That year, my grandmother took me to my sister-in-law's house to borrow food, and not long after I came back, she died with hatred!
My grandmother never forgave my sister-in-law before she died, and she said with her last breath when she was dying: "Xiulan is not allowed to cry for me, she is too cruel and unworthy to be my daughter." ”
Xiulan is my sister-in-law.
Her beauty is famous throughout the mountain village, with dark eyes, a small cherry mouth and a high nose bridge, ** delicate like a baby, and her teeth are as straight as pearls.
Her figure is even more unique.
High 1At 65 meters tall, he has a well-defined curve, without a trace of excess fat, and his elegant posture when walking is enviable.
People with outstanding looks are beautiful even if they are dressed in a sack, and a beauty like Xiulan can't hide her demeanor even if she wears a plain **.
As an adult, Xiulan attracted countless suitors, and people came to propose marriage almost every day, but she was extremely visionary, and none of them made her tempted.
Grandma hopes that Xiulan can marry a good family, because she pins all her hopes on Xiulan, hoping that she can achieve something good and help her mother's family.
My father was the eldest son in the family, followed by the second uncle, the third aunt, the younger uncle and the younger sister-in-law. Although they are all children of the same mother, only the sister-in-law is outstanding, and the others are much more ordinary in comparison.
At that time, every family was very poor, and it was common for them to open their mouths for food, often after they were full, and they were hungry all day long.
Grandma's most common meal was sweet potato rice, which was washed and cut into cubes, then boiled in a large pot with a handful of grabbing cornmeal to form a thick paste that the whole family shared.
At that time, my grandfather, my father, and my second uncle were the main laborers in the family, and my grandmother always filled them with a bowl first, then filled half a bowl for my uncle, and finally it was her turn, my third aunt, and my sister-in-law.
The porridge of the three women was often filled with water, and the sister-in-law was always not full, she cried and wanted to eat thick porridge, and her grandmother angrily reprimanded her: "Men only need to eat thick porridge when they do heavy work, what is the use of you eating so much for a girl." ”
The sister-in-law said unconvinced: "You don't let me eat enough now, and when I marry a good family in the future, don't expect me to be filial to you." ”
Grandma was so angry that she wanted to hit her, and the sister-in-law grimaced and ran away.
My sister-in-law's fate was unexpectedly good, she was really favored by a wealthy family, married to a second-generation official, and her uncle was a cadre at the grain station.
After getting married, my sister-in-law no longer has to worry about not having enough to eat, she can only eat light meals at her grandmother's house, but at her mother-in-law's house, there are delicious dishes for three meals a day.
My uncle was not stingy with my grandmother's family, and after marrying my sister-in-law, I often sent some rice, oil, noodles and other things to help, thanks to my uncle's kindness, my father and they can occasionally enjoy some meat.
Grandma's evaluation of her uncle is okay, but her sister-in-law disappoints her, since she got married, she rarely goes back to her parents' house, and she is also very cold to her relatives, as if she has forgotten her roots.
Grandma complained in private: "This girl is simply a white-eyed wolf, she forgot her parents and siblings after marrying a good family, she really raised her for nothing." ”
Later, my father and second uncle married daughters-in-law and had children, but my grandfather did not plan to separate the family, so the family population was larger.
Grandma still gets up early every day to cook for a dozen or so people, serving meals to the strong men first, and then the women and children take their turn.
Grandma's thin figure, when she was pregnant with me, she was neither full nor well-fed, I was only a little more than five pounds when I was born, and my grandmother held me in her arms all night, and I could barely hear my first cry.
In order to feed me, my grandmother soaked the malt milk essence given by my uncle into a thin paste every day and fed me spoonful by spoon until I was able to grow up and be strong.
On a cold winter day, the Spring Festival is approaching, and my grandmother decides to make dumplings for the whole family, but there is no meat at home, and there is not enough flour.
Grandma decided to send my dad and uncle to borrow flour and meat from my sister-in-law and see if they could borrow some lard.
However, my dad and uncle refused to go, thinking that it would be embarrassing to borrow something from relatives, especially during the Chinese New Year.
Grandma scolded them anxiously: "Now it's a problem to even eat, and you still care about face? Xiulan has helped us so much, and I'm embarrassed to go for this little thing, I'll go. ”
So, the grandmother went out alone with the basket.
I was eight years old at the time, and when I saw that my grandmother was going alone, I insisted on following her, and my grandmother held my little hand and said, "Let's go together, maybe we can have a good meal at your sister-in-law's." ”
My sister-in-law's house was five or six kilometers away from us, and my grandmother and I walked and stopped, and it took us more than two hours to get there. I was already so hungry that I only drank half a bowl of sweet potato rice.
I didn't want to go anymore, so my grandmother carried me, and even though I was eight years old, I only weighed more than forty pounds because of chronic malnutrition.
Although my grandmother is old, she still carries me on her back, and her steps are still steady.
As we were about to arrive at my sister-in-law's house, I saw a man coming towards us on a bicycle from a distance, and I recognized it as my uncle at a glance.
I excitedly shouted, "Grandma, my uncle is here to pick us up!" Grandma turned her head to look at it.
My uncle found us, stopped his bicycle and greeted us with a smile: "Mother, do you want to come to our house?" Xiulan just stewed pork ribs, let's eat them together at noon. ”
My uncle and grandmother exchanged a few pleasantries, and then hurriedly rode away, and before leaving, we told us that we must finish lunch at his house before leaving.
When I arrived at my sister-in-law's house, I took the initiative to knock on the door.
When my sister-in-law opened the door and saw me and my grandmother, her expression immediately became cold: "Mother, what are you doing here?" ”
Grandma also replied politely, "Can't I come?" Still afraid of soiling your home? ”
After noticing Grandma's mood, my sister-in-law quickly changed her attitude, invited us into the house to sit down, and took a handful of sugar from the sugar jar and handed it to me.
Seeing this, Grandma's face was slightly better.
The sister-in-law asked with concern, "Are Dad, brother and sister-in-law all right?" We haven't been back for a long time, and I'm starting to miss them. ”
Grandma snorted and said, "If you miss them, go back and see." What's the use of just talking about it, not eating or drinking. ”
I ate a few pieces of candy, but my stomach was still rumbling, and I suddenly remembered that my uncle mentioned that my sister-in-law stewed pork ribs.
I ran up to my grandmother and said, "Grandma, I'm so hungry." ”
My sister-in-law hurriedly said, "It's really unfortunate when you came, your uncle and I just had dinner, why don't you heat the leftovers." ”
Grandma didn't speak, her face gloomy.
I saw the kitchen, and a smell of fragrance came to my face, and I found my sister-in-law's stewed ribs. I reached out and grabbed a piece, and despite the heat, I devoured it, and it was so delicious.
At this time, the sister-in-law heard the movement and also walked in. She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out, blaming me, "Who taught you to steal food?" It's rude to do that. ”
I cried and said, "My sister-in-law stewed pork ribs but she didn't want to give them to me, and grandma said you were a white-eyed wolf." ”
My sister-in-law listened to what I said and angrily slapped me. Seeing that I was being beaten, my grandmother rushed up, grabbed my sister-in-law by the hair, and gave her two loud slaps.
The sister-in-law was stunned by her grandmother, covered her face and ran into the room, and began to cry, complaining about the grievances she suffered in her mother's house when she was a child.
At this time, my uncle came home.
When my grandmother came home that day, she didn't say a word, didn't even move her meal, and hurried to bed. I heard her sigh from time to time, and there seemed to be tears in the corners of her eyes.
A few days later, my uncle delivered a lot of food and supplies on his bicycle, and kept apologizing to my grandmother.
But soon after my grandmother returned from my sister-in-law's house, she fell ill. She didn't eat or drink, and she looked like she was out of energy. The family went to a doctor and diagnosed that the grandmother had a psychological problem.
During that time, there was an ominous atmosphere in the home.
On the evening of the Chinese New Year's Eve, my grandmother suddenly refreshed, ate many dumplings, and chatted with her family for a long time.
I was very happy, but my dad looked sad and talked privately: "Grandma, this is a return to the past." ”
A few days later, my grandmother died. Before she died, she told her father: "After I go, you must not let Xiulan attend my funeral, I don't recognize her as a daughter." ”
When Dad heard this, he probably thought that the sister-in-law was too much. If it weren't for her, Grandma wouldn't have left so aggrieved.
Since then, we have cut off contact with my sister-in-law. My uncle occasionally came to visit my grandfather at home, but there was little communication.
Uncle said with red eyes: "Don't blame Xiulan, her past life was too hard, and she valued food more than her life. She's sorry for it, but she's too embarrassed to come to see you. ”
Dad interrupted his uncle and said that if it was past, let it pass. It's true that we are not good enough for my sister-in-law, but it is also a blessing for her to live a happy life, and we should not blackmail her.
In short, both grandma and sister-in-law are at fault.
Now, my sister-in-law is also nearly 70 years old. With the mediation of my uncle, our relationship with my sister-in-law improved, but there was still a lack of intimacy.
I prefer the third aunt to my sister-in-law.
Perhaps, in my heart, I will never forget the slap she gave me, the "uneducated" scolding.