weidong and Professor Liu Yuan saw the crying back of my father, Huang Weiguo.

Tang Weidong also took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes, feeling the same pain as my father.

My mother's whole body was trembling, and she struggled to keep her crying from making a sound.