This touching story is the personal experience of Jinan educated youth Yang Xiujuan eldest sister. After half a century, why does Sister Yang still miss the aunt Liu who lived in a mountain village all her life? Today, we will ask Sister Yang Xiujuan to tell you the past of educated youth when she went to the countryside to work in the countryside, and tell the touching story of her and Aunt Liu.
After the Lantern Festival in 1969, 17-year-old junior high school graduate Yang Xiujuan and a group of good classmates came to the Liujiazhuang Brigade of Linyi County. Ten of their Jinan educated youth were assigned to the Liujiazhuang Brigade's First Production Team to settle down in the Liujiazhuang Brigade. Five male educated youths temporarily lived in a warehouse in the yard of the team headquarters. Yang Xiujuan and the five female educated youths temporarily lived in Liu Dagu's house.
Picture source: Internet
Liu Dagu lives by herself. She was in her forties at that time. She was the only woman in Liujiazhuang Brigade who was not married and the only female cadre in Liujiazhuang Brigade. The educated youth from the provincial capital came to her family. Aunt Liu was very happy. She put out all the things in the Xijian House and let Yang Xiujuan and the five female educated youth live in the Xijian House.
The weather in the mountainous areas of southern Shandong Province was still warm and cold in the first month of the year, and it was still in the slack stage of farming. After the educated youth moved all their luggage into the house, Captain Liu Peiming of the first team gathered all ten educated youths and briefly introduced the natural situation of the first team. He smiled and said to the educated youths, "Because the busy farming has not started yet, everyone will learn to cook first. If you want to be a qualified member, you must learn to take care of yourself in life." Captain Liu finished speaking, and said to everyone, "You are wronged first. When the busy farming is over in autumn, I will find a way to build a new house for you."
Because the first team headquarters is not far from Aunt Liu's house, Aunt Liu took the initiative to ask five male educated youths to come to her house to have dinner with female educated youths. She said that the two east houses (east wing rooms) in her house are quite spacious, and it is enough to change the large pot on the stove to boil paste and steam dry food. In this way, Aunt Liu's family not only became a place for female educated youth to eat and live, but also a place for male educated youth to eat.
The educated youths were just a little new to the countryside and were not very adapted to the living habits of the countryside, and could not cook. Aunt Liu took the initiative to take on the task of cooking for the educated youths. The captain said that he would give Aunt Liu five points of labor in one day, but Aunt Liu smiled and said, "There is no farm work in the field now. I am idle and I am idle. It is worth helping the children. I don't want to do the work points in the house. Besides, I am alone. I can't finish the rations I get every year, and I also pay dividends every year. I am already a top household in our team." In the days after
, Aunt Liu became the voluntary cook . She not only has to be responsible for the three meals of the ten educated youths a day, but also teaches the educated youths to learn to cook.
The early morning of the fifth day of the arrival of Liujiazhuang (about three o'clock), Yang Xiujuan, who was sleeping, was awakened by the sound from the yard. The sound was very strange, like the sound of a whimpering wind, or like the sound of something rubbing, which continued, accompanied by rhythmic footsteps.
Other educated youth also heard this strange sound, and everyone covered their heads with quilts. Yang Xiujuan was born bold. She put on her clothes and came to the window. There was a layer of paper on the window, and she couldn't see the situation in the yard at all. Yang Xiujuan simply opened the door and came to the yard. It turned out that Aunt Liu was pushing the mill alone, and she said she wanted to give pancakes to the educated youth.
Back in the house, Yang Xiujuan put on her clothes, touched the comb and tied her hair up, and went to the yard to help Aunt Liu push and grind it. Although other educated youths didn't want to get up, Aunt Liu had already pushed the grinding in the yard. They were embarrassed to sleep with their heads covering their heads, so they all quickly got up and went to the yard to help.
Seeing that the educated youths were all up, Liu Dagu said embarrassedly: "I'm afraid of waking you up. I washed the stone rubbing the night before, and put the soaked two buckets of water sorghum and sticks (corn) in the yard, but you still woke you up. Let's do this, the two stay here to push the grinding, and the two follow me to the kitchen (east wing) to learn how to set up pancakes."
When I was having breakfast that day, Liu Dagu spread out two large stacks of pancakes and boiled most of the pot of corn. The male educated youth ate the hot pancakes and kept saying that pancakes were better than steamed buns. But they didn't know.In order to improve the food of educated youth and let everyone change their tastes, Aunt Liu got up in the middle of the night and pushed the grinding.
When I was setting up pancakes, Liu Dagu taught Yang Xiujuan and the others to learn to set pancakes, but after learning for a long time, they didn’t spread it into a decent pancake. They all said that it was very difficult and troublesome to spread pancakes. The first day, we had to soak sorghum and corn in water, and we had to push the sorghum and corn into a grind paste before we could spread pancakes. There is even more knowledge about spreading pancakes. It is not enough to cook pancakes that are too hot, nor can they be heated. Only by mastering the fire mouth can you spread out delicious pancakes. When it was the first time I learned to set up pancakes, Yang Xiujuan and the others thought it was too difficult to set up pancakes. They all said that learning to set up pancakes is more difficult than learning to ride a bicycle.
After the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the annual spring plowing and sowing production began. The farmland of Liujiazhuang Brigade is basically on the hillside, and the road is not easy to walk. The delivery of manure to the fields mainly depends on the unicycle (glue wheeler) or shoulder carrying. The unicycle ( scheduling ) is difficult to come in handy.
Pushing a wheelbarrow is also a science. Yang Xiujuan and the others have been learning with Captain Liu for a long time, but they still can't master the balance. If they can't walk far, they will fall. Captain Liu saw that the educated youth could not learn how to push carts for a while, so he had to let the educated youth use earth baskets to carry manure into the field. The educated youth carried four or five trips of manure into the field, but they couldn't catch up with the truckload of manure that the members pushed.
After picking up feces for a day, the shoulders were swollen and blisters were ground into the soles of the feet. The next morning, everyone heard the sound of Liu Dagu cooking with a bellows, but none of the educated youths got up to help. They were so tired that they felt like they were about to fall apart. They thought of cooking with Liu Dagu, but they really couldn't get up.
After finishing work the next day, Aunt Liu made dinner and returned to the house to rest after the educated youths finished their meal. Aunt Liu washed the dishes and found her old cotton pants, and used her own old cotton pants to make a cotton shoulder pad for each of the five female educated youths. With this cotton shoulder pad, when carrying feces, Yang Xiujuan said that she felt much better. The shoulder pole did not hurt her shoulders and her shoulders did not hurt so much. In the days after
, Aunt Liu made three meals a day. Aunt Liu also comforted the educated youth and said, "You grew up in the city. You will not be able to adapt to it just by participating in production labor. Just get used to it. If you don't say that pushing a wheelbarrow is harder than learning a bicycle? I will teach you how to push a wheelbarrow, and I will ensure that you can learn it."
Aunt Liu wants to help the educated youth cook, and also go to the fields to do farm work with the educated youth. She can push six times of manure into the fields a day, and the educated youth can only pick five times a day. Look at Liu Dagu, a middle-aged woman, is like an iron man, Yang Xiujuan and the others are ashamed of themselves.
A few days later, with Liu Dagu's patient guidance, the five female educated youth first learned to push wheelbarrows. Although they did not push more feces as Liu Dagu, they could at least push the two half baskets (the jingle basket tied to the wheelbarrow to the wheelbarrow) into the ground in one breath, and they would never turn the car around halfway (overturned). When it was time to harvest, ten Jinan educated youth learned to push wheelbarrows. They all said they learned to push carts from Liu Dagu.
Picture source network
In the blink of an eye, it was autumn. Captain Liu kept his word. He led the members to build three adobe houses for the educated youth in a deserted field in the south end of Liu Dagu's house. The earthen kangs were built in the two houses, and the stove was built in the house in the middle. A team of educated youth spots were built in this way.
On the day Yang Xiujuan and the others moved, Aunt Liu grabbed Yang Xiujuan's hand and said, "I really can't bear to move away. You have left, I'm the only one left in this yard..." Looking at Aunt Liu's expectant eyes, Yang Xiujuan hesitated and said, "Aunt Liu, I'll go to the educated youth spot during the day to have dinner with everyone, and I'll stay at your house to stay in the evening."
At that moment, Yang Xiujuan saw the tears rolling in Aunt Liu's eyes.
In a flash, it was the end of 1973. Liujiazhuang Brigade received two recruitment places, and was working in the county guesthouse. Yang Xiujuan has been waiting for the recruitment quota in Jinan. She didn't want to stay in the county town, so she took the initiative to give up the recruitment quota in the county guesthouse to other educated youth.That year, Yang Xiujuan did not return to Jinan to celebrate the Spring Festival. She wanted to stay and spend a happy Spring Festival with Aunt Liu.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Captain Liu suddenly came to Aunt Liu's house. He whispered to Aunt Liu: "Sister, my elder brother said he wanted you to be a matchmaker. Please introduce Yang Xiujuan to Yunsheng of my elder brother. Yunsheng said he liked Yang Xiujuan." "Peiming, I can't do this matchmaker. The old saying goes, you should first call him a radish and then weigh ginger. Our Yunsheng is too short and has never been to school. He is not worthy of Xiujuan. Besides, Xiujuan told me that she really wants to go back to Jinan. Did you not see the county recruitment of workers?" Although Aunt Liu's voice was not loud, Yang Xiujuan hiding in the inner room still heard it clearly.
In fact, Yang Xiujuan had long noticed Liu Yunsheng's care for her, and she also understood in her heart that Captain Liu had been trying to make way to match her with Liu Yunsheng. A few days ago, she went to the commune to grind noodles. Captain Liu insisted that Liu Yunsheng help Yang Xiujuan push the wheelbarrow. The road to the commune mill was very flat, with only half a bag of sorghum and half a bag of corn. Yang Xiujuan could do it alone. Captain Liu's intention was very obvious.
Although Liu Yunsheng is a simple and kind young man, Yang Xiujuan has no plans to fall in love and get married in the countryside. In addition, she doesn’t like Liu Yunsheng, isn’t this a force to force people? Fortunately, Aunt Liu got rid of this problem for her, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to tell Captain Liu about this. In the past few years since she came to Liujiazhuang to settle down, Captain Liu has indeed cared and taken good care of her. Yang Xiujuan is grateful to Captain Liu from the bottom of her heart, and she doesn't want to embarrass Captain Liu.
After dinner that day, Yang Xiujuan said a lot of gratitude to Aunt Liu. She said that if Aunt Liu hadn't rejected this marriage for her, she really didn't know what to do. Unintentionally, Yang Xiujuan asked, "Auntie, why didn't you find a partner?"
Seeing that Aunt Liu's expression faded, Yang Xiujuan regretted it and regretted not asking Aunt Liu like this. Aunt Liu did not blame Yang Xiujuan, and was silent for a moment. Aunt Liu told her emotional past.
It was the autumn of 1943. Sixteen-year-old Liu Chunying (Liu Dagu) was introduced by the matchmaker and made a lifelong event with a young man named Wang Decai in the village. It was the War of Resistance Against Japan, and Liu Chunying often made military rations to the army. She also went to the front line to carry the wounded.
In May 1947, the front line was in a tight war. When Wang Decai was delivering dry food to the front line, he was attracted by a leader in the army, so he joined the army and worked as an orderly soldier for the leader. After Wang Decai joined the army, he followed the large army south and there was no news again.
After the liberation, it was not until the spring of 1951 that he received news about Wang Decai. He had already died heroically in Huaihai Battle . The government issued his family a martyr certificate and paid a pension. Because Liu Chunying was just Wang Decai's fiancée at that time, they had no marriage registration, and Liu Chunying was not considered a family member of the martyr, and she did not enjoy the treatment of the family member of the martyr.
Later, Wang Decai's mother passed away. Wang Decai's father asked the matchmaker to pass a message to Liu Chunying, meaning that Decai had sacrificed and asked Liu Chunying to find another in-laws' family. It took Chunying so long that their old Wang family felt sorry for Liu Chunying, and even sent half of Wang Decai's pension to Liu Chunying's family.
Liu Chunying (Liu Dagu) did not ask for the pension sent by the old Wang family, and she did not look for her husband's family again. She said that she would love Wang Decai alone in her life. She had put Wang Decai into her heart, and others could no longer enter her heart. Two years ago, Liu Chunying's parents both passed away. The people closest to Liu Chunying are her two cousins (Liu Peiming's brothers) and her aunt (Liu Peiming's mother). Because Liu Chunying has never been married, the young people in the village call her aunt. Gradually, Aunt Liu replaced Liu Chunying's name, and few people call her Liu Chunying anymore.
After listening to Aunt Liu's story, Yang Xiujuan burst into tears, and Aunt Liu also burst into tears. She said that if you love someone, you have to love for the rest of your life. As long as you put the man you like in your heart, this person will live in her heart for the rest of your life and will never come out again...
In the autumn of 1975, Yang Xiujuan came to Jinan for recruitment quota. It was the recruitment quota that Aunt Liu won for Yang Xiujuan. She was a brigade committee member. She said that this was the first time she used the rights of her brigade committee member. Because there are not many places, Jinan educated youth who have not left Liujiazhuang are looking forward to returning to Jinan one day earlier, and the number of job recruitment places to return to Jinan is more precious.
The day before leaving Liujiazhuang Brigade, Liu Dagu ran to the commune market to cut a pound of pork, made dumplings for Yang Xiujuan, boiled eggs, and spread a lot of pancakes for Yang Xiujuan. When they parted, Aunt Liu held Yang Xiujuan's hand and said, "I will miss you when you leave. I have no relatives or children. In my heart, you are my closest person. If you can come back to see me in the future, I will be content..."
After returning to Jinan, Yang Xiujuan often wrote letters to Aunt Liu and also mailed Aunt Liu's specialties from Jinan. After Yang Xiujuan got married, she took her husband to Liujiazhuang to visit Aunt Liu. In the days that followed, Yang Xiujuan maintained close contact with Aunt Liu.
At the end of August this year, Yang Xiujuan also visited Liujiazhuang to visit Liu Dagu. Liu Dagu, who is in her 90s, is not deaf or blurred. She can grow vegetable gardens and go to the market three miles away to the market. Every time Yang Xiujuan goes to Liujiazhuang, Liu Dagu would personally spread pancakes for Yang Xiujuan. It used to be a pancake with sorghum and corn flour, but now it is a pancake with wheat noodles and millet noodles. Every time, Yang Xiujuan is asked to carry half a bag of pancakes back to Jinan.
A villager asked Aunt Liu: "Aunt Liu, how old are you?" "I'm not old, only 89 years old. I have to live well. The government sends me money every month, and I have to live to a hundred years old." Aunt Liu said that she was 89 years old several years ago. It's been several years since she was 89. She still said that she was 89 years old. The village cadres persuaded Aunt Liu to go to a nursing home for retirement many years ago. She said she would not go anywhere. She also said that she could run away and jump now. When she was old, she could not move, and then went to a nursing home.
After telling the life story of herself and Aunt Liu, Sister Yang Xiujuan said that she and Aunt Liu are more like sisters like mother and daughter. She will never forget the care and care of Aunt Liu back then, and the friendship between her and Aunt Liu will always be maintained. Aunt Liu is a person who is determined to love. She is also a strong, optimistic and caring person. Whenever the family in the village encounters any difficulties, Aunt Liu will lend a helping hand and help as much as she can. She said that the government will send her money every month, but she can’t spend it all. Everyone has to help if they have difficulties, otherwise what money will do. Sister Yang said that she admired Aunt Liu's character the most. Aunt Liu's strong and optimistic spirit and helpful spirit have a great impact on her. She also hopes that everyone can be like Aunt Liu, whoever has difficulties will help and live happily every day.
Yes, everyone should do what Aunt Liu should do, help others, be happy, and live every day happily.
Author: Grassroots Writer
