Lin Ge, a 59-year-old man who is about to enter his old age, looks back on his family's history. In his memories, it was first his parents and his sister, but the early death of his sister and then his mother left an emptiness. Although the scene of having many children and grandchildren in the family history has become a thing of the past, in Lin Ge's heart, those memories are still vivid. His family story is a story of attachment to tradition and anxiety about the future.
In a bygone era, Lin Ge's family is not a typical representative of many children and grandchildren. Although his parents lived in the prime of many children and grandchildren, he and his sister, who was 8 years older than him, were left in their family. During his childhood, when Lin Ge had disputes with other children, it was often his sister who intervened. Although his sister's support could not change some facts, it left a trace of comfort in his heart.
However, over time, the population in the family gradually decreases. Lin Ge had a son and a daughter, while his sister had only one son. A wish that my father had expressed during his lifetime made the family legacy extremely important. The father wanted to have another child to continue the family lineage. However, in an era of urgent family planning policies, adding money privately could lead to resignation from public office. This unfulfilled wish filled my father's heart with regret and pain.
After graduating from Wuhan University, Lin Ge chose to stay in Wuhan to work, while his sister married someone from the Liu family in a neighboring village. Under the careful care of her sister, her mother spent her old age. However, in 1987, my father passed away, and the burden of the family fell entirely on the shoulders of my sister.
As the Spring Festival is approaching this year, Lin Ge received his son's **. The son told him that the farming industry had flourished in recent years and that the economic situation was improving day by day, and invited him to return to his hometown to reunite. The brother-in-law is waiting for his return and hopes to be able to enjoy his old age with him after retirement. Affected by the domestic epidemic, Lin Ge has not been home for a long time, which makes his heart full of anxiety. After consulting with his wife, he decided to embark on a solo journey back to his hometown.
On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month, Lin Ge resolutely embarked on the road home. When the train left the station, he was filled with excitement. In the car, he met an older brother who worked as a laborer, who handed him a piece of bread and asked if he needed it. Although Lin Ge politely declined, this brief exchange opened the conversation between them. The two talked about their hometown, family and the New Year, and gradually, Lin Ge felt a kind of warmth.
However, when the eldest brother inquired about his hometown, Lin Ge fell into deep thought. He realizes that his parents are long gone, and his home is a thing of the past. His wife once joked that he no longer had a real home, and Aoyama was just his temporary habitat. In the census form, he could not enter his current address of residence because he had no grandchildren or granddaughters. He felt deeply lonely and helpless, and his heart became empty.
The moment the train started, Lin Ge stopped by the window, staring out the window, the villages, fields and forests that flew by. His thoughts were surging, and he recalled that after his mother passed away, he discussed with his second uncle about the expropriation of the land of the family ancestral hall. Facing the future, his heart swelled with sourness and helplessness. Years of wandering made him realize that after death, he would not be able to return to his hometown to rest in peace, and that his parents' graves would no longer be offered incense. He had a deep sense of what it meant to be at home.