Essay: My Father

When I mention my father, it seems like it happened more than ten years ago! In my eyes, my father has always been gentle, kind, generous and sincere! I have always wanted to talk about my father, but I have never been able to write. Tonight, I have plenty of time and my feelings for my father are on my mind. I can finally talk about him!

My father was born in 1968, and the family already had four children. Before the reform and opening up, life was still extremely difficult. My father dropped out of school in the third grade and raised a blind mule at home, which became his from then on. In terms of work, my father is the second eldest child in the family, so he naturally does more work. There is an eldest brother and a third brother below him. I heard from my grandmother that every time there was a job for the third child to do, my father would do it early as soon as he was beaten and scolded. My father and mother met when they were grazing. The father led the cows and the mother drove the sheep. After only a few meetings, the family decided on the matter! This happened around 1990, and I only heard about it. The betrothal gift was not high, only two hundred yuan. I bought two orange mahogany boxes as part of the dowry, a pair of shoes for my mother, and nothing else.

I don’t remember exactly when the family split up, maybe around 1998! When I remember, my family had a very strong cow and a mule. My father raised the cow and my third uncle fed the mule. The mule was the same age as me. Every time I plowed the fields, I led the cow back and forth. It was so strong that only my father could hold it back when it ran, so I could only chase it. In the eyes of others, my father has no abilities. According to the saying in his hometown, he is a good old man! Don't like to take advantage of others.

My father worked outside the home and was the first to make money, but he didn’t actually make any money. Otherwise, the family would not be in such a bad situation now. When I was in the third or fourth grade of elementary school, my father worked in a brick factory in the county. The salary was 10 to 20 yuan a day, which was only 500 to 600 yuan a month. At that time, several neighboring families were working there, and my uncle also cooked for the workers in the brick factory.

About four or five years later, working in the surrounding areas could no longer support the family. In addition to harvesting crops every year and during the Spring Festival, my father began to work in and out of Xinjiang. After I entered high school, my father was under greater pressure. Studying art required a lot of money every year. After the 2008 earthquake, wages continued to rise, and so did prices. Although my father could earn two to three thousand yuan a month, But from my living expenses and family allowance, there is not much left.

After my grandmother and grandfather left in 2010 and 2012, the burden on the family became even heavier. For more than a few years, I relied solely on my third uncle for help. As my father gets older, he may not have much time to travel outside. After I got to work, I also tried to persuade my father to stay home, but I failed. Every time we called, we didn’t talk much. At most, we talked about him. Tell me to take care of myself and so on!

My father has spent half his life and spent the best years on my sister and me. After my sister got married, he focused more on me and saved money every year to provide for himself and himself. My mother has never bought a few sets of decent clothes, and occasionally she will complain in front of me. A few days ago, my mother told me on the phone that her handbag was old and she didn't like it very much. She asked me to buy a new one for her. I wholeheartedly agreed. I knew that this was what my father owed her. Putting all the energy and effort on me, I naturally cared less about my mother!

A few months ago, I went back to my hometown to visit relatives. He was away from home and there was only my mother at home. The last time I saw him was a year ago today. He came to my workplace to see me and left by himself on the train. One day and one night, I picked him up at eleven o'clock in the evening. After staying for two days, I sent him home. This happened last year. I haven’t seen him for a year. During this year, I only exchanged greetings on the phone. I don’t know how his health is now. His hands are still numb! Can I find light work when I go out every day...

In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed, and all these things to write and say seem to be too late! My father is still so gentle and kind, but in more than ten years, I have become half a head taller than him and weigh more than ten kilograms more than him! His gray hair and dark face are covered with the growth rings of time. I am afraid to mention it. I can no longer find youth in his eyes. He is old! From then on, I felt more guilty for him and my mother! As a son of a man, you cannot always be around, serving tea and pouring water to fulfill your filial piety!

May 20, 2019 Yecheng

Author: Yu Qiu