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“Daughter, your mom is fine. She just needs to bandage her wounds and will be back soon,” Wang Zhenhe reassured softly when he saw the worried expression on the child’s face.
“Sister, don’t wash clothes for Aunt anymore. She’s old enough to do it herself, yet she bullies you into doing it. If she dares to do it again, let me know,” Mingcheng felt indignant on behalf of his sister. Even their mom hesitated to let his sister wash clothes, why should they accept this treatment?
“Brother, it’s okay. It’s just washing clothes; no one will freeze to death. I feel sad seeing them treat Mom and Sister this way. I’ve heard from neighbors that Aunt and Grandma had almost beat Mom to death earlier. Who in our family haven’t they bullied?” The eldest daughter’s words pierced through Wang Zhenhe’s heart, torn between his mom and his wife and children.
He sympathized with his children, who often suffered at the hands of his siblings, but he couldn’t fully side with anyone. He knew his mom didn’t favor him and his wife and children were sensible, enduring a lot of grievances over the years. He felt torn, sensing a faint sadness. Why did his mom treat his family this way? They were all her children, and he hadn’t done anything wrong to his parents or siblings. Yet, his mom barely acknowledged him throughout the years. Being a son was difficult, and being a father was equally challenging.
“Dad, when we split up this time, you need to invite some neighbors and elders to come over. We’re not expecting anything from Grandma, but we need to take back what belongs to us. Even if we end up sleeping in a tent, we won’t have anything to do with them. They may be wealthy, but we won’t envy them. If they run out of luck, we won’t help them either,” Mingyuan surprised Wang Zhenhe with these words. “
“If we suffer in the future, we can’t complain.”
Mingyuan sat on the nearby bed, dangling his little legs, and chuckled. “Dad, do you think we’re the type who can’t endure hardships? Right, big brother?”
The two children beside them, upon hearing their younger brother’s words, nodded vigorously. It would be best if they could settle matters cleanly with these relatives this time; otherwise, it would be troublesome in the future.
After taking a short nap, Wang Qian slowly opened her eyes, looking at the relatives surrounding her. That feeling was truly comforting.
In her past life, after her parents divorced and started their own families with their own children, she became a burden. Therefore, she yearned for the care of relatives and the warmth of a family.
“Dad, Mom, I don’t feel pain anymore. Once this IV drip is done, we can go back.”
In reality, Wang Qian’s head still hurt a bit. However, hospitalization costs money, and their family was not well-off. Even if they were to separate, it was unlikely they would receive any money. It was better to save a bit; there would be plenty of places to spend money in the future.
Zhang Lan was worried about the child going back like this, so she called the senior doctor over to check.
“Senior doctor, my daughter’s head doesn’t hurt anymore. Today, I want to take her back. What do you think?”
The senior doctor carefully felt the lump on her head, furrowing his brows. “Child, you’ve only had the IV drip for a day, and the swelling hasn’t gone down yet. It might be better to continue for another day.”
Wang Qian, holding the senior doctor’s hand, approached him. “Grandpa, we don’t have any money at home. We borrowed money for today’s medical expenses. Can you prescribe some medicine for me to take back? If there are any issues, I promise to come back for the IV drip.”
The senior doctor sighed, looking at the sensible child. “Come with me to get the medicine. When you go back, make sure the child takes it. Remember not to have any more accidents.”
“Alright, we understand,” Wang Zhenhe hurriedly followed behind to get the medicine. Zhang Lan and the children stayed on the side, watching as the remaining drops of medicine slowly dripped down.
Soon, the medicine drip was finished, and a nurse was called to remove the IV needle. Wang Zhenhe also returned after collecting the prescribed medicine.
“Dad, carry me home,” Wang Qian, relishing the rare opportunity to enjoy her father’s love, seized the moment to act spoiled while she was still young.
“Alright, Dad will carry you home.”
Wang Zhenhe carried his daughter and brought children out of the hospital. Wang Qian glanced back at the hospital’s name, “Hongqi Commune Health Center,” taking note of the large characters. It seemed that their family lived in a place called Hongqi Commune.
Although Wang Qian’s eyes were occupied with being carried, she observed the surroundings. People were dressed very simply, and the colors were dull—some clothes had patches, and others were quite old. Looking at her own family, they were also wearing patched clothes. Despite being worn out, Zhang Lan had managed to clean the children up.
Breathing the incredibly fresh air, Wang Qian felt hopeful about the new life that awaited her.
The commune wasn’t too far from where they lived; after walking for a little over half an hour, they quickly arrived home.
The onlookers in the courtyard had already dispersed. Wang Qian saw several baskets in the yard filled with dried grass, leaves, and some small branches. Obviously, no one was at home in the afternoon because they had gone to gather grass, preparing it for firewood.
Wang Qian, despite her young age, has a storytelling grandmother. She has heard numerous tales from her grandmother about the events of this era. Especially regarding gathering grass for firewood, her grandmother has reiterated it at least ten times. Thus, she remembers that at this time, to cook, one must go outside to gather grass to have a fire.
“Wife, take the children back to the room. I’ll go talk to our mother.”
Zhang Lan, with the children, returned to her original house. The women sat on the kang in silence, quietly listening to the sounds coming from the next room.
Before long, the loud voice of the old lady could be heard, mostly scolding Wang Zhenhe.
“Mom, Grandma is nagging again. I don’t know how Dad has endured all these years.”
Wang Xuan rolled her eyes at her older brother. “Brother, Dad has gotten used to enduring everything. Now he wants to mold us into his likeness.”
In the room, an old man’s voice trying to persuade the old lady could be heard. Wang Qian guessed this should be her yet-to-be-met grandfather. However, in the original owner’s memories, there was a positive impression of this grandfather, likely a kind old man. Unfortunately, he seemed incapable of managing his wife.
After a while, the voices in the room quieted down. “Mom, why is it so quiet? Could it be that Grandma has agreed to give us a room?”
Mingyuan stretched lazily and moved towards the kang with his sister in his arms. “Brother, stop dreaming. Grandma giving us a room is impossible, even if you think about it with your toes. Right, sister?”
At this moment, Wang Qian’s head felt heavy. With closed eyes, she emitted a sound of agreement through her nose. She had no energy to care about the affairs next door. It’s better to separate the households quickly; even drinking water would be sweeter than honey.
Not having achieved much success, Wang Zhenhe returned dejectedly. The children raised their eyes to look at him, already having a sense of the outcome.
“Zhenhe, how is it? What did mother say?”
“Cough, mother agreed to let us stay here for one night, but tomorrow we must vacate the house. She will give us three hundred catties of grain, six bowls, five plates, one pot, one spatula, and one ladle. Also, two boxes of matches for five yuan, and that’s it.”
“What about ration coupons, cotton vouchers, and grain vouchers? Are they not giving us those? What will our family wear for a year? Three hundred catties of grain for six people for a year won’t be enough. It’s still far from the autumn grain distribution,” Zhang Lan listed the temporary necessities for the family in one breath.
She was somewhat worried if this amount of grain would be enough for them to last until the autumn harvest. “Mother said the younger siblings are still growing, and we can’t afford to have too little grain. She asked us to save some for them.”
Zhang Lan chuckled instead of getting angry. “Hehe, our kids in this family have grown up drinking water. Let them stay if they want. We should at least get some vegetables and cooking essentials like oil and salt.”
Wang Zhenhe looked into his wife’s eyes, stammering for a while. “Mom said that there isn’t much left at home, so she won’t give us anything. We have to figure it out ourselves.”
Mingyuan leaned over from the kang. “Dad, what if we collapse from hunger at Grandma’s doorstep? I wonder if Grandma will save us.”
This question left Wang Zhenhe unsure how to respond because even in his heart, he didn’t have an answer. If his mother was afraid they might starve to death, she would provide more grain. However, she had even withheld the children’s allotted ration. Was she afraid they would eat too much, or was she afraid they wouldn’t starve? He didn’t know. He couldn’t answer such a question, even if it was about a mother he knew very well.