FIG tree

【Novel Feast】1

Putting down the newspaper in his hand and sighing, he walked out of the office and came to the yard.

My heart is in turmoil again, maybe only by talking to it can I calm down.

I saw it from a distance, with only a few leaves on its body, just like Sanmao in Zhang Leping's painting, standing in the middle of a row of boxwoods, looking a bit out of place.

Walking up to it, you stroke its smooth trunk and its withered cut; the white wood at the cut is like the white bones exposed after a person is injured.

A few days ago, it was so lush and airtight that the leaves like cattail fans were waving, exuding a pleasant fragrance. But now, his body was covered with wounds that he couldn't bear to see.

There is no room for private cars in the unit, and the flower beds were recently demolished to expand the parking lot. He once told the construction team not to dig it up because it would not affect the expansion project.

But after the weekend, when I arrived at the work unit, the first thing I saw was that it had fallen there. The roots were only the size of a washbasin. There were a few lumps of mud hanging pitifully from the roots as thick as a thumb, and the messy branches and leaves were tied up with an elastic band, like a corpse after being shot. The prisoner fell to the ground dead. He was heartbroken and angry, but there was nothing he could do! I had to find a plastic trash can and drill a few holes in the bottom to let it settle temporarily. In order to reduce evaporation, I reluctantly gave it a major pruning. In a few minutes, it lost weight from a sumo wrestler to a starving African, squatting in a cramped trash can with its head drooped.

The next morning, I didn't go to work. As soon as noon arrived, I immediately went to see it and found that it was lying on the ground again. The trash can was gone, and half of the remaining leaves were dry after a morning of sun exposure. Who did it? Why are they not allowed to settle temporarily in the trash can?

Not caring about anything else, he dug a small hole next to its original location and planted it. After tossing and tossing, the position moved about one meter, but it was meaninglessly damaged and became a seriously ill person who was dying. What a sin!

It was moved from the roof deck of a sister's house two years ago. The sister said that the fig tree was very fruitful and the fruit was very sweet. When I first saw it, I was a little dissatisfied. The thin body looked malnourished, and I thought to myself that it must be the sprouts at the roots that don't receive enough light, so they are so thin. Because of his inherent deficiencies, he will definitely not grow well in the future, but he cannot be picky and has no choice but to make do with it.

After planting, he pulled up a lot of grass, surrounded it, and covered it completely so that it could survive the test period of sun exposure. He took good care of it and watered it every other day, like a nurse treating a premature baby. It finally survived and became full of vitality. I look at it every day and hope it will grow up quickly.

However, less than three months after it was planted, it suffered misfortune twice. The first time, my head was hit by a basketball, because there was a basketball stand next to it, and a colleague happened to come over to play basketball in the morning. He caressed the broken place, feeling heartbroken and blaming himself for planting it in this position. But it seemed to be saying: "Don't be sad, I will grow another one." Sure enough, after a while, a bud emerged from the severed end. Although it was not as strong as the previous one, it still grew upward with all its strength.

The second time, it was brutally injured when several cleaners came to clean the flower bed. I don’t know who cut it off, leaving only about ten centimeters. It was like a chopstick stuck in the ground, and the bark was brutally torn off. piece. Look at its pitiful appearance, how angry he is! But what can be done? I had to bury it with soil and let it branch out again.

In order to add nutrients to it, he pulled out a lot of grass and spread it thickly around it. The grass is dried and rotten, and another layer is added, like steamed mille-feuille. Also sweep up the fallen leaves on the ground, pick them up with a dustpan, and pour them around them. When he saw aphids and leafminers bullying him, he would crush them one by one without mercy. Even though his fingers were all black and sticky, he still killed them as soon as he saw them.

Under his careful care, it worked hard to grow taller, as if trying to make up for lost time. Last year it produced a few fruits. When you picked them and ate them, they were very sweet. This is the third year, and it will definitely be fruitful. He often stood in front of it, smelling the fragrance of the leaves, and imagining the tree full of fruits.

But now, it looks like this dejected look! I wonder if I can survive this hot summer?

I really can’t figure out why it had such a bad fate?

However, isn't he himself the same?

Since last year, whether in church, at work, or at home, he has felt unyielding, like the shameless girl with her face covered in the Song of Songs in the Bible.

The biggest grievance is still about the work.

After graduating from technical secondary school, he worked in the township government for fifteen years, but he was still a soldier. It's not because I don't want to make progress, but because of my faith. He is a Christian and cannot join the party, and he cannot flatter others, so he can only stay at the bottom. Six years ago, I obtained a self-study college and undergraduate diploma, and finally passed the election and squeezed into the ranks of middle-level cadres. At this time, those technical secondary school students were already at the associate level or above.

In July last year, he finally had the opportunity to participate in the open election for deputy section-level cadres in the district. He applied for the "non-party" group. The first few tests were smooth sailing, but when it came time for the inspection, someone in the unit mentioned that he could preach. The inspection team asked him about his faith, and he admitted it and talked about the impact of his faith on himself. He did not want to be like some people who deny their beliefs in order to become an official.

The results of the inspection came out and I was rejected. At first I thought it was because my test scores were not as good as others, but after a few days, I found out the inside story.

On Sunday, he was attending church. In the morning, a brother called him and said that someone in his church saw that his total score in the written test and interview was first when the district standing committee voted, but his score in the examination was extremely low, only 5.7 points, while the other two Those selected are all with a score of 9 or above. When questioned on the spot, people from the Organization Department replied that because he was a preacher, he could not be an official.

He felt that he was so wronged. Over the years, I have worked diligently, with innovations and highlights. I have also appeared on CCTV's "Focus Interview" column. I should have scored higher than those two people, but I was rejected by this groundless charge. . Aren't you running for the "non-party" group? Isn’t freedom of belief clearly written in the constitution? Why? Why!

After lunch, I felt full of pain and could only be relieved by talking to God, so I knelt down and prayed.

I recall that in the first half of the year when I implemented the financial system in Youth Point, a major co-worker objected, causing a huge commotion and causing a lot of unnecessary pain. Some people in the Youth Point went to the church leaders to complain about him, and some parents even complained about him. The situation got worse and worse. The church's upper echelons asked him to change positions without asking him for details, which made him even more disheartened and unwilling to give up.

I also remembered that my wife was quarreling over the house, like dripping water on a day of heavy rain. Because the market environment of the house is not good, she has been asking to sell it and buy it again in the past eight years. However, the house price continues to rise, the price difference is getting wider and wider, and the market is about to move out, so he firmly refuses. Seeing that the completion of the new market is in sight, she still repeats the old tune from time to time, which is extremely distressing. The two had just had a war of words a few days ago, and they felt that his wife was too unreasonable.

When a man sheds tears, he doesn't shed them lightly, just because it's not the time to feel sad. When the pressure from three aspects came together and fell on my head like a mountain, I couldn't bear it anymore. I cried out "Lord Jesus!" and tears immediately burst out.

Afraid of being heard by others, I suppressed my crying and kept shouting in my heart: "Why do I encounter all these sufferings at the same time? Why do you treat me like this no matter what?"

He sang:"When I am despised by others, when I am laughed at by others,...I know that you suffered more pain than me that day..."While singing, I let tears roll down my face. I cried for about ten minutes before gradually calming down, knowing that God would definitely compensate me for what I had lost.

I thought I would never have a chance again because my age had reached the limit. Unexpectedly, in early May this year, the district held another open election at the deputy section level, and the age was relaxed by five years. He made up his mind not to "accompany the exam", but couldn't resist the encouragement of his colleagues and signed up anyway. After passing the written test and ranking second in the interview, I felt that I had a good chance of being selected. I was just worried that people who were not selected would report me during the final announcement stage.

If you are really reported, how should you respond? The last experience proved that a positive answer would not work at all, so he could only reply that he was not preaching at the moment, and he indeed asked the church to suspend his preaching for a period of time. But if you ask him whether he will continue to preach in the future, it is difficult to answer that he will no longer preach. If he does not promise, he will definitely be dismissed again, and everyone in the unit will say that he is too stupid.

This problem will no longer be difficult for you soon. On the third day after the interview, the leader of the unit talked to him and said that someone had reported him as a preacher and the organization department wanted him to quit immediately. It must be one of my competitors who reported it, because reporting it early can hide it and prevent people from guessing who it is. "Despicableness is the passport of the despicable." Thinking of this sentence, I feel infinitely indignant.

Finally, I reluctantly agreed to quit. When colleagues found out, they all condemned the villain and advised him to be more liberal. He thought to himself that this kind of Chinese-style campaign would not give people a fair chance.

A colleague said to him: "I have seen darker things than what happened to you this time." Think about it, some people are more unjust and become victims of others for no reason. Compared to them, I am not the most unlucky person.

The feeling this time is stronger than last year and harder to let go. That feeling of loss has always been lingering in my heart, and I can't let it go.

He had just seen an article in the newspaper reporting on the candidate's speech last Saturday. He thought that if he gave a speech, his results would definitely be among the best.

The injustice in his heart immediately emerged again, and he asked God, You will never allow the world to bully Your children, and You will avenge us. When will I see the end of the despicable?

In the past, I had been wronged under a leader. The leader later scolded the villagers, which made them laugh out loud, and he was soon transferred away. Thinking of this, the anger in my heart faded a little.

At this time, he looked at it and had a silent conversation. I thought, if it had knowledge and feelings, it would be filled with sadness and tears.

We share the same problem! Thinking of these four words, my eyes became hot.

The old wounds have not healed, and new wounds have been added. I haven't seen the compensation yet, but I have suffered another loss. When will these days end?

A tree must be pruned to bear more fruit. But he never pruned it, always feeling that it was too thin and reluctant to cut off a leaf. Whether it is decapitated or cut in half, it is all to make the tree shorter and easier to pick the fruits. And digging up the roots forced him to undergo major surgery to cut out a good tree shape and achieve more results.

From this point of view, it is necessary for it to be injured again and again.

Suddenly he remembered a parable; the fig tree said: "Should I stop bearing sweet fruit and float among the trees?" He suddenly became enlightened.

Haven't you always said that you want to be an unknown person who bears fruit, and you don't want to be a flashy person?

Only by becoming a dwarf tree can everyone pick fruit from you, even children, and come home satisfied.

He remembered that the day after he learned about his defeat last year, a sister called him and said that her son, who was both good at both morals and academics, applied for a military academy during his college years, but was rejected because of his faith. She was extremely frustrated and her husband was also very resentful. She was very distressed and didn't know what to do? When I talk about my sadness, I can't help but cry.

At that time, he told her his experience, gave her a few words of comfort, and called his son, who was staying at home with nothing to do, to persuade him not to lose heart.

Only after I put down the phone did I realize the value of my experience.

How many people in this world are being hurt in this way, but no one comforts them or wipes their tears. The Lord tasted the bitter cup first, so He was able to comfort me. I also had to experience hurt in order to comfort those who were grieving.

He who endures to the end will prevail. God is pruning me, and he will definitely make all my hardships come to an end.

Stroking its cut, my heart no longer felt sad.