Chapter 14 Part Two Xiaoheng

In the yard where I lived when I was a child, there were only two boys, Xiao Heng and me.My younger brother Heng is four years old, which is not too small for a child, so Xiao Heng always chases after me and is my "soldier". I went to middle school and lived in the school. Xiaoheng usually had to mix with a group of girls; Or play something else.When I came back from school on the weekend, no matter what Xiaoheng was playing with the girls, Xiaoheng would quit immediately, and by the way, he would show his masculine superiority: "Ah, these girls are so stupid!" Of course, the girls cursed bitterly and threatened : "Xiaoheng, wait and see who you play with when he leaves tomorrow!" Xiaoheng has already ignored it, chasing after me excitedly, telling me the "news" in and out of the courtyard this week in detail like a report.For example, someone lost their cat, but at the same time, someone smelled stewed cat meat.I said, "Does stewed cat meat have any special aroma?" Xiao Heng scratched the back of his head, skipped the question, and talked about whose gable collapsed the night before. If that happens, the whole family will be ruined.I said, "How can you tell that it almost collapsed?" Xiao Heng scratched the back of his head again, skipped over this question, and mentioned that so-and-so's grandfather died a few days ago, and a fortune teller was right He said that it would be a miracle if the old man could survive until the beginning of spring, otherwise he would not be able to survive this winter.I couldn't help laughing.Xiao Heng scratched the back of his head, and it took him a long time to figure it out.

Xiaoheng is white and clean, as delicate as a girl.Xiaoheng's mother was ugly, with a dark face.The neighbors guessed that Xiaoheng must be like his father, but no one had ever seen his father.Someone in the neighborhood once asked: "Where does Xiaoheng's father work?" Xiaoheng's mother was wordy, talking about it.This incident fostered long-standing suspicions and imaginations among the neighbors. Xiaoheng's mother is illiterate, but she recognizes her name because a money order arrives on time every month; she can recognize it, but she can't write it, and she doesn't seem to plan to.The seal was generally well-received by the neighbours—it was of ivory, and beautifully carved and inlaid.Once, a retired jeweler happened to see the old man holding a magnifying glass and looking at it for a long time, his expression gradually becoming serious.The old gentleman raised his eyes to look at the owner of the stamp again, he was a little surprised again, and then respectfully handed the stamp back to Xiaoheng's mother, saying: "You must take it away."

Xiaoheng's mother is a fool.Once in a literacy class, the teacher asked: "It's noon on the day of hoeing, what's the next sentence?" Once at a street meeting, the director asked her: "What are the 'Three Dos and Four Don'ts' (a hygienic slogan)?" Xiaoheng's mother thought and thought, sweating.The director said: "One is enough." Xiao Heng's mother said: "Go to bed early at night." The director held back a smile and asked: "Then, what do you want?" In the spring of 1966, around the time when Xiaoheng’s mother was queuing up for shopping, the Cultural Revolution was approaching quietly.Our school was the first to break out, debating in classrooms, in the cafeteria, and on the playground—is there revisionism in Tsinghua High School?I think this is really nonsense. Tsinghua High School has never missed half a step of socialism.The debate failed, and in June, just as the final exam was about to take place, an accident occurred at Peking University. It was indeed revisionism at Peking University.So the class was suspended, and the students all went to Peking University to read the big-character posters; they were in high spirits all the way—there was no need for exams, and the stormy test was about to come again!At the end of the name, the crowds on the lakeside are like porridge.Look, look, my heart is gradually depressed - it seems that I am a revisionist "royalist" is a foregone conclusion, so it seems beyond reproach that I am a filial son of the reactionary class.Alas!Storm, storm, I've been looking forward to you since I was a child, why did you come and make me like this?

One afternoon when I came home, I sat in a daze, both annoyed by my position and worried about my background.At this time Xiao Heng came.Not seen for a few weeks, his report has "class struggle as the key link". "Hey, you know? Shanshan's dad has a problem!" "Who said?" "Shanshan's aunt is crying." "Is this fresh?" "Shanshan's father hasn't come home for several days." "We're fighting again." "That's not it. People say he is a revisionist." "How to say?" "Say he's a bourgeois way of life."

"That's true, who is he not?" "Huizi on the east side of the street, do you know? Someone in his family is in Taiwan!" "How did you know?" "There is also the old man Beiwu, whose hair is always oiled and smokes very high-end cigarettes, each of which is wrapped in cellophane!" "Cigars are like that, you know what!" "Xiaowen on the 9th, her father is a landlord. Guess what his father's name is? Xu Youcai. Reactionary or not?" I don't want to hear it. "Xiaoheng, you're about to become an 'inquiry'." I remembered that my grandma was also a landlord, and when I remembered my origin, how should I calculate it?I didn't stay at home much that day and went back to school early.

The school was turned upside down.The city of Beijing was turned upside down.Revisionism has emerged throughout China!At the beginning, the class barriers were not clear, and I sneaked into the revolutionary ranks tremblingly, and once went to Tsinghua University to create a rebellion. I went to the house of a "reactionary academic authority" and smashed a few decorations, destroying a few pairs of bourgeois-colored clothes. leather shoes.But soon, those who were not from the five categories of red were not allowed to rebel, and I and a few classmates who were neither red nor black became the Xiaoyao faction early on.Later, someone in the class was revealed to have concealed his criminal background. I tried my best to express anger on my face, but my heart was trembling secretly.But who would secretly tremble?A ready-made explanation sounded in my ears: "Let the class enemies hide in dark corners and tremble!"

When we met Xiaoheng again, he was already a "civilian-run green" (self-made military uniform, but the color gave off, just like today's counterfeit famous brands, or Ah Q back then, who thought he was a revolutionary party).I looked at him from head to toe, so I couldn't say anything, but I just bowed my head and listened to his report. "Hey, I won't lie to you, Xiaohong's family in the backyard secretly burned a few paintings, and one of them has the blue sky and white sun flag printed on it!" "real?" "Of course. I don't know who saw it and reported it. Xiaohong's uncle and grandpa are sweeping the streets these days."

"yes?" "When Westinghouse saw it, he was so frightened that he tore down the sofa. Guess what's in the sofa? It's full of rotten sacks!" It's relatively quiet around.Xiao Heng was very excited. "I heard that there is a store in the back street. The Red Guards didn't know about it. They dug out a pile of unopened Swiss watches from the box in their house, and found a lot of gold bars from the salt jar!" "Who said this?" "Who else is there to say? Everything was stolen, even the adults of that family were taken away."

"real?" "I lied to you that I was a grandson. I even copied out the land deed before liberation from a family! The old man and the old lady of that family knelt in the yard and asked the Red Guards to whip their belts. They also said that they would be sent back to their hometowns to reform through labor." Xiaoheng's report was vigorous and vigorous, and I was terrified when I heard it. That night, my mother discussed with grandma, telling grandma to go back to her hometown and hide for a while.Grandma wept quietly.My mother said: "Let's escape for a while, and I will pick you up when I have nothing to do." I really hid in the corner and trembled. I didn't dare to listen anymore, so I slipped out of the house, walked on the street in a mess, and walked back to School.

Grandma left a few days later.My mother came to the school and told me: Grandma didn't suffer any grievances, and left safely.I breathed a sigh of relief.But even at that moment, I knew why this breath was relieved.Conscience, in fact, understands everything.However, understanding may not be able to stop the evil of human nature.For years, I avoided that moment of guilt.But in fact, it can never be avoided. My mother also told me that Xiaoheng's family also left. "Xiaoheng? What's going on?" "Several large boxes of silk satin and silver dollars were found from his house."

"how come?" "It was completely accidental. The Red Guards originally went to Xiaohong's uncle and grandpa, and then they looked at each family, and found those things at Xiaoheng's house." Dozens of bolts of silk and satin, colorful and luxurious, spread out, spreading all over the courtyard, and the ground was shining golden. Xiaoheng's mother knelt in the middle of the yard, her face ashen. The silver dollars were thrown up in handfuls and landed on the soft silk and satin, heavy but silent. Then came the vibrating sound of the belt beating against the flesh, fragmented at first, and gradually dense. Under the shade of the old crabapple tree, Xiao Heng's mother stared blankly and said nothing, her belt seemed to be whipping a wooden stake. The Red Guards scolded angrily. The scolding disturbed the street. The neighbors had already come out and stood quietly under the steps around them. The people on the street poured into the courtyard gate noisily, and then they all stood quietly at the foot of the surrounding steps. Someone asked softly, "Who is it?" No one answered. "Mother Xiaoheng, is that right?" No one paid any attention. Xiaoheng's mother occasionally searched the crowd with her horrified eyes, but no one knew what she was looking for. No one noticed where Xiaoheng was. No one can take Xiao Heng into consideration. It was Xiao Heng who came out by himself.He emerged from the crowd. Xiaoheng's face was full of tears, he walked up to his mother, took the belt of the Red Guard, "Crack! Crack! Crack..." The voice was earth-shattering. Even the few Red Guards were stunned.The people present took a step back and took a breath. Xiaoheng's mother was like a wooden stake, she closed her eyes and seemed relieved. "Crack! Crack! Crack..." No one stopped it.No one dared to move. Until the belt in Xiao Heng's hand fell to the ground and landed on the wavy silk. Xiao Heng stood motionless.Xiaoheng's mother knelt motionless. On the old crabapple tree, the dragonfly found a resting place at noon.A butterfly flutters in the yard.The cicadas sang like the tide. After a long time, the crowd became agitated and silently stepped aside. The police are here. The silk and satin were thrown onto the truck, and Xiaoheng's mother was also pushed onto the truck. Only then did Xiaoheng cry: "I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving! I'm not going anywhere! I'm alone in Beijing!" Everyone present bowed their heads, or secretly sighed. An old policeman said to Xiao Heng: "You are still young, how can you do it alone?" "Okay! I can do it alone! How about I follow you, auntie? Can I follow any of you!" All people are moved by it. This is what I heard later. When I walked into the yard again, I saw a paper seal and a big lock on the door of Xiaoheng's house. The old crabapple tree has withered branches and leaves.The fallen leaves were blown away by the autumn wind and piled up under the surrounding steps, just like the trembling crowd holding their breath not long ago. At home, grandma is gone, only grandma's sewing basket lying quietly on the bed. My conscience still dare not wake up.But that weak conscience can faintly see grandma walking alone on the country road.You can still see: Xiao Heng walking under the boundless sky, not far ahead, is the back of Xiao Heng's mother walking.Or you can still see: Xiao Heng took a few steps to catch up with his mother, who hugged his weak and shrinking shoulders as always.The wind and the sun set, and the wilderness was silent.