In 2003, my dad and his comrades-in-arms went to Tianjin to work.
Working on a small construction site, wages are not paid monthly, but are paid according to the hours worked, and are paid by the contractor.
My dad has been working there for over a year now.
Usually, he and his comrades-in-arms would go home every two or three months and receive the corresponding salary.
However, in the autumn of '03, near the Mid-Autumn Festival, his comrades-in-arms suddenly told him that there was an elderly person at home who was sick and needed to go home to take care of him.
My dad thought about working a few more days and coming back after the holidays.
So they split their trips.
I was going to school and needed some money. So my dad found the foreman and received the three months' salary he had accumulated before, which was about 4,000 yuan.
By the way, he asked his comrades to take it home for us. This comrade-in-arms is from the same town as us, but his home is in a village quite far away.
My dad called my mom and told her that her comrades had brought her back the salary. More than 4,000 yuan, remember to save it after you get it.
Usually when my dad is not at home, my dad and this comrade-in-arms don't see much often. Because this comrade-in-arms has been working in our county since he was discharged from the army, he rarely comes to our house.
Later, at a gathering of comrades-in-arms, others talked about the high wages in Tianjin, but it was far from home.
So my dad and this comrade-in-arms discussed it and decided to go to Tianjin to work together.
My mom was still a little worried, worried about what would happen if the money was lost or he didn't send it back when he came back
My dad was very generous, saying that this was impossible, they were all comrades-in-arms, and they knew each other's roots, how could he not pay it back?
Although my mom was a little worried, it was here and there was no way to change it. Because this comrade-in-arms has already left by train.
At that time, more than 4,000 yuan was not a small amount.
In our county, the average factory worker's monthly salary is only six or seven hundred yuan.
To get back to us from Tianjin, you need to take the green train, which takes about nine hours.
My dad often rides this train and is very accurate about the time of the ride.
At ten o'clock in the evening, we set off from Tianjin and galloped all the way until the early morning of the next day, at about seven or eight o'clock, and someone should have sent the promised money.
He affirmatively claimed in ** that the money would arrive on time with his comrades at noon the next day. He specially told his comrades-in-arms that when they returned home, they must deliver their wages to my home as soon as possible.
However, anxiously, after waiting all day, until it was getting dark, the man did not show up. At this time, mobile phones were not as popular as they are now, and my family only had a fixed **, while my father's comrades-in-arms did not have this kind of device.
When dinner was about to be eaten, my dad called home using public ** and asked if the money had been received
My mother was so anxious that she worried about it all day, and she didn't even bother to prepare dinner, so she had to hurriedly reheat the leftover meal from noon.
At that time, I was still a high school child, lacking mature thinking, and when I came home and saw that dinner was not to my liking, I actually blamed my mother. However, she just ignored my complaints and sat silently at the door, looking forward to the arrival of her comrades.
Suddenly, the ** bell rang, and she rushed into the house quickly, hearing her somewhat excited voice: "No, no!."What should I do if no one comes all day?How do you act like a child!What if I lose my money?"* On the other hand, she kept complaining about my dad.
However, the call was very short, **After hanging up, my mother sat silently in the chair and didn't say a word, and she was unmoved when I called her to eat.
After a while, the ** sounded again, and it was my dad calling again. I quickly walked over and listened close to my mother's ear.
My dad comforted: "Don't worry, I asked a person in their village just now, and he said that it was because his mother was sick and hospitalized, and he would send it over as soon as he was done." Mom anxiously asked, "Is it reliable?"Don't use our money for medical treatment. My dad smiled and replied, "He himself is paid, so it is impossible to use our money." I knew him in the army, and he was reliable, and there would be no problems. ”
* After hanging up, Mom finally breathed a sigh of relief and started eating as well. However, the next day, Dad's comrade-in-arms still did not fulfill his promise.
Four or five days passed from this episode, but the man still did not appear.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just a week away!
My dad suddenly came back from Tianjin a week early.
We originally planned for him to come back on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, but he showed up at the door at 6 o'clock in the morning, and instead of taking the train, he took a logistics vehicle back with a delivery truck arranged by the contractor.
When Dad got home, he quickly washed his face, and then told Mom that someone in the village was looking for him, saying that his comrade-in-arms was missing.
Mom was preparing breakfast when the spoon in her hand fell to the floor, she paused for a few seconds, and then angrily complained to Dad: "I said it earlier!".Can't you have told me sooner?What now?4000 yuan ......She was visibly shaking as she spoke.
Dad was silent for a while, then picked up the keys to the motorcycle and went out, not even eating breakfast.
Our family became distraught.
After Dad left, Mom was not in the mood to continue cooking, so she sat by the kang alone and sighed.
I scooped up a bowl of rice porridge myself, ate breakfast with pickles and steamed buns and hurried to school.
I didn't have the heart to listen to the morning class, and my mind kept circling whether my father would get the money back.
After all, that's not a small amount.
I remember when I was a kid, I liked to buy pirated tapes for only 2 yuan each.
More than 4,000 yuan is enough to buy 2,000 tapes!
You can't buy so many tapes at the small shop that sells tapes in front of the school!
Looking forward to after school, I can't wait to go home to see if my dad has succeeded in getting that money back.
I hope our family can happily get together and enjoy a pleasant lunch.
After school, I hurried home, filled with unease. But when I saw from afar that my father's motorcycle was not parked in front of my house, a sense of foreboding arose.
When I walked in the house and found that my mother hadn't started cooking the dumplings she had wrapped, I froze at the kitchen door, at a loss for a moment.
Is Dad back?I couldn't help but ask.
Mom shook her head, worried.
Suddenly, the sound of an engine could be heard in the distance, and the familiar sound of a 125 motorcycle starting echoed in my ears, and I couldn't wait to run out to meet my dad as he came home.
Dad, are you back?I asked anxiously.
Dad shook his head silently and walked straight into the house, ignoring me.
Mom also stood up, her voice low and full of disappointment: "How's the situation?".”
Dad still shook his head and said in a heavy tone, "I can't find anyone." ”
At dinner, I learned that my father was looking for his comrades-in-arms, and I only met the mothers of my comrades-in-arms.
The person is gone and goes to work. The old man said.
Dad asked confusedly, "Isn't it to take care of your illness?"”
The old man replied with a wry smile: "It's not a serious illness, I left the night I came out of the hospital." ”
Dad was a little dazed.
He immediately rode to his comrade's house, but saw his comrade's wife home alone. Because my father had been there a few times before, I was a little familiar with her.
Dad asked her bluntly, "Where did the people go?".They also took more than 4,000 yuan from me!”
She shook her head innocently to indicate that she didn't know, and said, "I don't know, and I don't know where he went when he's gone." ”
Dad said anxiously: "Since you are husband and wife, you have to pay back the money for him!".”
However, the woman ignored it and said loudly: "I haven't seen that money, and he didn't give me a cent when he came back, why should I give it to you!."”
Picked up a broom and kicked my dad out.
Real men don't quarrel with women.
My dad couldn't hold his face, and despite the anger in his heart, he had to leave in disgrace.
As soon as he walked out of the door, my father was a little unwilling, so he rode a motorcycle to the house of the brigade secretary in their village.
However, his disappointment was even more profound.
My dad's last glimmer of hope was directly destroyed.
The secretary of the brigade said that the man had fled with another young village girl.
During the meal, my dad only ate two dumplings and was focused on drinking and smoking.
After listening to this, my mother kept complaining, accusing my dad of being unreliable, and scolding that person for being ruthless.
The lunch that day made me feel depressed.
After eating, my dad didn't rest and rode directly to his comrade's house on a motorcycle.
I didn't come back until after ten o'clock in the evening.
He said he hoped the man would sneak home.
And so the days passed.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, my dad went to Tianjin again.
Instead of going to work, I quit my job and took the rest of my salary by the way.
After that, my dad never went to work far away because he always had to go to his comrades' houses every once in a while.
The matter slowly faded away.
Whenever the family needed money, my mom would complain.
But as time passed, her resentment and distress at the beginning gradually evolved into an inconsequential household affair.
For more than ten years, my dad's comrade-in-arms has never returned.
Until his mother's death, there was no trace of him.
His wife had long since left and remarried with her children.
This summer, I took my family back to my hometown to stay. The fresh air and relatively cool temperatures in the countryside made us feel comfortable and pleasant.
One evening, we were enjoying dinner under the grape trellis in the yard when suddenly a dark figure appeared at the door. We were chatting so engrossively that we didn't notice.
Until my son shouted, "Grandpa, who is that?"."We just turned our eyes to that corner.
As the sky darkens, a person bends over and stands there quietly, neither advancing nor retreating, as if a frozen picture.
My dad thought it was a beggar and muttered, "There are still people coming out to ask for food," and was ready to go up and find out. And my son followed him curiously.
Suddenly, my dad scolded and said, "Why are you here?"."I realized something might be wrong and ran over quickly.
The man had dropped his cane and was kneeling in front of my dad, his face stained with tears, wearing a shabby gray long-sleeved shirt with an old travel bag beside him.
Although I didn't know him, listening to my dad, I understood that he was my dad's comrade-in-arms. Although there may be some resentment in my heart, after so many years, the anger has subsided.
My dad picked him up, asked him if he was eating, and invited him into the house for dinner.
However, his appearance surprised my mother, claiming that he still had the face to come back and disappeared with our family's money 20 years ago. She scolded him: Have you paid back the money?
He wiped his tears and sighed deeply: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for you. ”
My wife hurriedly handed over a pair of chopsticks, and my dad poured a glass of wine.
He seemed to be very hungry, and directly picked up a piece of shredded meat and put it into his mouth, looking hungry.
My mom secretly glared at my dad, apparently blaming him for bringing this man home for dinner.
My father drank unconcernedly, casually talking about his wanderings over the years.
Gradually, I learned that he had eloped away from home with another woman, first to Yantai and then to Jiangsu to make a living.
In the first few years, he made a lot of money and bought a property. But tragedy struck, when he and the daughter he was raising by the woman drowned in an accident at the age of three.
The tragedy left his wife insane, unable to take care of herself, wandering around all day and eventually disappearing, and we don't know where she went.
After this, the father began to drink excessively and became addicted to gambling. Around 2015, he lost all his properties and was beaten to a leg injury.
That night, listening to him tell the story, I always felt like a fabricated story, a lie. But looking at his decadent appearance, I felt great pity for him.
At this time, my mother cooked a total of four dishes: stir-fried shredded pork with celery, scrambled eggs with leeks, cucumber patting, and braised eggplant. Although his mother had made these delicacies for him, his father devoured them like a hungry beast and gulped down half a pound of wine.
The mother kept coughing, trying to remind the father to talk about something serious, even mentioning the more than 4,000 yuan, but he just sighed, did not respond at all, and continued to talk about his tragic past.
It was nearly 9 p.m., and there was silence in the village, except for the occasional dog barking or two.
My wife and children were already back in the house, ready to wash up and go to sleep.
My mother winked at me, reminding me to concentrate on what was in front of me.
I immediately picked up a cigarette and said calmly, "Uncle, please don't divert the topic." You took my father's salary, totaling more than 4,000 yuan, and then disappeared for 20 years. You should pay off this account. ”
He suddenly showed a sad expression, and his eyes glistened with tears.
He said, "Nephew, this is the bag I am carrying." If you can find the money, take it. ”
With that, he shoved a worn-out duffel bag at my feet.
This annoys me a bit.
What made me even more angry was that he acted like a scoundrel.
So I no longer had any scruples, raised my voice and scolded: "Why are you here without money?"Want to eat and drink for nothing?You're so cheeky!There is no shame at all. ”
My father coughed lightly and reminded me to be polite.
But the scene at that time made me emotionally uncontrollable.
Don't say you owe me money, you have disappeared for 20 years, not only do you not pay back the money, but you also come to eat at this time, what the hell are you!
I said sternly, "You have to pay it back tonight!."I don't care if you have it or not!”
He touched a cigarette, lit it unhurriedly, and said, "I really don't have any money, and I would have returned it to you a long time ago if I had money......."Look at me now, do you think I look like a rich man?I owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in the south, and I can't help ...... come back”
As he spoke, his eyes fixed on the empty plate on the table.
It seems that he has not eaten enough.
I hurriedly walked back to my room, took out a pen and paper, and said, "If you don't have any money, write an IOU." ”
He looked up at me, grimaced, and asked, "Is it really necessary?"I'm bad enough right now. ”
I replied mercilessly, "I don't care what you do now, it's good to be able to give you a meal." If you still have a little humanity, write down an IOU. ”
My mother muttered, urging him to write it down quickly.
He sighed deeply, hesitated for a moment, and tremblingly picked up his pen and wrote down an IOU.
After he finished writing, he looked at my father with a helpless expression and asked, "Big brother, can you spend the night at your house tonight?"My previous house was sold by my ex-wife, and my mother's house collapsed due to disrepair......”
My father sighed, and before he could reply, I waved my hand and said, "Impossible." Go find your relatives and friends yourself. ”
He ignored my presence, snuffed out his cigarette, didn't talk to me, just turned to my dad and said, "Brother, you have always been a good person, can you lend me some money?"I need to find a small hotel ......”
Before he could finish speaking, I was so angry that I was about to **, and suddenly stood up and pointed at him and scolded him loudly: "Get out!."Get out of here!”
Despite his reluctance, I rushed forward, grabbed his worn-out bag, and threw it out the door.
Perhaps seeing my anger, he quickly stood up and staggered out.
My dad was about to send him, but I held him tightly.
I really don't understand how a person can be so cheeky.
People, there are those who are not afraid of the soft and the hard, but of those who are scoundrels and domineering.
As soon as he stepped out of the door, I locked it.
My mom sighed: "There is no hope for the money to be borrowed now." ”
My dad didn't think so: "Not necessarily, after all, we have an IOU." ”
My mom raised her head and glared at him, and said in a resolute tone, "What if you have an IOU?"He wandered around, didn't even have a fixed place to live, and asked him for money to go to **?You used to be confused, and now you don't necessarily have much ...... smart”
She wanted to continue complaining, but I waved my hand and said, "Forget it, it's so late, let's all wash and sleep." ”
Lying on the bed, I thought to myself, if that old comrade-in-arms hadn't shown up tonight, maybe we had forgotten about it.
But he disappeared for 20 damn years and suddenly reappeared, and once again disturbed our home...... peace