novelraw Chapter 522: A Cannon-Fodder Tagalong from the 1950s (1)
Chapter 522: A Cannon-Fodder Tagalong from the 1950s (1)
A hard plank bed that was clearly damp, walls full of pits and holes, old newspapers pasted at the head of the bed, a rickety old wooden stool missing one leg with the other equally precarious, and the current self, starving to the point of sallow skin and emaciation, stomach growling with hunger.
Oh, and the large gash on the top of the head.
Lifting a hand to look at the small arms and legs, the one who just a moment ago was a revered Grandmaster Shen who commanded wind and rain and feasted on delicacies couldn't help but tilt her head back forty-five degrees to gaze at the ceiling, falling into a brief silence.
Not far away, the drafty window was still whooshing and whistling as it blew cold air inside. Mixed in were the clamorous voices of women gradually rising from the courtyard compound.
What to do, the freshly cracked-open head hurt even more now...
Forget it, I'm used to it anyway.
Tightening the small quilt around herself and confirming no one was in the room, An Ning, enduring the pain in her head, finally closed her eyes and began receiving this body's memories.
Jiang An Ning, currently a little bean sprout of a child in the capital, not even five years old. Based on the little girl's fuzzy earlier memories, the current time was estimated to be around 1954.
Logically speaking, although the nation had just been established not long ago, and production capabilities in all aspects were still somewhat lagging, as the capital city and urban dwellers, they shouldn't have been starving to such a wretched state.
However, the problem lay right here. Just a year ago, the original owner's biological father, a truck driver, had an accident on the road.In these times, the driver profession was indeed popular, with high wages, good benefits, and even plenty of extra income on the road. But overall, it was also considered a high-risk occupation in this era.
From what she knew, the roads weren't very safe at this time.
Anyway, the original owner's dad was just gone like that, leaving a whole big family in a miserable, pitiful state.
The current situation of the original owner's family was as follows:
A mother who was barely literate, only able to find temporary jobs here and there daily to supplement the family's income.
An unlucky older brother, just over nine years old, who was already beginning to show signs of being disliked by people and dogs alike.
A pitiful older sister, just over seven years old, also starved to skin and bones.
Oh, forgot to mention, the original owner also had a grandmother, Old Li Shi, whose mouth was incredibly slick, able to talk a dead person back to life.
However, this grandmother was currently living next door with the younger uncle, only occasionally coming over to do "ideological work" with the original owner's mother.
Hmm... let's just not count her in for now!
Anyway, this situation, how to put it? It was difficult for the original owner's life to go well.
Since life wasn't going well, wouldn't one naturally want to find a way out?
And the reason the original owner ended up in such a miserable state today, not only starving to the point of dizziness but also with a big hole in her head, was simple.
The man the original owner's mother wanted to remarry, a similarly single, child-raising widower, the neighbor Old Wang...
No, should be called Director Wang now. A man of rural origins who, relying on his face and an equally formidable mouth, successfully sweet-talked the factory director's daughter into marrying down, thus embarking on the era's version of a phoenix man's journey to the peak of life.
The gash on the original owner's head was caused by being pushed down by this Old Wang family's only son, Wang Yong Hua, and hitting a stone.
This little brat, over eight years old, didn't know who told him that his dad was going to marry a stepmother. So, just after school, he came looking for trouble with a proud and spirited air.
Coincidentally, the original owner's mother was still at work then. Although the original owner wasn't big, she had a truly fiery temper since childhood.
Unfortunately, a fiery temper didn't mean good fighting skills. So, after a child-version clash of Mars hitting Earth, she was successfully pushed to the ground, even cracking open a big gourd on her head.
As for the little troublemaker brat, sensing something was wrong, he had long since run off without a trace.
Lying on the shabby little bed now, her palms already itching somewhat, An Ning couldn't help but curse fiercely in her heart.
"Little brat! Just you wait!"
After reacting, An Ning: "..."
Huh? This original owner's temperament was quite influential!
Right at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the main gate:
"Little sister, little sister, are you awake?"
It was the original owner's eldest sister, Jiang An Yun. The little girl, just seven years old, was carefully holding a bowl of sweet soup, with some fine egg flower vaguely floating on top. As she moved, a loose, patched gray-blue little jacket hung slackly on her body.
On a snowy day, the doorway was inevitably somewhat slippery. When entering, she nearly stumbled, almost falling to the ground along with the bowl.
Noticing the commotion, An Ning casually placed a tiny bit of elixir powder into her mouth. Feeling her body gradually recovering, she sat up from the hard plank bed and hurriedly spoke:
"Eldest sister, I'm awake!"
Hearing the voice, the little girl outside finally breathed a sigh of relief. Especially after entering and seeing that although her little sister's face was a bit pale, she could still speak with some strength, not looking like she was in danger.
The little girl, only seven years old, barely suppressed the saliva constantly secreting in her mouth and carefully brought the egg flower soup forward. Urgently urging her little sister to drink quickly, just as An Ning was feeling touched by the thoughtful older sister, the next second she heard the other say with particular happiness:
"Hehe, Grandma didn't lie this time. Little sister's injury really isn't serious. Just apply some ash and lie down a bit more, and it'll be fine!"
An Ning: "..."
Darn it, there's a curse word I don't know if I should say!
Just ask, what do you mean the injury isn't serious? This is a proper cracked-open gourd! The amount of blood lost, forget this era, even in modern times if not handled properly it could be fatal.
Forget the original owner's sister; she's a little girl under eight who probably didn't witness the first scene anyway. But what about the original owner's grandmother, a grown adult in her sixties? Didn't she understand?
Hah! An Ning couldn't help but roll her eyes fiercely.
Hmm... suddenly felt that the little girl's fiery temper wasn't without reason!