I am ten years old this year. My mother said that I was born behind the stove. She cried once when I was born and then fell asleep, as if she knew that the world was not good and that crying would be in vain.
Dad said that our Wang family has been farming for generations, and no one can read or starve to death. But I remember last winter, my father knelt in front of landlord Liu's house to ask for a rent reduction. He knelt all day long, and his knees were broken. Landlord Liu didn't come out and let a dog go.
At that time, I didn't know what "unfair" meant. All I know is that after my father's knee healed, he started to walk with a slight limp.
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The first time I heard someone reason with me was the instructor wearing glasses. He said: "Kid, do you know why you are so thin?"
I said: "Because there is no food to eat."
He said: "That's wrong. It's because someone didn't let you have enough to eat. You planted food, but the food was taken away. You built a house, and the house was occupied. In this world, those who plant the land should have land to plant, and those who eat should have food to eat."
I don't quite understand. But I remember one thing - when he spoke, he looked into my eyes like a person, not a dog.
I have been with many people in my life. Some treat me as cannon fodder, and some treat me as a brother. It took me many years to figure out who is really kind to others.
By the time I figured it out, I was already a veteran.
