"I was only five or six years old at that time, in my hometown in the countryside..."
"The village is very short of water and there are no wells. Every household that needs water has to go to another village five kilometers away to fetch water..."
"My mother had just given birth to my second brother and was in poor health. But in order for us to have water to drink, she still had to go over the mountains and across the ridges to fetch water..."
"When he left the house that day, he looked obviously unhappy... I wanted to go with her and help her fetch water... but my mother wouldn't let me."
"Then I waited for him at home... I waited for a whole morning, but my mother still didn't come back..."
"I couldn't wait any longer, so I went out to look for her, and then I saw..."
The entrance to the village that year.
Fang Cheng's mother fell to the ground, and the yellow earth rolled up with flying sand and rocks.
There were two overturned wooden barrels next to her.
There were wet marks on the ground.
As soon as the rushing water touched the dry land, it was completely soaked into it, without even a small puddle forming.
Fang Cheng's father was standing nearby.
The rough farmer had his hands on his waist, holding a whip in his hands, and his rough face showed a vicious and fierce look.
His face was flushed and his eyes were round.
While cursing loudly, he swung the whip in his hand and hit the woman on the ground.
"You stinky woman, I told you to fetch water, but you didn't come back for the whole morning. The water finally arrived at the village entrance, but you spilled it all on the ground! You stinky woman, are you tired of living? Do you know that my whole family is waiting for your load of water?"
They go to the next village to fetch water, but it is not free; they have to pay for it.
The load of water that Fang Cheng's mother carried on her shoulders was enough to keep them alive for ten days or half a month.
But now the water has been spilled and the money has been wasted.
Fang Cheng and his family have old and young people to take care of, so they are just going to starve to death!
Fang Cheng's father was furious. Even though Fang Cheng's mother had fallen to the ground and was motionless, the whip never stopped falling fiercely.
Fang Cheng rushed over to take a look at his mother.
But he was held tightly by the villagers nearby.
Some villagers even tried to cover his eyes with their hands.
"You little kid, you can't watch that. You can't watch that!"
Fang Cheng struggled hard, trying to see his mother clearly through the gaps between the villagers' fingers.
Only then did I slowly see a trace of bright red blood.
His mother hit her forehead on the step when she fell.
There was a big cut on it.
Red liquid continued to flow out.
The blood and the water on the ground mixed together, forming a bright red color.
If his mother could be treated at this time, Fang Cheng's mother might be able to save her life.
But Fang Cheng's father was angry and the family was in a difficult financial situation.
I can't even afford to drink water on a daily basis, let alone see a doctor or buy medicine to treat my illness.
whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The whip whipped through the air, making a terrible sound.
Fang Cheng, who was about five or six years old, was still struggling. He tried hard to rush to his mother, but his hands were held tightly.
All she could do was watch helplessly as her father's whip hit her body again and again.
The mother fell to the ground and never got up again.
Later...
My younger brother died at a young age due to lack of care from his mother.
A few years later, Fang Cheng's father also died.
He became an orphan with no elders or children.
Later, with the help of policies, I was qualified to join the army.
The years after joining the army were Fang Cheng’s happiest days.
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