When they met the farm's director, they were not given a warm reception.
The higher-ups had already called ahead to arrange for their arrival. The farm happened to be busy lately, so extra hands were a welcome thing.
"Follow me."
After walking a long stretch, it was clear that this farm was enormous. Surrounding them were newly reclaimed fields, stretching as far as the eye could see—several hundred hectares at least.
The so-called "cowshed" was merely a euphemism.
It wasn't a literal shelter for cattle.
The He family was led to a vacant warehouse: "It's early October now. Winter comes in a month or two—figure out how to get through it yourselves. As for where to sleep, you sort that out on your own."
The warehouse was big enough to live in, but there wasn't a single partition inside—just one open, empty space. There were no windows; light filtered in only through the broken tiles on the roof.
"Thank you, comrade."
Seeing that their attitude was still respectful, having cast aside their former dignity and status.
Before leaving, Director Niu instructed: "Rest for a day first. Starting tomorrow morning, come to my office to pick up your tools, and we'll assign you work. The farm has a canteen—fixed portions at fixed times. Miss it, and it's gone. If you're still hungry, you can buy extra with your own money, or you can set up your own cooking if you prefer. In the little red building at the far end on the right, there are some unused tables and chairs—scrounge together a set for meals, and there are bed frames too…"
With just that brief word of advice, Director Niu didn't linger any longer.
With several hundred hectares of work and few people on the farm—even counting the local farmers—they were stretched thin.
Even if these people carried the stench of money in their bones, a month here would scrub them clean soon enough.
The surrounding area was uninhabited wilderness, with wild animals roaming at night. Those who tried to run never came to a good end. The farm was equipped with homemade shotguns for emergencies.
If these people wanted to flee, they'd better weigh how many lives they had to spare.
"Xiao Ying, you and Lanlan clean up a bit—let's get the beds set up."
"Alright. An'an, can you stand and play by yourself for a bit? Grandma and Auntie are sweeping the floor—you wait by the door, okay?"
Ever since his father had spoken to him harshly, He Ning'an had been sullen and silent, his little mouth pursed in a pout.
He nodded listlessly, walked to the door, and stared at the unfamiliar surroundings outside, a deep unease settling in his heart.
Li Ying had never endured hardship; she was even less capable at manual work than her daughter He Xinglan. "Mom, let me fetch a bucket of water to sprinkle on the floor before sweeping—it's pretty dusty."
Carrying an iron bucket from the warehouse, He Xinglan asked several people for directions but got no answers.
Finally, a kind-hearted local gestured with sign language to point her the way.
Copying how the person before her had drawn water, He Xinglan successfully filled the bucket.
But she was keenly aware of how unwelcome they were here because of their class background.
Passing by earlier, she'd spotted people wearing red armbands and, frightened, quickened her pace back.
She thought of the whole family being interrogated in that pitch-black room.
Even now, He Xinglan couldn't understand it. Their family had treated their workers well, paid fair wages, and the workers had been happy to work for them.
Why, in the end, had someone reported them? Her father said it was because others were jealous of their family's thriving business in Yuncheng.
So they'd lived in fear for decades, and in the end, they still hadn't escaped it.
Having fetched the water, He Xinglan returned to the warehouse.
She deftly sprinkled the water, took the small broom from her mother's hand, and bent over to sweep quickly. Her brother and father had already gathered the broken furniture.
Li Ying looked at her daughter, who hadn't uttered a single complaint, and her heart ached until she burst into tears.
"Mom, carry the bucket out and wipe down the seats and the bed frame."
"Alright, I'm on it."
The child was being strong, so she couldn't hold them back either.
In short, everyone had no choice but to accept the reality before them: the He family had fallen, and this kind of life would be measured in years—perhaps it would be like this for the rest of their lives.
He Ning'an stood at the doorway, watching the busy elders, the anger in his heart still not subsiding—especially toward his father.
How could he say he'd throw him out of the car? Daddy was hateful, and Mommy was hateful too.
Thinking of his mother, he couldn't hold back his tears.
From now on, he was a child without a mother. He would never see her again.
He thought this to himself, and as he cried, the sobs escaped his mouth, drawing the attention of the He family members who were working.
"An'an, why are you crying again? Come here, let Auntie hold you."
He Xinglan brushed the dust off her clothes and reached out to embrace her little nephew.
The little bean tearfully hugged his aunt: "Auntie, An'an is a child nobody wants. Mommy doesn't want me, and Daddy doesn't want me either."
Li Ying shot a glare at her son: "This is all your fault. The child is already heartbroken, and you're a complete failure as a father!"
He Lin knew he was in the wrong—he had been too impulsive with his words to the child earlier.
"Daddy was wrong, I won't say that again. You want your mommy? I'll find you ten of them later, alright?"
His words only added fuel to the fire, making He Ning'an cry even harder.
"I'll never see Mommy again. I only want Mommy, I don't want a new mommy, wuwu…"
Even when their family property was confiscated, He Jianguo hadn't gotten angry, but at his son's words, he didn't hesitate to kick him: "Do you act like a father at all? If you make the child cry again, just wait and see how I deal with you!"
The He family busied themselves tidying up the house while soothing the child, and before they knew it, they'd missed mealtime.
By the time they realized it, the cafeteria had long since closed.
They didn't even have a sip of water to drink.
That night, they slept on beds spread with wheat straw.
None of the four adults in the He family could fall asleep.
Listening to the occasional cries of unknown birds outside, and the occasional wolf howls echoing from the distant valley, a chill ran down their spines.
The grandson, who was still sobbing even in his sleep, made Li Ying's heart ache so much she couldn't hold back her anger.
"My poor grandson is so pitiful, having a mother who only cares about money and not her child…"
"Mom, don't say that. If An'an hears, he'll make a fuss again. People naturally gravitate toward benefit and avoid harm—any smart person understands that. I can only say my sister-in-law was a bit selfish, but for her own sake, there's nothing wrong with it."
"You're still defending her."
He Xinglan quickly denied it. She couldn't bring herself to like this money-loving sister-in-law. Just the fact that she'd used underhanded tactics was enough for her to look down on her.
But right now, she was merely evaluating an ordinary person's humanity from a dialectical perspective.
There were plenty of people like that in the world; having one nearby wasn't anything strange.
"That's right. Think about how she married into this family in the first place—we should have seen this outcome coming."
"That's true… that's true…"
"Enough. Why keep going on and on about someone irrelevant? Go to sleep. We have to work tomorrow."
Even he, a grown man, couldn't be sure he could handle the work.
Better to rest early and conserve his strength.
The next day.
The He family, having gone hungry for a full day and night, finally ate their first meal in two days.
He Jianguo kept a grim face and urged the family to eat quickly.
Even though they had been hungry for a long time, faced with such a meal, the group could only force themselves to eat it.
He Ning'an, who understood nothing, merely shook his head, yet was stared at by others for a long time. If the child were to say anything he shouldn't, it would be the adults around him who would suffer.
Originally, a child this young didn't have to come to the Labor Reform Farm, but none of the relatives or friends around were willing to take him in, and fearing the child might be mistreated, they brought He Ning'an along with them.
He Ning'an keenly sensed something was wrong, picked up the black steamed bun in front of him, and ate it in big mouthfuls.
But tears rolled down in large drops—he missed his mother.