At this moment, Wang Yuqiao also returned and was sweeping the dry leaves and dust off her body with a broom in the yard.
The national quota required the village to plant some cotton. After the cotton was harvested in winter, some unopened cotton bolls would remain on the cotton plants. The production team would then have the villagers pick these cotton bolls and break off the cotton petals inside.
Cotton petals are cotton flowers that haven't fully grown yet; they can be dried in the sun and still produce cotton.
Although this cotton is of poor quality, it is still usable. Many farmers can't afford good cotton, so they can use this instead; it's cheap and doesn't require coupons.
However, the quantity of such cotton is very limited, and not everyone can get such a good deal, not to mention that it costs money to buy it.
Picking cotton petals at the brigade's office also earned points, though the amount was small, every point counted. Many women who had nothing to do in the winter would do this.
Lunch was still thin porridge, nothing solid. It's the off-season now; solid food will be reserved for the busy farming season. Every little bit saved is precious.
After the porridge was distributed, each family went back to their own room to eat. The second family, of course, had the thinnest porridge, with very little solid food in it.
Looking at the thin porridge that was so watery you could see your reflection in it, Wang Yuqiao pleaded with her mother-in-law, Liu Cuilian, "Mother, could you give me two spoonfuls of the drier porridge? The two children have been gathering firewood all morning and are starving."
Liu Cuilian glared at her triangular eyes and scolded, "Eat or not? If you don't want to eat, leave it here. You're being picky. You should be grateful to have anything to eat. I'd rather starve to death."
Liu Cuilian's face was full of horizontal lines, and her high cheekbones and triangular eyes made her look mean and harsh, which became more and more obvious as she got older.
With red eyes, Wang Yuqiao reluctantly carried her small bowl of thin porridge back home.
She felt wronged and resentful. The second wife's family was the most mistreated; the man was the most honest and couldn't say anything, but the children suffered because of them, never having enough to eat.
The eldest daughter is already fifteen years old, but she still looks like a teenager. The three sons are also thin and frail, and all of them are infertile.
The youngest son cries out in hunger every night. The children also frequently have seizures, all caused by hunger.
With red eyes, Wang Yuqiao returned to her room. Du Yuhan took the porridge bowl from her mother and looked at it, saying, "Mother, if our family continues like this, our three younger brothers will starve to death sooner or later."
I'm already fifteen and will be getting married soon. It doesn't bother me, but if my three younger brothers continue like this, they'll be nothing but squalor, even if they don't starve, and they won't even be able to find wives.
Wang Yuqiao was taken aback by her daughter's words. Ever since her daughter was pushed down by her sister-in-law and hit her head, she had become more outspoken and was no longer as timid as before.
Wang Yuqiao glanced at her husband sitting at the kang table waiting for dinner, sighed and said, "What can I do? Your grandparents are the ones who make the decisions at home."
As Du Yuhan ladled out porridge, she snorted and said, "Where there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather. My grandmother was my father's stepmother, so of course she wouldn't care about our lives. She used our family's food rations to subsidize her own children and grandchildren. In the end, it was our second branch of the family that suffered."
Wang Yuqiao was well aware of this fact, and sighed, saying, "What can we do?"
Du Yuhan glanced at Du Lianqiao, who was keeping his head down and not saying anything, and said, "There is a way: separate the family and live your own lives."
Upon hearing this, Du Lianqiao and Wang Yuqiao both looked up in surprise at Du Yuhan.
Wang Yuqiao wiped her eyes and said, "I dream of separating from the family, but your grandpa and grandma will never agree."
Du Lianqiao lowered his head again. Only in his thirties, Du Lianqiao was extremely thin due to hunger; his face was etched with wrinkles, and his hair was graying, making him appear much older. His body was severely depleted from prolonged starvation.
Du Yuhan felt very sad looking at her honest and simple adoptive father. With red eyes, she said, "My grandparents don't agree to divide the family property. Are we just going to have to endure this? Even so, no one will say anything good about us."
Father, Mother, look at my three younger brothers! They're so thin! And look at the other children from the other branches of the family—aren't they all much more slender and healthy than my brothers? If they don't get enough to eat, they won't grow tall. Do you expect my three brothers to suffer being bullied by them in the future?
Why can't we ask the brigade leaders for a fair hearing? Why can't we separate and raise a child who isn't our own, being so harsh on by stepmothers and stepmothers?
Wang Yuqiao listened to her eldest daughter's words and looked at her husband expectantly.
Du Lianqiao raised his head and said bitterly, "Yuhan, I know you're right, but if we make a scene and split up the family, it will damage our reputation, and your grandfather won't agree to it either. After all, I'm your grandfather's son."
Du Yuhan stared at Du Lianqiao and asked, "Dad, tell me the truth, do you want to separate from the family and live separately?"
Looking at his eldest daughter's bright and determined eyes, Du Lianqiao couldn't help but say, "How could I not want to? I'm not stupid. We adults can endure hunger, but seeing you children suffer with us is like being pricked by needles in my heart."
Your father and your eldest uncle discussed dividing the family property, but your eldest uncle also disagreed.
Du Yuhan pursed her lips and snorted, "Of course he doesn't agree with dividing the family property. His daughter is getting married soon, and my grandma is keeping all the dowry. She even has to pay for the wedding arrangements."
My aunt is in poor health and can't do much work. She barely earns any work points and has to spend money on medicine.
My eldest cousin is also getting married soon, and of course he's counting on our whole family to support his family, so naturally he doesn't want to separate the household. Dad, I'm asking you, if you had the chance to separate the household, would you back down?
Wang Yuqiao looked at Du Lianqiao expectantly and said, "Dad, just be strong this once, for the sake of our children's survival."
As she spoke, Wang Yuqiao wiped away her tears and fell silent, expressing her grief in silence.
Du Lianqiao sighed and said, "No one will agree to us suddenly proposing to split up the family business."
Du Yuhan's eyes flickered as she said, "Dad, there's an opportunity right now."
Du Lianqiao looked up at his eldest daughter and asked curiously, "What opportunity?"
Du Yuhan walked to the kang table and sat on the edge of the kang, saying, "My eldest cousin and my uncle are getting married one after the other, which requires a dowry. My grandma is already looking for someone for me, and she's using me to exchange for dowry money to help my uncle and his wife find wives."
Du Lianqiao and Wang Yuqiao were shocked by Du Yuhan's words. "What? You're only fifteen and so young. How can you get married?"
Du Haifeng hurriedly said anxiously, "Dad, I don't want my sister to get married. We're separating from the family and won't live with them anymore."
Du Lianqiao quickly asked again, "Who told you that?"
Du Yuhan knew that her grandmother had already contacted the matchmaker and discussed the terms, but she was keeping it a secret from everyone and didn't want to give the second branch of the family any time to react, so as to quickly finalize the marriage.
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