Zhang Meikui from Hongguang Village, Hong'an Town, Longquan has lived under a large rock on the mountain for a long time, making a living by digging yam

Before going home, Zhang Meikui washes his feet in the pool next to him

In Group 1 of Hongguang Village, Hong'an Town, Longquan, an old two-story brick house is Zhang Meikui's home. But he rarely lives there, especially in the past two years, he has hardly ever gone back, but lives under a cave in the mountains near Hongguang Village. He is 43 years old this year and said that he left home at the age of 18 and lived under a cave for the next 25 years. Why didn't he go home to live? He said that he couldn't get along with his family and was driven away by his father.

But according to his father and the people of the village committee, although Zhang Meikui lived in the mountains, he often went home to live for a period of time, but he didn't go home at all in the past two years.

Self-narration

Live in the mountains for 25 years

Make a living by digging yam

In Hongguang Village, if you ask "Zhang Meikui" directly, perhaps not many people will know, but if you mention "Long Hair", many villagers will tell some stories about him. He is used to going barefoot, carrying a shabby backpack on his back, and a bunch of long hair on his half-bald head, tied into a tuft with a rubber band. The name "Long Hair" comes from this.

Yesterday, the reporter met him in Hongguang Village. He is not tall, thin, with a slightly hunched back, barefoot, a backpack filled with a large bag of peanuts he just bought from Luodai, and a small hoe in his hand. When he speaks, his voice is sometimes loud and sometimes soft, and his pronunciation is not very clear.

"I heard that you have been living in the mountains?" "Yes, over there." Zhang Meikui raised his head and pointed his right hand into the distance.

"These years, I have been living by catching eels and digging yams for others." Zhang Meikui said that he gets up at four or five in the morning to look for them, and then takes them to the market in Luodai Town to sell them. He uses the money to buy some peanuts or fruits to bring to the mountains as food, and drinks spring water in the mountains when he is thirsty.

As for why he left home, Zhang Meikui said that he did not get along with his family and was driven away by his father. "He disliked me for eating too much, and he would beat me and tell me to leave as soon as I got home."

Zhang Meikui would pass by a brick factory when going up and down the mountain. According to Mr. Lin, a worker at the brick factory, Zhang Meikui did live in the mountains. "We have known about him for seven or eight years. We dug some yams to sell. When it was cold in winter, we also gave him clothes and a lot of instant noodles."

Exploration

Put up a tarpaulin under the cave

5 kilometers away from the village

Yesterday afternoon, the reporter followed Zhang Meikui to his "home" under the cave. After leaving Hongguang Village, drive about 4 kilometers to a brick factory, and then hike up the mountain. After passing through several woods, it is about 1 kilometer to the cave where he lives. The upper part of the cave is a huge rock. Because it just rained, water drips from the edge of the rock from time to time. The concave hole below is full of debris, and above the debris are sheets and old clothes with various patterns, and the outermost is surrounded by colorful plastic cloth. "These are all picked up from outside." Zhang Meikui said, "When I go to bed at night, I lift the tarpaulin, lie on it, and find some old clothes to cover myself."

There is also a path on one side of the tarpaulin, which is completely covered with a layer of waste cloth. At one end of the path is a pool. Zhang Meikui said that he usually scoops water from the pool.

Zhang Meikui said that after leaving home, he found this cave while looking for mushrooms in the mountains, and then lived here.

Family members

repeatedly asked him to return home but were refused

He has not returned at all in the past two years

"He did leave when he was 18 years old. He often returned home to live for a period of time in the past few years, but he has not returned at all in the past two years." Yesterday afternoon, his father Zhang Tingyu told reporters. As for the reason for leaving home, Zhang Tingyu said that it was not because his son said that he ate too much and would beat him when he returned home, "but because he was not clear-headed and said that he had a headache when he was at home." This may be related to an illness his son had when he was in his teens. "At that time, he was sick with a high fever and was treated in the hospital for more than ten days. It was ineffective, so he was carried back from the hospital." After that, Zhang Tingyu found that some of his son's behaviors were abnormal. "When he was in a good mood, nothing happened, but when he was in a bad mood, he spoke strangely and his behavior was not quite right."

Zhang Tingyu said that his son finally left home and did not return at all because of a family dispute two years ago. At that time, his sister-in-law beat the child while educating him, but Zhang Meikui thought that his niece "was a member of the Zhang family, and you had no right to beat her", so the two sides fought during the quarrel. During the quarrel, his brother shouted at him: "It has nothing to do with you, get up!" After that, Zhang Meikui left home and lived in the mountains, and never came back.

"We have looked for him countless times over the years and called him to come back, but he didn't want to." Zhang Meikui's mother said that in the past two years alone, the family went to the mountains at least 20 times to beg him to come home, but Zhang Meikui was unmoved.

"Another reason why he didn't go home was that his younger brother built a new house, and he thought it was built with his money, and insisted that the house should belong to him, but the money for building the house was saved by his younger brother himself." Zhang Tingluo added.

The village committee

had organized and coordinated many times

but the results were not satisfactory

Yesterday afternoon, the reporter learned from the Hongguang Village Committee that the village committee had also come forward to coordinate many times regarding Zhang Meikui's long-term residence in the mountains, but the results were not satisfactory.

"During the mediation, the family knew that he (Zhang Meikui) was coming back and prepared meals for him." A staff member of the village committee said that the family was actually quite good to Zhang Meikui. Zhang Meikui is disabled and has applied for a minimum living allowance. Before, his father had been collecting it on his behalf. About a year ago, Zhang Meikui asked that the money must be paid to him. The staff member said that there was another reason for his not going home. Zhang Meikui believed that the new house where his younger brother currently lived was specially built by the state to take care of the disabled. "Unless his younger brother's family moved out, he would not go back." But the state does not have such a policy.

Regarding Zhang Meikui's self-reported residence in the mountains for 25 years, Mr. He, a village cadre of Hongguang Village, said that Zhang Meikui often lived at home before, and he had only been away for the past two years.

Chengdu Business Daily reporter Du Yuquan

Photographer Wang Qin intern Yuan Shifeng

Plastic Industry Video