The old ox pulling the waterwheel

It was twenty years ago when I settled in a Dai village in Xishuangbanna called Manguang. Once, I drunkenly beat the village chief's brother-in-law, and as a result, was sent down to the logging plant to work as a cook.

The so-called logging plant is a few thatched houses located on a hill, where about 20 men live, about a dozen kilometers away from the village, the conditions are much more difficult than in the village, no electricity, no roads, lighting with horse lamps. The most inconvenient thing is that there is no water source at the top of the hill, so they have to go down to the bottom of the turnip ditch to pull the spring water up the hill. A red clay road goes around the mountain three times, one end is connected to the spring in the turnip ditch, and the other end is connected to the concrete pool at the logging plant, the total length of the journey is about two miles.

The water is pulled by an ox cart, and the one pulling the cart is, of course, an ox.

This is the head of an old yellow cow, according to Ai factory manager said, he formed twelve years ago when the logging plant that cow is here to pull the water truck.

When I went, this cow has been old and ugly, the former towering shoulder peak has drooped, the former gold satin shiny hair has been dull, the former full tendons have shrunken out of shape, the former forehead that bright moon like the white spot has become burnt yellow. Don't look at it as old and ugly, pulling up the waterwheel but skillful, not at all ambiguous. It never runs wild like a horse, and I don't have to drive it with a whip or tug on the reins to drive it. It knows its direction and will pick a flat road without potholes to walk, a bucket of spring water from the bottom of the turnip to the top of the mountain, rarely splashing wasteful splash.

Every morning, just as the sun was coming out of the mountain peaks, it came out of the cattle pen and walked to the door of the water wagon, I put on the yoke for it, and it pulled the water wagon, which had been converted from an ordinary wheelbarrow, step by step down to the bottom of the turnip, and walked to the spring. The workers had connected a bamboo trough to the gushing spring. The old bull pulled the cart to the spring, turned his head left, threw his tail right, and then took a step back, just in time to align the flared mouth of the bucket with the flow of water, clatter, clatter, the spring sang a beautiful morning song, filling the bucket. After it was filled with water, it pulled the cart up the red dirt road to the logging plant, step by step. Just in time, the workers finished their morning exercises and used the water it pulled to wash their faces and rinse their mouths. In the evening, at sunset, it repeats the morning work.

I gave it a nickname: the automatic water delivery truck.

Two months went by in a flash. That evening, as usual, I was preparing to give the old ox a yoke to pull water from the bottom of the turnip. I dug up a spoonful of bran for him at noon today, and he ate only a few bites before he stopped eating. I see, it is like a candle, almost burned out. Don't let it pull the cart anymore, you work harder, use a bucket to go to the turnip ditch to pick water. In a couple of days, buy a bullock and come back."

I muttered in my heart, logging plant 20 people, rely on me with two buckets to pick water to use, at least seven or eight turns a day to pick enough, two miles per turn, not to me tired of lying down only strange. It's true that when the officer moves his mouth, the soldier breaks his legs. This old cow reducing the amount of food is the big deal, maybe it stole behind people's backs to eat something good! Although I was extremely dissatisfied with the factory manager's orders, but I did not dare to disobey, so I grimly unhooked the old cow and punched it on the buttocks: "useless thing, go, go enjoy the happiness."

A strange thing happened, as if the old cow understood my words, turned its head to look at me, protesting like a snort at me, standing still. Ai factory manager lifted the bull nose rope, trying to pull it away, it also twisted the bull neck not to buy. Two workers came over, hands to push the water truck to the side, the old cow suddenly leaped up, shaking the two sharp horns on the head, seems to fight with them, scared the two workers threw down the water truck and dodged. The old bull turned his head to look at the water truck. The body slowly backward, the cow's buttocks into the two rods between, and then mooing at me. The old cow's action could not be more obvious, is to ask me to re-apply the yoke to it.

I had found the perfect excuse to get out of water service. I smilingly said to the factory manager, "Look, he doesn't care about your care, he wants to keep on pulling the cart. You can't deprive it of its right to work, can you?"

Although the factory director has a factory director title, after all, is a mud-legged peasant, their eloquence is naturally not as good as mine, scratching his scalp, did not say anything, and walked away.

I joyfully reapplied the yoke to the old ox.

The old cow dragged the waterwheel and squeaked down the hill along the red dirt road.

I played in the playground with a basketball in my arms. About half an hour later, when it was almost dark, I suddenly heard the factory manager, who was digging a bird's nest in a big green tree, shouting, "No, the water truck is going to turn over!"

All the logging plant people ran to the playground to see, only to see the old cow dragging the water wagon climbing the last few meters of the slope, it stumbled step by step, the body is crooked, about to fall down the way. The wheels had stopped turning and seemed to be sliding down the slope. We ran towards the water truck at a speed of 100 meters, but it was 50 or 60 meters from the playground to the red dirt road, so it seemed that we couldn't run there fast enough to help the old cow before the truck flipped over.

The water truck squeaked and slid down the slope for several meters, seeing a tragedy inevitably overturned cattle. Suddenly, a miracle happened, only to see the old cow moo low roar, hooked head, limbs, the whole body like to kneel on the ground, the water truck not only stopped sliding down but also to the slope to drive. One meter ...... two meters ...... three meters ...... Finally, the water truck was pulled up to the top of the slope and stopped at the side of the flat pool. At this time, we also rushed to the water truck, Ai factory director anxiously said: "Quick, give the old cow loose set!"

However, it was too late, only to see the old cow's mouth gurgling and spitting out a large ball of white foam, limbs bent, kneeling on the ground, the large head of the cow crooked on the ground, the two abrupt bulls eyes also slowly closed up.

The old cow died, it died in his job.

"If not pulling this car, it can still live a few more days." Ai factory manager said.

My face was on fire, and I felt the reproachful glances shot at me.

In those days, life was hard, the food was very poor, but no one offered to slaughter the old cow that had died for meat. We dug a grave by the big green tree and buried the old cow.

Twenty years later, I still often see the old cow in my dreams and see it struggling to pull the cart at the end of its life. I feel that I can learn many, many things from the team.