Chapter 2 autobiography-2

One day, my cousin came from the country again, and I was very happy to see him.I asked him about those waterwheels, those mills, and I asked him about many things I was familiar with in the country.But I didn't understand that this time he didn't care about me, he didn't make out with me.He only went out to buy white belts all day long, and he bought a lot himself, and he asked my fourth uncle to buy a lot.There are two loads of white tape at home, and they say it is not enough.He discussed many things with my father, although I heard it but didn't quite understand what it meant.One of them was to send the third brother and elder brother Pai Aya to Miao Township on the same day.Send my elder sister and second sister to the Qiliang cave in my cousin's country, which can accommodate thousands of people.Dad immediately followed his cousin's plan, and my mother seemed to agree at the time that it was safer and easier to do so.Under a swift treatment, the four left home and set off on the road with their cousin that day.My cousin picked up a load of white tape when he went, and another stranger who came with him also picked up a load.I suspect that he needs so many tapes because he wants to open a shop.

When my cousin and his party left, my father asked my cousin if he would come tomorrow night, and that one replied: "If you don't come, how can it work?"I have so much more to do!I know that among the many things my cousin does, one of them must be to bring that flower rooster for me, which he promised me earlier.So I interrupted and said: Come on, don't forget to promise me that thing!Can't forget, forget me and bring other better things.When my two older sisters, one older brother and one younger brother hid in Miao Township with the Miao lady, my father asked me: How are you?Go to Miao Township with Ah Ya, or stay in the city with me?Where is it more lively?Don't ask this question, I understand what you mean, if you want to watch the excitement in the city, you should stay in Miao Township.I'm so glad to hear I'm staying in town with my dad.I remember clearly that the second night, the scene where my uncle was sharpening the knife under the light with a red face was really very interesting.I walked past the warehouse to watch my uncle sharpen a knife, and went to the study to watch my father clean his gun.After a lot of family members left, it suddenly seemed much more spacious.I usually seem to have little guts, and I don't go out of the room much after dark, and I don't know how to be afraid today.I don't understand what's going to happen, but I do know that something new and important is going to happen.I walked around the house, and approached my father to listen to them.Each of them looked different from the usual serenity, and each of them stuttered.There are two Cantonese-style shotguns in my family. While checking the guns, several people often smile at each other inexplicably, and I smile with them.

I saw them working in the daylight, and I saw them conferring in the light.The tall uncle ran out of the door for a while, and ran back for a while, talking quietly.I pretended not to notice, and counted the number of times he went out that day. He went out nine times that day. When he went out for the last time, I walked behind him to the porch, and I said, "Fourth Uncle, what's the matter, are you Ready to fight?Duh, you little thing, don't go to bed yet!I want the cat to eat you later.Go to sleep now!So I was dragged by a girl to the upper room, put my head on my mother's lap, and fell asleep after a while.

I don't know anything about what happened in and out of the city that night.When I woke up as usual, I saw that the whole family had already got up, everyone was pale, and they were talking quietly there.Everyone asked me if I heard anything last night, and I just shook my head.It seems that there are a few people missing in my family. After counting, all the uncles are gone. The only man is my father, sitting on his only special chair in the main room, bowing his head and not saying a word.I remembered about killing Zhan, and I asked him: Dad, Dad, have you ever killed Zhan?Little thing, don't talk nonsense, Ye Lai we killed!The whole army was destroyed, thousands of people died!Just as I was talking, the tall uncle came back from the outside, his head was covered with sweat, and he stammered: "The yamen has brought back four hundred and ten heads from the edge of the city, a bunch of ears, seven ladders, some knives, some Something else.More people were killed in Duihe, and seven houses were burned. Now people are not allowed to go to the city to see it.When my father heard that there were four hundred heads, he said to his uncle: "Go and see, Han is not there."Hurry up, hurry up.Han is my purple-faced cousin, and I understand that he was very concerned after the battle outside the city last night.I heard that there are so many heads at the gate of the yamen, and there are a lot of human ears, which coincides with the story of killing long hairs that my father usually told me. I was excited and scared, so excited that I didn't know what to do.After washing our face, we walked out of the room and saw that the weather was overcast, as if it was going to rain, everything was gloomy.Usually at this time, the voices of cake sellers and various other voices can be heard at the street corner, but today it was unusually quiet, as if it was Chinese New Year.I want to get a chance to go out and see.What I care about most are the heads I've never touched.After a while, my chance came.Uncle Changshen came back and told my father that there was no head of Han in the head.Besides, there are many people at the gate of the yamen, and the shops on the street have been ordered to open, and the second master of the Zhang family also went to the street to watch the excitement.The second master of the Zhang family at the opposite door was originally one of the local gentlemen who had secretly connected with the Revolutionary Party.So my father asked me: Little thing, are you afraid of being killed, and if you are not afraid, go out with me.Don't be afraid, I want to see it!So I saw a lot of dirty and bloody heads on the flat ground at the entrance of Daoyin Yamen.There are also human heads everywhere on the antlers at the gate of the yamen and on the gate.The ladders retrieved from the city were all made of new moso bamboo (that is, some newly cut bamboos were cut from the mountains, and many wooden sticks were crossed horizontally), and many human heads were hung on the wooden sticks of the ladders.I am really surprised to see these things, I don't understand why so many people are killed, I don't understand why these people have their heads cut off.Then I discovered that string of ears, that string of things, a strange thing that I never see again in my life!My uncle asked me: Little thing, are you afraid?I answered very well, I said I am not afraid.I have heard so many stories about killing battles, always saying that there are mountains of heads and rivers of blood, and when watching plays, I always say that there are thousands of troops and horses who are divided into victors and losers, but I can see it from the stage when Qin Qiong is crying. I saw a wooden head placed on a vermilion plate and danced around. Besides, I have never seen a real killing and beheading of any human head.Now there is such a large pile of bloody things chopped off from people's necks.I wasn't afraid, but I didn't understand why these people let the soldiers cut them down. I was a little suspicious, thinking that there must be something wrong.

Why are they chopped?And why did the people who cut them down?I had many questions in my mind, and I asked my father when I got home. My father only said that the rebellion had lost the battle, and he couldn't give me a satisfactory answer.At that time, I thought it was strange that such a great person as my father, who knew so many things in heaven and earth, didn't understand this matter.Only now do I understand that this matter will never be lacking in the world, but no one can give a child the most appropriate answer. This revolution was originally known by the gentlemen in the city, and it was used to deal with the towns and towns. It was an appointment with the bannerman officials of the two yamen, Chenyuan Yongjing, and the merchants from outside the road, before attacking the city.But for the time being, due to the inappropriate conditions negotiated by the army, a major event was missed.

The revolution has failed, and the killing has only just begun.After the city defense army arranged the defense carefully, they sent troops separately to Miao Township to arrest people. The captured people only asked a few words, and then took them out of the city to cut them down.Ordinarily, killing should be done outside the west gate, but now that the rebels are coming from the north gate, those who should be killed should be killed on the river beach at the north gate.At the beginning, about one hundred people were to be killed every day, and when fifty people were killed each time, there were only twenty-one execution soldiers, and only about thirty people watching the excitement.Sometimes the clothes are not stripped, and the rope is not tied, just follow along.Often, those who were killed stood a little farther away, and the soldiers thought they were spectators, so they forgot to go.Almost all those who were killed were captured from Miao Township. They were confused and didn't know what happened, so they didn't realize what was going to happen until they knelt down at the river beach, crying loudly and running around in panic. , The executioner immediately rushed forward and chopped it down with a knife.

This stupid and cruel killing continued for about a month before it gradually abated.Either because the weather is very cold, there is no need to worry about its rotting, and it is not buried if it is not buried in time, or because there is another purpose of publicity, four or five hundred corpses on the river beach are often laid down. When there are too many descendants, it seems that all the people captured by Miao Township in the northwest have to be beheaded. When the yamen reported the document to Futai, it roughly said that the Miao people rebelled. people.As soon as more people were captured, the one who was killed was extremely simple-minded and couldn't escape himself, but the murderer knew more about the news below, but his heart was a little chilled.Several local powerful gentlemen, that is, people who secretly communicated with people outside the city but were not known to the officials, together asked the Daotai for a restriction.After some choices, kill what should be killed, and let go what should be released.There are one hundred or two hundred people arrested every day, almost all of them are farmers from Miao Township. They can neither be released nor beheaded. Therefore, the procedure of selection is entrusted to the heavenly king respected by the local people.Take the prisoner to the courtyard in front of the main hall of Tianwang Temple, and throw bamboo rafts in front of the god.Life and death depend on a throw. Those who deserve death go to the left, and those who deserve to live go to the right.A man has gained three-quarters of a penny in a gamble, so no one who deserves to die will walk away with his head bowed without saying a word.

At that time, I was free to go out, and whenever I had the opportunity, I often went to the top of the city to watch the beheading by the river.Whenever a person has been killed and it is too late to see the slash, he competes with other children to count the number of dead bodies with one, two, three, four fingers.Or followed the prisoners to Tianwang Temple to watch them throwing bamboo sticks. Look at how those country people closed their eyes and threw away a pair of bamboo sticks in their hands. Some people dare not open their eyes when it is time to release them.I also looked at those who were supposed to die, but still missed the children, calves, pigs and sheep at home. I will never forget the dejected and complaining expressions to God, and it also affected my special aversion to the abuse of power throughout my life.

These were the things I knew when I happened to know life. In March of the following year, the local revolution was successful. White flags were hung everywhere and Chinese characters were written. The officers and soldiers in the small town were considered to have surrendered to the revolutionary army.Soldiers of the revolution were parading the streets in rows.The foreign envoy, Dao Yin, the county magistrate, has expressed his willingness to walk. Everything in the local area is maintained by gentlemen, and democratic elections will be held at the general meeting. My father immediately became a local dignitary.

At that time, my elder brother, younger brother and two older sisters were all brought back from Miao Township.Countless country soldiers came and went at home, and the yard was full of people.Among a group of strangers, I found the cousin with the purple-black face.He didn't die, he carried a single sword on his back, and the scarlet cowhide scabbard was painted with golden and yellow patterns of double dragons grabbing treasure.He was talking to others about how he rushed to the edge of the city and climbed the city that night.I told him quietly: I went to Tianwang Temple to see the prisoners throwing bamboo sticks, and I wanted to know if you were among the prisoners.The cousin said: "Their hands are too short to catch me."Now it's time for me to fight them.That day when the whole city was having a meeting at the Tianwang Temple, my father was giving a speech on the stage. The cousin really climbed up on the stage and slapped the county magistrate hard on the mouth.

The revolution brought about changes in my home as well.Not long after, my father and a man surnamed Wu failed in the election to go to the Changsha conference. He was very upset and went out to Beijing in a fit of anger.Went with the local Que Zhuming, lived in the Youxi Guild Hall on Yangmeizhu Xiejie Street, organized an iron and blood group to plot to assassinate Yuan Shikai, was discovered by detectives, and Que was shot when he was arrested.My father was informed by an acquaintance because he watched Lao Tan's play, so he escaped from the customs and hid in Jiang Guiti and Mi Zhenbiao, the capital of Rehe (because of familiarity). Later, he changed his name and surname, and worked in Chifeng and Jianping counties The section chief has been in charge for many years, and he only communicated with his family after Yuan's death.It is only recorded that the borrower wrote a letter to Diantian to repay the debt.After that, the family went bankrupt.My father's Huanxiang was brought back by my elder brother after traveling thousands of miles to search for relatives.My elder brother can make a living by doing portraits. He traveled all over the northeastern provinces, and finally found his father in Chifeng.After my father left, I saw him again in Chenzhou when I went down from Hunan 12 years later, and I never saw him again. The year my father lost the election and left his hometown, my youngest sister, Jiumei, was just three months old. After the revolution, the place was a little different. The green battalion system did not change much, and the farming system did not change much.Those who have military service in the local area still have different ranks, and they or their family members go to the camp to receive food and scraps of silver on a monthly basis.The guards on duty will go to the Yamen to wait for orders as usual.Soldiers and horses still keep their horses at home.There are still three or five drummers playing music in the Bell and Drum Tower in front of the Yamen every night.But the defense organization distribution is slightly different.The equipment used by the army is different, and the local officials are different.The county magistrate has changed from a local, and the guardian envoy has also changed from a local.Every soldier who served in the army had a small plaque nailed to the gate of his home, which stated everything, and the types of wooden plaques were completely different due to different military services.The scholar who stood beside the incense case in front of Daoyin's yamen and preached the oracle has disappeared. But what I can't forget about the revolutionary impressions in my memory are only a few brightly colored pictures about the killing of thousands of innocent peasants. Local new-style primary schools were established around Min 3, and I entered a new-style primary school in Min 4.In the six summers of the Republic of China, I left my hometown and began to live a wandering life in thirteen counties in the Yuanshui River Basin, receiving another kind of life education. I have taken many classes and still don't put down that big book After I improved the new-style primary school, the school did not recite scriptures, beat people casually, and did not have to sit at the table all day.Not only can I play in the small yard every day, wrestle with each other, the teacher will not restrain me when he sees me, and there is one day off as usual in the seven days, so I don't have to play truant anymore.But in that school, as usual, I never learned anything.Every day during class, I go to class as usual, and when class is over, I follow the instructions of the older students, find people of equal size, and go to the playground to fight.As soon as we went out, we saw the city wall, so we tried to climb up the city to see the view of the river outside the city.When I was leaving school, as usual, I often took a long detour to the side streets outside the city to see how much gold was pasted on the newly carved Buddha statues by carpenters.Look how many new ones the cast-iron plow guys have come out with.Or when someone hatches a chick, they often go to see it no matter how far or near it is.On Sundays, after I wrote sixteen characters at home, I slipped out and did not return home until late at night. Half a year later, my mother believed a relative's suggestion that I should change from the second elementary school in the city to the first elementary school outside the city. This made me even more convenient and happy after it was implemented.The new school is close to the mountain, there are trees in front of and behind the school building, and there are many students, so it is of course very interesting.When I arrived at this school, I still didn't learn anything, and I didn't know much new words, but I learned how to climb trees.After class, several people choose a large sycamore tree on the side of the mountain behind the school to see who can climb to the top first.From this I know the names of about thirty species of trees.Sometimes I fell or sprained my foot or pricked my hand while climbing a tree, so I went to collect herbs with my classmates and got to know more than ten kinds of herbs.I started to learn how to fish. I always spend half a day learning and fishing half a day.I learned to pick bamboo shoots and bracken.From the back of the mountain to spring, there are wild orchids everywhere, and there are berries that can satisfy hunger and thirst everywhere. There are countless birds in the bamboo groves. I have known many birds and many wild fruit trees from them.About one mile to the back of the mountain, there is another big kiln for making porcelain. We often go there to watch the workers make all kinds of porcelain, and see how a piece of white clay can be turned into a rice bowl or an other item under various procedures. The production process of a tool. The school environment made us learn ten times more outside the school than in the classroom, but we also learned one thing at school, that is, everyone used a knife to carve their names under the seat board.And because the school has white clay for handicrafts, we used white clay to mold the portraits of the teachers, and gave each one a strange name: Sheep, Mouse, Old Land Bodhisattva, and even weirder names.Anyway, whatever you want.My grades in these matters were, as a rule, a little better than in schoolwork, but of course I was not rewarded for anything.Corporal punishment has been banned in schools, but demerits are still enforced. According to the situation, I no longer have to skip school, but the school is not strict, and there are four teachers who happen to include my two cousins. When I want to go somewhere, I will ask for leave.Asking for leave for watching a play, asking for leave for fishing, and even a few people went to the field three miles away to watch people cut grass and catch grasshoppers, and they also asked the teacher for leave.As for the teacher himself, it has become a habit to play mahjong after class. At that time, mahjong was a new thing, so it was not a bad thing for the teacher to play mahjong. At that time, my family could still collect about 300 shi for rent every year. Three uncles and two aunts took two shares, and my family took one share.When the autumn harvest came, I would go to the countryside twenty miles away with my uncle or other elderly relatives to urge the tenants and some temporarily hired workers to cut the harvest.When the ears of mature grain in the field are empty and the new grain is filled with white wood shallow edge square barrels, the new grain is poured onto the big sun-drying mat and shared equally with the tenants.Half of it should belong to the tenants, and they will dispose of it. We will hire someone to escort the half that is due to my family back home.The most interesting thing there is that you can identify various seedlings, know various pests, and learn to catch grasshoppers and distinguish grasshoppers.At the same time, learn to use chicken cages to cover the fat carp and crucian carp in the paddy fields. When the fish are caught, they are wrapped in yellow mud and stuffed into hot ashes to simmer and eat.He also asked the tenants for a small game cock, and he knew the species, and was going to take it home and take it to the street to find other cocks of the same size to fight.He also learned from the children of the peasant family to weave small baskets out of straw, peel off paulownia veneer to make drum whistles, and use small bamboos to make suonas.Sometimes he caught a hedgehog, sometimes he killed a big snake, and sometimes he and his uncle asked the tenants to take them to the mountains, throw out the pheasants, whistle to attract wild pheasants, put a handful of scattered iron sand in the shotgun, and black Earth medicine, hunt this gorgeous and proud bird. In order to hunt, we often went to the tenants' houses at the end of autumn and early winter, watched their undergarments, and followed them to run around.What I enjoy most is hunting wild boar and yellow muntjac.Once, they were tied to a high branch of a big tree to watch them chase the frightened yellow deer from under the tree.I watched fox hunting again, and saw a pair of cunning beasts running under the root of a big tree, which eventually became my uncle's mandarin jacket. Since the school doesn't have to attend classes on time, we have to think of a few things to kill the rest of the time, and we can't leave school until three o'clock in the afternoon.A few people climbed up to the city, sat on the big bronze cannon and watched the scenery outside the city, while picking up some stones and throwing them into the river with all their strength. This is a way.The other is to go to a corner of the playground to do somersaults. Everyone takes turns to do this. If you don’t slip, follow the method of the technical class, tie a belt around the waist of that person, and two people will each pull one end. Once lifted, no one can turn somersaults as the days go by. Because the school had a few students from the countryside who were extremely strong and strong, someone came up with a good idea and suggested that these country children should be dressed as horses, and let the younger students get on the back of the horse and bravely ride with another member of the other horse. Combat, writhing on it until it hits the ground.These classmates who are horses are always very loyal and reliable as usual, and they will not shirk their responsibilities under any circumstances.There are always people who are injured in battle, no matter whose head or face bleeds sometimes, just grab a handful of loess and cover the wound, as if they don't care.I often design and dispatch these people and horses very well. They obey my arrangement and are more tame than a real horse. If the weather was still early when school was over, a few people would often walk along the city wall instead of going to the city for a sit-down.Sometimes when I go out of the city to see if there is anyone's firewood boat left unattended, when they realize that the boat is indeed unattended, several people jump on the boat in a hurry and row to the center of the river quickly.When the owner of the boat came after a while, Ruo said kindly on the shore: Brother, brother, please row the boat back quickly, I have to go home!When encountering such peaceful and reasonable people, we always have to row the boat back very kindly, jump ashore each, and let them board the boat and go home.If that person has a more irritable personality, and when he sees his boat being sent in circles in the river by a group of mischievous young generals, he will be very angry, shout and curse loudly, and say a lot of threatening and unreasonable wild words, then we will curse back at the same time. He kept the boat flowing downstream quickly, ignoring him as much as he yelled and cursed.When they reached the downstream, several people went ashore, and let the boat rest on the river beach and ignored it.Sometimes, just as you sit down on the boat, you are immediately rushed by the owner of the boat, so you have to take on a bit of a thrill.As usual, the owner of the boat knew that we couldn't bear any turbulence, so he grabbed the bow and deliberately rolled his body to the left and right continuously, so the boat was bumping wildly on the water surface, and an inexperienced child worried that he would fall into the water would cry out in horror. .But for those who have experience, you estimate, first see if you can escape to the shore, if there is no escape, then sit in the boat, do the hard work of the countryman, and get your clothes soaked in water , you don’t rush, just sit firmly in the boat, you don’t need to beg for mercy, and you don’t need to curse at each other. After a while, the countryman will see that you are brave and know that you can’t scare you with this method, so he will Let you understand that his behavior is just a malicious joke, and the joke should be over by then, and he will put his hands on his hips and smile at you, smiling apologetically. Master, enough is enough, please go ashore!So a few people went ashore.Sometimes, unfortunately, we would be chased and beaten with paddles and scolded all the way.As long as we run away a little bit, we will curse back with whatever words we use as usual, and when we chase after us, we will run back quickly. There are mandarin fish, crucian carp, and small catfish in that river, and most fishermen go upstream.Across the river is a vegetable garden of the Miao people. If the water doesn’t rise, they cross the river from the jumping stone, and they often go to the vegetable garden to see flowers and buy vegetables.The river beach is covered with white cloth and green vegetables in the sun. Every day, many women carry bamboo baskets to wash clothes, beat them in the running water with wooden sticks and pestles, echoing from the foot of the north city wall. When the weather is hot, after four o'clock in the afternoon, the river is full of red bodies.Some soldiers love to play, and they bring children, war horses, house dogs, and a group of ducklings to the river.Some people come together as fathers and sons.Everyone swims in the rapids.Those who can't swim wet their trousers, tighten their trousers, and rush into the water to catch a full pair of air, and then tie them with straps, and they become a very useful water horse.With this thing, even people who can't float at all can bravely swim to the depths of the water.In such a crowded place, as a rule, there will be no accidents and drowning. If something happens, everyone will be very brave to save people. We often go a little upstream for our baths.There are few people there and the water is extremely deep, which is suitable for us.Naturally, this matter had to be kept a secret from the family.As usual, my family was always worried about me, lest I would drown if I was not careful.Every afternoon I can’t be forbidden to go out to play, and I know that I won’t go to the rice factory to play dice with others in the afternoon. The elder brother who is very responsible for arresting me and spying on me, as usual, soon after I go out after dinner, he will always get the city. A trip to the outer river.When there were a lot of people, I couldn't find me in the crowd, so I went along the river to find my clothes, paying attention to every pile of clothes.As soon as he saw my clothes, he picked them up and walked away without saying a word, and sat on the road far away, waiting for me to come and meet him when I was about to get dressed.Since the clothes and trousers were in his hands, I couldn't see him; when I got there, I had no choice but to go ashore and take the clothes from him, and the two of them went home in silence.There is no need to say anything when you go back, just prepare for a beating.But after two lessons, even if I still bathe in the river, I will not be discovered by my family again.I can lift some stones to hold my clothes down, as long as someone will tell me when I see him coming from the road beside the city gate, I will quickly swim into the river, lie on my back to the sky, and soak my whole body in the water, Only one face and one nostril were exposed, and even a search on the shore would not yield any results.Some people are often with me. My brother recognizes them, and when he sees them, he calls them: Xiong Linan, Yinjianyuan, have you seen my brother's second child? The students deliberately answered loudly: We don't know, don't you look at the clothes?Aren't you just messing around all day long?Yes, but now who knows what part of the world he is in?Is he not in the river?Don't you look at the clothes?Do not count our numbers?The good man looked around, but he didn't see my clothes and pants. He believed my friend's answer was not a lie, so he stood by the river and enjoyed the scenery for a while, then bent down to pick up two shining shells, and used them He took a look with his often tearful and worried artist eyes, or sat down and took out his sketchbook, and drew two random sketches of the river scene, whistling and whistling, and walked back to the original road.After he left, we imitated my poor brother, repeating the same questions and answers to each other.Xiong Linan, Yinjianyuan, have you seen my brother?I don't know, I don't know, don't you see how many clothes there are in total?You are in a pile all day long!Yes!They are together all day long, but who knows where he is now?So they poured water on each other until the other escaped. Sometimes this good man knew I was in the river, and although he couldn't catch me at the time, he often turned around and hid by the city gate. When I got close to some friends on the main road, he jumped out of the shed as quickly as a tomcat, and grabbed my collar.So my friends who were traveling with me yelled and laughed, accompanied me to the door of my house, and then left on my own.However, this kind of thing only happens a few times. I know from experience that when I make this move, I often deliberately slow down for a while when entering the city, and sometimes go back around the very far east gate. Now that I have grown up, I naturally have more rights. In terms of life, my rights are that even if my family knows that I went to the river to take a bath, as long as I am not caught in person, the family can’t use the method of scratching my skin to determine me. should be punished.At the same time, my swimming also improved a lot. I remember that I was able to swim up and down the river three times. As for the one named Xiong Linan, he was able to swim about five times. If the trip to the river is on a normal day, it is likely to be after dinner at three o'clock.If it happens to be Sunday, several people will often invite them the day before, cross the upper reaches of the river to the coffin pond, soak for a whole day, swim for a while and touch the fish for a while, and catch the fish from the bottom of the water with dead branches. Burn it on the river beach as a snack.Sometimes on that day, when there was a fair in Changningshao Miao Township, which was ten miles away, I ran to that place empty-handed and played for a long time.After arriving on the field.Pass by the cattle sale to see how they discuss the price and swear to the gods, and then pass by the pig sale to see those big and small pigs, check it, and when it lifts its hind legs, it will scream sharply.Then I went to the casino to see those country folks placing bets with trembling hands, worrying for others.Go to the place where the mountain products are sold again, touch the fur of those leopards and tigers with your hands, and listen to them talk about the dangerous experiences of hunting this wild animal.I went to the chicken shop again and admired those big and small chickens. We all know which chickens are good at fighting and which chickens lay a lot of eggs.Let's write down the color of those game cocks, because these chickens will all be bought for the soldiers and merchants from the city on the same day, and they will appear in the cockfighting field in the city five days later.From time to time, we can also watch Miao people duel in the open flat, fighting each other desperately with poles or double knives.As usual, there are countless small boats and bamboo rafts. On the bamboo rafts, there are often young Miao women with long eyebrows, beautiful eyes, extremely white face, and swollen nipples. Come very comfortable.We walked back and forth for twenty or thirty miles, and each of us had empty hands, so we couldn't eat anything on the field.Occasionally, whoever has one or two copper coins will go to the dog meat stall to cut a piece of dog meat, dip it in some salt water, and eat it equally.Or who accidentally ran into a parent in the crowd and was asked: Have you had any snacks?Everyone was hungry, looked at each other for a while, and smiled shyly.Knowing the situation, the man said, "Is this possible?"Is it still a rush if you don't have a drink?When they arrived, they were naturally dragged to the dog meat stand, where they cut a catty or two catties of fat dog meat into several large pieces. The chance is not good, we have never met such a generous relative, and we still will not go home with a flat belly.There are countless peach and plum trees along the road, the fruit of which is all bending the branches, waiting for us to relieve them of a burden.In how many yellow mud fields, the carrot is as big as a pig's head, and if we don't eat it and praise it, we will always be wronged in the deep soil!In addition, there are berries and wild cherries everywhere on the road, sweet loquats are everywhere beside the road, and wild berries are everywhere to satisfy the hunger.When you are thirsty, you can lower your head and drink water at will.As for the tea berries growing on the tea oil tree, they can be picked and eaten all year round without any taboos.Even if there is nothing to eat, we are very happy, just because of the air in the country farm, the sound, the color, and the stench in every place and every kind of businessman. It is enough to satisfy us, and we have eaten so much with our senses that it would be enough even if we no longer eat and drink with the mouth. When we go to the venue, we can also see all kinds of water mills and various forms of waterwheels.We had to pass through several oil mills, and we could hear the oilmen singing in the oil mills from a distance.As soon as I passed the oil workshop, I ran in to see those tung seeds piled up like a mountain, and what procedures had to be passed before the oil could be produced.As long as we take a short detour, we can also pass by a paper-making workshop, where we can watch them use water power to crush straw and bamboo shrubs, and scoop up pulp with thin strip curtains to make paper.We have to pass over some shipbuilding riverbanks, and we have countless opportunities to see those shipbuilders laying the keel of a small boat in the sun, or inserting hemp heads and tung oil lime into the crevices to repair old boats. All in all, playing like this once, just once, seems to be more beneficial than reading books for half a year.If I choose a good book and such a good place, until now, I still feel that I don’t need to read this small book that is fake and written in words, but should read the one that is full of color, fragrance and content. A big book written by people. I don't understand why I learned to play dice.Probably because every morning when I buy vegetables, there are always three or five small coins left over, so I have the opportunity to get close to the cake stalls that use dice to win or lose.At the beginning, when three or five people squatted under those theaters, grabbed three dice, four dice or six dice, threw them into the big earthen bowl with all their strength, and yelled out various technical terms as it changed, I was really impressed. Forget yourself and everything.The changeable six dice bet, seventy-two kinds of fast smells, I can call out its gains and losses gracefully at a glance.No one can take advantage of me, and no one can deceive me.Ever since I became smart about this thing, if my family sends me out to buy vegetables this morning, I will put the money for buying vegetables as a bet. I will play dice with a group of little rascals on a rice factory with a roof and win money Naturally, I bought everything to eat, and if I lost all by chance, I ran back and quietly entered the door to find my grandmother, and got the money for grocery shopping from her. But this is a very risky thing. If the family finds out, they will be beaten up. Therefore, even though they gamble, they usually only place a bet of one copper. If they win, they will walk away with the money. , can always be perfunctory. I don't worry much about winning or losing because I'm a smart gambler.I would most like to play for a long time and end up with no loss or win.All I was worried about was that I was having a lot of fun when suddenly the back of my collar was seized by a strong thin hand, and a hoarse voice rang in my ears: I caught you this time, I caught you this time up!I was surprised at first, but I couldn't do it if I wanted to struggle.Now that I've been caught, I don't have to look back, I know who caught me, and I don't have to guess, I know what kind of hospitality I should receive when I go home.So I took the vegetable basket and let this person who seemed to be born against me drag me back.Crossing the street like this is really shameless, so instead of asking him to calm down and hold my hand, I always break free and run home first when he is not paying attention, preparing for him to be punished when he comes back. Every time I was punished a little too much in this matter, I was always bound by an embroidered white silk belt, tied in an empty barn, beaten dozens of times with a whip, not allowed to eat for half a day, or Not allowed to eat all day.The relatives felt very pitiful when they saw it, and most thought that the elder brother should not abuse the younger brother like this.But I don't understand how much embarrassment I gave to my family by gambling with some beggars in such a disregard of face. I learned a lot of dirty words and gambling terms from that, and my status among relatives seems to be lower.只是当十五年后，我能够用我各方面的经验写点故事时，这些粗话野话，却给了我许多帮助，增加了故事中人物的色彩和生命。 革命后本地设了女学校，我两个姐姐一同被送过女学校读书。我那时也欢喜过女学校去玩，就因为那地方有些新奇的东西。学校外边一点，有个做小鞭炮的作坊，从起始用一根细钢条，卷上了纸，送到木机上一搓，吱的一声就成了空心的小管子，再如何经过些什么手续，便成了燃放时吧的一声的小爆仗，被我看得十分熟悉。我借故去瞧姐姐时，总在那里看他们工作一会儿。我还可看他们烘焙火药，碓舂木炭，筛硫磺，配合火药的原料，因此明白制焰火用的药同制爆仗用的药，硫磺的分配分量如何不同。这些知识远比学校读的课本有用。 一到女学校时，我必跑到长廊下去，欣赏那些平时不易见到的织布机器。那些大小不一钢齿轮互相衔接，一动它时全部都转动起来，且发出一种异样陌生的声音，听来我总十分欢喜。我平时是个怕鬼的人，但为了欣赏这机器，黄昏中我还敢在那儿逗留，直到她们大声呼喊各处找寻时，我才从廊下跑出。 当我转入高小那年，正是民国五年，我们那地方为了上年受蔡锷讨袁战事的刺激，感觉军队非改革不能自存，因此本地镇守署方面，设了一个军官团。前为道尹后改成苗防屯务处方面，也设了一个将弁学校。另外还有一个教练兵士的学兵营，一个教导队。小小的城里多了四个军事学校，一切都用较新方式训练，地方因此气象一新。由于常常可以见到这类青年学生结队成排在街上走过，本地的小孩，以及一些小商人，都觉得学军事较有意思，有出息。有人与军官团一个教官做邻居的，要他在饭后课余教教小孩子，先在大街上操练，到后却借了附近由皇殿改成的军官团操场使用，不上半月便招集了一百人左右。 有同学在里面受过训练来的，精神比起别人来特别强悍，显明不同于一般同学。我们觉得奇怪。这同学就告我们一切，且问我愿不愿意去。并告我到里面后，每两月可以考选一次，配吃一份口粮作守兵战兵的，就可以补上名额当兵。在我生长那个地方，当兵不是耻辱。多久以来，文人只出了个翰林，即熊希龄，两个进士，四个拔贡。至于武人，随同曾国荃打入南京城的就出了四名提督军门，后来从日本士官学校出来的朱湘溪，还做蔡锷的参谋长，出身保定军官团的，且有一大堆。在湘西十三县似占第一位。本地的光荣原本是从过去无数男子的勇敢流血搏来的。谁都希望当兵，因为这是年轻人一条出路，也正是年轻人惟一的出路。同学说及进技术班时，我就答应试来问问我的母亲，看看母亲的意见，这将军的后人，是不是仍然得从步卒出身。 那时节我哥哥已过热河找寻父亲去了，我因不受拘束，生活既日益放肆，不易教管，母亲正想不出处置我的好方法，因此一来，将军后人就决定去做兵役的候补者了。 家中听说我一到那边去，既有机会考一分口粮，且明白里面规矩极严，以为把我放进去受预备兵的训练，实在比让我在外面撒野较好。即或在技术班免不了从天桥掉下的危险，但有人亲眼看到掉下来，总比无人照料，到那些空山里从高崖上摔下为好些，因此当时便答应了。母亲还为我缝了一套灰布制服。 我把这消息告给学校那个梁班长时，军衣还不曾缝好，他就带我去见了一次姓陈的教官。我第一次见到那个挺着胸脯的人，实在有点害怕，但我却因为听说他的杠杆技术曾经得过全省锦标，能够在天桥上竖蜻蜓用手来回走四五次，又能在杠杆上打大车轮至四十来次，简直是个新式徐良、黄天霸，因此虽畏惧他却也欢喜他。 这教官给我第一次印象不坏，此后的印象也十分好。他对于我似乎也还满意。先看我人那么小，排队总在最后一名，在操场中跑步时便把我剔出，到正步走向后转走时，我的步子较小一点，又想法让我不吃亏。但经过十天后，我的能力和勇敢，就得到他完全的承认，做任何事应当大家去做的，我头上也总派到一份了。 我很感谢那教官，由于他那分无私严厉，逼迫我学会了一种攀杠杆的技术，到后来还用这点技术救过我自己一次生命的危险。我身体到后来在军队中去混了那么久，那一次重重的伤寒病四十天的高热，居然能够支持下来，未必不靠从技术班训练好的一个结实体格所帮助。我的身体是因从小营养不良显得脆弱，性格方面永远保持到一点坚实军人的风味，不管做什么总去做，不大关心成败得失，似乎也就是那将近一年的训练养成的。 我进到了那军役补习班后，方知道原来在学校做班长的梁凤生，在技术班也还是我们的班长。我在里面得到他的帮助可不少。一进去时的单人教练，他就做了我的教师。当每人到小操场的砂地上学习打筋斗时，用腰带束了我的腰，两个人各用手紧紧地抓着那根带子，好在我正当把两只手垫到地面，想把身体翻过去再一下挺起时，他就赶忙用手一拉，使我不要扭坏腰腿。有时我攀上杠杆，用膀子向后反挂，预备来一次背车，在旁小心照料的也总是他。有时一不小心摔到砂地上，跌哑了喉，想说话无论如何怎样用力再也说不出口，一为他见及，就赶忙搀起我来，扶着我乱跑，必得跑过好一阵，我口方说得出话，不至于出现后遗症。 这人在学校书既读得极好，每次考试总得第一，过技术班来成绩也非常好。母亲是一个寡妇，守着三个儿子，替人缝点衣服过日子。这同学散操以后，便跑回去，把那个早削好了无数甘蔗，业已分配得上好的篮子，提上街到各处去叫卖，把甘蔗卖完便赚回三五十个小钱。这人虽然为了三五十个钱，每个晚上总得大街小巷地走去。可是在任何地方一遇到同学好友时，总一句话不说，走到你身边来，把一节值五文一段的甘蔗，突然一下塞到你的手里，风快地就跑掉了。我遇到他这样两次，心中真感动得厉害。我并不想那甘蔗吃，却因为他那种慷慨大方处，白日见他时简直使我十分害羞。 这朋友虽待得我很好，可是在学校方面，我最好的一个同学却是个姓陈名肇林的。在技术班方面，好朋友也姓陈，名继瑛，这个陈继瑛家只隔我家五户，照本地习惯，下午三点即吃晚饭，他每天同我一把晚饭吃过后，就各人穿了灰布军服，在街上气昂昂地并排走出城去。每出城到门洞边时，卖牛肉的屠户，正在收拾他的业务，总故意逗我们，喊叫我们作排长。一个守城的老兵，也总故意做一个鬼脸，说两句无害于事的玩笑话。两人心中以为这是小玩笑，我们上学为的是将来做大事，这些小处当然用不着在意。 当时我们所想的实在与这类事不同，他只打量做团长，我就只想进陆军大学。即或我爸爸希望做一将军终生也做不到，但他把祖父那一份过去光荣，用许多甜甜的故事输入到这荒唐顽皮的小脑子里后，却料想不到，发生很大的影响。书本既不是我所关心的东西，国家又革了命，我知道中状元已无可希望，却俨然有一个将军的志气。家中别的什么教育都不给我，所给的也恰恰是我此后无多大用处的。可是爸爸给我的教育，却对于我此后生活的转变，以及在那个不利于我读书的生活中支持，真有很大的益处。体魄不甚健实的我，全得爸爸给我那分启发，使我在任何困难情形中总不气馁，任何得意生活中总不自骄。比给我任何数目的财产，还似乎更贵重难得。 当营上的守兵不久有了几名缺额，我们那一组应当分配一名时，我照例去考过一次。考试的结果当然失败。但我总算把各种技术演习了那么一下。也在小操场杠杆上做挂腿翻上，再来了十个背车。又蹿了一次木马，走了一度天桥，且从平台上拿了一个大顶，再丢手侧身倒掷而下。又在大操场指挥一个十人组成的小队，作正步、跑步、跪下、卧下种种口令，完事时还跑到阅兵官面前用急促的声音完成一种报告。操演时因为有镇守使署中的参谋长和别的许多军官在场，临事虽不免有点慌张，但一切动作做得还不坏：不跌倒，不吃吵，不错误手续。且想想，我那时还是一个十三岁半的孩子！这次结果守兵名额虽然被一位美术学校的学生田大哥得去了，大家却并不难过（这人原先在艺术学校考第一名，在我们班里做了许久大队长，各样皆十分来得。这人若当时机会许可他到任何大学去读书，一定也可做个最出色的大学生。若机会许可他上外国去学艺术，在绘画方面的成就，会成一颗放光的星子。可是到后来机会委屈了他，环境限止了他，自己那点自足骄傲脾气也妨碍了他，十年后跑了半个中国，还是在一个少校闲曹的位置上打发日月）。当时各人虽没有得到当兵的荣耀，全体却十分快乐。我记得那天回转家里时，家中人问及一切，竟对我亲切地笑了许久。且因为我得到过军部的奖语，仿佛便以为我未来必有一天可做将军，为了欢迎这未来将军起见，第二天杀了一只鸡，鸡肝鸡头全为我独占。 第二回又考试过一次，那守兵的缺额却为一个姓舒的小孩子占去了，这人年龄和我不相上下，各种技术皆不如我，可是却有一分独特的胆量，能很勇敢地在一个两丈余高的天桥上，翻倒筋斗掷下，落地时身子还能站立稳稳的。因此大家仍无话说。这小孩子到后两年却害热病死了。 第三次的兵役给了一个名田棒槌的，能跳高，撑篙跳会考时第一，这人后来当兵出防到外县去，也因事死掉了。 我在那里考过三次，得失之间倒不怎么使家中失望。家中人眼看着我每天能够把军服穿得整整齐齐地过军官团上操，且明白了许多军人礼节，似乎上了正路，待我也好了许多。可是技术班全部组织，差不多全由那教官一人所主持，全部精神也差不多全得那教官一人所提起，就由于那点稀有服务精神被那位镇守使看中了意，当他卫队团的营副出了缺时，我们那教官便被调去了。教官一去，学校自然也无形解体了。 这次训练算来大约是八个月左右，因为起始在吃月饼的八月，退伍是次年开桃花的三月。我记得那天散操回家，我还在一个菜园里摘了一大把桃花回家。 那年我死了一个二姐，她比我大两岁，美丽，骄傲，聪明，大胆，在一行九个兄弟姊妹中，比任何一个都强过一等。她的死也就死在那份要好使强的性格上。我特别伤心，埋葬时，悄悄带了一株山桃插在坟前土坎上。过了快二十年从北京第一次返回家乡上坟时，想不到那株山桃树已成了两丈多高一株大树。