My name is Liu Lei, and I was born in an ordinary rural family. His father, Uncle Liu, was an honest farmer, hardworking and kind; Her mother, Aunt Zhang, was a virtuous and capable woman. I have an older brother who is a few years older than me and is named Liu Jun.
Since childhood, our parents have taught us to be diligent and studious, have a good future in the future, and live a decent life. "You have to study hard and be a useful person to society in the future. "That's what my father used to tell us. My brother and I also nodded sensibly in agreement.
But who knows, my birth brought an unbearable disaster to my family. At that time, the country was implementing a family planning policy, and our family already had two children, and my mother violated the policy when she became pregnant. In order to avoid punishment, the family could only hide my existence for the time being.
"We have to be careful, if we are found by checking the account, it will be a big trouble. Mother said worriedly. My father was also very anxious, for fear that our family would be severely punished.
In this way, under the careful cover of my parents, I came into this world smoothly. But my family is poor, and I have suffered a lot since I was a child. In addition to drinking some salt water to satisfy hunger every day, it is to nibble on a few mouthfuls of dry and hard corn cobs. But I've been optimistic and cheerful since I was a child, and I've never been depressed by it. On the contrary, I often think that when I grow up, I must change the status quo and live a good life.
My brother is also very kind to me and often gives me some of his snacks. "Xiao Lei, this is for you to eat. "He always called me very sweetly. Our two brothers get along very well.
But the good times didn't last long, and one day, a group of family planning team members suddenly came to inspect the door.
"Uncle Liu, did your family conceal the household registration?" One of them asked.
"Ouch, so you're hiding a kid!" The man shouted, and the expression on his face immediately became hideous.
I was frightened by my parents' pleas and quickly hid back in the house, but my heart was beating wildly. My brother also looked at me with concern, his face full of worry.
In the end, the family planning team did not embarrass our family, but issued a heavy fine. My father had to sell the few acres of land he had in the family, plus all our savings in the past few years, to barely make up enough for the fine. Since then, our family has no place to stand, and we can only rely on part-time jobs to survive.
The days passed little by little, and our brothers grew up. Living in poverty has taught me to be independent and self-conscious since I was a child, and I have also developed a strong personality.
I've always dreamed of one day being able to change the status quo and live a decent life. Reading became my only way out. But my family has long been unable to make ends meet, and I can't afford my tuition at all. I had to give up my studies and work outside the farm since I was a child.
Soon, his brother Liu Jun married a daughter-in-law named Yang Hong. Yang Hong is not outstanding in appearance, but when she married into our family, we all thought she was a virtuous and good daughter-in-law. But it didn't take long for her mean, jealous side to be exposed.
She always looked down on me and pointed fingers at me. "You little old nine, you are idle at home, you really occupy the pit for nothing!" She used to humiliate me like that. Sometimes, when I just accidentally knocked over a bowl, she would lash out and reprimand her endlessly.
Although the elder brother is also embarrassed, he is an honest man in the family after all, and he does not want to quarrel with his wife, so he can only let her go. My mother would occasionally help me out, but Yang Hong could always find a new excuse to continue to abuse me.
In this way, the contradiction between Yang Hong and me intensified. She staged a big drama at home at every turn, scolding my ancestors for eighteen generations. I couldn't take it anymore and decided to run away from home.
"Anyway, I'm being scolded at home, so it's better for me to go, so as not to cause trouble to you. "One day, I said to my mother.
I broke free from my mother's hand and left the house without looking back. As I was leaving, I saw my brother looking at me with guilt on his face, and I could only nod at him with a pretended strength and leave.
A few days later, I packed some of my bags and prepared to fly away. But that night, when I was about to sneak out of the house, I was discovered by Yang Hong.
"You little bastard, you still want to sneak away!" Yang Hong grabbed me by the collar and threw me to the ground.
I gritted my teeth and stood up and retorted loudly: "Even if I leave, what does it matter to you?
"You dare to talk back!" Yang Hong was furious and raised her hand to hit me. Fortunately, her brother rushed out in time and grabbed her.
"You dogs and men know how to bully me!" My anger was completely ignited, and I cursed wildly.
At this moment, my parents were also awakened by our movement and hurriedly came to persuade them. But the contradictions between the two sides can no longer be reconciled, and finally turned into a big farce of family ugliness.
"Get out of here! From today on, we will never be a family again!" In the end, my brother was completely provoked by Yang Hong and angrily kicked me out of the house.
After being kicked out of the house by my brother, I really started to wander. A man rented a dilapidated cottage outside and barely survived. As the days passed, I often thought of my parents and brother at home, and my heart was mixed.
Sometimes in the dead of night, I can't hold back my tears. I remember how hard my parents pulled us brothers when I was a child; I think of my brother's affection for me; I think of the family we used to be happy with. But now, all these good memories have come to naught.
I started working odd jobs outside the home, barely making ends meet on a meager income. Sometimes it was so difficult that I even thought about stealing or scamming, but when I thought of my father's teachings to "be upright", I immediately dismissed the idea.
After a few more years, my life finally improved slightly. But at this moment, I received a bad news: my father was terminally ill and was terminally ill.
I hurried back to my hometown, and when I opened the door, I was greeted by a miserable scene. The house was surrounded by walls, not even a single piece of decent furniture, and even my father's hospital bed was only nailed up with a few broken wooden boards.
The mother was already gray, haggard, and was guarding her father's side. When she saw me return, her eyes immediately moistened.
I nodded my head again and again, but the tears could not be stopped. At this moment, my brother and Yang Hong also came in. They look even more embarrassed than they did a few years ago, and it seems that the past few years have not been easy.
When he saw me, my brother was stunned at first, but even lowered his head, as if he was embarrassed. Yang Hong turned her head in disgust and turned a blind eye to me, a "rebel".
Hearing my father's words, my brother and I both lowered our heads and felt guilty. Even Yang Hong choked in a low voice.
In this way, under the persuasion of my father, our family gradually got back together. My brother took the initiative to compensate me, and Yang Hong reluctantly apologized to me. I also decided to let go of my old grudges and cherish this last family member.
Since then, I have moved back to my hometown to take care of my sick father with my brother. We also started to run the family's land together, barely making ends meet. Although life is still tight, at least we are back together and become a whole family.
Through my family's experience, it is not difficult to see that the harsh family planning policy of those years brought a heavy burden to ordinary people's families. Families like ours are already living in poverty, and they have been severely punished, and their lives are even more difficult.
If we had been a little more lenient, I believe that the fate of our family would have changed. I wouldn't have suffered that kind of ordeal and be forced to leave home. All these sufferings are caused by that policy.
Although I was kicked out of the house by my brother and sister-in-law and suffered from the hurt of my loved ones, in the end, family affection prevailed over everything. Under my father's persuasion, our family reconciled as before. This family affection that blood is thicker than water is admirable.
It made me realize that no matter what happens, family members should always love each other and never be separated. Because only family members are the last support for ordinary people. It is this precious family affection that allows our family to reunite and tide over the difficulties together.
It is precisely because of the support of this family affection that I have the courage to continue to move forward and pursue my ideals. I secretly made up my mind that my father would see that his expectations would come true.
But fate often plays tricks on people like this. Just when we regained hope in life, my father's illness was getting worse day by day. In the end, on a cold winter night, my father passed away peacefully.
Our whole family stood by my father's body, grieving. I clutched my father's shriveled hands, and his teachings echoed in my mind over and over again. Yes, my father worked hard all his life, but he never complained, just to give us children a stable home.
It was only now that I truly understood my father's good intentions. Looking at his serene face, I secretly resolved that I must raise my eyebrows for my father and live a decent life.
In this way, under my father's entrustment and expectations, my brother and sister-in-law and I started anew and ran the family business together. Our brothers worked together, and Yang Hong finally learned to be considerate and tolerant.
Life is getting better day by day, and our relationship is getting better and better. With the support of my family, I finally had the opportunity to regain my dream of studying and enrolled in evening classes.