Chen Goudan did not care about the rest. He put the old quilt, two changes of clothes, the earthenware pot and the two chipped bowls in a gunny sack. Those were all his worldly possessions. Then he picked up his sister and left without looking back.
One of the roads in the brigade ran from north to south, and everyone’s houses lined the road. At the northernmost point were two extremely rundown little houses. The houses were at the foot of the hill. They could see Gu Qingyao’s house just by raising their heads.
No one had stayed in these two little houses for a long time, and they were extremely dilapidated. One of them had partly collapsed. The other was in slightly better condition, but there was a large hole in the roof. If they mended it, they might just be able to live there.
This place was further from Chen Dagui’s house. In fact, of the empty houses in the brigade, this was the furthest one.
The sky was darkening by the time Chen Goudan led his sister there. He would be unable to tidy the houses that day.
Chen Xiaocao was a little frightened when she saw the derelict house. “Elder brother…”
Chen Goudan looked down and smiled at his little sister. “Don’t worry. This is great. No one will ever beat you again!”
Chen Xiaocao cheered up a little when she heard that.
Gu Qingyao had been keeping watch from her post midway up the mountain. When she saw that Chen Goudan had moved out, she went home to boil two pots of water. By the time she emerged again, the sky was completely dark.
At that moment, everyone in the brigade was asleep. Lamp oil was so expensive that few families possessed any.
Gu Qingyao took out an electric torch and went over to Chen Goudan’s new house. She found that the sibling’s house was lit by a fire and they were cleaning the place.
“Goudan!” Gu Qingyao shouted. She was not used to this name, but at that time, Chen Goudan had not yet changed his name, so Gu Qingyao had no choice but to use it.
“Elder Sister Gu!” The two children were delighted to see Gu Qingyao!
Gu Qingyao said, “Let’s go! You can spend the night at my home and come back tomorrow. I’ll get your Elder Brother Mo to fix up your house and then it’ll be habitable.”
The house had not been lived in for many years. It would be uninhabitable without some tidying. Chen Goudan did not refuse. He put out the fire, then took all his things and brought his little sister to the Gu house.
There were several empty rooms in the Gu house. After all, it was a large family and the uncles and elder cousins came back frequently, and needed a place to stay.
Wen Ruyu had already tidied a room. This was where the older cousins stayed when they came back and Gu Qingyao installed the siblings there.
“There’s hot water in the kitchen and here’s the basin. Goudan, go and wash yourself. Here is some medicated oil. When you’ve washed yourself, rub some on your wounds. I’ll wash Xiaocao.”
“Thank you, Elder Sister Gu!”
Gu Qingyao smiled and brought Chen Xiaocao to the kitchen. She was so tiny that Gu Qingyao just used a large basin to rinse her.
The 6-year-old child had a large head on a scrawny body, and was filthy. She was a classic example of the effects of long years of hunger and neglect.
Chen Xiaocao’s body had many scars and bruises from being beaten.
Gu Qingyao felt rather sorry for her when she saw them. A child without a mother was as worthless as grass!
After she was clean, Gu Qingyao gave her some medicine to apply. “Apply this and the pain will go away soon. Xiaocao, don’t be afraid. In the future, no one will ever beat you again!”
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ Xiaocao’s eyes reddened and she made a soft sound of agreement. By the time Gu Qingyao carried her back, Chen Goudan had also just returned.
“Both of you should sleep now! Have a good sleep and we’ll go tidy your house tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
Gu Qingyao left and the siblings climbed into bed. Chen Xiaocao curled up in her elder brother’s arms and patted the quilt that covered her. “Elder Brother, this quilt is so comfortable! It’s so soft!”
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