Chapter 117 Knowing one’s own warmth and coldness
After borrowing a bicycle from Xu Damao, Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu took some personal belongings prepared for Jia Zhang.

I rode my bike to the Second Prison of the Capital.

By the way, it has been more than a year since Jia Zhang was sentenced to re-education through labor.

During the first days of her arrival at the labor camp, Jia Zhang was in great torment. She felt almost suffocated, filled with despair, and even had the urge to die.

The hard life here was simply too much for her, who had once lived a life of luxury and laziness.

She felt like she was spending every day in purgatory, which made her feel physically and mentally exhausted and in great pain.

Jia Zhang, who once had a fair face, a plump figure and a plump body, has now lost her former glory.

At this moment, her hair was dry and yellow, her face was dull, her body was thin, and her skin was dry, as if she had been reborn.

Today is New Year's Eve. The labor camp has a rare day off and no longer has to do heavy labor.

At this moment, Jia Zhang was looking forward to the arrival of her son Jia Dongxu. Her clothes were a little dirty, and it was obvious that she had not been washed for several days.

He was sitting alone on the bed next to the toilet, his eyes dull, as if immersed in his own world.

She was still mumbling something, as if she was telling something, her voice was low and repetitive, making it impossible to hear clearly.

"Dongxu! Why don't you come to see me?"

"Dongxu! Be sure to bring me something delicious for the holiday today!"

"Dongxu! Mom misses you..."

"Dongxu! Mom can't hold on any longer..."

At this time, Supervisor Wang came in with two officers.

"Zhang Cuihua!"

Jia Zhang stood up quickly when she heard this. She stood at attention and shouted loudly, "Here!"

The supervisor said with a smile: "Zhang Cuihua! Your family is here to see you. Pack up and follow me to meet your family!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhang was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly gathered her hair with both hands and then brushed off the dust on her body.

"Master Wang! Don't bother. I'm ready."

……

The first time they saw Jia Zhang, Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu were completely stunned. They found that the person in front of them was no longer the mother they remembered.

She looked like an old lady who had fled from famine and experienced many hardships. She was so haggard that they could not believe their eyes.

"Mom! Are you feeling well lately?" Jia Dongxu's slightly insincere words revealed his deep concern for his mother.

"Mom..." Qin Huairu followed closely behind, greeting with concern.

After meeting Jia Qin and the others, Jia Xiang could no longer control her emotions.

"Dongxu! Huairu! Mom misses you guys, Mom misses Banggeng, Mom misses Xiaodang... Woo woo..."

"Dongxu, Mom is suffering so much, can you help me?" Jia Zhang pleaded pitifully with tears in her eyes, her voice full of helplessness and regret.

Jia Dongxu stared at Jia Zhang helplessly, his eyes full of grief and helplessness. He listened to Jia Zhang's story with mixed feelings in his heart, but at this moment he was powerless.

I could only comfort her, "Mom! Just hold on a little longer, behave well in there and try to get your sentence reduced. I believe time will pass quickly and we will definitely get through this difficult time."

Jia Zhang's eyes dimmed when she heard this. If she could have behaved positively, why would she have been so intolerable in this labor reform life? She was depressed, but had no one to tell, so she could only endure it all silently.

When the visiting time was over, Jia Zhang watched Jia Dongxu and his wife leave.

Her heart was as cold and biting as the chilly wind outside, making people feel deeply chilled.

In this mood, she took a bite of the cold dumplings and angrily cursed a person's name.

She scolded everyone from Liu Zhiye to Yi Zhonghai, from the neighbors in the Siheyuan to the staff of the street office, and she scolded them all mercilessly.

Then, her friends who were really fed up with it collectively scolded and attacked her. Even the dumplings in her lunch box were eaten up.

Jia Zhang was now very obedient. She could only lower her head like a frightened quail, not daring to make a sound, and watched in despair as the tiny amount of dumplings was also eaten.

She behaved like this because it was a lesson learned from blood!
At that time, she had just arrived. She wanted to make a scene with her cellmates, but they were soon taught a lesson. After several times, she finally realized how terrible the outside world was. It turned out that the people in the courtyard were too kind.

……

The Jia family experienced both joy and sorrow.

The courtyard was also not idle, as Liu Haizhong and his son put on a drama of "kind father and filial son".

That's it.

It turned out that the Liu brothers had gone to great lengths to buy half a pound of fat pork yesterday. They were looking forward to having a delicious meal of meat dumplings on New Year's Eve.

But at noon today, Liu Haizhong did something strange. He actually asked the second aunt to make him braised pork with half a pound of meat, and he insisted on drinking two cups.

The second aunt had no choice but to do as she was told. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu were not happy about it, but they could not change their mind.

The braised pork was ready, and the second aunt brought the meat to the table. Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian thought that since they couldn't have meat dumplings, they could just eat a few bites of meat.

They were so happy that they just picked up their chopsticks to pick up a piece of fat meat. Who would have thought that Liu Haizhong was really too much and ate it all by himself.

He took the meat and sat on a chair nearby, eating and drinking by himself, leaving the three of them to eat the steamed buns and a few bites of the cabbage that had little oil in it.

Liu Guangtian really couldn't stand his father's selfishness and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

He threw down his chopsticks with a loud bang and said, "Dad! You are going too far! Are you going to eat the meat by yourself?"

Liu Haizhong knew he was in the wrong, but he still went on as he pleased, seemingly not caring about what had happened before. He glanced at the aggressive Liu Guangtian with his eyes squinting, but said nothing.

Although his behavior seemed calm, it was actually full of a unique stubbornness and arrogance. However, his most unbearable behavior was to pick up a piece of fat meat and put it in his mouth, making a "smacking" sound, deliberately isolating people.

Liu Guangtian was even more angry. What kind of old man was this? His two brothers were just like those picked up, raised by a stepmother.

"Dad! Normally, you eat all the delicious food and drinks by yourself, which is fine. But you eat all the meat by yourself during the Chinese New Year, which is really unreasonable, isn't it?"

"Let me tell you, when you are old you will still be counting on us brothers to take care of you!" Liu Guangtian threatened him.

"Yes! Dad, don't count on my eldest brother anymore. Now that he has a wife, he has really forgotten about mom. You see, he doesn't even want to come back during the New Year, it's really heartbreaking. You still have to count on us two brothers in the future..." Liu Guangfu also immediately supported his second brother.

After hearing what he said, Liu Haizhong showed a disdainful expression on his face and said, "If we rely on you two, my mother and I will be left with nothing."

Seeing that his father refused to budge, Liu Guangtian became even more furious, so he said sarcastically, "My elder brother, there is a saying that is right: if parents are not kind, their children will be unfilial. Don't regret it when the time comes."

Liu Haizhong was now completely embarrassed and he ate all the meat in a few quick bites.

Then he wiped his mouth, got up, went to the kitchen to get a broom, walked over and started beating the two brothers at the dinner table without any reason.

The brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu were beaten so hard that they screamed in agony and were almost hoarse. These miserable screams once again echoed in every corner of the courtyard.

It really makes those who hear it "sad" and those who listen to it "cry".

"You little bastards, I gave you face, didn't I? Today I must teach you a lesson, so that you know what respect for elders and juniors is..."

Seeing this, the second aunt wanted to stop him immediately. She didn't feel sorry for the two children, but she was worried that the family would be in turmoil during the New Year and make the neighbors laugh at her.

"His father! Stop fighting. It's New Year's Day so just be quiet for a while!"

"Be gentle. If he gets hurt again, you'll have to pay for the medical expenses..."

Deaf old lady house.

The deaf old lady, who was sitting on the heated kang sewing shoe soles, suddenly heard some noises. She shook her silver-haired head and muttered to herself.

"Hey! Whether old or not, there will be plenty of fun for the Liu family in the future!"

"Still, Zhonghai and his wife are great, but it's a pity that they don't have any offspring."

At this moment, Sha Zhu pushed the door open and walked in with a smile on his face.

"Hey, grandma! Are you sewing shoe soles here?"

"Look! What delicious food did I bring you?"

The deaf old lady smiled happily when she saw Zhuzi. She said with her little mouth with a few missing teeth: "My dear grandson is here? Oh wow! What is this? It's scary!" She pointed at the two hermit crabs with a surprised look on her face.

(End of this chapter)