Siheyuan: Happy Life of Jia Zhang Family

After the two left, Zhang Dabao divided the meat and would distribute it to relatives and friends tomorrow morning. He would bring the offal back to Yard 95 in the evening. He would dig sweet potatoes the day after tomorrow and should set off next week.

I wanted to ask Huang Xinsheng today. I don’t know how many comrades will come and when they will come?

On second thought, if my comrades came over, I couldn't go with them, so I should go first and wait for Huang Xinsheng to call me when he left Beijing. Then I could just wait for them at the beach.

The aroma of the boiled offal became stronger and stronger, drifting far away with the autumn wind, causing several neighbors to curse at them at home, saying that it was so unethical to eat meat every day without considering the feelings of their neighbors.

Huang Xinsheng wrote letters to his eight comrades, and now all eight of them have sent telegrams back to Huang Xinsheng to express that they can go. Huang Xinsheng has sent out the resettlement expenses, and now all he has to do is wait for his comrades to arrive.

What Huang Xinsheng didn't know was that his letter directly disrupted the peaceful life of his comrades. Liu Hu, 22 years old, is Huang Xinsheng's fellow villager. Unlike Huang Xinsheng who was transferred due to injury, Liu Hu applied for transfer. If he didn't apply for transfer, his mother threatened to commit suicide because she was afraid that something would happen to her son.

Liu Hu was originally a rural soldier. After demobilization, he returned to the village to farm. Nowadays, rural life is not something you can do just by having strength. Where can you put your strength when it’s not raining?

Liu Hu's family has little labor force. His father died before liberation. He is the eldest and has three younger brothers and sisters. Only his second brother can be considered a full-time worker. His mother is in poor health. Now their family only eats one meal a day. How much strength can they have? It's good enough if they can barely stay alive.

As if it weren't raining, the ship was late and encountered headwinds. Liu Hu's family was already in financial difficulty. At this time, his mother fell ill and was sent to the hospital. She was diagnosed with severe malnutrition. The hospital prescribed two kilograms of soybeans, but Liu Hu didn't have the money to buy soybeans. It was his second brother who borrowed money from the village to buy soybeans for his mother.

When Liu Hong got home, his mother started a hunger strike and she didn't want to burden her children. When Liu Hu was injured on the battlefield, he didn't cry. When he saw his comrades die, Liu Hong suppressed his grief in his heart and didn't cry. But when he saw his mother's current situation, Liu Hu couldn't help but burst into tears.

He was powerless to change the current situation at home, nor could he persuade his mother. He could only watch his mother die. Just then the village accountant came and said, "Xiao Hu, is your sister-in-law's illness better? There is a letter for you, sent from the capital."

"Sixth Uncle, my mother won't listen to my advice, what can I do?" Liu Hu said with tears in his eyes as he took the letter handed to him by the accountant.

After the accountant left, Liu Hu opened the letter, which was from his comrade-in-arms Huang Xinsheng. "Brother Hu, this is Xinsheng. It's been two years since we last met. I wonder how you are doing. It shouldn't be too good, because life in the village is so difficult right now. I have an opportunity to work in a confidential unit, and I wonder if you are willing to take part. The salary is very high, 300 yuan a month. If you go, you may not be able to go home for two or three years, and the job is somewhat dangerous. If you are willing to go, send me a telegram and I will send you 500 yuan as a resettlement allowance. By the way, the person in charge of the new unit is our company commander Zhang Dabao. If you don't want to go, don't send a telegram, and don't tell anyone else about this. Huang Xinsheng".

"Mom, our family is saved. Our company commander has gone to a new unit to be in charge and asked me to go over. The treatment is good. You should have something to eat." Liu Hu put the letter and ran back home to say to his happy mother.

"Really?" Mother finally spoke, raising her head.

"This is a letter, it's real. It's written by Huang Xinsheng, the tall and thin guy from the next village, two years younger than me. He has six brothers. Haven't you met him? He came to see me last winter. He has transferred to the capital and is in the same unit as our company commander. It seems that the company commander has been promoted," Liu Hu said to his mother.

If people have hope, they will not go to a dead end. Huang Xinsheng's letter gave Liu Hu's mother hope to live. "Xiao Hu, do you want to be a worker?" the mother asked Liu Hu.

"Being a worker means the workplace is a little far from our home, and I can't come back often, but I get 30 yuan a month, and food and accommodation are provided." Liu Hu lied to his mother. If his mother knew that the job was dangerous, she would not let him go. But he had to go. This was a chance to improve his family's life, it could be said to be the only chance. Liu Hu didn't believe 300 yuan a month. Huang Xinsheng must have written it wrong. It should be 30 yuan, he thought to himself.

"That's great, thirty yuan. Our family can't even earn thirty yuan a year. We must go." Liu Hu's mother sat up happily.

After seeing his mother eat, Liu Hu took out fifty cents, which was money borrowed from the village. He had less than one dollar left. He walked ten kilometers to the commune and sent a telegram to Huang Xinsheng. There were only two words on the telegram: "I'll go."

After sending the telegram, he went home and waited for Huang Xinsheng to send him the resettlement fee. He estimated it to be fifty yuan, because it cost more than ten yuan to take a train to the capital, plus two or three yuan for food and drinks on the way. Liu Hu decided to take twenty of the money and leave thirty for his family, and buy some food for his family. If there was any money left, he would say that the second son would find a marriage, and the Liu family would continue. He remembered that when his father died, he held his hand and asked him to take care of the family. Thinking of his father's eyes, Liu Hu now just wanted to cry, because he felt sorry for his father and that his family was not living well.

One day, Liu Hu was working in the fields. The village party secretary ran to the fields and called Liu Hu over, "Xiao Hu, go to the village office quickly. I've sent you money from Beijing. You have friends in Beijing."

"Thank you, Fourth Uncle. This was sent by my company commander when I was in the army. He is now a factory director. I used to be a worker. You know my family situation, so I sent him a telegram to borrow money. My mother needs treatment for her illness. If I go out of town, the second son will have to take over. I use the remaining money to find him a wife," Liu Hu explained.

"Xiao Hu, it seems that your company commander treats you well and sent you 500 yuan," the branch secretary said in a low voice.

"Really?" Liu Hu's tears flowed down. He thought of the company commander who was one year younger than him and had strict training and brave combat skills. His eyes turned red.

"Xiao Hu, they are very nice to you. You must work hard when you get there and remember the kindness they showed you." The branch secretary educated Liu Hu as they walked.

After receiving the remittance slip from the postman, Liu Hu brought the letter of certification and called his second brother. The two brothers, with knives on their waists, came to the post office. The second brother Liu Quan was standing guard at the door of the post office. Liu Hu went in and received 500 yuan.

He put the wallet in his bag and tied it around his waist. After coming out, he and Liu Quan jogged back home.

"Mom, I have to leave tomorrow. I borrowed money from the company commander to send the third child and the youngest sister to school, and to find a marriage for the second child. You must remember to take good care of yourself while I'm away, and wait for me to come back," Liu Hu said to his mother with red eyes, and gave her the five hundred yuan in his bag.