The man sized her up and down, then scoffed, "Greenhouse cultivation? Come on, tell me, what kind of greenhouse cultivation is this? Do you think you're better than those experts at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences? These vegetables are so fresh they don't even have a speck of mud, yet they're sold at such a high price. You must have made a fortune, right?"
Seeing the man's shameless attitude, and his disdainful look telling her to keep screaming and see who would come to her rescue.
She knew he was a bad guy; he probably already had a falling out with the neighbor.
Looking at the woman cowering and trembling in his room, her face bruised and swollen, you could tell that she had just been the victim of domestic violence.
Even after all that, she still tried several times to pull the man away and make him let her go. She was a kind person, but unfortunately, she encountered such a monster.
The more she pulled, the harder he kicked or pushed her. Seeing this, Xiao Jiu couldn't hold back anymore. She pulled a bottle from her spatial storage and, when the man wasn't paying attention, smashed it over his head with a loud bang, causing him to bleed profusely. The man cried out in pain, released her hand, and covered his head, cursing angrily: "You son of a bitch, you dare to hit me? You're asking for it!"
Xiao Jiu had already run out by then; if his voice hadn't been loud enough, she wouldn't have been able to hear him!
This is not a good time to linger in the fight. Luckily it's dark now, so I can easily find a corner to hide in.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jiu quickened her pace. Hearing the man's angry shouts and chaotic footsteps as he chased after her, she cursed her bad luck.
After turning a corner and realizing that no one was around, she immediately hid in a hidden space. By the time the man chased after her, she had already disappeared.
"Damn it, the duck that was almost in my mouth just flew away. If I had caught it, I would have made a fortune!"
"That bastard dared to hit me! She's got some nerve, going out with a beer bottle in her hand. Well, just wait until I run into her again, or I'll beat the crap out of her!"
The man went home cursing, and without a doubt, what awaited him was an even more frenzied beating from the woman.
Will this incident stop her from continuing to sell vegetables?
No, let's just move to another residential compound.
However, he only sold eight yuan worth of goods that night. Because his mood was affected, he didn't fight for long and packed up around 7:30. He went to rest in the green belt at the school gate.
After this incident, she was extremely grateful that she had done at least some makeup and styling, dressing up like a completely naive country girl who had never seen the world, wearing patched clothes, and smearing her face with soot from the bottom of a pot in the dark, and wearing her grandmother's green headscarf. She refused to believe that anyone would recognize her like this.
On New Year's Day in 1960, the class held a small welcome party. It was basically just gathering together with some peanuts, melon seeds, and candy, sitting in a circle, performing a few shows, and having some fun to relieve the boredom of studying.
The blackboards at the front and back were decorated with colorful chalk drawings of flowers and plants, and the words "Happy New Year" and "Happy New Year" were written in colorful patterns, which brought a little bit of atmosphere to the dull classroom.
During a time when revolutionary songs are all the rage and politics are sensitive, even those who come out to join in the fun must be careful to maintain a proper distance, or they might fall into a trap.
So the best way is to stay out of the limelight and just say you don't know how when asked. If you really can't avoid it, just sing a song that everyone sings often, so as not to make a fool of yourself.
In fact, not only teachers are being cautious these days, but students are too. They would rather avoid the Revolutionary Committee than hear the words "Revolutionary Committee".
After a long week of studying, there were only two weeks left before the exams and the holiday. Saturday the 2nd was the first day off, and she went straight to the winery. When she was at the gate, she heard a middle-aged man say that he was looking for Tang Cuilian. She subconsciously turned her head to look at him. At first glance, she felt that he looked familiar. But when he noticed her and stared at her, she suddenly remembered someone.
Sure enough, the security guard's reminder brought her back to reality.
"May I have your name?"
"Tang Youtian, I am her father. Could you please ask her to come out for a moment? I need to speak with her."
Upon hearing that it was Tang Youtian, Xiao Jiu quickened her pace. Before she had taken two steps, she heard Tang Youtian asking the security guard for directions.
"Who was that female student who just went in?"
The security guard immediately became alert. "What do you want?"
"Oh, it's nothing, I just think she looks a lot like my daughter!"
"They do look quite alike. I often see them going out together, how come you don't recognize them?"
Xiao Jiu frowned, somewhat annoyed that the security guard was talking too much, but she also knew that some things you can't avoid.
Fortunately, she had already dealt with the most annoying eldest branch of the Tang family. After losing Tang Jiabao, the others were like a bowl of loose sand. Without the support of the old folks, no one from the other branches would give a damn about the eldest branch.
This time it was Tang Youtian who came looking for us, but what about the next time? Could it be Cao Amei who has been missing for many years? These are all future burdens for the sisters, and none of them will be spared. It's just a matter of time, unless Cao Amei starves to death in this famine.
But evil can last for a thousand years. Generally speaking, the more selfish and lazy a person is, the more likely they are to have the last laugh.
There was a loudspeaker in the factory's security room; anyone looking for someone could just make a call over the loudspeaker. She heard the loudspeaker go off before she even reached the back of the factory building.
"Comrade Tang Cuilian, your father is looking for you at the main gate. Please go to the east gate immediately."
Father?
Haha, this word is extremely ironic for their family!
Sure enough, from afar, you could see Third Sister running out with a frown on her face. Seeing Xiao Jiu carrying her schoolbag, she asked, "Is school over, Jiu'er?"
"Sis, Tang Youtian is here. I ran into him at the entrance just now. He stared at me for a long time and even asked the security guard about my relationship with you. That security guard was being nosy and said that we often come and go together. Be careful when you talk to him."
“If they come looking for us at this time, they are most likely asking for food.”
After noting down Xiao Jiu's words, Tang Cuilian glanced worriedly toward the main gate.
Xiao Jiu's eyes darted around, and she pulled Tang Cuilian down to bend over and whispered something in her ear.
Tang Cuilian's eyes lit up instantly, and she reached out and tapped the center of her forehead.
"You little devil, you're really something. Fine, we'll do it your way."
Tang Cuilian walked towards the main gate, and Xiao Jiu thought for a moment, then found a side path and quietly followed her.
She wanted to see what this shameless father was up to!
Fortunately, the Tang sisters were all quite restrained and did not indulge in excessive drinking just because food was occasionally delivered.
Most of the time, they ate a mixture of coarse grains and dried wild vegetables, enough to keep them from going hungry. They rarely ate anything dry, and it was hard to say if they even ate a steamed bun once a week. Even Cuilian, a regular employee, could only eat bitter and coarse wild vegetable buns in the canteen during the famine years. As a result, her hair was dry and yellow, and she had no energy. Most of the people in the factory were like that.
Only by integrating yourself into the overall environment can you avoid being singled out and treated differently by those with ulterior motives.
Although you may suffer from malnutrition and often go hungry, at least your spirit won't be tormented. On the other hand, those who are chubby and healthy may seem fine now, but when someone wants to mess with you, your chubby appearance will be an inexplicable reason.
So when a weak and listless Tang Cuilian rushed to the gate, she subconsciously looked at Tang Youtian's hand.
Then she looked at him expectantly: "Dad, why did you come here? Did you bring us food? I knew you wouldn't abandon us. For so many years, ever since my uncle's family burned down our house and we moved out, you haven't cared about us. Now it's getting cold, and we're almost starving. Dad, you've come to bring us food, right?"
Before Tang Youtian could even speak, Tang Cuilian had already tricked him. Especially when he heard the word "grain," he was so anxious that he scratched his head and liver, fearing that this girl would really ask him for grain. He subconsciously replied with a question.
"What nonsense are you talking about? We don't even have any food yet, where would we get any extra for you? I came here because your mother and brother are out of food rations. You're a permanent employee, so I was hoping you could spare a bite for us?"
The light in Tang Cuilian's eyes went out instantly, and then she looked at her father with a grim expression. In just a few years, this man had aged so much.
She scoffed at herself, "Yes, all of us sisters combined probably don't even amount to as much as that mother and son. Look, you haven't cared about us all these years. Even when our house burned down, you never cared where we went to live. What, now that my stepmother and her child are starving, you've finally come to us with your shame? Father, have you ever thought about whether we'll go hungry? We're hungry too! We need you to swallow your pride and beg for food for us!"
Tang Youtian's dark face did not show any burning sensation because of his own daughter's words; instead, he hurriedly interrupted her.
"Just tell us, do you have any? We're so broke we can't even cook rice at home. Please, have some compassion and share with us, okay?"
Tang Cuilian suppressed her disappointment, calmly raised her eyes to look directly at his no-longer-young face, and sneered.
"No, I told you, my family doesn't have any grain. We haven't seen rice or flour for over a year. Your family still has rice to cook, which is much better than ours. How dare you ask us for grain? Your family only has three people, while my family has seven or eight. There are deaf people, blind people, and lame people who all need me to feed. How dare you ask us for grain? We should be the ones asking you for food, but now it's the other way around?"
"Nonsense! You're all grown up, and your brother is only a few years old. How can I be embarrassed? I raised you all, so you can't just abandon me. If you do, you're being unfilial. I'll go to the commune and your trade union and report you. I'll make sure you lose your jobs and that you never get married!"
Cuilian watched him quietly as he became ugly and calculating in his eagerness to collect grain, and a sense of loss welled up in her heart like the sea.
"We have no grain, but you can take my life. If you want it, we can take it anytime. If you want to sue, go ahead. We've survived the worst of times, what's one more life? At the very least, we'll go to the police station. You'll have to tell us properly how you married this new wife and how your ex-wife died, right?"
Tang Youtian went completely mad because of this sentence. He immediately started cursing, calling her a little bitch and saying she was just like her mother, threatening people at such a young age. Tang Cuilian didn't say a word, just calmly watched him humiliate herself. It wasn't until Xiao Jiu, who saw this scene from the shadows, felt sorry for her sister and asked someone in the office to find her that Tang Cuilian was finally brought out.
Even so, Tang Youtian was still not satisfied. He sat at the factory gate and started cursing angrily, saying all sorts of nasty things. In the end, the people in the factory couldn't stand it anymore. In fact, everyone in the factory knew about Cuilian's background, her friendship with the Tao family.
In particular, Cuilian was a hardworking and kind girl in the factory. Tang Youtian thought he could ruin Tang Cuilian's reputation with just a few words, but he was very wrong.
Every member of the Tang sisters knows that the boy isn't Tang Youtian's son at all.
In all these years, has his stepmother given him another child?
No!
This shows that they were just using him, making him raise their son, and never intended to spend their lives with him.
The poor guy who took over the situation thought he had a son, and he stood up straight. It's ridiculous.
Xiao Jiu felt sorry for her older sister and loathed Tang Youtian, but now was not the time to talk about the son's background. After all, her older sister had promised that woman, and if she hadn't been struggling, she wouldn't have instigated Tang Youtian to come and cause trouble for them. She could understand, but, well, it was still quite despicable.
After confirming with the factory that her parents would be working this week without any time off, Xiao Jiu resolutely packed her schoolbag and left. If she walked fast, she might even be able to catch up with Tang Youtian.
He would never give up without getting the grain. Sure enough, as soon as she stepped out of the factory gate, Xiao Jiu caught a glimpse of him squatting in a corner, holding his head and looking worried. She pursed her lips, pretended not to see him, and walked briskly forward. Sure enough, he saw her and subconsciously followed her.
Xiao Jiu wanted to teach this shameless father a lesson, but she couldn't let him do anything illegal or disorderly that would cause trouble for her sisters' future. So, after realizing that he was following her, she didn't take the bus. Instead, she used the money she saved to buy four vegetable buns, gave him two ounces of grain coupons, carefully put them in her schoolbag, and skipped home.
Even if she was naive, she knew how dangerous it was to eat on the street during a famine. That's why she hid the cabbage and tofu buns in her schoolbag as soon as she bought them. This made Tang Youtian, who was with her, very hungry. Even if they were just cornbread buns, he still loved them!
He didn't have a single penny, but this little girl bought four big steamed buns with just one penny. Whose daughter is this, so rich?
Tang Youtian, who had been following Xiaojiu all the way, noticed that after she crossed the stone bridge connecting the county town and the rural areas below, he became even more incredulous. It turned out to be the road back to the village. Was she also a child from the countryside?
Wait, what did that security guard say earlier? That this girl is very close to his third son? And they look so alike, could it be—
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