Mr. Ma was leaning against Chaimen and looking up on the way.
Not long after, I saw footsteps coming around the corner, and I looked happy.
When I saw it clearly, I saw that it was my third grandson who was carrying firewood back with his two sisters. I was a little discouraged and ran over again: "Why are you carrying so much? You are still young. What should I do if it weighs you down?"
"It's okay, grandma, we can carry it." Li Ji smiled at his grandmother.
"Grandma, we can carry it on our backs. We stopped to rest on the way." The eldest granddaughter Mingjin and the nine-year-old granddaughter Ming Yue also spoke one after another.
"Okay, they are all good children." Ma took the firewood from Mingyue's back and entered the house with several children.
Several children put down the firewood, took the water from their mothers' hands, held the melon gourds and raised their heads to drink.
After Li Ji finished drinking, he shouted happily, wiped the water stains on his mouth with the back of his hand, and looked at Ma: "Grandma, grandfather and father, haven't the brothers come back yet?"
"No, it's so late, why haven't we finished work on the dam yet?" Ma looked worried and was about to move to the door again in a hurry.
Miao and Cui were also anxious.
Mrs. Cui was worried about her own man, while Mrs. Miao was not only worried about her own man, but also worried about her two sons. The eldest son Li Zhi was only fourteen years old this year, and the second son Li Xi was only twelve years old, and they were dragged to dig canals on the dam.
Miao grabbed her sleeve and pressed the corners of her eyes, and begged Ma: "Mother, can we use some money to replace Zhi'er and Xi'er? They are both so young, how can such heavy work be done on the dam?
It’s what they can do.”
Li Mingjin pulled her mother: "Mom, stop talking."
The two brothers and their mother were worried, but wasn't the grandmother worried? Moreover, at such an old age, my grandfather also went to dig canals on the dam. If the family had some money, wouldn't the grandmother be able to use it?
"Mom, it's my fault. I'm just worried about my two children."
Ma sighed and frowned: "If I have some money at home, can I not take it out? Your father has not been in good health in recent years. I am worried that he will fall into the ditch..." He never got up again.
.
Ms. Cui rushed over to comfort her.
Since she had a miscarriage the year she was exiled, she has never been able to take good care of herself. She can't even do the heavy work at home, so she has to rely on her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
She also wrote letters to her parents' family, hoping to borrow some money, but the letters were like mud in the sea, without a single reply. She knew in her heart that her parents' family was unreliable.
It wasn't until it got dark that the two brothers Li Dianzang and Li Dianzang helped their old father back home. Brothers Li Zhi and Li Xi followed their father with their heads down, like eggplants beaten by frost, their footsteps
As heavy as lead.
The five of them barely finished their meal and fell on the bed.
Several women wiped their tears and helped them rub their hands and feet. Seeing the wounds on their hands and backs, Miao cried loudly.
When will this day end?
Her husband's family has lost hope, and her parents' family has also removed her name. The man and his son don't know how long they can hold on, and their days are becoming increasingly hopeless.
"Stop crying." Li Dian calmed down and comforted weakly. He felt uncomfortable. Seeing that his two sons were as lifeless as fish out of water, his heart was like a knife.
Miao cried softly and suppressed: "When will this day end? You and your father have so many colleagues, and your father has so many students, why is no one willing to help? And your sister, for so many years, there is no news at all.
No, brothers, sisters-in-law, nephews, it’s fine if she doesn’t recognize them, her biological parents don’t want them either, how cruel!”
"Shut up!" Li Dianshou scolded her in a low voice and glanced outside the house, fearing that his parents would hear.
"Rou'er is not that kind of person. Something must have happened in the capital."
Mr. Miao couldn't listen: "People change. My father's students are vying to send gifts to our family every year, saying 'mentor' on the left and 'mentor' on the right. Now our family is in trouble, and there is not even a letter."
"Rou'er is different from them."
"What's the difference?" Whenever a sister-in-law cares about her family and sends some money around, she can exchange the money for the labor of the elders and minors, but now she doesn't even get a reply.
When she married into a high-ranking family, her family was afraid that she would be wronged in her husband's family, so they gave her almost all their property as a dowry. But now, if they don't save her, her two nephews will die!
Miao complained a few words and cried sadly.
On the bamboo bed, Li Shimian's eyes were open and he had no energy at all. Ma sat beside him and rubbed his feet while shedding tears.
The room was so big, so they didn't hear what the eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law said.
"My Rou'er is not such an ungrateful child."
"Well, she's not." After a long while, Li Shimian spoke.
"Master." Ma covered her mouth, tears falling down.
The couple had not received a reply from their daughter for several years, and could not refute their daughter-in-law's words. They knew that their son and daughter-in-law were complaining in their hearts, but they could not speak out for their daughter. They were worried about their daughter's situation, and their hearts felt like they were being fried in oil.
"Is anyone here?" The voice coming from outside Chaimen at night was extremely clear.
The couple didn't take it seriously until they called again from outside the door: "Is anyone there?"
"Yes, there is someone." The couple heard their youngest daughter-in-law respond.
"Who is he?" Ma wiped her tears and left the room.
"I've met the old madam, young madam, I am the shopkeeper of Shangyong Jixiang Drug Store, my surname is Bai, and our main store in Beijing is just sending medicinal materials. Someone brought you something, so I sent it to you."
Sent from the capital? Ma's heart was pounding and she saluted Shopkeeper Na Bai.
"You're welcome, madam. It's a matter of loyalty to others. Our caravan will go to the capital in a few days. If you have a reply, you can come to our shop to find me."
"Okay. Thank you very much. Please make a trip."
"Old Madam, you're polite, that's right." The man cupped his hands, turned and walked away.
Mrs. Qi was waiting for others to leave, and was about to move the big box at the door into the house, but it was so heavy that she couldn't even hold it. Mrs. Ma called her two sons to come out and move them in.
Hearing the noise, Li Shimian and others came out of the house.
"Anyone said who sent it?"
Ma didn't speak, her lips were trembling, and she looked at the big box, wanting to see it but not daring to.
Mrs. Qi shook her head at Li Shimian: "I only said it was sent from Beijing."
"Open it and take a look." Li Shimian also felt a faint hope in his heart.
The box was opened, and the contents inside were wrapped in furoshiki. It was unclear what they were, but there was a letter on the inside.
Ma picked it up and handed it to Li Shimian.
Li Dianshou and others came over to take a look.
Well……
"Eldest brother's nanny?" Li Dianzang looked at his brother.
"My wet nurse?" Li Dian looked puzzled. He has a wet nurse? Why didn't he know?
Ma was also confused: "You three brothers and sisters are all the eldest nurses of mine. Our family used to be poor. Your father's salary could not support a large family. How could he have the money to hire a nanny for you?"
The previous page was about working as a nanny in the Li family, missing his brother, and so on. Li Shimian quickly glanced at it, handed the first page to everyone, and then read the second page.
After reading a few lines, my hands began to tremble.
"master?"
The letter was shaking more and more violently, and I couldn't hold it anymore.
Seeing that he was unsteady on his feet, Mrs. Ma snatched the letter away, read a few lines, and then collapsed to the ground with a cry.
"Mother!" "Grandma!"
"My son..." Mrs. Ma cried heartbreakingly, her tears like a river of tears.
Li Shimian stood aside and burst into tears.
The two brothers Li Dian received the letter and read it, and found the following sentence: "My concubine died in childbirth on June 20, the fourth year of Jianwen. One body and two lives. The only daughter was too sad and went with her mother..."