After the second day of the second month, the weather gradually warmed up, and the land reform policy also blew to Linjiazhuang. Because this village used to be the private property of a rich man, after liberation, the land was divided equally among the peasants, and the original owner was said to have fled abroad in a hurry, and some said he was beaten to death. Anyway, the whole village was proudly poor, and the one with the most land was Zhang Guilan's family, and according to the standard, they were given a middle peasant.

Xiao Meiniang said to Xue Shanhong privately: "The world has really changed. No dynasty has ever been proud of being poor!"

In her opinion, no one with hands and feet wants to be poor.

Xue Shanhong sighed and said, "There are benefits to changing the world, but my family is really poor anyway!"

He glared at Xiao Meiniang as he spoke, and Xiao Meiniang sat up straight: "Should we ask them to come in and give them some instructions?"

Xue Shanhong said, "Don't you want to send your child to school? Do you have enough money for tuition? If not, ask Uncle Zhiyuan to borrow some money from him."

How could Xiao Meiniang not respond!

The land was collectively owned, and the family had less than two mu of vegetable plots left based on the number of people. There was no other way, as Linjiazhuang had a lot of land and even more people, and there were also people who had fled and settled here later. Each person was given two cents, and infants were given one cent. The seven eldest children in the Xue family were given two cents each, and Xue Qianyan and Xue Yaya were given one cent each, for a total of one mu and six cents of land.

Spring is coming, which is obviously the busiest time for the family, but the Xue family wants to send several older children to school. This news spreads like wildfire. When someone asks, Xiao Meiniang and Bai Xiuying say, "Look at Aunt Guilan/Lian Second Grandma's family, don't they have to be literate to make a good living? We have many girls in our family, and Qianyan is too weak. If one of them can make it, she can help the family in the future!"

Some people thought it made sense, while others were suspicious. Some, like Aunt Mao, said directly, "When that girl grows up, she will belong to someone else. How can she still think about helping her parents?"

If you ask her, they are all money-losing things. Instead of using the money to send their children to school, the Xue family might as well replace the roof of their house with tiles!

Xiao Meiniang just smiled, but Bai Xiuying said, "What are you saying, Aunt Mao? Your fourth uncle Mao got married a few years ago, and it was you, Aunt Mao, who helped him out. Even the people in the town know about this, and everyone praises Aunt Mao as a good daughter from the Mao family!"

Mao has five siblings, she is the third, the fourth and fifth are the younger brothers. Mao Si has been dirty since he was young, and no one is willing to find a husband for him until he is nearly 20 years old. Which good girl would want to marry such a thing! He has dirty hands and feet, is only about four feet tall, has dark skin, and has uneven eyes. He has no money prospects in terms of appearance, and no future in terms of character!

The two elders of the Mao family were not lazy. Apart from being a bit patriarchal, greedy, and mean, they had no major problems. The two elders were so worried about their son's marriage that they couldn't sleep at night. Finally, they habitually called a few daughters home to discuss it. Mao was used to being picky and strong at home. Her eldest and second sisters were more honest and gave in to the younger sister before going out. Because she had two younger brothers, the old man and the old lady Mao thought that it was the third daughter who brought them here, so they spoiled her at home.

The old couple and their three daughters discussed it for a long time. The eldest and second daughter both said to ask more questions, but Mao said, "Why are you still asking? She's already 23! She's been saying she wanted to see someone since 17, is there anyone? If not, just stay single!"

Even though he was her own brother, she would not want to marry him if it was given to her! When Mao Lao Si heard her words, he rolled up his sleeves:

"My third sister, who are you insulting? I don't have a wife, so it's not embarrassing for you to go out? Don't forget, you are also a daughter of the Mao family!"

Mao thought of her own mother-in-law. Every time her eldest brother came to visit, the old woman always looked disgusted and stared at him all the time, even on guard against her. Being idle and having dirty hands was bad enough, and adding to that the fact that he couldn't find a wife, there would be people on guard against him when he arrived at Linjiazhuang, and Mao Shilan's face was really ashamed.

"Then what do you say? Who told you to be so dirty?!"

I should have told him to behave himself a long time ago. He had to wander from the East Village to the West Village and from the village to the town all day long!

"Don't do that! You took every bit of what I brought! Are you criticizing me now? When you ate my canned food earlier, you ate just as much as anyone else!"

Mao Laosi also had a hot temper and quit immediately.

Although Mao Shilan loved to take advantage of small opportunities, she still had some dignity. Seeing that the fourth brother's voice was getting louder and louder, she couldn't help but said nervously:

"What are you yelling about? I don't know where you got those cans!"

"You don't know, you don't..."

Mao Shilan immediately covered Mao Laosi's mouth and said, "Tell me, what can I do about your marriage? The eldest lady doesn't like you, and you are still picky about the young widow. What can I do?"

It's not that they haven't thought about making do. When Mao Lao Si was 20 years old and still hadn't found a date, Mao Shilan's sister Mao Shiying asked, "Is it okay if you're not the oldest girl?"

The two elders of the Mao family were also interested when they heard this. They relaxed the conditions a little. As long as the woman was young and could give birth to children, a widow without children was not impossible!

But Mao Lao Si refused. How could he, a young man, want a second-hand product? How could he have one less nose and eyes than others? The lame man at the village head could still marry a young girl.

He disagreed immediately, saying, "I want a girl who has never been married. If I can't find one like that, I will be a bachelor for the rest of my life!"

As a result, now that he is 23 years old, no one wants to see him. Cuizhuang had a girl before, but she was dark, short and fat. The key point is that they want to recruit a live-in son-in-law. Old man Mao said to the public: "There are only two of us in the Mao family. How can we bear to let the fourth son come to our house!"

Tsk, the fact is that she doesn't want Mao Lao Si either. From the beginning to the end, she has been attracted to Lin Xiaoqiang who lives next door to the Mao family!

Mao Laosi's mouth was covered, and his eyes were fixed on Mao Shilan, which frightened Mao Shilan so much that she let go of him: "Are you hysterical?"

"I'm fine!" Mao Laosi said, "I just found out when I arrived in town yesterday that the shoemaker on East Street has a new wife!"

The eldest and second oldest of the Mao family, Mao Shiju, looked confused. Who was the shoemaker? Their families were not well off. They usually wore straw sandals as soles, and a pair of cloth shoes was something they wore sparingly. How could they go to a shoemaker for shoes?

Mao Shilan thought of that man and couldn't help shuddering. She had seen that shoemaker before and remembered him very clearly!

When fleeing from the Japanese invaders earlier, the Mao family was separated. Mao Shilan's family went to the town together with her mother's family, and her sister-in-law was in the town. They thought that the Japanese invaders would come by water, so the town in the opposite direction would be safe. But halfway through the escape, Mao Shilan's eldest son had to go to the toilet, and as soon as he asked to go to the toilet, Mao Shilan's youngest son also followed. I wanted to let them hold it in for a while, after all, it was urgent to hurry on the road, but who knew that the old lady couldn't hold it in either. Mao Shilan then remembered that it was probably because of the leftovers from the hot lunch at noon. There was no other way, so she might as well go deep into the forest, at least the smell would dissipate more slowly! Mao's husband, Li Baozhu, was afraid that they would get separated, so he directly dragged Mao in with him. Old man Mao, old lady Mao, and their two big sons - what else could they do except follow? There was no telling when the Japanese invaders would appear on the road, so it was better to stay together.

Thanks to Li Baozhu's pull, they heard a sound coming from outside just as they were walking out from the depths. Mao Lao Si was used to being sneaky, so he crouched and moved forward quietly. The others were a little timid, so they just stayed where they were, hoping that the situation would get worse and they would move back into the woods. Mao Shilan was a brave person, so she followed Mao Lao Si's example and moved forward, which soon made her unforgettable for the rest of her life!

On the road, a man with weak legs and feet was holding a human head in his hand, with blood still dripping. Next to him was a soldier wearing a khaki uniform. Needless to say, they all knew that it was Er Gouzi! The leader had been to their village and farm before, and he was said to be Captain Lin.

The captain Lin was seen speaking humbly to the cripple, while the cripple looked indifferent and said with dissatisfaction: "Do you know what to do?"

Captain Lin was shaking like a sieve, his face looked as if he had been dusted with wheat flour, and he nodded and said, "I know! I know!"

Then he turned around and led his men in the direction of Zhuangzi, shouting as he ran: "Hurry up and catch up. If anyone refuses to obey, just kill them as the lady said!"

Mao Shilan listened to Captain Lin's call, and then looked at the head in Taijun's hand. It seemed to be the housekeeper of the master's family!

When Captain Lin led his men away, the lame man looked up and glanced in their direction before leading them away. Mao Shilan and the others sat down after a long time after they left, and Mao Laosi was so scared that his face turned pale. He was so scared that he peed all over himself. Mao Shilan then knew how the lame man found them, but the man did not kill them all. She chanted "Amitabha" in her heart. The two did not come back to their senses until Li Baozhu's son could not bear it anymore and came to see. After telling them the situation, they decided to go to the mountains to chase the other people in the village.

After liberation, Mao Laosi was "lucky" to get a pair of leather shoes. Because he was close to his third sister and the old lady of the Li family didn't like him, he wore them to Mao Shilan's house to show off. Unexpectedly, he stepped on a broken porcelain bowl as soon as he entered the Li family's door, and his foot was pierced directly near the heel. Mao Laosi made a scene on the spot and asked the Li family to compensate him. Mao Shilan was troubled by this, but how could their family get the money to compensate for a new pair of shoes?

Fortunately, Lam Pou-yee told her that leather shoes could be repaired and there was a shoemaker in the town. Mao Shi-lan had no choice but to take her belongings and go to the town with Mao Lao-si. To her surprise, the shoemaker turned out to be someone she knew - the lady who carried the head!

Mao Laosi watched from a distance and hid himself. The two were scared out of their wits. They thought that no one saw the incident except them, the brother and sister. This old devil must have helpers to hide here. They didn't dare to provoke him, so it was better to stay away from him!

Old Man Mao and his friends were not aware of this, after all, they had been hiding behind and did not dare to step forward. At this moment, when Lao Si mentioned the shoe repairman, he still advised: "Lao Si, can a shoe repairman be an ordinary person? He repairs leather shoes!"

What can they compare with others?

Mao Lao Si looked at Mao Shilan and said, "I heard that the police are catching spies, and there is a reward!"

Mao Shilan was both scared and angry. She went up to him and slapped Lao Si twice: "Do you want to die? How dare you mess with a man like that? If you don't kill the snake, then..."

Mao Laosi also reacted, and in a moment of excitement, he sat down on the ground and said, "I want a wife! I want a young wife, a big girl!"

Mao Shilan gritted her teeth and said, "You just want a wife, let's buy her!"

Mao Laosi stopped crying all of a sudden. The eldest and second sisters of the Mao family looked at each other bitterly - they were the sheep being plucked, but they had no hair!

In the end, the three sisters and old man Mao pooled together two silver dollars to buy a motherless girl far away for the fourth son of Mao. Two silver dollars, Mao Shilan's eldest and second sisters cried and begged their parents to give a load of wheat each, and old man and old lady Mao took out their savings, a thin gold ring, and Mao Shilan - she could only pay the most, and contributed the silver bracelet she had pulled off the dead body at that time. To the outside world, the hollow silver bracelet was the betrothal gift given to her by the Li family!

How many girls would even post their own betrothal gifts to marry their brother's wife? For a time, the whole town was full of Mao Shilan's "good name"!

Xue Yunyun just laughed behind Bai Xiuying when she heard her words. Xue Duoduo said, "Mom, when we become successful, we will definitely help the family and will never be ungrateful!"

Xue Xiaoxiao said: "Yes! Let's learn from Auntie Mao and help my brother find a good wife!"

Mao Shilan was so blocked that she couldn't be angry or laugh. She could only leave with a dull face.

Because they borrowed 5,000 yuan from Lian Er's grandmother's family, the news that the Xue family borrowed money to send their children to school spread. In this area of ​​​​10 miles and eight villages, Linjia Village and Cuijia Village combined have only one school, and the number of students is pitifully small. One teacher teaches from the first grade to graduation!

Xue Yunyun and her friends had to run more than six miles to go to school. Xue Lier sent them there early in the morning and picked them up after noon. The three sisters ate the pancakes they brought from home and drank vegetable soup after school. The Lin family also had children going to school, including those of similar age. But Xiao Meiniang was always worried when she saw her granddaughter growing up to be more and more beautiful. She hesitated about whether to stop them from studying, but Xue Yaya said to Xiao Meiniang:

"My grandma? My sister and the others won't go out anymore?"

Xiao Meiniang stopped hesitating immediately - having outstanding looks is not a sin, but if your mind is empty, then your fate in this life will never be good! In addition to studying, Xiao Meiniang does not think there is any other way to enrich your mind, so she emphasized before Xue Yunyun and the others started school:

"You should have been allowed to go in September before the New Year, but because our family is short of money—"

She looked at her child and daughter-in-law, and continued, "Reading can open people's minds and make them wise. Grandma doesn't ask you to be outstanding, but you must at least learn to think for yourself, what you want, how to protect yourself, and don't be reckless..."

Xue Yaya looked at her anxious grandmother and said distressedly: "Grandma, we know! Study, become smart, protect yourself, and protect your family!"

Xiao Meiniang stopped talking. Xue Yunyun and Xue Duoduo looked at their sister and said in unison: "Grandma, we will study hard and protect ourselves, our grandparents, parents, and our brothers and sisters!"

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