CH 65

Jun 10 2022

After a few days, Li Xiao’er’s body gradually recovered, and he could vaguely hear the sounds around him. After he mentioned he heard a relatively loud noise, Li Changfeng immediately sent Li Xiao’er to the Lin family clinic in town to check.

“Well, yes, if you continue recuperating like this, you will be back to normal in no time.”

After checking Li Xiao’er, old Dr. Lin said that, and although Li Xiao’er couldn’t really hear him, he could see from his second brother’s expression that his ears were slowly recovering, which made him overjoyed, if he had to be deaf his entire life like this, he might as well just die!

Li Changfeng was also happy when he heard it, but he still asked Old Doctor Lin to prescribe a few more medicines, so that he would feel more at ease. “Not a problem,” Old Doctor Lin smiled and waved his hand, and he began to dispense medicine for Li Xiao’er.

Li Xiao’er watched Li Changfeng take out the money pouch to pay for the medicine, and he felt uncomfortable. He lived in Li Changfeng and Xu Qing’s house. He couldn’t help second brother and his wife, which made Li Xiao’er feel that he was like an useless person and very embarrassed.

“Doctor Lin! Doctor Lin!”

A loud shout came from the clinic, and then a man dressed in a slightly rich and noble clothes walked in anxiously. As soon as Old Doctor Lin looked up, he saw the person who came with an anxious expression. The little pharmacist following behind the person was also slightly panting.

“It’s from the Deng family, but the son of your family is sick again?”

Deng Ama stroked his constantly heaving chest, and nodded as he listened to the words of old doctor Lin.

Old Doctor Lin grabbed the medicine for Li Changfeng and Li Xiao’er, nodded, and then turned around and instructed the little shopkeeper, then took the medicine box and followed Deng Ama.

This caused Li Xiao’er to look at the others curiously, and the little pharmacist thought that Li Xiao’er wanted to ask himself why he was sighing, so he said to himself, “The Deng family is very promising, the family has only one son. When you grow up, you normally would go out to do some small business, but it’s different for the Deng family son. He’s this age but hasn’t yet married and hasn’t gone out to the world. The poor guy is not in good health. He doesn’t even have anyone taking care of him.”

Li Changfeng was puzzled: “Do they have no relatives to look after him?” ho lo lo novels. The little pharmacist shook his head, “I heard that their family also escaped from the famine in previous years, but this year, I’m afraid it will be difficult.

The little pharmacist looked at the scorching sun on the street and shook his head. His cousins ​​have been eating wild vegetables and wowotou these days, with lingering fear of starving to death with the lack of food in the future due to the drought.

(T/N: wowotou = steamed bread made of corn)

wowotou

Although Li Xiao’er didn’t hear what Xiaoyao, the little pharmacist, said, he still didn’t say much. Seeing that it was getting late, Li Changfeng wanted to take Li Xiao’er back, but he didn’t know that Li Xiao’er was unwilling to follow Li Changfeng back home.

“Second brother, I won’t go back with you. I’d better go home. I borrowed the money for the medicine, I’ll pay it back to you later.”

Li Xiao’er’s words made Li Changfeng a little angry, “What are you talking about, are your second brother-in-law and I that kind of people?!” After speaking, he noticed Li Xiao’er looked like “I can’t hear what you said”. The fire was simmering in his heart, not to mention how uncomfortable it was.

“Second brother, you can take me back, or I will walk back by myself.” Li Xiao’er knew that his second brother was angry just by seeing Li Changfeng’s expression, so he changed his mind and offered two choices.

Li Changfeng’s brain twitched, how could he let his little brother go back by himself! He suppressed his unhappiness. The sun was so big, and his body had just recovered. He couldn’t let his little brother mess around, so Li Changfeng, who was smart and confused for a while, had no choice but to send Li Xiao’er back. He only realized on the way home that he was played by his little brother.

After listening to Li Changfeng’s narration, Xu Qing didn’t know what to say about him, “It seems that your brain is not very smart.” Li Changfeng nodded, “I am not smart at all.”

Xu Qing was too lazy to hand him a pillar and let Li Changfeng climb up. He supported his bulging belly with his hands; he was a little drowsy and dazed. He felt his head was placed in a familiar place and soon fell asleep.

***

A month later, the fields in the village have completely dried up. It’s not so bad for the families with a little better conditions, but for those poor farmers, the situation is very sad. They don’t have enough to eat all day and night, and sometimes there is no food at all! There were also some people who couldn’t stand to be hungry, so they went to the back mountain to hunt in groups. As a result, during this period, let alone people, even the animals in the mountains were hungry and their eyes glowed, and when they saw them, they rushed up with green eyes. If it weren’t for the large number of people, who knows what would have happened.

Since then, the villagers have not dared to pay attention to the mountains, and instead began to take precautions, for fear that the wild beasts from the mountains will come into the village, then it is not a matter of hunger! That’s just a matter of life!

As a result, the number of people passing by from Xu Qing and the others gradually became few, but Xu Qing didn’t feel very concerned about the wild beasts at all. The wall of their house was just built, and it was four meters high! It’s all made of big stones, even if the wolf pack comes, they don’t have to worry too much.

This morning, Li Changfeng went back to the Li’s courtyard. Yesterday, he met Li Xiao’er, who had recovered his hearing, in the town. He didn’t know what his little brother was doing in town alone.

Xu Qing fanned the palm fan and walked slowly in the hall with his bulging stomach. The yard was hot and he couldn’t walk there during the day, but he could walk around the house as he pleased. His stomach was getting bigger and bigger. This miracle of life has been conquered. He can feel that the child in his belly is growing and getting stronger day by day. He drinks the spiritual spring every day. Although it is not much, it is enough for him and the child to absorb.

The river outside the village has begun to dry up, and it has changed from a big river to a small ditch today. Even drinking water, for the villagers is a problem, but for Xu Qing, their family is not in a hurry. ho lo lo novels. Xu Qing poured some spring water into the well before it began to dry up so, maybe that’s why the water level in the well did not drop much. Although the bucket had to be dropped a little deeper than usual when fetching water, there was still water.

At first, Xu Qing was afraid that Li Changfeng would suspect something, but Li Changfeng brought it up himself. He thought it was because their house was in the back mountain, connected to a large forest, and that’s why there was a lot of water in the well. He also told Xu Qing not to casually talk about the situation with their own well water, so as not to be troubled by others, after all, there will be an accident when the villagers finally have no water to drink.

Li Changfeng was not being cruel, he was just afraid that the water would suddenly run out, then what should Xu Qing and the child do? He could not drink water, but he couldn’t bear to let Xu Qing not drink any.

Li Changfeng only came back at night. Xu Qing was carrying the burden of two people now, so he couldn’t be hungry for too long. After waiting for half an hour before Li Changfeng came back, Xu Qing started to eat by himself.

“Have you had dinner?”

Li Changfeng shook his head, “No, there is no food in the Li family now.”

Xu Qing thought for a while, “Did the third brother fail the exam?”

Li Laosan has been tossing hard this month. There is not much food at home, but he didn’t care. He always asks Li Ama to cook more food to improve his health for the exams, and also for various reasons. His food The consumption is also great, and Li Ama’s heart was in pain, but when he thought of Li Laosan not passing the exam due to falling ill, their family would really be finished. He could only remind Li Laosan from time to time that there’s not much food at home during these days and they would be close to bottom out Li Laosan went to take the exam.

Li Changfeng rubbed his brows, “Isn’t it just not passing the exam! There is no food in this family now, the elder brother is making a lot of trouble, and the third child is not someone who can suffer, the family is a mess with the two of them causing trouble every day.

Li Laosan has two children, but Li Laosan alone eats more than his two children. That’s fine as long as Li Laosan can pass the exame, it’s nothing, but after the food is exhausted and Li Laosan doesn’t pass the test, the family has no money left, this would be it for the entire Li family then.

Xu Qing thought about the food in their own warehouse, thinking that Li Changfeng was a son of the Li family no matter what, he still asked, “Let’s give some to them?” Li Changfeng nodded, “Give, of course, I will eat something first and go deliver after dinner.”

But when Li Changfeng finished eating and Xu Qing looked at the food in his hand, the corners of his mouth began to twitch, “Is this what you meant giving some food? It’s better to cook a large pot of dry rice and take it to look better!”

A small bag in Li Changfeng’s hand, which may be like ten kilograms of rice, Li Changfeng smiled and said to Xu Qing: “You know, Doumian, Shengmiqiu, the more you give, the more they demand. This is the period of drought.” He wouldn’t let the people in Li’s yard starve to death, but he wouldn’t joke about the lives of his wife and children. In this barren year, at least he did something to help out.

(T/N: Doumian, Shengmiqiu: A common saying; a favor can easily become the standard for measuring inner gratitude. Once it falls below this standard, people will no longer be grateful, and at worst, you will become enemies.)

Xu Qing also knew this principle, he reached out and touched Li Changfeng’s face, “I know, It’s time to teach them a lesson to realize that not everything will come true just because you wish for it.” The reason why he and Li Changfeng were able to eat enough, It was also the result of their fortune and hard labor. Li Changfeng’s hands were grounded into bloody blisters to make wooden dolls. In order to pull the wood back from the mountain, Li Changfeng’s shoulders were all bruised with red marks. When he came back, which time he was not sweating profusely?

The people in Li’s courtyard did not listen to Li Changfeng’s words to go buy food in advance. Instead, they kept all the money for Li Laosan to prepare for the exam. Everything was because they “felt” that as long as Li Laosan passes the exam, they would have everything. They didn’t think about whether Li Laosan would be able to successfully pass or not. How can this family live in this famine year?

Li Xiao’er just questioned it a little, and he was almost deafened by Li Laosan in a fit of anger. This was a taboo in their family to even mention failure; they didn’t think that there were two potential results they would face.

Li Changfeng hugged Xu Qing, lowered his head and kissed his forehead, and touched Xu Qing’s belly with his big hand, “Don’t wait for me at home, go to bed earlier, I’ll send the stuff over and come right back.”

Xu Qing nodded obdiently, and after Li Changfeng left, he cleaned up and went to bed. He was very sleepy now, he couldn’t resist the drowsiness even if he didn’t want to sleep.

***

Li Changfeng handed the food in his hand to Li Ama, without caring about the faces of the people present, “We don’t have much food, and even this bit of food is divided equally from our total food. My wife was alone before. No excess grain was grown in the field, so there was no stockpile.”

Eldest Li’s wife looked at the few grains unwillingly, and couldn’t help but interrupt: “Second brother, didn’t you remind us when the price of grain would go up? Didn’t you buy a lot?”

Li Changfeng sighed, “As you all know, all of our money was used to repair the house. Who knows, not long after, and the weather would become like this, where is there any extra money to buy food.”

The Li family didn’t know about Li Changfeng’s wooden dolls, but it was true that shortly after their house was repaired, the weather got worse. Everyone knows this. ho lo lo no vels. The face of Eldest Li’s wife returned to normal. Li Xiao’er kept his head down and did not speak. Since he came back from Xu Qing and Li Changfeng, he no longer had the same temperament of a teenager as before, and talked less with his family.

Li Laosan’s face is haggard and desperate, he hasn’t been able to recover from the state of being lifted up at this moment.

Translator: Even feeding the livestock all these food would in return give the family some meat to eat.