Speaking of leaping earth, I believe that everyone will not be unfamiliar, he is a well-known figure in Mr. Lu Xun's pen, in fact, in history, this character is real, he is Zhang Yanshui.
In Lu Xun's eyes, the young Zhang Yanshui is a simple, lively, healthy and brave rural teenager, who has rich life experience and always has sincere and simple feelings for Lu Xun;
However, with the passage of time, the middle-aged Zhang Yanshui was a wooden, sluggish and fearful cropper, and under the oppression of feudal society, he was completely enslaved into a wooden man;
After reuniting with Lu Xun for 20 years, Zhang Yanshui nervously shouted "Old Master" and asked his son to kneel and prostrate to Lu Xun, which caught Lu Xun off guard.
(Oil painting from lu xun's reunion with yan tu)
What happened to Zhang Yanshui that could make him change so much? How are his descendants doing? In order to answer these questions, I will tell you about it.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > carefree playmate</h1>
Lu Xun, whose original name was Zhou Shuren, was born in a traditional family of feudal scholars, and his grandfather Zhou Fuqing was a cabinet secretary, which was considered to have entered the power center of feudal society.
(Photo of Lu Xun when he studied in Japan)
In 1893, in order to find an official for his eldest son, Lu Xun's father, Zhou Boyi, Zhou Fuqing took 10,000 taels of silver for "public relations", but accidentally became involved in the famous "Imperial Examination Fraud Case" in the late Qing Dynasty, and was tragically dismissed from his post and imprisoned, and was sentenced to be beheaded.
In order to save Zhou Fuqing's life, the Zhou family spent a lot of money to dredge up relations, and although Zhou Fuqing was later sentenced to eight years in prison, the Zhou family fell.
However, even if the family is not as well as before, if there are more things in the family, the Zhou family will still temporarily hire some short-term workers, which also makes it possible for Lu Xun to get close to Yan Tu.
Yan Tu's father was a bamboo craftsman, good craftsmanship, plus he lived close to the sea, he planted some melons, fruits and vegetables, and when he was free, he would also help Lu Xun's family, and the family was still quite well off.
One year in the first month, Lu Xun's family wanted to undertake a grand sacrifice activity, which was very solemn, and there were many people who came to worship, so they needed to put a lot of tribute and sacrificial utensils.
In order to prevent it from being stolen, after obtaining the consent of Lu Xun's family, Yan Tu was brought by his father to guard the sacrificial vessel, which was the first time that Lu Xun and Lu Xun met.
Lu Tu was two years older than Lu Xun, and although the feudal hierarchy was strict at that time, Lu Xun and Lu Tu were simple-minded children, and they directly referred to each other as brothers.
"Brother Leap Soil", the young Lu Xun often called this, And Lu Tu also sweetly agreed, forgetting his father's instructions to "see Lu Xun to be called young master".
(A cartoon describing Lu Xun's first meeting with Yan Tu)
According to Lu Xun's description, when they first met, Yan Tu was a sunny teenager with a silver ring hanging around his neck, presumably his father loved him very much and was afraid of his death, so he gave a silver circle to "put it on". Being able to wear a silver ring shows that the family conditions of the young man are not bad.
Because when he first entered the city, everything was fresh, so Lu Xun also accompanied this brother to walk around and look around.
Growing up in the countryside, the earth full of funny stories, he often told Lu Xun in a colorful way, which often fascinated the young Lu Xun.
(Restore the statue of Lu Xun telling a story)
Lu Xun taught Lu Xun how to catch birds in the snow, first sweep a piece of clean land in the snow, and then use a short stick to support a large bamboo plaque, sprinkle rice under the plaque, as long as the birds come down to eat, they will pull the rope tied to the short stick, and they will catch it.
Yan Tu also warmly invited Lu Xun to his home to play; "You go to our place in the summer, we can go to the beach to collect shells, red and green, and at night you can also go to see melons, you also come!" ”
"Pipe thief?"
"No, the walking man is thirsty and picks a melon in our field to eat, and we don't count stealing here." To manage is to manage badgers, hedgehogs, hedgehogs. It can be seen that the young man is very kind, and in his eyes, a stranger picking his melon is not a steal.
This incident also left a deep impression on Lu Xun, and later he also described such a picture: the dark blue sky hung a bright moon, below the sand of the sea, planted with endless watermelons, in the middle of which was an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy, he wore a silver ring, squeezed a steel fork in his hand, and stabbed at a horse, but the horse was very clever, turned around and escaped from his crotch.
The young Lu Xun was directly shocked by the "well-informed" of the leaping earth! Lu Xun sighed and said, "Ah! There are endless wonders in the heart of the earth, all of which are unknown to one of my usual friends."
Although Yan Tu and Lu Xun were close playmates, in the society at that time, Lu Xun was the young master of the family of a feudal scholar, and Lu Tu was just the son of a short-term worker invited by the family when he was busy, objectively speaking, the social status of the two was completely different.
And Yan Tu, at that time, was only a child who did not understand the world, he was lively and lovely, intelligent and capable, and he did not have the imprisonment of those worldly concepts, and did not feel inferior because of his different status from Lu Xun, in view of his later experience, at this time he was regarded as a "teenager who did not know the taste of sorrow".
The good days are always short-lived, with the end of the first month, the leap earth is leaving, Lu Xun is anxious to cry, and the leap earth is also hiding in the kitchen and whimpering, but some things will not be broken after all, and the leap earth is still forcibly taken away by his father.
Later, the young Yan Tu also entrusted his father to send him a very beautiful package of shells and a few very good-looking feathers, which showed that Yan Tu still remembered his little friend, and Lu Xun would also send some things to Yan Tu, but the two never met.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="16" > subtle changes</h1>
According to Mr. Lu Xun's article, the two met again in middle age, but the author went through some materials, and after that parting, the two later met once.
At the age of 17, Lu Xun studied at the Nanjing Mining Road Academy, and during the winter vacation, Yan Tu and he also played Shaoxing City together, they "walked and talked, strolled the streets, and watched the downtown area", which was very intimate and happy.
Although At this time, Yan Tu often accompanied his father to work, the young Yan Tu and Lu Xun still maintained a deep friendship and did not cause estrangement due to different statuses.
It can be said that the leap soil brought Lu Xun a yearning for freedom, and Lu Xun also made the leap soil have a vision of another way of life.
Under the influence of Lu Xun, Yan Tu begged his father to send him to school as well. At that time, the economic conditions of the Zhang family could still be affordable, and Yan Tu's father agreed.
(Teenagers in the old society who worked hard for their lives)
However, fate played a joke on the earth, just as he was about to enter the gate of the school, his father fell ill and eventually died, which not only shattered his dream of going to school, but also forced him to pick up the burden of the family, all day to pick up the soil, shake the boat, do farm work, hands and feet can not stop.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="19" > third, sad estrangement</h1>
The situation of Lu Xun and Yan Tu is quite similar, both experienced the dilemma of falling in the family road, but the two people chose different paths, Lu Xun never gave up studying, and eventually succeeded in his studies, becoming a generation of literary heroes, and Yan Tu was forced by life to eventually become a diligent and honest cropper.
(Lu Xun)
The author has absolutely no disparagement to the situation and status of the leap land, but can only say that knowledge, environment and pattern can indeed change a person's fate.
After that, Lu Xun and Yan Tu began very different lives, and also laid the groundwork for the strong contrast brought about by the two meeting again in the future.
In the winter of 1919, after a gap of 20 years, Lu Xun returned to his hometown, and he came home this time to sell his property and buy a house in Beijing.
Because small items are inconvenient to pack up and worthless to sell, Lu Xun wants to give these objects to Yan Tu, which gives Lu Xun the opportunity to reunite with Yan Tu.
It is worth mentioning that before the leap soil came, Lu Xun's neighbor "Tofu Xishi" Yang Erjie had already heard that Xin'er had walked around.
(The woman in black in the comic is Yang Erjie)
When she was young, in order to get the tofu to sell, Yang Erjie carefully dressed up every day, even if she would be flirted with by rogues. At that time, Yang Erjie was still a strong woman who was unbridled and dashing and struggled for her life.
However, with the passage of time, the woman who was full of trust and hope for life has completely disappeared, and has been replaced by a selfish, mean, and petty "compass".
Seeing Lu Xun, Second Sister-in-law Yang opened her mouth and said, "Brother Xun, your family is wide, these furniture and wood are too bulky, let me take it!" We have a small family, we can use it! ”
After being rejected by Lu Xun, Second Sister-in-law Yang sneered at each other, ah, ah, really the richer, the more unwilling to relax. After saying that, Second Sister-in-law Yang angrily walked outside, and then took one of Lu Xun's mother's gloves away.
Later, Lu Xun finally reunited with Yan Tu, but at this time, Lu Tu was no longer the teenager running in the sun.
(Picture of Lu Xun's reunion with Yan Tu)
He was covered with the marks of the devastation of time, and his round face, which had previously been purple, had long since turned gray and yellow, and was covered with wrinkles.
His eyes were red and swollen, his figure had doubled, he had a torn felt hat on the top of his head, his cotton coat was extremely thin, and his hands had become thick and clumsy, and there were cracks.
When they met, Lu Xun was very excited, he suddenly had a lot of thoughts, but he didn't know what to say, and finally said in a familiar tone: "Brother Yan Tu, are you here?" ”
After listening to Lu Xun's words, Yan Tu's face showed a joyful and desolate expression, his lips trembled slightly, but he did not make a sound, and finally shouted: "Lord! ”
Lu Xun shivered, and he felt sadly that there was already a thick wall of sadness between himself and Lu Xun, and then he could not speak.
Lu Xun's mother said on the side, Ah, how can you be so polite, weren't you brothers and brothers before? Let's call it as usual!
(Stick figure of Leap Earth and Son)
Yan Tu shook his head and said, What a rule, when I was still a child, I didn't understand things. After saying that, Yan Tu called the child over to lu xun to work, but the child was very shy and clinging to him.
When asked about the latest situation, it is difficult to sigh, the family is always not enough to eat, the neighborhood is not peaceful recently, and it takes money everywhere. He felt bitter, but he couldn't describe it, and finally there was a moment of silence, and he picked up the pipe and began to smoke.
(Photo of Lu Xun reuniting with Yan Tu)
After the leap soil left, Lu Xun's mother also said sympathetically that many children, famine, harsh taxes, bandits, and soldiers all suppressed him and tortured him like a wooden man.
However, Yan Tu still retained his honest and responsible character, and in all the furniture, he only picked a few tables and chairs and benches, except that he took away the incense burner and the candlestick.
(Lu Xun waved goodbye to Yan Tu)
Lu Xun was initially puzzled, because he received a new-style education, and he would never believe in these things. But in The Eyes of Leap Earth, this was his last hope that he could alleviate the pain of life, and it was also his last effort to change his destiny.
It can be seen that whether it is Yang Erjie or Yan Tu, their later changes are the product of feudal social enslavement. No matter how cordial and sincere the feelings between people have been, in the face of class, it will eventually come to an abrupt end.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" >4. Death of a playmate</h1>
There are only six acres of thin land in the yantu family, the harvest of grain is not much, but also to face all kinds of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes and natural disasters and man-made disasters, although the mintu every day early and late home, hands and feet do not stop, but still can not support the family.
(Film and television image of the elderly leaping earth)
By 1934, a drought swept through the whole territory of Zhejiang, and in some places it did not rain for 100 days, and the drought followed by floods. Under such a storm, the grains of the land were not collected, and those who forced debts and rent collectors came to the door, and there was no way, he could only bear to sell the six acres of land.
How serious was the exploitation at that time? According to statistics, in Jiaxing County, Zhejiang Province in 1935, the annual income of local farmers was 183 yuan, but the expenditure reached 301 yuan; in Pinghu County in the same year, the peasant income was 141 yuan and the expenditure reached 171 yuan, that is to say, after a year of white work, they also had to paste money.
(Poor people exploited before liberation)
What we see is cold numbers, but how many civilian families like leap soil have gone bankrupt.
Because of poverty and overwork, he fell ill soon after, and a poisonous sore grew on his back, because there was no money to heal, and the 57-year-old yantu eventually died.
When he was sick, Yan Tu's back was constantly bleeding with pus, and it was all up to his daughter Zhang Ahua to help him wipe it, and even so, Yan Tu did not say a word.
When he was critically ill, Lu Xun still did not forget Lu Xun thousands of miles away, and he instructed the children: "Find a way to bring some dried green beans to Mr. Zhou, he is a good person." ”
However, at this time, Lu Xun's health was not good, and shortly after The death of Lu Tu, Lu Xun also died of illness in the same year.
(Photo of Lu Xun's death memorial service)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" >5, descendants of leap soil</h1>
After Yan Tu's death, his eldest son Qi Sheng picked up the girder of the family. According to the recollection of Zhang Ahua, the fifth sister of Qisheng, the eldest brother is a skillful person like his father, Yan Tu, and every time he engages in activities in the village, he picks a big beam.
However, Qisheng's fate was also tragic, he was infected with the plague in 1940 and unfortunately died at the age of 36.
The experiences of other children in The Land are not recorded in detail, but in the general environment at that time, it was a happy thing to be able to be clothed and fed, and to be a stable flat-headed people.
(Children of poor families in the old society)
Qisheng, who died early, left two sons, the younger son was named Zhang Gui, who was only three years old when he died, and could only be fostered to the family of his own relatives.
Just when everyone would think that Zhang Gui would live a life that could be seen at a glance, his fate took a huge turn, that is, the founding of New China!
After liberation, Zhang Gui walked out of the sea of suffering, and he was inspired to become a useful person for the country, so he attended a literacy school, sold his cotton pants belt, and used the money to buy books.
Zhang Gui worked in the field during the day, went to crash courses at night to read, in order to be able to remember the things he studied, Zhang Gui was very hard, he read during the day, read at night, read in class, read after class, sometimes his throat was dumb, but his heart was very sweet.
(Old photo of Zhang Gui when he was studying)
In February 1954, the assiduous Zhang Gui was favored by the party organization and was arranged to work at the Lu Xun Memorial Hall, and he immediately signed up for the night school for employees and began a more systematic and formal study.
Zhang Gui studied like a thirst, read books like crazy, he read many famous books in ancient and modern China and abroad, and also conscientiously studied Lu Xun's articles, striving to achieve the level of excellence and living up to the tasks assigned by the organization.
In 1982, Zhang Gui was promoted to deputy director of the Lu Xun Memorial Hall in Shaoxing, and retired in 1993. After retirement, Zhang Gui still strives for his job and continues to contribute to society.
(Zhang Gui's photo, mental state is very good)
When talking about his current life, Zhang Gui said contentedly: "I am living very well now, I have a son and a daughter, my son works in Shaoxing Elastic Silk Factory, my daughter is engaged in preschool education, and now my grandchildren are 19 years old."
Compared with my grandfather and father, I now live a life like heaven. My hometown has also changed dramatically, and my uncles have also lived a good life and become rich Chinese farmers.
Our relationship with the Zhou family is still very close, I and Zhou Haiying (Lu Xun's son) often exchange letters, as long as they return to Shaoxing, we are like a reunited family, when I go to Beijing, I must also go to the Zhou family, we are really called the world!
I also want my children and grandchildren to continue to associate with Zhou Haiying's descendants, why? This is called a deep love, a long history! ”
Conclusion: The class that cannot be crossed by the generation of Yan Tu and Lu Xun no longer exists, Zhang Gui will not call Zhou Hainian "Old Master", they are all equal citizens, they can be intimate, they can speak freely, and they no longer need to be subjected to any worldly resistance.
Looking back on Yan Tu's life, his experience is poignant, but this is not an isolated case, in old China, there are thousands of such examples.
Only by understanding the suffering of their experiences can we understand the surprise when Lu Xun and Yan Tu reunited for the last time, and only by understanding the aging and numbing Yan Tu can we understand the era when people's livelihood was difficult, fortunately, that era has gone forever, and I sincerely hope that those things will never happen again.