Chapter 25: Whoever you catch will be punished
The educated youth in the courtyard came out after hearing the noise and asked a few questions. When they heard that the person was fine, they breathed a sigh of relief and looked at An Zhixia with complicated eyes.
She finished her meal quickly and calmly, and went with her brother to deliver food, new clothes and quilts.
This was her first time going there, and she really witnessed the lowest level of treatment in this era.
It was a low house made of mud bricks and a thatched roof, with windows the size of a palm. The house was chilly and bone-chilling, and there was a faint stench of livestock wafting in from the side.
There was no kang here originally, but Fang Yuan figured out how to make one for the children. It wasn't very nice, but it allowed them to get through three cold winters in thin cotton clothes.
The light from the setting sun was only faint, and most of it was blocked outside the house.
In fact, the bad environment is not that terrible, it just reminds them of their miserable experiences all the time, so there is a kind of depression and despair that cannot be escaped. An Zhixia feels that if she stays here every day, she will go crazy.
Fang Lixi was lying on the bed, his chest was tied with a belt, and two little girls were lying next to him, talking. Each of them held one hand, afraid that the other person would leave if they were not paying attention.
When the An brothers and sisters sent gifts to Fang Yuan, he did not refuse and quietly added an entry to the account book in his heart.
An Zhixia learned from her brother that medicines were very scarce in the hospital and were generally consumed internally. The doctor only gave the child two bottles of water and observed him for a day. Seeing that he had no fever or other symptoms, he prescribed some vitamin C and sent him back.
She couldn't take out the anti-inflammatory drugs, bone-setting capsules, and shark chondroitin, a supplement that promotes bone healing, directly, so she removed the capsules and melted the granules inside into the rice porridge. So An Zhixia put more brown sugar in the millet porridge prepared for Fang Lixi to cover up the smell of the medicine.
"Cough, cough, cough," an old woman in her forties or fifties coughed while leaning on a cane while holding a bowl and walking into the house. Her clothes were washed white, with many patches but fine stitching, and her hair, dyed with a little silver frosting, was meticulously combed up and fixed with a black straight clip.
His dull face had wrinkles from the erosion of time, but compared to the children who were dark, thin and covered with frostbite, he had some of the decency of a city dweller.
An Zhixia frowned slightly after looking at it, feeling that something was strange.
"The child just came back and hasn't eaten yet, right? I made some fish porridge and soak it with wowo. It's light and nutritious." She put the fishy-smelling fish porridge on the lame stool beside the bed, and then she realized there were two more people in the room and a table full of untouched food.
She pinched the corner of her clothes a little awkwardly: "My ears are not very useful, I didn't hear that you had guests coming to your house."
"Auntie, these are the new educated youths who have just arrived in the educated youth yard, the An family brother and sister," Fang Yuan introduced them in a slightly raised voice. "Zhiqiu, Xiao An educated youth, this is Aunt Ke who lives next door, she used to be an accountant at the brewery in City N, and she was sent here with Uncle Gu."
The An brothers and sisters called out politely.
"Hey, you are all good kids," Aunt Ke nodded with a smile, "There are many people who add icing on the cake, but people who can help in times of need are precious. Fang Yuan is a man who values friendship and loyalty, and good deeds will definitely be rewarded. If it weren't for his daily care, I'm afraid we old guys would have been worn down to dust long ago."
An Zhiqiu waved his hands and said, "The children are innocent, it's just a matter of lending a hand."
An Zhixia's face was cold. "Comrade Ke, what you said is wrong. The organization has certain reasons and purposes for letting you receive re-education. The village chief is generous and kind to the people, and the villagers are honest and friendly. You can't do anything to torture people."
Compared to other places, people in Hetang Village have a relatively better life. The work is dirty and tiring, for sure. People in this era, at this age, and who have worked as accountants, shouldn't they be more careful about the consequences of speaking?
Aunt Ke's face froze, her body trembled, and she moved the corners of her mouth: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean anything else. It's just that Fang Yuan took good care of us. We old guys are old, and our bodies can't stand the beatings, I..."
An Zhiqiu tugged at An Zhixia's clothes and didn't let the girl continue to argue. Instead, he nodded and smiled, "Auntie Ke, don't be nervous. My sister just wants to say that it's not easy for anyone. Comrade Fang Yuan usually has to take care of three children. How much time can he spare to help you? It's better to rely on yourself than on others."
Aunt Ke nodded awkwardly and patted Fang Lixi's head: "You must learn to be a good boy in the future and don't go to dangerous places again."
Fang Lixi smiled and responded, "Grandma Ke, please take the fish porridge back. I just finished my millet porridge and I'm not hungry anymore. The fish porridge won't taste good if it gets cold. You and Grandpa Gu also need to replenish your bodies."
Aunt Ke picked up the bowl shyly and said, "Okay, Grandma Ke will bring you something delicious next time."
After the people left, Fang Yuan was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm young and strong, so it won't be a problem for me to do more work."
"You're not in the way?" An Zhixia's anger suddenly rose. She pointed at the children on the kang and said with a sneer, "But what about them? You're young and strong, so you can earn more food for your family. Your own children are starving and skinny, and they're covered in sores from the cold. How can you still care about other people?"
Fang Yuan pursed his lips and looked at the three children who seemed a little at a loss, with a dazed expression.
"It's cold, so the food gets cold quickly. You guys eat first, and we'll come back tomorrow morning." An Zhiqiu pulled his sister out and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with you today? Why do you pick on everyone you meet?"
An Zhixia let out a long breath and rubbed his stuffy chest, "I just can't stand it. He lives his life in a muddleheaded way, but he can take care of the elderly people next door and make them look healthy, but he can't make sure the children are well fed and clothed? Not only do I want to scold him, I also want to kick him."
An Zhiqiu rubbed his sister's head, but was slapped away. He smiled helplessly and said, "Why are you angry about other people's affairs? Everyone has their own path to walk. We can control them for a while, but not for a lifetime. Besides, what we see and think is not the truth."
An Zhixia nodded listlessly, and suddenly felt that the image of the big boss in the article collapsed at once, falling from a god to an ordinary mortal, and he lost his awe.
I was very disappointed, and there was a faint pain in my heart.
Looking at his appearance, she could guess that Fang Yuan must have been a proud man in the past, full of vigor and ambition, caring about the country and having lofty aspirations. But overnight, everything he had turned into nothingness, and he was severely suppressed in the cowshed of a small mountain village.
How many people can accept such ups and downs?
She could also imagine that if it weren't for the three children, he would have done something that would have destroyed his whole life. His life truly fulfilled the ancient saying: When God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make his heart and mind suffer, his muscles and bones tired, his body hungry, his body empty, and his actions frustrated.
This process and transformation is too painful, too sad and lonely.
But the children are also innocent. An Zhixia secretly wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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