I shifted my gaze and looked at the portrait of Ma Zhang. Although we were attacked in the corridor before, we had no idea what Zhang Ma’s ghost looked like, so I asked the old man, how did you and Ma Zhang meet?
The old man was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect me to ask such an irrelevant question. Then he smiled slightly and said, "She and I, we met in the countryside."
The old man told me that when they first met, Zhang’s mother was just 20 years old. And his parents were both soldiers before liberation, so he was deeply influenced by red ideas since he was a child. A few years after liberation,
At that time, there was a turmoil in the country. Everyone wanted to use their own abilities to contribute to the motherland. They all thought that they were a screw and should be screwed to the place where the motherland needed them most. At that time, the old man went to the countryside.
Become a rural teacher.
The place I live in is very poor, and there are actually very few children who can afford to go to school. Many people even don’t think that studying is something worth spending time on. Then there was a girl who often sent a child to school. She came to school several times.
, the old man began to notice this girl. The old man said that was the first time he met Zhang’s mother. Hu Zongren exclaimed that at the age of 20, all children can study! The old man laughed and said,
That child was not Zhang’s mother’s child, but the child of Zhang’s eldest sister. Since Zhang’s mother often sent her nephew to school, the old man, who was very young at the time, also took aim at her. He just kept silent.
After paying attention to each other for a long time, the old man finally decided to confess to Zhang Ma.
But after confessing, she did not get a positive answer. Zhang’s whole family is from the countryside. They also lost their land during the war. The family has a large population, and they are all crowded into a small house, and they live a very poor life.
, the whole family saves money just to send their children to school and have a good future in the future. They can no longer live like them. The old man said that he can help them, so he often secretly brings some food to Zhang Ma's house.
He used it, because he knew that if he gave money, they would definitely not accept it, and he didn’t have much money at that time. He kept pestering her like this for a long time, until all Zhang’s children left school and passed the exam.
After middle school in a county town, for five and a half years, Zhang's mother never refused or agreed to date him.
The old man said that people in those years were upright and honest, followed the rules and were more traditional. So for more than five years, almost everyone in the village knew that the old man was pursuing Ma Zhang, and every time he met people in the village
When they were together, everyone would make jokes and so on. Finally, six years after the two met, Zhang’s mother finally agreed to date him. Over the years, the Zhang family has also seen that the old man is a diligent and honest person, and he is very close to those in the city.
The playboys in the film were different, and they quickly recognized the love relationship between him and Zhang's mother. But new problems also appeared. Both of them had reached the age of marriage and had established a relationship. When the old man took Zhang's mother away,
When my mother took her to the city to see her parents, she encountered opposition.
The old man said that his parents were both soldiers, and they were married in the army in their early years. It was just what the commander said, and it was an assigned marriage. There was no mutual understanding or emotional basis before the marriage, but for
People of their time seemed to approve of this method, and even felt that even if their children were not assigned to get married in the future, they would at least find a girl from the army. Seeing Zhang's mother dressed in a rustic manner,
She is from a rural area, and her son felt completely irrelevant when standing with her. So the first meeting was very unpleasant, and the power of the old man’s parents made Zhang’s mother feel very inferior, and she even proposed to give up this job.
A relationship.
The old man told us that in the end he persisted, and he quit his job as a rural teacher and returned to the city, but he was not in the same place as his parents. At that time, there was another trend of working as a worker in the country.
In 2000, the social status of workers was probably similar to that of civil servants today. They were considered to have golden rice bowls and iron rice bowls. Many people wanted to be workers. And because the old man was an intellectual and a descendant of the revolution, he quickly became a worker.
She became a worker in the factory. Zhang’s mother was originally from the countryside. She was skillful and quick at work. After being introduced by a guarantee, she also entered a textile factory and worked as a garment worker. Although the two were in the same city, they were each in their own way.
Living in dormitories in their respective factories, they could only go out to the park after work or on weekends. A few years later, they were both almost 30 years old. In Zhang’s mother’s rural hometown, the 30-year-old
If a woman is not married and has children, she will basically be looked down upon by others. The old man knew this, so he planned to marry Zhang Ma. The two poor people bought a few quilts and some new ones.
Pots and pans, a happy word on the windows and doors, it's a wedding.
The old man's factory was quite kind. He knew that the two were getting married, so he allocated a single-room dormitory for them to live in. The two of them had their first home. Now that the marriage was over, the husband's family could only
I accepted this fact. However, in the following decades, because Zhang Ma was diligent and able to endure hardships and was a good wife, even the old man’s parents gradually began to praise her. And Zhang Ma’s family members thought that
, my daughter has jumped into Mi Luodou this time.
Then several children were born, and although the factory eventually declared bankruptcy, before that, the two hard-working people still raised all the children and earned themselves a staff house, which is where we are now.
.Hu Zongren asked the old man, since it has been so difficult between you, your relationship must have been very good these years, right? The old man said yes, it’s just that this person talks more when he gets older. After he gets old, he talks a lot every day.
, I was almost annoyed to death. Even though the old man said this, his eyes were still full of smiles. He told us that he had applied for a medical discharge because in the last few years of his stay in the factory, his
My health is already a little bad. The same goes for Zhang Ma. She has worked in a factory for a long time and has some bone problems. I had an illness a few years ago and then became wilted, so the old woman has been taking care of me these years.
, knew that I was in poor health, and would often get me some delicious supplements. Now that she has passed away, but she passed away so suddenly, my life is very sad. On weekdays, when I go out to buy groceries, I always buy a lot at once.
, so you don’t have to run out like her every day. Fortunately, there is a supermarket at the door here, not far away, so shopping is convenient.
When I talked about the supermarket, I seemed to suddenly think of something, so I tentatively asked the old man, did you or Zhang Ma like to eat carrots when he was alive? Because I thought about the first time I saw a ghost in a supermarket, I found some
The carrots that were chewed away. The old man said, yes, your mother Zhang and I both like to eat carrots. As we get older, we need to eat more of these nutritious things. There was famine in the early years and no one had anything to eat.
At that time, we often used carrots as food. It seemed that I was half convinced that this time it was not in vain. So I then asked, in what month did Zhang's mother die? The old man said, hurry up
It's been two months, and it was so sudden that it took me a long time to calm down.
I calculated the time, and it happened to be just after the day when the ghost was seen in the supermarket, so everything made sense, and I was also sure that the ghost of the old lady in the supermarket was Zhang Ma. And the reason why she stayed was besides
In addition to being attracted by supermarket employees burning incense and paper, it was also caused by the carrots in the supermarket. To be more sure, I asked the old man again, did Zhang’s mother often make carrots for you before she was alive? The old man said yes, almost every day.
, I refused to eat and forced me to eat, saying that I was getting older and eating more of these things would be good for my health. In the end, my health was not bad, but she took the lead. After saying this, the old man’s face once again
He had that sad look on his face, just like when we first entered the house.
So I glanced at Hu Zongren and gave him a wink, meaning whether we should tell the truth to the old man in front of me. Hu Zongren frowned and thought for a while, then nodded to me. So I said to the old man, old man
, let me borrow your balcony to discuss something with this friend of mine. After saying that, I and Hu Zongren walked to the balcony outside the small door next to us.
I asked Hu Zongren in a low voice, if we tell the truth, do you think this old man can accept it? Hu Zongren said, I only know that if you don’t tell the truth, it will be difficult for us to remove the ghost of Zhang Ma with our own abilities.
They were taken away. The person who tied the bell needs to be untied. Have you forgotten what happened when we fell down the stairs? I said you mean to let Zhang Ma’s wife handle the problem on her own under our guidance.
Can Ma Zhang enlighten me? Hu Zongren said yes, at least Zhang Ma and the old man have been together for so many years, and she will not harm him. As long as we can feel more relaxed than now, we can at least take away Ma Zhang’s ghost.
.I asked him again, what to do with the remaining ghosts? Hu Zongren said, the origins of the remaining ghosts cannot be traced, so we should finish the matter of Zhang Ma first and then talk about it. I thought about it, and it seems that this is also the case.
This is the most practical method. We can't waste too much time investigating the case. It's not good for the ghosts, and it's not good for other people's supermarkets. After all, people have to open their doors for business.
After the discussion, we decided to tell the truth to the old man. Hu Zongren said that it was better to let him speak for himself. So I took a breath and looked at the sky outside. It was starting to get dark. Then I pushed Hu Zongren and said, let’s go.