My Father’s Prophecy

By Ma Wei

My Father’s Prophecy

By Ma Wei

My father didn’t receive a formal education, but his rich life experiences endowed him with an ability to foresee the future and guide me in coping with life. I used to smirk on hearing my father’s sayings, but the reality always proved his words to be true. I admire him from the bottom of my heart.

He had three sayings when he was alive.

The first was, “The land is always our lifeblood. One day, the city dwellers will ask for a piece of land just as the farmers do.”

He was just into his 60s when he said this and was helping me take care of my children then. Twenty years later, after he had already left us for a long time, his prophecy came true. Wealthy city people all came flocking to the rural areas to co-build houses or rent land for residential quarters, all valid for seventy years from time of sale. The whole countryside would have been sold away if there weren’t any rules prohibiting city dwellers from buying a farmer’s homestead.

A piece of land in the countryside provides the city dwellers with safe crops and vegetables. They can breathe fresh air or spend summer vacations there. Now the most beautiful houses in the rural areas are not built by farmers,but by people from the cities. The best vegetables, crops and orchards are not tended to by farmers, but instead by urban agricultural enterprises.

My father’s words were simple. Human beings are from the land and shall return to the land after death. When one becomes wealthy, the first thing they want to take is the land.

His second saying was: “Don’t buy too many houses,they will be taxed sooner or later.” He said that 15 years ago when commercial property was just on the rise.

“It is useless to have too many houses. Enough is enough. Otherwise, ghosts and specters will come to your empty houses.” My father said this when he saw that I had saved every penny to buy another home. Actually, I was just worring that my children would not have a house to live inwhen they were older.

However, his words became a reality. Oversized houses are heavily taxed. Paying tax for an empty house is not worth the candle. One room is enough for one person, why do we have so many houses?

His third prophecy stated that,“Money can buy a lot of things,but it also brings troubles.” I am the earliest group of college graduates from our little village,but I am the poorest monetarily.People sneered at me when I went back home not riding in a luxury vehicle. On the contrary, several vocational graduates have had glamorous vehicles and villas,frequently going abroad on trips.However, three of them were taken to prison during the anticorruption campaigns.

In fact, we were all from poor families. We studied hard to make livings in the city. It was not easy,but the greediness for several grand ruined their lives. What a pity! I am poor, but I can have a better life, earning extra money writing and lecturing in my leisure time. I enjoy a decent life even without luxury cars or villas. I can walk upright when going back to my hometown, without fear of villagers gossiping and mocking behind my parents’ back.

I remember my father’s words and practice them. That’s why I have such a clean and care-free life. ◆

(From Knowledge Window,April 2017.Translation:Li Li)

父親盡管沒有正經上過學，可是豐富的人生閱歷，讓他能預見未來，并常常教導我如何應對生活。很多次，我哂笑，但是，現實又驗證了父親的預言，我內心欽佩不已。

父親生前和我說過三句話。

第一句：“土地永遠是命根子，將來城里人會要求和農民一樣，擁有一份土地。”

說這話時，父親才六十出頭，到城里幫我帶孩子。二十年過去了，父親也作古了，可是他的預見真的實現了——現在有錢的城里人，紛紛到農村流轉農民的土地，或是合伙修房，租期七十年居住。要不是國家規定不許城里人買農民的宅基地，農村早被買空了。

城里人想有塊鄉村的土地，可以吃上放心糧、放心菜，可以呼吸新鮮空氣，或是避暑。現在，回農村，修得最好的房子不是農民的，而是城里人在鄉下建的別墅。種得最好的蔬菜和糧食、果園不是農民的，而是城里人搞的涉農企業。

父親的道理很樸實，人來自土地，最終要回歸土地，人有了錢，最終要占有的資源，首選是土地。

父親的第二句預言是：“千萬別多買房子，國家遲早要收稅。”那是十五年前，商品房潮流才剛剛襲來。父親說，房子么，夠住就行，多了無用。沒有人住，房子就沒有人氣，就會有狐仙鬼怪出沒。父親當時見我省吃儉用，打算再買一套房，我是擔心孩子長大成家沒有住的。 父親的話，現在就驗證了：超面積的房，要收稅。沒有住，花錢養房，實在得不償失。人么，不過七尺身軀，三尺寬，一間小屋就能躺下，何必有千屋百房呢？

父親的第三句預言是：“錢多有錢多的好處，但錢多了不出事才怪。”在村里，我是最早考出來的大學生，卻是最窮的。回老家，沒有豪車，被人睥睨。幾個后來只讀個中專的，個個有豪車別墅，出國就像走親戚。但反腐一來，進去了仨。

其實他們和我一樣，是農家學子，苦斗后在城里扎根，極不容易，可是幾十萬元就毀了他們的一生，實在可惜。我窮，業余時間寫稿，講課，日子也能小康。沒有豪車別墅，也過得體體面面。回家的路上，走得堂堂正正，昂首挺胸，父母在鄉村不受背后的話語譏諷。

父親的三句預言，我牢記并實踐，所以過得清白自在。◆

（摘自《知識窗》2017年第4期）

父親的預言

文/馬衛