Foreword
The rural world is declining rapidly, and the problem of being left behind is becoming more and more prominent. Some sociologists’ reports on the problem of elderly suicide in rural areas show that many elderly people commit suicide not only because of the difficulty of survival and illness, but also because of the psychological factors caused by the lack of affection and long-term loneliness. The following story is a true story that Yan Navy, a research scholar on the three rural issues and a non-fiction writer, encountered in a place in the west.
1
“Master Zhang, come here quickly.”
“What is it?”
“The old man is gone.”
At four o’clock in the middle of the night, Zhang Carpenter was awakened by a phone call.
Put down the phone and pull the light bulb. Zhang carpenter sleepy-eyed draw out of the blanket, he was quickly surrounded by cold air. Put on the woolen pants, then put on the son wears old wide jeans and went down to the ground. The cotton jacket on the back of the chair, but also by the cold air soaked cold.
Zhang carpenter fully dressed, pull open the door, the house outside the dark, the night is thick.
Outside is very cold, Zhang carpenter walked three or five steps, and then returned to the house. He bowed under the cupboard to find the big head of leather shoes, a black shadow whoosh out. It was the big black cat. Carpenter Zhang’s heart tightened.
Changed the cotton shoes on his feet, Zhang carpenter threw his compound farther and farther away.
The road outside the village and the field boundaries are unclear, a blur, difficult to identify. Good thing the road is familiar, Zhang carpenter by feeling over a small river, from their own big river village to rush to the small river village.
“Oooooo, you are obviously asleep, how to run out again ……”
The cries of an old woman squeezed out from the clump of earthen houses in Xiaohe village, floating in the night sky, hidden.
Xiaohe village Wang Dachun’s wheat field surrounded by a bunch of people, is demolishing the water cellar cellar platform.
Zhang carpenter approached to see, Wang Dachun’s father was still wearing the gray jacket full of dirt yesterday. The zipper was broken, the jacket was changed on the buttons, near the collar where the buttons were not tied, so that the jacket inside the collar of the cotton jacket squeezed out. Wang Dachun’s father, Lao Wang, with his arms spread wide, easily and freely “floating” on the surface of the water.
He died in this way.
2
Old Wang has been feeling sick since he turned 60.
What is the disease, but can not think clearly.
The most obvious symptom is shortness of breath, a force will be out of breath, can not do heavy work. Old Wang was persuaded by the people to quit the old dry tobacco. At first, he thought it might be the old dry smoke smoked lungs, Wang knew that the village next door, the old Li is three years younger than himself, the previous year is also shortness of breath, coughing and coughing and died.
Quit smoking very quickly, but the shortness of breath is still not eliminated.
Old Wang has two sons, has been in the second son Wang Dachun home retirement. He could not do heavy work, but only some insignificant work, he felt that he could not support himself and became a burden to his son.
These days, farming is a gamble. The wind and rain, the crops will be more; drought and less rain, it is possible to starve. People do not expect the sky to fall pie, only to hope for more rain. But the land, and the continuation of life is closely related – can not planting, it means that the opportunity to gamble with the heavens are lost. Old Wang was frustrated.
Old Wang was the first to say, “Get me some medicine, I’ll go home and eat. No more hospitalization.” (Internet photo) Old Wang was the first to say, “Get me some medicine, I’ll go home and eat it. No more hospitalization.” (Network picture)
The news of Old Wang’s illness soon spread by the village people. There is a group of elderly people in the village, discussing all day long about the elderly: whose sons and daughters-in-law do not respect the elderly, whose elderly have what disease, the son did not manage and so on. The old king’s son, like all the strong men in the village, was worried about the old man getting sick and was afraid that he would die. The village people spread the word about their father’s illness, the son did not open up to see a doctor is not to say.
The public opinion of the village people, directly related to the issue of face, had to take into account. Wang Dachun found the old brother to discuss, decided to let the old Wang see a doctor.
Old Wang was sent to the county by his two sons. The doctor examined him and said that it was a pulmonary heart disease and he had to be hospitalized. Old Wang and his sons looked at each other. Old Wang was the first to say: “Grab some medicine for me, I’ll go home and eat. No more hospitalization.”
Old Wang knew very well in his heart that he could no longer work and had become an invalid. He has to eat every day, which has already caused a burden to his son. If you stay in the hospital again, not only do you need someone to wait on you, the hospital fees are definitely high. The two sons’ farm work will be affected, and they will have to borrow money to raise money for hospitalization. The eldest grandson is 28 years old and still has no daughter-in-law, so he needs to save up a lump of money before he can be eligible to climb. The youngest grandson is attending high school in the city, in case he is lucky enough to really get into college, tuition fees will certainly not be a small amount. The yellow earth grind food, can eat a full meal is already good, earn money than the sky is difficult. An old man’s bones, medical care is a waste of money.
Old Wang’s two sons carried a pile of medicine and took their father back to the village.
He took his medicine very seriously, not wasting a single grain of Western medicine. When the Chinese medicine is finished boiling, the dregs are dried and ground into noodles to continue eating.
But the doctor prescribed several large packets of medicine or eaten, his condition did not ease in the slightest.
Old Wang felt that he would die soon.
3
“Is Old Wang’s nerves a bit unfit?”
Suddenly, one day, in the pile of old people chatting at the entrance of the village, Zhang Taixing sent such a question to the crowd.
Everyone spoke with one voice: “Old Wang is obviously a pulmonary heart disease, why do you say that people are nervous?”
“He came to my home yesterday, I asked him to smoke, he said not to smoke. I asked him to sit down, he didn’t. He gave me a stand and said, his old Wang died our brothers in the Zhang family do not go, our brothers in the Zhang family died their Wang family people also all do not come. After saying that, he left. I don’t feel right.”
In Xiaohe Village, the Zhang family and the Wang family is a feud. During the people’s commune, Zhang Taixing’s father was the captain of the production brigade, and Wang’s father was a relative of the landlord. Wang’s father often said something about class problems, and was reported to the commune by Zhang Taixing’s father, who sent someone to check, and it was true. The commune then handed Wang’s father over to a higher organization, and later, when starving, for some reason, Wang’s father died in the county. The Wang family has held a grudge against the Zhang family ever since, and it was Zhang Taixing’s father who killed the Wang family’s people.
Zhang and Wang had this historical feud, and everyone felt that Zhang Taixing’s story was not credible.
But after a few months, everyone felt that the old Wang really had a problem.
Old Wang ran to Zhang Taixing, who was working in the field, and said solemnly, “You Zhang family people still come when our Wang brothers die.”
Old Wang went out on crutches, always say to people: “I’m leaving, people call me!”
People do not understand, ask: “Who called you.”
“You do not understand, is the big man called me.”
Old Wang had changed. He always talks to people halfway and then leave, halfway and then turn back to talk.
Adults warned children that they should avoid Old Wang when they saw him. Beware of being beaten. The psychopath will not pay for his death.
Old Wang’s situation is getting worse.
One day, Old Wang untied the rope above the basket and walked toward the village entrance, just as his partner saw. The partner asked the old king what to do, the old king did not say a word, walked straight away.
The old companion felt that the old king situation is strange, they followed. Old Wang walked to the entrance of the village, in an old willow tree tied rope. The old companion understood at a glance. Quickly call the son. When the son arrived, the old king has tied the rope sleeve, is ready to stick his head in.
The old king failed.
The old king from now on to hate his partner. The partner is more worried about the old king. As soon as Wang lifted his feet, his partner rushed to follow. The old king is on a stick and walks fast. The partner is a small-footed woman, you have to make a strong rush. Old Wang was angry that his partner was always watching him. One day, he swept a stick at his partner, knocked down. The partner cried and cursed: “You die without benefit of the old goat, you tormented me all my life, dying without letting me go. If you want to die, you should die a good end, jumping off a cliff, hanging is not what you are capable of, you are embarrassing and shaming people’s children and grandchildren.”
4
Old Wang became the talk of Xiaohe village, the village as long as the people gathered to chat, have to mention Old Wang.
Young people feel that the old king has become a drag on his son. Older people are sympathetic to the poor old king. Their discussion from their respective positions, there are heaps and heaps of truth.
The old king, with all the attention, was only preoccupied with seeking suicide. The old partner, on the other hand, has been trying to supervise the old king.
Old Wang failed miserably and never succeeded in committing suicide. He has been calculating how to go.
“Our village road is now a lot of small cars, I gave a pounce on absolutely can die.”
“The cliff at the edge of the village is high enough, I can definitely die if I jump.”
Old Wang met the villagers, the most talked about is the way to die. Peers have advised the old king, do not do something stupid, better to die than to live, can not give people trouble to the dolls.
In order not to give trouble to the dolls, the old Wang’s partner gave up work, gave up rest. Always keep an eye on the old king.
Never give trouble to the children
Pulmonary heart disease, mental illness. They combined to devastate Old Wang.
Old Wang’s two sons discussed the matter and decided to make a coffin for their father. To prepare for the future.
Wang Dachun then hired a carpenter from Dahe Village.
Zhang carpenter on the first day of work, not much work, mainly to check the wood, planning the specific use of wood.
Heard that the carpenter came, the old Wang’s neighbors came several, we accompanied Zhang carpenter together to drink tea, chat. See how Zhang carpenter do work.
Old Wang and the neighbors talk a little. He always lived in his own thinking. A while talking about this, and suddenly jumped to another thing.
The village doctor in Xiaohe village also has elderly people in his family, and he is also concerned about how to prepare a coffin for the elderly.
“I have to freeze a bunch of you bad goons to death, I’m dead, I won’t let you have a good time.” The old king pointed at his grandson and gave the village doctor a scolding.
“You have to live well, the disease is good and can still enjoy the blessing.” The village doctor answered the old king while giving him a pulse.
“Recently definitely not dead, recently good. Unless you seek short.” The village doctor said.
Everyone is lively, the day of the village of Loess Heights passed.
Zhang carpenter by everyone you a cup I a cup to fill a little drunk. When he returned home from Xiaohe village to Dahe village, his head was still dizzy.
5
The old Wang’s partner started to sleep every day after the old Wang went to sleep. He had to force himself to wake up several times in the middle of the night.
That night, old Wang slept especially late, and he ate a pear before going to bed. It is Zhang Taixing’s fourth son to visit the old Wang brought pears.
The old lady said she remembered especially well. After the old king went to bed, he could not sleep. Always thinking if the old king really died, what should they do? Although the young, the old king did not lift himself up, not less scolding. But now if there is no old Wang, he will be more lonely. The children and grandchildren are too lazy to take care of themselves, although the old king is crazy, but at least you can still talk.
Later, the old lady found herself falling into a dark and shadeless black hole, how can not climb out.
The old lady was getting anxious, but the more anxious she was, the less she could climb out.
Suddenly, the old lady woke up with a start.
The old lady came back to her senses and realized that she was dreaming. The first thing she thought of was Old Wang. Pushed with his hand beside him, is a hard quilt, like a wall. Listen more carefully, no sound. There was no sound of breathing. The old woman went over to touch the bed, and it was empty.
The old lady panicked and got up with a start to call her son.
The family scrambled around and effortlessly found that the lid of the water cellar was open and that Old Wang’s walking stick was lying next to the water cellar.
The village doctor’s prophecy came true.
Old Wang had really killed himself.
6
Carpenter Zhang entered the inner room, across the mountain Huangwan village Chen Yin Yang has arrived. He was writing a spell on yellow paper. Xiaohe Village’s Prime Minister Guo (red and white ceremony master of ceremonies) accompanied Yin Yang.
Seeing Zhang carpenter enter the house, Wang Dachun brothers also followed. Premier Guo proposed: “The wood for the coffin being made in the west room must be carried outside the main gate, the person died outside the courtyard, can no longer enter the courtyard. The coffin will be made outside the courtyard!”
Following the words of Premier Guo, Chen Yin Yang also stopped the brush in his hand. Everyone turned their attention to Zhang Carpenter. There was the implication of forcing Carpenter Zhang to take a stand.
“This is the only way.”
With the help of the crowd, the old king’s coffin slab, Zhang carpenter’s tools, was carried to the gate. On the empty grounds, except for a pile of wood, someone erected a wooden pole on the wall of the Zhuang and picked up a light bulb. A red light hung in the nearly frozen air, both dull and dazzling.
At dawn, it was strangely cold.
The task could have been done slowly, now have to speed up. Zhang carpenter’s hands are frozen numb, holding what is not sharp. The sparks on the planer blade are cold and stinging. The fine practice have to be saved, how fast to come.
The day is completely dawn. The crowd only in the place where Zhang carpenter work, set up a simple shed. The top is a plastic sheet, surrounded by corn stalks. The wind whistled in, cold and biting. The coal stove in the middle of the shed is not burning for half a day, the smoke from the chimney was forced by the wind backwards from time to time into the shed, choking Zhang carpenter constantly cough. Zhang carpenter glad he wore a pair of big-headed leather shoes.
Old Wang was lying in the other corner of the shed, and his neighbors, after setting him up, quietly slipped into the inner room, some in the warm bed, some in the fireplace. The carpenter Zhang, despite having experienced several such walking arts (countryside craftsmen go to the countryside to do work), still had some fear in his heart, and would look at Old Wang from time to time while working.
Yesterday, a big living person who could curse, today said dead.
Old Wang’s sons and grandsons crowded in the corner of the shed, wrapped in quilts, mattresses, military coats. Zhang carpenter hated to kick out the smoking stove does not heat, but the heart is always looking forward to the stove can ignite a roaring fire, so hold back the anger.
Carpenter Zhang thought: “Old Wang is really excessive, he picked this day, not their own children and grandchildren freezing to death, but almost freezing me to death!”
7
Two days and two nights in a row, Zhang carpenter to the old king made the coffin.
The day of the funeral, the cold wave for many days reached its peak. The television said,This cooling is the 2016 century cold wave. The nationwide general cooling, in the north has not reached the historical low temperature extreme, but some areas in the south, low temperature challenge the historical record of the same period extreme.
The yellow land has an extra grave bag, the crowd scattered.
Only the old Wang’s partner is still guarding the grave bag in crying: “You a heartless, throw me a, you let me live ah?”
(The characters in the article are pseudonyms)
Recent Comments