Reborn in 1966

Chapter Eighteen: Little Lotus

Watching Tian Lingling's youthful and vigorous figure walk away, Third Grandfather sighed. There were some things he didn't say to Tian Lingling. The Shen family not only had Shen Shengsi, a rightist, but also the child from the third branch of the Shen family who hadn't appeared for many years. It was said that when Shen Shengsi was being investigated, someone from the commune had already asked about this person. Although he had told people that the child had participated in some patriotic group when he was in school and that his fate was unknown, he knew that the child from the third branch of the Shen family had taken a boat from the city to Taiwan back then.

When Shen Shengxiu, the third son of the Shen family, was in school, he joined an anti-Japanese organization and secretly joined the Kuomintang. Before the liberation, he had seen his boss when a very good old friend saw him off on a ship. He asked his old friend to help cover up this matter because he was afraid that there would be any turmoil in the Shen family. Those families with overseas connections have suffered so much. The Shen family, young and old, can no longer withstand any turmoil.

My great-uncle's wife passed away early, and he raised his two sons and one daughter to adulthood. His daughter is the eldest and has already married. His youngest son joined the army with Tian Baogen and is still serving in the military. His eldest son stayed in the village, and his eldest grandson has been in the army for several years. He lives with his eldest son's family, and he also has a grandson and a granddaughter.

They say that old people become wiser. I'm already over seventy, and I've seen a lot, so I can consider things more comprehensively. Looking at the current situation, those in the family with overseas connections or bad class backgrounds will have an increasingly difficult time in the future. But Baogen's daughter is determined and has shown a very firm stance on marrying Shen Shengqin. Even if we help her find another husband, or even if Shen Shengqin finds a wife, she won't be able to marry him. She's given up on it, and I guess she won't be able to live a peaceful life in the future.

The seventy-something-year-old third grandfather stroked his few strands of beard, pondering how to talk to Baogen about this matter.

Tian Baogen's family only has these two children. If one of them is not handled properly, not only will outsiders laugh at him, but Tian Baogen's authority as the village party secretary will also be tarnished. The main concern is that we are afraid that Tian Baogen will be upset and upset.

Tian Baogen's body suffered too many injuries during the war. Although he looked healthy, he was actually riddled with wounds. Otherwise, Baogen would not have gone home as soon as the war ended.

Grandpa Tian was lost in thought, while the Shen family workers returned home for dinner with gloomy faces. Shen Shengsi saw that Uncle Shen was silent but still working, and he didn't seem as enthusiastic about the movement as he had last year. He sighed, took the basin from his younger brother, washed his hands with the water, and sat down at the dining table in the main room to eat.

Pei-Yin was held in her grandmother's arms as they ate around the large dining table.

Pei-Yin, who already has four teeth, can eat some millet porridge on her own. Sometimes, when the family stir-fries vegetables, she can pick a tender leaf, hold it in her mouth for a long time, and then eat it.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat somber. It wasn't a holiday, so the three branches of the Shen family ate their own meals. The eldest branch didn't follow the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping, and the children usually liked to laugh and joke around during meals. Today, influenced by the adults, the children all lowered their heads and ate their own meals.

Grandpa Shen looked at his youngest son, who was eating with his head down, and said to his wife, "My dear wife, didn't the Sheng family say they wanted to find a wife for Shengqin? You should take some time to visit them and tell them that as long as the girl is nice, they should hurry up and get Shengqin married."

Uncle Shen looked up at his father, but didn't say anything, and continued eating his meal with his head down.

Peiyin looked at her grandfather, whose face was gloomy, and put the cornbread in her hand to his mouth, making "oh oh oh" noises. Seeing his granddaughter's actions, the grandfather's face brightened, and he said with a smile, "Yinyin is so thoughtful, she knows how to feed her grandfather." As he spoke, he put down his chopsticks, took Peiyin from his wife, and patted her on the back.

Grandpa's expression brightened, and the children relaxed. Before long, Peitian and Peizhi were chattering about how they had gone to work in the fields with their parents that morning.

Looking at her little daughter, who was still being cute and adorable in her father-in-law's arms, Shen's mother secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

I've already heard the rumors about my uncle's affair with the village secretary's daughter from the villagers. I already know the truth, but I can't defend myself. I was very worried about our future after seeing the way the village secretary looked at my husband when the team was assigning tasks this morning, and after seeing the work my husband did at work this morning. We've offended the highest leader in the village, and it won't be easy for us to have a peaceful life in the future.

Grandma looked preoccupied all afternoon. Peiyin saw this but couldn't help her. She sat in the wicker basket, rested her head on the edge of the basket which Grandma had wrapped with scraps of cloth, and sighed softly.

Grandma, who was still mending, put down her needle and thread, patted Pei Yin with a smile, and said, "You little rascal, how come you're so lovable?"

Pei-yin looked at her grandmother with a smile. Her grandmother put down her needlework and picked Pei-yin up. Pei-yin pouted and kissed her grandmother's cheek. Her grandmother smiled and said, "You know how to care for people. Even though you can't speak, you always soothe my heart."

Grandma held Peiyin in her arms, watching the sycamore leaves swaying gently in the breeze, and said softly, "Your second uncle has also suffered. He originally wanted to join the army with Xiaohe, but your father was labeled a rightist and couldn't go. Xiaohe did go, but she sacrificed herself in less than a year. Grandma knows all this about why your second uncle has never been in a hurry to find a wife all these years."

It was clear there was a story behind it all. Pei Yin's gossipy nature kept clamoring, but unfortunately she couldn't speak yet and didn't know who this "Xiao He" was. She felt as uneasy as if a cat was scratching at her.

Coincidentally, when Pei-Yin was going to bed that night, her parents answered her questions.

Tian Xiaohe was the daughter of the youngest son of the third grandfather of the Tian family. She grew up with her grandfather and became childhood sweethearts with Uncle Shen. They were about the same age. Later, Tian Xiaohe joined the army. Originally, Uncle Shen was going to go with her. Moreover, Uncle Shen was a performing arts soldier because he could play instruments and sing. However, Uncle Shen's eldest brother was labeled a rightist and the whole family was sent back to their hometown to participate in labor reform. Now, not only could Uncle Shen not join the army, but he also could not go to university.

The commune leaders saw that Uncle Shen was a talented person and that the eldest brother of the Shen family had been reformed quite well, so they let him join the workers' propaganda team.

Tian Xiaohe initially wrote to us, but then stopped. Later, she died in an accident.

From then on, the second uncle worked diligently, participated in activities, and was quite active when it came to sports. In fact, in Shen's father's view, his younger brother had never gotten over this incident.

The only person who knew about Shen Shengqin and Tian Xiaohe was Shen's grandmother. Shen's father was told by his grandmother secretly when he got off work today.

Mother Shen said, "Think about it, we've held his second uncle back, sigh..."

Father Shen said, "What can we do? My second brother still has a conscience. Look at how many people have severed ties with their own relatives. Just for that reason, even if he's unreliable, we have to put up with him."

Shen's mother said, "Yes, I saw that his second uncle is not like he was last year after the New Year."

Shen's father said, "After seeing so many criticism meetings, some people get more and more excited, some people find it meaningless, and some people go back and think about what the point of doing this is. Take Tian Aiguo, for example. At the beginning of the movement, he was a well-known activist in our commune, but look at him now. He goes to the fields every day to earn work points and has become a so-called 'carefree' person. There are still more people with their own thoughts."

Shen's mother said, "The children in the village have been helping the adults with chores these days. This is not a good way to go. They should be in school to learn. If this is delayed, it will affect their whole lives."

Mr. Shen said, "My fourth uncle mentioned this to me this morning, saying that we should teach his grandsons to recognize a few words when we have time, so they don't become illiterate."

In the darkness, Pei Yin counted the time on her fingers. More than a third of 1967 had passed, and classes should be able to resume before the end of the year.

In the room of the third grandfather of the Tian family, a kerosene lamp was lit. The third grandfather had a pipe in his mouth. He looked at Tian Baogen, who was sitting at the kang table with his head down, sighed, and said, "Baogen, I've told you everything I need to say. Lingling is a girl with her own ideas. I don't think you can stop her from marrying Shengqin."

Tian Baogen raised his head, his eyes red, and said to his third uncle, "Third Uncle, I'm afraid that Shengqin doesn't care about Lingling. Do you know why he hasn't been in a hurry to find a wife all these years? Hehe, I underestimated this quiet boy. He did it for Xiaohe."

Upon hearing the name "Xiao He," the third grandfather's lips trembled slightly, and he said, "I know these two children grew up together. If Xiao He were still here..."

Tian Baogen said, "Third Uncle, since things have come to this, I'll go back and discuss it with Lingling's mother. I'll go to the Shen family and talk to the eldest brother of the Shen family about the marriage of the two children. Children are always a burden."

Third Grandfather said, "Baogen, there's something you need to keep in mind."

Baogen said, "Third Uncle, you mean Shen Shengxiu, right? I know him. He met me once during the Battle of Xuzhou and said that if he didn't come back, he asked me to take care of his mother."

Third Grandfather patted Tian Baogen on the shoulder and said, "Baogen, your third uncle was right about you. You are a good person."

Tian Baogen said, "What is a good person? Third Uncle, look at me now, I feel so frustrated and confused. I don't understand it at all."

Third Grandfather said, “Not only do you not understand, but I don’t understand either. But Baogen, you must remember one thing: no matter what, reading is the most important thing. If a person doesn’t read, he cannot understand reason, and he cannot broaden his horizons. You must also protect these rightists who have been sent down to the countryside in our village.”

Tian Baogen said, "Don't worry, Uncle, I know that. It's getting late, you should get some rest."

Under a sky full of twinkling stars, Party Secretary Tian walked home, his steps uneven, wondering how to tell his wife.