In the past, it was said that the greatest misfortune in life was losing one’s mother in childhood, one’s spouse in middle age, and one’s son in old age.
Mr. Li lost her husband in middle age and still had a three-year-old son. It was really unfortunate.
Lu Xingxin's death made her devastated. If it weren't for Xiao Huineng, she would have wanted to kill her and go with her husband.
Li was so sad that she fainted from tears. When Xiao Huineng saw it, she pulled the lapel of Li's clothes and burst into tears.
Li was in a coma when she faintly heard crying, and was startled. When she opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Huineng looking at her with tears streaming down her face, crying very pitifully.
Mrs. Li hurriedly sat up and held Xiao Huineng in her arms. Mother and son burst into tears.
Neighbors heard the crying and came over one after another. When they saw the situation, they were very sad.
…
God is jealous of talents, and Lu Xingxin died young.
Fortunately, when Lu Xingxin was alive, he was literate and helped the villagers a lot. Therefore, when the villagers saw that Lu Xingxin was dead, they had no choice but to help their orphaned and widowed mother arrange Lu Xingxin's funeral affairs, and one after another persuaded Li Shi and Xiao Huineng should not be too sad...
With the help of all the villagers, Ms. Li buried her husband Lu Xingxin in a coffin and buried her in peace.
"Dad..." Xiao Huineng was wearing a long filial piety shirt and a white filial piety hat, crawling on the hillside.
His father was already lying under the pile of loess.
Mrs. Li put away the dishes and dishes for the service, and said to Xiao Huineng, who was crying loudly, "Neng'er, let's go home."
Xiao Huineng's uncle and aunt also came forward to comfort Xiao Huineng.
But Xiao Huineng knelt motionless, her sad tears mixed with snot flowing silently.
Mrs. Li said: "Hey, we two, please don't feel bad. Your father is dead. He cannot be resurrected. Once it is over, there is no need to suffer. But we still have to live, and we have to continue to suffer."
Xiao Huineng thought for a while and asked: "Mom, my dad suffered when he was alive, he was so uncomfortable when he was sick, and he was in extreme pain when he died. Why are these all happening?"
Li said with tears in her eyes: "Maybe it's because of bad luck that I suffered such pain..."
Xiao Huineng said: "But people who have a good life will also get sick and die!"
Li choked up and said, "Yes, people are born to endure hardship. Otherwise, the child will cry loudly instead of laughing."
Xiao Huineng asked: "Then, why do we humans still need to be born?"
Li was speechless and stared at her son in silence with some weirdness...
At this time, some inexplicable things often popped up in Xiao Huineng's mind...
Lu Xingxin left his orphans and widowed mother behind and passed away with regret. For Li, this was like the sky falling.
Fortunately, Mr. Li was born and raised in the countryside, was willing to endure hardships, and was able to farm, so he could make do with the work in the fields.
After Lu Xingxin passed away, the Lu family fell into decline. The Li family and Xiao Huineng depended on each other, orphaned and widowed, and struggled to survive.
…
August is high and autumn is high, and the wind is howling. Thunder rumbled across the sky, lightning tore through the dark night, and then heavy rain poured down.
In an instant, the hut built when Lu Xingxin was still alive seemed like a lonely boat drifting in the stormy sea.
The roof was like a broken mat riddled with holes, and rows of rain arrows flew down from it. At this moment, there was no place to sleep in the house.
Faced with such a situation, Ms. Li, wearing a raincoat and a large bamboo hat with a pointed peak, sat on the bed without lighting the oil lamp, holding little Huineng in her arms while she was sleeping soundly.
In the darkness, listening to little Huineng's gentle and even snores accompanied by the sound of wind and rain outside, the mother's suffering heart seemed to be gently soothed by her son's young hands, and she received great comfort and satisfaction.
Her husband died early, so Li took on the burden of the family and depended on Xiao Huineng for life. Because her family was poor, Li used salted sauerkraut and pickled beans to cook. Huineng had been very sensible since he was a child and was never picky about what he ate.
On weekdays, when there were better dishes at home, Li was reluctant to eat them, so she left them all for Xiao Hui to eat.
Xiao Huineng is not only smart, but also very kind. Once, Mrs. Li took him to the field to plant vegetables. Xiao Huineng discovered a hornet's nest on the ground. He saw many royal bees scurrying up and down in countless small holes. His curiosity drove him to see what happened.
Xiao Huineng disturbed the hornet's nest as soon as he stretched out his hand.
A swarm of bees came out and stung little Huineng until he covered his face and screamed.
When Mrs. Li saw it, she felt so distressed that she hurriedly dropped her shovel and ran over. She took off her clothes and rushed towards the swarm of bees. In a short time, she dispersed the swarm of bees and killed several queen bees.
Xiao Huineng cried even harder when she saw it: "Auntie, why did you beat them to death? Look how pitiful they are!"
"Neng'er, if I don't fight them, they will sting you."
"Auntie, just drive them away. Why did you beat them to death? Their mother will be very sad if she finds out." Xiao Huineng said, lowered his head, picked up a dead bee, put it in the palm of his hand, and blew it with great sympathy. A few breaths, hoping it would come alive and fly away.
In fact, the kind-hearted Mr. Li has already noticed Xiao Huineng's kindness. For example, he trembles when he hears the word "kill" and cries when he sees others killing. He also tries his best to help some weak creatures. When he sees small animals, he becomes jealous. favorite.
But Mrs. Li never expected that he would be so kind. She was stung by a bee and her face was red and swollen. Not only did she not get angry, but she also tried to save the queen bee regardless of the pain. This was definitely not something ordinary people could do.
Li couldn't help but think of the old monk's prophecy. She was shocked and thought: Will the old monk's prophecy really come true in the future? She didn't know whether she was happy or sad for a moment, and carried Xiao Huineng back home with tears on her back.
Mrs. Li's heart broke when she looked at her son who was stung all over by bees. I thought: Before my husband died, he told me to raise Neng'er well and not let the child suffer...
However, just a few months after her husband passed away, her son had already suffered so much and suffered so much. I often have to cut firewood and farm, so it is difficult to take good care of my children.
The child is young and does not know how to protect himself. He often has mosquito bites and bruises on his body. If this continues, the child will have to suffer a lot. It seems that as long as you change your living environment and avoid suffering, you can suffer as much as you want.
Under the hardships of the years, Xiao Huineng grew up to seven years old without knowing it. Perhaps because he is often hungry, he is shorter than other children of the same age.
On this day, Xiao Huineng was squatting under the eaves to help his mother sharpen the hatchet. Wen Zai, Cowboy and other children who used to study and read with Lu Xingxin in the courtyard were jumping around with their schoolbags on their backs, talking and laughing as they passed by the courtyard gate and went to school.
Xiao Huineng looked at the direction in which they disappeared, thoughtfully.
Mrs. Li was moved by the scene and couldn't help crying. She choked and said, "Neng'er, I'm sorry for you. Our family is too poor and we can't send you to school!"
But Xiao Huineng said: "Auntie, I'm not thinking about going to school, but I'm thinking, what's the use of them going to school?"
Li said sadly: "Stupid boy, of course it is useful to go to school. If you read enough poems and books, you can be a scholar and a Jinshi!"
Xiao Huineng asked again: "Why do you want to take the Jinshi examination?"
Li said: "Be an official. Taking the Jinshi examination is what we people call official selection. If you win the Jinshi, you can become a county magistrate. Then you will be promoted step by step, becoming a prefect and a prime minister. Under one person, you will be above ten thousand people." "
Xiao Huineng broke the casserole and asked: "Then, after becoming prime minister, what else will you do?"
Li said with a smile: "Being prime minister is the end. It's time to go home and serve the people."
Xiao Huineng all said with emotion: "After a long journey, we still have to go back to the old place! Instead of doing this, it would be better not to read the poems and books at the beginning. This is still a good life. I can be safe and not be dismissed. If it's like this Dad, if you are not careful, you will be dismissed from office and exiled, and your life will be at risk."
Li was dumbfounded: "Then what do you want to do?"
Xiao Huineng raised the woodcutter in his hand and said seriously: "Chop wood! From today on, I will go up the mountain to chop wood and exchange money for rice to support my mother-in-law."
After hearing this, Mrs. Li didn't know whether she should cry or laugh. She hugged her son tightly in her arms, with tears shining in her eyes.
