Perhaps, some people are destined to be ignored and forgotten by us, but they have really penetrated our lives, so that when we think of them occasionally, we cannot avoid being afraid and sighing. - Caption
Sister Mei is five years older than me, is the second daughter of the cousin family, her name is Xiaomei, and she ranks third among the four children of the cousin family. Because she was demented since childhood, most people in the village called her "silly beauty", and she just laughed foolishly when she listened to it.
How Mei Jie is demented, I don't know. In the countryside when I was a child, because of poverty and backwardness, many children of many families could not get timely and effective treatment after illness, and some of them fell into physical and intellectual lifelong disabilities.
The memory of the beautiful sister is thin and tall and slightly hunched, the long white and green melon seed face is dotted with a few brown freckles, the deep eye sockets and the high bridge of the nose, and a black curly hair that is messy and messy due to neglect - this adds a little bit of natural and wild beauty to her. It's just that most of the time the gaze is wandering or sluggish, and there are few vivid and vivid times.
Usually, the beautiful sister is quiet and calm, which makes people doubt whether she is really demented, until she reveals a stupid smirk and puppet-like obedience under the provocation of other people's words and the lightness of her demeanor, which makes people suddenly realize that this is really a child with an extremely low IQ.
Of course, mei sister can not go to school, and the situation of her family really does not allow her to go to school - the eldest sister has married early, and after the brother reaches the marriageable age, because the family is too shabby and has such a demented sister as her, few people come to the door to ask for relatives, not to mention that there is a little brother who is going to school below.
The cousins and the elderly are often sad but helpless, and when they are in a very bad mood, they will sprinkle a stomach of anger on their stupid girls who are not in contention - they will always see the beautiful sister crying and running out of their own yard, until they see us little friends and then play with us. In fact, Mei Jie is very young and helps the family work like an adult, but because she is really stupid, she can only do some heavy work, which is absolutely impossible in needlework and cooking.
However, I still don't think that Mei Jie is completely demented, because she is very close to each other. When facing our younger siblings, her original sluggish eyes will quickly come alive and gentle, and she knows tolerance and tolerance when playing with us. Because of this, almost from the time I can remember, we children have regarded her as our inseparable playmate, and My Sister mei is willing to mess with us and enjoy it.
Although sometimes we call her "silly" like everyone else, deep down, we really rely on her as our own sister.
When we race to climb the tree, the beautiful sister will look up at us under the tree with a worried face, no matter what the outcome of the decision, she will jump and scream with the same joy as the other children under the tree; when we swim, she will sit quietly by the pond to guard our clothes, if anyone catches a fish or catches a loach, she will be busy handing over a small bucket, a look of excitement and excitement; if we go to the vegetable garden of the eldest grandfather's house to steal melons, she will faithfully watch the wind for us, once we see someone coming, She will anxiously stomp her feet and gesture to warn us, and when she shares the "booty" with us, she will dance happily; when we are beaten by our parents for making a mistake, if Mei Jie is present, she will definitely protect us dead behind us, or simply hide us from the adults...
Of course, Mei Jie's favorite game to play with us is the eagle catching the chicken, and she is very happy to play the role of the hen. Before each start, she always told us over and over again to firmly grasp the hem of her back, and then opened her two long arms to protect us nervously and intently from being caught by the "eagle". Children dressed as eagles are often too tired to catch the "chickens" behind her, so they have to resort to rogue sneak attacks. After the "chicken" is caught, The beautiful sister will stand aside in extreme frustration, look down and bite her fingers, and look guilty and sad.
It can be seen that when you are with us, it is also the happiest time for Mei Jie. Although we occasionally made fun of her, even engaged in some small pranks, she was never annoyed, always laughed happily, and it seemed that for her, being teased by her younger siblings was a rare pleasure.
However, there will always be some boring adults who are keen to show off their IQ advantages in front of idiots and maliciously tease Mei Jie again and again, causing her harm again and again.
For example, one day, just at lunchtime, a group of villagers gathered under the persimmon tree at the entrance of the village to eat and talk, which was very lively. At this moment, the hungry sister stood not far from them, looking at them in a daze and greedily sucking her fingers. A middle-aged woman nicknamed "Little House Sparrow" noticed Mei Jie, first squeezed her eyebrows at the people next to her, and then said to Mei Jie: "Xiao Mei, still standing here stupidly, the pork dumplings that your family wrapped today are eating behind your back, and you will not be able to come home late!" Mei Jie's eyes lit up in an instant, but she still looked around at the people suspiciously, and a few of them echoed and said, "Really, really, go home and see, don't let them finish eating!"
Sister Mei did not wait for their voices to land, so she rushed to the house in a panic, leaving behind a group of happy and triumphant laughter. Needless to say, soon Mei Jie covered her head and wailed and escaped, and the crowd laughed even happier...
As far as I am concerned, there is one thing that I still remember vividly, and it also makes everyone have a different understanding of Mei Jie.
That morning, my mother steamed a pot of white-noodle steamed buns to visit my grandmother, and when she left, she left a few for our brothers and sisters to share in. I rushed out with the steamed bunSpring in my hand, eating and playing. After seeing Mei Jie, he broke the steamed bun in half for her, and the two shared it happily. At this time, a stunned young boy named Lai Mao in the village passed by us, and when I was not prepared, he snatched my steamed bun and ran and nibbled on it. I was shocked and angry, but I knew that I could not beat him, only to cry and scold loudly at his back. At this time, a terrifying scene occurred: Mei Jie pounced on it like an enraged lioness, clutching and biting Lai Mao deadly, and the boy could not get rid of Mei Jie, so he screamed like a ghost. The adults nearby heard the shouts and rushed to pull Mei Jie away, so that Lai Mao was able to flee into the wilderness.
I looked sheepishly at the red-eyed, hideous beauty in front of me like a frightened fool, until she picked up the bun from the ground, gently put it back in my hand, and used her rough palm to wipe the tears from my face.
After that incident, the people in the village no longer dared to easily tease Mei Jie, and even if they occasionally joked with her, they would restrain a lot.
The beautiful sister who grew up gradually became more and more beautiful, and a few idle slackers in the village started her idea. They often take some snacks or gadgets and tease Meijie to follow them, but fortunately, we will always appear in time consciously or unconsciously, consciously or unconsciously protecting her. However, these unforeseen dangers still caused anxiety among her cousin and aunt, and when Mei Jie was seventeen years old, she was hastily married to a man from a neighboring village whose family was worse and who was many years older than her.
The marriage of meijie has made everyone seem to have a lot less fun in their leisure time, and the talk about meijie has gradually disappeared. And we children, after missing a beautiful sister for a while, slowly forgot about her.
It wasn't until the next day that I met her again on the road.
One winter vacation during college, I went to the big sister's house in town to visit relatives, and when I rode past the intersection outside Weitang Village, I met my beautiful sister sitting on the floor on the side of the road.
The weather was clear that day, and the sun shone on the residual snow of the fields, but there was still a chill in the air. I tied up my bicycle and went to Mei Jie, and saw that her face had shown a vicissitudes of old age, and her expression was getting more and more sluggish, and her scattered and dry hair covered most of her face from time to time under the tease of the north wind. A five- or six-year-old boy dressed like her was snuggled tightly in her arms, the child's little face dirty and somewhat cracked, and when he saw someone approaching, he drilled into his mother's arms one by one.
I squatted down and shouted softly, "Sister Beauty," and Sister Beauty turned her head to look at me and flashed alertly to the side of the road. I called out "Sister Beauty" again and said my name—my throat was starting to choke a little. She looked at me for a moment, and her eyes began to come alive and revealed a familiar smile, as if she had recognized me, but finally did not speak. I asked her who the child in her arms was and how old she was, and her eyes instantly brightened, and she wrapped her arms around the child and replied cheerfully, "I'm six years old!" He said, pressing his chapped lips against the child's little face.
I touched the child's head, quietly stuffed fifty dollars into his pocket, turned around, and tears were already coming out of his eyes...
Before writing this article, I specifically inquired about the news of Mei Jie, and learned that Mei Jie's young son has graduated from college and is married, his job is also very good, and he is very sensible, it is said that he has not disliked his mother since he was a child.
Sister Mei, it is time to be bitter.
About author:Zhai Minghui, Henan scholar, freelance writer, professional art teacher. "I love this world with words and brushes, and I would like to meet the soul of the King in this way. There is a fate, a sense of praise; no reason, mutual peace. ”