Old Shoemaker Is Trying To Make Up For Family Loopholes.

Reporters feel the weather is suddenly cold this year, is in November 2nd in the county interview. At that time, the front door of the county central market was crowded, showing a hot scene. However, a few walking shoes in a deep lane were out of date.
One, two, three, the reporter counted the small hand stoves, and decided before the third stalls. This is the oldest shoe repair master. Maybe it's the age. He wrapped himself up most tightly.
"How many pieces of clothing are you wearing, sir?"
"You see, besides the 3 clothes in it, I also have two cotton padded clothes. It's not too cold now. I'll have another one in a few days. "
The old cobbler seemed to answer technical questions, telling reporters how he kept warm in winter and how to work. His hat was the locomotive of the 70s of the last century; his boots were covered with a plastic shoe cover and waited for 39 days, and then a extra large felt boots was put out. The outer most of the cotton padded clothes must be cut off, otherwise the sleeves would not survive.
However, a pair of hands that need work can not be parcels. They are busy at leisure and crack to the small hand stove.
The old cobbler, whose name is Zhang Tingwen, is not old at all. He is only 55 years old, and the 3 children are not yet married. But the white sideburns and beards, the calloused hands and the ragged cotton padded clothes exaggerated his real age.
Since 1989, Zhang began to dry shoes, and he was numb and numbed. 365 days a year, he has a holiday for himself except for the Spring Festival. People who often stroll around the market think that he always sew up a pair of shoes, but no one pays attention to it. He is trying to patch up a family's loophole.
After being demobilized in 1976, Zhang Tingwen did not want to go back to his hometown. After he got married, his wife could not bear poverty. He left his eldest son and ran away with his little son. A few years later, someone in his hometown sent a letter, and his wife died of illness, and asked him to go back and pick up his youngest son.
The size of 3 men can be imagined. In 1987, a widow with a girl went into their lives. The family was like a family, but the potential contradiction was revealed after several children grew up. These contradictions are not handled well, just like the loopholes in shoes -- "from childhood to childhood, to grow up five" (folk proverb).
In order to make the children go to school convenient, Zhang Tingwen and his second wife went to the county seat, and bought several cottages in the suburbs. The 3 children, originally from two families, must have a bowl of water. The eldest son can not afford to lose his youngest son when he goes to college; his son has received higher education, and he can not neglect his daughter, even if he has sent her to a vocational school with higher tuition fees.
The cost of supporting 3 college students is far from enough. Zhang Tingwen was an apprentice to a cobbler at the age of 36. The teacher taught him for a week and sold him tools such as ShoesHer machines to business.
With boiling water and rice, Zhang Tingwen was mending one pair of shoes. Needless to say, the scorching sun, sweaty and smelly shoes in summer, when the temperature is the lowest in winter, the temperature is below 40 degrees Celsius. Once, a few drunks came to his booth to find fault. When he was about to argue with them, he was beaten black and blue.
The eldest son finally graduated. He went far away to work. He had not helped a penny in his family for several years, and he stretched out his hand to his father from time to time. Not long ago, nearly thirty of the eldest son reported good news to his family. He said he had found an object, but he needed to send 30 thousand yuan to his family.
It was Zhang Tingwen's wish to find an object when his son was old enough, but he could not get it for 30 thousand yuan. The cottage can be sold for 30 thousand yuan at home, and the wife can not agree. First, borrow this part of the money and then work hard for several years to repay the debt. What about the sons and daughters of the university? He can patch up any broken shoes on the feet of farmers and herdsmen in the mountains, but this loophole can not be filled.
"You don't know the real situation of my family, you talk about marriage with my son. If he gives you a material promise that he is lying, you can consider leaving him. In response to his son, he asked his son to answer the phone.
Zhang Tingwen is also facing "loopholes" for his youngest son and daughter to attend school: his younger son is going to spend more money on graduate school than his ordinary technical school. Otherwise, their husband and wife will lead to "civil war", and the result will only make the "loopholes" bigger and bigger.
As for the children and daughters in the future to find jobs, talk about objects, buy houses and get married, are all Zhang Tingwen's "bottomless pit". He did not consider how he would provide for the elderly in the future. He only hoped that he would never stop and keep the shoe repair business going on.