Lian Xiaomin walked about five miles and arrived at the entrance of the village. It seemed that they had walked very close to Sandagou Village, but the original little girl collapsed here.
When they walked into the village, it was time for the production team to get off work. A woman in her fifties wearing a navy blue coat saw them first and approached them and asked, "Where are you from? Whose family are you looking for?"
Lian Xiaomin quickly said, "Aunt, I'm looking for my aunt. My aunt's name is Lian Qiuping. She married into your village a few years ago. My uncle's name is Li Xianghai."
"Oh, Xianghai's wife, yes, her name is Qiuping. Their home is over there. You have to walk quite far forward. Our village is big. Walk to the big locust tree... Come on, let me take you there." The auntie had the warm heart of a person from the Northeast. Lian Xiaomin felt very comfortable and friendly, and hurriedly followed her.
After walking for another two miles, we came to a very large locust tree not far from the gate of the house. It was probably so big that it would take three people to hug it.
There were a few children under the tree, squatting on the ground and playing.
The aunt called out, "Xiang Hai's wife, have you finished work? Is there a guest coming to your house?"
While shouting, he pushed the gate and walked inside without locking it. This is usually the case in the countryside of Northeast China. Because the yard is very large and it takes dozens of meters to walk to the front door, the front door is usually not locked during the day.
Lian Xiaomin followed him into the yard and saw her aunt at first sight! She was looking over here when she heard the voice - she had two big braids, her tanned cheeks were sweating, and her eyes were gentle.
Lian Qiuping was wearing a light blue jacket that had been washed so much that it looked bleached, and her clothes and pants had several patches on them.
Although they hadn't seen each other for several years, Lian Xiaomin immediately recognized her aunt Lian Qiuping.
Lian Qiuping is 8 years younger than her eldest brother Lian Dashan. She is 23 this year, and she is 2 years younger than her younger brother Lian Ershan. Three years ago, in the autumn, she married to the Northeast. Not long after that, at the end of the year, Lian Ershan also got married. She has never met Xiaofu and Xiaoya.
Three years passed in a flash. Because the family was so poor, they couldn't afford to buy a train ticket that cost more than 20 yuan, and Lian Qiuping had never returned to her hometown.
At that moment, Lian Qiuping looked at the three dirty children in front of her with her eyes wide open in surprise.
He paused for a few seconds, came to his senses, and quickly walked over. He patted Lian Xiaomin's arm twice with his big hand: "This is Xiaomin, why did you bring me to my aunt's house? Are your parents here? Xiaomin has grown up so much, what happened to you? What happened at home?"
Auntie asked hurriedly, and Xiaomin suddenly felt uncomfortable and didn't know how to start. She said with red eyes: "Auntie, something happened at home. I brought Xiaofu from my second uncle's family and my sister Xiaoya to seek refuge with you..."
Only then did Lian Qiuping notice that there was a baby in the bamboo basket at the back. She opened her mouth in surprise and quickly helped Lian Xiaomin take off the basket and put it on the long dining table in the yard. The little girl inside was not awake and was still sleeping.
Lian Qiuping looked at Xiaoya for a few seconds, then at Xiaofu.
Xiaofu hugged his sister's neck tightly with his little hands and looked at his aunt timidly. The little boy didn't quite understand what was going on, but his sister kept saying she was looking for his aunt, so he also remembered that there was an aunt, who was the person in front of him.
Lian Qiuping quickly took the little kid over and let him sit on a bamboo chair with a backrest.
Xiaomin also sat down. Lian Qiuping turned to the aunt who led the way and said, "Thank you, Aunt Lin, for bringing my nephews and nieces here."
Aunt Lin waved her hands and walked out of the yard, saying, "Why thank me? I just happened to run into them. I didn't know where the child came from, but when I asked, I found out it was for your family, so I brought her here. I quickly went back to cook, you guys go on with your business!"
Lian Qiuping didn't say much and sent Aunt Lin off on a long journey. Aunt Lin was usually very impetuous and had a straightforward personality.
Lian Qiuping was now worried, wondering what had happened at home and why the three children had come here, from so far away.
She was thinking in her mind, but her hands did not stop. She poured a bowl of boiled water from the pot on the table for Lian Xiaomin and Xiaofu to drink.
Lian Xiaomin sat on a bench, first fed Xiaofu a few sips of water, and then drank the rest herself.
She said to Lian Qiuping in a choked voice, "Aunt, my parents, my second uncle and my second aunt are all gone. It happened not long ago. We didn't have much food at home, so they wanted to go to the mountains to hunt and dig some wild vegetables. They went a little far into the mountains and encountered a landslide, and they were all gone. Xiaoya is only four months old now, and Xiaofu is one and a half years old. Some people in the village came to the Northeast to escape famine, and I followed them here, according to the address you wrote in the letter. Fortunately, a few villagers came together, so nothing happened on the way, and a truck gave us a ride for a while."
Lian Xiaomin said this but thought in her heart, this is just saying nothing happened on the road, in fact, everyone is dead, alas, it's my turn.
Lian Qiuping started crying as she listened. After Lian Xiaomin briefly explained what happened, she was already covering her face and sobbing.
She hugged Lian Xiaomin and Xiaofu and cried, "My poor kids, my poor brother and sister-in-law!"
She picked up Xiaoya again. Xiaoya was awakened by the talking and crying sounds. She was holding back her tears and was about to cry. Lian Xiaomin hurriedly picked her up and coaxed her a few times.
Lian Qiuping cried for a while and gradually calmed down. She went to wash her face, and when she came back her eyes were red, but her emotions were stable.
She said to Lian Xiaomin, "Since you are at my aunt's house, you can stay here first. There is an empty room in the house. It was originally occupied by your aunt's sister Yufang, but she was happy to live in the same room with my mother-in-law, so it is now vacant. You can stay here first, and I will find a way to build a room for you in the backyard later."
Lian Qiuping placed the children in a small room on the west side, let them lie down for a while, and then went out to make lunch.
The autumn harvest season is the busiest time. Generally, only the person who cooks in each family comes back to eat the prepared meals in the fields, while the rest of the people take a short rest and wait in the fields.
Lian Xiaomin said hurriedly, "Aunt, we just had some dry food before entering the village. We are not hungry now, so we don't need to eat at noon. Let's take a nap first, and you can go do your thing."
Lian Qiuping saw that they were indeed tired and said, "Okay, then you guys lie down quickly, and we'll talk in detail when I get back from work tonight."
The door was gently closed from the outside by her aunt, and Lian Xiaomin put Xiaoya on the kang and coaxed her to sleep.
Xiaofu lay down on the kang as soon as he got there. The kid was too young and was already tired. He snuggled up to his sister and soon fell asleep in a daze.
Lian Xiaomin saw that they were sleeping soundly and would not wake up for a while, so she thought about it and entered the space directly.
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