Chapter 235 Receiving Wine in the Middle of the Night

So once a person understands this, they become absolutely clear-headed. What are propriety, morality, shame, fame, and fortune compared to human life? Only when you are alive can you face these things. What's the point of talking about when you're dead? Maybe people will remember you for a year or two, but after three to five years, how many people will still remember you?

With a bicycle, it became much easier for Cuihua to run errands for the Tao family and her own. She could even make some good things at home and deliver them to the county winery to supplement the nutrition of her godparents and Cuilian. She didn't send any to Xiaojiu, knowing that the child had plenty of good food, so she didn't bother.

Now that the old lady is sick, she has applied to the production team to withdraw from the team and will no longer work.

If you say that no one will receive grain if they don't work, others will just laugh it off, because even if they work, they might not necessarily receive grain.

Given that the elderly couple had weak spleens and stomachs, Tang Cuihua always cooked rice porridge in a separate small clay pot when preparing meals for them. She only cooked refined grains and put away all the coarse grains so that they wouldn't be reluctant to eat the refined food and waste their granddaughter's good intentions.

Now that the old lady is being taken care of by Cuihua and her sisters, the rest of the Tao family is much more at ease. There's not much work to do in the winter anyway, and even if there is, the seventh and eighth brothers in the family can help out. These two don't need to work for the time being. Cuihua is worried that people in their village might recognize her, so it's not too late to start working after a few years when no one is paying attention.

In mid-January 1960, Xiao Jiu started her winter vacation. After finishing her exams, everyone else had left, but she went to the teacher's office to take the junior high school exams. After all, there were so many subjects, and it got dark early. By the time she left the school, it was already dark. She thanked the teacher repeatedly, bowed, and left the school.

As soon as I stepped out of the school gate, I saw Tang Cuihua riding her bicycle, stomping her feet and spinning around at the school entrance.

"My goodness, big sister, what brings you here? It's so cold, why don't you go inside?"

Tang Cuihua turned her head and saw Xiao Jiu, then immediately ran over.

"Oh my little darling, you're finally out! Thank goodness you told the security guard, otherwise we would have been worried to death!"

Saturday afternoon was supposed to be the time to go home, but Xiaojiu hadn't returned for a long time, so Cuihua came looking for him. When she asked at the gate, the old man said...

"Oh, you mean Tao Tao? She came all the way here to tell me that if her family comes looking for her, she should tell them that she still has to take the junior high exams and that they should go home first and not wait for her. She said she would consider going back tomorrow if it gets too late."

"I figured since I'm already here, how can I not take her home? Don't let Grandma's appearance fool you, she's still worried about you not coming home!"

The mention of her grandmother softened Xiao Jiu's heart. Seeing her sister so cold, she quickly took out two warm eggs from her spatial storage and gave them to her.

"Sis, eat something first. You've been waiting for so long, you need to replenish your energy."

As he spoke, he took out a military water bottle and handed it over, saying, "Drink some hot water. It's pear water that I boiled. It's soothing to the throat and sweet."

Cuihua took it and ate and drank without any hesitation. After finishing, she couldn't help but complain, "My little sister really knows how to enjoy herself."

Xiao Jiu grinned and then asked the old lady about her situation this week.

"Don't worry, she's getting enough nutrition and being taken care of very carefully. Compared to other families, our old lady's recovery is definitely better. She can already sit up for a while with the help of pillows. Once the weather gets warmer, we'll let her get down and walk around."

"She can take care of herself, and she always calls us. Didn't we buy one of those bedpans that can be used in bed? It's very convenient. It's just that she's always embarrassed to call us, so sometimes she calls us 'Grandpa.' Grandpa is good too. He accompanies her to sunbathe every day and helps her eat liquid food without any complaints. Unlike the other old men in our village, who are used to ordering the old ladies around and don't treat them like human beings at all."

Tao Tao is very proud of this. "They have supported each other for so many years. It has not been easy for them to get through this. If Grandma were gone, Grandpa would be so lonely. When Grandma collapsed, he would feel like his heart had collapsed. He would definitely stay by her side every step of the way. This is really not easy. There are not many old men like Grandpa who care about their family and love their wives. At least the old men in our village are all self-centered. They even guard against their partners when they eat. They are very cunning!"

The night road was difficult to travel and very bumpy. Xiao Jiu sat behind her, holding a flashlight to shine on it. However, the flashlights of that era not only didn't shine far enough, but also emitted a yellowish light. For their safety, they didn't ride very fast.

The wind in the dark night was biting cold. Even though Cuihua was wearing a hat and a scarf, her face still felt hot and cold. Fortunately, her whole body was moving, so except for her head and hands, the rest of her body was relatively warm.

With her older sister shielding her from the wind, the little girl behind her was much better off. If it weren't for her short legs preventing her from reaching the ground, the two of them could have taken turns riding.

"Huh, my face feels cool and refreshing, could it be snowing?"

The older sister suddenly stopped the car and asked Xiao Jiu to shine the flashlight into the sky. Sure enough, with the faint light, they could vaguely feel the snowflakes falling.

"Great, it's finally snowing! It's been so long since it snowed. I hope this snowfall is heavy so the wheat can be relieved of its thirst."

Because it was so cold, they didn't encounter a single person on the road. Luckily, the two sisters were traveling together; otherwise, given the road conditions, they would have been terrified.

Just as we were about to reach the village entrance, we suddenly heard a woman scream. The sound seemed to be coming from a grove of trees in the distance.

Tang Cuihua stomped her foot on the ground and listened quietly, but there was no sound.

"Did you hear someone shouting for help?"

Xiao Jiu heard it, but she didn't want to get involved. Besides, there were two women involved, and who knew if the danger would implicate them? So she shook her head against her conscience and said, "No, I didn't hear it."

The older sister stood there for five minutes, but didn't hear anything, and then drove off with Xiao Jiu.

When the two returned home, the whole family had already eaten, but they had left some noodles for them. As soon as they heard the noise, they started making noodles.

Tao An, the young man, had also returned. Seeing that Xiao Jiuxin was completely relieved, he asked her a few questions and then told her to quickly put down her things and go see her grandmother.

Seeing her granddaughter return safely, the old lady was relieved. Knowing that her granddaughter was going to take the junior high school entrance exam, she felt even more heartache and gave her some advice in her unclear speech.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Why are you in such a rush at your age?"

Unable to explain the reason, Xiao Jiu mischievously said, "Grandma, I want to save my parents some tuition fees!"

"If your brother were as sensible as you, I could leave in peace even now."

Tao An, who was standing nearby, was displeased when she heard this. "Grandma, you're saying discouraging things again. I'm already making progress. Not everyone can be as good at studying as my sister. Look at our family, who can compare to her?"