The author’s hometown of Tianye
has retired and gradually entered the old age. He can’t help but recall some past events, among which the two adventures in his life are the most unforgettable.
1967 summer, a heavy flood occurred in Yanfu Plain, and the water in the rivers and ditches was as good as the farmland, and the eyes were full of oceans. At that time, I was ten years old, and my life almost stayed in the small river pond behind my grandmother's house forever...
It was a hot summer. My second brother, four years younger than me, chased and played naked, and unknowingly came to the small river pond behind my grandmother's house. In the past, farmers used to dig soil to lay the foundation for building houses. Locals called carrying troughs, and the digging soil pits were called sinks. When water seeped out, they became river ponds, and the water was available for drinking. So there is a river pond behind the farmer's house, and the same is true behind the grandmother's house. There are steps left at the south side of the pond, called the water wharf, which is used to fetch water. My second brother and I squatted on the high ridge by the river, kept squatting down again and again, smashing the water surface with our butts and stretching them out into the distance. Suddenly, I said to my younger brother, "Second son, I can swim!"
"Really?" my second brother asked in confusion.
"It's true, don't believe it, I'll show you!"
"Okay!" The second brother jumped up with joy, raised his hands above his head and applauded.
"Look, I'm starting," I said, as I clenched my toes into the river with my toes. Suddenly, my feet slipped, and my whole body fell into the water and my mouth was filled with water. Looking at the river bank, maybe because my vision was basically the same as the water surface, I felt that the pond was boundless and the water bank was out of reach... I took a sip of water and floated a little. I saw my second brother still dancing and was extremely excited. I realized that the ox I was bragging just now made him believe it and think I really know how to swim. Actually, where can I do it? At that time, I just wanted to walk a few steps along the dock into the water, then turn around and bend down, hold the mud with my hands, and splash my legs to pretend to be swimming! Unexpectedly, when the dock was soaked in water for a long time, it grew moss, which was very slippery, causing me to lose balance and fall into the water. I tried to call on my second brother to save me, but I poured water in as soon as I opened my mouth, and my second brother was still excited on the shore! As I struggled, my mind was flashing through my mind: Alas! How could he be so confused? I don’t know how to pretend, and I’ll get rid of my life! It’s so sad! What’s even more sad is that my parents will be sad for me all their lives. I was asking for my own death, but I left the pain to them... Thinking of this, I struggled desperately with my legs and paddled hard with my hands. By the way, my feet touched the ground under the pond, and my toes grabbed the soil tightly. I walked ashore step by step, and thank God, I finally escaped!
Back in my grandmother's kitchen, my stomach was as bulging as a basketball. I felt chill all over, so I put a black coat on my grandfather and covered my belly with both arms. At this time, Mr. Fan Si, a neighbor who had just driven cattle in the field to plow the land, came to my grandmother's house to find water. Seeing me like this, he asked me puzzledly: "In June, I'm wearing this clothes and covering my stomach. Hengqing, you're having malaria ?" I shook my head and leaned against the earthen stove. When I returned to my home at night, I felt my scalp tightly and my hair was stuck on my head. I felt like I was sleeping in a river full of snakes, which was terrifying all night. The next day when I got up, my mother asked me why I kept screaming at night. How dare I tell her the truth? Then he said vaguely, "I don't know."
Now think about it, I found that adventure by myself. I almost saved my life and scared myself very much. Fortunately, I was in danger and survived by trying hard to save myself without help. This is a catalysis of growth!
Xinyanggang
11976, I graduated from high school. At that time, the college entrance examination had not recovered. I worked with my parents in the production team, and went in the wind and rain, falling and rolling, and becoming an authentic farmer.
I remember that one morning in late winter, the cold wind was howling and water dripped into ice. My second brother and I were dressed thinly and went to Xinyang Port with our father, Uncle Bang Er and Uncle Fang Si to transport low-priced bricks for the demolition. At that time, two cement ships were used, one with a load capacity of three tons and one with six tons.When I went there, the three-ton ship was helmed by Uncle Fang Si and the second brother pulled the fiber; the six-ton ship was helmed by me, and my father and Uncle Bang Er pulled the fiber. It was extremely cold, and the rope fell into the water and froze into steel bars when it fell into the water. At around four o'clock in the afternoon, the bricks were loaded on the ship, and the three-ton ship was still led by the experienced Uncle Fang Si and the second brother pulled the fiber. The south bank of Xinyang Port bends over Lun Kiln (the stones are limestone, which were transported from Lun Kiln from other places to burn lime), but my second brother pulled the rope on his back and entered the inland river smoothly. Our six-ton ship and a group of three people were almost buried in Xinyang Port!
At that time, my father was poor in vision and Uncle Bang Er was weak in body and strength. He was worried that he would trip over the rocks. They stood at the bow of the boat and asked me to row the boat. When I rolled the boat into the inland river, they would go ashore to pull the boat. I first used the bamboo pole to push the boat towards the center of the river, then put down the bamboo pole, pulled the oar up, and put the oar navel on the oar head, but no matter how I set it, it always slipped down. At that time, the wind was above level 6, the water surface was wide, the wind was even stronger, and the ship was loaded with enough water. One wave after another poured into the cabin, and there was a danger of a shipwreck at any time. Why can't the oar's navel be placed on the oar's head? I quickly turned the oar over and found that the water in the oar was frozen and could not be removed for a while. Obviously, the oar could no longer be used! Seeing this, my father and Uncle Bang were so scared that they shouted at the sky: "I'm dead, help me! - How much does it cost!"
The cold wind was still raging, and there was no one in the wild. If you don’t drop the bow of the ship, you will definitely sink to the bottom of Xinyang Harbor! What to do? I ran to the bow of the boat, picked up the bamboo pole, inserted it vertically into the water along the side of the boat, and then pulled the bamboo pole down with all my strength. The bamboo pole had already broken, and the cold water injected into my arms and flowed into my chest and legs. Finally, it was stored in the worn yellow sneakers, but I couldn't care about all of this. I kept pushing the oar down, and for many rounds, I finally pushed the bow of the boat and slowly pushed it into the inland river. Because winter is short, it gets dark early. I took advantage of the wind and carried it back with bamboo poles. It was almost late at night when I got home.
My house is in danger of transporting bricks this time. The next day, the neighbor Cui’s family in the east also went there to transport bricks, but the ship sank. Fortunately, their family could swim and no one died. They just spent a lot of money (at that time it was also a huge sum of money) to salvage the ship and bricks.
After that time, my palms molted every summer. It may be because the weather was too cold at that time and frequent insertion of poles and friction. But what is this little pain compared to the situation where the ship sinks to the bottom of the river and even endangers life?
Looking back, my second brother was only 14 years old at the time, and he was like a strong man working. He hiked back and forth in that extremely bad weather for about 60 miles. How many children of this age can endure such hardship? I was 18 years old at the time and tried my best to save myself in a critical situation. Finally, I turned the crisis into safety. It was really not easy to go home safely. It is really not a false saying that it can train people in strong winds and waves. Of course, our brothers' experience was also a situation that was only in the early years of economic backwardness and material shortage.
I worked in the countryside for more than two years, and later I was admitted to a normal school, returned to my alma mater to work, and then got married, and everything went well. Looking back on the two adventures I experienced when I was a teenager, I still feel scared while being grateful. People say, "The older a person, the less courageous he is." Why? I have experienced a lot of things, especially some terrifying things. How can I not be afraid?
Author: Zheng Hengqing
Editor: Wu Dongkun
