The real name of "Runtu" is water. At that time, people believed in the theory of eight characters and five elements, and he was nicknamed "Ah Shui" because of the lack of water in the five elements. The Ashui family has lived on agriculture for generations. His father, Zhang Fuqing, used to be a bamboo weaving craftsman, but it was difficult to make a living by his craft, so he also took charge of farming and went to Lu Xun's house to help him on holidays. One year, after the death of Lu Xun's great-grandmother, the family was very busy. A Shui's father asked his son to come with him to help, which became an opportunity for young "leap soil" (that is, A Shui) to know Lu Xun.
Although there was a strong class concept in people's minds at that time, and Lu Xun's family was a famous local scholar-bureaucrat family, in the simple hearts of 15 A Shui and 13 Lu Xun, they didn't mind the so-called class gap, but became good friends at once. Ah Shui told Lu Xun about his life experience in the countryside, such as how to catch birds and fish and watch watermelons at night, which made the feelings of the two teenagers warm up rapidly. Later, when Ah Shui's father finished his work and was ready to go home, one of his two friends cried, and the other hid in the kitchen and refused to go out. Thankfully, the friendship between Ah Shui and Lu Xun lasted until his youth. Lu Xun went back to his hometown on holiday, and they also went out to play together.
Even though the friendship between Ah Shui and Lu Xun is very strong, it can't break the shackles of feudal society. Later, the two gradually reduced contact, and Ashui took on the heavy responsibility of supporting the family after his father died. Middle-aged Ah Shui is not as lively as when he was a teenager. Having tasted the hardships of life, he only cares about work all day and doesn't like to talk much. He is an honest plowman to the core. When Ah Shui was in his fifties, he suddenly developed a malignant sore on his back. This malignant sore repeatedly caused pus infection, which made him suffer a lot. But because there was no money for treatment at home, Ah Shui finally passed away in pain at the age of 57. Coincidentally, Mr. Lu Xun and his young playmate died in the same year.
In the past, "poverty" seemed to be an endless cycle. The ancestors of "Runtu" lived in misery, and his children were poor all their lives. "Runtu" has five children, the largest of whom is Zhang Qisheng, who also appeared in Mr. Lu Xun's article. When Lu Xun returned to his hometown, he saw that the child "Shui Sheng" was Zhang Qisheng. Zhang Qisheng, like his father and grandfather, has been busy living at the bottom of society all his life. At this time, the Zhang family never thought that they could get rid of poverty one day, but the times were constantly changing, and the Zhang family also ushered in its own turning point.
Time flies, Zhang Gui, the son of Zhang Qisheng and the grandson of Runtu, has also grown up. He was lucky enough to receive some free education and began to work there after the completion of Lu Xun Memorial Hall. After work, Zhang Gui plunged into the study of Lu Xun and related literary works, and then gradually moved from ordinary staff to the position of deputy curator. Zhang's life is completely upside down. The family is no longer a poor and ignorant farmer in the old society, but an intellectual in the new society, who made a fortune by working for Lu Xun.
The story of "Runtu" Zhang and his descendants is the epitome of China farmers entering a new society from the old society. There are countless farmers who suffer like Runtu, and they die tragically from poverty and ignorance. But after the founding of New China, the descendants of those farmers finally seized the opportunity to change their lives, broke away from "poverty" and "ignorance" and rewrote their own lives. This change is not only the effort of one generation, but also the result of continuous efforts of several generations. It is precisely because of the indomitable struggle of our ancestors that we have ushered in a beautiful new society and written a new chapter in our lives.