The Tang family is a large clan, originally people whose capitalist tails had been cut off. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; after the tails were cut off, it was still a large and prosperous family, just a little poorer.
The house was originally the ancestral home of the Tang family. A large part of it was cut off, and the remaining courtyard was the original main courtyard. From the beasts and brick carvings on the eaves, one can vaguely see the prosperity of the past. However, the overgrown weeds and the presence of crows and sparrows added a touch of desolation.
The highest-ranking member of the Tang family was the great-grandmother. In the North, it was customary to address her by the children's names, so everyone called her "Madam." Madam was already eighty years old, which was considered advanced age at the time. She lived in the main house with the eldest son's family.
The wife has three sons. Tang Wenzhi's father is the second son, and the third son lives in another city and rarely comes back. Tang's eldest daughter-in-law is the absolute head of the family, and her word is law; she is known as the "Big Aunt."
Originally, the courtyard was not small, but with each family adding new members from time to time, they had to use local materials to continue building houses in the courtyard. Over time, it became cramped, and the spacious courtyard turned into a small atrium. Two or three people coming and going would accidentally bump into the lady sitting in the center of the courtyard like a stone statue.
On sunny days, the wife would sit there, following the movement of the sun's shadow, gradually moving herself into the house, and that's how the day would pass.
The main house was occupied by the wife and her eldest son. The east wing was crammed with the second son and his wife, along with their unmarried daughter, Tang Wenwen. The two courtyards to the south were in better condition, at least they received sunlight. The aunt's second son, Tang Wenxuan, occupied one room, and Tang Wenzhi's elder brother, Tang Wenhao, occupied another. They were all married with children, and their families were also quite large.
When it was Tang Wenzhi's turn, he could only squeeze into a small room next to the storeroom in the west wing. The back wall was right next to the neighbor's yard, and there were no windows. There was only a small window facing his own yard, so it was never sunny. Not only was it not near any warm mountains, but it was also stuffy and poorly ventilated in the summer, and freezing cold in the winter, with the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from time to time. But in those days, life was pretty much the same for everyone. Having a house to get married in was already a blessing, so who dared to complain?
Within a week of her rebirth, Qin Xiaoyu understood what illness her host had. She suffered from postpartum depression and bipolar disorder, and it was already quite severe. In that era, this was not understood.
Living in such a large family, it's no wonder she became depressed. Qin Xiaoyu had no desire to engage in palace intrigue or family power struggles; she just wanted to find a quiet place to heal her wounds. She spent her days in a daze, seemingly suffering from severe trauma, but to outsiders, it didn't appear to be a serious problem. However, in her son Hanhan's eyes, his mother's condition had worsened.
He reminded his mother of her workdays, but seeing Qin Xiaoyu's vacant eyes, as if she were sleepwalking somewhere again, he could only sigh.
Qin Xiaoyu's belly started to swell, and she had to go to the place she least wanted to go. Her family wasn't well-off when she was a child, but they still lived in an apartment building in the city. When had she ever seen a latrine in a bungalow? She had been forcing herself to go these past few days; she couldn't bear it any longer. Hanhan had been feeding her cornmeal porridge every day, and her belly was full of water, which was digested in no time.
Hanhan was cooking corn porridge again. The kitchen was built inside the house, connected to the kang (a heated brick bed). Qin Xiaoyu watched the tiny figure, barely taller than the stove, lighting a fire with a twig. She then rinsed the pot, boiled water, and finally sprinkled in a handful of cornmeal, stirring it little by little until it became a golden porridge, her movements practiced and skillful. Thinking about parents like that, she realized he had no choice but to be independent.
Qin Xiaoyu strolled back from outside, only to find Hanhan leaning over the table, sticking out her little pink tongue and licking it. Qin Xiaoyu was startled, and upon closer inspection, she noticed a few grains of brown sugar had fallen onto the table.
The porridge she drinks is sweet, and Hanhan always adds a big spoonful of brown sugar to it.
Hearing the noise, Hanhan turned around and saw her come in. She blushed and ran to the side to feed her little sister porridge.
Qin Xiaoyu sat down on the broken chair, adjusting the angle to prevent herself from falling. She picked up a spoon and took a sip; the porridge was very sweet.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She reached into Hanhan's bowl and scooped out a spoonful of porridge. The porridge there was much thinner and bland than what she and her younger sister had eaten; it had no flavor at all.
It turns out he didn't add sugar to his drink.
Qin Xiaoyu held the spoon tightly but couldn't put it down; she froze like a statue.
From childhood to adulthood, she has always taken care of and been considerate of others, but no one has ever given her any special warmth.
Before starting middle school, she lived with her maternal grandmother. Her grandmother loved playing mahjong and always forgot to cook. She didn't dare to ask, because if she did ask when her grandmother had just lost money, she would be beaten and scolded.
Hungry, she ran to where her grandmother played mahjong, squatted by the table, hoping her grandmother would see her. The thin, timid boy in front of her looked just like her childhood self, and she suddenly wanted to go over and hug him, to give him some warmth.
The little sister ate half a bowl of porridge and refused to eat anymore. Hanhan glanced outside, slid off the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up the coal bucket, and went out the door.
Calm down, stop overthinking. You can't even save yourself, how can you expect to be a savior? Qin Xiaoyu snapped herself out of it, picked up the bowl of porridge, and drank it all in one gulp.
Clang!
There was some noise in the yard.
"Thief! Hit the thief!"
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