Rebirth 1981 starts with saving the sisters from the neighboring village.

After dinner, it was already dark.

Peng Jun and Liu Wenzhan were worried that their family members would come out to look for them, so they ate in two bites and hurried home.

Lao Liu didn't want to sleep, so he wanted to go out to play. Luo Meili found an opportunity to grab him and beat him, and he started to cry again.

Eating, working and beating the sixth child, my mother Luo Meili's life is so simple and unpretentious.

The family sat around the table by the fire, leaving the sixth child alone in the room sulking.

"His dad, someone from Dingjiazhuang came over to talk about etiquette today. The eldest daughter is not young anymore, so it's time to talk about the matter." Mom Luo Meili said.

The eldest sister was holding a book and reading seriously under the kerosene lamp, writing and drawing from time to time. When she heard this, her ears were already perked up.

Dad Peng Liyang took a puff of dry cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, looked at the eldest daughter, and nodded: "It's time to talk about Xiaomei's matter."

The eldest sister Peng Wanmei hurriedly shook her head and said: "Dad, Mom, I don't want to get married!"

My mother, Luo Meili, raised her eyebrows and said with wide eyes: "If you don't get married now, when will you get married? Do you think you are young?!"

"Then I don't want to marry into their family either!"

"What's wrong with his family? He's not worthy of you?!"

"I have a classmate from Dingjiazhuang who says that family is ugly and a gambler!"

"Haha~" Luo Meili sneered, "You still think you are so beautiful. If you don't get married, you will become an old girl. How can anyone want you? And go to the village and see which family doesn't play cards and mahjong in their free time?"

In fact, the old Peng family has very good genes. From Peng Wanhua's point of view, the eldest and second sisters both have oval faces, clear eyes, and can't hide their delicate temperament even without makeup.

If you put it aside for a few decades, you can rely on your face to make a living.

However, in this place and in this era, plump and round faces are regarded as beautiful. For example, Zhang Yu, the heroine of "Love in Lushan" released last year, Teresa Teng and Lin Fengjiao from Hong Kong and Taiwan, etc., are considered to be first-class beauties by people in this place.

However, thin oval faces like the eldest sister and the second sister are not very popular. Some people in the village say that they are too thin to have children.

Every time Peng Wanhua hears someone talking about his sister, he can't help but want to complain. Why don't you act like that and belittle her?

Listening to his parents talking about this marriage, Peng Wanhua's mind suddenly turned around and he remembered some bad things.

He remembered that after his eldest sister got married, he never had a comfortable life. The man was not only a compulsive gambler, an alcoholic, but also a domestic abuser. When his eldest sister returned to her parents' home, he often saw some old and new scars on her body.

According to my father's opinion, the couple often bickered and fought, and their upper and lower lips were often bitten.

Later, the eldest sister gave birth to two daughters, but because she had some symptoms, she could no longer raise them. The eldest sister and her husband's family come to the house every day to quarrel, and the couple also quarrels and fights every day.

Later, the eldest sister couldn't live any longer. She got divorced and went out to live alone. She was disheartened by the lack of support at home and never came back.

The second sister was also affected and feared getting married. Finally, she saw through the world of mortals and became a monk in a temple in the south.

These two incidents have always been a regret in Peng Wanhua's heart.

He once thought that if he could stand up when his sister needed him, maybe the two sisters would be better off?

"Okay, Xiaomei's matter is settled, who can object!"

Just when Peng Wanhua was deep in thought, his mother, Luo Meili, was too lazy to be verbose. She seemed to be asking, but in fact she was conclusive.

My father is a boring gourd who only knows how to work, and my mother has a strong temper. She has always taken the lead in family matters.

When she said this, it meant that basically no one dared to object.

Peng Wanhua looked at the way his eldest sister lowered her head and silently wiped away tears, and thought of the past.

"Third brother, if it's so cold, you should go home first. Your second sister and I will wash these clothes. You can go back."

In countless cold winters, the eldest sister held all the dirty clothes in her hands and refused to let him go to the river to wash clothes, even though her hands were already covered with frostbite.

"Third brother, I'll give you the eggs. You need to be as tall as a man. You will have to support the family from now on. Do you understand?"

How many times did he eat the eggs left for him in his sister's bowl.

Because eggs have to be sold to support the family, the family eats eggs only a handful of times throughout the year. Even if they are less, the eldest sister still gives him her share.

"Third brother, there are a lot of things at home. From now on, your second sister and I will have to go home to help. You can study hard at school."

More than a year ago, my sister gave up the opportunity to study. In this era, studying is the only chance for Shanli children to get ahead, so they left it to him.

"Third brother, I brought you a new quilt and some living expenses. If it snows, just study in peace and don't run home."

Last winter, when he was unable to sleep because of the cold every night at school, the road was blocked by heavy snow, and there was no car to go home, the eldest sister drove dozens of miles, carrying a quilt on her back, and came to school covered in dust.

The mountain road was difficult to walk, snowy and slippery, and he didn't know how many times she fell before being sent to the county. Peng Wanhua saw that her body was covered with mud and there were a few blood marks on her face...

"Lao San, sister is really tired."

During the Spring Festival of that year, the thinly dressed eldest sister returned to her parents' home, and he also came back from other places.

The eldest sister was so thin that she left in a hurry after not being able to stay for two days. She couldn't help but leave a cry when parting.

From then on, the eldest sister never came back.

These old events are like yellowed old photos that are slowly opened by the wind and are vividly remembered.

Peng Wanhua's eyes were a little moist as he recalled this piece of history.

And now.

If he had the chance to stop it, he would never tolerate his eldest sister jumping into the fire pit again!

Squeeze it!

Peng Wanhua stood up!

"Mom, I object!"

As soon as the words came out, the room fell silent for a moment.

The dim light from the stove shone on Luo Meili, and it was obvious that her face suddenly darkened and her brows gradually raised.

Dad Peng Li glanced at Peng Wanhua, blew out a smoke ring, and said nothing.

The eldest sister suddenly raised her head, with tears in her eyes, as if she was grasping a life-saving straw.

The second sister Peng Wanlan put down the textbook in her hand, her smooth oval face full of disbelief.

The fourth and fifth children put their chins in their hands and looked at him with admiration, thinking to themselves: When will I be able to stand up like my eldest brother?

Lao Liu, who was alone in the room, suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit depressing, like the calm before the storm. He didn't care about sulking anymore and hurriedly hid in the bed, wrapping the quilt tightly for fear of being hurt.

"Is this your place to talk? Are you rebelling??? I haven't settled the issue with you because your clothes got wet!!!"

Seeing that her family status was being challenged, Luo Meili's voice suddenly rose an octave, and her voice shook the heaven and earth.

"Mom, don't get excited. You asked yourself who objected. Why are you still impatient after I told you?" Peng Wanhua calmly continued to argue, "Besides, getting married is a lifetime event for two people. How can we get along if we don't get together? Anyhow?"

"Don't talk nonsense! It's been so many years. Our ancestors have been here for generations, where are we now?!"

"Nowadays, people are free to fall in love and marry freely. How can there be any reason to force a cow to drink water and have its head pressed? Sister, are you happy with it?" Peng Wanhua asked the eldest sister.

With tears in her eyes, Peng Wanmei glanced at her mother, Luo Meili, and shook her head.

"Look, I'm not talking nonsense, the people's eyes are sharp!" Peng Wanhua said.

"I don't care about free love!!" Luo Meili glanced at her eldest daughter who was crying, her heart softened slightly, and her tone lowered slightly, "We were married long ago when we were your age. You have to get married late."

"Mom, we didn't say we wouldn't get married. What's more, the country now stipulates that women should not get married earlier than 20 years old, and advocates late marriage and late childbearing. We are also responding to the country's call, which is a good thing."

Peng Wanhua tried his best to defend himself, determined not to let his sister fall into that big hole again.

He remembered the country's regulations on marriage. Just last year, men should be no earlier than 22 years old and women should be no earlier than 20 years old.

"Fuck you! When did the rules come out?" Luo Meili thought her eldest son was teasing him, and her temper was so angry that she scolded herself too.

"It's right in the commune. The banner was just painted on the wall of the grain station." Peng Wanhua blurted out.

"You... I asked you to study, and you read it into the dog's belly. Use your words to make me angry!" Luo Meili was so angry that she was speechless. She was so anxious that she picked up the broom from the wall and hit him on his calf.

Peng Wanhua just ran away.

The two of them circled the table, making the others look dizzy.

"Comrade Peng Liyang, you don't care about your wife anymore. How old your son is. Beat him when you ask him to. Don't make people laugh!"

Peng Wanhua looked at his father leisurely smoking a cigarette and drinking tea, looking like it had nothing to do with him, and he was immediately furious.

This father doesn't care about anything at home, and doesn't even have any opinions on his daughter's marriage. He is paired with someone with a strong personality like my mother.

Zhou Yu hits Huang Gai, one is willing to hit and the other is willing to suffer, it is a perfect match.

But Father Peng is an old man. Besides being good at smoking and drinking, he also has a good face.

Hearing what his eldest son said, he quickly stretched his neck to see if anyone was passing by outside.

Seeing that no one saw him, he calmly took a puff of cigarette before putting down the pipe.

After thinking about it carefully, he still stretched out his hand to stop his wife.

It's not that he's afraid that his son will be beaten, but that he's afraid of making too much noise and making others laugh.

After some coaxing, Father Peng coaxed Luo Meili to sit down.

Peng Wanhua sat down panting, took the enamel cup, and took a swig of water.

"Mom, I really don't want to get married. If my family is so poor that someone has to get married, then I will get married." The eldest sister Peng Wanmei wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but more and more tears appeared in her eyes.

The eldest sister is kind-hearted and doesn’t want to cause trouble at home.

In fact, the eldest sister, including the second sister, are people who dare to fight for it, including when it comes to studying. But later on, the conditions were so bad that her family could no longer afford it, so she had no choice but to give herself up and leave the opportunity to go to school to Peng Wanhua and others.

This is so valuable, not only love, but also the responsibility and responsibility of being a big sister. It's a pity that Peng Wanhua was too dull in the past and did not give enough rewards, which caused the eldest sister's misfortune in her relationship and life.

Every time he thought about it, he felt great regret.

"No, eldest sister, you don't know that there is no good person in that family. If you get married, you will suffer nothing but pain, but don't let it get to you."

Peng Wanhua quickly stopped him.

"Hmph! It's easy to say, don't you know the situation at home if you are not a family member! The sixth child has not yet gone to elementary school, where will the tuition come from?

The tuition fees for the fourth and fifth children have been delayed for several months. Are you going to pay them? They will go to middle school this year. Are you responsible for the tuition, miscellaneous fees, food, drink, and toilette? "

Luo Meili spit out what was in her heart like a barrage of words.

People’s hearts are made of flesh, and she couldn’t bear to part with her daughter, but the reality of poverty forced her to bow her head.

"This..." Peng Wanhua suddenly remembered that the reason why the eldest sister married into the Ding family was mainly because the other party was willing to give her a gift of 500 yuan.

You must know that 1981 yuan in 500 is not comparable to later generations.

In this era, households with ten thousand yuan are rare.

At the moment, the per capita wage in cities is only 30 to 50 yuan. If rural people have 100 yuan left over after deducting food and drink, it’s pretty good.

In a family like theirs, the father works as a worker in a winery in the town and only earns 28 yuan a month. Apart from buying mundane things for the house, the rest is spent on studying for his children.

Before, when he and his sister were in high school, the cost of books, tuition and miscellaneous fees was 17 yuan per semester, and 51 yuan for the three of them. The fourth and fifth children are 8 yuan per semester, and 16 yuan for two people.

One semester's tuition costs 67 yuan. In addition to these expenses, there are also monthly living expenses for the five brothers and sisters. To be honest, my father's salary is really unaffordable.

My mother worked hard at farm work at home. After paying the public grain and withdrawing money, only the poor mother could eat enough.

Although the national economy has begun to recover and improve, this poor mountain village has not changed much for decades.

It would be great if most families here can have enough to eat, let alone such a high-investment thing as providing their children with education.

Many children from rural families attend elementary school, and then live a life with their backs to the sky and their heads facing the loess.

If you want to continue studying, that is a luxury.

And now his family can't even get out a deposit of 50 yuan.

Poverty is an original sin.

Let the living suffer.

So the eldest sister and the second sister dropped out of school a year ago, and the sixth child has not yet entered elementary school when she reached the age.

Peng Wanhua had mixed feelings in his heart.

500 yuan is indeed a lot of money.

but,

This is absolutely no reason to sell your sister!

He thought of all the misfortunes and sorrows of his sister in his previous life.

In that life, my sister walked towards "death" in silence.

In this life, he must let his sister usher in a new life!