Zhao FanghaiMaster Zhao is a native of Tianjin, but his accent does not speak like that of Tianjin. When he went to his house for the first time, he pointed to an old sister and said to everyone, "This is my boss, her hometown is from Inner Mongolia." After a long time, everyone realized that the eldest sister was Master Zhao's wife, and the boss meant his wife.
Before, I only knew that Master Zhao was an old educated youth. He had been working in the countryside in Wuyuan County for decades, but we forgot that he settled in Inner Mongolia. After decades of life experience in Inner Mongolia, Master Zhao has been deeply imprinted with Inner Mongolia, and his living habits and accents also add some local elements of Inner Mongolia.
Speaking of the past when he went to Inner Mongolia to settle down in the countryside and his emotional life experience, Master Zhao said that he suffered a lot of hardships and suffered a lot of crimes when he went to Inner Mongolia to settle down in the countryside, and also married a virtuous boss and had a happy family. This is called losing and gain, bitter first and sweet. After so many years, Master Zhao still remembers the scene of his trip to the countryside in Inner Mongolia. He said that releasing Buddha is like something that happened yesterday.
According to Zhao Fanghai's recollection, he left Tianjin on July 8, 1968. There were people seeing off inside and outside the station that day. At the moment when the train full of educated youth started, the crying and choking sounds were connected. The seventeen-year-old Zhao Fanghai waved to his father and aunt outside the car window, turned his face to wipe away tears. Zhao Fanghai said that for the first time in his life, he experienced the pain of being separated from his relatives.
The next afternoon, the train was loaded like a tired old ox, stopping at Liuzhao Station (Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region). Zhao Fanghai and his team got off the train and got on the car that came to pick it up. When it was almost dark, they arrived at Wuyuan County.
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After dinner, everyone stayed in Wuyuan County for one night. The next morning, they got on the carriage that came to pick them up. At noon, they arrived at the destination of the Yangjia Dan Brigade, where they settled in the queue. Zhao Fanghai and nine Tianjin educated youth (five boys and four girls) were assigned to the first production team of Yangjiadan Brigade, and they lived in three adobe houses behind the brigade headquarters.
Although the three houses where Zhao Fanghai and his friends live in are dilapidated, there is a ready-made earthen kang in the room and a stove in the middle. The most convenient condition is that there is a water well in the yard, which makes the water draw very convenient.
I heard from Captain Yang of Team 1 that the three houses were the original brigade headquarters. Later, the brigade built a new house in front, and the three houses became idle houses. A few years ago, the Fourth Cleanup Working Group sent by the county to live in those three houses for a while. The water well in the yard was a cadre named Zhang in the county who was worried about digging for the village. The equipment of the water well was also obtained by that cadre from the county. At that time, there was no water pressing well around Yang Family Dan, and the villagers around all came to see this rare thing.
After the Fourth Cleanup Working Group was evacuated, the three houses still lived in the three houses, and the commune cadres left, and these three houses became the temporary residences of Tianjin educated youth.
The one who helped educated youth cook was an aunt. She was less than 40 years old and had poor legs and feet. It is said that she suffered from polio when she was a child and suffered from sequelae. The aunt's husband is also surnamed Yang, and the educated youth called her Aunt Yang. Aunt Yang is a widow. Her husband died eight years ago at the Yellow River water conservancy construction site. Aunt Yang and her daughter Yang Chunling are special care objects of the first team. Even if the mother and her mother do not participate in production labor, they will still share rations.
Every time I come to cook for the educated youth, Aunt Yang would come with her daughter. Although Aunt Yang's daughter Yang Chunling was just sixteen years old, she could do anything, could knead noodles and steam steamed steamed buns, push grind noodles, and carry water and load firewood. Yang Chunling is not only diligent and capable, she is also very beautiful, with a tall figure, and her eyes are clear and bright, just like the stars in the sky. When Yang Chunling saw a female educated youth, she called her sister, and when she saw a male educated youth, she called her brother. The educated youth all liked her very much.
The educated youth settled down a place to eat and live. After resting for two days, they followed Captain Yang to the commune supply and marketing cooperative to buy sickles, hoes and other labor tools. Zhao Fanghai and the others began to participate in production labor with the villagers.
Wheat harvest is a relatively intense and heavy production labor. Before dawn in the morning, Captain Yang rang the large iron bell hanging in the yard of the team. Whenever he heard the bells of working in the team, the sleepy and tired educated youth really put on their clothes with their eyes closed, and they picked up their sickles and carried the shoulder pole in a daze and walked towards the wheat field. When they reached the field, they seemed to have not woken up.
During the period of wheat harvest, breakfast and lunch were delivered to the fields for food. Before dinner was still available every day, Zhao Fanghai and the others couldn't help looking towards the village. Their stomachs were already hungry. They had heavy physical labor and their food was not very good. The educated youth were not hungry and felt hungry. When they felt hungry, they hoped that Yang Chunling's figure would appear early and that Yang Chunling would deliver the meal soon.
The food at that time was very simple. It was said that it was a meal, but there were no dishes. It would be good to eat some pickles. According to regulations, two steamed buns per person and one bucket of mung bean soup can be drunk at will. Some male educated youths don’t have enough steamed buns, so they can eat one more. If you can eat a meal occasionally, it is considered to improve the food.
At noon that day when the wheat harvest was about to end, Yang Chunling brought a bucket and a large basket (jingtiao basket) to deliver food to the educated youth. During the meal, Yang Chunling brought out a bowl of (enamel bowl) of boiled eggs from the basket and said with a smile: "Today I will improve the food for you. I can eat any leek box, and each person has a boiled egg."
Since we came to the Yang Family Dan Brigade, it was the first time that the educated youth had boiled eggs. Afterwards, the educated youth realized that the eggs and boiled eggs in the leek box were all from Yang Chunling's house. Her family raised an old hen. It took half a month to accumulate food for the educated youth. Usually, her eggs were saved and sold for money, and Yang Chunling and her mother had never been willing to eat eggs.
After the wheat harvest is over, Aunt Yang will not come to cook for the educated youth, but only let her daughter Yang Chunling come to cook for the educated youth alone. It is not difficult to cook for nine people. The educated youth can also help to create fires and pull the bellows. Yang Chunling can do it alone.
Every day after dinner, when Yang Chunling cleans the pots and dishes for the educated youth, she has to carry a load of water to go home. Every time Yang Chunling came home with water, Zhao Fanghai would come over and say, "I'll help you carry water, and digest food." At first, Yang Chunling was a little embarrassed, and she was embarrassed to bother Zhao Fanghai. Later, she saw Zhao Fanghai insisting on helping her carry water, so Yang Chunling couldn't refuse again.
After a long time, Zhao Fanghai and Yang Chunling gradually became familiar with each other. Zhao Fanghai often helped Yang Chunling's family do some easy-to-get jobs. Aunt Yang and Yang Chunling were very moved by Zhao Fanghai's enthusiastic help. They liked young people from this big city from the bottom of their hearts. They would leave them to Zhao Fanghai for food if they had something delicious at home.
After the autumn of 1969, the superiors allocated a settlement fee for the educated youth. The team built three new houses for the educated youth. Earth kangs were built in the rooms on both sides, and stoves were built in the house in the middle. After the earth kang was burned dry, the educated youth moved to the newly built house to live.
After working in the Yangjiadan brigade for more than a year, the educated youth learned to cook in the fire and do all kinds of farm work. Their bodies became stronger, and the team stopped Yang Chunling from cooking for the educated youth. The seventeen-year-old Yang Chunling also started working in the fields with the educated youth and participated in production labor. The team also gave Yang Chunling six divisions of labor one day, and the same labor points as female educated youth earned.
Every day when you go to work or get home from work, Yang Chunling would walk with Zhao Fanghai, asking Zhao Fanghai to teach her how to read and listen to Zhao Fanghai tell her the story of Tianjin. Yang Chunling also naively asked Zhao Fanghai: "Does the car run fast or the train run fast? Can the train drive to our Yang Family Dan Brigade?" Zhao Fanghai didn't know how to answer Yang Chunling's question.
See Zhao Fanghai and Yang Chunling have endless things to say every day. Wang Zhenping, an educated youth from Tianjin who was working in the army, secretly asked Zhao Fanghai: "Fang Hai, you can't fall in love with Yang Chunling, right? You have to think about it. Your father will never let you marry a rural girl. You have to control it and not hurt such a kind girl."Why are your thoughts so dirty? She is still a little girl, so I can only be considered a young man. She just wants me to teach her how many words to know. How can you think about it in other ways? "Zhao Fanghai's words made Wang Zhenping blush. Wang Zhenping also said that he was judging a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart.
One morning in the summer of 1973, a team of young members and educated youths watered the eggplant field in the east of the village. After a while, everyone sat on the ground to rest. Zhao Fanghai saw several young members picking an eggplant one by one, eating it with relish, and he also picked it with his hands. He took an eggplant, sat on the ground, wiped it on his clothes, and just took a bite, but Yang Chunling suddenly snatched it and threw it into the eggplant field.
Zhao Fanghai chewed the eggplant in his mouth, wiped it, and looked back and saw Captain Yang coming from there. Captain Yang walked straight to the young members and said very angrily: "The eggplant has not grown up yet. Isn't this a disaster for you? Two points of labor will be deducted from one person. I will see who will dare to harm the things in the team in the future. Look at the educated youth from the city, which one is like you, and you can learn from them well. "
When Captain Yang turned around and left, Yang Chunling grimaced at Zhao Fanghai and whispered: "Be careful in the future. You are an educated youth. How can you do such a shameful thing? "At that moment, Zhao Fanghai's face was hot. She looked at Yang Chunling gratefully and lowered her head embarrassedly.
There was no special reason, nor was it because of something special. Zhao Fanghai gradually fell in love with the clever, smart, beautiful and generous Yang Chunling. That autumn, he made a special trip to the commune supply and marketing cooperative and bought Yang Chunling a scarf with velvet.
Soon, everyone knew about Zhao Fanghai buying a scarf for Yang Chunling, and the matter of Zhao Fanghai and Yang Chunling's love was made public. One day, Yang Chunling's mother, Aunt Yang, found Zhao Fanghai and said, "Fang Hai, I am a disabled person. Chunling has no father. You have thought about it. Don't regret it in the future, and you can't hurt my mother and I. "
That day, Zhao Fanghai said nothing or made no statement. He was also confused because his classmates advised him not to act emotionally. This was a lifelong event and could not be used as a joke. Besides, two educated youth had already recruited workers to the city at that time. If they fell in love and got married in the countryside, it would be difficult to return to the city in the future.
Although Zhao Fanghai was very conflicted, his love for Yang Chunling was from the heart. He really couldn't let go of Yang Chunling. Finally, Zhao Fanghai went to Yang Chunling's house and he said to Yang Chunling's mother: "Aunt, don't worry, I will be good to Chunling for the rest of my life, and I will do what I say. "
A few days later, Captain Yang found Zhao Fanghai again and said to him: "Fang Hai, I don't object to your love with Chunling. Chunling is a good child and a poor child. Her mother is a disabled person. You have thought about it and you must not hurt others. "Captain, don't worry, I won't use marriage as a joke. "Zhao Fanghai also expressed his attitude in front of Captain Yang.
that year, back to Tianjin to visit relatives for the Spring Festival. Zhao Fanghai told his father and his aunt about his love relationship with Yang Chunling (Zhao Fanghai's mother passed away many years ago). Although his father did not object, he did not agree to the marriage. Zhao Fanghai's aunt firmly disagrees with him falling in love and getting married in the countryside, and said that if she didn't listen to her aunt, she would not recognize her nephew in the future.
Master Zhao provided pictures
in early summer 1974, Zhao Fanghai was recruited to work as a deliveryman at the commune post office. Although the work was very hard, it was Formal work, earning wages and eating treasury grains is a job that rural youth envied very much. This job was fought for by Captain Yang for Zhao Fanghai. He said that Zhao Fanghai and Yang Chunling fell in love, and asked him to work in the commune, not far from home, and life was convenient when they got married in the future.
After the autumn of 1975, under the strong opposition of his aunt, Zhao Fanghai and Yang Chunling received the marriage certificate and lived in Yang Chunling's house. Life after marriage was very simple and happy. After paying a monthly salary, Zhao Fanghai left a few dollars of pocket money, and handed over the rest to his mother-in-law. Every day after get off work, no matter it was windy or rainy, he would ride his bicycle home (Yang Jiadan is twelve miles away from the commune station).
Two years later, Yang Chunling gave birth to a fat and white son named Zhao Yang (Yang is homophonic with Yang), which was named Zhao Fanghai, and Yang Chunling also liked this name very much. When Zhao Yang was five years old, Zhao Fanghai's father remarried. Zhao Fanghai brought his boss and son back to Tianjin, one to congratulate his father on his remarriage, and the other to apologize to his aunt. His aunt likes Yang Chunling very much and gives Zhao Yang 30 yuan, so the gap between Zhao Fanghai and his aunt was resolved. .
That time, when she returned to Yang's family from Tianjin, Yang Chunling enjoyed the treatment of the educated youth. She was recruited to work in a state-owned hotel (at the commune station) in the supply and marketing cooperative system, and was also transferred to a non-farmer household registration and became a salary-earning person. Since Yang Chunling became a worker, she always wanted to ask Zhao Fanghai to send some money to his father and aunt during festivals. She said that no matter how much money, she would never forget her relatives.
In the spring of 1999, Zhao Fanghai's father was diagnosed with cerebellar atrophy and due to severe memory decline. His stepmother left without saying goodbye and took away all the money and goods from the family. At that time, Yang Chunling was laid off, so she returned to Tianjin and took Zhao Fanghai's father to the Yang family, and took care of her father-in-law's daily life as if she was taking care of her children.
In the spring of 2012, Zhao Fanghai, who had worked in the postal department for decades, retired gloriously. In the early winter of that year, Yang Chunling's mother passed away. After Zhao Fanghai took care of his mother-in-law's funeral, he returned to Tianjin with his old father and his boss (after Zhaoyang graduated from university). He wanted his old father to spend his old age in Tianjin because his father was born and raised in Tianjin.
At the moment, Zhao Fanghai's 93-year-old father is still alive. Apart from not recognizing people, he has no major problems in his health. Zhao Fanghai's boss is like a daughter serving her father. He has taken good care of her father-in-law's daily life for more than 20 years, and has never complained. Neighbors and relatives and friends didn't praise her. Everyone said that Zhao Fanghai had found a virtuous boss, and his old father also enjoyed his happiness.
A touching story was finished like this. Master Zhao Fanghai said: "It is better to have a virtuous boss (wife) than a wealth of thousands of yuan. My most correct choice in my life is to marry Yang Chunling, which is also the biggest gain in my life. What I feel most guilty about is that I failed to be filial to my aunt (aunt). My aunt is like my mother. Apart from my boss, she is the person who loves me the most (Zhao Fanghai's aunt died unexpectedly in 1997), but I have no chance to be filial to her better."
Picture source online
Yes, the old saying goes that a virtuous wife is better than a fertile land in thousands of acres. This is true. Master Zhao married a virtuous boss, and his old father really enjoyed his happiness. Here, I sincerely wish Master Yang’s family happiness, safety and health.
Author: Grassroots Writer
