Seeing the two of them didn’t look good, Miao Qing immediately lowered her demands:
“Not board—just buy meals. I’ll give—my rations—and money.”
Liang Mancang slapped the table, glared and cursed,
“Are you done or not?! A tiny little girl, but your nerve is plenty fat. What do you want to do? What do you want to do? Trying every which way to corrupt the masses—just because you’re from the city and have money, you think you’re something special? I’m warning you, this is typical capitalist behavior. Watch out, or I’ll have you criticized and sent to the re-education farm!”
Miao Qing glanced at Liang Futian. The old man puffed his pipe without speaking, his eyelids moving slightly, as if calculating something.
Calculating meant there was room to talk. Miao Qing blinked, innocent and pitiful.
“I really—can’t eat—the communal meals.”
Liang Mancang snorted impatiently.
“Can’t eat, then starve. Day in and day out, just making trouble—I think you’re still too full!”
Miao Qing’s eyes welled up.
“What if I—starve to death—what then?”
Liang Mancang was so angry he could only stare. What then? What a load of crap—now she’s threatening me? Get as far away from me as possible!
Liang Futian raised his eyes and looked at Miao Qing’s thin little frame and pale face.
From the first moment he’d set eyes on this girl, he’d known she was a sickly one. She’d been ill for so many years and had only just recovered a few days ago—if she made trouble here, it would be a problem for him.
As for the boarding matter, it wasn’t entirely impossible to discuss. With her like this, her appetite definitely wouldn’t be big. The rations issued would probably be enough for her to eat, and she was even willing to give money—that was thirty whole yuan.
In this poor mountain gully, even a strong laborer working hard all year couldn’t earn a hundred yuan in work points.
For the next three years, the brigade couldn’t be rated advanced. If they couldn’t be rated advanced, they wouldn’t get rewards and aid, so they’d be even poorer, even less able to eat their fill.
Households with enough labor could still scrape by, but those with elderly, sick, or disabled members would definitely go hungry.
Especially the Sanluzi family. Ever since he’d accidentally fallen to his death while gathering herbs in the mountains, his family’s life had been very difficult.
His wife had had a difficult labor, barely managed to give birth, but ended up paralyzed herself.
Now the family was entirely supported by the two older children—but after all, they were just kids. The oldest was only ten, the youngest six. Just relying on everyone’s handouts, how could they make it through the winter?
If the one asking to board today was a male educated youth, then absolutely not.
But this was a female educated youth, young, in poor health, and her temperament—well, anyway, she was very slow.
Liang Futian tapped his pipe and asked Miao Qing with a stern face,
“You really are willing to give all your rations and allowance to the family you board with?”
Miao Qing quickly nodded. Liang Mancang glanced at Liang Futian, and seeing him slightly nod, he had no choice but to take out paper and pen, shoving them to Miao Qing with a sour face.
“Then write a voluntary statement. Don’t go running to the commune later and report us.”
Miao Qing picked up the pen. Liang Mancang said one sentence, she wrote one sentence. She wrote very slowly, and the handwriting was very ugly.
Liang Mancang couldn’t help but suspect,
“That elementary school diploma of yours—it’s not fake, is it?”
Miao Qing: ….
Congratulations, you’re right.
But before she transmigrated, she’d gotten into university—she just hadn’t had the chance to attend before she kicked the bucket.
Though it wasn’t anything to regret. Her parents had divorced long ago and each had new children. She was all alone—living anywhere was still living.
Signed, pressed thumbprint, collected the things, and followed Liang Futian to the Sanluzi house.
Liang Futian walked with his hands behind his back, carrying the grain. He looked back every few steps, waiting until he was extremely impatient.
“This girl, how come you walk so slowly too? I’m already carrying your things for you—can’t you go a little faster?!”
Miao Qing wanted to say, can’t go faster by one bit. This was already her fastest speed using her ability to help lift her legs. Physical condition was limited—what could she do?
If you can’t wait, then just wait a little more.
Luckily, Sanluzi’s house wasn’t very far away—just go up a slope, down a slope, cross a gully, then go over a ridge.
After all, this was a mountain gully. Even being in the same village, everyone living a bit scattered, that was perfectly normal—bullshit!
Miao Qing wiped the sweat off her forehead, planted her hands on her hips, and barely suppressed the urge to curse.
This is called not far?
It nearly killed her!
She’d made up her mind—she wasn’t just boarding here. She was staying here too. There was no way she could handle this run every day.
Liang Futian stopped mid-motion, about to knock on the door, and cupped his ear.
“What did you say? You want to stay here too?! I think you’re dreaming. Just these two steps and you call it far? Take a look at what that is!”
Miao Qing followed the direction Liang Futian was pointing and—huh, that place looked awfully familiar.
She looked again—wasn’t that their educated youth settlement?
Well, well. This house was actually diagonally across from the settlement, with just a gully in between. The straight-line distance was less than a hundred meters.
It was just that she’d gotten all turned around going up and down the slopes, and with the height difference on both sides, she hadn’t noticed at all.
She scratched her face, pretending she wasn’t embarrassed.
Liang Futian reminded her again, uneasy,
“In a while, when you go in, you remember what to say, right? From now on, no matter who asks, you’re Sanluzi’s wife’s distant relative. Whatever you do, don’t let it slip—got it?”
Miao Qing obediently nodded. Liang Futian knocked on the door and called out.
The door opened. The one opening it was a skinny little boy, called Tietui (Iron Hammer). He addressed Liang Futian as Sixth Uncle.
Miao Qing was pleased. Good, good. From now on, we’re all relatives. It’ll be easier to ask the brigade captain—no, Sixth Uncle—to arrange light work for me.
Entering the house, Miao Qing followed behind Liang Futian and sized up the family she’d be boarding with.
The woman half-lying on the kang was called Yang Xiaomei. Her face was sallow, her cheeks sunken—clearly very weak.
The baby in her arms was pitifully thin too.
The two children stood by the kang. Tietui had a stern little face, looking very serious. The younger girl, called Taohua (Peach Blossom), seemed a bit more lively.
Her big round eyes were quite cute, but she was very thin—big head, small body, like a little stick figure.
When she learned that Miao Qing might be a distant relative from her own maternal family, Yang Xiaomei was overjoyed.
She’d been kidnapped at five, sold to her husband’s family as a child bride at eight. Her memories of her birth family were few and far between.
She only remembered her name and who was in her family, but where her home was or how to get back—she had no idea.
But she remembered very clearly that she had a distant aunt in the city, very beautiful, with skin that shone white, who had once bought her candy.
That was the first time she’d ever eaten candy. It was so sweet.
She never expected to see her aunt’s granddaughter again.
The more Yang Xiaomei looked at Miao Qing, the more she felt she resembled that aunt in her memory—especially the skin. It was exactly the same.
Liang Futian spun the story smoothly,
“The moment I saw this girl today, I thought she looked familiar. I asked and found out her family was from Guancheng and her surname was Miao—what a coincidence. I remember your maternal family had an aunt who married into Guancheng, and her husband’s surname seemed to be Miao?”
Yang Xiaomei’s eyes reddened with emotion as she nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes, I did have an aunt who married into the city. I don’t remember what my uncle’s surname was.”
“Then that’s it! This girl looks just like her grandmother. When she was little, she always heard her grandmother talk about a niece who’d been kidnapped. Heaven has eyes—your family has found you on their own!”
Liang Futian shot Miao Qing a look. Miao Qing immediately stepped forward and called out,
“Auntie!”
“Ah, good child, good child. Come, come here, let Auntie have a look…”
Yang Xiaomei took Miao Qing’s hand, tears falling like beads from a broken string, yet she couldn’t stop staring at her, as if trying to see more traces of her family in her face.
Miao Qing pulled out her handkerchief and wiped Yang Xiaomei’s tears, comforting her silently.
Liang Futian continued weaving the lie on Miao Qing’s behalf,
“This girl’s had a hard life too. Her grandparents passed during the famine years, and she fell ill herself. She’d just barely recovered when she was sent to the countryside. Luckily, she ran into you, her aunt. Just take good care of her, let her board with your family.”
With that, he handed the things to the two children.
“This is your cousin’s rations and living expenses. From now on, whatever she wants to eat, you make for her. If you’re short on anything, just ask her. You’re all family—no need to be too polite.”
Miao Qing: …….
How come I feel like I’ve been tricked?
So that’s why this old man was so eager to personally escort her here—he was setting her up all along.