Chapter 11 At He Shuheng’s farmhouse

Mao: “We walked until evening and finally found He Shuheng’s home.

The three of us were excited to see each other. He Shuheng was astonished by our way of traveling as beggars. We told him it was a practice to overcome difficulties. He laughed and called us two oddities. We happily drank, ate fruits, and went to bed around 2 a.m.”

Journalist: “He Shuheng said you guys are oddities, but he treats you so well!”

Mao: “The next day, after breakfast, Mr. He Senior took us to visit his farm. There were 10 pigs in a pigsty, which was the most valuable asset of the He family. Among them, there was a big fat pig, as big as a small cow. I asked how much it weighed, and Mr. He laughed and said, ‘This pig weighs around 320 catties. Once a pig grows to two years old, the meat doesn’t taste good anymore. This pig is only 11 months old. I will raise it until it weighs 400 catties.’ Mr. He also said, ‘These pigs are the wealth of our family. The expenses for oil, salt, tea, meat, and so on throughout the year come from them, and there is still surplus. It would be difficult to make a living without pigs.’”

Journalist: “It’s interesting to see a scholar operating a farm!”

Mao: “We walked from the pigsty to the vegetable garden, then saw a large, lush vegetable garden with not a single weed in sight. The garden was tidy and clean, which impressed us greatly. Mr. He said, ‘Weeds are like people with low character and evil intentions. They must be eradicated, as they pose great harm to the beautiful vegetables.’ Beardie He laughed sincerely and said, ‘How do you like my father’s classical Chinese? Not bad, right? Like father, like son!’”
Journalist: “So Mr. He’s father was also a Confucian scholar.”

Mao: “Finally, we visited the He family’s rice fields. The fields were irrigated, and the robust seedlings had emerged above the water surface. In another two months, the rice could be harvested. These rice crops could sustain their family for a year. They raised pigs, grew vegetables, cultivated the fields, and became self-sufficient. They also grew some sesame for linen purposes. They only needed to buy some cotton, and then everything would be sufficient.

Beardie He was the eldest son of the He family. He received a good education and was a high school teacher at that time. The He’s family was known as a ‘family of farming and learning.’ Both Xiao and I came from families of the same social class.”

Journalist: “Being from a family of farming and learning must be delightful!”

Mao: “The lunch that day was sumptuous. Freshly caught fish from the pond, a few chickens freshly slaughtered, and some cured meats were prepared. Fresh and delicious vegetables were just picked from the garden. There were over a dozen dishes in total, such a luxurious feast. We felt deeply sorry for causing too much trouble. We are now living a vagabond life.

Beardie He’s father said, ‘Both of you are scholars and good friends of Shuheng (Beardie He). You are honored guests in our home.’

Since the He family and father and son didn’t like us being called as vagabonds, we prudently refrained from mentioning it again. We then regarded ourselves as honored guests.”

Journalist: “So you went from being vagabonds to honored guests.”

Mao: “After thanking the host for the meal, we said we had to continue our journey. Mr. He was somewhat displeased and said, ‘You came all the way here to visit us, and now you want to leave after just one meal? I thought you would stay for at least a week. I have already butchered a pig and prepared plenty of dishes. Please stay a bit longer. This afternoon, I will take you to the mountain to see our forests.’

We felt guilty if we insisted on leaving, so we agreed to stay for an extra day. We secretly urged Beardie He to persuade his father not to insist on keeping us any longer.”

Journalist: “Mr. He really wanted you to see his forests. How interesting!”

Mao: “After having a tea, Mr. He took us to see his forests. The firewood for cooking was cut from here. Most of the trees were pine trees, and the mountainside was covered with bamboo. In spring, the tender bamboo shoots could be eaten, and mature bamboo could be used for various purposes. Looking down from the mountaintop, there was a vast plain stretching into the distance, with beautiful scenery. The four of us sat down, enjoying the view, with a refreshing breeze blowing. Mr. He shared the story of his struggle for a livelihood in his early years. Beardie He listened quietly, and when his father mentioned certain tragic events, he was moved to tears.”

Journalist: “Oh, so you also listened to Mr. He’s stories of struggle.”

Mao: “The next day, after breakfast, we expressed our gratitude to the He family and bid farewell to continue our journey. Beardie He accompanied us for a long way and insisted that we carry some money with us for unforeseen circumstances. We firmly refused, but Beardie He insisted, so we had no choice but to put it in our bundle.

After parting ways with Beardie He, we hurriedly set off. Along the way, we discussed the situation of the He family and how happy and stable they were. At that time in China, such rural families were everywhere. It was not like after I started the revolution, causing destruction and upheaval everywhere. By noon, we felt hungry and decided not to stop at roadside restaurants but to beg.”

Journalist: “You purposely went begging with money given by Mr. He, as a way to overcome difficulties and test yourselves.”

Mao: “We arrived at the entrance of a large courtyard, knocked on the gate, and asked the female owner for some food. Without saying a word, she turned back into the courtyard and after a while, gave each of us a small bowl of plain rice without any vegetables. We were very hungry and finished it quickly. We asked her for more, but she said, ‘Whenever beggars come, we give them this much as a rule. It’s best for you to go to another house and beg.’

We had already experienced that begging for food was completely different from ordering food in a restaurant. In a restaurant, you can have whatever you desire, but as beggars, we had to beg at several houses before getting a full meal.”

Journalist: “Oh, so begging at one house wouldn’t satisfy your hunger.”

Mao: “At the second house, we didn’t have much success. The homeowner said, ‘We don’t have ready-made food, but I can give you some uncooked rice.’ However, we couldn’t handle uncooked rice, so we continued begging.

At the third house, the homeowner was very generous. They gave each of us a large bowl of rice and some vegetables. Although the rice was coarse, we ate until we were full.”

Journalist: “So you begged at three houses and had a satisfying meal.

What was your next step?”

Mao: “We had a classmate living in Ningxiang County town, but we decided not to visit him. Because based on our experience at Beardie He’s house, if we continued to rely on such a strategy of evading the real challenges of life, the vagabond life would lose its meaning.”