The three of them struggled to walk out of the Gobi Desert. The sunlight shone on them, but it could not dispel the gloom in Ma Linghua and Ma Hehua's hearts.
The rosewood tree lay there quietly, as if isolated from the world, in a deep slumber.
Ma Hehua stared intently at her mother, her eyes filled with panic and fear.
She gently shook Ma Lihua, calling out in a trembling voice, "Lihua, wake up!" However, Ma Lihua did not respond.
Ma Linghua took a deep breath and slowly probed the Yin energy into Ma Lihua's body.
As the yin energy spread, her face grew increasingly gloomy.
Ma Hehua anxiously awaited her mother's answer, her heart feeling as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.
After a long silence, Ma Linghua sighed, "Alas! It's fate! I'm afraid Lihua's life will never be good!"
Her voice was filled with helplessness and sorrow.
Tears welled up in Ma Hehua's eyes instantly. She collapsed beside Ma Lihua, sobbing uncontrollably, "How could this happen? Lihua, she can't be hurt!"
Ma Linghua closed her eyes, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
Looking at the unconscious Ma Lihua, she recalled the Ma family's past glory.
Is the Ma family's fate truly sealed now?
She was unwilling to accept it, yet powerless to change it. The wind and sand of the Gobi Desert still seemed to whistle in her ears, while their future appeared so uncertain.
Ma Linghua held Ma Lihua's hand tightly, as if trying to pass on her strength to her.
However, Ma Lihua remained asleep, and it was unknown when she would wake up.
Xinhua News Agency, 1962.
The winter sun shone through the window into the simple room.
Ma Hehua was wearing a thick coat, and her charming face was full of excitement.
Her voice rang out loudly in the quiet space: "Mother, Pear Blossom is awake, she's awake."
Upon hearing this, Ma Linghua paused in her pipe, then slowly put it down.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and her voice trembled slightly: "It's good that you're awake! It's good that you're awake!" Ma Linghua stood up, walked to the bedside, and looked at Ma Lihua, whose face was still pale but whose eyes had regained their spirit, her heart filled with emotion.
"Lotus, get ready, it's time for us to go home," Ma Linghua instructed.
"Oh! Goodness gracious, Mother!"
Ma Hehua responded happily, her inner excitement beyond words.
Life became even more difficult in the 1960s, and ever since Pear Blossom fell into a deep sleep, their cell phones seemed to have lost their lives and could no longer be used.
But at this moment, none of that matters anymore, because the pear blossoms have awakened, and that is the greatest hope.
When Ma Lihua woke up, she felt an intense thirst. "Water..." she weakly uttered.
Ma Hehua immediately took out the water bottle that Lihua used to use, which was filled with precious ginseng water.
Ma Hehua carefully brought the water bottle to Ma Lihua's lips and watched her take a sip.
After swallowing that sip of ginseng water, Ma Lihua immediately felt refreshed. She sat up with difficulty, looked at the two people sitting in front of the bed, and forced a smile.
Although the smile was weak, it was like the warm spring sun, instantly illuminating the hearts of Ma Linghua and Ma Hehua.
Ma Linghua's eyes reddened slightly, and she gently held Ma Lihua's hand: "My little darling! You scared us to death."
Looking at her grandmother and then at her mother, whose face was beaming with joy, Ma Lihua felt a surge of warmth in her heart.
"Grandma, Mom, I'm sorry to have worried you."
Ma Lihua's voice was still a little hoarse.
Ma Hehua quickly shook her head: "As long as you're awake, that's better than anything else."
Outside the window, the cold wind still howled, but in this small room, there was a strong sense of warmth and hope.
"Cough cough cough..."
Ma Lihua's weak coughs echoed continuously on the boat, one after another, as if she were trying to vent her weakness and helplessness.
Hearing the cough, Ma Linghua felt extremely distressed, as if a dull knife was slowly cutting into her heart.
The group sat on a small transport boat bound for western Hunan. The wind on the river howled, carrying a biting chill.
Ma Hehua seemed like a different person, speaking gently and carefully to Ma Lihua: "Girl, cover yourself up well, the wind on the river is very cold."
Ma Lihua wrapped her clothes tightly around herself, but she still couldn't resist the bone-chilling cold.
Besides them, there were seven or eight other people on the boat.
Everyone chatted amongst themselves.
"I heard that a spinning mill in Hunan Province is hiring. Isn't this a way for us to leave our homes and go make money?"
"You northerners?"
"No, they're from other places, from the South."
"By the way, we farmers are now proud representatives; times have changed."
"That's right! This day was bought with the blood of our ancestors, so we must find opportunities to contribute our own strength."
The voices of the crowd echoed in the air, filled with anticipation and hope for the future.
Ma Lihua, however, stared quietly at the river. She was cold, not only physically but also emotionally.
The altar faintly revealed pain, a pain that seemed like a fog, shrouding her soul.
She didn't know what would happen to her; she felt like a fallen leaf on the river, drifting with the current, unable to find her way.
The wind continued to blow, the boat moved slowly forward, and Ma Lihua's thoughts drifted in the cold and confusion.
At night, the moonlight, like a silver veil, gently spills onto the small boats on the river.
A gentle breeze rippled across the river, creating shimmering, mysterious silver light. It should have been a peaceful and beautiful scene, but an atmosphere of terror was quietly spreading.
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