A Journey Back to the Farm

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I. First Arrival at the Farm 50 Years Ago: On November 13, 1969, we left our hometown of Rongcheng Town in Jieyang County and boarded the Hongwei Ship at Shantou Port. After more than 30 hours of rough sailing, the passenger ship we were on finally reached the waters off Haikou. At that time, the weather along the coast of Guangdong was already quite cool; swimming in the rivers felt a bit cold to us. However, Hainan Island remained unbearably hot. The closer the ship got to Hainan, the hotter it became, and by the time we reached the vicinity of Haikou, the bottom decks were as hot as a steamer trunk. Everyone was sweating profusely and was wearing only light clothing. We have never been to Hainan. In my imagination, Hainan is a dark and desolate place with no distinct image in my mind. But when they arrived at Xiuying Pier, they found that despite the scorching heat, it was a place with bright sunshine. When we boarded the small train to head to the city, everyone found it exciting, as we had never seen a train before; even though it was just a small train, the novelty of it made everyone happy. On the 15th, we were arranged to stay in the classrooms of a university in Wenchang County. It was still toward the end of the Cultural Revolution, and the school had not resumed classes. After we settled there, we had enough food to eat, but there wasn’t enough water to drink; everyone was extremely thirsty, so we searched everywhere for water, but found none. In the evening, we went to the university cafeteria and saw two young workers, who must have been cooks. We asked them for boiling water, but they said they didn’t have any; they even joked that they had urine if we wanted it, and asked if we wanted some The cheerful atmosphere vanished completely; everyone returned to the classroom where they slept and started making noise, with the noise getting louder and louder, and it didn’t subside even until late at night. The cadre in charge of the group was disturbed by the noise and couldn’t sleep; feeling both helpless and angry, he went out into the hallway and shouted angrily, \"The army doesn’t need people like you!\" ”What answered him was even louder boos; everyone kept shouting and making noise relentlessly. In the end, exhausted from it all, they finally fell asleep one after another. The next day, the military unit sent several Jiefang brand vehicles to take us, 100 people in total, to Regiment 15 of Division 3 (Baoxianchang, Ledong County). We took the central route; at that time the road hadn’t been paved yet, so the conditions were harsh – there was a lot of dust, and it was extremely hot. We were thrown around inside the vehicles until we felt dizzy, and the drivers had an even harder time. During the break, I saw Huang Fasheng using a paper fan to fan the driver, who was from Hailufeng and was considered a fellow townsman; he was smiling happily. At noon, the convoy entered the Wuzhi Mountain Area in Qiongzhong County. The road wound its way through steep mountains, going up and down slopes; at times, looking down revealed sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high, which was quite terrifying. We had lunch at Qiongzhong Farm, rested, and then continued on our journey; in the afternoon we finally arrived at Baoxian Field and settled down in Sanlian. Because Sanlian is an old regiment, it has several tiled houses, and many mats were set up for us to sleep on. Everyone eats in the cafeteria; the food is good – there’s stir-fried cabbage with dried fish, as well as meat. They eat plain rice, which is considered a decent treatment. Yet everyone still feels worried and uneasy, because apart from rubber plantations, there are only barren mountains and hills here, with no streets, no shops, and no electricity. At night, kerosene lamps were lit; writing a letter home took a week before it arrived. Lights went out at 10 p.m., but no one could sleep – the girls hid under their blankets and cried secretly. After two or three days of \"new recruit training,\" our minds became more stable, and we were assigned to various companies. Xiao Min, Sheng Fa, Shao Ming, Zhang Ming, Ru Juan, and Xi Juan were assigned to Company 4, while Ying Shan and a few others were assigned to Company 12. Company 12 was a newly formed company created by splitting off from Company 4; at that time there was no place for them to live, so they all stayed in Company 4, and that’s why we were all together. Binghao was assigned to Team 9, while Wu Lihua stayed in Team 3. We left Team 3, leaving behind that kind and beautiful older sister; everyone felt a bit reluctant to part. The 4th Company was also known as the “Hongyue Team.” It consisted of two rows, with a total of 6 tile-roofed buildings, all built against the slope of a mountain. A clearing was created between the two rows using bulldozers. That evening, the two companies gathered in that clearing for a ceremony to welcome us. My comrades elected me to deliver a speech of thanks; I quickly wrote a few sentences on a piece of paper and read them out in my imperfect Mandarin. After finishing, I looked up and saw a comet in the sky. I’ve forgotten the exact date; it was probably around November 20, 1969. This unusual celestial phenomenon piqued our interest, and after the meeting I went up to the small hill behind the regiment with a friend of mine. It was a crisp autumn day with no clouds in the sky; a bright moon hung in the blue heavens, casting a layer of moonlight over the fields. The sky was filled with stars, twinkling like the enchanting lights in a beautiful woman’s eyes ； In the distance, the lights of the farmhouses glow like countless gems in the night, flickering on and off and making it difficult to tell where heaven ends and earth begins. II. 50 years have passed since returning to the farm; it is now March 2019. After some planning, the itinerary for returning to the farm was finally finalized: on the evening of March 11th, Fang Hong and I took a train to Sanya, and upon arriving the next morning, we transferred to a shuttle bus to head back to the farm ； Xiaomin and two others took a flight on the morning of March 12 from their hometown of Jieyang to Sanya; after arriving at noon, they took a shuttle bus back to the farm, where they met up in the afternoon or early evening. As time passes and life is but a dream, those of us are now in our 60s; some of us have already passed away. I feel it’s necessary to hurry back there. May the Lord take care of us, keeping us healthy and ensuring that our journey goes smoothly. Day 1 (2019-03-11): We took train Z201, which is a train from Beijing West to Sanya. It passes through Maoming at night, departing at 21:17. Fang Hong bought tickets online and managed to secure two hard-seat tickets, but they were 10 carriages apart, so they had to sit separately. This train was going to cross the Qiongzhou Strait. I had heard that it was a spectacular sight to see the train cross the strait by ferry, so I decided to take a good look and capture some photos and videos. But I fell asleep as soon as I lay down, and when I woke up, the train had already reached the suburbs of Haikou; so I had no choice but to give up. The next day (2019-03-12): The train was supposed to arrive at its destination, Sanya, at 8:12 a.m. according to the regular schedule, but it arrived before 8 o’clock – an early arrival that is something I rarely see; it seems to indicate that this trip will go smoothly and without problems. After leaving the train station, we checked the bus route map in the square, and then followed the map to take bus number 10 to Sanya Bus Terminal. Since it was not yet nine o’clock, we wandered around the terminal and found a small snack shop to have breakfast; we ordered two plates of fried noodles, but the owner told us that two plates was too much as we wouldn’t be able to finish it, and one plate would be enough. When the food was served, I saw that there was indeed a large amount of it; one bowl of porridge was more than enough for two people to share. It was my first time in Sanya, and this experience left a very good impression on me. If all the business owners in Sanya are like this, then it is undoubtedly a very attractive civilized city. There is a shuttle bus to Baoguo every few dozen minutes; we got on the bus right after having breakfast. The bus took exactly two hours to reach Baoguo. The road was mostly paved with asphalt throughout the journey, with only a section near the factory facility that was paved with concrete, but it was still very smooth. Back when we were here, not to mention the lack of asphalt or concrete roads, the dirt roads were full of dust, and they were full of potholes that made sitting on them extremely uncomfortable. Things have really changed a lot since then. By the time we arrived at the Baoguo Field Office, it was already noon. We found a small restaurant there to eat; two bowls of rice, one dish and one soup plus a fish, for a total of 68 yuan – which isn’t cheap at all. If it weren’t for slaughtering us, it would be difficult for the folks on the farm to go to small restaurants to eat regularly. But the fish are caught from Baoguo Reservoir, so they are very fresh and delicious. After lunch, we hired a motorized tricycle; we got on it and, after 25 minutes of driving, arrived at the Baoxian office, where they charged us 25 yuan. Baoxian has been merged with Baoguo; the headquarters is located in Baoguo, and there are no more headquarters offices here – it has purely become a residential area. We entered the Baoxian Inn, only to find that there was no one inside – it had already stopped operating. We had no choice but to go outside and ask people where we could find a hotel. We asked several vendors, but none could help us. The sun was scorching hot, so Fang Hong and I, carrying our luggage, hurried to find a shaded place where Fang Hong could sit and rest, while I continued to look around on my own. After walking around and not finding anyone, I went back into the old guesthouse. There, I saw a person of my age washing his hands by the sink, so I went over and introduced myself. I said that I used to be a young worker here and had returned to the farm for a visit; I couldn’t find a hotel and asked him for help. He looked at me and asked which unit I originally came from I said I was from Team 4, and he was very happy to hear that; he was also from Team 4. He introduced himself as the second squad leader of Company 4, his surname being Zhou, and asked if I knew him But I can’t remember; it’s been fifty years, and he doesn’t recognize me either. I told him that the squad leader at that time was Li Chaofu, and I was in Squad 3, whose leader was Luo Haijian. At that point he was convinced that I was indeed a true veteran with four years of experience in this field. He said that he and Li Chaofu were from the same village; he had returned to his hometown originally, but went back to the farm last year, and now lives at the old guesthouse. He took us to find the hotel; we are very grateful to him! After I moved in, I opened WeChat and asked around in the Baoxian group. Huang Fasheng told me that it was indeed the second squad leader, whose name is Zhong Jianbiao. I was a bit hard of hearing and mistook \"Zhong\" for \"Zhou\". Thank you, Squad Leader Zhong! In the afternoon, Xiao Min and two others arrived at the Baoxian office, so I went to pick them up and take them to the hotel. We originally planned to have dinner at a Teochew restaurant; the owner is from Teochew and has been working on the farm for 76 years. To us, he is younger, but he is actually in his 60s as well. There was a restaurant sign hanging above his door, but the business was no longer open; it was a closed shop. So we were taken to a restaurant next to the guesthouse; the owner was a second-generation local, born in 1974 and from Wanning. He worked as an auxiliary police officer at the local police station and ran a small restaurant on top of that. Day 3 (2019-03-13): This morning, Mr. and Mrs. Pei Jun walked into Team 5, while Xiao Min, Fang Hong, and I went to Team 4 together. The road to Team 4 is next to the farm market at the headquarters; if you go down there, that platform is still there, and a villa has been built there. Originally, there was a large oil tank there filled with gasoline, and the vehicles at the headquarters would often come here to refuel. Not far ahead, there is a small stream with a bridge over it. There was no bridge back then; we had to wade across it to get from Team 4 to the headquarters. When it rained and the water level rose, the path became impassable. Now that there’s a bridge, it’s much more convenient. As I walked along, I soon reached a fork in the road; the path to the left led to Team 15, requiring a pass through Teams 9 and 14 ； The road on the right is of course the path to Team 4. Entering Team Four, where the sound of chickens crowing and dogs barking could be heard, we saw two clusters of pink flowers as soon as we entered the residential area; they were very pleasing to the eye. They were rainbow bougainvillea, with flowers in various colors. I knew that bougainvillea comes in many colors, but it’s rare to see several colors on the same cluster of flowers. We couldn’t help but take several photos and compose a poem titled “Xiaoxiang Shen”: Rainbow Bougainvillea – Bougainvillea, oh bougainvillea, with spots of color and butterflies flying about. Lust knows no right or wrong; it willingly stays with the fairies, unwilling to return. Of the neat rows of bungalows built for the educated youth in that area, only one building remains in ruins; a dozen villa-style bungalows are scattered randomly on the former site. An old man was tending to the plants, so I went over to talk to him. He is from Sichuan; sometimes he returns there, and sometimes he comes here to stay. He said he travels everywhere and can live wherever he wants; it really makes me extremely envious! It seems he used to be a farm worker; now he’s retired, receives a pension, and leads a carefree life. Isn’t this a natural utopia? There are no harsh policies of an oppressive Qin state, nor industrial pollution; instead, there is the sound of birds and the fragrance of flowers, along with a pastoral atmosphere. One can also grow their own vegetables and raise poultry and livestock. A few years ago, I saw photos taken by fellow enthusiasts of Team Four’s abandoned house, which inspired me to compose the following seven-character poem: Seven-Character Poem: Reflecting on Photos of Team Four’s Abandoned House. Birds leave their nests; grass grows in peace. Fallen flowers and remnants of fluff remind one of the ruined garden. Once fierce flames scorched Baling; by chance, a toad helped dig in the wild mountains. It seems fate dictates that those who stay together through life’s hardships cannot be apart, while beauties, though they age easily, lack such fate. Why should a nobleman seek beautiful places? This place is suitable for living and earning a salary as an official. Although I wasn’t there in person, it seems that my impression at the time was correct – this is indeed a great place for retirement. This place used to be a square; the educated youth would sometimes play sports here. Once, during training, Sun Lianhua taught everyone how to throw grenades. At first they threw them while standing, and I saw Luo Haijian throw one 40 meters away, while my own throw didn’t even reach 30 meters. Later, he learned how to throw bombs while lying down. Although Sun Lianhua was a veteran, having been discharged from the army many years earlier, his throws were off target when he lay on the ground; they almost hit the young people who were standing in formation. Of course, these were dummy bombs that wouldn’t explode. To the east of the square is the cafeteria, which is connected to the meeting room; both are structures made of bamboo and wood. There are many wooden benches in the meeting room for everyone to sit on. We often hold meetings, conduct studies, distribute documents, or criticize people here. There are a dozen or so graduates from Guangzhou Guangya Middle School in Team Four; they have always been my idols. They often take the lead during meetings. In addition, the youth from Meixian are also very active and frequently speak up in meetings. Speaking of the Hakka people, they are truly an extraordinary ethnic group. They are descendants of the scholars and officials from the Central Plains, and have always placed great importance on education; as a result, many famous figures have emerged among the Hakka people, including Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China, and Hong Xiuquan, the rebel leader ； The ever-victorious generals Ye Ting and Xue Yue were Hakka people ； The separatist traitors such as Lee Teng-hui, Chen Shui-bian, and Tsai Ing-wen are Hakka people ； Zhu De and Deng Xiaoping are descendants of the Hakka people, and our great leader* is also a descendant of the Hakka people. Whenever I think of Team 4’s meeting room, I remember that Hakka girl who taught us how to sing. I can still sing \"Song of the PLA Soldiers,\" and it was she who taught me that song. I no longer remember her name. Fellow team members, if you do remember her, please tell me her name. Walking up the slope, we arrived at the remaining dormitory built for the educated youth; behind this abandoned building was the slope. Looking out, the slope was shaded by rubber trees – small trees with thin trunks. When we first arrived here 50 years ago, the rubber trees were also this small. I wonder which generation of such trees it is now The dormitories for educated youths were in a dilapidated state, as evidenced by the following verse: \"Spiders dwell in the doors; swallows and sparrows leave their nests.\" Thistles grow in the desolate garden; wormwood sprouts on the green tiles. Sighing in despair, he sold his house to start anew. ”My sister Xiaomin and I climbed up to the educated youth dormitory, and my wife Fang Hong took two group photos of us from below. Down from the youth workers’ dormitory, there was a private residence under construction; a chubby young man was standing at the window of that unfinished house and talking to us. He was from Team 12 but had somehow ended up in Team 4. I said that Team Twelve was originally formed from Team Four. He nodded and asked if I knew who the captain of Team Four was Obviously, he was trying to test me; I quickly mentioned the names of the three captains—Wang Helaí, Li Xianguang, and Sun Lianhua—which left him in awe. In fact, he was probably in his 40s at most and might not know these captains personally, but he might have heard about them from his parents. In front of the youth hostel was the platform that had been created using bulldozers back then. It was actually New Year’s Eve in 1970; everyone was given a piece of pork to eat, and they enjoyed it greatly. Some people even secretly drank some alcohol, which they must have bought from the dimly lit supply shop located at the unit headquarters. The alcohol was kept in military water bottles, and they would take a sip secretly after eating each piece of meat. That night, the company suddenly sounded bells and blew whistles to call for an emergency assembly; everyone quickly lined up on that small platform. Instructor Wang gave a speech, then called out names one by one. Lao Gong, a young worker from Guangzhou who was in our class, was not there. Instructor Wang sternly demanded an explanation, and after hesitating for a moment, the squad leader, Luo Haijian, had to answer that he had drunk too much. This led to severe criticism. The scene is still vivid in my mind, as if it happened just now. It’s been 50 years now – I wonder how many people still remember it? We led a **structured lifestyle back then, with very strict management; everyone was in high spirits and had no time to feel depressed or bored. I think the Corps is managed in the same way as the Yan’an Border Region; upon reflection, we are actually also old revolutionaries! Back in Yan’an, our goal was to govern the country and bring peace to the world, but our generation is merely here to reclaim and restore the Earth, haha! We walked along the path and arrived at the small reservoir belonging to Team Four. The water there is very dirty now; it wasn’t like this back then when the water was still clean. We often swam and played here at night. Shaoming, Zhang Ming, and Fengsheng caught quite a few fish there as well. At that time, there were no cooking utensils in the dormitory, so I wonder how they managed to get food to eat Anyway, I can’t fish, and I’ve never eaten theirs either. Continuing forward leads to a valley, where there are several hundred acres of forest land that we have cultivated ourselves. Once, when we failed to complete a task, under the bright moonlight that night, the entire unit worked overtime to clear the land. It was winter, and it was cold at night, so everyone built a fire. The young people from Meixian took the lead in singing songs, and some people danced around the fire. One girl from Hunan in our work group even sang a song titled “Liuyang River.” I’m usually not very passionate, but that night I was extremely excited. The sun was scorching; the heat was unbearable, and it was impossible to move forward. I glanced at the path that led up the hill to the left – climbing up there would take me to the mountain behind Team 9, and the forest area there was also reclaimed by our Team 4. When we were clearing the land above, we often saw pheasants and little squirrels; during breaks many people tried to catch them, but they could never succeed. Squad leader A Duo stepped on the blade of the machete there, almost breaking his foot. Team 9 was originally located 13 kilometers outside Zhizhong, but when they were unable to continue living there, they moved inside. Their base is situated by mountains and water, right by the Wanglao River; the road passes in front of their base and leads straight to Teams 14 and 15. Part of the wasteland belonging to Team 9 was cleared by us. After they arrived, there wasn’t much work for them to do; fights and disturbances occurred from time to time. Yet Team 9 is indeed a place full of talented people. With free time, some of them studied diligently, and as a result, a writer named Song Xiaoqi emerged, as well as a great traveler in the style of Xu Xiake, Huang Zhitang, who now travels all over the world taking countless photos. Everyone should go and fill his QQ space with posts. On the way back, we went to see the two old wells belonging to Team Four. The larger one was used for bathing; at that time, a large enclosure made of bamboo and thatch was built around it to serve as a bathing area, and the well was also enclosed within that structure. After work in the evening, everyone would take their buckets to draw water from there to bathe, though it’s not known where the girls bathed. I remember once, while taking a bath, a young person from Guangzhou shouted a Teochew phrase: “Damn you, you idiot!” ”He spoke it perfectly, which really surprised me; I thought he would speak Teochew, but turns out he didn’t understand it at all – he was just parroting what he heard. Then he asked me, “What does this character ‘bo’ mean?” ”Haha, a literal translation of this phrase is “super fucking shit,” it’s the kind of expression used by kids to swear, and the last character doesn’t have any actual meaning. Guan Meiying was from Shantou. At that time she had not yet become an assistant instructor, but she was already very active and graceful. One day, on the sports field, a beautiful woman from Guangzhou asked her, “Guan Meiying, what does ‘I lang’ mean?” ”Guan Meiying was taken aback for a moment; seeing me and Huang Fasheng standing nearby, she asked us with a smile, \"Did you tell him?\" We quickly denied it, saying it wasn’t us who taught them; we’re incredibly innocent and would never teach beautiful women to use vulgar language. “I lang” is a vulgar term from Chaozhou; its literal translation is “my penis! ”It means things like “Oh my God” or “That’s amazing”. Upon arriving at this small well, which was the water well used by our fourth team’s kitchen back then, I seem to see several beautiful girls from Guangzhou who worked in the kitchen fetching water here. The deputy company commander, Liu Guiying, would sometimes come to the kitchen to help with cooking, and she too would fetch water here. At that time, they were not yet 20 years old; they had graceful figures and looked as beautiful as fairies. After going around, I returned and entered the residential area. Huang had mentioned in the QQ group that there was another couple of educated youths from Jiexi living here; the man’s name was Chen Jinwu and the woman’s name was Chen Bijun. I thought the character \"Bijun\" didn’t sound very good, and I suspected it might be a mistake for \"Biji\". To avoid forgetting, I wrote down the names \"Chen Jinwu\" and \"Chen Biji\" on my phone. I wanted to take Fang Hong and Xiao Min to visit them, but after going around, Xiao Min was tired and thirsty, and said she didn’t know them and wanted to go back. I asked him if he really wasn’t going to make the visit? My sister and I are both from Jieyang, so of course we speak Teochew. Unexpectedly, a woman appeared later and also started speaking Teochew, inviting us loudly to come to her house. I asked her if she was Chen Bijun She said that indeed, Min and I felt a bit embarrassed, so we quickly went into her house, sat down, exchanged a few words, and declined the tea. Upon reflection, why does the name Chen Bijun seem familiar? Take out your phone and do a search; it turns out to be the name of Wang Jingwei’s wife! It seems that the name “Chen Bijun” created by Huang Fasheng is correct; it was wrong of me to try to change it on my own, haha! Jin Wu is not at home; he has gone out to pick up his grandson. The grandson should be in kindergarten at the field office – Team 4 is only two kilometers away from the field office. If he were in elementary school, he could come back on his own. Bi Jun said the old man was in good health, but she herself had high blood pressure and had suffered a minor stroke. The pensions for retired farm workers range from over 3,000 to over 2,000; although it’s less than what we get, their expenses are also lower, as they can grow their own vegetables and raise chickens. I see that their homes are even more spacious than ours; they have all the necessary household appliances and internet access as well – it’s really great. Just look at those two clusters of colorful bougainvillea by the roadside, and you’ll realize that there must be some expert here; grafting is required for them, and it’s impossible to do without the right skills and time. I strongly suspect that Team Four is hiding some kind of master gardener or an expert in horticulture. Farewell to Kakun, and everyone felt a bit reluctant to part, knowing the chances of returning were slim. Leaving Team Four, we headed up the first hill on the road to the field office. This area was once used for growing lemongrass; farmers had set up small workshops in the fields to extract lemongrass oil, and people could smell that scent as they passed by. Now there is no lemongrass on the hill, so that fragrance is no longer present. I remember one night when we, a group of educated youth, were walking by here; Li Dongming recited a nursery rhyme saying, “Hainan Island has three treasures: rubber, coconuts, and lemongrass.” ”To this day, whenever someone asks me what special products Hainan has? I can answer it right away. Day 4 (2019-03-14): Today, I was preparing to visit the pig farm. I was transferred from Company 4 to the pig farm in July 1970; the regimental headquarters wanted to send a young worker from Company 4 to work there raising ducks. I was surprised when Instructor Wang came to talk to me, as I knew he had already spoken with Zhang Ming and Feng Sheng from Jieyang earlier, and neither of them wanted to go. The third person he approached was me, and I wondered why he thought that people from Jieyang were suitable for raising ducks It was only after returning to the farm these past few days that I realized it: since we are all good swimmers and often go swimming and fishing in the small reservoir at Unit 4, we’ve already become well-known for it. And raising ducks involves working with water, doesn’t it? So turning to us became a natural thing to do. I was already the third person to be approached for a talk; if I couldn’t agree this time, it would be difficult for the instructor as well. So they used both gentle and firm tactics – on one hand, they said it was an organizational decision that I had to comply with, and on the other hand, they told me that life on the pig farm was good, with pork available to eat, and so on. Eventually, I agreed. Early the next morning, a cart was sent to take my luggage to the pig farm, but I had to walk there to report in person. I didn’t know where the pig farm was; someone gave me a general direction, and I set off in the afternoon. By the time I reached the area around the pig farm, it was nearly dusk, and I took the wrong road and ended up in a rural area near the pig farm. Behind the pig farm there is a river. Its water level is usually very low, but during the rainy season, when floods occur, it can turn into a vast expanse of water, thereby carving out a wide valley. On the right bank of the valley are brick and tile factories as well as the pig farm, while on the left bank are the farmlands in the rural area. I saw a group of cows grazing peacefully in those fields, and a beautiful girl sitting under a large tree nearby, taking care of the cows. It was clear that she was one of us – a female educated youth. I went up to her to say hello and ask for directions. She was nearsighted and squinted, but she spoke to me kindly for a few moments, then I followed the direction she indicated, crossed the river through the water, and went to the pig farm to report myself there. This woman is named Lin Shuzhen; she was a youth sent to work in Guangzhou in the 1966 batch. She has a gentle and modest personality, is graceful, and possesses the demeanor typical of an intellectual. She later married Li Binghui, a youth sent to Guangzhou in the 70th batch; her husband was several years younger than her, making it a true case of a relationship between siblings. The two of them were very close. It is said that later on, Li Binghui became obsessed with mahjong and lost a lot of money, but Sister Lin didn’t complain; she simply tried her best to help deal with the consequences. Of course, her husband also regretted his behavior and stopped being addicted to gambling. It seems that a relationship between siblings can indeed lead to a happy marriage! The day after arriving, I went to the duck farming team; at that time the team was located at the regimental headquarters, and there were only two youths from Chaoyang taking care of the ducks, one of whom was Zhou Dianian. That made three of us in total, as Xiao Tang and Chen Jintian had not arrived yet. I was worried about my sister, and it was difficult for me to concentrate. At that time, Xiaomin was 16 years old; I always thought she was still naive and didn’t understand anything. Now that she’s alone in Company 4, I’m very concerned. I want to transfer her to the pig farm, but I don’t know how to go about it. I asked those two people from Chaoyang for advice; they said that it’s the deputy commander who handles logistics, and that I should turn to him for help. So I went to see the deputy commander, but after several attempts, he was either outside the company or in a meeting, and I never got the chance to talk to him. What should I do? I had a sudden idea and decided to block him at the door to the toilet; no matter who you are, you have to use the toilet eventually At that time, the unit had only one toilet, which was at the old staff school; so I went there to wait. After waiting for a long time, I finally saw the deputy commander coming from afar. Everyone who goes to the toilet is in a hurry, so of course I can’t disturb them. I waited patiently until he came out, then stopped him, briefly explained my situation, and made my request: I wanted my sister Xiaomin to be transferred to the pig farm to be with me. The deputy leader listened to me patiently, asked some questions about me and Xiao Min, then took out a small notebook from his pocket, wrote down my sister’s and my names, and told me that they needed to think it over further. Such research studies are often nothing but empty formalities; I felt troubled and uneasy, but I could clearly see the sympathetic look in the deputy platoon leader’s eyes. After returning, I was filled with anxiety, but a few days later news came: the transfer order had arrived at Company 4, and Xiao Min moved to the pig farm right away. 49 years ago, I first arrived at the pig farm. 49 years later, I returned there once again. Time flies, and life is like a dream; I have gone from being a teenager to an old man approaching seventy. I am grateful to God for giving me such an opportunity, and I hope this is not the last time. The pig farm is located to the east of the headquarters, about two kilometers away. We walked east along the road; previously, the area was covered with rubber trees, providing shade so that the sun couldn’t reach the ground. Now, all those rubber trees have been cut down, and crops such as betel nuts are grown there. The area is now filled with shrubs, and the sun shines intensely, so we had to walk under umbrellas. It wasn’t long before we reached the fish pond next to the pig farm’s entrance. Xiao Min exclaimed loudly, because the pond no longer contained water – grass had grown in it, and it was hard to notice without paying attention. Everyone had left this place decades ago, so how could Xiao Min spot it right away? Because this fish pond is connected to her through a certain story: one day that year, company commander Zou Decai had an argument with his wife; he probably spoke to her quite harshly, and she, feeling despondent, jumped into the fish pond in an attempt to end her life. Everyone was at a loss, not knowing what to do. Xiaomin was brave, so I followed her to the fish pond to try and save her. I was cooking in the kitchen when someone ran over and shouted at me, \"Qiu, your sister has gone into the fish pond; go and check it out quickly!\" ”I rushed over to take a look; the company commander’s wife was far from the shore, with the water only reaching her knees. Xiao Min stood behind her, not yet able to reach her, as the water was at her calves; she was too afraid to move forward. I knew it was fine, so I turned around and went back to the kitchen to get busy. Because the water depth in this fish pond is no more than one meter; it was pushed out by the Stalin-1000 bulldozer from the headquarters. Soon after, some experienced workers stepped in and pulled that woman back. This woman was a local; when she was young, she somehow ended up involved with our company commander, Zou. The commander was from the Northeast, tall and strong, and he served as a reconnaissance officer in the Fourth Field Army. He came here to fight in the battles to liberate Hainan. I often thought of him as an actor whose career was hindered by the Liberation War – he had a humorous way of speaking that made people laugh, just like Zhao Benshan later on, but without Zhao Benshan’s vulgarity; he was a genuine man. At a meeting, he received a notice from the regimental headquarters stating that a cold had spread to Dajan Commune, and everyone was warned to be careful not to catch a cold. He isn’t fierce when cursing; he would say, “I tell you to do this, and you do that instead; I tell you to beat the dog, and you start cursing the chickens!” ”To marry this woman, he transferred to the local forces and became a company commander at a pig farm. A promising young officer who used to command over 100 People’s Liberation Army soldiers now has to take care of more than 100 pigs! Think about how big the difference is between the People’s Liberation Army and pigs Whether the wife is beautiful or virtuous, when one thinks about it carefully in quiet moments, imbalance inevitably arises, leading to minor arguments every three days and major arguments every five days. Never at peace. The past is like smoke, hard to describe fully. We, a group of five, entered the pig farm. The organizational structure of the pig farm was abolished long ago; the area is now occupied by the New Second Team. The staff dormitories are all single-story buildings arranged in a square shape, with a main gate for entry and exit. After we went in, we took some photos and videos, then we asked around to find Tang Shixing, the former team leader in the duck-raising group. We knew he still lived here; he had suffered a stroke over a decade ago and is now an elderly man in his seventies, recovering from his illness here. In fact, he had already heard our questions and was waiting for us at his doorstep all along. I saw him from afar and recognized him at a glance. There were five of us in the group, so we hurried over to shake hands. I said, “Xiao Tang, do you still remember me?” ”Xiao Tang looked at me, thought for a while, and then said with a smile that he didn’t recognize me anymore. It was truly an emotional moment! Judging from his appearance, he is still sharp-eyed and able to walk, but his legs are weak, so he needs a cane for support. Xiao Min and I put some money in his pocket; he expressed his gratitude. He said that many of the young people who returned to the farm came to see him and took good care of him. I also passed on everyone’s greetings to him, mentioning Huang Weijun and Chen Jintian in particular. He wasn’t like this 50 years ago; back then he was in the prime of his life, strong and energetic, bouncing around like a ball all day long, able to do any task and always willing to help others. The female educated youths would come to him for help in getting beds, tables, chairs, and other things, and he would happily be busy all day long. He is an orphan from Sichuan; since childhood, he has been raised on our farm by an old soldier from Sichuan. Having interacted with many people, he can speak various languages – not to mention Sichuanese, he speaks Hainanese fluently, as well as Cantonese very well. He can even say a few words in Hakka and Teochew. If given the opportunity, an individual can definitely become a linguist. Chen Jintian was the deputy team leader of the duck farming group. At that time, I was with those two of them, along with a young person from Chao’an; in total, there were four young people. We were led by a master from Hainan surnamed Lu, and we raised a thousand ducks, all of which were laying eggs and used for breeding. We have a water buffalo and a cart pulled by it, which carries all our belongings; the most important of these are a tent and a duck pen made of bamboo. During the day, we drive the ducks around in the paddy fields and rivers, and at night, once they have eaten their fill, we count them and then drive them back into the duck pens. We ourselves cook by lighting a fire in the wild; at night we set up tents, and several of us sleep inside those tents. Early the next morning, some people got up to prepare breakfast while others went to the duck pen to collect duck eggs. During the peak season for duck egg production, hundreds of duck eggs can be collected each day. Once collected, they are placed in two baskets and transported to the headquarters by ox cart or carried on foot. Deputy company commander Liu Xulun often went duck hunting with us. When he was around, he wouldn’t allow us to steal duck eggs; if we wanted to eat them, we had to keep track of it and have it deducted from our pay. But he often had to return to the company for various reasons, and as soon as he left, we were free to do as we wanted. Sometimes, Xiao Tang would also let us steal a few duck eggs. Back then we were all in our teens; eating too many duck eggs could cause nocturnal emissions while sleeping. Several of us young people would get up secretly at night to wash our underwear. No one wanted to admit it, but we all understood what was going on. On average, we have to migrate once a week, covering distances ranging from a few kilometers to ten or twenty kilometers; in short, we have no fixed residence. At that time, Hainan Island had few inhabitants; sometimes one could walk for dozens of kilometers without encountering a single person. In those vast wilderness areas, there were only the four of us men. The heat on Hainan Island was unbearable, so we often walked around naked. As for urinating, we didn’t need to hide from anyone – we would simply pull down our pants and relieve ourselves wherever we wanted. It was truly a return to a very primitive way of life. After dinner in the evening, we lit a lantern in the tent and chatted while smoking water pipes. Chen Jintian and I both learned how to smoke water pipes from Lao Lu. At first, he provided the tobacco for free, as his monthly salary was 40 yuan, while ours as first-class farm workers was a little over 28 yuan; if we were lucky enough to be classified as second-class workers, our salary would be 32 yuan. So, in any case, Lao Lu was a wealthy man. But after we learned how to smoke, he stopped providing the tobacco and we had to buy it on our own. Back then, there were no cards; at night we would play chess at most, but none of us were very good at it, so we played it rarely. When they got tired from chatting, they would hang up their mosquito nets and lie down, looking at the moon and stars in the sky while listening to Deputy Company Commander Liu Xulun tell stories; he was a veteran of the Volunteer Army who fought in the Korean War, and he had many stories to share ； Or listen to Xiao Tang tell the story of how they went to suppress the rebels in the later stages of the Cultural Revolution; Xiao Tang too has used weapons in battle. The wilderness was open and empty; frogs and insects were chirping. In the sky, a bright moon moved through the clouds, with little stars following closely behind it, never straying far. As we talked, we fell asleep. We’re always very tired during the day, so we sleep well at night; we’ve never known what insomnia is. We also had conflicts with the local people on many occasions, some of which were quite serious. Once, during rainy weather, I couldn’t find any dry wood to use for cooking, so I went outside to look for it. I found two bundles of dry wood under some bushes and brought them back to use. After dinner, two people from the Li ethnic group arrived; they could speak Mandarin and it was obvious that they were former soldiers. They sternly questioned me as to why I had stolen their firewood I got a bit panicked and said I didn’t know it was yours; I thought it was something someone else had thrown away. If it’s yours, why did you leave it in the wild? They flew into a rage and shouted, “You bastard, you’re so unreasonable!” ”Raising his fist to strike, I quickly stepped back and said, \"Since it belongs to you, it’s my fault. I apologize to you; you can take the firewood back.\" ”Upon hearing this, they came over immediately, shook my hand and said, “It’s okay; we soldiers and the people are one family. Since you don’t have firewood, keep it for your use!” ”This 180-degree change of course left me a bit confused; actually, they just came to demand an explanation. The Li people value fairness – if you admit your mistake, they won’t hold it against you. Another time, it was caused by Lao Lu and Chen Jintian. It was the rice harvesting season at that time, and after harvesting, there would always be some grains left in the fields. It was perfect to drive the ducks in to eat those grains. However, there had to be water in the fields; otherwise, the ducks wouldn’t be able to eat. So the two of them went secretly in the middle of the night to create an opening through which water could be poured into the fields. Our farm is located in a mountainous area, with small terraced fields. When water was poured into the fields on the higher levels, some of it would seep into the fields below that hadn’t yet been harvested, preventing the farmers from harvesting those fields the next day and causing significant problems. Old Lu did this many times; it certainly saved the farm a lot of rice, and the ducks also laid more eggs. But the farmers suffered a great deal from it. This time, they decided they would no longer tolerate it. At that time we were stationed at the brick and tile factory on the road to Unit 5, near the pig farm. Not long after the two of them had committed their crime and gone back to lie down, before daybreak even, there was suddenly a lot of shouting and yelling outside; flashlights shone around, and a group of strong men broke in. Without any hesitation, they pulled us all up, cursed at us, and after finding out that Old Lu was the duck chef, they grabbed him and took him away by kicking and beating him. Chen Jintian was extremely anxious, but fortunately the pig farm was right nearby. He rushed back to call the regiment’s logistics department; the head of that department was a member of the People’s Liberation Army and also from Hainan. He went to the local village office in person to mediate and get the person back. By dawn, Lao Lu had returned, having only suffered some minor injuries, which relieved us greatly. I was anxious too, worried that Old Lu might get hurt, but Old Lu is originally a rural thug; I think it’s fine if he gets caught and given a lesson, so as to stop him from being so uncivilized. Although Lao Lu wasn’t the best, after all we were master and apprentices, he still taught us many techniques. For example, when raising ducks, we had to spend long periods of time with our feet in water in paddy fields and ditches, which caused the spaces between our toes to become infected. For a while everyone was very troubled and didn’t know what to do. When he arrived, he would pick some duckweed leaves, crush them, and apply them to the affected areas; by the next day the problem was gone. Such a miraculous remedy was hard to find, yet it could be obtained without any effort at all. It’s a pity there’s no bird’s-foot grass on the mainland; sometimes I even can’t become a miracle doctor. Old Lu also taught us how to count the ducks. By pointing a bamboo pole at them and taking advantage of their tendency to stay in groups, we could control the flow of ducks; they would move forward in groups of three or two, and we would then count them one by one. We did this every night to check if any ducks were missing It’s all under our control. Later, Chen Jintian didn’t even need a bamboo pole; he simply pointed with his finger, and the ducks obediently formed groups and moved off. It took only a few minutes to count all the over 1,000 ducks. Now that both Chen Jintian and I are retired, I often think that perhaps we should go back to the farm together and take care of a flock of ducks, so as not to stay at home doing nothing all the time. The staff in the duck farming team kept changing constantly, with people coming in and going out endlessly, but Chen Jintian remained there the whole time. I worked there for about a year before returning to the pig farm, where I was assigned to the production team; I lived in a large thatched hut that housed 8 people in total, including Li Binghui and a young person from Guangzhou named Hu, as well as Wang Helai, who had been part of the Old Eighth Route Army. Wang Helai is from Hebei; he is a veteran member of the Eighth Route Army, of pure lineage. He is 1.8 meters tall and physically strong. He said that when he was young he fought with other kids in the village, and no one could beat him. Once, a group of over a dozen people attacked him, but he managed to knock them all to the ground; “I ‘beat them to death,’” he said in the Hainan dialect. He told me that people can unleash great energy when they are in a hurry. He had taken part in the Huaihai Campaign, during which the defeated troops of the Kuomintang retreated like a tide, heading straight toward the headquarters of his unit. His security platoon was eating at the time; as soon as they received the alert, everyone dropped their bowls and ran outside. There was a wide trench there, and they jumped over it to reach their positions and set up machine guns to fire as a warning, forcing the defeated Kuomintang troops to turn back. Later, when they returned to eat, no one was able to jump over that trench again, so they had to climb over it. He used to be the company commander of the fourth company; he was dismissed for saying, “The Sixteen Articles are nonsense!” ”He was arrested as a current counter-revolutionary and locked up in the cowshed at the regimental headquarters. When I first arrived at Company 4, he was captured and subjected to criticism once; later, he was sent to work in a pig farm as part of his reformation. We were all in Production Team 1, and the team leader was the experienced worker Chen Caiming. We grow sweet potatoes, rice, and so on. Old Wang is also in charge of a field dedicated to growing watermelons. One day, a staff member from the military unit arrived; he was part of the People’s Liberation Army. He came to inspect the watermelons, only to find that they were all dead and that the vines had been torn apart by pigs. The soldier was very angry, so he called Old Wang over and asked him how the watermelons could have ended up in such a state Lao Wang was holding a hoe; he had just returned from the fields. Without even raising his head, he said impatiently, \"They’re all dead! They’re all dead!\" ”He picked up the hoe and left right away, ignoring them completely; the PLA soldier had no choice but to walk away in shame. At that time I thought he was pitiful, but there was nothing you could do about it – you’re just a People’s Liberation Army soldier, and you’ve provoked an old Eighth Route Army fighter. Don’t you want to know which side is stronger, the People’s Liberation Army or the Eighth Route Army? Although this is a stranded old Eighth Route soldier. One day at noon, when Lao Wang returned from work, he got wet in the head as soon as he opened the door. It turned out that there was a military water bottle hanging upside down on the bamboo door, with a thin rope tied to its lid; clearly, someone had tampered with it. Lao Wang was very angry, and he said out loud while sleeping at noon, \"There’s someone here who doesn’t do proper work but instead engages in schemes and plots to frame our comrades!\" ”He also said, “This is a form of hooliganism!” ”Wait, I had no idea what it meant; later someone told me that it was done by that guy surnamed Hu. Obviously, Old Wang also knew it was him who did it, but after all he used to be a leader; despite being angry, he didn’t use any vulgar language. Lao Wang got along well with me; we worked together during the day and chatted together at night. Sometimes we would play chess as well, with Company Commander Zou Decai, Administrative Officer Huang Weixing, and me among those who played. My chess skills weren’t very good, so I mostly watched others play. I liked watching Lao Wang play against Company Commander Zou the most. They would talk while playing chess, and when Lao Wang suddenly captured one of the commander’s pieces, the commander would widen his eyes and exclaim, “Ah, where’s my rook?” Is it gone? ”Deputy company commander Liu Xulun would sometimes come to watch the excitement. He was the ultimate authority in our duck squad, acting like an emperor, but he didn’t dare be rude in front of those two veteran revolutionaries; he spoke very carefully, as he was just a volunteer who went to Korea and was considered a junior member. I used to be responsible for clearing land in four consecutive shifts; I had plenty of strength, so working at the pig farm was a piece of cake for me. That’s why Team Leader Caiming liked me. Later, when a position as deputy team leader became available, it wasn’t given to me, and Caiming talked to me, seeming a bit apologetic. He said that the unit’s leadership thought I had a childlike temperament, which is why I wasn’t approved; that’s when I learned about this. It’s true to say I had a childlike temper; I was 19 at the time and indeed not mature enough, but I had more than just a childlike temper! I’ve always thought that my bosses are stupid; when they give serious speeches, I feel they’re hypocritical and often tell lies. I have trained my kicking skills since I was young; I can use the sole of my right foot to hit someone’s buttocks. There’s a loud \"thump\" sound when I do that, but the buttocks aren’t injured. Whenever the leader speaks, I want to kick them. To be honest, I even thought about kicking Squad Leader Cai Ming – how can someone like me be the deputy squad leader? Now he is apologizing to me, but actually there’s no need at all. I just think that a person’s buttocks are such a fragile part! If one’s foot is photographed, it will surely lead to a loss of reputation. And a person’s right sole is such an inauspicious thing! It can actually prevent a smart man from having any chance of obtaining an official position for the rest of his life – and that man is me! I’m now approaching seventy years old, yet still have such a mischievous attitude; haha, may God forgive me! Not long after, I was transferred to the pig section, where my task was to take care of two boars: one was a Shanghai White and the other was a Pank Black. They lived next to each other and often shouted insults at one another through the small openings in the partition wall. Once, they even pushed open the door and went outside to fight, ending up with both sides covered in wounds. They are fed high-quality feed, and they also eat duck eggs every day. There’s a basket of duck eggs under my bed; I got them from Chen Jintian and his group. Each of those two boars eats one duck egg per day, while I haven’t eaten any, so my standard of living is actually lower than that of the boars. Boars are truly happy animals! There’s no need to work, no need to fear being taken to the slaughterhouse, and countless wives available. It is said that a teacher gave a composition topic: “What animal would I like to become in my next life?” As a result, many boys said they would like to become boars. The leader of the pig team was Luo Baoliu; she was a youth sent to work in Guangzhou in 1966. Under her leadership, we were responsible for feeding over 300 pigs. She would work with us every day to harvest sweet potato vines, collect water hyacinths for use in fermenting feed, and take care of cleaning the pigsties. Of course, she was also in charge of feeding the pigs. We prepare the feed for the pigs twice a day, and then carry it in wooden buckets to the pigsty for them to eat. At night, she also has to give the nursing sows and piglets an extra meal of concentrated feed, and she does this work by herself; I sometimes help her out as well. In the quiet of the night, she walks along carrying a load of feed on her shoulder, looking very agile. There’s also a lantern hanging from the shoulder pole, which enhances the beauty of her figure, making it truly unforgettable. I learned pig farming from our team leader, Luo Baoliu. Now that we have all retired, I sometimes think we could definitely go back to the farm and take on the task of raising pigs there. I stayed in the pig farming unit for over a year, after which the unit transferred me to the kitchen to work as a cook. There I learned how to stir-fry food, cook meals, and chop firewood. I also went up the mountain several times with Xiao Tang to fetch firewood, and through that I learned how to drive an ox cart up the mountain to carry firewood. It’s a skillful task, as well as a dangerous one; most people don’t dare to learn it, nor can they master it. During that time, I began to think about my future; I borrowed some middle school textbooks and often didn’t go to bed until one or two in the morning. In 1973, I was finally admitted to Guangdong Petroleum School and left the farm. Xiaomin left the farm in 1979; this time she is returning after 40 years, while I have been here for 46 years. After leaving Xiaotangjia, we returned to the headquarters to have lunch. In the afternoon, we took a bus from Baoxian to Ledong and went to the intersection opposite Team 3; from there it was another 5 kilometers to where we could catch a bus from Ledong to Baoguo. From Baoguo, we took a long-distance bus to Sanya. When we got off the bus, a woman approached us, offering accommodation in her hotel. The five of us followed her; it turned out to be a private hotel run by employees of Hainan No. 6 Construction Company. The conditions there were fairly good and the management was proper; the cost was half that of staying in a hotel. After checking in, we went out for dinner. In the evening, we visited Phoenix Island in Sanya to enjoy the scenery by the sea. Day 5 (2019-03-15): In the morning, everyone took bus No. 16 to Nanshan for a visit, and on the way back they went to Tianya Haijiao. When I went to Nanshan, I saw a crowd of lowly people packed together, lining up in chaos to buy tickets, and then having to queue up again to enter the gate. The sun was extremely strong, and it was unbearably hot; I could take it no longer, so I said goodbye to them and went back to the hotel by car to rest alone. The four of them visited Nanshan and then Tianya Haijiao. In the evening they returned, had dinner together, and then explored Sanya’s Scenic Street. Day 6 (2019-03-16): Today is the day to go home. Fang Hong and I left first in the morning, while Xiao Min and the other two left after lunch. They all took the high-speed train from Sanya to Haikou, arriving there in just over an hour. They are going to Haikou Airport to take a flight back to Chaoshan, while Fang Hong and I are going to Haikou to catch a train back to Maoming. After arriving at Haikou Railway Station, Fang Hong and I saw that it was still early, so we took a bus to the city center, went to Haikou’s old arcade buildings to explore, took some photos, and ate Hainan-style noodle soup. Fang Hong saw some cooked corn, so she spent 5 yuan to buy one, saying she would eat it for dinner. But after getting on the bus, a beggar came over and asked, \"Can I have your corn?\" ”Under everyone’s gaze, Fang Hong had no choice but to say, “Then take it.” ”By that time, the train’s service for selling fast food had already ended, so Fang Hong returned to Maoming hungry. She got home after 1 a.m., and quickly cooked millet porridge to eat. The trip back to the farm is over. Goodbye, Hainan Island; goodbye, Baoxian Farm! I am approaching seventy years of age, and I am fortunate to be able to go back this time; thanks to the grace of God! I hope this isn’t the last time.