Chapter 66: Separation
Fubao was found, unharmed, and brought back half a bamboo basket of apricots.
But Gu Weidong fell and was injured while looking for her. Judging from his condition, he will not be able to go out to work for a while, so there is no way he can earn work points.
This incident instantly became the gossip of the Pingxi Production Brigade after the storm.
It has been raining for so many days that everyone is feeling pent up and can't help but talk about it.
Naturally, everyone's words contained some thoughts like "Fubao is such an ignorant kid."
Among them, the one with the most ideas and the most things to say is naturally Nie Lao San's wife.
She sat on the well, threading a small jacket for her daughter, sewing it for her daughter. She spoke mysteriously to someone, "You can't tell anyone this. I'm only telling you guys this, or the Gu family won't forgive me if it gets out. I'm telling you, the Gu family is just stupid. They can't see that Fubao is such a bad luck for the whole family. Look, it was a nice rainy day, and all the other kids were staying home, so why did she have to run out? If she hadn't run out, would Gu Laosi have broken his leg?"
Her mysterious tone and her look of wanting to say something but not wanting to really attracted some people to listen. After listening to her, some people began to think that what Nie Laosan's wife said made some sense. Of course, there were also people who felt that it had nothing to do with anything and was just a coincidence.
You can say anything about this kind of thing, it all depends on how you think about it.
Those who believe believe it, and those who don’t believe it don’t believe it.
Liu Zhaodi happened to pass by the well platform that day, and when she heard this, it touched a chord in her heart.
She had never really cared for Fubao, thinking she wasn't much of a kid. Besides, she was just a little girl, so why was she so hurt? This time, she'd gone out and run around, causing the production team to search everywhere, and ultimately causing the fourth child to break his leg. But surprisingly, her mother wasn't too angry. She just said she was glad the child was back, and she even comforted Fubao.
Liu Zhaodi was not quite convinced. She felt that if someone did something wrong, he should be punished and should not be let off so easily.
But today, when she heard what Nie Lao San's wife said, her mind suddenly moved.
Of course she knew these things before, but since there was a grown man in front of her and a pretty girl, she didn't really think about it that way. Besides, after Fubao entered the Gu family, things were going pretty well for the family.
But now it's different.
Now Gu Weidong's leg is broken.
She didn't know the exact condition of Gu Weidong's legs, but judging from his condition, he might not be able to work for ten days or half a month.
If a grown man cannot work for ten days or half a month, he will not be able to earn work points and eat nothing.
Liu Zhaodi felt uncomfortable.
Before, she didn't want to split up the family, and she didn't dare to do so. She was always hesitant and even thought that if she split up the family, she must get more benefits. After all, she only had daughters and no sons. What if they were bullied after the split up?
But now, she suddenly felt that this family still scored.
We can’t let Gu Weidong eat for free and take advantage of the big guys, nor can we let Fubao bring bad luck to the whole family.
Today it was Gu Weidong who broke his leg, but tomorrow it may be someone else's turn.
After Liu Zhaodi made up her mind, she went back and thought about talking to Shen Hongying about it.
What she said really touched Shen Hongying's heart.
Chen Hongying was thinking about her brother-in-law lying on the kang in the east room and crying in pain. She was so worried!
"I think we should first find out what's wrong with his fourth uncle's leg and how long it will take to heal. If... "
Shen Hongying winked: "If it's really not good, we really can't be implicated like this."
The two sisters-in-law understood each other's intentions, so they began to think about testing the fourth room.
At the same time, Fubao was making medicine in the kitchen.
Miao Xiujiu borrowed a small clay pot from Grandma Hu's house, piled it up with a few adobe bricks, put the small clay pot on it, and Fubao began to light the fire and boil the medicine.
It was hot and stuffy in the summer, and boiling medicine was not an easy job. Fubao coughed several times with her face flushed, but she tried hard to suppress her coughs so that her family wouldn't hear them.
Her grandmother didn't allow her to boil medicine, and her mother didn't allow her to do so either, but she insisted on helping her father boil the medicine.
It was her fault for suddenly getting angry and going up the mountain. She made her family worry and caused her father to fall. She felt guilty and wanted to do more work at home and also do some work for her father.
Miao Xiujiu naturally saw through Xiao Fubao's thoughts, but she sighed and said nothing.
It was indeed Fubao's fault this time. The child was ignorant and ran around outside, making the family worry. Since he did something wrong, he should be punished. This is the principle that Miao Xiujiu has always followed in managing the family.
But that's Fubao... If she really wanted to punish Fubao, such as starving him, Miao Xiujiu would really not be willing to do that.
Miao Xiuju's lifelong hardness of heart was no longer strong enough for Fubao. She just couldn't bear to see Fubao suffer, couldn't bear to let Fubao go hungry. So what to do? Let her work, make fire, boil medicine, and serve her father. This way, she could make up for her mistakes.
So although Miao Xiujiu felt distressed, she pretended not to see it and asked Fubao to boil the medicine.
There was no movement from Miao Xiujiu, but Liu Guizhi couldn't stand it anymore.
She wanted to help Fubao boil the medicine, but Miao Xiujiu's eyes forced her back, so she had to go back to the house to pack up. However, she was in a state of confusion while packing, and from time to time she looked up at little Fubao who was boiling medicine outside the window.
A child, no more than seven years old, squatted there, making a fire and using a fan to fan the air while boiling the medicine. Occasionally, when the wind blew, the flames and smoke would jump in front of her, making her cough, but she had to try her best to hold it back.
Her clean, white little face was already covered with a layer of black ash. In the hot summer, she was sweating profusely while sitting by the fire. The sweat washed through the black ash, leaving black and white streaks, which looked extremely pitiful.
Ever since Fubao entered the Gu family, Liu Guizhi treated her as a treasure. She would never bear to see her suffer such a hardship. She felt so distressed that after hesitating for a moment, she was about to push the door open and leave.
It's just a matter of boiling medicine, so she can do it. She is the mother, and it is her duty as a mother to do it for her daughter.
Who knew that just as she took a step, Gu Weidong stopped her: "Don't go, let Fubao do it."
Liu Guizhi stopped and looked at Gu Weidong with disbelief.
She was a woman born in the old society. Although she grew up under the red flag, her mother's idea that women should regard men as the gods and obey men in everything was deeply rooted in her.
So in the ten years of marriage, she never questioned Gu Weidong.
She always believed what Gu Weidong said, but now, for the first time in her life, she looked at Gu Weidong with a questioning look.
How could he do this? Even if Fubao did something wrong out of ignorance, she is still young. How could he let her do this kind of work just because she did something wrong? It was so hot, adults would feel very uncomfortable doing this kind of work. How could he have the heart to let such a young child boil medicine?
Gu Weidong sighed softly and patted the edge of the kang: "Come sit over here, I'll tell you about this in detail."
Liu Guizhi looked at little Fubao outside, withdrew her gaze with heartache, walked to the edge of the kang, and listened to Gu Weidong.
Gu Weidong knew what his mute wife was thinking, so he had to tell her everything: "Actually, my broken leg this time is also an opportunity."
Opportunity? What opportunity?
Liu Guizhi was a little confused. Breaking her leg could be an opportunity.
Gu Weidong thought deeper and further.
He was originally the smartest and most thoughtful of the four brothers. Now that he had been to the city and broadened his horizons, his whole thinking had changed. In addition, he had come into contact with the educated youth from the city and learned a lot of things, making him even more unwilling to live his current life.
When a person steps out of his original environment and examines his own position, he can often gain some insights that he had never had before. Gu Weidong's insights even include family affection and brotherhood.
Transcending the position and identity of the fourth child in the Gu family, he could see more clearly what his parents and brother and sister-in-law were thinking.
Everyone is selfish, including him.
"Our whole family is so mixed up that we can't do anything. Although our mother said she wants to divide the family, it's not something that can be done all at once. It's impossible to separate them at all. The eldest sister-in-law has a hot temper. If we really want to divide the family, she will want to take advantage. The second sister-in-law is easy to talk to, but the third sister-in-law is calculating. She also wants to take advantage of the division. If she doesn't, she will feel at a disadvantage."
So it is not easy to divide this family. It is easier said than done.
Liu Guizhi was confused and looked at her man in confusion.
Gu Weidong continued, "I broke my leg this time and can't go out to work. My eldest and third sisters-in-law must be upset and feel that they have been wronged. So if we propose to split the family, they will not be too picky in order to get rid of me, a nuisance, and the division will go smoothly."
But, but what does this have to do with Fubao?
Gu Weidong sighed, "Everyone said before that Fubao would bring benefits to our family. Although they may not have believed it completely, they had some idea in mind. That's why they were unwilling to split up the family and would not split up easily. They always wanted to reap the benefits before splitting up. Now they may have believed the rumors outside and think that Fubao brought bad luck to me, which is why I injured my leg. Let them believe that for now. After we split up the family in a few days, we will take good care of Fubao."
Liu Guizhi was shocked when she heard these ideas.
She didn't think too much about it, and she didn't care too much whether the family was divided or not.
But Gu Weidong obviously has a strong desire to split up the family.
She was silent for a long time before nodding.
——
As Gu Weidong expected, Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi came to Room 4 for several days in a row and asked tentatively about Gu Weidong's injury. When they saw that Gu Weidong was in so much pain when he moved his legs that beads of sweat the size of soybeans fell from his forehead, they looked at each other in bewilderment.
It seems that the fourth brother was seriously injured and will not recover in a short time. People say that it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone.
But what about after a hundred days? They can feed him for a hundred days, but after a hundred days, will his leg grow back? I hope he doesn't become disabled and limping, because then he won't be able to do heavy work.
After figuring out this idea, Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi began to try to unite Niu Sanni and talk to Miao Xiujiu about dividing the family business.
Niu Sanni: "Divide the family? Divide what family? Didn't our mother already plan it a long time ago, saying that we will divide the family when we build a new house next spring?"
Shen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi glanced at Niu Sanni with dismay: "Okay, if you don't go and tell them, we will!"
So one day, when Miao Xiuju was shaking out the old coarse cloth sheets that had just been dried, she turned around and saw her two daughters-in-law approaching her with their heads hunched, their eyes rolling around, hesitating and wanting to speak but stopping. She understood.
Knowing what the two daughters-in-law were planning, he said calmly, "What's the matter? Tell me."
I've been waiting for them to speak.
Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi had made up their minds to split up the family business, but when they saw Miao Xiujiu, they were frightened and went back.
But think about the state of the fourth child's legs now, and Fubao is not a worry-free child either. What if people point fingers at him and say that the Gu family has welcomed a jinx?
So Liu Zhaodi winked at Shen Hongying and said slowly, "Sister-in-law, you are my sister-in-law. I will listen to you in everything. Just say it."
Shen Hongying thought about it and said to Miao Xiuju, "Mom, we want to discuss something with you."
Miao Xiuju patted her bed sheet, folded it up neatly, and said calmly, "What's the matter? Tell me."
Chen Hongying blushed and gritted her teeth, "Mom, Zhaodi and I have discussed this and I just want to ask you, does our family division still count?"
Miao Xiuju stopped what she was doing and looked at her two daughters-in-law with surprise: "You want to split up now?"
Chen Hongying: "Mom, we are just asking. Didn't you mention it before, but it disappeared? I thought it's better to break up sooner rather than later. We should explain it clearly, otherwise you will always be worried about it."
Miao Xiuju looked at her two daughters-in-law and asked, "Do you mean to say that you want to separate now?"
Shen Hongying: "Yes."
Liu Zhaodi helped out, "Mom, the fourth child's legs aren't feeling well. We thought we'd give him some preference when we divide the family property so that he can have an easier time. We're doing this for his own good."
Miao Xiuju looked solemn and sighed, "You guys go back to your room first. I'll think about this matter and give you an answer tomorrow."
Liu Zhaodi and Shen Hongying were a little nervous when they heard Miao Xiuju's words. They looked at each other and ran away quickly. When they returned to the house, Shen Hongying began to frown and mutter: "What does mother mean? She doesn't want to split up the family, right? From what I see, she just doesn't want to split up the family!"
Liu Zhaodi thought about it, pondered for a while, and finally whispered, "Sister-in-law, we can't tell the men about this. We can risk our pride to separate the family, but the men can't. I think our mother is not very happy about the separation. If we tell the men, they will definitely yell at us, and then this matter will be ruined!"
Chen Hongying agreed: "That's right, that's right. If we don't tell our husbands, we can go and tell our mother that we want to split up the family. If our mother doesn't let us split up the family, we won't be happy!"
The two sisters-in-law reached a consensus, discussed it with each other, and then went about their own business.
In the following few days, there was no movement from Miao Xiujiu, nor any response, which made the two daughters-in-law feel confused and full of doubts.
Is this yellow?
Liu Zhaodi began to speak: "If I had known earlier, you would have said that you could give some benefits to the fourth wife. The fourth wife's leg is broken, and we have to mend her."
Shen Hongying also felt that the situation of the fourth room would not improve in the short term, so she would rather suffer some losses and divide the family quickly.
Who knew that one day, when they were whispering to each other, they heard a few people coming outside. They were several respected people in the production team, including Uncle Li who treated the livestock, Grandma Hu who was knowledgeable, and the team leader, the number one figure in their production team.
After a few people arrived, they went to the main hall and sat down.
Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi looked at each other, not understanding what this meant. Could it be that their mother didn't want to divide the family, so she invited these people to come and educate them ideologically?
Miao Xiuju glared at the two daughters-in-law and said, "Hurry up and call everyone over. We have something important to say today. The fourth son's legs are not good and he can't get out of bed. Let his wife come in his place and pass on the message to him when the time comes."
event? ?
Chen Hongying was delighted, and Liu Zhaodi's eyes rolled around, but neither of them dared to hesitate and hurried over to greet everyone. Soon, everyone, big and small, came and filled the room.
"Mom, what's going on?"
When the sons saw this, they all felt that something was wrong. Why were even the team leader, Grandma Hu and Uncle Li here today?
Gu Weiguo was shocked: "Could it be that something happened to our pig again?"
The pigs have been growing well recently, they are fat and strong, with shiny fur. It looks like they will give birth to a litter of piglets in winter and they will be fat.
This pig is now the top priority of the Gu family. Looking at this situation, Gu Weiguo couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to the pig again.
Miao Xiujiu had a stern face and looked solemnly at the family.
The old rural lady who had experienced droughts, floods, locusts, fleeing famine, and the Japanese invaders' invasion of the village, when she glanced at them with her eyes, her sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and all of them became quiet.
Miao Xiujiu is the absolute authority in this family, and always has been.
She is the absolute authority in this family, not because of her identity as a mother and mother-in-law, but because she is indeed knowledgeable and has been fair and just over the years, never partial to any of her sons or daughters-in-law.
It can be said that in this poor and backward era, only when the whole family worked to earn work points and ate together could everyone have enough food and clothing, but a whole family needed someone to take charge of everything.
Whether in terms of her knowledge, ability to handle affairs or status, Miao Xiujiu is naturally the one in charge.
Now, Miao Xiujiu, the steward of the Gu family, suddenly lowered her head and wiped away her tears after scanning the whole family.
When she wiped her tears, everyone became frightened.
Gu Weiguo was the first to speak: "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Fubao quickly took out a small handkerchief and said softly, "Grandma, don't cry. Wipe your tears."
Uncle Li next to him saw this and shook his head.
Alas, children have grown up and have their own thoughts, and it is the parents who are sad.
After getting everyone's hearts pumped and stirring up their emotions, Miao Xiuju finally said, "Let's split up."
No extra explanation, no extra words, just this quiet sentence.
Split up the family?
It's like a stone falling into a lake, and everyone's heart is excited.
Gu Weiguo was the first to widen his eyes: "Why are you saying you want to split up the family? I don't agree!"
As soon as he said this, Shen Hongying quickly pulled the corner of his clothes from behind.
Gu Weimin also said, "Mom, why are you suddenly splitting up? Didn't we agree that even if we split up, we should do it slowly?"
Gu Weijun frowned: "Mom, what's going on? Say something!"
Seeing this, Grandma Hu, who was standing nearby, raised her eyelids and said calmly, "Since your mother has proposed dividing the family, she must have her own difficulties. There's nothing we can do about it. You're all grown up now and have your own ideas. Since the family can't live together, we have no choice but to split up."
These words... Several sons looked at Miao Xiuju in confusion: "Mom, what happened?"
Miao Xiuju faced her son, sighed, and then said, "Divide it, divide it neatly and cleanly. This time I'm determined to do it right away. After the division, this yard will belong to us, old couple, but you can still live in this house and cook your own meals. When the time comes, whoever of you is capable can build a new house and move out, so I can have some peace and quiet here."
With just a few words, the house was settled.
The old house belongs to the old couple. Each family has one of the four residential plots, but they each have to find a way to build it. The old people will not help you find a way.
Gu Weiguo was furious and stood up immediately: "What's going on? Why are you saying you want to split up the family business? Aren't we living pretty well?"
If the parents are still alive and the children are separated, they will have to earn work points each to make a living. Then the family will only have so many work points, and they will be spent everywhere. This life will definitely not be as good as living together.
Besides, his parents were old, so how could they live alone as a couple? Gu Weiguo felt that this was not an option.
Miao Xiuju sighed for the second time, but she didn't say anything.
Chen Hongying got furious when she saw this. She also stood up, her face flushed red as she said, "What are you yelling about? What are you yelling about? I'll make it clear today. It was me and our mother, Zhaodi, who proposed to separate the family. The children are grown up now. It's hard to cook for the whole family. What's wrong with continuing to stir up trouble? Besides, our mother also agreed to separate the family. What's wrong with me bringing it up?"
When Gu Weijun heard this, he immediately glared at his wife Liu Zhaodi.
Originally, the eldest sister-in-law said that the family should be divided, and that was the eldest sister-in-law's business, but why did Liu Zhaodi suddenly become involved?
He glared angrily: "Why are you responsible for everything? You're responsible for everything? Can't you just calm down?"
Liu Zhaodi lowered her head in grievance, raised her hand and wiped away a tear: "I, I'm also thinking about our mother. It's very tiring for our whole family to live together... It would be easier if we split up..."
She felt guilty and spoke in a weak voice.
Gu Weijun glared at her angrily: "Say it again, say it again! The fourth brother is still lame, and you're actually instigating a split in the family business!"
Liu Zhaodi was so frightened that she was stunned and didn't dare to say a word.
Miao Xiuju looked at this scene and raised her hand: "Third brother, you don't have to be upset. This is not your wife's fault. You children are all grown up, and it's time to separate the family. Since the eldest and third wives want to split up, I guess the second and fourth wives don't object either. Let's just split up. I did mention this matter before, and it can't be said that they started it."
But can Gu Weiguo and Gu Weijun believe it?
Mom wanted to divide the family, but the fourth child was fine at that time. Now he is lame, and they are shouting about dividing the family. What kind of talk is that? It will be embarrassing if it gets out!
Seeing this, Chen Youfu also helped to speak up: "Weiguo, Weijun, your parents have made up their minds to split up the family. I have tried to persuade them, but it was no use. In my opinion, you should just split up the family. Today is a good day for us all to gather together, so why not discuss how to split up the family and talk about the specifics."
Gu Weiguo and Gu Weijun looked at the situation and realized that the outcome was set, so they lowered their heads and remained silent.
In fact, deep down, they really want to break up.
But the fourth brother is now lame, and it would be bad if it got out, so they couldn't bear it.
After all, they are brothers, how can they do such a heartless thing?
At this moment, a voice came from behind the door: "Brother, don't worry, I also agree to divide the family, let's do it this way."
Everyone turned around and saw that it was Gu Weidong.
Gu Weidong was sitting on the steps, holding onto the door sill. He was limping on one leg, his face was pale, but his eyes were unusually firm.
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