Chapter 152: Uttar Pradesh
The meeting place Ron agreed to meet with his old family was at an intersection. When he and Nia arrived, a dusty Toyota Civic was parked beside the bumpy road.
About five or six men were chatting there, chewing paan and fiddling with machetes, Nepalese knives, and pistols in their hands...
What made Ron most unbearable was that the young man in the lead was pointing a submachine gun at the sky and imitating the "da da da" sound of firing.
He turned and saw Ron, a look of genuine surprise on his face. He threw his submachine gun aside and strode towards him.
"Ron! My dear brother!" His warm hug was hard to refuse.
"Brother Latan." Ron put down his luggage and patted his shoulder.
This young man was Ron's cousin, the eldest son of his uncle. The two were not much different in age and had played together since childhood.
"You've only been gone for more than two years, but you're like a completely different person." Ratan looked at him in amazement.
"You're not far behind," Ron said, looking behind him. "Where did you get that?"
Ratan laughed. He grabbed the submachine gun and threw it into Ron's arms. "Try it. It's new. Thirty-five thousand rupees."
The gun felt heavy in his hand, and Ron instinctively caught it with both hands. He lifted the mop and took a look. The magazine was empty.
After fiddling with it for a few times, Ron threw it to Ratan.
“Isn’t it safe here in Varanasi? I haven’t seen any news about this.”
"Just in case, who knows what those herders might do. This is also for the sake of the family business."
Hearing this, Ron remembered that the fuse of the India-Muslim conflict last year occurred in Uttar Pradesh, the center of the vortex.
Poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. The people in Uttar Pradesh are much more tough than those in Mumbai.
Of course, Ratan was parading around like that, not only for self-defense, but also to show off to Ron.
He spent a lot of money to get these weapons.
While the two brothers were greeting each other, Nia was excitedly telling her brother Anil about all the new and interesting things in Mumbai.
Nia has three brothers and two sisters. Her sisters are married, and her brothers all work in Sur's family.
When Ron's parents were around, they were all exclusive servants of this branch.
Later they went to Mumbai, only old Abhi and Nia left with them, while the others temporarily lived in Ratan's family.
Now Nia's brothers follow Ratan as his helper and occasionally act as his thugs.
Today, I heard that Ron and the others were back, and my third brother Anil tried every possible means to get this good job.
He loves his sister very much and started asking her about her well-being and talking non-stop as soon as they met.
Ron was also very familiar with Nia's brothers and they often met each other when they were young.
After a brief greeting, the group prepared to go home.
To make room for Ron, Ratan waved the others onto the motorcycles at the back.
There were only four people in the car, but seven big men were crammed onto the motorcycle.
With a roar of the engine, the dusty Civic, carrying the motorcycle like it was performing stunts, roared away.
Varanasi is much more backward than Mumbai, and its suburbs are no different from rural areas.
The main road is a dirt road with few cars on it, but you can't drive fast at all.
Ron and his car would often encounter some slow-moving scooters, bicycles, and even carts pulled by camels and oxen coming towards them.
Their owners are completely unaware that they have violated all traffic regulations and road common sense, and are still driving their cars leisurely and happily.
Ron and his friends often saw twenty or thirty people crammed into the back of a tractor, stuck together as if with glue.
The tractor moved forward slowly at a speed of 20 yards per hour, making a rumbling sound along the way.
Sometimes their car would have to stop because of the flock of sheep in front.
Ratan honked the horn frantically, but all he got in response was a burst of bleating.
He was so angry that he picked up his submachine gun and was ready to fire a burst of bullets, but Ron talked him down.
They are a bunch of beasts. Why are you competing with them?
The ten-kilometer journey was full of bumps and bruises. Even without the interference of various animals, it would have been difficult.
There were big potholes on the dirt road, and they were like riding a roller coaster.
On either side of the road lay the vast green plains of the Ganges River, a monotonous landscape. Villages stretched endlessly, one after another. Whether in the distance or near, all I could see were people.
When they were finally about to reach the destination, Ron was shocked by the scene before him and was speechless.
I saw five corpses hanging under a big tree at the entrance of the village.
Their necks were twisted at a strange angle, and their skinny hands and feet were tied together, fluttering in the wind like rags.
There were several black women crying loudly under the tree. They were probably their family members.
"What happened?" Ron asked blankly.
"We caught these untouchables killing a cow." Ratan showed hatred on his face and spat viciously out the window.
"No, sir! The cow died of illness. My husband didn't kill the cow. How dare we do such a thing?"
One of the women was wailing. She lay on the ground crying with her head buried in the dirt.
Several women around her were also crying, but they cried very carefully and weakly, and they didn't dare to look here.
Ratan turned a deaf ear and even took out his submachine gun to show it to others in a playful manner. The area under the tree immediately became silent.
Ron didn't say a word the whole time, and he felt a little stuffy in his chest.
This place and Mumbai seem like two different worlds, one represents the ancient times and the other represents modern civilization.
He suddenly understood why the slums were so dirty, but still had a large influx of outsiders every day.
Because in the countryside, not only is there no way out, but it only takes a moment to lose your life.
Mumbai is truly a golden-winged bird, a paradise in the hearts of all Indians.
Anil revealed it quietly after they passed the village entrance.
The five were from the Jammu sub-caste, where leatherworking is a hereditary occupation. This group is generally referred to as tribals, the lowest caste among the Dalits.
They bought a sick cow from a neighboring village and were caught while carrying the cow's carcass on the road.
Some claim that they kill the cow in order to skin it.
Several Dalits argued that the cow had died first and they paid to buy it.
But no one from the upper castes nearby listened to their explanation and lynched them, hanging them under a tree.
There were no police or judges involved in the entire process, and the villagers had no objection to this.
This is rural Uttar Pradesh, a hell on earth.
Ron still couldn't change anything, he was even one of the vested interests.
The Sur family was the lord, or rather the landlord, of several nearby villages. Most of the land was rented out to other castes in the village, and they had little direct control over it.
Most of the houses in the village have mud walls and straw roofs, just like homes in other villages in Uttar Pradesh.
Anil pointed to a mud house, and Ron suddenly remembered that it was Nia's former home.
There are six buffaloes raised in the narrow yard, and the cow dung is collected separately and used as disinfectant during delivery.
Chaotic memories came flooding back, and Ron gradually had an impression of everything in front of him.
He actually seldom came here before. As the landlord, Ron's family was not here.
They have their own estates, their own temples, their own wells and ponds, and they do not need to come to the village except to collect money.
Nia didn't live here when she was little. She grew up with Ron and learned a lot from the owner, including English, arithmetic, and waiter skills.
But after all, her family is there, and Nia misses her loved ones very much.
Patting her hand, Ron gave Nia a comforting look.
The car passed through the village and came to a small market.
There are only two or three small shops in the market. The storefronts look similar and they sell the same things: diesel, incense, and rice.
Everyone was staring at them, and a few children were running excitedly after the car.
These villages and markets are also the territory of the Suer family.
Those who recognized them quickly bent down and touched the road surface where the tires had passed.
Most of the people here are Vaishya and Shudra castes, and there are no Dalits.
The untouchables were not allowed here; they had a separate gathering place, which Ron had never been to.
After passing the market, they came upon a large, high-walled compound. It was enormous, even larger than the village they had just encountered.
That is where the Suer family lives. Just from the outside, there are several gorgeous courtyards that catch your eye.
The garden is lush and green, and all the facades are made of marble.
Before the car stopped at the gate, the old butler helped Ron open the door and touched his feet.
"Young Master, you're here, finally!"
The old butler watched the young masters and young ladies in the manor grow up. Ron was the youngest, but he left here first.
He was so excited that he almost threw himself at Ron's feet.
"Kishan, you haven't changed at all." Ron touched his shoulder and completed the blessing.
"Young master, you have changed and become more stylish." The old butler actually sobbed.
He waved his hand, and a group of servants came over one by one to salute Ron, then went to the back of the car to carry the luggage.
They lowered their heads, bent their waists, and tried to avoid Ron with a flattering look, carefully avoiding him.
Ratan threw the car keys to the driver, who caught them like a treasure and drove the car to be washed.
"Ron, let's go in, Dad and the others are waiting for you."
The manor is very large and it takes several minutes to walk around.
The only people living here temporarily are Ron's uncle Prash and his family.
He had three uncles, Ron's father being the fourth oldest.
In the past, several brothers lived in the manor, but later they gradually separated.
His uncle and aunt were waiting for him in the living room. As soon as Ron entered, they hugged him and asked him about his well-being.
They blamed Ron for not informing them of the situation in Mumbai sooner and for not calling home until he was almost back.
Ron used the excuse that it was difficult to make a long-distance call from Mumbai to Uttar Pradesh and that an appointment had to be made many days in advance.
He paid extra for the premium "Lightning" connection service and only had to wait a week before he could get through.
Well, this is India, even lightning takes a long time to strike.
My uncle's family was not surprised, as this was normal in Uttar Pradesh.
The whole family had a noisy chat and reminisced about the past, and the first thing they did was to place Ron's parents' ashes.
After a long prayer, the ashes were temporarily placed under the shrine in the temple.
In a few days, they will choose an auspicious day and go to the Ganges again.
Old Abi's ashes were also preserved. As a loyal servant of the Sur family for decades, this was considered a privilege.
Nia's caste is not low. Vaishya is considered a middle-class person, and her status is much higher than that of Dalits, second only to Kshatriyas.
Brahmins can take whatever they want from Shudras and Dalits, and even lynch them, but they cannot do so to Vaishyas, who are ordinary citizens.
After a busy period, Uncle Prash asked about Ron's work again.
He said frankly that he had already made arrangements with the public sector in Varanasi.
Ron can become a civil servant without any assessment.
This is the privilege of Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh, and a large number of government positions are held by them.
Ron declined, saying he ran a small factory in Mumbai.
Ratan and the others thought that the small factories Ron mentioned were just like the small sugar factories in Uttar Pradesh, which were everywhere.
Uncle Prashensh admired Ron's enterprising spirit and said that there were always civil service positions available, so Ron could give it a try.
If that doesn't work, go back to Uttar Pradesh, he is still young.
During the chat, Ron took the opportunity to look around the living room.
He seemed to feel the cool breeze of the air conditioner, and Ratan proudly told him that the air conditioner was newly installed.
The new TV will arrive in two days, it’s all imported.
The Suhr family has a manor, electricity, and money, but it is difficult for them to buy home appliances such as air conditioners and televisions.
Ratan used his connections and waited in line for several months before he finally got them electrified.
India is very backward, and Uttar Pradesh is even more backward. All home appliances are imported from overseas.
The reduction of import tariffs on electronic products took two years to be implemented before it slowly spread to Uttar Pradesh.
"This is all thanks to the new business at home. Come on, I'll take you to see it." Latan excitedly pulled Ron out.
(End of this chapter)
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