When I was in middle school, I studied a text called "Best Wishes", and the protagonist Xiang Lin's wife left a deep impression on me.
One scene is when Xiang Lin's wife's son was taken away by a wolf, she felt guilty and almost went crazy. She muttered to herself when she met people: "I'm so stupid, really, I only knew that in snowy weather, wild animals in the mountains have no food to eat and would come to the village; I didn't know that it could happen in spring too..."
Faced with Xiang Lin's wife's tragic fate, the people around her did not comfort her, but instead mocked and ridiculed her.
Whenever she saw a two or three-year-old child, she would say:
"Ah, if our Ah Mao were still here, he would be this big too..."
The child would be surprised by her gaze and would pull their mother's clothes, urging her to leave. So, only she was left alone, and finally, even those who didn't find it interesting left. Later, everyone knew about her temperament, so whenever there were children around, they would first ask her with a half-smile:
"Xiang Lin's wife, if your Ah Mao were still here, wouldn't he be this big too?"
She might not know that her sorrow had been chewed and appreciated by everyone for many days, and had already become worthless, only worthy of annoyance and contempt. But from the shadows of people's laughter, it seemed that it was cold and sharp, and she felt that she no longer had the need to speak. She just glanced at them and didn't answer a word.
Another memorable scene is when she returned to the Fourth Uncle's house to work as a servant again. Because her husband and son had died, she was considered an unlucky person and was not allowed to participate in sacred events such as ceremonies.
The most important event in the Fourth Uncle's house was the ceremony, and Xiang Lin's wife used to be the busiest during the ceremony. But this time, she was free. The table was placed in the center of the hall, and she still remembered to distribute the wine cups and chopsticks as usual.
"Xiang Lin's wife, you can leave it! I'll do it," the Fourth Aunt hurriedly said.
She awkwardly withdrew her hand and went to get the candlestick.
"Xiang Lin's wife, you can leave it! I'll take it," the Fourth Aunt hurriedly said again.
She turned a few circles and finally had nothing to do, so she walked away in confusion. The only thing she could do on this day was to sit by the stove and make a fire.
Xiang Lin's wife "awkwardly withdrew her hand", that kind of evasive and innocent look was a natural reaction that had been made due to being despised for a long time. This reminds me of encountering some elderly people who behave like this because they are despised by their unfilial children, and it is heartbreaking to see.
Finally, Xiang Lin's wife passed away in the dark night of Lu Town filled with firecracker sounds, amidst a chorus of blessings that had nothing to do with her.
No one knows where Xiang Lin's wife came from, and no one knew when she passed away, just like the indifference of people when she was alive, when she was kidnapped and trafficked. No one cared where she came from or where she was going, and no one cared about her tragic experiences.
Now it is the third day of the Lunar New Year, and the whole country is filled with the joyous atmosphere of the New Year. In a distant Feng County in Xuzhou, a woman chained by iron is tremblingly eating cold rice.
Her identity is unknown, her face is pale yellow, and her eyes are dull and sensitive...
The woman chained by iron and Xiang Lin's wife have too many similarities, which makes me unable to help but think, does she also have a tragic past, and what kind of future will she have?
What is the difference between the world a hundred years ago and a hundred years later?