In Lu Xun's novel "Hometown", the young intercalary soil left a deep impression on those who read the article. Those who had learned this story in their own Chinese textbooks even carved the boy with his fork in the depths of his memory.
Although through Lu Xun's articles, the juvenile intercalary soil is well known, but few people know that the character image of intercalary soil is actually rewritten by Lu Xun based on his friends around him, this person is Lu Xun's friend Zhang Lushui when he was a teenager.
It can be seen from the name that this person called Zhang Lushui is not the same as the leap soil in the novel, but the lack of water in the five elements. Zhang was born in 1879 in the lunar leap month, which is also the origin of the word "leap" in his name.
In addition, because the eight characters of Zhang Lushui lacked water on the five elements, and people at that time attached great importance to this, he had a name with the word "water", and his nickname was also called "A Shui".
First, the life of the intercalary prototype is difficult, and the end of his later years is even more tragic
Zhang Mingshui's home is in Dupu Village, Daohui Town, 60 miles outside Shaoxing, which is located on the Cao'e River, so the locals call it the seaside. The family has been based on agriculture for generations, and the ancestors have been farmers living here for generations.
Zhang Lianshui's father, Zhang Fuqing, has always had a good reputation in the village because of his hardworking and kind character. He also has a special skill, that is, the exquisite bamboo weaving craft, and the whole family also depends on this craft to make a living.
However, whenever it is a season or when the farm is busy, Zhang Fuqing will often help other families to supplement the family. In 1874, because of his work as a bamboo worker at the mouth of Dongchang Fangkou, Zhang Fuqing was favored by the Lu Xun family and became a helper in the Lu Xun family.
Zhang Mingshui's mother also used to be Lu Xun's grandmother, and it is also because the relationship between the two families is so close, so the two will have nothing to say when they are young, which is also the main reason why Zhang Lianshui can become the prototype in Lu Xun's novels.
Zhang Mingshui is two years older than Lu Xun, and the two often play together. Moreover, Zhang Lushui, who was born in the countryside, had a very rich childhood. He often told Lu Xun about the life of animals and plants in the sand, as well as all kinds of strange scenes.
When he was a child, Lu Xun listened with relish every time, and thus developed a deep respect for Zhang Lianshui, and both of them showed great reluctance when they were forced to separate after the helpers, and even more rarely, this young friendship lasted until their youth.
In 1900, Lu Xun, who had studied at the academy, returned to his hometown during the winter vacation. After returning to his hometown, he also invited Zhang Mingshui to go out and play together, and the two talked while walking, and the relationship was better than before.
However, the good times did not last long, and three years later, Zhang Lishui's father Zhang Fuqing died. After losing the pillar of the family, Zhang Mingshui could only take on the burden of the family like his father.
In 1919, when Lu Xun returned to his hometown because he was moving north, Zhang Lishui had changed from a familiar partner and young man to a middle-aged man with vicissitudes on his face.
At that time, Zhang Lushui was already married and the father of five children. With four sons and a daughter, he has been running non-stop for a living, and he cannot stop for a moment.
Lu Xun once lamented that the boy who taught him to catch birds and told him stories by the sea when he was young had become an old, gloomy, numb, and degrading person. Although the quality of simplicity and honesty is the same as ever, the changes brought about by the years are enough to make him feel sad.
In fact, the burden of the family has indeed collapsed. His family only had six acres of thin sandy land, and there was basically nothing left after the rent was paid. Although he has done his best to support his family, he still cannot make ends meet and life is difficult.
By the time of the Great Drought of 1934, life in Zhang had become more difficult. Because of the lack of harvest, he had to sell his land to make ends meet.
From then on, he became destitute and had to make a living by renting other people's land. Due to poverty and accumulated illness, when he was in his 50s, Zhang Lushui had a vicious sore on his back.
Because there was no money to heal, the vicious sores on Zhang Lianshui's back had not been able to heal, and they were getting worse and worse, and the wound had become the size of a bowl. In the end, this man who had worked all his life only lasted until the age of 57, and died because of this evil sore.
Second, with new hopes, move towards a new life
The matter of his friend Zhang Lushui greatly touched Lu Xun, and he wrote Zhang Lushui's wish in his own voice: they should have a new life, for what we have never lived. This wish was finally realized in the juniors of Zhang Lianshui.
Zhang Mingshui had already arranged for the future life of his children before his death, and he fostered his two sons to his brother's house. The wife was alone with three children, and in order to make ends meet, she had to take her daughter to Shanghai, but her daughter unfortunately died.
Although the life of his family was very difficult after Zhang Lishui's death, everyone had infinite hopes for the future in their hearts, and it was these hopes that supported their family to move forward bravely.
Among them, Zhang Gui, the second son of the eldest son Zhang Qisheng, although he has been herding cattle for others, he has not given up the opportunity to learn. After the founding of New China, he often secretly went to the academy to listen to lectures.
In addition, Zhang Gui also bought a lot of books for himself, and actively went to someone to ask if he couldn't. After learning to read, he gradually learned the deep friendship between his ancestors and Mr. Lu Xun through reading various articles and materials.
In 1953, when the Shaoxing Lu Xun Memorial Hall was just established, as a junior of Lu Xun's friend Zhang Mingshui, Zhang Gui was invited from the countryside to the city to become one of the builders of the memorial.
In the beginning, Zhang Gui did all the logistical work. It's just that many experts who visited the memorial hall later asked to meet and interview him when they heard that the grandson of "leap soil" was actually in the Lu Xun Memorial Hall.
In this way, as a descendant of the real prototype of the novel character leap soil Zhang Lushui, Zhang Gui came to the front of the stage from behind the scenes, and he became a historical witness of the Lu Xun era.
In order to make himself competent for this job, Zhang Gui worked during the day, introduced the customs and customs of Shaoxing to the guests, and explained anecdotes from the Lu Xun era, and then went to the night school in the evening to study hard to improve the level of work during the day.
In 1962, someone reported on the topic of the descendants of "intercalary soil", which had a great response at that time. At that time, Zhang Gui had become a researcher and disseminator of Lu Xun culture.
epilogue
In October 1976, at an event to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Lu Xun's death. Zhang Gui and Lu Xun's child Zhou Haiying spent a month together, and because of the relationship between Lu Xun and Zhang Lianshui, the two of them also became good friends.
The friendship between Lu Xun and Zhang Lushui was continued in Zhou Haiying and Zhang Gui. The friendship story in the novel is recreated in reality, and if Lu Xun and Zhang Lushui can know, they will be deeply pleased!