Seeing her crying so sadly, Jiang Lin hugged her, patted her on the back, and asked no more questions.
Although she does not agree with her sister's point of view, people have different personalities and make different choices.
Jiang Min has been well-behaved and sensible since she was a child. She understands that her parents care about others. It is impossible for her to ignore her family's feelings and only care about herself. Otherwise, she would not have returned to the farm because of her sister's pressure and family difficulties when she went home on sick leave. She has no way out. No one can support her when she encounters difficulties. She can only choose a seemingly suitable result.
Although she could sympathize with Jiang Min, Jiang Lin could not forgive the behavior of Old Lady Liang and Liang Tiefeng. If someone did this to her, she could not beat them at the time, and she could not kill them later!
Xiao Meng brought Xiao Jun back from outside to drink water.
Jiang Lin saw that Xiao Meng was too thin, "Sister, is Xiao Meng sick?"
Jiang Min: "I had no milk when she was born, so she might have been hungry. Later, her spleen and stomach became weak and she couldn't eat. I took her to see many doctors in the past two years, and they all said that she would be fine if she grew up stronger. But why did she lose weight again in the past six months?"
She had argued with the old woman many times about medical treatment, but fortunately Liang Tiefeng supported her on this point, so the old woman didn't say anything. However, Xiao Meng's health was still not good, so she had to be taken care of. Maybe she would get better when she grew up.
Jiang Lin also noticed that Xiao Meng ate very carefully, just like a kitten. But even though the family was poor back then and Xiao Bao was smaller than Da Bao, he was not so skinny.
"Are there worms?" At this time, children basically have parasites and will become thin and skinny.
Jiang Min: "I take medicine every year."
Jiang Lin held Xiao Meng's hand lovingly, "Xiao Meng is so pretty, how about going to your aunt's house? There are Dabao and Xiaobao at my aunt's house, who are the same age as you, as well as your elder sisters and brothers from your uncle's family."
Xiao Meng shook her head sensibly, "Thank you, Auntie. I have to stay at home to look after the kids."
Jiang Lin was stunned. "What child are you looking at? Your brother is already that big."
Xiao Meng smiled and said, "Grandma said my mom will give birth to a little brother."
Jiang Min blushed, "Don't talk nonsense, kid."
Seeing that Xiao Meng's braids were crooked, Jiang Lin used her small wooden comb to comb her hair. Her hair was dry and yellow, and her hair was thin, which made people feel distressed. After combing it twice, Jiang Lin found that she had lice on her head, "Oh, why are there lice?"
Xiao Meng's face suddenly turned red and she moved away embarrassedly.
Jiang Min took her over to take a look. "Why do you have lice again? You just treated it with medicine in the summer." She smelled the scent of Xiao Meng's hair. "Girl, don't you know how to wash your hair? Why don't you wash it yourself at home?"
If she is not working, she will clean the house, give the children a bath, and tidy up the bedding. Xiao Meng can wash her hair and take a bath by herself, so it is very convenient to have hot water at home every day.
Xiao Meng bit her lip and said nothing, looking like she had done something wrong.
Xiaojun: "Why are you washing like that, little girl? It's a waste of water."
He didn't speak very fluently before, but starting from the second half of this year, his little mouth started to talk like a floodgate, especially imitating his grandmother's words.
Jiang Min glared at him and said, "Come here, let me check if you have any."
Jiang Lin said, "Let's give Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun a bath." There was water on the stove, which was very convenient.
Jiang Lin helped Xiao Meng take off her clothes. She asked in a low voice: "Xiao Meng, your parents are not at home, will your grandma spank you?"
Xiao Meng shook her head: "No, my grandma is very good to me. She gives me all the delicious food she has."
Jiang Lin recalled the scene where Xiaojun would grab a bunch of things and only give a little to Xiaomeng. She suspected that was the old lady's way of doing things. How could Xiaojun understand anything at such a young age? He was just imitating the adults.
She tried it out and found that Xiao Meng was indeed very well behaved and sensible. She believed that more of the good things at home should be given to her younger brother.
"I've tasted all the delicious food. You gave me all the milk. You didn't hide it from me. Mom, aunt, don't worry."
Jiang Min would buy good things and bring them home to share with her grandmother, sister, and brother. Sometimes she would ask Xiao Meng if she had eaten them before. Xiao Meng would always say that she had and would say what they tasted like and that they were delicious.
Jiang Min said to Jiang Lin: "The old lady likes to talk nonsense, and she doesn't treat her daughter badly with food."
Jiang Lin: "Sister, Xiao Meng asked us not to worry too much." How could a little kid say something like "worry too much"?
Jiang Min was stunned.
Jiang Lin helped Xiao Meng take a bath and told her that girls should pay attention to hygiene. She also told her to study hard, go to college, and go to a big city.
Xiaojun was talking rudely again: "Why would a little girl want to go to university? University is for men."
Jiang Lin: "I am a college student, and there are many girls in college. But you, little thing, won't pass the exam if you don't study hard."
Xiaojun: "Aunt, you don't have to worry about me. My grandma said that all a man needs to do is find a wife and have children."
Jiang Min said sternly: "When did your grandma say so much? How come I didn't know?"
When she was not at work, Mrs. Liang did not behave excessively. Although sometimes she said some inappropriate things, Jiang Min would point them out directly, and Mrs. Liang was very good at it, and immediately smiled and said something like "Oh, you can't say it? I don't know."
Originally she thought Xiaojun was just parroting others, but now she found it particularly irritating.
Xiaojun: "Just tell me when you are not home. My grandma won't let me tell you, we are in the same group with her." He couldn't tell her before, but now he can, and he keeps talking. "My grandma said, I have a sister anyway, so even if I can't get a wife in the future, I can still marry someone else."
Jiang Min's face changed, and she grabbed Xiaojun's ear, "From now on, don't talk nonsense to me anymore. What your grandma said is wrong, mom and dad need to talk to her."
Jiang Lin: "Sister, it's useless to bother him. You're not at home every day, and he's with grandma. What you say will fly away in two seconds."
Jiang Min: "I'll talk to her about it tomorrow when I get home."
Xiao Meng advised her, "Mom, don't be angry with my grandma. My grandma is pitiful. My grandpa passed away a long time ago, and she worked so hard to raise my dad. At her age, she has to feed the chickens, sweep the floor, cook, light the stove, and take care of us every day. She hurts all over every day and can't sleep. She is so pitiful."
Jiang Lin: “!!”
Jiang Min: "Did your grandma say that?"
Xiao Meng bit her lip lightly and lowered her eyelashes, which was considered as tacit agreement. Grandma told her every day that her father worked so hard, her grandmother worked so hard, and it was so hard to take care of the children and do housework at home. Grandma also said that she was sick, but she was reluctant to treat it because she wanted to save money for her brother to go to school and get married, and also to have a new little brother, all of which required money. Grandma was like this, so everyone in the family had to do the same, especially the girls.
Xiao Meng doesn't understand, but grandma said that, so it might be true. The boys in the class eat better than the girls, wear better clothes, have better stationery, and even have snacks to eat.
Jiang Lin was shocked. She had never seen someone who was so good at brainwashing children. Look how he had trained Xiao Meng!
"Sister, you have to talk to the old lady." Jiang Lin was sure that the old woman was mistreating Xiao Meng harshly and brainwashing the child severely. It would be strange if she didn't mistreat her harshly.
She confirmed again and again with Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun that grandma really didn't hit the child. At most, she would scare them and say she would hit them, and if she pinched them, it would be through the clothes. Xiao Meng didn't have any scars on his body.
Jiang Min also said that Mrs. Liang was actually not a bad person and had a very good reputation in the village. Everyone said that she was a good person with a good temper and was kind. She never hit or scolded anyone and was not like those country shrews.
She wanted to know how this old woman was so capable and how she could make her child so obedient without beating or scolding him.
After taking a shower, it was almost time for lunch. The men had gone hunting and had not returned, so Jiang Min cooked noodles with eggs and yesterday's roe deer meat soup.
Jiang Lin took out her own vanishing cream and applied it on Xiao Meng. Xiao Jun saw it and came over to let her apply it.
"Auntie, can your brothers Dabao and Xiaobao play with me?"
Jiang Lin: "That depends on your performance. If you keep talking like that, they will beat you up." She applied some cold cream on Xiaojun.
The little boy is 6 years old, with a chubby head and a pair of black eyes, but why does his mouth look so provocative?
Xiaojun stuck out his tongue and said, "I'll tell my grandma..." He quickly swallowed the rest of the words.
Jiang Lin said seriously: "If I hear you say anything about your grandma again, I won't give you any fun or delicious food."
Xiaojun: "Then you give it to my sister, what's hers is mine."
Jiang Lin, haha, if you fall into my hands and I don’t teach you a lesson, I’ll take your surname!
She said to Jiang Min, "The old lady is not in good health. You and your brother-in-law are working and can't take care of the children. Anyway, you are not going to college, so you can't delay the two children. Why don't I take them away?" Jiang Lin saw that Xiao Meng was raised to be timid and Xiao Jun was taught to be domineering. How can their personalities be changed if they continue like this? If he is taken away now, there will be no one to protect him without his grandmother. He will have to learn to read people's eyebrows and eyes in two days.
Xiaojun saw that although his aunt was pretty, she was so scary, so he quickly tried to escape, "Aunt, I want to go home, I don't want to go to your house."
Jiang Lin grabbed him and said, "Where are you running to? Sit here and eat your meal. Have you seen your uncle? He is taller than your father and can fight better than your father. If anyone disobeys him, he will arrest them and lock them up to educate them until they behave themselves."
Xiaojun looked at her in horror. Children imitate adults and are also afraid of all the scary things adults say. They pout and are about to cry.
Jiang Lin glared at him and said, "Shut up!"
Xiaojun heard that she was very fierce, so he pursed his lips and held back his words, but tears kept falling down.
Xiao Meng felt distressed and whispered, "Auntie, he doesn't dare anymore."
Jiang Lin: "Look, how good your sister is to you."
Xiaojun wanted to say that she wanted to find him a new wife, and of course she had to treat him well, but he was afraid of being beaten by his aunt, so he didn't dare to say a word. He was so depressed that he shed more tears.
Jiang Min punished him by asking him to stand aside and said, "If you dare to say something like 'I'll go home and tell your grandma' again, you won't be allowed to eat."
When his grandmother and father were not around and his mother did not pamper him, he immediately stood there in the corner in disgrace.
After Jiang Min cooked the noodles and asked them to come over to eat, Xiaojun became obedient and less greedy, eating happily with slurps.
Jiang Lin served Xiao Meng a big bowl and put two eggs in it.
Xiao Meng was so frightened that her face changed. "Auntie, I can't finish it. It's too much."
Jiang Lin: "Eat as much as you can, and give the rest to your mom and dad."
Xiao Meng looked at Jiang Min.
Jiang Min said sympathetically, "Eat it."
Xiao Meng bit her lip and said, "Grandma said we can't leave any of it." She was about to push the noodles away.
Jiang Lin helped her to pick it out, but she kept asking her to pick it out until there was nothing left at the bottom of the bowl.
Jiang Lin: "You only eat this much?"
"Aunt, I have a small appetite and eat little."
Xiaojun curled his lips, "I'll just vomit if I eat too much anyway, what a waste."
Seeing that his mother and aunt were glaring at him, he quickly buried his head in eating noodles.
Jiang Min sighed, "The doctor said that her spleen and stomach are weak, and sometimes she vomits if she doesn't feel comfortable eating. Girl, eat slowly and chew it before swallowing."
Xiao Meng was obedient and chewed slowly, and Jiang Lin would pick up a piece of food for her after she finished. Xiao Meng's appetite was so small that even the 6-year-old Xiao Jun ate much more than her.
Xiao Meng also thought the noodles were delicious, as they contained eggs and broth. She was particularly happy to eat with her mother and aunt, so she ate a little more without realizing it.
After dinner, Jiang Min washed the dishes while Jiang Lin told the two children stories, many of which were written by Dabao and Xiaobao. She read them and remembered them. The two children listened with great interest, and Xiaojun kept asking her to tell them more.
Suddenly Xiao Meng cried out in disgust, and couldn’t dodge in time, so she vomited.
She was terrified.
Jiang Lin hurriedly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay."
Jiang Min came over with a shovel to clean up, and Jiang Lin brought water for Xiao Meng to rinse her mouth.
Xiaojun: "Don't waste it, go feed the chickens!"
Jiang Lin felt a little guilty, "Did you eat too much?" She just had to stop taking that chopstick. But even so, she didn't eat as much as Xiaojun, so how could she be full?
Seeing Jiang Lin's guilty expression, Xiao Meng quickly said, "Aunt, no, I was just too greedy. This is wrong. You should eat as much as your stomach can hold. Don't be greedy."
Jiang Lin no longer dared to give her more food. She let her eat when she wanted to and not eat when she didn’t want to. She could do whatever she felt comfortable with.
After a while, someone came over and shouted, "Tiefeng, Tiefeng, Jiang Min, Jiang Min!"
Jiang Min went to ask: "Brother, what's the matter?"
"Oh, your mother-in-law is dying, go home and check on her."
Jiang Min wondered, "What's wrong?"
"My heart hurts so much!" said the man.
Jiang Min thought the old woman was seriously ill, so she hurried to the regiment headquarters to find a doctor and then found a car to go there together. She asked Jiang Lin and the children to stay in the house while she went home to check.
Xiao Meng was anxious to go home to take care of her grandmother. "My grandmother has always taken care of me. Now she is sick and I have to go home to take care of her."
Jiang Lin: "Go to your mother's house, you guys stay here."
Xiaojun laughed and said, "My grandma is pretending. Haha, she is pretending so that she can scare my parents."
Jiang Lin frowned: "You know?"
"I know. My grandma is like this all the time. She says she feels dizzy and then falls down. She says, 'Oh, my heart aches. My heart aches.' She falls down..."
Jiang Lin: "...You kid, did you fall down or were you just pretending? Your head is broken."
Xiaojun stood up and imitated his grandmother, covering his head with one hand and waving around with the other, "Oh, oh, I'm dizzy..." Then he staggered twice and fell to the ground.
Jiang Lin: "..." She ran out and said to Jiang Min who was in a hurry to go back: "Sister, let me talk to you."
Jiang Min: "Linlin, stay here for now, I'll be back soon."
Jiang Lin pulled her down, away from others, and told her what Xiaojun had said.
Jiang Min was surprised and said, "No way, Xiaojun is only 6 years old, he is talking nonsense."
"Sister, don't you know who your mother-in-law is? She can lock the door, and isn't it common for her to pretend to be sick?"
Jiang Min: "I never thought she was faking illness before. She is really ill. She had surgery when she was young, and her health has always been poor. As soon as winter comes, she has difficulty breathing and sweats. In summer, she dares not bask in the sun and has no strength all over her body." Jiang Min did not doubt this. Everyone knew that Mrs. Liang was not in good health.
Jiang Lin: "Sister, being sick, having a chronic disease, and being unable to function are not the same thing." She felt that the old woman knew that she and her brother were coming, and was waiting here to cause trouble.
Jiang Min was also a little confused by what Jiang Lin said, "Go to my house and you'll know."
Jiang Lin went back and continued telling stories to the siblings, telling them about Dabao and Xiaobao, which made the two children feel envious.
Although grandma said that there were bad people, tigers, and monsters that ate children in the provincial capital, and asked them not to go, let alone let mom go, but what aunt said was really fun, and the Dabao, Xiaobao, Wensheng, and Qinqin in the photo were all very attractive.
They weren't eaten by the monster.
Jiang Lin thought that if her sister really gave up, she would take the child away. It was not discrimination. The education in the border areas could not catch up with that in the big cities in the mainland. Although a person's life achievements could not be measured by academic qualifications, who would not want to let their children see more if they had the chance?
Besides, if these two children stay here, they will be ruined by the old woman sooner or later.
Xiao Meng went home to take care of the children because he couldn't finish elementary school. Xiaojun was a gangster in elementary school and couldn't even get into high school. When he grows up to be a gangster and teases little girls, will he be caught and sent to jail or shot?
It is said that human life is long and the future of young people is full of unknowns. That is the case with active and enterprising young people. For decadent and incompetent young people, their life is short and their future is shallow.
See through at a glance!
Even when the family was in trouble, they would find a way to make a living for the children. Now, neither she nor the Jiang family was in trouble, and Cheng Rushan supported all her decisions. She couldn't just watch the two children suffer.
Jiang Lin took the opportunity when the two children were away from their grandmother to ask about all aspects of the matter, and indeed, she found out a lot of things.
Mrs. Liang not only brainwashed her children to favor boys over girls and make the girls sacrifice themselves for their younger brothers, but also taught them things like, "No matter what time it is, no matter what dad is like, you should stick with him, because dad and grandma are only thinking about the family, but mom is not! Mom has grandparents, brothers, sisters, and she thinks about others, not just them."
Hearing things like this, Jiang Lin really wanted to beat up the old woman.
This is also because Xiaomeng and Xiaojun are still young, especially Xiaojun is only 6 years old. If he were older and had the ability to think independently and no longer parrot others, he would not be able to ask this question. When Xiaomeng is asked many things, Xiaomeng dare not say anything, and Xiaojun basically says it.
The old woman instilled in them that their mother cared not only about them, but also about their uncles. She also instilled in Xiao Meng that her younger brother was the closest to her, and that when she got married in the future, she should put her father and younger brother first.
Jiang Lin said to Xiao Meng: "Auntie thinks that you are the most important at any time. Only by loving yourself first can you love others. What do you think?"
Xiao Meng has been brainwashed by her grandmother and can't think of anything. Her thoughts are all about loving her younger brother and father.
Jiang Lin: "Your grandma has never been out of Kaoshantun in her life. She has never been educated. She can't read newspapers like your teacher, nor go to college like auntie. She has too little experience, so she always wants you to be like her. Xiaomeng, tell auntie, do you want to stay in Kaoshantun like your grandma when you grow up, complaining about pain all over your body every day, and lying to children?"
Xiao Meng blinked, looked outside, then glanced at her brother, and shook her head while Xiaojun wasn't paying attention.
Jiang Lin said to Xiaojun again: "If you continue to talk nonsense like your grandmother, saying that locking up a girl is like being a wife, you will be arrested and imprisoned and shot. Do you know? If a bad man wants to arrest your aunt, your uncle will send his entire family to prison and be shot!"
Xiaojun didn't understand anything else, but he knew that he would be shot or imprisoned, and his eyes widened with fear.
Is my uncle-in-law so cruel?
…
When Jiang Min took the doctor home, she saw Mrs. Liang leaning on the kang. The room was a little cold and the stove was out. Jiang Min quickly lit the stove and asked her if she had eaten.
Mrs. Liang groaned, "Hey, there's no place... no place to eat. The kids aren't at home, so how can I eat? Don't waste it."
Jiang Min said angrily: "What are you talking about? How can a person live without eating? You make it sound like our family can't afford it and your son won't give you food."
The doctor also said that the old woman's behavior was not right. He measured her blood pressure, listened to her chest, and asked about her condition. It turned out that there was nothing serious wrong with her. Or it was just an old illness that had not worsened, so it was nothing to worry about.
It was either a pure mental illness or she was just pretending. But the doctor couldn't say she was pretending, so he could only say it was an old problem.
Old Mrs. Liang even pulled the doctor's sleeve and said, "Doctor, I can't breathe. My chest hurts, as if there's a big rock pressing on it. Please take a good look at me." After much persuasion, the doctor prescribed some medicine and the matter was settled.
"Why didn't you bring Xiaojun and Xiaomeng back?" Mrs. Liang looked at Jiang Min who came in with noodles. "I miss my children. I have been taking care of them since they were young. I miss them when they are away from me for a while."
Jiang Min: "They are playing with my aunt, they are having a great time."
Mrs. Liang: "Why don't my aunt and uncle come to eat?"
I'm sick, and when relatives come over, don't they even say hello? I'm so sick that I can't live without people. I want my daughter-in-law to go to college? No way!
Unless I die!
Jiang Min asked her to eat, "Mom, are you really sick?"
Mrs. Liang sat up to eat some noodles, but now she fell sideways with a cry, "Ouch... it hurts..."
Jiang Min put the bowl down and said, "Eat now. Don't put out the stove. You'll freeze to death."
Mrs. Liang: "I fainted, I don't know, I didn't add coal..."
Jiang Min didn't want to say anything to her. Only a fool couldn't tell how the stove was put out.
"I live in the regiment headquarters at night, and Xiaomeng and Xiaojun follow me." There was actually such a situation before. When she took the children out, the old woman would find an excuse to leave the children behind and not let her take them.
She used to think it was nothing. Although Mrs. Liang treated her indifferently, she was still close to the children. Now thinking about the mess she told the children, Jiang Min refused to compromise with her. She didn't want to send Xiaojun and Xiaomeng back just for show, and she wouldn't let go for a day?
Seeing her daughter-in-law suddenly become tough, Mrs. Liang knew that her family was backing her up and she was challenging her. She pretended to be useless and got up to eat noodles. "Then you go. Ask Xiao Liang to come back early in the evening. Ask the relatives to come for dinner tomorrow. Kill a hen and stew mushrooms. I picked a lot of hazel mushrooms in the mountains last year and dried them."
Jiang Min: “Okay.”
She went back to the field office with the doctor.
Jiang Lin was playing games with Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun outside, using soapstone to draw on the cement floor. She drew a map that looked like a big rooster. Thanks to the architectural aesthetics she learned this year, her hand-drawing skills had improved and her drawings looked pretty good.
"This big rooster is our map. You are here, Dabao and Xiaobao are here." Jiang Lin marked the location.
This farm is already at the top of Rooster's Head, very close to the border.
Xiao Meng's eyes widened as she watched. It was a very novel feeling. She pointed downwards and to the east and west sides.
Jiang Lin told her one by one, and then said: "In addition to our big rooster, there is also the Soviet Union in the north, India and North Korea here..." Jiang Lin mentioned the names of several neighboring countries.
Xiao Meng started singing, "We are crossing the Yalu River with high spirits and vigor... Our teacher taught us to help North Korea fight the American devils."
Xiaojun was punished by Jiang Lin for making trouble and bullying Xiaomeng. His loving grandma, father, and mother were not around, so he could only stand obediently. When talking about fighting, he could not help but shoot. Jiang Lin glared at him and asked him to be quiet, so he stood obediently with a pursed mouth.
When he saw Jiang Min coming back, he immediately shouted.
Jiang Min ignored him and just said to Jiang Lin, "It's okay." This was an admission that the old woman was pretending to be sick.
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Don't worry about her in the future. An old lady who behaves like this might turn into a wolf."
Xiaojun was very anxious, "I know the wolf is coming."
Jiang Lin then lifted his punishment and asked him to come over and play with her. "Are you still playing tricks?"
Xiaojun shook his head.
"Will you roll around?"
Xiaojun shook his head.
"Are you bullying your sister?"
Xiaojun lowered his head, glanced at Xiaomeng and shook his head.
"Okay, I'll teach you how to draw. There are a lot of things taught in college, and there are art students who specialize in art. They can draw anything and it will look exactly like the original. Do you want to know?"
"Let me think about it. I want to draw!" Xiaojun raised his hand excitedly.
Jiang Min would teach them when she had time, but when she was not at home, the old lady thought these things were useless and took the children to do things she thought were useful.
At around five o'clock in the evening, Jiang Min cooked rice and waited for the men to come back from hunting.
Around 6:30, the jeep came back, and in addition to the three of them, there were also the regiment commander and others. Jiang Xinglei rushed into the house with a rifle on his back, and excitedly gestured: "Sister, my brother-in-law is so powerful, he shot a lone wolf in the head with one shot. If it weren't for my brother-in-law's good shooting skills, Xiao Gao would have been bitten on the neck by the wolf!"
There are wolf packs in the ridge over there. Some lone wolves that can't find food will come out of the ridge to attack nearby villages, usually stealing sheep and eating them, and of course they will attack people. Everyone here knows that lone wolves will be killed when they are seen, and only the skin will be taken away, not the meat.
Jiang Xinglei was so excited that he held up his pistol and imitated Cheng Rushan's posture, but unfortunately he didn't learn it well and it looked weird.
Jiang Lin: "Don't let your gun go off accidentally. Put it away."
Jiang Xinglei's shoulders slumped, "There's nothing to be afraid of without bullets." Neither Cheng Rushan nor Liang Tiefeng would let him play with a loaded gun, so he just used the empty gun to satisfy his desire to use it.
Cheng Rushan and Liang Tiefeng came back. They shot two roe deer, some hares and pheasants, and took them to the kitchen to process them. They kept some for themselves and hung the rest in the kitchen to be added to the canteen for tomorrow's meal.
Cheng Rushan rolled up the wolf skin and threw it in the corner. He said to Jiang Lin, "I'll prepare it and use it as a mattress for you. You won't be afraid of sleeping in the snow with a wolf skin mattress."
Liang Tiefeng said: "I'll find someone to deal with it later."
Jiang Lin saw that his attitude had improved a lot. Cheng Rushan had this ability. No matter what the person was like, he could always get along well with them. But she didn't have a good impression of Liang Tiefeng, and now it was even worse! If Jiang Min showed any sign of not wanting to live with him, she would dare to go to the regiment headquarters and have him arrested!
Jiang Min said: "Mom is sick, please bring some meat home to eat with her."
Liang Tiefeng: "Are you sick? You were fine this morning."
Jiang Min sneered, "Who knows?"
Jiang Lin: "Why don't we go together? Auntie is sick and we have to go see her. We came here yesterday but haven't visited her yet."
She wanted to see what the milk in Xiaojun's mouth was and why it was so powerful.
Xiaojun yelled, "I want milk, I want to go home, I miss milk."
Liang Tiefeng: "You guys stay here, I'll go take a look at my own home, I'll pick you up tomorrow for dinner, and we'll sleep here at night."
He had already told the regiment headquarters that he wanted to borrow the jeep for a few days.
Jiang Lin insisted, what can you see there during the day? She wants to meet the old woman at night.
Liang Tiefeng looked at Jiang Min, and Jiang Min smiled and said, "Linlin, it's cold at night. Let's go tomorrow. Your aunt is fine, she just has an old illness."
Cheng Rushan knew what Jiang Lin meant, "My brother-in-law and I will go take a look."
He had just returned from hunting, and the cold air around him was still there. Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun didn't dare to look at him.
Especially Xiaojun, who was terribly afraid of him. Just now he wanted to complain to his father that his aunt bullied him during the day, but before he could open his mouth, he saw Cheng Rushan come in and when he lowered his eyes to look at him, he was so scared that he trembled and immediately hid behind Xiaomeng and dared not move.
After hearing what Cheng Rushan said, Jiang Lin stopped insisting, "Then you guys go quickly, the old lady probably hasn't eaten yet. If you're not at home, she probably won't eat for the whole day, right?"
Liang Tiefeng frowned, but didn't say anything. He said a few words to Jiang Min and the child, and also said to Xiaojun: "Listen to your mother and don't be naughty, otherwise your father will beat you tomorrow."
Xiaojun, frightened like a quail, nodded obediently.
Jiang Lin asked Cheng Rushan to put on his coat as it was cold at night.
She walked him to the door, and Cheng Rushan told her not to go out. He hugged her, kissed her on the forehead, and pushed her back, "It's cold, go back to the house."
Liang Tiefeng stood beside the car, looked at the two of them, threw his cigarette butt and crushed it on the ground, opened the door and got in, then watched Cheng Rushan come in.
"How did you two get married?" he asked Cheng Rushan.
Cheng Rushan: “Introduced.”
Liang Tiefeng didn't believe it: "The educated youth married a country man, introduced by someone? Is she willing?"
Cheng Rushan: "Of course I am willing. No matter how good it is, if they don't want it, we can't care about it."
Even though Jiang Lin was beautiful, he never touched her again when she didn't want to get married. He knew that she had to marry for the protection of a family, and he didn't understand that he married her by mistake at first, and he was willing to help her, but husband and wife would never do it again.
Six years later, he was with her because she wanted to. He thought she would not stay, but she stayed. If she wanted to leave, he would give her money. She did not leave but was willing to stay with him, so he naturally loved her.
Of course, he would not tell anyone about his relationship with Jiang Lin. They had problems as well, but problems were meant to be solved, not left there to ferment and wait to explode.
Liang Tiefeng said nothing more, started the car and drove away.
At dinner, Jiang Lin did not dare to let Xiao Meng eat more. Jiang Xinglei also noticed that the child ate only a few mouthfuls, just like feeding a bird. Fortunately, Xiao Meng did not vomit after dinner. Jiang Lin asked, and Xiao Meng said that as long as she ate half a bowl of food, she would not vomit.
After dinner, Jiang Xinglei was dragged out to play mahjong. When he came back, the two sisters were still talking, and it seemed like they had endless things to say.
Jiang Lin told Jiang Min what she had gotten from the child, "Sister, you should also be more careful. Don't always think that people say that the old woman is a good person and looks nice. You should pay more attention to her."
Jiang Min: “I remember it.”
When Jiang Lin fell asleep, she hadn't slept for half the night and only slept for a while until dawn.
The next morning, Cheng Rushan drove to pick them up to go to Kaoshantun for dinner.
Jiang Min packed up, and Jiang Lin took Cheng Rushan to a sheltered place to talk in private.
"How about it?"
Cheng Rushan: "The old lady can sing, recite, act and fight in her entirety. Your sister is no match for her."
"Where is Liang Tiefeng?" Jiang Lin locked the door for Old Lady Liang and was very angry that Liang Tiefeng did nothing.
Cheng Rushan was silent for a moment, "Ordinary people."
Jiang Lin was a little confused for a moment, "Ordinary people?"
Cheng Rushan nodded: "He has the kindness, diligence and dedication of ordinary people, but also the narrow-mindedness, selfishness and stupidity of ordinary people." Liang Tiefeng, like He Changjiang, is a good man, brother and soldier, but he is not qualified as a husband at all. However, Cheng Rushan does not want to evaluate others directly.
Jiang Lin was a little dissatisfied: "Brother Shan, we are all ordinary people."
Cheng Rushan hugged her and said with a smile: "We are ordinary people who can control our own selfish desires and not make things difficult for others for our own selfish reasons."
Jiang Lin understood, and she sneered: "Liang Tiefeng is like this, he is not worthy of being my brother-in-law."
"Linlin, we will leave soon and will have nothing to do with him. Only your sister can decide whether to be with him or not." Cheng Rushan said.
"My sister feels that she owes him her life, so she might just want to live like this for the rest of her life."
Cheng Rushan: "Your sister's idea is very dangerous. Saving people is not to make others owe you a life. Soldiers defend their country for justice and responsibility, not to make people owe them a life. As a PLA soldier, he should save people. If he doesn't save people, he will be court-martialed. Therefore, owing lives does not exist."
Jiang Lin looked up at him, "Cheng Rushan, if, I say if, I don't want to marry you, and your mother locks us in the same room..."
Cheng Rushan smiled so hard that he rested his chin on her head. "Don't you have so many ifs? What kind of house can lock me up? Are you talking about the broken door of the Liang family? Besides, can you honestly let them lock you up? They have to lift the roof..."
Jiang Lin tugged at his collar, "Be serious, I want to discuss serious matters with you."
Cheng Rushan stopped laughing, "I know what you are going to say. It is not a manly thing to force someone to marry him by using the favor of saving his life. Liang's mother is just an excuse. Liang Tiefeng wanted to do this himself. If you don't believe me, try locking him up in the room with another woman."
He hugged Jiang Lin and told her not to be angry. "I said the same thing again. Your sister has to decide all this herself. No one else can do it for her. Everyone has to walk their own path. Don't turn back until you hit the wall. If someone else makes the decision for her, it will only add to her troubles."
Jiang Lin: "That's what I said. But... Brother Shan, you're so smart, can you help my sister think of a way to prevent her from hitting a wall?"
Cheng Rushan looked down at her and said, "Linlin, I am willing to help you take the child away. Your sister needs to solve her own problem."
Jiang Min was not harmed by anyone, nor was she imprisoned and deprived of her freedom. She was the one who got stuck in a dead end.
Even if he found a way to get Liang Tiefeng to let her go once, what about the future? Life is still long, and there is still a way to go.
Jiang Lin also understood that if it were her, the worst that could happen would be a fight to the ground, but Jiang Min was not her, and she couldn't use her strength on others.
"Brother Shan, did you get any information when you went to chat with the team leader?" Jiang Lin knew Cheng Rushan's characteristics. They were here to do business, not to play. Cheng Rushan would not really go there just to hunt.
Cheng Rushan: "I know something. It may not be useful, I will tell you later."
Jiang Lin returned to the house.
Jiang Min had already packed up, "If you're not afraid of the cold, I'll take you to the back hills to catch pheasants."
Jiang Lin was not in the mood. She had thought that her sister was safe before, but now...
Cheng Rushan came over to get the luggage, and Jiang Min went to ask for leave to switch shifts with other people in the regiment.
When Xiaojun went out and saw Cheng Rushan, he was so scared that his legs were shaking and he hid behind Xiaomeng and didn't dare to move.
Cheng Rushan smiled and said, "What are you afraid of?"
Xiaojun shook his head and didn't dare to speak.
Jiang Min: "You are just a bully at home, and you are tough on your sister."
Cheng Rushan carried him into the car, let him and Jiang Lin sit in the back, and Jiang Xinglei sat in the passenger seat.
Although this place is a plain, there are not very high mountains, and the horizon is undulating. The sky is high and the land is vast, the sun is shining brightly, but the wind is cold and hard, so even if the sun is dazzling, it is not warm.
When they arrived at Liang's house, Jiang Lin felt like she was freezing. Liang Tiefeng was preparing lunch, and the room was warm. The lunch included roe deer meat, pheasant meat, potatoes, and dried beans. It was very rich.
Old Lady Liang was leaning on a stick, wearing a big hat and a scarf, with only her eyes and nose exposed, looking very sick but trying hard. When she saw Jiang Lin, she tremblingly stretched out her hand, "Auntie...you, you are here."
If it was another old lady, or someone who didn't know her, Jiang Lin would have held her hand and talked to her warmly out of politeness. But she was too busy to annoy the old lady, so of course she refused to shake her hand, and just nodded, "Hello, Auntie."
Jiang Xinglei also said hello.
Mrs. Liang wanted to hold Jiang Lin's hand but failed, so she had to give up and asked them to sit on the kang in the room. She looked at Xiaojun and Xiaomeng, calling them with tenderness and missing them, as if she hadn't seen them for a year.
In the past, Xiaojun might have complained a lot, but now he didn't dare to do so. Because when his uncle-in-law carried him to the car, he felt Cheng Rushan's aura at close range and was so scared that he almost cried.
Cheng Rushan helped Liang Tiefeng cook, and asked Jiang Lin and her sister to go out for a walk. Mrs. Liang smiled and said, "His uncle-in-law is like our little Liang, and he also loves his wife. In our village, there are not many men who cook."
Cheng Rushan glanced at the door of their house and responded with a smile.
When Cheng Rushan was slicing the meat, Old Lady Liang came over to ask him some questions, wanting to find out what they were doing there and whether they were planning to take advantage of her daughter-in-law.
Cheng Rushan listened to her babble without saying anything, and suddenly interrupted, "Auntie, there is something you may not know."
Mrs. Liang: “Ah?”
Cheng Rushan: "A marriage that was forced does not count. There is no need for a divorce. The marriage certificate will be directly invalidated."
Old Mrs. Liang's face changed and she pretended to cover her head, "What did you say? I have a headache." She went to find her son tremblingly.
Liang Tiefeng went to the woodshed in front to get some wood to chop. They burned wood and coal in half here.
She and Liang Tiefeng were whispering to each other while Liang Tiefeng was busy chopping wood. "Mom, it's cold outside. Go inside."
After a while, Jiang Lin, Jiang Min and others came back.
After entering the house, Jiang Lin found that the old woman was leaning back again, groaning, and looked very sick. She asked, "Auntie, what's wrong with you?"
Old Lady Liang kept humming.
Liang Tiefeng heard, "It's an old problem. I have no strength in the winter. My father passed away early, and my mother raised me alone. She was so tired that the root of the disease has never been cured."
During the meal, the old woman did not come out, saying that she did not want to annoy the guests. She just ate a few bites in the small room, looking very aggrieved.
Jiang Min was dissatisfied with her and ignored her. Yesterday she said that relatives were coming to dinner, and she pretended to be like this today.
Jiang Lin told Xiao Meng that meat was difficult to digest, and asked her to drink some broth first. "Roe deer meat is a bit hot, and the broth is very fragrant."
Mrs. Liang heard this from the inner room and shouted, "Aunt, we don't discriminate between boys and girls. We are all the same. Men eat meat, and so do women. Xiao Meng, eat more meat, so people don't think we don't have enough to eat."
She deliberately emphasized "more", which made people feel uncomfortable.
Her words seemed to press a switch on Xiao Meng's nerve, and he started eating. He originally only ate the bottom of the bowl, but now he ate more than Xiao Jun.
Jiang Lin was worried, "Xiao Meng, don't eat too much, you'll vomit."
Xiao Meng was a little hesitant, not knowing whether she should eat more since there was so much milk. Then she felt uncomfortable in her stomach.
Xiaojun looked at her and suddenly shouted, "Go outside and vomit."
After hearing this, Xiao Meng really got up and ran out, vomiting loudly.
Jiang Min and Jiang Lin hurried out to show her.
Jiang Min: "Kid, you should eat as much as you can. Why are you eating so hard? Won't it be uncomfortable if you vomit?"
Xiao Meng shook her head, "It was uncomfortable before, but now it doesn't seem to be that uncomfortable."
Sisters Jiang Lin and Jiang Min were stunned for a moment.
Jiang Lin asked her, "Xiao Meng, do you always vomit?"
Xiao Meng glanced at Jiang Min, lowered her head and whispered: "Mom said I was thin, so she told me to eat more, and milk told me to eat more."
Jiang Min was heartbroken. "I told you to eat more. I wanted you to eat until you were full, not to make you vomit. You kid..."
Jiang Lin asked coldly: "What did your grandma let you eat?"
Xiao Meng didn't dare to say it.
Jiang Lin went to the house to coax Xiaojun out and asked him, "You are a good boy. Tell your aunt and mother how your grandmother feeds you."
When Xiaojun was slicing meat with Cheng Rushan, he was frightened again because Cheng Rushan glanced at him in the middle of the process. He was scared like a frightened deer and thought that his uncle-in-law would kill him.
He now listened to Jiang Lin obediently, "My grandma said, your mom is afraid that you will be hungry, so you should eat more, otherwise your mom will think that grandma is reluctant to give you the food. Is grandma that kind of person? Eat quickly, eat quickly, eat quickly!" He imitated the tone of Mrs. Liang's voice and her movements. His voice became shrill when he spoke anxiously, and he also made the action of stuffing something into Xiao Meng's mouth.
Then he said to Xiao Meng: "It's your turn to vomit."
As expected, Xiao Meng vomited again, but unfortunately she couldn't vomit anything.
Jiang Lin's fingers trembled with anger, "Is it always like this?"
Xiaojun: "As long as my mom tells my sister to eat more... then..."
If you don’t say anything, just eat the bottom of the bowl. If you say yes, just eat a big bowl.
Last time, mom found that she only cooked eggs for him and not for Xiaomeng, so she told grandma to give Xiaomeng eggs too. As a result, grandma was very angry. After mom and dad left, she scolded at home and cooked a lot of eggs for Xiaomeng to eat all at once until he vomited.
Xiaojun didn't understand. When his sister vomited, his grandmother said, "Look, our sister eats the best. She will eat anything she likes until she vomits. It's the right food to feed the chickens. Don't waste it!"
From then on, my sister would take the initiative to tell mom that she ate eggs.
Jiang Min hugged Xiao Meng, shaking with pain and letting out a low roar that sounded like crying.
Xiao Meng thought she had done something wrong, so she quickly admitted it and touched her head, "Mom, mom, I was wrong. I, I will endure it in the future... I will endure it and not disgust you."
Cheng Rushan, Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Xinglei heard the noise and ran out to ask what was going on.
Jiang Min suddenly rushed up and slapped Liang Tiefeng hard on both sides, making Liang Tiefeng stunned. He grabbed her hand and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Jiang Min was shaking uncontrollably. For a moment, she was unable to speak or cry. She could only roar in a low voice.
Liang Tiefeng turned to look at Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun: "What's the matter?"
Mrs. Liang in the room burst into tears, "…It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of the child. I'm an old fool, an eyesore, and a drag on you… His father, why don't you come to pick me up… I've lived to such an old age and wasted enough food…"
Liang Tiefeng turned around and yelled, "Mom, stop making trouble."
Old Lady Liang sang in a higher and lower voice: "You despise me, you don't want your mother when you have a wife, it's better for me to die, old people are despised, nothing they do is good, and everything they eat is considered a waste..."
Jiang Min shivered for a while, and finally calmed down a little. She shook Liang Tiefeng off with all her strength and hugged Xiao Meng, "Liang Tiefeng, let's get a divorce!"
She was about to walk out holding Xiao Meng in her arms, but Liang Tiefeng grabbed her and stopped her from leaving.
Jiang Xinglei: "Liang Tiefeng, let my sister go!" Jiang Lin was also afraid that Liang Tiefeng would get angry and hurt her sister, so she wanted to go over to stop him.
Cheng Rushan stopped them and put his arm around Jiang Lin's shoulders and rubbed them, "It's too cold outside, go inside."
Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Min’s problems can only be solved by themselves, no one else can do anything about it.
Liang Tiefeng pulled Xiao Meng from Jiang Min's arms and put her on the ground, "Go into the house." Xiao Meng was so scared that she didn't know what she had done wrong. Mrs. Liang made her think that eating too much was wrong and eating too little was wrong, and she had to look at her grandmother's face every day. Now she didn't know whether it was her fault for eating too much or too little, which made her parents angry. She was so scared that she grabbed her brother's hand and ran into the house quickly.
Grandma said that if my parents fought, I must stay at home and not go with my mom, because if she left, she would never come back.
Jiang Lin thought about it and pulled Jiang Xinglei back to the main room. With Cheng Rushan there, no one could beat Jiang Min.
It was cold in the main room, so Jiang Lin asked the two children to go to the bedroom to warm up and close the door to prevent drafts. She and Jiang Xinglei were in the main room, closed the door, and looked out at the yard through the glass.
…
Jiang Min's face was pale from the cold, but her eyes and nose were red from anger. White air was flying in front of her eyes, and her hair and eyelashes were covered with a layer of white frost.
She glared at Liang Tiefeng angrily, with an emotion in her eyes that had never been there before - full of anger, but it was not what he wanted.
Liang Tiefeng looked at her steadily, "You want to hit me, fine." He slapped himself, "I'll do it for you, be careful not to hurt your hand."
Jiang Min, however, did not feel sorry for him as before, and she no longer tried to stop him. She just looked at him coldly, "Liang Tiefeng, you saved my life, and we have been married for almost ten years. Let's part ways amicably today. Please let me go. I want to take Xiao Meng away."
Liang Tiefeng felt a sharp pain in his heart, "Isn't Xiaojun your son? Don't you want him anymore?"
Jiang Min's voice became hoarse, "He has you to love him, and he doesn't need me. Xiao Meng will die if she continues like this. I am her biological mother, and I said I would love her, but right under my nose, I..." She couldn't continue, shaking with pain.
It was her own fault. She said she loved her daughter, but she was absent-minded every day and didn't pay attention to what was happening under her nose. She thought that if she bought more delicious food for her daughter, she would be able to eat the same as her son. When she asked the child if she said she had eaten it, she thought it was true. She also saw her daughter vomit several times, but she just thought it was due to weak spleen and stomach, and didn't think too much about it.
It was her own fault! She thought everyone else was kind.
Liang Tiefeng hugged her tightly and begged her repeatedly, "It's my fault. I won't do this again. I promise, it won't happen again."
He didn't know what happened at all. Whenever she was angry, he would admit his mistakes and promise. It was like this every time. Jiang Min struggled, but didn't want to say anything to him anymore. She just screamed, "Let me go!"
At this time, Xiaojun shouted from inside the house: "My grandma is going to hang herself."
Old Lady Liang: "Oh... let me die, so I won't be an eyesore and a burden to others. What's the point of being an old immortal..."
Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei heard it in the main room but were too lazy to pay any attention. They stood at the door and stared at Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Min in the yard.
Jiang Xinglei: "Sister, let's take my eldest sister home. My parents will agree."
Old Mrs. Liang in the room heard this and cried even harder.
"Ah——" Xiaojun continued to shout: "My grandma hanged herself!"
The child was shouting in the house, while Liang Tiefeng and Jiang Min were facing each other in the biting cold wind. Her eyes were burning with anger, her heart was cold, and she was unwilling to retreat as she did before. Liang Tiefeng saw a determination in her eyes that he had never seen before.
In the room, old lady Liang was singing, reciting, and acting, and directing her two children to join in. As a result, her son and daughter-in-law did not run in to stop them as they did before, and no relatives came to intervene.
Old Lady Liang continued to cry. In the past, whenever her daughter-in-law got angry and her son couldn't coax her, she would try to commit suicide, saying something like, "Minmin, it's all mother's fault. I did something wrong. Tiefeng really treats you well. I'll go find your father now. Don't be angry. Live a good life..."
It works every time.
Why doesn't it work today? It's all because of these damn relatives.
There were two stools in front of the kang, one with a rope tied to its legs, and the other sturdier. Her eyesight was not very good, and the room was dim with sealed windows, so she touched the wrong stool, kicked over the good one, and then stepped on the other one and shakily climbed up.
She asked her granddaughter and grandson to continue shouting, and she threw a rope towards the beam, pulled it over, tied a knot, and pretended to try hard to hang herself up.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Jiang Lin's angry roar came, "What are you doing!"
Old Mrs. Liang immediately wanted to follow the routine and said that no relatives should stop me, as I would be a burden to the children if I were alive...ah, ah..., and then when others came to pull her away, she cried miserably, and her son and daughter-in-law were under her control.
But today she stepped on the wrong stool!
At the same time, Jiang Lin kicked the door and yelled at him, frightened him so much that he trembled, "I——"
"thump"
Mrs. Liang fell down unexpectedly and landed in a strange posture, "Ah——"
She let out a miserable cry and couldn't move.
Older people will break bones if they fall on the ground. She fell from such a high place, so she might have multiple fractures.
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