Jiang Yue (2)
Just drinking water couldn’t solve the hunger, so Jiang Xing still cried. His stomach was still rumbling, and he had no strength at all.
Jiang Xing cried and asked, “Sister, when will Mom and Dad co back?”
“Soon.” Jiang Yue bit her lip, she was also very scared.
In fact, she didn’t know when her parents would co back.
The two children obediently washed their hands and feet, went to bed like good kids, and waited for the adults to co back.
Jiang Yue took good care of Jiang Xing, and Jiang Xing didn’t cry or scratch himself all night.
Early in the morning of the next day, Jiang Yue was woken up by an ear-splitting wail.
The yard was brightly lit by torches, the fire jumping around and reflected on the window. Jiang Yue could see many figures reflected on the window, standing in a dense group.
There were cries and there were comforting voices. There were endless voices of all kinds, and it was very noisy.
Jiang Xing had fallen into a deep sleep and did not open his eyes. Jiang Yue got out of bed by herself and ran to the yard, and saw her mother throwing herself on top of a person, crying loudly.
Lying in the middle of the yard was her father, who was covered with white cloth.
He was motionless, bloodstains visible on his exposed hands and feet. They were miserable and full of wounds.
Jiang Yue’s mind instantly went blank. She scread ‘father’, and then jumped up and cried.
How could this be?
Her father was clearly smiling and told her when he went out, “Be good. Father will co back soon and catch crickets for you.” Why was he suddenly gone?
Jiang Yue was young, but she was wise beyond her age. She heard from the adults that her father encountered a mountain torrent and died. They said that it was just bad luck, and they shouldn’t be too sad.
The mother and daughter cried to tears.
Jiang Xiui had a tenacious temperant. After crying all the way, she was almost all quiet now, and started preparing the funeral. It happened so suddenly that there was no preparation at all, not even a single white flag.
Jiang Xiui drove Jiang Yue back to her room, and then called the aunt next door for help. She cooked a pot of rice in the kitchen, picked a handful of vegetables from the vegetable garden, and took out so bacon that she was reluctant to eat. The people from the village who helped carry the body ate them.
Everyone had been busy all day and night digging him out of the mud, and now they were very tired. There was still a need to entertain them a bit.
There were no elderly people at ho, so no coffin was prepared. It was unrealistic to get one now, and their family didn’t have enough money. Jiang Xiui borrowed a few wooden boards from door to door, and made a simple coffin to bury her husband.
People from their village and those from the production team ca to mourn. People who ca and left, and more new people ca – it was an endless stream.
The funeral ended quickly and easily. Jiang Xiui acted resolutely and did not even have the ti to be sad, she could only bear the rest of the responsibilities alone.
She still had a pair of children.
It had been two months since the house beca quiet.
Jiang Xing was still dumbfounded. Not understanding what death ant, he still cried sotis, wanting his father.
Whenever this happened, Jiang Xiui always wanted to cry. Later on, when Jiang Yue heard him looking for his father, she secretly threatened him not to cry, or else he was not allowed to eat.
Jiang Xing was timid, and when he was told off by his sister, he didn’t dare to cry.
After their father was gone, the house beca very quiet. There was a hole in the mat, and no one was able to nd it. The chicken coop was also broken and the wood was rotting, but there was no one to replace it with a new one.
Life beca difficult.
There was no male head of the family at ho, and everything beca very difficult.
Before speaking of anything else, the work alone was enough to keep Jiang Xiui so busy that she had no ti to feel sad.
The point of working was food, and the point of food was life. With one less worker and two children who only knew how to open their mouths and eat, if she didn’t work more for the fall harvest, they wouldn’t have enough to eat. How would their family survive this winter then??
The children’s father made an honorable sacrifice for the team. Although the team captain ca to comfort her carrying a few pounds of oiled flour after he found out, it wasn’t enough at all.
The children were still young and couldn’t work or earn work points. Now the whole family was waiting for her to support them, and how they could survive this year was still a question. From now on, she had to tighten her belt and get through it.
Everyday, Jiang Xiui woke up earlier than the chickens and slept later than the dogs. Gradually her face sharply lost weight. Her originally rosy face quickly turned horribly old. Every day, she ca back with blisters on her hands, and layers of calluses were growing. Before the old ones disappeared, new ones would already appear again.
Fortunately, although her children were still young, they did not cause any trouble and were very sensible.
Jiang Yue took the initiative to help with the work. Although she was only a child, she kept the house in good order; sweeping, washing, cooking and taking care of her younger brother. She was no worse than an adult.
Jiang Xiui was very pleased with this, and gradually felt a lot more at ease. She felt that as long as she was alive, there was still hope, and she had the ability to raise her children. Their family would not be separated for the rest of their lives. As long as she had one bite to eat, she wouldn’t let her children starve.
It was just that outsiders might not understand Jiang Xiui’s thoughts.
The Jiang ancestral family didn’t communicate much with them, but they were also sowhat related by blood.
When such a big thing happened, it was natural for them to co to their door to offer condolences.
It’s just a pity that they did not co simply to offer condolences, but with a purpose.
Jiang Yue’s great-grandmother walked several miles on a walking stick, bringing a catty of rough flour to their house.
As soon as she entered the door, she began to cry, lanting her grandchild’s suffering. After that, she kicked the children out and said that she had sothing to discuss with Jiang Xiui.
Great-grandmother said, “It’s not easy for you to raise children alone. Our family has discussed it, and we would let you remarry. We can help you raise Jiang Xing. As for Jiang Yue, you can either take her or give her away… ”
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