The merits of grandparents
Text/Zhang Fanghua
"During the Qingming Festival, it rains a lot, and pedestrians on the road want to break their souls." The annual Qingming Festival is just around the corner. At this moment, my nostalgia for the lofty merits of my grandparents is like that clear wine, and with the precipitation of the years, the longer it accumulates, the stronger its taste becomes!
My grandfather grew up in a poor family with no food or clothing. However, he is not short-sighted, and he is especially keen on learning culture. Unable to afford to go to school, he often ran to the village east school, stood outside the classroom to listen, and often asked for advice from kind teachers and educated people in the village. Over time, he did not enter the school for a day, and actually became a cultural person who could recite the "Five Classics" and "Four Books". Then he continued his dedication to learning to the next generation, and my father and three brothers, except for the fourth uncle, who had attended primary school for two years, all taught themselves under the teachings of their grandfather. Not only could they read the ancient and modern, they could write and calculate, and they all became accountants for the brigade and the production team.
As the ancient Roman dramatist Platos said, "The poor church has everything for the poor", the impoverished family made my grandfather determined to be self-reliant from an early age. Especially since the union with their grandmother, the two have worked together to fight side by side on the road of starting a family. It was not until later that my grandfather learned the skills of making baked cakes and fried steamed buns from his old cousin that he gradually saw the hope of life. As my father and brothers grew up, my grandparents led everyone to get up early and work hard to run the business, making their noodle business more and more prosperous. In order to expand the family business, my grandparents also started a gun business while studying. In the cold winter months, he often drilled into the specially dug and built mantle, cutting paper, rolling, loading, wearing and weaving, all night, busy. Near the Spring Festival, the four fathers and sons went to the surrounding markets to sell firecrackers. In this way, after several years of hard work, its family business finally started from scratch, from small to large, and by the time of liberation, our family of 10 had 15.5 acres of arable land and 6 houses. Although it is not rich, it has also reached the living standard of ordinary farmers.
The long-term influence of orthodox culture has enabled grandparents to have profound ideological and moral cultivation. Confucian ideas and traditional Chinese virtues such as "benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, gentleness, courtesy, and frugality," "benevolence to others," and "respect for the old and love for the young" have been deeply rooted in their minds. Because of his lofty virtues, the two elders enjoy a good reputation both inside and outside the village. Grandfather was extremely strict with his family. Not only must everyone act in accordance with the confucian way and the norms of the elderly and the inferior, but also never miss any opportunity to educate us. I remember when I was five or six years old, one night when he took me to watch the movie "The Case of Chen Mei" in the east of the village, he told me something like "Chen Shimei became a big official and became bad, no conscience, don't learn from him when you grow up", this is the first time I know Chen Shimei and his own affairs. In addition to the usual influence of words and deeds, there are more important things he has long-term expectations for his family. Speaking of names, he took the names of "Resi", "Nine Thoughts" and "Near Thoughts" for my father and two uncles from a learned elder in the village. Combining the records and interpretations in the "Augmented Sages" and the "Analects" on "thinking twice, thinking again can be done", "a gentleman has nine thoughts" and "erudite and determined, asking questions and thinking closely", it can be understood that he hopes that his son will be knowledgeable, good at thinking, cautious in words and deeds, and take his own life path. My name was also specially asked by my grandfather. "Fragrant flowers, fragrant flowers, beautiful years." It means to pray that I can do something, have a breath, overflow with fragrance, and honor my ancestors.
As a kind mother and a housewife who shouldered the burden of food and clothing for the whole family, the hard work and price of the grandmother can be imagined. She not only had to raise and take care of the growth of several children, but often stayed up late to weave flowers and dot the clothes and quilts of adults and children. Moreover, it is necessary to climb up five years to farm and do business in the middle of the night, which is simply overwhelmed for a weak little-footed woman. I will never forget her love for my grandchildren and others during the difficult times of life in the 1960s. At that time, I was in elementary school, and because I was often hungry and thin, my grandmother would often quietly call me to her house, and while she was hungry, she would take out her limited steamed bun for me to eat, and she would not stop wiping her tears. Now whenever I think about this, I can't help but gush out an indescribable sourness in my heart.
"Whoever says anything will be rewarded with three Chunhui." From a young age, I have cherished the love of my grandparents. Later, when I grew up, I always wanted to try my best to express my filial piety. When I was working in the commune, whenever I came home, I had to buy something delicious to bring to my grandmother. Every time it comes to her birthday or new year's festival, she will buy candy, snacks and other kinds of congratulations. Later, my grandmother gradually aged, and whenever she was sick, I rushed to the doctor to get medicine and take good care of her. In 1981, my grandmother was suffering from an "old disease", and although we tried our best to save it, we could not take back the life of the old man. But under the warm protection of her children and grandchildren, she walked so peacefully. She lived to be eighty-four years old, living with Mencius, which also corresponds to Confucius's famous saying that "benevolent people live"! Unfortunately, my grandfather did not wait for this day. In 1958, when his old man accidentally injected air into his sick doctor, he accidentally injected air and caused a deep infection at the needle site, and after several medical treatments, he could not be cured for a long time, and died prematurely at the age of sixty-seven. Now that I think about it, if I had the medical conditions I have now, my grandfather would have left so early!
"Life is easy to get old." Although our grandparents have long since left us, their voices are still there and their spirits are eternal. What can be comforted to the elderly now is that their descendants have not lived up to their ardent expectations, and they have all done their best to create great achievements in different eras and different posts, fighting for the second old man and adding glory to the ancestors. As my grandparent's most beloved grandson, whether it is studying hard or creating a career, I have always inherited the noble virtues of the second elder, and every step of progress on the road of life is inspired and spurred by the broad spiritual strength of my ancestors. The noble merits of our grandparents will always inspire us to move forward!
About the Author:
Zhang Fanghua, pen name Qingquan, a native of Heze City, Shandong Province, is a member of the Chinese Essayists Association, a member of the Shandong Writers Association, a member of the Western China Essay Society, a member of the Shandong Provincial Prose Literature Association, and an advisor and former vice chairman of the Heze Writers Association. His works have been published in newspapers and periodicals such as China Procuratorate, China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Daily, Shandong Literature, Times Literature, Qinghai Lake, Writers Daily, Contemporary Prose, Selected Western Prose, Heze Daily, Peony Evening News, etc.; he has won the National Outstanding Literary and Art Works Award, the First Cai Wenji Literary Award, the Qilu Literary Works Annual Exhibition Excellence Award, the Times Literature Annual Prose Award, and the First Peony Literature Award. He is the author of the essay collection "Song of the Heart", "Looking Up and Flying", and the poetry collection "Feelings Of Attachment".
Editor: Ma Xuemin
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