Pan Huanghe's home was in a small village called Green Willow Village in Hebei Province. On the endless plain, there were some scattered families. In front of the houses, there was a small curved canal that flowed slowly. Every spring, the branches of the willow tree danced in the wind. The tall parasol tree in front of the door would have magpies nest in the winter, chirping non-stop. In spring, the fields were full of unknown flowers. The night in the village was so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling on the ground could be heard. If it was around the 15th day of the lunar calendar, the moon would be like a big silver plate hanging on the branches…
These were all the memories Pan Huanghe had of Green Willow Manor after leaving it today. However, in the 17 years he had lived in Green Willow Village, there was only one word that left the deepest impression on him: Poor.
Now that he thought about it, Pan Huanghe still shuddered. His family was really too poor. According to his father, Old Man Pan, Pan Huanghe's grandfather had starved to death. Before he died, Pan Huanghe's grandfather was still saying intermittently,"" I…just want to eat a sweet potato…" He thought that Green Willow Village would be better off with the change of times, but in Pan Huanghe's generation, the Pan family was still poor.
Pan Huanghe still remembered the winter when he was 12 years old. It snowed heavily in Green Willow Village. The family had not been able to cook for a few days. His frail and sickly mother lay in bed on her last breath. His two younger brothers and sister were so hungry that they cried until their voices were hoarse. Pan Huanghe and Old Man Pan searched for food all over the world like crazy. They searched everywhere they could find food. In addition to the threat of hunger, the family also faced the threat of cold. They did not have two decent pairs of pants at home, and they could not go out in the winter. They all huddled under the blankets to keep warm.
Once, his two-year-old sister peed in a pit and wet a large area of the blanket. The whole family was shivering from the cold. Poor two-year-old sister was almost slapped to death by her father.
In the winter when he was 12 years old, Pan Huanghe shouldered the heavy burden of his family's life. He walked in the snow and ice in a pair of broken straw shoes. He and his father went to the willow trees in Green Willow Village and shook off the snow on the dry willow branches. Then, they broke the branches forcefully and carried them to the rich families in the town to sell. One load of firewood could be exchanged for five to six catties of sweet potatoes and half a catty of corn paste. In this way, the family could make do for a while.
The cold was more terrifying than hunger. When he was young, Pan Huanghe would often lie in the snow, scrape a few mouthfuls of snow, or use stones to cut open the ice, and pour the cold water in the water tank.
Pan Huanghe was often so hungry that he would lie on the ground. His eyes would turn black, and his head would constantly spin. Sometimes, a large pile of delicious white steamed buns and fragrant meat would appear in front of him…However, when he reached out to grab them, there was nothing in front of him except for the sky.
Pan Huanghe often squatted at the door of the rich man's house and looked at the courtyard. The servants came and went with delicious food. He was so jealous that he drooled and wanted to grab a handful and stuff it into his mouth. Once, Pan Huanghe saw a servant carrying a plate of chicken drumsticks into a room. Pan Huanghe couldn't take it anymore. He ran into the door, grabbed one, and ran away. However, as he was too hungry, he didn't have much strength. He didn't run far before he fell to the ground with a big mouth. The people behind him caught up and beat him up. They even trampled the chicken drumsticks on the ground. Pan Huanghe was covered in blood, but that didn't stop his desire to eat. He endured the pain and reached out to grab the drumstick that had been stepped on.
Many people in the village lived like Pan Huanghe's family. Wang Dongmei's family lived in the neighboring courtyard, and their conditions were not much better. Wang Dongmei was the same age as Pan Huanghe. This weak girl often forgot her shyness in the face of hunger. In the middle of winter, she followed Pan Huanghe to break the branches of the willow tree. She was still too young and weak. Her belly could be seen through the holes in her clothes. However, this could not hide her beauty. There were several times when Pan Huanghe gave Wang Dongmei a broken branch or a sweet potato. The hearts of the two poor teenagers gradually grew closer and closer in their difficult years.
Winter had finally passed. The snow had finally melted, and the sun was starting to glow red again. Only then did their family have some hope.
At the age of 16, the sallow and emaciated Pan Huanghe ran away from home for the first time in his life. In the middle of March, he left Green Willow Village early in the morning before dawn. He came to the town and walked from the town to the train station in the county. He made a living by working hard at the train station. When he was hungry, he would pick up rotten vegetables and leaves. When he was cold, he would hide under the chair at the train station.
It was at the train station that Pan Huanghe was beaten in the head by a group of local bullies. The reason for the beating was that he had broken the rules of the train station. Pan Huanghe lay on the ground, bleeding profusely. He almost lost his life. In the end, he was bandaged by an old Chinese doctor passing by at the train station. Only then did his condition improve.
Pan Huanghe's running away from home made Old Man Pan feel like he was walking on thin ice. He scolded Pan Huanghe more than once for being a fool. When the family needed him the most, he left his siblings and disappeared. Every day, Old Man Pan would stand under the eaves and scold his disappointing son. When he was tired of scolding, he would bend over and pant non-stop.
Less than two months after Pan Huanghe left home, his mother, who was in her forties, fell ill. She had a high fever and could not eat. In less than two months, she died of illness.
When he was 16 years old, it was almost the new year. Many people from other places began to go home. Pan Huanghe washed his face and black fingers in front of the tap at the train station and set foot on his way home.
On the night of New Year's Eve, the family sat around the cold brick bed. Although it was the new year, there was still nothing to eat at home. Old Man Pan thought about the changes in the family over the past year. First, his eldest son ran away from home, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive. Then, his wife passed away before him, leaving behind a bunch of children. Seeing his children suffer with him, Old Man Pan really wanted to die…
At this moment, the old wooden door was pushed open, and a black shadow stood at the door. As soon as Pan Huanghe entered the door, he began to shout," Mother, Mother, my son is back…" When Old Man Pan recognized his son's voice, he had mixed feelings. He wanted to jump out and beat his son up, but in the end, he didn't. He grabbed Pan Huanghe tightly and asked anxiously,""You…Where did you go?"
"Dad, I went to the county town…" Pan Huanghe said excitedly.
"What are you doing in the county town alone?”
Pan Huanghe did not say anything. He took out a large pile of food from his bag and placed it on the table. Sweet potatoes, cornmeal, a sheep's head, and half a pig's head!
"Father, look, I bought so much delicious food for you and mother.”Pan Huanghe was extremely excited.
However, the whole family faced Pan Huanghe, who was in high spirits. There was no smile on their faces. Instead, their faces were filled with sorrow.
"What's wrong with you guys? Where's my mother? Father, where is my mother?" Pan Huanghe did not see his mother. He grabbed his father's arm and asked anxiously,""Father, where's my mother? What's wrong with her?"
Father Pan finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears. His sister, who was sitting on the pit, also burst into tears. Pan Huanghe fell to his knees with a thud." Mother! Mother! I've let you down. Mother, I came back too late. I didn't send you off. I deserve to die. Mother, why didn't you wait for me?”Pan Huanghe clutched his father's leg tightly and cried out for his mother. Old Man Pan looked at his son and thought of his mother, then looked at his daughter in the pit. Tears flowed down his face. In the house, the three of them hugged each other and cried bitterly. They thought of their poor and difficult life. They thought of their mother who had died a bitter life because of her serious illness without food and medicine…
That New Year's Eve was the most sumptuous New Year's Eve the Pan family had celebrated in decades. In order to exchange for this sumptuous meal, the young Pan Huanghe spent almost a year.
When Pan Huanghe found out that his mother had passed away, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He had wanted to show filial piety to her, but he did not expect her to leave so soon. For the first time, Pan Huanghe felt that he had truly grown up. In the future, this family would be his main force!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。