A penny of redemption
Author: Xiang Jianhua
The sun is shining and the spring breeze is warm. A bus slowly approached the platform, and several people waiting for the passengers immediately stepped forward, and the fish entered. Ignoring the sound of "ding", looking up, a brand new dime coin flashed on the steps, landing at the feet of a boy who looked like a schoolboy, and a small round coin shone with dazzling white light in the sunlight. The boy held a snack in his hand, and he just looked down and quickly followed the other passengers onto the bus. Yes, a dime is too small to buy anything now, so it is natural to be abandoned. It is not surprising that my drawer contains a large stack of five-dime notes and an iron box of one-dime-five-dollar coins, which are discarded and inconvenient, so they are shelved high, only to wait for the time to be used.
Everything always has its use. Where there is a loss, there must be a pick-up. Growing up in the 1960s, I am now entering the year of knowing my destiny, and my comfortable and light life is very different from the dilemma of my childhood, but the past that is deeply imprinted in my mind flashes from time to time, making people reminisce and make people feel nostalgic. At the beginning of the 1970s, it belonged to the era of planned economy, and the supply of some daily necessities had to be purchased with tickets, grain stamps, kerosene tickets, coal tickets, etc. From the mother's tight eyebrows, we seemed to see the words "no money". Even buying pens and books is tight, not to mention buying snacks to eat, and always hear helpless doubts" "How can it be used up?" "The more you understand the difficulties of adults, the more you feel that you are wrong, the more embarrassed you are to open your mouth, the reason for asking for money is very legitimate, but the voice of asking for money is getting smaller and smaller." When you have to get to a few pennies, you will immediately smile and jump to the store to buy the classroom necessities that the teacher has repeatedly emphasized. Difficulties are common and commonplace. Of course, there are also other happy things, I remember that I was in the second grade, looking for my mother to hum for half a day to buy six cents of the book, I squeezed a few millimeters in my pocket, and even the bungee jump did not dare to pull out my hand, for fear that it would jump out. The distance is not far, and I ran to the supply and marketing agency in one breath. A few coins snapped on the counter with a bang, shouting "Buy a book"! The young male clerk said lightly, "The price of the book has increased, seven cents a piece." I was like a deflated leather ball, from head to toe, carelessly touching the sweaty hair on my head, and helplessly exited the threshold of the store. Outside the shop, the sun was particularly harsh, there was an agricultural windmill on the steps, and the yellow dirt floor was dusty. A few chickens are planing vigorously in the potholed nest, sometimes two paws are quickly planing, sometimes they are slightly up and shaking and sifting with their fluffy feathers, and they do not forget to sing a few sounds of "cluck, cluck, clack". Watching them play carefree inevitably caused me a nameless fire of jealousy, thinking that it would be difficult to go home for a penny. I was very sad, aimlessly learning the chickens to kick the soil, and fighting with them like a gamble, "Planing, planing, planing, planing what is so vigorous, to plan a penny is good." I accompanied them in a vacuum, describing in my heart the dream of the night. Suddenly, a silver light flashed in front of my eyes, and a millimeter really appeared in the dirt under the belly of the chicken! Yes, it is indeed a penny! I didn't dare to slacken off, so I quickly blasted away the chicken, grabbed the coin with yellow ash, didn't care to wipe the dust off it, turned around and handed it to the cabinet, and shouted in my throat, "Buy the book, buy the book." This is a real thing, more than forty years have passed, but this magical moment is like a wonderful dream, accompanied by me sweetly to this day, and now that I remember it, I still can't forget the excitement at that time and the negative impact behind it. Can't explain why it's such a coincidence? Who lost that penny? You know, a penny in that era had to be used a lot, you could buy matches, buy sewing needles, buy salt, buy rubber bands for hair, buy buttons...
Buying a book is a homework assignment assigned by the teacher, and I want to write an essay. When I saw the title "A Little Thing," I was dumbfounded, dumbfounded, alas! "A few joys and a few sorrows" Ah. Others write about how to do good things, how to collect gold without being praised, but I am secretly hurt like a thief. I also want to show ah, if it is not too coincidental and too lack of that penny, I will also give it to the teacher, how happy and proud ah! In this way, I spent those green years in infinite remorse and deep self-blame. The opportunity is regrettably missed, but since then I always like to walk and look down at my feet, always wanting to give myself a chance to make amends.
However, this wish was never realized in the end. It wasn't until I saw the coin lying on the ground in front of me that I came back to my senses. It turned out that in life, I was already fulfilling that wish. For example, when throwing garbage, plastic products are deliberately bagged separately, waste is put into the pool, and recyclables are placed on the side of the pool, waiting for people who need it to exchange for money or do other uses. Old electrical appliances, old books, old newspapers, fruit boxes, etc., were never deliberately collected to sell money, and were sporadically taken to the trash cans. The sentence of ying husband is that you do not lack this money, there is no need to squeeze those who make a living for it, which is also a good deed. "Willing to give, willing to give", just because of understanding, so habit becomes natural. We are not local tycoons, there is no elevator room, there is no luxury car, even rich can not talk about, but also can be regarded as a burdenless list, usually still relatively frugal, go out to eat a meal, the leftovers are a common thing, always heartache that the waste is too pity. Buying vegetables on the street is always a priority to see those elderly stalls, farmhouse dishes, both fresh and affordable. Seeing them will remind you of the hardships of their parents' generation, so they never go to the bottom of the price, their labor is the most worthy of respect. Looking back on most of my life, God redeemed me once when I was most helpless, and I have always owed this affection in my heart, and I always feel that I should give back something, think about it, with my ability, only this hand is still inexhaustible.
About the Author
Xiang Jianhua, born in 1969, is a native of Pingjiang, Hunan. Retired from the Seonglingji Port Authority in 2016, he was a "special crane" driver who loved literature, calligraphy and painting, and music. Since 2009, he has been writing essays and has published nearly 40 works in Tigern Paper, Chenggang Weekly, and Yueyang Daily.
Image: Network