Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 19
On National Day, the school was closed for two days, and Liu Xiaonan returned to the home where she had been away for a month.His father asked him how much he could afford for a month's food expenses. He said that ten yuan was enough, but in fact, the expenses of the students were about the same.

Father just nodded and said nothing more.He guessed that his father might be a bit stretched to maintain a big family of seven people with his limited salary alone.

Resuming classes by myself will invisibly increase the burden on my father, and I will not be able to spend money at will in the future.

Just in time for Liu Yunqi's family to hold a wedding, Liu Qishun's second sister got married.Busy Guan Deyu came to report early in the morning, but there was no one to help with the ceremony at dawn, and the yard was deserted, without any festive and lively atmosphere.

In rural areas, it is very shameful for weddings and funerals to be unpopular and unpopular, at least it shows that the popularity is not good.Liu Yunqi's family ran around in a hurry, not knowing what happened.

Even if there are rumors that the land contract system will be implemented at the end of the year, even if two generations of a family are village officials, they will more or less offend others.

Guan Deyu called Liu Yunqi aside and expressed his guess.Two years ago, Liu Yunqi's eldest daughter got married.The people in the village thought that Liu Zhifu was the village party secretary, and Liu Yunqi was the production team leader's face, so everyone came to join in the crowd whether they wanted to or not, and the yard was crowded with people.

With a cold face, Magus muttered unscrupulously and dissatisfied: Why are there so many people here?
Guan Deyu heard it, and many people heard it.Everyone knows the little things in Maggs' heart: each family pays one or two yuan, and the whole family comes to eat, and if they don't earn a little money from weddings, it's good if they don't pay.The running water mat that day was also watery.

Afterwards, many people complained in front of Guan Deyu: The top name is the production team leader of the village party secretary, poor and injured?Make money by hosting weddings?The food in his family is far from the one when Uncle Liu Zhitai got married. The family is stingy and the family is bright, a poor habit that cannot be changed in eight lifetimes.

Only go to join us if you can see it, if you look down on us, you don’t welcome us, and at worst, you won’t go there in the future.

Guan Deyu originally thought that everyone would just talk and talk, but unexpectedly they actually made a real effort, and they worked together to give Magus something nice.

It seems that no one is a fool, who hasn't made up their minds yet?The human heart cannot be fooled, and despising others will only bring shame upon oneself.

Liu Yunqi scolded the prodigal bitches, and asked Guan Deyu what to do, Guan Deyu said that he had no choice but to look down, and went door to door to invite them in person.

Liu Zhitai accompanied Liu Yunqi, going door to door to invite people, and everyone came here one after another for the sake of the old uncle.

The yard became lively, and Liu Xiaonan couldn't concentrate on studying.The school left a lot of homework, and he didn't have the time to join in the fun.

He asked Uncle Guan Deyu if he could go to his house to review his homework.Guan Deyu gently pushed his back and said you go, Xiaoyun is at home alone.

Liu Xiaonan came to Guan Deyu's house with her schoolbag on her back, tiptoed into the yard, and quietly looked into the house through the window.

Guan Xiaoyun was sitting in front of the sewing machine and immersed herself in making clothes, her feet were stepping on the sewing machine like flying, and her hands were nimbly turning the material.Her long hair was tied up with a rubber band and hung loosely on her back. The concentrated silhouette exuded a dynamic beauty.

Liu Xiaonan lay on the windowpane and admired it for a while, seeing that Guan Xiaoyun was too focused to notice anyone outside, so she knocked on the window, and then hid behind the door.

"Who is it?" Guan Xiaoyun turned his head and saw no one, got up and opened the door to the yard.Seeing Liu Xiaonan secretly having fun hiding behind the door, he unconsciously froze for a moment, blushed uncharacteristically, and asked full of doubts: "Your old Liu's family is having a happy event, and you are not at home to join in the fun, what are you doing at my house?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "I hid because it was too lively, too much homework."

"I'm the only one in my family, aren't you afraid of being misunderstood?"

"I've asked your father for instructions, and I hold Shang Fang's sword. You won't turn me away, will you? If you don't support me to find a quiet place to study, and I can't finish my homework, I have to wait to be reprimanded by the teacher. "

"I don't care about you." Guan Xiaoyun turned around and entered the house, led Liu Xiaonan who was following into her parents' room, pointed to an old-fashioned desk and said, "You study there, and I have a lot of work on my hands. Do not interfere."

After speaking, he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Liu Xiaonan just took out the book after sitting down, when Guan Xiaoyun opened the door and came in again, poured him a glass of cold boiled water, and asked him seemingly casually, "Will you go back to eat at noon, or make do with me?"

Liu Xiaonan raised her head and said expectantly, "I want to taste the food you cooked with your own hands."

"That's fine, you eat whatever I do." Guan Xiaoyun walked out briskly.

Maybe it's not in his own home, Liu Xiaonan is somewhat distracted and has trouble concentrating, and he can really hear what Guan Xiaoyun does.

The sewing machine rang for a while, holding grass, washing pots, washing vegetables, lighting the fire, and cooking.After a period of silence, the pot was boiled and the dishes were served, and the smell of food wafted into the room.

He only did one mock test paper in the morning, and his learning efficiency was low, which was beyond his expectation.He beat his head hard, because of the restlessness in his head.

Guan Xiaoyun set up a kang table on the kang in his room, served two plates of home-cooked dishes, two cornmeal pancakes, and called Liu Xiaonan to come over for dinner when he took the chopsticks.

The two sat cross-legged on the kang facing each other, each with a cornmeal pancake, and had lunch with stewed tofu with cabbage and fried salted fish.Guan Xiaoyun chewed slowly, while Liu Xiaonan wolfed it down.

Guan Xiaoyun stared at Liu Xiaonan and said: "No one is robbing you, why are you eating so fast? Don't eat cabbage, eat more tofu and salted fish, students are hard-working students, your face is so thin."

"I wasn't fat before." Liu Xiaonan stopped the chopsticks in her hand and said, "However, I didn't expect that the dishes you cook are unique and delicious, similar to my dad's."

"I don't care for anything that sounds nice. Keep your sweet words and tell Gu Yu later."

"What do you think you are always competing with a person who has been gone for many years?"

"I prefer to compete with her. Without her, you won't become even I don't know you."

The temperature in the room was not very high, but Liu Xiaonan felt as if he was sitting on a steaming kang, and there seemed to be waves of heat roasting him under his buttocks, making him restless and sweaty on his forehead.

Fortunately, Guan Xiaoyun didn't continue to pester her endlessly, she could always grasp the proportions just right.

After eating and clearing the table, she asked Liu Xiaonan if she wanted to sleep.If you are sleepy, don't hold on, you can lie down in the back room, and you can study well after resting.

Liu Xiaonan said he was not sleepy, Guan Xiaoyun prepared a pot of boiling water for him and left.For a whole afternoon, the two of them went about their own business without disturbing each other.

As the evening approached, Liu Xiaonan packed her schoolbag and went back.Guan Xiaoyun stuffed a small bag wrapped in newspaper into his schoolbag and told him to hide it when he got home and not let anyone see it.

Back home, Liu Xiaonan opened the paper bag with her family on her back, and inside were two newly made blue boxer shorts.

Winter is coming soon, and coal stoves are installed in classrooms and dormitories for heating.The dormitory takes turns to be on duty. After dinner, the on-duty students go to the dormitory administrator to get a handful of kindling and coal, and return to the dormitory on time at eight o'clock to light the stove.When studying at night at nine o'clock, the dormitory happened to be warm, so I got into bed while it was hot.

At dawn, the fire had already been extinguished, and the temperature in the dormitory had dropped below freezing. Trembling, I hurriedly put on my clothes, washed my face with water with ice shards on it, and started a new day.

This day it was Liu Xiaonan's turn to be on duty, and he returned to the dormitory on time.First light the kindling grass in the hearth, fill in the broken wood, add coal when the broken wood is burning hot, and the stove will start.

He was busy, Teacher Yue walked into the dormitory.Teacher Yue said: "You go back to the classroom to review, and I will watch over the stove for you."

Liu Xiaonan said: "No need for Teacher Yue, I just want to think about how to write the composition."

"That's fine." Teacher Yue sat down on the bed, "We chatted quietly."

Liu Xiaonan looked at Teacher Yue with a little surprise. It was the first time for her to speak in such a friendly and warm tone. She was a little excited and a little apprehensive, not knowing what kind of medicine Teacher Yue was selling in her gourd.

He moved a broken chair and sat opposite Teacher Yue.

Teacher Yue said very easy-goingly: "I am not your teacher now, you just need to treat me as your elder, and let's talk on an equal footing. Have you encountered any difficulties or obstacles in your studies and life? Maybe I can help you. You solve it."

Liu Xiaonan said: "I feel that my first step in life is wrong. I shouldn't have chosen to study science. Physical chemistry has always been the biggest obstacle in my studies."

"That's true." Teacher Yue nodded and said, "I asked the physics and chemistry teachers, and they all said that you can't say that you study hard, but the improvement is not great.

"People have to face a variety of choices in this life, and no one can guarantee that they will walk on the right path every step of the way. Since you can't go back and choose again, it's better to calm down and do your best to walk the next path. I think I know, do you have a rough life plan for yourself?"

Liu Xiaonan was silent for a moment, then mustered up the courage to face Teacher Yue, and said frankly: "I don't have a specific life plan, but I have a dream. My dream is just a sentence from a little girl. I'm not sure if it's true. It's ridiculous, can it really be my lifelong dream?"

"Is that the little girl who made you clothes and gave you food?"

Liu Xiaonan was shocked, it turned out that nothing escaped Teacher Yue's eyes.Teacher Yue always accompanied them during Sunday and evening self-study. It seems that he not only urged them to study, but also had other purposes.

At this time, Teacher Yue's eyes were gentle and expectant, as if encouraging him to continue talking.He said: "It's not her. She is the granddaughter of Mr. Guan who guided me to copy the stele. We have been close since childhood, and we don't distinguish between you and me in everything."

"So that's the case. I know that Mr. Guan was your father's first teacher and your daily teacher. The two of you are family friends. From this point of view, you and her can be called childhood sweethearts."

"Well, we've always been like this, there's really nothing else."

"There is no hate without reason, and there is no love without reason. You are in adolescence, and it is normal to have other thoughts. It's just that you can't have both. I believe you can understand this truth and be right. Better grasp the present and the future. Let’s talk about your dreams.”

Liu Xiaonan opened her heart: "There is such a little girl, I have been with her for only a little over two years. We were very young at that time, but she always believed that I could be a writer. All the books are left to me.

"I have always regarded her words as nonsense. Until one day I suddenly woke up and wanted to regard her words as a lifelong dream.

"She said that I can only meet her again if I am admitted to university or become a writer. I'm not sure if I want to be a writer just to meet her again, or I just want to be a writer as a lifelong dream .”

After hearing this, Teacher Yue nodded frequently: "This is not contradictory, nor is it ridiculous. On the contrary, it is enviable and amazing. In just two years, the young age intuitively sees your potential, which shows that she has unique abilities. Eyes of wisdom; if you can regard a little girl's words as your lifelong dream, it means that she has grown up in your heart. Her expectations and your dreams are closely linked and inseparable."

Liu Xiaonan is still puzzled: "I don't know what to choose, should I give up my life for my dream, or find a stability in reality?"

Teacher Yue said with a long sigh: "Children in rural areas do not have access to excellent educational resources, and the environment in which they grow up limits the development of their abilities. But you are lucky, and you don't even realize how lucky you are.

"You are lucky to get a seed of hope at an age of ignorance. It has taken root in your heart. As long as you are willing to work hard and sweat, it will definitely bring you unexpected gains."

Teacher Yue became more and more excited: "Your spiritual world will glow with dreamlike colors because of this, and your life will be different and extraordinary. Just think about it, if one day you realize your dream and stand in her In front of you, do you feel that all your dedication and hard work are wonderful movements in your life?"

Teacher Yue's face was covered with thin red bloodshot eyes due to excitement, and his eyes were full of passion and longing, as if describing himself in his dream.

The sail in Liu Xiaonan's heart is raised high, the course has been determined, and the only thing to do is to pull the anchor and set sail.He added a few lumps of coal to the hearth, and there was a crackling sound in the hearth, and the fire burned more and more vigorously.

Every Sunday after that, whether Guan Xiaoyun came or not, Liu Xiaonan was not particularly looking forward to it.

(End of this chapter)