As the old saying goes, "Since the ancient times, there is a road to Mount Hua. It is really difficult for people who have never been to Mount Huashan to feel the divine power of nature.

In the face of such a miraculous work of art, with the addition of various modern ropeways and cable cars, it takes the average tourist a full six hours to climb Mount Hua.

But there is such a group of people, they have to conquer the dangerous Mount Hua twice a day in order to make a living, not only that, in the road to the mountain, but also to carry more than a hundred pounds of goods, with the palms of their feet to measure every inch of the rugged and bumpy Mount Hua.

This is such an incredibly hard-sounding job, Huashan pickers are not the kind of high-risk, high-reward occupation that everyone thinks they are, and the pay they can get is really just barely enough to make ends meet.

But the Huashan pickers did not give up this difficult job because of hard work and exertion, instead they were secretly celebrating something.

One, the suffering of the picker

The pickers on Mount Hua, always so a group of people, no newcomers to join and few old people quit.

Because the job is too hard, the income is barely subsistence, almost no young people are willing to do.

But the danger of Mount Huashan until now has not been completely broken, to transport supplies to the mountain in large quantities, can only rely on human shoulders, can only rely on thousands of years ago the Tang Dynasty Taoist dug a path up the mountain. Even such a small road, behind also hides not easy.

Those who have studied ancient Chinese poetry may notice that there were almost no verses praising Mount Hua before the Tang Dynasty.

That's because before the Tang Dynasty, there was no direct road to the top of the mountain. If you can't be there, it is difficult to sing and sing.

During the Tang Dynasty, culture, politics and economy flourished greatly, and the material base reached a peak, and the unwilling people always wanted to conquer the tower.

At that time, the Taoist priests, in order to find a place of purification on the mountain, determined the route up the mountain through feng shui surveys and fieldwork, followed the stream coming down from the summit and built a trail up the relatively gentle northern slope of Mount Hua along the valley.

Sometimes really admire the wisdom and courage of the ancients, the trail has become the only entrance and exit from the mountain since it was opened. Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties have not developed a second road up the mountain.

The phrase "Since ancient times, there is a road in Huashan" is also based on this. The story of the pickers of Huashan Mountain is also interpreted on this road.

The reason they stay is not only the money, but also the stability of the job, picking things from the mountain to the mountain is almost a necessity, this group of pickers do not have any reason to be dismissed.

In this group of pickers, the most famous is the one-armed picker He Tianwu.

In 1987, He Tianwu was just an ordinary farmer. Strong and strong, he had just married his wife for four years, it was the time of love.

The carefree He Tianwu is living the life of his wife and children, and is full of hope for the future, although he has little vision.

The sky is unpredictable, due to poor congenital constitution, coupled with the acquired labor did not pay attention to rest, He Tianwu's wife became ill with accumulated fatigue.

The anxious He Tianwu rushed his wife to the hospital, but the journey was very hard, He Tianwu's wife's condition suddenly worsened and was diagnosed by the hospital as rheumatic heart disease.

This disease is not a fatal disease, but it requires absolute rest and a considerable amount of surgical costs.

He Tianwu looked at his wife who had been with him for five years struggling and his heart was like a knife.

He rushed home, took out all the family's savings, and borrowed a lot from relatives and friends. When he thought the money was enough for his wife's treatment, he was told mercilessly by the doctor that the money didn't add up to enough for the operation.

He Tianwu had no choice but to take his wife and borrowed money to choose to go home and use medication to continue her life.

The relentless disease still took away He Tianwu's wife two years later. He Tianwu looked at his two still young children and was at a loss as to where to go.

At this time, He Tianwu's brother approached him and urged him to go out to work with him, leaving the children in the care of the elderly.

This can earn more money than farming and improve the poor living conditions of the family.

He Tianwu heart moved, he and his brother round and round, found to give the most money is a private coal mine in Henan. To put it bluntly, it is a black coal kiln with no formalities.

Although the work of the black coal kiln is hard and tiring, but the pay is still very substantial, compared to other out of work in the countryside, He Tianwu heart still have a few happy.

Black coal kiln dry after a period of time, the family's economic situation gradually improved. He Tianwu and his brother discussed saving some more money to go back home to open a small store.

When the two depicted a beautiful picture, the accident happened, the transmission of coal, the giant gear machine suddenly out of control, the winch on all the steel cable broke with a huge force whistling to the left arm of He Tianwu brought into the roller.

Although He Tianwu saved his life with the help of his fellow workers, his left arm was amputated because it was too badly injured.

After the accident in the mine, He Tianwu was unable to continue working in the black coal kiln. Although he lost an arm and was bedridden, He Tianwu still thought he could get a little more compensation to take home.

After the coal mine boss heard about it, he came to the hospital to see He Tianwu, threw him 4,000 yuan, warning him not to cause trouble.

Honest and loyal He Tianwu had to carry the 4,000 yuan home by car. On the way home, He Tianwu found that the bag was cut by the thief a mouth, immediately out of a cold sweat, reached in and touched the money found still in.

I didn't expect to find out when I got home that half of the 4,000 yuan had been stolen, and only 2,000 yuan was left in exchange for an arm.

He Tianwu had to use the two thousand dollars to open a small store, do some small business.

The people in the village look at him to bully, try to come to eat for free without paying, said credit, in fact, did not want to pay the mind. He Tianwu face the villagers also do not know how to ask for money.

So doing business even if the gold mountain will also lose all. As expected, it did not take long to open the store, not only that He Tianwu also owes a buttload of foreign debt.

The twine is broken at a fine point, and bad luck is only for those who suffer. Another day for people working outside to return home, but this time He Tianwu rushed out to meet his brother, but did not see his brother's figure.

Looking at the urn pulled out by the workers, He Tianwu froze, he remembered that his brother said he would return after a few years of earning money, but did not expect to return in this way.

My brother was hit on the head by a heavy object while working in a black coal kiln and died on the spot.

He Tianwu had no choice but to leave his hometown again and go out to look for opportunities. But the same money can obviously find a healthy workforce, who would want a disabled person to do the work?

After going round and round countless times, He Tianwu arrived at the foot of Mount Hua and learned that there was an urgent need for pickers.

After seeing the one-armed He Tianwu, the management did not want to let such a disabled person work, but He Tianwu desperately beat his chest to ensure that he, coupled with the fact that Huashan really needs a picker, had no choice but to keep He Tianwu.

On Mount Hua, He Tianwu also never admit defeat, other healthy people carry 140 pounds of goods up the mountain, he also carried 140 pounds, even if midway legs trembling, bean drops of sweat soaked the whole shirt, and never give up.

After a trip to carry the goods, the legs of the legs shivered as if they were electrified, and the towel used to wipe sweat was almost soaked.

The second time when carrying goods, can only watch the companions from their own side, they even step became a luxury.

A full day down, He Tianwu finally got more than 30 yuan at the foot of the mountain belongs to him.

Ordinary pickers a pound of goods twenty-five cents of freight, He Tianwu due to physical reasons, can only take 15 cents.

But this relies on their hard-earned money, He Tianwu feel solid in the heart.

At night, lying in bed, the whole body was hissing with pain and could not even turn over, but the next day, He Tianwu would still get up on time and continue to work with the basket on his back.

It's not just the physical exhaustion. It is the threat to life that is the most difficult hurdle to cross.

The situation on Mount Hua has now changed so that there is no need for a picker to pick from the bottom to the top of the mountain.

From the foot of the west peak on the ropeway, to halfway up the mountain, you need to spend the most difficult section of the journey that is the Canglong Ridge.

Canglong Ridge is a one-meter wide, one point five kilometers long ridge, the vertical drop reaches more than 700 meters, whenever there is a mountain wind through, the stone wall emits the sound of ghostly wailing, extremely scary.

According to legend, when Han Yu went up to Mount Hua, he cried out with fear and trembling, and wrote a suicide note on the mountain to seek the blessing of the mountain gods.

And He Tianwu only one arm, the slightest inadvertence is next to the abyss of ten thousand feet, is in the prime of life Han Yu are unable to complete the dangerous path, for He Tianwu is as difficult as the sky.

He Tianwu in the road through the Green Dragon Ridge, can only rely on only one hand three fingers to grasp the chain, two fingers holding the crutches. Step by step, climbing upward.

In the winter, the sky is cold, the chain is cold and biting, even tourists are reluctant to hold the chain, preferring to slowly go up the mountain. But He Tianwu still firmly hold the chain, step by step upward.

This is the care and persistence so that He Tianwu in more than a decade, every day with one arm back and forth three or four times this dangerous Canglong Ridge without any problems.

Second, the joy of picking a husband

It is by this persistence and patience, He Tianwu in the Huashan picker this road has gone so far.

His generosity also attracted the four pickers who worked with him. Several of them were among the first and probably the last group of people who worked as pickers on Mount Hua.

At first, there was no electricity on Mount Hua. The mountain's Taoist temple and management staff need food and water are He Tianwu and a few of them carried up step by step.

Until now, He Tianwu thought of that time to the mountains back to the days of coal still have palpitations.

Although the situation has now improved a lot, but every day after work, He Tianwu will still be in pain all over the body can not sleep. The next morning, he will still pick up the basket and continue to work as if nothing had happened.

Guo Zhengquan, Sun Shiwa, Wei Shejiao, Party Chengwa, He Tianwu. These old brothers have worked together until now has long formed a brotherly friendship.

Every night when you are free, your favorite activity is to ask for two small dishes, take out the hometown's own brewed baojiu, and have a beautiful meal. Listening to the old fellows talking about the shortcomings of the parents, He Tianwu always smiled and did not say anything.

Their main job now is to deliver ingredients to the restaurant on the hill. Occasionally, the back kitchen is too busy to call on them to help, and the store will pay them extra for their work.

Now two round trips a day, can earn one hundred and fifty dollars.

They can also send a lot of money to their families, and they have to spend money on food. Several elderly people are used to hard life, always save for themselves, sometimes a day can not see a little meat, but also for the purchase of an extra hungry cake and self-condemnation.

Although the accumulation of these decades so that He Tianwu old brothers have long been please noon can only drink corn paste, eat vegetarian burrito life, but they are accustomed to hard times or do not want to spend money for a bite to eat.

They never owe anything to their offspring, because they know who they are working outside for.

Although the hard work of a lifetime, but God will not let down any goodness and hard work. The old brothers have settled down in their homes and now earn money long ago without having to work as hard as before.

Three, the pickers now

He Tianwu's youngest son works at the port and married a girl from an honest local family, who also has a child and a happy family.

The older son inherited his mother's rheumatic heart disease, but it is now well controlled.

He worked in the Tongguan area and was not married but was also self-sufficient. Old He and his son in his hometown pooled their money and built a beautiful big tiled house for his parents.

Guo Zhengquan's eldest daughter is well behaved and has been admitted to the county's key high school.

The second daughter is in junior high school and the youngest son is in elementary school, not as good as the oldest daughter, but still smart and clever.

Both of them work in Huashan and earn not much but enough.

Wei Shejiao's son works outside the home, and his wife is the only one who takes care of the family. Every month he leaves his own living expenses and mails home the rest.

But a few years ago his wife died of overwork, became a hurdle in the heart of the old Wei.

Seeing the tears in Lao Wei's eyes, Party Chengwa rushed to comfort, several old friends also picked up a glass of wine.

After He Tianwu had been reported as a one-armed picker, he had also thought of giving up.

But I still can't let go of this job that I earned through hard work, and I can't let go of my old brothers who work together.

Now that life is getting better, He Tianwu was influenced by the cliff carvings of Huashan and started to practice calligraphy.

Now he can write well, with soft and hard strokes at his fingertips.

In his spare time, he also participated in the Shaanxi Provincial Games for the Disabled, and won many medals, large and small.

As he said, people, always have to suffer, step out of the way, will never live up to the sweat you shed.