After two weeks of school life finally came to an end, Xiao Jiu happily took her test papers, put on her schoolbag, and boarded the bus back home. The bus fare of one cent was used to take her eight stops to the bus station, where she then bought a bus ticket for one yuan and twenty cents to go to her county town.
Although it's already early September, the weather is still very hot. I'm still wearing short-sleeved shirts and long pants. Wearing cloth shoes even feels a bit hot, but breathable shoes aren't suitable for traveling.
When they finished school at four o'clock, it was already almost seven o'clock in their county town. It was getting dark, so they quickly jumped on a bus and rushed to get to the town. It was still dark when they arrived at the town, around 7:40. It was almost eight o'clock when they got home.
Fortunately, it wasn't winter, and there were still quite a few people on the road. With that sense of safety assured, Xiao Jiu quickened her pace.
The biggest advantage of traveling light is that you can run home. Running every day is no joke. It takes at least half an hour to forty minutes to walk from the town, but if you run, you can save half the time.
When she arrived safely in the village, everyone who knew her greeted her, and she naturally responded warmly.
She was worried about her grandmother, but didn't dare to delay too much. She was going to the city for half a month, and her biggest worry was her grandmother.
Before entering the house, she found a secluded corner and carried the fruits and snacks she had prepared beforehand. The reason she hadn't prepared them before entering the village was because of the famine; she was afraid that someone would see them and come to her door to beg for money.
The fact that she went to study in the city was already enviable to her former friends. If they found out that even she had pocket money, what would they think of their family?
Therefore, when it's time to keep a low profile, you must keep a low profile.
Sure enough, as soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw the young man squatting there washing clothes. Hearing the noise, he looked up and opened his mouth wide.
Xiao Jiu couldn't help but tease him: "Hey, look how diligent my brother is, it's already dark and he's still doing laundry."
Then she called into the house, "Grandpa, Grandma, your eldest granddaughter is back!"
Grandpa heard her voice and responded before he even came out.
"Oh my, my granddaughter is back! Look at the mess she's made of! We thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow. It's already dark. Why did you come back? What if something happened to you on the way?"
Xiao Jiu rushed into the house and saw Grandpa helping Grandma walk out. The house was dark inside.
"Why didn't you turn on a light? What if someone bumps into something? Grandma, are you alright?"
Grandma responded, her words slightly slurred: "Yes, I'm fine!"
Xiao Jiu quickly went over to help her grandmother out of the yard. It wasn't cold now, and the moonlight made it even brighter.
Grandpa brought out stools and made them all sit down.
"My eldest granddaughter hasn't eaten yet, has she? I'll go make something now. You two have a good talk."
"Grandpa, don't bother. I ate two steamed buns on the way, I'm not hungry anymore, you don't need to make any more."
That's the truth. I know we eat before dark, and it's too much trouble to cook when I get home after dark, so I just bought two steamed buns on the way and ate them.
Grandpa checked it several times before sitting down. Xiao Jiu threw her schoolbag aside and picked up something from the table in the yard.
I broke off a banana for my grandparents and gave them a snack each. Then I asked my grandfather to put these things away.
“Here, this is a gift from your granddaughter. Grandpa, please put it away. When you and Grandma are hungry, take it out to fill your stomachs. Don’t be reluctant to spend it. This was bought with your granddaughter’s scholarship money.”
After the young man finished washing and hanging up the clothes, Xiao Jiu stuffed a large piece of bread into his hand, but he put it back into a plastic bag.
"I'm not hungry. I made noodles for dinner and I'm full. Our parents aren't taking any days off this week, so you should eat some more."
He wouldn't drink the wine, and instead stuffed it into a plastic bag. Grandpa looked at the plastic bag.
"This big city is really different! We only have paper bags and oil paper here. Your bag is really good!"
The snacks were all individually packaged. After she unpacked them, she could only wrap them in plastic bags to prevent them from getting damp. She didn't prepare many snacks, only seven or eight pieces because of the hot weather. Worried that they would spoil, she specifically told her grandparents to finish them within two days.
She's taking advantage of her grandparents' lack of knowledge about packaging, which is why she dares to use it so boldly. If she has to buy some wrapping paper and it won't last, she might as well just take it out like this.
When Grandpa saw her, he praised the older girls in front of her.
"Xiaoqi and Xiaoba have come to help us a lot, cooking, washing clothes, and even bathing and massaging your grandma. You should go and thank them properly later. Your eldest, second, and fourth sisters also come to help often, bringing food or cooking delicious meals. They work hard every day and are quite tired. Even if we don't let them come, they still miss us."
“Look how well your grandma has recovered. Every day after we finish eating, we take a walk around the front and back yards. Your grandma even goes to sit under the big locust tree and chats with some other old ladies. Although she can’t say much, she likes to listen to them chat. We can sit there for an entire afternoon. We’re having a great time. Xiaojiu, you just focus on your studies at school. Don’t worry about us. We’re all doing well!”
"And your brother has also learned to cook. Although he's not very good at it, it's already quite good for him. Moreover, your brother is improving his studies very quickly. He's gone from being one of the last few in the class to being in the top ten."
Xiao Jiu looked at Tao An, who had just started junior high school, with surprise and delight: "Brother, really? You've improved so much!"
"It's all thanks to my good summer review. The materials you gave me were really useful. I studied on my own according to the learning methods you suggested, did the problems you had done, and memorized the key points you had used. In the opening exam, I ranked fifteenth in the class. The teacher praised me for my great progress. She said that if I keep this up, I will have no problem getting into high school and told me to keep it up."
Xiao Jiu was genuinely happy for him. "That's great, brother. Don't worry, I'll give you all the key points I compile every day. We live close by, so all the materials will be up-to-date. Even if you don't get into the top high school in the city, getting into the top high school in the county is fine too. Good luck!"
People in the countryside go to bed early, especially since it's already nine o'clock after just a few casual chats. Grandpa and Grandma usually go to bed at eight o'clock. Today, they were happy to see her, but Xiao Jiu still helped them wash their feet, massage their shoulders, and make sure they rested early before greeting the young man who came in to study.
"Brother, you go ahead with your work, I'm going to take a walk in the front yard."
Taking advantage of the darkness, Xiao Jiu took two jin of red dates, two jin of brown sugar, two jin of millet, and two jin of oatmeal and knocked on the back door of the Zhou family.
Eighth Sister opened the door and looked at Xiao Jiu with surprise: "Jiu'er, when did you get back? Come in quickly."
"Sister, I haven't been back long. Grandpa and Grandma are asleep, so I just came over for a quick visit. Thank you for your help, Seventh Sister. Grandpa and Grandma were just praising you both."
“Oh, why be so polite with yourselves? We live in the front and back yards, so even if we don’t work, shouldn’t we at least do something? Besides, our godparents always bring us nice things when they come back, so we can’t just take those things for nothing, can we?”
When everyone came out after hearing the commotion, they saw it was Xiao Jiu and showered her with concern. When they saw what Xiao Jiu was carrying, Cuihua felt a little helpless.
"I've told you so many times, we don't need anything right now. Look what you're taking."
Xiao Jiu winked mischievously, "Sis, when you're cooking, send a portion to my grandparents too, okay? Let's all eat together. They might not be willing to cook just for them. Good things taste better when everyone shares them."
Cuihua patted her head helplessly, "How are you? Has anyone bullied you at school? Are you getting along well with your classmates?"
"Yeah, it's alright, but it's such a hassle to come back every time. Even though I come back every two weeks, the transfers between buses and cars are really tiring. I wish I lived in the county town. I'm starting to regret coming all this way!"
"Nonsense. Everyone wants to go to the top high school in the city, but how many can actually get in? Your older brother and sister both got in, and everyone will be incredibly envious if you do. Don't talk nonsense. If you're really stressed, just come home once a month. Don't worry about things at home. We'll take good care of your grandparents."
Xiao Jiu looked gratefully at the sisters present, "Sisters, I can't thank you enough. I really want to thank you all. To be honest, the only people I worry about at home are them. I'm relieved to have you taking such good care of me. I just feel bad for troubling you all."
Cuihua patted Xiaojiu's hair. "If it weren't for Grandma taking us in, your two older sisters and I would probably have been sold by Tang Youtian long ago. Oh right, you don't know yet, do you? Tang Youtian has disappeared. People in Taoyuan Village say he might have been taken to a black coal mine."
Xiao Jiu had no feelings for this person and naturally wouldn't care about his whereabouts, but what Cuihua said next really surprised her.
"And then there's Cao A-mei, who is our mother. She ran away from the mountains, but after learning about the famine here, she actually went back. Don't you think she's foolish?"
"My God, which remote mountain village did she get sold to? Don't they suffer from famine in those places?"
"I heard it from someone else. She was sold by her family to the mountains in Xiyang. Although people in the mountains are poor, they live off the land. Unlike here, when there is a famine, you can see how little tree bark and grass roots we have."
There are still animals in the mountains. Even though she was unhappy, at least she had something to eat. Maybe she ran back to her parents' home. But the food they ate was worse than what she ate in the mountains. So she ran away again.
Some people say she ran back to the mountains, others say she was sold by her family again. But we should be thankful that neither she nor Tang Youtian have come looking for her. Perhaps it's because we've been too low-key, staying indoors and living in someone else's house. Whatever the reason, the fact that they haven't come looking for us is a blessing in disguise.
Even the three of them, including Cuihua, didn't have much affection for this mother anymore. So many years had passed, and even the best feelings would fade. Moreover, she was the culprit who sent away so many children. Even if she was also a victim, it couldn't be said that she bore no responsibility at all.
Xiao Jiu just sighed a couple of times after hearing this, and didn't really show any other expression. Even her seventh and eighth sisters just listened to it as gossip.
After chatting with my sisters for a while, I didn't get home until 10 o'clock. When I entered the house, I found that the bed had already been made by my husband, which warmed my heart.
"Is anyone staying at the gate?"
Xiao Jiu heard her brother's voice from next door asking a question, and she quickly responded.
"Lock it up, bro. You should go to sleep early too!"
Now Xiao Jiu sleeps in her own room. She talked for a long time in the front yard, went into her space to replenish her water, and ate an orange.
Feeling a bit hungry, I drank a bowl of rice porridge, read a book for a while, and then fell asleep in my room.
The next day when she got up, the sky was overcast, as if it was going to rain. Her grandfather looked at the sky and gave her some instructions.
"Let's go after lunch. It's not safe to go out today. Take an umbrella with you, and have your chauffeur take you there."
"No need, Grandpa. I've taken the bus back by myself so many times. Why waste that little bit of money? My brother has class this afternoon too!"
Seeing that the old man was still worried, Xiao Jiu quickly went over and tugged at his arm, acting coquettishly.
"You and Grandma must take good care of yourselves at home and stay healthy so that your granddaughter can be at ease when she's out there."
"You've had it tough too, studying away from home at such a young age,"
"Grandpa, it's alright. I'll leave at ten o'clock. It was too late yesterday to visit my parents. I'll go back to the city to see them later, and I'll take a bus directly this afternoon."
The old man looked reluctant to part with her, and the grandmother, her words slurred, beckoned her over, her eyes filled with too many emotions. Xiao Jiu felt sorry for her and hugged her neck tightly.
"Grandma, I'm also reluctant to leave you. I regret going to study in the city now. It's so hard to come back. You must take good care of yourself at home, okay? My sister brought you some food, so you must eat it well. Don't do anything. My parents and sisters are here. They come back on their days off."
Grandma responded with soft "ahs," holding her hand and stroking it gently. The tenderness in her eyes made Xiao Jiu feel even more distressed.
Knowing she was leaving soon, the young man steamed a pot of buns early in the morning.
"I started preparing the dough yesterday. Take a few with you when you leave. You can take them out to eat if you get hungry on the way. Don't be stingy with them when you get there."
At this point, Grandpa handed the money and tickets to the two of them.
"These were brought back by your parents. You two should take some with you when you leave, including Xiao Jiu. Listen to your brother, don't skimp on food and clothing when you get to school."
"Brother, you take it. I have some more. We have scholarships, and although we don't have tickets, we can probably exchange them with classmates. We're not short of money."
Nevertheless, Tao An still gave her ten jin of grain coupons and seven yuan in cash, keeping five yuan and five jin of grain coupons for himself.
“I live nearby, so I can come back and get whatever I need myself. Besides, I only come back once a week, but it's different for you.”
I couldn't refuse any longer, so I had no choice but to accept it.
This morning I made some wild vegetable soup, made a cold salad of daylily buds, and ate a steamed bun made with a mixture of wheat and vegetables.
吃完饭背上自己的小书包，趁着天还没下，又跑到前院儿跟姐姐们打了声招呼，小酒就步行朝镇子上走，小哥有意送她，她不放心爷奶，让他在家看着老人，自顾自的走了，
下次回来，可能就是国庆节放假了。
人生，真的有太多的不舍与无奈。
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