To be honest, the moment they saw Yang Second Brother again, not only was Third Sister shocked, but even An Ning herself was momentarily taken aback.
What had the original Yang Second Brother been like? Though somewhat taciturn and thin, he at least had a decent face. Thanks to years of manual labor, his physique had been fairly robust.
But the man before them now?
His eye sockets were sunken, his complexion more sallow than even after applying multiple layers of plant juice. He was practically skin and bones, so weakened by prolonged hunger that he could barely walk steadily without swaying.
And this was barely a year after the natural disasters had begun...
Seeing him , Li Xiaocao fell silent for a moment but showed no intention of inviting him in. She simply turned and instructed Little Brother Yang to fetch some roasted sweet potatoes from inside.
Faced with his wife's attitude, the starving Yang Second Brother remained silent. He took the steaming sweet potatoes and wolfed them down without even peeling the skins, ignoring the blisters that had formed at the corners of his mouth from the heat.
Only after devouring three sweet potatoes did he stop, forcing himself to resist his hunger as he carefully tucked the last small potato into his shirt.
"This is the only time. Our family doesn't have enough food either. If you have any consideration for Guo Hua and Third Sister... don't come back again."
Yang Jianye's gaze trembled imperceptibly before he finally turned and limped away from their doorstep.
Only when his figure had completely disappeared did Third Sister, standing not far away, finally exhale heavily and lower the specially sharpened wooden club with stone fragments she'd been holding behind her back.
"Sis... how could the village have deteriorated so much in just this short time?" That night, at bedtime, Third Sister tossed and turned restlessly in bed.
She had buried plenty of supplies in the back mountains, and while Zhang Family Village wasn't wealthy, farming families always kept some grain reserves. Moreover, Captain Zhang had always been shrewd - when he saw the situation turning bad last year, he'd stubbornly resisted pressure to disband the canteen and distributed considerable food to each household.
"How could it have come to this?" Third Sister murmured softly.
No matter how much she disliked Yang Second Brother for being an irresponsible father, seeing someone reduced to such starvation still left her too upset to sleep.
An Ning gently pulled the quilt tighter around herself. In the darkness, the girl's voice was gentle yet carried an indescribable clarity:
"The Old Yang Family probably isn't in such dire straits. But with the eldest uncle refusing to suffer losses and the third uncle being so clever, in the end, isn't he the only one left to bear the hardship?"
Wasn't sacrificing the most obedient always the least costly choice?
Of course, there was another point An Ning didn't mention - Yang Second Brother's current state might well be connected to them. His condition could very well be the Old Yang Family testing them, probing their food reserves.
Had they given more today, the troubles would have kept coming endlessly. An Ning suspected this was precisely why Li Xiaocao had absolutely refused to open the door to her former husband today...
As for whether Yang Second Brother realized this himself? Perhaps. But An Ning didn't particularly care.
Once choices were made and harm done, there were no second chances...
In any case, Yang Second Brother's visit passed like a breeze over a river, leaving not even the slightest ripple. In the days that followed, even Little Brother Yang never mentioned his father again.
Time passed quickly until 1961, but to everyone's dismay, the drought persisted. Newspapers and media reports remained grim...
"As of June, the large-scale drought has affected 37.846 million hectares nationwide, with 18.654 million hectares severely impacted..."
After two consecutive years, most people's food reserves were nearly exhausted. Even at An Ning's high school, regular attendance had dwindled to a handful of students.
With the spring rains persistently delayed, unrest spread even in cities, let alone remote villages.
Facing such severe circumstances, An Ning and Third Sister minimized outings as much as possible, studying at home and keeping an extremely low profile. The four of them worked together to fortify their home, even embedding razor-sharp glass shards along their roof beams.
For extra precaution, An Ning coated the glass with a colorless, odorless substance that amplified pain tenfold.
Their family was practically armed to the teeth.
Their caution proved justified when one night, as the family slept, bloodcurdling screams suddenly erupted outside, followed by a heavy thud.
The cries were so piercing that instantly, not only the four of them but all the neighbors awoke completely...
During famine years, people - especially those with means - feared nothing more than having their resources scouted. Before the intruders could escape, awakened neighbors and several police officers had them completely surrounded.
But when they saw who it was...
"Jiang Third Brother?" Li Xiaocao's eyes widened in disbelief.
Indeed, not only was this an acquaintance, but someone from their own village. While not exactly neighbors with the Old Yang Family, he'd lived just a few households away.
One might say Third Sister and An Ning had practically grown up under his watch. Staring at this seemingly honest middle-aged man, even Third Sister looked shocked.
Moreover, he clearly hadn't come alone - the others with him were unmistakably fellow villagers too...
Ignoring their desperate pleas, they watched until the police had taken them all away. In the darkness, Third Sister's legs gave way, and she collapsed trembling against her younger sister.
"Sis... why would they do this?"
Logically, every family in this area was better off than theirs. So while Third Sister had been cautious, she hadn't been overly worried.
Yet... judging by their familiarity...
They had clearly targeted their family specifically.
What was more terrifying was that these were all people they knew well. Like Jiang Third Brother - back when mother and daughters were being bullied, he'd often stood up for them...
Clutching her younger sister tightly, Third Sister felt increasingly grateful they no longer lived in the village...
"Maybe this is what newspapers call 'preying on familiarity,'" An Ning said softly. Throughout history, people who specifically targeted acquaintances were never in short supply...
Especially when those acquaintances were doing well. That night, the family carefully reinstalled the glass while wearing gloves.
Unsurprisingly, everyone except An Ning had trouble sleeping. By morning, Third Sister and the others all sported dark circles under their eyes.
The next day, looking at her unfazed younger sister, Third Sister couldn't help but inhale deeply in admiration while vowing:
Next time... next time she, Yang Wan, would definitely reclaim her dignity as the elder sister.