This winter is really cold. Her older sisters were worried that she would get cold sleeping alone in her crib, so they specially placed her between her eldest and second eldest sisters. When they changed her diaper at night, they would ask her if she was hungry. Although she can't speak, her little expressions are extremely rich. Even in the dark, you can tell what she is thinking through her bright eyes.
Because it was winter, food was easier to preserve, so they would squeeze two bowls of milk for her before she went to bed at night. She would drink one bowl before going to sleep, and if she got hungry in the middle of the night, they would heat it up for her. If she could sleep through the night, she would drink the fresh milk squeezed in the morning. The leftover milk would be saved for her grandparents. In short, the Tao family really treated her very well when it came to raising her; they took care of her completely like their own child.
She can eat more things now, but in very small amounts, just a few bites. Her favorite food is yellow-fleshed potatoes; white-fleshed potatoes aren't as glutinous as yellow-fleshed ones.
Her space also contained purple potatoes, which were expensive, and purple sweet potatoes. As long as they sprouted, they could be used as seeds. Even if she didn't sell the seeds, these tuberous vegetables were seeds in themselves. If her family could grow purple potatoes and sweet potatoes, they could definitely sell them for a good price. But unfortunately, it wasn't the right time.
She's just hoping to grow up quickly, because only when she's grown up will she have a voice and be able to make up any excuse to fool people.
After my parents moved to the city, I didn't contact them because of the inconvenient transportation, and I had no idea how many times they had been turned away in their search for work.
As time passed, snow fell intermittently, one snowfall after another. The snow in the whole town would melt, freeze, and then be covered with another layer of snow. Long, crystal-clear icicles formed on the eaves, and mischievous boys would try to reach them down and eat them like popsicles.
Perhaps industrialization had not yet taken hold, so the snow in that era was spotless, without even a speck of dust. The icicles were also free of impurities, and light could even be refracted through the ice, demonstrating its exceptional transparency.
The heavy snow brought cold air. She took a deep breath and exhaled, her breath puffing out white vapor. The young man teased her with his breath, and she could only awkwardly laugh in response.
Although she was a little annoyed by the guy's breath after waking up, these minor flaws were nothing to mention, as he would always bring her something delicious to eat as soon as possible.
The brothers didn't get many snacks, but whenever they did, they would line up to share the portion with her. The sisters always gave way to the brothers, so they got even fewer snacks. Even so, everyone thought of her. This made Xiaojiu sometimes have the illusion that if they were a real family, how wonderful that would be!
After the Laba Festival, my parents finally came back. My grandparents could tell the result just by looking at their expressions: "It won't work?"
Father nodded: "It's troublesome. Some things are already set in stone and difficult to change. Let it go. I've come to terms with it. From now on, we'll just focus on farming. It's our fault for taking some things too lightly; in reality, they've always been there, subtly. Father, after this trip to the city, I feel that keeping this house is just asking for trouble. How about... we sell it?"
The old man's expression changed instantly.
"Changyi, this has been passed down from our ancestors. How can we just sell it like that? If we lose our house, where will we live?"
“Dad, you can see from this that the higher-ups have never relaxed their stance on class background issues... We’ve given up everything else, so why would we care about this house? Do you think I’d be willing to give it up? But even if I were, it wouldn’t be as valuable as the person I’m dealing with, right? We’re saying we’re selling this house, but actually we’re using it to exchange for a rural household registration and a house.”
Xiao Jiu, sitting in the chair, was completely stunned after hearing this. She had never imagined that Grandpa Tao would think of changing his urban household registration to a rural household registration. Moreover, his vision was far beyond her imagination. He didn't want to sell the house, but only exchange it. How many people could do that?
Although she knew that they were forced to do this, and that they just wanted a stable living environment.
“Dad, this is what I’m thinking: we can use this house to change our status… and we need to make sure we have good relations with the people in town so that we can move to the countryside… otherwise, even if we change our status, it will be a problem. If we’re going to change, we need to change it completely. This house is only coveted by the people in town; people from other places don’t care about it. So, don’t expect to actually get a good price from it or be able to buy a better house.”
"Changyi, wait a minute, let your father calm down. I can't accept this sudden change. Tell me quickly, what happened that caused you such a shock?"
Tao Changyi's explanation was vague: "It's nothing. I paid someone who knows about this to ask, and they told me that if you have the ability to make things complicated, you should go back to the most primitive place..."
A primitive place? Doesn't that mean the countryside?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu was so excited that she almost burst into tears. If she weren't so young, she would have agreed wholeheartedly. At the same time, she was also glad that her father was someone who listened to advice and was willing to go out. If he were petty, he might have thought that the other party had ulterior motives.
As the saying goes, "He who listens to advice will eat his fill," and the couple's trip was definitely worthwhile.
Actually, I've been thinking about this for the past two days. On the one hand, I hope they get selected because it's a good time to settle down in the city and get a city residency permit. On the other hand, I'm worried that even if they do get a city residency permit... maybe after all that trouble, they'll be back to square one!
If that's the case, then it's better to discard everything that should be discarded from the beginning and start all over again.
The old man gradually calmed down: "Have you thought it through?"
Tao Changyi nodded solemnly: "We have elderly parents and young children to support. If we have to go through the same kind of hardship as we did a few years ago, Dad, who can stand it? We're going back to the countryside. We're not afraid of hardship and toil. At least the whole family will be together. Besides, we can't choose a village that's close to the city. It's best if it's a bit remote."
The old man sighed and didn't look up at him again. The old woman didn't say a word from beginning to end, but she held Xiao Jiu's hand with a little more force.
Xiao Jiu looked at her mother, who also had a solemn expression. It was clear that she had suffered a great setback during her trip to the city and had begun to feel anxious. When she thought about the future, it seemed that a thick fog had been added between her brows.
The couple are both optimistic people, so this is clearly not their true attitude towards life. In fact, even if they don't say anything, she can guess what's going on. While feeling sorry for them, she is also trying to help them think of a way out.
Actually, it's only the early 1950s now. It's certainly right to plan ahead now, but it's a few years too early. Even if we delay it for a few more years, it won't be a big deal.
But they don't know the trajectory of history. All she can do is observe carefully, and if necessary, perhaps she could use a transference technique?
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