A century of poverty

Chapter 83 Dream of Homeland

My fourth sister got married and left, leaving behind my grandmother, father, second brother, younger brother, and me. My younger brother went to Liuhe Middle School, and my father bought him an old bicycle. Foreign languages ​​started being introduced in the curriculum, but my younger brother wasn't interested in textbooks; he loved bicycles. Several years ago, he started making little carts out of bearings and wooden sticks, pushing them to gather firewood. This influenced Xiaoqian, and even the little boy in Aunt Liu's family made such carts to push. Even a girl named Jiang Hong made one to push to gather firewood. We often went in groups of three or five to gather firewood around the ditch.

He added, "When I grow up, I will build cars so that people don't have to carry things on their backs. If there's anything we need to transport home, we can use cars to bring it back. For long distances, I will build airplanes to transport goods from the south."

"You're getting more and more capable; you can even build airplanes?"

He said, "Why not? It's just mechanical power. If you're willing to do it, there's nothing you can't do."

Although I was hospitalized for treatment, my leg ailment was not completely cured; I was only able to manage it with medications such as dexamethasone and phenylbutazone.

A large, shiny blister formed inside my right heel from being shoved up in my boot. I didn't dare lift the shoe, but I endured it and persisted in working in the fields every day to earn points. That summer, after weeding, I told my father, "I miss the prison so much. I miss my second sister and my eldest sister." My father felt pity for me and agreed to let me go back for a visit, giving me travel expenses.

I only have enough money for the round-trip fare; I don't have any money to buy gifts for my second sister's and eldest sister's children.

On the third day after arriving in Guanli, after breakfast, I sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) at my second sister's house, looking out because my feet hurt. Suddenly, my younger brother, wearing the apricot-yellow sweater I had given him with frayed shoulders, pushed his old bicycle through the gate. I was surprised: Little brother, an old bicycle, he rode here on a bicycle? My second sister, who was tidying up in the outer room, also saw him and went out to greet him, saying, "How did you get here? You're pushing a broken-down bike, you rode a bicycle?" Then the two of them went inside. My younger brother didn't seem happy to see me; his mood remained heavy. My second sister and I also felt no joy at the reunion. My younger brother, only fifteen years old (by Chinese reckoning), had ridden alone on a broken bicycle, traveling seven or eight hundred li (approximately 350-400 kilometers) from Jinhai to Guanli; he must have experienced something extraordinary.

My second sister, still concerned, continued to ask, "Why did you come all by yourself on that beat-up bicycle? How did you find your way here?"

The younger brother sat down and settled for a moment before saying, "I got into a fight with Dad."

I asked, "How many days have you been out?"

Younger brother: "Two days and two nights."

"You had no money, how did you survive the past two days and two nights?"

The younger brother said, "On my first day out, I picked up a bunch of chives at the edge of a ditch, sold them in Beizhen town for two yuan, bought some food, and slept under a wall that night. I didn't know what time I woke up and kept riding. When I got to Jinzhou, I bought some more food, and when it got dark, I lay down under a big bridge and fell asleep. I didn't know what time I woke up, got up and kept riding. When I passed a ravine, two big wolves were fighting." The second sister interjected, "Oh my! How scary that must have been!" The younger brother continued without pausing, "Last night when I got to Shimen, my bike broke down and I couldn't ride anymore, so I dozed off under a wall until dawn. This morning I got up and pushed my bike this way."

I asked, "Wow—it's so far away, how did you find it?"

Younger brother: "The railway line isn't far away, and there's a highway next to it, sometimes far, sometimes near. I always just follow the highway when I see the train moving."

Second sister: "You're really something."

At this point, my second sister and I knew that our brother had made a relatively safe journey. We didn't ask any more questions because my second sister and I knew how stubborn our father was.

From the moment we saw our little brother, covered in dust and dirt, entering the yard with his head down, our hearts were overwhelmed with sorrow. It was astonishing that a teenager, penniless, would ride such a long way back alone on a beat-up bicycle. Tears of grief and sorrow flowed from our hearts and eyes; no one spoke, letting the tears flow freely, everything understood without words.

After calming down, I said to my second sister, "It seems I can't stay long. I was planning to stay at your and my eldest sister's house for a few days before going back. He can rest today, visit my eldest sister's house tomorrow, and then go back."

The second sister covered her face with a handkerchief and cried out, "Who's pitiful? You two are the only ones who are young. You've lost your mother and have no one to care for you. And my older sister and I live far away, so we can't take care of you..."

We cried for a while longer. My second sister got up: "I'll go cook. After we eat, I'll take you two along the East River to Zhangzhuangtuo to take a look. The houses collapsed in the earthquake, but they've been rebuilt. Zhangzhuangtuo isn't the same as when you left. The big, steep hill-like mound of earth on Xiaoyao is gone. People used to go there to haul soil for building houses..."

In the afternoon, we went along the East River to Beidang Street and Beigou. Just as my second sister had said, we didn't go far because my feet hurt. The next day, my second sister got up early to cook and help her husband go to the fields. After the three children went to school, she took my younger brother and me to my eldest sister's house.

The road was still flat and wide. The two large walnut trees on the left side of the hill at Zhaozhuangtuo, where we used to rest while foraging for wild vegetables, were still there. The pine trees on the north mountain of Zhaozhuangtuo on the right were still as tall as ever. Ahead, a magnificent canal stretched across from Wujiafen Mountain in Zhangzhuangtuo to the north mountain of Zhaozhuangtuo.

"This is the irrigation canal that the commune built on the left bank of the Luan River when you left. It wasn't built this far back then," the second sister said, pointing to the canal.

Leaving the western part of Shaguiyu Gully, crossing a stream paved with stones, and climbing uphill step by step, you arrive at Diaoyutai Village at the foot of the mountain. The village, nestled against the mountain and facing the Luan River, is visible from the roadside as the river flows just below. Tall rows of poplar trees line the riverbank, meandering with its flow; on the opposite bank, undulating hills are lush and verdant, covered with crops. Below, gray rocks meet the clear water, like the foundation stones supporting the crops, firmly holding the small hills adorned with crops.

The older sister was also surprised by our arrival and learned what had happened. After lunch, she led us to the main gate and pointed to a huge rock at the bend of the Diluan River, saying, "Look, isn't that the 'Club Rock'? It's stood there for so many years, but an earthquake broke off a section of it..."

I looked in the direction she was pointing and could see the Bangchui Stone standing alone facing the river, with a mountain not far behind it. The older sister continued, "To the south of the mountain is Hezuo Village. Behind the Bangchui Stone, there is a small path. Looking down, you can see the turbulent Luan River, which is very dangerous, but no one from Hezuo Village has ever fallen into it from this path."

Opposite Bangchui Stone is a large stretch of sandy beach on the west bank of the river. On the low hill connected to the beach is Huishizhuang, which is under the jurisdiction of Luan County.

"Oh! Oh!" Suddenly, someone on the beach put their hand to their mouth like a megaphone and shouted.

Hey, what are they shouting over there?

The eldest sister said, "We're arranging the ferry crossing. People from this village have to take a boat to go to the market on the west bank of the river, both ways."

"Oh!" We looked at the river, and after a while, we saw a small wooden boat slowly drifting towards the opposite bank.

The eldest sister turned around and looked at the high mountain peak behind the village, saying, "This mountain is called Niangniang Temple, and it's the highest mountain for dozens of miles around. Legend has it that a goddess once lived here, and you can still see the remnants of the stone house and well. On a smooth, large rock next to the well, there's even a footprint left by the goddess..."

We looked up at the mountain behind us, where the brown, rocky peaks and the sharp, jagged rock formations were set against the blue sky.

The older sister pointed to the path in front of the door and said, "If you follow this path to Tayu and look west across the river, there's another beautiful view. There's a mountain there, with the Luan River flowing around it. On the top of the mountain grow three ancient pine trees, each several hundred years old, each more than an arm's length thick. Legend has it that there used to be a temple on that mountain, where many monks lived..."

I asked, "That mountain is in the middle of the water, how do people get in and out?"

Eldest sister: "Boating? Aren't there boats?"

"Oh, I forgot about the boat."

The older sister told us with great interest. This place is rich in resources and has beautiful scenery.

She deeply loved the village where she lived on the banks of the Luan River.

It's a pity I came all this way, but couldn't go sightseeing. It's a real shame; I could only admire the beautiful scenery from afar this time. Next time, when my legs are stronger, I'll definitely experience it in person.

We didn't have many days at home. When Wang Fa returned from Li Kongzhi's house, he brought a message to our house: "Uncle, Kongzhi said that his second brother, Li Kongjue, is building a house and wants you to go and help out for a few days."

Father took his bricklayer's tools and went to Li Kongjue's house in Jinhai City. He returned more than ten days later with an old cloth bag. He placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed) and opened it, finding two old clothes that had been worn by girls.

Father said, "This was brought by Li Kongjue's family for you to change into."

Just then, Kou Xueli came in from outside: "Uncle Zhang, I'd like to come to your house to get some water. Why is the water from my tap so murky?" He put the bucket on the floor of the outer room and came in to sit by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

A few days ago, the village was finally fitted with running water, so we no longer have to drink water from the ditch.

Coincidentally, Fourth Sister also came in from outside. As soon as she entered the room, Kou Xueli said, "What's wrong with Fourth Sister? You're already being mistreated right after getting married?"

Fourth Sister didn't respond, pretending not to hear, and came over to look at the old clothes on the kang (heated brick bed).

After Kou Xueli left, I asked, "Is what Xiao Kou said true?"

Fourth Sister replied, "Don't listen to her nonsense. She's a notorious scoundrel."

The matter was dropped, and no one pursued it further or took it to heart. Because Kou Xueli was a popular figure in the village, most of the young people called him brother-in-law, and Kou himself loved to tell jokes and say things that didn't make sense.

His words are indeed credible or not.