What is that?
"You've always lived in an environment where you have plenty of food and clothing, and you can study and work with peace of mind. What you need to worry about is how to take care of your health and how to live a normal life."
But they are different. Do you know what they think about every day?
As soon as they open their eyes in the morning, they worry about whether they will have enough to eat, whether they can find enough wild vegetables, whether they can earn more work points, and whether they can put more cornmeal and less wild vegetables in their porridge.
Then, all year round, they have to calculate whether they can leave a few more bites of meat for the children.
Could you leave more refined grains for the elderly? Could you patch up their cotton-padded coats with more cotton? Could you patch up the children's coats with a piece of cloth so they could wear them for another two years? Could you gather some cloth to make a new outfit for the children?
Not only that, but rural areas have a weak foundation and no other way to make money. Except for a very few families who have some savings, most people live hand to mouth, and sometimes even one penny is enough to feed many mouths in the family.
I estimate that while it's true that many of these people joined the army to defend their country, defending the country isn't something that can be done on an empty stomach. Ultimately, many were forced by circumstances to join, simply to have enough to eat, especially in the last decade or so since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The war is over now, but after so many years of conflict, people's wealth has been depleted. There are indeed many people who simply cannot afford to raise their children and will try to find a way out for them.
Heartless people, especially those with elders who favor sons over daughters, throw their children into the mountains, onto roadside grasslands, into caves, or even cruelly drown them in the water.
Even so, it couldn't guarantee that all the children who stayed would survive. Food shortages and lack of food were one factor, but the lack of medical care and medicine when they fell ill was also a very important one.
Some of the grown children are not even able to work as a laborer, and the family can no longer afford to support them. Some are sent out to become apprentices, and some are sent out to join the army when there is conscription, so that the children have a way out.
"What ordinary people at the bottom of society are after food and clothing. Well, you could say that their lives are not worlds apart from ours, but their lives are the most real and down-to-earth."
You've probably never experienced this kind of life before, have you?
Qin Qinghuai remained silent for a while.
"Before joining the army, I had never left Beijing, and I rarely even left the military compound. The neighbors around me were all of similar rank to my parents, or slightly lower, but their treatment was indeed quite good. Occasionally, I would see relatives coming to their door asking for help."
I've thought about it too. Ordinary people's lives must be much harder. The hardest I've seen is in our family compound, during last year's most difficult period. And then there was the recent reunion of those veterans. I thought that was already incredibly difficult, but hearing what you said suddenly makes me realize that there are probably even more unimaginable difficulties in places we can't see.
"Of course. I only learned about these things after I went to the countryside. Liujiatun is just an ordinary village, not particularly remote. It's nothing compared to what I've been through, isn't it? I'm actually glad I wasn't assigned to a filthy place like Lijiacun. Otherwise, with my temper, I would have beaten people three times a day."
She changed the subject, and Qin Qinghuai naturally stopped talking. There were many military wives carrying things on the road, and almost all of them knew them. Seeing them like this, they all greeted them kindly and left.
Simple smiles made her face stiffen.
Fortunately, we soon arrived at the market. It was also because it was the year-end, so there were quite a few people there, including the families of the two residential compounds and a few villagers from the surrounding area.
Life is good this year, and many family members have brought out the meat and grain they received. After all, it's a new home, and there are still many odds and ends that need to be purchased. It's a good opportunity to come and share what we have with everyone.
Walking from one end to the other and then back again, Qin Qinghuai carried several snacks, a few brooms made by the villagers, several dumpling-making mats, and several small baskets for carrying things. The items weren't heavy, but they were all propped up and tied together by the villagers with ropes. Qin Qinghuai carried them on his shoulders, completely lacking his previous gentle and refined demeanor and the image of a high-ranking political commissar.
Simple couldn't help but laugh, and the more she laughed, the more she couldn't stop. Qin Qinghuai was quite helpless.
Is it really necessary to laugh like that?
There were many people behind them, and the noise was quite loud, so they didn't pay much attention. They simply turned their heads to wipe away the physiological tears from the corners of their eyes. When they glanced at the expression on the face of the stall owner next to them, their gazes froze. This was a market, but what they saw in her eyes was terror.
Perhaps it was instinct from two lifetimes, or perhaps it was a keen sense of danger. Jian Dan's body moved faster than his mind. With a spin, he turned to the side twice, giving up his previous position. Almost simultaneously, Qin Qinghuai threw out a string of things in his hand. They were very light and had almost no lethality, but they were enough to cause interference.
A bearded man, arms outstretched in a grabbing stance, was struck by the broom. He instinctively tilted his head, failing to notice the follow-up kick from Jian Dan. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge the kick. He stumbled, his body tilting uncontrollably, and he fell to his knees. Then, another powerful kick landed on his back, his outstretched arms slamming heavily to the ground with two cracks, accompanied by a scream.
"ah!"
The screams were so intense that almost everyone in the market turned their heads. Several stall owners nearby instinctively pulled their stalls back a considerable distance, and others also hid in fear, quickly creating a vacuum around them.
Seeing the simple posture, Qin Qinghuai was startled and quickly stepped forward to help the person up.
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