In a remote mountainous area, in a farmland, a peasant couple picks up farm tools and skillfully does farm work.
The summer was scorching, but the two of them didn't stop much, chatting while working, and from time to time the two of them smiled at each other tacitly.
Now in the fields, he is ragged and his hair is disheveled.
Who would have thought that this old peasant man was once an intellectual in the city
What did he go through to make him look so embarrassed?
In the sixties and seventies of the last century, in order to actively respond to the state's policy of "going to the mountains and going to the countryside" and devote themselves to the cause of socialism, the intellectuals in the cities and towns were personally integrated into the general environment of the countryside, and Zhang Zhiyuan was also one of them.
Zhang Zhiyuan was born in 1954, a native of Chongqing, and went to Nanjiang County, Sichuan Province, thousands of miles away, in 1972 to join the team as an educated youth, when he was only 18 years old.
Zhang Zhiyuan, who had just arrived in the countryside, didn't know anything, he grew up in the city since he was a child, and he didn't do farm work, and he didn't even know how to use a farm tool at that time.
Maybe it was God's arrangement, he was assigned to the farmer She Linhai, and he also asked She Linhai to take care of this young man.
She Linhai is an authentic farmer, upright, warm and generous, and when he saw Zhang Zhiyuan from afar, he warmly entertained him. In the face of the hospitality of the She family, Zhang Zhiyuan humbly asked the 12-year-old Brother She for advice.
Whether it is the use of farm tools or the tips of farm work, She Linhai is very patient to tell Zhang Zhiyuan one by one.
In his spare time, in order to let Zhang Zhiyuan integrate into this environment as soon as possible, She Linhai often told him interesting things that happened in the village, and this newcomer was often amused to laugh.
In front of this enthusiastic big brother, Zhang Zhiyuan also likes to tell his past experiences in the city. The two are like old friends who have known each other for a long time.
Zhang Zhiyuan has no relatives here, and he is obviously very pleased to be warmly entertained by such a family.
She Linhai's wife Hu Tingxiu saw that Brother She had a lot of fate with this young man, so she often invited Zhang Zhiyuan to come to the house for dinner.
When I came back from work during the day, the family was talking and laughing at the dinner table, which was very lively.
Over time, their relationship got better and better, as if they were a family reunited after a long absence.
But the good times didn't last long, and a sudden disaster broke the quiet years.
She Linhai's family has six people and four children, and the burden of children in the family is heavy.
In order to support his four children, She Linhai worked hard day and night, and as time went by, his illnesses became more and more serious.
It wasn't until one day that he coughed up blood and realized that there was really something wrong with his body.
When I came to the hospital for an examination, I found that it was lung cancer, but at that time, the level of medical care was limited, and cancer was an incurable disease.
When Hu Tingxiu found out, he felt that the sky was about to fall.
Although the family has never been well-off, with She Linhai here, the family can barely make ends meet. But She Linhai is already terminally ill, and the pillar of the family, as the head of the family, is about to fall, and the burden of the family is all on Hu Tingxiu, who is only 30 years old.
She Linhai knows his condition very well and knows that he doesn't have many days left, but what makes him feel at ease is his wife and children at home.
The originally happy family is now in dire straits.
Zhang Zhiyuan saw this scene, and he felt very uncomfortable, he knew that Brother She's family were all good people, and they usually treated themselves well.
Now that something like this has happened, it's time to repay the favor.
Zhang Zhiyuan, who was still young, took the initiative to shoulder the burden of She Linhai's family.
After finishing every day, I came to take care of She Linhai who was lying on the hospital bed, fed him, took feces and urine, and wiped his body for him.
At home, he also helped Hu Tingxiu share housework, do farm work and deal with some trivial chores.
She Linhai was moved to tears when he saw that the young man took care of himself so meticulously.
However, the illness did not let go of She Linhai, who had been honest all his life, and under Zhang Zhiyuan's careful care, his condition did not improve, but now he has one foot in the ghost gate.
But the only things he can't worry about now are his young children and his wife.
Seeing She Linhai who was worried on the hospital bed, he held She Linhai's hands and made a promise:Don't worry, I'll help take care of my sister-in-law and nephew.
As soon as the words fell, She Linhai burst into tears, he knew that his request was excessive, but his only concern was his family, and if he could have someone to help him take care of them, he could finally close his eyes with confidence.
After She Linhai died, Zhang Zhiyuan took over his shift, and the dirty work at home was done by himself, whether it was pulling weeds and hoeing the ground, carrying water and carrying food, he was not afraid of tiredness, and there was no complaint.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan is not very old, he has a manly demeanor that stands up to the sky and the earth when he works, and he carries the burden of supporting his family at a young age.
The days haven't been quiet for long, and there have been a lot of bad things, which are really unsettled and rising.
As the saying goes, there are many rights and wrongs in front of the widow's door, and in the countryside, everyone likes to talk about other people's affairs.
Zhang Zhiyuan takes care of the She family every day, and Hu Tingxiu now has no husband, Zhang Zhiyuan took the initiative to come to help, and after a long time, the people in the village will chew their tongues.
However, Zhang Zhiyuan didn't care about what others gossiped, he felt that he was doing the right thing and did not do anything against morality.
Over time, these gossips reached Hu Tingxiu's ears, and in the countryside, especially women, care about chastity and reputation.
Hu Tingxiu felt that he could no longer have frequent contact with Zhang Zhiyuan like this, which was not good for himself and Zhang Zhiyuan.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan doesn't care what others say, Hu Tingxiu is a woman who pays attention to fame, and she doesn't want Zhang Zhiyuan to be pointed at by outsiders because of their family.
As a result, he no longer accepted Zhang Zhiyuan's help from then on.
Zhang Zhiyuan went to help, but was rejected by Hu Tingxiu several times.
Zhang Zhiyuan understood her intentions and concerns, but he also knew how difficult it was for a woman to support a family, and he had promised to take care of their family before She Linhai died, and he couldn't sleep all night thinking of this.
Then he thought of a solution:As long as he marries Hu Tingxiu, after the two become husband and wife, it will be difficult for others to say anything.
Hu Tingxiu disagreed after knowing it, Zhang Zhiyuan had already helped their family so much, now is the time to be in their prime, they should find a good girl, they will definitely have a good future after going out from here, if they stay here any longer, Zhang Zhiyuan's life will be ruined.
But Zhang Zhiyuan didn't think soWhat was promised to Brother She back then was to be done, and people could not be untrustworthy.
At Zhang Zhiyuan's repeated insistence, Hu Tingxiu also agreed to this matter.
The two got married soon, although they still couldn't avoid the discussion of the villagers, but the two of them are now a legitimate husband and wife, and it is reasonable for Zhang Zhiyuan to help their family do anything.
That year, Zhang Zhiyuan was 20 years old and Hu Tingxiu was 31 years old.
At that time, the people in the village were puzzled, Zhang Zhiyuan was in the prime of life, and now he was willing to marry into the She family, what did he want?
After the two became legally married, there was no more gossip in the village.
The lives of the two of them gradually improved, and Zhang Zhiyuan treated She Linhai's child as if he were his own child.
Teach children to read and write, for them to read, because Hu Tingxiu has no culture, children's education problems are all by Zhang Zhiyuan.
Charge. He will do his best to give them a better life.
Considering that the boys would marry and have children in the future, several houses were built for them early.
Although he is not related to his children by blood, he is always responsible for them and treats them as his own flesh and blood.
After the reform and opening up, the country began to cancel the policy of going to the mountains and going to the countryside, and batches of educated youths could return to the cityIn the face of such an opportunity, he chose to remain silent.
He already has a deep affection for this village, the villagers here, and every grass and tree here, and what makes him even more inseparable is Hu Tingxiu and their children, the promise he made to She Linhai at the hospital bed at that time is still vividly remembered.
Despite the urging of his relatives at home, even Hu Tingxiu persuaded him to seize this opportunity and stop caring about their family, after all, the kindness of the past few years is enough, and in his values, what he says must be doneSo Zhang Zhiyuan always stood still
In 1980, the office of the Educated Youth Office was about to be withdrawn, which was Zhang Zhiyuan's last chance to return to the city, and when the staff asked Zhang Zhiyuan about his wishes, he still refused.
So this young man in his early twenties from the city stayed in the mountains forever.
After deciding to stay, Zhang Zhiyuan completely regarded this rural area that did not belong to him as his home, and he and Hu Tingxiu also had their own children.
Now this family has been upgraded from a family of six to a large family of eight.
She Linhai's children affectionately called him "Dad", but he interrupted him, he thought that their father would always be She Linhai, and their surname would always be She. Hu Tingxiu shed tears of emotion on the side.
Time passes day by day, and the child grows up day by dayWasAfter the childish boy who had just arrived in Nanjiang County, he had been carved into a wrinkled old man by the years.
He was working with a hoe in the field, and from time to time he stopped his farm work and looked at the mountains in the distance, and Hu Tingxiu next to him wiped the sweat from his face, and the two of them talked and laughed.
He longs for life outside, and he wants to get out of here, but for him, the most important thing is that he has kept his life's promise, and in this life, he has fulfilled his mission to others, but he is most ashamed of himself.
We see the most glorious side of human nature from this ordinary person, and we use his life to fulfill a promise
His spirit is worthy of learning and respect for future generations.