So I dared not wash my face, I smeared soot from the bottom of a pot on my face, made my hair dirty and messy, and wore the most tattered and baggy clothes... I made myself look like a beggar, just hoping to live a peaceful life..."
Her lips trembled slightly.
"But...no matter how ugly you make yourself, as long as you're a woman, as long as you still have a body...there will always be disgusting eyes glued to you...the bachelors there, the village hooligans, even...some of those with a little power..."
She closed her eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall those specific people and events.
“I never thought about getting married there… I knew that once I got married and had children, I would be truly tied to that place and could never come back… But time and time again… I was schemed against, my parents were constantly worried, and they faced all sorts of difficulties…”
Later, somehow a local bully found out about us hiding some old books… He used this to threaten me, saying that if I didn't go with him, he would report us and make sure my whole family suffered a terrible fate…
Her voice was filled with lingering fear and anger.
“My parents were absolutely against it. My dad said he'd rather live in a cowshed, he'd rather be persecuted, than let me jump into that pit of fire… So, we were reported… The three of us lived in the cowshed for two whole years…”
Guan Wenru could imagine what those days were like…
Damp, filthy, inhumane treatment, and endless bullying.
Duan Feifei's tears welled up again, sliding down her thin cheeks! "My mother's health...it was during that time that she was completely worn out and ruined...she was made to do all the heavy and dirty work, she didn't have warm clothes in winter, and she wasn't getting enough to eat..."
She had been coughing for a long time. At first, it was just a cold, but then... We had no money and couldn't afford medicine, so we could only tough it out... and as time went on... she..."
She couldn't continue; her shoulders began to heave violently, and suppressed sobs escaped from her throat.
Guan Wenru held her cold hand tightly, offering silent support, "It's all over, Feifei, it's all over..."
Duan Feifei cried for a long time before she could calm down a little. She raised her tear-filled eyes, which were filled with desolate sorrow.
"Later...the policy was relaxed a little, and I...I got married. He was also one of the 'Five Black Categories' who had been sent down to the countryside...his class background was bad, but he was honest and capable."
Marrying him would at least shut up those bachelors who always have designs on her, and we could also look out for each other...
After having two more children... life got a little better in the last few years, but we were still just barely surviving... penniless...
When my mother was sick, if we had had money, we could have bought some good medicine and taken her to a bigger hospital...maybe...maybe she wouldn't have..."
She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake off the endless regret.
“Now we finally see a glimmer of hope, the policies are better, we can come back… but my dad… the doctor said he's been working himself to death, his organs are failing… Wenru, what am I going to do… I finally got him back… if he leaves too… I…”
She wept uncontrollably, as if all the suffering, grievances, fears, and despair of possibly losing her loved ones again over the past ten years had turned into a torrent of tears at this moment.
As Guan Wenru listened to her friend's heart-wrenching account, her heart ached as if it were being pierced by countless needles.
She walked around the table, sat down next to Duan Feifei, and gently pulled her into her arms, letting her tears soak her shoulder.
When the dust of history falls on an individual, it becomes a mountain that can crush their spine.
Feifei has struggled to survive until now, and has exhausted all her strength to escort her seriously ill father back to Beijing.
"Don't be afraid, Feifei. I'm here for you. The sky won't fall down. We'll find the best doctors and use the best medicine for Uncle Duan's illness. I'll take care of you, the child, and your future. You're not alone anymore. We'll face this together."
In previous years, she completely lost contact with Duan Feifei and was unable to help her at all.
Now that she's back, she'll definitely help!
Moreover, Duan Feifei's belongings are still in her space.
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