Chapter 13 Getting better and better, changing your name and surname
What does the name matter? If you call the rose something else, it's still fragrant. - Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
After eating, the man led me to the parking lot, passing the pedestrian street on both sides of the street with rows of shops and stalls. Got me into the car, said to me and closed the door, the man didn't go to the cab, but turned and walked back, I wanted to ask him why he was going but it was too late, the door was closed, and he would never hear unless he shouted. I simply ignored him, lowered my head and played with the cassette tape in the co-pilot's storage box, and I always liked to stick my finger in the mouth of the wheel (1) and play with the tape as a windmill.
After a while, the man returned, and I quickly put the tape back in the storage box, like a thief who had been caught. "Well, I saw a telescope on that stall just now, and it was a little far away at the time, so I didn't take you there, give it, take it to play." The man ignored my panic and handed over a two cylinders tied together with ropes. It's a telescope, of course, but it's not what I know, and the astronomical telescope I watch on TV is a cylinder like a cannon. After all, I was still young, and I had no idea what astronomy was, but I remembered the word "telescope" very well, so I didn't mention the word "astronomy" when we talked about telescopes at dinner, so it's no wonder something went wrong.
The man turned to the side and helped me put the telescope around my neck, and instructed me how to use it. The bustling people on the street were instantly delivered to their eyes, and the plaques of the shops across the road seemed to be within reach; Looking at the telescope in reverse, it becomes a "telescope", the crowd is bounced away, and the plaque is pushed away. I was fresh for a while, and the man interrupted me: "Okay, let's go home and see again, don't play when the car is driving, and pestle your eyes again." I obediently took it off my eyes, still holding it in my hand and reluctant to put it down, just hoping that the car would drive faster and get home early.
When I got home, I couldn't wait to lie on the windowsill and experience the amazing new toy, and I lived on the 7th floor, which made the telescope work to the fullest. The man had nothing to do, so he turned on the TV and watched the news. I was playing, and suddenly a flash of thought, just patronizing the excitement, owed the man a word of thanks, so he turned around: "Thank you, Dad!" The man's eyes turned from the TV to me, "Thank you?" Seeing that his face was dazed, obviously confused by my sudden thanks, I shook the object in my hand: "This! The man suddenly realized: "Oh, oops, it's good to like it, it's good to like it......" The first sentence was said aloud to me, and the second sentence was whispered as if it was repeated to himself.
I have to say that gifts are the best choice to break down the barriers between people and convey kindness and heart. After this day, the relationship between the two of us is much closer, although we are still silent, but there is a little more taste of father's love and filial piety.
My mother came back from my aunt's house late in the morning and asked my father to go back to the house to discuss things, so he gave me the TV to watch cartoons, and the telescope was able to retire. Compared to their mysteries, it was clear that television appealed to me more.
The sun and the moon alternated, spring went to the summer solstice, my uncle moved to the dormitory of the health school, and my mother naturally came out to sleep with me in the living room.
One weekend morning, my mother brought a red notebook to me and sat down: "Peng Peng's mother wants to tell you something today." Seeing her so serious, I didn't dare to slack off, so I quickly got up and looked at the book. The red leather cover is printed with 5 large characters, but I only recognize one "mouth" word, and the lower row of small characters is more complicated, and only "Zhong, Ren, Gong" can be recognized in 11 words. Before I could ask what it was, my mother had already opened the red book, pointed to the first line of "Jiang Hongyan" on the first page, and asked me if I knew? I nodded, her name I naturally recognized, she had taught me on the clipboard.
Then she flipped to the next page, pointed to another name, and looked up at me, "Jiang ......" I shook my head, "I don't know." My mother taught me to read: "Jiang Jiabao." "Oh, Jiang Jiabao." I followed the study, and my mother said to me while bringing a writing board: "You can already write the word 'ginger', you see this 'Jia', it is a vertical 'person', this is the two 'soil', you can write these things, put together it is 'Jia', as for this 'treasure' is a 'treasure word cover', the following is 'jade', you can also write it, you think it's very simple." As she spoke, she wrote these three words on the board one by one. When you finished writing, you handed me the word board, "Come, you can learn to write below." ”
Naturally, I was puzzled: "Mom, why did you ask me to write this?" Who's that? Mom's words grew up seriously: "This is what has been busy some time ago, this is the new name that my mother gave you, you see, my mother's surname is 'Jiang', you will have your mother's surname in the future, and your surname is Jiang, so that it can be regarded as a family, this 'Jia' is a good meaning, 'Bao' is a baby, you are your mother's best baby, discuss with your second aunt and mother She originally wanted you to call 'Jiang Jiabao', which is the baby of our old Jiang family, I don't think this is good, the meaning is good, and it looks better than that." What do you see? Write and see. ”
I looked at the gourd and asked, "What about 'Wei Zhenpeng'?" I won't be called 'Wei Zhenpeng' in the future? Mom replied decisively: "Well, you will be 'Jiang Jiabao' in the future, just forget about 'Wei Zhenpeng'." I nodded: "Then when others ask me what my name is, I will tell them that my name was 'Wei Zhenpeng' before, and now I am called 'Jiang Jia'......" My mother interrupted me as if she was frightened: "Don't mention it to others It's useless, just say it's called 'Jiang Jiabao', no one will ask so much, you listen to your mother, don't mention 'Wei Zhenpeng' in the future, and don't tell others about your name change, do you hear?" Remember! ”
Seeing my mother's repeated emphasis, I didn't understand the reason, so I had to say whatever she said, I agreed, how could I understand the meaning of a person's surname in China at that time. Although the country has now opened up the two-child policy, and the social status of women has been further improved, more and more children will not cause too much public opinion even if they have the mother's surname. But back then, if anyone knew that I was with my mother's surname, what was waiting for me was that I didn't know how many excuses I had to think of and prevaricate, and how many reasons to deal with it. Every time I came here, I didn't want to mention it in my heart, and I faintly blamed my mother for this decision at that time. I thought that this was probably because she deliberately let the three words "Wei Zhenpeng" make me farther and farther away in order to make Lao Liu Tou happy, as if to prove that I was her Jiang Hongyan's child, not her and Wei Xiaohai's son (2).
What a scheming?! How vicious?!! How selfish?!!! Go without saying!!!!