That evening, Qian Duoduo followed behind Qian Mao and Qian Rao, and the three of them quietly left their house and headed towards the cowshed. Qian Rao looked at the broom in Qian Duoduo's hand and asked curiously, "Duoduo, what are you doing with that?"
Qian Duoduo whispered, "It's snowed these past two days, so there will definitely be footprints when we go out. When we're done and walking back, we can just wipe the snow away with a broom and the footprints won't be visible."
Qian Rao nodded: "That's right, you're the one who thinks things through. Neither my third brother nor I have thought that far ahead."
Qian Duoduo nudged him: "Hurry up, it's a bit cold."
Upon hearing this, Qian Rao immediately said, "I'll carry you on my back, and we'll walk faster."
Qian Mao also said, "I think it's a good idea."
Qian Duoduo: You've successfully hurt me! I want to grow taller!
The three of them quickly arrived at the cowshed. Qian Mao, taking advantage of his height, looked inside and heard coughing sounds coming from inside. He squatted down and said to Qian Rao and Qian Duoduo, who were squatting there, "There's no one in the yard."
Qian Duoduo said, "The door is closed."
Qian Mao nodded and looked at Qian Duoduo. Qian Duoduo pointed to a tree not far from the cowshed. It wasn't the main entrance, but it was closer to the cowshed door. She whispered, "Third Brother, climb the tree and throw the medicine bag at the door. Remember to knock on the door so the people inside can hear you. We'll wait for you behind the tree."
Qian Mao and Qian Rao walked towards the big tree. Qian Duoduo immediately took a broom and swept away the traces of the three of them squatting. When they arrived at the big tree, Qian Mao took the medicine bag, weighed it in his hand, and then quickly and accurately hit the door.
The three Qian brothers heard a "clang" sound behind the big tree, but none of them moved.
A voice inside shouted, "Who is it?" After a while, the door opened, but there was still no movement. Just as Lu Yiheng was about to walk out, his foot bumped into something. He picked it up and found that there were small things inside. He looked around the yard but there were no footprints. He quickly went to the door but there were no footprints there either. However, at the very edge, he saw a mark that had been swept.
He followed the trail and saw a large area, but he couldn't tell which direction it led. He turned back to the cowshed and, by the dim light of the oil lamp, saw small paper packets inside. The packets were labeled: fever reducer, cough suppressant, anti-inflammatory, and cold medicine. His eyes lit up. These were exactly the medicines his people needed, and each type of medicine was packaged in several packets.
Lu Yijian walked over, saw what his younger brother was holding, and asked, "What is this?"
Lu Yiheng smiled and said, "Big brother, it's medicine. Dad and Mom are saved this time."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yijian immediately smiled and said, "That's great."
The two brothers went to the innermost part of the kang (a heated brick bed), where an old man with white hair was coughing. His face was red from coughing. Lu Yiheng said, "Wenya, go and pour a glass of water."
Wen Ya immediately nodded, scooped a cup of water from the ceramic pot in the kitchen, brought it over, and asked in surprise when she saw the medicine in Lu Yiheng's hand, "Where did this come from?"
Lu Yiheng said, "Someone threw it in."
Liu Ting asked, "Who could have thrown it?"
Lu Yiheng paused for a moment and said, "Kind person." After saying that, he used the water that Wen Ya brought to give Lu Lang the medicine and then gave the medicine to the old lady next to him.
After the people who came out went into the house, there was no further movement. Qian Rao immediately carried Qian Duoduo on his back, and Qian Mao followed behind. They quickly returned home. When they entered the house, they saw Qian Sheng waiting inside.
Qian Mao and the other two stiffened. Qian Sheng sighed and asked, "Was the medicine delivered?"
Qian Mao nodded and said, "It's been sent over."
Qian Sheng nodded and said to Qian Duoduo, "Go back to sleep, your mother is waiting for you."
Qian Duoduo nodded and went back to the east room. She saw Jin Jinxiu with her eyes closed, as if she were asleep. She carefully took off her clothes and got into bed. She heard a barely audible sigh and immediately closed her eyes, as if nothing had happened at the cowshed that day.
Since then, Qian Duoduo and his two companions would occasionally deliver medicine or food to the people in the cowshed. It was just enough to fill their stomachs, not enough to satisfy their hunger, but even so, the Lu family was very grateful.
Time flies, and the year draws to a close. After a long period of quiet, Beian Village has become lively again. The last time it was this lively was when the autumn harvest was over and the village was distributing grain. This time, it is naturally the time for the annual pig slaughter and money distribution.
Qian Duoduo saw that Guo Ni, who was already very pregnant, had also come out. She immediately went up to her, helped her up, and said, "Sister-in-law, why did you come out? This road is so slippery, don't let anyone bump into you."
Guo Ni said with a smile, "I was so bored staying at home that I thought I'd come out for a stroll. I'll go back in a bit." She was also worried about what would happen if she fell.
Everyone went to line up. He Ying looked at Qian Duoduo with her daughter-in-law and said to Jin Jinxiu with a smile, "I feel like I haven't seen Duoduo for a few days. This child has grown taller!"
Jin Jinxiu was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Really? I didn't think so."
He Ying said, "It's true. Look, when Qian Xiang and Nini got married, Duo Duo only reached a little above Nini's waist, but now she's almost up to her shoulder."
When Jin Jinxiu heard her sister-in-law say this, she looked at herself and realized that the sleeves of the overcoat outside her cotton-padded jacket were too short. Why didn't the child say so? She could have attached a piece for her!
When Qian Duoduo returned home after playing with Guo Ni at Qian Cai's house for a while, she saw Jin Jinxiu holding a piece of cloth and sewing sleeves and trouser legs onto herself. She sighed, thinking that before she transmigrated into the book, she never imagined she could wear such clothes.
In the past, when our family was well-off, we would just throw away clothes we didn't like. How could we have had to mend and patch them for three years? I really hoped for the arrival of reform and opening up. But after the New Year, it was only 1972. There was no more college entrance examination. There were always people being criticized and reformed outside. Qian Duoduo lay on the warm kang and watched Jin Jinxiu sewing clothes. She slowly closed her eyes.
Jin Jinxiu smiled as she looked at her well-behaved little daughter. The child had really grown up. The little girl who used to be so obedient in her arms was now developing into a young lady. And despite her young age, she had a lot of ideas. Even her husband and two older brothers were helping her out. Although she didn't ask, she knew more or less about what was happening outside and what her children were doing. After all, she knew that the family's grain was always a little short. They say you can help in an emergency, but not in a long-term relationship. Those people should have been the most successful group in the city, but they made a mistake and ended up in this freezing cold place, living in a cowshed that was drafty inside and exposed to strong winds outside. It was a helpless situation.
She reached out and covered her daughter with the blanket, then lowered her head and continued sewing.
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