Chapter 15 return home

Yichao held a piece of scarlet letterhead in his hand, frowned and said to his mother, "Mother! Do you think it's better for me to go or not?" His mother laughed and said, "It's up to you, I Thinking about that place, you haven’t been there before, so it’s good to go to play for a few days; and it’s where the ancestor’s tomb is, so you have to look up.” Yi Chao couldn’t help laughing and said: “Just to look up and play, I like it very much. I will go. But I have never done these etiquettes, such as acknowledging the family and worshiping the ancestral hall. I am afraid I must be at a loss. Besides, a bureau chief like me who has just taken off his student uniform is not worthy to add glory to the tribe. I don’t think it is as good as Wan Just resign."

His younger sister Yitang was writing a letter at the same time, when she heard this, she put down her pen, turned her head and smiled and said, "Brother, I think you'd better go, a bureau chief is nothing in the city, but in the countryside, it won't be tolerated. In this way Being respected is cheap, if they invite me to go, I will definitely go.” Yi Chao said with a smile: “You are just talking nicely, if you are really invited, you are not willing to go. I don’t like it in the first place. Entertainment, not to mention the inside story of this matter, it's not just entertainment..." At this time Yitang stood up and smiled and said: "If you want to be serious, brother, you should go. In my opinion, it can also be regarded as a kind of charity. They are very bullied by the neighboring villages, and they have always swallowed their anger. It is easy to find a bureau chief like my brother, so they will naturally ask you to suppress it. After you are only tired for a few days, they feel that "how can you?" It's raining.

And they have invited them from far and wide in person several times. If you don't go, they will sigh, "The people of Sri Lanka are not as good as the common people". His mother said: "Yitang's words are very reasonable. They didn't ask you to practice etiquette. Even if you made a mistake, they would never make fun of it. They just went there to display it for a day or two. Why don't you go there once?" " Yi Chao sat on the chair with his head supported, frowned and said with a smile: "This way! I dare not go. Although I am a bureau chief, I have no strength at all. How can I suppress all demons..." His mother couldn't help laughing and said : "This is nothing more than deceiving the country folks. You are in your twenties, and you have traveled across the oceans and foreign countries. Why are you getting more and more timid, and the older you are, the more shy you are? Don't let yourself decide, and I won't force you." Yitang said with a smile: "Mother don't talk to him, brother is just putting on airs. The more we beg him to go, the more reason he will have." So mother and Yi Chao laughed.

Yitang sat down and continued to write her letter.Yi Chao stood in front of the window, concentrating for a while, then smiled and said, "I'll go then, lest Yi Tang say I'm putting on airs." Yitang turned her head, looked at her mother, smiled and said, "Brother, please pass me their letter, and while I have the pen and ink ready, I will write you an acceptable reply." The second problem came, and his tribe sent another letter, asking him to bring more guards to strengthen his momentum when he went.Yi Chao ran out of ideas again, took the letter, showed it to his secretary, and asked him what to do.After reading the letter, the secretary said: "Has the director promised them to go?" Yi Chao stroked his hair and replied with an unnatural smile: "Yes, it was out of necessity, but where did I come from? What? This is really..." Seeing his anxious and embarrassing appearance, the secretary knew that he had never experienced such a thing when he was young, so he laughed and said, "It's not a problem at all. Please ask the director to send a few soldiers to follow. They'll be done with some rewards." Yi Chao liked it and said, "That's all right, but I don't know all the etiquettes, so it's best to invite you, old man, to come with me and give me advice at any time." The secretary didn't agree No embarrassment, I agreed immediately.

With four palanquins, ten soldiers, a few gongs and cannons, Yichao arrived in the countryside.There are several sedan chairs behind, and one of them is inside, needless to say, it is the secretary's seat.The rest are a few young and mischievous friends who returned to China with Yichao. Yichao must ask Yichao to take them as his entourage and follow along to watch the fun.Sitting in the sedan chair, Yi Chao saw his clansman, and came out to greet him from tens of miles away. Braids, bare feet, beating gongs, and firing cannons; when passing through other villages, countless men and women, surrounded by men and women, came out to see the "Foreign Imperial Academy" and "Republic of China Bureau Chief", talking and sighing one after another.His clansmen were even more elated, and the soldiers also yelled majesticly.Yi Chao felt very uncomfortable.His friends were behind again, speaking English and laughing loudly; this made Chao Chao's face turn red and white for a while, with an air of "laughing and looking around".It was the secretary who was more mature and prudent, and quickly turned around and waved his hands, and they gradually fell silent.

From morning to dusk, I arrived at the foot of the mountain, halfway up the mountain, and entered the village, it was already dark.They entered the ancestral hall together, and when Yichao got off the sedan chair, several gray-bearded old men came out to welcome them. They were also wearing long gowns and jackets, very refined, Yichao thought that this must be an old man of the clan, so he hurriedly took a step closer. If he wanted to salute, they had already bowed to him.Yi Chao thought that juniors should kneel down, but felt embarrassed, so he bowed back. He introduced the secretary and several friends, and they all went into the East Wing.In the middle room, the rows are neatly arranged, and there are also pairs hanging on the table. There is also a standing chime clock on the table; on both sides are the bedrooms equipped for them. Not sure.After they washed their faces and had tea, Yi Chao asked the clan elders to take him to the main hall.The clan elders laughed and said: "It's better to salute tomorrow morning, let's take a break now." Yi Chao couldn't help blushing, before he was about to speak, the secretary stood up and said with a smile: "What the director means is to take a look first. .” The clan elders quickly stood up, holding up lights to lead the way.When I went out to the yard, I saw that the two gates were full of people. When I entered the main hall, I didn't care that the threshold was too high, and a friend stumbled over him.

Yi Chao wants to laugh but dare not.Entering the hall, the smell of cigarettes hits the nostrils for a while, and the walls, incense burner and candlesticks are all blackened.Many ancestral tablets are arranged one after another.After reading it again, they all went out to the wing room. Dinner had been prepared, and the table was filled with big fish and meat, and two jugs of wine were also warmed.Yichao and his friends were exhausted on the road all day, looking at these greasy dishes, they couldn't even eat them.After only using a little, I put down the chopsticks, but the clan elders ate a lot.After the meal, a few more oil lamps were brought in, and the clan elders asked them to rest early; they let the servants who came with them eat and put them in the backyard, and then they all left one after another.

Yichao went into the room and took a look. It was very dark outside the lamp shadow, and there was only one side of the window, and it was very hot. It seemed that the smell was very strong, so he and his friends closed the two doors, and the bed board, They all moved to the yard; talking and laughing casually, they all fell asleep. It was just dawn, and the sound of cocks crowing and dogs barking woke them up, and they got up and sat down, talking about the friend's fall last night.They were laughing, when they suddenly heard a knock on the door, so frightened that they couldn't hold back their laughter, they quickly moved the bed boards in again, put on their long clothes, and then went to open the door.It turned out that the gatekeeper came in to clean the ancestral hall, and he seemed very surprised to see them all up. After they washed up, Mr. Secretary also came out of the house and had breakfast together.The elders of the clan also came. After a while, the hall was filled with red candles and cigarettes, so they invited Yi Chao to salute.Yi Chao saw that there were countless people standing in the hall, and his friends all went in first, standing on both sides with a smile, and felt very embarrassed, so he had to go up with the secretary, and it was easy for the secretary to act like Li Sheng Usually, guiding one by one in a low voice.Kneeling in Chao's posture was very ugly, but his friends didn't think so, they could only hear continuous laughter from the audience; Yi Chao felt embarrassed.After the ceremony, the clan elder handed over two red paper bags.The secretary picked him up for him, and when he came down to the hall, he was led by the clan elders. He looked around and visited the tomb of Yichao's great-grandfather.It turned out that there were only thirty-four families of their own family in that village, and a cross-shaped street was full of people.Outside the village is their field. At this time, the elders of the clan said that there are few people in their village, many fields have been taken by people from other clans, and the crops have also been plundered by others. They have also filed several lawsuits. It's just that I have never won before, please let Yichao mention it to the magistrate.Yi Chao was only modest, but the secretary promised everything for him.The patriarch said again: "When the chief comes, they must stop." Yi Chao also only agreed with a smile or two, and then went back to the ancestral hall.

At this time, the secretary handed the two red paper packets to Yi Chao and said, "This is a hundred small oceans and a blue satin mandarin jacket. They gave it to the director as a meeting gift." Yi Chao couldn't understand it, the secretary smiled and said: "It's just their small idea, it shows that the director can't come in vain, that's all. I heard that this mandarin jacket material was specially brought from the city!" Yi Chao said at this time After realizing it, playing the phrase "can't come in vain", I suddenly felt that it was inappropriate, as if it had degraded my personality, and immediately became angry and anxious, and immediately asked the secretary to send the gift back.The secretary said with a smile: "Not only is there no rule to return the money, but it's not easy for them farmers to get a hundred cents. If they are sent back, it will be obvious that the chief looks down on them, so it's better to accept them." Had to put it away.After noon, the patriarch came to invite Yi Chao to listen to the play again.Yichao felt restless, and was about to resign, but thinking that this was the time to show me, he had to go.His friends kept urging him to leave, and the clan elder asked Yi Chao to sit in a sedan chair and lead the soldiers.Yi Chao had no choice but to listen to their orders, walked a few steps, got off the sedan chair, and went into the shed when he arrived at the front of the village. , then played up.After two or three o'clock, Yichao felt that the weather was hot, the golden drum was shaking the sky, and he had a splitting headache. He wanted to rest, but it was inconvenient to go away.His friends all quietly went back to the ancestral hall one by one, only Yichao sat there in a daze until dusk.

When the play was about to end, the head of the class came to ask for a reward, and Yi Chao gave him fifty cents.Immediately, there were discussions in the audience again, some said he was generous, and some said he was being rich.Without saying a word, Yi Chao boarded the sedan chair and returned to the ancestral hall.Under the shadow of the moon, his friends were all chatting and enjoying the cool outside the door.Yichao got off the sedan chair, went in to wash, changed clothes, and went out for a walk for a while, only to feel a little refreshed.His friends didn't seem to like him very much, and they didn't joke with him. They heard him walk aside and talk affectionately with a few clansmen who wore lotuses and hats.

Yichao asked them, "Why didn't you cut your braids? Doesn't combing your hair and braids delay your time in farming?" They hesitated for a while and said, "Cutting your braids will make it difficult to wear hats." Yichao Knowing that they are pretexts, he smiled slightly unconsciously.He asked again: "I see that there are quite a few children in our village. Is there a place to study?" They laughed and said, "It's useless for us peasants to study, and we can't be too busy with the affairs of the field." Then they talked about the open space in front of the ancestral hall, why not plant some trees? They said: "A geography gentleman said that planting some trees will break the geomantic omen." After discussing it, Yi Chao realized that their life was very hard. Even women and children were busy all year round, and when there was a famine, there were times when they went on hunger strike.Yichao's grandfather fled to the city because of the famine.As for everything about medicine, it is especially inconvenient. Life and death are suffering from illness, and they obey the destiny. Yichao is very pitiful for them, and tears are almost falling down. They also asked about things in the city, and knowing that Yichao had been abroad, they also inquired about the situation in foreign countries.I told them briefly, and they all liked to listen very much.He also said, "When we have the opportunity, we will also go to those places to open our eyes." Yi Chao laughed and said, "Why don't you move to the city and find something to do, wouldn't it be better than suffering here." They said, "The cost of living in the city is too high for us to live in..." Speaking of this, The gatekeeper came to invite Yichao to eat.Yi Chaocai turned back and heard them praise him for being kind and approachable, without the arrogance of officials.When he entered the ancestral hall, his friends were already seated. When they saw him coming in, they smiled and said, "Yichao! You have become a speaker for the rural parade." Yichao smiled and said nothing. While eating, the patriarch brought two people in, met Yichao, and said that they were from the village behind the mountain—they had the same surname as Yichao—and specially invited Yichao to hang out for two days.It's not good for Yichao dark to think, snowballs are rolling in the snow, and the noise is getting bigger and bigger, so it's better to leave earlier.At this time, there is no need for the secretary to do it for him, and he hastily smiled and tried his best to refuse, saying that he still has important business matters, and he must go back tomorrow morning; next time he comes again, he will make a special trip to visit him.The secretary knew that Yi Chao was a little upset, so he didn't say anything; his friends had had enough, and they all tried their best to thank him for him.They immediately showed disappointment, and even the patriarch felt that Yi Chao left too hastily.It's just that Yi Chao was very determined, and he had no choice but to make a firm agreement. After sending them out, the patriarch and Yichao stood at the gate of the ancestral hall. The patriarch asked Yichao, "Why are you in such a hurry? There will be a play tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!" Take out fifty cents of Xiaoyang and ask the patriarch to distribute it to those who help.The patriarch had nothing to say after receiving it, and after talking for a while, he left. Before he left, he couldn't help asking Yi Chao to come back to play again, and Yi Chao agreed one by one. The patriarch's shadow has gone far away.Yi Chaocai walked slowly to his great-grandfather's tomb by himself, and sat under the tree.At this time, the small village and wild land looked desolate under the moonlight.Yichao sat with his knees hugged silently, recalling all these things after returning to his hometown, he felt very annoyed and amused at the same time.Then he felt pity for them again, mixed feelings for a moment, suddenly wanted to move all his people to the city, and suddenly wanted to move back to the village himself, planning for a long time——and then thought of many things about the country and the world.Facing the mound where the ancestors buried their bones, I just felt a surge of emotion, and I sat under the tomb tree until dawn, and went back with everyone.The sacrificial old lady under the small family system was reading a letter with tears in her eyes.Suddenly hearing the sound of footsteps outside, he hurriedly pressed the letter under a book and stood up. The old man came in from the outside, took off his hat, sat on a chair, panted and wiped his forehead with a towel, and said nothing. After a while, the old lady smiled and asked, "How is your business?" The old man sneered and said: "Yifu only said that it is difficult to find work outside now, and told me to wait for a while. But judging from what he meant, he seemed to think that I was too old to do much. He also asked me that Quan'er's work was fine. Why can't I take care of my family? I have no answer. He lent me twenty yuan. I didn't want to, but I thought it was an old friend's affection, and I really didn't have any money, so I had to accept it. Cough , People are poor and short-sighted! It’s also because I didn’t give birth to a good son, so at my age, I still have to spend money and food. It’s really embarrassing!” The old lady's face was pale, her lips trembled, and she seemed to be about to speak, but she couldn't speak. The old man said again: "People raise their sons for the sake of their old age. We just work as cattle and horses for our children and grandchildren. We managed to raise them to such a large size when we were young. To study for him, we pawned the land and the house. It was sold. He also said that he wanted to study abroad. I think that in this country of savages, the children must learn to be bad, but in the end they obeyed him.Now our energy and effort are exhausted, our family property is exhausted, and we have enough horses and cattle. We only hope that the bitterness will come to an end, and there will be a happy evening scene. Let's go. The old lady still stood there motionless. The old man went on to say: "Who knows that he...has been to foreign countries now, married a civilized daughter-in-law, fluffy and fluffy! At my age, the end is coming soon, so naturally I will not be able to enjoy the blessings of my life." But—I'm afraid that this old bone will eventually be buried in the belly of a beast!" At this time, the old lady couldn't bear it any longer, and suddenly leaned on the back of the chair, sobbing and crying. Seeing his wife crying, the old man couldn't bear it, so he sighed and stopped talking. They fell silent for a moment.The two sad gray faces, against the dying twilight, created a gloomy scene. The old man suddenly said: "I wrote him a letter the day before yesterday, but I haven't replied yet. I'm going to visit him in person now and discuss with him." Standing up by himself. The old lady reached out to open the book and take out the letter—but she looked at the old man's face, and she didn't have the courage, so she slowly retracted. The old man had put his hat on and went out. The old lady hurriedly called out: "No need, no need to go! Here..." At that time, the door rang, and the old man with white hair had already left alone. The old lady stood for a long time, leaning on the back of the chair.She took out the letter again, with thick grass and dots on it, poor old eyes, how could she see clearly.I only read scatteredly: The concept is too deep... This evil big family system has created the habit of interdependence...Young people like us, in this transitional era, should try our best to break the habit and overthrow it. Idol... For the future of our country and society, we have to sacrifice you two old people... The bride and I are both very much in favor of the small family system, and it will be implemented... Your old man wrote yesterday, saying It's ridiculous!It's just for your brains, and you haven't absorbed new ideas, so you misunderstood the terms "rights" and "obligations"... To put it simply, in order to pursue "our doctrine", we are now announcing separation from the two of you. . After the old lady finished reading it, she probably still understood. She felt a chill in her heart for a moment, she tore up the letter with trembling hands, and stared straight out of the window.At this time, the sky was gradually getting dark, and there was a hoarse sound, circling the garden tree, it was the old crow that came back to feed the little crow with the food in its mouth. Wanying. )