In the early 90s, when I was teaching at Dushan Middle School, an old farmer in his eighties (rich peasant composition) told me that he had planted four or five acres of land for his children and grandchildren. The children and grandchildren are all working or working in other places. Master Deng, who cooks rice in our canteen, is from the same village as him, and he is very familiar with him, and calls him "Bai Lao".
Every time Bai Lao went up the mountain to collect firewood, he usually had to pass by the road in front of our school cafeteria. And every time he passed by, Master Deng always called him to sit in the cafeteria. And Bai Lao always laughed and joked with me when he saw me.
The jokes he often joked with me were basically the same content: "Teacher Pan, I will pick a load of more than 100 catties of firewood to walk on the mountain, and I won't win if you take the empty road! Do you believe it or not? If you don't believe it, you can go to the mountain with me to compete!" I don't believe it in my heart. But I didn't say I didn't believe it. I just smiled at the old man. Sometimes I will smile and reply, "Are you really so good?"
Because I'm not interested in it. However, I believe that this old man should be very healthy and strong. I don't doubt that. But he looks lean, and he can pick up more than 100 pounds at such an old age, which is faster than me. It's kind of unbelievable. After all, I was in my early thirties, and I was in the prime of my body.
However, Master Deng told me many times that although Bai Lao is over 80 years old, he can still eat three and a half catties for each meal: half a catty of rice wine, half a catty of rice, and half a catty of pork. Thinking about these three and a half catties, Bai Lao's physical fitness may indeed be better than that of the younger me.
Bai Lao has no beard, and his face is bare. Whether it was plucked by myself or whether it was born without a beard, I don't know much about it. He often wore a pair of leather military shoes in the winter, with no socks underneath them—similar to my old father, who was also a man who didn't like socks. A pair of yellow and purple old feet, straight into a pair of loose leather shoes, the flesh color of the instep and calf is often clear at a glance. His face was black and red, and he was very thin, tall, and vigorous of an old peasant.
According to Master Deng, before the reform and opening up, Bai Lao was criticized for being a rich peasant element. It is said that every time he criticized him, he soared to the rostrum before his name was called. He did this probably to avoid being "dragged to power" and subjected to all kinds of suffering and humiliation. This is also a kind of "realization" and "wisdom".
After the reform and opening up, his children and grandchildren developed well. I have a grandson who was admitted to university, went to graduate school, and has a very decent job. He often pointed at the noses of the village cadres who had criticized him and scolded them, and at the end he would often say, "Do you deserve my eggs now?" Those village cadres were very embarrassed and said, "Bai Laoye, at that time, the situation was compelling, and we couldn't do anything!"
But I think that after being wronged and insulted for a long time, now they straighten their backs and occasionally scold back, although they are not civilized enough, it is probably understandable. Is "the times" a talisman of sin?
(Note: The illustrations are downloaded from the Internet and have nothing to do with the article, not Pak Lao.) ）