Zhiqing Liang Wenyan likes to read, reads everything, but hates "Wolf Totem", and someone has asked him: Why do you have a grudge against a novel?
Liang Wenyan said: "The basis of the novel is reality, and it cannot be made up. When I was in Mongolia, no one among the herders liked wolves, let alone using wolves as totems, and the wolf totem said that wolves were the source of spiritual strength for Mongolian compatriots, which was complete nonsense. ”
"In addition, I know the author of that book, he is also a Zhiqing, who once joined the team in the pastoral area of Inner Mongolia, and I got acquainted with him because of the 'one dozen three antis' movement, we both were arrested, and we also served as 'prisonmates' for a period of time. I know he's not a man of words, and I don't know why he wrote a book like that..."
In 1969, Liang Wenyan, a Beijing intellectual, went to the countryside to join the team and was assigned to the Mongolian pastoral area.
When he first arrived in the grassland, the vast environment made Liang Wenyan feel refreshed, he was originally a person who liked the life of idle clouds and wild cranes, and he preferred the tranquility of the grassland to the hustle and bustle of the city.
However, behind the tranquility of the steppe, there is always an undercurrent, such as wolves.
One night, shortly after going to sleep, Liang Wenyan heard the noise of outsiders in the yurt, and he put on his clothes and went out to see, and several herders were carrying rifles and preparing to cross their horses.
It's all midnight, so why bother? Liang Wenyan was very puzzled, just saw that the young herdsman who had the best relationship with him, BaoLide, also came out, so he asked: "Why are they going?" ”
"The wolf has bitten several sheep, and they are going to chase the wolf," Said. ”
Liang Wenyan caught up with the wolf biting the sheep for the first time, but he couldn't understand, it was all midnight, why did the herders still have to chase after it?
"It's dark this day, why are you still chasing?" Doesn't that mean not riding a horse at night? When Liang Wenyan first arrived at the collective household, he was reminded by Lao Zhiqing not to go out at night, in case he stepped into the hole of the marmot (marmot), his leg was easily broken.
"Everyone hates wolves too much, take advantage of the familiar terrain around them, chase them to see, and they won't chase them too far." Polyd replied.
Liang Wenyan realized at this time that the Mongol compatriots hated the steppe wolf so much.
After dawn, he found BaoLide and talked about wolves again, and Liang Wenyan asked: "I thought about it all night, or didn't I understand why the herdsmen hate wolves so much, and even chase and fight at night?" ”
Bao Lide sighed and said, "Because wolves not only eat sheep, but also plague sheep." If you are hungry, eat one, but the wolf is not like this, as long as you enter the flock, you will never bite only one, it will always kill many sheep in the flock, chasing and biting like crazy, you don't know, the sheep bitten by the wolf have become fragments. ”
The Sheep of the Baolid family have also been attacked by wild wolves many times, and he is very angry when he says: "Wolves can't eat so much, and they chase and bite sheep one by one, as if they are addicted to killing, which is different from lions, I read books that African lions will not go to culling their prey when they are full." ”
Liang Wenyan understood the reason why herders hated wolves, for them, sheep are the basis of life, encountered natural disasters and man-made disasters, without sheep, it is difficult for herders to survive, sheep are very important to them.
Wolves not only eat sheep, but also kill the sheep because of their cruel and greedy personality, so they are particularly hated by herders. Many herders can not leave the sheep for a moment when herding sheep, as long as the wild wolves seize the opportunity, a bag of cigarettes, the sheep can be bitten to death by the wolves.
Of course, the words are not real enough, and one of the things Liang Wenyan personally experienced made him deeper understand the herdsmen's dislike of wolves.
Liang Wenyan has a big dog, and dogs that grow up on the grassland have wild nature, and must also have wild nature, otherwise it is useless, but the wild nature of animals also brings some negative effects.
Liang Wenyan's big dog was called Kuroko, and for some reason, he bit several lambs, and later speculated that it might be that the lambs were born not long ago, and they still had a bloody smell on their bodies, which made Kuroko mistakenly think that it was food.
Several herdsmen found that the dog had bitten the sheep, and immediately took out a long stick to chase after Kuroko, Liang Wenyan quickly stopped it, shouting: "There is something good to say, don't kill the dog!" ”
The herders have always been very kind to Zhiqing, especially Liang Wenyan, who is deeply taken care of by everyone, but this time the situation is different, the herdsmen say that they will not give him face and must kill the dog.
Liang Wenyan had a deep affection for Kuroko, and when he saw that the herdsman had moved Zhenge, he also blushed, held up a wooden stick and shouted, "No one can kill Kuroko, if you want to kill it, kill me first!" ”
Herders usually don't like to fight, but in order to beat the dog that bites the dead lamb, they will do whatever it takes, even if it is to turn the other cheek with Zhiqing. Things got into a stalemate, and Bao Lide came forward to persuade Liang Wenyan to say, "Xiao Liang, this matter is not negotiable. You know us, since everyone is going to kill Kuroko, there is no room for maneuver. ”
Liang Wenyan knew that BaoLide was right, and there was no possibility of changing what the herders had identified.
He looked back at Kuroko, it also seemed to feel the danger, curled up in the corner motionless, after all, this is his own dog from childhood to adulthood, can't bear to see it killed, Liang Wenyan discussed: "Can you not be killed?" I lost money, doubled the loss, kuroko bit a few sheep, and I paid twice the price. ”
Bao Li de shook his head: "The rule of the steppe, the dog that bites the lamb is the wolf, and must be killed." He reached out and took the wooden stick from Liang Wenyan's hand, pushed him into the yurt next to him, and whispered, "If you don't look at it, you won't be sad." ”
Then came the cries of Kuroko outside the yurt, it did not run away, it was obvious that its spine was broken, and Liang Wenyan burst into tears.
Bao Lide explained to him: "For thousands of years, we have not shared the sky with the wolf, and we regard the wolf as an enemy, and we must exterminate them all." Herders who have lived on the grassland for generations chase after wolves when they see them, fight when they catch up, and must be killed, which is already a custom. ”
Liang Wenyan was not a herdsman, or could not understand their hatred for wolves to the bone, plus Kuroko was killed, he was very upset, retorted: "Bao Lid, you have read a lot of books, Jack London knows, right?" ”
Paulith nodded, "Well, American writer. ”
Liang continued: "Jack London especially likes to write about wolves, and his masterpiece 'The Call of the Wild', writes about a dog returning to the wild and becoming a wolf. Another masterpiece, "White Teeth", writes that a wolf accepts civilization and eventually becomes a dog. ”
Polaroid asked incomprehensibly, "What are you going to say?" ”
"I mean, Jack London, as a great writer, loves wolves, and in his opinion, whether wolves or dogs, are good friends for people, so why can't herders change their minds about wolves?"
Bao Li de smiled and said, "Thanks to you or Zhi Qing, this reason can't be thought of." We worship eternal life, worship nature, worship ancestors, but we do not worship wolves, why? Because on the steppe, wolves and herders are competitors for survival, and they are a hostile relationship between you and me. ”
Taking a sip of milk tea, Paulid continued: "Jack London is a writer, not a herder, and his impression of wolves comes from hearsay and limited knowledge, and he has no idea of the cruel competition for survival on the steppe, and of course he thinks that wolves are better than people." ”
"In addition, wolves have a bad disease of killing, and you have seen wolves plague sheep, even if they are full, they will kill them." Even if the wounded sheep had not died at that time, and the belly and throat of the wolf bite had broken, they would not have lived long..."
Liang Wenyan nodded, since coming to the grassland, the herders he had come into contact with really did not have any good feelings for wolves.
"I will tell you a few Mongolian proverbs, and you will know what we have said about wolves for thousands of years: 'Don't take fire when you throw ashes, and beware of wolves when you herd cattle', 'There are no wolves that don't eat meat, there are no foxes that don't trick the devils', 'When you hear a dog bite, you have to take a whip, and when you hear a wolf howl, you have a gun.'" ”
After talking with BaoLide, Liang Wenyan completely accepted the herders' views on wolves, and later he also joined the activities of fighting wolves and killing wolves. After several years of siege and hunting, the wolves on the Uzumuqin steppe disappeared, and only in the remote forest, there was still a trace of wolves.
A few years passed, Liang Wenyan bid farewell to the grasslands and returned to Beijing, and then by chance, he found the book "Wolf Totem", and before he could finish reading it, he was so angry that he threw the book down, and scolded angrily in his mouth: "Nonsense, what is written here is all lies, contrary to the facts, too outrageous!" ”
He was surprised and worried that the book extolled the strong and the weak and advocated the values of wolf nature ( bestiality ) . Herders have never regarded wolves as idols, but as eternal enemies, and at the same time, wolf nature is not a value that people should believe in, only barbaric animals advocate blood, and human beings should be strong and weak, and the big help the small, not bullying the weak and bullying the small.
At a gathering of intellectuals, Liang Wenyan mentioned the matter: "I know the author of "Wolf Totem", when we squatted together in the classroom and were still being questioned at the corps security office, he should be very familiar with the grassland and herders, how could he write such an outrageous thing? ”
"Cough, why is he the only one who wrote this kind of book, why?" For this! Zhiqing, who was speaking, rubbed his fingers.