Back to the 70s: My Wife is Both Fierce and Crazy

Chapter 3 A Family of Refugees

"Let me help you pick the vegetables." After sitting down, Bai Jing began to sort the wild vegetables. Seeing that it was just the three of them at home, she asked, "Where are my younger brother and mother?"

The second sister glanced at her eldest sister and said, "My little brother went to find Mother. She's still in the fields. The autumn harvest is coming soon, and there's a lot of work to do there, so she'll be working late."

Now it's all about work points. A strong laborer can earn up to ten work points a day, and someone like Bai's mother can earn eight. This is considered the team leader's consideration for her family. No matter how capable the women in the team are, they can only earn a maximum of six work points. After all, working requires physical labor, and women are ultimately not as strong as men.

After the three sisters worked together to prepare dinner for a while, they finally heard the team's loudspeaker playing the end-of-work song.

After waiting for another half hour, we finally saw two figures walking up the mountain.

The houses of the villagers in the Fourth Brigade are not clustered together; each villager builds their own house wherever they like.

At that time, her mother had just married into the Bai family through an introduction. She was happy for a long time when she learned that the family would be separated immediately after the marriage. However, when she saw her mother-in-law's true character, she chose a plot of land farthest from her hometown.

Not only her family, but also her second and third uncles' families were like this.

It was Luo Chunhua's competence that allowed her to single-handedly support the family. If it had been anyone else, Mr. Bai would have become a widower with the death of his wife and children.

Over the years, Bai's father's actions have made Luo Chunhua accept it and she's resigned to the fact that she doesn't have a man.

No matter how hard or tiring it was, she raised her child all by herself, without asking anyone for help.

Luo Chunhua looked up and saw the three people standing outside her yard. A smile spread across her face. "Mother's back!" she called out loudly to her three children who were waiting for her.

Upon hearing her mother's voice, Bai Jing couldn't help but shout, "Mom, we've prepared dinner! Come back and eat!"

Listening to her words, I thought her family had prepared some delicacies, but it was just a pot of vegetable soup with no oil. For dinner for five people, they only added a sweet potato, the kind that's the size of a fist.

"Oh, here we come."

Luo Chunhua feels that life is sweet whenever she sees children.

After crossing the stream, Luo Chunhua picked up her son and started climbing up the mountain.

Her home is halfway up the mountain, only a three- to five-minute walk away.

Having worked for a long time, she is very strong and can easily carry her youngest son.

"Big sister, second sister, third sister." The youngest brother, Bai Yong, was very excited to see his three older sisters. "Do you know what? I just found some in the field..." Before he could finish speaking, his mother covered his mouth.

"We'll talk about it when we get home."

Bai Jing couldn't think of anything in the field that he could pick up at this time. He just smiled at his younger brother and mother without saying anything.

Upon arriving at her own courtyard, Luo Chunhua put down her son and went to pat her eldest daughter's head. "The fever has gone down. It seems you're all better. Rest at home for another day tomorrow, and then go to work. The team leader has assigned you the task of guarding the fields."

Guarding the fields meant that the fields in the mountains were unattended and there was a risk of birds damaging them, so the children in the team would guard a few plots to drive away birds and wild ducks.

Bai Jing racked her brains for a while before realizing what the task of guarding the fields was. Once she understood, she knew that her mother had pleaded with the captain. "Okay, I'll take my little sister and little brother with me then."

“No need, they still have to go to school. They can go during the holidays.” Mother Bai shook her head. She valued her children’s education very much. She had always had a dream that all her children would pass the exams and leave the village.

Life in the village was too hard.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any job openings.

Even if they did, they couldn't find out a single thing in the deep mountains.

My eldest daughter graduated more than half a year ago, but there's still no news about job openings in town.

Bai Jing knew about her mother's inner conflict and had no intention of changing anything. She didn't think there was anything wrong with going to school.

Unfortunately, the lives of the four siblings were too bitter, too bitter. "Okay, I'll listen to Mother." Bai Jing still needs time to adjust, but once she's adjusted, she can share the burden of the family with her mother.

She had a lifetime of experiences, and although they weren't particularly remarkable, they were still better than those of the people today.

Looking at the family's faces, which resembled those of bobbleheads, Bai Jing knew without even thinking what she looked like.

After finishing a large pot of wild vegetables and sweet potato porridge, I washed myself with the water boiling in the pot and went inside to rest.

After all, less movement means you can stay hungry until dawn.

Bai Jing slept with her mother.

Despite their poor living conditions, Luo Chunhua kept the house very clean.

"Mom, how much longer until Dad comes back?" Lying in bed, Bai Jing couldn't help but ask about her unreliable father.

No matter how unreliable her father was, he was still her father. At least after her grandfather died, he was still a decent person and took on the responsibility of supporting the family. Although it was too late then, it has to be said that there is a big difference between having a father and not having one.

Luo Chunhua glanced at her daughter lying beside her. "What do you think of what your Aunt Feng said today?" She didn't really want to mention her husband. If she could, she would rather he had died on the battlefield.

"I disagree, Mother. Wu's youngest son has a terrible reputation. I heard about him when I was in school in town." Bai Jing was startled. No matter what, she didn't want her mother to marry her off just so she could have enough to eat.

"If you don't believe me, Mother, go and ask around. I'm not lying to you. Although I don't know why Aunt Feng came to our family, I don't think the Wu family would even look at me." With her looks, haha, if it weren't for the Wu family's youngest son ruining their reputation, how could they possibly marry a woman from the deep mountains like that?

Thinking back to the scene when she unknowingly married into the family in her previous life, she felt like killing Aunt Feng.

Luo Chunhua neither said she believed it nor she didn't. She simply told her to go to sleep and then turned away.

"Mother." Bai Jing was very uneasy. "Mother, don't be angry. I want to stay with you for a few more years. Our family is having a hard time. I can't abandon you and my younger siblings just because of myself." Bai Jing hugged her mother's back tightly.

Only when you become a mother do you understand the kindness of your parents.

Just as Bai Jing was crying, her mother sighed deeply, "Alright, if you don't want to get married, then don't."

“But your Aunt Feng meant well. Don’t start cursing people right away next time, it’s bad for your reputation.” Luo Chunhua said, choking back tears as she held her daughter’s hand.

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say, Mother, as long as you don't make me get married."

"I won't marry her, I'll stay a few more years."

Forget it, forget it. If our daughter doesn't want to get married, then she doesn't have to.

Perhaps because she had received her mother's approval, Bai Jing quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up the next day, no one was home.

It's obvious without even thinking that my younger sister and brother went to school, while my mother must have gone to work.

Bai Jing got out of bed without making a sound.

After tidying myself up, I went to the kitchen.

When she saw the wild duck egg warming in the pot, her heart melted. This was the thing her younger brother had mentioned picking up in the field yesterday.

A wild duck egg.

Unexpectedly, her mother left it to her.

After eating an egg with tears streaming down her face, Bai Jing sorted out her thoughts and began to think about changing things at home.

(End of this chapter)