I don't know how long she cried, she only felt that her eyes were swollen and her head hurt, she had cried enough, her heart became numb again, and the anger and pain before suddenly became so far away, as if it didn't happen to her. She stood up in a daze, subconsciously walked towards the corner of the kitchen, lifted the lid of the rice bowl and prepared to cook some gruel for the whole family's breakfast, but the bottom of the bowl reflected the light brightly, and there was no grain of rice left.

"Oh my God!" She suddenly felt helpless, as if she had one foot in hell and was about to be burned by the scorching tongue of fire. She anxiously turned around in place twice, helplessly thinking of a way, but couldn't think of a way at all, in the end, a thick weakness suddenly floated in her heart, this weakness completely defeated her, she covered her face with her hands, and cried in despair again.

She cried so much that she barely noticed her surroundings, and when she put her hand down and was about to wash her face, she found Zheng Xi standing at the door of her kitchen. He poked his head out and looked at her hesitantly, but he didn't dare to step through the door, and when he saw that Hedi had stopped crying and turned his gaze to him, he smiled hurriedly, and looked at her a little helplessly.

Startled by his sudden appearance, she was about to curse, but immediately remembering that he had already taken in all the tears she had just cried, her face turned red, swallowed back all the words that had come to her throat, and turned and hurried inside. She washed her face absentmindedly, and walked out as if expecting something, and saw that he was still standing at the door, with no intention of coming in or leaving, she couldn't help but feel annoyed, and reprimanded in a low voice: "What is the matter with you?" ”

Zheng Xi hurriedly said: "No, no, I was just passing by, I heard you crying, and I thought you were quarreling again, so I came over-"

He Tu didn't wait for him to finish, and sneered: "Just come over and prepare to fight, right?" We are very good, don't bother you, you go quickly. ”

Zheng Xi looked at her stunned, suddenly sighed, and said, "I didn't mess with you here, I ......"

Seeing that he was submissive, with a look of grievance and flattery on his face, his heart couldn't help but soften, and then think about his words carefully, he really didn't provoke himself, on the contrary, he also helped himself when he was in debt, and solved the embarrassing siege, but although he didn't mess with himself, why did he have to embarrass him again and again, and take advantage of him in words, but He Tu couldn't figure it out. She hung her head, stood in place for a while, and finally said sullenly, "Come in, come in and have a cup of tea." ”

Zheng Xi looked at her flatteredly, and stepped into the door happily, he found a stool at the table and sat down, watched Hedi make tea for him, and looked back in the direction of the living room, and asked, "Where is Jiahua?" Went out early in the morning again? ”

He Tu sneered, and while pouring boiling water into the bowl, he said coldly: "He went out? After gambling all night, I just dispersed, and I slept a lot now. ”

Zheng Xi was about to find some topic, so as not to be embarrassed by the two of them, and when he heard what He Tu said, he hurriedly responded: "Jia Hua is really true, why can't he change this problem, gambling and gambling, he has to lose this family." ”

"Still waiting for him to lose? Look at what this home looks like now? He Tu suddenly found an outlet for the grievances she had been holding back all morning, and she didn't care whether Zheng Xi was an outsider or not, and said in one go, "There is an empty shell left in this family now, and one day, he will even send this empty shell into someone else's pocket, and I think he will give up." ”

"That's not going to happen." Zheng Xi saw that what she said was serious, and couldn't help but persuade, "Jia Hua is still very good, but he didn't know what harm this thing was to him for a while, you usually persuade him, maybe he will change it in the future." ”

"I've persuaded hundreds of times, thousands of times, do you think it's useful?" He Tu slammed the bowl in front of Zheng Xi, and said hatefully, "I used to just gamble in the mahjong parlor, but now I have brought everyone to the house, how else can I persuade him?" I think as long as I die, he can change his mind and live a good life, but unfortunately I am no longer there at that time, and only others live a good life with him! ”

Zheng Xi looked at her, seeing that she was really disheartened, quite a bit of a broken jar, he pondered, what to say to cheer up her mood, and suddenly heard Hetu sneer: "I can only invite you to drink a cup of hot tea now, the others can't afford to ask, the rice bowl and noodle jar at home are empty, I and the two children are waiting to starve to death, and I can't even afford a meal of gruel, you drink tea and leave quickly." ”

Zheng Xi didn't expect that her family was already in such a difficult situation, he was an upright person, he would say and do anything straightforwardly, and when he heard Hedi's words, he didn't even hesitate at all, and immediately took out a few banknotes from his pocket and put them on the table, and said: "It's difficult to be like this at home, you can take this money first, and treat it as if I borrowed it." When the family's economy is better in the future, you can pay me back. ”

He Tu still wanted to vent the grievances and anger in her heart, and suddenly heard Zheng Xi say this, and when she saw that he really took out the money and put it on the table, she couldn't help but be stunned, and it took a long time before she muttered: "Don't, don't, I don't, you take it, you leave now." ”

"It's all this time, what else are you polite?" Zheng Xi was afraid that she wouldn't want money, so he hurriedly stood up and made a gesture of leaving, "After all, Jia Hua and I are also friends, and it is normal to help friends." ”

He Tu looked at his sincere face, and suddenly felt mixed feelings in his heart. When he said that he wanted to borrow his own money last night, she thought he was joking and mocking herself, but now that she understood that he really wanted to help herself, she felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't want to show her apologies obviously, she stood stiffly and didn't say a word, until Zheng Xi stepped out of the door, she realized that she should give him an IOU first.

"I'm afraid this man isn't a fool, is he?" She thought to herself, turned her head and glanced at the banknotes, and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, "Forget it, since it's already like this, let's buy some rice first, and don't let the two children go hungry." She made up her mind, she no longer cared about any face, and while the family had not woken up, she put the money in her pocket, closed the door, and walked quickly outside. When she called someone to help transport back the two bags of rice and noodles, the sun was already hanging in the east, Cheng Yan was squatting on the steps, not knowing where her mother had gone, she was looking left and right, and suddenly saw Hedi coming in, hurriedly ran forward, looked up and asked, "Mom, where have you been?" ”

"I'm going to buy noodles." He Tu glanced into the room and asked, "What about my brother?" ”

"My brother is awake and in bed." Cheng Yan pointed to the house. He Tu nodded reassuringly, touched Cheng Yan's little face, felt happy because the difficulties at home had temporarily eased, and asked, "Have you washed your face and brushed your teeth?" ”

Cheng Yan shook his head and said, "I don't know where my mother went, I still want to find you." ”

"It's okay, mom is back." As he spoke, He Tu took Cheng Yan's little hand, instructed the man to help him pour the rice noodles into the jar, and invited someone to drink a sip of water, before the man left. She immediately started to pick up rice, cooked a pot of thick rice porridge, and made two side dishes, then took care of Cheng Yan and washed her face, and then went to the bedroom to hug Cheng Lin over. On the bed in the bedroom, Cheng Jiahua was still asleep, and Hedi almost escaped from the bedroom with a disgusted expression, took two deep breaths of fresh air, and sat down at the dining table. While feeding Cheng Lin, she was thinking about how to plan and use the rest of the money. There is not much charcoal at home, you have to let people pull a car of charcoal, the price of a car of charcoal is not low, there is not much money left after buying, and you have to pay electricity bills, always light candles, life is very inconvenient. In this way, there is still some money left, which has to be saved, and Cheng Yan will have to pay her tuition fees when she goes to school in the future. Thinking of this, Hetu thought of those creditors in her heart, she only cared about planning her future life, but she didn't count those debts, and the money in her hand was still lent to her by others.

She was worried all day, from dawn to dark, so worried that Cheng Jiahua woke up and looked for food everywhere in the kitchen. At that time, Hetu was preparing to steam steamed buns with noodles, and he walked around next to Hedi, lifting the lid and turning over the pot from time to time. He hugged his stomach and asked Hetu angrily: "Where's the rice!" What about rice? Don't have anything to eat? ”

He Tu was full of resentment, where would he give him a good face, but said coldly: "Where there is food, there is no food, our family will wait to be starved to death." ”

Cheng Jiahua glanced at her, lifted the lid of the rice jar and looked at it, and suddenly smiled, "There is no grain, where does this jar of rice come from?" Can it conjure up on its own? Hurry up and cook, I'm going to eat, I'm starving. ”

He Tu turned his head and glared at him angrily, and reprimanded: "You know gambling every day, and when you are hungry after gambling, you come to me to eat, you don't give me a penny, the rice bowl and noodle bowl have already bottomed out, if someone else hadn't lent me money, where would I have the money to buy noodles and rice, and where would I have the money for you to eat!" ”

"It's okay to have noodles and rice, what else are you talking about?" Cheng Jiahua sat down at the dinner table impatiently, not listening to Hetu's words at all.

"There is now, but there is always a time to finish eating, what should I do then? Do you really want us to starve here? ”

"Annoying! I just want to have a meal! Cheng Jiahua slammed the table and roared in a low voice. He Tu bit his lip and glared at him angrily, suddenly turned around, and rubbed the noodles on his hands vigorously, as if that side was Cheng Jiahua, she was going to knead him flat and lose his breath before she was willing.

After Cheng Jiahua finished eating, he was ready to go out again. He was quick and blocked the door, and made up his mind not to let him go out tonight.

"You woman!" Cheng Jiahua looked at her angrily, pushed her body away, strode outside, and after taking two steps, he suddenly stopped again, turned back to her and said, "Didn't you hurry up and pay the electricity bill?" Why is it still dark and mushy, and when they all come in a while, how can they still play cards? ”

"You're still going to play cards!" He Tu looked at him in despair and stamped his feet vigorously, "Can you quit this problem!" ”

Cheng Jiahua didn't listen to her at all, frowned, and said, "Hurry up and pay the electricity bill tomorrow." ”

"What am I going to pay for! I'm going to pay it with my life! He Tu shouted in a crying voice, and sat down on the threshold, raising her floured hand to cover her face, as if she were about to cry. When Cheng Jiahua heard her words, he lowered his head and groped in his pocket for a long time, but he didn't find anything, his expression became even more angry, and he asked repeatedly: "Then who did you borrow money to buy those rice noodles?" Why don't you borrow it from him again? ”

"I'm a woman's house! You asked me to borrow money from an unfamiliar man! You can say that! He Tu raised his head, looked at him with teary eyes, and screamed in despair.

Cheng Jiahua's eyes rolled, and when he was about to say something, a figure suddenly floated in the corner of his eye. He froze and looked in that direction with a little surprise, only to see a figure poking out half of his head by the black and broken wall, looking curiously at them. Cheng Jiahua narrowed his eyes and shouted: "Who is there!" ”

The figure hurriedly walked out and smiled, "It's me, it's me." ”

Cheng Jiahua saw that it was Zheng Xi, his face was even worse, he rolled his eyes at him, turned back to the crying He Di and said, "You stay good at home, don't keep coming and going with people outside." ”

"What, quarrel again?" Zheng Xi couldn't hear the meaning of Cheng Jiahua's tone, but he ignored all the hostility and still asked with a smile.

Cheng Jiahua gave him an unfriendly look and asked, "Is there something wrong with you?" ”

"It's okay, just passing by, I thought you had a quarrel, so I came over to take a look."

"You're passing by very diligently." Cheng Jiahua said, turning his head and about to walk outside past him, he suddenly heard Hedi shouting behind him: "Didn't you ask me to borrow money from others!" He borrowed me, you go and borrow it from him!" ”

Cheng Jiahua stopped and glanced at Zheng Xi in surprise. Zheng Xi smiled awkwardly, waved his hand hurriedly, and said, "I originally wanted to come to you this morning, but you fell asleep, so I sat and chatted with my younger siblings for a while.......

"You're full and have nothing to do, right? Can you take care of my family's affairs? Cheng Jiahua felt as if someone had stripped off his clothes and exposed them to everyone's eyes, he felt ashamed and angry, and almost spoke rudely, but he held back, snorted heavily, turned around and strode forward, and soon disappeared into the night.

Zheng Xi looked at Hedi, who was still crying, and stood in place helplessly for a while, until the young Cheng Yan came out and looked at him with hostile eyes, he turned around and left with some disappointment. Walking to the place where the courtyard wall completely blocked Hedi's figure, he stopped, exhaled slowly, and his eyes became dark.

On this night, just like the night before, Cheng Jiahua gambled with the gang until dawn. He Tu closed the bedroom door tightly and went to bed, trying to force herself to fall asleep as before, but the living room was noisy, shouting and shouting one after another, so noisy that she couldn't sleep, plus a bunch of things in her heart, she just frowned tightly, stared at the ceiling, and felt a surge of despair and anger in her heart. lasted until dawn, Cheng Jiahua lay down on the bed without washing his face and feet, and looked at him angrily, but there was nothing he could do.

When he woke up to eat at night, he urged Hetu to pay the electricity bill, and before the words fell, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, Hetu thought it was his group of fox friends and dog friends who came to gamble, and he was holding his stomach to let out, but found that the leader of the group was a bald head, he turned two iron beads in his hand, stood still at the kitchen door, squinted at the family who were having dinner under the faint candlelight, and sneered.