In 2003, with the widening of the 108 National Highway at the entrance of the village, an old street in the city was re-planned, a building was painted with the word “demolition”, and the word was red circled and crossed on the broken houses fell to the ground, followed by tall buildings rising from the ground.
Since then, every family in the village with a little bit of strength began to go to the city to work. On the 108 national highway, there was a large number of bicycle teams going westward, from the first series of bicycle teams to motorcycle teams and electric car teams, which occupied half of the national highway every morning. Within a few years, the houses in the village began to be renovated and rebuilt one after another, and most of the villagers lived in small buildings with more than two floors.
But this did not include Guo Wei’s family.
Until 2014, Guo Wei’s family of three still lived in the bungalow that his father left him decades ago. The family was counting on his wife Zhang Fengping to ride a bicycle into town every day to do some of the most tiring, least paid “small jobs” on the site, to make money to subsidize the family.
At that time, whenever you see Zhang Fengping go out, there is always a group of men at the end of the village to talk: “We are not as good as Guo Wei’s life, all day you know to play cards, steal chickens and dogs, sold his daughter-in-law, was in jail, people Zhang Fengping is still dedicated to serve him ……”
Some people also said, “Zhang Fengping one day to be dragged to death by the Guo family that the two men.”
1
In fact, Guo Wei also had a good time in the early years. Good-looking, tall, the early 90s, also went out to work for two years, at a young age to discuss the daughter-in-law, is Zhang Fengping.
Zhang Fengping was married in 1994, Guo Wei went to pick her up, generous, the most fashionable “Indeed” clothes bought several sets, her mother’s mother also has. Later, her mother’s mother praised her daughter for marrying a good family, and her son-in-law was decent looking and generous.
Zhang Fengping’s mother’s family is in a mountain across the river. Not many girls in the mountains study, the mountain people feel that it is most important for girls to be obedient, and even better if they are good-looking and hardworking, and finally find a good family to marry is the real ability – Zhang Fengping is the most typical one, she married from the mountains to the suburbs of the countryside not far from the city.
But her mother did not know that the “good son-in-law” is actually a lazy “gambler”.
Zhang Fengping was brought back to the dark house by Guo Wei, a year after the marriage, just turned 18, gave birth to a son, Guo Qiang. However, even after the birth of his son, Guo Wei still sat at the poker table every day, and when the little grain collected by the family was sold out, Zhang Fengping had to follow the village people and ride his bicycle to the city for odd jobs.
In the winter of 1997, Guo Wei owed a lot of gambling debts and ran away. The debt collectors came to the doorstep of the house, smashed pots and pans, lifted the table and chairs, found nothing to take, they smashed all that could be smashed, Zhang Fengping could only hold her son and hide on the side and cry.
When the group of people cursed and left, my grandmother called Zhang Fengping home for dinner and advised her: “How can you go on like this, if you do not leave the child, go out to work, it is better to be dragged to death.”
She cried and said, “The child is still so young, I left him how to do?”
Grandmother listened to the straight sigh, “You are at home Guo Qiang also can not be better, so three days to make trouble …… a big man, there is a lot of strength, all day you ask a woman to go out to work to earn money, what is the matter? If this continues, I think he will have to sell you one day!”
I did not expect that grandmother’s prophecy came true.
2
In 1997, during the New Year, Zhang Fengping disappeared.
People in the village said that she was sold by Guo Wei to a coal digger in Shanxi and got a large sum of money. Not only did she pay off her gambling debts, but during that time, Guo Wei also took his son Guo Qiang to restaurants all day long.
The men at the entrance of the village laughed when they gossiped: “Guo Wei is really lucky, the daughter-in-law can give birth to a son to earn money, but also to save lives!”
The next spring, the village lost two water buffaloes plowing the fields. In those days, a water buffalo plowing was worth more than 10,000 yuan. The family who lost the cattle reported it to the police, and the police station came and arrested Guo Wei from the card table after a few days of investigation.
People in the village are saying: “Oh, I should have taken this plant away. All day long gambling, stealing, selling his daughter-in-law, if not caught, it is estimated that even his son can be sold by him!”
The police asked, “Selling his daughter-in-law? Is it true?”
“Oh, who in this village does not know.”
“Then how come no one called the police?”
“The police, what police? People sell their daughters-in-law, how can we care!”
At that time, who sold his daughter-in-law was just a bit of talk after dinner, and was taken far less seriously than losing a cow.
After Guo Wei was taken away, Guo Qiang became a child without a father and mother, although his grandmother watched, but still dirty all day, and the village children have endless fights. The reason for the fights is that the children in the village either sing to his face, “Stinky Guo Qiang, thief’s baby, mother was sold, father was arrested ……” or call him “thief child” behind his back.
Probably Guo Qiang’s grandmother is also old, every time I see Guo Qiang, he always looks like he can’t eat enough. When I saw what I was holding, he stared blankly, grandmother saw it and pulled him home to wash his face and then give him something to eat.
In a few years, Guo Qiang’s grandmother died, Guo Qiang is still young, can only come to my grandmother, grandmother found a few people in the village, and arranged for everyone to help with his grandmother’s funeral. The impression is that Guo Qiang said very little those days, and after the funeral, he kowtowed three times to his grandmother in front of everyone, and she pulled him up with tears in her eyes.
After returning home, grandmother also said, “Guo Qiang this child, is also a hard-hearted, from beginning to end did not shed a tear.”
It was 2003, Guo Qiang was 9 years old, and it had been 6 years since Zhang Fengping left home.
Guo Wei was still in prison, Guo Qiang had no one to look after him, so he had to live alone in that dark room, and go to my grandmother’s house to eat with me at meal times.
After two years of eating at his grandmother’s house, he still said very little. As before, he fought all day long. Grandma advised him: “Don’t bother with those kids, they don’t know what to do, study hard, go to college, when you are capable, no one will bully you, don’t fight all the time.” He didn’t say a word.
However, later on, when he fights again, calling him to eat, Guo Qiang will first go back to change into clean clothes before coming.
Grandmother saw it in her eyes and heart, and often lamented at home: “Guo Qiang is a child who knows how to behave, but it is strange and pitiful.”
3
In the spring of 2005, Zhang Fengping, who had been away from home for eight years, suddenly came back.
When Guo Qiang saw her standing at the door, he asked her, “Who are you? I have no one at home, just me.”
Grandmother heard and ran to see, but Zhang Fengping, “Aigoo! Fengping back ah!” Then she said to Guo Qiang, “That’s your mother.”
Guo Qiang only returned a sentence: “I do not have a mother, I’m a thief’s child, my mother died long ago.” Turned around and went into the house.
Not long after, Zhang Fengping came to Grandma’s house to borrow rice and noodles, Grandma handed it to her, and then asked, “How are you these years? How did you come back?”
“The man over there has three brothers in his family, and he married me, and let me take care of the money. The money their brothers earn from the kiln are given to me, I take care of the house, a year change of season have new clothes, I will take care of the children …… and gave birth to three, two children, a woman, all obedient ……”
“They let you come back? It’s been 8 years, what did you come back for?”
“My mother and my brother brought me back, they both sent me to the entrance of the village and left, saying that they were afraid that the village people would see gossip. Shanxi side of the children do not know I go …… my mother said Guo Qiang is not doing well, his father is in prison, and his grandmother died, I want to come back to see him, and then take him back to Shanxi ……”
That year, Zhang Fengping was 28 years old.
Zhang Fengping came back for a good while, and has not seen her say to go. However, even if the person is back, but Guo Qiang still do not recognize her, she also ignored, the years of their own anger all counted on him as a mother.
Not long after, Zhang Fengping changed back to the “little worker” who rode his bicycle to the city.
I do not often see her, at most she went to grandmother’s house, or in the village on the road to the 108 national highway, but only to meet and say hello.
When she was not working, she rode her old bicycle to the construction site early in the morning, and when everyone else rode electric bikes, she still rode that bicycle. A day down on thirty to forty dollars, a month of morning and night, the money earned all sent to Guo Wei in prison, said to “take care of it, or Guo Wei in the inside is not good”.
Sometimes, Zhang Fengping accidentally rolled down from the shelves of the construction site, get up and sit down for a while, and then continue to carry ash to pick up bricks. At night, she came back to my grandmother to give her a plaster, grandmother distressed, inevitably to say she: “not just come back that moment said to take Guo Qiang back to Shanxi? Now, she is working as a long-time laborer for the Guo family again. What’s the point of being so tired all year round?”
“This is all I have in my life, I’m an impure person, what else can I want. I am here, Guo Qiang more or less better. The good thing is that Guo Qiang good grades, I take advantage of the young, earn more as a right to save his tuition, tired and not much …… “But less than 30 years old Zhang Fengping does not look young at all.
Grandma asked her again: “Have you thought about the three children?”
She smiled, “What’s the use of thinking, they should be doing well.”
“There is always a way to …… otherwise what is the matter ah, gave birth to 4 children, in the end even a shouting mother is not.” Grandma advised again. Zhang Fengping said she believes in fate, may be owed to them in a previous life, this life is to pay the debt.
I remembered that once my grandmother asked me to go to her house to deliver something, standing at the door I heard Guo Qiang’s voice: “Hey, there is no money, give money.” Like the village, I never heard Guo Qiang shouted Zhang Fengping a “mother” over the years, back and forth is “hello”.
4
In 2007, Guo Wei came back, at first it was fine, when the farm is busy will also go to the fields to help do some work, the village people see are teasing him: “Your young man is lucky to have a good wife. You are also, into the trip to the number of people also modified.”
When chatting, Zhang Fengping also happily and grandmother said, Guo Wei has changed, are helping her to work. But back, Grandma sighed and said to me, “That Guo Wei must be a dog who can’t change his ways.”
Sure enough, within a few days, Guo Wei was back at the poker table.
When people laughed and told him that he had a good daughter-in-law, Guo Wei agreed with a smile: “Yes, a good daughter-in-law, you want to sell it to you, pay for it.”
4 children were born, none of them want to recognize her
Hearing this, everyone laughed even harder, each with a teasing expression: “His cheap daughter-in-law, who wants to afford yo.”
“She is cheap, you have slept with ah? That the three brothers bought when it can also be spent a large sum of money.”
“That woman followed three men in Shanxi and gave birth to three children, is also a powerful.” Then a strange laugh, “head are green a few layers, you do not also still put away.”
……
The village men’s mouth is not a few good words, to the village aunt and mother-in-law, everyone listened to scold: “Which man like Guo Wei, look tall and big, what is the use, that are not a person, even a beast is worse. Zhang Fengping is a good natured, sinful, hard life, married such a person ……”
I asked my grandmother: “How not to persuade her to divorce? Take Guo Qiang away.”
“Alas, divorce, divorce what! When you married here did not receive a certificate, in the village held two tables, the marriage is considered a done deal. If she had the brain to divorce, she would have taken Guo Qiang to Shanxi.” Grandmother was angry.
“Besides, where can she go if she wants to leave? The mother’s mother is not a good person to get along with, when she married here, her mother’s mother is a good time, back to the mountains, but also by people poking the backbone scold? And her two brothers there, have become a family, can give her a place on the strange.”
“Shanxi side, people buy her, it is estimated that they want her to give birth to children, otherwise she ran back so many years, there is no one to find. But it may also be that side of the child only when she is a roll of money to run away, after all, she said herself, when she left her mother’s mother let her take a part of the money, said Guo Qiang past to use, I heard a lot, but finally the money to her mother’s mother there …… alas, the 3 children as a white birth, back is unable to go back. “
Then, grandmother told me not to ask silly questions, “We mother-in-law and grandchildren to talk about nothing, if you go out to say, you see the village people laugh not laugh at you, but reading stupid!”
In those days, divorce was a big deal for anyone in the village. There were only so many people in a village, and anyone who got divorced would always be pointed out behind their backs for years.
“The village has been so badly rumored since she came back, who doesn’t know about it in several villages around? She has to go, Guo Qiang how to study? Must be the same as those who have failed, to work abroad. She, just to guard Guo Qiang, where else can she go!”
When she first came back, Zhang Fengping would sit and chat with her aunts and uncles in the village, but later, she was rumored to be a mess in the village, so she didn’t come out to sit and chat together, and usually got closer to my grandmother. According to my grandmother’s words: “This is good, although Guo Qiang does not recognize her, but good academic performance, she still has a hope. Maybe one day her son will get a college entrance exam and be able to call her mother.”
But unfortunately, God even Zhang Fengping this hope also gave her broken.
5
One weekend, Guo Qiang was suddenly taken away by the Public Security Bureau, said to be a robbery.
It turns out that Guo Qiang and the village of the few boys who do not work together, with a watermelon knife to rob people’s chickens and money, the money did not rob, the chicken arrived, is ready to take to the woods to roast and eat, not yet eaten to the mouth, the police came. Said someone moved the knife, but also saw red.
Later I heard that the person who was robbed of the chicken is also the village, before Guo Qiang and his children fought, he also scolded Guo Qiang in front of a group of children, the village people heard tsk: “Guo Qiang this kid is a Yin belly, after so long things still remember to stab him. Fortunately, who knows what else could have been done.”
While watching the fun, the village adults also did not forget to educate the children: “See, his father went to prison, he will also go to prison ……”
Not long after, the court sentenced Guo Qiang robbery injury, sent to prison, a squat is five or six years, at that time, he just turned 14 years old not long. They were together with a larger than him, is the son of the branch secretary family, went off for three months on out.
The child went in, the village people’s mouths still do not stop, said Guo Qiang to rob others chicken or to blame Zhang Fengping.
Zhang Fengping people are back, but Guo Qiang’s days are not much better. In the early years of frugal living, the money earned are sent to prison to help Guo Wei to play. Grandmother said, she a bowl of slurry dishes can eat for days, the vegetables grown in the field, the eggs laid by chickens, they never eat, are packed out to take to the vegetable market to sell.
When Guo Wei returned, but also still sitting on the card table, from time to time to manage her to ask for money.
“The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to the public. Sometimes she comes to my house to visit, I will buy the family fruit ah, change eggs ah to her, she does not eat, all take back to her son. She is also a person, give a couple of times, she will come every day, I also have nothing to give. You say she day by day, the man just came out, the son went in again, sin ah!
Since then, Zhang Fengping when the small amount of money saved by the small workers and continue to send to the prison, although sent in did not let Guo Qiang less sentence a year, but she also continued to send every year, saying that is sorry Guo Qiang, can not let him suffer.
Until I went to the city to finish high school, went to college also did not see Guo Qiang.
One summer vacation, I came back from school, passing by his house, his house is still the dark cottage, but the windows are broken, the upper paste with some plastic paper.
Zhang Fengping came to Grandma’s house in the evening to chat, and Grandma advised her again, as I heard years ago.
“Guo Qiang will be back in a few days, have to clean up the house, not long after the daughter-in-law should be discussed.”
“You say that you, what sins yo, busy every day, save two money are given to the two ghosts of life, figure what?”
After she left, I asked my grandmother: “Guo Qiang can find a daughter-in-law not?”
“It depends on whether Guo Qiang is a success, if it is really the same as his old man, it is difficult, his mother is exhausted to death, but also can not be two floors for him to build up ah!”
Next to the aunt to take the mouth: “a house in the old son son are from prison, who dare to go to their house? Old Guo’s house is decades old, it may still leak when it rains or shines. That’s it, who dares to marry, it is estimated that the second marriage he can not find.”
6
In the spring of 2014, Grandma said that Guo Qiang came back, people look quite spiritual and decent.
The 20-year-old Guo Qiang is tall and big, with his father’s shadow, but also a good skin. When he came back with a girl, Zhang Fengping paid for an empty house in the village, Guo Qiang and the girl lived in.
So the day goes on, Guo Wei is still sitting on the card table for decades, but people in the village praise him for his growth, at least Zhang Fengping home from work in the evening meal is Guo Wei to do. Only Guo Qiang still does not recognize her, but will ask her for money from time to time.
During the May Day holiday in 2015, I went back to see my grandmother. At noon, after Zhang Fengping brought Grandma a big bundle of garlic moss, she went to the farmers’ market to buy straw rope, wearing that big red dress and riding the bicycle that she had been riding for years.
Little did I know that this would be the last time I would see her.
Two or three o’clock in the afternoon, she was near the village entrance of the national highway crosswalk, was a straight drive over the car hit and fly, hair and straw rope scattered all over the ground, eyes open, the ground of the puddle of blood in my back to school that day can still see the marks.
An acquaintance in the village ran and shouted to her house to report the news, saying to Guo Qiang, “Your mother was hit on the road!”
Guo Qiang stood in front of the door of the dark room and opened his mouth to ask, “Is she dead?”
When Guo Qiang called Guo Wei on the card table and rushed there together, Zhang Fengping had been dead for a while.
It was spring again, and when I went home and passed in front of his house, I found that the bungalow of Guo Wei’s house was gone, and a beautiful three-story house had been built. Guo Qiang came out of the door holding his son and taught him to call me “Aunt Huu”.
The owner of the car that knocked down Zhang Fengping paid his family 600,000 to 700,000, Zhang Fengping’s mother came to make trouble once, said Guo Wei is not something, forcing her daughter to die, and then the Guo family gave her a few hundred thousand dollars, and did not see again.
Guo Qiang chartered a fish pond, but also started a farm carnival, every New Year’s Day also came to see me, and said that before I played with him as a child, on our mother-in-law and grandchildren do not dislike him.
Guo Wei found a daughter-in-law, holding her grandson around all day long, but not dare to play cards, and then find a daughter-in-law is a powerful spill, he dares to go on the card table, the daughter-in-law on the hand to fight. After playing twice, Guo Wei no longer dare to go.
Since the beginning, Zhang Fengping was born in Shanxi, the three children have not come.
Not long after, no one in the village mentioned Zhang Fengping, no one said her husband did not fight, no one said her son was in jail because she was frugal, and no one said she had a hard life. Just like passing by the door of Guo Wei’s house, you can no longer see the shadow of the former house in the dark, she followed the house, buried together into the ground of the three-story small house.
Only the grandmother occasionally sighs and says: “She died well, Guo Qiang may remember her life price, the next year Qingming grave can call her a mother.”
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