Crazy Stone

    I occasionally recall his frantic running figure, which is terrifying, so I often remember him and think of him, recalling many things about him.

    During his school days, Shi Tou was the object of everyone's ridicule. He spoke slowly and rambled on, taking a long time to finish a single sentence. When the teacher asked him a question, he would be interrupted by a burst of laughter before he could finish answering. Eventually, the teacher stopped calling on him.

    Stone studied for two years in first grade and two years in second grade before graduating.

    It was common knowledge that Shi Tou had graduated long ago. In the eyes of the villagers, Shi Tou was a good-for-nothing, and their conversations with him were inevitably tinged with teasing and mockery. Shi Tou was used to it and remained neither annoyed nor angry.

    Stone lived on a mountain, and fetching water was a daily necessity. The journey down and forth was a bumpy one, four or five miles each way. A single load of water took half a day. Resting along the way, Stone would take out his beloved radio to listen to songs and operas. When the mood struck him, he'd belt out a couple of lines: "The Imperial Aunt won't sleep with Old Bao, she thinks his thing is too dark. Wang Chao and Ma Han, bring a basin of water, wash Grandpa's black club!" People far away could hear him. "That bastard," they'd all laugh and curse, then let it go.

    Stone also loved listening to the news and would tell it to others. The more he told it, the more skilled he became, developing a repertoire of stories. In the mountains, cultural and entertainment options were scarce. During the off-season, people would often tease Stone by the wall or in the fields, saying, "Tell us a story, Stone." Stone would clear his throat and slowly begin to speak, his words flowing smoothly and deliberately. His speech was still slow, but everyone could hear the improvement in his speaking ability.

    Time passed, seasons changed, and year after year went by. Stone continued fetching water, cutting grass, and doing farm work, showing no signs of change. But his marriage troubled him for a while; rumors circulated that he had given his wife to his younger brother, adding fuel to the fire of gossip and ridicule. The rural dialect was crude, vulgar, and unpleasant, so I won't go into details. The gist was that he was called foolish and cowardly. After that, it was clear to everyone that Stone gradually became less talkative.

    Stone's mother gave birth to three sisters. Stone was the eldest, Genzhu was the second, and Guixi was the youngest. Stone and Genzhu had both passed marriageable age but were still unmarried. It was because Stone's family lived in the mountains, and no girl wanted to spend her life suffering in the mountains. Helpless, Stone's mother could only focus her efforts on Guixi.

    Women are like water; those from the mountains marry those from the valleys, and those from the valleys marry those from outside the mountains. Very few girls from outside the mountains marry into the mountains; almost none. This has created a marriage problem for young men in the mountains, leading to the development of two marriage models: exchange marriage and transfer marriage. The prerequisite is that the family must have a daughter. Exchange marriage involves two families sending their daughters to each other's homes as wives. Transfer marriage involves three or four families swapping partners, ensuring no one is at a disadvantage while maintaining mutual checks and balances. Families without daughters are left either bachelors or to marry outside the mountains. Fortunately, Stone has a sister, so it's understandable that Stone's mother would consider marrying Guixi.

    Stone's mother wanted to exchange Gui Xi for Stone's wife. The other woman lived on the ridge opposite Stone's house; they could hear each other shouting. Her name was Xiu Yun, and her family was slightly better off than Stone's. After they met, Xiu Yun proposed marrying Stone's younger brother, Gen Zhu, which put Stone's mother in a difficult position. However, Xiu Yun insisted, and Stone's mother had no choice but to compromise. Stone's mother had her own calculations: Stone was honest, while Xiu Yun was cunning; if Stone couldn't control Xiu Yun, wouldn't he be marrying someone else? Gen Zhu and Xiu Yun, on the other hand, seemed like a perfect match, and they wouldn't have to worry about them after marriage. The only problem was that Xiu Yun's brother was much older than Gui Xi, but Xiu Yun's family was well-off, so it was acceptable. On the night of Gen Zhu's wedding, someone heard Stone crying, and the story was quite detailed, so it probably wasn't untrue.

    The soil in the mountains is poor and lacks irrigation, so the harvest is entirely dependent on rainfall. However, rain is often scarce, resulting in many years of total crop failure. While they could manage to survive on meager rations, money was a major problem. If they suffered a serious illness or minor ailment, without money, they were left to die. The simplest solution was to go out and work. Yuzhou and Mixian had many coal mines. Large numbers of able-bodied young men from the mountains migrated north and south to mine coal; almost all of them went. Some even went beyond their home province, to Yunnan and Xinjiang.

    There's a saying in the countryside: "Soldiers who die are left unburied, while those who go down into the mine are buried but not dead." An old man in the village still sings a folk song from his youth: "White flour steamed buns fill a trench, whoever eats the steamed buns goes down into the mine." Coal mining has always been a dangerous industry, but also a good place to earn money and fill one's stomach through hard work. The men in the mountains had no choice; coal mining was a shortcut to wealth.

    Someone called Stone to go down into the kiln, but Stone's mother, fearing that Stone was honest but naive and prone to causing trouble, didn't let him go. Stone's mother never expected that even the clever and quick-witted Root Pillar would get into trouble; it was a sudden and unexpected misfortune, adding insult to injury.

    In an accident, Genzhu broke his back, resulting in paralysis of his lower limbs and a permanent disability. The mine offered a one-time compensation of 30,000 yuan and then did nothing more. Workers are worthless in the eyes of the mine owners; they're just tools. In the villages around this area, almost every village has had someone die in the coal mines, and almost every village has half a person severely disabled. Genzhu's paralysis at home was devastating for his family, but others weren't particularly surprised. It was commonplace, nothing out of the ordinary; only those who are burned truly understand the pain.

    The one who suffered the most was Xiuyun, who had to take care of a living dead man, feeding him, changing his diapers, and putting him to sleep. Heartbroken, Xiuyun went to her parents' home on the opposite mountain. Her sister-in-law, Guixi, said, "If you don't want to live with my brother, that's fine. I'll go back and take care of him." The implication was clear: if Xiuyun didn't want to live with her brother, neither would she. Seeing her brother's happy family, Xiuyun cried bitterly and returned to Genzhu's side.

    Genzhu couldn't do farm work; farming in the mountain gullies mostly involved climbing slopes and carrying loads on his shoulders. Xiuyun couldn't manage, so she often called on Shitou. As they rubbed and rubbed against each other, over time, Xiuyun inadvertently revealed something she shouldn't have, and Shitou developed inappropriate thoughts. Impulsiveness was inevitable and understandable. It's best to say less about the details.

    In the mountains, many families are like Shi Tou's. When the men are unable to work, the women find a "partner"—or, to put it more politely, "recruit a husband to support them"—as a way to retain a shred of dignity. These "partners," having no blood relation to the woman's family, are most prone to petty squabbles. Feeling cheated, they simply walk away empty-handed. These men are usually not well-off either; if they had children and wives, who would share a woman with someone else? The most reliable option is for the man's brothers to have single men. The advantage is that they are faithful to the children and know each other well; this is called "a perfect match." Shi Tou's family fits this description. The problem is, Xiu Yun doesn't like Shi Tou, so his efforts are futile. His mother, seeing Shi Tou causing such chaos, is helpless and cries, suggesting he go to his uncle's house to see what his uncle decides.

    On the way to his uncle's house, Shi Tou told everyone he met that it was only right for him to want Xiu Yun, citing many examples and reasons. Seeing Shi Tou's stunned face and intimidating eyes, everyone said, "It's only right." This strengthened Shi Tou's resolve.

    Shi Tou's uncle's house was at the foot of the mountain, a courtyard built against the slope. His uncle was a severely hunched old man; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his upper and lower body formed a ninety-degree angle. He had to look up at people, a comical sight that always attracted children's attention. His uncle spoke softly, but it always sounded almost hysterical. When Shi Tou entered the courtyard, he was startled: "Child, what's wrong—?" Shi Tou knelt down with a thud: "Uncle, you have to help me!" "Get up and tell me what happened." His uncle tried to pull Shi Tou up, but Shi Tou swayed him, causing him to stumble: "I'm asking you, should I have Xiu Yun?!"

    "What...what is this?!"

    "I've inquired at many families, and like mine, they all live with their sister-in-law and sister-in-law. I've never even been with a woman in my life." Shi Tou wanted to mention that Mu Gen from Xigou lived with his sister-in-law, and Liu Er from Nanping lived with his sister-in-law, but his words trailed off. Shi Tou realized he was losing control. He tried to suppress his emotions, but still couldn't bring himself to be amiable. He stood up and said, "I carry all the water at home, rain or shine, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. I harvest and plant the crops in the fields, carrying and lifting everything. I do all the dirty and hard work without complaint..."

    Shi Tou spoke eloquently, putting his uncle in a difficult position. His uncle knew perfectly well that Shi Tou wasn't up to the task, and Xiu Yun wouldn't approve of him. Forcing the issue would backfire; everything would fall apart, Gen Zhu would be doomed, and the family would be scattered. However, the farm work at home truly depended on Shi Tou. For a moment, his uncle couldn't find a suitable explanation, so he simply said, "Xiu Yun has it tough. For the sake of your two nephews, for the sake of your family line, please don't make things difficult for her."

    In Stone's eyes, his uncle had always been fair. But today, his uncle's utter foolishness enraged Stone, who felt there was nowhere in the world to reason with him. He roared, "I want a woman—" and shoved his uncle, storming out the door. His uncle landed on his back, thrashing about, yelling, "You little bastard, you've rebelled!" Stone was nowhere to be seen.

    Stone ran wildly, stumbling and falling, howling and cursing all the way, expressing his grievances and helplessness. His cries echoed in the mountain valley, and the mountains eventually fell silent, but what was truly moving was Stone's mother's heart-wrenching pain.

    I heard that Stone's mother passed away. A mother can't be with her son for his entire life. I don't know how Stone did afterward. The reason is that I rarely went back these past few years, and even if I did, I couldn't take care of him.

    Xiuyun's son should be grown up by now, and Xiuyun should be enjoying a life where hardship has finally given way to happiness. Shitou is just a passerby in her life.

    In reality, they and we are all just fleeting passersby in this world; only by living can we truly be alive.