Chapter 6 Chapter 4: The Soul of the Dead Under the Butcher's Knife

One night, Heizi was awakened by a loud noise.He put on his clothes in a daze, and walked out of the dumb uncle's house.He saw many torches gathered from all directions to the gate of the Li Family Ancestral Hall.The Li Family Ancestral Hall is the brigade headquarters of Quliu Village, and Heizi walked towards the excited villagers holding torches curiously and in a daze. An unprecedented disaster has come to this impoverished village. Heizi saw that his stepfather, the boatman, was also in the crowd. His ugly face was flushed red by the torch, and his eyes were bloodshot. "It's a revolution!"

"Who's life to kill?" "Death to counter-revolutionaries!" "Who is the counter-revolutionary?" "Anyone who does bad things is a counter-revolutionary." Heizi thought, since he has never done anything bad, he should not be a counter-revolutionary.He was a little ecstatic.Heizi heard a roar: "Bring out counter-revolutionary Li Wenchang!" Li Wenchang is the branch secretary of the brigade. The person who roared was Huang Liang.Huang Liang was an ordinary commune member before the revolution. No one knew why he jumped out during the revolution and took away Li Wenchang's power, and even set up a revolutionary committee to suppress counter-revolutionaries.The members of the Revolutionary Committee are all people who he has assembled and who are illiterate and usually have opinions on Li Wenchang.

Li Wenchang was dragged out by being tied up, and placed in a small open space among the crowd like a dead dog, his face ashen. Huang Liang said loudly: "Down with the counter-revolutionary Li Wenchang!" The harmony of the masses: "Down with the counter-revolutionary Li Wenchang!" The catastrophe of Quliu Village, where the Emperor Tiangao was far away, began.Heizi has lingering fears about the revolution that has penetrated into every corner of China. He can't get rid of the shadow and fear of death. Immediately afterwards, Huang Liang began to accuse Li Wenchang of his crimes: "Li Wenchang is a heinous counter-revolutionary, even more vicious than the landlords and tyrants in the old society. He never participated in labor, and stood over our heads to do his best. We drank sweet potato soup, He eats white rice. We don’t even have oil stars in our cooking, and he often eats braised pork. We wear shabby clothes, but he wears a Chinese tunic suit every day. What makes us most angry is that he has no conscience and occupies the wife of the honest man Li Laifu Wang Xiuhua. You may not know that Li Laifu was killed by Li Wenchang, a counter-revolutionary!"

The crowd cheered up: "Huang Liang, tell me quickly, how Li Wenchang killed Li Laifu!" Huang Liang was obviously very excited, "After Li Wenchang occupied Wang Xiuhua, he forced Li Laifu to pick up earth and build embankments day and night, and he was exhausted to death. In this way, he can occupy Wang Xiuhua for a long time without any scruples." Already!" "Down with counter-revolutionary Li Wenchang!" The voices of the crowd are like a tide rushing in and out.The late night in Quliu Village was full of noise.Heizi sneaked in, and he saw Li Wenchang, the party secretary who usually looks like a big cadre, curled up there with five flowers tied up, his face expressionless.Heizi had an inexplicable premonition that Li Wenchang's end was coming.

Huang Liang said loudly again: "Let the victim, Wang Xiuhua, come forward and sue now!" "Wang Xiuhua!" Someone shouted. "Wang Xiuhua!" Everyone shouted in agreement, one after another. The unkempt Wang Xiuhua squeezed into the middle of the crowd.Her scream made Heizi tremble, and Heizi didn't like her voice at all.As soon as she came out, she cried loudly: "Damn Li Wenchang, you have caused me so much suffering! You are a heartless beast, you are not human, you will die badly, Li Wenchang who was shot, woo woo Woo-" She said these words repeatedly, with snot and tears, looking very devoted.

Perhaps it was because her speech had no substance, and some people felt it was not satisfying, so someone said loudly: "Wang Xiuhua, please tell me in detail how Li Wenchang's counter-revolutionary slept with you, tell me quickly!" Some people in the crowd laughed. Usually people dare not laugh out loud in front of Wang Xiuhua, but now they seized the opportunity. Huang Liang said: "Don't argue, everyone, let Wang Xiuhua talk. Wang Xiuhua, just tell the truth." Wang Xiuhua screamed and tore and kicked Li Wenchang.Li Wenchang endured Wang Xiuhua's torture silently.Wang Xiuhua said: "You have no conscience, you dragged me into the house and raped me when my husband Li Laifu was not around..."

Wang Xiuhua's language is filthy.Heizi covered his ears.He couldn't hold back the waves of laughter.The laughter of the villagers shattered Wang Xiuhua's usual prestige. Wang Xiuhua kept talking, with runny nose and tears. Wang Xiuhua's performance against her will pleased people's hearts, but she herself fell into the darkness, and her son also fell into the darkness, which destined them to survive without glory and face under the eyes of people's contempt in the future. After Wang Xiuhua finished her complaint, Huang Liang announced a verdict that shocked the people of Quliu Village: "Li Wenchang committed a heinous crime. On behalf of the people, I sentence Li Wenchang to death!"

As soon as Huang Liang finished speaking, a group of people from the Revolutionary Committee rushed forward with poles in their hands. Under the light of the torch, the pole flew and hit Li Wenchang's body.The sound of the crackling pole hitting the flesh seemed to be full of anger, but it was also numb.It seems that the pole hits not a person, but a lump of clay.Amidst Li Wenchang's screams, goosebumps popped up all over Heizi's body, and he trembled all over. He wanted to leave this place, but his legs were nailed to the ground like nails, and he couldn't move his legs no matter what.At this time, a big hand covered Heizi's eyes, and Heizi felt the warmth of the boatman in the bone-chilling cold.

Li Wenchang's screams gradually weakened.He was a lump of lifeless red clay. "It's fatal!" Many people scattered away. The boatman picked up Heizi on his back and left the murder scene. Li Wenchang was beaten to death.People in Quliu Village panicked, everyone was afraid that they would become counter-revolutionaries and be dragged out and beaten to death. During those days, several people were beaten to death. Heizi was most impressed by Wang Shichang.Wang Shichang's death was very cruel, and Heizi had never seen such a cruel death since then. Wang often likes to wear a white coarse cloth gown that has been washed clean.When he walked past Heizi, Heizi could smell the aroma of rice milk.Wang Shichang has a clear and fair face, a pair of clever and bright eyes, and the handsome Wang Shichang is also someone Heizi likes.Heizi often said to his mother, "Mom, can you use some rice starch to starch your clothes after washing?" His mother said, "Son, I have starch." Heizi shook his head, "You can see the starched clothes. There is still a smell." The mother shook her head, "This child!" In fact, the women in Quliu Village like to wash their clothes, that is, put a spoonful of rice soup in a bucket of clear water, stir well and wash them clean. Soak your clothes in a bucket and let them dry in the sun. In that way, the clothes will have no wrinkles and have a fragrance.

Wang often is tall and tall, neither fat nor thin.Heizi thought, the king is often like those tall and straight fir trees on the mountain.Wang Shichang's mother was lame, and he had no father.Some people say that his father left his hometown in the second year after his mother gave birth and never came back.Wang Shichang is now in his twenties, he has never seen his father in a daze.On this point, Heizi felt that he was happier than him. After all, he had lived with his biological father for several years.Maybe it's a sympathy for each other, Wang Shichang likes Heizi very much.Sometimes, Wang would push open the door of the dumb uncle's house at night, and watch Heizi do his homework with the dumb uncle.He would silently take out a handful of golden fried soybeans from his pocket in those days, put them on the table in front of Heizi, and let Heizi eat the soybeans while doing his homework.Heizi farted non-stop after eating soybeans. Heizi farted very loudly. Wang often smiled happily.

Although Wang often has no father and lives with his crippled mother, he is not as melancholy and lost as Heizi.Wang Shichang is a happy young man. He lives carefree in Quliu Village. His attitude towards life is like his scented white cloth jacket, which makes Heizi envy and fascinated Heizi at the same time.During Heizi's growing up, Wang Shichang brought Heizi short-lived joy. On the night when Li Wenchang was beaten to death, Wang Shichang stayed at Li Wenchang's home.Li Wenchang's daughter Li Fenglan is Wang Shichang's lover.Li Wenchang also liked the happy Wang Shichang very much. He liked the young man's cleverness and hard work.After Li Wenchang was kidnapped by Wuhuada, Li Fenglan's family was very scared.As soon as Wang Shichang heard that Li Wenchang had been kidnapped, he came to Li Wenchang's house.He kept comforting Li Fenglan's family, and then pricked up his ears to listen to the movement outside. The sound of the waves in the village shocked Li Fenglan's family. When the news came that Li Wenchang was beaten to death, Li Fenglan's mother immediately foamed at the mouth and passed out. Wang Shichang rushed out of Li Fenglan's house. When he came to the entrance of the Li Family Ancestral Hall, the crowd had almost dispersed. He saw Huang Liang directing several people to roll up Li Wenchang's bloody corpse with an old mat.Wang Shichang was very angry, and he asked Huang Liang loudly: "You are lawless, how can you beat people to death indiscriminately!" Huang Liang said aggressively: "Wang Shichang, how can you speak for the counter-revolutionaries? Our Revolutionary Committee unanimously approved the execution of the counter-revolutionary Li Wenchang on the spot! Don't make fun of yourself, otherwise you will also be punished as a counter-revolutionary!" Wang Shichang was furious, "I am a poor and lower-middle peasant, how dare you do anything to me!" Huang Liang changed his tone: "Wang Shichang, you go home, it's none of your business here." Wang often said, "Why should I go?" At this time, Li Fenglan and her younger brother came, and they flung themselves on the mat, crying loudly and desolately.Wang Shichang's tears also flowed out. Huang Liang said to them: "Then we don't care, you collect the corpse yourself. Wang Shichang, let me tell you, you must bury the corpse of the counter-revolutionary tonight, otherwise you will be criticized tomorrow!" Wang often watched them leave with torches, feeling sad and angry. That night, Wang Shichang called a few people and carried Li Wenchang up the mountain to bury him.When Wang Shichang helped the weeping Li Fenglan back to the village, he heard Li Fenglan keep saying, "Shiji, you want to avenge dad! Shiji, dad died so badly!" In that dark night, Wang Shichang's eyes burst into anger. He said to Li Fenglan: "Lanlan, don't worry, I will avenge my father!" He didn't expect that another ending was waiting for him. Yes, Wang Shichang promised Li Fenglan to avenge his father.The happy king is often unhappy, and there is nothing he can do in the country wind.Revenge requires strength and conditions. Wang Shichang is weak and can't compete with Huang Liang and the others, because Huang Liang and his gang are too vicious and powerful, and the masses are all on their side. They will also become counter-revolutionaries inexplicably, and be beaten to death by the poor and lower-middle peasant law enforcement team of the Revolutionary Committee.In fact, Wang often only fights against Huang Liang in his heart. It is impossible for him to show his flag and confront Huang Liang tit for tat, otherwise, he will not be able to protect himself. He is confused. Sometimes he would go to the embankment alone, watching the whimpering river to vent his anger.At this time, there was a man lying down in the grass on the river embankment. Every time Wang Shichang finished roaring, the lying man rushed towards the village headquarters. Therefore, Wang Shichang's roar was embellished and reached Huang Liang's ears. It was a sunny day after the Dragon Boat Festival. The rice flowers spit out fragrance in the sun.The fragrance was blown up by the wind and swayed in the countryside and fields.There was nothing ominous about the clear sky.At noon, when Wang returned home from work, he was often a little tired. His mother had already prepared a meal for him.He told his mother that he wanted to lie down for a while and didn't want to eat.His mother thought he was sick, so she said to him, "Son, are you sick? Do you want to call Dr. Li over?" Wang Shichang said, "Mom, you can eat, I'm not sick, really, I It's just too tired, just lie down for a while." Wang Shichang's mother didn't go to eat first, she sat there stitching the soles of her shoes.Don't look at her as a crippled woman, she is exquisite, her hair is neatly combed, her clothes are clean, she does all the work inside and out, and the house is well organized.Wang is always attached to his mother. Even if someone said his mother was lame and made fun of his mother, he never disliked his mother. In his eyes, her mother was perfect and loving. As soon as Wang Shichang lay down, Li Fenglan came. "Lan Lan, are you here? Shi Chang is in the house, you go in." Wang Shi Chang's mother said with a smile, the work in her hands did not stop, she had long regarded Li Feng Lan as her daughter-in-law in her heart, since it is a family , you don't have to be so polite. Li Fenglan hurried into Wang Shichang's bedroom. When Wang Shichang saw her coming in, he jumped up from the bed immediately.Wang often sat on the bed, and Li Fenglan sat on the edge of the bed. "Fenglan, what's the matter, are you in a hurry?" Wang Shichang asked her. Li Fenglan said anxiously: "It's not good!" Wang often said, "Quickly, what's the matter?" Li Fenglan's face was flushed, she was obviously very excited, her chest heaved and fell like rice waves on the field, "Some people say you are a thief!" "What?" Wang Shichang was taken aback, his eyes widened, and there was a trace of anxiety and panic in his eyes. Li Fenglan said, "Some people say you are a thief who stole things from the production team." Wang Shichang was impatient, "Who said that?" Li Fenglan said: "Many people are talking about it. I suspect there is a conspiracy here. Often, I will count on you in the future. If there are any troubles with you, I can't live!" Wang Shichang was silent for a while, and said: "Let them say it. I am upright and upright. I have done nothing wrong. I am not surprised when I knock on the door in the middle of the night. I am fine!" Li Fenglan's big eyes flickered, and she said: "Often, no matter what, you have to be careful, I think Huang Liang and the others can do anything." Wang Shichang reached out and touched Li Fenglan's face. Li Fenglan leaned forward and rested her head on Wang Shichang's shoulder.Wang Shichang put his arms around her and said: "We will get married when you avenge your father." Li Fenglan burst into tears, "Revenge, revenge is easier said than done!" Wang Shichang firmly said: "There will be a chance!" cried loudly: "Often——" The sudden intrusion of Heizi broke the short-lived warmth between Wang Shichang and the others. Heizi panted and said to Wang Shichang: "Brother Shichang, you should go quickly, they are coming to arrest you." Wang Shichang was taken aback, "Are they really going to attack me?" Li Fenglan said anxiously: "Shi Chang, hurry up and go, the farther you go, the better, I'll wait for you!" Wang often asked, "Heizi, who sent you here?" Heizi said, "Yes...it's my uncle. He said, let you go quickly, or it will be too late." Wang Shichang knew that Heizi never called the boatman Papa, he always called him Uncle.The boatman is a real person, and he won't let Heizi come to make random reports.But Wang often didn't want to leave, he thought, he had never done anything bad, so he was not afraid of anything. After a while, they heard the noise outside the house, and Huang Liang rushed into Wang Shichang's house with a group of people.Heizi watched helplessly as they tied Wang Shichang away, and Huang Liang yelled and shouted, as if he was the overlord. No one can save Wang Shichang. On the day when Quliu Village tried Wang Shichang, the sun hid somewhere, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the sound of Shen Lei came from the distant sky. There was a kind of sadness and resentment hidden in the dull thunder.The people of Quliu Village gathered at the gate of the Li family's ancestral hall and tried Wang Shichang angrily. Huang Liang was talking about Wang Shichang's crimes: "Wang Changchang, the filial son of the counter-revolutionaries, is a habitual thief. He has been stealing from others and from the public house since he was a child, but his stealing methods are so clever that he deceived the masses." However, paper cannot contain fire, and now the truth has come out! Everyone should remember that during the autumn harvest last year, the soybeans in the ridge field of Xishan were stolen. Nothing left. Do you know who stole it? It’s Wang Shichang, a little counter-revolutionary!” The crowd was in an uproar. "I didn't expect the king to do such a thing often!" "I really know people, know faces, but don't know my heart!" ... Huang Liang waved his hand, "Everyone be quiet, be quiet, and continue to listen to me. Do you still remember that at the beginning of this year, the grain seeds in the brigade's granary were stolen? More than 100 catties of grain seeds were stolen Even dare to steal grain seeds, this is a heartless thing! Tell me, who stole it? It is Wang Shichang, a small counter-revolutionary!" The crowd was outraged, and there were frequent voices scolding the king one after another.Heizi was in the crowd. He didn't believe that Wang Changchang was a thief. He couldn't understand why so many people believed Huang Liang's words, and their anger would be ignited by Huang Liang's words. Huang Liang waved his hand again, and silenced the sound, "Recently, a cattle from the second production team was stolen, and it was also stolen by Wang Shichang." As he spoke, Huang Liang asked someone to bring up a piece of cowhide. Pointing to the cowhide, he said, "This is the criminal evidence. It was found under Wang Shichang's bed!" The crowd is boiling again! "Down with the counter-revolutionary Wang Shichang!" "Down with the counter-revolutionary Wang Shichang!" ... It was a trembling sound. Huang Liang took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read: "I am now announcing the verdict of the Poor and Lower-Middle Peasant Law Enforcement Team. After discussion among members of the Poor and Lower-Middle Peasant Law Enforcement Team, it was unanimously decided to punish counter-revolutionaries and the big thief King Gu on the spot. Beat me to death!" Going to kill again. The crowd fell silent. Someone slipped away quietly. Wang, who was tied up with five flowers, was often very angry, "I am not a thief, I am not a counter-revolutionary! I didn't steal anything, and you clearly killed the cow secretly, ate the beef, and used the cowhide to frame me! I am wronged!" Huang Liang stepped on Wang Shichang's mouth, and Wang Shichang's mouth was covered with blood. He opened his angry eyes, but couldn't cry out.He was dragged to the country field, and the sticks fell messily on his body. Heizi witnessed the massacre. The dumb uncle wanted to drag him away, but he didn't. He watched those wolf-like people beat Wang Chang to roll around on the ground.Tears filled Heizi's eyes, and the stick hit him mercilessly in his heart.Wang Shichang's white coarse cloth gown, which smelled of rice milk, was torn and soaked in blood.Young lives are being destroyed.Wang was often beaten down in a pool of blood. "Dead, Wang Shichang was beaten to death." People dispersed. The rest of the law enforcement team, as well as the dumb uncle and Heizi. Suddenly, Wang Shichang, who was bloody and his head was deformed and swollen like a grain bucket, sat up with a whimper.The members of the law enforcement team looked at Wang Shi's bulging eyes, and they were too frightened to step forward.Wang Shichang's vitality was too strong, and he did not die after being beaten like this.Wang often whimpered, with blood bubbling from his mouth. Huang Liang said, "Hurry up and kill him, kill him." No one obeyed, they stared at Wang Shichang in horror with blood-red eyes. At this moment, the pig butcher Yongfu came back to the village from the town reeking of alcohol, and he walked over.He looked at the deformed Wang Shichang, and asked Huang Liang sleepily, "What's going on?" Huang Liang said: "This counter-revolutionary cannot be beaten to death!" "Oh, it's a counter-revolutionary, damn it, damn it!" As he spoke, he took out a bright butcher's knife from his bag, and exhaled a strong smell of alcohol, "Look at me." He often walked towards the king. He grabbed Wang Shichang's hair, lifted him up, and stabbed Wang Shichang's heart.He seemed to be killing a pig. Heizi yelled. Before his eyes, blood flowers were flying, and in the days to come, whenever Heizi thought of Wang Shichang, he would see blood flowers all over the sky. There was thunder. The rain poured down. Shortly after Wang Shichang's death, Li Fenglan disappeared.Li Fenglan didn't come back until the summer of that year was coming to an end and the autumn wind was picking up, and a group of people came back with her. They were armed with live ammunition and captured Huang Liang.It was only later that Heizi found out that Huang Liang had been arrested and shot.The poor and lower-middle peasant law enforcement teams were also disbanded.Those who killed at that time did not end well. The pig butcher Yongfu later went crazy. On a miserable night, he came alone to the place where Wang Shichang was killed. After he screamed a few times, he cut his own throat with a butcher's knife.