"Prose Poems Written by My Father" obviously attracted more attention than the earlier "When I Became a Mother" on Mother's Day.
In fact, Li Yi had guessed that "Prose Poems Written by My Father" would be released on Father's Day and that everyone would like it, but he never expected that this work would actually become a huge hit. Although it did not become as popular as those popular songs, Everyone can hum a few lines.
But it triggered a wave of collective memories. On the Internet, countless netizens shared stories about their father.
"Listening to this "Prose Poems Written by My Father" reminds me of my father. I don't know if it's because of similar experiences.
My father also has a notebook, but what is recorded in it is not prose poetry. What is recorded in it is daily expenses and income, one by one, as clear as one yuan for breakfast, three yuan for lunch, one by one. Enter the account.
My hometown is in a village in the countryside. In my memory, my father has been working part-time near the train station in the city. It is difficult to see him at ordinary times. It has been a long time since my father came home.
I remember that it was when I was admitted to a university in another city. My father took out a bag of money from the bank and counted each one with saliva, over and over again. When I was a freshman, I became obsessed with online games and often spent all night in Internet cafes outside campus. Although I felt like I was wasting my time, the students around me were pretty much the same. They were either playing ball, watching movies, or playing games online. I felt relieved. I felt like everyone was like this, so there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.
When I returned home during the summer vacation, I stayed at home for a few days. I felt very bored, so I anxiously asked my father that I wanted to spend a few days with him. At least there is an Internet cafe there! Unexpectedly, my father agreed for the first time.
When I came to the city, from a distance, as soon as I got off the train, I saw my father waiting at the exit of the train station. After a year of college life, I felt for the first time that my father stood out among the crowd - his clothes were shabby and too wide to fit.
I couldn't help but remind my father that the clothes were too old.
But my father said: If you work hard, why don’t you sit in an office and wear such new clothes?
I said again: That’s too big!
My father also said: The clothes should be bigger so that you can stretch your hands and feet when working. Otherwise, the clothes will be torn as soon as you reach out.
Speaking of this, many people may think that my father earns less money. I thought the same way at the time, but what I didn’t expect was that in 2003, my father’s monthly income was more than 4,000 yuan. He was not Without money, this income was actually no worse than that of ordinary white-collar workers at that time.
But what is even more incomprehensible and unimaginable to me is that my father, with such an income, actually lives in the attic of a private house with only six or seven square meters. In addition to an iron frame bed, there is also a wooden shelf for the washbasin. On the enamel basin with many pieces of porcelain missing, there is an old towel whose true color is not visible...
In fact, before that, I always thought that my father lived a very comfortable life in the city, but I never imagined that he would be so miserable.
My father took me back to my residence and said, "Sit down, I'm going to do some work."
With that said, he went downstairs.
I couldn't sit down at that time, so I quietly closed the door, went downstairs, and followed my father. He wanted to see what his father did.
Now that I think about it, it's actually quite funny that a son doesn't know what his father does.
After twists and turns, I followed my father to the cold storage. There were more than a dozen people similar to his father gathered there, some pushing carts and some holding poles. The general saw his father push his cart out from the guard. At this moment, a large truck entered the compound, and my father and everyone else followed the truck and crowded in. A few minutes later, I saw my father. He was hunched over and carrying a large cardboard box. He walked a few steps, paused, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel tied to his wrist, then walked a few steps forward and put the cardboard box on his back. He got on the trolley, then ran to the large truck, and a few seconds later, he hunched over and carried another cardboard box.
After repeating this seven times, my father pushed the car toward the icehouse, hunched over and kicking his legs tightly. I could even see the veins on my father’s legs from dozens of meters away.
I asked the doorman how much money I can get for moving goods once.
The guard told me that it cost 50 cents a box. I calculated in my mind that my father shipped seven boxes at a time and earned three dollars and fifty cents.
At that moment, I really, really felt sorry for my father. I was really, really ashamed of my ignorance and indulgence.
I went home that afternoon. I no longer think about surfing the Internet. My father's legs with exposed veins are always swaying in front of my eyes.
I also calculated how much of my father's sweat I wasted in the Internet cafe, and I became even more ashamed when I thought about it.
When I returned to school, my father took out a thick wad of money from the bank, counted it again and again, and handed it to me.
I counted it and said, "This semester is short, so two thousand is enough."
As he said that, he divided half of it and left it for his father. On this day, I made up my mind to be a good son and a good student.
However, this thought quickly became a thing of the past. When those old playmates shouted to go to Internet cafes again, and when I saw familiar game patterns intentionally or unintentionally, I couldn't help but feel restless in my heart. Finally, I walked into the Internet cafe again.
During the National Day, my roommates organized a trip to karaoke, a bar, and a sauna. The two thousand yuan I brought from home was gone by the end of October.
I had no choice but to call my mother, with the excuse that I had been ill some time ago and all the money I had brought with me was spent.
However, I never expected that because of this lie, I feel extremely ashamed and hate myself for being so young and ignorant.
I remember that on the afternoon of the third day after I made the call, the weather suddenly cooled down. At that time, I was playing cards with my classmates in the dormitory when I received a call saying that someone was looking for me at the school gate.
When I ran to the school gate, I saw my father from a distance. I saw that my father was only in his fifties, but he looked like a seventy-year-old man. He looked old and tired, with a tired look on his face. Carrying a bed of cotton wool.
Maybe I felt guilty because of lying, so I brought my father into the campus and asked him in a low voice: "Why are you here? I left an account number for my mother. You just put the money into that card. You ran so far, Carrying this thing on your back is hard work and a waste of money.”
My father smiled flatteringly at me and said, "Listen to your mother, you were sick some time ago. How are you doing now? Are you better? Eat well and take care of yourself. You don't have to worry about living expenses. As long as you can afford it, With good health and good grades in school, your dad can afford no matter how much living expenses you have. It's cold, so this is the cotton wadding your mom made for you using the cotton she grew herself."
I could only murmur: "It's...already..."
On the way to the teaching building, my father said, "I feel relieved to see that you are well. I will give you your living expenses and then I will go back. It will not affect you."
I took the money from my father and was about to take him to the school hostel to stay. My father said again: "Winter vacation will be in two months, right? I brought you three thousand yuan this time. You just When you are sick, you need to eat well and keep your body strong so that you can have the energy to study hard."
My father stopped, looked at me and said, "Go back!"
(End of chapter)
