In 70 years, a bachelor "picked up" me home, and when I grew up, I joined the army, and I sent my centenarian father back to the mountain
In a small village called Maple Bay in Yiyang, Hunan, time has passed to the cold winter of the 70s. Here live a group of simple and native farmers, who rely on the surrounding mountains and rivers to make a living, living a simple and difficult life.
There is a middle-aged man named Huang Yijue in Maple Bay, and the people in the village affectionately call him Huang Yi. However, he was given the name "Yi Jue" because he was proficient in a technique called "snake law" and enjoyed a certain prestige in several nearby communes.
Although by the 70s, the feudal superstitions in the countryside had been largely abandoned, there was still a sense of reverence for those traditional "spells". And the snake law is one of them, people believe in "don't believe in the law, believe in the snake law; Don't believe in water, believe in dog water".
Snake is still a mysterious art in the eyes of many people. Due to its mountainous location, it is surrounded by all kinds of snakes, from water snakes, yellow nest snakes to non-venomous snakes such as Sanli Gong. Although a bite from one of these snakes is not a big deal, it is like being bitten by a mosquito.
However, if you are bitten by a highly venomous snake such as a green bamboo penny, a pantian hoop, and a five-step pile, your life may be threatened due to the inconvenience of transportation in the mountains.
Huang Yijue's snake method came into being in this context. It is said that in his early years, he learned this craft with a traveler from another country.
No matter what kind of snake bite you have, just find Huang Yijue, and he will scoop a bowl of water for you to drink half of it and the other half to clean the wound. This simple procedure would provide immediate relief from the pain, and then he would collect some herbs and chew them to apply to the wound. It is said that no one has ever lost their lives as a result.
However, even the great kindness of saving the lives of others is not much rewarded in the countryside. Wealthy villagers may send some cigarettes, alcohol, and a piece of meat to show their gratitude, while those who encounter family difficulties may even give "water" in vain.
Huang Yijue has never complained, it is said that his master has long instructed that this skill is passed down by the ancestor of Huazi, and he cannot take the initiative to ask for compensation. If others are willing to give, they will accept it, and if they are not willing to give, they will say goodbye with a smile.
This skill has won Huang Yijue the love of the local people, but it is also said to be a "sect of interception", and those who know this skill usually live a lonely life.
Years have passed, from the twenties to the thirties in the 70s, and then to the forties and fifties, the people Huang Yijue has rescued already have a group of children and grandchildren. However, he is still alone, if it weren't for his strong body, he would have been "elected" by everyone to become a five-guarantee household.
Winter is coming, and it looks like it's going to be the New Year again. At this time of year, the snakes are hiding in the hole, and Huang Yijue's snake method is naturally useless, so he has to look around for odd jobs and eat.
On that day, on the other side of Zhangjiawan, a resident who had built a house had finished his day's work, and after dinner, it was getting dark. Tiny snowflakes fell in the air, and Huang Yijue held a torch and prepared to cross the river to go home.
Crossing the river and stepping on the shore, Huang Yijue stroked the water droplets on his calves with his hand, ready to put on his dry shoes. Suddenly, there was a baby's cry in my ears.
On this snowy day, who knew that on this blind night, there would be a baby's cry?
For others, they may think that it is a supernatural phenomenon, and most of them will be scared to escape. But Huang Yi must not believe in evil, after all, he is a bachelor, even if he is a ghost crying wolf, he dares to hold a torch and walk to the source of the sound.
A photo can't help but surprise people. Under the willow trees on the shore, there were three or two handfuls of dried straw, and under the haystack was a bamboo basket, in which lay a baby quietly.
As a result, this baby became Huang Yijue's burden and was carried home by him.
In those days, it was not uncommon for similar situations in poor places. Some families are overburdened and newborns are given away. Sometimes they can't find a specific adoptive family, so they will put it in a necessary place and wait for the "destined person" to adopt.
However, Huang Yijue was puzzled that the child's parents were so indifferent. On this snowy day, if it wasn't for his chances, what would be the fate of the child?
The next day, he inquired in several nearby villages, but everyone said that no family had just welcomed a newborn.
So, the baby had no choice but to follow Huang Yijue. As a single man, how can Huang Yijue know how to take care of a baby who has just reached the end of his month?
Fortunately, he has a good relationship with the villagers. When the child is hungry, he goes to the neighborhood to borrow some milk powder; When the child cried, he asked the neighbor's aunt to help him change the diaper. There are also kind-hearted people who heard that Huang Yijue is "old and has a son", and took the initiative to send some baby clothes and food.
Slowly, the child grew up. What's strange is that he hardly cries, and he seems to have a special fate with Huang Yijue. As long as he is held in Huang Yijue's arms, he will definitely babble and laugh.
Someone advised Huang Yijue that this child is handsome, and you may be damaged if you follow, so it is better to give him to another family to raise.
However, Huang Yijue categorically refused, he insisted that the child had a fate with him, and it was his son given to him by God, so he decided to name the child Huang Ci.
So, my big name is Huang Ci, and my birthday is the day I was picked up by my father.
As time went on, I grew up, and in 1977, it was time for me to go to school.
My father, who had been doing heavy labor all his life, actually sewed a yellow schoolbag for me to carry to school. Fortunately, the tuition fee was relatively low in those days, I remember that it was a penny a semester, and for families like ours in need, the brigade would provide some subsidies, and some could be refunded during the holidays.
When I finished primary school, I didn't really want to go back to school, mainly because my grades weren't very good, barely average. When the teachers taught me, they always said, "You have to be worthy of your father's hard-earned tuition." ”
There are also some villagers who advise their fathers, saying that you are in your 60s and your children are only in their teens, so it is better not to study, go home and follow you to farm, so that the father and son can rely on it.
However, my father sent me to school with bamboo branches, and I was not "liberated" until I finished junior high school. My father said that after finishing middle school, I am not illiterate after finishing middle school, and my old Huang family also has a "showman".
In fact, although my grades are average, I am not stupid, but a smart person. When my father was collecting snake medicine, I learned it after a few times.
When I was a child, I asked my father how you got that bowl of "Dharma Water", and my father sighed and said:
That's not a spell, child, that's the respect for the master and the master, the apprentice, the younger generation can't forget to teach yourself the skills. ”
It was only then that I realized that the mysterious "snake method" in the eyes of others mainly relied on those unnamed herbs.
In 1987, I was 17 years old and had been working on the farm for several years. Over the years, my father has grown older, and I have basically dealt with those snake wounds that are not too urgent, and I have never made a mistake.
To be honest, fewer and fewer people were bitten by snakes in those years, and I had fewer and fewer opportunities to try my hand. There are two acres of land at home, and most of the time I have nothing to do, and I feel quite bored.
That year, a conscription notice came from the county, and as soon as I heard the news, I told my father about it. Of course, my father won't stop me, but he just said that you still owe a year old, and it depends on whether people are willing to accept you.
That year, the number of people in our village who signed up to join the army was insufficient, and I, who was one year younger than the prescribed age, was also included and successfully passed the physical examination and political examination. So, I became an honorable recruit.
When the village heard the news that I was going to enlist in the army, the village chief and the branch secretary were very enthusiastic. Knowing that our family was poor, the village chief sent 100 yuan to my house overnight, saying that it was the cost of serving as a soldier, which was regarded as the support of the village. He asked my father to buy me some neat clothes and to improve our living conditions.
However, some villagers said to my father: You are almost 70 years old, at this age, you can't come for a few years in one breath, why don't you stay and enjoy Qingfu. You've finally picked up a son, so why don't you let him stay with you to take care of you?
My father just smiled and said nothing, and after everyone left, he said to me: Don't worry too much about your home when you go out, I know my own physical condition. Even though I'm at this age, I'm still able to hold on, and even if I leave one day, I'll have to wait until you come back. In the army, you must learn your skills hard, and you must not let the squad leader and platoon commander look down on you.
In my father's eyes, the squad leader was my direct supervisor in the army, and the platoon leader was the top leader. He didn't know much about the other positions.
So, I went to Yunnan with a few fellow villagers in the county to serve as soldiers. We are all from the south, our living habits are basically similar, and the climate is even more pleasant than our hometown.
From military training to class placement, I've kept a low profile. For people from rural areas like me, who have limited knowledge and have only a junior high school education, and there are already many high school and technical secondary school students in the army, it is very difficult for people like us to show special talents.
For me, being able to walk so far away from home has been a reward. I listened to the class leader's teachings and practiced diligently, and only when I practiced well would I be recognized. In the assessment of the class leader, I was able to stand out occasionally, at least without getting too much scolding.
At that time, the two military songs "Fifteenth Moon" and "Looking at the Starry Sky" were popular in the army, and they were household names even in the barracks. We longed for the opportunity to experience southern Xinjiang, but unfortunately we couldn't do it after waiting for more than two years.
Due to the unrest in southern Xinjiang, the troops could not relax in the slightest, and often carried out "training" activities and pulled us out for field training from time to time.
During a field exercise, we entered the primeval pine forest under the leadership of the battalion commander, which is said to be to adapt to this environment.
It doesn't matter to the warriors, especially for people like me, although my hometown is also in the mountains, this primeval pine forest and the barren slopes of my hometown are completely different worlds.
Three days later, the reconnaissance team that had penetrated deep into the forest encountered a catastrophe. Faced with an unknown path, the battalion commander personally led the reconnaissance squad forward, but accidentally fell into the snake's nest. Vipers attack not only from the grass on the ground, but also creeping up from the treetops.
Even an experienced battalion commander could not avoid being bitten by a snake, and 6 people, including him, suffered from it. When the search and rescue team returned, two people were already in danger.
Although the battalion commander was experienced in a hundred battles and knew the forest environment well, he was not spared in the face of many poisonous snakes, and the entire squad was bitten by snakes. He lay on the stretcher, burst into tears, and confessed his responsibility to the instructor and the two company commanders with self-blame, and the snake wound in the deep mountains and old forests, even if he went back now, it would take at least two days, and the situation was worrying.
The company commander hurriedly returned and asked the hygienist if he knew about snake bites, from which he learned the news that the battalion commander had been bitten by a snake. Seeing the hygienist shaking his head helplessly, the company commander anxiously turned around and prepared to leave again. I quickly grabbed him, claiming that I had a snake bite in my hometown, and asked to take me to see it.
The company commander looked at me suspiciously for a few seconds, then pulled me out without saying a word. While sprinting, while introducing me to some of the information he knew, emphasizing the pain and swelling, the two serious fighters had begun to slurred speech.
We arrived at the tent where the battalion commander was staying, where two of his comrades were slurring speech, while the battalion commander and others were clutching their wounds in pain. In addition to giving some painkillers, the effect lasted less than half an hour, and the pain returned.
The company commander pushed me in front of the battalion commander and introduced me as Xiao Huang of the third platoon, who was good at snake bites at home. Although the words were unlucky, fortunately, the battalion commander did not care and urgently asked me to rescue the two comrades.
I took a closer look and without hesitation told the battalion commander not to rush, I would find the herbs as soon as possible. The company commander arranged for three comrades to accompany me, and we searched the mountain for a morning, and although the faces of all four men were covered with blood marks from thorns, we quickly returned to the station without delay.
A miracle struck, first the battalion commander suddenly felt no more pain, and then two comrades-in-arms who were slurred also woke up. Although everyone started to experience diarrhea, other symptoms of numbness, swelling and pain disappeared in less than two days.
After returning to the station, the battalion commander wrote a report with self-reproach, applied for punishment, and believed that the fighters were not properly taken care of, and almost made it impossible for five fighters to return. At the same time, he also asked for credit for me, saying that I saved 6 comrades-in-arms, not to mention the first-class merit, at least there must be a second-class merit.
Although the company commander regretted his words afterwards, fortunately, the battalion commander did not care and quickly asked me to speak for two comrades-in-arms who were slurred**.
After some setbacks, I assured the battalion commander that things would get better. The company commander arranged for me to be accompanied by three comrades-in-arms, and we searched the mountains all morning. Although our faces and bodies were covered with blood from the thorns, we did not pause and quickly returned to the station.
Luckily, we found some familiar weeds. Although we were injured a lot in the search, it didn't stop us. We hurried back to the station, in front of the battalion commander, chewed the weeds and applied them to the wounds. For those two comrades-in-arms who were slurred in speech, we also poured some herbal soup.
Something miraculous happened, the battalion commander first felt that he was no longer in pain, and then the two comrades slowly woke up. Although everyone started to have diarrhea, all other numbness, swelling and pain disappeared in less than two days.
Upon returning to the station, the battalion commander applied for his own punishment, arguing that the fighters had not been properly cared for, which almost led to the inability of five fighters to return. At the same time, he also asked for credit for me, saying that I saved six comrades-in-arms, although the first-class merit was not mentioned, but at least there must be a second-class merit.
Although the company commander regretted his words, fortunately, the battalion commander did not care and hurriedly asked me to speak for the two comrades-in-arms who were slurred**.
I was hesitant about my decision, but the battalion commander's words alleviated my concerns. He joked that others were trying to get it done, but I didn't seem to be keen on it. Knowing that the reason why I am like this is because I am concerned about my father in my hometown, the battalion commander laughed and said: If you leave the countryside, you can take better care of your father and better repay his nurturing kindness.
So, I stayed in the army and took my father to my station. With the support of the leaders, I rented a house from a nearby villager and let my father live there. I stayed there for more than 10 years, until I finally changed jobs and returned to my hometown. When I left, I deliberately chose to stay in my hometown county so that it would be easier for me to take care of my father and fulfill his desire to return to his roots.
However, when his father returned to his hometown, he found that most of his uncles of the same age had passed away, leaving him feeling lonely and lost. I thought that at this age, my father might not live longer.
But it is gratifying that my father has reached a full 100 years old in his hometown. In 2020, he celebrated his 100th birthday and became a long-lived old man in the eyes of the villagers.
The only regret is that just three months after his 100th birthday, my father passed away quietly on a quiet night, ending his simple life that I will never forget.