Chapter 236 - 228 Change of Name
Shitou slowly began his story from the time when his father was still alive, recounting the personal experiences of how they met, fell in love, and finally united, as well as the multiple occasions when his father spoke of the strong and righteous help they received from the second uncle of Yushu Village, who was the secretary of the village’s party committee at the time.
What left the deepest impression on his father was that the second uncle did not discriminate against them for being outsiders, but instead looked after his father, this "foreigner," even more.
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"Father probably knew his body was failing him, so he didn’t care that I was still young or if I could even understand his words, he just told me all about the past. At first, I didn’t really grasp what he meant, but I remembered every word he said.
He repeatedly instructed me that, if something happened to him, I was to give away our things if people asked for them, as long as I could protect myself from being beaten or starving to death. It didn’t matter if they didn’t give me enough to eat—there was nothing else I could get from the mountains, but the wild vegetables and fruits there could often sustain life.
He took me to identify all the edible wild plants and fruits he knew, and taught me how to cook wild vegetables and how to dry and preserve the excess for staving off hunger in winter.
When he had free time, he deliberately patched the old cotton clothes and quilts with worn cloth on the outside and also divided some money into several parcels wrapped in oil paper, hiding them in places only we knew, as well as hiding packets of salt in small clay pots.
He said having salt to eat would keep me from feeling weak. He also told me about several kind households in the village to remember, saying that if push came to shove, these kind-hearted people would occasionally give me something to eat out of pity for a child of my age.