Thousands of rural cadres arrived early at the venue, which was decorated with red and colorful decorations. They all relaxed their eyebrows and beamed with joy, as if they were just celebrating the liberation and turning over.

Taken from

Jia Dashan

On a day when the whole country is celebrating a great historic victory, the county party committee will hold an on-site meeting on farmland capital construction in the north of Lizhuang Village. Thousands of rural cadres arrived early at the venue, which was decorated with red and colorful decorations. They all relaxed their eyebrows and beamed with joy, as if they were just celebrating the liberation and turning over. As soon as they put their bicycles away, some stood at the intersection and watched the old men in Lizhuang playing the drums like they were having fun; some gathered on the Hutuo River embankment and talked to each other about the situation in the village; some crowded in front of the colorful critical comics column, pointing and laughing at the four grinning monsters...

Wang Qingzhi is a thoughtful person after all. He was not only happy, but more importantly, he focused on the project of Lizhuang. He cut his hands upside down, walked in circles on the ground, looked at the rows of newly built large shacks, and said to himself: "Drink! This guy Li Heiniu is really good at it! Drink! This guy Li Heiniu is really good at it!"

I followed him and couldn't help laughing. He then asked: "Old Wang, what did you say?"

He stopped, raised his two light eyebrows, and said as if making a speech: "I said that Li Heiniu is really good at it! First, the timing of starting construction is good, which has its own special significance. Second, the momentum of starting construction Being built large has its typical meaning. Three, what is three? The sand hills here are flat; the sand trenches here are padded; in this flat, mirror-like river beach where sorghum is being harvested and beans are harvested, who knows what new tricks others have come up with? Could it be..."

said, with his hands behind his back, he stepped out those two powerful long legs...

Half a month ago, as soon as I arrived in Wangzhuang with the county party committee working group, I discovered Lao Wang's characteristics: quick words and quick legs, flexible brain, and speaking in an orderly and vivid manner. Maybe it’s because I served as the principal of a private school for a period in the early days of liberation, and my pen is also very neat. I always feel that he is the most capable among the rural branch secretaries I have met. However, since Wangzhuang has such a leader, why does he always follow Li Zhuang in the ranks of agricultural imitators? What kind of person is Li Heiniu? As Lao Wang said, what new tricks did they come up with in this flat, mirror-like riverbank where they were harvesting sorghum and harvesting beans?

It has been a long time since the conference started, and I have been thinking about these issues...

"Now, please introduce your experience to Comrade Li Heiniu, secretary of the Lizhuang Brigade branch!"

Amid warm applause, Li Heiniu stood up. I stood on tiptoes and saw that he was in his fifties, short, with a thin face, wearing a coarse cotton-padded jacket, and an old towel on his head. He was a farmer with rustic eyebrows. I saw him holding a bright big pickaxe and walking towards the crowd with a smile. People moved backwards for no apparent reason, as if they were watching a magic trick, and formed a large circle. He spit in the palm of his hand, rubbed his hand, rounded the big pickaxe, and dug a big hole with a huff. Then he picked up a handful of sand, raised it high above his head, let the sand slowly flow from the seam of his hand, opened his thick mouth, and said: "Everyone, leaders, comrades! You can see it, this is the gap in our village. These nine The surface of the 100-acre riverbank land is quite flat, and the soil layer is too thin, and the bottom is filled with sand, which is like a sieve. It leaks water and fertilizer. How can it be called Dazhaitian? We made a plan: we would cultivate 300 acres of it in one year, 600 acres of it in two years, and work hard for three years to turn it into a Dazhai farm that can be irrigated in droughts and drained in floods, and can store water and maintain fertilizer, with high and stable yields. Three hundred acres were treated last year. What will happen this year? After the "Gang of Four" was overthrown, the people were filled with joy, their minds were greatly liberated, and their production was victorious. Three hundred acres is too little. People in Lizhuang said that they would have to work hard all winter to finish everything. We must use practical actions to implement Chairman Hua's strategic decision to govern the country by focusing on the principles and give the "Gang of Four" a resounding slap in the face! It’s over! "

There was warm applause and laughter at the venue.I clapped my hands hard and turned around to see, hey, where is Lao Wang? Looking around, I saw him squatting blankly at the back of the crowd, with patches of red and white on his face. What's the reason?

Why is Wang Qingzhi blushing?

During the lunch break, a large truck from the county food company delivered cooked food. Lao Wang and I bought some mahua, found a secluded place, and while eating, we asked him why he left the venue just now. His face looked very ugly. He was stunned for a long time and suddenly said: "It's just as I expected! What Li Heiniu introduced was originally the experience created by our Wangzhuang!"

"What?" I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

Lao Wang sighed, ate mahua, and slowly began to narrate:

"There is also a river beach in the north of our village. The surface is quite flat, the fertile soil layer is too thin, and there is only sand underneath, so crops cannot grow well. Last October, as soon as the National Agricultural Learning Conference from Dazhai ended, the county party committee immediately held a meeting of 4,000 people. You remember, at that meeting, the county party committee secretary criticized the erroneous idea of "exploiting potential and maximizing production". At that time, I thought, our county is located in the Great Plains, and As an advanced county, this kind of thinking is representative and must be broken. If we seize this topic and make a fuss about it, it will definitely attract the attention of the county committee, there is no doubt about it! Coincidentally, as soon as I returned to the village, our Lao Poverty Association and a few old farmers came up with a plan to disembowel the land, dig out the sand and replace it with soil, and re-regulate the floodplain. When I heard Coke, I thought about it and immediately thought of a slogan: 'Dig the ground three feet to find the gap and build high-standard Dazhaitian! '

" Li Hei Niu has long ears. A few days after we started work, he came to the construction site and walked around quietly all morning. I didn't find him until we finished work. As soon as we met, he said with a smile: "Old Wang, you have more tricks than me. Today you have opened my mind. I have to treat you to a drink when I have time!" ’ After returning, they followed suit and started the battle to reorganize the floodplain. Isn't this what he just introduced? What happened to "

"? "I asked.

"Oh, don't mention it! "Lao Wang sighed again, "In the first year, I went to the county to attend a symposium. Comrade Yu Xiao from the newspaper heard about it and came to the guest house and asked me to write an article criticizing the theory of productivity. I closed my eyes and thought about it, and immediately summarized the ten major manifestations and eight major harms of the productivity theory. The manuscript was finished, but it was too empty to say the least. I was asked to connect some facts and add some content. What to contact? Less than Kai Dao said: 'What is the overriding task right now? At this moment, you are dragging a large number of laborers into the river beach. What is this called? Speaking from one’s own experience can educate readers even more! ’ When I heard this, I couldn’t help but take a breath: Oh my God! Has the construction of farmland infrastructure become a product-only theory? Pull it down and stop writing. We can’t put a shit basin on our own heads! But I thought again, first, level one is the level of level one. Read the newspaper and listen to the news; listen to the radio and listen to the music. If you don’t understand it, it means your level is low. Second, in the past two years, Wangzhuang's work has improved a lot, and it has begun to gain a bit of fame. In such a big political movement, how can we not show off the mountains and rivers? Third, Comrade Yu came to the door in person, which shows that we have a slogan in people's minds. If we don't write... we should write. If we don't write, it won't be good. People will say that a leprous dog cannot climb the wall. However, when the pen tip is twisted, it is not a slap on one's own head... Oh, forget it, forget it, sheep will not be beaten if they follow the herd, and people will not be punished if they follow the crowd..."

"Have you written it yet? "I asked eagerly.

Lao Wang suddenly jumped up, punched his left palm with his right fist, and said anxiously: "If you don't write it, will the Wangzhuang project be destroyed? If you don’t write, if you don’t write, today’s meeting will have to be held in Wangzhuang. It’s not just bragging! "

The reason why Lao Wang blushed made me think deeply. After a moment of silence, I said, "Have you ever thought about the repercussions that your article will have in Lizhuang after it is published? "

"One,..." Lao Wang blinked, "Let's learn about it by the way! "

Introduction by Zhang Guohe

After the meeting, Lao Wang and I went to the farmland infrastructure command shed.Li Heiniu went to work and saw a fat, strong man and a few girls clearing the tables and stools. Lao Wang introduced me. The big man’s name was Zhang Guohe, and he was a branch member of the Lizhuang Brigade.

It seems that they are old acquaintances. Lao Wang raised the issues we were concerned about, and Zhang Guohe sat down on the straw bed and said unceremoniously: "You still have to ask, last year, when your article was published in the newspaper, our village almost went into chaos! Early one morning, the door of the brigade was covered with large unofficial characters. Some of the committee members said, "He writes what he does, and we do what we do!" Some said, "We learned this from Wangzhuang, and everyone checked it in the newspaper." ! ’ Some also said: ‘If he criticizes us, we will approve him, and if he publishes it in a tabloid newspaper, we will try to get it published in a major newspaper! ’ The argument lasted until midnight when Hei Niu stood up and we all wanted to hear his opinion. Unexpectedly, he stretched out his arms, opened his thick mouth, yawned towards the roof, and said slowly and naively: "What you do has a reason to do it, and what you do has a reason to do it." Whether you do it or not, it’s New Year’s Day now. Who among the members doesn’t make some New Year’s vegetables and grind some tofu? Let’s talk about it after the New Year! ’”

After hearing this, Lao Wang couldn’t help covering his mouth and laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Zhang Guohe glared at Lao Wang with dissatisfaction, "Don't look at Hei Niu's slow and naive temper, but he has his own ideas. He often said: 'We have few tricks. If you have something to do, you have to consult the works of Marxism-Leninism and Chairman Mao; if you have something to do, you have to consult the works of Marxism-Leninism and Chairman Mao; if you have something to do, you have to mobilize thousands of mouths in the village.' He asked the members to make New Year vegetables and grind tofu, but he didn't have the luxury. New Year's Eve At night, my family was making dumplings on the kang. He came and pulled me into the west room without fireworks and asked me what to do. I had already suppressed my anger and slapped the table. I said, "Don't farm if you just hear the crickets. Don't cross the river if you just hear the crickets. We can't tear our heads off!" , who is the toad? What if someone says you are a cricket or a toad? ’ ‘I…’ ‘You have to provide evidence! ’ I said, ‘What basis are you using? We are farmers. We cultivate good land, harvest more grain, and contribute more to the country. This is our duty! Humph, no matter what damn Wang Qingzhi is causing trouble! ’ At that time, Hei Niu had a face like iron, eyes like cones, and a low voice. His words were weighty: ‘Guohe! Don't just bluff. Wang Qingzhi wrote such an article and it was only published in the newspaper. Is it a joke? Haven’t you seen through what’s going on now? Tabloids read broadsheets, but who do broadsheets listen to? ’ I twisted my neck and said, ‘It will listen to whoever it wants! ''Anyway, we should listen to whomever! ’ black cow As he spoke, he took out a copy of the "Communist Manifesto" from his arms, opened it and pointed to a quotation: " The proletariat will use its political rule to seize all the capital of the bourgeoisie step by step, concentrate all production tools in the hands of the state, that is, the proletariat organized into the ruling class, and increase the total amount of productive forces as quickly as possible." ’ My eyes lit up and I said, ‘Let’s open a branch committee immediately! ’ ‘Not busy. ’ Hei Niu took out two more books from his arms, one was Lenin’s “The Great Initiative” and the other was Chairman Mao’s “On Practice” and placed them in front of my face. I said: ‘Is there any basis for this? ’ Hei Niu said: ‘Yes! ’ I said, ‘Where is it? ’ black cow His face sank and he said, "If you eat well during the New Year, will I still feed you?" 'Hehe, I understand what he means! "

Speaking of this, Zhang Guohe drank a bowl of water, looked at Lao Wang and said: "Of course, find a few quotations, and if they are put on you, it won't be a problem. You have a lot of ink in your belly and a lively brain. If you look at a document or something, you can just scan the topic with your eyes and you can roughly guess the content. Black Bull is not as capable as you! When he was thirteen, he was herding sheep, when he was fifteen, he was forging iron, and when he was nineteen, he was carrying a gun in the guerrilla group of the militia. He couldn't read the Chinese character Douda. It takes more effort for him to read a book than to hoe ten acres of land! "

"Has your branch committee been opened? "I asked.

Zhang Guohe thought for a while and said: "At that time, Hei Niu still said he was not busy. In the first month of the year, he spent a few days looking for someone to chat with.As for what they talked about, you'd better go back to the village and ask about Zhao Manxi, the breeder of the third team. He was one of Hei Niu's arms when the cooperative was established. "

Zhao Manxi's introduction

Zhao Manxi was sitting in the courtyard where the animals were fed, humming a little tune and sifting grass. For the convenience of conversation, I only introduced myself to him and explained my purpose. When the old man heard it, hehehe He smiled, although his mouth was missing some teeth and his words were a bit windy, but he sounded more humorous and attractive.

"Yes, in my barn, the black cow comes and goes frequently, and it has become a habit. If there is anything difficult, he will always come to feel our thoughts first, and then discuss it at the branch committee. He likes to chat with me, but he doesn't want to take up productive time and always comes during meal time. While eating, we chatted. After we finished eating, we put the bowl down and went to work. If he comes frequently, his wife will also come frequently. What are you here for? Get a job! Hahaha!

"Let's stop talking. On the first day of the Lunar New Year last year, I didn't entertain guests or invite friends. I made an appointment with a few thoughtful old men and planned to catch a big truck to the construction site to haul some dirt. Maybe you want to say, what kind of fun are a group of old guys having during the Chinese New Year? Comrade, how do you know the situation at that time? To the village Some of the projects in the north include adding firewood, removing fire, and pouring cold water! We hitched up the big mules and drove around in the street. We worked as much as we wanted, which was a way of expressing our position and showing off!

"As soon as I hitched up the cart, the black cow came with the rice bowl. While eating, he said, 'Uncle Manxi, what are you doing?' ''Go to socialism ! ’ I said, and with a loud sound, I flicked the whip, which scared the birds all over the yard. Unexpectedly, he stopped the horse's head with a flick of his arm: 'Didn't you hear this broadcast? ’ ‘I’m not deaf! ’ ‘Didn’t you read the big-character poster at the brigade door? ’ ‘I’m not blind! ’ ‘Then why are you still doing it? ’ ‘If you don’t do it, high-yielding rice can be grown in the mud puddle in the east of the village? If we don't do it, wheat seedlings will grow on Xiangbaisha in the west of the village? ’ ‘Oh my, you are really old and can’t keep up with your thinking! ’ At that time, I don’t know where he heard those bastard words. He shrugged his nose, winked, made a grimace, and said in a tight voice: ‘One is the grass of socialism, and the other is the seedlings of revisionism . You want the grass, you want the seedlings? ’ The more I thought about this, the more awkward it became, and I said angrily: ‘What you said is stupid! Why is it that socialism grows grass while revisionism sprouts seedlings? We want the seedlings of socialism! ’ ‘That’s easy to handle! ’ Hei Niu still kept his voice tight, ‘As long as the revolution is done, production will naturally increase! ’ Oh, it was only then that I woke up and realized that he was trying to test my mind with some irony. I snatched away his job and said angrily: "Hei Niu, Hei Niu, stop eating. Once the revolution is done, you will naturally be full!" ’ Hei Niu laughed, then his face sank, and he said: ‘People are like iron, and rice is like steel. If you don’t eat even one meal, you will get hungry. It’s impossible for me not to eat, and it’s even more impossible for 800 million people not to eat. ’ I said, ‘Wow! In those days, to conquer the country, rifles alone were not enough. We also needed millet seeds. How much more to build a modern and powerful socialist country now? ’ Hei Niu smacked his lips happily after hearing these words: ‘Uncle Manxi! This is a precious word! Do you dare to bring this point of view to the branch committee? ’ I said: ‘We’re not afraid if we get it from the Central Government! ’ Hei Niu said, ‘We’ve made an agreement! ’”

“You also participated in the branch committee? " Lao Wang asked.

"It has expanded to me. "

"At that meeting..."

"Heiniu didn't say much, but Guohe's level was not low. "

"The project in the north of the village..."

"It hasn't passed yet, but it has started again! "

" What about the big-character poster? "

" was written by two people! "

" Who are these two people? "

" This is a strange question, who among good people is opposed to socialism?

Lao Wang nodded, looked at me, and said in admiration: "Hei Niu is really capable!" "

" Oh, that's all! "It seems that he heard someone else praising his child. The old man's face was filled with pleasure, but he said a few words of praise and criticism, "He is a person who has no literary talent, no eloquence, and a tendency to bite people.But then again, with such a stubborn person, the village does not suffer. A few years ago, when Lin Biao was causing trouble, the struggle was sharp, but our village did not suffer much harm. "

Speaking of this, there was a sound of horses braying in the stable. The old man asked us to wait a moment. He wanted to take care of the foal that had just turned one month old.

Wang Qingzhi's conclusion

From From the look on Lao Wang's face, he felt very uneasy. He walked around in the courtyard, spread his hands towards me, and said, "Look, the experience we learned from Li Zhuang today is exactly what Li Zhuang learned from us last year; that is to say, what he insists on today is exactly what I threw away last year. What is the reason for this? "

Yes, what is the reason? Of course, the interference and destruction of the evil "Gang of Four" is the main reason. This is a crime that they cannot be exempted from. But, isn't Li Zhuang under the same interference and destruction?

To say that Lao Wang is good, he is really good. I was thinking hard, and he came to a conclusion, raised his two light eyebrows, and said like a speech: "Actually, the reason is also very simple. I am good at being pragmatic, and Hei Niu is good at being pragmatic. After we go back, we must take measures immediately to catch up! First, unified deployment and mobilization at all levels; second, go all out and engage in the battle; third, all activities that have nothing to do with the battle, such as political night schools, clubs, should you first..."

"Comrade, come and have dinner with me! "The old man took care of the colt, walked out of the barn, and held one of us by the hand. I looked at the sky and said, "Eating so early? "

The old man said: "You don't know. Last night, Hei Niu inspected the political evening classes of each team; today, in the dark night, there is another literary and art competition to criticize the "Gang of Four", and each team has to put on a program. We had eaten early before the animals came back. Wearing makeup or not, we had to change clothes and shave! "

" You also perform on stage? "I looked at the old man in surprise.

The old man smiled: "You have old arms and legs. What kind of show are you playing? Just pull a four-strand string !" Let’s go and eat. After dinner we watch a show. "The old man repeatedly asked us to stay, and we thanked him profusely before leaving.

The sun fell into the purple clouds. On both sides of the Hutuo River embankment, tall and straight poplar trees were stained by the beautiful sunset. Lao Wang rode his bicycle slowly for two or three miles without saying a word.

"Old Wang, what is three, you haven't finished talking yet! "

If you want to say that Lao Wang is capable, he is really capable. His two light eyebrows raised up, and he came to a new conclusion. He opened his mouth and actually read out two poems:

Learn from the towering poplar trees,

Don't be a wall Maomao .

(originally published in 1977 The 4th issue of "Hebei Literature and Art", now included in "Selected Collection of Jia Dashan's Novels")

Jia Dashan (July 1942 ~ February 20, 1997) was a native of Zhengding, Hebei. After graduating from middle school in 1964, as an intellectual youth sent to the countryside, he went to work in farming in Xiciting Village. Started publishing works in 1971, Later he was transferred to Zhengding County Cultural Center as a librarian. He has successively served as director of the Zhengding County Cultural Bureau, vice chairman of the Zhengding County CPPCC, member of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial CPPCC, and vice chairman of the Hebei Provincial Writers Association.

The themes of Jia Dashan's creations focus more on the fate of small people, and reflect the reality of rural society through the personality depiction of the bottom characters.

His works such as "Seeking the Scriptures" created in the 1970s mainly wrote about grassroots cadres from a political perspective; the "Dream Village Chronicles" series in the 1980s no longer directly wrote about politics, but about the human nature and human feelings of ordinary farmers living in a specific political environment; the works after the 1990s are intended to explore the commonalities of human nature.

“In this world, there is the bitterness of optimism, the ugliness of grace, the uncanny humor, the stubbornness of thought and the warmth of hardship. "This is the evaluation of Jia Dashan's works by Tie Ning, chairman of Chinese Writers Association.

In 1978, the novel "Qijing" won the first national outstanding short story award. He also won the award with writers Wang Meng, Liu Xinwu, Jia Pingwa and others.

Since then, he has created a number of short stories such as "Flower Market" and "Dream Village Chronicles", and his works have won many awards.

's representative works "Qiu Jing" and "Flower Market" have been selected into Chinese textbooks in middle schools across the country, and "Zhao Sanqin" has been included in "100 Scenes of Rural China" published by Galaxy Bookstore in Japan.

In the literary world of the 1980s, he and Jia Pingwa were known as the "two Jia" of short stories.