Chapter 74
It was early in the summer, and the weeds on the roadside were still wet with dew. Second Uncle Zhang came with the family's old donkey cart to help with the move.
Last year, it was Uncle Zhang who came to help with the move, and this year it was Second Uncle Zhang who came.
Actually, Uncle Zhang wanted to come, as the brigade was busy harvesting wheat. Dongfanghong had more than 200 acres of wheat. Standing on the hill and looking out, there was an endless golden wheat field. The adults and children in the village were working together. After being hungry for a whole winter, they finally had something to eat. Everyone was excited. They sharpened their sickles at night and went to work in the fields before dawn.
Uncle Zhang was the brigade leader, and he had to be in the village to keep an eye on things. Even Second Uncle Zhang came with an empty stomach.
Zhang Cuilan knew that Second Uncle Zhang had not eaten breakfast. She muttered something to him while her subordinates quickly served him a bowl of thin noodles with a snow-white poached egg and fragrant pork fat. Second Uncle Zhang rolled up his trousers and started to eat with the bowl in hand. He had a big appetite and one bowl of noodles was not enough for him, so he pierced two cornmeal dumplings with chopsticks and wiped his mouth. "Okay, I'm your uncle and a rough man. Don't look at me. Let's get to work."
Zhang Cuilan retorted, "What kind of work? We're not building a house."
Second Uncle Zhang said nonchalantly, "It's the same, all the same."
Lin Yao smiled. Second Uncle was a straightforward person and he couldn't hide what he was thinking. He was completely different from First Uncle Zhang. It is said that nephews take after
their uncles, and it is true. Gu Shi'an has a big appetite like his second uncle, and is less talkative and steady like his eldest uncle Zhang. As for this guy Dongzi, he likes to play and make a lot of noise... As the old saying goes, you can't talk about people behind their backs. She was just thinking about it, when the naughty boy Dongzi came running over to tease the donkey. The old donkey of the Zhang family is gentle and easy to raise. It eats whatever is given to it and is never picky about food. Its eyes are black and moist, revealing gentleness. It doesn't kick its feet like other donkeys, which makes it very lovable. The family was busy moving things, and Lin Yao, the pregnant mother-to-be, couldn't help, and the family wouldn't let her move. Lin Yao wanted to move, but the eight-month-old baby in her belly wouldn't let her. The closer she got to the delivery date, the more restless the baby in her belly became, punching and kicking her mother's belly from time to time. Zhang Cuilan laughed and said, "He must be a naughty boy who can eat and move." Gu Mancang said happily, "A granddaughter is not bad either, it's so nice to be lively and energetic." Gu Shidong popped up, "Hehe, it would be great if my sister-in-law gave birth to a little niece with the same temperament as me." Gu Mancang: "........" It's up to you, forget it. As for Deputy Director Gu, he didn't care whether it was a boy or a girl. The only thing he cared about was that Lin Yao suffered a lot during her pregnancy, being a pregnant woman and swollen. At night, the little thing made a fuss, and Lin Yao couldn't sleep all night. In the middle of the night, when she went to the toilet, there was no one around, so she could only walk by holding the wall. Gu Shian came back from night shift twice and saw Lin Yao curled up in bed, with red eyes and thick, curled eyelashes. He felt wronged sleeping in bed, and it was as if there was a big iron hammer in his heart, which hurt him a lot. Especially in the Public Security Bureau, he heard a young man occasionally talking about how his sister had a difficult childbirth and heavy bleeding, and she almost died. Since ancient times, giving birth has been a gate of hell for women. Every time Lin Yao went to the hospital for a prenatal checkup, the doctor put the stethoscope on her belly to listen. Lin Yao was leisurely, but Deputy Director Gu was very nervous. He stared at the doctor seriously with his handsome face, and his expressionless look was oppressive enough. Several times after the prenatal checkup, Lin Yao saw the doctor secretly wiping his cold sweat. At this moment, Lin Yao was sitting under a loquat tree, with a plate of juicy peaches and a plate of walnut cakes beside him. Walnut cakes are good these days, but they are too sweet and make you choke. Lin Yao didn't like them, so she just picked up the washed peaches to chew. The big things in the house were almost moved, and Zhang Cuilan was worried about the three old hens and a nest of rabbits in the chicken coop. Once in the big compound, the superiors didn't allow old hens to be raised, and rabbits couldn't be raised too many. Gu Mancang wanted to kill all the hens and rabbits that could be slaughtered, leaving a male rabbit and a female rabbit to mate, and dried them into jerky for later consumption. Zhang Cuilan was reluctant but had no choice. This was the bad thing about the city. Raising chickens was not allowed, so her Chicken Butt Bank was closed down. The vegetable seedlings in the vegetable garden could not be kept. She picked a basket of vegetables, fruits and melons for each of her two uncles, and shared some with the neighbors. She also picked a basket of beans, a basket of tomatoes, a basket of cucumbers, and half a bag of leeks at home. "I can't eat so much." "It's okay if I can't eat. I'll be able to eat naturally when I return to the big compound." The family was busy picking vegetables, killing chickens, and slaughtering rabbits. Lin Yao felt itchy in her heart. She hugged her belly and hid on the side with Dongzi to watch the excitement. The scene was very bloody. Other pregnant women would have turned pale with fear. Lin Yao actually watched with great interest, and even encouraged Dongzi to kill a rabbit for practice. Dongzi jumped up to try, but his little black claws didn't reach out. The naughty duo was caught by Deputy Director Gu, who criticized them and made them stand under the loquat tree. Lin Yao was physically disabled, so he was not punished. Dongzi was the only one standing there with his head drooping. At 11 o'clock in the morning, everything was packed up, just like half a year ago. The old house of the Gu family was locked, and Uncle Zhang flicked the whip in his hand. The donkey, which had eaten enough grass, moved, and the donkey cart swayed on the road. Lin Yao was well protected sitting in the donkey cart. She couldn't help but look back. The old house with red tiles and green willows stood there quietly, as if it was waiting for its return in the windy, frost, rain and snowy night. * On the Sun family side, Lin Hongna had been recuperating in the town health hospital for more than half a month. Finally, she could go far away. She gave birth to a child prematurely and didn't take good care of herself during the confinement period. Her body was damaged. Even if she took glucose every day, the damage to her body could not be made up. At this time, the Sun family's mind was all on the newly born grandson, so how could they care about Lin Hongna. Sun's father asked Sun Jiarong to deliver three meals to his daughter-in-law every day, and drink a bowl of egg and brown sugar water every day to replenish qi and blood. Who knew that Sun Jiarong was a cowardly woman on the outside, but she was actually a mean and mean bitch. She only gave Lin Hongna two meals a day, and the food was also coarse, either black dimples, pickled cabbage lumps, or dried sweet potatoes dipped in soybean paste, and there was no trace of brown sugar egg water. Lin Hongna hated him so much that in just 20 days, she became so thin that her face turned pale, her cheekbones were high, her eye sockets were deep, and her hair fell down in clumps. She didn't look like a daughter-in-law who had just come out of confinement, but more like a refugee from outside. Sun's mother was discharged from the hospital earlier, and Sun's father came to see his daughter-in-law and was really shocked. Sun's father went home furious, and the next day he went to the factory to get a car to take Lin Hongna home for treatment.
Speaking of which, Sun's father was really good to Lin Hongna. He put bedding in his car and sent it to the gate of Sun's courtyard. Sun Jialiang came out and helped Lin Hongna into the house, so that she didn't get too much wind.
Lin Hongna was recuperating at home, and she couldn't do without someone at home.
Sun's father discussed with Sun's mother at the dinner table and asked her to put down her work for a few days and take care of her daughter-in-law at home.
When the grandson's mother heard this, she was so angry that she put her chopsticks on the table with a "smack". "Take care of? Take care of what! She lies in bed every day without doing any work. She just opens her mouth to eat and stretches out her hands to get clothes. She eats most of a basket of eggs and still wants people to serve her. A country bumpkin really thinks she is a rich lady!"
Lin Hongna has such a bastard and stealing mother-in-law, causing her baby grandson to be born prematurely and weak...
The grandson's mother was furious when she thought about it, and she also had a bad attitude towards the grandson's father.
The grandson's father sighed. He had expected this result, and turned his attention to his two daughters.
Sun's mother got there before him and scolded the two sisters, "You should also go to work properly and stop meddling in other people's business!"
Sun Jiayu and Sun Jiarong looked at each other. Before Sun Jiayu could be happy, Sun Jiarong lowered her head and dared not speak after receiving the warning from her mother.
Sun Jialiang ignored her and ate his meal as if nothing had happened.
As a grown man, he couldn't take a leave to stay at home and take care of his wife.
His mother was right. There was a basket of eggs at home, and Lin Hongna ate most of them herself. She had all the nutrients she needed. She was just confined after childbirth. Rural women didn't have to do confinement after childbirth. An egg a day was so delicious, but he couldn't eat it.
Sun's mother was very upset at home, and Sun's father also got angry. He frowned, took a deep puff of cigarette, and asked Sun Jialiang to take a few days off to come back and help.
Sun Jialiang looked reluctant, and Sun's father said, "Who cares about your own wife? A man should be upright, but you are shirking your responsibilities. You are not a man at all. You can't go. You have to go. If you keep talking nonsense, I will cut your legs!"
Sun's father put the cigarette into the ashtray and extinguished it, with an extremely stern tone.
Sun Jialiang nodded obediently.
Sun's mother was so angry that she trembled all over, but it was useless.
*
Li Aifeng was taken away by the Public Security Bureau. She was sentenced to six months of labor reform for theft and was sent to a quarry hundreds of miles away to dig stones.
In those days, labor reform meant hard labor. Women with lighter offenses were sent to operate sewing machines, while men were sent to dig canals and carry stones. They could not rest in the sun or rain. This was similar to the exile of criminals to Siberia to grow potatoes.
Li Aifeng was not only guilty of theft, but she also tried to escape from the detention center. When the prison guard opened the door, she hit the prison guard with her head. She failed to push him away, and was charged with attempting to assault a police officer, which made her already bad situation even worse.
Now, Li Aifeng had the opportunity to operate the sewing machine and was directly sent to the quarry to smash stones.
"I won't go. I'm innocent. I'm wrongly accused!"
"God, you're wronging me!"
Li Aifeng knew she was going to throw stones, so she cried and rolled around in the detention center.
But it was no use. The ferocious prison guards holding batons walked past her.
Li Aifeng was so scared that she hid back in her bed, not daring to fart. She was extremely regretful now. Why did she get so greedy that she had to go to her grandson's house to steal zongzi!
She stole a few zongzi and ten yuan, and then went to the quarry to do hard labor. Her old bones couldn't stand it.
In the past, there were people in the village who were sent to labor reform, all of them were the stinking ninth sons of the landlords.
Li Aifeng was in the crowd, throwing stones and spitting, and it felt great.
Now she has the same fate as Chou Laojiu. She is so scared that she is paralyzed on the ground and her body is shaking like sieve chaff.
The woman who was in the same cell with Li Aifeng couldn't stand Li Aifeng's cowardly look.
Now she knows she is scared. What did she do when she stole other people's things?
This woman is so annoying!
*
The donkey cart drove on the dirt road for two hours. Lin Yao was like she was in a cradle, shaking back and forth. In a moment, she entered Yunshui County.
Yunshui County had been in recession for most of the year, but this year the summer grain harvest was good, and the people were able to fill their stomachs. More and more small vendors came to the county town with their shoulder poles to sell their goods. The pedestrians riding bicycles on the bluestone road and the brick walls painted with red slogans were noisy and lively, which made people feel comfortable.
Not long after, the donkey car stopped at the entrance of the big courtyard alley.
The big courtyard was exactly the same as I remembered, with a red frame and green tiles, and the yard was paved with blue bricks. Xu's mother came early in the morning to help clean the three rooms of the old Gu family, which had already been cleaned.
Gu Shian and Xu Xiangqian set out with light gear, moving furniture piece by piece into the house. Gu Shidong fetched water, wiped the tables, chairs, benches, windows and corners in the dining room one by one, and even washed the floor with well water. It was refreshing and cool in the hot summer, and the wet floor dried in a few minutes. Lin Yao looked at the brand new house, and a sense of joy of reunion after a long absence surged in his heart.
After finishing the work at home, Uncle Zhang hurried back to the countryside to harvest wheat.
Gu Mancang listened to the old woman's instructions, tied up four rabbits and quietly sent them over.
Five families in the big compound couldn't bear to go back to their hometowns to live.
Now the old Gu family has returned, and the huge yard is empty with only a few people living there.
In front of the window of the east wing of the Gu family, two or three pomegranate trees have grown at some point, and the flowers are in full bloom, a sea of red. Daju, a country cat, has come to the city, and he is not restrained, strolling around the yard, meowing. Gu Shian is cleaning the rabbit nest in the yard. A pair of rabbits are locked in an iron cage, and Daju grabs them with his paws, and Gu Mancang picks them up, and carries them back to the house to feed the fish.
Daju eats and drinks enough, and falls asleep on the balcony in the scorching summer heat.
Gu Chunmei had no milk during her confinement. Her fat son cried with hunger. She fed him a big bottle of milk powder every day. Xu's mother came to discuss with Zhang Cuilan whether they could go to their hometown to find a female goat, squeeze the goat's milk and boil it for their grandson to drink.
In the evening, the sun set in the west. The heat of the day dissipated slightly. The breeze was very comfortable on the body.
Dongzi ran out early in the morning to play with Hutou.
Lin Yao took advantage of the fact that no one was in the big compound and asked Deputy Director Gu to dry the chicken and rabbit meat at home and save them for later.
Gu Shi'an used his big hands to rub coarse salt on the meat. Lin Yao took a small basin, poured soy sauce, green onions, ginger, garlic, sugar and salt into it, and then put the meat marinated with coarse salt into it to let it absorb the flavor. Then he put the meat in the pot to steam it. If he wanted to wait until tomorrow day was good, he could put it in the yard to dry naturally.
The couple worked so hard that they were sweating all over.
Gu Shian boiled a pot of hot water, and Lin Yao took a bath in the bathtub with a small bath bag.
Deputy Director Gu changed clothes in the room, revealing his muscular back and two dimples on his lean waist.
Lin Yao was about to feast her eyes when she suddenly felt a pain in her stomach and groaned while holding her stomach.
"It hurts."
Gu Shian ran over with a nervous face, "Yaoyao, what's wrong?"
"I, I'm about to give birth.
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