Siheyuan: Sizhu starts blindly and takes a new path

Yu Li chewed the chicken and passed a chicken leg to Sha Zhu's mouth, asking: "Do you think Xu Damao really stole the chicken? I think he was telling the truth when he said he bought it at the pigeon market."

Sha Zhu said, "He really didn't steal the chicken, but since he couldn't talk about the pigeon market, he could only admit to stealing the chicken. But I took the opportunity to beat him up a few times to vent my anger." Then he took a bite and returned the chicken leg to Yu Li, "It smells so good, wife, eat more, you look so thin."

Yu Li put the chicken leg into Shazhu's bowl and said, "You eat too. I can't eat that much. You talk as if you are fat. You have to eat more. We have to work hard to have children. By the way, who do you think stole our chicken?" (I have already left clues before.)

Sha Zhu picked up the chicken leg that had been scared off. "How would I know where it went? I'm not at home. But next time when we're not at home, we should move the chicken coop into the house. It's safer this way."

时值六七月北方的旱情依然严重，全年粮食总产量相较于1958年的粮食产量低了22%左右，但比61年增长了11.6%，61年的人均只有207.3公斤。情况依然不乐观。

The days of the Jia family are getting worse and worse. Because of feeding Huaihua and many household chores, Qin Huairu cannot focus more on her job, so much so that she has not passed the assessment for a first-level worker yet. In recent months, she has taken leave for various miscellaneous reasons and some of her salary has been deducted. Her already meager income has become even more stretched, so she discussed with her mother-in-law whether she should give her less pension.

"Impossible, Qin Huairu, you still want to take my pension money, you want to die, you don't have the ability to make money, so you put your sights on me. What we have agreed on cannot be changed." Mrs. Jia firmly objected.

"Mom, I just want to go to the pigeon market to buy some food. I'm not going to do anything else. Banggeng and Xiaodang grow fast and eat a lot. Our family doesn't have enough food. I'll just give you a few months' supply. When I pass the assessment and my salary increases, I'll also increase your pension."

"You've passed the assessment. It's been so long now. Even a pig should have learned to pass it, but you haven't. You said you look smart, so why are you so bad at your job? I guess you're just not paying attention. If I had known, I wouldn't have let you take over. It would have been better to leave it to my eldest grandson. Even if it's sold, it's better than it is now."

"How can I not be attentive? I have to come back every day to feed the baby, wash clothes and cook. Am I free?"

"I'm talking about you at work. What did you do at work? Did you breastfeed, wash clothes and cook at work? I think you were thinking about men at work, you slutty vixen, an unfaithful bitch. I'll beat you to death." Mrs. Jia became more and more angry as she spoke, as if what she said had come true, and she waved her hand and hit Qin Huairu in the face.

"Ah!" Qin Huairu yelled and ran out, away from Mrs. Jia: "Mom, are you being unreasonable? I am so tired of taking care of the children and doing housework at home, and I don't have enough to eat. How can I have the energy to work in the factory? Locksmith work requires physical strength. How can I work without energy?"

"So you blame me for all this, right? I didn't let you have enough to eat, so you gave birth to several children, right?" Mrs. Jia insisted, "Why don't you say that your dissatisfaction made my son die of exhaustion, and caused me to lose my son in my old age, and my grandchildren have no father to love them. You are right, you deserve it."

Their quarrel had already attracted half the audience in the yard. Now everyone was holding a bowl and eating steamed bread. The steamed bread made of coarse grains and bran was not easy to swallow, but the melon from the Jia family attracted the brain's attention, so the throat could not feel the stinging sensation.

Qin Huairu began to wipe away tears, "Mom, I don't blame you, but you can't say I deserve it. Dongxu's death was an accident. I dream about him every night. I'm busy every day. I have no credit for this, but I have worked hard. I just think that if I don't give you pension money for these two, you will beat and scold them."

A neighbor came out to support Qin Huairu: "Banggeng grandma, I have to say this, Qin Huairu is such a good daughter-in-law. Since she got married, I often saw her washing clothes by the sink. You and the children are clean inside and out. Qin Huairu is good in this respect. You hit her. You are really disrespectful to the elderly."

"Yes, yes, you see, the Jia family's house is very tidy. And since Qin Huairu got married, we rarely see Grandma Banggeng doing housework. She is either walking around here or there all day long, and she has no real work to do." Another neighbor joined in.

"You, you have all been deceived by her. She is just pretending to be diligent." Mrs. Jia said, "Who has so many dirty clothes to wash every day? I also help clean the house."

"We only saw Qin Huairu working but not you."

"Sister-in-law, please stop talking. Huairu has done a good job since she came to your Jia family. Everyone can see it clearly. I think you are angry with Huairu now because you are so angry, right?" An old man came forward and handed a ladder to both sides.

Seeing that everyone was helping Qin Huairu and she had no chance of winning, Mrs. Jia had no choice but to give up. She covered her chest and said, "Yes, when Qin Huairu mentioned Dongxu just now, I heard my son's name and I was so lost in longing for him that I don't know what I did. I'll go back and rest for a while." Then she slowly went back to the house.

"They're pretending so well!" someone complained.

Qin Huairu walked to the other side of the uncle and said, "Thank you, uncle."

"Are you having any difficulties? If you have any problems, just tell us and we will definitely help you if we can." An old man promised on behalf of everyone.

"Well, we can hardly make ends meet at home." Qin Huairu said in a low voice with a pale face.

"Come to the yard in the evening and I'll give you some cornmeal to support you. It's not easy for every family now. There is no food. The old lady's food is now managed by Yu Li, or I can give you some more." Uncle Qian can solve the problem, but food is really difficult.

At night, Huaihua sucked for a long time but didn't get much milk, so she cried anxiously.

"Qin Huairu, hurry up and comfort her and give her more milk. Don't let this little money-loser cry. Her crying makes my head hurt." Mrs. Jia complained.

"Mom, I want to feed more too. She was fine in the afternoon, but now her milk supply is very low. I think she is weaning."

"Why did your milk stop coming out of nowhere? Did you eat something wrong?" Mrs. Jia tried to shirk responsibility.

Qin Huairu said aggrievedly: "You are watching me eat everything, how can I eat one more bite? I am just angry because of the quarrel just now."

"Hey, it's my fault again, right? It's all my fault. I shouldn't be alive. I should die. I should die with Dongxu." As Mrs. Jia said this, she was about to start another wailing drama.

"Mom, please don't come again. If you really make my milk go away, we won't have the money to buy milk powder for Huaihua, and the child will starve to death." Qin Huairu tried to remain calm and explained the interests to Mrs. Jia for the sake of her child. "I'll keep a good mood and make some millet porridge tomorrow morning. My milk should be able to recover."

Although Mrs. Jia didn't like Huaihua because she was a girl, the child was Jia Dongxu's blood after all, and she couldn't let Huaihua starve to death. Mrs. Jia turned over, covered her ears with her hands, buried her head in the quilt, and fell asleep.

Qin Huairu patted Huaihua gently to comfort her. Huaihua was hungry and tired from crying, so she slowly fell asleep.

Qin Huairu looked at the old and young on the kang and frowned: How can we live without money and food? Jia Dongxu, you short-lived ghost made my mother suffer, and I have to remain faithful to you. Remain faithful? In the new society, it seems that this is not advocated anymore. Can I take a step forward? But who would marry a widow with three children? Most of the people who like me are after my body, and they may want me to bear children for them. They will not be sincere to my three children. Even if I marry again, I can't have children again. How can I not have children? I will ask Doctor Li tomorrow.