Renan Village is located in a hilly area with a gentle slope. Bamboo forests are planted at the foot of the mountain, and there are sparse trees on the top. There is a narrow path leading to the production team on the other side of the mountain. Xue Huahua walks along the path and carefully picks up the dead branches that have fallen from the trees. At this time, everyone is busy working in the fields. Few people come to the mountains to collect firewood. She picks up a lot of dried branches along the way. She brings a few straws with her. She ties the branches up and puts them in the basket on her back, which makes it easier to carry on her shoulder.
When she is halfway up the mountain, she is attracted by a cluster of green plants next to her. Under the bright sunlight, bright red and delicate fruits are shaking their heads, like shining stars in the night sky, shining and dazzling. She puts down the basket and walks over slowly. When she gets closer, she recognizes that they are thorns that are everywhere in the countryside. They are small fruits that the children in the village compete to pick up.
Because the thorny vines were full of thorns, the children were pricked and bled a lot. Even so, they still enjoyed it. The thorns in the field were still green, and many children couldn't help but pick them to eat. If there was a place where the thorns were red, the children would scream in surprise. Even if it was a hillside where the adults didn't allow them, they would still secretly climb up to pick it.
Xue Huahua reaches out to steady the branches, avoids the thorns, and carefully picks them and puts them in the right pocket. This is what Lu Jianxun sees. His mother is standing in the depths of the weeds. The light shines on her head, and her yellow hair is dyed with a layer of gold. Lu Jianxun calls his mother and walks over step by step. "Isn't this a thorns? Why does mom pick them? "
Children like to pick them to eat when they have nothing to do, but adults don't like them very much. They feel sour and their teeth can't stand it. Besides, picking thorns takes a lot of time. If they have the time, they might as well go to the field and dig.
Seeing that it is him, Xue Huahua doesn't stop. There are many thorns. She picks the big red ones and says, "Xixi will like them. Pick them and let him have a taste." Wild fruits, which were worthless in the eyes of rural people, were quite nutritious. She remembered that when she was cleaning the street, she saw some for sale. A small box cost 29 yuan, and many people bought it. She asked curiously and found out its value.
Lu Jianxun held the leaf with two fingers and used his thumb to pick it off. Xue Huahua couldn't help but laugh. "You're standing on the side. You're the easiest to be pricked like this."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Lu Jianxun cry out in pain. His index finger was really pricked. Xue Huahua hurriedly asked him to leave. "Hurry up and get out. I can't pluck much. I'll be done soon. Oh right, why are you here? Is your leg better? "
"It's almost healed." Lu Jianxun shook his aching hand and no longer insisted. "Mom, I'm going to collect firewood."
In the weeds, there are scattered dead branches. He didn't dare to move too much. He picked them up and threw them in the direction of the basket to avoid the trouble of running back and forth. He consecutively picked up three dead branches and showed them to Xue Huahua. "Mom, I'm good at collecting firewood, right? How about I come to the mountains to collect firewood tomorrow? "
"When your leg is better, you'll have the time to work. There's no hurry now." With Lu Mingwen as an example, Xue Huahua decided to let Lu Jianxun recover first. It's not worth it if he accidentally injures himself again.
Lu Jianxun is anxious. How can he not be anxious? He only had a bowl of water and wild vegetables for lunch. In a few days, all the wild vegetables will be gone. He needs to work and eat.
"Mom, I'm all better. The scar on my leg has disappeared. It won't affect my work anymore. Moreover, I'm not like my second brother, who works for others and suffers. I'll come to the mountains to collect firewood. It's not tiring anyway." Lu Jianxun decided that he would not continue to eat at home. Before he went out, Lu Mingwen called him into the house for a while. From Lu Mingwen's tone, he also wanted to work. However, his condition was serious and he couldn't go out.
Afraid that Xue Huahua wouldn't agree, Lu Jianxun acted shamelessly. "Mom, if you don't want me to come, I'll come secretly."
Xue Huahua couldn't help laughing. She thought for a while and said, "Come if you want, but be careful of your leg. If you accidentally injure yourself, you'll have to continue lying down like your second brother."
Lu Jianxun grinned. "I'm not as useless as him." During the fight, Lu Mingwen was so scared that he trembled. He lay on the ground and curled up, holding his head and shouting for help. He was like a good-for-nothing who didn't even know how to resist. Lu Jianxun was different. If he had a hoe, he would have beaten everyone to the ground.
New China was established, but they still dared to provoke them like a group of uncivilized bandits. If he really was a coward, he would be a disgrace to the Communist Party. He wasn't even afraid of the Japanese, so why would he be afraid of a few hoe-wielding farmers? Thinking of what Xue Huahua taught him, "It's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge." He said excitedly, "Mom, just you wait. I'll take revenge sooner or later."
Xue Huahua was confused and asked subconsciously, "What revenge?"
"It's because Liu Huaxian brought people to beat us up. I originally wanted to go to the fourth production team to fight with her after I recovered, but then I thought it wasn't worth it. I'm only 13 years old and I'm not as strong as her, so I continued to wait. When I'm 41 years old, she'll be in her seventies or eighties. Let's see if she's still a match for me then."
After he lost, the scene of that day's fight kept replaying in his mind. He was too stupid to react. He should have rushed over and grabbed a hoe. Then, he should have hoed them one by one. He should have beaten them until they were looking for their teeth on the ground.
Seeing him so indignant, Xue Huahua found it funny and infuriating. When he was 41 years old, his state of mind would have changed drastically and he wouldn't have remembered it. She pursed her lips and said, "Fine. If you still hold a grudge when you reach that age, you can go to the production team to find her. If Mom is still alive, Mom will go with you."
She knew a lot about what would happen decades later, but she was quite curious about this incident.
"Mom, where can you go if you're not around? I'll be carrying the hoe then. Remember to stand far away and watch how I deal with her. " Lu Jianxun gritted his teeth and his young face was filled with anger. Xue Huahua laughed even more happily. "Alright, then you're not allowed to look for her until you're 41 years old."
Lu Jianxun patted his chest. "Of course. She beat me up when she was 41 years old, so I'll beat her up when I'm 41 years old." He wouldn't take advantage of her.
Lu Jianxun's thoughts were completely the embodiment of a child's anger. Xue Huahua didn't say that he was wrong, but wanted to guide him. From 13 to 41 years old, it was enough for him to understand a lot of things, so there was no need to pour cold water on him.
Xue Huahua took out two of her pockets and put the firewood that Lu Jianxun picked up into the basket. She told him to go back first today. Later, she would have to cut the pigweed, so she was busy.
There were quite a lot of dead branches in the basket. Lu Jianxun smiled proudly. "Mom, I'll go back with you. You go cut the pigweed, and I'll carry the basket alone." An empty basket was light, so he had no problem carrying it. "When the basket is full, I'll call Big Brother and let him carry it."
Working made people happy, and he loved working.
Xue Huahua didn't dampen his enthusiasm. She just reminded him, "Watch your steps when you walk. Use a stick to pat the thick grass twice. Be careful of snakes."
"Isn't it just a snake? I'm not afraid of it. If it really dares to show itself, I promise I'll stew it and eat it." Lu Jianxun wasn't bragging. When he was 8 years old, he had caught a snake and eaten it in stew. At his age, he wasn't afraid of snakes and was eager to catch one.
Xue Huahua's mouth twitched. She frowned and stared at Lu Jianxun sternly. "Stay away from me. If it bites you, you won't even know how you died. Do you hear me?" It was fine if it was a harmless snake, but if it was a venomous snake, he wouldn't even come to the commune to fetch it. She was afraid that Lu Jianxun wouldn't take it seriously, so she slapped his shoulder and said sternly, "Do you hear me?"
Lu Jianxun was in pain and quickly nodded. "Yes, I hear you. Even if I see it, I won't catch it."
When they got home, Xue Huahua poured out the firewood in the basket and spread it out to dry. Lu Jianxun carried the empty basket and left in high spirits. Xue Huahua reminded him again that there were snakes in the grass. After drying the firewood, she went to the kitchen to get some water. Just when she walked to the porch, Lu Hongying came out of the central room with red eyes. The corners of her eyes were wet and the tear stains on her face were still wet. Xue Huahua was surprised. "Third Sister, why are you crying?"
When she asked, Lu Hongying's tears burst out like a flood. She shook her head at Xue Huahua, picked up the basin on the ground and walked out. She walked quickly and hurriedly as if she was angry with someone. Xue Huahua didn't understand and called out to her Third Sister twice. Lu Hongying ignored her. Chao Caizhi, who was carrying the child, came out of the room. She waited for Lu Hongying to disappear before whispering to Xue Huahua, "Third Sister got into an argument with the educated youth. They said that Third Sister stole something …"
Lu Dewen simply said a few words and went to work. Chao Caizhi didn't know the specifics. "I asked Third Sister, but Third Sister refused to tell me. Mom, you go and ask her."
Their family was poor, but Lu Hongying never complained. She was quiet and attentive. After the incident at home, Lu Hongying almost never went out to play. She brought Xixi with her to help her with work every day. During this period, the water in the water tank was all carried by Lu Hongying. She was small and weak, so it took her seven or eight times to fill the tank with water.
Chao Caizhi didn't believe that Lu Hongying would do such a thing.
Xue Huahua didn't believe it either. "Caizhi, go inside and rest. Don't get exposed to the wind. We'll talk about this when I come back from work." The sun was already in the west. If she didn't show up, the villagers would start gossiping again.
"Mom, I know."
Xue Huahua went to the Lu Family to call Li Xuemei. Liu Yunfang was sitting on a stone stool outside the yard. It was rare that she didn't yell at people. When she saw her, her eyes were very unfriendly. She got up and pulled the corner of her clothes into the shed next to the yard. "I say, Xue Huahua, what's wrong with you? When did you start work? Do you want my Xuemei to be scolded for being lazy? Why are you so evil?"
She lowered her voice and said in an exasperated tone, "Xue Huahua, raising pigs is so easy. Can't you cherish it? My Xuemei is now tied to you. Can you not be a burden …"
After lunch, Li Xuemei stayed to help her wash the dishes. She felt strange. Everyone else was rushing to work. Why was she so free? After asking, she found out that Xue Huahua asked her to wait at home after lunch. Liu Yunfang immediately became anxious. There were so many eyes in the village. How could Xue Huahua be lazy in public? However, she couldn't ask Li Xuemei to go first. Because if Li Xuemei went first, Xue Huahua's laziness would be a fact. Xue Huahua had helped Li Xuemei before. She couldn't let Li Xuemei stab her in the back.
As a result, when the sun was about to go down, Xue Huahua came slowly. She was so anxious.
Hearing her saying "my Xuemei", Xue Huahua bent her lips and smiled, "Yunfang, I know what I'm doing. It's sunny at noon. The grass will go bad quickly after being cut. And it's not good for pigs to eat it. Now the grass is not dry. It's just right. Don't worry. The deputy captain knows this. He won't say that we are lazy."
When the deputy captain said that she seemed to be good at raising pigs, she roughly said a few words, including when the pigweed was the freshest and the longest storage time.
The deputy captain wouldn't think that she was lazy.
Liu Yunfang looked suspicious, "Really?" In order to fight for this job for Li Xuemei, she spent a lot of effort. If it was not successful, she would be angry.
"Really. Yunfang, if you don't believe it, just wait and see whether the deputy captain will scold us."
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