Seeing her two younger sisters so thin and frail, Tang Cuihua felt heartbroken. When she touched their hands, she saw they were covered in chilblains, and she couldn't stop crying.
Seeing this, what else did Cuihong not understand?
Because she couldn't hear what they were saying, guessing by lip movements was too much of a brain drain, so she simply turned and headed towards the kitchen. Cuilian turned around and saw this, so she quickly followed.
Cuihua brought out peanuts and red dates for her two younger sisters to eat first. Cuiju also brought out the apples that Xiaojiu had brought a few days ago, as well as the persimmons they had bought at the market.
"Your third and fourth sisters went to cook for you. Eat this first to tide you over. How did you get out?"
"I escaped while our village was in chaos,"
The limping Deng Xiaoping took a peanut shyly, while Yang Xiaomei, whose right eye was blurry, nodded in agreement.
“Me too. Now everyone in the village is complaining that there’s not enough food, especially those who have no food at home. They’ve all gone to the brigade headquarters to beg for food. My family is one of them. They eat everything they have. To be honest, I haven’t eaten for two meals.”
Seeing the well-behaved Yang Xiaomei silently lower her head, Cuihua felt sorry for her. Then she and Cuiju peeled peanuts for the two of them and let them eat apples and persimmons first. She also told them about their family's situation.
“After our house burned down, we’ve been staying here temporarily. We’ve also used our connections to transfer our household registration to Xihe Village. We’ll be going back to Xihe Village to work during the spring harvest season. Please hang in there a little longer. If your home can’t hold on any longer, come and let us know, and we’ll try to bring you back.”
Cuiju chimed in from the side, "It's good that people are coming back, but it's hard to bring their household registration out. The production team needs household registration to get food. Without it, you can't go anywhere. It's a big problem. If you're hungry, come to us. We don't dare let you take your things back. We hope you can understand."
While eating the apple, Deng Xiaoping nodded, "I know, it's okay, this is already very good. To be honest, this is the first time in my life that I've ever eaten such a good and sweet apple."
Yang Xiaomei nodded in agreement, "I've never eaten an apple before. I didn't know apples were so delicious. Thank you, sister. I'm already very satisfied."
Cuihua and Cuiju didn't ask too much about their current family situation. What difference would it make? It was already a done deal, and they couldn't help anyway.
“We didn’t have much money, otherwise we wouldn’t have waited until they couldn’t hold on any longer before we went to get you back. Your fifth and sixth sisters are still in school, the family has a heavy burden, and we’ve lost our house. But it’s a blessing in disguise, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to be so heartless as to leave that village forever.”
Cuihua also mentioned their biological parents, but Lao Qi and Lao Ba could also see the resentment the sisters harbored towards them.
This resentment is heartfelt and unvarnished. It makes sense; a perfectly good family has fallen into such a state because of its preference for sons over daughters. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it has been abandoned by everyone.
When asked about Lao Jiu, Cuihua's lips finally stopped showing bitterness.
“Our youngest sister is the only one among us who is doing relatively well. The family that adopted her is a very kind person. The house we live in now is one they lent us. When there is a chance, I will introduce you to her.”
As they were talking, a bowl of fragrant corn porridge noodles was ready. Cuihong had made a big pot of it and brought it over to her two younger sisters, saying in her clumsy way.
"Eat, eat as much as you want, we've made so much."
The seventh and eighth brothers were puzzled when Cuihong left after speaking, so Cuihua sighed and explained.
"This is your fourth sister. She was also unlucky. She had a fever in her ear when she was a child, and because she didn't get treatment in time, she went deaf."
Upon hearing that there were also disabled sisters, the two sisters were first shocked, but then felt a strange sense of comfort. It turned out that even the disabled had someone to keep them company.
The two sisters ate most of the noodles in a big pot. When they left, the sisters also made some pancakes, and the sisters wanted them to take some with them, but the sisters refused.
"We dare not bring them. Those people have very sharp noses. If they smell it, we'll be tortured. We're fine as long as we're full. Thank you, sisters."
The seventh and eighth brothers were worried about getting into trouble if they went back late, so they left quickly after dinner. Cuihua saw them off to a great distance until they were out of sight before returning home with a heavy heart.
The seventh and eighth brothers on the other side also parted ways at the town entrance. They weren't from the same village, and they would eventually separate.
When communication is difficult, even trying to arrange a time feels like a waste of effort. In the end, all we can do is wish each other well and regretfully part ways.
As the year draws to a close, the restlessness in various places has finally eased a bit. Everyone wants to have a good year, but how can you have a good year if you don't even have enough to eat? So starting from the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, the production teams started getting busy again, and the women in the villages went to help out at the communal canteen.
The children who were studying in other places have also begun to return home one after another, and the Tao family has also received a letter from Zhou Yue.
He generously said, "Sister Cuihua and her family are welcome to stay at my house. I'm fine with myself. I can stay with Taoran and the others during holidays."
When Xiao Jiu learned the contents of the letter, she generously expressed her gratitude.
"Grandma, that's easy. When my sisters go to stay at the Zhou family's house, I'll sleep with them, and Brother Zhou Yue can sleep in my room, right?"
Grandma Tao also thought this arrangement was good: "Okay, let's arrange it this way. The New Year is coming soon, so let's not let them stay outside anymore. Staying at the Zhou family's house is better than staying in town!"
So on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year, Cuihua's family returned to the Zhou family. The house was cleaned up together after they returned, and they used the Zhou family's old bedding. Zhou Yue had specifically instructed them to use it as long as they didn't mind.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year's Eve, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, everyone went to the production team to eat dumplings. Cuihua and her three sisters, who had not participated in the labor earlier, voluntarily paid 50 cents to the accountant for their meal, and no one had anything to say about it.
The dumpling filling was very plain, with radish and green onion, and cabbage and vermicelli. It wasn't particularly delicious, and it wasn't made with white flour, so the dumplings were dark in color. They were okay when they were first taken out of the water, but they got harder and harder as they sat there, and the taste was hard to describe. But at least they were made from grains. When I get hungry later, I'm afraid I'll even soak up some newspaper on the wall and stuff it into my stomach.
For those accustomed to fine dining, this meal was terribly unpalatable. But for ordinary people used to hardship, it was an extremely delicious meal. After all, it was the eve of the Lunar New Year, and everyone gathered together to enjoy a peaceful meal.
Starting on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, every household sprang into action. Women went to the communal dining hall to help, while the elderly directed other family members to tidy up their homes. Among the children studying away from home, Tang Cuimei and Tang Cuixiang were the first to arrive.
They already knew their home was gone; Cuihua had written to them to tell them. So they went to the town first, and only returned to Xihe Village after finding no one there.
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