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Hu Ruoyun's father, Hu Qihua, couldn't read a single word, and Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua only recognized his own name and Arabic numerals. Even Hu Ruoyun's eighty-something uncle, Hu Fagui, recounted a true story that Second Uncle had told: one year during the Spring Festival, their ancestors asked someone to write couplets on red paper, but the person took advantage of their illiteracy and wrote, "Eat one pound, borrow one pound, endlessly borrowing; new debts repaid with old debts, accounts never clear." This couplet remained pasted on the 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 tilled the land for half their lives. Besides farming, they had no other skills or trades. By the time they reached middle age, having land allocated to them was their greatest aspiration.
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, over the past year, Hu Ruoyun's growth had broadened their horizons considerably.
While shaking hands with leaders from the province, county, and Township may not have held much practical significance, the closeness with the village head and Party Secretary brought them genuine pride. More tangibly, Director Qiu from the Township police station even gave them two hundred yuan; they could now buy fertilizer directly from the supply and marketing cooperative by calling Old Li at the back door, making it easier to bring it back at a lower price than usual!
All of this was something they would never have dared to imagine 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 to Caogu Village in the north to visit their uncle who was over seventy.
Since Hu Ruoyun's maternal grandparents passed away relatively early, Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua made it a point to bring gifts each year to visit this only uncle.
No matter how old his two nephews became, their uncle cared for them deeply. Yet as he aged and his voice in the family diminished, his words became optional for the younger generation to heed or ignore.
In a collective production team, the team leader determined members' work points and labor distribution. When it came time to distribute vegetables or grain, it was those who wielded the weighing scales that held power. For members of the team, no matter how impressive one might be, challenging the team leader was unthinkable. At the village cadre level, that person was even more formidable.
Hu Ruoyun's uncle had three sons; the eldest was two years older than Hu Qihua and was Hu Ruoyun's cousin. This eldest son, Mu Zhonghe, served as the village accountant. Although it wasn't during a large collective period anymore, he still held significant influence regarding household registrations, grain tax payments, and land allocations. It was said that he had close ties with Township Head Feng and might very well become Caogu Village's next village head.
The younger two sons were slightly younger than Hu Ruoyun and were referred to as cousins.
Second Uncle Mu Baishun had taken over ten young men from the village to work in construction at the Provincial Capital in recent years. He seemed to be a "foreman" of sorts; reportedly earning nearly six hundred yuan a month and even bought a bright red motorcycle that villagers often borrowed for weddings—quite a sight! Nowadays, he spoke with an air of superiority as if looking down on others.
The third cousin Mu Baicheng served as the village's Barefoot Doctor. Most matters concerning life and death in the village fell under his care. He was also one of the local "decision-makers," living comfortably and speaking with authority in village discussions.
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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