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墨書 Inktalez
Opening my eyes, besides my mother's warm body and loving gaze, I also saw my father, who wore an excited expression as he pondered the meaning of the name "Biaosong," while a sense of pride radiated from him, reminiscent of my grandfather's birth. In the kitchen next door, my grandmother, aunt, and uncle listened intently to the sounds from our room while warming themselves by the embers left from burning pine needles.
Grandfather was the youngest son of Father-in-law. According to the traditions of our mountain village and clan, he should have received more care. However, in the early years of the Republic of China, amidst the belief that "more children mean more blessings," how much love could an ordinary farmer's child truly receive? Perhaps the greatest achievement of Grandfather's youth was being entrusted by Father-in-law to someone who would take him away to run errands, thus escaping the embrace of the mountains.
Grandfather's life as a runner followed a fixed route: heading east to Gaosha to carry fine goods and west to Hongjiang to transport tung oil.
Gaosha was often referred to as "Little Nanjing," especially after the Japanese army occupied much of China, with the rich resources of Jiangsu and Zhejiang often being transported through this area.
Hongjiang is the confluence of the Five Streams, a distribution center for products like tung oil from the harsh mountainous regions. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai wrote, "I heard that Longbiao passed through the Five Streams," indicating its prosperity compared to "Night Lantern West."
Thus, my grandfather traveled between Gaosha and Hongjiang, primarily working as a porter transporting goods. Occasionally, he engaged in small trades. Although he faced risks in treacherous areas, such as the danger of being "suspended like a sheep," this kept him away from the dangers of conscription during the later years of the Republic of China and helped him develop a strong physique.
For years, my grandfather traveled alone, and he never developed a keen sense for business. However, his extensive travels opened his eyes and broadened his horizons, granting him an organizational and leadership ability that set him apart from his peers. Thus, shortly after the establishment of New China, he became a grassroots rural cadre, eventually transitioning from the position of platoon secretary to that of secretary of the United Horticultural Farm as he grew older.
My grandmother was born into a humble family. Her father was a strict private tutor, and being the cherished daughter in her later years spared her from the agony of foot binding. She learned simple Chinese characters and arithmetic from the classroom window. Unfortunately, her father passed away before she reached adulthood, interrupting her education.
A few days before I was born, my grandmother sat up all night at the cotton spinning machine, diligently working to sew a cotton vest for her soon-to-arrive first grandson amidst the sounds of "yi yi ya ya." Later, my aunt mentioned that after marrying into Zhu Shan Bay, my grandmother had many children—around ten in total. Sadly, several uncles and aunts did not survive to adulthood, casting a heavy shadow over her heart. While spinning yarn, she would occasionally hum two different versions of the Three Character Classic: one being the traditional "At the beginning of man, nature is good," and the other a humorous twist on it: "Three Character Classic, patching up, can't patch up..." Perhaps this was both a reminiscence of her own childhood and a self-deprecating reflection on her misfortunes in life, where she could only mend clothes.
My father graduated from middle school in 1964 but did not pass the entrance exam for high school. After returning to the countryside, he became a private teacher and, through his efforts, was admitted to Wugang Normal University the following year, just before the policy for the "Old Three Classes" was implemented, seizing the opportunity to "eat state grain." When I was born, he was teaching at Suining County Commune Middle School, over a hundred kilometers away. During a snowy weather, he walked for two days, climbing mountains and crossing ridges to return home to visit my mother and me, give me a name, and then hurried back to school.
My aunt is ten years older than me and was born just as the three years of natural disasters were about to spread. However, her health was not as "nutritionally deficient" as people might imagine. The hardships of rural life allowed her to grow up strong, and no matter how much sun she got, her skin always had a rosy glow.
My uncle is six years older than me and was just a young child at that time. He didn't talk much but liked to be active. He often carried me outside to bask in the sun while my grandmother anxiously followed behind, shouting and chasing after us.
In a household of six or seven, the main room of "Three Generations Under One Roof" does not belong solely to my grandfather. At the other end of the main room lives my paternal uncle, a cousin of my grandfather. He was one of the strong men who supported the upper house during the thirty years of the Republic of China, after which he vanished without a trace. The brothers agreed to adopt the eldest son of the third grandfather into the lower house, thus inheriting part of this property and occupying half of this wooden house.
In front of our house, there is another wooden house of the same specifications, built by my father-in-law during his lifetime. These two houses stood close together like brothers. With the arrival of a new era, this became the birthplace of the lower house.
In the front house live the families of the fourth grandfather and the fifth grandfather.
Fourth Grandfather was a rather plump old man, more than ten years older than my grandfather. He once possessed some family secret techniques that he intended to pass down to his youngest son, my grandfather. However, when he passed away, my grandfather was out running errands and could not relay the message in time, so ultimately, it all went to Fourth Grandfather.
Fourth Grandfather married three wives throughout his life but only had one son. The last wife I met, known as Fourth Grandmother, was older than my grandmother and lived a more comfortable life with a stronger temperament. Fourth Grandfather's son, who would be my third uncle, might have learned a thing or two from his father. He was the only one among several cousins in the lower courtyard who made a living through his skills. In his prime, he often worked outside repairing houses and earned the title of "Master" for his praise-worthy work when setting up beams and ladders.
Five Grandfather has passed away. Fifth Grandmother and Five Grandfather were childhood sweethearts and also cousins. Her family lived less than a mile away from Zhu Shan Bay in Mao Su Mountain. She raised Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle on her own, enduring many hardships. She was very kind to my grandmother, and the two sisters-in-law often helped each other out. When I was born, the smile on her face was even brighter than my grandmother's.
Second Uncle, just a little over a month younger than my father, was both diligent and intelligent. Unfortunately, my father passed away early, and Second Uncle began working in the fields at the age of twelve. Besides his labor, he would weave some bamboo crafts to help support the family. Despite his tireless efforts, he could never earn enough work points. Fourth Uncle was still in junior high school at that time and rarely came home. It wasn't until I graduated from elementary school that I had the chance to grow close to him.
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