preface
Da Feng is my high school classmate. A few years ago, he opened an education and training institution here. Last year’s National Day, other students go home to meet a small, big feng belated, everyone shouted let him from the penalty of three cups, he neck down a cup, red eyes said: “this afternoon, my uncle came to class. As soon as the words fell, the table suddenly hushed. I still remember when we were in high school, Da Feng used to tell us about his uncle’s rough life. At that time, we are young, the boys listen to, are angry gnash teeth, the girls listen to, also can not help but red eyes. Now everyone has been over the middle age, accustomed to life impermanent, strange things in life, and then think of Da Feng uncle’s life, there is only a pot of liquor, a pack of cigarettes and a sigh.
1
Da Feng’s uncle named Ge Ming, was born in 1956, graduated from junior high school, has a height of 1.8 meters. He is a young man with thick eyebrows, tall and straight body and excellent academic performance. Looking at the whole brigade, he is one of the best. At that time, Ge Ming had been admitted to a key high school county, but because of the heavy burden of family life, had to reluctantly give up, back to a group of primary school when a teacher.
Is such an excellent guy, but has not been in love. Is not because of his eyes is high, but jia vanilla put the words in groups, said both of them is a pair of sooner or later, let the other girl broke this desire – jia vanilla can say so, because of her father’s secretary, she kiss my uncle is a commune committee director (production brigade and commune as a kind of administrative organization in the countryside, there is time for the 1958 to 1984, later changed to administrative villages and towns). In this way, the team of all love Ge Ming girls had to play a retreat, see him even will deliberately avoid.
But Ge Ming doesn’t like jia vanilla. Jia Vanilla since childhood personality is unruly, every evening, Ge Ming love and team several male educated youth together in the primary school playground playing basketball. If be jia vanilla bump into, that would be bad, she never like other girls stood watching, but must personally go to play, and ge Ming team, every time I see only 1 meter height 5 jia vanilla, like nobody’s business, the back selfishly layup – no one block, and no one can stop – GeMing will go a face livid, twist a head, no matter how loudly call jia vanilla behind him also don’t look back.
Once, the group rehearsed “Red light”, as before, as always, Tie Mei is jia Vanilla as before. As soon as the performance began, a young man below the stage grumbled 1: “How is she again? Can’t you get a prettier plum instead?” Soon, the words reached Her ears. A few days later, the thin young man was sent to the reservoir to carry stones — the hardest work of the whole brigade.
In the late spring of 1974, Ge Ming’s second uncle came to his house with a smile on his face. He said to everyone, “Today my eldest nephew has a happy event, and it’s a double blessing!”
Ge Ming’s father and mother got a fright. The second uncle cleared his throat and said slowly, “The first thing is that in the past few years, more and more children have been learning to read in our commune. Commune junior high school is going to expand the enrollment scale this fall. Recruit several teachers accordingly. The news just came out, the commune’s high school students, as well as those educated youth, all enthusiastically sign up. But the headmaster of other people’s middle school specifically let us Ge Ming to teach, said that although the eldest nephew is a junior high school graduate, but steadfast, and love learning, has the potential to cultivate, every vacation in the future can go to the county to learn high school courses! At this rate, the eldest nephew will be a high school graduate in only two years, and will have a head start in recruiting, recruiting, and even recommending college!”
The Whole family, overjoyed at hearing this, were busy asking for the second good thing. The second uncle smiled and said to Ge Ming, “My big nephew, my life is really good. I really like you, vanilla. This is not, toss and turn to say that you want to formal object!”
‘Impossible! Ge Ming threw the next one lift leg to go, leaving parents and two uncle look at each other.
“You say, if they become a couple, can Secretary Jia and uncle Vanilla be unkind to him? With our old Ge family, also can follow with glory! This is a difficult thing to find with a lantern, so blind!”
Two uncle also want to persuade, But Ge Ming parents have been silent, a long time just said: “son big not from ye, let him go.
The second good thing is not good, the first good thing is also a natural bubble soup, Ge Ming is still stepping in the presence of primary school teachers.
2
In the late autumn of 1974, the brigade was again divided into a female educated youth. People who have met say that this is the real educated youth – because the girl carries wooden boxes, body back, arms, almost all of the books. The wooden box is Ge Ming to help back, because the green point is next to the primary school.
Female educated youth named Lin Xiaoyu, also on the appearance of sixteen seven, people grow very handsome, white skin like tofu. But it seems that the body is not very good, often cover the chest cough, usually in the grave also smile, a plaintive look. It later became known that Lin’s parents, both rightists, had committed suicide at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, holding hands and refusing to endure the humiliations. During these years, Lin Xiaoyu was raised by her relatives. According to the regulations at that time, the children of rightists could only go to junior high school, so her relatives sent her to the countryside as soon as she graduated from junior high school.
The village person is simple, to Lin Xiaoyu’s circumstance all quite sympathize with, the live that allocates to her is not much also, call her privately “Lin Xiaojie”. However, due to the political situation at that time, I could only stay at a respectful distance on weekdays.
Turned to the 1975 Chinese New Year, other educated youth are happy to return to the city, leaving Lin Xiaoyu alone in the green spot. Seeing this, Ge Ming discussed with his parents and invited her to spend the New Year at home. Since then, the two have become familiar. Two young people who love reading always read together in their spare time. In addition to Chinese and foreign classics, Lin Xiaoyu’s book basket also has a set of “good baby” — a complete set of high school textbooks. Lin xiaoyu likes to read Chinese and history, while Ge Ming is more interested in math, physics and chemistry, and the two often study together.
When the ice melts and the weather warms, Ge Ming leads Lin Xiaoyu to play basketball and run on the playground. The laughter of the two young people often lingers over the elementary school and the green spot.
One day in the middle of the summer, Lin Xiaoyu got up and was going to hoe the grass in the field according to the division of work she had arranged. But go out on a look up, unexpectedly found that the production group leader and Jia Vanilla is a serious face standing at the door of her dormitory.
group leader notice Lin Xiaoyu, in order to exercise her revolutionary will, from today on her work has been adjusted, to collect each feces, and then pick to the most western feces management station, he will be responsible for assessing the quality of feces and jia Vanilla, three people all the way together.
Lin Xiaoyu listened, heart a Lin, busy to the group leader intercede, said he had never used the pole, and I am afraid that also can not pick up nearly a hundred pounds of feces. But the group leader that normal element smiles, right now it is the face is livid. Along the way, a lot of commune members heard that “Younger sister Lin” is picking dung, ran out to see the fun, the more people gather more. Lin Xiaoyu, festering in his stench, was like a criminal on a street parade, carrying a bucket in front of him with tears streaming down his face. The group leader and Jia Vanillin were like two yamen, covering their noses and following her far behind.
A few and Lin Xiaoyu make good educated youth run forward, want to carry on a journey for her, all by Jia Vanilla loudly drink stopped: “you and this righty child is what relation?” we all know, know jia Vanilla is actually can not see Ge Ming good to Lin Xiaoyu, today is deliberately to whole Lin Xiaoyu, but due to the “class stance”, and can only dare not speak.
Soon someone ran to the primary school, in a short while, the full of sweat ge Ming ran over. He could not help saying, will carry the dung pole grabbed over to carry on his shoulders. Jia Vanilla saw this and asked: “Lin Xiaoyu is a rightist child, her parents from the people, don’t you know? !”
“I only know that she is an orphan, poor peasants can not humiliate people like this!” Ge Ming’s voice was so loud that he almost roared. Then he raised his head and said to everyone, “I like Lin Xiaoyu!”
Then everyone froze.
Ge Ming did not help Lin Xiaoyu bear dung what punishment, but before long, Ge Ming his father was the poor farmers association temporarily “expelled”.
One evening in the late spring of 1976, The party secretary Jia suddenly invited Ge Ming to his father’s home. Ge Ming’s father was very upset, until he sat down and drank tea, Secretary Jia said straight to the point: “This year the commune has recommended a number of workers, peasants and soldiers college students to our brigade, after a long-term and careful organizational investigation, Jia Hongwei and your family Ge Ming became the final candidates. Hong Wei, you know, is my nephew and a high school student — but I am inclined to recommend Ge Ming to go to college. I think this boy is diligent and down-to-earth in his teaching post. If he can go to college again, he will surely become a pillar of the state. Of course, he made some mistakes last year and got closer to the children of the rightists. But the young people will be better off if they acknowledge their mistakes. After you have studied in the university, you will become a cadre of the state. You will wear leather shoes, eat commodity grain, and honor your ancestors for the Old Ge family!”
Ge Mingdi smiled broadly and said, “It’s all your help… We dare not forget.”
“There is one more thing,” Secretary Jia began again. “As you know, my four sons are just one old wench, vanilla. They are spoiled at ordinary times, but they are still kind and capable. Male big when marriage, female big when marry, vanilla also 20, his uncle introduced a few young men to her in the commune, family circumstances are good, parents are to eat commodity grain, but this dead girl is not even blind date. She knows all about your family and says he’s the only one. Do you think the fate of our two families has come? I mean, pick a good day to get the two children married first, and then Ge Ming will go to the city to go to college in the fall. Don’t you think that will be a great thing for both of us?”
“What a good thing! It’s a great thing! Just son big not from ye, I give you a definite answer tomorrow.”
When he got home, Ge Ming shook his head before he had finished speaking. So angry that his father waved his hand, but was finally stopped by his mother.
The second day early in the morning, the day has not yet broken, Ge Ming took Lin Xiaoyu’s hand into the house. two people knelt down, Ge Ming said this life is not Lin Xiaoyu not to marry, Lin Xiaoyu also said willing to and Ge Ming together, the future roots in the countryside. Ge Ming parents see speechless, only long sigh.
3
In late October 1977, the news about the resumption of the college entrance examination system was played on a loop through the loudspeakers of the brigade. Everyone, including Ge Ming and Lin Xiaoyu, was overjoyed at the news. This is the best way to change your fate by working on your own, without having to beg others.
Since then, two people began to review the tension, often overnight endorsement to do the problem.
But soon, the primary school principal called Ge Ming to the office, said the brigade decided to temporarily transfer him to repair the road, transfer two months. Ge Ming clear in the mind, this is jia vanilla in the back of the ghost, but he also helpless.
Road building is a heavy physical work. No matter how tired he is after a day’s work, Ge Ming will still clench his teeth, hold a small electric torch and read a book under the quilt. When his workmates were fast asleep, he lit the kerosene lamp and opened his textbook.
That year, the college entrance examination was held in the winter. In mid-December 1977, Ge Ming and Lin Xiaoyu entered the examination hall. Everything comes to him who waits. Both of them scored very well in the college entrance examination.
Can wait until the end of January 1978, next door brigade an educated youth has been admitted by a university of provincial capital, higher than that educated youth’s achievement ge Ming and Lin Xiaoyu of a big section, did not wait for that paper university admission notice as before however tardily.
Shortly after the 1978 Spring Festival, the two hurried to the county admissions office. The staff told them that they were not admitted, because the political examination of the two people were not passed – Lin Xiaoyu is on record wearing a hat rightwing children, this no one can do; But Three generations of poor peasants in Ge Ming’s home, the political examination did not pass, this needs to go to the commune to ask.
“What a pity! What a high score!” Even the admissions teacher said so.
Back in the commune, the education officer directly told Ge Ming, “You are closely related to the children of the rightists, and you have lost your class position, so you failed to pass the political examination.
That night, Lin Xiaoyu cried to Ge Ming, is his trouble, or break up. Ge Ming said, “Even if I live in the countryside with you all my life, I will never regret it.”
In April 1978, the central government announced the removal of the hat for the wrong right-wing members of the news, Lin Xiaoyu and Ge Ming heard the great joy, quickly began to review again. The end of The college entrance examination in July, two people still play very well, but Lin Xiaoyu’s parents have not come. Until the results of the college entrance examination were announced, Lin Xiaoyu’s head is still wearing the top “rightist children” straitbelt curse.
One night in early September, Ge Ming went to the green spot to find Lin Xiaoyu, but he was empty. A female educated youth handed him a letter saying that Lin Xiaoyu left him. Tear open an envelope to see, Ge Ming immediately such as five thunder roar: Lin Xiaoyu said in the letter, the parents are far away from rehabilitation, enter the university is also a mirror, relatives in the city, they introduced her to a cadre children. She is going to break up with him, return to the city to marry, let him forget her later.
That night, the dazed Ge Ming staggered home. As soon as he sat down, his two younger brothers suddenly knelt down in front of him. He was quite frightened, and asked what was the matter. One side of Ge Ming Dad said: “Ge Ming ah Ge Ming, you said to go to college is what you want. It’s also for the sake of the old Ge family. But you clearly passed the exam, but why have you been unable to read it? Isn’t it because you want to be with that kid Lin Xiaoyu? Your wings are hard, we can’t control you, but you can’t be too selfish. Your two younger brothers have grown up and are going to go to college, too. What about them? If you listen to father’s word, I will not struggle with life, you are a good boy, for the sake of the family, for the future of the younger brothers, I should be the Jia family’s marriage.”
Hearing this, Ge Ming did not speak, but just stood idly by. His mother also scolded Ge Ming loudly beside him, “For the sake of your future, your father has just knelt down for secretary Jia! And now will the son of thee kneel down too?”
Before the words fell to the ground, Ge Ming dad actually made a gesture to bend down, Ge Ming quickly help dad, he knelt down…
That fall, Ge entered the math department at a regional teachers college. Before leaving for college, he and Vanilla had a big engagement ceremony. In the noisy banquet, Ge Ming said nothing but frequently toasted the villagers who came to thank him. They used three-dollar cups, but his was a ceramic mug they used to drink from.
Within ten minutes, Ge Ming fell headlong on the ground. The villagers all said later, “You can drink a few ladles of water if you press the head of an ox.”
45 years of hopeless love
At the beginning of 1979, the school had a winter vacation. Because he did not want to meet his fiancee, Jia Vanilla, Ge Ming did not go home until the Spring Festival. After going back, familiar with the educated secretly told Ge Ming, in fact, Lin Xiaoyu did not return to the city to get married, during that time she did not in the brigade, just because of a serious illness, back to the city relatives home rest for a few months. He came back after recovering from his illness. Now he is still doing farm work in the brigade in silence. A few days ago I heard that Ge Ming was coming back, so I hurried away again.
The educated youth also said that one night at the beginning of September last year, Ge Ming parents came to the green point, Lin Xiaoyu called out, said what they did not hear, just vaguely see your parents to xiaoyu knelt down, at that time also scared everyone a big jump. The next day, Lin Xiaoyu cried to give everyone a letter, back to the city. Unexpectedly, a few days later Ge Ming placed the wine and became a devoted person.
Ge Ming listen, the heart out of anger, but helpless, but feel sorry for Lin Xiaoyu. After that year, he never went home.
In the fall of 1981, Ge was assigned to teach mathematics at a high school in a small town, and his family arranged for him to marry Jia Vanin.
4
In the summer of 1979, Lin xiaoyu’s parents were finally rehabilitated. That autumn, Lin Xiaoyu was admitted to a university in the city of the province.
Fate lane people, 1982 autumn, after graduating from college Lin Xiaoyu was also assigned to the town’s high school to teach Chinese. Lin Xiaoyu to report for duty a few days later, the school notice in the small auditorium held to welcome the new teacher into the tea party, Ge Ming just out of the house, saw a familiar figure, suddenly feel a bit absent-minded, ran forward, but it was Really Lin Xiaoyu!
Three years later, the two met again, and did not speak, tears have been rolling down. And the Jia Vanilla that is standing in the doorway once pounced on go up, pushed aside Lin Xiaoyu, point to her nose to loudly scold rise: “be really an enemy of narrow road! An two got married, you still want to seduce the ans man yao? Later you again shameless, dare to touch an man once, see I do not fight with you!”
When the teachers around saw this, they were all shocked.
Since Lin Xiaoyu entered office, a lot of single male teachers to her or clear or secretly launched an emotional offensive, director Lai of guidance office is the most crazy one. Director Lai graduated from a prestigious university, self-importance, plus a few years ago was also delayed, people into middle age, never married. After seeing Lin Xiaoyu, often come to language to teach research group to invite Lin Xiaoyu to see a movie together, but often by Lin Xiaoyu attitude refuse uncertainly.
The town was small and the news spread quickly. Lai director soon decided that Lin Xiaoyu’s attitude to himself is cold, certainly is still concerned about the heart has been a man of the Ge Ming. So, lai will often come to jia, director of vanilla, fueling to describe her GeMing and Lin Xiaoyu in districts of ambiguous words and deeds, so GeMing than usual night I come home from work for a few minutes, jia vanilla will immediately and he kicked up a fuss, to later, suspicious of jia vanilla simply follow beside GeMing every day, GeMing when teaching in class, she sat on a stump to the outside of the classroom knitting a sweater. When Ge Ming is in the office preparing lessons or correcting homework, she leans on the tree in front of the office and continues to knit sweaters.
So it went on for another year.
One day, Ge Ming went for a walk in the woods in front of the school. Jia Vanilla followed him as always. Just went to the edge of the woods, two people almost at the same time saw the Lin Xiaoyu reading on the stone bench in the woods, Jia Vanilla involuntarily shouted out the sound, Lin Xiaoyu heard looked up, quickly got up and walked away. Jia Vanilla heart is unwilling, catch up with the shouted: “run what run, guilty? !”
Later, Ge Ming and his family talked about, at that moment, he was suddenly filled with inexplicable sadness. Love in the world and can not see the people, than cowherd weaver, but he and Lin Xiaoyu, live together in this small campus, but a year also rarely see a few faces, even if saw, also can not say a word.
5
In the middle of December 1983, the school organized several backbone young teachers to exchange learning in a key railway middle school in the same city. Ge Ming was one of the teachers on the list. He told Jia Vanilla about attending lectures in other schools.
“She won’t go. She teaches Chinese.”
“I don’t believe it. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
‘Don’t you think I’ve lost enough people? Want to go to another school?”
As usual, they began to quarrel bitterly until late into the night.
the second day early in the morning, Ge Ming got up late, he hurriedly washed a face, then ran out with 100 meters sprint speed, Jia Vanilla finally failed to chase out.
When Ge Ming panting ran to the outer wall of the railway middle school, the preparatory bell for class has rung up. Ge Ming decides to take a shortcut by over the wall. Without a moment’s hesitation, he runs quickly and climbs over the wall — he doesn’t know. Then, with a slight leap, he is sentenced to 15 years in prison.
When Ge Ming jumped down, a girl popped out and he knocked her down. At the same time, three or four more girls came running out with their pants in their hands, screaming in horror, “Get the hooligan! Catch the rascal!”
At that time, when the country’s first “strike hard”, when the railway middle school security department heard that in broad daylight, the girls in the toilet actually appeared thugs, but also put a girl on the ground, not from the point of view, rushed to the scene has been scared to stay ge Ming beat hard, and then tied him up.
As he struggled, Ge Ming shouted, “I didn’t know this was a women’s toilet. I’m not a rascal. I’m a teacher!”
Several people in the security department hit him hard and said: “The school teacher, Lao Tze closed his eyes can know. You are the rascal rapist!”
At this time, the students gathered around are also filled with righteous indignation, have come forward to slap Ge Ming in the face. Ge Ming can not argue, a black eyes, but fainted.
Soon, the town was buzzing with the news that “a schoolgirl was raped in broad daylight by a thug”. The parents of the girl who was knocked down by Ge Ming, along with many relatives, rushed to the school in anger, demanding that the school “severely punish the rapist” and give the girl an innocent name. Although Ge Ming and his high school teachers tried to explain, it was no use.
At noon, “rapist suspect” Ge Ming was taken to the public security bureau; In the afternoon, Lai director accompanied a plainclothes policewoman came to Ge Ming’s home. Lai told Jia: “This is the leader of the Women’s Federation, who came to our school to investigate the family life of the staff.”
A plainclothes policewoman nearby asked kindly on her face: “Do you have a good relationship?”
‘No! Vanilla blurted out without thinking.
As soon as the words came out, Director Lai and the “leadership of the Women’s Federation” stood up and opened the door and went straight away.
The second day, Ge Ming “as a rapist, is likely to be shot” the news will spread out, know the event of the original Jia Vanilla shocked, in the days ahead, day and night to stand at the gate of the public security bureau, over and over again hoarsely shouted: “the two feelings is not good, but the man is not a rapist! He’s a decent man!”
Hearing this, the people around shook their heads and sighed.
Then in the future, the school leadership also with a letter and teachers joint letter came to the public Security Bureau, stated that Comrade Ge Ming during the school work has always been upright and responsible, this time to the outside school, this should be exchange learning, but because of the arrest, earnestly request the public security investigation; and so on the news finally returned to the rural home, Ge Ming parents listened to, a few faint, wake up, with the help of the family, all the way to stagger with the village joint letter also rushed to the public security bureau, said Ge Ming was an honest child, it is impossible to make such a mistake; and Lin Xiaoyu in ge Ming accident that day, sat on the train to the provincial capital, she will ge Ming’s experience sobbing to a few parents before his death friends, at that time, they have also taken off the hat, official reinstate.
A month later, Ge Ming, who would have been sentenced to death for rape, was eventually convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Afterword.
After Three years in prison, Lin xiaoyu died of illness before she was 30. The doctor of traditional Chinese medicine who had seen her in the small town said that she was depressed for a long time and had no medicine to cure her.
The next year after Lin Xiaoyu died, Jia Vanilla agreed to divorce with Ge Ming, and spent two years before remarrying. Before remarriage, she will ge Ming after marriage to write several diaries and books sent back to Ge Ming’s parents.
Ge Ming was released from prison at the end of 1998. He was only 42, but he was gray, stooped, and limped when he walked. He went straight back to his hometown after paying his respects to Lin Xiaoyu. While taking care of his silent parents and nephews, he began to do farm work in the spring and autumn with a steady hand. It was another 15 years.
In 2013, after his parents passed away and ge was no longer physically able to carry on farm work, he was invited to his nephew Da Feng’s cram school, where he had math classes for primary school students several times a week. But according to Ge’s own requirements, he must be accompanied by a parent who sits in the classroom all the time. If the parents were busy, they would have made his nephew Big Feng sit in the back row.
“These two years, my great uncle’s health is getting worse every day. This qingming, he asked me to accompany him to worship Aunt Lin. In front of his tomb, his great uncle burned the most precious set of A Dream of Red Mansions, which was given to him by aunt Lin in those days. After saying this, Da Feng raised his head and took another sip of wine.
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