The woman of Zhao Dagui's family

Chapter III

Zhao Dagui and Xiufen gave birth to a total of six children, five daughters, a son, the first four are girls, the eldest daughter is seventeen years old, she and the following three sisters are also one or two years apart in turn, the fifth is the son, almost ten years old, the youngest is a girl, just two years old, Xiufen gave the five daughters the names in turn: Caiyun, Caixia, Caifeng, Caiying, Cailing, named her son "New Life", which means that she hopes that her son can live a new and good life in the future. Don't live like them who are desperate to eat and wear.

Dagui and Xiufen did not intend to have another child after giving birth to a son, but after a few years, they accidentally gave birth to another girl. After the birth of the little daughter, Xiufen is planning to give people, also, so many children, the family situation is not good, where can afford to raise ah, but the big noble life and death do not agree, the big gui said to see his own flesh and bones to others, he is painful in his heart, he is not willing. Dagui also said that there are many children and many blessings, the girlfriend is the little cotton jacket of the father's mother, the crutch of the father's mother after she is old, the golden rice bowl of the second half of the father's life, there are so many girls, they will have food to eat when they are old, they will be served, they will enjoy the blessings of their daughters, he is no longer poor and bitter, he will not give the child away, no matter how hard and tired he is, he will raise the child.

Although the days are difficult, the children are always hungry and bad, and they are all dry and thin, but thankfully, the children are very healthy and safe, well-behaved and sensible, peace is a blessing, health is a blessing, and what is more important than the safety and health of the children.

On weekdays, when he saw the children jumping and jumping and cheering, or the moment when the children gathered around him and hugged and hugged, Zhao Dagui was happy and contented, but at the same time he also felt very guilty, especially every time he saw other people's children wearing new clothes and eating white-faced steamed buns, while his own children were wearing worn or even tattered clothes and eating nest pickles, he was even more heartbroken. But what is the way, who makes himself incompetent and poor?

Zhao Dagui loves to gamble, and whenever he wins a piece or two of the gambling money, he will always buy a pound of peanuts or a dozen sugar cubes for the children. Looking at the children's eyes shining when they saw the peanut candy block, the joy on their faces that was difficult to conceal, the mouths constantly squirming, and even the happiness and happiness of jumping and cheering, Zhao Dagui always had to gush an indescribable taste in his heart, both very happy and deeply hurt, both relieved and sad, it was really sour, sweet, bitter and spicy.

"At present, life is bitter, and after these few years, when the children are grown up, life will be better." Zhao Dagui said this to himself again and again in his heart.

"Survive these years", lack of food and drink, lack of clothes and less clothing, four walls of the family, no name, this, this day is a boiling method!

No matter how difficult it is, the days have to be lived, stay up...

Five children poured in the yard, one of whom was about two or three years old and was carried in front of a girl of about fifteen years old, followed by two thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls and a teenage boy. The children's faces were frozen red and their hair was a little messy. The three older girls had slender and slightly yellow hair, all with a braid tied with a red head rope, and the clothes they wore on the outside did not fit well, some were wide, some narrow, some over their butts, and some could not even cover the cotton jackets they wore inside, obviously, these clothes were not tailor-made for them, they may be wearing what someone else left, or someone else threw it away and then picked it up by their parents.

The girl holding the child is Cai Xia, the second daughter of Dagui. Cai Xia wore a dark red velvet coat with a large round neck on the upper body, a pair of dark green velvet pants underneath, and a pair of black cloth cotton shoes on her feet. Her eyes are sparkling, her face is flushed with whiteness, she is the kind of watery, translucent, clean, elegant girl, the kind of girl who makes people fall in love at first sight. Cai Xia was holding her youngest sister Cai Ling in her arms, and behind her were her third sister Cai Feng and fourth sister Cai Ying. Cai Feng and Cai Ying were wearing wide and loose blue clothes, one look was a boy, both of their faces and hands were mud, their hair was scattered, they looked disheveled, their two big eyes kept looking, their mouths were tightly closed, and they were full of the wild nature characteristic of boys, untamed, wild and unruly, daring to challenge everything. The boy who followed them wore only cotton pants, no outer coat, and there were cracks in the cotton pants, revealing the yellow and black cotton wool inside. This boy has a round head, his hair is short and thin, and his face and hands are covered with mud, this is the son of a nobleman, called Xinsheng.

"Mother, is the meal ready?" Cai Feng, Cai Ying, and the new students shouted that they were hungry. Cai Xia shouted as soon as she entered the courtyard.

When a few children entered the house, the room immediately looked much narrower, but it also made people feel a little warmer than before.

"Just know to eat and eat, look at you dirty, one by one like Hanako, didn't see that it has not been done, go and go, flash aside, let me sit on the pot, cook for you." 」 Xiu Fen said as she poked the fire with a "musket" (a kind of slender iron rod used in the countryside to poke the stove in order to make the stove more prosperous), then lifted the iron pot from under the table and placed it on the stove, then lifted the lid, scooped a few scoops of water from the water tank in the corner of the door into the pot, put a wooden pot beam on the inner wall of the pot, spread a sorghum spike string on the pot beam, and then took a few nests from a willow shallow basket on the table and put it on the grate, and finally covered the pot lid.

"Mother, I'm hungry right now." The son looked at Xiufen with his eyes blank.

Xiufen tapped her son's nose, smiled with infinite love and pity, and said, "You know how to eat, you can eat and can't do it, you are a little idiot." Come, eat half-chilled first, and then eat hot ones after a while when the meal is ready. XiuFen lifted the lid of the pot, picked up a nest and broke the little half and handed it to her son.

The newborn held a half-pulled nest head in his small hand but did not eat it, still looking at Xiufen with his eyes, the corners of his mouth squirmed a little, and gently said lowly and timidly: "Mother, I want to eat steamed buns." ”

XiuFen stood still, she looked at her son, and then looked at several daughters, and several daughters were also looking at her with their eyes wide open, and their mouths moved, as if they were swallowing something.

Xiufen looked at her son for a while, squatted down, and stroked her son's face with her hand, "Son, in a few days it will be the New Year, and when the New Year comes, the mother will definitely let you and your sister eat a full steamed bun, eat enough, and insist on it for a few more days, okay?" ”

"Hmm." The freshman nodded sensibly.

Looking at the thin faces of her son and daughter, Xiufen couldn't help but see tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Mother, don't you cry, I don't eat steamed buns." The new student gently wiped the corners of Xiufen's eyes with her dirty little hands.

"I blame you for making my mother cry." The third daughter, Cai Feng, blamed her brother.

"Mother, just now we were playing on the street, the new student saw other children eating steamed buns, he told me on the street that he wanted to eat steamed buns, I didn't want to... That's why I brought them back. The second daughter Cai Xia said to Xiu Fen.

Xiufen stood up, her eyes full of infinite kindness and love, her face full of happy smiles, she touched the heads of several children one by one, and said softly: "Okay, quickly wash your hands and faces, in a moment we should eat." Mother promised you that this year's New Year, I will let you eat enough steamed buns, okay? ”

"Okay." The children all shouted loudly and had smiles on their faces.

"Father, mother, when I grow up, I will definitely make a lot of money, let you eat steamed bread every day, every day for the New Year," Cai Feng looked at Dagui, looked at Xiufen, and said with great determination.

"Well, Daddy, just wait to eat the girl's steamed buns, enjoy the blessings of the girl's daughter, your father, really count on you girls, is not his father?" Xiufen did not turn her head and say to Dagui.

"Yes, yes, the girls are older, sensible, know that it hurts us, alas, or more children are good, I and your mother can rely on food to eat when we are old, good, good, good." Dagui, who had been sitting on the edge of the kang and bowing his head and contemplating his thoughts, listened to Cai Feng's words, showed a look of excitement and joy, and swept away the sad, anxious, and bored emotions just now.

Yes, he loves the children, loves this family, although he does not have the ability to make this family and children live better, he is also ashamed in his heart, he feels sorry for this family and children, but somehow, as soon as he sees the children, especially when he sees the children happy and cheerful, he feels that he has endless energy, and his heart has drummed up an upward force, a yearning full of confidence in the future, and also igniting a bright and sweet hope.

The pot "sizzled" and steamed. After washing their hands and faces, the children chased and played in the yard. Xiufen and Dagui teased their little daughter Cai Ling in their arms.

"Hey, Caiyun, why didn't you see Caiyun come back?" Xiufen suddenly remembered something and asked Dagui.

"Yeah, I didn't see her come back, I haven't seen her come back, did I go to someone's house to learn embroidery?" Da Gui speculated and said, "She's such a big girl, don't worry about her." ”

"This will be dinner right away, and when we finish eating, she will come back, and the meal should be cold again, so let Cai Xia go and find her." After speaking, Xiufen shouted into the courtyard, "Cai Xia, what about your sister?" Why hasn't she come back? You go and find it and get her back for dinner. ”

In the courtyard, Before Cai Xia could answer, Cai Feng had already shouted into the room, "Mother, the eldest sister and Brother Zhigang are together." ”

Cai Xia glanced at Cai Feng, "You talk a lot." Then he shouted, "Mother, I will go to find the eldest sister to come back." After saying that, he ran out.