Thinking of last year's famine, the bodies of people who died of starvation everywhere on the road, and the desperate and numb eyes of passers-by, Qin Huai felt like the sky was falling because he had to experience it again this year, and the situation might even be worse than last year.
But he was just an ordinary person. Faced with a foreseeable disaster, he could only do his duty. Although his wife held a leadership position in the county, she was still young and new to the country, and had no ability to change the overall situation of the country. So Qin Huai simply didn't mention these things in front of her again. Saying too much would only make her worry.
Qin Laoshuan finished a pound of noodles by himself, but his stomach was still empty. He didn't know where all the food went.
Old Man Qin handed him a pack of cigarettes and he puffed on them again. He exhaled a puff of smoke before continuing, "The county's plan to collect additional public grain taxes failed. The whole county was very opposed to it. Several villages even had conflicts with the staff over grain collection, and people were almost killed. Seeing that the situation was getting more and more out of control, the county gradually stopped mentioning the additional public grain payment."
Old Man Qin said in a deep voice, "That's not so bad. Everyone is already short of food. If we harvest more, I'm afraid few families will have any left. This winter will be difficult."
No wonder Maggie Cheung has been so busy lately that she has hardly been seen. She must be carrying out the task of collecting additional grain as assigned by her superiors. Of course, she soon saw the results that Qin Huai expected, and the people below almost unanimously resisted.
"Fortunately, the canteen is run by the brigade this time, and they didn't ask to collect the grain from farmers' homes. Otherwise, all the grain would fall into the hands of the leaders, and the people would suffer." Qin Huai said thankfully.
Old Man Qin said, "Yes, if people don't have enough to eat in the cafeteria, at least they can get something to eat when they get home."
"Don't think too highly of yourself. The attitude of those above you keeps changing. Who knows when they'll do that again?" Qin Laoshuan was not optimistic. His face was tired as he spoke. He and Qin Huai's eyes met, and both of them were filled with relief.
Fortunately, everyone worked together to make preparations in advance. As the saying goes, if you have food at home, you will not be worried. If we were empty-handed like last year, Qinjiazhuang would face another huge test of life and death this year.
Qin Huai has done his best to help the village store food to survive the famine. As for anything more, he cannot afford it.
The Liu family spent three months moving to Hong Kong. Suddenly, Old Man Liu appeared in front of them. He handed a key to Qin Huai and said, "This is the key to our home in Beijing. Cheng Zong and I have decided to leave it all to you. You don't have to worry about anyone stealing the house. We have already arranged everything."
Before Qin Huai could refuse, Old Man Liu handed him a key and the address and said, "This is my house in Wanbei County. I won't follow you guys when I get old. I want to die in my own country. I'm moving to Wanbei County now. When you have children in the future, it will be more convenient for me to help you take care of them."
Qin Huai quickly refused, saying, "You don't have to be like this. The living conditions and climate in Xiangjiang are much better than those in Wanbei County. It would be better for you to live there."
Old man Liu shook his head and said, "I'm already this old, why should I be afraid of suffering? Besides, Chengzong has built up the house well, so I won't suffer. Being able to be with you when I'm old is my greatest wish."
He stopped Qin Huai from talking, not wanting him to persuade him: "I have made up my mind."
From then on, Qin Huai had another person who cared about him. The old man had money and time, and he often drank tea and chatted with Zhang Houchang, Yu Zhennan and others, or came to the store to watch Qin Huai work. He seemed to like watching his grandson repairing the car, and he liked to help him wipe his sweat the most.
Every time he saw this scene, Old Man Qin would pretend not to see it.
He was a very traditional person and did not object to Qin Huai finding his relatives, but he always felt uncomfortable seeing his grandson's relatives so close.
Fortunately, Qin Huai knew how to behave and never made him feel unhappy, and the two of them gradually got used to getting along with each other.
These two families are relatively okay. Qin Huai feels that the most difficult one to face is Fang Hui, the biological mother of this body. Her condition has improved significantly after the last wedding banquet. The Fang family immediately sent her to the hospital for treatment, hoping to cure her illness.
However, the treatment in the hospital was not only ineffective, but her condition became worse and worse. The Fang family had no choice but to take her back to northern Anhui. Fang Heng came this time hoping that Qin Huai could go and see her, with the hope that Fang Hui's condition would get better after seeing Qin Huai.
Not long after, Qin Huai looked inside from the window and saw Fang Hui in a daze in the room. Fang Heng and Old Man Fang pushed the door and walked into the room. Old Man Fang looked at his daughter who was in a daze and kept crying. He reached out to pull Fang Hui's hand. Fang Hui was so scared that she retracted her hand and looked at him in horror.
"Girl, who am I?" Old Man Fang asked expectantly.
Fang Hui suddenly stood up from the sofa, sat behind it and muttered something.
She seemed unable to hear the cries of her loved ones, nor to see their tears. She was just living in her own world, unable to get out. Qin Huai asked curiously, "How could this happen? Wasn't it much better last time?"
"After leaving you, she kept mumbling to herself, and we didn't pay much attention. Unexpectedly, her condition got worse and worse, and soon she completely forgot about us. It was even worse than when her condition was at its worst. The doctor suggested that she return to her original living environment, which would help her condition improve."
"We brought her back, but her condition seems to be getting worse. It's only now that I remember that her improvement is entirely due to you, so I asked you to come and see her."
Although he was not the original owner, Qin Huai was still very sad after hearing this. He slowly walked towards Fang Hui. Fang Heng said loudly behind him: "He is your son, sister, your child is here to see you."
Fang Hui seemed to have heard it this time and actually turned her head slowly. Old Man Fang and Fang Heng both showed excitement. No matter what they did, they would not attract Fang Hui's attention when Qin Huai was not around. Now that they reacted to Qin Huai's name, it showed that Fang Hui's condition was improving.
Their confidence grew, and they continued to shout, "Qin Huai, he is Qin Huai."
Fang Hui's eyes began to tear up, and her throat made an animal-like gurgling sound. Then she suddenly stood up and stroked Qin Huai's face. Qin Huai's tears also fell. This might be an instinctive reaction of the flesh, or perhaps she felt her mother's care.
Fang Hui's tears kept falling like strings of beads. After a long time, her throat suddenly made a loud sound, and she spat out a large ball of thick phlegm, then burst into tears: "Child, my child."
Just as the Fang family guessed, her condition was serious, but when she saw the child she had been missing day and night, her mind quickly returned. She hugged Qin Huai and cried loudly. It seemed that the thing that had confused her mind was completely removed, and her mind was completely back to normal.
That winter, as Qin Huai had expected, famine came before the weather got colder. This time, the famine came even earlier. The victims lined up in long queues in the cold wind to escape the famine, but they had nowhere to stay in the cold winter.
Although Qinjiazhuang was well prepared, the whole county was in disaster and they could not take out the food they had.
Aunt Qin Liu and her husband were also brought home. In times like these, only by working together can we overcome the difficulties.
"end"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
