Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 648 Xiaoqi's Story
Uncle Li first thanked the comrades from the Military Control Commission, who repeatedly said that it was not necessary and that it was what they should do. Then he thanked Sister Wang for taking care of the two children.

Uncle Li then asked, "Sister Wang, right? You are so busy with your work, you need to find someone to take care of them. You always come here, so can you still do your own work?"

Sister Wang quickly explained, "Before you came, I had already found someone to take care of them, but today I just quit this job due to family reasons. I plan to find another one in the next two days."

Uncle Li said, "That's good. I'm relieved. Wang Zhan, I'm very busy with work and can't come to see you often. You should treat the people of the Military Control Commission as your own family. Don't be so unfamiliar. If you have any problems, just come to them. OK?"

Wang Zhan did not refute this time, and replied respectfully: "I understand, Uncle Li."

Uncle Li glanced at Sister Wang and asked her to take Wang Li to the small garden to play for a while. Sister Wang understood what he meant and knew that he had something important to ask Wang Zhan, so she took Wang Li to the small garden.

Then Uncle Li asked Wang Zhan to recall the scene when his parents left. Wang Zhan showed a painful expression and looked a little dazed. Deep down in his heart, he didn't want to think about that night, and didn't want to think about the small mountain village under Jinghai, Hebei.

But under Uncle Li's patient consolation and guidance, Wang Zhan slowly recalled his past.

Wang Zhan's home is in a small mountain village below Jinghai, Hebei. Ever since he can remember, Wang Zhan felt that his parents were a little different. His father taught in a private school in the village, and his mother stayed at home to take care of the husband and children. When he was two or three years old, his mother began to teach him to read and learn arithmetic. His father also taught him a set of boxing personally, but did not tell him the name of the boxing and did not let him show it in front of anyone.

Wang Zhan has been very well-behaved since he was a child and always listened to his parents. However, in his memory, his parents were always away on business. At that time, they never went away at the same time. Every time, one of them would stay at home to accompany Wang Zhan.

At that time, the happiest thing for Wang Zhan was that his father took him to the Ziya River to fish. The small mountain village was very close to the Ziya River. As long as his father was on weekends and at home, he would always take him fishing.

Life was very comfortable at that time. Four years later, his mother became pregnant. It was the late autumn and early winter of 1948. After Wang Zhan knew about it, he never left his mother's side and always stayed by her side. His mother always smiled and said, "When it snows, you will have a little sister, right?"

His father looked at his mother in surprise and asked, "How do you know it's a girl?"

His mother rolled her eyes at him and said, "How could I not know what's in my belly?"

Wang Zhan was also looking forward to it. Finally, when the first snow was about to fall, his sister came into the world. Wang Zhan looked at the tiny wrinkled baby and asked his mother, "Mom, why is my sister so ugly?"

The mother smiled and said, "All newborn babies are the same. You were like this when you were just born." At that time, Wang Zhan, in addition to helping his mother with work, took care of his sister every day. He felt that his life was very happy now.

But an unexpected change occurred. On the day of the heaviest snow, a man suddenly broke into his house. When the man entered the door, Wang Zhan saw the astonished expressions of his parents, but then his mother asked him to carry his sister to the inner room and told him not to come out without her consent and asked him to take good care of his sister.

On that day, when his father called him out, Wang Zhan saw his mother tenderly taking the child from his arms with tears in her eyes, hugging her daughter tightly, with reluctance, sadness and guilt in her eyes. Wang Zhan was a little overwhelmed. At this time, his father also asked his mother reluctantly, "Why don't you stay and I go by myself?"

The mother wiped her tears and said firmly: "No, I must go."

It was also on this day that my father had his first serious talk with Wang Zhan. I remember what he said, "Zhan'er, you have been obedient and sensible since you were young. This time, as a father, I am really talking to you like an adult. I know you are a little uneasy. Your mother and I are going on a long trip together. From today on, you are the adult of this family. When we are not here, you have to take good care of your sister and support this family, understand?"

Wang Zhan understood a little, but was a little confused. He asked his father, "Dad, when will you come back? Wherever you go, can't you take me and my sister with you?"

The father, who never smoked, took out a cigarette from somewhere, lit it, took a deep breath, and said, "I shouldn't have told you this, but, maybe..."

My father paused, took another deep puff of his cigarette, and said, "Your mother and I are going to Shanghai. No matter what, you have to take good care of your sister. If, I mean if, you have no food to eat here, remember there are two silver dollars under the stove. Take the money and take your sister to Peking, find the army there, and find a man named Li Wenbo. That's your Uncle Li. He will take care of you. Remember?"

After the father finished speaking, he showed a very painful expression, while the mother held my sister from beginning to end, tears constantly flowing.

Wang Zhan was completely confused at that time, but he knew that his parents were going to leave them. However, Wang Zhan never shed tears because he always remembered his father's words, "You are already a man and a warrior." He was only six years old that year and his sister had just turned one month old.

The next day, when Wang Zhan woke up, there was no one at home except his sister. His father burned all the things related to writing before he left. Wang Zhan looked at the heavy snow outside and cried uncontrollably, but he kept covering his mouth and made no sound. Until his sister's crying was heard, Wang Zhan hurriedly went to the kitchen to find the milk left by his mother, heated it up and fed it to his sister.

A few days later, the village was occupied by a group of wandering hunters who helped Wang Zhan take care of the children. When Wang Zhan had nothing to do, he learned hunting from the hunters. After just two months, the hunters went down the mountain to exchange some goat milk for his little sister. He never came back. After all, Wang Zhan was still young, and without food, he had no choice but to escape from the mountain and the village with his sister, begging all the way north.

Uncle Li smoked silently, tears flowing from his eyes uncontrollably. The accompanying personnel and people from the Military Control Commission who were taking notes nearby also had tears in their eyes and were unable to speak.

(End of this chapter)