My father and my second uncle haven't moved in the old house for 10 years. When I went back to my hometown that day, my second uncle stopped me in the village.
My family background
My name is Cui Zhiqiang, and I was born in 1950 in a small village in the Yimeng Mountains of Shandong Province.
The villages are all very close to each other and are almost all relatives and neighbors. My father's name was Choi Shou-sung. He has been dead for many years. He was the eldest of three brothers. He has a straightforward and simple personality and cares about our brother very much.
There are also two uncles, the third uncle Cui Mo and the second uncle Cui Shuo. My grandmother's name is Ma Guixiang. She has passed away. She loved our grandchildren very much and often baked pancakes for us.
My grandfather's name was Ma Hailan, and he also passed away. He had a private school in the village and received some education. He was a well-educated, sensible elder.
I also have a younger sister named Cui Xiaoxia, who is three years younger than me. She studied hard since she was a child, and often studied behind me.
Now he is a Chinese teacher in a local middle school, has a family and a career, and lives a happy life.
Although we grew up in a poor family, our parents took our education very seriously. Even if I didn't have enough food and clothes, I could still go to school.
For this reason, they often go hungry and work hard just to ask our brothers and sisters to study hard and grow up.
I remember when I was a child, my mother would often wait for me at the door to come back from school, and then nervously check my textbook notes for fear that I would miss the homework assigned by the teacher.
Although my father was very strong, in order to pay our tuition, he participated in various temporary jobs all year round to earn work points.
Even though his hands were covered with calluses and scratches, he still found time to teach me about compulsory education.
I know that my parents have high hopes for me, and I know the sweat and hard work they put in. Whenever I saw my mother mending my clothes, I secretly made up my mind that I must study hard and not let my parents down. Efforts were in vain.
I want to change the fate of this family through my own efforts!
My college experience
In 1993, I was admitted to a key university in the south. My whole family was very happy then.
In the college entrance examination that year, I was the only one in our village who was admitted to the undergraduate program, which can be said to be the pride of the village.
My parents were so happy that they immediately set up a banquet at home and invited people from the village to share our joy.
I remember that day, my father's face showed a bright smile that he had not seen for a long time. When he received the guests who had come to congratulate him, he asked me with concern about my future plans.
Mom was even more excited, and said in tears that our family had finally survived.
The third uncle, Cui Mo's family, also came to the banquet. They bring white noodles early in the morning and steamed buns to entertain guests.
As a close relative, he was also sincerely happy that I was admitted to the university, and excitedly said that he must often ask him for advice if he has any questions in the future.
However, what I didn't expect was that the second uncle Cui Shuo's family did not appear. I invited him, but he not only refused, but also bluntly said, "I don't have time to go! I don't have that kind of free time!" When I got home, I told my parents, and they were very disappointed.
In fact, the second uncle has always had a strong personality and takes everything very seriously. This time, he was jealous that I was admitted to university, so he didn't come to the banquet.
But I didn't take it to heart. I just thought that in the future, I would study hard and work hard so that my second uncle could see that I could get ahead.
On the first day of school, I dragged a simple suitcase to the university gate. Looking at my classmates in beautiful clothes, I secretly clenched my fists.
I knew that with my family background, I was destined to work harder than others. Since my freshman year, I have gone to bed early and got up late, listened carefully to lectures and took notes, and spent my spare time studying in the library.
While my classmates were playing in groups, I chose to read quietly by myself. After a few months of hard work, I was able to get top grades, which gave me more confidence to achieve excellent results.
Four years have passed, and by the time I am about to graduate from college, I have already received several scholarships and honorary certificates.
When I came to my parents with my diploma and saw tears of joy on their faces, I knew that I had lived up to their expectations and that I had not wasted these four years.
There is an estrangement with the second uncle
In a few years, I plan to return to my hometown to renovate my parents' house and improve their quality of life.
I want to move the old house assigned to the third uncle Cui Mo and connect it with our family to build it more spacious.
Out of politeness, my father and I specially invited my second uncle to our house to explain our plans for the old house.
Unexpectedly, the second uncle not only disagreed, but also became very angry and slammed the door away. My father and I looked at each other, wondering why he was so responsive.
Later, the third uncle told us that the second uncle always felt that the distribution of the old house was unfair, and the area allocated was relatively small.
This time, I heard that the third uncle's house was going to be given to me. He was angry and thought we were making trouble behind his back and trying to hurt him.
I was very sad to hear it, and felt that the second uncle completely misunderstood our intentions. My father sighed even more. The discord between the brothers made him very sad.
I advised my father not to take it to heart. I'll explain it to my second uncle again. A few days later, I went to see my second uncle, hoping that he would listen to me calmly.
But when the second uncle saw me, he frowned, and said in a bad tone: "I have nothing to say, the house is mine, no matter what you want, I will not give in!" I was speechless. I could only watch my second uncle slam the door and leave.
After this dispute, my relationship with my second uncle broke down completely. In the past, we occasionally said hello and chatted for a while, but now we deliberately avoid each other when we meet, and it is annoying to even look at each other.
I also felt very unhappy, feeling that all my hard work in school was in vain, but I was regarded as a thorn in the side of my second uncle and looked down on him.
My father was even more heartbroken and sighed all day long. I saw it in my eyes and regretted it in my heart. Originally, he just wanted to make his parents more comfortable, but because of this, it led to cannibalism between brothers. This is a far cry from what I originally intended.
However, now that the father and son family are so separated, I can only let time pass and wait for their misunderstanding to be resolved.
I started to go home less often, mainly because I didn't want to face my father's disappointed and sad look.
Allowing him to suffer from family feuds in his later years, I felt that I owed him a favor. Every time I think about it, I feel sorry.
I know it will take a long time to clear up this misunderstanding, but I will always be patient.
Blood is thicker than water, and I believe that one day we will be able to reunite again and become brothers and sisters.