preface:
In the winter of 1919, Lu Xun decided to settle in Beijing.
Because I thought that I didn't have much savings at hand, I wouldn't go back to my ancestral home in Shaoxing in the future.
So he planned to sell the old house. It was also in the process of returning to his hometown this time that Lu Xun met his long-lost old friend, Yan Tu.
(Also called "Zhang Yan Shui", Shaoxing colloquial leap is homophonous with yun, so Lu Xun's novel was rewritten as "leap", and water was also replaced by "earth" in the five elements.) The text is synonymous with "leap soil")
"Brother Leap, have you been here, have you been okay lately?"
Hearing Lu Xun's words, Yan Tu didn't know how to answer for a while.
Complex emotions such as nervousness and trepidation were constantly changing on his face, and a thousand words were only transformed into one sentence: "Lord! ”
As soon as these two words came out, Lu Xun knew that this land that he had once called a brother and a brother was gone.
The person in front of him had been eroded by feudal thoughts, and was no longer the teenager who bravely grabbed the monkey in the moonlight.
It was also after this meeting that Lu Xun understood that he and Yan Tu had become people of two worlds.
Perhaps in the eyes of The Leap Earth, one is a master in a long shirt, and the other is a peasant in a coarse cloth short coat, and it is really not in accordance with etiquette to be called brothers.
This meeting did not allow Lu Xun to relive the innocent feelings of his youth, but on the contrary, he was more sympathetic to the suffering of Yan Tu and more hateful to the feudal scum.
But what Lu Xun didn't expect was that this was the last side of him and The Leap Earth.
What happened to The LeapIng Earth after this meeting? Why didn't the two of them ever see each other again? What about his descendants?
It all started with the fact that The earth wanted to go to school.
I did not succeed in reading and took on the burden of life
In 1898, Lu Xun studied at the Nanjing Mining Road School. It was the winter vacation of the academy, and Lu Xun had plenty of time to rest and meet friends.
At this time, he thought of his good friend Yan Tu.
Before the two were young, they could not meet alone without the guidance of their parents. However, Yan Tu's father obstructed Lu Xun's identity as a little young master and said that he would not take Lu Xun with lu Xun.
Therefore, since the hurried parting of childhood, Lu Xun was busy reading, and Yan Tu was also busy learning from his father Zhang Fuqing, and the pair of good friends could only send some small gifts to each other through Zhang Fuqing, and there was no chance to meet.
Returning home from this holiday, Lu Xun asked his mother as usual:
"Has there been any news of Brother Leap Tu recently, and what is he doing now?"
"I don't know much about this, aren't you on vacation, you can go see him for yourself one day."
Listening to his mother's advice, Lu Xun found a suitable time and made an appointment with Yan Tu to visit Shaoxing City together.
Although he hadn't seen it for several years, Lu Xun still recognized the leaping earth at a glance. He smiled as much as before, and his eyes still burst with hope for life.
"Brother Leap, I'm here!"
Hearing Lu Xun's call, Yan Tu walked happily towards Lu Xun.
"Brother Leap, what have you been busy with lately?"
"Hey, what else can I do, is to learn the craft with my father and make utensils for others."
After some greetings, Lu Xun walked shoulder to shoulder with Yan Tu on the streets of Shaoxing, feeling the noise of the crowd and looking around at the novelty items on the vendors' stalls.
It's just that at this time, the leaping earth is not as curious as when he first entered the city, but put more energy on Lu Xun.
"I heard that you went to Nanjing to study, what did you learn?"
"In the Nanjing Mining School, I learn to mine."
"If you open a mine well, you will definitely make a lot of money in the future."
Without waiting for Lu Xun to speak, Yan Tu asked again, "Is there anything interesting about Nanjing?" ”
Thinking that Yan Tu had not been to Nanjing, and perhaps it was unlikely that he would have the opportunity to go to Nanjing in the future, Lu Xun told Yan Tu everything about what he had seen and heard in Nanjing.
Unconsciously, the time of day passed quickly, and Lu Xun learned many interesting things from the mouth of Lu Tu that he had not experienced, and Lu Xun also increased his own knowledge that he did not know in Lu Xun's reading and hearing.
For a long time to come, Lu Xun was immersed in the joy of this meeting, and was even happier with The confidence and optimism of Yan Tu.
Lu Xun had met many of his peers, most of whom were bound by feudal ideas, and their eyes were full of disappointment and sorrow for life. But it is rare to see anyone who can do this like a leap earth:
Be curious about all good things, laugh at life with a positive and optimistic attitude, and break the shackles of feudal etiquette.
On the other hand, the leaping earth that was separated from Lu Xun was also very happy, and the scene of the academy described by Lu Xun always came to mind. This makes The Leap Earth also full of desire and curiosity about schooling.
"How can I increase my knowledge like Lu Xun, and if I go to school, will my father agree?"
With a full stomach of doubts, Yan Tu silently returned home.
Seeing his son walk into the room without a word, Zhang Fuqing thought that something unpleasant had happened to meet Lu Xun this time, and hurried to ask his son:
"Have you seen the young master of the Zhou family?"
"Seeing each other, we played together in Shaoxing for a day, and we were very happy."
Since nothing unpleasant had happened, Zhang Fuqing's heart immediately let go: "That's good, that's good, the young master of the Zhou family has always been a kind person." ”
After this meeting, Yan Tu has been worried about it. My heart was full of yearning for reading, but I was also worried about the economic conditions at home, and I didn't know how to open my mouth for a while.
Zhang Fuqing was very worried when he saw his son's state, and directly asked his son:
"Do you have something on your mind, why have you been unhappy?"
Hearing his father's words, Yan Tu said to his father as if he had made up his mind, "I want to go to school, and I also want to learn more knowledge." ”
Hearing this answer, Zhang Fuqing smiled and said, "It turned out to be such a thing, I thought what was wrong?" ”
"But you need money to go to school, our family..."
Before He could finish speaking, Zhang Fuqing patted his son's shoulder.
"Going to school is a good thing, and I support you!" You don't have to worry about it at home, you have a lot of savings over the years, and you earn a lot of money every year, which is enough for you to go to school. ”
Hearing these words, Yan Tu's heart was completely occupied by surprises, and he was preoccupied with fantasizing about his beautiful reading life in the future, and at the same time, he was eager to tell Lu Xun the good news.
In Yan Tu's heart, although Lu Xun regarded himself as a brother, there was still some gap between the two of them.
As long as he can go to school, he can shorten these gaps and find more common languages with Lu Xun.
Unfortunately, before leaping earth could go to school, his father Zhang Fuqing had a serious illness and could not even take care of himself, let alone make money.
When his father fell, Hetu had to take on the heavy responsibility of making money and lost the opportunity to go to school.
It is precisely because of Zhang Fuqing's sudden illness that the gap between Lu Xun and Yan Tu is getting bigger and bigger, and Yan Tu has also become numb and decayed under the erosion of life.
Since this winter vacation, the two of them have embarked on their own life tracks.
The trajectory of life that seems to be about to intersect has become parallel again due to the fall of Zhang Fuqing, and finally went to a different distance.
Last meeting
In the following twenty years, Lu Xun successively studied abroad, abandoned medicine and literature, and used the pen in his hand to break through the haze of the times and awaken many numb Chinese.
In 1919, Lu Xun was already working as a teacher at Peking University and other universities, and his life gradually stabilized, and he wanted to settle down in Beijing. And the house became the biggest problem.
In order to be able to prepare sufficient funds, taking advantage of the holiday, Lu Xun returned to his hometown in Shaoxing, planning to sell the house to collect the money for his house in Beijing.
It was winter, and Lu Xun and his mother took stock of the items in the house, taking the things they needed to Beijing, and selling some heavy items with the house.
However, worthless items such as tables, chairs, teacups, etc., Lu Xun did not intend to sell.
In addition to being worthless, Lu Xun wanted to leave it to his young friend Yan Tu and let him take it home to subsidize his family.
So he asked his mother's opinion:
"These tables and chairs are too bulky and worthless, so if you don't leave them for the earth, you can give him teacups or whatever."
At the mention of leaping soil, Lu Xun's mother couldn't help but think of the honest and hopeful teenager, and replied with a smile: "Okay, let him come to the house to pick it, and give him everything you need." ”
With his mother's approval, Lu Xun asked people to bring a letter to Yan Tu, while he himself continued to choose practical furniture for Yan Tu at home, and at the same time, he was looking forward to reuniting with Yan Tu again.
But as everyone knows, at this time, the leaping earth has been devastated by life and has completely changed into a person.
Since his father, Zhang Fuqing, fell ill, the family's main source of income has been cut off, and there is one less labor force, and all the work has fallen to the leap earth.
Farming, carrying water, chopping firewood, and working have become the daily routine of leaping soil.
Although Yan Tu learned a lot of bamboo weaving skills from his father, most of the Chinese families at that time were not rich, the bamboo weaving business was getting worse and worse, and there were not so many rich families who needed help.
In this case, the income of the Yantu family became less and less, and his father fell ill and spent all the savings in the family.
Originally, the optimistic and brave teenager could only run every day to support his family.
After Zhang Fuqing's death, life in Yantu became more impoverished, and at the same time he saw more low-level working people full of suffering.
There used to be a father who shielded him from the wind and rain, and the leaping earth was just a carefree child. When he bears the pressure of life alone, Leap Earth understands more and more that life is not easy.
The ensuing banditry, military turmoil, drought and flood disasters eroded the thought of the leaping earth again and again, and the yearning for life in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by painful inferiority and sadness.
During this time, He learned to smoke because it was the only cheap and useful way to dispel his worries.
On the day he received Lu Xun's news, Yan Tu was very happy, but he was happy at the same time a little sad. In his heart, Lu Xun was no longer his own teenage playmate, but the old man of a rich and noble family.
Before leaving, Yan Tu remembered the scene when his father, Zhang Fuqing, took himself to Lu Xun's house for the first time. Therefore, he planned to bring his son Aquatic to Lu Xun to see him.
On the way, Yan Tu instructed his son more than once: "When you meet someone, you should call the old man, a little polite to know..."
On the other hand, Lu Xun was also at home waiting for the arrival of the leap earth.
Although before that, he had also heard about some of the situations of the leaping earth. When he saw the leaping earth, Lu Xun was still a little shocked:
He was slightly hunched over, with an ageless old man on his face, wearing a short and torn cotton jacket and a hat on his head, completely dressed as an ordinary peasant.
Remembering that when he once visited Shaoxing City together, the spirit of the young Yan Tu was full of vigor, and Lu Xun really could not coincide with the person in front of him.
However, Lu Xun did not bother too much, and still greeted Yan Tu happily: "Brother Yan Tu, you are here!" ”
The three words "Brother LeapIng Earth" seemed to hit The sensitive heart of Leaping Earth, and his heart was both happy and uncomfortable.
He also wanted to generously agree to come down as usual, but Lu Xun, who was wearing a long shirt in front of him, was no longer a reader he could reach. Thinking of this, Yan Tu could only answer softly:
"Lord, here I am."
Lu Xun's answer caught Lu Xun off guard. He did not want to agree and did not know how to refute it, but fortunately, Lu Xun's mother opened her mouth in time at this time:
"Haven't you always been good friends, known as brothers?" It's still the same as before. ”
"That was all ignorance before, and now you can't be so unruly."
Lu Xun looked at the slightly awkward leaping earth in front of him, and his heart knew very well that the time he had been a teenager would no longer exist, and he and the leaping earth would no longer look like each other.
Therefore, he could only helplessly say to Yan Tu: "I want to sell the old house, there are some practical things, you can take what you need." ”
Surprisingly, the earth only took away a few tables and chairs benches, as well as incense burners and candlesticks, and the rest of the valuable things were not taken away.
Maybe it was embarrassment, or maybe it was the last stubbornness in his heart.
That night, Lu Xun could not sleep for a long time. My mind kept thinking about the scene when I saw the leaping earth during the day, and I also missed the play time between the two when I was a child...
First meeting
In 1894, Lu Xun was 13 years old, because he died in time for his grandmother, and he was a high priest once in thirty years.
Therefore, although the family has already fallen in the middle of the road, the Zhou family still decided to make a big fuss.
Zhang Fuqing is a skillful bamboo craftsman, who can weave bamboo and also make some priestly supplies, in addition to daily farming, when anyone needs help, Zhang Fuqing will also work some short-term work to make money.
Zhang Fuqing's wife is called Ah Chang, and some people call her "Qing Da Niang", who works as a nanny in the Zhou family and takes care of Lu Xun for a long time.
Due to the relationship with his wife, Ah Chang, Zhang Fuqing was often able to come to the Zhou family to work.
Over time, Zhang Fuqing's honest duty gradually appeared. Until later, Lu Xun's family directly handed over the task of collecting rent to Zhang Fuqing, which shows how much the Zhou family trusts him.
In order to repay the Zhou family's weight, Ah Chang would often tell Lu Xun some strange things, and Zhang Fuqing often brought some local specialties to the Zhou family, and helped Lu Xun's family deal with many trivial matters.
It coincides with a thirty-year ritual event, and everything related to the sacrifice must be strictly guarded and no mistakes can be made.
But the whole Zhou family had their own affairs, and they couldn't draw out anyone at all. Therefore, Zhang Fuqing thought of letting his son Yan Tu take care of the items.
When He was born, because it was a leap month in March of this year, and the fortune teller said that he lacked water in the five elements, he named it "Zhang Leap Water".
As a boy, He gained all the favor of his parents. Moreover, Zhang Fuqing and his mother Ah Chang are very capable of making money, so their lives are much better than ordinary people.
When the leap soil was older, Zhang Fuqing began to teach him how to weave bamboo, and when he went to help from a large household, he would also take his son with him and let him learn how to work.
Therefore, although The Leap Earth is not very old, he has already learned seventy or eighty percent of his father's craft. Simply taking care of items, for him, is not a problem at all.
However, if you want to let yourself come to the mansion to help, you still have to ask the Zhou family first, so as not to cause misunderstandings:
"Lord, there are not enough people in the house, how about I ask my son to take care of the sacrificial items?"
"I often take him out to help, he's in his teens, and this little thing can be done."
With the consent of the Zhou family, Zhang Fuqing went home and said to his son Yan Tu:
"You go to the Zhou family with me to help, you just have to look at the sacrificial things, don't let people destroy it."
"The Zhou family can be kind to our family, and people are kind, you have to take a good look."
Before He could reply, Zhang Fuqing spoke again: "This is a big family, there have been big officials before, you should be polite when you see people, that teenager who is two years younger than you, you have to call the little young master, didn't you hear it!" ”
"Got it, I'll pay attention."
In this way, Yan Tu followed his father Zhang Fuqing to the Zhou family for the first time and met Lu Xun, who was two years younger than himself.
Two boys of similar age could easily become good friends, and Yan Tu had long forgotten his father's advice. Not only did he not call Lu Xun "Little Young Master", but he also became Lu Xun's "Leap Brother".
In the few days when the Zhou family helped, Lu Xun often came to the city with the leaping earth to play, which led him to gain a lot of insight.
In his leisure time, Yan Tu also told Lu Xun about his life, letting him understand the happiness of ordinary people's lives, and Lu Xun was very eager for this: "It's really good, Brother Yan Tu, do I have time to go to your house for two days?" ”
"Okay, you can come in the summer, and I'll take you to the beach to find shells, and then catch two birds." We can also see the melon field together. ”
"Look at the melon field? Are you afraid of being stolen? ”
Yan Tu shook his head and replied over and over again, "It's not that I'm afraid of people stealing, it's about catching people who steal watermelons." ”
The experience described by Yan Tu was a life that Lu Xun had never experienced or heard of. In Lu Xun's mind at this time, the leap earth became synonymous with "seeing a lot".
Unfortunately, when the sacrifice was over, The Leap Earth returned home, and no matter how Lu Xun asked his parents to leave the Leap Earth, it did not change the outcome.
Fortunately, Yan Tu's parents were working in the Zhou family, and Lu Xun could also learn the news of Yan Tu from their mouths, and the two often exchanged some small gifts, and they did not break off contact.
But not long after, Lu Xun and Yan Tu's father both died one after another, and their lives also changed greatly.
The difference is that Lu Xun chose to continue studying, while Yan Tu could only give up his ideals for life.
Since Lu Xun sold his ancestral home, the two had never seen each other again.
Lu Xun still lived a life of writing articles and teaching, and his life in the leap land had not improved much, and poverty had always weighed him down.
Later, he also had great problems with his health, and finally at the age of 57, he died and left five sons in his life.
The continuation of friendship
However, the friendship between him and Lu Xun did not end, but passed on to future generations.
It turned out that since the death of Yan Tu, the eldest son Qi Sheng had taken over his father's burden and supported the family. Unfortunately, in his thirties, he was killed by a plague.
Qisheng, who died early, left two sons, of which the younger son (The grandson of Yan Tu) Zhang Gui was only three years old, raised by relatives, and knew a thing or two about his grandfather and father.
Originally, Zhang Gui thought that his life was like this, and he was satisfied with relying on simple labor in exchange for a salary that was enough to support his family.
But what he did not expect was that one day he would also be able to be favored by the country and get a chance to change his destiny.
In 1954, the staff of the Lu Xun Memorial Hall found Zhang Gui and hoped that he could work at the memorial hall.
"Ah, let me go to work at the Lu Xun Memorial Hall?" No, no, you've found the wrong person, I don't know a word! ”
"That's right, you're not the grandson of Yan Tu, your family has such a deep friendship with Mr. Lu Xun, you can provide a lot of research materials by working at the memorial hall."
"It turned out to be so, OK, I will definitely work well and live up to the expectations of the leadership."
Although Zhang Gui got a relaxed job, he knew that it was entirely due to his grandfather's relationship with Lu Xun, and he just picked up a bargain.
In order to be able to better work for the memorial hall, and in order to seize this hard-won opportunity to change his destiny, Zhang Gui signed up for the staff night school to read and write, and used his spare time to strengthen the study of Lu Xun.
While working, Zhang Gui has always maintained a good friend relationship with Zhou Haiying (Lu Xun's son), often exchanging letters to greet each other, and also talking about his grandfather Yan Tu and his father Lu Xun's past.
His greatest wish before he died was to read, because this was the only and most effective way for ordinary people to change their fate. Now his descendants have also fulfilled this regret for him.
If Yan Tu really got the opportunity to read, perhaps when he met Lu Xun for the last time, he could still calmly agree to Lu Xun's "Leap Brother" as before.
Unfortunately, the creator and his five sons and daughters all repeated their previous poor lives without any opportunity to read.
What is even more lamentable is that most of his descendants have not been heard, and only Zhang Gui can be documented.
Perhaps it is the completely different life of Yan Tu and Zhang Gui, and Zhang Gui's son and daughter are also deeply aware of the importance of reading.
Zhang Gui's son also studied hard at work, eventually becoming the manager of the securities trading department, while Zhang Gui's daughter became a kindergarten teacher serving the people.
It is not only the elimination of class differences in New China, but also the hard work of two generations to exchange for today's beautiful life.
postscript:
In this way, Lu Xun and Yan Tu had met three times in total.
When we first met, Yan Tu was just a child who grew up under the love of his parents.
Although he was not born in the family of the "old man in the long shirt", the life in the childhood family was also very happy and beautiful.
Growing up in this family environment, Yan Tu did not feel inferior, nor did he realize what kind of differences existed between himself and Lu Xun.
In Yan Tu's heart, at this time, Lu Xun was just a child who grew up in the city, did not even understand some common sense of life, and his childhood was not as happy as his own.
By the time of the second meeting, Lu Xun had lost his father, and the family's economic situation was not optimistic.
Although his family was not much richer, he did not have much gap with Lu Xun. The only difference was that Lu Xun was reading, and he was already running around with his father.
When he reached middle age, he met Lu Xun for the third time, and Lu Xun had become a great literary hero praised by everyone, and Lu Tu had become like his father, dealing with the land every day and trying to make more money by all means.
At this time, Yan Tu understood why his father wanted to let himself call him "Little Young Master".
From Zhang Fuqing to Yantu to Qisheng, three generations have been running on Sundays for poverty, and no matter what way they use, they can't create a better life for the next generation.
Fortunately, after the founding of New China, the gap between classes was also eliminated, and Zhang Gui seized the opportunity to complete the dream of his ancestors to study, creating better reading conditions for future generations.
If Lu Xun and Yan Tu were still alive, perhaps Lu Tu could also stand up and become "Brother Yan Tu" again, and talk with Lu Xun about the world.
Teenagers can't read Lu Xun, and people don't know until they are middle-aged that each of us may become a leap earth.