[Promise, the eternal pain]
——Tea Ink Life
In a few days, we will celebrate the Spring Festival! I was fine at home, helping my mother clean up the house and clean up.
Some of the waste cartons and bottles and cans of drinks were packed in bags one by one, ready to be sold when the waste buyers came. So, I also tied up the children's previous textbooks and books, bundles, after all, they were all in middle school, and the things used in these primary schools were useless. Simply clean up.
While loading and tying, I hugged them to the gate and waited for the arrival of the waste acquisition. Suddenly, I heard the neighbor's children in the yard shouting at me: "Uncle, Dachao has stolen your things!" Go and chase it back! "I walked out of the gate, and the child was chasing after the child named Dachao. I followed the direction he was running and saw a child in front of me, also in his teens, about the same age as my son. Wearing a red school uniform, I was running forward with a bundle of books that I had tied up. Maybe because he was spotted, he ran faster. But after all, it was a child, plus that bundle of books, let alone more than thirty pounds. Suddenly, the child fell to the ground, and I quickly ran over and lifted the child up, fortunately, it was winter, and the child was wearing a lot of clothes, and it didn't look like it hurt anywhere. "Didn't fall anywhere?" When I asked him, the child also felt ashamed and afraid, but when he spoke, he surprised me. "It's okay, it's just that the clothes are torn, this is my school uniform..." he said, one hand stroking his forehead. I looked at the place where his hand touched, and I picked up a bag, and the blood was oozing out. "Does it hurt?" Go, follow me, and I'll go and rub it for you. I took his little hand and planned to go home and show it to him. Unexpectedly, he broke free of my hand. "It's all right, tomorrow will be fine, it just hurts a little." You don't have to wipe it for me. If you can promise me one thing, that's the best. "Tell me, I see what you want me to do?" Looking at the child's appearance, I also wanted to know something about him, although it was a village, but I did not know the child. "Can you give me these books?"
"Yes! However, in the future, don't steal other people's things, you can give it to me in person, you know? If you use these books, you can go back and look at them, and there are still several bundles on my doorstep! Look good at whatever you want! "I don't want that much, I know you're ready to sell, I just want that." The child kept fiddling with the cut in his clothes as he spoke. "Okay, these you can take away, do you have a headache?" Can you tell me what your name is? "Won't I tell you now?" I'm anxious to go home, tomorrow I'll come to your house to find you, I'll count when I talk" "Okay, as long as you don't fall anywhere, tomorrow I'll be waiting for you at home!" "I just wanted to comfort the child and casually cope with his appointment tomorrow!" We went home separately.
On my way home, I heard the neighbor's child tell me that his name is Dachao, he moved from the county seat, and now he lives in his grandmother's house, his grandmother is sick to death, and he has never seen the child's parents come... He also told me that Da Chao was a thief who stole the school uniform of the child next door to him the other day. Fairy tales!
The next day, because of some things, I returned to the county early. Suddenly, I received a phone call from my son, saying that a child named Dachao was looking for me. I asked my son to tell him that I had something to do and couldn't go back, and that I went to look for him two days after the Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival in rural hometowns is even more lively, relatives, neighbors, you come and go. The sound of "Happy New Year" is overwhelming.
At noon on the second day of the Chinese New Year, I asked my son to call the neighbor's child, and the three of us went to Dachao's house together.
Just after entering the door, I saw Da Chao, who was burning a fire in the courtyard. "What are you doing here?" I asked him first. The child also understood things, "You go to the house, wait for me for a while, just a few minutes!" "As he spoke, he added some firewood to the stove pit and then tried to take us into the house.
Inside the house, there is a very simple decoration, there is a table with several steaming plates. On the other side, there was a very old computer desk with an old-fashioned television set on it, and a few books.
Hearing someone enter the house, grandma Chao in the back room took the initiative to say hello: "Who is coming, come to the house and sit down." "Big Lady, are you okay?" "I've been sick for more than three years, and I can still do some work and cook some food at the beginning, and for a year, I've been paralyzed in bed and can't get out of bed, and all I eat and drink is taken care of by Dachao." Raising a son who is not a tool is not as good as this one is a child..."
I know this old lady, and in my memory, she was also the female captain of the production team at that time, and the director of the women's federation in the village.
The old man died early, and he pulled up a son alone. Although he did not pass the exam, he also married his daughter-in-law and had children. The eldest bride's son is capable and flexible. Doing business, doing business. It didn't take a few years to buy a house in the county seat. A family of three generations and four families also lived the life of a county town. But the good times were short-lived. The son did not argue, perhaps because of the money, began to learn to eat, drink and have fun, play cards and gamble. The daughter-in-law's repeated persuasion was useless. For the next three days, the two sides quarreled and fought to no avail. In the end, they divorced and left with their children...
After the persuasion of the eldest bride, sometimes even scolding. Slowly the son had some repentance. After being introduced by others, he found a daughter-in-law and gave birth to a son the next year, which is now Dachao.
The daughter-in-law is very adapted to the city life of modern young women and pursues fashion. I began to dislike my husband for not being able to make money and not being able to achieve the standard of living he wanted. He also disliked the nagging of the old lady around him and sent the old man back to his hometown in the countryside. I don't do my own thing, and I spend all day looking for excitement. The old lady's son is also unaccustomed to it, and he is restless all day.
Later, because he was not accustomed to what his daughter-in-law did, he gave up his wife and children and went to the south. Paper drunk gold fans, that is just a dream! Delicious and lazy, will not survive in every city. Eating, drinking, gambling, owed usury, forced to have no way out, had to listen to people's instructions. Help people collect debts and fight all day. On one occasion, he was killed and sentenced to prison.
The daughter-in-law had no one to rely on, and she couldn't stand the loneliness, so she gave up the big chao who was studying in the fourth grade, stole and sold the house and all the family property, and quietly ran away with people. In this way, the old lady began to rely on the little money of her own social pension to save it for Dachao to study. Later, he fell ill, the family was more difficult, dachao's sensible child, decided not to continue to study, to go back to his hometown to take care of his grandmother, to cure his grandmother's illness, for his grandmother to retire to the end...
I stayed at the old lady's house for a long time. She said a lot, saying that when she was tired, she would take a break and then talk about it. It was as if I was going to finish all the words I had said before I died. Listen to her meaning, it is not the son who is worried, because the son makes her sad too much! She is worried about her grandson, because the grandson is too young, too sensible...
I called Da Chao to the front: "Da Chao, there are some things you don't understand now, but the reality is that you have to accept, after the holiday, I will arrange your school problems, your grandmother here, let's work together to find a way, I believe, we village people, can take care of your grandmother, you can go to class with peace of mind, and then go home to see your grandmother on the weekend, okay?"
I didn't expect a passage from Dachao that made me feel uncomfortable in retrospect. "Thank you, uncle, I'm all right now if I don't go to school. Can you figure out a way to get me a school uniform? I like school, I like to wear school uniforms, I want others to know that I am still a student... My current school uniform, which I secretly took from someone else's house, did not expect that I fell that day, broke two holes, and could not wear it. That time I stole your books, I had no other use, I just wanted to sell money to buy grandma something delicious..." "Okay, Dachao, I'll get you a school uniform today!" "After saying that, I asked my son to go home and bring him the school uniform he had recently issued."
The old lady said for a while, all words of thanks, what government subsidies, what township villagers sent her New Year's things... I didn't pay attention to these things, the only thing I cared about was to find a way to let Dachao enter the school again.
The short Spring Festival holiday has passed, and people have returned to normal work and life. On the day of the Lantern Festival, I received a call from my son, saying that Dachao's grandmother died a few days ago, and it was all handled with the help of the villagers and the government.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, I returned to my hometown, it was already afternoon, and the old people and children had already prepared the festive meals. I simply packed up some and went straight to Dachao's house.
Just after entering the door, I met Da Chao head-on, carrying a bag and preparing to go outside. "Dachao, where are you going?" At the same time I asked him, Da Chao was also telling me his plans: "Uncle, I am preparing to send an oil lamp to Grandma and Grandpa, and when I come back, I will go to your house to find you, okay?" "Okay, you go back quickly, I'll wait for you to come back, let's eat together!"
The family sat at the table, guarding the food on the table, none of us ate, all waiting for Dachao to return. After a while, Dachao returned. "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, don't you still eat?" "Dachao, we are waiting for you, let's eat together!" Saying that, DaChao seemed to have grown up a lot, ran outside to wash his hands, came back and sat at the table, and we had a meal together...
According to our local customs, after eating, there are many things to do, I let the mother and children to arrange, I chatted with Dachao. "Da Chao, Grandma is gone, you are alone, still a child, what are your plans, tell me." "Uncle, I was thinking, I'm going to keep the first seven for Grandma, and then..." "Then what?" I asked. "I don't know." "Well, I promise you, you'll be at home for your grandma to finish the first seven." Then, you can go to school with peace of mind, okay? "Okay uncle, I promise you, it's our agreement!"
Sending Dachao home, I didn't have the heart to feel the happy atmosphere of the festival. Drink tea alone.
Two days after the Lantern Festival, I ran back to my hometown for the sake of The Great Super. As soon as I entered the door, my mother said that Dachao had left me a lot of words, all written on paper, waiting for me to go home and read them. It was as if he was leaving, not knowing where he was going. I took the two pieces of paper that my mother had given me, and I saw clearly that they were written by Dachao in pencil, and it was neatly written on two pieces of paper.
Basically, it means that he is going to go out to inquire about his mother's whereabouts, and he can't find his father. The only wish is to find my mother and ask her if she wants to be herself. He'll be back soon. Because, he still has to go to school... When I have a chance later, I will let him take him to see my father...
I read the words that Da Chao left for me, and my heart felt uncomfortable for a while, and I couldn't help but walk towards Da Chao's house. When I got to his door, I stood still, still that home, no, I should say it was still that yard. Or those two doors, but the two doors are closed, and there is one more rusty iron lock...
