Villagers and Village Affairs 17: Ma Wu

Villagers and Village Affairs 17: Ma Wu

Yang Fu/Wen

People live all their lives, and plants grow in autumn.

The old rural customs in the world are all given scientific names by the elders in the clan, and villagers often take a nickname according to their own characteristics or personalized words and deeds. Most villagers have nicknames, no matter what they praise or criticize, they are appropriate. Showing goodwill in banter and ridicule is also considered as recognition in communication. People explain that people without nicknames can't go far. That's what happened. Once a person has a nickname, even if he has left the village for a long time, he will be talked about and even remembered for a long time because of this nickname. Those who cry loudly, their real names are not obvious or even forgotten.

Uncle Ma Wu is such an example.

He is a cousin in the family. When Murakami made steel, Uncle Ma was four years old. All the people were sent to the distant Funiu Mountain to mine stones. His father died to get rid of the squib on a yellow afternoon. The mother of mowing valley was stunned by the bad news, and people were anxious to think of Ma Wu.

At that time, Uncle Ma was lying in the forage room in the team, his lips were purple, and the blisters on his face were bright, as if the water drops were scattered on the lotus leaves after the rain, and the breeze rose slightly and was about to fall. The experienced Fourth Grandma said: Chicken pox. At that time, the custom of witches treating diseases with drugs was popular in the village. The witch knelt on the futon, closed her eyes, folded her hands, faced the doorknob, kowtowed and bowed, praying for medicine from God, and chanting fairy tales in her mouth-

My great sage is useless;

Call Tianbao, drug people,

A little stronger. ——

Also calculate hemp five uncle life should not be unique, three days later, unexpectedly returned to the heat, survived. But since then, my face has been numb, and some are as big as soybeans, as if to put something in it. From then on, the villagers called him Asako Five, or Mawu for short. The younger generation is called Uncle Ma Wu.

When the children call him uncle horse, he is not upset, and occasionally he can take out some pea candy from his dirty pocket and give it to the younger generation. Therefore, although Uncle Ma is hideous and ugly, he is very kind at heart. At school, teachers never ask questions. Many people may not remember Uncle Ma's name, except the rural household registration officer. ...

Time flies, more than ten years have passed. Because of his father, Uncle Ma was finally recommended to the commune high school, which caused a sensation in the village.

Uncle Ma is very proud. He often hangs two pens in his left pocket. He walks with his handwriting behind his back and looks like a gentleman. People often say that high school students are equivalent to ancient scholars! There was only one Cao Xiucai in our village during the Tongzhi period of the former Qing Dynasty. The implication is that he is the first person in Murakami who really knows how to read and hyphenate. People listen to it too much and gradually believe it. When I came back during the winter and summer vacations, everyone who worked in the fields stopped what they were doing and shouted, "The scholar is back!" " "Probably for the sake of obvious, few people call him five pockmarked face to face.

Unfortunately, Uncle Ma was unlucky and his life was at stake. After graduating from high school, I was not recommended to go to college and went back to my hometown to farm. However, Uncle Ma writes a good hand. On holidays, he is often invited by his neighbors to write couplets. Books are not read for nothing after all. He paid attention to politics at that time. A "scholar" appeared in the village, so he was given the job of writing slogans, thinking of a strong worker every day. It's a technical job, and it's enviable not to work in other places.

The village chief asked me to do odd jobs for Uncle Ma. Uncle horse woke me up early before the work bell rang. Brush directly from uncle Huang's house in the east of the village to the third artillery house in the west of the village.

When Uncle Ma writes, he first stands in front of the earthen wall, then steps back, hesitates for a moment, and then writes a line of square characters on the wall with a broom stained with white lime, which is very organized. At sunset, the man who finished his work came back and stood behind Uncle Ma. With praise, Uncle Ma became more and more energetic.

The opening day of the ancient town will be unique. On the roadside next to the village, some mats woven with sorghum stalks were temporarily built as slogan walls, which were half a mile long. Uncle Ma wrote dragons and snakes on it, and the clouds rolled and the clouds were comfortable, which attracted passers-by to admire all the way. The team was also commended by the commune for this.

The captain was happy, handed a pot of lit dry cigarettes to Uncle Ma, and said in a rewarding tone, "Come on, smoke a pack!" " "Hemp five uncle flattered, ingratiating smile took the captain handed me the pipe, took two breaths," Kaka Kaka "... and was choked to cough. The captain smiled and said, "Write it, and add two points a day. "

Since then, uncle horse's calligraphy has become famous, and everyone in Wuxiang knows how to write horse's calligraphy. Grandparents said that literacy was also a treasure in ancient times! Later, the brigade simply transferred Uncle Ma to be responsible for painting the slogan of Shiliba Village. As usual, the team scores ten points every day and the brigade subsidizes two points. Although the salary is the same, but the status is different, Uncle Ma is a figure in the eyes of neighbors, and it is really a landscape.

In the season of sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance, the propaganda team of the brigade was established, and Uncle Ma was transferred to the troupe to write plays. He put what he saw and heard into operas and sang in the fields, such as changing customs, respecting the old and loving the young, and "rightist reversing the verdict". The workers' propaganda team is deeply loved by farmers because of its strong sense of reality.

It is said that a tall girl with thick eyebrows in the propaganda team took a fancy to him. I also went to see Ma Wuniang's mother in the village. When I left, I took Ma Wuniang's hand and was very affectionate. Murakami said that this matter seems to be close. Who knows that the girl's family is firmly opposed, saying that Uncle Ma is ugly and his family is so poor that he has to look like a man if he doesn't want money at home!

The girl's uncle, then the director of public security of the brigade, seized an incident in which Uncle Ma went to the ancient town market last year, saying that he bought a pigeon from the east of the street for 50 cents and sold it from the west of the street for 70 cents. This was an act of speculation and demanded a fight meeting. It forced Uncle Ma to break his marriage and broke a pair of mandarin ducks. That night, the moonlight was bright, fireflies danced in the grass, and torches danced from time to time. The two of them cried bitterly under the willows by the river for half a night, which made the nightingale in the village cry all night. On a rainy day at the end of the month, the girl married in tears in Waizi Town, 40 miles away.

Since then, Uncle Ma has been listless, unable to do anything, and the more he lives, the more timid he becomes. Good-hearted people advised him to cheer up and said, you are still young, and the days ahead are still long!

Uncle ma often shows disapproval, saying: children pee, and it is no problem to flow there.

Since then, few people have advised. Later, someone from Xihe brought back some girls from other provinces, and Uncle Ma decided to buy a daughter-in-law for Uncle Ma. But Uncle Ma's family lives in poverty, and the moon can be fished out from a pot with clear soup and little water. Therefore, at that time and can't come up with enough money and food stamps, things have to be done. ...

In spring, Yan Zi returned to the north. When lightning flashed between the beams, the rural areas began to implement the contract responsibility system of joint production. Because he lost his farming experience for a long time, Uncle Ma starved to death, and his mother helped him farm, so his life was very difficult. Uncle Ma spends all day in the teahouse in the town, having fun with a group of idle people and gambling on winning or losing. It was dark, so I went home by night. The old man of the village head pointed to his back and said, "aborigines, it's no use reading too much." Very contemptuous.

Uncle horse's uncle knows some gossip about Yin and Yang. Seeing that he couldn't grow a farm, he deliberately took him to carry on the family line. First, let him learn the dry branch, and then teach him to recite the jade sagger. A year later, Uncle Ma won the Olympic Games and was able to support the portal independently.

Once, Uncle Ma was invited by a neighboring village to visit the cemetery. The moon rose and the wilderness was white. The host invited him to eat under the melon shed, and he said, since you are alone, help arrange a few days and write a commemorative couplet.

Uncle Ma thinks that idleness is also idleness, as long as there is wine and meat. Now promise.

When the deceased died, the public called Ma Wu a scholar with malicious intent. How about writing a eulogy to mourn the grief of his child? Uncle Ma drank for a few minutes in one go, then copied the written eulogy with white paper, repeatedly said "laugh and laugh", and posted the eulogy on the wall outside the mourning hall, which provoked many people to read it. At this time, some illiterate villagers encouraged Uncle Ma to read it again. Uncle Ma is never polite. Standing on the bluestone steps in front of the mourning hall, he assumed the posture of studying drama before, sang slowly, and immediately entered the role, cadenced and sad. Originally, in order to express ourselves, we lost our family, old and young, crying and sad, and women were even more eager to grab the land. People watching the funeral can't help thinking about the many benefits of the deceased before his death. After the funeral, he got 30 Xie Yuanyi, two attractive bottles of bread and some leftovers. When people saw him, they all praised him for his good writing.

Gradually, Uncle Ma realized one thing. First of all, as soon as he heard that someone had died in the village, he took the initiative to come to serve, write a eulogy and watch Feng Shui. He has the right to help, but he often doesn't. In addition to the income of thirty or twenty yuan, you can also get a lotus leaf table and wine. I met a generous family by chance and earned 100 yuan a few days later. Many times, I actually wrote a routine. All he had to do was ask about the birthday of the deceased, his health condition was parallel, and so on. Then he quickly wrote a eulogy, which was even, sad and literary. Uncle horse is also good at acting. Before he finished singing the article, he was speechless and choked up. Tears immediately filled the potholes like a small handleless wine cup, which attracted people watching the funeral to wipe their tears.

If there is filial piety in the village, I'm afraid my old man will feel sad after watching the funeral scene, and his candle-like body can't stand the stimulation, so I won't let him see it, so I'd better send him to distant relatives for the time being. Some old people are afraid that they can't survive the dry and cold winter, so they tell their children early, hoping to have an article about Ma Wu after their death, and the scenery on the road is beautiful!

Uncle Ma's fame is getting bigger and bigger, spreading farther and farther, and even people from other counties hundreds of miles away come to invite him. Uncle Ma made it a rule to write a eulogy 60-80 yuan and print the price on his business card. From time to time, neighbors from distant villages will come to invite, and Uncle Ma will often hand in his business card first. Most people who have lost their homes don't care about money. So the rules of Ma Wu are basically the rules of mourning.

When Uncle Ma wrote his composition, he put a cigarette in the root of his left ear and right ear, and after a little thinking, he wrote a thousand words. After January, the income will be around 400 to 500 yuan. Uncle Ma's life is getting better and better. Uncle Ma's mother can put on a brand-new jacket and go to the ancient town for the fair.

When the Sophora japonica flowers are in full bloom, the whole village exudes a refreshing fragrance, which makes the bees busy around the flowers. My ex-lover, who married Uncle Ma in Puzi Town, felt guilty when he saw that Uncle Ma had passed the age of no doubt and was not married, and wanted to find a marriage for Uncle Ma. There is a sister-in-law next door. She is not only young, but also handsome and good at embroidery. Just bad luck. A few years ago, a man went to Shanxi to dig coal and died in a well. She lives a stressful life with her five-year-old daughter. His ex-girlfriend, going back and forth several times, threading the needle. After the second meeting, the woman actually agreed. I got married just after the wheat harvest.

At that time, the clothing processing business in the town was booming, and Uncle Ma took some processing jobs for her through acquaintances. Poor families are too scared. Once she has a fixed job and income, she will work day and night. The processing fee in January is as high as 600 yuan to 700 yuan, which exceeds the income of Uncle Ma. As soon as Uncle Ma was happy, he called a family of three, took a family photo in the city and watched a movie.

Time flies when the stars move. A few years later, when Uncle Ma was well off, he tore down his own straw house and built a new building on the old homestead. Blue bricks and tiles, carved columns and arches. The oldest big acacia tree in the village barely covered a corner of the building.

On one occasion, the township head went to the countryside to inspect the work, specially went to Ma Wu's house, turned around his new house several times and said to people, "Ma Wu is an able person." He is the first person in Gai Lou, our hometown. "

Praised by the township head, Uncle Ma's pockmarked face was shiny and shiny, even more shining in the sun. He smacked his lips, but he was speechless for a moment. It also envied the neighbors.

The township head said to Uncle Ma: Now that people are rich, it is not good to fight for ostentation and extravagance. As the old saying goes: from frugality to luxury, from luxury to frugality is difficult. Be diligent. The village is going to set up a "villagers' red and white Council", and all weddings and funerals are guided by the Council. Not only reduce waste, but also establish a good fashion.

"I am a consultant and you are the president." The steward said again.

Hearing this, Uncle Ma refused: "How dare you!" But in the end, the township head and the villagers who clapped their hands all smiled and nodded in agreement.