Chapter 67: The Outcome of the Divorce

When Xiao Weiguo arrived at the communal canteen, he was still a little late; most people had already finished eating, and only a few remained at their tables. On his way in, he exchanged greetings with the commune members—by now, Xiao Weiguo was undoubtedly the most well-known person in the brigade.

Inside the canteen, only one kitchen helper lingered by the window, glancing around in boredom.

“Oh, Weiguo, aren’t you supposed to be in town? What brings you back?” the helper called out.

“Uncle, what’s for dinner today? I’m in charge of procurement now, running all over the place. Lately, I’ve been handling the procurement tasks for our commune,” Xiao Weiguo replied, leaning forward to peer at the food.

“I see. Tonight’s meal is sweet potato and corn porridge—three ladles per person, but I’ll give you an extra scoop,” the helper said, filling his bowl generously with four ladles of porridge.

Cradling the bowl, Xiao Weiguo found an empty table and sat down. He stirred the porridge with his chopsticks; it was watery and thin, not nearly enough to fill him—at best, it would stave off hunger with water. He’d surely wake hungry in the night.

He didn’t dwell on it, quickly finishing the porridge, then grabbed his bowl and headed home. His grandparents weren’t in the canteen, so they were probably off somewhere chatting with neighbors.

Halfway home, he saw a group of adult men approaching, a few of them carrying rifles and scanning their surroundings warily. The third from the back was his father, Xiao Pingle.

“Dad, what are you all up to?” Xiao Weiguo called out.

“Weiguo, you’re back again? We’re on patrol. Go home and wait for me—my shift’s almost over,” Xiao Pingle replied in surprise.

So it was the patrol team—each year during the autumn and summer harvests, the villages organized patrols to prevent wild boars, rabbits, and other animals from ruining the crops, as well as to guard against thieves. They patrolled day and night, 24 hours a day, in the days leading up to the harvest.

It looked like the autumn harvest was about to begin.

As Xiao Weiguo neared his house, he noticed the lights were on—his grandparents had already returned. He quickened his pace.

Entering the yard, he saw his grandfather carrying his old bicycle into the main hall. Hearing the commotion, his grandfather turned and scolded him, “You child, you just left your bicycle out in the yard, didn’t even lock the gate. What if it gets stolen?”

He continued inside, putting the bicycle away.

“It’s fine. There hasn’t been a theft in the brigade in ages. Besides, if someone dared steal a bicycle, even the commune police would be alarmed,” Xiao Weiguo replied.

In those days, losing a bicycle was a major event. They were so valuable, it was the equivalent of losing a Mercedes or BMW in later years.

Hearing her grandson come home, his grandmother, delighted, leaned on the wall and came out to greet him.

“My dear boy, have you eaten? Should Grandma make you something more?” she asked, already thinking about what ingredients were left in the house.

“No need, Grandma. I’ve already eaten at the canteen—see, I haven’t even washed my bowl,” Xiao Weiguo hurried to reassure her.

“Let Grandma wash it for you. Go rest—was your first day at work tiring?” she fussed.

His grandfather added, “Go rest in your room. The two girls are there. Go comfort them a bit.”

Xiao Weiguo realized the divorce must have been finalized today—he’d ask his grandfather for details later. He turned toward his room.

At the door, he saw Xiao Hongmei about to open it; she must have heard him return and was coming out to greet her elder brother.

“Big brother, you’re back!” Her eyes shone for a moment before she lowered her head.

Xiao Weiguo patted her gently on the head and walked into the room. Inside, he saw Xiao Lianxin and little Xiao Qigong, who was clutching Lianxin’s sleeve.

Seeing his siblings all present, Xiao Weiguo’s worries melted away, and a broad, irrepressible smile spread across his face. As long as they were together, nothing was insurmountable.

Xiao Lianxin looked down, murmuring, “Big brother.”

Xiao Qigong, timidly, echoed, “Big brother.”

He smiled and ruffled Lianxin’s hair, then bent down to pick up Qigong.

“Hongmei, what exactly happened today? Do you know the details?” he asked.

“I’m not really sure, big brother. They argued all morning. In the end, stepmother made a mess of the house and stormed off alone, furious,” Hongmei replied, her mood a little low.

Once again, they were children without a mother.

Seeing that Hongmei didn’t know the full story, Xiao Weiguo decided to ask his grandfather more later.

“Don’t be sad. This is a good thing—now we can live well together as a family,” he comforted her. “Let’s go out. With big brother here, everything will get better, don’t worry. By the way, where’s Weijun?”

Hongmei perked up a little. Yes, without their mother, perhaps things would be better at home. At least there’d be no more beatings or scolding.

“Weijun went off to play with Little Shitou and the others. He’s the only one in a good mood today,” she replied.

Xiao Weiguo led his three siblings into the main hall, planning to clear up his doubts with his grandparents.

Once inside, he realized it wasn’t suitable for the children to hear about these matters, so he decided to send them away. He took out a cloth bag from his pocket, filled with seven or eight boiled eggs he’d prepared in advance from his secret stash. Lately, the eggs had been piling up—if left unattended, they’d hatch into chicks, and the more chickens, the more eggs. It was becoming a headache for him.

He pulled out three boiled eggs and handed them to Hongmei. “Take these and go back to the little room, all three of you, and eat them.” Then he handed her another. “This one’s for Weijun—find him and make sure he gets it.”

The sight of the eggs instantly lifted the children’s spirits. Eggs were a delicacy—most children only had one during New Year’s or on their birthdays. The rest were saved to barter for salt, soy sauce, thread, and other essentials.

“Thank you, big brother,” Hongmei said, taking the four eggs and leading Lianxin and Qigong happily back to their little room. Halfway there, Lianxin dashed outside—she must have gone to find Weijun.

Xiao Weiguo produced two more eggs for his grandparents. “Grandpa, Grandma, to celebrate my new job, let’s each have an egg for nourishment.”

“You child, always spending money carelessly,” his grandmother chided, though she added, “You should keep them for yourself.”

He ignored her, peeled the eggs, and put one into each of their hands.

Grandpa protested, “All right, all right, I’ll eat it myself,” and began savoring it in tiny bites.

“Grandpa, tell me what really happened today. Hongmei didn’t know much,” Xiao Weiguo finally asked about the divorce.

His grandfather sighed, a trace of melancholy in his voice. “If it weren’t for your Uncle Gonglin and Uncle Dahai helping out, and arguing with the secretary and the Wang family, things wouldn’t have been resolved so easily. In the end, Wang Tiehua took all the money, ration coupons, cloth, and even two quilts. Now, the house is practically empty. She didn’t fight over Xiao Qigong; he’ll stay with his father from now on.”

“And what about Lianxin? What happened with her?” Xiao Weiguo pressed on.