Text/Shen Fuyu
Source: The Reader, No. 16, 2018
When I was in elementary school, the children in the village were particularly obsessed with collecting matchboxes.
In the countryside, the variety of matchboxes is relatively single, so it is more difficult to collect.
Once, the three-bowl uncle on the west side of my house bought a dozen rare matches from nowhere.
The motif is an ancient beauty, printed on thin paper, pasted on a matchbox.
Because of the rarity, everyone watched over the tiger, waiting for the matches to run out and the box to be empty, and immediately snatched away.
When I came back from school that day, I threw down my school bag, pulled out my feet, and ran towards the three bowls of uncle's house.
When he entered his house, he crashed into the arms of the three bowls of aunts.
"Mang Zhang Fei." The three bowls of aunts said as they walked out the door.
Ignoring her, I went into the kitchen and groped around on and off her stove.
After touching it for half a day, only a box of half-used matches was not easy to take, full of disappointment, and returned empty-handed.
In the evening, I served a bowl of barley porridge, because it was too hot, I was blowing with my head down, when suddenly three bowls of aunts burst in crying and crying.
"Big fish, have you ever seen the meat I put on the cauldron (lid)?"
I shook my head blankly.
Three bowls of aunts began to cry:
"The debt collector is celebrating this birthday, and I asked three bowls to weigh some meat. The debt collector has not tasted the meat star this year, who knows, the meat is placed on the crown of the kettle, I went to the garden to pick two vegetables, and when I came back, the meat was gone. When I went out, I bumped into a big fish and ran to the pot, so I came to ask. ”
"I didn't see it. I looked for a matchbox, but I didn't find it..."
Before I could finish speaking, my father slapped his head in the face.
My head hit the bowl and a bowl of porridge spilled over the table.
"I don't see meat." I cried and the tears fell.
My father raised his hand and tried to hit me again, but was stopped by my grandmother.
Image source: Panorama Vision
"When did you see my boy take someone's needle and thread?" You don't hear that the wind is the rain. ”
Grandma hugged me and held me in her arms.
The father took the flashlight from the drawer and said to the three bowls of aunts, "Don't worry, don't cry here, I'll go with you." Can't find it, I call the meat back to you. ”
When Grandma heard that my father wanted to return the meat to her house, she was in a hurry to take me and follow me to the three bowls of uncle's house.
Uncle Three Bowl crouched under the eaves outside the threshold, holding his arms, without saying a word, watching us come over, and did not stand up.
He had obviously been looking for a while, couldn't find it, and was sulking.
Three bowls of uncles, six-year-old children, holding a kerosene lamp made of oxytetracycline bottles, sobbing and sobbing, were still looking for them at the foot of the table in front of the bed.
My father first looked for it on the pot table, and even behind the wooden sign where the statue of the king of the stove was placed. Then I opened the cupboard again and looked for it on the floor.
Grandma repeatedly stabbed his stove with a wooden stick.
The three bowls of aunts followed behind with tears in their eyes, neither helping nor talking.
The child took the corner of her coat and followed step by step.
After looking for it in the kitchen, my father went to the hall house again, and the hall house looked for it, and then looked for it in the bedroom.
He knows, I don't steal meat.
But if I can't find the meat, I stole it.
Uncle Three Bowls was still crouching in the doorway. He was an honest man, and when he saw me, he always smiled and squinted.
At home, he has always been called by three bowls of aunts to drink, and he only knows how to work all day and rarely speaks.
The places to be found were all found, and the father, grandmother, and three bowls of aunts all stood in the middle of the hall in a daze.
My heart was terrified.
Seeing that we were no longer looking for it, uncle Three Bowl's son went to pull him and said, "Daddy, I want to eat meat, I want to eat meat." ”
Uncle Three Bowl slapped his backhand and slapped him on the butt. He burst into tears.
The three bowls of aunt rushed over, pushed the three bowls of uncles to sit on the ground, and cried, "You still have a face to punch the child." ”
Uncle Three Bowls stood up and gave Three Bowls aunt a heavy slap. This is the first time we have seen three bowls of uncles playing three bowls of aunts, and three bowls of aunts froze.
Uncle Three Bowls walked over to my father and said to him, "Brother, you go back, it's none of your business." The big fish wouldn't take our meat, and I knew it. Don't be embarrassed for children, just be afraid of being dragged away by cats and dogs. ”
My father was speechless, said nothing, took my hand and went home, and I refused to go with him.
I knew that he dragged me home to beat me.
I desperately tugged at My grandmother's clothes, who put her arms around me and scolded my father, telling him to go and telling him not to go home.
My father left, and my grandmother led me and slowly walked home.
When I got home, I had to pass by the door of the pig shed in front of the left side of the three bowls uncle's house.
The pigs inside made a cacophony of noises— the family was so busy looking for meat that even the pigs forgot to feed them.
Having already walked through the door of the shed, Grandma suddenly turned her head and walked inside.
The three bowl aunts immediately followed. Grandma took the kerosene lamp hanging from the pig pen, lowered herself, and looked toward the pig food trough. Two pigs are arching their mouths at something.
Grandma drove the pig away, picked up a piece of something from the pig's food trough with her hand, and looked closely at the lamp to see that it was meat.
The three bowls of aunts snatched it up, their faces were still full of tears, and they immediately smiled.
She couldn't care less about the chaff and pig food stuck to the meat, so she carried it and ran to the kitchen.
Grandma said, "I'm afraid I was caught in a pigsty by a cat." Fortunately, the meat was fine, and it was not eaten at all. ”
When I got home, I didn't eat, washed and went to bed.
In my sleep, I was suddenly shaken awake by my grandmother.
Grandma brought a bowl of rice, and at the top of the rice, there were two large pieces of meat.
We have a custom here, if any family has guests coming, or why is the matter of roasting meat, we will definitely send a bowl of rice to the neighbors, put a piece of meat on the rice, and pour some broth.
Today, the three bowls of uncles deliberately gave an extra piece of meat. I know, that's for me.
I said to my grandmother, "Grandma, I don't eat, I want to sleep." ”
I rolled over and covered my head with a quilt.
Grandma was gone, and I was silently in tears in the quilt.
Tonight, let's talk about Zhang Yimou and Meng Wanzhou
Tomorrow, who remembers the Chinese women's football team
Author: Shen Fuyu, Source: Reader Magazine, No. 16, 2018. Editor on duty: Liang Xiaoyu.