Hunger for a hundred years

Chapter 29 (9)
The midwife was gone, and Chen Yuexiang was in so much pain again, He was so anxious that he lost his mind.

"Pick." Chen Yuexiang said, "reach in and pick."
He Da squatted down, put his hand into Chen Yuexiang's vagina, and forced the child out!
Chen Yuexiang bled a lot.At that time, there was no concept of "hemorrhage", only that Chen Yuexiang bled several times more than before giving birth.He Da used a filter kerchief filled with firewood ash, and sandwiched it between Chen Yuexiang's legs to stop the bleeding.After changing the filter kerchief more than ten times, the blood barely dried up.Chen Yuexiang said: "I will never have children again."
It stands to reason that Chen Yuexiang would have to rest for at least two or three months before going to work in the fields. However, before He Qing was full moon, she would join the group work!During that time, both men and women in the team carried cow dung into the paddy fields. Chen Yuexiang carried more than ten flower baskets a day, and each flower basket weighed more than 100 catties!When she pressed the flower basket on the wooden plank hanging on the branch of the Jujube tree, the scale beam immediately lifted up high like an oxtail ready for a duel, and the young man who carried out the scale smiled and said, "Ms. Chen, you want to turn your home into a golden mountain." Or Yinshan?" Chen Yuexiang was overjoyed, but said: "It would be good to fill up the hole under the bridge of the nose of a few children!" The person who weighed the scale joked: "Be careful to put your life in it!" Chen Yuexiang He didn't care about it at all, and laughed, while carrying the cow dung on his back, he walked to the depths of the paddy field that was flooded to the calf.

The cow dung was carried for three days, and then the land was developed; the so-called land management is to open up wasteland.The land reclamation site is far away from the village, which is Songlin Bend above Anzi Temple.More than ten acres of dense pine forest, the oily aroma of pine cones and the freshness of pine needles make the mountains far and near vivid. Every September in the lunar calendar, the pine fungus known as "September Fragrance" makes the white clouds in the sky reluctant to leave.This is the last paradise of Hejiapo red-bellied golden pheasant and white-bellied golden pheasant.But this year, instructions came from above to dig deep holes, accumulate food widely, rely on self-reliance, work hard, learn the spirit of XX, and open up wasteland and land.Once again, the people of Hejiapo had a beautiful imagination: If the pine forest was cut down and corn or soybeans were planted, how much food would they earn in a year!Captain He Zhongbao initially decided to cut down the Napo pine tree, but then changed his mind.The cutting speed is too slow, far from meeting the requirements of the superiors, and the working group is about to come to check. If the wasteland has not been opened up (let alone crops), how will He Zhongbao get involved?He Huaqiang, He Zhongbao's father, only gave his son a philosophy: to deal with himself in everything, no matter the means or purpose, only face himself.Through these years of tempering, He Zhongbao has long understood that handing over to himself can only be the goal, not a means. The means is to hand over to the superior! . To speed up, He Zhongbao said one word: burn!

No matter how many years have passed, the children of Hejiapo who lived in that era have a vivid impression in their lives: the raging fire burned the whole sky red, and the rocks and soil clods far away from the pine forest bend were burned and cracked.The Anzisi School at the foot of the mountain and the farmhouses at Zhouzisitai swayed in the light of the fire, as if they were floating in the water; there were explosions one after another, like landslides, and amidst the thick powder and black smoke, small pots of large stones popped out from time to time Or the boils of plants unwilling to be buried in the sea of ​​fire; wild boars, fur dogs, foxes, those with strong legs, rushed out in a ball of fire, and were beaten to death by the people who watched them just after running out of the sea of ​​​​fire; those with weak feet, Only whimpering to accept the fate of gut burst.The most inexplicable thing is that none of the hundreds of golden pheasants escaped here!This kind of delicate and peaceful creature, on the day when my grandfather died, he selflessly showed him the beauty of the earth, but since the pine forest bend was burned down, there has been no golden pheasant in the whole Hejiapo. .

The fire burned for several days and nights, and the lush and lively hills turned into an ugly desolation covered in black ash.

The following work is quite complicated and extremely hard: to grow food, all the roots must be dug out, otherwise, those tenacious lives will be revived under the spring breeze, and the food used to feed human beings cannot keep up with They compete for the atmosphere of the earth, and they cannot compete with them for the sun.The roots of the tree are like dense blood vessels, firmly penetrating into the heart of the land. Although it is dry for fifteen or sixteen hours a day, the progress is still quite slow.In order to hurry up, He Zhongbao divided the land into several small pieces, and divided them among the accounts by drawing lots. Whoever finished the work first could get another piece, and the work points would naturally be doubled.

This simple method that children would also adopt was a pioneering work when it was used by adults who held certain powers at that time.I can even say that He Zhongbao, with his farmer-like shrewdness and wisdom, pioneered the "contracting" in China.

Chen Yuexiang led her family to dig a total of five plots of land, while the family with a few more labor than her family only had four plots of land at most.

My mother, Chen Yuexiang, not only wants to earn more work points, but she also wants to show it to others!She wanted He Zhongbao, who insulted her personality and beat her to lie on the bed for a long time, to understand: Chen Yuexiang is more capable than you, and Chen Yuexiang looks down on you!In those days, her clothes were wet and dry, dry and wet, and there was no time to change them.He Qing was about to breastfeed, and we were the ones who carried her to the mountains. Chen Yuexiang sat in the field allotted to her, and hurriedly opened the breast, and a ball of milky white steam gushed out; When He Qing was breastfeeding, she didn't forget to spare a hand to grab the tree roots buried beside her.

She is going to pay the price.Like Xu Lian, who is charming, charming and strong-minded, there is a price to pay.

The wasteland in the pine forest bend has opened up, and autumn has arrived before crops can be planted.Autumn is the season of the farmer. When you hand over your own fruits in autumn, you are ready to face the earth and the sky calmly.But Chen Yuexiang couldn't calm down, she was tired and sick, first she coughed like a cold, then her body felt cold for a while, and then had a fever for a while, such a strong person had to lie on the bed and accept the care of her family.

Chen Yuexiang lay on the bed for more than ten days and died.

At that time, my grandmother was still very strong, with very few gray hairs on her head. When she heard the news of her daughter's death, she didn't show any expression, but just stood under the eaves of the street stupidly.But her neighbor spoke, and the neighbor said, "Why did your hair turn gray all of a sudden?"
Grandma said, "Is my hair gray?"
The neighbor said, "Your hair is all gray!"
Not long after, grandma was blind and couldn't see anything through her eyes, which were able to wear flower needles.
Chen Yuexiang was buried next to Xu Lian.On Xu Lian's other side, lying somewhere.Neither He Di nor Xu Lian knew Chen Yuexiang.Not far from these three graves are the graves of my great-grandfather He Xingneng and my great-grandmother Zhang.Except for the graves of He Xingneng and Mrs. Zhang, which were built into stone mountains, the rest are all earthen graves.The soil on the graves of He Di and Xu Lian has long been old, and weeds are growing naturally and without exaggeration, like a home we are used to.Only the soil on Chen Yuexiang's grave was new.Only its newness makes it seem particularly bleak.

Desolation is always reserved for the living.

Without her mother, the house suddenly became empty, except for He Qing's hoarse crying, all voices were hoarse.Two days after I buried my mother, there was no spark in the firepit. At night, without lighting the kerosene lamp, everyone sat together, looking in an unclear direction.In our minds, we are all thinking about the death of our mother, and the sound of gongs, drums and suona for her funeral.

If he didn't eat any more, He Qing would starve to death.Father held her in his arms and went from house to house, visiting every woman whose breasts might have milk.Those women in my hometown fed my younger sister with their not so lush juice, and won her back from death.But how difficult it was!Those who have milk in their breast bags also have their own children who are suckling. Their children often hold their blackened nipples and cry pitifully, because nothing comes out except a faint sweet and sour taste. After several years, From the countryside to the city, I always see those women whose breasts are swollen and painful because of too much milk, those women whose breasts are wet because of too much milk, and those who complain because of too much milk. The woman who squeezed the good juice into the bathroom, I smelled the smell of loneliness and misery, and heard the sharp cry of the little girl, I couldn't help but burst into tears.
He Qing continued to eat a little bit like this.The whole family was torn into pieces by He Qing's cries.

He Ben also started crying.There was no beginning or end to his crying. He just grinned and shouted aggressively: "Mom! Mom! Mom!" Like a dormant spider.

We all began to cry, some sobbed, some burst into tears.The smoky house is like an unsealed cemetery.

He Da didn't cry.There is a sentence from the people on the slope that binds his nerves like a twisted rope: "That family is finished!"
Who is saying such things?After the firecrackers that escorted Chen Yuexiang's soul went off, people gathered here and there, as if they were all saying so.They thought that He Da could not live with the large group of children, "That is a bag of needles!" The ears of wheat on the edge of the ditch will not be long before they will be cut off, or they will wilt in the sunshine and wild wind.He Da hated such words and didn't believe them, but he didn't have the strength to express his disgust and struggle. From the moment he found his wife died, he knew that the pillars of the building were in ruins and the family was in ruins.How he wished someone would comfort him and save him from fear, sadness, loneliness and despair.However, two days have passed since Chen Yuexiang was buried, and no one has yet crossed his threshold.

Li's ex-wife, Mrs. Wang, will not come. She is married to a man, and what her current husband looks down on most is someone like He Da who has a doubtful background; He Jianshen, who wandered with He Da, will not come. Yes, including He Jiangao, the veterinarian who took Chen Yuexiang's pulse, also did not come.Our relatives include grandma, uncle, aunt, and aunt Yao. Grandma is blind and can't move around at all. As for uncle, aunt, and aunt Yao, since our mother is dead, we can't say that we have much contact with each other.My mother's three sisters, my aunt who married recently, and my uncle are all at Guanmenyan. From Guanmenyan to Hejiapo, you need to go down a gentle slope, cross the Qingxi River, and then come up from the unnamed mountain on the left side of Liangqiao. It was about ten miles away; Aunt Yao married to Houjiaba, which is across the river from Wangjiaba in Wang Weizhou's hometown. The word "ba" proves that her fate is better than that of my aunt and my mother. The tracker on the river later became a salesman for a state-owned supply and marketing cooperative in Qingxi Field, and he ate the national food. This alone distanced him from our family.Aunt Yao looked down on us because we lived on the highest mountain and our family was the poorest. In her view, being ugly or dirty is not afraid of being poor, but being poor is the most unforgivable shame.

He Da bowed his head among his sons and daughters, listening to their heartbroken sobs, he knew that no one would come to rescue him.He recalled all his life history, the grief of losing his father and mother, still like yesterday, if he couldn't bear it and left with his wife, what would the litter of children do?He couldn't imagine the plight of the children fleeing famine to beg for food, and he couldn't imagine the tragic death of the young He Qing and the thin He Ben.This sharp sting pierced his soul and flesh, and he finally issued an order with a stern expression:
"Hekou, make rice!"
Everything is miraculously changing.When Chen Yuexiang was alive, our family lived in an orderly manner. Although we ate coarse grains, we could barely eat enough. Occasionally, we could eat red sweet potato rice or corn rice with rice. When guests came, we could still smell the meat. fragrant.My mother always treats guests like this. When guests come, they want to fry meat. She can't let the guests go back and say that Chen Yuexiang's family can't even eat meat. The meat is only fried in half a small bowl, and most of them are old salt vegetables. The guests come to the table for dinner , we could only eat around Huoershi, and the guests couldn’t wait to stuff their mouths with meat, and said, "Why isn’t Xiwaer on the table?" A small pot specially made for the guests), and said with a smile: "Don't worry about them." Then he added happily: "My dolls are obedient, and I don't want to rob the guests like other people's." The salt vegetables are left, and we each share a little, so we can only smell the meat.Since my mother died, we haven't had a full meal. The most terrible thing is that the warehouse of coarse grains and fine grains was quickly cleared!
For those relatives who do not want to come to our house, we have to take the initiative to approach them.

He Da went to his aunt's house, then to his uncle's house, and then to his aunt's house.Except for the aunt who gave him a handful of dried noodles, he returned empty-handed.We cherish that handful of dried noodles, but, not counting He Qing, there are seven people eating, and a catty of dried noodles can be eaten in one meal; He Kou didn't cook the noodles in a hanging pot, and he didn't use an iron pot for cooking. Instead, he used a big pot for cooking pig food. He first boiled a pot full of water, then put the vermicelli into a dustpan, smashed it into pieces and poured it into the boiling water until it became porridge before adding it to our bowls. Once the seven bowls are installed, a lot of water will disappear in the pot. Hekou fills up the pot with raw water and boils it again. Repeat this twice. When we scrape the bottom of the pot clean, it is basically considered full.Regardless of He Ben's young age, his appetite is not worse than ours at all. Even if it is red sweet potato porridge, he still eats three or four bowls in one meal. He scooped eight bowls for the noodle soup that time.

He Da had no choice but to ask for help again.No matter which one he went to, he always went in the morning and returned in the morning, that is to say, he came back without even eating lunch.He was afraid that people would laugh at him, so he walked out of the village like a thief. If he met someone, he would ask him, "Where are you going?" He said, "Go to Zhushiban." People seemed to have seen the truth, and there was a stubbornness to inquire into the secrets in the words, so He Da had no choice but to scold himself: "That's right, why did you go this way, I'm afraid I'm going crazy." Then he turned around and chose another way The road goes downhill.When he finally reached Liangqiao, and it was impossible to meet the Hejiapo people again, exhaustion and sadness entangled him.After that, the long section of flat road was blocked by weeds. He Da, who was short in stature, stepped into the weeds and was swallowed up by them.Beside him is the Qingxi River, which faithfully records the bitterness and sorrow of the mountain people in this area.How he wanted to see that river, how he wanted to jump into the river!

It was the weeds all over the sky that saved him, and the weeds all over the sky made him unable to see the river, which dispelled his idea of ​​jumping into the rapids.He parted the tangled grass and moved forward mechanically.Behind him is a child who is crying for milk, and in front of him is hopeless hope.

I deeply remember that when my father He Da returned to the slope, he still greeted people energetically outside his house, and as soon as he entered the door, he sat down on Chai Yilao.

How ignorant we are to see him come back empty-handed, and immediately repay his toil and bitterness with a loud cry.

(End of this chapter)