Chapter 15 Chapter Twelve

The meeting to criticize Yang Lin, Secretary of the County Party Committee, had too many participants and there was no room for it. Xiao Shangchun, then director of the Revolutionary Committee of the Commune, ingeniously arranged the venue in the flood detention area on the north bank of the Jiaohe River.It's the middle of winter, and there is thick ice on the water, and at a glance, there is a world of glazed glass.I was the first person in the village who knew that the meeting would be held here.Because I often play truant here to play.That day, I was digging ice holes in the bridge hole of the floodgate to fish when I heard someone talking loudly above me.I recognized the speaker as Xiao Shanglip.I can hear this person's voice out of 10,000 people at once.I heard him say: Damn, what a northern scenery!The Criticism Conference was held here, and the rostrum was built on this floodgate.

This was originally a depression. Later, in order to ensure the safety of the downstream, a flood detention gate was built on the Jiaohe dam. Whenever the Jiaohe River flooded in summer and autumn, the gate was opened to release water, making this depression a lake.At that time, we people in the Northeast Township were very dissatisfied with this, because those low-lying lands, even though they were low-lying lands, could not grow anything else, but sorghum could still be grown. But how can the common people defy what the country wants to do.I've skipped school many times to come here to watch the torrential flood rush out of twelve spillholes.After the flood, the flood detention area was filled with ocean and became a lake with a radius of more than ten miles.There are many fish and shrimps in the lake, and there are groups of people fishing, and more and more people selling fish.First, we set up stalls on the flood detention gate, but the flood detention gate could not be opened, so we moved to the east bank of the flood detention area, under the row of willow trees on the bank, and unfolded them one by one.When it is busy, it is more than two miles long.

The bazaar was originally located in the commune, but since the fish market started here, the bazaar has gradually moved here.Vegetable sellers are here, egg sellers are here, and fried peanut sellers are also here.Even those petty thieves and rogue beggars attached to the market also followed.The commune organized armed militias and came to drive them away several times.When the militiamen arrived, they fled one after another.As soon as the militiamen left, they tried to gather together again.So it exists half legally and half illegally.I especially like watching fish.I look at carp, silver carp, crucian carp, catfish, black fish, eel, crab, loach and clams.I have seen the biggest fish here, weighing more than 100 catties, with a white belly, which looks like a pregnant woman.The old fish seller guarded the big fish, timidly, as if guarding a god.I'm very familiar with the fishmongers who see everything and hear everything.Why do they have to watch six directions and listen to all directions?Because the tax collectors from the commune tax office often come to confiscate their fish.Some idlers from the commune also pretended to be tax collectors and came to steal.The big fish weighing more than one hundred catties was almost confiscated by two guys in blue uniforms with cigarettes in their mouths and black leather bags in their hands.If the old fish seller's daughter hadn't come in a hurry to cry and make a scene, if Qin He hadn't exposed the true identities of these two people, they would have taken that big fish away.

Qin He was the beggar with parted hair, wearing a student uniform of blue gabardine, with a doctor brand fountain pen and a Xinhua brand two-color ballpoint pen in his pocket, who looked like a college student during the May Fourth Movement.His face was pale and gloomy, and his eyes were moist, as if he would burst into tears at any moment.He is very eloquent, speaks Mandarin, and every sentence he speaks is like a drama line-the reason why I later wrote dramas is related to his influence-he always carries a huge white enamel jar with red paint on it Painted with a five-pointed star and a word "award".Standing in front of those fish and shrimp sellers, he said with emotion: Comrade, I am a person who has lost the ability to work. You may say, look at you so young, how can you look like a person who has lost the ability to work?Comrade, I want to tell you that what you see is only my appearance. In fact, I have a serious heart disease.My heart has been stabbed with a knife. As long as I work, the scar on my heart will burst, and then I will bleed to death from all seven orifices.Comrade, just give me a fish. I don’t dare to expect a big one. I want a small one, the smallest fish...he can always get fish or shrimps. I ran to the water's edge, cleaned it up with a knife, then found a place sheltered from the wind, picked up firewood, set up two bricks, put the porcelain pot on top, lit a fire and stewed...

I often stand behind him and watch him stew fish. The delicious smell emanating from his porcelain jar makes my mouth water. I envy his life from the bottom of my heart... Qin He is the younger brother of Qin Shan, secretary of the commune's party committee, and was once a talented student at the County No. 1 Middle School.The younger brother of the commune secretary was begging in the market. There must be complicated reasons for it. Some people said that he was my aunt's crazy admirer. After being severely stimulated, he attempted suicide with his brother's pistol.This is what it looks like after the injury is healed.At the beginning, some people laughed at him, but since he helped the old man keep the big fish, the fish sellers looked at him differently.I find this person very attractive.I want to know him.As soon as I saw his wet eyes, I felt sympathy for him.One evening, after the fish market was over, he walked west alone facing the setting sun, dragging a long shadow.I followed him quietly.I want to know this man's secret.When he found out that I was following me, he stopped, bowed deeply to me, and said: Dear friend, please don't do this.I imitated his tone and said: Dear friend, I am fine.He said pitifully: I mean please don't follow me.I said: You walk, I also walk, I did not follow behind you.

He shook his head and muttered in a low voice: Friend, please have pity on me, an unfortunate man.He turned and walked forward.I still follow him.He raised his legs and ran forward.His stride is long, his legs are lifted high, his body is swaying, and he seems to be cut out of cardboard.I followed behind him with only five minutes of strength.He stopped, gasping for breath, with a complexion like gold paper, and said tearfully: friend... please let me go... I am a useless person, a person who has been seriously injured... Impressed by him, I stopped and stopped following him.I watched his back and listened to the low whimpering sound from his throat.In fact, I have no malicious intentions, I just want to know about his life, for example, where does he sleep at night?

At that time, my legs were slender and my feet were very big. My mother often worried about the fact that a teenager had to wear a size 40 shoe.Mr. Chen, who teaches physical education in our school, was originally an athlete of the provincial track and field team, a real athlete, and a rightist.Like a man who bought mules and horses, he pinched my legs and feet and thought I was a good material, so he focused on training me.He taught me to lift my legs, take steps, adjust my breathing, and arrange my physical strength.I have won the third place in the 3,000-meter youth group in the county's middle and primary school sports meeting.So I often skipped class and went sightseeing in the fish market, which became a semi-public affair.

After that pursuit, I became friends with Qin He, and he would nod to me every time we met.He is more than ten years older than me, which means he has forgotten his old age.Besides him, there were two other beggars in the market. One was named Gaomen, with broad shoulders and big hands, who seemed to have great strength; Such a feminine name.One day, these two beggars, one with a willow stick and the other with a broken shoe, joined forces to beat Qin He very fiercely. Qin He didn't fight back, but kept saying repeatedly: "Good brothers, you beat me to death. I want to thank you all.But you don't eat frogs... Frogs are friends of man, you can't eat them... There are parasites in frogs... People who eat frogs will become idiots...

I saw that under the willow tree, there was a bonfire with green smoke curling up. There were some half-cooked frogs in the fire. Next to the fire, there were some frog skins and bones, which gave off a fishy smell and made people sick.Then I understood that Qin He was beaten to stop them from burning frogs.Watching Qin He being beaten, my eyes filled with tears.In the age of hunger, many people ate frogs.My family is very disgusted with people who eat frogs.I believe people in my family would rather starve to death than eat frogs.In this sense, Qin He is my comrade.I picked up a burning firewood from the fire, poked Gaomen's ass and Lu Huahua's neck, and then I ran along the water's edge, and they chased after me.I kept a certain distance from them, teasing them.When they stopped chasing, I scolded them, or picked up broken bricks and threw them at them.

That day, people from the forty-eight villages in the commune came in groups, some carried red flags, some beat gongs and drums, some came from the road, some walked from the river, and they all escorted the bad guys from their own villages. Gather to the flood detention area.Gathered here for a meeting to criticize Yang Lin, the number one capitalist roader in our county, and bad guys from commune agencies, commune departments, and villages all came to accompany the fight.We walked the river, stepping on the slippery ice.Someone even stepped on a homemade skateboard.Teacher Chen, who has been kind to me, wears a high hat made of paper and a pair of broken straw sandals on her bare feet, and follows behind the principal who also wears a high hat but is frowning with a playful smile.Xiao Xiachun, Xiao Shangchun's son, held a javelin behind them and charged them.Xiao Shangchun became the director of the commune revolutionary committee, and his son Xiao Xiachun became the head of the Red Guards at our school.The pair of white return sneakers on his feet were stripped from Mr. Chen's feet.The starting gun, which can only be fired twice, made me jealous. It was originally a property of the public, but at this time it was pinned to Xiao Xiachun's waist.From time to time he took out his starting pistol, loaded it with powder, and fired it into the air.Baba, gunshots and white gunpowder smoke together, and the air is filled with a very good smell of nitrate.

At the beginning of the revolution, I also wanted to join the Red Guards, but Xiao Xiachun didn't want me.He said that I was a black top trained by Mr. Chen, a rightist. He also said that my grandfather was a traitor and a fake martyr, and that my aunt was a Kuomintang spy, the fiancee of a traitor, and the concubine of a capitalist roader.To avenge him, I picked up a piece of dog shit, wrapped it in a leaf, and hid it in my hand.Walking up to him, I deliberately said: Xiao Xiachun, why is your tongue black?Xiao Xialip didn't know what the trick was, and immediately opened his mouth wide.I put that piece of shit in his mouth and turned and ran.He can't catch up with me.No one in the school could catch up with me except Teacher Chen. Seeing him wearing Teacher Chen's shoes, holding a javelin, and hanging a starting pistol on his waist, and looking like a villain who is proud of his ambitions and showing off his might, I felt jealous and decided to punish him.I knew he was most afraid of snakes, but it was late autumn and I couldn't find any, so I found half of a rotten rope from under a mulberry tree by the river, made a bunch of it, hid it behind him, quietly approached him, and took the rotten rope, Wrapping around his neck, he shouted at the same time: Viper! Xiao Xiachun let out a strange cry, threw away the hook, and hurriedly tore the rope around the kidnapper's neck.It was only when he saw clearly that what fell in front of his eyes was only a rotten rope, he slowly came back to his senses. He picked up the pick and said through gritted teeth: Wan Xiaopao, you counter-revolutionary! kill--!With the shuttle mark on his lower lip, Xiao stabbed towards me. I run. he chased. Running on ice made it difficult for me to show my strengths.I felt a cold air coming from my back, and I was afraid that the spear would pierce my body.I know that this kid used a grinding wheel to polish the shuttle mark to be extremely sharp, and I also know that this guy is evil-minded, and since he holds a sharp weapon, his murderous intentions are even more serious.He often stabbed trees for no reason, stabbed human-shaped targets made of bundles of grain and grass, and not long ago stabbed to death a boar that was mating with a sow.I looked back while running, and saw his hair standing on end, his eyes wide open, as long as I was caught up by him, my life would probably be reimbursed. I run, I run around people, I run through people's cracks.After falling, he rolled and crawled, and was almost stabbed by the spear in Xiao Xiachun's hand. The spear pierced the ice, sending shards of ice flying.He also fell.I get up and keep running.He got up and continued to chase.Bumping into people now and then, women, men. ——You brat, what did you hit! --what! ——Help——Murder——A marching team with gongs and drums was knocked into chaos by my collision——Several villains in high hats dropped their hats on the ground——I started from Chen Bi's father Chen Er, Chen Bi's mother, Ai Lian—from Yuan Ji's father, Yuan Lian—who also became a "capitalist roader"—went around—I rushed past Wang Jiao.I saw my mother's face, heard my mother's exclamation - I saw my good friend Wang Gan - I heard a muffled sound behind me, followed by a scream from Xiao's lower lip - I knew afterwards that it was Wang Gan stretched out a leg quietly, made a trip, made Xiao's lower lip jump forward, gnawed on the ice, his lip was broken, and he was lucky that his front teeth were not knocked out.Xiao Xiachun got up and tried to take revenge on Wang Gan, but Wang Jiao frightened him.Wang Jiao said: Xiao Xiachun, you little bastard, if you dare to touch Wang Gan with one finger, I'll dig out your eyeballs!Our family is a farm laborer for three generations. Wang Jiao said, others are afraid of you, but I am not afraid of you! The venue is already crowded with people.On the floodgate, a grand stage was built with planks and reed mats.At that time, the commune specially raised a group of people who built a stage or a publicity column with skilled skills and extraordinary skills.Dozens of red flags were planted on the stage, banners hung with red cloth and white characters, and four huge speakers were tied to two tall poles in the corner of the stage. When we arrived there, the speakers were playing "Quotations Song": The Truth of Marxism In the final analysis, it is just one sentence, rebellion is justified-rebellion is justified-lively, it is too lively.I was in the crowd, pushing forward desperately, trying to get to the place closest to the stage.Those who were bumped by me unceremoniously kicked me, beat me with their fists, and pushed me with their elbows.After working hard for a long time, his clothes were soaked and his body was bruised and purple. Not only did he not squeeze into the front row, but he was squeezed out of the circle instead.I heard the sound of "bagabaga" on the ice surface, and I had an ominous premonition in my heart.At this time, a man with a male duck voice came out from the loudspeaker: The struggle meeting will begin soon—poor and lower-middle peasants, please be quiet—sit down in the front row—sit down—I turn to the west side of the floodgate, where there are three A warehouse for storing spare rams.I stepped from the back of the house, stepped on the cracks in the bricks, and held the eaves with my hands. A kite turned over and went up.I crawled on the tile ridge, climbed up quietly, climbed to the ridge of the roof, and poked my head out. Thousands of people, countless red flags, a panoramic view, and the ice on the lake is dazzling.On the west side of the stage, dozens of people squatted on the ground with their heads down.I know that these are the ghosts and monsters of our commune who will be on stage to accompany them later.Xiao Shanglip yelled into the microphone.This down-and-out grain depot custodian never dreamed that he would have a further official career. As soon as the "Cultural Revolution" began, he led the rebellion, established the "Storm Rebel Corps", and appointed himself the commander. He wore an old army uniform, washed white and darkly patched, with red armbands on his arms.Thinning hair, bald crown gleaming in the sun.He imitated the speeches of the big characters we had seen in the movies: draw a long voice, put one hand on his hips, wave the other hand, and do various gestures.His voice was amplified to deafening levels by tweeters.The noise of the crowd was like a wave lapping on rocks.There must be someone making trouble in the meeting place. Just when there was peace here, there was a sudden explosion there.I was a little worried about the safety of my mother and the old people in the village.I search for them.But the ice reflected the sunlight and dazzled my eyes.The cold wind blows through my ragged cotton jacket from behind, and I feel very cold. Xiao Shangchun waved his hand, and a dozen strong men with long wooden poles and armbands of "Pickets" rushed out from behind the stage, jumped down, entered the noisy crowd, and waved long poles to suppress.The top of the long wooden pole was tied with a strip of red cloth, which was waved like a torch.A young man was beaten on the head, aggrieved, grabbed a wooden pole, argued with the pickets, and was stabbed in the chest. The "pickets" were stern and ruthless, with poles everywhere, and people bowed down one after another.Xiao Shanglip's hoarse roar came from the loudspeaker: "Everyone sit down!"sit down!Bring out the troublemakers——!The young man who had been punched was dragged out of the crowd by the hair of the pickets... The crowd finally fell silent, some were squatting, some were sitting, and no one dared to stand up.The pickets carried long poles and stood evenly among the crowd, like scarecrows in a rice field. Bring the "ghosts and snake gods" to the stage!Xiao Shangchun gave an order, and the pickets who were waiting in full force took one of them hostage, and rushed those "ghosts and snake spirits" onto the stage without touching the ground. I saw my aunt. Aunt is not tame.The picket held her head down, but as soon as she let go, she jerked it up.Her resistance was met with an even more violent repression.In the end, she was beaten and lay on the stage.A picket, with one foot on her back. Someone jumped onto the stage and took the lead in shouting slogans, but there was very little response from the audience.Those who shouted slogans were very boring and went down in despair.At this time, sharp cries erupted from the crowd.It's my mother's cry: Poor little sister... you devastated beasts... Xiao Shangchun gave the order to detain the "ghosts and snake gods", leaving only my aunt on the stage.The picket also put one foot on her back in a heroic gesture—an illustration of a popular slogan of the time—to knock down class enemies and step on a Feet—My aunt didn't move, and I feared she was dead.The crying of my mother in the audience also stopped, and I was worried that she would die too. Those "ghosts and snake spirits" who were escorted off the stage gathered under the big poplar tree, and several pickets armed with rifles guarded them.They sat on the ground with their heads down, like a group of clay sculptures.Huang Qiuya sat with her back against the wall, her head leaning back against the wall. She was shaved with a yin and yang head, ugly and terrifying.I have heard that when the movement first started, my aunt was one of the founders of the health system's "Bethune Combat Team".She was very fanatical, and she was merciless to the old dean who had protected her, and she was even more ruthless to Huang Qiuya.I understand that my aunt actually wants to protect herself in this way, like a person who walks at night, the reason why she sings loudly is because of fear in her heart.The old dean was a kind man, unable to bear the humiliation, he committed suicide by throwing himself into a well. However, under the instigation or coercion of her aunt's opposition, Huang Qiuya exposed the evidence of her aunt's secret contact with the traitor Wang Xiaoti.Huang Qiuya said that Wanxin often shouted "Wang Xiaoti" when she was talking in her sleep at night. She also said that one night she was on night shift and went back to the dormitory to look for things, but found that Wanxin was not there.She wondered, where did a single woman go in the middle of the night? She said that when she was wondering, she saw three red flares rising from the willow forest on the bank of the Jiaohe River, and then she heard the sound of planes roaring in the sky.After she talked for a while, a figure quietly sneaked into the dormitory. Judging from the figure, it was Wan Xin.She said that she immediately reported the situation to the dean, but this capitalist roader was in the same group as Wan Xin, so he suppressed the matter.She said that Wan Xin was undoubtedly a spy of the Kuomintang.The incident she exposed was enough to kill my aunt, but she immediately revealed the second incident. She said that my aunt went to the county many times to live with the capitalist roader Yang Lin, and she was pregnant and had an abortion. She did it herself.There is rich creativity in the masses, and there is also a wicked imagination.Huang Qiuya's exposure of my aunt's two major crimes greatly satisfied people's psychological needs. In addition, my aunt's refusal to plead guilty and her frequent resistance made every rally more lively and colorful, and it became an evil festival in Northeast Township. I was above Huang Qiuya, looking at her strange head, with hatred, sympathy, confusion, fear and sadness in my heart. I took off a tile from the roof and looked at Huang Qiuya's yin and yang head.As soon as I let go, the tile will fall on her head.But I hesitated for a long time, and finally did not do so. ——I told my aunt about this many years later, and my aunt said, thank you for not letting go, otherwise my sin would be aggravated——After entering her old age, my aunt always believed that she was guilty, not only guilty, but also a heinous crime that could not be redeemed.I thought my aunt blamed herself too much. In that era, no one else might be able to do better than her.My aunt said sadly, you don't understand... After Yang Lin was put on the stage, the foot that was stepping on my aunt's back moved away.They dragged my aunt up and stood side by side with Yang Lin, with her head bowed and her arms stretched out, like the "J-5" plane Wang Xiaoti piloted.I looked at Yang Lin's big, bald head.This person was as unattainable as a god half a year ago. In our hearts, we still hope that our aunt can marry him, even though he is more than 20 years older than my aunt, even though my aunt married him to replace his dead wife But he is the secretary of the county party committee, a senior cadre with a monthly salary of more than 100 yuan, a big man who goes to the countryside in a grass-green jeep, followed by secretaries and security guards!Many years later, my aunt also said that in fact, I only met him once, even though I didn’t like his big belly that looked like he was eight months pregnant, even though I hated his mouth full of garlic—in fact, he was also a bumpkin—but I still want to marry him.For you, for this family, I will marry him too. The aunt said that after she went to the county to meet Yang Lin, the commune secretary Qin Shan came to inspect the hospital the next day.Accompanied by the dean, he came to the obstetrics and gynecology department, with a charming smile on his face and full of flattery, like a slave.Auntie said that Qin Shan was so arrogant and domineering before, but he changed into such a face in a blink of an eye, which made her aunt deeply moved.For these snobs, I want to marry him too, my aunt said, if it wasn't for the "Cultural Revolution"... A short, sturdy female Red Guard came up, carrying two worn-out shoes, one hanging around Yang Lin's neck and the other around Auntie's neck.My aunt later said that the crimes of counter-revolutionary and spy can be tolerated, but the title of "broken shoe" must not be tolerated.This is something out of nothing, a great shame!My aunt immediately took off the broken shoes around her neck and threw them out vigorously. The broken shoe landed in front of Huang Qiuya like it had eyes. The female Red Guard jumped high, grabbed my aunt's hair, and pulled it down hard.The aunt held her head high and was in a stalemate with the girl. Auntie, lower your head, if you don't lower your head, I'm afraid your hair and scalp will be pulled off!That fat girl weighs at least a hundred catties, and she is already hanging on your body by grabbing your hair with both hands.Auntie shook her head suddenly, like a fierce horse shaking its mane—the girl fell onto the table with two locks of hair in her hands.Blood oozed from my aunt's head—there are still two scars the size of copper coins on my aunt's head—the blood flowed to my aunt's forehead and to her ears.Her body is straight and unbending.There was silence in the audience, and a donkey pulling a cart raised its neck and let out a high-pitched cry.I didn't hear my mother's cry, and my heart was ashamed. At this time, Huang Qiuya picked up the broken shoes in front of her, trotted onto the stage.I guess she doesn't know what's going on onstage, and if she did, she definitely wouldn't do it.She froze as soon as she got to the front desk.She threw down her broken shoes, muttered something, and stepped back step by step.Xiao Shangchun strode onto the stage and shouted sharply: Wan Xin, you are too arrogant!He waved his arms and personally led the slogan, trying to mobilize the atmosphere and break the deadlock, but no one responded.The fat girl threw away the hair in her hands, as if throwing away two snakes, and wailed loudly, stumbling down the stage. stop!Xiao Shanglip ordered Huang Qiuya, who was stepping backwards to step off the stage, pointed to the broken shoe on the ground, and said, you, you come and hang it up for her! Blood flowed from my aunt's ear to her neck, through her eyebrows and into her eyes.The aunt raised her hand and wiped her face. Huang Qiuya picked up the broken shoes and walked to her aunt tremblingly.She looked up at her aunt's face, screamed strangely, foamed at the mouth, and fell back. A few Red Guards came up and dragged her off the stage like a dead dog. Xiao Shangchun grabbed Yang Lin's collar and lifted him up, straightening his waist. Yang Lin's arms were drooping, his legs were bent, and his whole body was limp. As long as Xiao Shanglip let go, he would collapse on the stage. Ten thousand hearts to resist to the end, a dead end!Xiao Shangchun said, "If she doesn't confess, you have to confess. If you confess, you will be lenient, and if you resist, you will be strict!" You said, have you two passed rape? Yang Lin remained silent. Xiao Shangchun waved his hand, and a big man came up, bowed left and right, and slapped Yang Lin more than a dozen times.The sound was clear and crisp, rushing to the treetops.A few white objects burst onto the stage.I guess it's teeth.Yang Lin's body was shaking, and he was about to fall, but the big man grabbed his collar to prevent him from falling. Say, did you pass? ! pass…… How many times have you passed? once…… Be honest! twice…… You are dishonest! Three times...four times...ten times...many times...can't remember... Aunt let out a blood-curdling scream and pounced on Yang Lin like a lioness pouncing on her food.Yang Lin was paralyzed on the stage, and my aunt grabbed his face desperately... Several heavy-backed pickets struggled to drag my aunt away from Yang Lin. At this moment, a strange noise was heard on the surface of the lake, the ice layer collapsed, and many people fell into the icy water.