Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the snow got heavier.

When the eldest sister came out to carry firewood, she saw the snow flying all over the sky and said to Yu Qiutang, "Tangtang, go ask our father when you will visit the grave. Go early. It's cloudy and snowing. It will probably be dark soon."

Yu Qiutang agreed and went out wearing a straw hat.

Before leaving, he asked Yu Qiujiang to prepare things for visiting the grave.

According to traditional customs in Rongcheng, there are two most important days for visiting graves every year: one is Qingming Festival, and the other is burning New Year paper.

Among them, burning New Year paper is even more grand than the Qingming Festival.

Qingming Festival is usually just a time for younger generations to mourn their elders.

As for New Year's paper, family members need to go together to burn paper for the elders.

Generally, the head of the family is required to go with his brothers, nephews and nieces, while women do not need to visit the graves.

He returned to the troglodyte courtyard in the heavy snow and just saw his father finishing pasting the couplets. Yu Qiushi was standing beside him helping him hold the bowl of paste.

"Dad, when are we going to burn paper?"

"Go here."

Yu Dejin looked at the couplet outside the gate again to make sure it was straight, then he rubbed his hands repeatedly to remove the dried glue that was stuck on his hands.

Yu Qiushi's face turned blue from the cold and he looked very aggrieved.

Yu Qiutang felt amused.

Ever since he was old enough to understand, he had been doing this kind of work with Xiaowei, and Yu Qiushi was too lazy to do it. Now that he had separated from the family, his father had to do it himself, and Yu Qiushi had to be a "handyman."

Entering the yard, Yu Qiutang discovered that the snow in the yard had not been thoroughly cleared in the morning. Only a path for people to walk on was cleared. As the snow fell heavily again, this path was gradually covered.

This definitely wouldn't have happened when he was at home before.

Every time it snows, he is the first one to get up, and before others get up, he pushes all the snow in the yard into the infiltration pit.

If I was a little late and hadn't finished my homework by the time my father got up, I would be scolded by him.

Yu Dejin said that it would take more than ten minutes to go to the grave because one has to prepare burning paper, incense, various foods to be sprinkled, dried fruits, fruits, etc.

Yu Qiutang no longer had a house here and had nowhere to go for a while.

The house where he used to live had new locks on the doors.

I guess there must be other things put in it.

I heard from my father before that if grandma didn’t feel comfortable living in my third uncle’s house, she would have to move here and live in the house he used to live in.

But seeing the situation now, he felt that such an idea was just his father's fantasy. If his grandmother was really taken away, she would probably die in a few days.

I'm too lazy to sweep the snow in the yard, so how can I take care of a slightly forgetful old man in a long-term and meticulous manner?

"Brother, come in, aren't you cold?"

Yu Qiushi lifted the door curtain and called him.

Through the gap in the door curtain, Yu Qiutang saw Wang Chunhua sitting on the kang and eating melon seeds.

He smiled and shook his head.

Although it's cold outside, the air is fresh.

Seeing the broom and wood cutter standing in the corner, he took them and started clearing the snow.

He was very calm.

After this New Year, he should be fine and will not go back to the troglodyte easily.

This might be the last time I help clear the snow.

Even though we are drifting further and further away from our father, some rituals are still needed, and this little thing might be one of them.

Yu Qiushi was stunned when he saw him sweeping the snow. After watching for a while, he lowered the door curtain. When he came out again, he was wearing a cotton hat with long ears on his head, cotton gloves on his hands, and holding a pair of old cotton gloves.

"Here, put on Dad's gloves."

Yu Qiutang has always called his father "Dad", while Yu Qiushi actually called him "Dad". Yu Qiutang was a little uncomfortable at first, but later he figured it out. Times are changing, and the age difference between him and his younger brother is six years, which is more than a five-year plan.

He put on his father's gloves and found that they were a little damp and cold.

And the inside has been worn out by years of sweat and is hard, as if it were wrapped in a layer of very hard cardboard.

He couldn't help but think of his father wearing these gloves countless times, riding his bicycle long distances in the cold winter, working hard to earn some income to support the family.

He smiled slightly.

He suddenly realized that even when he hated his father the most, he still did not doubt the great sacrifices his father had made. He did not have the foolish logic that parents need to raise their children once they have them.

He has figured this out after a lifetime of experience.

In fact, no relationship in the world is necessary.

Once parents give birth to a child, they don't necessarily have to raise the child. Raising a child is a great thing in itself.

In nature, any animal, even a mother, will dislike weak children and abandon them.

After all, when parents raise children, they are actually sacrificing themselves.

This is selflessness.

This is actually against human nature. Otherwise, why do people gradually become self-aware and still not want too many children even if their family conditions are decent?

It is because children will lower their own living standards.

Therefore, Yu Qiutang's complaints about his father and his understanding of his father are two different concepts.

There is no conflict either.

If other things in the world can be measured by gains and losses, and merits and demerits, emotions cannot.

Being hurt emotionally is a hurt, and the good side cannot cover up the pain brought by the bad side.

Yu Qiushi probably rarely does this kind of thing.

It was done quite clumsily. Unlike Yu Qiutang who worked silently, Yu Qiushi kept cheering himself up with his voice.

Yu Qiutang saw it and just smiled.

Being willing to do some work is already a big progress, what else do you want?

After all, he is my brother.

I originally thought there were many things I disliked about him, but now it seems that Yu Qiushi is just stupid and I don’t realize his bad side.

Moreover, in Yu Qiushi's eyes, he might not be aware of the harm he had done to his brother.

No one taught him how to be a good brother.

In his previous life, Yu Qiutang didn't like Chen Meidi, so he didn't like Yu Qiushi and didn't treat him well.

The eldest brother is like a father. Thinking about it this way, he is not without some responsibility for his younger brother going astray.

He is my younger brother after all.

Even if they are half-siblings.

His brother Chunsheng and he have different fathers, but his brother never had any grudge against him.

Why do I have such a strong aversion to Yu Qiushi?

"Qiushi, have you finished your winter vacation homework?"

"It's over."

"Are you really done? Show it to me later?"

"Brother~"

Yu Qiushi grinned and said, "One more thing. I'll do it when I have some free time after the New Year."

"I still have to visit relatives after the New Year, and I don't have much time. Find the time to finish it quickly. You will be in the fifth grade next year and will go to junior high school right away. You may not pass the entrance exam in this state." Junior high school at this time still requires entrance exams, and not everyone can go in. If you fail, you may have to repeat the grade for many years.

Why do many people in this era only graduate from primary school? It is not only because their families are too poor to afford the tuition for junior high school, but also because many cannot even get into junior high school.

"If I can't pass the exam, then I won't go. I told my dad that I'll learn carpentry from him in a few years. If nothing else, with a skill like yours, I'm sure I won't starve to death."

Yu Qiushi is quite open-minded.

Yu Qiutang was stunned, thinking that Yu Qiushi was already thirteen years old after the New Year. Even if he was well protected, he still had mature ideas earlier because he lived in this era.

"That's fine, but you still have to go to school. Learning more knowledge and culture will always be beneficial for the future."

Yu Qiushi disagrees.

"That may not be the case. Look at my second sister and her husband. They are the most educated people in our family, but they still live like that. They don't seem to be living a good life, do they?"

"nonsense."

Yu Qiutang gently tapped Yu Qiushi on the forehead and said, "What my second sister and brother-in-law did was a very good thing."

"It's no good not to make money. You can't buy anything without money. I think I'm not as good as you."

Yu Qiushi suddenly got these values ​​from nowhere.

"Brother, don't say I'm wrong. Look at yourself. If you don't have money, where will your new yard come from? How can you let your eldest sister and third sister live with you? Aren't you going to marry a wife after the New Year? What can you use to marry..."

Yu Qiutang stared at Yu Qiushi.

This kid actually said something like this. I really never thought about it.

"I have thought it through. I want to make a lot of money in the future, and I want to build a new yard like yours. I don't want to live in this pit yard.

In the winter, when it snowed, the path was too slippery to run on. In the summer, when it rained heavily, water poured in from all directions. I was afraid I would drown.”

Yu Qiutang was stunned again.

Then it was both funny and ridiculous.

He had never talked so much with his brother, and he didn't expect that his brother would have such thoughts.

By this calculation, it seems that he also wanted to make money in his previous life, but he did not take the right path, and finally ended up on a path of no return.

When guiding the younger brother, we should not focus on whether he has a promising path, but should pay more attention to whether he is going in the right direction.

Thinking of this, he said solemnly: "Your idea is good, but there is a big principle you need to remember..."

"I know. You must be saying that we should behave properly and walk the right path. We can't do things that will be criticized by others, right?"

"Ah... you know?"

"Of course I know. My mother tells me this every day, and her ears are bleeding from being rubbed."

"Would your mother tell you this?"

"Why don't you talk about this? Why do you think she hit me..."

Yu Qiutang didn't believe that Chen Meidi would say that. He always felt that Yu Qiushi had gone astray and "thanked" it to Chen Meidi's poor parenting, which must have conveyed the wrong attitude towards life to the child.

“But actually I’ve only talked more recently. Less in the past,” Yu Qiushi added, grinning as if he had thought of something.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me quickly, or you won't be allowed to come to our yard anymore."

"Hey, brother, I am your biological brother, the only biological brother in this matter. I have discovered that you treat Brother Yuan and Brother Jiang much better than I do."

"Where is it?"

Yu Qiutang subconsciously refuted, but then he thought about it and realized that what his brother said was actually not wrong. He was indeed unwilling to pay attention to his brother, while he had a good relationship with his cousins ​​Yu Qiujiang and Yu Qiyuan.

"Anyway," Yu Qiushi said without making a fuss. "I'm telling you, my mother is still asking me to learn more from you."

"Would your mother say that?"

Yu Qiutang still didn't believe it.

"That's right, I wouldn't lie to you," Yu Qiushi pushed the last of the wood shovel into the seepage pit, took off his gloves, and blew air on his hands while saying:

"You're just saying it's weird. She clearly told me not to learn from you before, but now that you're rich, you've turned around. And you still say that money is useless?"

Yu Qiutang was left speechless.

After a while, he finally smiled.

"Your mother has a point."

...

Yu Dejin took Yu Qiutang and Yu Qiushi out and agreed to meet at the main intersection in front of Yu Qiushui's gate. He asked Yu Qiutang to go home and call Yu Qiujiang and others, and bring the prepared things.

While waiting, Yu Demu and Yu Qiushan came back in the heavy snow.

It is said that the road is difficult to walk on and is very slippery.

In fact, their family lives in the city, so they don’t have to come back. They just need to come back after the New Year to burn paper.

But Yu Dehuo passed away this year, so I rushed back.

But even so, when everyone stood together and went through the initial greetings, everyone standing in the snow suddenly fell silent.

There are a lot fewer people.

The family, which was originally not prosperous, has now become even more impoverished.

In this atmosphere, no one dared to say anything light-hearted. They all followed Yu Dejin in silence as they braved the heavy snow towards the mass grave.

I gradually met many people on the road, all of whom were going to visit their graves.

The sound of firecrackers in the village was deafening, but the people on the road were walking in silence. From a distance, they looked like pilgrims walking on the snowy mountain road.

When we arrived at the cemetery, it was already filled with smoke. In front of the hundreds or thousands of graves, at least half of them had people kneeling and burning paper.

The cries continued one after another.

The sound of the wind and the heavy snow came together to make everyone's hearts extra sensitive.

There is no custom that requires crying when visiting graves.

All you have to do is kneel in front of the grave and shout "So-and-so, give me some money" a few times and the matter will be settled.

But such a festival, such weather, the dull and depressing atmosphere around, and the sad emotions all come together, always making people recall many past events.

The happier and more joyful the memories are, the sadder the reality will be.

Finally, they couldn't hold it in any longer and some people started crying.

Women aren't the only ones who cry.

Many men, who are in their forties, fifties, or even sixties or seventies, have long been gray-haired and have yellowed temples, but when they kneel in front of the graves of their parents, especially their mothers, they still suddenly become extremely sad and cannot help crying quietly.

When their lives gradually come to an end, they no longer lose money to anyone in this world and have fulfilled their responsibilities. While they feel comforted, they also feel an indescribable fatigue and sadness, and this sadness is not suitable to be shared with their wives, children, and brothers.

Only when I kneel in front of my mother's grave will I suddenly cry like a child.

Fortunately, the mother of the Yu Dejin brothers was still alive. They knelt in front of their father's grave with their children, but they did not react much. Instead, they mechanically burned paper, made offerings, kowtowed, and lit incense.

When he got up, Yu Dejin subconsciously turned his head to look at Yu Qiutang and Yu Qiushi, and then said: "You guys should remember your grandfather's grave. In a few years, when the three of us are gone, we will rely on you."

"it is good."

Yu Qiutang nodded.

What he saw in his father's eyes was not sadness, but a bit of loneliness.

For some reason, this emotion was very subtle, but he understood it at a glance. (End of this chapter)