After walking for about forty minutes, you will reach Zhao Jia Tai Zi. Zhao Fang's family home is located in the middle of the village. It is only mid-morning, and there are still people working in the fields. The wheat that ripened early has already been harvested. The old people in the village are surprised that Zhao Fang has actually returned, with her eldest son and daughter-in-law, as well as her youngest son on her back. Didn't they hear that the youngest son was not stable in the womb and was born like a mouse and difficult to raise?
Why carry them so far to be exposed to the wind? Children who are hard to raise in the village are most afraid of going to windy places. If they can't catch their breath and fall over, they won't wake up easily. There are always some children in a village who can't be raised and can't be buried in the ancestral graveyard, so they are buried on a small hill wrapped in straw mats. Every village has children's graves.
In the past two years, families who couldn't afford to raise their daughters would throw them into children's graves. In the cold winter, the children would freeze to death quickly. In the summer, you could often hear children crying on the mountain.
Zhao Chunhua's mother started gossiping from afar, "Ah Fang, why are you back today? Are you feeling better? How has my Chunhua been these days?"
In ancient times, during busy farming seasons, there was no convenient transportation in villages, making it difficult to visit each other often. There were also no easy ways to contact each other. When a familiar person came to visit, they would ask each other about the recent situation of their relatives. Zhao Chunhua had not been back for more than half a year, and her mother couldn't help but ask her about it.
Zhao Fang replied frankly, "I came back to burn incense for my mother, and to see my father, brother, sister-in-law, and nephews. Sister Chunhua is doing well. She even went to the county town with her brother-in-law a few days ago. Her family's wheat is growing well this year, so they will have a good harvest and won't go hungry."
Zhao Chunhua's mother was pleased and chatted for a few more minutes. At the end, she invited Zhao Fang to come to her house for a visit. These were just polite words. Nowadays, every household is short of food and clothing, and they would rather no one come. It's better if someone comes to their house. If they come during mealtimes, they have to be served food. If someone eats a meal for free, the family will lose a meal. A meal can be a matter of life and death during the worst drought!
Zhao Fang was also busy going back to her parents' home, so she didn't have time to chat with others. She said goodbye in a hurry and politely said that she would come again in the future.
As they walked in from the village entrance, regardless of whether they greeted each other or not, the conversation invariably revolved around Zhao Fang not having visited her parents' home for several years, Lu Yunfeng having grown up and gotten married in just a few years, Qin Xiaozhou being fair-skinned and pretty like a city girl, and finally, Lu Xiaosi looking healthy and someone who could be supported.
Many children die in the village. Smallpox, cowpox, and even a common cold can kill a child. They don't shy away from talking about whether a child can survive or not.
Qin Xiaozhou's face was practically frozen from smiling. He followed Lu Yunfeng, calling out to people all the way, but actually only remembered a couple.
Zhao Feng was cutting grass at the edge of the field. The wheat would be ready to be harvested in a few days. He was clearing the grass off the field ridges so that the wheat would be easier to harvest later. This year was also a drought year, but fortunately, there was a heavy snowfall in December last year and two or three days of spring rain after the beginning of spring this year. The wheat looked good and slightly alleviated the food shortage of the previous two years. Otherwise, we would have starved to death.
The wheat was as tall as an adult's knee. He peeled back an ear of wheat, and the grains inside were plump. These were all left over from before this year's autumn harvest. He was just hoping for more rain in the summer. If it continued to be dry, the water in the river would have to be diverted to the fields, and the boats wouldn't be able to sail.
The little grandson ran all the way from the edge of the field, calling out that his aunt had come.
Zhao Feng thought he had misheard. "Huh? Who's here?"
Gou Dan'er called out, "Grandpa, Auntie is here, along with my eldest cousin, my cousin's wife, and my youngest uncle."
Based on the principle that a humble name is easier to raise, the villagers named their grandson Gou Dan'er (Dog Egg). Gou Dan'er is five years old this year. He is skinny and dark-skinned, but he is very energetic. He runs barefoot across the field, saying, "Grandpa, Grandma is calling you home."
Zhao Feng was somewhat incredulous. His younger sister, who hadn't visited in three years, had really come back. Could she have encountered some difficulties? Although his own family was also struggling to make ends meet, and his grandson, who was five years old, had barely worn shoes and ran around naked every day, if his sister was really in trouble, he, as her older brother, would still lend a hand if he could. His mother had told him this when she passed away, holding his hand.
He had promised his mother that he would take good care of his second brother and third sister, and if things got any worse, he would sell the wheat in these few plots of land to tide them over!
Zhao Feng returned home with mixed feelings of joy and fear. Zhao Ling had just returned home as well. The two brothers entered one after the other. Zhao Fang, with her son and daughter-in-law, sat in the main room. She was also happy to see her two older brothers return.
The last time they met was three months ago when Lu Yunfeng got married. At that time, everyone felt that they had married a monster, and they were all feeling resentful and uneasy. No one was in the mood to sit together and catch up. Now that they met again, Zhao Fang looked at her older brothers' graying temples and thought about how they had taken care of her over the past two years. Her heart ached.
"Big brother, second brother, you're back."
Qin Xiaozhou obediently greeted Lu Yunfeng. Zhao's two uncles were both hardworking and honest men from the village, wearing straw sandals and mandarin jackets, their arms and legs tanned brown. There was also this large family, four generations living together, ten people crammed into three rooms, not even enough room to sit. The main room was also made of rammed earth, and some parts were pitted and uneven.
Zhao's two uncles were stunned when they saw Qin Xiaozhou. "Is this my nephew's wife?"
That's not right. When Zhao Feng got married at the beginning of the year, he brought his son Zhao Zhong and nephew Zhao Yong. I still vividly remember his nephew's wife getting stuck in the door and not being able to get into the house. And that smell on her, you could smell it from far away. She doesn't look like the butcher's daughter at all now.
Zhao Fang put down her youngest son from her back. "Xiao Zhou has been on a diet since she came to our home. She lost weight in the last three months. She's very capable, and Xiao Si is very close to her now."
Qin Xiaozhou spends a lot of time cooking, and Xiao Si always likes to circle around the stove, hoping to get some food. Qin Xiaozhou is also generous to her brother-in-law, often feeding him soup and meat, unlike the first day she entered the family, when she scared her brother-in-law to tears.
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