Yu Qiuyu prose: The greatest bravery in life comes from the mother

　　 One

My ninety-year-old mother was suddenly critically ill, and I immediately returned to Shanghai from Beijing. Several courses that have been arranged can only be transferred. The school said: "This course is difficult to adjust, please try to give us a chance." I replied, "Please give me a chance too, I have only one mother." Mom had lost consciousness. I leaned down to call her, her eyebrows flickering slightly, and there was no other reaction. I finally found out what my mother had said last. The babysitter asked her what she wanted to eat, and she replied, "Braised shrimp." The doctor asked again, and she replied, "Orange red cake." When she finished, she suddenly felt embarrassed, grinned, and then never spoke again. Orange red cake is a food in my hometown that my mother ate as a child. The end and beginning of life coincide in this moment.　　

In the years when I was learning to speak, my mother ran literacy classes in the countryside, kept accounts, read letters, wrote letters, including the accounting work of the whole village, which was arranged by her, and no one else could replace it. When doing these things, she always carries me. When I finally opened elementary school in a dilapidated nunnery in my hometown, the teachers found that I had read a lot of words, including numbers. Several teachers quickly found out why, because the straw hat I was carrying had 4 beautiful brush words written on it: "Autumn Rain To School", which was the standard line.　　

I still remember my mother sitting on the edge of the bed and telling me what was vernacular and what was vernacular. She didn't like modern language, saying it was an old-fashioned melon hat on a good head. My mother was too lonely culturally, so she took me for a conversation. When I was 7 years old, she gave me all the things of literacy, bookkeeping, reading letters, and writing letters.　　

When I went to Shanghai Examination Middle School, my mother was a little nervous, afraid that she would be sorry for my father because she failed her "parenting experiment" in the countryside alone. I quickly relieved them, but they all just smiled softly and didn't have time to think about why. Only I know that I won the first place in the Shanghai Composition Competition because I had written hundreds of letters for the villagers; the mathematics competition won the prize because I had already recorded too many accounts for the villagers.

Two　　

The doctor asked my wife, once my mother has a signal to end her life, should she cut her organs to rescue her, including electric shock? The wife asked, "Can consciousness be restored after rescue?" The doctor said: "That is impossible, it can only last for a week or two." "My wife said she would consult with me, but she had come to a conclusion: let my mother walk decently and cleanly.　　

We know that moms are too decent, and even in the hardest days, the clothes are always clean, the expressions are always elegant, and the language is always peaceful. In her later years, she came out as a "beautiful old lady". For the sake of decency, she would rather live a few years less, where would she care about a week or two?　　

A retired professor who lived in the same community as my mother wanted to invite me to one of their archaeological excavation workshops, but after three unsuccessful visits, he whimsically invited my mother to be present. Mom really changed her clothes and hair and prepared to go out, but fortunately was stopped by the nanny. The reason why my mother went was that people came 3 times with white hair and told me to do whatever I wanted. Mom's inner decency is related to simplicity.　　

What would happen if Mom went to a meeting? She understands people, knows that she is only here to pay off her son's affection, can only smile, should not speak, except "thank you". There will always be a lot of empty-mouthed people in the seminar, and in contrast, this silent and smiling old man is not ashamed. In her mother's eyes, position, profession, education, and fame are all dispensable, so she walks freely.

Three　　

The eldest brother, Song Yu, stayed by my mother's bedside longer than I did. In my childhood memories, he was completely resurrected from the dead on his mother's arm. At that time, there were no medical conditions in the countryside, and young mothers held their dying babies and cried and begged people on the side of the road over and over again. Finally, met a good person, met a good person...　　

My eldest brother and I have been left to the brink countless times. Because she has always only cared about the bottom line of life, my mother is dismissive of various man-made life disasters in the future.　　

I know that the greatest bravery in my life has come from my mother. One night when I was 6 years old, she went to her cousin's house and came back late, and I hid from my grandmother to cross two mountains to pick her up. When she saw me on the mountain road, she didn't blame or be surprised, but just took me by the warm hand and turned over the two mountains to go home.　　

I have known since I was a child that life is inseparable from disasters, so I have never been afraid of disasters. Later, I was named "the bravest humanities professor in the world today" by the international media for my adventure of 40,000 kilometers, and it was related to my mother. Mom, every step of those 40,000 kilometers has your footprints. And every day I lie by the trench and write notes, always remembering the situation in the countryside when I first learned to write with you.　　

Mom, are you really leaving this time? There are some small roads in the country, only you and I have walked, you are gone, the path is annihilated; some stories of childhood, only you and I remember, you are gone, childhood is broken; my strokes and paintings are taught by your own hands, you are gone, my words will be cut off.　　

My wife and I offered a large tree at the gate of Puji Temple on Putuo Mountain, hoping that it would shelter this kind and extraordinary old man, even if he traveled far, he would be quiet and peaceful.