1
Death is a strange thing, which magnifies the senses, like a stone thrown into a still lake, and awakens some silence.
The bold young man deftly filled the gunpowder with its spear mixed with yellow earth, put in the wire, compacted it, took down the end of the cigarette from his mouth, blew away the ashes, and lit it — with a loud crash, the sound of its spear echoing in the cold and still village after the rain.
The invisible gloom that hung in the air was heightened by the blunderbuss, and people began to cook early, hoping to finish their dinner before night fell. The dominant woman of the past has now become cautious in her speech. A child near by points to the ball and asks, “Mother, what is that noise?” The woman hurriedly pat child’s finger: “don’t disorderly point!” The child was aware of the seriousness of the situation from his mother’s face and bowed his head to eat without speaking.
Taboo or superstition, in the dark atmosphere of fear, people can’t help but start piecing together the lives of the dead.
There is a family story, often mentioned by the villagers. Fifteen years ago, the man who died was called “hard Rock”. It is impossible to know where the nickname came from, and no one cared whether he died in his thirties or forties.
People in the village said that When Hard Stone was young, he was handsome, tall and white. In the past, many young women in the production team had cut him off on a remote mountain road. He was not only handsome, but also wrote a beautiful hand, the production team sent above the material he wrote. Daily life is also true, borrow money on time, meet with others quarrel, he always stand up to say fair, so hard rock left the production team, a lot of people feel sorry.
At that time, only Hard Stone left the production team in the village. He went to other places to work. Although he was cutting trees, he made more money than the people in the village.
Earned money back, hard stone soon won a tall wife, housework farm work no pains, life is flourishing. After he got married, he did not leave the village any more. After he gave birth to three sons, he gave birth to a daughter, which was envied by many people. However, due to the large number of children, the family’s life was becoming more and more difficult.
When I never met Him, I remember him as black and red, with a mustache. My grandma said that my grandfather was bullied by others in his early years. He helped me a lot, so I respectfully called him Uncle Shi. But he often makes fun of me, always say you aunt? I say not gu, be a mother! And he said, That is gu, you are your gu who took it out of the river.
At this time, I would always get angry. My dog would accompany me to get angry and bark at him. No one could drink it. Normally, my dog would waggle its tail obediently when I raised my voice, but this didn’t work against the hard rock, and the dog once bit him.
I couldn’t understand the dog’s hatred for hard rock, so I asked my grandfather, who said hard rock smelled of wine. It suddenly dawned on me that every time hard rock appeared, it was black and red in face and full of wine. But the grandmother did not agree, she said, the drunkard, drink all day long stumbling, walking at night, followed by ghosts.
2
Although Hard Stone was often drunk, he did not get drunk outside, unlike another drunkard in the village, who would come to school with a brick whenever he got drunk. Even when hard Rock was drunk, he smiled when he saw people outside. When he stumbled, everyone in the village would remind him to be careful not to fall into the river when he crossed the wooden bridge on his way home.
Contrary to the attitude of outsiders, the drunken hard Stone is an angry king at home, often beating his wife and children around the village. Hard stone’s wife often came with bruises to cry with my grandpa, grandpa and grandma to persuade hard stone, he promised on the spot, but after still play. Unable to bear the fight any longer, she ran to the owner of the concession stand and begged him not to sell the wine to Hard Stone. Hard Stone was so angry that he broke the handle of his hoe at home.
So Hard Stone’s wife often began to run to her parents’ house, but her children could not run away from school, and they were still chased all over the village.
One spring, Hard Stone came home drunk with a bottle of wine. Seeing that his sons had not gone to school, he looked up and drank half a bottle of wine. He went to look for a stick. Eldest son small peak sees the momentum is wrong, take younger brother to dash off to run.
In front of the door was a small cliff washed out by the river, with a drop of seven or eight meters. Behind it were mountains, and the only road to the wooden bridge was blocked by the hard stone of my father. Small peak can only take the younger brothers to the mountain to drill, while drilling back stem neck roar: “you didn’t give us registration, how to go to class! The teacher told us to come back and ask you for money to sign up!”
“Are you going? I’ll shoot you if I don’t!” ‘I told the headmaster only yesterday,’ said the Hard Stone, throwing it at him. ‘No money. First lessons, then tuition. If you don’t go, I’ll dunk him in the river one by one! ‘ Small peak foot slip, almost roll down from the mountain, busy grabbed a handful of weeds way: “the teacher forbid, I dare not to go, to you go!”
Hard stone lifted the bottle to the hill, running while cursing.
The little sister, who was not old enough to go to school, ran out of the house, crying for her brothers. Hard rock shouted: “You cry again, cry again even you killed!” This time the mother of small peak is carrying a load of grass to go to bridge head, hear to scold a voice, hurriedly throw down grass, kick off slippers to shout to run toward home.
The two younger brothers of small peak hear mother’s shout cry, the neighbor leans in front of own house to dare not go up to persuade, looked for a while to sigh way: “that drunkard hair again bellyful.” And he entered the house.
small peak mother let the sons quickly ran to the field, hard rock drunk to chase there, say that finish busy in the side of the little daughter take away. The three brothers rounded the house, ran downhill, and crossed the wooden bridge onto the road. When the hard stone reached the bridge, he stopped chasing it. small peak three brothers did not dare to stay, until the middle of the field on the other side of the road to stop, one craned his neck to look back to the direction of home.
Hearing the noise, several relatives of the same race rushed up and stood at the end of the bridge, but did not dare to come forward. The hard rock stayed at the bridge until night fell. Others can not see, also all sighed, have dispersed.
Spring thunder rolling in the night, the dark depths heard footsteps, someone called my grandpa: “Uncle, bad cough! Hard stone a few cub disappear cough up, quick get up to help find cough up!”
Grandpa answered the door, finally and a few relatives in the gully found the three brothers scared small peak, it is a deep gully, the top of the gully covered with thorns and vines, the bottom of the gully is also dark, usually no one dare to go.
The old people mentioned the situation at that time, clap hands sigh: “one frightened, staring at you with big eyes.”
The second day, the mother of small peak walked, listen to a person to say to be in the middle of the night pack good thing, want to go south to work. I haven’t seen her since.
3
Hard Stone also had a younger brother in the village who had a bad reputation. It was said that he borrowed a new quilt from someone when he got married and never returned it. But he got along better than his brother.
Around 2001, the village opened a window and the wind from the outside world blew in. New toys began to appear in the grocery store, and “Meteor Garden” captured many people overnight.
With “meteor garden” at the same time popular the whole village also has “six match color”. Hard rock’s brother did a single bookmaker, the day is more and more prosperous. Hard Stone’s migrant wife pays for food every month, but her four children go to school and she still struggles financially.
The younger brother with better conditions will take the old mother to live together in the past. At that time, the small peak of the fifth grade is dilly long, often in the meal point to the uncle near the house to hang out. small peak grandma saw always shout him to eat, small peak wave hands said had eaten, but such as grandma sheng rice, squat down at the door to eat.
Hard stone with brother conflict, every see son to brother home to eat, will start on the spot, will play home small peak. Since the wife went out to work, because every month there are living expenses sent back, hard rock hit his children much less times. But drunk wine still makes, small peak four brother and sister learned cleverness, every time father is drunk, go to uncle’s home.
small feng’s uncle to do the wind and water zhuang, the home for a new 125 motorcycle, also ready to build a new house. But he is not satisfied with only pumping, gradually began to “swallow single”, other people bet in the bet, he will bet others do not win, the size of gold swallow down. At first it was just hundreds and hundreds of them, and then it got bigger and bigger.
The wind of the lottery is becoming more and more fierce in the village. From the old woman of 80 years old to the primary and secondary school students, they all start to buy. People gamble bigger, the uncle of small peak earns more, connect cement to invite a person to pull back village.
One night it was a dragon. Grandma won two dollars and asked me to cash it. I jumped small jump to the village head, found the usual lively uncle xiaofeng doors and Windows closed, the door has a few adults waiting for the exchange of money at the door, the iron door knocked loudly but no one should. I went back and forth three times, but I couldn’t.
The next day, the village sensation, people said small peak uncle swallowed the big single, owe tens of thousands of, the whole family night walk guy (dialect, secretly walked). Someone grabbed xiaofeng’s grandma and asked if it was true. The old man arched his waist and quivered his lips. “I don’t know.
The uncle of small peak also is not the village the first do village walk a guy, as early as a few months ago, have a family whole family to run, it is said even the dog did not leave.
4
Small peak grows more and more burly, not only study well, still often represent the school to come to town to participate in sports meeting, every time always can get a place in running. Uncle walked after, did not have grandma secretly aid, the father of small peak gradually can not afford the use of four brother and sister.
Hard Rock began to drink in the shop, and his body, after years of drinking, began to wither, and his black and red face became sallow. Xiaofeng did not go on studying after graduating from primary school, but went out to work with his mother.
Lack of food and clothing has not thinned the four siblings. Instead, they are at the bottom of the class every time they stand in line at school. They have inherited their mother’s genes. My third brother, who is in the same grade as me, has a hand bone as hard as iron. When he plays marbles, he can pop marbles out of his thumb and break the glass bottle. He says he can practice carrying water.
small peak to work, the head of the home is the two younger brother, he did not have a small peak of hard spirit, was the father even forgot to run, don’t say talk back, even cry all dare not cry out.
Overlooking the village from the top of the hill, a green, cool wind, waves of rice to the foot of the coming, very beautiful… Overlooking the village from the top of the hill, a green, cool wind, waves of rice to the foot of the coming, very beautiful…
Villagers have been used to every once in a while to see small peak brother and sister was chased all over the field to run, think hard stone will always play down, four brother and sister will always run down, but suddenly one day, all this suddenly stopped.
No one knows what hard rock hit the younger brother and the younger brother that day, but he hit the younger brother very badly after he got drunk and threw the younger brother from the small cliff at the door. The river turned into a corner and the water was very deep. The younger brother could not swim and almost drowned.
That wire is small peak at home connect good, little thumb thick aluminum wire, from the home electric switch has been spread out, along the small cliff of seven or eight meters to the bottom of the river, hit the electric switch can electricity the fish in the river. The bare wires are daunting, and it’s a game only the children of hard rocks dare to play.
Three younger brother holding the wire floating on the surface of the water shivering, small peak grandma crying ran to the village to call people to save him up. The old person calls a person to marry distant small peak aunt, aunt contacted small peak mother again, two days later aunt took small peak back to the village, small peak mother chose to continue to work outside.
Xiao Feng’s aunt Zhang began to complain to the neighbors: “I that eldest brother ah, die all useless! Every day after the children have no place to hide, if it goes on like this, sister-in-law will never come back, money will not be sent back!”
5
xiao Feng’s aunt and hard rock all night long talk, in the next morning left. It was a thunderstorm in the middle of the day, and Hard Stone crossed the river with his broken umbrella to the inn for a drink. When he was drunk, he went to the butcher’s house in the village, where he would deposit the five hundred dollars he had just received into the town to build a new stove. The butcher told him that five hundred dollars was not enough to build a new stove.
Later people just know, small peak did not find a job outside, that 500 pieces is the mother brought back to him.
When the hard rock came home, the river was rising and yellow and rolling over the wooden bridge.
The grandma of small peak says, the hard stone that gets drunk comes home to begin to curse and curse, will half bottle of tiger bone wine go to a meal on the table, angrily walk to the door of small peak room, roar a way: “500 block build what stove! Not enough!” Xiao Feng did not avoid his father as usual, but sat on the edge of the bed, silent.
The hard stone went forward again and poked him on the head. “You won’t make a sound, will you?” he said.
It was raining harder and harder outside. See father want to touch a stick after the door, small peak side rushed out, in the hall door was hard stone catch up. Small peak grasped the stick that father knocks over, right now he already taller than father half head, pull a voice way: “you put not to put!” Younger brothers and sisters are scared to hide into the room, locked the door, small peak grandma on the side to persuade the hoarse.
The father and son pulled to the yard, hard stone mouth dirty words constantly, finally had to let go of the stick, pointed to the small peak of the nose: “How? You still want to hit me? Give me the stick!” At this time, small peak toward the chest of hard stone kicked a foot, that is his first time to father. Hard stone drunk wine body is not stable, by small peak so a kick, can not help but fall back, splash fell into the small cliff under the water bay.
The grandma of small peak howls, hammer the chest to run to call a person.
By the time the men arrived, the raging river had broken the small wooden bridge, half of which had been washed away, and the other half dangling by two huge straw ropes tied to the river. The wooden bridge had stopped all kinds of rubbish brought down from the upstream, as well as hard rock. He was still breathing and waving his hands as people scooped up the hard rock. He went back to his room and lay there till midnight, dead.
The next day, kinsman of the same kinsman gathers to small peak home, the elder of respect and honour cries a way: “small peak, what do you do will your father kill!”
The butcher said, “Where did someone beat him? He fell into the river drunk and drowned himself.”
Xiaofeng’s grandmother confirmed that statement, everyone began to tacitly prepare for the afterlife.
But some people in the village said that it was Xiao Feng who rushed into the house after seeing his father fall into the water and turned on the electric switch. Also someone said, the second day to the small peak home when there is a pool of blood on the ground, is a small peak bottle hit the hard rock head. And grandma hid the truth from her grandson to keep him out of jail.
When there are dead people in the village, they should hang up a hundred schools of thought in the mourning hall. After the family has used the hundred schools of thought, they will keep them by themselves. When another person dies in the village, others will come to fetch them.
People think of the polio child whose father strangled him to death a few months ago, a nine-year-old who couldn’t take care of himself.
The man who helped fetch the hundred schools later squatted outside and said: “The village style of our village is still ok. Two people died within a year, and no one reported the death.”
6
After burying his alcoholic father, Xiao Feng stayed in the village, because another two months would be a busy farming season. In order to earn some spare money, he rides his bike to the town to wholesale popsicles and sells them back to school. The foam boxes in the back seat were sold out every day, but he made no money because his students knew him and he ate without money. Before long, small peak ended to sell Popsicle career. His action was well received by the grown-ups: even if he made no money, the young man had business sense.
After busy farming, small peak goes out to work, he must shoulder the responsibility that provides younger brother and younger sister to study. The younger brothers and sisters got good grades, but the younger brother also chose to drop out of school and work after entering junior high school.
I hear the news of little peak second younger brother again is in high school, he is wearing a plaster cast in the village recuperation. The people in the village said that the younger brother fell in love with someone when he was working. He was flown out of the sky and fell into despair. He jumped down from the upstairs and broke his leg.
Xiao Feng came back to take care of his brother for a period of time, south again. He had put on a lot of weight, from a strong man to a fat man, clean and clean, but not at all like his father.
Passed a year again, small peak brings back a girl, say to come back to make marriage certificate. The girl is younger than him 5 years old, it is a person from outside the province, arrived in the village language does not understand, compare with the grandma of small peak hand signal communication, with small peak also very affectionate.
Later, the girl gave birth to a daughter to small peak, the second fetus gave birth to a son, small peak work out at one time, at one time back to the village to take care of his wife, too troublesome, finally simply stay in the village, follow the people in the village to do mountain work every day, help forest company plant eucalyptus trees. Day by day, thinner and darker, he looked a little like his father.
Lead some days, because money is insufficient, small peak has to go out to work. When big daughter arrived to go to school age, husband and wife two begin to quarrel, more noisy more fierce, the wife of small peak is angry get run to empress home, afterwards small peak always sits the train of dozens of hours to receive her to come back, after a few times pass, the wife says to never come back again.
Small peak will give the child to grandma to take care of, again south. At this time small peak grandma’s waist has been parallel to the ground, an eye is also blind because of cataracts.
7
Until 2011, xiaofeng’s mother did not return to the village, walk a guy’s uncle is also, xiaofeng returned to the village, this time he is ready to stay at home for a long time.
Xiao Feng wants to build a new house, a new house four stories high. The third brother also dropped out of high school, only the younger sister is still in school. Two younger brothers and mother work outside to send money to the home, small peak is responsible for building. He did not hire anyone, not even a backhoe, but dug his own foundations and hauled bricks and sand with a barrow. There are many days, grandpa always take a small peak a person to build a house to educate me.
building was finally completed, but small peak seems to have lost the goal of life, began to play cards with the women in the village.
After about a year, the person that a village sat for many years prison comes back, opened a gambling file in the village, please small peak to help see a court, one night 100 yuan, compare do mountain laborer to be exposed to the sun and the wind much more cost-effective. Take this live before long, small peak begins to make a phone call to ask for money with mother and younger brother, two younger brother is not willing to give, small peak meets a person to say: “I have no such younger brother! I didn’t have a conscience when I helped him so much as a child!”
At the time, the family did not know he was addicted to drugs.
At that time, eucalyptus trees were often transported by large trucks to and from the village. A small workshop was set up behind the mountain at the entrance of the village, and eucalyptus trees were cut into pieces and dried in the middle of the mountain. It was not until someone came to seize it that people realized that it was the den of the wood thieves.
When the east window is discovered, small peak is helping people transport wood, was caught active, sentenced to a year. For this, small peak spent a lot of money in the home, the little sister that is reading 3 years also dropped out of school.
While Xiao Feng was incarcerated, his wife took his two children away.
small peak out soon after and because of drugs was caught, the village news rush from fan, said he was caught with drugs, and said to put, after a few days and said to catch. Many times, the village people are not even interested in discussing.
Until the evening of a winter, the grandma of small peak cries to look for a person everywhere, say this time really bad, was worn the uniform of seized. People advised the old people to go back to sleep, it is ok, put a few days later, but after more than a month, xiao Feng did not come back.
Then word came that he had been set up. The person that a drug takes in the village is caught first go in, gave small peak, then that person put back, before long somebody lets small peak deliver goods to next door town. He was stopped by a police car on the way to the next town without being connected.
Drug dealing, double entry, no one knows when he’ll get out.
8
I begin to understand the factitious what in the village is so superstitious, because small peak follows his father hard stone, look, resemble a reincarnation. In this small village, life and death go on.
Before my eyes suddenly appear many years ago, the appearance that small peak takes a girl to enter a village for the first time. He taught the girl to ride a motorcycle on the main road, and both of them giggled. The girl stretched out her arms toward the rice field and screamed, “Wow! Rice wave! The rice waves!” The village woman next to him cutting up the sweet potato seedlings also sniggered.
Overlooking the village from the top of the hill, a green, cool wind, waves of rice to the foot of the coming, very beautiful… But when I die, please don’t bury me in this land.
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