The next day after Erhua left, Liang Genquan went to his brother Liang Genfa's house to report that he was safe.
He also had selfish motives for doing this. Everyone knew Erhua's character, but he knew his brother's character clearly. He told him how Erhua had borrowed thirty yuan from him and where Lao Zhang was going to find the landlady. If Erhua didn't pay it back, he could come to his brother to ask for it.
Liang Genfa and his wife didn't even jump up and down after hearing this. They just sighed and said, "Let him be."
The production team was disbanded at this time, and there was no need to go to work in the team all day. Qiu Zhen went to the town to get some silkworm seedlings and asked Dahua and Qiuhua to go to the mulberry field to pick mulberry leaves every morning.
The morning dew was heavy, and the mulberry leaves were damp. The basket filled up quickly after she put the leaves in. Qiuhua loved to walk from mulberry tree to mulberry tree, seeing which one had plump and shiny leaves, or which one had mulberry seeds starting to turn purple. She made a mental note to come back and pick them the next week.
The two walked back, and Qiuhua's stomach growled with hunger.
"Brother, can Second Brother really go so far to find the mistress of the house?"
Qiuhua couldn't help asking. She was very worried about Erhua and was really afraid that he would never come back.
Dahua was a little embarrassed. He didn't know how to answer Qiuhua, so he reluctantly said, "Maybe..."
Qiuhua understood that Dahua's words clearly meant that Erhua would not be able to achieve his goal this time, and was just going for a stroll to spend the thirty yuan he borrowed from the uncle.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Just come back safely. We'll see whether we can find her or not. We have plenty of young wives here. Dad will be going to work at the steel mill soon. When the house is finished, I'll choose thicker beams for him. I don't believe we can't find the mistress of the house."
"Besides, I've already thought about it. When he comes back, I'll first build a house for him and find him a wife. I'll be in the back of the queue. I'm not in a hurry."
Qiuhua turned her head away, her heart aching and her eyes itching.
"Brother, you're already an adult, and you're still giving in." She couldn't go on. What else could she do? Erhua lost his finger and went out in anger. What else could she do if she didn't let him? After all, they were a family. Being together was the best thing. What was the point of arguing about these things between brothers?
It’s not right to say it, and it’s not right not to say it. I can’t let go of either side.
"Silly girl, don't get red-eyed all the time." Dahua smiled to himself and said, "Why should Erhua and I bother about these things? Look, aren't our lives getting better and better? Once Erhua's affairs are settled, it will be my turn. Why should I be anxious now?"
"Besides, aren't you afraid that I won't be close to you guys after I get married?"
Qiu Hua burst into laughter and said, "That's impossible. It's absolutely impossible. Everyone would refuse to be close to us, but not you."
Seeing Qiuhua's confident look, Dahua felt happy.
"With what you said, why should I be in such a hurry? Let's just wait for Erhua to come back and reunite so that we can live a good life as a family."
When they returned, breakfast was already ready. Chunhua stood trembling in the bucket, falling down and then struggling to stand up. The bucket was moved to the door. When she saw her brothers and sisters coming back, she danced with joy and giggled. Her chubby and rosy face begged people to hug her.
Qiuhua went over and picked her up. Little Chunhua put her arms around her sister's neck and pressed her chubby little face against hers. A milky aroma from below reached her nostrils. Qiuhua rubbed her face vigorously against hers, and the little mermaid smiled even more happily.
"Qiuhua!"
A clear voice came from outside the door. Qiuhua ran out with Chunhua in her arms to see. It was Zhao Meiying!
"Mei Ying!"
Qiuhua was very happy. Meiying and Hehua were about to graduate. One would go to junior high school and the other would go to a brick kiln factory. The three of them would go their separate ways.
Qiu Hua squatted at the door with a bowl of rice porridge, eating while chatting with Zhao Meiying, laughing non-stop when talking about funny things. Xiao Hua came out of the house and sat on the doorstep to listen to her sister talking, shaking the dogtail grass in her hand from time to time.
"Sister."
Xiaohua called out, but Qiuhua didn't hear it.
I don’t know when it started, but Xiaohua became sensible and no longer followed Dahua in calling Qiuhua "sister".
"Sister!"
Xiaohua raised her voice, but Qiuhua heard it but just said "hmm". She was so happy chatting with Zhao Meiying!
"Sister! Sister!"
Qiuhua turned around dissatisfied and said, "What are you doing? Go ahead and talk. I'm listening!"
"I want to eat mulberry. Take me to the mulberry field to pick some."
It turned out that he was greedy. Qiuhua ignored him and just drank the porridge in the bowl.
"Xiaohua, come here, sister will take you there." Zhao Meiying pulled Xiaohua over and wiped the dirt off his face with her hand.
"Where are the mulberry berries? I went there this morning and saw them, all white and green, so sour they'd make your mouth twist."
Qiuhua had finished her porridge and sat in front of the door with her empty bowl. Xiaohua pouted in grievance. She laughed and pinched his face, which made Xiaohua burst into tears, with big tears falling at once.
"Oh, you're really crying! Wait a few days until the mulberry fruits are ripe and I'll take you there. We'll take that big basket!"
Qiuhua was talking about the big bamboo basket in the yard that could hold Chunhua. Xiaohua stopped crying immediately after hearing that. She blinked her tearful eyes and looked at the basket. She grinned and asked, "Really?"
"Really? I'm not lying to you. You have to wait until the mulberry seeds are ripe. They're delicious when they're ripe."
"Yes, it tastes better when the purple ones turn black. I'll go with you then."
After clearing the dishes, Qiuhua carried the mulberry leaves she had gathered that morning into the large tub. Zhao Meiying helped draw three buckets of water and poured them in. The leaves, bathed in the clear, cool water, became even greener. They rinsed the leaves twice before scooping them up and placing them in a bamboo basket. After draining them slightly, they brought them inside and spread them on the silkworm tray.
The two young mermaids played together all day, sharing their girlish sentiments. Zhao Meiying couldn't help but mention Xu Guoqing, which made Qiuhua silent. The relationship between the two families was no longer what it used to be. Qiuhua hoped that Zhao Meiying would find someone who pleased her, but that would make their interactions somewhat awkward.
The silkworms have been raised for half a month. Their chubby bodies are slowly arching on the mulberry leaves. In the dead of night, the sound of the silkworms eating mulberry leaves is "rustling", like the heavy rain outside in spring. They are also growing rapidly like bamboo shoots in spring.
Every once in a while, Mom sprinkled some water on the mulberry leaves to keep them green and vibrant. Sometimes when Qiuhua woke up at night, she would see Mom busy at work. The whole world was asleep, but this busy woman was still watching over the little hope of the family.
But this is not unique. In this village and the surrounding villages, perhaps every household has such a woman who runs the entire household.
A ray of white light had already appeared on the horizon, and all things on earth were slowly waking up in this increasingly strong light of hope. Qiuhua looked at the bright scenery outside the window, and it felt like a warm stream was flowing through her heart.
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