A century of poverty

Chapter 42 Sack Pieces!

The eldest sister got married, and the second sister became the eldest child in the family.

Seeing her mother suffer every day, she always wanted to help. When her mother cooked, she helped with the fire. When her mother put salt in the pot, she said to her second sister, "Go ask your grandma for money to buy salt. If we run out of salt, I don't dare ask your grandma for any more."

After breakfast, the second sister mustered up her courage and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, give me two cents, I'm going to buy some salt."

Grandma looked at her cabinet with a long face: "Take two cents. I'm not going to run this household anymore. Let your mother run it. She's just trying to take over my power!"

My second sister awkwardly opened the milk cabinet, took out two cents, and went to the cooperative to buy salt.

Father's illness worsened again; he was swollen all over and had difficulty breathing while lying down. Mother helped him up and sat him against the wall at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed). He couldn't eat, so my second sister went to the market in Shimen every five days, buying two jin (about 2 catties) of white pears each time. Mother would slice them with a small knife and feed them to Father piece by piece.

The whole family relied on Mom's two hands to make food and clothing, and she also took care of Dad, who was seriously ill.

When it comes to cooking, the first step is to start with grinding grains, then cook the food and bring it to the table.

Making clothes involves spinning yarn, weaving cloth, dyeing, and finally tailoring.

Making shoes started with making the inner lining, and there wasn't even a large piece of old cloth available. The hemp rope for sewing the soles had to be spun from scratch. Assuming each person received two pairs of shoes per year from cotton, eight people would need sixteen pairs. After one cycle, the later pairs wouldn't be finished, and the earlier ones would be long gone. Besides, children were especially hard-working; they'd climb trees and scratch walls, and a new pair of shoes would have their big toes worn through in just a few days.

In autumn and winter, we also had to make two pairs of socks with sewn soles for our father. The children went barefoot regardless of the season. If it rained, they would roll up their trousers, take off their shoes, and walk barefoot, afraid of getting their shoes wet. So, the younger children would often pick up the older ones and mend them.

Under the oil lamp all year round, there are my mother's hands that are always busy.

The family didn't have money to buy cloth to make new clothes for the children. The production team distributed some cash crops such as walnuts and peanuts, which they took to the market to sell, earning a few coins to buy some supplements for their father's diet.

My second sister's shoe sole came ripped, so she picked up a piece of aluminum wire and twisted it back on herself. Some girls her age wore handmade floral dresses, while my second sister spent her time before and after get off work digging for medicinal herbs, selling them to buy a piece of floral fabric. She wanted to make a dress, but after looking at it from left to right on the kang (heated brick bed), she couldn't figure out how to cut it. My mother only knew how to cut old-fashioned clothes, not modern styles. Looking at the newly bought floral fabric and the fashionable clothes people wore at the time, my second sister was at a loss. My mother reminded her, "Your aunt's eldest sister, Jinzi, might know how."

At this time, both her family and her aunt's family bought sewing machines.

The second sister saw a glimmer of hope and went to her aunt's house with the cloth. Jinzi was looking in the mirror, smoothing her thin, schoolgirl-style hair. The second sister smiled broadly: "Big sister, I want to make a floral jacket, but I don't know how to cut it, so I came to you." Jinzi snorted and continued looking in the mirror. The second sister waited a while, but Jinzi still ignored her. Growing impatient, she said, "Big sister, I bought a jacket, but I don't know how to cut it. Can you teach me?"

"——"

The second sister was an impatient person; she wanted a straight answer on whether she would help or not. She stood awkwardly on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), feeling extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't say anything, since she needed her help. She patiently waited and called out again, "Eldest sister, I don't know how. Please help me so I can learn."

"Hmm—" she drawled, acting like a pampered young lady. She only cut out the body pieces for her second sister, refusing to cut out the collar and sleeves no matter how much her second sister begged.

The second sister was determined to learn it herself; asking for help was so difficult! She took the garment home, and her mother told her, "Tomorrow when you go to work, borrow a garment this size, and we'll peel it off ourselves." The second sister did as her mother said, borrowing a garment, and the two of them peeled off the sleeves and collar. The second sister bought a roll of thread, went to her aunt's house to use a sewing machine, and made a new garment.

Male laborers earned 10 points a day, second-class and first-class female laborers earned 8 points a day, and second-class female laborers earned 6.5 points. My second sister was in the 6.5-point category. Regardless of the points earned, everyone was required to gather in the fields at a clatter, and each person was required to carry a load of manure. My second sister obeyed the rule and carried a load of manure every day. However, she noticed that several other women earning the same work points didn't carry any. One day, she wasn't feeling well, so she didn't carry any either.

That evening, her third sister accompanied her to the team headquarters to record her work points. Her second sister saw that the recorder had recorded 5 points for her for one day. The second sister didn't understand and asked, "Why did you record 5 points for me for one day?"

Work recorder: "You didn't carry any manure when you went to the fields this morning."

Second Sister: "Dai Di, Er Rong, and Shan Xing never carry manure, and I've never seen you give them 5 points. But today I didn't carry any, and you're giving me 5 points?"

Work recorder: "You can't tell me this. Team leader Zhang Shixue told me to record it this way."

Second sister: "You said it's settled, I'll ask the team leader tomorrow morning when I go to work."

Work recorder: "What's wrong with that? He's the one who told me to record it, he's the one who told me to record it."

The next morning, my third sister went to work with me again. When we arrived at the team's gate, several people were already there. My second sister saw Zhang Shixue and went up to him, asking, "Second Uncle, did you ask the work recorder to give me 5 points yesterday?"

Captain: "Yes!"

Second sister: "Why?"

Captain: "You didn't carry any manure."

Second sister: "Among us adults, they never carry manure, why don't you give them 5 points? I only missed one time, but you give me 5 points?"

Team leader: "I didn't see them take responsibility, but I saw that you didn't take responsibility yesterday."

Second sister: "You're biased and bullying others. You don't see it when they don't take responsibility, but you see it when I don't."

The team leader, speechless, turned to leave. Second Sister grabbed his sleeve, saying, "Don't go! Explain yourself in front of everyone today!" The team leader, a tall, thin man in his forties, slammed Second Sister onto a nearby pile of manure. Second Sister, enraged, grabbed a handful of manure and threw it at the team leader. Enraged, the team leader lifted Second Sister up and, with considerable force, threw her away again…

The third sister was so frightened that she cried and rushed home to deliver the message. When she reached the west wall, she cried out, "Mom! Something terrible has happened! Zhang Shixue is beating my second sister!" She ran to the north street and came in through the gate. Her father was sitting against the wall facing the gate, and her mother was feeding her pears slice by slice. "Go, go and bring Chunlian back," her father said stiffly.

Mom turned around heavily and walked with Third Sister through the whole village towards the team headquarters. Second Sister was still sitting on the ground crying. Mom bent down with difficulty and took Second Sister's hand: "Come on, come home with Mom." Second Sister got up, and Mom touched her shoulders and arms: "Where did Zhang Shixue hit you? Does it hurt?" "She threw me down a few times, but I didn't feel any particular pain anywhere," Second Sister replied.

When they arrived at Beidang Street, the second sister saw someone walking towards Beidaogou: "Mom, I think that person looks like my eldest sister." Mom turned around and looked closely: "Yes, it is!" Upon hearing this, the third sister ran down the big slope and ran towards her eldest sister.

The eldest sister, carrying a stick slightly thinner than a shovel handle on her shoulder with her bundle slung over the end, was walking towards them with a smile. The third sister ran up to her: "Eldest sister!" "Yes!" the eldest sister replied. "Why are you carrying that stick?" the third sister asked.

"Fight the wolves!" the eldest sister replied.

"Have you ever seen a wolf?" the third sister continued to ask.

"I've seen it."

They came up the big slope. The second sister was much happier to see the eldest sister; the unpleasantness that had just occurred was dispelled by her arrival. Mother noticed that the eldest sister was pregnant, and the mother and daughters chatted as they entered the house.

Grandma was overjoyed to see her beloved eldest granddaughter return and called her older sister to come to her side. She asked, "Last time you went back, didn't you stay out all night?"

The older sister said, "No, I saw two wolves in Shaguiziyu."

Grandma: "Look how close that was! I made your mom cook early today, so you could eat and go home early. Hope those two wolves didn't hurt you!"

The older sister said, "No, those two, one big and one small, were just ignoring me for a while."

Grandma: "That's serious, we need to have some tools ready."

Eldest sister: "Yes! I brought a stick today."

"A few days ago, when I went to the fields, I saw my great-aunt also going to the fields, carrying a basket to collect firewood."

Grandma: "What can we do if she doesn't pick things up? The whole family depends on her. Your aunt is useless."

Eldest sister: "My great-aunt was dressed in filthy clothes right there on the street."

Grandma: "Someone like your great-uncle only deserves a wife like that."

At noon, Mom prepared the meal, set it on the table, and the family ate. Then she didn't eat, but went alone to the old side room in the southeast corner.

The eldest sister sat next to her grandmother. After finishing her meal, she put down her bowl and said to her grandmother, "Go to the side room and see why your mother hasn't come out yet." The eldest sister agreed, put on her shoes, and got off the kang (a heated brick bed). As soon as she entered the side room, she saw her mother squatting by the stove, with a baby girl on a burlap sack next to her.

The baby girl thrashed and kicked, her tiny arms and legs twitching. Perhaps it was the rough weave of the burlap sack that prickled her tender back. The older sister felt a lump in her throat. Poor little sister! You came to live in a family like ours, and all you got in return was a tattered burlap sack.

The older sister picked up her younger sister from the burlap sack: "Shall we go?"

Mom nodded and went to the main room with her eldest sister.

In the evening, Third Sister went to play in the street. The young woman from the East Well asked, "Third Sister, where did your child come from that crying baby?" Third Sister replied, "I picked him up from the well."