Sixty years with spring

preface

From coming into this world to retiring at the age of 60, how wonderful it would be to live in spring every day! Although we post-50s generations have experienced ups and downs in life, spring, summer, autumn and winter, we are still full of happiness when we recall it, as if we live in spring every day. A poet Lin Quan wrote a poem for this, lamenting the struggle of the post-50s generation.

Look up to this life

Sixty years with spring, wind and rain are not idle.

The sea of books has also sought ambitions, and Shangshan has not been stingy with difficulties.

Affection creates a beautiful family, and the intention is open to all friends.

The sixtieth look back is still pleasant, and often reminisces about the past with vegetarian wine.

Chapter I

Born in the spring

There is a small village in the south-northeast called Mengxiang.

There is a small river called Xiaoheyan in the south of the village, and more than ten kilometers to the south is the Taizi River, and a few kilometers to the north is the Hunhe River.

On the second day of the second lunar month in 1961, commonly known as the "dragon raising its head", the north wind that blew all night was still blowing, and the flying snowflakes covered the earth with silver.

Two days ago, it was still a warm sun, but I didn't expect the sky to change for a while, and a cold wave simply blackened the spring.

At the southernmost end of the village are two three-room houses, and as the sky slowly brightens, the windows of the two rooms are illuminated by the lights of the houses.

To the east are three thatched huts, with low earthen courtyard walls, and a few arm-thick wooden sticks nailed into a fence-like gate. To the west is a blue brick and red tile house, with a high gate building and a red brick courtyard wall, which is the most upscale house in Meng Village.

The family surnamed Che in the east is a single-family in the village; The surname of the king on the west side is also a single household. There are more surnames in the village with the surname Meng, all of whom are clan relatives, so they are called Meng Village.

Che's mother always gets up at this time and lights a soybean oil lamp. At that time, foreign oil (kerosene) was very expensive, and ordinary people could not afford it, so they could only use it when there were guests or during the New Year's Festival. Usually use a soybean oil lamp, this lamp is a small saucer poured with soybean oil, with cotton twisted into a chopstick-thick twist (

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Put it on a plate, put it on the side of the plate, and light it to be a lamp. Oddly enough, the lamp is so durable that the oil is carried to the lamp by twists, and as long as the oil is added when necessary and not blown out by the wind, it will stay awake all night. It seems that the ancestors were really wise and had a set of methods to make ends meet in all aspects.

Mother poured water from a thermos into the washbasin, washed her face, straightened her short hair in front of a small mirror, smeared alabaster on her fair face, and put on the blue overalls given by her father's granary—even though she had put on a few patches, she was reluctant to throw them away. She often said that the smile is broken but not the smile, the new three years and the old three years, and the sewing and mending for another three years, which is the women's way that the peasant housewives generally follow. In order to protect this beloved work clothes, my mother also put a coarse cloth apron with a checkered pattern on the outside.

My mother was not yet forty years old, and although she was very thin, she could not hide her beautiful facial features and the natural beauty of her body.

The mother crept out and filled a potholed aluminium basin with ash from the stove pit, and sprinkled the ash from the door of the house to the outside of the door.

Even though the north wind quickly blew the ashes away, and even though the snowflakes fell unceremoniously on the ashes, Mom still did it with relish. Every year on this day, my mother said that she would take the lazy dragon out of the house on the second day of February.

When she had done this, the mother came back and lit the bud rice rod that had been stuffed into the pit, and boiled the water in the pot and the kang in the house.

When the children woke up, it was dawn.

My mother took out the coals from the stove pit, put them in a clay pot, brought the brazier into the house and put it on the kang, and then blew out the soybean oil lamp.

My father got up and got ready for work.

My sister got up to help her mother take care of chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cats and dogs. At that time, these side hustles almost held up half of the family.

Before everything was done, my father had to go to work at the grain depot, and my sister took a piece of cornmeal to school. Only the mother was left to continue her work, and it was not until after nine o'clock that breakfast was prepared. The farmer has two meals, and no one can survive dinner if they eat early.

At that time, it was difficult for every family to cook, and it was difficult to cook without rice. Last year, a flood swept everything away. Originally, everyone had some surplus food, but in the first two years, everyone had to tighten their belts and take everything out to support the brigade. The result was that in 1960, the flood had no eaves, and there was no last meal, and I looked forward to the brigade's relief food. It was the most difficult three years in the region.

The Wang family in the west also gets up very early every day, because the two of them have to go to work in the commune comprehensive factory, and their father is the factory director, so they must go early every day. Because Wang's father was transferred from the army, his family was a non-agricultural household, and he had always maintained the habit of eating three meals, which was enviable at that time.

Under the repeated urging of his mother, the seven-year-old Che Lao got up with the quilt on, not to put on clothes, but to wear a vest and pants, with his hands on his chest, and ran to grab the bud rice and hurriedly ran back, surrounded the quilt, and roasted the bud rice in the brazier to eat. Corn buried in the ashes will often "crack" and burst into flowers, causing ash everywhere. There were several burns on the kang mat, almost all of which he had done.

The car boss is as thin as a monkey, but he is not short, and his strength is not small, and he has no opponent to move his wrist among the friends in the village.

——Seven years ago, on the day when the second dragon raised its head in February, the car boss fell to the ground and was born here.

When the neighbors saw that he was white and fat, with two eyes that were spinning, and that he was born on the day the dragon raised his head, they all said that this child had an extraordinary birthday, and that he would definitely get ahead in the future.

Mom said disapprerovingly: "The dragon raised its head and said that it is a kind of celestial phase, which means that spring is coming, not that the dragon of the animal, where is it extraordinary, it has nothing to do with this." ”

Because Boss Che was born in Hai, there was not much time left before the end of the day when the dragon raised his head, so Dad smiled and said, "Even a dragon is a lazy dragon!" ”

When the car boss was born, he clenched his fists, stared around with wide eyes, kicked his two little feet again and again, and cried desperately, which made people panic.

The mother said: "Now is the sting, the stinging crow crows, it seems that this child will not be a fuel-efficient lamp in the future, shouldn't he be here to ask for an account!?" ”

Dad smiled proudly and said, "Listen to how loud this voice is, look at those two eyes, you must be a smart child in the future." ”

Before the child was born, the mother even flipped through the book and thought again, if it was a boy, it would be called Che Hongxuan, and if it was a girl, she would also prepare a name.

- Although my mother doesn't like the roasted buds of the car boss, she remembers that the child is growing up, and the maternal instinct makes her have to let it go.

Originally, there was a cast iron brazier at home, which was stronger, and there were edges, so it was more convenient to put something to bake, but in the first two years, my father accidentally broke it.

The tile basin has been broken, it was repaired once, and it was played in an "eight rounds".

At that time, there were people who specialized in repairing pots and pans, and they shouted all over the street: "Bureau pots, bureaus, bowls, bureaus!" ”

Some naughty children followed and shouted: "The old lady pees her crotch!" ”

The so-called no diamond is not to do porcelain work is said to be these people, they use the broken pots and pans to drill the hole with the diamond, put on the iron clip, smear something like glue, and when the glue is dry, it will be repaired.

Many families use this clay pot as a urinal at night, and when they get up in the morning, they pour urine and use it as a brazier. The car family can't do it, and my mother doesn't allow it, no matter how cold the weather is, you must go out if you pee.

My mother quickly scraped the ice flowers from the glass window with the square end of the chopsticks, and the ice flowers fell on the windowsill like white noodles, which was as eye-catching as white noodles, but they quickly turned into water, which was very disappointing.

The bottom half of the window is glass that deforms when you look at a person, and its scientific name is flat glass. The upper part is white window paper, because it is very thin, it will shake when the wind blows, and there will be a rattling sound when the wind is strong.

In the first few years, there was no glass, and there was window paper on top and bottom, and when you looked from the outside in, you usually had to lick through this layer of paper with your tongue, so the locals said that it was easy to do, and they said, "That's a layer of window paper – it will break if you poke it".

After cleaning up the window, the mother picked up the third Che Laosan, who had just turned one year old, to breastfeed (the second child died at birth), and said to the Che Lao: "The working group of the brigade to visit the poor and ask about the hardships is about to arrive, you sit around the quilt by the brazier like this, and when the working group is gone, my mother will cook you two eggs, today is your seventh birthday." ”

"I don't want eggs, give them to my brother." Although the car boss was hungry, he still mustered up the courage to reply.

The mother shook the child in her arms and said, "We can't compare with the powerful families in the street, when you were born in five or five years, there were several children born in the street. When the moon is full, everyone is full of guests, and our house is indeed deserted. Every year when you celebrate your birthday, we can hear the sound of firecrackers set off by others, our family can't do it, and eating two eggs is already the greatest ability. ”

"I don't think I heard firecrackers this year."

"Last year, the water along the creek flooded a lot of the brigade's crops, mainly in the front half of the street, and of course our family. It may be for this reason that cadres also have to pay attention to the influence. ”

"In the future, when I grow up, I will become an official, and I will also earn money, and when the time comes, I will see who has more firecrackers!"

"It's good if you have this ambition, although there are several of your brothers and sisters, I will be satisfied if one of them can make a difference!"

The corn was still crumbling, and some of it had not been turned out, emitting a puff of black smoke and a burnt smell.

Che Hongxuan picked up corn kernels, and some of the corn kernels were thrown into his mouth before they collapsed, and a puff of heat came out, and he had a toothache. It was because of this that he had bad teeth all his life.

"Don't eat bud rice anymore, you have eaten up that bit of pearl white, what kind of land will you take to farm in spring?"

"It's okay," Che Hongxuan said whimfully, "I'll go to the team when it's time to farm." ”

Mom said, "There are still two potatoes buried in the brazier, which should be ripe." But I can't eat it now, and I'll eat it when the working group leaves. Now the working group is at Wang's house next door, and they can see that they are coming to our house, so stop burning corn, this fragrance will be smelled. ”

Che Hongxuan smiled helplessly, and hid the corn in the quilt.

His mother told him, as she did every day, "You have to wait until the buds are cold before eating, otherwise your teeth will be gone." What will you do in the future if you have bad teeth? No one will marry a girl to you, so let's beat the single! ”

Che Hongxuan's eyes widened and asked, "Mom, why does the old Wang family have to go to the working group if they are so rich?" ”

"The leaders of the brigade are very concerned about the places where we have been flooded, and they go door to door to see the disaster."

"Yesterday, the grandmother of the Wang family played a riddle, saying that she hugged her neck during the day and took care of her own at night, what is this?"

"It's buttons and buttons."

"Why buttons and buttons?"

"Twist your clothes during the day and unbutton them when you sleep at night."

"Why is it a neck hug?"

"Don't ask, it's endless!"

"Why is there a neck on the button?"

"Look, the working group is here, take care of my brother, I'll go to meet you." The mother put down the car and walked out quickly.

Leading the team for the working group is the team leader, nicknamed "Meng Da Stunned", who looks dark, with small eyes exactly like the eyes of a black fish, and is more than 1.90 meters tall.

Tang Da was stunned and said to everyone angrily: "Don't enter this house, it earns wages like Lao Wang's family, and the base of the house is also very high, and even the vegetable field has not been flooded." Besides, the women of the Che family are landlords' wives, and if they starve to death, there will be fewer objects of class struggle! ”

Mom scolded angrily: "You are the leader of the squad, you can't talk like that!" What's the matter, bullying outsiders? ”

The old secretary who led the team was unhappy, glared at Tang Da and reprimanded: "Although she has a bad background, the old Che family is still a poor peasant, and she still contributes to the new society!" ”

The old secretary is also surnamed Meng, who is less than 1.60 meters tall, with a blue face and blazing eyes. Not only is he the biggest official in the village, but he is also the highest in the clan, and some children even call him a living ancestor.

Secretary Meng stood down, pointed at Meng Da and shouted, "Shut up for me!" As a squad leader, you are not allowed to talk nonsense! Whether it is a landlord or a rich peasant, they are first and foremost our villagers, and we cadres must be responsible for every villager! If you give me a problem in this regard, I will remove you! ”

Meng Da was stunned and smiled and said: "I'm just joking, why take it seriously, I still have to call my sister-in-law, hahaha!" ”

"You put your mind in the right place, and you must make a comeback this year to ensure a bumper harvest!" Secretary Meng continued to angrily discipline Meng Dazi.

Meng Da was stunned and tilted his head and smiled, disapproving. There's a reason why he dares to do this. He is very appealing in the clan, and he is surrounded by a group of people, who fight and kill, which is the social foundation on which Secretary Meng depends. Because of this, Tang Da was stunned that there was no one who didn't give face in Meng Village, that is, as the captain of this team, as long as Secretary Meng didn't fall, no one dared to touch him.

The old secretary led everyone into the house as he spoke.

Everyone looked around, but they didn't say anything.

The old secretary asked Che Hongxuan: "Child, have you eaten?" ”

Che Hongxuan, who had a yellow face and thin muscles, pretended to be weak, shook his head with tears in his eyes and said, "I didn't eat it." ”

The old secretary said to Che's mother: "Three children, one studying and two are children, it must be very difficult to rely on one person to earn some money to maintain, if you need our help, you are welcome." ”

No one dared to object to the old secretary's words. As the head of a village, he has worked from before liberation to the present, and he can be said to be an old qualification. Whether it was the leaders of the commune, the county or the city, they all respected him. It is precisely for this reason that no one dares to care about chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cats and dogs raised in the village, and it is normal to sell some vegetables and surplus food. People talked about him behind his back, saying that he was not tall, but he could lift up a piece of the sky with one hand. As a party for the benefit of the official, he did it.

Mom said politely: "Thank you for the leader's concern, we don't need anything." ”

After the team left, Che Hongxuan took out one potato from the brazier and ate it, and left the other for his mother.

As if playing a trick, my mother took out two flatbreads and two eggs, which were hot, and a plate of celery from a cloth pocket in the sauce jar with chopsticks, pickled and oily, crispy and delicious.

Mom is always like this, at any difficult time she will take out what to eat and take out the money that needs to be spent.

The two eggs were given to Che Hongxuan by his mother for his birthday, and he usually does not have this treatment. It's only when Dad wants to drink that Mom will copy a plate of eggs. Dad would always give Che Hongxuan food again and again, so he would run out to play whenever this time came.

Che Hongxuan didn't eat eggs, just a piece of flatbread.

"Why do you always can't eat, is there something uncomfortable?" Mom asked alarmedly.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm not hungry, give the eggs to my brother." Che Hongxuan said nonchalantly.

Eating a piece of cornmeal flatbread, for a young man who is jumping and growing his body, it can be said that it is a drop in the bucket, and he must not have eaten enough.

Like every day, he hurriedly got dressed and walked out, waved his hand in the courtyard, and took the four-eyed wolf green (dog) to the Wang house next door.