Still be your son-in-law in the next life
——Mourning the death of my father-in-law
Feng Hong
September 7th, I handled the errand in my hand and gradually became irritated. I wanted to go back to Liuzhuang, Hanji, and see my father-in-law who has been bedridden for nearly three years.
"Just put an injection on your uncle (the commonly known as Cao Xibei for his father-in-law) and started coughing again!" He was in a phone call with his wife and learned that his father-in-law had just hung a drip bottle, and he was in a little calmer. When he went out to look at the sky, Xihe, who had been crying for three days, smiled again today. The weather was good, and my father-in-law was sick. I cleaned up a little, rode the tram, and rushed to my father-in-law's house.
Father-in-law is an ordinary person, but he has a vision that ordinary people do not have. My wife and I can become a family, all because of my father-in-law’s own opinion. As the saying goes, a scholar is useless, not to mention that thirty years ago, I, a student who failed the college entrance examination several times. To put it more elegantly, I am just a poor and sour scholar. Later, I heard from my wife that my father-in-law firmly asked her to marry me because my father-in-law predicted that I would be a person who would never give up and fight, just like him.
After marriage, he lived in his father-in-law's house for a while. He heard from the old man in the village that his father-in-law's life was miserable and he lost his mother when he was very young. Amid the worries of his family and neighbors, his father-in-law miraculously survived; when he grew up, he joined the army, and because of his outstanding performance, he was assigned to work in the Jinan Iron and Steel Plant. Later, because there were many children at home, he returned to his hometown to farm in order to take care of the family. After returning to the village, my father-in-law was unwilling to be destined. For the sake of his family, he worked hard, laying bricks and burning brick kilns, which were both physical labor. My father-in-law never said he was tired. Later, when he made noodles and raised animals, his father-in-law forced his poor family to make a prosperous life.
"I've called a bottle. Your uncle is not in good spirits now and has drunk two small spoons of milk powder." My wife was afraid that I would worry, so she called me again. My father-in-law was ill several times, and once he pierced, he had an immediate effect. Except that he still couldn't move, he was like an ordinary person. After hanging up the phone, I felt relaxed and continued to rush to Liuzhuang.
Father-in-law is a worried person, and even a competent father-in-law. After marriage, I was unwilling to give up and secretly looked through the textbooks and did exercises while working on farm work. After my wife discovered this, she not only did not blame or blame me, but instead supported me in her studies. Therefore, my wife did as much farm work as possible and shared housework to make time for me to read books and encourage me to take the self-study exam . After my wife said that after my father-in-law knew that I had not forgotten to study, he couldn't stop talking about his ears. Afterwards, he would come to my house when he had time to help his daughter so that he could make more time to study for me. Thinking about it now, if it weren’t for my father-in-law, it would be hard to say whether my wife and I could survive such a difficult life. Later, we went to the city to make a living and struggled. With the help of our father-in-law, we slowly got out of the predicament.
Days are getting better and my father-in-law is getting older. After more than ten years of renting a house in the county town, he had his own fixed residence. His wife picked up her father-in-law to live there again and again. As many as three days as many as one week, my father-in-law always shouted to go back to his hometown, saying that he was not used to life in the city and that he didn't like climbing stairs. In fact, my wife and I knew in our hearts that my father-in-law was afraid that living here would drag us down. Because for the sake of life, my wife has to find things to do before she finishes housework. I couldn't resist him, so I had to send him back to my hometown three or five days later.
After returning to his hometown, the father-in-law planted some vegetables and crops in the open ground of his yard based on his daughter and son-in-law's preferences. Sometimes a handful of onions, sometimes a few handfuls of wheat burning, sometimes more than a dozen corn cobs, sometimes a few garlic, sometimes a convenient bag of sweet potato leaves . Whenever I see these fresh seasonal foods on the dining table after get off work, I know that my father-in-law is here. Once, my neighbor saw my father-in-law come with a bundle of onions and said that the old man could buy four or five bundles of onions for the fare for the round trip, but I don’t think so. Many things cannot be measured by money. An old man in his seventies or eighties traveled more than a hundred miles back and forth and brought the onions he had worked hard to grow. Is this still a onion? No, this is the father-in-law's hard work, this is the father-in-law's love, and this is his concern for his inexpensive daughter and son-in-law.
"Your uncle is much better, let's slow down on the road." His wife called again. "I'll get home in more than ten miles." After telling my wife, I continued to rush to Liuzhuang.
Father-in-law is a strong man, this is true when he is a soldier, when he is asking questions in the village, and the same is true after he is sick in his twentieth year. Three years ago, my father-in-law broke his bones and was bedridden due to careless riding a tram. A month before the fall, he, at the age of 80, also went to the city to bring the newly picked pomegranate to his grandson. After more than a month of treatment in the hospital, due to the tight bed, the father-in-law had to go back to his hometown to recover slowly due to repeated urging by the doctor. And I can only take advantage of the weekend when I don’t work overtime to go home to visit his old man.
"Dad, dad, dad!" Before I could enter the house when I arrived in Liuzhuang, I suddenly heard my wife's heart-wrenching cry and hurriedly threw the car down. I rushed into the house like crazy, grabbed my father-in-law's hand, and shouted with my wife. However, I could no longer see my father-in-law smiling when he saw me, nor could he hear the sound of "Hong is here", and my father-in-law fell asleep forever. I didn't give up, so I lay on my father-in-law's chest and listened again, and tried it with my fingers on my father-in-law's nostrils, and was discouraged!
Looking at the sleeping father-in-law with tears in my eyes, I felt guilty: I have been your son-in-law for nearly 30 years. As a half child, I cannot respect you when I am in a difficult situation; my life has improved a little, and I ignore you; and you are ill in bed, I visit you from time to time, but because of my work, I have never been in front of the hospital bed, and I serve you with soup and medicine. A competent father-in-law and an incompetent son-in-law beg you, and we will be your father-in-law and son-in-law in the next life, and will be your son-in-law in the next life, so as to be the most competent son-in-law for you.
When singing for a long time, it may not be after the pain! Looking at my father-in-law's body, I silently prayed: My father-in-law, there are no diseases in heaven, I wish you all the best in heaven!
Deacon comes in and organizes the relics. I stepped out, looked up suddenly, and saw the ripe pomegranates still hanging on the branches in the yard, and tears came out again.
Alas! I burst into tears and felt heartbroken. I would like to commemorate my father-in-law!
on October 10, 2022, weeping on the eve of the father-in-law who was buried in the soil
