Chapter 1
The Lin family at the west end of the village is the best-off family in Dongxi Village.
It has a unique entrance and courtyard, with a total of nine cave dwellings, which are bright and spacious. The courtyard wall is made of blue bricks, which is unique in Dongxi Village. There is a jujube tree planted at the door. In winter, all the leaves fall off, but there are still a few unpicked fruits left on the tree.
Boss Lin worked as a worker in the county tractor factory. A few years ago, he married the daughter of Zhang the blacksmith from the neighboring village. Zhang Yueju was a hardworking and educated woman who kept the house tidy. Just two years after the marriage, Boss Lin gave birth to two sons.
Lin Laoer was a committee member of the brigade's Party branch. After giving birth to two daughters in succession, she finally had a son. The couple spoiled him like a baby and gave all the good things to him. Although they were a little tight on money, they did not separate after all. The whole family still ate from the same pot and had a similar living standard.
As for Lin Laosan, he is a person that the entire Luling Commune can't help but give a thumbs up to. He was admitted to the Normal School at the age of 20, joined the army at the age of 25, and later studied in the Statistics Department of Renmin University of the Capital. He was just transferred back to Qingjian County to work this year.
The only pity is that Lin Laosan and his wife are over 30 years old and still have no children.
Today is the day when the third son of the Lin family and his wife go home to visit their relatives.
Jiang Jiang from Dongxi Village is a child without parents.
When Jiang Jiang was born, her mother died of complications during childbirth. When she was three years old, her father went up the mountain to collect Ganoderma lucidum and fell off a cliff and died.
If a child older than three years old is left unattended, she is basically doomed. Zhou Fugui, who went up the mountain with her father to collect Ganoderma lucidum and came back alive, felt sorry for the child and took her home to raise her for a while. However, in that famine era, there was not enough food to raise another child. In addition, his wife often cursed Jiang Jiang with dirty words and falsely accused Jiang Jiang of trying to steal her jewelry. Zhou Fugui had no choice but to return the child and send her two sorghum steamed buns every now and then.
"He's too old. He's already four or five years old and can remember things." He Guijuan was still unhappy. After all, he was not her own flesh and blood, and she felt it would be difficult to develop feelings for him.
"Jiang Jiang is a child without a father or a mother. She is so pitiful. Since we are not destined to have children, why don't we adopt her? Look at her. She is just a little girl, living alone in such a shabby place. I'm sure she has suffered a lot."
Looking at this terrible environment, He Guijuan couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.
Noticing his wife's emotion, Lin Youqing continued, "It's okay. You don't have to adopt the child. Brother Fusheng took good care of me when I was little. Even if you don't agree to adopt the child, we came to see if we can buy something for the child. It's also our duty."
When Lin Youqing and his wife arrived at Jiang Jiang's house, the wooden door, which had been corroded beyond recognition, was ajar and made a creaking sound. Lin Youqing raised his hand and knocked on it, asking, "Is anyone there?"
A gust of wind blew and the door was blown open.
Jiang Jiang was sitting on an old low-legged stool, chopping wood with a rusty knife. Her wrists were so thin that the bones were visible. Her clothes looked like they were altered from an adult man's cotton-padded jacket. Not only were they covered with patches, but they were also a lot too long. Her young face was filled with numbness that was not in keeping with her age.
When He Guijuan saw this scene, she was indescribably shocked.
This was the worst home she had ever seen. The house was bare and there was not even any decent furniture. It was pitch black inside, and it was not an exaggeration to say that it was a cave.
There was an old hen squatting at Jiang Jiang's feet. No one knew how long this hen had been raised. Its feathers had turned white and its eyes were cloudy.
Jiang Jiang saw someone coming in, looked up at them, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"You must be Jiang Jiang, right? My last name is Lin. According to seniority, you should call me Third Uncle." Lin Youqing bowed his head and greeted the child. The child's skin color was a little sallow, probably because of years of hunger, but his facial features were still good. It would be suitable for him to engage in art when he grows up.
"Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin." Jiang Jiang moved a relatively intact bench out of the dark cave and asked them to sit down.
Jiang Jiang had never seen Uncle Lin before, and didn't know what they were here for, but after all, they were guests, and she couldn't just let them stand there.
The fire was still burning in the kitchen, and Jiang Jiang carried the chopped firewood into the kitchen.
"Let me help you move it." He Guijuan looked at Jiang Jiang's thin arms and legs, and her skinny appearance. The pile of firewood was taller than her, and her heart trembled, fearing that she would use too much force and break her arm in the next second.
"No need, just sit down."
Jiang Jiang added fire to the stove and cooked wild vegetable and rice bran porridge in the pot. This was her dinner today.
He Guijuan stood by and looked at the porridge in the pot, which was a mixture of rice bran, wild vegetables and chopped sweet potatoes. The food was so bad that it was almost the same as what they fed their pigs at home. She felt a little uncomfortable.
Jiang Jiang originally wanted to find a bowl to pour water for them, but there were only two bowls at home, one had a hole in it and the other had a crack, so she felt embarrassed to give it to them.
"These are the apples I brought back from the county. Keep them for yourself, kid." Lin Youqing opened the cloth bag, revealing the bright red apples inside.
Jiang Jiang had never eaten an apple before. She had only seen Zhou Fugui's wife give apples to Yinhua and Jinbao. They were crispy and juicy when she took a bite.
Jiang Jiang licked his dry lips and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I live at the east end of the village. There's a stone mill and a jujube tree at the door. If you run into any trouble, go find me there."
Jiang Jiang looked up at the elder with a gentle tone. Their gaze towards her was very warm, a kindness she had never felt before. "Thank you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com