When I was about to finish my second grade, a classmate named Zhou Xueliang in my class was running over to death by a speeding car while crossing the street. It was time to go to school in the afternoon, and a large group of our young classmates went home for lunch and went to school together. We walked on a road leading to the newly opened road in Jinpenling, which was an asphalt road that we had to take to and from school. I still remember that the road was in the summer, and we had to walk quickly because of the sun, because we would be embarrassed and annoyed by the tar that had been sunburned somewhere. But children are lively and naughty by nature, and like to chase and fight, so there are often some classmates who step on the black, stinky asphalt without paying attention. Even if you rub and rub left on the sand on the side of the road, the nasty asphalt on the soles of your shoes is difficult to clean.
That day, we were walking on the left side of the road, and a young classmate was happy to walk on the soft asphalt road, and he accidentally stepped on the asphalt. So he ran down the asphalt and ran to the side of the gravel to beat his shoes. At this time, Zhou Xueliang from our class saw us on the other side of the road, and he shouted at us loudly while running quickly across the asphalt road towards us. Maybe he also stepped on the sun-dried asphalt and ran slowly for a while, or maybe the car had resistance on the soft asphalt road at noon and increased its horsepower and rushed forward. A shrill brake sound came harshly, and we didn't see Zhou Xueliang running over, only Zhou Xueliang who was knocked to the ground and lying in blood.
A fresh life, a little friend in the same class, passed away under our noses, and our classmates were frightened and terrified. In the days that followed, the campus and classes were talking in horror about Zhou Xueliang being run over by a car. The title that Mr. Jiang assigned us to write the weekly diary was also "The Lesson of Blood", four big characters that were a little scary. Parents were also vigilant, and Tuntun warned us not to cross the road, not to take the asphalt road in the middle, but to use the sidewalks on both sides of the gravel road.
In the days when Zhou Xueliang was hit and killed by a car, the school's principal Li always had to speak at the end of the school's collective radio drill. She reiterated the importance of safety more than once and warned students to stay safe. After that, each class formed a road team, and at the end of school, the team should be formed, the number of people should be counted, and then the teacher on duty will be responsible for sending them out of the school. In those days, some public security personnel often came to the school to call the witnesses who killed Zhou Xueliang to the office for questioning. I was called in for questioning, and of course we all told us exactly what we saw. In short, Zhou Xueliang's death after being hit by a car had a great impact on the school, and the aftermath lasted for a long time. More than 60 years have passed since this incident, and I still remember it vividly, and many of the details are still fresh in my mind. Sometimes when I think of this, Zhou Xueliang, who is black and chubby, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, is not very tall and laughs all day long is still fixed in his mind and stands in front of him.
Zhou Xueliang's matter also made the senior students explore a new path from Xinkaipu to Jinpenling, which is really worthy of the emperor's wishes, and they really explored a mountain road from the school to bypass the Xinsheng Machinery Factory. From the playground on the north side of the school, there is a short slope, and then I walk along the high fence of the Xinsheng Machinery Factory around the factory gate to the mountain. This mountain road is winding and winding, climbing down the ridge, and it is not easy to walk. But at least there are no cars on this mountain road, it is safe and closer than the asphalt road, so most of our students who live in Jinpenling or the first line to the east of Jinpenling like to walk this mountain road together.
The hawthorns and weeds on both sides of this path are very lush, and we are a little scared, not to mention that we also saw the People's Liberation Army with guns on the road supervising the ** criminals working on the side of the mountain in the distance, so two or three of us still dare not take this mountain road. Later, this mountain road became familiar and Xi, and we all liked to walk this road. Even if a person is a little timid, walking on this high mountain road and seeing the asphalt road where cars shuttle to the west, he feels a sense of security in his heart. Especially after school in the afternoon, walking on this mountain road to see the sunset on the other side of the mountain, the sunset is like fire, the Xiangjiang River goes north, the beautiful scene of the sails passing away, the heart is happy, the footsteps are hurried, and I will soon arrive home.
Due to the nature of my mother's work, I played more with Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun from the technical school. My mother's cafeteria often had a break of nearly two hours from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., during which time lunch was held, the laundry was done, and the preparations for dinner were done. In just two hours, my mother couldn't go home to tidy up the housework, so she took a nap. From 4 a.m. to 2 p.m., my mother and her colleagues had been working intensely for almost six hours, finishing the morning and lunch meals of all the teachers and students in the school. After a short rest, my mother would wash and dry the clothes that my siblings had changed the night before, which she had brought from home. or dismantle and sew the clothes that have been washed, or put the soles of the shoes. In short, the mother has never been idle, and she does not dare to be idle, how dare she slack off when the family lives a few people, not to mention that the mother always thinks that although her children are dressed in old clothes, they will not be tattered and dirty.
The suffering of children and mothers has long been lost in today's families, but it was still extremely profound in the fifties and sixties. At that time, we were in the lower grades, and school ended early before 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm going to go to the technical school and take home the clothes that my mother has washed and sewed for our siblings, or we won't have a change of clothes in the evening shower. Every time Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun and I returned to the technical school after school, we would finish our simple homework on the dining table in the school cafeteria, and then play for a while, and then I would carry my mother's washed and sewn clothes home.
Although the technical school is only separated by a wall from the electric power college, it takes a lot of effort to walk, you have to get out of the school gate of the technical school, then turn left and walk along an asphalt road from Jinpenling to Zuojiatang to the electric power college, enter the gate, and then return home. In this way, there are two or three miles of winding and winding, to say the least. Later, Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun helped me think of a way, climb the wall, and take a shortcut for half a mile. Xiao Niangao said to me: "Qi Hongrun, the clothes in your bag are not heavy, let's throw your clothes bag and schoolbag to the wall first, and then Feng Jinjun and I will ride you up the wall, and you can climb down the wall." ”
At the beginning, I was timid and afraid of falling, and Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun set an example a few times. Sure enough, it wasn't difficult for me to try, and the fence wasn't high, so even if I fell, my butt didn't hurt too much. In this way, I saved the time to walk and play with Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun for a while. Of course, I was silent about climbing the fence to get home. But once when he slipped down the wall, he did not stand firmly, and fell on the thorn tree by the wall, not to mention his clothes and trousers, and his hands and legs were broken by the thorns, and blood flowed. Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun heard my groans and cries, and they hurriedly climbed over the wall to comfort me and stop the bleeding with ashes for me. That night, my father asked me, and I had to tell the truth, and my father quickly found iodine wine and the like to scrub and medicate medicated medicated for me, and repeatedly told me: "It is better to walk ten miles than to take a risk!"”
Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun are both very enthusiastic and friendly friends, although their fathers are senior leaders of technical schools, but they have never been the slightest bit domineering. Especially Xiao Niangao, when he was the eldest son in the family and was taken by his father to live, and his mother and two younger siblings lived in the small county town of Shaoyang. He was the same as when I was taken in by my father, he was still very lonely, not to mention that his father was very busy with work. He often goes to the canteen to eat alone, stays at home alone to watch *** After his mother knew about his situation, she always took care of him as much as possible, and sometimes followed him to his house to help tidy up the housework and wash the dirty clothes that Xiao Niangao had changed. Moreover, Xiao Niangao had the same bedwetting problem as me, so his mother collected and steamed the pig urine bubbles that his father had prepared and the pig urine bubbles thrown away from the canteen for him to eat, and also cured him of bedwetting.
Bong Jinjun's family economy is not much better, he has two brothers, two younger sisters, and his brother and my younger sister are classmates. At that time, his mother worked in the assembly line of Changsha Huimin Battery Factory, not to mention the busy work, and she had to work shifts, so she had no time to take care of the family. His father was a schoolmaster, and Sven wore glasses, a scholar, and could not handle household chores. Later, because of my friendship with Bong Jinjun, my mother and his mother also got to know each other. My mother was a very virtuous person, and likewise, she took one day a week out of the afternoon, and spent two hours in the afternoon putting aside her own household affairs and going to his house with Bong to help organize their household chores. Feng Jinjun's mother was very grateful to my mother, and when she was not working shifts and had free time, she would also find opportunities to go to the school cafeteria to chat with my mother about family life, and they became friends as they came and went.
On this day, it was our turn to clean the classroom, wipe the blackboard, and tidy up the desks and chairs. Li Fen and I, Tao Xiaomao, Chen Yunan, and a male classmate named Yi Zhumou who lived not far from the school and another female classmate who was probably named He Lian were in a group, and the group leader was Tao Xiaomao. There are seven vertical rows in the class, each row has six desks and chairs, and after our four male students and two female students are assigned by Tao Xiaomao, four male students sweep the floor and tidy up the desks and chairs, and two female students wipe the blackboard to clean the lectern and wipe the desks. The two female classmates worked hard, and we four male classmates, Tao Xiaomao asked them to sweep two rows of the floor each, saying that I was too short to have the strength to sweep one line, but after sweeping, I had to assist the two girls to wipe the desks. We all had no opinions, and we all happily completed the tasks assigned by Tao Xiaomao.
When I was working hard, it was raining heavily again, what should I do, Chen Yunan and I didn't bring rain gear. At this time, Yi Zhumou said that it might rain a little later, and no matter what, the hygiene of the classroom should be done first. We sped up the process and the classroom was cleaned in a few moments. But the heavy rain had no intention of stopping, and it was already completely dark, and if you didn't go back, you wouldn't be able to see the road clearly. At this time, Yi Zhumou said that his house was not far from here, and the oil-paper umbrella he brought could be lent to me and Chen Henan to hold an umbrella and help him go home. He waited for the rain to light up, ran home in the rain, and went home to take a shower when he got wet anyway.
Chen Yunan and I thanked him for his kindness, and the two of us rushed into the rain with his oil-paper umbrella and walked home with Tao Xiaomao and Li Fen. The mountain road was crooked and muddy, Chen Henan was taller than me, he was holding a paper umbrella, I was holding the hem of his clothes, and we supported each other to walk hard. No matter how cold the autumn rain was and how slippery the road was, I took off a pair of shoes that didn't follow my feet early and led Chen Yunan barefoot. But not to mention the slippery road, the mud on the road was mixed with some sharp stones, and I wanted to bypass the stones while walking, which naturally caused Chen Yunan to travel difficult. He had to hold an umbrella and take care of me walking barefoot, and he gradually became a little unable to hold on. In order to keep me from getting wet, half of his shoulders were drenched. When I saw this, I said to him: "Chen Henan, you see that half of your shoulders are wet, you don't care about me, you can go ahead with an umbrella, I'm also wet anyway." If we do this again, we will both get drenched, so it's better to keep you alone and not get soaked in this half. Besides, there is wind and rain, and the umbrella is not easy to play, you see you are sweating. ”
Risky, Qi Ruddy, let's go slower, so let's hold hands. Chen Yunan stretched out his left hand to hold my right hand, and he smiled brightly, revealing two rows of white teeth. I was held by his left hand, and my heart warmed. This little classmate who usually doesn't smile and seems to be half a year younger than me, but is a little taller than me, is so kind and can take care of people. Although he is both my upstairs neighbor living in the same building and my classmate in the same group, we usually don't play together except for Xi, and not as much as I play with Xiao Niangao and Feng Jinjun.
Chen Yunan is usually quiet, and he doesn't seem to be active in class, he is thin and thin, speaks softly and elegantly, and speaks Wuhan dialect. His father worked as a leader at the college's power station, and his mother worked in the college's faculty cafeteria. His sister and my younger sister were classmates and had a close relationship, and he had a younger brother and a younger sister at home who were also not studying. At home, Chen Henan's mother always called him with a strong Wuhan accent, "Xiao Mao, Xiao Mao". Although we were on the same road in school and after school, we didn't communicate much, and even if we did, I talked a lot and he didn't respond much. Chen Henan led me through the mud and walked with great difficulty. I suddenly noticed a black mark on his left thumb and forefinger, which was very eye-catching. But I've been classmates with him for almost two years, and I haven't found out. No wonder his brother cried and shouted to him, "Pig skin, pigskin!""Looking at Chen Henan's left hand, I actually deserted. One of them didn't pay attention to the road under my feet, and I sneered and slipped and dragged him, and we both fell together in the mud. The umbrella in Chen Henan's hand also fell on the dirt road, and we all sat on a butt of muddy water.
Chen Yu South Africa didn't blame me, but asked and comforted me one by one: "Qi Hongrun, I'm sorry, you didn't fall in pain, did you?"”
No, no, Chen Yunan, I'm sorry, I blame me for sneering and slipping, and I also took you down and fell. I said to him with some embarrassment.
We both looked at each other's embarrassed appearances and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Our laughter unexpectedly drowned out the sound of the rain, and even Tao Xiaomao and Li Fen, who were walking with the same difficulty in front, stopped, turned around and asked us with concern what had happened. Seeing us stumbling on the muddy road, they all came back and dragged us out of the mud.
In 1967, five years after Chen Henan, we met again at the Electric Power College, when we were all students who were to graduate from junior high school, because we did not arrange for the high school entrance examination, and did not take any cultural classes. At that time, the movement had not yet been carried out with great fanfare, and the school was closed again, so everyone had to stay at home. The day I went to Chen Yunan's house, Chen Yunan went fishing. This is in line with his quiet personality, he is not good at socializing, and he goes fishing to kill time when he has nothing to do at home.
When I came to their house, his mother and his brother treated me very warmly. His younger brother Chen Jianqiang knew where his brother was fishing, so he immediately went downstairs and called him home. I had a chat with Chen Henan's mother, who was very concerned about our family affairs. His mother said that Chen Henan was also born in Henan, Xinyang in Henan, and Xinyang is in the south of Henan, so he was born and named him "Henan". Chen Henan's mother said that she knew that my father was sent to his hometown of Taikang, Henan, and she said that it was in 1942 when Chiang Kai-shek opened the Yellow River in the Huayuankou area of Zhengzhou, and originally wanted to drown the Japanese devils, but the Japanese devils did not drown, but drowned thousands of Henan people. The flooded Yellow Flood area, which is a very poor place. At that time, Chen Henan's father was disgusted with the hard life in Henan, so he desperately asked to be transferred to Wuhan, and later transferred from Wuhan to Changsha Electric Power Institute.
Xu is Chen Henan's mother saw that I was dressed a little shabby, and I looked yellow, thin and haggard, and still very short, and her expression was very sympathetic to me and very concerned about me. She repeatedly said that it was a mistake for my father to voluntarily apply to be sent to his hometown in Henan, not to mention delaying his good medical skills, and also harming our family and causing the tragedy of the separation of his wife, which is extremely undeserved. She also inquired about some of our family's living conditions in Henan, and looked at me who was a little embarrassed, and she said as if comforting me, at that time, I was with Chen Henan, my grades were the best, and my small figure was actually the captain of the Young Pioneers. At that time, she often asked Chen Yunan to learn Xi from me, hoping that Chen Yunan could be as good as me.
Just when I was babbling and couldn't say how to deal with her words of concern, Chen Yunan came back. After all, he lives in the city, and he has grown into a handsome teenager after a few years. It's a little thin, but it's very imposing. Chen Henan, who was standing in front of me, was tall and handsome, with a white face, and a heroic spirit between his eyebrows. At that time, I was quite sensitive, and I felt that my years in Henan did not have the same self-confidence as I did in Changsha. Chen Yunan greeted me with a smile and added tea for me. But we didn't seem to be able to find a common thread anymore, and I seemed to read something nonchalant in his eyes. The huge difference between urban and rural areas makes us know each other. I suddenly thought of Mr. Lu Xun's ** "Hometown", and I realized that although Chen Yunan and I have only been separated for less than five years, but now we seem to be like Runtu and Brother Xun when they met in middle age, and there is a sad thick barrier in the middle, as if we were classmates together, which was a long time ago.