Chapter 12: Famine
When their eyes met, Chen Yao felt a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, Huang Dongsheng and Yang Wenying came forward to rescue them.
Chen Yao then found an opportunity and left to collect firewood and build a stove, giving the brother and sister, and the father and son time to talk.
Yang Wenying looked at her brother and wanted to ask him if he was okay. But her brother was so thin that he looked unrecognizable. How could he be okay?
Tears kept flowing out, and she was filled with longing. Everything she wanted to say was poured out by Huang Dongsheng beside her like beans from a bamboo tube.
Yang Jizong raised his hand to comfort his sister, but looking at the dirt-filled crevices of his nails, he withdrew his hand and coaxed her: "Wenying, tell me, are you doing well at the Shen family?"
Yang Wenying wiped away her tears with her sleeve and nodded vigorously. Like Huang Dongsheng next to her, she only reported good news and not bad news.
"It's all good. During the day, you carry tofu to sell, and at night, you teach them to read. Even though you don't make much money now, brother, you have to trust us. We will be able to take you home soon."
"Wenying, just take care of yourself. There's no need to make arrangements for me." Yang Jizong's eyes were like dry wells, dim and lifeless.
Seeing her brother's expression was no different from those elderly people waiting to die in Wanhe Township, Yang Wenying anxiously grabbed his ragged sleeve and said, "Brother, this wasn't arranged by me, it was her decision. If you don't believe me, you can ask her!"
Chen Yao had just taken out the cold soy milk from the basket and was about to put it on the simple stove to heat it up, but Yang Wenying pointed at her and she was so scared that she almost knocked over the jar.
"Cousin, let me help you." Huang Dongsheng had finished talking to his father. He stepped forward to take the clay pot and glanced at Yang Wenying, who had no eyesight.
Yang Wenying, what's wrong with you? You don't even mention the serious matter and just keep crying.
If you don’t want to talk to your brother, let my cousin do it!
Soon the officers will come to take them back, and my cousin will have no chance to get in touch with her husband, let alone act as a bodyguard and inquire about people for Wanhe Township.
Having her life snatched away from her, Shen Yao stood there at a loss. She first greeted her uncle, then asked Yang Jizong dryly, "Are you okay too?"
Compared to the casual tone in Chen Yao's words, Yang Jizong bowed to her very solemnly and said, "I took advantage of you by entrusting my sister to you that day. You only need to take your relatives back."
The implication is, don't bother with him.
"Brother!" Yang Wenying was shocked. Why should her brother be so humble to her?
Chen Yao took a step forward and inevitably smelled the scent emanating from Yang Jizong.
There was no disgust in Chen Yao's eyes. Instead, she stretched out her hands to help the man up: "To make a long story short, I came here today for two things."
"First, I want to let you know that we are all working together to redeem you and your uncle. Second, my family has been lucky enough to find a rabbit, and I want to make a hand guard for you two. Give me your hand."
Yang Jizong remained unmoved.
Chen Yao has never been a timid person. If the enemy doesn't move, I will take action. Taking advantage of Yang Jizong's unpreparedness, she grabbed his hand and dragged him to her front.
Yang Jizong's body trembled, and his breath was filled with the fragrance of grass and trees. He looked down at his dirty hand being held by her, feeling ashamed and wanting to shake her hand off.
Chen Yao held on tightly and glared at him.
Hey, Yang Jizong, what do you mean? I don’t mind that your claws are dirty, but you mind me first?
"Don't move, I'm not a cannibal." Chen Yao held half of his left hand, and the thick blood scabs on his fingertips stung her eyes. Her voice softened. "After the measurement, I have other things to ask you and your uncle for help."
Chen Yao raised her head and motioned Yang Wenying, who was staying where she was, to get the counting rope from the basket. Seeing that Yang Jizong was really obedient and stopped struggling, she supported the back of his hand and asked him to spread his hand flat in her palm.
"A rabbit skin is hard to come by, why waste it on me?" Yang Jizong looked down at her as she circled the thin rope around her wrist, palm and ten fingers. Every time she measured, she would mark the rope with a piece of charcoal.
When the rope was wrapped around his fingers, Yang Jizong couldn't help but feel a little moved, but when Chen Yao also carefully measured Huang Songbai, he just felt ridiculous.
A sinner like him actually wanted to covet the warmth that did not belong to him.
After measuring the size of the two people's palms, Chen Yao put the counting rope back into the basket, then took out two bags of soybean powder and handed them to her uncle.
"Dad, try it quickly. It goes perfectly with soy milk." Huang Dongsheng pushed over the simple stone stove, put out the fire, and poured two bowls of hot soy milk from a jar wrapped in cloth and handed them to the two of them.
Huang Songbai would not be distant with his son and A Yao, and he did not think as much as Yang Jizong thought.
His family was worried about him, and he couldn't let them worry, so he picked up the bowl and drank: "It's sweet, Zi'an, you try it too."
"Dad, who is Zi'an?"
"Your cousin's husband's handwriting." Huang Songbai scooped several spoonfuls of soybean powder from the cloth bag his niece gave him and put them into two bowls. He stirred them together, and the sweet soybean milk turned into a sticky paste. "Zi'an, this is much better than steamed bread. Come and try A Yao's cooking."
Yang Wenying also urged: "Brother, try it."
Yang Jizong looked at Chen Yao with a questioning look in his eyes.
What's with this stray dog's expression, as if he can't eat unless his owner tells him to?
It's not like he was abandoned by himself.
Ugh!
Chen Yao quickly shook the thought out of her mind, picked up another bowl of sweet soy milk and forced it into Yang Jizong's hand, saying, "Although my family is poor, I will not watch my family fall into danger without helping them."
"Family?" Yang Jizong was burned by the bowl in his hand, and his heart was in turmoil. Did she mean that he was her family?
But a sinner like him is not worthy of being her family.
If Chen Yao knew why they were exiled here, she would probably regret what she said today.
Yang Jizong clenched his bowl and spoon tightly, as if he had made up his mind. "How can I be your family? Marrying into your family is just a way for you and me to use each other. Now that I'm in this state, do you still want to be my wife? It's better to let me stay here..."
He swallowed the words "let it fend for itself" and didn't say them out loud in front of everyone.
But everyone is not stupid, so they naturally understand what he means.
Huang Dongsheng originally thought that since he and his cousin had married into the Shen family, they were naturally a family, but listen to what he said now.
"Yang Jizong, what do you mean? Please explain yourself clearly."
His shout attracted the officers, and he saw that the officers were about to come and take the people back.
Chen Yao took out the sand table from the basket and handed it to Yang Jizong. "Take a look at the names written on it. Go back to the quarry and ask your uncle about it. Next time I come, tell me who is still alive."
"If they are still alive, tell them that even if they are determined to die, they have to grit their teeth and hold on. They still have relatives in Wanhe Township waiting for them to return home, otherwise they will die together." Chen Yao spoke very quickly.
Yang Jizong suddenly looked up at her, unable to believe what he heard.
She was actually willing to die with him!
When Chen Yao saw the light in Yang Jizong and his uncle being dragged away, she had no time to explain to him. However, she felt that since Yang Jizong dared to deliberately use words to anger her, he should be able to understand what she meant.
Living a good life is better than anything else.
As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.
Well, he should understand.
"elder brother!"
"father!"
Huang Dongsheng and Yang Wenying shouted at the same time at the figure being dragged away. Huang Songbai turned around and waved to his son, telling him to go home.
Huang Dongsheng wanted to rush over to take another look at his father, but was stopped by the officer's raised sword.
Chen Yao looked at the broken sand table on the ground and the bowl of soy milk that was knocked over by the officers and sighed deeply.
It’s better to drink it yourself, because it contains sugar.
Those officers were too fierce, always showing off their swords and trying to scare them.
Having a knife is a big deal, but she didn't even dare to find out how much money it would cost to redeem the person early.
"Let's go, it's time for us to go back." Chen Yao packed up, picked up the empty burden and shouted to the two of them.
Huang Dongsheng glared at Yang Wenying who was walking beside him: "My cousin was so determined to bring your brother back, but I didn't expect your brother to be such a heartless man."
Yang Wenying sobbed and retorted: "Ayao, my brother is not a heartless man, he just doesn't want to drag us down, wuwuwuwu!"
"Okay, okay, stop arguing. Let's think about how to convey a message to the villagers when we pass by Wanhe Township." Chen Yao was walking in front with a load on her shoulder, feeling overwhelmed.
This time when I came to the eastern suburbs, not only did I fail to sell any tofu, but I also saw famine everywhere.
Huang Dongsheng caught up with Chen Yao and bowed his head to admit his mistake: "Cousin, I shouldn't have shouted and alarmed the police. Otherwise, my father would have gone in to ask around and come back to tell us."
There's no need to delve into the cause now that something has happened.
"Forget it, I think we should tell the truth to the elders in the village." Chen Yao didn't want to lie. Once she told a lie, she would have to weave thousands of lies to follow it up.
On the way back, the atmosphere was depressed for a while. Chen Yao carried her load into the village and saw the old people in the village waiting for them at Youfu's house.
"Ah, here they come!" An old man with good eyesight stood up slowly and shouted.
Chen Yao tried to force a smile, but seeing that this group of people really couldn't smile, she put down her burden and told them the truth.
The dilapidated yard was gradually shrouded in darkness, which was extremely depressing.
"Dongsheng, take out the sickle. Let's help cut the grass in Grandma Goudan's yard." Chen Yao rolled up her sleeves and began to pull the weeds around.
At Chen Yao's command, not only did Huang Dongsheng do what he said, but even Yang Wenying with red eyes started to take action.
"Children, there's no need to pull it out. No need to trouble you." Grandma Goudan couldn't see, so she could only rely on her voice to pull Chen Yao.
The elderly people around had not heard from their relatives and were leaving one after another.
Chen Yao threw away the grass in her hand and called out to the old people who were about to leave: "We will go to the quarry again on Mid-Autumn Festival. We will definitely bring you news then, no matter whether they are alive or dead."
The old people stopped, shed tears, and thanked Chen Yao with sad faces.
After the three children helped Goudan's grandmother weed the yard, Chen Yao casually asked, "Grandma, I see Wanhe Township is surrounded by mountains, and the sun doesn't shine into the village. The grain yield per mu in the fields is definitely not enough to pay the rent. So how did you make up for it before?"
I saw Grandma Goudan holding a wooden stick, banging on the wood and going back to the house. When she came out, she was holding a round winnowing basket in her hand.
Yang Wenying was close to Grandma Goudan, so she wanted to go forward to help. But when she saw what was in the winnowing basket, she was so scared that her face turned pale and she backed away, not daring to go forward again.
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