Chapter 32 Section 1 Old Man

In times of crisis, humans and animals help each other and never leave each other, composing a song of natural harmony.During the days in the disaster-stricken area of ​​Sichuan, I heard a story about an old man and an old cat. In a residential building in a township in Wenchuan, Sichuan, there lived an 87-year-old woman and a fat Persian cat.After the strong earthquake, the old man and the fat Persian cat still stayed in the crumbling dangerous building.Every morning, the old man leaned on crutches and walked slowly to the balcony, leaning against the half-collapsed balcony wall.If you look up from downstairs, it will be a thrilling picture.When the morning light flooded the balcony, the old man's face was blushing, and the broken wall of the balcony looked like an ancient castle drawn by a painter.The Persian cat snuggled up at her feet, purring in protest (the cat was actually communicating with the old man in its own unique language).The old man stared blankly into the distance, his eyes fixed on a road in the distance.In fact, the old man's eyesight was already dimmed, even if someone stood in front of her, if it wasn't someone she was particularly familiar with, such as her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, she still couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman, old or young.However, since that terrible disaster passed by like lightning, she seemed to have lost her soul, leaning against this dangerous broken wall every day and looking so intently into the distance, nagging from time to time that only herself To understand the words.

This small town is close to Wenchuan, the earthquake center, and most of the houses in the town collapsed. The quality of the newly built building she lived in was relatively good, and it did not completely collapse after violent shaking. Only a few places that were not the main project collapsed, but the building body Serious cracks have appeared.That shocking crack is like a wound that cannot be healed, always warning people that although the disaster is over, the remaining troubles are not gone.In fact, under the condition of continuous aftershocks, the buildings are in danger of collapsing at any time.Residents in the building did not want to sit still, and ran out of their homes one after another, looking for a safe place to live.Some people went to live in the earthquake-proof tents built by the government, some went to relatives and friends to "fly away", and some chose to set up tents in the open space in front of the building. Everyone left the building in a hurry like birds flying around. Dangerous buildings that may collapse at any moment.But there are also a small group of people and some animals loyal to their owners who insist on staying in the building. This eighty-seven-year-old man and the fat Persian cat belong to the "small group" of sticklers.

After the disaster, some of the staff of the town government have passed away, some ran back home to protect the safety of their families, and some did not forget their duties. They mobilized the elderly to move to a safe place or to an earthquake-proof tent live.The old man hugged her Persian cat and insisted not to leave. She said that it doesn’t matter if she is so old, and the country doesn’t have so many tents for everyone to live in. Let the young people and children move in first, and then my cat take away.The staff looked at each other, not knowing what to do: the superiors asked them to save people, and the leaders made a very serious request that they must evacuate the people who were still living in dilapidated houses in the small town to a safe place within a day, but they did not Have them evacuate the cat to a safe place.

The people of the town committee were very helpless to this old man and her Persian cat, so they had to mobilize other "nail households" first.Some residents of the town used to live in the surrounding villages. Later, they bought houses in the town and moved here. They responded to the town government's call, in order to expand the construction of small towns and to get away from the countryside where their ancestors lived for generations. With a little money saved up to the sky, I bought a house in a small town and bought furniture, which is considered to be an official life of a city dweller.Over the past 30 years of China's reform and opening up, city people are tired of living in the oppressive life of concrete blocks. They want to change their way of life, breathe the fresh air of the countryside, and want to experience a comfortable living environment in the countryside.And the farmers in the countryside yearn for the lively and cultured lifestyle of the city people, the "noble" life that does not rely on God for food and does not deal with the soil.The farmers moved to live in the town, their sweet life had just begun, and they encountered this kind of natural disaster before they got tired of life in the city.The earthquake destroyed their houses.These non-agricultural people are reluctant to leave the town. They worry that their hard-earned property will be stolen by bad guys.After the earthquake, theft was common in small towns and villages.At that time, there were indeed some people who lost their conscience and made money for the country. They took advantage of the moment when the earthquake was over and people were running around to stretch out their dirty hands.The "farmers" in the town guarded their dilapidated houses for fear that their hard-earned money would be taken away.The cadres of the town committee should also persuade and mobilize these people who stick to it.

When all the residents of the dilapidated building moved out except the old man and her Persian cat, the cadres of the town committee came to the old man’s residence again and advised her to move out no matter what. The old man was very stubborn and refused to listen. . One day passed, two days passed, and the old man still stood by the broken wall of the balcony every day, looking into the distance with a pair of empty eyes.The Persian cat was still lying beside her feet, rubbing against her legs from time to time. The cadres of the town committee said: "Grandma, the earthquake shook this house to the point of collapse. It is too dangerous to live here."

The old man wiped away his tears and said, "What an earthquake! I have lived for more than eighty years, and I have never experienced such a landslide. So many people died, it is so miserable." The old man's ears are a little hard, and it is difficult to hear other people speaking softly and slowly.The staff had no choice but to go to the old man's ear and say loudly: "Grandma, the earthquake shook this house to the point of collapse. It's too dangerous to live in." The old man said: "Many houses have collapsed! The earthquake was too tragic, and many people were crushed to death!"

The cadres of the town committee shouted in her ear: "Grandma, we are here to pick you up, everyone has to leave here." The old man finally heard clearly and said, "Are you telling me to leave? I won't leave. Let the children live in a good house." The cadre of the town committee said: "No matter how difficult it is, there is still a tent for your elderly." The old man shook his head. The cadres of the town committee looked at the old man's home and said, "Grandma, don't worry, our government will send people to help you get the things you need at hand. If you don't need them, you can put them at home. It doesn't matter. We will take care of it for you, we are people sent by the government, don't worry."

The old man was still shaking his head, his dim eyes were looking into the distance, his lips were moving, as if he was talking to himself. The cadres of the town committee were a little anxious, and wanted to be tough on the old man, saying: "Grandma, no matter what, you can't live here anymore. The government is responsible for every ordinary person. You have to go today. If you don't go, we will We have to carry you away too. You old man think about us, if you don't go, if you are in danger when an earthquake happens again, can we take the responsibility? You have to pity us staff! "

The old man wiped away his tears and said, "I'm over eighty, so it's good to die. The sky doesn't see eyes, I'm so damned immortal, so many young people have died tragically..." The cadres of the town committee said: "Grandma, don't think that way. As the saying goes, 'An old family is a treasure'. You old people are the treasure of the country." The old man said: "Thank you, Comrade Work. Someone will come to find me. I will wait for Qin to pick me up. Qin will not fail to pick me up. I am leaving, and Qin will not be able to pick me up. She will be worried."

The cadres of the town committee did not know who the "Qin" the old man was talking about.After finally asking the neighbors, I found out that Qin is the old man's daughter. The only daughter of the old man, Qin, lives in Wenchuan. Both her daughter and her son-in-law are very filial, and her daughter and son-in-law take care of her in daily life. Occasionally, the old man suffers from headaches, and her daughter and son-in-law always take time to visit or accompany her to take care of her.During holidays, the daughter and son-in-law often accompany the old man, chatting with the old man and making the old man happy.Wenchuan is not far from this small town, 20 kilometers away, and it takes only 20 minutes by car.Although the daughter and son-in-law live in Wenchuan County, they often come to the old man's house, and people in the town often see them.But since the earthquake, no one in the town has seen the old man's daughter come.The old man suddenly lost sight of her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, and became anxious. She eagerly awaited news of her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

The old man said to himself again: "Qin didn't come, not even a phone call. I don't know if the Wenchuan earthquake was severe or not? The Tangshan and Xingtai earthquakes destroyed the entire city a few years ago. How miserable... Why didn't Qin come?" Some news? I dreamed at night that my daughter was looking for me everywhere in Wenchuan. If you don’t come back to pick me up, what are you looking for in Wenchuan? Mom is old and it’s difficult to go downstairs. It’s so far, can mom go there? Mom has to wait, When you come to pick up Mom, if you are too busy to come, or...or...Mom will find you. Mom will also climb to Wenchuan..." The town staff finally understood the real reason why the old man did not leave. The old man was missing her daughter and wanted to wait for her to pick her up.The staff understands that the old man is an extraordinary old lady who has seen some things in the world, even the Tangshan and Xingtai earthquakes decades ago.Everyone knows that the old man is very worried about her daughter, thinking that such a big earthquake will be as miserable as Tangshan and Xingtai back then, and her daughter may not escape this catastrophe; Everything was fine, as before, but she was too busy to see her and pick her up; she believed that her daughter would definitely come, and was afraid that she would not be able to find her when she came to pick her up. The cadres of the town committee were speechless. This was a devastating earthquake. The old man’s daughter was in Wenchuan, the epicenter of the earthquake. After the earthquake, she did not go to the town to take care of her mother. There was no news at all. This can only mean that the old man The daughter named Qin may have died in the earthquake!The old man may never wait and find her daughter!The best result is that the old man's daughter was seriously injured and sent to the big city hospital.No matter which possibility it is, people dare not speak out, for fear that the old man will not be able to bear it. Two days later, all the people in the town moved out, leaving only the old man in a bustling town with more than 10,000 people. The old man still did not leave, leaning against the broken wall of the balcony from morning to night, looking blankly into the distance, only the Persian cat accompanied her. Far, far away in the sky, there are several black spots approaching the old man.The old man couldn't see clearly. After the black dots approached, the old man vaguely realized that it was a few crows.The crow flew across the sky above the old man's head, whimpering miserably, and flew into the distance.Gradually it turned into a small black spot again and disappeared. When it was getting dark, the old man let out a long sigh, she was completely desperate, and the Persian cat let out a desolate cry of "Mom, Mom...".The cat's eyes emitted a blue light, and it bit the old man's trousers and dragged him into the house. The old man was pulled away from the balcony by the cat, and she slowly moved step by step to the dilapidated house with no electricity, no water, and a dark hole. After the most powerful earthquake, aftershocks continued for several days, and the old man was still in the dilapidated house, in danger at any time.After many studies, the cadres of the town committee finally reached a consensus. They decided that they could no longer follow the old man's wishes, and must organize personnel to lift the old man out of the building.If there is another fatal accident in the later stage of the earthquake, the superiors will track it down, and the personnel of the town committee will be dealt with. They organized people to carry the stretcher to the old man's residence again, only to find that the old man and the Persian cat were gone.The door of the old man's room had been shaken by the earthquake. She tied the door with a rope, which was actually a way of "preventing gentlemen but not villains".Afraid of omissions, the staff untied the rope and went into the old man's room to search carefully, but the old man was not found, and the snow-white Persian cat was also gone.From the placement of the items in the house, the staff knew that the old man was planning to leave.They tied the old man's door with the original rope, stood in front of the old man's door and discussed for a long time, and finally agreed that the old man must have gone looking for his daughter.Although the small town is not far from Wenchuan, it is still 20 kilometers away, and the road conditions are extremely poor. A healthy person would take a lot of risk to go out at this time, let alone an octogenarian!For an old man in her dying years, this 20-kilometer road that has just been damaged by an earthquake and is in danger of landslides and flying rocks at any time may be the longest road in her life, or even her death road. On the road from the small town to Wenchuan, people saw an old man walking with a stick. Behind her was a Persian cat whose color was no longer visible. The white hair on the cat’s body had turned into dirt Grey, it followed closely behind the old man, and they trudged with difficulty.The old man carried a basket, which contained a pot of water, a few biscuits, and a large bag of cat food. Obviously, she was preparing for a long trip.The old man is from the north. Sixty years ago, when her husband's army went south, she followed her husband to Sichuan.For decades, the old man has continued the living habits of the northerners. She likes to eat noodles, not rice. A pot of water, a few biscuits and a bag of cat food are enough for the old man and the Persian cat for a few days. Most of the people walking in twos and threes on the road came from the direction of Wenchuan, only the old man and her Persian cat did the opposite.The old man's thin white hair fluttered in the wind, like an ancient banner, and she led the Persian cat forward without hesitation, as if to show their determination to passers-by.The old man's old face has vicissitudes honed by the years.Her eyeballs seemed to be hidden in the deep place, her eyebrows were sparse, and the raised brow bones looked strong and old.The old man didn't wear dentures, her mouth was sunken inward, her lips were like dried persimmon cakes, walking made her short of breath and her bony chest rose and fell with difficulty.Every time she walked a certain distance, the old man raised her eyelids with difficulty, her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of fog, her pupils moved slowly and her eyes were vague, and she looked carefully at everyone who was walking towards her, as if she was searching for something. She couldn't see anything clearly.The gray and wet Persian cat seemed to have never walked on the field or road before. It arched its body, peeked around at the oncoming pedestrians, and sometimes uttered a hoarse "Mom, Mom" ​​cry. People escaping from Wenchuan looked at the old man and the Persian cat behind her with amazed eyes. Some kind people came forward and asked, trying to dissuade the old man from going any further, saying that the front was very dangerous, with mudslides and mountain collapses.Some people dissuaded, saying: "Wenchuan has become a ruined city, which is too dangerous. You are an old man, where are you going?" The old man couldn't understand what the man said, or she didn't pay any attention to what the man said. She looked up at the person who persuaded her, and moved her dry lips and said, "Did you see the Qin?" The person dissuading the old man shook his head helplessly.As if he understood something, the old man lowered his head to look at the road again, and staggered and resolutely moved towards Wenchuan in small steps.The Persian cat also walked and stopped, following behind the old man relentlessly. On the road not far from Wenchuan, the old man saw a group of soldiers of the People's Liberation Army. The olive green military uniforms fluttered in front of the old man like a large green cloud.The old man stood by the roadside, the wrinkles on his face stretched out, a smile appeared on his face, the mist in his eyes condensed into crystal dewdrops and trickled down to the corners of his eyes.The old man was worried that the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army would see her tears and make the energetic children worry about her, so she knelt down and stroked the Persian cat that had been with her for two days. The old man has an inexplicable feeling for the People's Liberation Army in olive green military uniform.Her husband was a soldier in his early years and was unscathed in hundreds of battles, but died of illness at home after changing jobs.After the death of her husband, the old man regarded the People's Liberation Army as a kind of spiritual sustenance.Her favorite thing to watch is the military program of CCTV 7, and what she likes to listen to most is the story of being a soldier.She regretted not finding a son-in-law who was a soldier.Once, the son-in-law who worked in the bank accidentally wore a military uniform without a cap badge and collar badge, and brought his wife and daughter to visit her.Normally, the daughter and son-in-law go to the kitchen to do their filial piety, but this time she didn't let the juniors do it, and cooked for her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter herself, and the family was filled with joy.From then on, the daughter understood the mind of the old man. Whenever she came to visit the old man in the town, the daughter always asked her husband to put on the "military uniform", and the old man always greeted them happily. The old man kept walking forward. Although she walked very slowly, she was so persistent, just like a Buddhist pilgrimage to the Potala Palace.Her face was full of hope, but her actions were not in a hurry.The dust kicked up by the car hit her face, and she didn't try to cover it, letting the dust fill the ditch on her face.The weather after the earthquake changed like a child's face. For a while, the sky was clear, cloudy for a while, and rainy for a while.The old man neither shaded the sun nor sheltered from the rain, and walked forward step by step firmly and calmly.Tired, she sat down by the side of the road to have a rest; hungry, she first took out cat food from the basket, grabbed a handful, and stretched out her hands like dead branches, letting the Persian cat eat from her hands, and the cat didn’t panic Looks not busy.No matter how noisy the road is, the Persian cat eats intently without squinting.After the Persian cat was full, the old man brought the kettle to its mouth and tilted the water out. The Persian cat drank slowly until its mouth left the spout. On the way, eat a bite of biscuits, drink a mouthful of water from the kettle, eat a few mouthfuls of rice and continue on your way. The old man walked for two days and two nights, and she walked more and more slowly, moving forward like a snail.The Persian cat followed behind her, never leaving her, its snow-white fur had turned gray and black, and it looked in a mess. On the road, I often met people who went against her and fled from Wenchuan.Some people were very surprised to see the old man and the cat, and couldn't bear to let them go on in vain, so they advised her not to go, saying that it was useless to go to Wenchuan, because Wenchuan had already sealed off the city, and no one could enter. The old man raised his face slowly, and looked blankly at the person who persuaded her, as if she couldn't hear anything, and she didn't have the energy to speak.The old man moved his lips: "Have you seen my piano?" Her voice came out of the toothless mouth, and was quickly blown away by a breeze, so that people could not hear what the old man said.The old man didn't get an answer, and resolutely moved forward in small steps. The expression and behavior of the old man made the persuading people palpitate, and some people even thought that the old man was frightened and dumbfounded by the sudden earthquake, and his mind was out of order.Everyone dared not persuade her anymore, but looked at her silently with pity. The old man knew that they had escaped from Wenchuan. She was very indifferent to these refugees, her lips were tight, and she ignored them all, as if resenting why they wanted to be "deserters" and why they didn't put themselves The daughter's family brought it out, and there was a kind of sadness in those old and cloudy eyes.The fleeing people couldn't understand the reason why the old man went to Wenchuan, and they didn't understand the old man's mood. The old man became a weird person in the eyes of the escapees.The Persian cat walking behind the old man has become the focus of discussion among the refugees.Generally speaking, when a catastrophe strikes, the first thing animals think of is to migrate to a safe place, away from the disaster, and they will not fight with humans.As the saying goes: "Husband and wife are originally birds in the same forest, and when disaster comes, they will fly separately." This is still the case between humans, let alone the relationship between humans and animals?It is even more unbelievable in people's cognition that a feline known as a "treacherous minister" can do such a thing. The old man continued to walk to Wenchuan County, and she trekked engrossed. Every time she walked, some kind people came to stop her.At first, the old man asked: "Have you seen my piano?" People shook their heads inexplicably.The old man has experienced too many disappointments, and if someone stopped her, she would not ask any questions, and just walked by herself, and no one could stop her. But the people who escaped from Wenchuan couldn't bear to let the old man and the cat go on, to the lifeless earthquake center, to the road of death they believed. A car coming from the direction of Wenchuan ran up to the old man and stopped with a screeching sound. The Persian cat hid nervously behind the old man.A middle-aged man who got out of the car was very handsome but with a haggard face. He might be a leading cadre with certain power.The middle-aged man was very polite and stubborn and wanted to force the old man to the car, but he couldn't overcome the old man's determination.The old man's walking stick and legs moved forward firmly.The Persian cat also screamed "Mom, Mom", looking like it was about to attack the middle-aged man at any time.The middle-aged man has probably never encountered such a situation, especially a cat that also treats him like a natural enemy.He looked up to the sky and sighed, then got into the car and let the driver drive away. Two young men came with an empty stretcher. They were volunteers who came to Sichuan from other places. One of them came to the old man and said, "Grandma, don't go. Come, come up, we will carry you." The slightly fatter and shorter young man begged the old man while trying to help her onto the stretcher, but the old man still moved the stick and his legs firmly forward.The two young men had no choice but to sigh and carry the stretcher away. They walked a long way and looked back at the old man, perhaps hoping that the old man would change his mind. Twenty kilometers, the old man walked for three days.On the evening of the third day, the pot of water in the old man's back basket was finished, and there was only one pancake left. The old man finally arrived in Wenchuan County.Looking at the hazy outline of the county town in the distance, the old man showed a hopeful smile on his face.But the old man couldn't walk anymore, she exhausted her strength, and lay quietly on a stone slab by the roadside, and the Persian cat seemed to have exhausted all its energy, lying quietly beside her .