Everyone else was looking at the environment of Qijia Village. It was a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, but the houses were low and not as tall as those in the city; the roads were narrow and uneven.
Having lived in Qijia Village for so many years in her previous life, He Tiantian was very familiar with everything there and had long since stopped looking, turning her head away. But what she saw was unexpected: she saw Grandma Qi, who had been kind to her in her previous life, fall down.
Grandma Qi is almost seventy years old. She used to be a landlord's daughter with bound feet. Shortly before liberation, her son went to university in Nanshi and never came back.
For so many years, without any news of her son, everyone else in Qijia Village thought that Grandma Qi's son had died. Only Grandma Qi stubbornly believed that as long as she hadn't seen her son's body, she would believe that her son was still alive in this world.
After liberation, her husband passed away. Grandma Qi took care of her parents-in-law. After they passed away, she lived alone, silently waiting for her son to come home, hoping to see him again before she died.
However, He Tiantian knew that Grandma Qi was destined for good fortune. Her son, who had gone away to study, had returned, and from America at that. This allowed the elderly Grandma Qi to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren and enjoy a few more years of peace and happiness.
It wasn't just that Grandma Qi had an American son that left a deep impression on He Tiantian. More importantly, when she often helped Grandma Qi with sewing and mending, Grandma Qi once told her that Grandma Qi's family were not good people and that she should be careful. But at that time, she was completely deceived by Grandma Qi's family and couldn't listen to Grandma Qi's words at all, thinking that it was just an old woman from the countryside who liked to gossip.
At that time, she had not married Qi Jianguo. If she had thought about it carefully and observed carefully, she might have discovered the truth.
Upon returning, He Tiantian decided to listen more to Grandma Qi, because she was someone who was willing to tell her the truth. In a world where everything was a lie, this truth was invaluable.
"Secretary Qi, look, someone's fallen!" He Tiantian pointed to the path not far away. "Second Brother Qi, stop right away..."
Following He Tiantian's finger, Secretary Qi also saw someone fall down and hurriedly told Qi Ergou to stop the oxcart.
He Tiantian moved nimbly, immediately jumping off the oxcart and running quickly. Even He Tiantian herself didn't realize how fast she was moving, much to the astonishment of the people behind her.
Secretary Qi and Qi Ergou also chased after her, but the two grown men couldn't catch up with He Tiantian.
"That little girl He Tiantian runs pretty fast," Huang Jingli said, getting off the oxcart as well.
“Yes,” Lin Xiaoru said. “Li Mingkai, Jingli, let’s go take a look too. We’ll be working here from now on. Chairman Mao said we should integrate with the working people and work together on large-scale production.”
Huang Jingli agreed and quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, Li Mingkai, let's go take a look together."
"Okay." Li Mingkai nodded and went over to take a look. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, and he couldn't avoid the various certificates and documents issued by the village secretary. If he behaved well now, it would be easier to talk to him later.
Grandma Qi was sweating profusely from the pain, groaning incessantly, "My foot..."
"Grandma Qi, how are you?" He Tiantian stepped forward and picked up the carrying pole and bucket and put them aside.
Grandma Qi opened her eyes and saw a fair-skinned girl with large, almond-shaped, watery eyes. She said with difficulty, "I twisted my ankle while carrying water."
Secretary Qi, Qi Ergou has caught up.
"Third Grandma, how did you fall?" Qi Ergou asked, helping up Third Grandma Qi. They were neighbors and usually had a good relationship.
"Er Gouzi, carry your third grandma to the oxcart," said Secretary Qi. He helped from behind, and the two of them together carried Qi's third grandma to the oxcart, which was more than 20 meters away.
With someone else helping, He Tiantian was no longer needed, so she picked up a carrying pole and two wooden buckets and went to a nearby puddle to fetch water.
This puddle has a spring, and it's located high up. It's clean, and the people of Qijia Village have been fetching water from here for generations.
When Secretary Qi arrived, Qi Ergou helped Grandma Qi San onto the oxcart. Then, turning to look for He Tiantian, he saw her carrying water. From the large swaying of the carrying pole, it was clear that the two large buckets were full of water.
Oh my, He Tiantian is so kind! So thoughtful!
The key thing is, this girl is really strong!
"Come on, let me choose," Secretary Qi said, stepping forward, "I can't crush this girl."
He Tiantian smiled and said, "It's alright, Secretary Qi, I'm very strong."
He Tiantian didn't know what was going on, but she suddenly became so strong. She had just wanted to carry two half-buckets, but she found that she could easily lift two half-buckets of water. On a whim, she filled two buckets and was able to lift them up easily as well. She carried two buckets of water without any effort at all.
Seeing that He Tiantian didn't seem to be struggling, Secretary Qi chuckled and said, "I really didn't expect you to be so strong!"
"Hehe, I often do chores at home." He Tiantian lied. At home, with her parents around, He Tiantian had never done such rough work!
Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru had to admit that He Tiantian was a good girl.
This time, Qi Dazhu drove the oxcart, while Qi Ergou sat on the oxcart supporting Qi San's grandmother. The others got off and followed.
Grandma Qi's ankle was still hurting, but she had recovered. Her eyes fell on the pretty little girl with big eyes carrying water, and she liked her very much. If her son hadn't gone missing and she had a daughter, she probably would be about this age now.
“There are already four people at the educated youth settlement, occupying two rooms. There are two rooms left. Li Mingkai will stay in one room, and it will be a bit crowded for the three of you girls to squeeze into one room. You can stay here for now, and I will think of a solution tomorrow,” Secretary Qi said. He hadn’t had a good rest yesterday and today, and he would talk to him after he had rested.
After hearing this, Grandma Qi made up her mind. She had several rooms in her house, but she was the only old woman living there. In the past, she looked down on those arrogant educated youth and wouldn't let them stay. But this little girl who carried water was much better.
"Dazhu, the houses at the educated youth settlement are just right for two people to share a room. It would be too crowded for three girls to live together," said Grandma Qi. "It's so hot. Don't make these city girls feel uncomfortable. Why don't you let that girl stay at my house?"
Upon hearing this, Secretary Qi's eyes lit up. That's right, other people's homes don't have room, but Aunt Qi's home has one. Now that Aunt Qi has twisted her ankle, having a young girl by her side can help look after her.
He Tiantian's eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly. She would be very willing to live with Grandma Qi. She asked, "Grandma Qi, will I be bothering you?"
The word "Grandma" brought a lump to Grandma Qi's throat; how wonderful it would be if she were her own granddaughter!
"It's no trouble at all. I'm just an old woman living alone here. I won't let you stay here for free. Just keep this lonely old woman company, and maybe sweep the floor or do some chores," said Grandma Qi. Now that she had twisted her ankle, this young girl staying at her house could help her out.
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