Chapter 15
In the evening, it started snowing again. It was so cold that the water used to wash the pot was about to freeze. Jiang Jiang squatted at the door, drawing on the ground with a stick in her hand. She couldn't write, so she just drew the little figures she saw at Shi Xiaoyang's place, but she couldn't wait for him to come back.
There had been frequent snowfalls recently, and the mountains were covered with thick snow. As night fell, Lin Youqing went out on a bicycle, but the road was slippery and difficult to walk on. When He Guijuan came out of the kitchen, she couldn't help but look a little anxious, and asked her daughter next to the jujube tree, "Jiang Jiang, is your father back?"
"not yet."
"Maybe the commune wants to keep him for dinner. Let's not wait for him anymore. Let's go back and eat."
Just as He Guijuan held Jiang Jiang's hand, she heard a loud "boom" sound suddenly coming from the south. It seemed that the whole ground shook, like an earthquake. He Guijuan's heart trembled, and she couldn't help but hold Jiang Jiang's hand tightly.
He Guijuan and her companions only realized that an avalanche had occurred when they arrived at the village entrance.
It was completely dark and the whole village was submerged in darkness. The villagers built a fire in the middle of the flat ground for warmth and lighting, and cries could be heard from the crowd from time to time.
The heavy snow blocked all the roads leading to other places in Dongxi Village, and Dongxi Village became an isolated village. Several houses were covered in snow. Several women cried and grabbed the team leader Zhou Youquan, saying that their relatives were buried in the snow.
The entire Dongxi Village and even Luling Commune fell into panic.
"Mom, my dad..." Jiang Jiang's face turned pale. When the avalanche happened, Lin Youqing was most likely on his way back.
"Maybe he is still in the commune, don't worry..." He Guijuan's eyes went dark and she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Jiang Jiang was quick to support her.
He Guijuan paused for a moment and looked at the chaotic scene in front of her. After all, she was a state official and a doctor. At a time like this, she had to step forward to stabilize the situation.
"Everyone, don't panic. Stay quiet. The most urgent thing is to save people. If you have snow shovels at home, bring them here..."
"Third brother, where is the third brother?!" At this time, Old Mrs. Lin finally realized that Lin Youqing was not there.
"Brother Youquan, is there any way to contact the commune?" He Guijuan asked the team leader.
"The snow has blocked all the roads. There's nothing we can do... Is Secretary Lin at the commune?"
"He...may be on his way back."
Old Mrs. Lin closed her eyes and fainted.
“Mother, mother…”
"Quickly pinch the Ren Zhong ..."
There was another commotion among the crowd.
Boss Lin carried Old Lady Lin back home. Jiang Jiang was a little girl and couldn't help here, so He Guijuan asked her to go back with him.
The Lin family's house is located in the center of the village and is built very solidly. It was not affected by the avalanche. When they came back from the village, Lin Laoer and his wife said that it was too cold, and since there was nothing else to do, they went back to the kiln to sleep.
After settling Old Lady Lin, Old Master Lin said to his wife, "I'll go find out if there's any news about the third brother, and see if I can help. The third brother's wife is still over there, so you keep an eye on mother."
"Okay."
Boss Lin went out again in the wind and snow.
Zhang Yueju tucked in the corner of the quilt for Old Lady Lin, sighed, and thought of the some leftover brown sugar and millet in her room. These were brought to her by her husband when he came back this time. She had suffered a heavy bleeding when she was making iron pillars that year, and her body had been weak ever since. Her husband had taken good care of her, and would look for any chance to get brown sugar on weekdays, and bring it back to her if he could.
It was so cold outside and it was snowing. If they caught a cold and got sick it would be no small matter. She had nothing to do here anyway, so she might as well cook some brown sugar millet porridge with more ginger for them to drink to drive away the cold.
When Old Mrs. Lin opened her eyes, what she saw was her granddaughter Feng Yin sitting beside her on the kang.
"Is there any news about your third uncle?" Although Lin Youqing contradicted her again and again because of Jiang Jiang, the unlucky boy, he was her own flesh and blood after all, and her proudest child.
If something unexpected really happened... Old Mrs. Lin's body trembled whenever she thought of this possibility.
"No."
"Grandma, my third uncle didn't go to the commune a few days ago. How come he suddenly had to go to the commune today and encountered an avalanche?"
"you mean……"
"It must be Jiang Jiang, this unlucky star, who brought disaster to my Third Uncle. Not only did she kill her own parents, she also brought disaster to my Third Uncle." Feng Yin covered her face and cried, "Since she came into our house, first my grandmother sprained her waist, and then my Third Uncle encountered an avalanche..."
Feng Yin wiped her tears and gritted her teeth, "She is a jinx, she will harm whoever she goes to."
He Guijuan asked Jiang Jiang to come back to sleep, but she was preoccupied with things and had no intention of sleeping at all.
She sat in the kiln for a while, and when she came out she saw candles lit in the kitchen, so she simply went to the kitchen to help light the fire.
There was a fire in the kitchen, so it wasn't very cold. There was a meal warming in the pot, which He Guijuan had left for Lin Youqing.
Jiang Jiang is very worried about Lin Youqing.
Others called her a jinx. She cared at first and told others that she was not a jinx, but after being scolded so many times, she became numb. But now the sky has collapsed and there is no news about Lin Youqing. Jiang Jiang can't help but think about it again.
Is she really a jinx?
Did she harm her father?
Zhang Yueju glanced at Jiang Jiang who was adding firewood to the stove. She looked like she was worried, her little face flushed by the firelight. Zhang Yueju couldn't help but feel soft-hearted and touched her head.
"Is Jiang Jiang worried about your father?"
"Your father will be safe."
Jiang Jiang nodded.
Zhang Yueju had just opened the lid of the pot and was about to put the washed millet into the pot when she saw Old Lady Lin rushing over, picking up Jiang Jiang on the stool and slapping her hard.
"You are such a jinx!"
"My third brother is not good to you? Why do you want to be so unlucky towards him?!"
Zhang Yueju was shocked and rushed to rescue the child from Old Lady Lin's arms. "Mom, what are you doing?! Let's not talk about whether the third child really encountered an avalanche. What does this have to do with Jiang Jiang? She's still a child!"
"Bah, this bastard, I shouldn't have let her into our Lin family. If anything happens to my third child, I... I will fight you! I will make you, this unlucky star, pay for my third child's life by cutting you into pieces!"
"You killed your own parents, stole the jewelry from Zhou Fugui's wife, and that's not enough. You even want to harm my third child. You are such a jinx, you are born with a vicious heart!"
Feng Yin looked at Old Lady Lin who was cursing excitedly and couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth.
You deserve it, for taking my place.
Jiang Jiang's head was buzzing from the slap.
My cheeks felt a burning pain, and after a long while, tears and snot began to flow uncontrollably.
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