Extra 15

I'm so happy. My father is gone, and I felt so lonely. Now my third brother and I have a new home, but it's still so quiet just the two of us. I sat up excitedly and looked at my third brother, "Third brother, tell me quickly, how are we going to have children? I want to have children, lots and lots of children."

My third brother's face turned bright red after I said that, which puzzled me. I leaned over and cupped his face in my hands. "Third brother, why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"

My third brother looked at my face, which was so close to his, and finally couldn't resist kissing me on the lips. At first, I was stunned, but gradually I followed his rhythm and found it quite interesting.

Then, my third brother and I tried for a long time, and later he told me, "Cui Cui, you are now truly my woman."

I was so tired, I didn't want to listen to my third brother anymore, but he kept holding me and talking and talking. In my drowsy state, I felt him pressing down on me again.

In short, after that, when my third brother and I weren't working in the fields, we spent our time at home figuring out how to have a baby. Winter came quickly in Qiligou, and we all put on cotton-padded coats. Inside those coats were animal hides from my old family home.

My third brother and I didn't have money to buy cotton, but wearing animal skins was warm enough. One morning, my third grandmother came to visit me, and I don't know what smelled, but I suddenly felt nauseous.

I ran to the door and vomited for a long time, but nothing came out. My third aunt stood behind me and patted my back. My third brother was very worried; he was terrified that I was sick. Because we didn't have money for treatment, he was very concerned about my health.

When I finally recovered, my third grandmother asked me with a smile, "How long has it been since your period came?"

Actually, I've never been sure about the timing; I don't even remember when my last period was. But my third brother remembered, and he immediately told me the date. My third grandmother did the math, "Hmm, she should be pregnant, almost two months along. Third brother, you're going to be a father."

A huge surprise hit me, and my third brother was a little overwhelmed. I watched him squat on the ground, crying and laughing at the same time. By then, I understood many things, and I was very happy too. My family and my third brother's family were finally about to welcome a new member.

My third grandmother gave me a lot of instructions, especially scolding my third brother for a while, telling him not to mess with me in the future. My third brother readily agreed.

From then on, every night my third brother would just hold me while we slept, and he wouldn't even let me be affectionate with him. This went on for half a year. During spring planting, I was planting seeds in the field when I suddenly felt a severe stomachache.

My third grandmother is right beside me. My third brother doesn't want me to go to the fields at all these days, but all the women in Qiligou have to work in the fields when they have children. The brigade leader won't let me take leave either.

My third brother had no choice but to have my third grandmother come with me. As soon as he finished his work, he would come over to help me.

My third brother carried me home, my face deathly pale. My stomach was in so much pain I couldn't speak. It hurt, it really hurt so much. I'd never experienced such pain in my entire life.

I thought of my grandma back home. Every time she hit me, it hurt terribly. But compared to now, I realize how happy I was back then.

I don't know how long I was in pain, but the midwife shouted happily, "It's born! It's a big boy!"

I groggily opened my eyes and saw my third brother holding my hand and crying. My third grandmother wrapped the baby up, and the midwife helped clean my body. She pressed on my stomach, seemed to sense something was wrong, and quickly said...

"Third brother's wife, don't fall asleep. I think there's another one in your belly."

Suddenly, everyone in the room was stunned. No one had expected that I was carrying twins. I was overjoyed; it turned out that this meant I would have another family member. Okay, even if it hurt a lot, I could endure it.

So, I tried again, following the method the midwife had taught me, and finally gave birth to another boy.

This time, the midwife was much more cautious, and only cleaned my body again after confirming that my belly was completely emptied.

From then on, my third brother worked even harder. But he always had a smile on his face. My third brother and I were both strong. In spring, summer, and autumn, we went to the fields with the production team, and in winter we went hunting in the mountains. Life gradually improved.

My third brother's mother just can't stand the thought of my third brother and me having a good life. Every few days she comes to my house to make a scene, and she takes away any fine food we have.

Sometimes, when my third brother and I weren't home, she would secretly break into our house and rummage through our money and belongings.

I finally couldn't take it anymore and we had a huge fight. As a result, she went around the village spreading rumors that I was unfilial, and then sent her two sisters-in-law to my house to teach me a lesson. Being burdened by the concept of filial piety made my life extremely stifling.

My third brother couldn't do anything about his mother either, but we became smarter after that. We stopped keeping valuables at home. When did our family's situation start to deteriorate?

Oh, right, it's been since our little daughter Yueyue was born. After having three boys in a row, my third brother and I became obsessed with having a lovely daughter.

Perhaps God heard my and my third brother's wishes, because I finally gave birth to a daughter with my third pregnancy. But while I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother-in-law always made all sorts of excuses to torment me, and with the famine that had just happened, it was really difficult to get food back then.

I don't know if it was because I was weak or hungry, but when Yueyue was born, she was very small and thin. My third brother and I were terrified. How could this child be so weak?

The midwife frowned, "This child might not be able to survive."

These days, which family hasn't thrown a few dead babies onto the hills of Xishan? The midwives are used to it. But how could my third brother and I agree? This is our daughter, whom we've been longing for for so long.

Seeing that my third brother and I insisted, the midwife simply said, "Then let's take him to the county town to have him checked out. This child probably won't do well if we don't take good care of him."

The next day, my third brother and I took Yueyue to the county town. The doctor examined Yueyue thoroughly and finally sighed, saying that the child probably wouldn't live for more than a few years.

I couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, hugging Yueyue. My third brother seemed to have aged several years in an instant. He gritted his teeth and said, "Doctor, please take a look. How should we raise this child?"

Perhaps seeing how much my third brother and I really wanted to raise this child, the doctor was moved. In the end, he prescribed us the gentlest, most nourishing formula. But this formula was really expensive. The money my third brother and I had secretly saved up was gone in less than six months.

The good thing is that Yueyue has been alive, but she is rarely awake. Even though we try our best to feed her well, she is just barely alive.

I can no longer go up the mountain with my third brother. Yueyue needs someone by her side, and my third brother is getting a little older. The family is really struggling, so I work in the fields during the day and take care of the children at night.

As for the third brother, he had to work in the fields during the day and run all over the mountains and fields at night, not only hunting but also digging up medicinal herbs that Yueyue could use. The bad news came without them even realizing it.