The second and third uncles also helped to take off the two boys' outer clothes and carry them to the kang (a heated brick bed). It's easy to deal with adults, but it's very difficult for children if they get sick.
“Big brother, why didn’t you tell us you were coming back? My second brother and I could have picked you up. Even if we couldn’t take the oxcart, we could have carried the children back on our backs. Look at my two nephews, they’re so cold, their faces are all frostbitten.”
Qian Xiao quickly climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and touched her two younger brothers' hands and feet; sure enough, they were ice cold.
The two boys kept dodging, saying, "Big sister, big sister is itchy."
Qian Xiao raised his hand and slapped each of them: "Behave yourselves, quickly cover that little blanket up so you don't catch a cold. You won't be able to eat anything if you catch a cold during the New Year."
The four boys in the family quickly came over, calling him "Second Brother" and "Third Brother" repeatedly, as if they had been separated for many years and had finally met again. Luckily, the kang (heated brick bed) in the house was big, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to fit all six boys. They didn't look as quiet as when they were little.
"Keep your voices down, or I'll slap anyone who makes a sound!" My ears are ringing. These six lads just can't be together.
The six boys fell silent instantly, then chattered softly. The four younger ones were curious about what the military camp was like, while the third and fourth boys were easy to talk to, as they described it vividly.
Qian Xiao rubbed his ears, which were still ringing. They say three women are like five hundred ducks, but these six boys in the family are worth ten thousand ducks.
The two youngest brothers will be starting school in the fall. In recent years, due to environmental reasons, the family has not increased its population. Qian Xiao feels that their family is just right. If there are more boys in the family, it will be too much of a burden!
Of course, she only thinks about these things. Whether she will have younger siblings or not is not up to her to decide. Luckily, she is away from home for long periods of time, otherwise these boys would be making a scene and beating her every day.
Once the boys quieted down, Qian Xiao went to stay close to his mother. He hadn't had time to spend with her properly in the past few years, only seeing her briefly for a few days at the end of each holiday. He really missed her.
Li Guizhi patted her daughter's mushroom-shaped hair: "How's my daughter? She looks thinner than usual. Is she not eating enough at school?"
Since the disaster began, her daughter has been receiving ten pounds of coarse grains every month, which she has to squeeze out of her own pockets. She has told her daughter countless times not to worry about them, but they won't listen. All she and her husband can do is send more money to their daughter.
But what use is money at this time? No amount of money can buy food. Ten catties of grain a month may not seem like much, but it's a huge help. My two boys are at the age where they can eat a lot, and my daughter's subsidy came at just the right time.
The couple neglected their daughter the most. Her father was not around when she was young. Later, when the family had a chance to reunite, their daughter had to go to school far away. They could not see each other for more than three times a year. They could only make up for it with money, but no matter how good the money was, it could not be as good as being with her parents.
"Hehe, don't worry about being able to eat your fill. Look at the fat on my arms, I'm just trying to look thin, but I haven't lost any weight at all."
My daughter may seem like a troublemaker, but she's actually very sensible. My two sons combined aren't as considerate as she is.
"Nonsense! There are still people who have enough to eat at this time. Don't send any more food in the future. We have enough to eat at home." The adults have to eat less to raise the children. How can they, as parents, let their daughter suffer along with them?
"Hehe, I can really eat my fill. Don't worry, that food won't hurt me. My two younger brothers are still growing, so eating a little more will help them grow better."
Li Guizhi's eyes reddened as her daughter spoke. Life over there was truly difficult. The soldiers were starving and had to take care of their families. Although each family had been allocated land, the water had dried up and there was no harvest.
If it weren't for the grain deliveries from our hometown twice a year, plus the monthly allowance from my daughter, we really wouldn't be able to make ends meet.
Qian Xiao felt bad seeing her mother like this. She wasn't lying. Although there wasn't much food at school, she had food in her spatial storage. She hadn't skimped on herself these days, but she couldn't say it out loud.
"Mother, look at this year's heavy snow. Next year is sure to be a good year. Our whole family has survived safely. What a happy thing that is!"
Grandma Qian patted her eldest daughter-in-law: "Yes, Erdan is right. In this day and age, it's a great joy that our whole family can get through this peacefully. We can't shed tears."
She now particularly admires her old man. He's so clever. Back then, when so much land was cleared in the mountains, she wasn't happy about it. She thought that if they planted less land, the children would suffer less. It's a good thing her old man didn't listen to her back then.
If they had listened to her, their whole family might not have been able to get through these past few years safely.
Turning her head to wipe her eyes, Li Guizhi grinned and said, "Mother is right. It's better for our whole family to be safe and sound than anything else."
Qian Jiefang was also feeling bad. Many people had starved to death in the villages near their station. He had only managed to get by thanks to subsidies from his family and daughter. His comrades' families were in even more difficult circumstances.
At that time, I felt particularly useless. Not to mention helping my comrades, it would be an achievement if I could just keep myself afloat.
"Mother is right. Things are about to get better, and this heavy snow has come just in time."
His information network was better than his family's; if this continued for another year, who knows how many people would have lost their lives.
Old Qian said, "Alright, things are about to get better. Let bygones be bygones. The New Year is just around the corner, so let's all have a happy New Year."
In Old Man Qian's opinion, thinking too much is useless; life still has to move forward.
Sure enough, once they started talking about other things, the atmosphere improved a lot. It had been several years since the whole family had been together to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Although there wasn't much good food, everyone was incredibly happy.
Just like when she was little, Qian Xiao took her six younger brothers and went out with Sun Kaicheng and his sister to visit relatives and friends on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This year, the children wouldn't have any income, since a handful of peanuts could save a life.
At this time, even the most generous families wouldn't give away anything that could fill their stomachs for free, and the children didn't care; they just enjoyed the lively atmosphere.
Sun Kaicheng didn't know when he bought the firecrackers. He opened them and put a handful in each of his six younger brothers' pockets so they could go out and show them off to their friends. Every now and then, you could hear a bang from the firecrackers, along with the children's excited chatter.
By the time the famine had truly subsided, it was already 1963, the year Qian Xiao was graduating and making her own choices.
Hearing the response from inside, Qian Xiao pushed open the office door: "Teacher Chen, you wanted to see me?"
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