Font Size:
Today, the old lady was seeking her son’s help, so she regained her composure and continued the discussion from earlier.
“Zhenhai, as the eldest, you need to help Mom come up with a solution. Your eldest uncle’s family can’t sleep on the street. Other families will mock us for lacking hospitality. Don’t you think?” The old lady wasn’t revealing her intentions; she was just forcing her son to express his opinion.
Wang Zhenhai squinted and took a puff of smoke. “Mom, our family’s situation is clear. You always have the final say. We’ll help in any way we can.”
The old lady tentatively asked, “How about helping your eldest uncle build three houses? They have a larger family this time, and all three sons’ families are moving in together.”
Wang Zhenjiang, the second son, immediately stood up from the heated brick bed. “Mom, you’re going too far. Third brother’s family doesn’t even have a house yet. Why should we build a house for him? If you want to build a house, you should pay for it.” Wang Zhenjiang couldn’t stand his mother’s attitude.
The old lady gave her second son a stern look. “That’s why I’m discussing this with you. Besides, I don’t have the money. If you all contribute some money, we can build a small house. We need to provide them with a place to stay.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Juan, the eldest daughter-in-law, expressed her reluctance. “Mom, the Third brother’s family also didn’t have a house initially. Why didn’t you mention building a house for your son? If you want to build one, we won’t stop you. If you start construction, we can come and help.”
Han Cui, the second daughter-in-law, couldn’t sit still any longer. After hearing Wang Juan’s words, she interjected, “Mom, you should worry less and live a few more years. Your eldest uncle’s family has their own plans. Why are we meddling in their affairs? Zhenjiang, let’s go. We’re going home. There’s no point in lingering here and discussing irrelevant matters. We haven’t been living well ourselves, so why bother with other people’s affairs?”
Han Cui left without looking back, pulling her husband along.
Seeing the second son’s family leave, the eldest daughter-in-law felt there was no reason to stay. “Mom, I’m worried about the children at home. We’re going back. Third Brother, let’s go together.”
Wang Juan took Zhang Lan out first. Back in the house, the old lady hadn’t reacted yet, and the sons had all left. Zhang Lan heard some cursing from behind, but it was no longer their concern. Whoever wanted to contribute money could do so. Their family didn’t have extra money to help the so-called eldest uncle, who had once tried to sell her husband.
After returning home, the children were already asleep. The couple lay in bed and discussed the past. Wang Zhenhe sighed and said, “Back then, my eldest uncle’s family had a big falling out with us over this matter. They couldn’t stay in the local area and moved up north. Mom blamed me for it.”
Wang Zhenhe knew very well why his mother didn’t like him. It was all because of what happened with his eldest uncle. His wife and children suffered as a result.
Before going to sleep, Zhang Lan threw a sentence at her husband, “Zhenhe, I’ll tell you something you won’t like to hear: your mother is really heartless.”
The next day, after the children finished their chores, there was nothing else for them to do. There was nothing left to pick on the mountain. Wang Qian was curious about what the production team was like.
“Brother, let’s go to the team and see if there are any seeds. Our vegetable garden needs planting.”
Mingyuan shook his head. “Sister, we can go and play, but we can’t take anything. Those things belong to the collective. If someone sees us taking something, we’ll get in trouble.”
Wang Qian felt a bit embarrassed by her little brother’s pure heart. She blinked and said, “Brother, I won’t take anything. I just want to go and have a look.”
Unable to resist his sister, Mingyuan took her out. Wang Xuan went with them to keep an eye on the two while Mingcheng stayed behind.
The production team was not far from where they lived, in the northwest corner of the road. It was quite large, with a high wall surrounding it. Outside the wall was a large blackboard made of cement, covered with slogans and propaganda.
As they entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of cows. On the west side of the courtyard was a row of cow and horse stables, all made of adobe. It seemed much better than where they lived. Next to it was a small house for the night watchman, used to store feed for the animals at night.
Adjacent to the north side of the cowshed was another row of houses. All the doors were locked, except for one. Wang Xuan led the two younger children inside and greeted the man, “Hello, Uncle Liu.”
The old man raised his smiling eyes and nodded at them. Wang Qian noticed that the old man’s legs were surrounded by wire, and he was weaving something in a net-like pattern.
“Grandpa, the noseband you’re weaving looks really nice,” Wang Xuan praised after watching for a while.
The old man smiled and looked up. “Little girl, why do you have time to bring your younger siblings to play today?”
“Grandpa, it’s been a long time since my sister came. We missed you, so we brought her to see you,” Mingyuan sweetly said, making the old man smile happily.
“Little Qianqian missed Grandpa. Come over to play whenever you’re free. Is your head okay?” The old man asked, aware of the situation in the Wang family.
Wang Qian remembered the old man, who was paralyzed in both legs and walked with two small wooden sticks. However, he was skilled and made baskets, nosebands, and other items for the production team.
So, she smiled sweetly and said, “Grandpa, I’m much better now. You carry on with your work. We’re going out to play.”
After bidding farewell to the old man, the siblings continued to explore. On the east side of the courtyard, there was a row of houses. Wang Qian remembered that it was the place where grains were ground. Behind the houses, there was a tall cement structure that looked like a fortress, but she didn’t know what it was used for.
“Sister, what’s in there?”
“That’s the grain depot. The grains harvested by the production team are stored there.”
Wang Xuan led the two further east, and they came across several rows of arched buildings. Wang Qian was curious and went to take a closer look. Inside, she found pigs in pens, making noises. They were quite large and seemed ready for slaughter.
Seeing her sister’s distracted expression, Mingyuan joked, “Sister, craving meat? But we’ll soon be getting our share of meat from the production team, right? Sister, if I remember correctly, don’t we get pork when it’s time to plant crops?”
“Yes, I think it’s almost time. Our family will soon have meat to eat.”
The mention of meat made both siblings look forward to it, and they couldn’t help but salivate.
Wang Qian didn’t know much about this. She only remembered the meat distribution but wasn’t clear on the specifics.
“Sister, is the meat distribution free? Can we ask for more?”