Lu Xun's "Hometown"

I braved the severe cold to return to my hometown, which is more than 2,000 miles away and has been away for more than 20 years.

Since it was late winter, as we approached my hometown, the weather became gloomy again. The cold wind blew into the cabin, making a whining sound.

Looking out from the slit, I saw a pale yellow color. Under the sky, there are several desolate deserted villages far and near, without any vitality. My

heart couldn't help but feel sad. Ah! Isn’t this the hometown I remember from time to time in the past twenty years?

This is nothing like the hometown I remember. My hometown is much better. But if I were to remember his beauty and describe his

good qualities, there would be no images or words. It seems like that's it. So I explained to myself: The same is true in my hometown - although there is no progress, it may not be as sad as I feel. This is just a change in my own mood, because I was not in a good mood when I returned to my hometown this time.

I came here specifically to say goodbye to him. The old house where we have lived together as a family for many years has been sold to another family member.

The deadline for handing over the house is only this year, so we must hurry up before the first day of the first lunar month to say goodbye to the old people we know so well. House, and far away from my familiar hometown, I moved to a different place where I was looking for food.

I arrived at the door of my house early the next morning. Many dead grass stems on the corrugated roof were shaking in the wind, explaining why this old house would inevitably change owners. The main family who lived a few rooms away had probably moved out, so it was very quiet. When I arrived outside my room, my mother had already greeted me, and then my eight-year-old nephew Hong'er flew out.

My mother was very happy, but she also had a lot of desolation in her face. She taught me to sit down, rest, and drink tea, not to talk about moving.

Hong'er had never seen me, he was standing opposite me from a distance and just watching.

But we finally talked about moving. I said that the apartment outside has been rented and I have bought a few pieces of furniture. Now I need to sell all the wooden furniture in the house and add more. Mother also agreed, and the luggage had been gathered together. The wooden items that were inconvenient to carry were sold out, but half of them were sold, but they couldn't collect the money.

"You can rest for a day or two and visit your relatives and family, and then we can leave." Mother said.

"Yes."

"And Runtu, every time he comes to my house, he always asks about you and wants to see you. I have already brought you home< /p>

Notify him of the approximate date, he may be coming soon."

At this time, a magical picture suddenly flashed in my mind: hanging in the deep blue sky. A golden full moon

Below is the sandy land by the seaside, with endless green watermelons planted there. Among them is an eleven or twelve-year-old

boy with a silver necklace. Circle, holding a steel fork in his hand, he stabbed a harpoon as hard as he could, but the harpoon twisted his body and escaped from his crotch.

This young man is Runtu. When I met him, he was only over ten years old, thirty years ago. At that time, my father was still alive and my family was well off, so I was just a young master. That year, my family held a big sacrifice for the new year (3).

This sacrifice is said to only come once in more than thirty years, so it is very solemn; in the first month of the year, ancestor statues are offered, there are many offerings, and the sacrificial vessels are very particular.

The worshipers There are a lot of them, and the sacrificial vessels must be guarded against theft. My family only has one busy month (there are three types of people who work for people here

: those who work for a certain family throughout the year are called long-term workers; those who work for others on a daily basis are called part-time workers; and those who work for others themselves

< p>Di, who only came to work for certain people during the New Year, festivals and rent collection times (called busy month), was too busy, so he told his father that he could ask his son Runtu to take charge of the sacrificial vessels. of.

My father agreed; I am also very happy, because I have heard the name Runtu a long time ago, and know that he and I are the same age, born in the leap month, and the five elements are missing. Earth (4), so his father called him Runtu. He can pretend to be [Gong Jing] to catch small birds.

So I look forward to the New Year every day. When the New Year arrives, Runtu will also arrive. Finally, at the end of the year, one day, my mother told me that Runtu was coming, so I ran to see her. He is in the kitchen with a round purple face, a small felt hat on his head, and a bright silver collar around his neck. This shows that his father loves him very much and is afraid that he will die, so he< /p>

He made a wish in front of the gods and Buddhas and trapped him with a circle. He was very shy when meeting people, but he was not afraid of me. He talked to me when there were no other people around. Within half a day, we became familiar with each other.

We didn’t know what we were talking about at that time. I just remember that Runtu was very happy, saying that after going to the city, he saw many things that he had never seen before.

The next day, I asked him to catch birds. He said:

"This can't be done. It will have to snow heavily.

It snowed on our sandy ground, so I cleared out a clearing, used short sticks to prop up a big bamboo plaque, and scattered the grains. When I watched the birds come to eat, I tied the rope to a tree from a distance. Just pull the rope on the stick, and the bird will be covered under the bamboo plaque. There are everything: rice chickens, horned chickens, swans, blue-backed..."

So I was looking forward to snowing again.

Runtu said to me again:

"It's too cold now, come to us in the summer. We go to the beach to pick up shells during the day, and there are red and green ones.

There are also ghosts that are afraid of ghosts, and there are also Guanyin hands. My father and I will take care of the watermelon tonight, and you will go too. "

"Do you care about thieves? "

"No. If a pedestrian is thirsty and picks a melon to eat, it is not considered stealing here. The ones to take care of are badgers, pigs,

hedgehogs, and harpies. Under the moon, listen, there is a crackling sound, and the eagle is biting the melon. You pinched the cross and walked gently

..."

I didn't know what this so-called thing was at that time - even now. I don’t know - I just feel like a puppy and very ferocious for no reason.

“Don’t he bite people? ”

“There is a Hucha. When you get there and see the harpoon, stab it. This beast is very smart. It ran towards you but scurried out from under your

crotch. His fur is as smooth as oil..."

I never knew there were so many new things in the world: there are such colorful shells on the seaside; watermelons have such dangerous experience

I only knew that he was selling out in the fruit shop.

“In our sandy land, when the flood is coming, there are many jumping fish, and there are two like frogs.

Feet..."

Ah! There are endless strange things in Runtu's heart, which are all unknown to my usual friends. They

don't know Some things happened. When Runtu was at the beach, they, like me, only saw the sky at the four corners of the high wall in the yard.

Unfortunately, the first month passed and Runtu had to go home. I was very anxious. Crying, he also hid in the kitchen, crying and refusing to go out, but was finally taken away by his father. He later asked his father to bring me a pack of shells and some beautiful sticks.< /p>

I also gave him something once or twice, but I never saw him again.

Now that my mother mentioned him, all my memories of being here suddenly flashed like lightning. I came to life as if I had seen my beautiful hometown. I responded:

"This is great!" He, - how? ..."

"Him? ... His situation is also very unsatisfactory..." Mother said, then looked outside the room, "These people are here again.

They said they were buying wooden utensils, so they just took them away casually. I have to go and take a look. "

My mother stood up and went out. There were several women's voices outside the door. I invited Hong'er to come closer and chat with him: I asked him if he could write. , are you willing to go out?

“Shall we go by train? ”

“Let’s go by train. "

"Where's the boat? ”

“Let’s take the boat first,...”

“Ha! This is what it looks like! The beard is so long! "A sharp and strange sound suddenly shouted.

I was startled and quickly raised my head, only to see a woman in her fifties with protruding cheekbones and thin lips standing there

In front of me, I have my hands on my hips, my skirt is not tied, and my feet are spread out, just like a slender compass in a drawing instrument.

I am. Shocked.

“Don’t you recognize me? I even hugged you!

I was even more stunned. Fortunately, my mother came in and said from the sidelines:

"He has been away for many years and forgot all about it." You should remember," he said to me, "This is Yang Er's sister-in-law across the door... who owns a tofu shop. "

Oh, I remember. When I was a child, there was indeed a Mrs. Yang sitting all day long in the tofu shop across the door.

People called her "Tofu Xishi"⑹. But She is wearing white powder, her cheekbones are not so high, and her lips are not so thin.

And I have never seen such a compass-like posture after sitting all day long. People at that time said: Because, this is tofu. The store's business was very good. But it was probably because of my age that I didn't have any influence, so I completely forgot about it. However, the compass was very uneven and obvious. With a look of disdain, as if he was laughing at the French for not knowing Napoleon and the Americans for not knowing Washington, he sneered and said:

“Forgot? This is really a noble person's arrogance..."

"Then there is such a thing...I..." I stood up in fear and said.

"Then, let me tell you. Brother Xun, you are rich and cumbersome to move. What else do you want from these broken wooden utensils?

Let me take them. Our small family needs it. ”

“I am not rich.

I have to sell these, and then go..."

"Oh, you have put up a Taoist platform, and you still say it's not enough? You now have a concubine with three bedrooms and a sedan that can carry eight carriages when you go out. Isn’t that rich? Scared, nothing can be hidden from me.

I knew I had nothing to say, so I shut up and stood silently.

"Ah, ah, ah, the richer you are, the less money you have." The more you are willing to relax, the more you refuse to relax, the more money you will have..." Yuan Gui turned around angrily and said quietly, slowly walked out, and took my mother's hand. /p>

I stuffed my pair of gloves into my trousers and went out.

After that, my family and relatives from nearby came to visit me and I took some time to pack some luggage.

Three or four days later

One day it was a very cold afternoon. After lunch, I was sitting drinking tea. I felt someone came in outside, so I went back

< p>He turned his head to look. When I saw it, I couldn't help being very frightened. I stood up in a hurry and walked towards him.

Although I knew it was Runtu at the first sight. But he is no longer the Runtu I remember.

His stature has doubled; his previously round purple face has turned sallow and has deep wrinkles;

p>

The eyes are also swollen and red like his father's. I know that this is usually the case for people who farm by the sea and are exposed to the sea breeze all day long. It was a broken felt hat, and only a very thin cotton coat on the body, and the whole body was tugged;

He was holding a paper bag and a long pipe in his hand, and those hands were not the ones I remembered. The hands were red and round, but thick, clumsy and cracked, like pine bark.

I was very excited at this time, but I didn’t know how to put it. Said:

“Ah! Brother Runtu, - are you here? ..."

I then had many words that I wanted to say in succession: horned chicken, jumping fish, shells, quail,... but

I always felt that I was being distracted by something. As if blocking it, the words were swirling in his mind, unable to speak out.

He stood still, with a look of joy and sadness on his face; he moved his lips but remained silent. Finally

he became respectful and shouted clearly:

"Master! ..."

I seemed to shudder; I knew that there was a pathetically thick barrier between us. I

was speechless. < /p>

He turned around and said, "Shui Sheng, kowtow to the master. "Then he dragged out the child hiding behind him. This was exactly the same Runtu from twenty years ago, but he was thinner and had no silver ring around his neck. "This is the fifth child. , I haven't seen the world, I'm hiding..."

Mother and Hong'er came downstairs, and they probably heard the sound.

"Old lady. The letter was received early. I really like him so much, knowing that the master is back..." Runtu said.

"Ah, why are you so polite? Didn't you call me brother before? Still the same: Brother Xun. "

The mother said happily.

"Ah, the old lady is really... what kind of rule is this. I was a child at that time and was ignorant..." Runtu said,

He also asked Shuisheng to come up and play arch, but the child was shy and stuck close to his back.

"Is he an aquatic creature? The fifth one? They are all strangers, so it is no wonder that they are afraid of them; Hong'er should go for a walk with him. "

My mother said.

When Hong'er heard this, he came to recruit Shuisheng, but Shuisheng went out with him easily. Mother asked Runtu to sit,

p>

He hesitated for a while, then finally sat down, leaned the long pipe against the table, handed over the paper package, and said:

"There is nothing left in winter. These dried green beans are dried at home, sir..."

I asked him about his situation. He just shook his head.

"It's very difficult. The sixth child will also help, but there is always not enough food... and there is no peace... everywhere requires money, there are no regulations... and the harvest is bad. If you grow something and sell it, you will have to donate money several times and lose the money;

If you don’t sell it, it will only rot..."

He just shook his head; Although there were many wrinkles on his face, he was completely motionless, like a stone statue. He probably just felt bitter, but he couldn't describe it. After being silent for a while, he picked up the pipe and started talking silently. Smoking.

My mother asked him, knowing that he was busy with family affairs and had to go back tomorrow; and he had not had lunch, so she asked him to go to the kitchen and eat fried rice. .

He went out; my mother and I both lamented his situation: having many children, famine, heavy taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials, and gentry,

all made him as miserable as a man. My mother told me that I could give him anything that didn’t need to be moved, and I could let him choose it himself.

In the afternoon, he picked out a few items. Things: two long tables, four chairs, a pair of incense burners and candlesticks, and a scale.

He also wants all the straw ashes (we cook rice here, and the ashes can be used as fertilizer for the sand). When we set off, he will use Boats come and go.

At night, we talked some more, all of which were insignificant; the next morning, he took Shuisheng back

.

Another nine days passed and it was our departure date. Runtu arrived in the morning. Shuisheng did not come with him, but he only brought his five-year-old daughter to take care of the boat. We are busy all day long and have no time to chat. There were also many visitors, some seeing them off, some picking up things, and some seeing them off and picking up things at the same time. By the time we got on the boat in the evening, all the shabby, large and small things in the old house had been swept away.

As our boat moved forward, the green hills on both sides of the bank turned a deep dark color in the dusk, retreating towards the stern of the boat.

Hong'er and I were leaning against the boat window, looking at the blurry scenery outside. He suddenly asked:

"Uncle! When will we come back?"

"Come back? Why do you want to come back before you leave?"

"But Shuisheng invited me to his house to play..." He opened his big black eyes and thought dreamily.

My mother and I were also a little confused, so we brought up Runtu again. Mother said that Sister-in-law Yang, who is so beautiful,

has been visiting my house every day since we packed her luggage. The day before yesterday, she was in the ashes and took out more than ten dishes.

After some discussion, it was decided that Runtu had buried it. He could move the ashes back home together; Yang Ersao

When she found out about this, she took great credit for it. , he took the dog and killed it (this is the equipment we use to raise chickens here. The wooden tray has a fence on it and contains food. The chickens can reach into their necks to peck, but the dogs cannot and can only watch. He died of anger) and ran away as if he was flying. Thanks to his small feet that pretended to be so high and low, he could run so fast.

The old house is getting farther and farther away from me; the mountains and rivers of my hometown are gradually moving away from me, but I don’t feel any nostalgia.

I just felt that there were invisible high walls around me, which separated me and made me very depressed; the image of the little hero with the silver necklace on the watermelon ground, I used to be very clear, but now it's suddenly blurred, which makes me very sad.

Both mother and Hong'er fell asleep.

I lay down and listened to the gurgling water under the boat, knowing that I was walking my way. I thought: I am so isolated from Runtu, but our descendants are still angry. Isn't Hong'er missing Shui Sheng? I hope that they will no longer be like me,

and everyone will be alienated... However, I don’t want them to live like my hard work just because they want to be together,

nor do I want them to They all live like Runtu's hard work and live numbly, and they don't want to live like other people's hard work and live casually.

They deserve a new life, one we have never lived.

I thought about hope and suddenly became afraid. When Runtu asked for the incense burner and candlestick, I laughed at him secretly, thinking that he always worshiped idols and would never forget them. Isn’t what I call hope now an idol made by my own hand? It's just that his wish is close, while my wish is far away.