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Text: Remembering the Qing Sheng
Editor|Memories of the Qing Sheng
Preface
In 2010, there was a sudden wave of excitement on the Internet, focusing on a nine-year-old child.
This child did not become popular with talent shows or cute appearances, but with a skill that is extremely rare among his peers - killing fish.
In the widely circulated video footage, the little boy is faced with a sharp knife and faces a live fish, with swift and precise movements, and in less than half a minute, the fish is disemboweled, and cleaned up.
He handed the processed fish to the customers, and he was equally skilled in collecting money and change, as if he had been a veteran vendor for many years.
What is particularly striking is that his eyes reveal a coldness and anger that contrasts sharply with his immature face, as if he has gone through vicissitudes and forms a subtle echo with the work he is engaged in.
All this made the little boy's name quickly sweep the Internet in a short period of time and became a hot topic.
With the soaring attention, major media outlets have also sniffed hot spots and rushed to interview and report on it, trying to reveal the story behind this little fish-killing boy.
For him at that time, this sudden popularity was not complete joy and glory, but like a double-edged sword, exposing his life to the spotlight, and with it, the public's snooping on all the embarrassments and hardships in his life.
His peaceful life was shattered, and the trajectory of his life changed unpredictably.
【1】
7-year-old prodigy Meng Fansen became popular on the Internet overnight, and his fish-killing skills shocked the world at a young age
One day in November 2010, the farmers' market in Guandu, Suzhou City, was as bustling with people as ever, and the vendors were busy with stalls lined up on both sides of the street, some greeting customers enthusiastically and some shouting for their wares.
Among the predominantly adult vendors, one figure stood out, a boy who looked to be only seven or eight years old.
Standing in front of his own fish stall, he holds a sharp kitchen knife, skillfully cutting the fish and scraping the scales, from catching the fish to handing the processed fish to the customer, the whole process does not take more than two or three minutes, and his skill in killing fish is no less than that of an adult.
Therefore, his fish stall is always surrounded by many customers who come to watch and buy.
A few days later, a very popular post appeared on the Xici Hutong forum, with the headline "Suzhou's youngest fish-killing brother!" will definitely shock your retinal nerves.
That's right, the protagonist of this post is the little boy who kills fish in the market, and the poster is a customer who has visited the fish stall himself.
Unexpectedly, as soon as this post was published, the number of hits quickly exceeded 10,000, and it was immediately retweeted and commented on on the Internet, triggering an unprecedented wave of attention.
In this way, "Fish Killer" became an Internet celebrity overnight, and was closely watched by the majority of netizens and the media.
Under the deep digging of the media, the true identity of this young boy with amazing fishing skills was quickly revealed, and his name is Meng Fansen.
In the spotlight, Meng Fansen's story has touched the heartstrings of countless people, and he has won wide attention and admiration from all walks of life with his unique experience and tenacious spirit.
【2】
was stocked in the countryside since he was a child, and when he returned to school in the city at the age of 9, he was disliked by his classmates, and after becoming popular, he dropped out of school and caused heated discussions among netizens
Meng Fansen, an ill-fated child, was born to put a lot of pressure on his young parents.
His mother was only 19 years old when he was born, and her immature shoulders were not ready to carry the burden of motherhood.
In order to make a living, Meng Fansen was forced to be separated from his parents at the age of two and was left with his grandfather in the countryside, while his parents took their infant second daughter to work in another country.
So, Meng Fansen's childhood was spent in the countryside with his grandfather, until he was 9 years old, when his naughtiness and rebellion made the elderly grandfather helpless.
Not only did he skip school frequently, but he also often went down to the river to fish privately, making his grandfather powerless to discipline.
In desperation, Grandpa Tai had to dial Meng Fansen's father's phone and begged him to take the child home.
In this way, Meng Fansen finally returned to his long-lost parents.
When he stepped into the new home, which was not spacious, he was shocked by the sight in front of him: "I even have five younger brothers and sisters!" It turned out that in the days when Meng Fansen left, his parents gave birth to five more children in a row.
A family of eight is crammed into a small space, with a chaotic life, and every day is like a farce of chickens and dogs.
Conflicts and quarrels between parents are commonplace, and even escalate into physical conflicts.
Despite this, Meng Fansen was arranged to attend a nearby children's school, and he was used to rural life and could not adapt to the environment of a city school.
He is introverted, not good at communicating with strangers, has a casual learning attitude, fishes for three days and dries nets for two days, and often skips school for no reason.
It all stemmed from the profession of Monverson's parents.
They came from their hometown to run a fish stall in a vegetable market on the outskirts of Suzhou, and after Meng Fansen returned to his parents, he naturally followed his parents to take care of the fish stall business, and his body was always stained with a lingering fishy smell.
This peculiar smell made him ostracized at school, and his classmates stayed away from him and were reluctant to make friends with him.
Faced with the cold reception of campus life, Meng Fansen would rather stay at home to help his parents kill fish than step into the school again.
At first, his parents were deeply worried about Meng Fansen's disgust with school, and they tried to persuade him, scold and even punish him in various ways, but Meng Fansen still went his own way and resolutely refused to go to school.
Over time, the parents gradually accepted the reality, thinking that Meng Fansen was indeed not suitable for studying, coupled with the busy business of their own fish stall and the many young siblings in the family to take care of, so they chose to acquiesce to Meng Fansen's dropout.
What Meng Fansen's father, Meng Changqing, did not expect was that as his son Meng Fansen unexpectedly became popular on the Internet, his dropout of school also aroused widespread attention and heated discussions among netizens.
Meng Fansen's education issue, which was originally regarded as an internal problem within the family, has now become the focus of public attention, and various speculations, accusations, and sympathetic voices are intertwined, which has plunged Meng Changqing into unprecedented trouble.
【3】
Meng Fansen dropped out of school to sell fish and caused controversy, the father and son responded on variety shows, and netizens funded his return to school
When the "fish killing brother" Meng Fansen became popular on the Internet, the phenomenon of him dropping out of school to sell fish at a young age aroused widespread concern and heated discussions in the society.
The Internet is full of various doubts and criticisms: "Why should such a young child be allowed to work in a fish stall when he should have been educated in school?" and "Where is the conscience of parents to make such a young child a money-making tool?" and other comments are endless, and they are just the tip of the iceberg of the accusations that the majority of netizens have against Meng Fansen and his parents, Meng Changqing and his wife.
On the cusp of public opinion, Meng Changqing and his wife became the target of public criticism, and netizens called on them to let Meng Fansen return to school.
Some people even generously said: "If your family is in difficulty, we can donate money to help Meng Fansen go to school." In the face of overwhelming public pressure, Meng's fish stall became the focus of media attention, and a large number of reporters flocked to Meng Changqing, asking Meng Changqing: "How can you bear to let your child engage in such a hard job, instead of sending him to school and changing his fate through education? Are you willing to watch your children sell fish and kill fish for the rest of their lives?"
In the face of the reporters' "long guns and short guns", Meng Changqing's inner anger and helplessness had nowhere to vent, and he blurted out impulsively: "Do you believe that I let him go out to kill people?" These fierce words made the reporters present stunned, and they had to leave temporarily.
When Meng Fansen and his father Meng Changqing participated in the variety show "Come on, Dad" together, a young guest in the show once again threw out a sensitive question: "Uncle, why don't you let Meng Fansen go to school? Do you want him to sell fish for a lifetime and kill fish for a lifetime like you?" This question made Meng Changqing fall into embarrassment and silence instantly, and the eyes of the audience focused on him, and he was speechless for a while.
Seeing his father in an embarrassment, the sensible Meng Fansen took the initiative to stand up for his father.
He took the microphone and calmly explained to everyone: "It wasn't my parents who forced me to kill fish, I chose it voluntarily."
As I have five younger siblings to take care of, as an older brother, I feel it is my responsibility to help my parents share the burden of the family.
But believe me, I will definitely return to school in due time to use knowledge to change my destiny and let my parents live happily. Meng Fansen's heartfelt words touched the heartstrings of everyone present, whether it was his father Meng Changqing on the stage or the audience in the audience, they were all moved and burst into tears.
With the support of many enthusiastic netizens, Meng Fansen was finally able to return to school and continue his education.
With the passage of time and the rapid update and iteration of network information, Meng Fansen, the "fish killer", gradually faded out of the public's sight.
Until one day five years later, Meng Fansen, who has grown into a 14-year-old boy, reappeared in people's field of vision, triggering a new round of attention and discussion.
【4】
Eye injury turmoil: truth and misunderstanding are intertwined, and the Meng family's choice in the whirlpool of public opinion
On the occasion of the Lunar New Year in 2013, the family returned to their hometown in high spirits, which coincided with the time when families were celebrating the setting off of firecrackers.
The lively and active Meng Fansen picked up a few firecrackers to play, but after setting them off, he did not hear the expected sound.
Courageous, he stepped forward to check it out, but the firecracker suddenly exploded, causing serious damage to his eye.
Meng Changqing and his wife were so frightened that they hurriedly sent Meng Fansen to the hospital for treatment.
The doctor advised them to take the child to a major hospital in Shanghai for further examination as soon as possible.
For the sake of the child's health, Meng Changqing and his wife took Meng Fansen to Shanghai for ophthalmic treatment without hesitation.
Although Meng Fansen's eyes were effectively treated in the end, he also left sequelae and had to rely on glasses to live from then on.
After the Spring Festival, the Meng family returned to Suzhou, and life returned to normal, but the popularity of "Fish Killer" Meng Fansen was not as high as before.
There are still reporters visiting the door.
During an interview, Meng Fansen lied that he had accidentally lost more than 2,000 yuan from selling fish, and after Meng Changqing's inquiry, he found that the money was used by Meng Fansen to play slot machine gambling.
Angry, Meng Changqing was impulsive and hit the child.
This scene happened to be seen by some people, who immediately fabricated the facts, claiming that Meng Fansen's eye injury was due to the severe beating of his father Meng Changqing.
For a time, Meng Changqing was once again pushed to the forefront of public opinion.
Meng Changqing, who was disgusted with overexposure, was unwilling to cooperate with reporters and allowed negative public opinion to ferment wantonly.
Even if Meng Changqing may have tried to explain, his justification pales in the face of accusations from people who do not understand the actual situation, and is not enough to calm public opinion.
In this case, Meng Changqing chose silence and patience, and was no longer entangled in the discussions of the outside world.
He decided to live his life firmly and protect his family in the midst of other people's fingers, and no longer pay attention to those misunderstandings and rumors.
【5】
Meng Fansen committed suicide and drank pesticides, his family was shocked, and he repented on the verge of life and death
On August 3, 2018, a seemingly ordinary summer night became an indelible turning point in Meng Fansen's life.
As a result of conflicts with his family, the young man lost control of his emotions and chose to end his life by drinking paraquat, a highly toxic pesticide.
Fortunately, Meng Fansen's parents discovered his abnormality in time and quickly sent him to the hospital for treatment.
Paraquat was once the suicide method of choice for many suicide victims because of its serious harm to the human body, and its toxic and painful symptoms eventually prompted the state to put it on the ban list.
Although on the way to the hospital, Meng Fansen had begun to regret his suicide, he did not know that death was quietly approaching.
The fuse that triggered Meng Fansen's suicide thought turned out to be a trivial business dispute: the difference between the price of 20 yuan for 100 catties of fish.
Mr. Mon's parents had some friction with a client in a business dealing, and although the two sides later reconciled and resumed the relationship, Mr. Mon was bitter about the affair and often quarreled with his parents over it.
Meng Fansen's father's special access to fish at a lower price attracted the customer to frequent the Meng family's fish shop and resell the fish to the market.
Once, Meng's father privately promised to give customers a price 2 cents lower than usual, but Meng Fansen had no idea about it.
When Meng Fansen had an argument with a customer when collecting fees, Meng's father, who rushed to the scene after hearing the news, scolded Meng Fansen in order to save the customer's face: "What are you doing here? Who asked you to settle the bill?" Meng Fansen faced his father's scolding, his heart was full of grievances and anger, but he couldn't make an effective resistance, so he could only run back to his aquatic product store angrily while muttering that he wanted to retaliate against the other party.
When her younger sister Meng Wen returned home, she found her brother Meng Fansen crying silently in the stall, and soon saw him walking alone to the warehouse behind the house.
Out of concern, Meng Wen followed and found Meng Fansen holding a bottle of iced tea drink with only one-third of the green liquid left.
Meng Wen realized that the situation was not good, and quickly informed her mother of the incident.
When his mother heard the news, he immediately asked Meng Fansen, "What did you just drink?" Meng Fansen initially flickered and tried to cover it up, but in the face of his mother's questioning, he finally took out an empty 100ml bottle of paraquat from the corner of the warehouse, and a small amount of liquid remained in the bottle.
The news of Meng Fansen's suicide by drinking pesticides was like a bombshell, which instantly caused an uproar in the Meng family.
After hearing the news, Meng Fansen's father did not hesitate to take Meng Fansen, ride an electric car, risk violating traffic rules, run several red lights in a row, and gallop to Suzhou Municipal Hospital.
After arriving at the hospital, Meng Fansen was quickly sent to the emergency department for rescue, and the medical staff immediately treated him with gastric lavage.
Meng Fansen vomited all the bowls of fried noodles and eggs he had eaten for dinner, and as he lay on the hospital bed, he felt a burning pain in his throat and internal organs.
At this moment, Meng Fansen confessed to his father that he felt extremely remorseful for his suicide.
This tragedy caused by a small business dispute not only put Meng Fansen's life hanging by a thread for a while, but also plunged the entire Meng family into deep shock and grief.
After Meng Fansen committed suicide, his parents guarded him in the hospital for three whole days, sleepless, full of worry and self-blame.
On 4 August, given the limited medical conditions in the area, they decided to transfer Meng to Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, where the success rate of paraquat poisoning was as high as 61.8%, which was undoubtedly a silver lining for Meng Fansen.
Based on his symptoms and signs, the attending physician preliminarily estimated that he had consumed at least 30 to 40 milliliters of paraquat, which was a severe case of poisoning, but there was still about half a chance of cure.
Thankfully, Meng had eaten dinner before taking the poison, which delayed the absorption of paraquat toxin to some extent and invisibly saved his life.
The doctor told the Meng family that Meng Fansen's kidney and lung functions are continuing to deteriorate, and he is already in the uremia stage, and there is still a possibility of sudden death due to multiple complications caused by organ failure in the next four or five days, and he cannot be overly optimistic about his condition at present.
Every year, paraquat poisoning is reported to the hospital for a variety of reasons: impulsive, scarepy, or other complex psychological factors.
Although paraquat is not incurably toxic, it is highly fatal due to its easy accessibility, low price and low public awareness of its toxicity.
To make matters worse, patients with paraquat poisoning often endure prolonged periods of suffering until their lives fade away, adding to their already tragic fate.
On August 8, Meng Fansen's condition took a turn for the better, and he suddenly had an appetite, ate two pieces of bread, and drank a glass of soy milk.
Although this was only a trivial improvement, for the Meng family, it was like a ray of light in the darkness, igniting their hope that was on the verge of collapse.
Meng Fansen once secretly asked his parents if he could survive, and his father replied resolutely: "Yes, you will definitely get better, and we will do everything to treat you." Meng Fansen's condition is still severe, he is bedridden all day, has difficulty speaking, has a sore throat, abdominal discomfort, is unable to change his clothes, cannot bathe, and often has nausea and vomiting.
Outside the ward, many reporters flocked to try to dig up news material from Meng Fansen's short and gloomy life to satisfy the public's curiosity.
In the rescue stage of Suzhou Hospital, Meng Fansen's family has spent nearly 50,000 yuan in medical expenses.
Subsequently, they contacted 120 ambulances and paid 8,000 yuan to transfer Meng Fansen to Shandong Hospital.
There, they spent another 20,000 yuan of their savings, and they needed to spend nearly 10,000 yuan every day.
In order to save money, Meng Fansen's parents chose to lay on the floor of the hospital and waited by their son's bedside every step of the way.
The rest of the family had to be taken care of by others, and the family's fish shop was forced to close.
The originally financially strapped family was even more precarious in the face of this sudden disaster.
Once, Meng Fansen's mother accidentally lost the medicine and had to buy it again, and a box of medicine cost 400 yuan, and it was not an imported medicine.
In the face of high medical expenses, Meng Fansen couldn't help but sigh again and again, after Meng Fansen heard it, he said sadly: "I can't spend all the money in the family because of taking medicine, right?" Remorse surged into Meng Fansen's heart again, the desire to survive, the torture of illness, the tired and helpless figure of his parents, and the money that was constantly consumed like flowing water, like an impenetrable net, tightly bound him and made him breathless.
On more than one occasion, Monverson told those around him that he regretted drinking paraquat.
Prior to this, negative news about the Meng family had also circulated on the Internet, with rumors that Meng Fansen's father had committed domestic violence against Meng Fansen, resulting in Meng Fansen's eye injury requiring medical treatment.
In this regard, Meng's mother explained that when the children returned to their hometown for the New Year, Meng Fansen's eyes were injured due to an accident caused by firecrackers, and the hands of the fourth child in the family were also injured.
Faced with the question of whether she had ever done anything to her children, Meng Fansen's mother said frankly that due to the large number of children in the family, it is inevitable that sometimes there will be disobedience.
And Meng Fansen's father became more and more irritable due to the root of his illness left by fishing in the lake in his early years.
Coupled with the high pressure of business, the husband and wife often quarrel over trivial matters.
After the quarrel, they often immersed themselves in their own negative emotions, neglected to take care of the children, and sometimes even the children could not eat on time for a day or two, which has become commonplace in the Meng family.
Meng Fansen is introverted and not good at words, but his temper is the same as his father's, and once an argument starts, the sound is enough to shake the whole room.
Unfortunately, Meng Fansen's parents never paid close attention to their child's inner world, and before Meng Fansen committed suicide, they thought that they had done their best to raise their child.
Faced with Meng Fansen's decision to commit suicide, the father was full of doubts and couldn't help but question his son.
Meng Fansen's answer revealed the pain in his heart: "Listening to your arguments at least two or three times a day really upset me. He also revealed that he had purchased paraquat a month before the suicide and hid it next to a gas tank in a backyard warehouse.
Meng Fansen's suicidal thoughts were not impulsive, the dispute with the client and the strong attitude of his father were only the fuse that triggered his action.
In fact, Meng Fansen has long been tormented by the oppressive atmosphere of his family and feels hopeless about life.
On August 27, 2018, after 28 days of treatment in the hospital, Meng Fansen was finally discharged, temporarily getting rid of the shadow of death and facing life again.
The painful experiences that had plunged him into despair did not disappear with his discharge, but hung over him like a dark cloud.
During his upbringing, the trivial troubles and conflicts of his original family, as well as his taciturn, fragile and sensitive character traits, will stay with him for a long time and become an indelible imprint on his life.
【6】
Meng Fansen was discharged from the hospital and returned to the fish stall, and two days later he was detained due to conflicts, and his personality problems attracted attention
After a life-and-death test, Meng Fansen was discharged from the hospital and returned home.
In the face of his parents' concerned eyes, he felt deeply guilty and grateful, and solemnly assured them that he would cherish life in the future, live a down-to-earth life, work hard, and repay his parents' nurturing grace with practical actions.
On New Year's Day 2019, Meng Fansen's physical condition had basically recovered as before, and he chose to return to the fish stall run by his parents to help them take care of their business.
This return is not only a sign of his family responsibilities, but also a symbol of anticipation for a new life.
Meng Fansen also deliberately recorded this important moment on his Weibo, and he wrote his expectations for a new life and the New Year with great longing: "All wishes come true, there are fish every year." In just eight characters, he expressed his yearning for a better life in the future and his wishes for a prosperous fish stall business.
Fate doesn't seem to favor him in particular because of his positive attitude.
Just two days after Meng Fansen returned to the fish stall, an unexpected conflict shattered the peace.
On the same day, when a customer accidentally blocked the Meng family's fish stall while parking, Meng Fansen and his father communicated with him about moving the car, and the two sides gradually disagreed, and their emotions gradually escalated, and finally a violent physical altercation broke out.
The customer was beaten up and called the police.
After receiving the report, the police detained Meng Fansen and his son, who were suspected of fighting, for review in accordance with the law.
This incident put Meng Fansen, who had just rekindled his hope in life, into trouble again, and also cast a shadow on the public's impression of him again.
Although Monversen's body has recovered from the suicide turmoil, his personality does not seem to have improved with his physical recovery.
He is still impulsive, and his irritable personality traits stand in stark contrast to the "old-fashioned" image he displayed as a result of "killing fish" when he was younger.
People can't help but sigh that the country is easy to change, but the nature is difficult to change.
Meng Fansen's impulsive personality may have been quietly formed as early as when he was left in his hometown by his parents when he was young, and he lacked the companionship and correct guidance of his parents.
Nowadays, in the face of the ups and downs and challenges of life, how to adjust his mentality, overcome the impulsive factors in his personality, and truly realize his New Year's wish of "everything comes true, there are fish every year" has become an important topic that he must face.
【7】
Precocious children in the shadow of the family, from 'fish killers' to irritable teenagers, look forward to the sunshine into their lives
Meng Fansen's family is poor, he is the eldest son in the family, and there are five younger siblings who are not yet minors.
At a young age, he knew how to share the burden of the family for his parents, and plunged into the fish stall in the market to do the work of killing fish.
Immersed in the smell of fish for a long time, Meng Fansen was rejected and isolated by his classmates at school, and he was in the rebellious period of his youth, and gradually became tired of school under the pressure of a long time.
His father, who adhered to the theory that "reading is useless", did not guide him to stick to his studies, but conformed to Meng Fansen's ideas, so that he completely quit school before he finished junior high school and devoted himself to the role of "fish killer" in the market.
Meng Fansen, who stepped into the society early, lost the opportunity to grow up with children of the same age, was in a mixed market environment, and was exposed to the reality and cruelty of the adult world too early, and the innocence that originally belonged to children also disappeared.
Although Meng Fansen shouldered the heavy responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings and sharing the heavy household chores, his dedication was not understood and recognized by his father.
His father often verbally insulted him and even punched and kicked him after drinking, while his mother was never able to stand up because of her weak personality, and could only watch her son struggle to grow up in a repressive and aggrieved environment.
The neighbors around him pointed fingers at Meng Fansen, coupled with his father's indifference and violence, and his mother's helplessness and powerlessness, all of which made Meng Fansen bear huge psychological pressure, and his inner despair and grievances had nowhere to vent, making his personality more and more extreme, irritable and irritable.
Meng Fansen's childhood was spent in such darkness and hardship, which is deeply sympathetic.
I sincerely hope that Meng Fansen's life can usher in the dawn in the future, and he can break free from the shackles of fate and find his own sunshine and hope.
【8】
From killing the fish brother to the fate of the people
Today's Meng Fansen is no longer the high-profile fish-killing brother of the year.
His life has returned to normal, and the former glory and media attention have left him.
Although there are few reports about his recent situation, it is not difficult to imagine his life at the moment.
Perhaps, Meng Fansen is still helping his parents take care of the fish stall, busy in the market, and working hard for a living.
Or perhaps, he has left his family and gone elsewhere to find a way out of life, but no matter where he is, that toil and rush seem to be with him and cannot be shaken off.
Meng Fansen's change of fortune can't help but remind people of another teenager - Jack Pony.
Jack Ma once became famous overnight because he looked like the famous entrepreneur Jack Ma, and even Jack Ma himself responded in person, expressing his willingness to sponsor him to go to school until he graduated from college.
Things turned out to be unexpected.
Jack Ma did not choose to enter the campus, but became an Internet celebrity, frequently attending various business events, enjoying short-term fame, fortune and attention.
Behind this, whether it is Jack Ma's father or Meng Fansen's parents, they have ignored the care and teaching that their children really need when they grow up.
The importance of family education is self-evident, it is not only the cornerstone of children's growth, but also the key to shaping their future life.
Equally important is schooling, which not only imparts knowledge, but also broadens children's horizons and helps them better know and understand the world.
Unfortunately, many parents do not fully realize the importance of family education, and they often only focus on their children's material needs and ignore their spiritual growth.
With such a family environment, it is easy for children to be trapped in the shadow of their original family for the rest of their lives, and it is difficult to get rid of their unfortunate fate.
Meng Fansen's tragic life is just such a microcosm.
His childhood may have been full of misfortunes that he might need to spend his life healing.
This is not only a personal tragedy for Meng Fansen, but also a warning for the lack of family education in the whole society.