Lu Mingwen squatted by the roadside, straightened his swollen legs, and clumsily cut the pigweed with his hands. When he heard the female educated youth's words, he raised his head with a red face and stammered, "Comrade Liang Lanfen, I … What kind of work did Captain arrange for you? I'll help you do it first … We'll talk about it when you're better." As he spoke, his eyes fell on the female educated youth, and his ears turned red.
As Xue Huahua listened, she raised her scythe and stuck it in the mud. "Your legs are healed so you can jump now, right? If you want to leave, hurry up. I'll say it again, if you don't work, don't think about eating. I'll work my ass off to earn some work points to support myself and my grandson. You guys have hands and feet, so I don't care. "
Lu Mingwen was embarrassed by Xue Huahua's scolding, and he smiled embarrassedly. "Mom, it's not easy for our comrades to leave their homes to support Jian She in the countryside. Captain said that they're cultured people, but they don't know how to do farm work. If we can help, we should. Look, Comrade Liang Lanfen has already called me, so it's not good if I don't help, right?" Lu Mingwen said with a guilty conscience.
Xue Huahua snorted coldly, picked up the sickle, and turned around to cut the pigweed.
The morning grass was dripping with dew. She shook the excess before throwing it into the basket, and said coldly, "Your legs are grown on your body. I won't stop you if you go, but don't think about going home to eat the food I earned by helping others. Go, go, go. Hurry up."
Lu Mingwen was embarrassed, especially when he saw Liang Lanfen walk away with a gloomy face. He felt guilty and wanted to call out to Liang Lanfen several times, but when he thought of Xue Huahua beside him, he forcefully held back.
Xue Huahua was different from before. She said she wouldn't feed anyone, and she wouldn't feed anyone. Even his big brother was afraid of her, let alone him. He could only sigh, and silently waved the sickle to cut the pigweed.
About an hour later, the basket and basket were filled, tightly pressed together. Xue Huahua shouted at Lu Dewen who was working in the field, "Dewen, Dewen …"
Lu Dewen was bending down to sow the seeds, and when he heard his mom's voice, he immediately shouted, "Mom, I'm coming."
Before he left home, Xue Huahua told him about carrying pigweed, and he agreed without thinking. Xue Huahua said that with two more people working, the family would get more food, and with more food, he could eat more. So, he put down the basket in his hand, and asked Lu Tong to look after it for him, and ran towards Xue Huahua's direction.
Yes, he didn't work with the old educated youth anymore. In the morning, when he went to the storage room, the team leader asked him to work with Lu Tong. Lu Tong's father and big brother were responsible for carrying manure, and his three younger brothers were second-class laborers. The whole family could get a lot of food throughout the year, and their conditions were considered good in the whole village. He worked with Lu Tong because the team leader thought highly of him.
As he thought about it, he was full of energy. He carried the basket on his back and the basket on his shoulders, imitating the way Lu Tong's father walked. His shoulders moved up and down, and he walked leisurely to the pig farm. From time to time, he would turn sideways to talk to Xue Huahua, "Mom, can I eat more at noon?"
"Let's talk about it when you can make up for the work you lost last year."
"Oh," Lu Dewen said, and then he talked about his work with Lu Tong. He had to admit that Lu Tong was really good at work. Unlike the old educated youth who sulked and competed with each other, he swung the hoe with ease. Looking at the row of pits neatly arranged in a line, he felt comfortable.
Xue Huahua listened attentively. When she saw him praising Lu Tong, she said, "Lu Tong didn't know how to do it when he was born. He must have been taught by Uncle Jian She. If you learn from him, you can be as good as him in the future."
"Can I?" Lu Dewen didn't have confidence in himself. Lu Tong's family was all capable, and they never took a day off. He couldn't compare to them.
"How would you know if you don't try? We're going to transplant rice seedlings soon. You should ask him how he does it, so you won't panic." Xue Huahua carried the child and followed Lu Dewen to the pig farm. She poured out the pigweed from the basket and spread it out to dry. "Carry the basket to Mingwen. I'll come after I'm done."
The pigweed was a little moist, and it could only be fed to pigs after the dew had dried. Otherwise, it would be too humid, and pigs would get sick easily after eating it.
Lu Dewen obediently carried the basket and left. However, when he reached the field, he couldn't find Lu Mingwen anywhere. The person who was digging at the side told him, "Dewen, Mingwen was called away by the educated youth. You can go to the field at the back to get him." The person who spoke was around fifty years old. He could be considered to have watched Lu Dewen and his brothers grow up. With regards to Xue Huahua's family situation, he sighed a lot. Fatherless children were like this, and they were wild. If his son dared to be like this, he would break his legs and starve him for three days and three nights.
Lu Dewen still had to do his own work, so he didn't have time to look for him. He placed the basket along the road and ran to the field.
When Xue Huahua came back, she saw two wicker baskets on the small path, and the carrying pole was stuck vertically in the field. She didn't say anything, nor did she call for Lu Mingwen. She let Xixi play by the side and cut the pigweed seriously.
At noon, she cut another basket of pigweed, but the two baskets were not full. Lu Dewen came to pick up Xue Huahua after work. When he mentioned that Lu Mingwen couldn't control himself and helped the educated youth, Lu Dewen asked Xue Huahua, "Second Brother, do you have food to eat?"
"No." Xue Huahua said firmly, "If you don't work, you won't have food to eat."
Lu Dewen heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. At least Xue Huahua treated him fairly.
When Xue Huahua got home, she started to cook and asked Lu Dewen to wash the baby's diapers in the morning. There was a small stream at the back of the mountain. The villagers dug a pond and piled up a few stones to make it easier for the villagers to wash clothes. Lu Dewen carried the basin out and saw Lu Mingwen walking home clumsily with his leg raised.
"Mingwen, mom said that she won't cook for you at noon." Lu Dewen told him.
Lu Mingwen frowned. He helped Liang Lanfen pull the pigweed for the whole morning, so the blood in his leg was not circulating. At this moment, it was swollen and painful. When he saw his brother, Lu Mingwen looked as if he saw his savior. "Brother, help me. My leg seems to be hurt again."
When Lu Dewen saw him like this, he quickly put down the basin and carried him back to the kitchen. He called Xue Huahua to come out and take a look.
Xue Huahua poked half of her body out of the door. Her face was expressionless. "I will take responsibility for the person who did the work. I can't even feed myself, let alone others." After saying this, she sat down in front of the stove and no longer looked outside.
Lu Dewen panicked. "Mingwen, look at how angry you made our mom. If she doesn't care about you, you can just wait to starve to death."
In the morning, Lu Tong told him about cutting the pigweed. Many villagers in the village wanted to cut the pigweed. It was easy and they could earn some money. If it wasn't for their family's situation, they would never do this kind of work. Lu Mingwen did not cherish it and went to work for the educated youth. Lu Dewen did not know what to say. He put Lu Mingwen on the bed and turned to leave.
Lu Mingwen, who was behind him, called out, "Big brother, can you put in a good word for me?" He had been working all morning and was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back.
Lu Dewen was helpless. "It's useless if I say it. It's mom who says it."
In this family, Xue Huahua was in charge.
Lu Dewen obediently went to the pond to wash his diapers. Xixi's diapers were all washed by Xue Huahua after he was born. She worked during the day and washed them at night. When the diapers could not be dried, they were hung on the stove and roasted over the fire. When he spread out the diapers and rubbed them, he almost vomited. The black feces were thin and looked disgusting.
Fortunately, the pond was big enough. Otherwise, the water would have been dyed black.
He endured the stench and used a wooden mallet to beat it twice before wringing it dry. It did not matter if it was washed or not. It was fine as long as it was washed.
It was still wild vegetable paste, but there was more corn flour added. Xue Huahua sprinkled white sugar in Chao Caizhi and Lu Xixi's bowls. When she carried it into the house, she heard a muffled groan coming from Lu Mingwen's room. She asked in a low voice, "Second Brother, what's wrong?" After waiting for a few seconds, no one answered. She carried the wild vegetable paste in and let Chao Caizhi eat it. She went to Lu Mingwen's room to take a look.
It would have been fine if she did not take a look, but the moment she did, she was shocked. Lu Mingwen was lying on the bed, rolling back and forth. His face was green and covered in sweat. Her heart tightened. "Second Brother, what's wrong?"
Lu Mingwen bit his lips tightly. His body was trembling so much that he could not speak. When Xue Huahua went forward, he immediately grabbed onto Xue Huahua's arm. His eyes were wide open and tears were flowing down his cheeks. Xue Huahua lifted the blanket that was wrapped around his leg. The stitches on the wound had been removed, leaving behind a hideous scar. His ankle was red and swollen with bruises. Xue Huahua hurriedly pulled him up from the bed and patted his face so that he could take a good look.
Lu Mingwen was in so much pain that he was gasping for air. "Mum, mum, it hurts. Is my leg broken?"
"If it's broken, you deserve it. I'll get Dewen to send you to the educated youth section. Whoever you work for will be responsible for your injury. I want to see if anyone cares about your life." Xue Huahua flung his hand away and shouted for Lu Dewen.
Lu Mingwen was afraid. Not only would it be embarrassing to send him to the educated youth section, it would be weird if Liang Lanfen cared about him. He was the one who did not listen to Xue Huahua's words. He grabbed onto the bedside tightly. "Mum, mum, I'm wrong. I won't dare to do it again. Please save me, it's painful."
Xue Huahua was indifferent. "Will you dare to not listen to me next time?"
Lu Mingwen shook his head like a rattle drum. If he knew that he would be in so much pain, he would not have helped even if Xue Huahua said it.
Lu Dewen heard the commotion and came over. He asked him to borrow a wheelbarrow from the village and bring Lu Mingwen to the commune hospital.
"Mum, I'll carry Mingwen."
"You need to work in the afternoon. I'll bring him there. Borrow the wheelbarrow, I'll push him there." The wheelbarrows in the village were used to carry grain during the public grain collection period. It was rare for them to borrow it. The last time they were injured, Lu Jianguo borrowed the wheelbarrow. Xue Huahua did not know if Lu Jianguo was willing to lend it to her. She asked Lu Dewen to carry Lu Mingwen to the road and wait. She went back to the house to pack some rice, and then hurried to Lu Jianguo's house to tell him about Lu Mingwen's poor health.
Lu Jianguo hesitated for a while and agreed. "Last time, it was bloody. It took me a long time to wash it out. If it gets dirty again, you can wash it yourself."
Xue Huahua agreed. Lu Jianguo was afraid that she did not know how to use it, so he helped her push it from the storage room to the road. He reminded her to be careful and not to break it. This wheelbarrow was obtained by Zeng Zhiqing from the educated youth team. The surrounding production teams did not have this wheelbarrow. If it was broken, there was no place to repair it.
Lu Dewen put Lu Mingwen on the wheelbarrow. He was worried about Xue Huahua. "Mum, do you want me to do it?"
"No need. You can ask Lu Tong to teach you how to transplant rice. Do your best." Xue Huahua actually knew how to push a wheelbarrow. She was a sanitation worker. She pushed a wheelbarrow along the street every day. But it was a two-wheeled wheelbarrow, so it was lighter and more flexible. She could not exert strength in her left leg, so she tried to shift her center of gravity to her right foot. At first, it was a little twisted, but after a few steps, it became smooth.
Lu Jianguo saw that she got the hang of it quickly. He did not say much. He just said to Lu Dewen, who was staring at Xue Huahua's back in a daze. "It's not easy for your mother. If you don't work hard in the future, you and your brothers will have a hard time after she leaves." Xue Huahua married into the village at the age of 16. Unlike other women who visited each other when they had nothing to do, she worked all year round and never rested. Many people in the village said that Lu Yongshu had a good life. He found a diligent wife and had three sons. He would definitely live a happy life in the future. Who knew that Lu Yongshu did not survive the famine year and left four children who were not young and old to die.
After Lu Yongshu died, the four children's rations were all tied to Xue Huahua. Xue Huahua did not take a break at all.
There were many people like Xue Huahua in the village. The villagers who had lived for decades did not remember what she looked like. They only remembered that she worked hard and was in the mountains every day …
Lu Dewen was stunned. He sighed when he heard that. Lu Jianguo did not know how much he understood, but he left with a sigh.
On the winding road, Xue Huahua was sweating profusely. The sun shone on her forehead and the wrinkles on her forehead seemed to have deepened.
Lu Mingwen's leg was resting on the vertical board of the wheelbarrow. The pain was not as bad as before. He raised his head and looked at Xue Huahua's sweaty chin. He suddenly felt guilty. "I suddenly got up when I was pulling the weeds. I felt the bone in my ankle cracking. I thought it was nothing, so I ignored it. I only felt a little pain when I got home after work …"
Xue Huahua wiped her sweat and looked straight ahead. Her tone was much softer. "I think you sprained it. We will know when we get to the hospital."
Sweat drenched Xue Huahua's collar. She walked very slowly. Lu Mingwen blamed himself even more.
"Mom, I won't work for others anymore."
"Mm." Xue Huahua replied softly. "Close your eyes and sleep for a while. I will wake you up when we reach the commune."
Lu Mingwen was silent for a while. He asked again, "Mom, are you tired? The pain has passed. I should be able to walk on my own." It was late April and it was a little hot. He saw Xue Huahua wiping her sweat.
"I'm not tired. You can lie down." Xue Huahua lowered her head and met Lu Mingwen's apologetic gaze. She pondered for a moment and tried to reason with him. "If this happens again, you have to think about it carefully. The captain asked the villagers to help teach them how to work, not to help them. The educated youths went to the countryside to mess with Jian She. If you helped them, why would they go to the countryside? "
Lu Mingwen was speechless. After a while, he looked down guiltily.
Xue Huahua sighed. "It's good to be willing to help others, but you have to consider your own capabilities. If something happens to you, what will I do? The educated youths may shed a few tears, but I will lose my son. "
She originally wanted to scold them and ignore them. But when she saw Lu Mingwen's pale face, her heart softened. Parents are always worried about their children. She thought of her son, the son who hugged her and cried bitterly after breaking the law and going to prison. She blamed herself. At that time, she only thought about working every day to earn money and neglected her son's education. That was why he made mistakes again and again.
The original owner of the body had a similar experience as her. She also worked hard and did not care about her children. Fortunately, the original owner's children had not yet embarked on the path of crime and there was still a chance to turn back. There was always a reason for rebirth. God wanted to give her a chance to watch over her children for the original owner.
"Mingwen, I will let it go this time. Next time you encounter the same thing, think about it carefully. I am old, how many years can I work?" Xue Huahua's words were full of helplessness. Lu Mingwen would rather hear her scold him than listen to her words of self-reproach. In his memory, Xue Huahua was silent and inarticulate. Before his father died, she was a little better. After his father died, she was almost mute. She never hit them or scolded them. When the brothers came home, they would eat at the table, wipe their mouths and leave. That house was quiet all year round.
Xue Huahua had never scolded them before, and they had never spoken to her so calmly and openly like this.
The hot wind blew across his cheeks, and Lu Mingwen's throat was blocked. He looked at the corn that had just sprouted in the field. The tender seedlings broke through the soil and swayed with the wind. He inexplicably burst into tears. He was afraid that Xue Huahua would see it, so he quickly covered his eyes with his hands.
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