Stepmother

    Song Zhaodi's right eyelid suddenly jumped twice, her heart pounded, something big was going to happen.

    Taking over the microphone, Song Zhaodi couldn't help taking a deep breath: "Brother, what's the matter?"

    "Dad is critically ill." Zhong Weiguo's words came in.

    Song Zhaodi pinched her thigh to calm herself down: "critically ill?"

    "Yes." Zhong Weiguo said, "In the hospital now, ask Jianguo if he can come back."

    Song Zhaodi wanted to say that Zhong Jianguo didn't have time, and the words came to her lips: "He went to the camp and has training in the morning. When he comes back at noon, I will ask him."

    "Okay, let's do this first." Zhong Weiguo borrowed the phone from the factory to make a call, and was embarrassed to talk for too long.

    Sister Duan hurriedly asked: "Who is critically ill?"

    Song Zhaodi put the microphone on and said, "Jianguo's dad."

    "Who?" Sister Duan thought she heard it wrong.

    Song Zhaodi: "Big baby's grandfather."

    Sister Duan opened her mouth and couldn't believe it: "He brought his youngest son to your house that year. I saw that he was in good health, how could it be, how could it be critically ill?"

    Song Zhaodi: "Big brother didn't say, I don't know either. Auntie, let's go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots."

    "Digging bamboo shoots?" Sister-in-law Duan thought she had hallucinations again, but when she saw Song Zhaodi pick up the basket at her feet, she suddenly felt a headache, "Xiao Song, Jianguo's father is dying, you have to go Tell Jianguo."

    Song Zhaodi snorted: "One time Jianguo chatted with me, saying that his grandparents' house was not enough food, he and his brother got up in the middle of the night to drink water when they were hungry, and his grandma found out.

    "His grandma went to his father for food the next day, but his father didn't even give him a grain of rice. Such a heartless person would die. If it weren't for the lack of firecrackers on the island, I would have thought Go buy firecrackers to celebrate."

    Sister-in-law Duan knew that Zhong Jianguo's stepmother was cruel, but he didn't expect his father to be like this, and didn't know what to say for a while: "But, no matter what, he is Dawa's grandfather."

    "Auntie, I've never drank a sip of water from his family." Song Zhaodi said, "Several children in our family have never eaten a single candy of his grandfather. He is a stranger to us. No difference." Pause, "Auntie, don't persuade. We'll go back, but not now."

    Sister Duan: "Then I won't say it. I'm afraid that people from Jianguo's hometown think you are ignorant."

    "You can rest assured." Song Zhaodi said, "I won't do stupid things."

    Sister Duan thinks about it carefully, she really didn't do anything out of the ordinary: "Then let's dig bamboo shoots."

    After lunch, when Zhong Jianguo was washing the pot and the dishes, Song Zhaodi leaned on the kitchen door frame and said, "Your father is dying, do you want to go back and have a look?"

    "What do you mean it's not going to work?" Zhong Jianguo stopped, there was no sadness on his face, only a hint of surprise.

    Song Zhaodi said with a smile: "The way you think, you're dying."

    "Is it not dead yet?" Song Zhaodi nodded. Zhong Jianguo spit out three words, "No time."

    Song Zhaodi was not surprised at all: "Do you call Big Brother back, or should I call him?"

    "You call." Zhong Jianguo put the bowl in the cabinet, "I use the office phone to call out, it is easy to be heard by others, and I can't explain why I don't go back when I look back."

    Song Zhaodi nodded: "If we have to go back to the funeral in a few days, can we be self-reliant and reborn?"

    "Go." Zhong Jianguo said, "I figured out the time, I will go to Binhai in the morning, send him to the cemetery at noon, and we will be back in the afternoon."

    There is no place to live in Zhong Wei's country, Zhong Jianguo's family went there and could only live in a guest house. Living in the hostel was inconvenient, so Song Zhaodi would rather go back to Xiaosong Village than live in the hostel.

    We negotiated with Zhong Jianguo, and at four o'clock in the afternoon, Song Zhaodi used Liu's phone to call Zhong Weiguo back.

    Zhong Weiguo expected that Zhong Jianguo would not go back, and when Song Zhaodi said that Zhong Jianguo was very busy, Zhong Weiguo not only did not persuade him, but hung up the phone and tore up the leave request slip he had prepared.

    1971, February 14th, 1971, on Sunday morning, Song Zhaodi took out the English textbook for the first semester of junior high and was teaching five children to read English when she faintly heard someone shouting "Little boy" Song".

      ship back."

    Song Zhaodi's eyelids moved, calmly, and said slowly: "It's almost ten o'clock, it's too late, I'll go back in the afternoon."

    When Mrs. Duan was about to speak, she swallowed back: "It's really too late."

    "Yes." Song Zhaodi's tone seemed to say, it's time to cook.

    Sister Duan wanted to laugh inexplicably, she wanted to laugh at herself, she was more anxious than Song Zhaodi, she wanted to laugh at Song Zhaodi, and she wanted to laugh at Zhong Jianguo's father. She was dead and her daughter-in-law didn't want to go back. Island is also difficult to find one. Therefore, he didn't stay at the Zhong's house either.

    Song Zhaodi walked into the room, met five pairs of eyes, and raised her eyebrows: "What do I do? Read books."

    "Grandpa is dead?" Dawa asked.

    Song Zhaodi nodded: "Where did you just say?"

    "Mother, grandpa died?!" Zhong Dawa asked again.

    Song Zhaodi: "Yes. May I ask classmate Zhong Jianqiang, are you deaf?"

    "Mom, grandpa died, you are not happy?" Zhong Dawa is very strange.

    Song Zhaodi picked up the book and patted the big baby on the head: "It's your grandfather who died, we are so happy, we can't show it. Otherwise, others will say that we are small stomachs and care about a dead person. ."

    "Okay. Then I'll hold back." Zhong Dawa pursed her lips.

    Erwa hurriedly asked: "Mother, do you mean that grandpa will not come to our house in the future?"

    "That's right." Song Zhaodi said, "Your grandfather is dead, and your grandma is too embarrassed to pester us again." The voice fell, and Zhong Jianguo came in, "Driving here?"

    Zhong Jianguo said "um": "Go to the supply and marketing agency to buy something, boil some eggs and duck eggs for us to eat on the way. You can go to school and ask for a leave."

    "I'll cook first." Song Zhaodi said, "Go buy it."

    Zhong Jianguo nodded and asked the children, "Are you going to the supply and marketing cooperative?"

    "No." Zhong Dawa said, "I want to help my mother cook."

    Zhong Jianguo glanced at him: "I drove back."

    "You don't have a mother to drive." Zhong Dawa looked disgusted, "I don't want to take your car."

    Self-reliance hurriedly asked: "Mother can drive?"

    "Mother's driving skills are very good." Erwa said, "It's very fast, like flying."

    Self-reliance looked at Song Zhaodi, full of hope.

    Zhong Jianguo suddenly felt a pain in his head. He went upstairs to the supply and marketing agency with the money and tickets, without turning his head, he walked very firmly.

    Song Zhaodi smiled, then went to the courtyard to pick a handful of green onion leaves and used the largest pot to make green onion pancakes. Then, use the stove to cook a pot of vegetable porridge.

    After two o'clock, Zhong Jianguo was carrying a large bag, and Song Zhaodi was empty-handed, talking to the children and laughing and rushing to the pier. People who didn't know the truth thought that the Zhong family of seven went out to play.

    Song Zhaodi really planned this. When they arrived in Binhai City, they were in no hurry to return to Zhongwei Country. After having a meal at a state-run restaurant, I went to the park for a walk. After ten o'clock, the family of seven went to the supply and marketing agency to buy some items that were not subject to tickets, and went to Zhongwei Country.

    Sister Zhong didn't allow Song Zhaodi to approach, and said, "I'm really afraid that you won't come."

    "If you don't come back, people will see jokes." Zhong Jianguo said, "Do people stay at home or somewhere?"

    Sister Zhong took out a stack of black armbands and handed it to Song Zhaodi: "It's cremated. The urn is in our father's house."

    "Then let's go." Zhong Jianguo took a black armband, put it on his arm, and asked his sister-in-law, "Is the big brother there?"

    Sister Zhong: "It's over in the morning."

    Song Zhaodi was very curious: "sister-in-law, his health is very good, how can he be critically ill?"

    Zhong Jianguo's sister-in-law did not answer, but looked at Zhong Jianguo: "I told you not to be angry, and don't get angry over there."

    "Get angry with him?" Zhong Jianguo twitched the corners of his mouth, "I'm not so angry. Sister-in-law, let's talk."

    Sister Zhong sighed: "Last year he broke his leg. Although he can still walk, he can't go to work in the factory. He is also approaching retirement age, so the factory manager agreed to Sheng Sheng to take his class. When he reaches retirement age, he will receive his retirement salary directly."

    "It's pretty good." Song Zhaodi said.

    Sister Zhong waved her hand, locked the door and said, "We used to feel pretty good too." Pause, "Jian Guo, last time your brother called you and said that our father is critically ill, you know what it is. sick?"

    "Emergency?" Zhong Jianguo asked.

    Sister Zhong shook her head: "Drink rat poison."

    "What?!" Song Zhaodi staggered.

    Zhong Jianguo hugged her subconsciously: "Slow down, look at the road."

    Sister Zhong: "We can't believe it either. He had an accident. Your elder brother went to the hospital to see him, and when he met his neighbor, we realized that since he can't work, we don't want to give him too much. Money, Zhao Yin scolds him for incompetence every day.

    "In fact, it's not scolding, it's just nagging, and it's very ugly. Zhao Yin and Zhong Shengli went to work, he was at home alone, no one took care of him, and he was there to look after him at home The old man of the child said that life is boring, it is better to die."

    "People thought he was joking, but they didn't take it seriously. After all, in the whole Tongzilou, there are not many houses that live as well as his family. Although the two eldest sons are not close to him, they still work hard. It's decent. They didn't tell Zhao Yin. As a result, he went to buy rat poison the next day and drank it all when he got home."

    "Who discovered that?" Zhong Jianguo asked.

    Sister Zhong felt ashamed when she mentioned this: "Don't mention it, I feel ashamed to say it. He drank the medicine and regretted it, and then ran out and told others that he drank rat poison."

    "No, no?" Song Zhaodi was dumbfounded.

    Sister Zhong nodded: "It's true. One of his neighbors sent him to the hospital, and the doctor said that it was too late, so he might not be able to be saved. Zhao Yin scolded her neighbor when she arrived at the hospital, saying that others Intentionally, he also asked people to lose money. His neighbor went to the hospital because of this, and only met your elder brother in the hospital. "

    "What did eldest brother say?" Zhong Jianguo asked.

    Sister-in-law Zhong: "Zhao Yin is shameless, we need shame. Your elder brother just said, don't pay attention to Zhao Yin."

    "Big brother said so, Zhao Yin didn't make trouble with big brother?" Song Zhaodi asked.