The Han family courtyard was silent in the morning, with only the occasional chirping of sparrows under the eaves.
The autumn harvest has entered its final stage, and it is time to start infrastructure construction. In the past two days, the team leaders have mobilized all members to actively participate in the winter land filling and reclamation project. Soil was dug from the hillside and then filled into the ravine, and after leveling it became new land. This project depends entirely on manpower, so even though winter has arrived, everyone is still busy.
While no one was around, Gu Yan closed the door and made himself a bowl of blood-replenishing brown sugar water. I pinched her breasts, but still no milk.
This won’t do! Even if there is milk powder, I dare not feed them openly. If there is no breast milk, how can I feed two children? It was okay for her to take out the millet, but how could she explain it to everyone?
How about trying some meat? In later times, women in confinement have to drink chicken soup, fish soup and other things to stimulate milk secretion. She ate two boiled eggs and oatmeal corn porridge, which are not nutritious, so she has no milk, right?
Gu Yan really had no experience and didn't know how long it would take for the mother to produce milk after giving birth. She has been doing this for a day now, but she doesn't feel any swelling at all. Looking at the two skinny children, I felt very anxious.
Look at the time, it's still early for noon. She took out a vacuum-packed roast chicken, opened it, heated it up in a casserole, and sat on the edge of the kang, stuffing it into her mouthful by mouthful.
"It smells so good. I'll wait for my two daughters to come back and heat up another one behind closed doors tonight. Why didn't I realize before that meat smells so good?" She muttered to herself. Her body, which had been in poor health for many years, was attracted by the aroma and became even hungrier. Before she knew it, she had eaten the entire small roast chicken.
After eating, he quickly washed the pot, added some charcoal to the stove, and lifted the door curtain to let the fragrance and smoke dissipate.
Fresh air rushed in, and she suddenly remembered what Sister Xu said about not being exposed to the wind during confinement. Only then did she realize it and pulled the handkerchief that the original owner had used from the kang.
He actually bought the green one. This guy has really bad taste. The square scarf is already tacky enough, and paired with this color, she looks like a silly country girl. Although he felt disgusted in his heart, his hands did not hesitate. This body is hers now, and if it gets sick she will have to bear the consequences. Wait until this famine is over, then modify the cashmere scarf in the space to keep it low-key, luxurious and meaningful.
Get rid of the smell and feel free to use the door curtain. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and within a few minutes the room began to heat up and become extremely warm. When the two little ones woke up, she fed them, changed their diapers, and then they went back to sleep.
"My baby is so worry-free. It will be even less of a worry when they don't have to feed at night." In my memory, the two sisters Dahua and Xiaohua were also very well behaved. It's just that at that time, Yuanbo didn't have enough milk, and Xiaomi wasn't enough either, so the two of them often cried because of hunger.
Gu Yan had nothing to do, so he mixed water, washed the diapers of the two babies, and hung them on a rope. The two young ladies started yelling as soon as they came in at noon.
"Mom, I told you not to touch water, why don't you listen? We can wash these when we come back, why are you in such a hurry?"
"That's right, Mom, you can't get wet again!" Xiaohua glanced at her helpless face and tentatively suggested to her sister: "Why don't we take turns to pick up sheep dung, and one of us stays at home to take care of Mom."
"Okay. There aren't many sheep in the team right now, so you won't be able to steal many. I can go by myself, and you stay at home to take care of mom and your younger brothers and sisters."
My sister is indeed better than me at this kind of work. Xiaohua did not refute, but nodded silently to accept her suggestion. Gu Yan, the person who was treated as a protected person, didn't even have a turn to speak before he was given a clear assignment by the two young ladies.
"Mom is not made of paper and cannot withstand wind and rain. Are you two confused? I am the adult and you two minors are the ones who should be protected."
"No. Confinement is very important. Only when mom is healthy can she protect us."
"That's right. If grandma doesn't give up and wants to abandon my sister, how can you handle her if you're not in good health?"
"She dares." Gu Yan glared at her like a tigress, "I'll chop her up."
Lunch is still porridge, a little thicker than morning and evening. Gu Yan gave each of the two children a boiled egg. Dahua bit it happily, while Xiaohua glanced at the door and turned back to speak in a low voice.
"Mom, let's eat secretly at night. If my grandma and the others see us, we'll have another fight. They'll definitely think we stole from her."
"Her three old hens are so cold and hungry that they have stopped laying eggs. I heard Auntie say that she wants to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange cotton cloth to make clothes for Daniu and his family."
Xiaohua also ate the eggs quickly, chewing them and talking to her sister, "So we can't let them find out. Otherwise, they will say that the eggs are theirs." Then she imitated her grandmother's tone and said, "I was wondering why the eggs disappeared. It turns out that you stole them all."
Dahua finished eating the eggs and nodded: "Yes, my grandma would definitely say so."
"That's why I said to eat it secretly at night, or save it to exchange for millet for younger brothers and sisters. I saw someone grinding millet on a millstone today, and it was also prepared for the children at home. Even if mom has milk, it's not enough for two people, so we still have to exchange some millet."
"Mom, how many eggs can you conjure up? Let's go to the commune to find that auntie. Maybe she can find a way to exchange them for millet."
The two girls looked at her with their big dark eyes, which were filled with worries about life. Gu Yan once again lamented that his original self was unreliable. Look at how much worry he puts into raising these two kids. They don’t look like children under ten years old at all. It’s simply more than adults think. I wanted to tell them not to worry, but I felt that this was a bit perfunctory for two precocious children. Without being able to see anything, these two must feel insecure.
"We have millet." As she spoke, several vacuum-packed bags appeared on the edge of the kang. The golden thing inside is the millet that nourishes yin and blood.
"Oh, this weighs several kilograms."
"This millet is so good. The color is much better than what I saw today." The two children happily took the bag and touched it. Xiaohua had already started planning.
"Let's use the mill this afternoon. Grind it and sieve it, then steam it. When my brothers and sisters are hungry, they can just rinse it with hot water."
"Not only millet, Mom also has white flour." In order to reassure the two children, she took out another bag of high-gluten flour. The two girls were very happy now. They could feed their children the steamed white flour or boil it into noodle soup. This amount was enough to raise their younger brothers and sisters to the age where they could eat coarse grains.
"Are you relieved now?" She stretched out her hand and took a large bag of flour back into the space. "I'll cook noodles for you two tonight."
"Mom, you are so stupid. If you can turn something into something good, just eat more of it yourself. When you have milk, you won't have to feed your brothers and sisters with millet. I'll save the millet to make rice soup for you. Drink the rice soup to nourish your body during the confinement period."
Amused by the child's words, Gu Yan reached out and touched the little flower, who looked like she had been reborn. "Who told you that?"
"That's what adults say."
Well, people here are quite frugal, so forget about eating meat. It’s nice to have millet porridge during the confinement period. Nowadays, it is even harder to find a rice, and the meals in the cafeteria are so watery that you can reflect a person’s shadow in them.
"The aunties in the cafeteria will scoop out some thick food from the bottom for the men, while women and children will scoop two spoonfuls of food from the top. Today, Wang Da Niu fell down after picking up sheep dung, and it took her a long time to slowly stand up."
"Thanks to mom's ability, otherwise we would be worse than her."
Listening to the two young ladies' discussion, Gu Yan had a deeper feeling about this era. With little food, men have to do heavy physical labor. Life is hard for everyone!
In the afternoon, Gu Yan insisted that the two children go together to pick up sheep dung. After promising the children not to get wet, the two of them filled her charcoal bags and then went out together. In the evening, there were bursts of voices coming from outside the door. From the sound, it seemed that the old couple of the Han family had returned, and there seemed to be the captain's voice as well.
"Secretary, you have to make the decision for us old couple! The commune couldn't fix the old woman's arm properly, and she spent a lot of money on plaster at the county hospital. It takes a hundred days for a broken bone to heal, and we can't just let it go like this. We in the Han family don't want this daughter-in-law anymore, you have to let her go back to her parents' home."
"And you have to compensate me for my arm."
Nowadays, any family problems are mediated by grassroots cadres first, and there is no such thing as going directly to court. Gu Yan sneered in his heart as he listened to the two cruel and selfish old couple begging for sympathy. I knew you wouldn't give up, but what can I do if I call the branch secretary? How can I be afraid?
"Han Lao Er, come in. This is a conflict between your wife and your parents. How can you, as a son and a husband, ignore it?"
Unexpectedly, Han Laoer was also called back. It seemed that the person who came had bad intentions and was well prepared to teach her a lesson. Gu Yan sat steadily on the kang and pointed at two cushions on the edge of the kang, motioning the secretary to sit down.
"What's the point? Are you going to apologize to my daughter in front of the branch secretary? Actually, there's no need to make such a fuss. Just say sorry and I was wrong. I'm so magnanimous that I won't argue with an old fool like you."
"You..." As soon as she opened her mouth, Old Lady Han choked and fell backwards. "Ah, bah! You asked me to apologize to a baby. Gu Yan, you are really crazy and hopeless. Get out of here quickly. Don't stay in our Han family anymore, you lunatic."
Gu Yan took a deep breath and hugged his daughter who was frightened awake into his arms. He spoke to the branch secretary slowly and calmly while coaxing him. Let's be reasonable. It's obviously inappropriate to fight in front of two babies.
"You go ahead and speak, Secretary. Since they invited you here, you should be the one to administer justice for me."
"You still want justice? You broke your mother-in-law's arm, I'll beat you to death with a stick..."
"Shut up." The secretary spoke in a very dignified voice. The old lady did not dare to make trouble anymore and stopped talking to him. The branch secretary rolled his eyes at her and then turned to look at Gu Yan.
"Second brother, did you break your mother-in-law's arm?"
"yes."
Hearing her admit it, the old couple of the Han family were delighted. No matter what, you are definitely disobedient and unfilial for breaking your mother-in-law's arm. As long as my son agrees, we will drive you away.
"Why? Grandma is the elder. Even if there is something wrong, the younger generation should persuade her. How can she use violence? And she even broke her arm."
"Secretary, let me ask you a question. You know that killing someone should be punished with death, but babies also have human rights. Killing a baby is also a capital crime. Should he be shot?"
Gu Yan did not answer but asked instead. The branch secretary was stunned for a moment and then nodded. It was mentioned at the county committee meeting that things are different now than they were in the past and you can't do whatever you want with even your own children.
"My mother-in-law, the old lady of the Han family, threw my newborn baby girl into the Nan Da Gou. If my eldest daughter hadn't picked her up, she would have been shot by now. I was so angry that she killed my daughter, so it's not too much to hit her twice."
"That's..." After listening to Gu Yan's words and seeing the branch secretary nod, Old Lady Han began to feel something was wrong. It turns out that what the woman said was true. You can't just throw your own baby away casually, otherwise it is illegal. He wanted to explain himself at this time, but after stuttering several times, he spoke again arrogantly.
"You can't even support your daughter. What else can you do if you don't throw her away? You'll end up starving both of them to death. So you'll have to throw her away."
"What are you saying?" Gu Yan suppressed his anger and said to her, "You mean that people are going to die anyway, so they should be strangled to death when they are born? You are not far from death, so shouldn't you lie down in the ground and save some food to contribute to society?"
She was so choked by the words that she just rolled her eyes. Old man Han beside her was so anxious that sweat appeared on his forehead. When did this daughter-in-law become so powerful? Her words are so sharp that it is impossible to refute her.
"Your daughter is fine after all, but you broke your mother-in-law's arm. No matter what, our Han family can't tolerate you. You better leave quickly."
The old man is indeed a man who has seen a lot, and he hit the nail on the head as soon as he spoke. Gu Yan smiled and remained calm. He spoke to the branch secretary in person, obviously wanting to explain the situation to the public.
"Attempted murder seems to be punishable by several years in prison. I broke her arm, and even if the matter is over, I don't plan to file a complaint with the county. My wife has been tolerant enough, what else do you want from me? Secretary, since you are here today, let's talk it out. Who is right and who is wrong in this matter?
I didn't even accuse her of attempting to kill someone, but they kept harassing me and beating people. Divorce is not impossible, but not now. They are determined to force me into a dead end and drive us mother and daughter out of the house during the confinement period. I will file a petition to sue them for attempted murder. ”
After saying that, she turned her gaze to Han Lao Er. "Are you sure you want a divorce now? The minimum sentence for attempted murder is eight to ten years in prison, so you better think about it. If you force me to live, I will fight you to the death."
"No. That's all my mother's nonsense." Upon hearing that he would go to jail, the coward Han Laoer became soft and didn't dare to mention divorce again.
The laws these days are not perfect and there are actually no such detailed regulations. But for the honest farmers who may have never even been to the county town, a lawsuit and going to jail are enough to scare them.
The branch secretary didn't quite understand this, but he knew it was wrong to throw away a living baby. If this matter was really reported to the higher-ups by Gu Yan, then he, as his direct leader, would definitely be in trouble. If the propaganda is not in place, feudal remnants can make him lose his hat.
"The second son's wife is right. We should just solve our own problems. Don't make such a big fuss. It won't benefit anyone."
The man cleared his throat and spoke in an official tone, "We won't charge you with attempted murder. Just reattach the broken arm and forget about it. Don't do such heartless things in the future. They are your own grandson and daughter, how could you be so cruel as to throw them away? A son is the apple of his mother's eye, and as a mother, I don't want to fight you to death. I will just give you a verbal criticism and education this time, and I won't let you go next time. If I don't lock you up for two years, you will be sorry for the child who was thrown away."
The branch secretary made his closing statement with great righteousness, and the Han family was all stunned. And they had their arms broken, or were they wrong? In the end, this shrew didn't even apologize or compensate?
"Secretary, then... is it true that my arm was broken in vain?"
"What else do you want? Sue you for attempted murder and spend a few years in labor camp before you're happy?"
The secretary's words had more weight, and the old woman, who had always been unreasonable, immediately shut up. The old man looked at the secretary's dark face and smiled apologetically, hoping that he would calm down, but he was also scolded in the end.
"Keep an eye on your wife and son from now on. Such a scandal has happened in your family. You, as the head of the family, are too incompetent."
Well, now the old man is completely finished. Having lived to such an old age, he has always considered himself a cultured person, and this is the first time he has been called incompetent to his face. His face turned red for a moment and he dared not argue any more. He lowered his head and quickly left the ear room.
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