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The dignity of an old bull

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By SondJamPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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The old bull died. This old yellow cow is called "No. Riva". Each cow in the production team has a name, such as: flat horns, bull commander, white eyes, and so on. The most powerful and well-behaved cow in the herd, so we all called it the No. Liwa. It has the most service, when plowing, the community members are scrambling to grab the No. Riva, it is the biggest contribution to the production team. One day, it suddenly limped a little on its front legs, limping, as if afraid to step on the air. The team's breeder asked the veterinarian at the commune's veterinary station to take a look at it, gave it a shot, and filled it with a dose of Chinese medicine. The veterinarian said that the leg of the No. Riva may have been injured, rest for two days to get better. However, two days later, No. Riva died.

In 1979, I became the village veterinarian. After going to the veterinary station to learn and to the experience of cattle and sheep treatment, I judged that the veterinarian who gave No. Riva treatment that year was a quack. No. Riva is likely to eat the short wire mixed with wheat grass, the wire through the stomach straight to the pericardium and died.

No. Riva died, according to the customary, peeled the skin, the beef cooked, distributed to each family by head. And cowhide will be invited to the tanner in the flooded pond (pond) softened, and then cut into strips, synthetic cowhide rope, distributed to the community members to use. In those days, we youngsters were looking forward to the production team's dead cows, and when they died, they could eat beef. We can only eat a little bit of pork during the New Year in a year. When a cow finally died in the production team, we were secretly happy to have beef to eat. The production leader had already sent two members of the community to skin the cow, and the person who cooked the beef was also sent. However, at this time, we eat beef saliva before the flow of a person blocked back. This person is the production team of the old poor association (poor peasant association) chairman, my third uncle Zhao Youfu. The third uncle righteously said to the production captain: the number of children can not be skinned and eat meat, buried it. The production leader heard, eyes wide: Why can not eat? Third uncle only one sentence: not for what, buried it. People in the production team know that the head of the number of children is three when the production leader bought back from the market. One summer, Uncle Sam set on the plow and yelled the number of children to go to the slope to plow the stubble, in the furrow back to the plow, Uncle Sam stepped on the edge of the furrow just after the rain, fell down, but Uncle Sam clutched the plow handle and did not let go, he called out the number of children. He called out to No. Riva and the other cow on the plow pulled forward and Uncle San was pulled up. Otherwise, Uncle Sam fell into the deep ditch, I'm afraid it's been two three years. The village people know that Uncle San has feelings for the number of children, but the village people feel that since there is a production team, all the dead cattle, are skinned and eaten, the fate of cattle is this: to make service, die of old age or disease, skinned and eaten. How did the No. 1 child become an exception? Once the village people heard that Uncle Sam did not tell them to skin and eat beef, are very angry, especially we young people yelling, in the background scold Uncle Sam meddling. The production captain advised Uncle Sam to give up his idea and not to offend the whole team. Uncle Sam calmly said, to skin the number of children, first skinned his skin. The production captain said, how can it be? Third uncle said, the number of children for us to work all their lives, we have to have a conscience, it has eaten how much effort, we all know, we call it muddy full into the earth. The production captain laughed: Third uncle, people are people, cattle are cattle, cattle are born to be used, is dead to be eaten by people. Third uncle said: cattle and people are the same, they understand human nature. They also have a face. People are poor, but also to wrap a mat before they die and buried. The production captain took a look, he could not persuade Uncle Sam, and could not come to the hard, Uncle Sam in our third production team not only high reputation, in the whole production team is also known. The production captain had no choice but to let go. Although the members of the community are complaining about Uncle Sam, there is nothing that can be done. Some young people say that Uncle Sam treats the old cow as an ancestor, and when he dies, he calls it a dignified death. However, no one can argue with Uncle Sam.

That afternoon, Uncle Sam called on his two sons, the number of children on the cart, pulled to the production team buried in the cemetery. They gave the dug pit first laid a layer of straw, the number of children pushed down, set smooth, and then covered the cow with a layer of straw, before filling in the yellow soil.

At the end of the night, two young men from the production team went to the graveyard with shovels, knives and bamboo cages, wanting to unload a cow's leg and cook it for dinner. They had just found the place where the cow was buried, and before they could move their weapons, they heard Uncle San, who was hiding on the earth bank, shout: Who? Who is it? The two young men ran away as soon as they heard it. Uncle Sam spent three nights on the elevation, no one dared to steal the cattle. Uncle Sam saved the carcass of a cow, in contemporary terms, this cow called No. Riva, is the most dignified one among the cattle in our production team died. This dignity was won by Uncle Sam with his kindness and integrity.

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SondJam

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