Shi Tie's Story of Jumping in Line

Story of queue jumping

The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

Comments and appreciation

The Story of Jumping in the Queue is a classic masterpiece of educated youth literature. The author uses the technique of going forward or going against the time and interpenetrating with each other to reproduce the living and life state of some educated youth in the absurd specific political period and reflect on their life path The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

The luck and misfortune of Lu also show the local conditions and customs in northern Shaanxi and the simple, tough and smooth character of people in northern Shaanxi.
Those things in the story are vivid, those people in the story are full of images, and those in the story are wise and profound. The language of the novel is elegant and indifferent, but also timely humor; The structure is complete and smooth, and the reasonable interspersed jump reflects the author's profound writing skills and excellent creative skills. The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

About the author

Shi Tiesheng (January 4, 1951 - December 31, 2010) was born in Beijing in 1951. Graduated from the junior high school attached to Tsinghua University in 1967, and moved to Yan'an in 1969. In 1972, he returned to Beijing due to paralysis of both legs and worked in a street factory. Later, he suffered from uremia due to acute kidney injury. In 1979, he published his first novel, Professor of Law and His Wife, from which he began his literary creation. Among them, "My Far Qingping Bay", "Grandma's Star", "Life Like a String", "I and the Temple of Earth", "Retreat Notes", "Broken Pen in Sickness" and other works have won many awards nationwide. At 3:46 a.m. on December 31, 2010, he died of cerebral hemorrhage. The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

  The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

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Section I The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

one The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

Last year, I went back to Northern Shaanxi like a dream. The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

It has been nearly ten years since I wanted to go back to Northern Shaanxi and visit the place where I jumped in the queue. The article originates from a two-day blog- https://2days.org/3309.html

There is nothing wrong with my spirit. I always knew that it was just a dream. The place where I joined the queue was thousands of miles away from Beijing. I took the train and then the train, and then the car and then the car. Then there were dozens of miles of mountain roads where even the car could not get through. The only advantage of me is that I am mentally normal, and I hate these two broken legs; And then come back to reality. Besides, these two legs are not the only regret for me.

The year before last, I wrote a novel about queue jumping, and many people said it was still like that. I told several friends who also wrote novels about my dream. People say that I have always had many dreams, but this time it may not be. If the Writers Association is willing to help, their brothers are willing to carry me back to northern Shaanxi. I can always win the gold medal in making friends, but it's a pity that I didn't win this competition. Comrades from the Writers' Association said why I didn't say it earlier. I said I would have said it if I knew how to do it. Everyone said, "Cough!"

Sleepless for several nights. I thought about the appearance of the cattle I had fed head by head, and wondered whether they were still alive. The life span of cattle is only ten years. I thought about the villagers one by one. Some of them must be too old to recognize. Some of them have grown up and changed their appearance. Of course, the dolls born after I left will not be recognized. I wonder if there are still some old stone kilns we lived in. Then I thought about the names of those ridges, hills and valleys, some of which I can't remember clearly. I stopped cattle for two years. In order to know where there is good grass, I went all over the mountain ridges, mountains and valleys

The travel date was set soon. I take a tablet of valium every night to refresh myself. I also thought of a friend of mine who cut ranks in Jinzhong. Now he is a screenwriter of a theater group in Beijing. He married at the age of 32, and took his wife to the place where he cut ranks to travel and get married. It is said that the boy never spoke again once the train passed Niangzi Pass. The closer he was to the village where he stayed, the darker his face became. I met the first person when I entered the village. At first, I recognized him. He opened his mouth and cried without saying a word.

I think many people who have joined the team can understand, but no one can explain why they cry. But I think I'd better not do that. But our group of artists seem to have some mental problems. But I don't think so.

None of the seven people in the party had ever been to northern Shaanxi except me, and five of them were very enthusiastic. They learned some folk songs of northern Shaanxi from somewhere and hummed and hummed. I said that what you sang was tampered with and lost a lot of human feelings. There was only one exception. If it wasn't for me, why would he go to northern Shaanxi? "I might as well go back to Taihang Mountain with this half month holiday." He had been a soldier in Taihang Mountain for several years. Along the way, he always talked about his Taihang Mountain, which was much more spectacular and beautiful than my Loess Plateau. I said maybe the opposite is true. He said, "Folk songs are no worse than yours," and he said, pulling his neck and singing: "It's really good to be a good girl." I sang with him, "It's like floating on water..." "Bullshit! It's obviously a folk song in northern Shaanxi." "Bullshit!" He also said, "Of course it's from Taihang Mountain."

After a while, someone reminded us that Taihang Mountain is also part of the Loess Plateau. "Northern Shaanxi is just a part of the Loess Plateau," he said, seemingly finding a balance.

When I left there more than ten years ago, my fellow townsman said that I would never see him again in this life. At that time, I just had a pain in my back and legs. I had some difficulty walking. I came back to Beijing to see a doctor. I didn't expect it would be so severe. The villagers did not expect that my legs would be disabled, but they did expect that I would not return. It was spring, when there was little rain and yellow wind blowing all over the mountains. The sun rose from the Dongshan Mountain. The people who suffered in the mountains, carrying old pickaxe, hoe and curved wooden plow, stood on the high earth cliff at the village and looked at me from afar. I can guess what they are saying: "Why, go back to Beijing." "Why, don't suffer here." "These will leave sooner or later." The villagers collectively call the educated youth "these" or "those".

Zhong Wei helped me put my luggage on the donkey cart and tied it up. He accompanied me to the county seat. The children chased across the river and forced our donkey cart to run. Finally, they couldn't catch up, so they all stood down and watched us go far. The donkey cart walked along the Qingping River, which was only a few feet wide. I always worried that it would cost a lot to stay in the county, so I wanted to return on the same day. Zhong Wei said, "You can't drive the donkey back even if you kill it for a hundred and sixty or seventy miles. Don't worry, you don't have to pay for the room and meals."

Sui Sui then breathed a sigh of relief and said to me, "I'm afraid I will never return after I leave." Sui Sui was several years older than me and had studied for three years. "Got it back? I'm afraid I can't remember it." He knocked smoke pots on the soles of his shoes, and the blue cloth uppers were covered with cloud like patterns with white lines. I just said, "How can I forget? No." It seems that someone is standing there looking at us on the high earth cliff at the village head

For more than ten years, I want to go back and have a look at that place and the people there, for nothing else.

Section II

two

Some people say that those of us who have been in the queue always talk about those days, not because of anything else, but because our best years were spent in the queue. Who will forget their seventeen, eight, early twenties? Who can't remember their first love or the first time they were disturbed by the opposite sex? So, you not only remember the girl or the young man, but also remember the place and the life.

Admittedly, there is some truth in that. However, I feel that the person who said this did not join the queue, otherwise he would not say "just because". There are too many reasons for us to remember those days.

I often think about it silently, but I can't think clearly at last.

At night, I dreamed that the boundless loess connected to the sky. The rolling mountains are like giant dinosaurs lying on their backs, carrying sunsets and stars day and night on their bare backs. The river water has eaten enough soil and flows heavily and painfully. Only a few clumps of kudzu needles and wolf tusks grow silently on the half cliff, which are also covered with yellow dust. The world is silent and desolate as before... Suddenly, from nowhere, a song slowly sounds, as if from a deep canyon, or from the sky, "Eeyouououououououououououououououououououououououououououououououououououwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwui" can not hear what is singing. So there are dark brown plow tracks on the barren land, stretching; The flash of pickaxe is falling and rising in the valley behind the mountain; Human backs and cattle backs wriggle in the blood red sun; The mountain wind scattered the intermittent singing on the plateau, "Eeya cough -- yo hey --" I still can't hear the clear singing, which is also powerful, lingering, distant and sad

I also dreamed that a group of young men and girls were walking on the plateau. Occasionally, someone stopped to bend down to pick up something, and then straightened up to continue walking. Another person bent down to pick up something. Everyone stopped to watch for a while, and then continued to walk. The village bell rang "dangdangdangdang"

Not long ago Zhong Wei came to my house with his four year old daughter. It happened that Jin Tao also came with his son. Jin Tao's son is over three years old. The child and the child became familiar as soon as they met. They ran from house to house, screaming, crying and laughing, which made people feel that time passed too quickly. When we cut in the queue, we were all children. We were 17 years old, and some of us were younger than that. Later, the two children lie on the bed and look through my old photo album, turning it over and shouting, "This is my father in northern Shaanxi!"

"My father took this picture in Qingping Bay!" "Uncle, why do you have this picture?" said the girl. The boy also said, "Uncle, we also have Daodang pictures (this photo)." "Look, the Loess Plateau."

Zhongwei looked at his daughter with satisfaction.

The boy felt that he was at a disadvantage and grabbed the album: "My father took (it) there to join the queue!"

"My father joined the queue there, too." After all, the girl was good-natured.

"Is your father Dan (dry)?" Jin Tao said that his son never knew what it meant to be speechless, just a little tongue.

The little girl turned to look at her father inquiringly.

More and more people began to judge the merits and demerits of the educated youth going to the countryside. Maybe this is not our generation's business. Future generations will see more clearly than we do (such as the little girl in front of us), and will give a calm judgment, which is not as emotional as we do

I, Zhong Wei and Jin Tao also came to see those old photos.

One is: ten young men with white sheep belly handkerchiefs wrapped on their heads. Another one: ten girls in big, fat, broken uniforms. This is the 20 people who joined the queue in Qingping Bay together. The background is bare ridges, hills, caves with smoke, and the river in front of the village. Jin Tao and Li Zhuo sit on the wheat rick. Zhongwei stood on the beach with his pickaxe on his shoulder. Yuan Xiaobin pedaled on the millstone with one leg, and beside him lay the "player". Playmaster is our dog. Count me and take a romantic picture, holding my calf.

The calf was born only four days ago. I remember it very clearly. When I went back to Qingping Bay last year, I thought that the most likely one of my cattle was still alive. When I asked the villagers, they said that the cow was also old and had been sold on the market in the past year.

Unfortunately, there was no group photo of all the boys and girls—— As soon as the boys and girls stopped quarreling, and there was a trend of reconciliation, they broke up in a hurry and went their separate ways. We were twenty-one or two years old at that time. The group photo of all the girls was the one I asked Shen Mengping for when I met her two years ago. She said, "Liu Xi said several times at that time that boys and girls should take a picture together." I said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She said who dares to tell your boys.

I said, "I'm afraid I don't dare, but I'm afraid I will lose the prestige of your girls. “

She smiled and said, "Really, I dare not." "Now dare?" "It's too late now."

"I don't know who is afraid of who." "It's too late to be afraid of who."

That river is called Qingping River, that river is called Qingping River, and our village is called Qingping Bay. Dozens of families and caves are located on the hillside. The Qingping River turns eastward in front of the mountain, reaching the county town seven or eighty miles away, and then dozens of miles away to the Yellow River. There are steep cliffs on the bank of the Yellow River, where the tiny Qingping River flows into the Yellow River. The Yellow River is naturally much wider and more magnificent.

Those twenty of us can hardly get together now. Some are in Hebei, some are in Hunan, and some have stayed in Shaanxi. The two men went abroad. Li Zhuo was in Chicago, and Xu Yueyue was also in the United States.

Most of them returned to Beijing, and almost all got married and had children. They were busy with their own affairs. Occasionally, people who study science and engineering, literature and history, agriculture and forestry, economy and enterprise management have everything to do, but there are fewer common topics. When it comes to queue jumping, everyone is in high spirits.

"I should have taken more photos then."

"Why didn't you remember then?"

"Just thinking about revolution."

"Still hungry!"

"And cut down the fruit trees in the back ditch to make fields."

"It's the brother's first idea to exchange broken pants for cigarettes."

"Don't do that without you?"

"Smoking with hunger makes the mother more hungry..."

Speak more, stand up, sit up, stand around the room, talk excitedly, maybe lie down on the bed, and put your feet on the table, all gone.

The rules seem to have returned to the cave. Repeatedly speaking of those past events, dull and even trivial, but also said very late very late. Until someone suddenly remembered his wife and children, everyone looked at their watches, stood up and said goodbye, saying that she was going to be angry.