20demayo Chapter 38 Starvation
Chapter 38 Starvation
My eldest sister and my uncle traveled for several days and nights by train to Qiqihar. After two days by bus, they reached the border and the road was no longer open, so they had to walk.
The eldest sister looked around at the scene, which was completely different from her hometown. There were no people in the wild grass and wormwood, and in the distance, there was an endless forest. Wild animals roamed in the meadow. The eldest sister followed her uncle timidly behind him, walking in the weedy path. Not far away, a wild animal stared at them.
The older sister asked nervously, "Uncle, what's that?"
Uncle: "That's a silly roe deer, it won't hurt anyone, don't be afraid."
After walking for an unknown distance, we finally arrived at a place where people lived. There were houses here and there, built of round logs, far apart from each other, which showed that it was a large village.
When we arrived at my uncle's house, the first thing we saw upon entering was the kitchen. Next to it was a small room where my grandfather lived. The room was quite spacious and divided into my uncle's room, the children's rooms, and some unused partitions. The partitions around the room had no walls; they were only separated by wooden boards or curtains.
Uncle pointed to the vacant room: "Put your things in that room, you can stay there." The eldest sister obeyed and went in through the curtain. It was a small single room partitioned off by wooden planks. The space was not big, and there was a bare bed made of wooden planks. The eldest sister put her luggage on the bed planks.
Just then, a girl's clear voice said, "There's no food at home. We've already eaten. Go find somewhere to eat yourself."
"Where did your grandfather go?" came the old man's voice.
"I don't know, they left early this morning without saying where they were going," the girl replied.
The eldest sister seemed to sense that this home didn't welcome her as a guest. She regretted coming; at home, even without food, there was always family warmth, unlike the cold indifference here. She came out and saw a pretty, intelligent girl, slightly younger than herself, with a younger sister and brother, standing in the hall looking at her.
The uncle stood at the door of his room, offering no introduction, and turned to his eldest sister, saying, "Come on, let's go to your uncle's house." The eldest sister followed him out and walked about two miles to a similarly wooden house. The yard was enclosed by a low wooden fence, with a wooden storeroom in one corner. The uncle led his eldest sister into the yard and towards the house.
Upon entering the house, the eldest uncle and aunt were already there. The uncle said, "This is her aunt's eldest daughter. We haven't eaten yet!" He then sat down on the chair to the right.
The eldest uncle's family was overjoyed. The eldest aunt instructed her eldest daughter, "Yaofen, go get some food for your cousin and uncle!" She then held her niece's hand, asking about her well-being. "How's your mother? Is everything alright at home?" she asked. The eldest sister replied, "Fine! Fine! Everything's fine."
My aunt asked again, "My niece, how old are you?"
Eldest sister: "Fifteen years old."
The eldest aunt said "Oh," and pointed to the people who had gathered around, introducing them: "This is my third cousin Yaoming, my fourth cousin Yaoju, my third cousin Yaochang, and my fourth cousin Yaoman. Come, sit here." She sat down at a large wooden table in the center of the room.
The eldest sister looked around, entered through the kitchen, and to the left was a larger room where her eldest uncle and aunt lived. Inside, there were partitions leading to one room after another, until they reached two chairs to the right of the door.
My third and fourth cousins were sitting on one side, my fourth cousin on the other, and my third cousin opposite them. My third cousin asked, "Sister, what's our hometown like?" My fourth cousin asked, "Is our hometown far from here?"
The older sister said, "It's far; I took several days and nights by train."
At this moment, my fourth cousin, Yaoman, who is chubby, strong, and honest, asked, "Cousin, how many oxen pull the train?"
"Haha! Hahahaha!" Everyone in the room burst into laughter, with several cousins laughing so hard they were doubled over. Yaoman was bewildered by everyone's laughter, looking around with a dazed expression.
"What's making you so happy? Cousin, Uncle, dinner's ready, come and eat," the older cousin greeted as she came in.
My aunt led my eldest sister to the kitchen, served her and my uncle, and looked at my eldest sister with loving eyes. After the meal, it got dark. My uncle turned to my eldest sister and said, "It's getting late, let's go home."
My aunt and her cousins were reluctant to see my eldest sister leave, repeatedly saying, "Come back tomorrow! Come back tomorrow!"
My aunt really wanted to keep the child, but there were too many people in the house. She almost discussed it with my uncle, since he was the one who brought the niece with him.
Back at my uncle's place, my grandfather returned and brought over a dog-skin rug, placing it on my eldest sister's bed: "Put this on, your luggage isn't very thick." "Okay," my eldest sister said, unpacking her luggage and making the bed.
Watching her older sister finish getting ready, Grandpa sat down beside her and told her, "Don't go out alone in the morning or evening, and don't go into the woods alone. There are wolves there, and you won't be able to handle them. If you encounter a bear on the road, remember not to run straight, but to turn in circles. Those things don't have eyes in the side, and it's easier to escape if you run in circles." The older sister said, "I remember." Grandpa said, "Go to sleep, you're tired."
Grandpa went to Uncle's room again and asked, "Why did you bring her here? She's a little girl, who will protect her?"
Uncle: "Back home, people are starving and can't get enough to eat. I figured we have plenty of food here, so I brought her along without thinking too much about it."
Grandpa listened attentively and said, "Oh..."
Uncle: "If things continue like this, it's not impossible for people to starve to death."
Grandpa: "Then I'll go and pick up your little sister's family. We'll leave tomorrow."
Despite being exhausted from the long journey by car and train, Grandpa came to his daughter's house and explained his purpose. Dad and Mom were happy to go to Heilongjiang with Grandpa.
Grandma firmly disagreed, she had her own concerns. She thought to herself, "Last time I helped the two children, the Japanese stole our food, so I had to use your money. Now you're here again, starving. How can you be so kind? If I go to beg you for money, I'll never be able to face you again. In short, I can't be bothered by your magnanimous attitude; I'd rather starve at home."
Her father tried to persuade her, saying that there was starvation at home and many people had gone to Heilongjiang. Two families from their village had already gone there. He said that Heilongjiang was a vast and sparsely populated place with abundant resources, and going there had become a trend. He added that his body was not strong enough to withstand prolonged hunger, and that it didn't matter where they went to escape the famine and then come back.
Grandma firmly refused, saying, "I won't stop you from going, you whole family go, I'll stay home alone."
The parents' hopes for a new life with enough to eat were dashed. They couldn't leave their grandmother alone at home. She had been widowed at twenty-seven, and her only son had gone through so much hardship; how could they leave her alone at home?
Grandpa went back alone.
On the train and at the ticket booths, you could see families and young men and women heading to Heilongjiang.
On the train bound for Harbin, a young couple sat opposite Grandpa. The older brother looked about seventeen or eighteen, and the younger brother about fifteen or sixteen. The younger brother was shivering from the cold, his voice trembling, "Why haven't we arrived yet?" The older brother patted his shoulder, "Almost there, it'll be better when we get there." Judging from their accents, they were from Shandong. Seeing that they were dressed so thinly, Grandpa took off his padded jacket and handed it to the older brother, saying, "Give this to him. It'll be alright on the train, but you'll be even worse off after you get off."
The older brother hesitated before taking the padded jacket, looking at the unfamiliar old man before him, unsure of what to say: "What will you do with it if we give it to you?"
Grandpa readily agreed: "I'm used to being here, I'm not afraid of the cold!"
The two brothers looked at their grandfather with gratitude. He put the warm padded jacket on the younger brother, and the large jacket covered the younger brother's knees, making him much warmer.
"Harbin Station has arrived. Passengers, please take your belongings and prepare to disembark!" the train loudspeaker announced repeatedly.
The two brothers stood up, slung their bundles over their shoulders, and said goodbye to their grandfather: "Thank you, Uncle, take care!"
Grandpa waved his hand at them: "No need to thank me! When you're traveling, everyone has times when they're not fully prepared."
The train started moving, and the two brothers went to the window to wave goodbye to their grandfather.