It's half past ten at night!

"Bang, bang, bang, Qiuju, Qiuju! Get up, Xiaoyue is in trouble!"

Yang Xiaole was awakened by the knocking on the door outside, and it sounded like Sun Yulan, the daughter-in-law of Yang Qingwu.

Wang Qiuju across the way also woke up and went out.

Before long, she came back and said, "Xiaole, take a look, Xiaoyue is in trouble. If she wakes up, don't come out."

After speaking, she hurried away.

Yang Xiaole frowned.

Sun Xiaoyue, the daughter-in-law of Yang Wenhua's family, was one generation lower than Yang Qingwu, and was considered the same generation as himself.

This guy was lazy and incompetent, and often went out to sell things. Last time he went, he was caught and brought back by the commune from the city, with the help of the old village head.

However, Sun Xiaoyue had been married for several years and hadn't given birth to a child. She had been beaten many times because of this.

It was an unavoidable situation. Nowadays, if a woman couldn't give birth, it was the greatest sin.

Even the in-laws couldn't control it.

This guy, Yang Wenhua, was no good.

In trouble?

Thinking of this, Yang Xiaole decided to go and take a look!

What if he could save her?

With that in mind, he quickly got out of bed and walked outside.

At this time, many people in the village were carrying lanterns and walking towards a thatched cottage.

In the village, regardless of whether they were relatives or not, when someone died, people from every household would generally go to help.

In the courtyard, there were many people, mostly adults.

"Xiaole, what are you doing here?"

Wang Qiuju was standing in the courtyard and pulled him over when she saw him coming.

"Oh, I came to see Xiaoyue! Ah!"

Because Sun Xiaoyue couldn't give birth and was often beaten, she needed someone to talk to.

Most of the village was surnamed Yang, and they were afraid of leaking information and getting beaten, so Wang Qiuju, an outsider daughter-in-law, became one of her confidants. Their relationship was still very good.

However, since last year, the other party's health had deteriorated, and she rarely came out anymore.

Wang Qiuju also sighed.

Then she looked at Yang Wenhua, who was smoking in the main hall, with a look of disgust. "Er Hu is not a good person. A good person has been dragged on until now and still hasn't gone to the health clinic."

Yang Xiaole also nodded.

It was easy to understand. They were afraid of causing trouble for the in-laws and causing the person to die from the illness.

But no one knew what illness she had.

Yang Wenhua's father, Yang Qingkang, looked at his son smoking and became angry.

"Smoking, what else can you do? What did you do with the money I gave you?"

The money had been given, but this incompetent guy had spent it all. Besides the team leader, who had seen many rural people smoking foreign cigarettes?

Er Hu became impatient when he heard this.

"Dad, it's not that I didn't take her, she can't get out of bed! I said to send her back early, but you guys didn't want to."

After speaking, he threw away the cigarette butt and lit another one.

At this time, the old village head was standing in the main hall, too lazy to go and see Er Hu.

He asked Yang Qingkang, "Sanzi, this person is about to die. Has anyone from Xiaoyue's family been notified?"

"They have been notified, and his older brother should be here soon."

The old village head nodded slightly and took a puff of dried tobacco.

At this time, many women went in, as if to take a last look.

Wang Qiuju naturally followed them in.

Yang Xiaole didn't care about the others and quietly followed in.

Inside the room, there was a mixture of sour and faint foul smells.

Under the dim oil lamp, a young woman in her early twenties was on the verge of death.

There was still a hint of charm in her features.

Sun Xiaoyue was actually very pretty. When she married in, many people of the same generation envied her.

It was a pity that she couldn't give birth, and gradually became a joke.

A group of people were finding new clothes for her to wear, preparing to lift her into the main hall when she took her last breath.

Because she was now on the verge of death.

Seeing this scene, Yang Xiaole sighed.

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

He was hesitating whether to save her. If he saved her, she would return to her previous life, and there would definitely be a shortage of food at the end of the year.

He decided to give it a try.

He couldn't just not save her!

He didn't know if it would work.

After waiting for a while, he didn't find a good opportunity to step forward.

"Xiaoyue, my poor Xiaoyue!"

There was a wailing at the door, and everyone's attention was diverted.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole quickly fetched some well water and handed it to her. Fortunately, Sun Xiaoyue was on the verge of death, so her mouth was open.

Otherwise, it would be another troublesome matter.

Before long, a woman in her forties came into the room, crying.

Behind her came a middle-aged man and a young man, probably her father and brother.

"Alright, stop crying, she's not dead yet! Take her home early, consider it a divorce."

Er Hu became annoyed when he heard the crying.

"You bastard! Is this how you treat my sister? You didn't take her to see a doctor when she was sick?"

As soon as he said this, the young man next to him punched Er Hu, knocking him to the ground.

The others quickly stepped forward to persuade them.

"Alright, it's already this late."

The old village head stepped in to stop the chaos.

Er Hu's mouth was bleeding, and he stood up. "Tao, do you still have the face to hit me? Your sister is just a hen that can't lay eggs, and has delayed me for so many years. Alright, hurry up and take her away, so I don't have to spend money, and in the future, our two families have nothing to do with each other. Don't force me to do something impulsive!"

"You son of a bitch! Say it again! What do you want to do?"

Er Hu stood there and shouted, "What do I want to do? I'll carry her to your house and make your family give me an explanation. Sun Xiaoyue can't give birth."Sun's father, who had not spoken all along, turned pale.

My daughter can't give birth!

If she's taken away, it's their family that will be embarrassed!

"Hey, my daughter can still be saved, she can still be saved, hurry and take her to the commune health clinic!"

Not long after, Sun's mother came out of the bedroom, anxiously speaking to Er Hu's father.

Several people heard her and curiously walked in.

Seeing Sun Xiaoyue, who had just been on the verge of death, was now in a daze, at least much better than before.

But no one felt that she could be saved.

They thought it was just a temporary recovery.

Even Sun's father sighed.

Without saying anything more, they knew it was hopeless.

Back in the main hall, the group discussed what to do next.

Er Hu didn't say anything for a while, just sat there smoking and not speaking, leaving it to his father to handle.

After half an hour of discussion, when it was almost time, Sun's mother ran out again: "Head of the household, Xiaoyue can really be saved, come and take a look, hurry and take her to the health clinic!"

The people went in again, looking surprised.

After coming in, they saw Sun Xiaoyue squinting, weakly calling out to her father.

"Dad!"

After calling out, she burst into tears.

Sun's father also felt a pang of sadness and quickly said, "It's okay, girl, we'll take you to the health clinic."

After that, he said to his son, "Tao, get a handcart and take your sister to the commune."

"Okay!"

Tao went out to inquire.

"Wait, you can take her there, but let's make it clear that after we leave this door, our two families have no relationship. The old village head is also here."

Er Hu was impatient, thinking that if she died, she died. It was just as well to find another one. Now she's come back to life, what's going on!

Do I, as a grown man, have to take care of her?

We eat together now, and it's easier to find a daughter-in-law. If I don't die, how can I find a daughter-in-law!

Tao was a little unhappy and was about to go up and hit him, "You bastard, are you even human?"

But all of Er Hu's relatives were nearby, and even if Er Hu went too far, they wouldn't let him lay a hand on him again.

At this point, the old village head looked at Sun's father with a frown, "What do you say?"

Each place has its own rules, and it's best to make it clear.

Sun's father hesitated for a moment.

Seeing this, Tao was anxious: "Dad, you don't want to save your little sister, do you?"

Sun's father glared at him, then sighed, "Alright, take your sister home and take her to the commune to see a doctor."

This meant that they agreed to the divorce.

The old village head nodded gently, "Okay, I understand. You take your sister to the commune first, and we'll talk about the rest tomorrow. I'll talk to Qingwen tomorrow."

After that, he said to Tao, "There's a handcart in the clinic, just use that. Remember to bring it back."

"Okay, got it!"

Tao quickly agreed and went into the house to carry his sister out.

Sun's father and mother glanced at Er Hu's family without saying a word, and left the yard with their family.

Yang Xiaole looked around nervously as Sun Xiaoyue's eyes searched the surroundings, feeling uncertain.

She didn't see him just now, did she?

Fortunately, she glanced over his face and didn't notice him.

He would have to be more careful next time.

The old village head waved his hand at the people in the yard, "Alright, go back, we have to go to work tomorrow!"

After hearing this, everyone dispersed.

It was a good thing that no one died.

Yang Xiaole also followed his mother back home.

...

After everyone left Er Hu's house, Er Hu was overjoyed.

Looking at his father, who was frowning, he said, "Dad, it's all over, it's a relief. If it weren't for this hen that can't lay eggs dragging us down, you would have had a grandson by now. Dad, find me another one!"

Yang Qingkang also had some opinions about his daughter-in-law's inability to give birth.

Now that she had been taken away and didn't die in his house, it was a good thing.

Then he looked at his son and glared at him, "With your lazy appearance, which girl in the nearby village would want to be with you?"

"Hehe, Dad! The widow next door only has one son! Can you put in a good word for me!"

...

No one knew what happened behind Er Hu's house.

Walking on the road, Wang Qiuju muttered, "Hey, Xiaoyue is also a miserable person! Even if she's come back to life, what can she do?"

Yang Xiaole also nodded slightly.

Indeed.

There are rules here. Although Er Hu and Sun Xiaoyue are considered divorced, Sun Xiaoyue cannot go back to her mother's house or spend the New Year there.

Unless she finds a new husband.

Otherwise, she can only stay in the village.

With the reputation of her hen not laying eggs, it's probably unlikely that anyone would dare to marry her.

Unless Er Hu marries a new wife and still can't have children for several years, which would basically prove that Sun Xiaoyue is not the problem, then someone might dare to marry her.

It also depends on their courage.

What if Sun Xiaoyue also has a problem!

He didn't bother with this and went back home, where the two kids were sleeping soundly.

There was no sign of them waking up.

Early the next morning, Wang Qiuju had already tied up the bedding with a rope and prepared clean clothes, towels, and toothbrushes.

The three of them set off with their belongings on their backs.

After leaving, a group of children happily carried their bedding and belongings to school.

Because they had never lived in a dormitory before, it felt particularly novel.

Actually, the main reason was that they had night classes, otherwise they could go home.

After leaving, Gousheng followed with the bedding on his back.

Yang Xiaole quickly said, "Give my bedding to my brother, and I'll sleep with you tonight!"

Gousheng agreed with a smile, "Okay, we'll sleep well together. Hehe, I've never slept in a school before!"Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaole raised an eyebrow and joked, "Want to sleep at school? It's simple, just sleep on your stomach at night!"

"Sleep on my stomach? Why would I do that?"

Gousheng was puzzled.

"Dongzi?"

Yang Xiaole didn't pay him any mind and called out to Yang Wendong beside him.

This guy was in the same grade but in the class next door, with such poor grades that he wasn't supposed to attend school this year, but here he was again (I had forgotten about him earlier. Facepalm.)

Yang Wendong chuckled.

"I'm back again."

Beside him was his sister, Lamei.

Xiaoli happily ran over to her, as they were going to sleep together that night!

With so many people around, Yang Xiaole didn't take out his eggs to eat.

The group cheerfully headed towards the school.

However, walking on the road, Yang Xiaole noticed that many crops in the fields had been harvested, and small furnaces were set up everywhere.

It seemed that the Production Team was about to start.

It was still like groping one's way across a river.

Arriving at the school, a teacher stood at the entrance and said to the incoming students, "The school is providing breakfast today, hurry up and get your lunchboxes to eat!"

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly went to the canteen, delighted.

Those who had already eaten, like Yang Xiaole, went back to the classroom to get their lunchboxes.

In the classroom, only a few people were scattered about, all of whom had been boarding at the school before.

After putting his things away, he picked up the lunchbox from under the desk and headed to the canteen.

Arriving at the canteen, the place was bustling with activity, with each class forming their own lines to queue for food.

"Xiaole! Hurry up!"

Gousheng stood in line and called out to him.

Yang Xiaole walked over and stood at the end of the line, with Zhang Liu'er right in front of him.

Seeing him come over, Zhang Liu'er smiled brightly, "Did you go to the City again? Is it fun there?"

"It's alright, haven't you been?"

Zhang Liu'er shook her head, "No, my dad always leaves at night when he goes, saying the road is too hard and doesn't let me go."

Yang Xiaole smiled, guessing that her father was worried she'd see the dazzling world of the City and come back to pester old simpleton Zhang for her real father!

Lost in thought, Luo Jinping was directing the class to get their food, saying, "From now on, come to the canteen for breakfast in the morning, then head to the river to work."

Everyone heard and agreed one after another.

However, there would still be a few days off for the busy farming season, about half a month's time.

After breakfast, everyone washed their dishes and hurriedly followed Luo Jinping to the river again.

PS: I won't write too much about elementary school life, after all, it's too trivial, just a brief account of the students' experiences back then.