After dinner, Mrs. Shu called her two daughters-in-law and asked them about their parents' families.
Sun replied: "Listen to what my father said. He hasn't planned to leave yet. He wants to wait and see if it will rain. I tried to persuade him a few words and said nothing. It all depends on their own wishes."
."
Sun's mother died a few years ago, and her father married a widow and gave birth to a boy. The widow was not someone to be trifled with, so Sun's relationship with them was not cordial, and they only visited each other during New Years and holidays.
Take a trip home.
This time, she went to her mother's grave to burn some paper, but she felt nothing else.
But Yang was different. She had a wedding with her parents and cried a lot as soon as she got home. Her eyes were still red. When Mrs. Shu asked, she secretly wiped away her tears again.
Mrs. Shu felt uncomfortable seeing this. Her parents had died long ago and she had no worries.
But whenever I think about leaving the home where I have lived for most of my life in two days, and not knowing where I will wander to in the future, my heart feels like it has fallen into a pan of oil, and it aches.
"Second daughter-in-law, don't cry. Let's think on the bright side. We are going south this time to make a living. When we get back to settle down and have enough money, we can come back."
Mrs. Shu endured her sadness and comforted Mr. Yang a few words.
Yang choked up and said, "I know, I'm just angry. I'm angry that my dad still has to guard that broken carpenter's shop even though he can't live any longer!"
Tell me, why don't he pack up his things and come with us? No matter how expensive a carpenter's shop is, how can a person's life be so valuable?"
As she spoke, Yang couldn't help but burst into tears.
That night, some people were extremely happy for half a bag of yam beans, some were quarreling over the question of whether to leave or not, and some were in tears because of separation...
No matter how people feel, the sun will rise as usual the next day.
Old man Shu still remembered his promise and got up early to prepare breakfast for the family.
Mrs. Shu was not idle either. She sat by the bed and rummaged through the cabinet to pack clothes. When she usually wore them, she didn't think there were many clothes. Now when she took them out and took a look, there were quite a lot of tattered cotton-padded jackets and rags.
The old lady took out this one to see, well, it’s not too shabby and can still be worn after some modifications. She took out that one and looked at it, it was a bit torn and the soles could be accommodated after cutting... After turning it over and over, it still worked.
That something.
Yan Yan lay on the bedside and looked at it for a while, and finally yawned and asked: "Grandma, didn't you say that each person should bring two pieces of clothing? You have a lot of two pieces here."
Mrs. Shu: "...Grandma, let's take the pick."
After struggling for a long time, I finally picked out a few relatively new ones and threw away the others. The same was true for Old Man Shu's clothes. As for Yan Yan's clothes, there were only a few new ones in total, so there was no need to pick them out at all.
After breakfast, Shu Mingyi jingled and repaired the donkey cart, and the others worked together to pack the food, pots and pans, dried meat, bedding, etc.
After the donkey cart is repaired, the things are packed and tied up in categories, and the top is covered with a layer of oilcloth and covered tightly.
After everything was arranged, the house was mostly empty.
Looking at the empty rooms, Old Man Shu felt as if his heart had been chewed by something, leaving him feeling empty.
My granddaughter is here, the family is reunited, and my luck has improved. I wanted to work hard for two years to survive the hard times, build ten large brick houses in the village, and be envious of the old man Tang next door.
It's good now. The big tile-roofed house is gone, and we can't even live in the dilapidated mud house. How will we live in the future?
Old Shu was so worried that he didn't even eat much dinner. The boys were still careless, holding small bowls and eating until their bellies were round.
Before dawn the next day, the village chief knocked on his broken gong and called people all over the village. This time, no one needed to urge people to come out.
When the people were almost here, the village chief turned around and handed the gong to his eldest son. He also took the fire folds and paper money from his second son, and said to everyone: "We are leaving soon. Let us kneel down and kowtow to the ancestors of Yaoshui Village."
A little tall.
After kowtowing, as soon as the people leave, the village will disperse..."
Yan Yan stood beside her grandmother's legs, kowtowed to the village like the others, then changed direction and kowtowed to the gray mountains.
She thought to herself: "Grandma, I'm moving again. This time I'm going to a place far, far away. But I will still take care of myself, and you should take care of yourself too."
Children are very cautious. As long as they have food, clothing, and family to accompany them, nothing else matters to them. However, it is different for adults.
Looking at the familiar villages and familiar roads, and then thinking about the dangerous and unknown road ahead, everyone felt so choked up that some people knelt down and did not get up, lowering their heads and sobbing.
The village chief wiped away the water stains from the corners of his eyes, and still tried to persuade Shu Rong, who was determined to stay in Yaoshui Village: "Second uncle, just come with us. There are so many people in our village, and we will definitely get you there safely."
place!"
Shu Rong clasped his hands behind his back and said with a firm attitude: "If you don't leave, I won't leave! I want to protect the ancestors of the Shu family and our Yaoshui Village. As long as I am here, this village will never fall apart!"
The village chief couldn't persuade him, so he squatted on the roadside and let out a long sigh, his eyes turning red silently.
In addition to Shu Rong, there are two other families who are also unwilling to leave.
There was a family like Shu Rong, whose children moved away and married far away, but the two elderly people were too lazy to bother, so they stayed.
Another family's crops were next to Shu Guangzong's, but they were not burned, and they relied on the sky to eat.
The other two families have foreign surnames. I have agreed with my daughter and son-in-law in advance that they will go with them when the time comes, so that the village chief does not have to worry.
Therefore, of the fourteen households in Yaoshui Village, only nine followed the village chief. Except for Old Man Tang and Gu Dayong's family, the others were from the Shu family.
Before he left, Shu Mingren was still thinking about his few acres of land, so he went to Shu Rong and said: "Second Grandpa, my few acres of land have not been burned. I should be able to get two bags of grain. You can take it back home and eat it. It should be able to withstand it for a while."
Other families also expressed their opinions: I still have a pot that I can’t take away, so you can take it and use it; my table is quite nice, so please move it away...
Your words to me made the old man cry again.
"Okay, don't worry, just take your things and go." The village chief shouted to the noisy crowd, then went home and drove the donkey cart to the entrance of the village.
Soon, several other families came out with carts.
Number 100 people gathered together like scattered water splashes, forming a winding stream that swayed along the path to an unknown distance.
Mrs. Shu walked beside the donkey cart, turned around and took a look at the village hidden in the shadow of the trees, and unconsciously recalled the time when she had just married into Yaoshui Village.
Everyone's life was so comfortable at that time. When they were busy, they would throw off their arms and sweat profusely in the fields. When they were free, they would hold cattail fans and enjoy the cool under the trees at the entrance of the village, chatting and laughing...
Such an ordinary and happy life was gradually crushed into slag and dust by the sound of rolling wheels.
When the wind blew, dust fell into my eyes, and the tears I had been holding for two days finally poured down at this moment.