"Under the setting sun, the old man and the cow, both called Fugui, gradually disappeared. The night fell from the sky, and the vast land exposed its strong chest, like women calling their children, and the land calling the night." I once remembered, The last time I read "Alive" by Yu Hua was when I was in college. When it comes to reading, I feel that I am a little late-minded, so much so that before I went to college, I seemed to have only read a handful of famous works such as "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Jane Eyre", and "La Traviata".
I think that studying can be a good thing. You can start at any time in life, not to mention that I just entered college at that time. Yu Hua's "To Live" may have aroused my craving for reading, making me read almost all his works in one go. "Xu Sanguan Sells Blood", "Brothers", "Shouting in the Drizzle", etc., each work gave me a lot of spiritual shock and life insights. Regarding my own understanding, I still like to read works that reveal the true nature of human nature. I think those romantic love stories are too perfect and often illusory. Things that are high above the ground will make people feel unsteady and in danger of falling down. Yu Hua's works are so frank, authentic and down-to-earth. Especially in "Alive", he writes in the first person, as if everything is his life experience, which touches the readers' hearts and makes people dare not let go for a moment. It seems that every time we pause for a moment to read, Fugui has to face many separations of life and death with his relatives, which forces us to read it all in one go.
Reading Yu Hua's "To Live" again happened not easily, as if a long-awaited friend was secretly giving me a hint for fear that I would forget him. This black-covered book "Alive" is quietly placed in the corner of the warehouse. I have walked past it many times, and I have subconsciously thought about reading it and reviewing it countless times, but I have never been touched by it. People only think of that dark corner when they are depressed. I am destined not to be bathed in the sun in this life, and suddenly I am eager for the wisdom and strength that darkness can bring to people. Dust off the book and start reading from the bright words "ALIVE" on the black cover. Yu Hua's works can touch people's hearts and inspire souls. I think he must be an observer and reader of life, and also a recorder of life. "Alive" records Fugui's plain but tragic life. From the wealthy young man of a landlord's family to a tenant who lost his fortune due to gambling, the change of life roles did not seem to have much impact on his soul. As Fugui's father said: His ancestors slowly bought thousands of acres of land from a chicken to a goose, then to a sheep and a cow; he squandered half of it, and Fugui lost the rest of the family property. It’s all a given. As the saying goes: "You can only be rich for three generations." This is the truth of life passed down from our ancestors.
"Blessings come from disasters, and misfortunes come from blessings." Fugui lost his family property, which should be a disaster for Fugui's family, but it was a blessing for Fugui's woman, Jiazhen. When Fugui has no money, people will be at ease and will not think about eating, drinking, whoring and gambling all day long. For the women who were nurtured by that society and that kind of environment, they are simple and kind-hearted and do not want to have good food and clothing every day, but as long as their men are by their side, they feel happy and at ease. Therefore, Fugui lost his capital, but Jiazhen suddenly felt happy, so much so that he stayed with Fugui until his death. Human values ????are tempered in a helpless life. No one wants to choose poverty. But when it comes to choosing wealth and spiritual stability, most people will still choose the latter. In the case of Long Er and Chunsheng, who had a collision of wealth and official career with Fugui, Fugui lost his wealth because he chose to go home and lost the opportunity to become an official. But in the end, Long Er became a landlord for Fugui and was shot; Chunsheng became the county magistrate, but died on the hanging three-foot white silk. This county magistrate, who charged on the battlefield and escaped countless bullets, probably never thought that his life would end in this way. "Just be alive!" Having experienced countless ups and downs in life, this is probably Fugui's truest feeling in his heart.
"Life is impermanent, and life is always determined." This is not the artistic expression of the work "Alive", but more of the author conveying this message. "If you are alive, you will not be allowed to live well!" Because of the arrangement of fate, Fugui escaped several disasters, but the relatives around him did not have such good luck, and left him one by one. Starting from his father, then to his mother, his son Youqing, his daughter Fengxia, his wife Jiazhen, his son-in-law Erxi, and his grandson Kugen, every time he loses one, he will feel more reluctant and attached to his family, and he will become more and more attached. Feel lonely. Looking back at each of Fugui's deceased relatives, his father died of anger because he lost a bet; his mother died of illness because of his inability; his son died in an accident because of his humble status; his grandson died because of his ignorance, and so on. The deaths of all his relatives are related to him. This is his life, and he is a lonely life. In the end, when only the old cow was left for companionship, he gained spiritual comfort. This cow carried all the family ties he had lost. Life must be like this! Where there are gains there must be losses, and where there are losses there must be gains. One person cannot have all the good things, but one cannot have all the bad things happen to one person. Fugui seemed to have encountered all the bad things in his life. It can also be said that he had a harder time living than most people, but his life was real and respectable.
Everyone's life cannot be copied or assumed. I think the author Yu Hua wants to express the stubbornness and unyieldingness of life. No matter how much suffering and difficulty you encounter, as long as you are alive, there is still hope for everything!
Sometimes we really need a little Ah Q spirit in our lives. Just like Fugui, if his eyes were always fixed on those tragic experiences, I think he would end his life as early as Chunsheng. He faced the devastation of life, and when three of his relatives died unexpectedly in the hospital, he did not complain about the injustice of his fate, and even forgave his "enemy" Chun Sheng. However, he resented the hospital and had no choice but to accept the ominous nature of the hospital. This may be a channel for him to vent his sadness, melancholy, anger and other negative emotions. Don’t we each have our own way of venting our inner negative emotions? No matter what the method is, as long as it works, people still have to look forward and think about good things. It ranges from the country’s “Chinese Dream” to the dreams of each of us. As long as people have dreams, they will have passion and struggle, and they will know which direction they should go. The classic line in "Soldier Assault": To do meaningful things is to live well; to live well is to do meaningful things! When people have dreams and directions, they will live well and do meaningful things.
When Han Yongjin, director of the National Library, was a guest on "Let's Talk", he said that he once asked a successful and famous man in his 80s, what is the use of studying at such an old age? The old gentleman said: "Is reading still useful?" Indeed, is reading really useful? Reading should become a part of our lives. When asked how to make Chinese civilization carry forward today, Han Yongjin said, "We have only one way, which is to study." I am very fortunate that when I was in college, I read "To Live" by Yu Hua, which inspired my enthusiasm for reading and enriched my spiritual world. When my tedious work and the pressure of life slowly eroded my habit of reading, I still have to thank Yu Hua's "To Live", which once again stimulated my interest and enthusiasm for reading.
"After working in news and publicity work for a long time, people will always be a little sentimental." I think this is a common problem among all journalists. While completing the reporting task, I felt more and more willing to report on the fishermen in the Yangtze River, the porters on the docks, the cleaners sweeping the roads, etc. Society is made up of many people, mostly ordinary people. Paying attention to ordinary people actually means paying attention to the entire society. My sentimental character makes me prefer to read poetry, such as philosophical poems written by Pushkin, Tagore, Xu Zhimo and other poets.
"I walked gently, just as I came gently, waving my sleeves without taking away a single cloud." Under the sunset, I stopped for a long time. Because at this time I can be bathed in the sun and enjoy the warmth of the sunset; I can pick up my beloved camera and freeze this wonderful moment. In the moment when I was frozen, I thought there would be an old man walking with the cow in the direction of the setting sun. I also hope that when the sun rises again, they can still enjoy the sunshine and rain under that big tree.
As long as people live, life must go on!