Lesson 14 Back

Lesson 14  Back

Zhu Ziqing

I have not seen my father for more than two years, but what I cannot forget is his back.

In the winter of that year, my grandmother died and my father's job was handed over. I went from Beijing to Xuzhou, intending to follow my father home in mourning. When I saw my father in Xuzhou, I saw the wreckage in the courtyard and thought of my grandmother, so I could not help but shed tears. Father said: "things have been so, no need to be sad, the good news is that there is no way out!"

He went home and sold the pledges, and paid off the deficit; he also borrowed money for the funeral. These days, the home is very miserable, half for the funeral, half for the father idle. After the funeral, my father had to go to Nanjing to find a job, and I had to go back to Beijing to study, so we went together.

When we arrived in Nanjing, a friend asked us to go sightseeing, so we stayed for a day; the next morning, we had to cross the river to Pukou and get on the bus to go north in the afternoon. Because my father was busy, he had agreed not to see me off, and asked an acquainted tea room in the hotel to accompany me. He repeatedly instructed the teahouse, very careful. But he finally did not feel comfortable, afraid that the tea room is not proper; quite hesitant for a while. In fact, I was already 20 years old, Beijing has been to and from two or three times, there is nothing important. After hesitating for a while, he finally decided to send me there by himself. I advised him again and again that he didn't have to go; he just said, "It doesn't matter, it's not good for them to go!

We crossed the river and went into the station. I bought the tickets, and he was busy looking after the luggage. There was so much luggage that we had to tip the footmen to get there. He was busy negotiating prices with them again. I was really smart at that time, I always felt that he did not speak beautifully and had to interrupt himself, but he finally agreed on the price; and sent me on board. He chose a chair for me by the door; I spread the purple wool coat he had made for me on the seat. He told me to be careful on the way, to be alert at night, do not get cold. He also asked the tea room to take good care of me. I secretly laughed at his pedantry; they only recognize money, entrusting them just for nothing! And I am such an old man, can not take care of themselves? Alas, now that I think about it, I was really smart back then!

I said, "Dad, you go." He looked out of the car and said, "I'm going to buy some oranges. You stay right here and don't move around." I saw that there were some sellers waiting for customers outside the fence on the platform over there. To get to that platform, you had to cross the railway track, jump down and climb up. My father was a fat man, so it was a lot of work to walk across. I was going to go, but he refused, so I let him go. I saw him wearing a black cloth hat, black cloth coat, dark green cloth cotton robe, hobbling to the railroad tracks, slowly explore the body down, not yet very difficult. But he crossed the railway track, to climb up to the platform there, it is not easy. He climbed on top with both hands, and then both feet retracted upward; his fat body leaned slightly to the left, showing the effort, and then I saw his back, and my tears quickly flowed down. I hurriedly wiped away the tears. I was afraid that he would see, and I was afraid that others would see. When I looked out again, he had already hugged the vermillion oranges and walked back. When crossing the railway track, he first put the oranges on the ground and slowly climbed down by himself, then picked up the oranges and walked. When he reached this side, I rushed to help him. He and I walked to the car and put the oranges on my leather coat. Then he pounced on the mud on his coat, as if he was very relaxed. After a while, he said, "I'm leaving, come to the letter over there!" I watched him walk out. He took a few steps, turned around and saw me, and said, "Go in, there's no one inside." When his back blended in with the people coming and going and could no longer be found, I came in and sat down, and my tears came again.

In recent years, my father and I have been moving from place to place, and the family's fortunes are getting worse by the day. He went out to make a living as a teenager, supported independently and did many great things. I did not know that old age is so decadent! He was so sad that he couldn't help himself. He was so sad that he could not control his emotions. When his emotions were in his heart, he had to express them outwardly. He gradually treated me differently from the past. But in the last two years, he finally forgot my bad, but only thought of me and my son. After I came north, he wrote a letter to me, saying: "I am safe, but the pain in my bladder is very strong, lifting the brush, a lot of inconvenience, about the time of the big go is not far." I read this, in the crystal tears, and saw the fat, green cotton robe black cloth vest back. Alas! I do not know when I can meet him again!