Mommy "Stupid Thing"
In the 1950s, a young woman from a southern water village followed her husband, bid farewell to all her relatives and friends, and her young son who was still to be fed, and responded to the national call to "support the Great Northwest". With the long sound of the steam, the howling of the platform to send relatives cried, and even the old woman lying on the track... The train started to run toward the northwest, and the Shanghai North Railway Station, which was hidden from time to time and mixed with crying, had disappeared into the night sky. After a three-day journey, the train arrived at Xi'an Station, and the young couple became two new citizens of the northwestern city, and they were my parents. The parents had just arrived in Xi'an and were placed in Tianjiawan for a short time to transfer to Zhuzhen City, and finally settled in No. 13, Beisifu Street Lane, West Avenue. Lived until the government demolition in the 8-90s. In the following years, several of my younger siblings were born here, and my father did not want the family to bring me and my mother-in-law (our old language; that is, grandma) to Xi'an, so that Xi'an had one old and one small and two new citizens. First of all, I came to Xi'an and my mother-in-law lived in the house of The Ma Bo family, who had some eye diseases at No. 9 Face Lane, and the Ma family had a grandmother who treated me well, because my mother-in-law and I had just arrived in Xi'an, and basically could not understand the local dialect, and no one understood my mother-in-law's speech. Grandma Ma, Ma Bo was always patient with us. In particular, Ma bo told me a lot of stories, some of which I still remember, what a good old man. I often think back to the past bits and pieces, I am glad to come to Xi'an and live in Mian Alley. Pure flutter's relatives and neighbors opened their chests to accept my family, and the strong family affection nourished the growth of my teenagers As I had more contact with my parents, I had a little understanding of my parents; Mu Ma ----- a typical water village woman, with a clear face, a medium figure, handsome and beautiful. My father is also good, more than 170 centimeters tall, facial features, especially the nose is straight, in the outsiders called 'high nose head'. My mother was illiterate, illiterate, and couldn't even write her own name. Because my family has no relatives and friends in Xi'an, my mother can't read, so she only does some stupid, heavy, and rough work; she has done small workers, sewing covers, and tofu clubs to pull and send tofu to various vegetables and sideline stores. Hard-working, grumpy, uneven, warm-hearted, and good-eyed (there are too many children in the courtyard alley who have served my bowl).
As I grew older, I learned that my mother's biggest trait was 'stupid'.
Usually, the parents quarrel mainly because of the economy; a family of eight people, living on the father's salary, the mother borrows money almost every month; the next month it is repaid and borrowed, and it starts again. Once, after school at noon, when I came into the house, I saw an old man from this place (we called the locals; the local people, they called us 'Allah'). I asked; Mom, who is this? The mother said loudly: Looking for Mother Li, your Mother Li is not here, wait at our house for a while. After some time, I went to the backyard to go to the hut and passed by the door of Li Mama's house, and Li Mama Li Bo was at home. When I went back, I said; When My Mother Li Bo was at home, my mother walked up to her quickly; I pointed to the attic above; I shouted, your father was taking a nap, what did you do first. I was so confused. After staying for a moment, my father came down from the attic, grabbed the noodles, and pushed the bicycle out of the hospital for the afternoon shift. Then the mother said; Hypertherm, see your father is gone? I immediately ran toward the temple, and when I saw that my father was almost at the entrance of the alley. Back to walking and talking about walking... As soon as I entered the door, I saw my mother opening a fire to heat the pot with hot oil and fried rice with green onions. Once the kung fu bowl was served, the old man suffocated. After a while the old man pushed the bowl; thank you. Mother; eat well? Looking at the bowl, the mother said; Why, didn't you finish eating? Old man; the nest is an onion, and I don't eat shallots. I remember these few conversations vividly. At that time, I thought to myself; I have reached this situation, and I am still not very particular. At this time, the mother asked the old man for a cloth bag; in one hand, he held a cloth bag that was not too large, and the old man helped to open it, and the mother had kuai flour in the noodle jar with the other hand, and looked at half a bag; then the mother was sugar, salt, washing powder, and a 'daily' soap shelf table top and half of it... I dared to be angry and did not dare to speak, and my mother sent the guest away after the old man thanked me for his kindness. See me; then the old man here is not looking for your mother Li's house, he wants food, strange and pitiful, wait for your father to go to work to save him from beeping. wretched? I said there was still rice in that little jar, why don't you dig something for the old man? Mother; people are northerners, don't eat rice, you didn't see the old man choking on fried rice just now... My mother chattered; people really couldn't do anything, so they came out to beg for food, don't give, everyone didn't give, why bother? When did we suddenly suffer a disaster and had no food, we had to go to people's doors, no one gave, why should we live? ...... When it is coming, it is still ding; don't tell you about today's events. Although I was not convinced, I felt that what she said made some sense. Strangely enough, I never mentioned it in front of my father until his old man died.
It has been more than ten years since my father died, and he has been fighting with His Mother all his life, and in the years when he entered his old age, I often advised him; don't be too calculating with Mu Ma,...... The old man thought I was a traitor.
After my father's death, my mother has been single-handed, ignoring the invitations of our children. To this day, we generally understand some things; a few years ago, every Dragon Boat Festival, Mu Ma did a lot of work, wrapped rice dumplings all night, cooked 6-7 hours later in the morning, children, neighbors and even the community's vegetable market 5-6 zongzi, if not enough to do it immediately. Over the past few years, many people have eaten old ladies in vain, or 5-6 are not enough for their families to eat; Buy rice, red beans, dates and let the old lady operate. After the Dragon Boat Festival, Mu Ma was tired and paralyzed. (Our southerners' rice dumplings are different from those in the north, our meat dumplings are home-cured bacon, bean dumplings are made of red beans peeled and sugared with large oil, different styles, plus soaked rice dumpling leaves, soaked rice, the amount of work is large). Our family forbade her to do this again. It's only been a few years since it's subsided.
Mu Mama has done a lot of (stupid things) over the years, a past, the sister went to the new village to buy small vegetables, there are dozens of vendors in the vegetable market, the sister bought things at one of the stalls, the vendor said; big sister, are you a resident here? Yes, my sister asked back, the vendor said; uncommon noodles, O, sister said that I don't buy vegetables here, basically go to the market on the bridge. The peddler pointed to a figure in the crowd 10 meters away; do you recognize the old lady? Sister looked up; recognized, what? The peddler said; the wife in the red jacket was very rich. Sister: How do you know? It's not that I know, the whole market knows. The peddler's voice was slightly higher, and a few vegetable vendors next to her also joined; the sister listened to the gossipy sister; the old woman's children were filial piety, gave her monthly living expenses, and rented a house for her for more than ten years. The old woman herself has a retirement salary... Sister said: What's wrong with that? The greengrocer caught up; what!? The old lady makes good food here almost every day, and the wife is a southerner, but she can do it... My sister was a little upset; it was my mother! It's embarrassing.
In the next few days, my sister often patronized the vendors in the vegetable market; the old lady did not let the people here tell your sisters, you will know by observing your old lady these two days... The next morning (my sister and Mu Ma lived not far away) pushed open the door but saw the old woman carrying the family's stir-fried iron pot and was about to go out, the sister asked; Mom, what is this early morning with the pot? Mu Ma was very flustered, and even said that it was okay, my sister had already smelled a burst of incense, and then she saw that Mu Ma's hand could not hold it... The lid of the pot is full of aroma; full of a pot of 'hundred leaf braised pork' (our southern tofu skin is stacked with 5-6 cm long with pork belly braised, very delicious) Mu Ma can't help herself; I want to eat these two days, sister Dao; can I eat so much? Wait a day or two for your brother to come back and eat them. In the evening, the sister came back to see the old lady; Mom, what about the dish? I really can't finish eating, your brother they don't come back for a moment and a half, I will give them to the vegetable market, my sister is speechless. Besides, people like to eat, and after saying it a few times, I promised it, and it was not good not to do it. (What do you think of the officials) Anyway, the sister gave the old lady a depressed feeling. My sister went back to her own house and gave me a phone call, I did peacemaker; she and the old man fought all her life, there is no change now there is no old man, she is already this age can be like?
When our family came to Xi'an, there were two people, and then 5-6 children (life was too bad to give someone else's brother) plus the uncle went to college in Xi'an in the 60s and the hardships of his mother-in-law can be imagined, and Mu Mom will inherit the same 'stupid'. Over the years, my family has had too many relatives who can't come; there are more than ten of my mother's cadres, dry daughters, and dry sisters, and there are many of us sisters who call our sisters uncles, aunts, and aunts. The old gentleman of 'this place' that I mentioned above has come a few more times. Send some corn weeds, walnuts, and sweet potatoes (red amaranth). I still remember the day I was about to graduate from high school, the old man came in the door; the eldest sister, we have to run errands (get married), you must go as a sister-in-law. Mommy; you see I can't leave this big man, old man; Oh, that's not okay, I'll give it to the family, give the baby all said, you don't go to me to get back to Mofa to confess. I watched the old lady think about forgiveness for a while, and turned out a Suzhou satin quilt from the closet (at that time, I did this casual gift, and when I was a child, my mother also gave me a bed of silk satin quilt face, which shows that there is no distinction between inside and outside). The old man took the quilt face with the wrapping paper, folded a few folds and walked away.
Gentlemen, there are still many of Mu Ma's various deeds, as of today, it is still happening, and some of the dry relatives are still the same, every New Year's Day, Mu Ma's birthday, the family adds juniors, there are always one or two tables sitting on the dry relatives? My uncle and aunt once came from the south to celebrate his sister's birthday, and they were puzzled by many outsiders at the banquet.
...... There are many more silly things about Mom
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About the Author:
Mao Hailong was born in Shanghai in October 1955, with his ancestral home in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. Former names; Haibao and Ran Yun, now living in Xi'an. He has worked as a worker, a propaganda department, an editor and reporter of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Science and Technology Magazine. Editor and reporter of Far East Economic Magazine in Hong Kong. At present, he is the vice president of the China Green Painting Academy, the vice chairman of the China Calligraphy and Painting Association, the researcher of the Culture and Art Research Institute of the China Urban and Rural Development Center, the academician of the Shaanxi Hantang Cultural and Creative Research Institute, the president of the Book Court of the Shaanxi Hantang Cultural and Creative Research Institute, and the executive director of the Shaanxi Branch of the Chinese Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting Research Association.