The Ups and Downs of the Commoners Page #2

This non-fiction novel tells the life of ordinary commoners in the middle of the 20th century in China, from the series of movements such as "Land Reform", "Great Leap Forward", "Cultural Revolution" and "Educated Youth Going to the Countryside" to the early days of Reform and Opening-up. The book has four volumes, and was published by Hong Kong Chinese International Publishing House in 2015. The protagonist of this book, Fang Zhengben, was born into a bankrupt family of landowners. Their family has lived in Taiqing Town for generations. When he was six years old, he left Taiqing Town with his parents and came to Longyun Mountain, where the mountains overlap. From then on, he began an unusual life: their family hard work, but they couldn't eat enough; he yearned for reading, but he has dropped out of school three times before graduating from junior high school; he is diligent and studious, with excellent grades, but the door of colleges is

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Sedan continued down the village road to the grave of Fang Zhengben 's mother. On either side of the road, in the thick woods, white Rosa banksiae were in full bloom. Facing the beautiful mountain village with beautiful spring scenery and verdant vegetation, Fang Zhengben, recalled his brief conversation with several peers just now He thought a lot. His heart was so full of emotion that it was hard to calm down.  Sixty years ago, the scene   he the first time entered the gorge from the opposite direction, and many events that happened in the following decades, one by one appeared before his eyes.
Annotation
①Dong Mountain ---- North part of Longyun Mountain. It is called "Dong Mountain" because it is located to the east of Chengdu.


The Ups and Downs of the Commoners
Volume 1
Juvenile also Know the Taste of Anxiety

A great mother who endures hardships,

A much-vaunted "Great Leap Forward Movement ".

Steel furnaces are spread all over the country,

And "75 tons of grain per hectare",

Give the Chinese people an unforgettable starvation.

Chapter 1

In the Taiqing Town, nestled on the banks of the Qingxi River, Land Reform Movement like the a furious storm is nearing its end. After one vigorous struggle after another, the landlords were forced to hand over their land, real estate, and gold and silver treasures, and the poor were immersed in the joy of sharing the fruits of victory.
"Come on!   Come on!   Steamed pork with rice flours, eight hundred yuan RMB① a bowl, cheaply to sold !" Outside the south gate of Taiqing Town, in a spacious shop, a tall, thin man in his early thirties, wearing an old cotton robe and a blue coarse cloth outerwear, standing beside a stack of steaming steamers, vigorously selling his own steamed pork with rice flours to passers-by. At this time, a middle-aged man of about forty, in a small grey felt hat and a long gown of light blue coarse loth come over to before the shop his, stood outside, blinking his triangular eyes, and said in a commanding tone: "Fang Xinwen, this afternoon all the industrial and commercial staff will attend volunteer work to move mud blocks from the pond at Shiziba. I have informed you that you cannot be absent!" Undertaker is Zhang Yuting, head of Huayuan Village in Taiqing Town. The Fang Xinwen that is busy in the shop heard Zhang Yuting's words, say carelessly: "I knew."
Fang Xinwen's steamed pork with rice flours were not sold out in the morning. He thinks, these the unsold steamed pork with rice flours, would be ruined if we didn't sell them this afternoon. He had never done the physical work of carrying mud before, and he was reluctant to go, so he reasoned to himself: "If the family wants to eat, the business of this shop must be taken care of well; besides, since it is voluntary labor, it should be voluntary. What's the big deal about not going?" So he continued to run his shop in the afternoon.
Before long, Zhang Yuting   came to the shop front and reprimanded Fang Xinwen. He with triangular eyes wide open, growled savagely, "Fang Xinwen! I told you to fetch mud from the pond, but why didn't you?" "Village head Zhang, don't you think I'm busy?" Fang Xinwen replied calmly. "What is busy or not busy? If you're busy, you must to go! If you're not busy, you must to go too!" Zhang Yuting said. Fang Xinwen got a little angry and countered: "Didn't you say it was voluntary labor? Voluntary labor should be voluntary. Do you not mean to force me to go?" Zhang Yuting said, "I force you to go, what you can do?" Fang Xinwen answered tit-for-tat, "I am neither a landowner, nor a rich peasant. Why should you force me to go?" Zhang Yuting knew he was making no sense. He sneered and said, "Well, you're not a landowner, nor a rich peasant! I...... I don't want to tell you anything more, but you will see the consequences!" Then he turned and walked away. As he walked away, he glanced over at Fang Xinwen and muttered, "Not the landowner or the rich peasant, but I will make you feel even worse than the landowner or the rich peasant!"
Taiqing Town is located on the ancient post road leading to the provincial capital Chengdu, which is the   must pass only place for merchants from north to south, and also the distribution center of all kinds of commodities.     In addition, the land in Taiqing Township is fertile and abundant in otton.     Lianghekou, under its jurisdiction, is rich in salt and the local people are rich. Therefore, its prosperity is well-known far and wide.     Here are the centers of Gelao brotherhood society events in several nearby towns, as well as many Sichuan opera fans. Over the years, even with two troupes performing here, they didn't have to worry about selling tickets, and fans often take part in performances to keep the audience happy. There are in the town Taiqing Temple, Dongyue Temple and Wangye Temple three temples, People come to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha in a constant stream. What's more, the town is only a day away from the provincial capital, and it is just at the exit of the 20km mountain road, so passing merchants must stay for one night before leaving. On market trading days, the noisy sounds of the town can be heard 2 kilometers away. The teahouses, hotels, opium dens and casinos are dotted here and there, with bright lights at night. It is truly a "city that never sleeps".
Fang Xinwen's family was originally a wealthy family in this town, and he was the youngest of his brothers and sisters, so he was favor adored on by his parents and two elder sisters from an early age. When the time came for him go to school, his parents spared no expense and hired the best local teacher for him. He is so clever that when he reads, he almost never forgets. Therefore, he read the ancient Chinese classics  without much effort. But as he grew older, the magic of the "city that never sleeps" soon dragged him into an unfathomable quagmire.
The local squire, Wang Peijiang, had already envied the houses and lands of Fang Xinwen’s home for a long time. After annexing the salt factory in Lianghekou, he set a pitfall for Fang Xinwen who was not yet familiar with the world.
One day, he directed his underling to find Fang Xinwen and said: "Now there is a good stuff, you just need to take a breath, your body as light as the swallow, and make you feel like a fairy." Fang Xinwen asked, "What is so stuff such a magical?" The man said, "I don't have to say anything, you just need to experience it once and you'll know." Then he pulled Fang Xinwen into an opium dens run by his master.

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