Zhang Zhiyuan, a man with a story hidden in his name. He had just turned eighteen, and he plunged headlong into the soil of the countryside with the wave of educated youth. Two years passed, and when the day of returning home was approaching, the parents' expectations were disappointed, and their long-awaited son was never heard from.
Unexpectedly, this young man, who had just crossed the threshold of twenty years old, made an astonishing move - he chose to stay in the country, married a widow who was thirteen years older than him, and took over the responsibility of raising six children with whom he was not related by blood.
Some people say that Zhang Zhiyuan's move is a deep reward for the deceased benefactor. What kind of story is hidden in this?
As the years passed, how did Zhang Zhiyuan's life go? Did he ever regret his original choice? All this can only be revealed by time.
The father of this descendant of intellectuals from the mountain city of Chongqing was a university professor with a lot of wealth, and his mother sweated on the three-foot podium, cultivating the soil of middle school knowledge.
It was a turbulent era, in 1972, Zhang Zhiyuan had just bid farewell to the high school campus, and the youth of knowledge was at the right time, and the horn of going to the mountains and going to the countryside sounded in the sky. With the flame of ideals burning in his chest, Zhang Zhiyuan did not hesitate to embark on this road that countless young people are passionate about.
In the roar of the steam locomotive, he reluctantly bid farewell to the prosperity of the city, bid farewell to his aging parents, and plunged into the strange and vast land of Nanjiang County, Sichuan Province, preparing to settle down there.
But the days in the countryside are not as poetic as imagined. Zhang Zhiyuan collided head-on with a world full of challenges and unknowns.
Nanjiang County, the land hidden in the deep mountains, the traffic is not smooth, and life is tight. Zhang Zhiyuan, a young man in the city, was pushed by the hand of fate into this small mountain village called Lugu and began his career as a team cutter.
The houses in the village are all made of adobe, simple and simple. There was no running water, no bright lights, let alone the washrooms and flush toilets he had become accustomed to in the city. The villagers of Lugu, following the ancient law, are busy with the rising of the sun, and rest with the moon climbing into the sky, and their days are like the repeated cultivation in the field, simple and repetitive.
For Zhang Zhiyuan, everything here is undoubtedly a transformation of life.
The first thing that made it difficult for him was the place where he had to lie down and rest every night, and the accommodation became the first tough battle he had to face here.
The arrangement of the village allowed Zhang Zhiyuan to live in a farmhouse made of pure yellow mud, and the roof would leak when it rained, which seemed to tell the vicissitudes of time. The interior is extremely simple, with only one bed, which is hastily made of thick wooden planks, and other than that, the walls are bleak.
When night fell, the mosquitoes began their symphony, dancing around Zhang Zhiyuan's ears, making him toss and turn, unable to sleep. As for the farm work, it made him deeply understand what real exhaustion is, and that hard work is enough to make people understand the weight of life in sweat.
Zhang Zhiyuan was born without a relationship with the land, and the hoe in his hand was like an artifact in the hands of Alien, and his movements were so unfamiliar that people couldn't help laughing. He worked hard with his hoe, either too rough and lifted the clods high, or he lacked the strength of his hands, and the hoe slid lightly across the surface of the earth, without even touching the skin of the soil.
The sun was setting, and the work of others had come to an end, but he seemed to have just taken the first step of his work.
At first, the villagers enthusiastically gathered around, pointing fingers and imparting some experience. But a few days later, Zhang Zhiyuan's farming skills still did not improve, and the patience of the people in the village was gradually worn out, and the original enthusiasm began to be mixed with a little impatience.
Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't hold it on his face, but he was silently ruthless in his heart, and he had to learn the skills of farming. Fortunately, there was a kind man named She Linhai in the village who lent a helping hand to him. The She family not only set up a temporary home for him, but even She Linhai's daughter-in-law Hu Tingxiu often brought bowls of steaming noodles, and the warmth reached the hearts of the people.
She Linhai led Zhang Zhiyuan to crawl in the fields, teaching the doorway of farm work hand in hand, so that this young man from the city soon integrated into the rhythm of this countryside.
As the days passed, the relationship between Zhang Zhiyuan and She Linhai became deeper and deeper, and they became close friends who talked about everything.
In the days of the She family, Zhang Zhiyuan slowly unveiled the veil of the family's difficult life.
There are six people in the She family, the old two are hard-working, and the four children still need to be raised. The eldest son, She Yongfu, has already shouldered the burden of the family at the age of sixteen; the second son, She Yonggen, began to share the housework at the age of thirteen and has become half a strong laborer; the daughter She Fengying is ten years old, and the youngest She Xiaoning, who is only five years old, is still ignorant and ignorant.
She Linhai and his wife Hu Tingxiu, the two of them sweated like rain day after day on those few acres of unbearable contracted land, just scraping together the livelihood of the whole family bit by bit. The land is mixed with sand and stones, and even the most merciful wind and rain bring people so stingy in their harvest. In order to make his stomach not touch his back so quickly, She Linhai had to leave his field and go to other villages to do odd jobs to earn so much hard-earned money.
Zhang Zhiyuan saw in his eyes that Hu Tingxiu's clothes had long been covered with patches, like a picture depicting hardships. The soles of her shoes are worn out, but she is reluctant to add even a new patch.
The children's school time, even with the scent of new books and pencils, seems out of reach. In the face of such hardships for the She family, Zhang Zhiyuan's heart swelled with deep sympathy.
As an educated youth who came to the countryside from the city, although he lived a hard life, he did not have to worry about food and clothing.
So, he lent a helping hand, not only shared the work in the fields for the She family, but also did not forget to bring laughter to those children, and became the most caring person for the She family.
However, on such a warm day, disaster struck inadvertently.
She Linhai had a terrible stomach ache that day, thinking it was a trivial matter, but when he checked it, the doctor at the county hospital made a straight face and gave him a news that was more unbearable than a stomachache: pancreatic cancer, advanced stage. The words were like a stump in the field, smashing his heart.
The doctor didn't give him much hope, saying that there would be a few months at most. She Linhai's legs were weak, his face was bloodless, like an eggplant beaten by frost, and he sat on the cold concrete floor. What he was thinking about was not his own life, but his group of orphans and widows. As soon as he leaves, who will his wife and the four little ones rely on? The pillars of the family are about to fall.
The news spread quickly, Zhang Zhiyuan heard the wind, and rushed to the hospital like wind under his feet, his heart was anxious, like an ant on a hot pot.
At the end of his life, She Linhai left his deepest concern to his wife and children. Zhang Zhiyuan looked at his decadent back, and his heart swelled with unspeakable pain, but he understood that there was a limit to what he could do.
During the day, Zhang Zhiyuan sweated like rain in the fields, and after sunset, he stayed by She Linhai's sickbed, turning over, changing dressings, and feeding him water and food mouthful. He also undertook the dirty and tiring work that others avoided without complaint, even including cleaning up She Linhai's urine.
Whenever She Linhai woke up in the dead of night, Zhang Zhiyuan sat quietly on the edge of the bed, sharing the unspeakable pain for his friends with companionship, until the morning light dimmed, and She Linhai once again gained a short period of peace.
On such days, Zhang Zhiyuan has passed for a few months, and his eyes have already been red, but he has hardly closed them.
His figure was thin and thin, and his face was so haggard that it made people feel distressed. took care of it wholeheartedly, but after all, it only allowed She Linhai to stay in this world for a short time.
At the end of his life, She Linhai held Zhang Zhiyuan's hand tightly, and although his voice was weak, he said a thousand words: "Zhiyuan, Tingxiu her, she hasn't read much, she has a simple heart, with these children, life must be difficult." Yongfu and Yonggen had to go to school, and the land at home was also counting on them to help. Xiao Fengying and Xiao Ning are too young to understand the hardships of life. In my heart, I can't let go of them......"
Zhang Zhiyuan had tears in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and held back She Linhai's hand tightly, his promise was like the brightest star in the night sky, illuminating She Linhai's last time.
"Brother Lin Hai, you put a hundred and twenty hearts, this is my root, they are no different from my relatives. "
Since then, Zhang Zhiyuan has regarded the She family as his home, and that emotion is like a mark engraved in his bones.
Taking good care of Hu Tingxiu and the four children is not only his promise to his buddies, but also something he must do in his life.
As soon as She Linhai left, Hu Tingxiu seemed to have lost her pillar, and the sudden helplessness and grief made her feel as if she had fallen into the abyss.
Zhang Zhiyuan is a trustworthy person after all, he still lives in their house, and together with Hu Tingxiu, he shoulders the heavy responsibility of raising four immature children.
At the beginning, Hu Tingxiu was always a little wary of this young man. She Linhai entrusted the child to her before he died, and the gratitude was indescribable, but the suspicion of Zhang Zhiyuan in his heart was like an undercurrent, which came to his heart from time to time.
However, it didn't take long for her to understand that Zhang Zhiyuan's care for the children was very attentive, and that carefulness and dedication made the stone in her heart gradually fall to the ground, and a sense of security arose.
Zhang Zhiyuan, sweating like rain in the fields of the She family during the day, and at sunset, he walked into the children's fairy tale world with a tired and smiling face. His stories are always so vivid and interesting that the children forget the troubles of the day, and his eyes full of love seem to be the continuation of his bloodline.
Hu Tingxiu's heart door was quietly opened in Zhang Zhiyuan's care day after day. Zhang Zhiyuan she saw was an authentic farmer, with a gentle heart in his diligence, and deep emotions hidden in his thoughtfulness.
Whenever the sun sets and dusk, the smoke rises in the kitchen, Hu Tingxiu is so busy that her back hurts, Zhang Zhiyuan always doesn't say a word, takes her tiredness, and gently rubs her shoulders with rough palms. His voice was always so concerned: "Don't be tired of yourself, you have to take care of yourself." This delicate care made Hu Tingxiu's heart glow with a trace of warmth.
The days are like the flowing water of a small river, flowing quietly, and Hu Tingxiu's dependence on Zhang Zhiyuan is also quietly climbing like a vine. The title has changed from the original "Captain Zhang" to the shy "Zhiyuan", a simple two words, but full of emotions.
Every time Zhang Zhiyuan stepped out of the house, she always chattered, afraid that he would be hungry outside, so she covered the food hot and waited for him to come back.
The long-tongued people in the village were not used to seeing the story of the widow and the young man, and chewed a lot of tongues behind their backs.
But the two of them took these rumors as a style, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, and single-mindedly wanted to pull these four children up and fulfill the last wish of She Linhai, who had long since passed away.
In order to protect Hu Tingxiu's reputation, Zhang Zhiyuan, a sincere person, was determined to walk the red carpet hand in hand with her and get married.
Hu Tingxiu was finally moved by Zhang Zhiyuan's simple sincerity, and nodded and agreed to the marriage. The two walked into the palace of marriage hand in hand, and jointly shouldered the heavy responsibility of supporting this family.
Although life is still tight, Zhang Zhiyuan's care like a spring breeze and rain has allowed the children to thrive, and Hu Tingxiu's face has begun to bloom with a long-lost smile.
However, in 1978, fate seemed to play a joke, a large number of educated youths were given the opportunity to return to the city, and Zhang Zhiyuan also had the possibility of returning to his hometown.
Faced with such a choice, Zhang Zhiyuan's heart was full of waves and hesitation.
He couldn't let go of Hu Tingxiu and those children in his heart, and after thinking about it, he decided to hide this secret deep in his heart and continue to take root in the land of Nanjiang.
When people from the county came to ask him about his plans, Zhang Zhiyuan was unwavering, and this insistence made Hu Tingxiu's heart warm.
So, Zhang Zhiyuan gently put down the opportunity to return to the city, settled down here, and saved every penny, just so that the children could have books to read.
And Zhang Zhiyuan's parents, who are far away in Chongqing, looking forward to their son's return, what kind of mood should they have?
Zhang Zhiyuan bluntly announced his decision to his parents: he wanted to stay in the She family and shoulder the heavy responsibility of taking care of She Linhai's widow and children. When the parents heard this, they were speechless for a while, and they looked at each other.
They knew that their son was kind, but they did not expect him to make such an earth-shattering choice.
Don't forget, it was a thirty-one-year-old widow with a family and a few children.
And their son is just twenty years old, which should be the age to plan for the future, marry a wife and have children.
"Dad, Mom, I promised Brother Lin Hai that I have to take good care of his family. This baby has a resolute tone and a firm look in his eyes. The two of them knew in their hearts that it would be a deaf ear to say anything at this time.
This kid is planning to prove his promise and the weight on his shoulders with his actions.
This responsibility, parents look at it in their eyes, and they are happy in their hearts, and they can't help but feel that this child has really grown up, and people are proud of him in their hearts.
The years are like a song, the mountain wind in 2019 is still blowing Zhang Zhiyuan's face, and at the age of 65, he is still sticking to the deep mountains. The traces of time are engraved in his hair, and the secrets of time are hidden in the silver threads, and the wrinkles are crisscrossed, like his medallion after a storm. However, that smile still maintains its original innocence and simplicity.
Zhang Zhiyuan, a person who interprets commitment with actions, dedicates his most precious time unreservedly to this family bonded by fate. His perseverance, his dedication, silent but powerful, touched countless hearts in the world.
After reading Zhang Zhiyuan's life chapter, are you also full of emotion in front of the screen? You might as well leave your footprints, let us feel this truth and warmth in the comment area......