When the situation got worst, not to mention the six grains in everyone's home, even duckweed was a good thing. Those who couldn't catch it had to dig up tree bark and grass roots to eat. Eating that stuff made it impossible to defecate, and many people had bloated stomachs.
The Lin family once survived thanks to Zhang Xiaonv's hard work. In the end, it was unknown where she dug out some aged six-grain powder, mixed with some powdered powder of various leaves, wild vegetables or flowers to make a paste, which helped the entire Lin family survive the so-called three-year natural disaster.
Especially the two children. Amidst the news of children starving to death in the neighboring villages and towns, they were able to stay healthy without having their stomachs bloated or their children sold. Even after Lin Guoqing started elementary school, he did not drop out of school and went home in the past few years. He went to school every day.
Zhang Xiaonv described Liang Shengdi as a grain bag, which would become an empty bag if she ate less.
After experiencing famine after famine, Liang Shengdi was the most accepting of this famine.
At least she had a house to shelter her from the wind at night, a tattered quilt to keep her warm, and two meals of porridge a day to fill her stomach, unlike before when she was all alone with bare feet.
Therefore, she agreed with Lin Wenxuan's statement that Zhang Xiaonv had to be the head of the family. If it were in her hands, the whole family would probably have starved to death in the first year.
It was not until 60 years later that the situation gradually improved, the grain procurement task was reduced, and the villagers were able to eat sweet potatoes again.
The commune was still a commune, but Lin Youliang strictly required everyone to implement the work point system. People got points based on how much work they did, and those who did not work got no points.
But at that time, Zhang Xiaonv fell down.
This woman has been frugal all her life, raised a son and a daughter, experienced the loss of her husband and son, and raised her grandchildren. She has dedicated her entire life to this family.
She was reluctant to eat, reluctant to wear, and even reluctant to get sick, because if she got sick, the family would be short of labor, and she would need money if she got sick. She didn't even want to spend a penny to buy food for her daughter-in-law when she was pregnant, and she didn't want to spend a penny when she was sick.
I don’t even want to tell anyone, I just think I can just hold on.
Just when I finally saw a glimmer of hope, he collapsed violently and it seemed like he couldn't survive.
The new barefoot doctor in the village said that she was tired and it would be best to take her to a big hospital for a check-up.
Of course Zhang Xiaonv refused to go. Everyone is going to die anyway, so why waste the money?
You should work as you should, go to school as you should, don't listen to that barefoot doctor's nonsense, she is fine.
Lin Wenxuan and Lin Yulan had to go to the fields. One day off meant one day's work points, and each work point was equivalent to a grain of food. If they dared to ask for leave, Zhang Xiaonv would die immediately.
At Lin Guoqing's school, Zhang Xiaonv would not allow him to ask for leave. Going to school was a big deal. If you paid the tuition, you had to learn twice as much.
Liang Shengdi took care of Zhang Xiaonu during her last month.
"I never thought that I would be able to see you serving me while I am still alive."
Zhang Xiaonu was having trouble speaking now, and she had to pause after saying a few words. But this didn't stop her from speaking passionately. She was almost dead, and if she didn't say anything, there would be nothing left to say.
Liang Shengdi tested the temperature of the water in the bowl and found it was just right, then she fed her one spoonful at a time.
"If you live a few more years, you might even see Guoqing's children waiting on you!"
"Hehehe... cough cough cough... forget it. I will be angry with you for a few more years. I might as well die soon... cough cough cough..." Zhang Xiaonv wanted to laugh, but she started coughing again after just a few laughs.
Liang Shengdi quickly helped her calm down.
"Can you please stop thinking about me when I'm not working? Why don't you think about me when I'm working?"
"How much work have you done and you're bragging about your work all day long?" Zhang Xiaonv gave her a look without any deterrent effect.
"My daughter-in-law... please do some work... I'm almost dead, and when I die, there will be only the three of you at home. If you don't work, how will you get enough money to marry after National Day? And Yulan is also of marriageable age, don't you want to save some dowry for her?"
"Mom, you have to know one thing," Liang Shengdi calculated seriously for her mother-in-law, "If I work, I'll eat more. If I eat more, we won't be able to save food. If we can't save food, we won't be able to save money. Then Guoqing won't have money to marry, and Yulan won't have a dowry either."
"So, I might as well just be lazy. At least I can survive on three sweet potatoes a day."
Zhang Xiaonv: ...
"When I die and Yulan gets married, there will have to be a woman to do the laundry and cooking at home, right?"
"Then I'll ask Wenxuan to pay attention and pick a capable wife for Guoqing?"
"You're just like that! When you marry a powerful wife during the National Day holiday, sooner or later you'll be swept into the pigpen to live your life!"
"It's okay, Wenxuan said he would give me food."
"What if Wenxuan dies too?"
"Then...will I die too?"
Zhang Xiaonu was a woman of integrity. If she hadn't been lying in bed with no strength left, she would have stood up and pointed at Liang Shengdi's nose and scolded her for the whole day.
"So, Mom, I can't count on you anymore. Please live for two more years. You raised Yulan, so you should at least see her get married!"
Zhang Xiaonv looked at the ceiling of the bed weakly and said softly, "I would like to..." It depends on whether the Bodhisattva agrees.
The only time Liang Shengdi seriously worshipped Buddha and prayed in the first half of her life was during this period of time.
Because she saw that Zhang Xiaonu was a devout Buddhist, she followed her example and burned incense and prayed to the Kitchen God Bodhisattva at home every day, asking the Bodhisattva to bless her most devout believer to live for two more years. She could eat sweet potatoes for the rest of her life and not have to think about meat.
Unfortunately, the Bodhisattva seemed not to hear her voice, and Zhang Xiaonv became weaker day by day.
She said it was because she had cursed the Bodhisattva in the past, and the Bodhisattva might be angry. Liang Shengdi bluntly said that this thing was fake. She said she could stop eating meat, but it didn't work. What else could it be but fake?
Zhang Xiaonv lay there laughing for a long time and finally laughed out loud.
"If you can swear such an oath, I, as your mother-in-law, must be on duty..."
"But please don't let me see you again in my next life. I don't want to be your mother-in-law anymore..."
"Shengdi... when I die... bury me next to Wenxuan's grandparents... His father can't be found, so I have to take care of them. That's how I repay the Lin family..."
"Oh, you haven't been to the ancestral grave... Actually, it's just behind the mountain. Your two children... are also there... not far away..."
"Shengdi...please ask them all to come back...let me take one last look at them..."
"I feel a little sleepy..."
"It's like the King of Hell has come to find me..."
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