On April 16, Xing Haiming rode a motorcycle on a mountain road. Photo by Kang Wei
Xing Haiming, 55, is a power grid employee at the Nanying Service Station of the State Grid Lingshou County Power Supply Company. Mufuta Village, Nanying Town, Lingshou County, Hebei Province, which he serves, is located in the deep mountainous area of Taihang, with a maximum altitude difference of nearly 900 meters from the town center and about 8 kilometers away from the township center. Most of the people in the village are left-behind elderly. In his spare time, Xing Haiming will use his hand-woven baskets to help the elderly with reduced mobility to purchase daily necessities, medicines, etc., and carry their mountain goods to the bottom of the mountain to sell. These were all voluntary services, and he did it for 35 years.
In 35 years, Xing Haiming used 15 backpacks and rode two motorcycles and a diesel tricycle.
In 35 years, more than 12,700 days, ups and downs, climbing over hurdles, Xing Haiming trekked more than 200,000 kilometers in the mountains. He has also changed from youth to middle age, and his back is no longer straight, but he has never regretted paying silently.
Lingshou County, the mountains are reckless.
Mountains are connected to mountains, mountains lead mountains, and the geomorphological characteristics of the Taihang Mountains are concentrated here. Walking out of the mountains, there are many more bends than the legendary "eighteen bends of the mountain road".
In the early morning, facing the morning sun, on the rugged mountain road, Xing Haiming rode a motorcycle and carried a large back basket containing wild mushrooms and native eggs...... He was going to take it to the souvenir shop in the town down the hill to sell it.
In the evening, bathed in the sunset, Xing Haiming rode a motorcycle, and the big basket on his back contained the oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and daily medicines he had purchased in the town after work......
This "selling" and "buying" is not for himself, but for the left-behind old people in the mountains to "run errands". He is the volunteer "errand runner" of the villagers.
On February 2, 2024, Xing Haiming walked on the way to deliver goods after snow. Photo by Hu Guoqiu
One
When Xing Haiming returned home, it was already completely dark.
The mountains cast a thick black shadow in the starlight. A few lights were scattered among the cols, like fireflies. His wife, Zeng Chengfang, baked his favorite cakes, boiled millet porridge, and fried shredded potatoes. He has a large amount of rice, and he can usually eat two large bowls of rice, but today he only ate a corner of pancakes and a bowl of porridge, and then put down the bowl.
"I'm going to lie down." He said. He was so tired that he snored like thunder on the pillow.
Zeng Chengfang looked at him distressedly and silently cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks.
Today is the weekend, and the two of them were going to hoe the grass in their own field together, but the old man Xing Dequan came early in the morning and shouted: "Boy, are you resting today?" "Rest." "Will you take off the corn kernels for me?" "Why don't you get it, it's very wet, let's go." He put down the wooden barrel in his hand to feed the pigs, and followed Xing De away.
Zeng Chengfang has long been accustomed to it, others are afraid of hardship, but her husband takes the initiative to find hardship. At noon, he came back, hurriedly pulled a big bowl of dry noodles, and said while eating: "There is a lot of work today, and the corn of Uncle Dequan's more than ten acres of land has to be threshed, and I have to stack him in the door, for fear of rain." Zeng Chengfang said: "I will go to the grass in our field, you can do your thing." ”
At the door of Xing De's house, the corn thresher was "booming" and turning. 74-year-old Xing Dequan and his wife Bai Xini are holding the mouth of the bag. They are not in good health, and they are too old to do heavy work. The old couple has a son and a daughter, the daughter is married, and the son is the same age as Xing Haiming, but unfortunately he fell ill and lost his ability to work. More than a dozen acres of land are planted by the old couple, and if they can't do it, they call Xing Haiming to help them.
Xing Haiming held a large wooden shovel and fed the corn cob into the machine while filling the bag with the corn kernels that had been taken off. The bag is thick and large, and one bag can hold more than 150 catties. Don't look at Xing Haiming, who is more than 1.7 meters tall, but he is very powerful, and he can carry a bag of corn from the gate to the door hole and stack it up.
He worked until dark, and the bags were stacked neatly like a city wall. In the end, Xing Haiming's legs gradually became unbearable, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted on finishing it. He is also 55 years old, but he still feels very young.
Xing Haiming slept too soundly this night, and he didn't have a dream.
The night in the mountains is quiet and peaceful. The mountain, the simple mountain.
On April 16, Xing Haiming (right) and his colleagues conducted daily inspections of the power grid. Photo by Hebei Daily reporter Zhang Hao
Two
I came to visit Xing Haiming.
Standing in front of me, he was of medium build, perennial field work, and his skin had been tanned reddish-brown. The muscles on the hands, legs, and forehead bulged out, which was the result of years of heavy physical labor.
Xing Haiming is a member of the field team of the power supply station, and works with his colleagues to carry out line maintenance, meter installation, power connection, transformer commissioning, fault repair and other work. The work intensity is high and the danger is high, and he climbs among the mountains and mountains day by day, and has developed his agility.
I offered to visit the village where he lived, and to walk the mountain roads he had walked over the years. Zhang Lianjun, who was on a working shift with him at the power supply station, drove us off.
Before he set off, Xing Haiming's mobile phone rang. After answering the phone, he said that he would go to the grocery store first and buy a faucet. At the grocery store, the proprietress brought him two models, and Xing Haiming picked one and packed it in a green canvas bag.
"Does he come often?" I asked the hostess.
"Every day, he is obliged to bring things to the old people, and I will give him the lowest price." The proprietress said.
After shopping, we hit the road. What kind of mountain road is this, wide enough for a car to pass through, with a rocky wall on one side and a deep ravine on the other. People who do not have long-term driving experience in the mountains will never dare to drive here. I sat in the back seat, my hands gripping the armrests, my heart hanging in my throat. Seeing that one wheel had reached the edge of the cliff, I screamed "ah", and the driver moved back and forth, slammed the steering wheel again, and turned around. Just as my heart was about to let go, suddenly there was another sharp turn, and the two bends were less than 50 meters apart!
I looked at the bottomless cliff and my legs trembled.
Xing Haiming looked at me and smiled, comforting me: "Don't worry, Lao Zhang's car skills are good, and your safety is absolutely guaranteed." ”
"How far is this road?"
"There are 8 kilometers, the distance is not far, but there are too many bends, and we call it '72 turns' locally."
"Is this the way up and down the mountain?"
"Yes, in the early days, the road was a sheep's intestine path, with potholes and no guardrails on the sides. The road is much easier and safer now than it used to be. ”
Xing Haiming introduced me to the situation in the village. Mufta Village, Nanying Township, is a village in the deepest part of the mountainous area of Lingshou County, a mountain road connects 9 natural villages such as Stone Clamp, Shangshui Spring Creek, Xiashui Spring Creek, Hades' Nose, and Reed Pagoda, just like 9 small melons hanging on a tortuous old vine. There are 380 people in 138 households in the village, and all young people have gone out to work, and 52 people over the age of 60 have stayed in the village. There are no kiosks, supermarkets, clinics, or pharmacies in the village, and it is difficult for the elderly to walk down the mountain to the nearest town, let alone the county seat 75 kilometers away.
Xing Haiming became a volunteer "errand runner" for the villagers. People from 9 natural villages, no matter who they are, just a phone call, Xing Haiming guarantees delivery to their homes. He lives in the main village of Mu Pagoda Village, and the top natural village, Reed Pagoda, is 4 kilometers away from his home. Where motorcycles couldn't pass, he walked up on foot with his things on his back and delivered them door to door.
"Riding a motorcycle on a mountain road like this is dangerous just to think about." I said without concern.
Xing Haiming talked about one thing. It was the winter of 2016, and heavy snow covered the roads and the wheels of the motorcycles were slippery. His basket was full of things he carried for the villagers. He rode cautiously, and when he turned the corner, the shaking of a barrel of soybean oil made the basket unbalanced, and he freed one hand to straighten it, but the car fell diagonally, and if it were not for the guardrail, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The wheels were spinning in the snow, the basket was pressed against the body, and the items were scattered all over the ground. I don't know how long it took, he struggled to get up, and his arms and legs could still move, but he had severe pain in his chest and back. He put the scattered items into the basket one by one, and there were a lot of things, but fortunately the bucket of soybean oil was not broken. He put the basket on his back, lifted the motorcycle with all his might, and did not dare to ride it anymore, so he pushed the cart and walked with difficulty.
By the time I got home, it was already dark. Afraid that his family would be worried, he didn't mention his fall, put down the motorcycle and didn't even enter the house, so he sent items to the villagers. When he got home, he collapsed on the bed and couldn't get up. The 80-year-old father and mother were so distressed that they burst into tears, and Zeng Chengfang persuaded him to go to the hospital immediately. He said lightly: "It's fine. ”
The next day, he showed up at the unit on time. The leaders noticed his abnormality and rushed him to a nearby health center. At that time, there was no major problem, and he took some medicine for bruises. After taking the medicine for more than 20 days, the pain was reduced, and he didn't take it seriously. It wasn't until a few months later that a physical examination was organized by the unit, and a CT scan was taken to find that he had a fractured rib on his left side.
The doctor exclaimed: "How did you endure such a long period of severe pain?" ”
I would like to express my admiration to Xing Haiming. He said: "It's not a problem, as long as I can do it, I have to do the affairs of the villagers." ”
Simple words, simple people.
On February 2, Xing Haiming sent medicine to Aunt Wang Yunmei. Photo by Hu Guoqiu
Three
Bumpy all the way, talking all the way. I don't know how long later, an open field appeared in front of me, and the car stopped.
There was a big locust tree on the side of the road, and five or six old people were enjoying the shade under the tree. The old people looked at me strangely. An old man asked Xing Haiming: "Boy, who is this?" ”
Xing Haiming replied: "This is Writer Yang, who came here for an interview." ”
An old woman stood up, trembled and walked up to me, compared with her hand, and said, "Girl, you have to write about him well, we have all relied on him all these years, he is a good person!" ”
"Grandma, what has he done for you?" I asked.
The old people all gathered around me and said to me:
"He helped us with too many things, he bought everything, and never paid a penny for errands."
He also helped with the work in the fields. No need to call, he took the initiative. ”
"The walnuts on the trees, the mushrooms and Chinese medicinal herbs picked on the ground, the eggs laid by the chickens raised at home, and the pigs fed ...... Sometimes he would go up the mountain to collect it from his contacts, and sometimes he would take it to the souvenir shop in the town to sell it, in exchange for a lot of money for us. ”
Speaking of emotion, the old people's eyes flashed with tears.
In the village, we came to the house of the old man Xing Zhengyue. It is a three-room courtyard with a clean cement floor. Xing Zhengyue's sons and daughters are all in Shijiazhuang. It was he who called Xing Haiming to help buy a faucet before.
"Uncle Zhengyue, the faucet has been bought, I'll install it for you." Xing Haiming shouted. Xing Zhengyue and his wife hurriedly came out of the house.
Xing Haiming took out pliers and wrenches from the canvas bag and skillfully unscrewed the old faucet. The water suddenly squirted out, and Xing Haiming's body was completely wet. He clutched the hose with one hand, put the new faucet on with the other, and tightened it with a wrench.
The water stopped spraying, but the crevices were still bubbling. "The leather cushion doesn't fit, I'll change it in the afternoon." Xing Haiming quickly unscrewed the new faucet, put the old one back on, and wrapped it in a plastic bag.
"You see, the big and small jobs in this family are inseparable from him, and he treats us closer than relatives." Xing Zhengyue's wife, Zhang Laini, warmly grabbed my hand and said.
"Heming, this kid is so wow!" Xing Zhengyue pointed to the yard and told me, "The sand and cement used in the yard are all transported by him in a tricycle, and the loading and unloading are all his own." You see that my yard is so smooth, it's all his credit. Who in the village hasn't used his car over the years? Everyone thanked him and shouted that he didn't eat a meal, he was too benevolent. ”
Xing Haiming smiled innocently: "Isn't this what should be done." ”
Coming out of Xing Zhengyue's house, we went to Xing Xian's house in Wubao. Xing was 72 years old, had no children and no daughters, and his home was on a hillside. He has high blood pressure and heart disease, and when he feels unwell, he calls Xing Haiming. All these years, Xing Haiming sent him to the town or county hospital.
"I set my phone number to one-touch dialing, and I can receive it as long as he presses it. I usually come to his house to have a look, and when I see that the medicine is almost gone, I buy it in advance, as well as daily necessities. Xing Haiming said.
We walked into the house and talked to the old man Xing Xian.
"I wouldn't be alive without Heming, and my life was called back from Lord Yama. There are four or five acres of land at home, all of which are cultivated, planted, and harvested by Haiming, and Haiming is like a son, who has taken everything into consideration for me. Xing hurriedly spoke slowly, his tone full of gratitude.
A little flower cat snuggled up to Xing's busy lap and "meowed". The old man said that this was also sent by Xing Haiming, for fear that he would be lonely and relieve his boredom. He also has four or five chickens in his small yard. The rooster cries and the cat crows, and it is very lively.
When saying goodbye, Xing hurriedly insisted on getting up to see us off, standing at the door of the house, watching us walk out of the small courtyard. I couldn't help but look back at him again, he was leaning over, but there was relief in his eyes, and he slowly waved to me and Xing Haiming.
Four
On the way back, the driver Zhang Lianjun and Xing Haiming chatted about last night's night patrol.
Over the years, they often drove their work trucks to night patrols. At night, it is easier to find ignition and heating problems in lines, substations, etc., which is their routine work. Usually, the night patrol is once a month, and the number of night patrols should be increased according to the situation during peak electricity consumption and extreme weather.
Xing Haiming and they are responsible for the 10,000-volt 654 Manshan line, 644 Nanying line, and 651 Wuyuezhai line. The total length of the three lines is more than 60 kilometers, and there are more than 1,100 electric poles, each of which collects different images and data information from different angles and directions. It will take at least five or six nights to complete the tour of all three routes.
As soon as it got dark, they drove off. Most of the poles are halfway up the mountain, and where the car can't go up, they bring thermal imaging thermometers and other tools to climb up. Walking in the dark on mountain roads has long been accustomed to them. Poor contact, loose screws, running electricity leakage, no abnormality can escape their eyes. Record, shoot, upload, and solve the problem in the shortest time.
The mountains are different from the plains, sometimes the two poles seem to be more than 50 meters apart, but in fact they are separated from the two mountains, and they often have to go over the mountains to reach them. In the dark mountains, they climbed, and the light of the flashlights reflected their figures. The rugged mountain road tested their strength and physical strength, and they worked until late at night, and showed up at the unit on time the next morning.
In the weather, wind, rain, thunder and lightning, others are running home, and they are running into the wild. Wherever there is danger, be the first to run. Wind and rain, determined will. Xing Haiming once had the experience of fighting at the repair site for three days and three nights.
His work has been recognized by the masses. In the past 35 years, he has never had a single dispute with the masses, and he has not been complained about once.
The things at work and the things of the villagers are all in Xing Haiming's heart. Sometimes he was afraid of being busy and forgetting, so he wrote down what he wanted to do in a small notebook and carried it with him. I opened the palm-sized notebook, page by page, strip by strip, slightly scribbled handwriting recorded the extraordinary daily life of an ordinary person.
Thousands of lights, one heart and one mind.
In front of my eyes, there are mountain cliffs, quiet villages, small courtyards, simple villagers, and a different kind of bright lamp. This lamp shines and warms the simple and rich mountains, gathers more light, and merges into an ocean of love and light. (Yang Huisu)