I will never forget that winter day in 85, when the food at home ran out near the end of the year, my father and second brother were looking for work outside, and my mother was crying on the empty noodle jar.
At that time, I was still young, and I only had the idea of who was good to me in my mind, and I still remember the kindness of my uncle's family after many years.
I actually lived a good life before I was 10 years old, although my family was not very rich at that time, but because my father was a small factory director in the factory, I did not suffer much since I was a child.
It was only later that a worker in my father's factory fell and was not saved, so in order to compensate the victim's family, my father took out all his family funds. Since then, my family's life has been turned upside down.
At that time, my family was poor, and often our brothers and sisters were hungry, and the hard days passed day by day, and there was always a time to get through, but in the most difficult time, all the relatives hid far away, only ......
This article is purely fictitious, if there is any similarity, it is purely coincidental, please do not sit in the opposite seat
At that time, I was afraid to go home, because every time I entered the house, I saw my father being pointed at and scolding, and my mother was crying.
My father stopped running a factory, got a dilapidated tricycle and took his two brothers to dump coal, and finally paid off his foreign debts.
The debt collectors no longer come to the door, and the family can finally take a breath, but in the days when the accident happened at home, my mother suffered a lot of damage to her eyes because she washed her face with tears all day long, and it was difficult to see things.
Our brothers and sisters tried to do something happy for our mother on weekdays, for fear that our mother would cry again because of something, but it backfired, and my father was busy repaying the money, and his body was overloaded and had a myocardial infarction.
Fortunately, the myocardial infarction started from the lower limbs, not directly to the heart, and my father picked up a life, but my family just had a chance to breathe, because of my father's serious illness, and I returned to my original form, only this time my mother was very strong and did not cry.
Growing up was just a moment, and I was just scared when there were debts at home every day, but it wasn't until my father was lying in bed due to illness that I really felt the sky falling.
My father is the pillar of the family, and when I fell, all the burdens fell on my mother, and our family's life was even more stretched.
My father has 7 brothers and sisters, and my grandfather is a blacksmith, and he was a landlord in the past, but after such a big incident happened in my family, my grandfather did not help my family at all, but quarreled with my father because of a trivial matter, and did not recognize this son.
Since then, my family and my grandfather's family have broken off contact, and my uncles usually nod their heads when they see us juniors, and never interact. Only a few aunts who married into other villages would secretly visit their father when they came to visit their grandparents.
Our family didn't want to expect others to turn over, although it was a relative, but after seeing what my grandfather did, I still felt a lot cold. Grandpa was so anxious to dissociate himself from his father, wasn't he afraid that the debts owed by our family would drag them down?
Even if the family is miserable and poor, my mother didn't let me and my brothers not go to school, my brother studied very well and worked hard, what happened at home was ignorant to me, but for my brother, he had seen it very clearly, and only by getting ahead could I earn a breath back.
But the second brother is not the material for learning, he is reluctant to go to school when he finishes elementary school, and his father and mother know that the second brother is for the sake of the family, and it is also for the eldest brother to study with peace of mind.
My father's health gradually improved, and the second brother partnered with my father to run some errands and pay off foreign debts for the eldest brother and me to go to school.
At that time, the money was really hard to earn, and after the big changes in the factory, my father did not have the previous sharpness, and the whole person just wanted to pay off the money first and live an ordinary life.
Life goes by day by day, parents are not lazy people, but they just can't earn any money, and they can finally save some money, either there is this or that.
But live in the world for a day, there is a way to live, although our family is poor, but the family atmosphere is very good, although the grandfather's family is reluctant to interact with our family, uncles and uncles do not move around much, but the filial piety that our juniors should do during the New Year's holidays is not less.
After the accident, my mother kept telling us, "The current poor life is only temporary, I don't believe that our family will always be able to resist this tone, others can look down on us, but we can't look down on ourselves." ”
The hard days continued, and I clearly remember that in the winter of 85, the food stored at home was almost exhausted, and the whole family had eaten sweet potato porridge for almost a month, and the only remaining sweet potatoes were almost finished, and they couldn't survive the New Year.
My mother had no choice but to hike to her mother's house to borrow some food and pass the year first.
Early that morning, my mother got up early and dressed up carefully, hoping to let my grandmother see her strong appearance. She walked through the winding mountain road, and with a nervous heart, stepped into the door of her grandmother's house.
However, things didn't go as smoothly as she had imagined. When Grandma saw her, she had a displeased look on her face. She felt ashamed that her mother had come to beg for her.
"What are you doing here?" asked Grandma coldly. If something happened to our family, grandma must have known.
The mother stubbornly said what she meant: "Mom, there is no food at home, and the children are hungry. I want to ......"
"What do you want?" interrupted Grandma, "do you want me to give you the food? Who do you think you are?"
The mother's heart sank, and she knew that her grandmother had misunderstood her. She quickly explained: "Mom, I'm not here to ask for food, I just want to borrow some food, and I'll return it to you when the food is harvested in the autumn." ”
Grandma was dismissive: "Pay me back, do you have the ability to pay it back?"
Tears welled up in her mother's eyes, but she tried to keep them from falling. She knew that at this time, she could not show weakness.
"Mother, our family has encountered something, when did you go to treat you well, now it's almost the New Year, I don't look good when I go to someone else's house to borrow, don't you get more food in the autumn? Give us some, and when the next autumn comes, we will give you double." ”
But to say that grandma was unwilling to lend her mother food, and her mother could only come back in a huff.
When the father was still in the factory, I didn't see my grandmother with this face, and I said that I loved my daughter the most, but how could my grandmother let her daughter have a bad year?
When the elder brother saw his mother, he stepped forward and held his mother's hand tightly: "Mom, we are not afraid of hunger. Together, we will get through this. ”
I also squeezed in and said, "Mom, grandma doesn't lend us food, we grow it ourselves!"
Mother looked at us and felt a warm current in her heart. She knows that with these sensible children by her side, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome.
But now that it's the end of the year, the children have already suffered a lot, and they can't even have a bad New Year. The mother is the fourth in the family, with two older brothers and one older sister.
Usually, the relationship between our family and my uncle's family is relatively good, and my uncle and aunt are both sensible people, and they did not bully us because our family was rich in the past, and now they do not bully us because our family is poor.
Mother is not giving up, there must be some misunderstanding between her and grandma, but now it is the most important thing to borrow food.
The next day, my mother called me and my eldest brother up, "Uncle usually loves the two of you the most, you go to your uncle's house to borrow 20 catties of grain, by the way, ask your uncle, what's wrong with grandma? There must be some misunderstanding in the middle, although my mother usually doesn't go to my grandmother's house much, but when I am at my mother's house, my grandmother still loves my mother very much." ”
We also think that although grandpa is not close here, we are very close to grandma's relatives, and the happiest thing about the Chinese New Year every year is to be able to go to grandma's house to visit relatives, and we can't figure out why?
My eldest brother and I took a sip of water and left, and my eldest brother held my hand tightly along the way, and the two of us analyzed the misunderstanding between my grandmother and my mother, and said that my grandmother thought that my mother had not visited her for a long time, and that I had borrowed something.
After a while, I said that grandma must have heard some rumors, and we analyzed it in a good way, and even said who was chewing the root of the tongue in the middle, and we also went to my uncle's house while talking and laughing.
My uncle's house and my grandmother's house are not far away, only two households apart. My eldest brother and I walked into the courtyard of my uncle's house, and my aunt was doing laundry, and when she saw us coming in, she quickly shook her hand and wiped her apron.
"Alas, Xiaobin and Xiaoyue are here, I haven't seen you two here for a long time, come in, have you eaten?" ”
"Auntie, we've eaten," the eldest brother said quickly.
"After eating, eat some more, I see that you have both lost weight, and you will celebrate the New Year soon, and you have to be round. ”
My aunt went to the kitchen and brought out two bowls of rice soup and took out two steamed buns, my eldest brother and I's eyes lit up, we haven't eaten steamed buns for a long time.
My aunt saw our embarrassment, went to the laundry sink and washed our clothes, and only said that we should eat quickly, and we would eat lunch at her house later.
My eldest brother and I devoured it, and at this time my uncle also walked in from outside.
"Xiaobin and Xiaoyue are here? It just so happens that I was going to go to your house recently, and I ran away when you came to the province. ”
My aunt also came in at this time, and my uncle said, "Didn't your mother go to your grandmother's house yesterday?" ”
"Yes, my grandmother's words are so ugly that my mother came back crying. I said with a stir of oil and vinegar.
Uncle laughed, "Your grandmother is also old and confused, I originally meant to feel sorry for your mother, and I thought that there was such a big incident in your mother's family, so I didn't tell it here, we still heard it from other people's mouths." ”
My eldest brother and I glanced at each other, and this guess is not far from ten.
"Your family is in trouble, why don't you tell your uncle? There is no uncle, there is no uncle, what about your uncle, and your aunt? Your grandmother just thinks that your mother doesn't say anything, and then carries it herself, what can't you discuss with your family? ”
"Uncle, grandma knows my mother's difficulties, and she still speaks so ugly, my mother just went to borrow food, and it's not that she won't pay it back. "I'm still angry for my mother.
"Your grandmother just can't get over her face, she heard about her daughter's family from other people's mouths, and wanted to say a few words to your mother, but your mother was also temperamental, so she went back. ”
"Uncle, my mother asked us to come today just to let us borrow 20 catties of grain from your family. The eldest brother took the opportunity to say something.
"If you don't come today, I will send it to you, after your mother went back, your grandmother was also angry, and specially asked me to go over and prepare it for you. ”
The uncle dragged out a flour bag from the back room, "It's grain, you and your eldest brother can't move it, there is a small cart at home, you two push it back, ten miles of land, I have to give you the door tired." ”
My aunt hurriedly went to push the cart over, and after the food was put away, my aunt and uncle sat down and talked for a while. It wasn't too early, so my aunt hurried to prepare lunch.
After having lunch at my uncle's house, my eldest brother and I went home in a hurry, this time we borrowed food, my mother didn't have to worry about the New Year, and the misunderstanding between my mother and my grandmother was resolved.
When I arrived at the entrance of the village, my mother stood at the door early and waited, and when she saw the two of us coming back, her heart fell to the ground.
"I'm also confused, how can I let you two borrow food? Fortunately, your uncle found you a cart, and I really borrowed it. ”
I was quick to talk, and told my mother everything that happened at my uncle's house, and my mother looked at the bag of food, and couldn't cry or laugh, "Your grandma is a child, and I am also a child, I can't listen to what your grandma said about me, my mother is not doing well, she is not a good example, you don't want to learn from me." ”
As she spoke, the mother walked to the flour bag, opened it, and saw that there was not only directly ground flour, but also some rice in the bag, and in the other bag was pork from the uncle's family, and in the innermost pocket there was a piece of paper, and a piece of 50 yuan, and a piece of 20 yuan money.
The paper read, "Sister, we are a family, if there is anything in the future, go back to your parents' house and say, I will take out 50 for you, and your second brother will take 20 for you, and my mother will prepare those rice for you." ”
The mother burst into tears when she saw it, this bag of flour, all this money was a charcoal in the snow. My mother's eyes couldn't shed more tears, so my eldest brother and I quickly cleaned up and said to my mother, "Mom, we will definitely be filial to my grandmother and uncle in the future." ”
"Yes, you have to go to your grandmother's house a lot, your relatives are getting closer and closer the more you move, and you will be filial to them when you have the ability in the future. ”
This year can be considered to be a good one, my father and second brother also rushed home at the end of the year, my father and second brother were doing loose work outside, and my mother was also down-to-earth.
The days are slowly getting better day by day, after his father has been decadent for a few months, he has slowly regained his spirit, he found that it is still very profitable to pour coal now, and the previous three rounds are still there, and he and his second brother are taking turns to pour coal.
The second brother drove a tricycle at a young age. Slowly, our family's foreign debts became less and less, and gradually there was a surplus, and my grandfather never went to my house before, but now he would sneak around from time to time and turn around a few times.
My father knew that my grandfather wanted to reconcile, so he handed him a step, and our family and my grandfather's house started to move around again, maybe because we were indebted, and after reconciliation, grandma treated us better than before.
We are the happiest every year or go to grandma's house to visit relatives, after a few years, grandma died, my mother cried the most, no one can persuade can't stop, we all know that grandma loves her mother the most, and the person who loves her the most has died.
Grandpa passed away a few years ago, and they all said that when my father and mother left, my brothers and sisters would not kiss, but our family was not, uncle, brother-in-law and aunt walked more diligently after grandma died.
Maybe it's because they're getting older, and they're more willing to be together as a family and talk about the past. Uncle is from Zhang Luo, as long as we juniors cooperate.
Everyone's life is getting better and better, my father and second brother have been upside down for many years, and the two have changed from three wheels to three jumpers from a small age, and then to a four-wheeled agricultural vehicle, and within a few years, they have changed to the first four and the last eight.
The eldest brother was also admitted to a good university, and in Chengdu, I also ran far away and ran to Shandong, but no matter how far we go, we will find time to go back.
When his grandfather died that year, he wanted to see his eldest grandson with a breath, and the eldest brother was in college in Chengdu at that time, and he couldn't come back in time, so he finally called his grandfather, and his grandfather died.
As soon as grandpa left, all the past really disappeared, and when he held a funeral for grandpa, his father lowered his head and cried silently for a long time.
Later, everyone got married, got married, got married, and the eldest brother settled in Chengdu, and I also married in Shandong, and only the second brother stayed at home to accompany his parents.
The eldest brother always said that he owed the second brother, and he was close to the second brother for everything, but I was the most favored of the two of them.
The two children of the uncle's family are more competitive, and they have already bought a house for the uncle in the city. Although my eldest brother and I ran far away, we still went back to see our parents and my uncle and uncle in two or three months.
Every time I went home, my uncle always waited at the intersection early, watching our car from a distance, with a simple smile on his face. That smile, like a warm sunshine, illuminates our hearts.
The two children of my uncle's family have been role models in our eyes since they were young. They were studious, intelligent, and grew up to make a home in the city by their own efforts. Whenever they are mentioned, the uncle's ravine-lined face is always full of pride.
Although my eldest brother and I are away all the year round, we always have our family in mind. Every time we went home, we would bring my uncle some local specialties or his favorite tea. And the happiest thing about my uncle is watching us sit around and share our lives.
Once when I went home, my uncle suddenly sighed: "You children, you are all my pride." The corners of his eyes were slightly moist, and that was the first time I had seen my uncle's fragility. We held his hand tightly, as if trying to pass on all the warmth and strength to him.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's time to part. We were standing at the intersection, and my uncle was still standing there, watching us go away. The car is getting farther and farther away, but I know that no matter how far I go, the attachment to my family and my concern for my uncle will never dissipate.
During the epidemic, everyone became a little foreigner, and my aunt almost didn't survive, and she was hospitalized for a long time, and after my eldest brother and I found out, we all hurried home and took turns serving my aunt and uncle with my cousin.
Continuous hospitalization, side effects of drugs, made her pale and emaciated. Seeing her lying in a hospital bed, our hearts were filled with worry and helplessness.
My eldest brother and I decided to drop everything we had and go home to take care of my aunt. We worked together, some were responsible for buying vegetables and cooking, some were responsible for delivering medicine and pouring water, and some were with my aunt and cheered her on.
During that special period, we had to take our temperature, wear masks, and sanitize our hands every day. Although life has become difficult, our hearts are tightly united.
When night fell, we would sit around my aunt's bedside and tell interesting stories from our childhood, hoping to bring her a little joy. The aunt's face gradually became rosy, and her smile bloomed again.
Finally, one day, the doctor told us that my aunt's condition had improved significantly. At that moment, the uncle's heart finally calmed down, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Uncle knows that we are all good children, and he and his aunt have supported each other all their lives, and he doesn't want his aunt to leave like this.
I specifically teased my uncle, "Uncle, our family has longevity genes, you see that grandma has lived to be 93 years old, you and your aunt will definitely be able to do it, don't they all say, if you don't die in a catastrophe, there will be a blessing? ”
Uncle couldn't cry or laugh, "You have a long mouth." ”
The atmosphere was relaxed, my aunt's illness got better faster, and then I didn't have to be hospitalized, my cousin took my aunt to the house, and my eldest brother and I didn't have to take turns taking care of my aunt anymore.
Now that the eldest brother's children have become fathers, he doesn't have any major incidents, so he simply lives at his parents' house, and occasionally goes back to Chengdu, and the sister-in-law does not complain about the eldest brother, but often takes the little grandson back to visit his father and mother.
The sister-in-law is an empathetic woman, she knows that the eldest brother cares about her parents, so she often takes the children home, so that this home is always full of warmth and love.
My father and mother have become grandfathers and grandmothers, and my father always sighs when he thinks of things when he was young, "I was really poor at that time, and I am afraid that I will not be able to live one day." Everything is good now, in the old days, you had to gnaw the bark and eat the nest, who is still rare now. ”
The eldest brother accompanied his father to chat, and the second brother ran out to play mahjong, and when the second brother got older, he loved to take a break at noon and go to build a Great Wall.
Now the whole family is happily gathered together, listening to my father talk about the past, and then listening to my mother and us nagging about what happened when my grandmother was there.
Today, we are all middle-aged, and our parents are getting old. However, the days with parents by their side are always so warm and beautiful. Every morning, my mother prepared breakfast for us, and my father walked and chatted with us. Their smiles and love made us feel the warmth and happiness of home.
Every holiday, we go home and reunite. Everyone sat around the dining table, tasting the food cooked by the sister-in-law, and sharing each other's life and work. Those good times always go by very quickly. But that feeling of family affection and happiness will always remain in our hearts.
The help and support given to us by my uncle's family back then will be remembered by us for the rest of our lives. And now, we are also repaying our parents and family with our actions and love. The power of this family affection makes us believe that no matter what difficulties and challenges we encounter, as long as our family members are united, we can create a better future.
Text: Stranded fish
Edit: Stranded fish