Chapter 6: Strong Mom
Zhang Ruifeng agreed readily, but did not do it.
As soon as she entered the house and saw the scene in the yard, she knew her daughter had been busy all afternoon. Her heart suddenly felt sour and tender.
Her husband died early, and she was only in her early thirties at that time. There were people who advised her to remarry, saying that it was too difficult for her to be a widow with two children, and she was in debt. There was no one else in her husband's family, and she had no help at all. How could she live?
Those people advised her to find someone else to marry, so that at least there would be someone to help raise the two children. She could also let her son pay off the debt owed to the brigade when he grew up. It was fine for the son to pay off the father's debt, and this way she would feel more relaxed.
They also said that if a family does not have a man to support the family, the family will be bullied and that a widow will have a lot of trouble around her.
However, when she looked at her 11-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, she couldn't bear the thought that they would have to live under the control of their stepfather, stepgrandfather and stepgrandmother, and would have to depend on other people's moods, be treated as a burden, and be bullied.
So, she refused to remarry, struggling to survive with her two children. She knew they wouldn't starve to death. The government had regulations; no one could starve to death. That was the benefit of the new society. As long as they didn't starve to death, they could always pay off their debts, and the children would grow up and live a good life.
During her first two years as a widow, she carried a modified sickle. Originally curved, she had straightened it, making it look like a bayonet. She would chop down anyone who dared to speak ill of her, without hesitation. There were many good people in the village, but there were also some with ill intentions. After she struck them like that, they all became as quiet as quails, avoiding her whenever they saw her.
The strong are afraid of the strong, and the strong are afraid of the desperate. She is the desperate one.
She sets very high standards for herself, never accepting help from others, never complaining to others, and always grieves for everything herself. As the saying goes, flies don't bite seamless eggs, and she wants to be that "seamless egg" so that no one can find fault with her.
After two years, everyone saw her determination and no one made a fuss about her widowhood. No one advised her to remarry, and no one said anything bad about her.
Life was a little hard, but she was happy. She could make her own decisions and didn't have to rely on others. Even if it was a little hard and tiring, what was there to worry about? Marrying someone else might have been even harder and more tiring.
Moreover, her two children were obedient and sensible, knowing how to share her burdens, rushing to do the work they could, and being humble and giving each other food when it came to her, showing their love for her. Every time she saw this, she felt that her decision not to remarry was truly wise. If they had become stepdaughters or stepsons for someone else, how much injustice would these two wonderful children have suffered!
Zhang Ruifeng had originally thought she'd sell everything she had and tighten her belt to send her children to college and become officials. But who could have imagined that, suddenly, the school went on strike, the college entrance exam was canceled, and her daughter had no choice but to return to the village and work in the fields like she did. Her son's elementary school classes didn't close, but no one knew what would happen next.
Since then, people haven't paid much attention to their children's schooling. Many children don't go to school anymore. What's the point of going to school? There's no future for them. It's just a waste of money.
But she still held onto a little hope and let Xie Shen continue to go to school. What if there were changes in the future?
During that time, Zhang Ruifeng felt heartbroken for her poor eldest daughter.
But life must go on.
Zhang Ruifeng didn't rest. She put down her "four-button bottle"—a clay pot used to hold water, with a small mouth and a large belly, and four snouts at the mouth. A hemp rope could be threaded through it to carry it, and the mouth was plugged with a wooden stopper to prevent leaks. She had to bring water with her when she went to work in the fields, otherwise she wouldn't be able to make it. She went straight to the backyard. Her daughter felt sorry for her, and she felt sorry for her daughter, too.
If she does more, Xie Yun can do less.
Zhang Ruifeng picked up a hoe and began to dig the ground, trying to finish the remaining corn stalks before dinner.
Thinking of her pair of well-behaved children, she felt full of energy.
Xie Shen put down the pig feed basket and ran to the stove to help Xie Yun.
Xie Yun said, "I'll be ready soon. Go wash your hands and face, drink some water and rest for a while, then we'll eat."
"Why."
Seeing that she really didn't need any help, Xie Shen obediently went to wash herself, then set the table and benches, and ran to the backyard to help Zhang Ruifeng.
Zhang Ruifeng dug while he held it aside, and the two of them worked together to get the job done.
After finishing work, I went back to the front yard to eat.
Xie Yun added a little more multi-grain noodles, and the salty soup was cooked thicker and had some small lumps. He also added two drops of oil before cooking and put some chopped green onions in the pan to stir-fry, which tasted very fragrant.
She thought, I'll get some tomatoes tomorrow to make soup tonight. A little sourness will make it even better. Even if you don't take advantage of the collective, you can still afford tomatoes. They're a penny a pound. If you pay a penny to someone who grows tomatoes, you can pick three or four big ones.
It's just that she and Xie Shen are used to saving money whenever possible, not spending money if they can, and they are reluctant to spend a penny. The siblings are both a bit of a miser.
Xie Yun served the rice and gave the thick ones to Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen, drinking some thin ones himself so that she could secretly have some extra food for herself.
Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen understood it immediately. Xie Shen ran to get an empty bowl, used a large spoon to scoop out all the small noodle dumplings in his bowl and put them in the empty bowl. Zhang Ruifeng did the same. After they finished their work, they pushed the bowl to Xie Yun.
Xie Yun had no choice but to pour one third of it for himself and give the rest back to them.
Zhang Ruifeng said, "The three of us must eat the same thing."
Xie Yun nodded, "I understand, Mom."
After dinner, Xie Shen went to wash the dishes and the pots. He mixed the water he had saved for the day with pig grass, and then added a handful of fried cornmeal to it as a meal for the pigs.
Feeding pigs isn't just about grass; you need to add some grain. At that time, when grain was scarce, everyone roasted corn kernels, crushed them with a stone mill, and fed them a handful every day mixed with the pig grass. Roasted corn is very fragrant, and pigs love it.
Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Yun sat down to rest after their meal. After a while, they had to go to the threshing ground to peel corn husks, which would be counted as one work point. Moreover, the peeled corn husks belonged to each individual and they could just carry them back when the time came.
Xie Shen will not be allowed to participate in this matter. After all, he is still young and needs to go to bed early while he grows up.
Zhang Ruifeng said to her, "Binbin, don't go today. Go to bed early."
"Go. Bring back some extra corn husks so we don't have too much to burn during the winter. Mom, I know what I'm doing. I won't be too tired."
After resting for a while, the mother and daughter went out with the basket on their backs, and locked the door from the outside, telling Xie Shen not to go out late at night and to go to bed early.
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