The morning light is faint, the sky is dawning, many people are rising from the chimneys of the cooking smoke, the village road is walking in twos and threes, or carrying hoes, or pulling ploughing oxen, at a glance it is to go to the field. Zhao Jin woke up early in the morning, opened her eyes and found that her mother didn't seem to be awake yet, usually at this time she was already busy in and out, alas, her father's matter took away her mother's soul.

She sat up, then lightly put on her clothes and got off the kang. At this time, there was already someone in the courtyard, and it was the Zhou family of the third room. Today, it was the turn of the third room to cook, and the second girl was packing up the changed clothes and putting them together to wash them by the river, Zhao Jin washed her face and went with her.

The fifteen-year-old Erya is full of youth and is the best flower season for ancient girls, although she is not very beautiful, she is also very delicate. Seeing Zhao Jin coming to help her, she couldn't help but smile and talk to her: "Siya, Fourth Uncle is better, right?" ”

"My mother is taking care of him, and he hasn't woken up yet, so I don't know if it will be better today." Zhao Jin said a little heavily, and Erya also knew that the paleness of words could not comfort anything, so the two of them walked forward silently.

The speed of the two people is relatively fast, and it is finished in less than an hour. Back in the courtyard, the rest of the Zhao family got up one after another, and there were more and more voices in the courtyard. On the other side of the stove room, Zhou called for dinner.

Breakfast is brown rice porridge, which is porridge cooked with brown rice. Wheat is not produced in this part of Zhao County, and crops such as rice and corn are mostly grown in the south. Although all farmers grow rice, they rarely use it for their own food, and they all sell it for other grains to eat. Not to mention that a family like the Zhao family, who is struggling on the edge of the poverty line, cannot afford to eat fine grains, so they can only eat some coarse grains. Usually it is more sweet potato porridge.

Zhao Jin filled two bowls of porridge, filled a few corn tortillas with a coarse porcelain plate, and sandwiched some pickles next to it, and carried them back to the four-room room. As soon as she entered the door, her mother still looked at her father blankly. She hurriedly put the wooden tray on the square table and stepped forward to look at her: "How is Dad?" Awakened? But better? Mother, you also have to eat some, otherwise your father will fall ill before you wake up, and I will bring you some porridge to eat. ”

Liu looked at her as if he had grasped a life-saving straw, and found that Zhao Laosi was unconscious, and Zhu and Zhao Jin seemed to have grown into adults overnight, and they were doing things in an orderly manner. Thinking about something, she reached out to take the bowl, but when she didn't hold it steadily, her hand slipped, and the bowl fell straight down. Fortunately, Zhao Jin caught the bowl with his eyes and hands, so he didn't spill the porridge.

Liu Shi was a little embarrassed in his heart, and suddenly realized that he was an adult, and he couldn't stand the blow at all, and he was confused, if Zhao Laosi woke up, he didn't know how to blame her, he was not even as good as a child. After she figured it out, she took the initiative to take a few bites of porridge and ate it.

Just then, someone came to the door. It's Zhang. Zhang's face was full of embarrassment, and he sighed and said a lot of words, to the effect that the fourth child woke up, what should he do in the future.

In the main room, Xia was chatting with Lao Zhao about yesterday's incident. Xia Shi held an old dress in his hand and sewed it, while saying: "Let me say that the fourth child is lying in bed unconscious now, and I don't know how much money I will invest in the future." Our family's money is not picked up on the ground, the fifth child still has to hand over the bundle, the daughter has to save the dowry, the fourth room was originally because of the dead girl made a fuss one after another, and now she has been good for a while, the fourth child has an accident, their room must be unknown, someone must be sick to be normal. It's better to split up early. ”

Lao Zhao Tou was wearing a dark blue coarse cloth shirt and trousers, sitting cross-legged on the kang head, smoking a dry cigarette.

"Okay, the fourth child is still lying on the bed, and he is also your son when you stab a knife at this time." After a while, he said in a hoarse voice.

The sound of snapping sounded again, the swirling green smoke swirled in the air, and then drifted around, and the old face of Lao Zhao's ravines was hidden behind it, looming, there was a kind of sadness, poverty not only bent human nature.

"But you see the doctor said that he can only raise in the future, and he can't work, and yesterday there was more than 100 yuan, how long do you have to be tired in the field to earn this more than 100 yuan! The fifth child has to pay 500 yuan for living expenses every month, and he has to pay more than 2 taels of poll tax every month. How many of your families can withstand such a toss! By dividing the four rooms, we can also pay less taxes and bear less burdens. ”

Seeing that her mother-in-law was distressed like this, Lao Zhao sat up straight, knocked on the cigarette pot on the kang table, and glanced at her: "You only feel sorry for money when the fourth child has an accident, and you don't want to think about what must have involved the fifth child in the middle, and the fifth child must have offended someone outside?" It's not that I'm talking about you, you're a father and mother, don't be too biased, don't let the following small contradictions occur. ”

As soon as he heard this, Xia Shi was unwilling, so he slapped him across the kang table and said, "Am I biased?" Are you not biased? ”

He is also biased, but who calls Lao Wu the only person in the family to read, he is one step away from Xiucai, if he can be admitted to Xiucai, he will be able to walk with his head held high in Zhaojia Village, instead of pointing behind his back like now. Just thinking of the fifth child, Lao Zhao couldn't help frowning. This child reads more and more strangely, how well-behaved a child used to be, filial piety now, in the eyes of the father and mother can not see only a little smile when taking the silver, as soon as he comes back, he will go into the study and don't understand what he is doing.

Lao Zhao smashed his mouth several times, and the furrow on his face deepened: "You old woman too, don't you want to think that if outsiders know about this, we can still have a face in the village?" ”

"So what do you say? Won't do it? Xia sat up again and glared at Lao Zhao.

"Ask for opinions on the other rooms. Well, let's have a meeting at home tomorrow to discuss what to do. ”