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墨書 Inktalez
Hu Ruoyun's father, Hu Qihua, could not read a single character, and Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua was only familiar with his own name and Arabic numerals. The family’s elder, Hu Fagui, who was over eighty, had recounted a true story that Second Uncle had once shared: one year during the Spring Festival, their ancestor asked someone to write couplets on red paper. The person took advantage of his illiteracy and wrote the couplets as “Eat one pound, borrow one pound, never-ending pounds; new debts repaid with old debts, accounts unclear.” This couplet remained posted on their door for the entire Lunar New Year!
While this situation contained elements of rural humor, it also reflected the helplessness and sorrow of the poor.
Money is a person's backbone and represents human dignity.
Hu Ruoyun's father and Second Uncle were farmers who had spent half their lives tilling the land. Aside from farming, they had no other skills or trades. By the time they reached middle age, their greatest aspiration was to have land divided among them.
In their original understanding, the end of the world was confined to the few dozen square kilometers of Laogu Township. Their entire lives revolved around living steadily and tending to several acres of crops.
However, in the past year, Hu Ruoyun's growth had broadened their horizons considerably.
Shaking hands with leaders from the province, county, and township might not have held much practical significance, but the closeness with the Village Chief and Party Secretary brought real recognition to the two brothers. More tangibly, Director Qiu from the township police station even gave them two hundred yuan; they could call Old Li at the supply and marketing cooperative’s back door to buy fertilizer and smoothly bring it back at prices lower than usual!
All of this was something they had never dared to dream of in the past few decades.
Perhaps this was a form of progress.
On April 16th of the Lunar Calendar, Hu Ruoyun's father and Second Uncle went north to Caogu Village to visit their uncle, who was over seventy.
Their mother’s brother passed away early; every year Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua brought gifts to visit this only uncle.
No matter how old they got, their uncle cared for and doted on his two nephews from the bottom of his heart. However affectionate he might be, he was now in his twilight years, with diminishing influence at home. For younger generations, listening was optional.
In a collective production team, the team leader determined members' work points and allocation of farm tasks. When it came time to distribute vegetables or grain, it was those who wielded the weighing scales who held power. No matter how impressive one might be, no one dared challenge the team leader. At the village cadre level, authority multiplied significantly.
Hu Ruoyun's uncle had three sons. The eldest was two years older than Hu Qihua and was Hu Ruoyun's older cousin. This eldest son, Mu Zhonghe, served as the village accountant. Although it was no longer a large collective era, he still wielded considerable influence regarding household registration, grain tax payments, and land allocation. Furthermore, it was said that he had a close relationship with Township Head Feng and might become Caogu Village's next Village Chief.
The younger two sons were slightly younger than Hu Ruoyun; she referred to them as cousins.
Second Uncle Mu Baishun had taken over ten young men from the village to work in construction in the provincial capital for the past two years. He seemed to be a “foreman” of sorts and reportedly earned nearly 600 yuan a month. He even bought a bright red motorcycle that villagers often borrowed for weddings—quite a sight! Nowadays, when he spoke to ordinary people, he carried an air of superiority that was hard to miss.
The third cousin Mu Baicheng served as the village’s barefoot doctor. Most matters concerning life and death in the village relied on his care; he was also one of the local "decision-makers." His life was relatively comfortable, and when he spoke in the village, his voice carried authority.
The three relatives, Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua, watched as their two older cousins chatted with their elderly grandfather about trivial matters. Their eyes revealed a hint of impatience, and their words lacked respect and warmth, clearly showing a growing distance and disdain.
To be honest, if it weren't for their father's presence, they probably wouldn't be sitting here, idly chatting with these two honest but illiterate cousins.
Hu Ruoyun's father and Second Uncle were still trying to maintain familial ties, coaxing their Uncle to sleep comfortably in bed.
Once they saw that the old man was sleeping soundly, their eldest cousin, Mu Zhonghe, stood up first. "Cousin, I have some urgent matters to attend to at the Team Headquarters. I can't stay with you two any longer. You sit tight; once I'm done, we can have a proper drink together." With that, he left.
Second Cousin Mu Baishun spoke firmly, "Cousin, you two stay here. I'm going to the market to get some dishes. We still have some wine brought back from the Provincial Capital; let's have a good drink." He too exited.
Third Cousin Mu Baicheng lingered for a while longer but eventually stood up to say to his two older cousins, "There's a girl in our village who is getting engaged; they invited me to accompany the guests. You two sit tight; I'll just step out for a moment..."
—Weren't these two older cousins your guests?
What Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua didn't expect was that all three cousins would leave and not return, while their wives and daughters-in-law never even made an appearance. By noon, Uncle was still sound asleep. The brothers wanted to leave but found no one to say goodbye to. Sticking around meant sitting in silence with no one to talk to, and most importantly, no one came out to prepare lunch!
It truly echoed the saying, "When poverty strikes, the coldness penetrates to the bone; when one falls from grace, true hearts are revealed."
After returning from Uncle's house, Second Uncle and Second Aunt discussed it with Hu Ruoyun's parents. While Hu Ruoyun's father was somewhat restrained due to Uncle's presence, his mother and Second Aunt were furious: "What kind of relatives are these? Once Uncle is gone, we will sever ties with these opportunists!"
When Hu Ruoyun returned home that weekend, he also heard about this incident and resolved to work hard to change his family's dire situation as soon as possible.
This reminded him of an article he had written about his future experiences with the comedic performer known as The Little Black Chubby One:
In April 2016, a certain comedy troupe held its 20th anniversary celebration at Beizhan Theater.
From the sweeping camera shots, many famous hosts, actors, directors, and musicians could be seen in attendance. According to The Little Black Chubby One on stage: "...and our district chief..."
Prominent figures like Feng Dagang hosted and participated in performances, creating a "circle of friends" that spanned music, film, television, and entertainment variety shows.
Some netizens commented: "With such a circle of friends, I could become famous too."
I said, the social circle of The Little Black Chubby One is not "inherent." If there had been a "mass foundation" back then, how could they have suffered through three trips to Beijing, facing poverty and hardship without food or clothing?
—You ask, if The Little Black Chubby One were still the obscure figure they were when first arriving in Beijing, would they know these Big Shots at the anniversary celebration?
This society is incredibly realistic. If you lack sufficient resources or capital to exchange for admiration, many people won't want to associate with you; so-called relationships are all superficial. As the saying goes:
When poor in a bustling city, no one cares; when rich in a remote mountain, distant relatives appear.
Just look at the wine at the banquet; every cup is first raised to the wealthy.
A fine horse tied at the door means kinship, whether by blood or not.
A begging stick left at the door means friends and family won’t come calling.
In this world, friendships require gold; without enough gold, connections remain shallow.
With money and wine, many brothers gather; but in times of trouble, where is even one?
Through cycles of wealth and poverty, many lives rise and fall over ten years.
Who is free from gossip behind their back? Who is not talked about by others?
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