Stepmother

     Gengsheng asked subconsciously, "Where are you going home?"

    "You, your grandfather's house." Dawa said.

     Gengsheng froze for a moment, then smiled: "My home is here."

    "What do you mean?" Zhong Dawa didn't understand, "You won't go back to your own house in the future?"

    Self-reliance: "Dad, from the moment my father committed suicide, our original family was separated. It was mother and father, and it was you who gave me and the rebirth a complete family. Later, my grandfather came out. , we will visit grandpa, but our home is here, on Wengzhou Island."

    "Don't talk like that." Dawa waved his hand, "I want to cry. If I don't go back, I won't go back, why are you saying I'm homeless?"

    Rehabilitation: "We used to be homeless kids."

    "I said it, don't say it anymore!" Dawa said with a stern face, "Do you want me to beat you?"

    You may not beat me. If he really said that, Da Wa would definitely beat him, "Then I won't talk about it. Let's cook."

    "When will your grandfather come out?" Erwa asked curiously.

    He shook his head independently: "We don't know, neither do mother and father."

      How much does it bother me?"

    Incredible self-reliance: "I, I said casually, how do you remember?"

    "I have a good memory." Zhong Dawa snorted, "Who is Uncle?"

    Sanwa looked at the self-reliance and then at the rehabilitation: "You two are so good, you hide so many things from big brother, aren't you afraid that big brother will ask his soldiers to beat you up?"

    "Zhong Xiangnan, I want to beat you now!" Da Wa pointed at him, "Please stay away from me."

    Gengsheng stretched out his hand and pulled Sanwa into his arms: "Don't scare him. We won't talk about it, because the second and third babies were still young at that time, and my father was afraid that they would talk baldly. Uncle is none other than Uncle Zhao,"

    "Commander Zhao?" Dawa asked.

    Reborn nodded: "Grandpa saved Uncle Zhao a long time ago. Not many people know about it. If you speak out, Uncle Zhao's family is in danger."

    "Did you two hear clearly?" Dawa looked at Erwa and Sanwa.

    Sanwa covered her mouth: "I didn't hear anything."

    "Then let's cook." The baby got up and went to the kitchen. Seeing the half-pot of chicken and potatoes left over at noon, Da Wa couldn't help but say, "If Ma Zhenxing's father didn't go to the front line, Ma Zhenxing would definitely be eating chicken at home right now."

    Zhou Shufen was reluctant to kill chickens to buy pork. But as long as Ma Zhonghua knew that the Zhong family was delicious, and his two sons wanted to eat it, he would ask Zhou Shufen to cook it for the children.

    Zi Li often plays with the Ma family and he knows this very well: "Dad, Ma Zhenxing's father died, can he and his mother still live on the island?"

    "It should be possible." Dawa said, "There are also family members of martyrs on the island. However, he can no longer live in his current home. This is the front line. Uncle Ma died, and they must have a team. New head. Ma Zhenxing has to move out to make room for the new head."

    Erwa hurriedly asked, "Will Ma Zhenxing go back to his hometown?"

    "I don't know either." Dawa said, "Ask Ma Zhenxing tomorrow."

    Self-reliance: "Ma Zhenxing must be very sad now, let's ask again in a few days."

    "Okay. I'll listen to you." Dawa poured the leftovers into the pot, added a bowl of water, and poured the cut cabbage into it.

    After seven o'clock, the five brothers closed the doors and windows, washed clean, and lay in bed without sleepiness.

    The big baby sighed and sat up: "I want to see Ma Zhenxing."

    "When we came up, Grandpa Liu and Grandma Liu hadn't come back, they must be at Ma Zhenxing's house." Although the island is safe, there are no absolutes in the world. The elder was not at home, so he paid attention to the situation around him, and found that the east side was dark, "There must be a lot of people in his house at the moment, let's stop making trouble and listen to my mother."

    Self-reliance: "Dad, if you can't sleep, take out your English book and read it from beginning to end."

    "Do you speak English in the first year of junior high?" Dawa asked.

    Self-reliance: "Graduate English."

    "Then I'd better go to sleep." The big baby lay down and found that it was suddenly bright outside, opened the window and looked, "Didn't Director Shen go to Ma Zhenxing's house?"

    Reborn slept in the lower bunk, their beds were against the window, the big baby opened the window, and he could see the light on the ground: "Big baby, where is your whistle? Take it out and blow it twice. If Head Shen was not at home, Sun Wanru would definitely yell at us."

    "Here." Erwa got down and threw the whistle on the table to Dawa.

    Dawa took it over: "Just blow twice?"

    "How long do you want to play?" He was even more surprised.

    Dawa played with the whistle, her eyes lit up: "I thought about it. Blowing "Unity is Strength"."

    "Can you blow?" More suspicious, "This is a whistle, not a flute."

    Daddy: "Try, try." After speaking, he coughed twice to clear his throat and put the whistle to his mouth.

    Self-reliance, rebirth, the second baby and the third baby hold their breath subconsciously. But the four brothers were just afraid of disturbing the big baby, and never thought that the big baby could blow it out. The four brothers couldn't help but sit up when they heard the meaning.

    "Brother, give me a try later." Erwa took the lead, "I want to blow—"

    "What are you blowing, and you won't let people sleep at night?!"

    With a roar, Erwa shivered with fright, and when she came back to her senses, she shouted, "I just want to blow! I won't sleep!"

    "Er baby." Self-reliance disagreed, "She is sick, don't bother with her."

    Zhong Erwa snorted: "I will care about it today. Brother, give me the whistle, I will blow it until dawn. I see if she can sleep."

     We are not Sun Wanru."

    Erwa is insufficent and has a very poor sense of music. Dawa taught him to sing, and he could remember all the lyrics after listening to it twice, but even if he practiced 20 times, the whole family who moved away would not be able to find it back. .

    "Don't blow, don't blow." Erwa was so angry that she covered her head to sleep.

    Regenerate and ignore him: "Dad, you finish blowing "Steel is Power", let me blow it."

    "What is the reborn brother talking about?" Sanwa was very curious.

    Re-think: "Blowing "I Am a Soldier"."

    "Then I will play "Return from Targeting"." Sanwa said, "What will brother Zili play?"

    Think for yourself: "Nanniwan."

    "Huh?" Sanwa frowned, "Why did you choose this song?"

    Self-reliance: "My father can sing."

    "That's all." Dawa said, "Go to sleep after blowing."

    Erwa weakly said: "I also want to blow."

    "You know nothing, what are you bragging about?" Dawa asked.

    Erwa choked: "I won't, then I, then I will blow one, two, three, four."

    "Whatever you want." Dawa was speechless to him.

    Er ​​Wa stretched out her hand: "I'll go first."

    Dawa gave him a deep look: "I've convinced you." Then, she threw the whistle to him.

    At the Ma's house one or two hundred meters away, Jiang Qin and several family members of the military accompany Zhou Shufen and her two sons in the house. Song Zhaodi and Sister Duan boil water and cook in the kitchen.

    Senior Liu, Political Commissar Lu, Zhong Jianguo, Shen Xuancheng, and two other political commissars, as well as Ma Zhonghua's political commissar surrounded the courtyard.

    Zhong Jianguo saw that everyone was sitting and said nothing. Hearing the bell tolling at half past eight, he asked, "Master, have you informed the parents and brothers of Lao Ma?"

    "Notice." Master Liu said, "There is no phone at Lao Ma's house, and I don't know if I can receive the telegram."

    Shen Xuancheng didn't understand: "What do you mean by not receiving?"

    "Old Ma's family is in the mountains." Master Liu said, "I used to stay in the southwestern mountains, and the postman runs once every two weeks."

    Commissar Zhang frowned: "Then we won't wait for Lao Ma's parents and brothers?"

    "Even if I can receive it today, it will take three or four days to get here." Master Liu calculated, "No wait. Xiao Zhou's family will be there tomorrow. There will be a memorial service in the morning the day after tomorrow. , the day after tomorrow, send the old horse to the mountain."

    Zhong Jianguo: "What about Zhou Shufen and her two children?"

    "Let's see what she means." Master Liu said, "If she still wants to stay on the island and send the old horse away, the troops will build a small courtyard for her. If she doesn't want to, the Lu political commissar will Go to the contact place and arrange Comrade Zhou Shufen's work and the school for the two children."

    In addition to them, there are children and the neighbors of the Ma family. Zhong Jianguo was afraid that they would hear shouting everywhere, so he asked in a low voice, "Where's the pension?"

    "According to the standard." Master Liu said, "I will add more."

    "Then I'll add more." Political Commissar Lu continued.

    Zhong Jianguo: "Then I will add some more. When you give it back to Zhou Shufen, you say it was given by the army."

    "I know." Master Liu sighed, "Xiao Zhong, Xiao Shen, you all go back and rest. I haven't had a good night's sleep these days. ."

    Zhong Jianguo: "I'm fine. Head Shen, go back. Your two children are still young."

    "It's still early." Shen Xuancheng waved his hand, "I, I'll sit with the old horse for a while."

    Sit this for a while until dawn the next day.

    Song Zhaodi rubbed her eyes and came out, intending to go home to wash her face and brush her teeth, when she saw Master Liu and Political Commissar Lu lying on the table, Zhong Jianguo leaning on Political Commissar Zhang, and kowtowed in sleep.

    Song Zhaodi was really afraid that he would slam and knock a hole in the forehead. He quickly walked over and patted Zhong Jianguo on the shoulder: "Wake up."

    Zhong Jianguo opened his eyes, froze for a moment, apparently forgot where he was: "is it dawn?"

    "Yes." Song Zhaodi pointed to a group of people around her, "Wake them all up. The Zhou family should be here later."

    Zhong Jianguo nodded.

    Master Liu and others went back, Zhong Jianguo did not leave, and helped Song Zhaodi cook, and the couple went home to see if the child was up. However, when I got to the door of the house, I heard loud noises, and after listening carefully, I found that it was next door.

    "What happened?" Zhong Jianguo subconsciously thought about the past.

    Song Zhaodi grabbed his arm: "I told Zhou Shufen, I'll be there later, let's go home, wash our faces, and have something to eat. I didn't eat last night."

    Zhong Jianguo sighed: "I must have asked Head Shen where he went last night."

    "I found that you do know Sun Wanru quite well." Song Zhaodi looked him up and down, "Have you dated women like Sun Wanru before?"

    Zhong Jianguo glanced at her: "I'm sorry to disappoint you. I have only two women in my life, one is Bai Hua, who was introduced to me. The other is you. When I met Bai Hua, I think I'm not too young, it's time to get married, and it's a little urgent to get married.

    "When I met you, I wanted to find a mother for my three children, and the marriage was not in a hurry. It could be said to be a flash marriage. In the end, neither of you let me down. one."

    "I'll just say, see how much you're waiting for me." Song Zhaodi pouted, "I haven't seen you talk so much before." She pushed the door but didn't open it, so she rushed inside and shouted , "Dad, open the door."

    Sanwa ran out of the house: "Mother, Dad, you are back."

    "Have you eaten yet?" Song Zhaodi asked.

    Sanwa opened the lock and said, "Brother Zili is doing it."

    "What to eat?" Song Zhaodi was curious.

    Sanwa: "scrambled eggs with shallots, fried yam with garlic leaves."

    "You still cook two dishes?" Zhong Jianguo was a little surprised.

    Sanwa smiled and said, "Brother, let's celebrate and eat something good."

    "What are you celebrating?" Song Zhaodi frowned slightly, "What good did Dawa do?"

    Sanwa looked to the west subconsciously, saw that Sun Wanru was not there, and took Song Zhaodi's hand: "Mother, let's go into the room and say that the partition wall has ears."

    "You even know that partition walls have ears?" Zhong Jianguo laughed, "Sanwazi, you are only seven years old."

    Sanwa: "My brother said it, not me." In the living room, I told my parents how they were angry with Sun Wanru last night.

    Zhong Jianguo was speechless after hearing this: "You guys are really busy, why are you messing with her?" Turning to Song Zhaodi, "I take back what I just said. Sun Wanru was quarreling with Shen Xuancheng, so she must be suing Shen Xuancheng, Shen The head of the regiment didn't hold grievances for her, but scolded her instead."

    "I think so too." Song Zhaodi said, "Don't do this again in the future. When you blow your whistle, you will not only disturb Sun Wanru, but also the neighbors behind."

    Sanwa couldn't help but blink: "I don't know."

    "Then I told you now, you have to remember it in the future." Song Zhaodi said.

    Sanwa nodded and rolled her eyes: "Shall I tell my brother?"

    "Go." Song Zhaodi turned around and went out to wash her face and brush her teeth.

    After dinner, Zhong Jianguo went to the camp, and Song Zhaodi took five children to Ma's house. Several children went to the Ma brothers, and Song Zhaodi went to Zhou Shufen. Song Zhaodi did not persuade Zhou Shufen to mourn, don't be sad and wait, because it was useless to say more, so she sat silently with Zhou Shufen.

    In the evening, Zhou Shufen's parents and sister-in-law arrived, and Song Zhaodi took the child home.

      Tomorrow, I would like to get up early and go to Ma's house to help and hold a memorial service for Ma Zhong.

    At noon on the fourth day of the new year, send Ma Zhonghua away. When Song Zhaodi was about to go back with a few children, she was stopped by Zhou Shufen. Zhou Shufen left Song Zhaodi's wife to eat at her house.

    Song Zhaodi wanted to stay, but her five little tigers were like five rice buckets. She was afraid of scaring Zhou Shufen, so she told her to come back in the afternoon.

    Zhou Shufen knew very well that she was not Song Zhaodi's opponent in terms of eloquence. Seeing that Song Zhaodi insisted on going back, she did not persuade her any more.

    Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Song Zhaodi did not see Zhou Shufen when she arrived at Ma's house. Ma Zhenxing pointed upstairs, Song Zhaodi went upstairs but saw Zhou Shufen sorting out the boxes.

    Song Zhaodi froze in her heart: "Are you going to leave?"

    "No." Zhou Shufen shook her head, "Master Liu told me that he would arrange for someone to help us build the house tomorrow. Sister Duan said it would be finished in ten days. We can also move in earlier to make room for the new head of the regiment.”

    Song Zhaodi breathed a sigh of relief: "Scare me, I thought you were going back with your parents."

    "My home is not as good as your hometown Xiaosong Village." Zhou Shufen couldn't help sighing ahead of her hometown, "The child has to walk more than ten miles for primary school, and twenty or thirty miles for middle school. No. For myself, for the sake of my two children, I can't go back either."

    Song Zhaodi: "I can rest assured that you can think like this. There is revolution everywhere outside, and you may be locked in the bullpen if you talk more. Going out is looking for guilt for yourself."

    "I know." Zhou Shufen glanced at the north face of the mountain, "The old horse is here, I'm not going anywhere."

    Song Zhaodi patted her shoulder: "I'll help you clean up."

    "Nothing, I'll take care of it myself." Zhou Shufen said, "My mother and sister-in-law were there, and I didn't let them move."

    Song Zhaodi: "When will the two old men leave? I will accompany you to see them off."

    "My sister-in-law will go back tomorrow, and when my mother-in-law comes, my parents and my brother will go back." Zhou Shufen said.

    Song Zhaodi would like to say, it’s better to stay with you for a few more days. When she realized that it was wrong, what could her brother stay? Think about it for a moment, and tentatively ask: "Is it difficult for your in-law's family to get along with each other?"

    Zhou Shufen's eyes widened in disbelief: "Song Zhaodi, you are so scary!"

    "Xiao Zhou, don't talk nonsense!" Seeing Song Zhaodi coming, Mother Zhou returned to the guest room with her daughter-in-law, and hurriedly came out to remind her when she heard the voice.

    Zhou Shufen waved her hand: "Mom, sister-in-law, you go back to the house." Then she asked, "Song Zhaodi, how did you guess it?"

    "You said your sister-in-law went back." Song Zhaodi said, "I think your parents are in their fifties, and they are very strong. You don't need your brother to take care of you. There must be something wrong with your brother staying."

    Zhou Shufen sighed: "The poor mountains, bad waters and many troublesome people, that is to say, old horses and their hometown."

    "I didn't hear you mention it." Song Zhaodi said.

     Zhou Shufen: "Old Ma gives his parents 30 yuan a month, my mother-in-law gives 10 yuan to the eldest son and 10 yuan to the younger son. The whole family depends on the old horse for this salary. Don't dare to make trouble."

    "No wonder you don't even want to kill a chicken." Song Zhaodi glanced outside, "Did you give it to your parents too?"

    Zhou Shufen: "Occasionally give it. My brother has five children, three daughters and two sons. If I don't help, I can't watch the children go hungry."

    "Yes." Song Zhaodi said, "I heard that there is no land over there."

    Zhou Shufen: "It's not that there is no land, there is little land. I used to pick tea. Now I can't eat enough, who still drinks tea." After a while, "Zhao Di, thank you for these few days. ."

    "Why are you being polite to me?" Song Zhaodi said, "If I don't come, my eldest child will be so angry that he will smash the pot."

    Speaking of the big baby, Zhou Shufen, who was very sad, couldn't help laughing.

    Seeing this, Song Zhaodi told her a few childish grandsons, and she added a meal to celebrate the next day.

    Zhou Shufen laughed and sighed: "The five children of your family, anger is not worth your life."

    "Don't talk about it, I'm really afraid that they will make people angry one day." Song Zhaodi said, "Especially the three children are not stingy, and the big one has a big temper. I'm not surprised that they killed someone."

    Zhou Shufen: "No. The children you teach are sensible and know what can and cannot be done."

    "I hope so." Song Zhaodi sighed, "I sometimes wish that when I wake up, they are all grown up and sensible, so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

    Zhou Shufen raised her eyebrows: "I thought you would say you have another one."

    "No birth." Song Zhaodi shook her head, "Having a child suffers."

    Zhou Shufen was a little surprised, but she was not surprised when she thought about Song Zhaodi's usual behavior.

    Song Zhaodi chatted with Zhou Shufen for an afternoon and found that she was sad when she mentioned Ma Zhonghua, but when it came to the child, she began to talk about what would happen in the future, and she was no longer worried that Zhou Shufen could not think about it.

    On the seventeenth of the first lunar month, the house built by the troops for Zhou Shufen was completed.

    In the evening, Song Zhaodi went to her and asked Zhou Shufen when to move, she came to help.

    Zhou Shufen said with a smile that she will go to the new home to clean up first before moving in two days. At that time, Song Zhaodi will not need to help her, and the soldiers under the old horse will come to help her move.

    Seeing this, Song Zhaodi said she would come back when she moved.

    On the morning of the 19th day of the first month, Song Zhaodi saw that the weather was fine, so she took out the quilt to dry. Seeing that Sister-in-law Duan was drying the quilt next door, Song Zhaodi said, "Auntie, let's go to Zhou Shufen later to see if we can help."

    "Okay." Sister Duan said, "Xiao Zhou's new home should be cleaned up too."

    Song Zhaodi: "Her mother, father and brother are here, pack up—"

    "Mr. Song, it's not good!"

    Sister-in-law Duan and Song Zhaodi looked at each other, Qu Zhuangzhuang held the door with one hand and the leg with the other, panting heavily.

    Song Zhaodi asked subconsciously, "Did the baby fight with others?"

    Qu Zhuangzhuang nodded and shook his head: "No. I can't say a sentence or two, Mr. Song, hurry up, here, at the Ma's house, Dawa, Dawa hurry up and beat someone died."

    "What?!" Sister Duan exclaimed, "Little Song, hurry up, hurry up."

    Song Zhaodi ran away.

    Qu Zhuangzhuang sat on the ground and sighed: "I'm exhausted."

    "Mr. Song, I'm looking for you." Jiang Qin ran towards you, "Follow me to the hospital."

    Song Zhaodi's face changed suddenly: "In the hospital?"

    "Yes, yes." Jiang Qin pulled her to run.

    Qu Zhuangzhuang froze for a moment, then shouted: "Mr. Song, no-cough-cough, no, it's at the Ma's house. Teacher Song-" hurriedly stood up.

    "Qu Zhuangzhuang, wait." Sister Duan ran out, "What's the matter?"

    Qu Zhuangzhuang waved his hand: "Can't wait. I'll turn around and tell you again, Dawa is about to kill someone, I have to go after Teacher Song." After speaking, he went after him.

    Sister-in-law Duan was confused, but she was too anxious, so she followed: "Is the baby in the hospital?"

    "The baby is not in the hospital, Ma Zhenxing's mother is in the hospital." Qu Zhuang said.

    Sister Duan's face changed suddenly: "I'll go to Ma's house with you. Tell me quickly, what happened. How could Dawa beat someone?"

    "Dawa, don't hit him, if you hit him again, you'll be beaten to death." But the big baby is fierce, like a furious lion, without his strong self-reliance, he can't stop it, "Rebirth, come and help."

    Regenerate waved his hand: "Wait a while." One kick to the chest of the opposite person.

    "Mother is here." Self-reliance said loudly.

    The baby stopped instantly.

    Rehabilitate and retract your feet.

     When Mrs. Duan arrived, she saw six people lying on the ground, blood everywhere. Sister-in-law Duan had lived most of her life, and she was so frightened that she turned pale, and shouted at the people around: "Don't look at it, call a car and take him to the hospital."

    "You don't have to call a car, you won't die." Dawa blurted out.

    Sister Duan's eyes darkened: "Zhong Dawa, you, just wait for your mother to come back and clean you up."

    "If my mother knew about it, she would still think I was beaten lightly." The big baby rubbed her fists, "Damn, it's all red."

    Self-reliant headache: "Dad, be obedient, don't make your mother angry."

    "I know my mother, she won't be mad at me." Dawa pointed at the children who were standing at the door with a big knife, and no outsiders were allowed in, "You guys keep me safe, I'll go find ropes and tie these six old beasts."

    Sister-in-law Duan saw that she said no, she was so angry that her chest hurt and asked Zhang Political Commissar's daughter, "What's going on?"

    "We don't know either." The 16- or 17-year-old girl's face turned pale, "When we heard the noise, we came out to see and saw the Dawa brothers beating them. Come on, these children are standing at the door with knives and axes, saying they will chop whoever dares to come in."

    Sister Duan suddenly felt that her first half of her life had been in vain: "Qu Zhuangzhuang, you say."

    "We are looking for a big baby to play today, and the big baby is going to call Ma Zhenxing." Qu Zhuangzhuang said, "Ma Zhenxing said that his grandparents are quarreling with his grandma and grandpa, and his two uncles are very Fierce, he can't go.

    "The eldest child asked Ma Zhenxing if his grandmother bullied his mother. Ma Zhenxing said it seemed so. The eldest child said that we would not go. If they dare to bully Aunt Zhou, we will help Ma Zhenxing beat him.

    "I was in the courtyard with Dawa and Sanwa. They were in the room listening to self-reliance and telling stories. Gengsheng and Ma Zhenxing were sitting on the chairs. We suddenly heard a thud and ran in. Seeing that, Aunt Zhou rolled down from the upstairs with blood all over her forehead, and Zhen Gang cried out in fright.

    "We were all stunned. When we recovered, Aunt Zhou was carried to the hospital by her brother and his father. The six people wanted to run away, and the eldest child called us to stop them. These are the things."

    Sister Duan staggered.

    Qu Zhuangzhuang hurriedly supported her: "Grandma Liu, you, what's the matter with you?"

    "Be independent, open the door." Sister Duan said while holding the door.

    He shook his head on his own: "What I said doesn't count, they listen to Dawa."

    "Big baby!" Sister-in-law Duan stared at him, "If you don't obey, I'll tell your dad to beat you with a belt."