A century of poverty

Chapter 12 The Awakening of the People of Eastern Hebei

One summer afternoon, I longed to come home from school and arrive at the front door of my house.

Grandpa told him, "Eat a good breakfast tomorrow morning, and if you're still able to walk, Grandpa will take you to the market in Lulong!"

"Okay!" Hope skipped and hopped into the yard.

The next day, Grandpa took Hope's hand, and the two of them went out of the gate, down the big slope and headed north. After crossing the village road, they followed the North Avenue Ditch northwards, uphill, and finally reached the "main road." The terrain here, which leads into the North Mountain Pass, is higher and flatter, with a wide view and a broad road, making one feel refreshed and invigorated.

I hoped to run to the roadside and pluck a few blades of grass, then swing them around in my palm as I walked.

At the northern end of the main road is the North Pass, which is the highest point. Go down and head north to enter the North River Beach.

This seasonal river, unless there is a particularly heavy rainfall, usually flows south along the foot of the Malianyu Mountains like a stream, so it hardly affects travel.

A small bend leads to Mengjiagou. Going east past the mountain ridge, at the eastern foot of the mountain is Mutaiying Village.

Walk a few dozen steps forward from Mengjiagou, and Leijiapu Village is on the west side of the road. These are two very small villages.

If you keep going, you'll reach the mountains. After crossing a ridge and a gully, you'll reach the eastern end of Diaoyutai Village. The names of this ridge and gully are somewhat treacherous: the ridge is called Yama's Nose, and the gully is called Sand Turtle Valley.

After passing one mountain after another, a flat road leads to Lulong County.

The journey wasn't too far, just a rugged road that involved crossing mountains and valleys, but it wasn't a problem for the grandfather and grandson who were used to walking on mountain roads.

Today, they were in particularly high spirits, eager to reach Lulong County. They were overjoyed. After being invaded by the Japanese for several years, they had finally seen someone in their area raise the banner of resistance against the Japanese.

Jidong is a vital strategic location connecting Northeast China and North China.

In April 1937, Li Yunchang went to Yan'an for a meeting. He reported on the anti-aggression struggle of the people of eastern Hebei.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China dispatched Song Shilun and Deng Hua to lead the Fourth Column of the Eighth Route Army into eastern Hebei, capturing towns such as Yanqing, Yongning, Sihai, and Xinglong. They also cooperated with the underground party in the area to launch and lead armed uprisings in the Kailuan Coal Mine and many other places in eastern Hebei.

The people of eastern Hebei, suffering terribly, burned with hatred and rage. The anti-Japanese propositions of the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army ignited the flames of resistance in their hearts, and they rose up in rebellion under the command of the underground party.

In August 1938, Gao Jianzhi, a teacher in Lulong County, organized the people to arm themselves and raise the banner of resistance against Japan. They shouted, "Down with the puppet county magistrate! Down with the Japanese advisors! We Chinese are one family!" and seized the county seat by force.

Lulong County was returned to the people's hands, and the people were overjoyed. The next day was market day, shops reopened, vendors lined the streets and called out their wares, and the county town became lively again.

The news spread far and wide, and crowds flocked to the market.

Zhang Xiwang and his grandfather walked through the streets, searching for the hero who led the people in resisting the Japanese invasion.

Just then, a group of people approached. This was a delegation sent by Li Weimin, the commander of the Gangbeizhuang Uprising in Luan County, to contact Gao Jianzhi's anti-Japanese forces. Leading them was a young man of medium build, with a dark complexion, a high nose, and large eyes, named Yuan Wude, now using the alias Gao Xiang. It was this man who had initially instructed Gao Jianzhi on how to unite the masses in the fight against the Japanese. Gao Jianzhi led his welcoming party to meet them there. The revolutionary comrades, overjoyed at their reunion, returned together to the temporary residence of the Lulong anti-Japanese forces to celebrate their victory.

The procession had gone quite a distance, but I hope they are still standing there watching.

"Hopefully, we should go to the market soon," Grandpa called to him.

"Hey, I'm here!" Hope replied and ran to her grandfather's side.

They stopped frequently, moving from vegetable and rice stalls to cloth stalls. Grandpa told Hope, "Watch how people talk to each other when they're doing business. Even if you're not a merchant, farmers still have to take their produce to the market to sell. You'll need that when you grow up and live your life."

As noon approached, Grandpa, filled with hope, came to a small food stall to rest and fill his stomach: "Two bowls of tofu pudding and a few sesame cakes, please." He was just about to eat.

"Haha, Uncle Qi brought his grandson to the market?" he said, bowing.

The old man looked up and saw a middle-aged man and a young man smiling and bowing to him.

"Ah! Haha, it's you and your son at the market too!"

"Shengchun! Go over there and buy two dishes. I want to chat with your grandfather," the middle-aged man instructed the young man beside him.

The two people who arrived were none other than Xiaodie's future father-in-law and son-in-law, Liu Shengchun, from Mutaiying.

Shengchun's father was a shopkeeper in Lulong. He wore a felt hat and a long robe. He took off his hat and placed it on the table, then sat down opposite his father, casually smoothing his hair back. A little while later, Shengchun returned with a food box, bringing out two plates of vegetables and a large plate of steamed buns. He wore coarse cloth trousers and a modern-style shirt, and sat down shyly next to his father. They talked for a while about Gao Jianzhi's anti-Japanese rant and circumnavigation of the city.

The conversation then turned to the children.

"Seventh Uncle, the world is in such chaos. Could you go back and discuss it with Second Madam and give us some information so we can choose an auspicious day to hold the children's wedding? What do you think?"

Back home, the old man told the second mistress about the in-laws' intentions from Mutaiying. The second mistress agreed.

My daughter is being given away, so I have nothing to say. She hasn't enjoyed any happiness with me all these years, so I have to treat her well now that she's married. I'll make her some clothes, buy her a mirror, and wash her belongings.

As autumn approached, the work gradually increased; first, there were all sorts of beans. The mother and her children cut and pulled them from the ground, carrying them on their backs and shoulders, one by one, to the threshing ground. After that, they were threshed and put into jars and pots.

They worked from dawn till dusk, sorting and piling up large quantities of grains like millet and sorghum by the roadside, waiting for trucks from Diaoyutai to help them haul them to the threshing ground.

Turning the millet roller and winnowing basket, threshing the rice and sorghum, everything was gathered little by little. The day of Xiaodie's wedding was drawing ever closer. Second Grandma was planning to sell some grain to prepare her daughter's dowry.

Just then, Zhang Yikun passed by on the road: "Auntie, are you threshing?"

Second Grandma: "Hmm, why are you going to see his second brother?"

Zhang Yikun: "I have something to do in Zhaozhuangtuo."

Second Grandma: "Oh! Second brother, I have a favor to ask you. Could you please inquire for me? The new grain has been harvested, and I'm planning to sell some. If you need any, could you please ask around? Your sister is getting married soon, and I need the money."

Zhang Yikun: "This is easy. I'll find out for you, and I'll let you know if there are any buyers."

After finishing her autumn harvest, Xiwang carried her schoolbag to school. Just as she stepped out the door, she ran into Zhang Xiaoyong, who was going up the big slope. They arrived at the school together, and Xiwang sat next to Xiaoyong.

The teacher came in and had the older students study what he had taught yesterday. He then called the younger students, who were sitting opposite each other, to listen.

"Today we'll talk about how to write a letter home..."

He missed too many lessons, and there were many things he hadn't heard. Today, his teacher brought him to the next grade level so that he could catch up on those lessons.

When school was over, she hoped to go up to her teacher and say, "Teacher, I can't come to school anymore. My mother can't afford to send me to school. I'm all grown up now."

The man understood the Hope family's situation and didn't say anything.

He simply said, "Whenever you come back to study, the teacher will welcome you."