Liu Xiaohua's heart almost touched her throat. It feels like it's going to pop up at any moment. The adrenaline caused her hands to tremble uncontrollably. All her senses and attention were on Liu Er behind her. Every sound he made stimulated Liu Xiaohua's nervous nerves.

At this time, Liu Er, who had been concentrating on washing, suddenly stopped.

Liu Xiaohua almost jumped up and ran outside. But Liu Er was just putting the washed fruit into the prepared dustpan. There was no intention of doing anything else at all.

At last the fruit was washed. Liu Xiaohua is fine, and not a single hair is missing.

She felt that her previous thoughts were really ridiculous, maybe crazy! There will be such a nonsensical speculation that Liu Er wants to kill himself. Don't talk about anything else, just say that if Liu Er really had malicious intentions towards her, he wouldn't have helped her speak at all when the Chen family didn't want her to go to the clan school. This alone has dispelled all his suspicions.

When Chen returned, the two siblings had already washed and dried the fruits.

Liu Er asked, "Who did you entrust to deliver the letter?" ”

Chen said with a smile: "When I walked to the entrance of the village, I encountered a stone, and it turned out that he was also chosen. He was about to deliver a letter to his father, so I asked him. This is also strange, either there is no one in the decades, or there are several in one hit. He also said, "His father is too, he knows that the clan will choose people, why don't he wait for the news to go to work." The kid was so tired that he had to run again. ”

Liu Xiaohua couldn't help but sneer: "He always wishes that he couldn't choose three branches and stones." Who did he fight? "It's very uneven.

Chen sighed and said, "Their aunt is also miserable, and she was beaten to death by something with a short longevity like that." ”

Liu Xiaohua asked in astonishment: "Killed?" Isn't there anyone in charge? ”

Chan said, "Who cares? It's a family affair. Where can outsiders care? Their grandfather's family was able to speak, and they came over to make a fuss, and the village chief came forward to mediate, and finally let their grandfather take a pig back. That's the end of the matter. ”

Liu Xiaohua was frightened when she heard it, "Then if I get married in the future, I will be beaten to death." A-Niang will also lead the pig? ”

Chen stretched out his hand and gave her a head: "What nonsense!" Did I raise you for that pig? ”

Liu Er said to Liu Xiaohua: "What are you afraid of." If he dares to kill you. I will kill him and his whole family to pay for your life. ”

Chen turned around, sank down, stretched out his hand and gave his son again, "Don't learn from your sister's nonsense!" Sanzhi Niang's fate was because her mother's family had many daughters and didn't treat her as a human being. It's her mother's house, not a thing. If an ordinary family kills their wives, if they really make trouble, they will inevitably have to make a decision between the two clans. How can it not be such a cheap murderer. After all, it's a human life. ”

Liu Xiaohua has been here for so long, and she has been wondering if there is no law in this world. Because everything she heard, saw, and did was decided by the village chief and patriarch.

The family talked about these idle things, and after dinner, they rested early. In this world, the days are short, from dawn to dark, only six or seven hours, and everyone is used to eating only two meals a day.

But Liu Xiaohua slept for a while, and was awakened by crying. It was dark outside, and I didn't know who was crying. Crying weirdly. Chen and Liu Er slept deeply and were not quarreled at all, but Liu Xiaohua didn't dare to look at it by herself, and after enduring it for a while, she saw that the sky was already a little brighter, and then shook Chen up, "Ah Niang, do you hear that someone is crying?" ”

"It's the wind, isn't it?" Chen listened in a daze. Suddenly, his face changed. called Liu Er up: "Quick, go and see if something happened?" ”

Before Liu Er could get off the kang, Sanzhi next door staggered in, crying and saying with a sad face: "Auntie, it's not good." My uncle, he's dead! Liu Xiaohua was stunned for a moment, and then realized that Sanzhi was talking about his cheap father who died.

Chen was stunned for a moment, staring at Sanzhi, his mouth moving slightly, but he didn't say a word.

Liu Xiaohua's mind was also blank, although she had not lived with this family for a long time, but there were still some feelings left in this body, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

Or Liu Er was calm and anxiously asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Sanzhi cried and said, "The little gluttony over there in the stone vein ran out and ate the people who went to work. Several of the overseers in the clan also had accidents, two dead and three wounded. ”

Liu Xiaohua didn't know what 'Xiaotao Ti' was. I guess it's a beast in the mountains.

She once heard Chen say that the strong men in the village were all working on the side of the Chicken Neck Peak, digging some kind of stone. Every day, each person pays as many stones as he pays, and the person in charge of the affairs will pay a considerable amount of money. The stones were pulled by animals, not horses, and were carried by larger beasts. It may be this kind of little Taotao. A stone that can be pulled into a car, that size is incredible.

When Chen heard this, he sat down on the ground with a miserable scream, crying and screaming miserably: "This dead ghost, how can you be so ruthless as to leave us orphans and widows!" ——”

Liu Xiaohua had red eyes, holding a glimmer of hope, and asked, "Maybe there are people who have escaped death?" Did the person who came back to report the news say? ”

Saneda cried and said, "I don't know. One of our village had escaped, so he got the news. But he fled for his life, where would he dare to look at others. I have heard the news and have come to sue you. ”

Liu Xiaohua hurriedly comforted Chen, "Auntie, Daddy may not have a fate." Someone from the clan will come and explain the matter in a moment. Let's not panic just yet. ”

Chen hurriedly wiped away his tears and said, "Then you guys go to the Chicken Neck Mountain and have a look!" Maybe your dad can still be saved! ”

Liu Xiaohua was anxious and wanted to fly over to see what the situation was, but when Chen said this, she didn't act immediately, because she could still think normally, but said to Chen: "That little Taotie doesn't know if it's been restrained." If it is restrained, Daddy is out of danger, and we don't have to go. If he hadn't been restrained, Daddy must have been hiding in a safe place, and at this time, if we rushed over, we would just be sent to death......" There is another possibility, she didn't say - if Daddy didn't hide well. It has been eaten now, and there will be no salvation, and it will be in vain to go.

Chen didn't think much about it, and when he heard this, he hurriedly said, "Don't go, don't go." Let's wait for news at home. "If she loses her husband, she doesn't want to put her children in it.

Sanzhi cried and helped Chen back to sit on the kang with Liu Xiaohua. refused to drink water, just sat there and wept silently, Liu Xiaohua lowered her voice and said, "It's okay if he's gone." ”。

Sanzhi pulled his sleeves and wiped his tears and said, "He's an inhuman brute, why am I crying about him." I'm worried about the stone, he said yesterday to report the news and never came back. What if he has something to do...... He was chosen, and this happened...... That old beast, even if he dies, it will be a burden to others. After saying that, I cried even more sadly.

Liu Xiaohua said patiently: "What role can you play by crying?" Don't cry bad for his fortune. ”

Sanzhi thought about it, and sure enough, he stopped crying.

Liu Er stood up, put on his anti-leather boots, and said, "I'll take a look." And he went outside. The way into the village is to pass by the door of the house, and now when you sit in the house, you can see that the courtyard is full of people outside the low fence.

But by the afternoon, there was still no news. Chen forced himself to cook, and no one had the heart to eat. In the evening, suddenly there was a commotion outside.

Chen jumped off the kang and ran outside, not even bothering to put on his shoes.

Liu Xiaohua hurriedly ran out with her shoes.

It turned out that the village chief had returned. He was followed by several people who were anomalous wolves. When the women saw the men of their house returning, they wept with joy. But there is no Liu Xiaohua's father among these people. Chen's face turned pale, and he craned his neck to look at the back of the crowd. But there was nothing there.

Many people in the same situation as Liu Xiaohua's family have collapsed. The mother-in-law cried so loudly that a few fainted on the spot.

Liu Xiaohua also 'groaned' in her heart, and unwillingly squeezed to the village chief's side and asked, "Is there anything wrong with my father?" Did you not come back together because you were injured and it was inconvenient to travel? ”

The village chief is already a handful of years old, and when such a thing happens in the village, he is physically and mentally exhausted, and his face is full of waste. said to Liu Xiaohua: "Your father? ”

With a glimmer of hope, Chen squeezed over and asked suspiciously, "Why didn't he come back?" Is there something delayed. ”

The village chief put the pocket on his back on the ground, untied it and spread it out in front of everyone. There's some worn-out bowls in there, and whatevers you have to belong. He said, "You all know what a gluttony is. The deceased is gone, and the bones cannot be recovered. These are the things they left in the shed. I've brought it all back to you, and it's a thought to be able to set up a well-dressed mound. ”

At this time, Liu Xiaohua had to accept the fact that her cheap father had really died.

Chen's eyes closed. And he fell to the ground.

Most of the strong men in the village died in this accident and died in the belly of the little glutton. A total of fourteen people died, plus there were also many people working in Jineck Peak in other villages, and a total of more than thirty people died. Two of the guards sent by the clan died, four overseers died, and three were seriously wounded and maimed.

According to the village chief, it happened because the cage of the little gluttony forgot to close. If you want to talk about responsibility, it is all on the person who takes care of the gluttony. The man was also from the village and lived on the west side of the village. But that person is dead, and an old lady in the family is also old, so it is impossible to compensate everyone, and there is no point in pursuing him.

What if he didn't die? Even if he is killed, it will not bring all the people who are killed back to life.

In just one day, there were fourteen new graves on the other side of the cemetery. Although we all know that there are no bodies of relatives inside, the funeral is not perfunctory. Paper money is full of sky, and lamentations are everywhere. Even the occasional roar of fierce beasts in the mountains was particularly desolate. Among these fourteen families, Liu Xiaohua's family is quite good, at least there is still a man in her family. Some of the deceased men have not yet married, and there are no brothers and sisters at home, leaving two lonely old men who are miserable.

After burying her cheap father, Liu Xiaohua went to the village chief and asked the village chief: "How will the clan compensate these families who have lost their relatives." "The dead are gone, but the living are alive.

But the village chief knocked on the cigarette pouch and said, "This matter of digging stone veins was not done by the clan, but by the seventh uncle's own family. I can't find anything in the clan. The seventh uncle opened this stone vein in his own name, and he didn't plan to recruit people from the clan at that time, because it was too dangerous. It's the people in each village who want to go because Uncle Seven gives him a lot of wages. The people in our village also begged for love for a long time, and Uncle Seven reluctantly agreed. However, when recruiting workers to do things, they also made it clear that they were at the risk of life and death. He also clearly told these workers that the wages were so high because of the dangerous wages, and the people who went to work in the village at that time also knew and agreed. ”

After the village chief finished speaking, he said, "Now that the story is out, it is not good for us to look for him." However, the wages that these people earned before will still be paid to their families. But there is such a thing on the stone vein, and I don't know when I will be able to settle the money. ”

Liu Xiaohua said angrily: "He doesn't want to recruit people from the same clan to do things? In addition to our Liu family, where are there other people in this vicinity? He didn't want to recruit people from the Liu family to do things, did he plan to recruit ghosts to do it! It's clearly a deliberate gesture. Now that something has happened, I can't find him. ”

"Phew, bah, bah. What the hell is not a ghost. The village chief immediately jumped up in fright, and said repeatedly: "Tong Yan Wu Ji Tong Yan Wu Ji!" She said bitterly to Liu Xiaohua: "It's already like this, it's useless to say anything now." Our livelihood is pinched in the clan, how can we get it if we offend him, how can we fight him? ”

Liu Xiaohua couldn't believe that these dozens of lives were lost in vain. And these families do not receive any compensation other than the wages they deserve.

But the village chief said it so eloquently, it seemed to make sense. Even if she felt aggrieved in her heart, she didn't have any reason to refute it. I just asked unwillingly, "What about the clan?" Even if this matter is not related to the clan, there are usually a lot of things handed over to the clan in our village. Speaking of which, we are all relatives. Now that the village is like this, doesn't the patriarch care? ”

The village chief just sighed, "Although they have the same surname and the same clan, they are also far and near." The fourth uncle is not in the clan now, and the seventh uncle is talking about things in the clan. After the incident, I had already asked, and our village had become like this, and many families could not survive, whether it was a gift or a loan, the clan always had to help in terms of rations. But the seventh uncle said that although the clan also wanted to help, they were really poor. Grain can only be evenly distributed two or three loads, and it will only be available after winter. What can we do about it? ”

Liu Xiaohua said very angrily: "In our village, there are no less than 20 quintals of grain handed over to the clan every quarter. In addition, other villages have made friends with the clan, and there are so many stocks of grain gathered in the clan, how can there be no stocks of grain for emergency relief! This is clearly Uncle Seventh prevaricating us. Not to mention that this incident started because of him, even if it wasn't for him, it would be too unreasonable for him, as an elder in the clan, to see death like this. No way! Even if you don't go, I'm going to get justice. I don't believe it, and the patriarch won't care. ”

The village only regarded her as young and ignorant, and sympathized with her for not having a father, and did not reprimand him too harshly, but said, "If we are justified and can prove that he will not be saved when he dies, it will be good if we are trapped." But we have no proof, and there is no one in the tribe to speak for us. Don't say that you can't see the patriarch, even if you can see it, whether there is grain in the treasury or not, it's not a matter of people's words, find a few people to move, and if there is, there will be none. You will also be seen as vexatious. On the contrary, it really angered them, and the family law expelled you from the family. What are you going to do as a family? ”

Liu Xiaohua said angrily: "Anyway, since this clan can't help us speak, there is no easy way to deal with it in the clan, and it makes no difference whether we are expelled or not?" ”

"How is there no difference? Now you can live in this village, but because you are from the Liu family. If you weren't part of your family, you wouldn't be able to live here!! Where can you stay? People in other places also live in ethnic groups, where are you and your aunt and brother going to stay? Besides, no matter how talented you and your brother are, they have to be advanced to enter the sect, and if you don't have a family, where do you go to school? It's just that you don't have the backbone to go to school, but you always have to eat, right? If you want to go to the city and do things without proof from your clan, how can you pass through the checks at the gates and enter the city? How can people who want to hire workers ask for you with confidence? Isn't it possible for your family to go to the mountains to be self-sufficient savages? ”

Liu Xiaohua couldn't answer any of them. Only then did I realize that the word 'clan' had such an important position. People who don't have a family are like those who don't have an ID card in modern times, and it's hard to move an inch. I am afraid that because of this, although some of these villagers complained, they did not make any resistance. can only bear in silence.

The village continued: "Let's not talk about this, let's just say that there will always be times when there is a dispute with others in life, and if there is anything wrong with everyone, their own family will come forward to mediate. But if your family is out of the clan, there is nothing, and even if it makes sense, there is nowhere to say it, and you can only be bullied. There is no end to those days! It's better to endure the unhappiness for a while now, stay in the clan, as long as you and your brother come out in the future, and there are capable people in the village, the clan will naturally pay attention to us. The treatment is different. It is not impossible to find the seventh uncle to seek justice and explain the law. So, let's bear with it. ”

Liu Xiaohua was annoyed by his rhetoric, and said, "It's because you all think like this and never resist that they will bully you like this!" My brother and I are people who can enter the clan study. Since the people of this clan don't care whether we live or die, let's go to other families! If you can choose it here, you can definitely choose it elsewhere. I don't believe that people who are gifted will not want it! When the time comes, we can also make a wicked person like Uncle Seventh who cheats people's lives bow down and admit their mistakes! ”

Seeing that she didn't listen to persuasion, the village chief also got angry and said loudly, "I don't know what to say!!" You were born to be a member of the Liu family in Qingchuan, and these are engraved in your blood. How can you change what you say? Even if you and your brother have the ability, people from other families will not treat you as their own, after all, they don't have the same surname, how can they trust you? You don't even want blood relatives, why should you be loyal to their family?! It is even more impossible for these people to cultivate you, in case you return to the Liu family at that time, won't their hard work be in vain! After all, you're blood relatives. What's more, if you are too talented, maybe you will be killed...... Okay, okay, I can't talk much to you little cub. I don't care what you do. If you want to make trouble, go to the clan to make trouble. Anyway, I've made things clear to you, and it doesn't matter to me anymore! As he spoke, he drove Liu Xiaohua out.

Liu Xiaohua walked out of the village chief's house in a gloomy mood and looked up at the gloomy sky where snow kept falling. A deep sense of powerlessness weighed heavily on her heart.

How will you live in the future?

She stood in the snow for a long time before she walked home dejectedly.

When she returned home, Liu Xiaohua had just walked into the yard. I heard Liu Er talking to Chen in the house.

Chen said: "It's not that I'm ruthless, it's that the family is already in this situation, and I don't know how much money Uncle Seventh can give you Daddy, let alone when it will be given to us." I have a total of ten dollars here, where can I afford two people to enter the clan school? ”

Although Liu Er is in the voice change period, his voice is very good, calm and calm, and very magnetic. He said: "Otherwise, I will go to the village and ask, which family is surplus, go to borrow some food, borrow some food, I went to the clan school with my sister, as long as I can survive the first month, it will naturally get better." If it doesn't work, it's okay to let Sister Ah come back when the time comes. Try it first. ”

Chen said angrily: "I know you feel sorry for Xiaohua'er. I feel sorry for her, too. But your method is just a talk. What if you can't find something to do? If you work specifically, it's not difficult to find something to do. But you have to study in the clan during the day, and you don't know how many hours a day you can go to work, so people will think twice when they ask you, and it is even more difficult to find something to do. When the time comes, you can't find anything to do, even if you let her come back, don't you have to continue to stay in the clan study? At that time, the money is gone, what are you going to eat and drink? We've already borrowed all the people in the village, so who are we going to borrow? ”