Chapter 3: Borrowing Rice

In truth, how could such a large orchard be unguarded?

也就是呀，这么大的果园怎么可能没有人看守呢？

The abundance of fruit on the branches near the edge indicated that passersby couldn''t easily pick them.

如果路人那么好采摘的话，果园外那些树枝上面的果实累累，又怎么解释呢？

Someone had been watching all along, hidden, waiting for an unsuspecting individual to fall into the trap.

原来这里一直是有人守着，人家在暗处守着，正等着鱼儿上钩呢。

My father was that unfortunate person. The New Year was upon us, and he had failed to borrow rice. He had intended to pick a few apples to bring home for the children, but he didn''t get the apples, and instead, he faced a fine and additional debt.

我的父亲就是这条不幸的鱼，过年了，米没有借到，本想摘几个苹果回去给孩子吃，可是苹果也没有摘到，反而罚了款，欠了债。

For our family, it felt like adding insult to injury. The impoverished are often dealt further misfortune with ease. Is it the era that is impoverished?

对于我们这个家庭真的是雪上加霜呀！苦的人家也真的太容易雪上加霜了，是这个年代穷吗？

No, some of my relatives are well-off. It is only my family that struggles. My parents are both poor, and when two impoverished individuals have children, their poverty only multiplies.

不，我有些亲戚也富有，只是我家穷而已，我父亲穷，我母亲穷，穷人遇到穷人，生了孩子更是穷上加穷。

We''ve done the most exhausting, bitter, and unprofitable labor from a young age, yet we still have to survive and raise our children.

从小到大做的是最累最苦最不赚钱的活，可是我们还是要活下去，还是要生儿育女。

The poorer people are, the more children they tend to have, as they are the family''s only hope, their only chance for a better future.

越穷的人越喜欢多生孩子，因为孩子是这个家唯一的希望，唯一的希望呀！

We believe that fate can''t be so cruel to us indefinitely. Perhaps one of these children might alter their destiny? If just one of the four breaks the cycle of poverty, it would mean a way out for the entire family. We would follow him, never looking back.

我们总相信上天不会对我们这么残忍，总有一个孩子也许能改变自己的命运呢？如果这四个孩子中有一个孩子跳出了穷人家的门，那就代表了他为我们这个家打开了一条出路，我们跟着他后面走就可以了，走出去，再不回头。

Though our childhood was challenging, no, our entire family