A century of poverty

Chapter 1: The Beautiful Village Surrounded by Mountains and Rivers

Eight li north of Shimen Station on the Jinshan Line, it is surrounded by five mountains.

The five mountains are located as follows: Liuzhuangtuo East Mountain south of the East Pass, Liuzhuangtuo North Mountain and Zhaozhuangtuo North Mountain north of the pass, with a road carved out at the base of the mountains. The Xiaobei River flows into the road from the west. To the west of the river, opposite the pass, are Zhangzhuangtuo Xiaoyu, Lianyu, and Dayu Mountains.

Xiaoyu Xiwanggouyu connects to the northwest mountain of Wangzhuangtuo. The western pass of Wangzhuangtuo is located south of the pass. Between the southern end of Wangzhuangtuo's western mountain and Yudie Mountain south of Lizhuangtuo Village lies a wide southern pass. On the Yudie Mountain side, there is a Nuanquan Bridge for passing vehicles. Below Wangzhuangtuo's western mountain is a side road and a river flowing south out of the pass.

A small river originating in QH County flows into the area from the East Pass; we call it the East River. Entering the East Pass, the East River flows south of Liuzhuangtuo Village and then west, with Lizhuangtuo rising on its south bank. On the north bank, the villages of Liuzhuangtuo, Zhaozhuangtuo, and Zhangzhuangtuo stand side-by-side. The East River flows from southwest of Zhangzhuangtuo, then westwards to south of Wangzhuangtuo.

The Lianyu and Dayu valleys extend northward to Yanwangbizi and Shaguiziyu near Diaoyutai Village. A small river formed by rainwater from the mountains flows in from the north mountain pass; we call it the North River. The North River flows westward north of Zhangzhuangtuo, then southward east of Wangzhuangtuo, where it merges with the East River. After flowing south through Wangzhuangtuo Village, it turns south again at the foot of the west mountain and exits through the South Mountain Pass.

Surrounded by five mountains and flowing through two rivers, these five small villages are also known as the Five Mountain Circles.

In about an hour, you can walk around all five villages. The villagers in the five villages are mostly familiar with each other and are not strangers to one another.

The main north-south road in Zhangzhuangtuo Village is a direct route from the north pass to the south pass, leading to the train station. Villagers within a dozen miles north of the pass all pass through this road to reach the train station.

Mr. Zhang Zhenru lived in the northern part of Zhangzhuangtuo. His house and yard were on the east side of the road, and his vegetable garden was on the west side of the road. Therefore, people called him "Old Seven of the Alley".

Outside the vegetable garden, to the northwest, there was a large family living in a cluster of households, also known as the "North Garden".

The house in the east courtyard had five main rooms. The moat outside the west wall of the main house was the road itself, and the west wall of the neighboring house was outside the east wall. In front of the house, there was a courtyard several meters long with several west wing rooms on the east and west sides. The west wing rooms and the main rooms were connected by a side gate leading outwards. Outside the front courtyard wall was the backyard of another family, filled with tall, miscellaneous trees.

The courtyard has five rooms, but there is no passage in front.

Five rooms with two doors lead to the north gate, three rooms to the west with one door, and two rooms to the east with one door. A dozen steps away, inside two walls, is a large millstone; outside the walls, down a small step, is a firewood shed. East of the wall is North Street. West of North Street, a steep slope meets the village road. On the south side of the east path, there are four or five houses with large entrances. The house at the eastern end is known as "East Well House."

There is an old well with a blue stone platform and blue stone frame at the east end.

Below the slope south of the well is the East River, which flows from the east.

The street continues downhill to the east, then turns north onto the main road that runs east-west and connects the mountain pass. Downhill to the south of the well is a slope, and across a small stream flowing down from the north mountain, up a ridge to the east is Zhaozhuangtuo.

There is a path leading to Liuzhuangtuo on the lower bank between Zhaozhuangtuo and Donghe.

Mr. Zhang's family has five main rooms. The two rooms on the east side are occupied by his second son, Zhang Xiutian, his wife, Li, who recently gave birth, and his four-year-old daughter, Xiaodie.

The three rooms on the west side were where the old master Zhang Zhenru and his youngest son Zhang Jingtian lived. The three rooms on the west side were where the third master Zhang Litian, his wife Lin, and their three daughters lived.

One afternoon after the start of autumn, fifteen years after the Republic of China, the weather was still unbearably hot and humid.

The cicadas chirped loudly on the branches, adding to the feeling of heat.

For the past few days, Second Master Zhang Xiutian has felt irritable, nauseous, and weak all over. But he has to force himself to finish hoeing the land.

I had just finished hoeing the field in the morning, had lunch, and was about to take a nap when I was woken up by its barking.

He was half asleep again when he was woken up by that damned scream. Annoyed, Second Master jumped out of bed. He decided not to sleep anymore, grabbed his small cloth shirt from the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), went out the door, picked up a small hoe, and headed outside.

"Where are you going if you don't rest for a while in the middle of the day?" the second grandmother, who was in confinement after giving birth, called out.

Second Master left without looking back.

"In this sweltering heat, who goes to the fields without taking a break?" Second Grandma muttered from inside the house.

At this time of year, farmers usually go to the fields after 1-3 PM, waiting for the scorching sun to subside before starting their work. Zhang Xiutian left home today because his afternoon nap was disturbed and his mood was ruined.

The entire family's land depended on him for farming. The old man was over sixty and could no longer hoe the fields. His fourth brother had been disabled since childhood and needed crutches to work. His third brother, finding farming too arduous, argued with the old man and pestered him to open an oil mill in Changli so he could manage it. His eldest brother had been slapped by their father and driven away; he hadn't been heard from since.

He took on all the heavy physical labor on dozens of acres of land by himself, working from dawn till dusk, suffering indescribable hardships, and blaming it all on his bad luck.

He carried a hoe on one shoulder and a light blue cloth shirt draped over the other, his light blue trousers with a white waistband tied with a cloth belt. He went out the door, down the big slope, and onto the country road along the west edge of the ditch. After walking west for several dozen steps, he waded across the stones arranged in the Xiaobei River and reached the sandy road that led straight north, where the sand felt hot even through his shoes.

The beach was baked by the sun like a steamer, and sweat poured down our faces and backs. There wasn't a breath of wind in the sky, and all was silent; time seemed to stand still.

Second Master walked mechanically along the beach path all by himself.

After crossing the beach, follow the earthen path along the river to the northwest. To the right is the river, and to the left, on a stretch of land only a few dozen steps wide, stands a towering cliff eighteen feet high, marking the "West Cliff"—a large expanse of land. Below lies a valley with a significant drop in elevation.

The winding path along the river extends northward until it reaches the bottom of "Locust Tree Gully". Going through the bottom of the gully and then up the embankment to the north, you will reach "Wu Family Tomb" at the foot of Xiaoyu, which is an ancient "Tian Guan Tomb". At the foot of Wanggouyu Mountain to the west of the tomb, there are two small houses where an elderly couple who look after the tomb live.

To the left of the locust tree gully at the northwest corner of the west cliff is a public cemetery in this village. People who are buried with thin straw mats, poor people who have no burial plots, or those whose children have died are all buried here.

Today, Second Uncle was hoeing the western cliff and the eastern embankment, which connects to the cemetery.

Arriving at the edge of the field, he casually poked the hoe into the ground, picked up his small cloth shirt and rolled up his sleeves. He bent down and stretched out the hoe to dig between the rows.

Suddenly I felt nauseous, my stomach felt like it was churning up, and my head was throbbing.

"Ugh—ugh—" He vomited for a while, bringing up everything he had eaten for lunch. His body went limp, and he saw a strange beast, neither donkey nor horse, staring at him. He broke out in a cold sweat and lay on the ground unconscious.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a slight chill touched his face. He opened his eyes and looked around. How did he end up lying on the ground? He moved his arms and legs, feeling incredibly tired! He looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds rolling rapidly eastward.

"Boom—!" Thunder roared.

My head still throbbed with pain from what had just happened. I sat up and looked around; the heavy rain was just around the corner.

He grabbed the hoe beside him, used it to support himself as he stood up, and started walking home.

Before we even left the beach road, a torrential downpour began, and rainwater instantly streamed down our bodies.

The river is fuller and muddier than when we came.

On his way back, he took the country road and avoided the western edge of the pit, as it was a shortcut on a muddy slope and there was a risk of slipping into the pit.

Water gushes down the big slope.

He arrived home, put the hoe outside the door, went inside, and his second grandmother quickly found him dry clothes to change into.

Second Uncle sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), supporting himself with his hands, unable to lift his head.

Second Grandma said, "Then what are you sitting on? Come and rest on the kang (heated brick bed). I told you to rest for a while but you wouldn't listen." She handed over a pillow.

Second Master remained silent, lifted his leg, and lay there with his eyes closed, resting.

For a while, I drifted off to sleep and dreamt that I was alone, walking and stopping along a road covered in yellow foliage...

"Father! Father!" The daughter's clear voice woke the Second Master, who opened his eyes and looked at his daughter.

"Dad, dinner's ready, let's go!" Four-year-old Xiaodie clung tightly to her second grandfather's finger.

Second Master had no choice but to get up and follow his daughter to the old man's place for dinner.

Two square tables were placed side by side on the floor of the passageway. The old man sat facing the door inside. To his left were his second uncle, his second wife, and Xiaodie. To his right, next to the old man, was his fourth uncle, Zhang Jingtian, and below him were his third wife and her three daughters, the eldest about ten years old, each about two or three years older than the other.

Third Master sat on the counter in Changli, and when he returned, he sat above Fourth Master.

Second Master sat down, not wanting to eat, and stared blankly at his rice bowl.

"Why aren't you eating?" the old man asked.

"I don't want to eat," the second master replied.

The old man didn't say anything more. He could tell his second son had been listless and hadn't wanted to eat these past few days. He instructed his second wife, "Make him a bowl of soup later. He'll feel better after a nap!"

Second Uncle got up and went back to his side to rest on the kang (heated brick bed). He didn't mention that he had vomited and fainted in the field at noon.

After the old man finished eating, he went back into the house and brought out a bundle of noodles, handing it to his second wife: "I'll make some for his second brother in your room later."

The third grandmother's girls were fidgeting and wouldn't eat properly.

Third Grandma scolded, "Eat well! Finish up and get out of the way! I'm waiting to pick up the bowl!"

Despite her frail health, Second Grandma tidied the house, relit the fire, and put the noodles Grandpa had given her into the pot. She made a bowl of noodle soup and brought it to the table: "Eat it while it's hot!"

Second Master: "I can't eat."

Second Grandma: "You have to force yourself to eat something. How can you not eat?"

Second Master: "Put it there, I'll eat it in a bit."

Second Grandma placed the bowl on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and went up to breastfeed the baby.

The next morning, Second Grandma prepared the meal as usual and brought it to the old man's side.

Grandma San prepared the dishes, and the whole family gathered around to eat.

The old man, seeing that his second son hadn't come over, asked, "Hasn't the second son gotten up yet?"

Second Grandma replied, "No, the soup that Ye Hei Jie made for him is still sitting there."

Third Grandma sneered, "He didn't eat, so you can eat it." She never took her second sister-in-law, who was a few years younger than her and had joined the family later, seriously.

Second Grandma ignored her, and the old man didn't ask any more questions.

He put down his rice bowl, went to the east side to check on his second son, and saw a bowl of soup on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). His son was pale and lay weakly on the kang.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Second Master opened his eyes.

The old man asked, "You haven't been looking too well these past few days, what happened?"

Second Uncle: "I didn't rest at noon yesterday. I vomited in the field and dozed off for a while. It started to rain when I came back."

Old man: Oh! Then you need to rest. How's the work in the fields going?

Second Master: "There's not much work left. I didn't finish weeding Beihe yesterday, and I still haven't finished weeding those few acres downhill in Dongjing. There's nothing else that's important!"

The old man said, "Oh, I'll call my third son back to do the work. You can rest for now." With that, he got up and went out, down the big slope to the temple platform on the south side of the street.