Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Rural Children: Dropping out of School due to the downfall of their families

In November 1894, there was heavy snowfall for several days in Wakayama County, Haicao County, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (now Migi District, Wakayama City), and a wooden house in the snowstorm looked particularly quiet. On the 27th, several midwives were busy in front of Matsushita's house, coming in and out. With a long-awaited cry, Matsushita Konosuke was born. This is the eighth child of Matsushita Masaosuke's family. , although he was born thin and small, but the cry was very loud, Matsushita Masaosu looked at the newborn child and said in a low voice: "Let's call him Xingzhisuke."

The surname Matsushita originated from a pine tree next to his ancestral home.This pine tree has a history of 800 years, and its branches are lush.It is said that this tree has two peculiarities: one side of the tree leans towards the sea and grows very lushly, while the other side is bare; Other pine trees do not stop, every year.These phenomena have aroused the attention and awe of the people of Haicao County, who call it the "wood of thousand dens" that protects one side.The surname Matsushita means "Sacred Tree Shelter". Hesao Village is close to the sea, and the whole village makes a living by growing rice. Matsushita Masaosu is considered to be a relatively economically minded person. He is not good at farming, but he is happy to run around to manage rice.Compared with ordinary families, Matsushita's family is relatively well-off in the village. They have rice to eat all year round and new clothes to wear during New Years and festivals. Matsushita Konosuke is the youngest child in the family, so he is loved very much.Because his mother Tokuko is sick and his father is busy all year round, in order to take care of Konosuke, he hired an old woman Keiko Kato as a nanny. People in the village call her Ahuipo, who is kind and compassionate.He often gave his little money to the monks and beggars he met along the way.She also loves small animals. When she sees a frog crossing the path in the field, she has to give way, and she has to say hello and salute.A Huipo often carries the young Matsushita Konosuke on her back to the bottom of the big pine tree, looks up at the ancient pine, and sings:

"In spring, there is a flower banquet in the high-rise building, and there are frequent toasts under the falling cherry trees. The thousand-year-old pine conveys the ancient charm, and the green leaves are thick and shaded to welcome the brilliance." Winter goes to spring, leaves fall and flowers bloom.Several springs and autumns, Matsushita Konosuke was carried up the mountain by A Huipo, and then led down the field.Slowly, Konosuke also sang a few words along with him, and some ballads were still engraved in his heart and accompanied him all his life.However, he often sings a few lines from "Hakone Bali":

"Warrior walks the world, bold and courageous. Laughing up to the sky with long knives and wooden clogs, stepping on the rocks in the Bali Mountains." Ahuipo also loves to tell stories to Konosuke: how Ikkyu is kind and helpful, and about Toyotomi Hideyoshi's literary and military strategies.A Hui Po's attitude towards people and things unknowingly influenced the young Konosuke Matsushita. The peaceful and happy days were broken by one after another bad luck, especially the failure of his father's investment.It was the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, and the Japanese industry was booming. Many farmers began to speculate. Seeing this, Matsushita Masaosu, who was unwilling to be mediocre, did not resist the temptation to get rich quickly and got involved in speculating in the rice market.

However, Masao Matsushita's business did not go very well. The investment failed, and even the real estate and real estate left by the ancestors of the Matsushita family were lost. The Matsushita family, which lost their real estate and real estate, had to leave and moved to Wakayama City.Masao Matsushita opened a clog shop with the help of acquaintances, but the business of the clog shop was not easy, and the competition was fierce. Masao Matsushita had to let his eldest son, who was in the fourth grade of middle school, drop out of school to help run the clog shop. Business.However, Masao Matsushita wanted to get rich quickly instead of managing the business, which led to the clog shop closing down after two years of struggling.

As the saying goes, "misfortunes never come singly", fate always plays tricks on the already troubled Matsushita family. In 1901, when the clog shop closed down, the eldest brother who worked in the Wakayama textile factory died of illness, followed by the second brother and second sister.Which parent can bear the blow of losing three children in one year?In the memory of Matsushita Konosuke, his mother Tokuko always shed tears, and his father Matsushita Masasuke was also dejected and sighed.However, Masao Matsushita is not a person who is easily knocked down by difficulties. With tenacity and tenacity, he finally found a job at the Osaka School for the Deaf and Mute when Konosuke Matsushita was in the second grade of elementary school.Relying on the meager living expenses sent by my father, the family began to live a stable life again.

The painful lesson of his father's investment failure in the rice market served as a good warning for Konosuke Matsushita's later career.His approach is the exact opposite of his father's: down-to-earth, persistent, and never speculative.Therefore, it can be said that the lessons of rice market investment failure are the only legacy left by his father to Konosuke Matsushita. Under the cloud of gloom, when Konosuke Matsushita was 6 years old, his father called him to him and said, "Aji (the nickname of Konosuke Matsushita), it's time for you to go to school. Go to school tomorrow." The next day, he put on new clothes, carried the schoolbag sewn by his mother on his back, and happily went to school with the children from the same village.Ordinarily, the Matsushita family was unable to support Konosuke to go to school. The reason was that after the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1899-1895, Japan used more than 200 million taels of silver from the Qing government to establish education and build primary schools across the country. Therefore, Konosuke Matsushita had the opportunity go to school.

Although Konosuke Matsushita is shorter than children of the same age, he has a strong nature and is very serious about his studies. He completes the homework assigned by the teacher meticulously, answers questions louder than others, and does exercises more seriously than other children.Xiao Xingzhisuke didn't know that these behaviors were not elegant in the eyes of others, but he felt that only by studying hard in this way could he be worthy of this precious opportunity to go to school. Konosuke Matsushita is very sympathetic. Some students in the class are from poor families and did not have rice balls to eat when they were in school. Although Konosuke’s family is also very poor, he always takes out one or two rice balls from the rice balls he brought for his classmates without hesitation. Although I am also very hungry.

Konosuke Matsushita also has a heart of justice.In Konosuke's class, there is a classmate named Kametaro. Although he is thin and small, he often bullies his classmates because he is the son of a ronin (that is, local hooligans and hooligans).One day, Kametaro was supposed to be responsible for scrubbing the floor of the classroom, but he ordered a classmate to mop the floor for him, but the classmate refused, so he picked up his book and beat the classmate, and the classmates on the side didn't dare to say anything.After Konosuke saw it, he yelled at Kametaro not to bully his classmates. Maybe because no classmate dared to scold him, maybe he was shocked by Kokonosuke's righteousness. the sound of.From then on, the students were willing to play with Konosuke, and even Kametaro surrounded him.

The story of Matsushita’s brave deeds spread to the village, and the neighbors often said to his mother, Tokuko, “Tokuko, I really envy you for raising a good son. In the future, Xingzhisuke will definitely become a great talent!” “Where, he is still far behind. "Although the mother said so, she was warm in her heart, and hoped that Xiao Xingzhi's help would become a big weapon. During the short period of studying, Konosuke Matsushita devoured nutrition eagerly, which laid a good foundation for future business. One day when Konosuke Matsushita was in the fourth grade of elementary school, his father, Masao Matsushita, sent a letter to his mother, Tokuko, from Osaka, which said: "I know that Konosuke is already in the fourth grade, and I will graduate in two years. I know the importance of reading to life. However, not everyone can succeed in studying, and the family is in such a difficult situation. It is better to be realistic. Now there is a rare opportunity. A good friend of mine, Miyata, opened a brazier shop in Osaka , is in need of an apprentice, and I hope that Luckily can come to help." Tokuko cried after reading the letter, she couldn't bear to let such a diligent son drop out of school, and she couldn't bear to let her 9-year-old son go out to work.

Tokuko wrote a letter to discuss with her husband to let Xingzhisuke finish elementary school before going to work, but Masao Matsushita was very angry after receiving the letter from his wife, and severely urged Tokuko to quickly send Xingzhisuke to Osaka as an apprentice.In Japan, a wife cannot violate her husband's will. In desperation, Tokuko can only obey her husband's wishes and let Xing Zhisuke drop out of school to become an apprentice. Mother Tokuko told Matsushita Konosuke that his father wanted him to go to Osaka as an apprentice. To Tokuko's surprise, Fortunately, not only did he not give up the school, but he happily agreed to be an apprentice.For the young fortunate, he didn't know the hardships of apprenticeship, nor did he appreciate the value of studying, but he just felt that he could meet his father and go to a big city-Osaka.Seeing that Xingzhisuke agreed, Tokuko couldn't help turning around and quietly wiping away tears. In this way, Konosuke Matsushita, who was only 9 years old, interrupted his studies and was going to Osaka to start his apprenticeship. A few days before Konosuke Matsushita left, her mother, Tokuko, sewed new clothes under a dim kerosene lamp every night, and her tears fell on Konosuke's new clothes one by one.The day when Konosuke Matsushita left home arrived, and his mother Tokuko got up early to cook him a delicious meal.The young Xing Zhisuke didn't seem to know the pain of leaving home. After eating, he rushed out of the house in high spirits. His mother was walking on the road wearing clogs, and said from time to time: "Aji, slow down, slow down!" The rustling autumn wind In the movie, the frail Konosuke Matsushita and his crooked mother came to Kinokawa Railway Station. On this day, Jizhichuan Railway Station was empty, the sky was also gray, and the bleak autumn wind mixed with chills hit Xingzhisuke, his mother and others.Before the train arrived, Tokuko told Konosuke Matsushita: "Aji, as an apprentice, you must listen to the boss. You can't be lazy, and you can't let your father down! Remember?" "Mom, I remember." Fortunately, he nodded. "It's cold in the morning and evening, you need to put on more clothes! You have a bed-wetting problem, remember to drink less water in the afternoon!" Dezi was still urging. "Mom, don't worry, I can take care of myself!" Fortunately, he assured his mother. "And..." A biting cold wind blocked Tokuko's mouth, and Tokuko looked at the thin Konosuke in the cold wind, and tears welled up. With the rumbling sound, the train pulled into the station, and the moment of parting finally came.Mother Tokuko put her arms around Konosuke, and tearfully asked the uncle next door who was going to Osaka together: "Please take care of me on the way!" The train slowly pulled out of Kinokawa Railway Station. Mother Tokuko was still standing there, waving her hands constantly. The autumn wind blew up her skirt, messed up her gray hair, and also messed up Konosuke Matsushita's heart. In his later years, Konosuke Matsushita recalled the scene of leaving his hometown and said: "I still remember the scene at that time very clearly. Thinking of the lonely figure of my mother, my heart still hurts. I will never forget this scene." Kinokawa Railway Station is the starting point for Konosuke Matsushita to travel alone for the first time in his life, and it is also the starting point for him to enter the society. From then on, he began his life journey of working alone.