How could the old lady possibly feel at ease?
“Your grandfather is such a big man, he only buys a few pounds of pork. He has the money, so Grandma doesn’t need to worry about it. Grandma’s responsibility is to look after you.”
It's such a burden of love! Look how good her grandma is; she doesn't play mahjong or chat, she just wholeheartedly takes care of her little granddaughter.
Unable to get his grandmother away, Xiao Jiu stood quietly under the big locust tree in Niujia Village, his gaze fixed on the children who had come out with the adults.
She soon discovered that there were almost no girls here, only boys. Occasionally, she would see a few girls dressed in patched clothes, carrying their younger brothers or baskets on their backs, and always busy with their work. She didn't see any girl standing here enjoying the scenery like she did.
In the early 1950s, a time when everything was in ruins and the country was recovering rapidly across all sectors after the ravages of war.
From 1949 to 1952, the first wave of migrant workers arrived. Although the agricultural level was low at that time, the country wanted to quickly restore the industrial system. Industrial development required a large number of laborers, so a large number of farmers responded to the country's call and began to move to the city. At that time, the household registration system was not perfect, so they naturally became formal workers. After the household registration system was implemented, they became 'citizens' and abandoned their original title of 'farmer'.
After 1952, the household registration system was gradually established, but excessively high economic indicators and blind industrialization ideas meant that even with the household registration system, the movement of farmers could not be restricted. Around 1960, the second wave of migrant workers emerged, so she felt that her parents going to the winery was actually an opportunity.
Before they were short of workers, they were very picky, especially when they saw that someone had an urban household registration, they would make all sorts of excuses.
Even though their parents were wealthy back then, they couldn't escape certain prejudices. But now they've given up their urban residency and obtained rural residency. I don't know if they've caught a lucky break, but they got into the distillery without spending a penny. So you can't deny the power of luck.
Based on their current ages, Tao Changyi was born in 1920 and is now 36. Zhao Lingli is four years younger than him, at 32. Both of them are still in their prime, a crucial period for making money.
If they perform well, they might actually be able to become permanent employees at the distillery!
In the early days of the People's Republic of China, every village had people who came to the city to work as laborers. They were all skilled workers. In wealthy families with many brothers, they would choose one of them and negotiate the terms. If the one who successfully settled in the city was chosen, the other brothers would receive subsidies.
Nowadays, every family has several children, so even if someone agrees to move to the city readily, they will complain endlessly when the burden becomes heavy in the following years. There are quite a few people who will bring their parents, wives, and children to the city to freeload.
The reason Xiao Jiu thought of the migrant worker wave was because there was an old lady in front of him who was indignantly presenting gifts to her brother's wife!
"They've only been in the city for a few years. They promised to send us five yuan a month, but they only sent money on time for the first three years. After that, they never sent any more. When we came to ask for an explanation, they just cried poverty. You tell me, they don't care about anything at home. Our parents depend on us for everything. If they don't give us money, they should at least give us a pension for them. But what they did was sit there and cried about how hard their lives are when we asked. Who isn't having a hard time these days?"
“Don’t worry about Jian Guo’s family. Isn’t Zhao Di’s family in the same situation? You’re lucky you only have one family, but that family has three brothers. Their monthly salary is only so much. They have to give money to their parents and two brothers, and they also have to support themselves and their children. Actually, if you do the math, it’s not enough. Don’t get angry. Talk to them nicely. I think your parents should step in on this…”
In the dead of winter, with no other entertainment, the area under the big locust tree at the village entrance has always been a gathering place for women sewing shoe soles, young wives picking corn, and old ladies sitting and directing the family affairs.
The boys would play with pebbles, roll iron hoops, or play hide-and-seek. They would cry and fuss from time to time, and then get yelled at by their mothers.
Some kids would roll around in the mud and be seen by their mothers. Before you could even react, your mother would grab a shoe and chase after you.
"You little rascal! It's the dead of winter and almost New Year's. Washing clothes is so hard, and you've made yourself so dirty. Don't you want to let your old lady have some peace and quiet?"
To be honest, I quite enjoy watching these scenes full of everyday life. It's like watching a period drama; the more you watch, the more interesting it becomes.
Sure enough, just as they found a place to sit down, an old lady came over and started chatting with Grandma.
"Sister, which village are you from? Is this your granddaughter? She's so beautiful. How many grandsons do you have?"
While Grandma chatted with the old lady, Xiao Jiu checked that there were no girls around ten years old under the locust tree, and then quietly slipped into the village.
Today is the day of the pig slaughter, and there will definitely be many people coming to watch the spectacle. The first place she went to was the house where the pig was being slaughtered.
She already had her and her sisters' appearances etched in her mind, so even if she had never met her sisters, she should have recognized their faces at a glance.
Although there were many girls, none of them met her criteria in terms of age and appearance. She wasn't in a hurry, so she just randomly chose a road and looked at each house one by one.
These days, as long as someone is home, the front door will be open, and nine times out of ten you'll see someone busy in the yard.
Unfortunately, she had reached the end of every road she had randomly chosen, and still hadn't found the person she was looking for. Just as she turned away in disappointment, preparing to try the next road, suddenly, from the house at the end of the village came a woman's angry curses and a daughter's pleading cries.
"Auntie, please stop hitting me. My stomach is really hurting terribly. How about I leave it here for now and wash it when the pain subsides tonight?"
"You worthless wretch! You think you came to my house to enjoy a life of leisure? Who are you trying to fool with your sickly appearance first thing in the morning? You're not eating until you finish this chore today. Your uncle's slaughtering a pig today, and your father is only thinking of himself, not even taking Fugui with him. You stay home and do the chores for me. I'll take Fugui to him. If I see you still lying in the house before I get back, you'll be in for a beating!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu abruptly stopped, and as the woman's footsteps drew closer, she quickly skipped and hopped towards the end of the village.
A thin woman with a short haircut patiently led a chubby boy who looked simple-minded, drooling and grinning foolishly at the wine shop past her. The boy looked about the same height as the woman, around ten years old, and his eyes didn't seem very sharp.
Is he an idiot?
“Fugui, be good. Your mother will take you to find your father. The place where your father is working today provides meals, including pork stew. You can eat meat there. When we get there, if they don’t give you any meat, just wail. I don’t believe they would refuse to give you a piece. Even if it’s just one piece, it won’t be a wasted trip.”
The woman is so thin, but the child is so fat and doesn't seem to be thinking clearly. This family is really...
Xiao Jiu shook her head. Hearing the girl crying, she quickly ran over and saw that the girl was still lying on the ground. Without thinking, she ran over to her.
"Sister, are you alright? It's chilly on the ground, get up quickly!"
The girl looked to be about seven or eight years old. She was severely malnourished, with dry hair and sunken eyes. When we helped her, she was weak and powerless, and even when she cried, she could only make a soft whimpering sound.
This family was very poor. The house was unfinished, and although the yard was relatively tidy, it was so dilapidated that it was not something a clean person could have managed to maintain. There was a pile of dirty clothes in the yard, covered in patches. The little girl's hands were covered in chilblains, her face was chapped, and her ears were red from the cold. She didn't even have a decent cotton-padded coat and was kneeling in the cold wind, shivering.
When she raised her tear-streaked face, Xiao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously grabbed her hand, only to accidentally grab her frostbite, causing her to scream in pain. Xiao Jiu quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sister, I didn't mean to."
"No, it's nothing," the girl said in a voice so soft it was barely audible.
"Who are you? I've never seen you before,"
After she settled down, she remembered to ask about Xiao Jiu's background.
Xiao Jiu stared blankly at the face in front of her, trying hard to suppress the excitement in her heart, and looked at her cautiously.
"How old are you?"
It's twelve.
Good heavens, she's so thin and frail, and only a little taller than her. She's already six years old, but this girl is already eleven?
How much nutrition is missing!
Xiao Jiu felt a lump in her throat, which confirmed her guess, because her age matched.
Fifth sister is six years older than her, so she'll be twelve this year.
"Are you this family's child bride?"
She glanced at her blankly and nodded.
"Do you have something to do? If not, you can leave now. My aunt will scold you when she gets back."
"Have you never thought about leaving this home?"
She glared at Xiao Jiu: "Go? Go where? I was sold, I haven't had a home for a long time."
Then she stopped talking, as if she was so hungry that even speaking was tiring, so she gently pushed Xiao Jiu: "You should go now!"
Seeing her like that, Xiao Jiu felt extremely sorry for her. "Sister, what's your name?"
“Da Ya, Zhao Di, they call me whatever they want, I don’t have a formal name.”
"Sister Ya Ya, my name is Xiao Jiu. If, and I mean if, someone is willing to take you away from this home, would you leave?"
Daya looked at Xiaojiu with confusion, as if trying to figure out the meaning of her words. Xiaojiu also knew that time was precious, and although this house was at the end of the village, there was no guarantee that someone might pass by and see her.
Then she continued, “If you want to eat your fill and leave this house, on New Year’s Eve, after everyone is asleep, quietly leave the village alone. My sisters will be waiting for you there. We promise you will never suffer like this again. I have two eggs here; eat them quickly while no one is home. Remember, if my sisters don’t see you on New Year’s Eve, they will wait until dawn. They won’t be late. The people who will meet you are named Cuiju and Cuilian. Remember their names. We will have a chance to meet again in the future. Please trust us, you must trust us. As for why, my sister will tell you after she picks you up!”
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