I have eight brothers and sisters, five boys and three girls, which was not uncommon in the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, family planning was loosely regulated and was just a matter of words. In addition, our fathers were influenced by the traditional thought of "having more children and grandchildren, more happiness and wealth", so they just allowed it to happen naturally if they were able to have children.
I am well aware of the hardships of raising children. I have written "Father and Cow", "Mother" (published in "Golden Flower Tea" magazine) and "Following my father to collect firewood and sell it" (published in "Jiangshan") ) and other chapters, but they still cannot express my feelings for my parents’ upbringing. I don’t mind having many brothers and sisters, nor do I blame my family for being poor. I just often feel that in that poor, backward, and materially poor mountain village, how my parents took us through the long nights and the long years. , how many college students walked out? I feel physically and mentally exhausted from raising two children now, and I am exhausted.
Of course, with many brothers and sisters, high school expenses, heavy living burden, and poor family, I am often looked down upon and looked down upon by others, which also makes my parents unable to stand upright. However, we brothers and sisters are united, diligent and sensible, and worry about our parents.
If there is no firewood, I go to the mountains to hunt after school; if there is no oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, I go to pick up star anise, carry firewood, carry bamboo, dig hundreds of steps of potatoes, and sell yam.
In winter, when we lacked clothes and quilts, we gathered firewood and burned a strong fire to keep out the cold. It takes three years to make a piece of clothing, three years to make it old, and another three years to mend it. Those "thousands of warmth" that have been patched up again and again, the first one wears to the second child, the second child wears to the third child, and so on.
In summer, we pick a basket of rice berries or a bag of white rice fruits. You grab a handful and I taste them slowly, licking them to the bottom of my heart.
If there is less rice, the porridge will be thin. The rice soup is so clear that a human figure can be seen in the soup. The grains of porridge and rice on the bottom of the basin can be counted. For lunch, some fried corn is served as rice soup, or some sweet potatoes, taro, and wild vegetables are boiled to fill the stomach. However, the brothers and sisters never dominate the food and give in to each other.
The most miserable thing was that year, when my father couldn’t sell enough pigs and borrowed money to buy a cow, he suddenly fell ill and died. My parents cried bitterly and we shed tears. During the summer planting this year, we brothers and sisters lined up in the field, either shirtless, wearing shorts, or bare buttocks, plowing the soil with hoes. On a sunny day, the sun is scorching, and you are dripping with sweat; on a rainy day, it rains heavily, and the rain, sweat and tears flow on your face, body and heart, dripping on that warm land...
I survived In the cold winter, after surviving the summer nights, when my brothers were admitted to college, got married, and prepared wine, my family had no money, so my parents raised it and I borrowed it...
Now, the brothers have grown up and have started their own families. I feel relieved. The brothers are all working hard for life and have less and less time to get together. Although the brothers and sisters may have some misunderstandings, it doesn't matter. Even when they bump into each other while washing dishes, the true love remains and the brothers are inseparable.
"Parents are born, friends are friends, and brothers are brothers." Many people will say this, but they may not necessarily do it. They don’t respect their parents, they don’t treat their friends well, and they don’t really love their brothers. They treat their brothers like strangers, ignore them, ignore them, don’t know whether they are hot or cold, don’t care about hardships and hardships, and even fight openly and secretly, and kill each other. When their parents Without me, my brother is far away, and when I am in trouble and bullied, I sigh: Oh, it would be great if my brother is still here. Too late!
Last year, my father fell seriously ill and was hospitalized for more than half a month. The five of us brothers took turns taking care of him, and our sisters kept calling and sending money and gifts. I deeply appreciate the benefits of having many brothers and sisters. Just imagine: If you are an only child, you have to go to work, take care of your family, and take care of your family. How can you find so much time to take care of the elderly?
Now, due to policy restrictions and changes in concepts, it is difficult for children to have more brothers and sisters. They are just friends with many brothers and sisters. Please cherish your brothers and sisters.