Chapter 32: Punishment from Heaven
Twenty years ago, the catastrophic famine that swept across the country resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people up and down the country for a period of three years, the time period that would later be known as the Three Years of Difficulty in the history of New China.
At that time, in several villages in our neighborhood, almost every family died of starvation, and some even had their whole family starve to death. I heard later that our village was a little better, but in some places, the whole village died of starvation. Under the hunger and cold, the village people are forced to eat bark, eat grass roots, rotten vegetable leaves can be a treasure …… people go out in groups to the city to beg for food.
……
Liu Binniang's name is Tian Xiangcao, is a dozen miles away from our village children have a dozen miles away from the village of Dongtan people, she has two older brothers, an older sister, the father is called Tian Chengshan.
Three years of famine, Tian Xiangcao's two brothers also married a daughter-in-law, with the two children, a family old and young more than ten mouths of people, in those days, can live, it is not easy, in the eyes of many people, all said that people Tian Chengshan family good life, the village of other people's homes, more or less starve to death, but so many people in their family, but not a starvation death.
And the real reason, no one knows.
In the famine has just arrived, the village is still the people's commune canteen it, the village people have no food at home, every day to work in the field, back to the village canteen to eat, that time scraped through a wave of communism, the villagers work together, eat together, even if there is no longer the ability to work, but also ate the same meal.
Tian Chengshan, who was a cadre in the village, first realized that the famine was coming, because the food in the village canteen was getting tighter and tighter, and there was no more food to be transferred from above.
Tian Chengshan thought that there were so many people at home who needed to eat and drink, so he made plans early, he used his position, every day from the village canteen, secretly get out some food, hidden in his own home …… Waiting for the famine to really come, the village canteen did not have a grain of food pennies, Tian Chengshan's home soil cellar, had already hidden a lot of food, but he did not have any food. In the cellar of Tian Chengshan's house, more than two thousand pounds of grain had already been hidden.
In this way, in the three-year-long famine disaster, Tian Chengshan's family, peaceful and steady, down-to-earth for more than two years.
In the famine is about to pass, the above down a group of inspection team, to investigate Tian Chengshan, because there are villagers to reflect the report, Tian Chengshan once used his position, steal the country's grain.
Tian Chengshan knew the news in advance, and their family, there are still a few hundred pounds of grain left.
More than two years, Tian Chengshan family is also frugal, eat chaff, can not afford to eat more food, because Tian Chengshan know, this disaster year, do not know when to pass, so he has been letting the family are saving food, as long as to ensure that starvation is not on the line.
So, even so little food, still let such a large family eat so long after, there are still a lot left.
But the problem is, now this batch of grain once let the inspection team to find out, then he Tian Chengshan will be sentenced to death.
Tian Chengshan and his family gathered together to discuss this matter, how to escape the inspection above, think about it, only to throw away the food, secretly thrown away is the best way, so that the inspection team to come, can not search the food, naturally can not put him how.
But how to get so much food out? At that time, day and night, the village has been people come and go out to beg for food, beg for food back, to get so much food out without letting people find out, how easy it is? Moreover, at that time food shortage, more valuable than gold, throw to where, are so conspicuous, once found, surely can be found out is his Tian Chengshan family did.
So Tian Chengshan thought of a vicious way, all the grain, are secretly get to the old branch secretary Zheng Xinlin home.
Old Branch Zheng Xinlin and Tian Chengshan home is the front and backyard neighbors, Zheng Xinlin has two sons, one in the army as a soldier, one in Handan City Cotton Spinning Factory as a deputy director, there are two daughters in the family, daughters married out because of the famine, in-laws can not feed, had to come to the old Branch's home to live, which is also a large family of people.
Because there is a son who is a deputy factory director, there is a son who is a soldier, the two children save money, save money to buy food for the family relief, so such a large family, in that year also did not starve to death.
This day Zheng Xinlin a large family went to Handan City, that when the deputy director of the son, it is said to be a soldier's son because of official business just to pass through Handan City, but no time to return to the village to see, so let the family go to Handan City to get together.
Tian Chengshan has been paying attention to the movements of Zheng Xinlin's family, that day saw Zheng Xinlin a family got up early in the morning and went out, Tian Chengshan immediately called his son and daughters, hands to carry food, hidden in the cellar of the family all the food moved to the cellar of Zheng Xinlin's family. While doing these things, Liu Binniang Tian Vanilla and her mother were in charge of keeping a lookout for fear of being seen by people in the village.
After all this was done, Tian Chengshan and his sons were busy sweeping the ground and streets, wiping away all traces and making it a secret.
After the inspection team sent down from above came to the village, Tian Chengshan flatly denied that he had stolen the country's grain, and allowed the inspection team to search the house, the result is naturally not searched for anything.
But the inspection team has evidence in hand to show that the village did lose a lot of food, and this is certainly the village cadres to steal, otherwise, others do not have this opportunity to steal ah, to know, if it is a one-time theft, the village canteen in the village will certainly be found, since it has not been found, then it can only be many times to steal, and many times to steal, and only have access to the food in the village cadres to do.
Tian Chengshan then said: "How do we feed our large family? It was me with my two sons and my wife with my two daughters who went out begging for food all day long to keep from starving to death. But the old branch secretary Zheng Xinlin family is a little bit wrong, his two sons are not at home, a soldier, a deputy director of the city's cotton mills, although it is said to be a bit of income, but how easy it is to feed such a large family? At that time, Premier Zhou was starved and swollen, his family how to live well? There are only two conclusions, either he stole food from the village, or, his son used his position to do something shady."
The inspection team felt that Tian Chengshan's words made sense, so they went to the old branch secretary Zheng Xinlin's home to investigate.
Zheng Xinlin frank and open, naturally will not be afraid of the inspection team's investigation, let them casually search, the results of a search, really in their home cellar searched out several hundred pounds of grain.
Zheng Xinlin was dumbfounded at the time, his own cellar how so much food appeared? Thinking about it, Zheng Xinlin immediately guessed that it was Tian Chengshan who did it, because there had long been rumors in the village that Tian Chengshan had hidden food in his house, but there was no real evidence, and there was no way to search their house. And now, so much food suddenly appeared in their cellar, only Tian Chengshan do this thing most convenient, they are neighbors before and after, carry food convenient, and do not worry about being found.
But even if Zheng Xinlin guessed it, what could he do? He told the inspection team, but they simply don't believe it, the facts are here, the food in your cellar, how can it be people steal? Oh, Tian Chengshan secretly hid the food in the cellar of your house, his head problem? In those days, every family starved to death, people couldn't even eat, so they gave you back food when they had it? No one else would believe it.
So Zheng Xinlin bad luck, their old couple is to say the sky to go, no one believes, jump into the Yellow River can not wash.
Naturally, the two of them were put into the detention center, under investigation, daughter and son-in-law, was also put in. The procedure went very fast, two weeks later, it was confirmed that Zheng Xinlin's family was guilty of stealing national grain for their own use, in those days, two thousand pounds of grain, how many people must be fed? What kind of value was that? As a result, Zheng Xinlin was sentenced to death, his wife was sentenced to fifteen years, and his two daughters and son-in-law were sentenced to ten to five years.
Within a few days of Zheng Xinlin being shot, his wife fell ill and died in prison.
The two daughters and son-in-law did not die in prison, but left the children outside, without parents, in those days no one can afford to feed, and soon starved to death.
So Zheng Xinlin's two daughters, one crazy, one sick, soon died.
After that, Zheng Xinlin's son in the army also accepted the isolation review, the investigation found that he did have the use of his position, private possession of military property facts, sentenced to prison. The son who was the deputy director of the Handan Cotton Spinning Factory was also investigated for violations of the law, and he used his position to embezzle some grain from the factory for his family, with the obvious result of being sentenced to prison.
These two sons of embezzlement and theft are not a large amount, and it is also true that in order for the family to be able to live, but things came out, they are no longer, but also broke the law.
In this way, Zheng Xinlin a large family, the family broke.
While Tian Chengshan family was spared.
Although this time, Tian Chengshan planted evidence to frame Zheng Xinlin family, so that he escaped this disaster, however, the family has been guilty, the heart is uneasy. Especially Tian Chengshan, he clearly remembers the day Zheng Xinlin was arrested, on the street to the sky cursed: "Whoever stole the food from the village canteen, who shall not die! Whoever wronged me, Zheng Xinlin, shall not die well, shall not die well, ah! God, open your eyes and see. God, you've blinded your dog's eyes! My whole family! Whoever planted the evidence against me, you'll die a horrible death! Come out and see me, Zheng Xinlin! I curse your whole family to be cut off from their grandchildren! Hahahahaha ……"
As the saying goes for people who do not do anything wrong, not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door in the middle of the night, the Tian family, from that day onwards, lived a whole day of fear and trepidation. Especially when I heard that Zheng Xinlin's two sons were sentenced, Zheng Xinlin two daughters of the children, also starved to death, Tian Chengshan this large family of people, but also the whole day as suffering like life.
But the famine has not passed, people are still struggling to survive in the state of life.
In order to make a living, in order for the family to be able to eat, Tian Xiangcao said marriage to our village, and Liu Bin's father engaged in marriage, in exchange for the Liu family's hard work from relatives to borrow twenty pounds of corn flour.
At that time our village, living conditions have been slightly eased, at least, people do not have to go out to beg for food, whether it is to eat chaff or eat wild vegetables, the village more or less have a bit of coarse grain, people do not have to go out to beg for food.
The people in the village had recovered from the famine and were ready to start a new life.
The Liu family began to plan for their child's marriage and set a date for the wedding.
But the day before the wedding, Tian Chengshan suddenly came to the Liu family, found Liu Bin's grandfather and said, "The family is starving to death, counting on Herb to marry out for some food for the family, your family give out twenty pounds of corn flour again, tomorrow to meet the bride, if you do not get it out, my daughter, I won't marry you, because there is a worker in Handan City who wants to marry our daughter, and he gives out forty pounds of cornmeal."
This sentence, like a thunderbolt, when the head splits in the head of Liu Bin grandfather, he only felt his head buzzed, almost fainted, twenty pounds of corn flour is what concept? What is the concept of twenty pounds of cornmeal? That is the ration to feed a large family ah! Besides, there was not so much cornmeal at that time, at most the family could have a little bit of chaff and a little bit of bran, and then mixed with a small amount of cornmeal would be good.
But things rushed to such a point, Mr. Liu can only break the teeth into the stomach, who let himself only down such a son it? That son, has been in the disaster year starved to death, this son to marry this daughter-in-law, that is also to flush, hurry to the family to continue the fire ah! So Master Liu ran to a dozen relatives that night, borrowed twenty pounds of cornmeal, and sent it to Tian Chengshan's house in the morning.
This matter, Liu Bin father did not know, Liu did not tell his son, he did not want to let his son and daughter-in-law because of this matter, not happy.
Tian Xiangcao, smoothly married to our village.
However, Liu and the old lady, but because of this matter, because of the twenty pounds of cornmeal, all day long can not afford to eat and drink, secretly save up, to pay off the debt, back to the relatives.
In less than a year, the food paid off, but the old couple because of nutritional deficiencies, severe starvation, resulting in swelling of the whole body, has left the world.
This matter, Liu Bin father does not know, but Tian Xiangcao, but very clear.
After the death of Liu Laozi two mouths, Tian Xiangcao because of guilt, the whole day deep remorse, conscience is full of condemnation, and finally even committed a nervous disease, and she committed the disease, precisely when she was pregnant, pregnant with Liu Bin. This in turn brought great pressure on the Liu family, Liu Bin father in order to give his daughter-in-law to see a doctor, all day long to go out to work hard to earn labor points, and then repair ditches and bridges to work overtime.
At the same time these things happen, Tian Chengshan family, successively got some unknown strange disease, body festering sores, to the end of a rotten death at home.
Tian vanilla's mental illness a little better, once heard that all the people in the family shall not die well, and their own shock, the result will be the previous things, all to forget, all to forget.
After this, Tian Xiangcao except in the birth of Liu Bin, nursing Liu Bin that early two years in the body better, has not been well, all day sick in bed, from time to time will be dying.
……
The story is told here, the people in the room are all stunned, days! This involves such a long time ago, and Liu Bin's grandpa's family are all despicable and shameless villains. Since they killed so many people, it is no wonder that the heavens have sent such a big disaster to their family, so that the whole family will not have a good death ah!
Liu Bin, cried out in pain, he could not believe these things, how can not accept, his own grandpa and mother, killed his own grandpa, his own grandmother ……
Liu Bin's mother sat numbly on the kang, did not say a word, seems to be stupid in general, not even cry.
Liu Bin father, oh no, the black cat, then said: "If it is not that year this woman happened to be pregnant, pregnant with Liu Bin, she will also be covered with sores, festering and die, heaven, there is the virtue of good life, mercy Liu family, can not bear to hurt the descendants of the Liu family, so let this woman survived, but the death penalty is exempted, the living sin is hard to escape, the gods should have been punished for a lifetime, but the thought in the Over the years, she has been loyal and honest, never arguing with others, so she descended to the sin, letting her suffer for twenty years, to the present day, although it's still less than twenty years, but then I bumped into you young people, I'll take the liberty of making an early departure."
The room was quiet, no one spoke, Liu Bin also stopped crying, he looked at his mother in a daze, that since childhood, has always been in the heart of an honest and loyal, kind and compassionate and gentle mother, that suffered a lot of trials and tribulations, that suffered a lot of sickness and pain of his mother.
I suddenly frowned and said: "But God has not thought of, you so tortured Liu Bin mother, but directly led to Liu Bin father, as well as Liu Bin, Liu Bin's younger brother, their family, can not live a good life? It's not just one person who has been punished, but their entire family, all living with the punishment that the heavens have given to Liu Bin Niang."
"Isn't that right?" The black cat lent Liu Bin's father's mouth a contemptuous smile and said, "It's because Liu Bin's father, Elder Liu's two families couldn't afford to eat or drink, and suffered from starvation alone, and ultimately died of starvation, shouldn't he, as a son, be subjected to some punishment?"
"Those who don't know are not guilty." I looked at Liu Bin father, said very seriously.
"Those who don't know are not guilty?" Liu Bin father laughed again, said: "In fact, he really does not know these things ? He does not know that his parents do not eat and drink to save food? He knows, only, when he himself knows that his wife is pregnant with a child, he is more worried about his wife and child than his parents."
"What?"
Brothers and sisters again jaw-dropped, never thought ah, the human heart, but so sinister, so vicious, just, just because of selfishness ……
So many people died, surprisingly so many people died.
Then what can we say? From our inner heart, I believe, in the house of all people, even including Liu Bin, he had to acquiesce, the heavens give their family's punishment, really is – deserved!