Chapter 128 happiest day of my life

It all started with a tape recorder. After I graduated from the middle school in the district, I returned to teach in an elementary school in our county. Apart from teaching, I also took care of the school's only radio recorder. During the winter vacation, the school asked me to take the baby home for safekeeping.I am more than happy to accept this task.I am a bachelor, and my family is in the countryside. With this cassette player as my companion, I will never feel lonely again during a holiday. Needless to say, the mountainous villages are quite affluent now, but relatively high-end products such as radio cassette players are rare, which does not mean that no one can afford them.For most farmers, this thing is expensive and has little practical value.Spending so much money to buy such a "play box" is not as good as buying a few fat pigs.

But after I brought this tape recorder home, the villagers felt very novel: Because it is said that this guy can not only sing, but also "receive" his voice.So, at night, many people flocked to our house to have fun around it.Their tiresome program is Han Qixiang's storytelling.One of the most enthusiastic listeners was my father.Although my father was nearly sixty years old and knew a single word, he was always extremely concerned about rare things.Sometimes they even care about foreign countries, for example, they often ask me about the situation in Albania.Of course he should be amazed at the tape recorder.Although he has listened to the cable broadcast for many years, there is only one thing that he still can't understand: why this small box can "hide" so many people in it.

In a blink of an eye, it is New Year's Eve.This is the biggest festival in the countryside every year.On New Year's Eve, a joyous atmosphere enveloped our village.Lanterns were lit in front of the windows of every house, and fried red and green cannon skins were spread on the ground in the yard.In those earthen cave dwellings with window grilles and couplets, the whole family sat around and ate "eight bowls".It is said to be eight bowls, but in fact, it is mainly to put fat pieces of various shapes and styles in eight bowls.Although the rural people have become rich, they still don't eat meat to the extent that urban people pick and choose.Their stomachs still need oil and water.OK, let's eat to our heart's content.Eat the fattening ones, eat as much as you want, in such a good year, and you are feeding your own pigs, what do you do if you don’t eat them!

Father ate an old bowl of fatty meat (one and a half catties), wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his coat, and then sat down with his legs cross-legged on the black wool felt, and smoked a cigarette with a smile on his face.At this moment, the outside is already full of firecrackers.The whole family put down the dishes one after another.The younger brothers and sisters couldn't wait to run to the neighbor's house to find friends to set off cannons, and the mother bumped her little feet to the cave next door to prepare dumpling stuffing for tomorrow morning.For a moment, my father and I were left in the room.A joyful and cheery tranquility.

My father breathed the smoke comfortably, and said to me: "Take out your singing box, let's listen to it tonight." He leaned comfortably on the bedroll, with a pampered posture.His air of conviviality pleased me.Yes, the situation at home has been getting better and better in the past few years, and he should spend this happy evening like this at this moment. I hurriedly took out the tape recorder and played Han Qixiang's storytelling that the old man loved to listen to.My father half-closed his eyes, and while he was listening, he leisurely stroked a bunch of yellow goatee on his chin with his hands.Han Qixiang's northern Shaanxi dialect probably sounded like a lark calling to him.Whenever I hear something wonderful, I can't help opening my front-toothless mouth and laughing non-stop, just like an old lady.So I subconsciously glanced at the photo of grandma on the wall.He really looks like my deceased grandma at the moment.Under the photo of grandma is a group photo of father.Judging from the photos, my parents didn't look very old at that time, but now they are as old as grandma.I think, maybe in a few years, that group photo will also become a posthumous photo.This association is too unlucky.In my heart, I wish the two elders good health and a long life.I remember that the photos of grandma were taken by my father when she was alive, and the photos of my parents were taken by me a few years ago.Since the popularity of taking pictures, one of the most important things for country people is to take a photo of their elderly parents, and then enlarge it and hang it on the wall as a permanent souvenir.In the countryside, no matter where you go, you can see photos of several old people on the wall.They are well dressed.The two rough hands of laborers are neatly placed on their knees, looking at the home they have lived in all their lives and their children and grandchildren who are still living in this home...

At this time, Han Qixiang's book was about to be lively, and the anxious voice and the dense three-stringed rattle sounded together, as if a shovel was stirring the stir-fried beans in a red-hot iron pan.My father's emotions were also soaring to the extreme. He even used the dewy northern Shaanxi dialect, yelling after Lao Han, dancing, talking and singing.He has listened to this passage so many times that he can almost recite it fluently. I was amused by my father and laughed, and felt hot in my eyes.Father, be as happy as you can.You should be happy.You and farmers as old as you are very lucky to be able to cater to the good things in the world these days.

Watching my father sang and sang triumphantly, I suddenly had a fresh thought: Why don't I use this tape recorder to record a part of my father's voice?In this way, after his death, those of us who are younger generations can not only see his appearance in the photos, but also hear his voice in the tape recorder.Yes, this modern equipment can leave the voices of great men, and the voices of peasants can also be left behind. As soon as Han Qizhi finished speaking, I said to my father, "Dad, let me record your voice too." "my voice?" "Ok." "Can it be recorded?"

"can." I changed a blank tape, pressed a button, and said to him: "If you don't believe me, try it. Now just say something casually. He suddenly panicked, waved his hands again and again, and said, "I won't say it! I won't say it!" I quickly stuck to the mechanism and then let people listen to it.His voice came from the tape recorder: "I won't say it! I won't say it!" My father exclaimed in surprise: "Isn't that my voice?" "It's your voice. That's it. You can say whatever you want. Let me record my voice. After you are gone, future generations like us can often hear you talking!"

"It's been a long time, I'm afraid the sound will run away..." "Can't run away! This tape is bad, and it can be recorded on another tape." Father was obviously very interested in this matter.He was eager to try, but he was a little embarrassed, and he straightened his back very nervously, as if about to perform some grand ceremony, straightened the felt hat on his head with both hands, and coughed solemnly.He suddenly blushed like a child and asked me, "What did I say?" I couldn't help laughing and said to him, "You can say whatever you want. Like the happiest day of your life..."

Happiest day of your life?Haha, how do you put it...well, let me think about it, oh, yes, the happiest day is of course the one when I married your mother...Look at me!What to say!Oh.By the way, I remembered that let's go on... That day, just like today, is New Year's Eve... Let me put it this way, see if it's okay!OK!Okay, then I'll tell us more... When it comes to those years, it's really hard to say.In winter, the commune gathered migrant workers drawn from various brigades to Sifo Village, and divided them into squads, platoons, and companies like soldiers. They worked hard during the day and fought at night. The secretary of the commune came to announce that the revolutionary Spring Festival was going to be celebrated, and there would be no holidays for the new year.Everyone was blown up.On the morning of the New Year's Eve, all the migrant workers ran away.Hehe, I didn't dare to run at first, but then I saw that everyone ran away, so I ran back.

I don't know if you still remember?When I ran home that morning, you mother and son sat around in a piece of tattered bed, crying and crying.After seeing this scene, you don't know how uncomfortable I am.What are you crying for?Weeping and panicking.In those days, the whole village was stirring thick soup in a pot, and everyone was so poor that it was not very important to celebrate the New Year.We can't even mention it at home.Others even cut a few catties of meat. I didn’t come back from our house, so I didn’t even have any skin. You probably remember that private pigs are not allowed, and pigs raised by collectives can’t be killed. They have to be handed over to the public.At that time, how much food can the team have to feed the pigs?Raise a few pigs, sell them to the family, and the government will issue some meat tickets to the family, only a few catties.I asked your uncle to take a few catties of meat tickets from our family to hold a wedding for his son in the morning.Alas, besides, even if there are meat tickets, you mother and son don't have a penny in their hands! At that time, I turned around and ran towards the county seat.I didn't dare to cry in front of you, but on the way I cried so that I could return, why did I cry?I still feel sorry for your mother and you dolls!It's the Chinese New Year, and I can't even eat any meat.i hate me.A man is so incompetent!I thought at the time, even if I go out today to snatch it, I will get back a few catties of meat. After entering the county seat, it was already noon.I hurried to the food store.At first glance, the door was tightly shut.Alas, today is the Chinese New Year, people leave work early. There is no hope now.I let out a long sigh, hugged my head and squatted on the stone platform in front of the sales department, really wanted to let go and cry. After squatting for a long time, I thought to myself, crying is worth a fart.Simply, let's see if there is anyone at the back door. I went to the back door, which was also closed, but I heard someone coughing inside.I was standing, not daring to knock on the door, why?Afraid, afraid of what?I couldn't tell at the time.After a while, I suddenly came up with a good idea, hum, don't look at your father as a stupid commoner, when you are in a hurry, your brain is still smart.I thought, if I said I was a relative of Shuxin, the county party committee, would people in their city dare not sell me meat?What was the name of our county secretary at that time?Feng Guobin?Yes, it's Feng Guobin.But I didn't know his tuba name at the time, only that Secretary Feng's surname was Feng.Well, I am now a relative of Secretary Feng. In this way, I bite the bullet and knocked on the back door of the butcher shop.The door opened a crack first, revealing a fat head.Before Fat Tou could speak, I hurriedly said that he was a relative of Secretary Feng in the county.What is the fat head asking?I told him, Secretary Feng asked you to cut a few catties of meat. Ha, needless to say, the fat head didn't believe that I was a relative of Secretary Feng at first.He looked at me for a long time.Then I probably believed it a little more.Aren't most of the top cadres in the Communist Party from poor backgrounds?They may inevitably have a few poor relatives.The fat cadre didn't say anything, opened the door and let me in. He led me straight to the meat bank.Haha, I was stunned for a moment, I saw pork as tall as a person in the meat warehouse, and they were all the fattest.The fat cadre asked me how much I weighed?I hastily shook out all the money from my arms—four rounds in total.I asked him how much it cost per catty?He said eighty cents a catty.I said, then cut five catties.However, at that time, I secretly complained: I only wanted to cut two catties of meat, enough for you mother and child to eat for a meal.I am not going to eat it, because I have eaten two meals of meat at the big stove of migrant workers this year, but your mother and son have hardly had a mouthful of meaty soup in a year.I think I have more than two yuan left over to buy a lamb belly towel for your mother—the towel on her head has been wrapped for two years, and it is dirty and rotten; and I will buy some firecrackers for you dolls. Eating meat and setting off cannons, this is the Chinese New Year.But right now, I think, how can a relative of a county party secretary walk through the back door and only cut two catties of meat?I had no choice but to grit my teeth and spend all four dollars.Although I spent all four yuan so lavishly, the fat cadre obviously laughed at Secretary Feng's poor relative.Of course he didn't say it, I could tell from his face. But no matter what, I finally got the meat, and it was such a fat piece of knife-edge meat! I walked out into the street, so happy I didn't know what to do.I think I will bring this piece of fat home, your mother, you children, how happy you will be to see it!Let's have a prosperous year! I was walking down the street when a beggar blocked my way.I saw that this was not a beggar, but Gao Wu from Gaojia Village who worked as a migrant worker with me.His wife is sick, and our family is not bad.He himself was so exhausted that only a handful of dry bones remained. Gao Wu was wearing a flowered padded jacket with a rotten hemp rope tied around his waist. He blocked me in the street and asked me where I cut such a good piece of meat?I dare not tell him the truth.I was afraid that he would know the trick and pretend to be a relative of the county party secretary.Is this okay?Call the Public Security Bureau to find out.I'm afraid I have to sit in the classroom!I lied to him and said that my meat was bought from a foreigner.Gao Wu hurriedly asked me, where is that foreigner now?I said they left early.Gao Wu told me with a face full of tears that he didn't have any money in his hands when the public house sold meat a few days ago.It was not until this morning that I begged others to borrow some money, but now I can't even buy any meat.He said that adults can do whatever they want, and if they don’t eat meat, they won’t be able to stay here, but the dolls can’t, they are crying and screaming... He glanced at the piece of meat in my hand, and said pitifully, can I Give him some points?To be honest, I pity him, but I am reluctant to share such fat meat with him.I told him that the meat was bought at a high price.He hurriedly asked how much is a catty?I casually said one yuan and sixty cents a catty.Unexpectedly, Gao Wu said that one yuan and six are one yuan and six, and you will give me two catties! The eyes of my heart began to move, and I thought, I only wanted to buy two catties of meat at the beginning, so I might as well give him two catties now.In fact, do you know, I thought at the time, if I sold it to Gao Wu for a pound, I would earn 80 cents a pound for nothing!With this money, I can buy some New Year's gifts for your mother and your dolls.This deal is of course cost-effective.I hesitated for a moment, and said to him, well, we two will split in half.Poor Gao Wu changed his sad face into a smile. Just like that, Gao Wu took two and a half catties of meat, stuffed four yuan into my hand, and walked away with a smile, as if he had taken advantage of me.Well, I took four yuan when I came here, and it is still four yuan now, but I have a strip of fat meat that weighs two and a half catties in my hand.This meat is like I picked up for nothing on the road.good luck! I immediately went to the shop to buy a new towel for your mother, and a few strings of firecrackers for you dolls.There is seventy cents left, and I bought a few inches of foreign candy for you gluttons... I ran all the way home.Running all the way, grinning all the way.Hey, I can hear myself laughing out loud.If it’s not that I haven’t eaten all day, my stomach is screaming with hunger, maybe I’ll sing it a little song for joy... Didn’t you ask me to say the happiest time in my life?Really, there is no day in this life that can be higher than this one.What are you happy about?Glad that your mother and you guys can finally eat meat this year.And your mother has a new towel, and you dolls can set off firecrackers and eat foreign candies... I turned off the radio with a "snap", without saying anything, leaving my father behind, and came to the yard alone with a heavy heart.At this moment, the clear night is full of starlight, which complements the swaying lanterns in front of the windows of each house in the village, creating a magnificent scene.In the distance came the dense sound of gongs, drums and silk strings, mixed with the joyful laughter of children. The village is in a festive mood.The sound of firecrackers near and far is one after another, and the air is filled with peaceful gunpowder.At this moment, all this brings infinite warmth and comfort to my soul...