Author: Lai Wei Shu.
The educated youth have lived for four years, and the most impressive thing is the kerosene lamp.
In the early 70s, there were almost no electric lights in Chongqing's rural areas, and even if there were diesel-powered electric lights in the town, they were still flickering because the load was too heavy and the voltage was low, and the 60-watt bulb was not as bright as the current 3-watt.
In the countryside, not only do not have electric lights, most rural families are still using vegetable oil lamps for lighting, and kerosene lighting is also very economical, and the lights are generally only lit for about an hour at night, mainly used for eating and drinking. For example, there are more bachelors than others, because one person is also called a household, and I remember that there is a discount for educated youth, 250 grams per person per month, that is, half a catty of kerosene.
My two small huts were equipped with three kerosene lamps and one portable lantern for going out. The other two kerosene lamps, one tall and one short, are extremely simple for indoor use. Modern people don't understand kerosene lamps, here is a brief description of it, kerosene lamps are generally made of ink bottles or glass bottles, on the plastic bottle cap with a carpentry hand drill drill a small hole of 4 5 mm, and then use a very thin iron pole to wear in the small hole, the lamp pole is made of cotton thread as a wick, a kerosene lamp is made.
At that time, the countryside was dark at night, only the light of the moon and stars in the sky, and the villagers at that time rarely visited the door at night, only the sound of frogs and crickets in the fields and soil was heard, and occasionally a flashlight beam was seen, which immediately caused a few distant dog barks, and the mountain village was really quiet.
Going to the mountains and going to the countryside is a complete physical overload for me. After a day's work, dragging my tired body, back to the small thatched hut, the matches were drawn, the kerosene lamp was lit, on the earthy yellow wall of the small thatched hut, my lonely figure faintly appeared, I was already very hungry at the moment, the kerosene lamp was brought to the earthen stove, the firewood for two minutes, the leftovers from the hot noon, let the kerosene lamp watch my tiger eat wolf's supper (the locals call dinner supper).
There are no lights and **, no mobile phones and WeChat, and no TV and radio. At this moment, the kerosene lamp, I saw you burning quietly, and I, too, am lonely with you to think, long night, only with you as a companion, looking at your faint light, my lonely heart, in the flickering light, bear endless torment.
The space is empty, the quiet at night is really a bit timid, in the face of the empty small hut, simply come to entertain yourself, to the kerosene lamp, hum a song of the wild geese flying away, come to a beautiful Havana, in order to strengthen a strong self-confidence, mention the liver and gallbladder, and drive away the lonely time. At this moment, the kerosene lamp, the light and I, helpless to the boredom, although the two sides are speechless, but they rely on each other tightly, I will light you, you make me proud. Because at night, we are within reach, and we are silently praying to each other all the time, you are afraid that I will destroy you, and I am afraid that you will bring the night.
Although the kerosene lamp in winter has a poignant feeling, it still has a faint warmth;And the kerosene lamp in summer feels brighter than in winter, and it can also make people think and reverie more.
I remember that in the summer of the fourth year of going to the countryside, Su Rumei, a neighborhood girl who has grown up in the village, came to my oil lamp, when she first went to the countryside, she was still a 14-year-old girl, and now she is a big girl who graduated from high school. We used to learn Xi together under the oil lamp, her mathematics is better than mine, and the trigonometric functions she talked about are really a bit of a trick, she said, hook three strands, four strings, five, hook flat plus strands equal to string flat, equivalent to father and mother equal to their children, after speaking, the face is slightly green and red, a girl is good. Her beautiful long hair always appeared in front of me after washing, and she wore her white hands on her head to look so beautiful and generous, because of her beauty, she confidently walked to my thatched house, and she bravely came to my kerosene lamp with that girlish heart, and did not say anything, what she wanted to say, what she said, we did not know each other. A voice from her mother"Such as sister"The sound of a call interrupted the affectionate embrace between us.
At this moment, at night, the kerosene lamp illuminates my blazing chest, and the light reflects a strong man who is boiling enthusiastically on the earthen wall. Although you are gone, it feels like you are still in my arms.
Kerosene lamp, although you have brought me so much joy and hope, there have been a few times when it has not been good. I remember one time, I worked hard to cook a pot of red summer rice, and accidentally bumped into you, but you didn't care, jumped into the boiling sea of rice alone, a pot of good rice, and had to let you distribute it alone. There is also a night, in the middle of the night, I want to touch the match on the cabinet to illuminate you, but I accidentally hit your waist, but you don't cling to it, you can't get up in the cabinet, you just leak the kerosene inside, the rice in the coffin, all stained with your taste, the chicken eats the rice, and the chicken soup also shows your domineering. You really can't afford to mess with it, dear kerosene lamp, from now on I will be careful everywhere, hand in hand with you, care for each other, let us spend that long time in obscurity.
Suddenly one day, the buds of the kerosene lamp were blooming, and you told me that this was the joy of the lamp, an auspicious omen, and a sign that the friend of the lamp was about to fly and start, so you said, "Let's dance all night tonight, let us both get drunk tonight."
The bitter four years of educated youth life are still rippling in my thoughts, such as my sister's lovely face, maybe it is the regret of this life. Kerosene lamp, you have reflected the figure of our common study and Xi, and you have accompanied me through many sleepless nights, you have seen my sorrow and pain, and you have witnessed my joy and laughter.
Kerosene lamps, although the times have also made you far away, your children and grandchildren electric lights and neon lights are already advertising for you. You are a pioneer of illumination, you are a symbol of the times, you are a partner in my years, I have friends with you in difficult years, you make me remember the beauty of that time.
Kerosene lamp, you shine forever in my heart!!