"Bo Zhong, you go and put this dung in the manure tank!" Zhu Yuanning ordered in a deep voice, "Don't spill it!" ”

"Yes, eldest sister." Zhu Bozhong lowered his head, took a small flat pole, and picked up two and a half buckets of dung.

Although the children of the poor are in charge of the family at an early age, it is still difficult for a boy who is only eight years old to carry a flat burden in this way.

But what can be done?

You have to live.

Zhu Yuanning's heart softened for a moment, and he whispered: "You are the eldest brother, you want to set a good example for the younger brothers and sisters below, we don't have a father and mother, if you want to live uprightly, who can you rely on if you don't rely on yourself?" ”

Zhu Bozhong endured the tears in his eyes, the eldest sister was right!

"I understand!" He crouched slightly, reached out and took the ropes at both ends of the pole, hooked the two barrels with the hooks sharpened from the branches, and then gritted his teeth and got up.

Zhu Yuanning helped him and advised: "Pay attention to balance." ”

Zhu Bozhong nodded, and left the house with two dung buckets.

Zhu Yuanning looked back at the dilapidated and old thatched house and sighed softly.

There was a sudden "bang" sound in her ears, and she hurriedly turned around and shouted at the edge of the kitchen: "Second sister, you don't need to chop wood, just sweep the yard clean." ”

The second sister Zhu Zhongling is only six years old, thin and weak, so she can only barely lift the axe with both hands, not to mention the low efficiency of chopping wood, and it is easy to hurt herself by mistake.

Zhu Zhongling's eyes were slightly red, and he ran over and hugged Zhu Yuanning's thigh, looking at her with tears on his head, "Eldest sister, I will be as capable as my eldest brother!" Please, don't go! ”

Zhu Yuanning picked up her sister's little hand, because she was barely doing the work she couldn't do, her palms were red and swollen.

It's like the hands of a six-year-old! Everywhere there were calluses, covered with barbs, black and rough.

Her eyes were slightly hot, and her throat was also a little blocked, so she took a deep breath before saying, "Second sister, if the eldest sister doesn't leave, the eldest brother won't leave." This home will not be scattered! ”

Zhu Zhongling's big black and white eyes immediately burst out with joy, but tears burst out of his eyes without warning.

Zhu Yuanning closed her eyes, touched the top of her dry and yellow hair, and pulled her to sit down, "Eldest sister comb your hair." ”

Zhu Zhongling immediately moved the grass mound obediently, came over with a wooden comb with a few teeth missing, and sat down with his back to Zhu Yuanning.

But when I opened the messy hair, I found that there were a few live lice in it, and the scalp was covered with blood stains, which were all scratched by the little girl's itching and unbearable itching.

Sighing silently, she chuckled and said, "Zhong Ling, let's wash our hair!" ”

"Okay, okay!" Every time she washes her hair, it is very comfortable, so the little girl Zhongling is very excited, but since her mother followed her to repair the embankment, she has not washed her hair for almost two months.

Zhu Yuanning picked a lot of peach leaves, washed some of them and boiled them in water, and the other part was pounded for later use, and then wet the little girl's hair, put the mashed peach leaves on her head, wrapped them in a cloth towel, and asked her to choose the wild vegetables picked back in the morning.

After cleaning the wild vegetables, she untied the cloth towel for Zhong Ling, first washed off the peach leaf foam on her head, and then officially washed her hair, without shampoo, she used some filtered plant ash to wash off the greasy on her hair.

Finally, rinse off with clean water.

The little girl who was sitting in the courtyard drying her hair looked at Zhu Yuanning, who had washed the pot again, with a look of admiration, "Eldest sister, it's so comfortable!" It's no longer itchy on my head! ”

Zhu Yuanning bowed slightly, "I'll wash it like this for you in two days, wash it a few more times, and the lice on your head will be gone." "Peach leaves have an insecticidal effect.

As he spoke, a four-year-old little turnip head stumbled out of the house and cried out like a great enemy: "Oh no! Eldest sister! Little sister pulled! ”

Zhu Yuanning threw away the broom in his hand, quickly washed his hands, and ran in three steps and two steps.

In the old cradle next to the wooden bed in the inner room, a baby girl who was only two months old was lying because of the stench and discomfort, and her two thin and white calves were pushing hard.

She cautiously, bent down and picked up the baby girl, pulled the clean diaper next to her, and wiped the dripping yellow soup off the baby girl's body.

Zhu Zhongling had already walked in with half a basin of warm water.

And the little radish head Zhu Shuyu got his fingers right, and took out the stained diapers in the cradle in the past and replaced them with new ones.

Zhu Yuanning cleaned the baby's fart, changed the diaper, and wrapped her again, and the little guy stopped crying.

Because the sun was just right, Zhu Yuanning took the baby to the hospital to bask in the sun, which was conducive to calcium supplementation.

Zhong Ling went to the kitchen and brought over half a bowl of millet soup on the stove that had become warm because of the boiling water before.

Zhu Yuanning praised her and began to feed the baby rice soup. She naturally knows that such a thin rice soup can't meet the baby's growth needs at all, but what can be done? It's already the best thing this house can come up with

Zhu Zhongling went to take over his brother's work of washing diapers and asked him to go to the kitchen to light the fire, she added water to the pot, and when it was boiled, she could stir up the mixed grains.

A middle-aged woman walked into this small courtyard and saw Zhu Yuanning, who was only twelve years old but looked only about ten years old, holding a milk doll in the middle of the yard basking in the sun and feeding rice soup; Zhu Zhongling, a six-year-old girl, was washing diapers with her hair scattered, and in the kitchen with only one roof, only four-year-old Zhu Shuyu was burning the fire, and she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

She went over, took a straw mat and sat down next to Yuanning, she originally wanted to help take care of the baby, but she was refused, she was not embarrassed, and said while looking at Zhu Yuanning's familiar movements: "Big girl, the third aunt is still here to persuade you......

"Look, you family...... It's all kids! You're only twelve years old, how can you afford this family! You should be obedient, you Acombo is willing to adopt you, and you should pass. In two or three years, after becoming a family and having the ability, wouldn't it be good to help my younger brothers and sisters again?

"You also know that although there are a lot of people in our old Zhu family, no one has a good life. You say that brothers and sisters don't want to be separated, but if they don't separate, who can afford to support the five of you?

"Don't blame the third aunt for speaking ugly, this is the truth! But if this is separated, the family is a little better, and it is not a big problem to raise an extra mouthful of people. ”

Her eyes fell on the well-behaved Shu Yu, her eyes were slightly eager, "For example, although I already have two girls, it is not difficult to raise another Ermao!" ”

She has no son, and she always feels that there is no one to support her in the end, and she can't hold her head up in front of the villagers.

Zhu Yuanning lowered his head and remained silent.

Aunt Zhu thought that she was moved by what she said, so she started the next topic, "Also, you are only twelve years old, what are you doing with your father's shirt?" What if you are remembered as a thief? ”