Early in the morning, Fang Jie carried his slightly tattered green schoolbag and ran home. He washed the dishes early in the morning, but he didn't understand why there were four sets of cutlery. Usually, no one came to his house to eat. However, he still washed the dishes until they were all glowing. Only then did he stop and feed the five chickens at home.
He was a happy and brave young man. When he smiled, his eyes would sparkle and it was infectious. Mom was still weaving dustpans, bamboo baskets, and bamboo benches. He knew that his sister got up at five o'clock every day to go to the chicken farm. She had to get there before the rooster crowed. After the rooster crowed, she would start feeding the chickens. He also knew his sister's little secret, which was that she would go to the suspension bridge to watch the sunrise every day.
Then, he had to pick up the eggs. When he met a chicken that hadn't laid eggs, he had to touch the hen to see if it was pregnant with eggs. If it was, he had to think of a way to make it lay eggs.
He saw his sister often holding the hen with her hands and stroking the chicken's head and body."Little chick, be good. I want to lay my eggs." Fang Jie often laughed at his sister's stupidity. He felt that the chickens did not understand human language, so why did she talk so much to them?
"What does a child know? Of course, a chick can understand what I'm saying."”
Fang Jie loved sleeping with his sister when he was young. Both of them slept on the floor when they were young. The blanket was thin, and his sister always wrapped him up tightly, but half of her body was often exposed. The temperature in the mountains at night was a little low.
When she was young, Fang Jie's tiny feet had once fallen into a gap in the floor, which had worried her sister. So from then on, it was his sister who carried him to bed. When he woke up at night, his sister would wake up immediately when she heard the sound.
When they grew up, the two of them slept separately, but there was no extra bedding. The elder sister went to the mountain behind her to pick up some dry pine feathers to make a bed on the ground. On top of it, there were some torn clothes and pants. He thought that his sister's bed would be easier to sleep on, but he had slept on it once. When he turned over, he was often pricked by pine feathers. He did not know how his sister had fallen asleep all these years.
When her sister was engaged, the betrothal gift was just a few quilts. The rest would be calculated when they got married. Fang Jie thought that his sister must have asked for it from her husband's family. On the first day, he gave Fang Jie a new quilt and his sister covered him with his old quilt. He didn't want to cover anything else, so he put them away. Her sister's fiancé was a short, dark man. One of his front teeth had fallen out, and his words were so weak that they could not be heard clearly.
The man was 30 years old, and he could not find a wife in the neighboring villages. At that time, he asked a matchmaker to come and tell him. His sister was silent for a while before she agreed. He did not understand why his sister would agree. He felt that the man was not worthy of his good sister at all. That man even despised their family for being poor and often said that his sister was climbing up a high branch by looking for him.
Fang Jie did not like that man, even though he would be his brother-in-law in the future. However, he would never admit it before they got married. That man often drank and had a bad temper. Recently, he had been urging his sister to marry him.
He heard his sister arguing with him about this. Her sister said that she would wait until Fang Jie went to high school, but there was still a year and a half before Fang Jie went to high school. However, her mother was very happy. Her sister was getting married, so she used the little money she had saved to tear a few feet of red cloth to make her sister's wedding dress. Her mother could only make it during the day. She woke up very early and could go to bed early at night. Because she sat for a long time at night, it consumed fuel, so she couldn't bear to do it.
Fang Jie felt that his sister was the person he relied on the most in his life, so he always worked hard to study. He wanted to take care of his sister in the future. He was always the top student in the class, but he was looked down upon by many students and often ridiculed by them. She said that he was like a beggar, dressed in rags, and his clothes and pants were sewn and mended.
He laughed at his father for being a fool, his mother for being a lunatic, and his sister for being someone else's child bride. He had no way of refuting these, and he had fought many times because of this. However, because of his thin body, his handsome face was often beaten black and blue. His facial features were very similar to his sister's, but his eyes were not as big and bright as his sister's. However, he was a brave young man. He wanted to study hard so that his family could live a good life and not be bullied.
Fang Jie was studying in a middle school in the village. He did not have any accommodation, so the school arranged for him to stay with Uncle Li, the gatekeeper. The school provided lunch, and Fang Jie would usually eat until he was full or ask for more food from the canteen for dinner. Sometimes, Uncle Li would ask him to eat with him when he cooked noodles.
He had a distant uncle who taught at school. Sometimes, he would ask him to eat at home or bring him food. He had never spent any money in school, nor did he have any place to spend it. He and his sister were both guaranteed by their uncle to study here because they did not have a household register. Uncle always urged them to register for the household register, but their families never went. They couldn't go by themselves, so they had to call the adults to go with them. That was why he had been dragging it out.
Fang Jie finished feeding the chicken and was about to chop firewood to cook when his sister came with two handsome brothers. They looked so much like the celebrities that their classmates liked. They were even prettier than them. It was wearing clothes and pants that it had never seen before, and it was walking towards him with a smile.
He laughed along. Fang Yan led them in and introduced them to Fang Jie,""Fang Jie, my younger brother."
Mo Hexuan rubbed his hair affectionately and said with a smile,""Jie, can I call you that? I'm Mo Hexuan. You can call me brother.”
He also introduced Ye Fuyu.
"Who are these two brothers?" Fang Jie asked as he stood beside his sister.”。
"You forgot after I introduced you," Mo Hexuan said unhappily.”
Fang Yan said," They came to our village to see the Thousand Year Lake. They live in a chicken farm. I brought them out for a walk."”
"Oh," Fang Jie replied.
Ye Fuyu sized up Fang Jie. His facial features, which had yet to fully develop, resembled his sister's. He wasn't tall, and he would be a handsome man when he grew up. These two siblings seemed to have been born in places that they shouldn't have. Fang Jie's eyes were a little timid, or rather, he felt inferior. He was a little afraid to approach us.
Fang Yan said,"Fang Jie, take them to the mountains for a walk. I'm going back to help."”
Mo Hexuan was unwilling to let her go. He hurriedly went to stop her and said,""Fang Jie is so young. What if he leads us astray?”
"I've been running around in the mountains since I was young. How could I get lost?" Fang Jie said indignantly.”
Fang Yan said,"That's it then. I'm leaving."”
"Fang Yan, I'm hungry. You don't have a restaurant here.”
Fang Yan said speechlessly,"It's only a few o'clock, and you're already hungry."”
"I have to eat in the morning. I eat three meals a day," Mo Hexuan said shamelessly.”
"How troublesome." He turned around and went to chop wood.
Mo Hexuan quickly went over and swung his axe. She smiled and said,"How can I eat for free? I work."”After saying that, he quickly looked at the firewood. Mrs. Fang just sat there with her head lowered and listened without saying a word. He had a good impression of these two young men.
Ye Fuyu walked over and started chatting with Mother Fang. He said,"Auntie, your illness can be cured. If you're still worried, come with us to West City.”
Mother Fang said," I'm already so old. I don't have many years left. Moreover, the symptoms have lessened in the past few years. I won't be seeing him anymore."”In fact, she knew very well that West City was a place she could go to. The furthest she had been to was the county town.
"Auntie, are you worried about the cost?”
"That's one thing. Besides, other than that little problem, my body is pretty good.”
"Auntie, don't worry. We'll settle the fees. If you're worried, bring Fang Yan along. Let her accompany you so that she can take care of you.”
"We've only met by chance. How can we accept such a huge favor from you?" Mother Fang said anxiously.”
"Auntie, I think we're quite fated. Besides, Fang Yan and Fang Jie are still young and need your care.”
"Relying on the mountain to eat the mountain, relying on the water to eat the water, this is all fate. Poor two obedient children.”
"If you don't mind, we can take Fang Jie with us and let him go to school there. You don't have to worry about anything.”
Mother Fang seemed to hesitate for a moment before she said," We mountain people are particular about returning to our roots. I'm already so old, how can I go anywhere else? Fang Yan has already promised someone else. Fang Jie will have to depend on his own luck."”Ye Fuyu knew that he wouldn't be able to persuade Mother Fang even if he said it all. Hence, she shut her mouth.
At this time, the fire had already boiled the water. Fang Yan put the rice into a small pot and covered it. "Fang Yan doesn't cook?" Mo Hexuan asked carefully.”
"Yes."
He turned around and entered the room. He used his hands to grab a handful of dried red bean shells and then went to get some dried pickles. When the rice was cooked, he set up the big pot and started to stir-fry. The dishes were stir-fried by Fang Jie. He first put some oil at the bottom of the pot, then put the dried pickles down and threw in a few small dried chilies. Then, he put the bean shells down. After two minutes, he scooped a large ladle of cold water into it. After a while, he added some salt and started eating.
Mo Hexuan and Ye Fuyu finished their meal in silence. Fang Jie enjoyed his meal the most. He ate three bowls of rice in soup. Growing children ate a lot. Ye Fuyu ate very little, Mo Hexuan ate a bowl, Fang Yan ate very slowly, and Mother Fang didn't eat much.
After dinner, Fang Jie quickly washed the pots and bowls. Fang Yan said,"Fang Jie will take you. I'm going to the chicken farm."”
"I've already told the owner of the chicken farm that you're going to take us around today."”
"It's not good to take the salary from the chicken farm and not work.”
"I've already paid your wages to the boss. Don't worry. Besides, we're leaving tomorrow." This was Mo Hexuan's words to slow down.
Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat when he heard that."Alright then."
Fang Jie insisted on bringing his bird-catching net. Fang Yan asked Fang Jie to pinch the remaining rice into rice balls and bring them to the mountain to eat. Hence, he left after saying goodbye to Mother Fang. Fang Yan then instructed Fang Jie to ask Aunt Wang next door to keep an eye on his mother and told her that the rope was in the room.
The group arrived at the mountain north of the Thousand Year Lake. Mo Hexuan saw the squirrel jumping around on the tree and chased after it for a while. Then, the squirrel disappeared. He felt a little lost.
The wind was blowing on the mountain and it was a little cold. However, the place without trees was very warm under the sun. They decided to bask in the sun.
Fang Yan said shyly,"I need to go over there."”
Mo Hexuan didn't understand." I'll accompany you."”
Fang Yan blushed and said,"I'll go by myself."”
"What if there are wild animals? No, I'm worried."”Fang Yan had been holding it in all the way and was too embarrassed to say it. Now that he really could not hold it in any longer, he agreed. Then, the two of them went into the forest a little further away.
Only Ye Fuyu and Fang Jie were left. Ye Fuyu watched as Fang Jie happily closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight. He did not want to disturb him, but he had to hurry up and ask. "Jie, where are you studying?"
"Village High School."
"Is it far from your house?"
"It's not very far. It's only a three-hour walk.”
Ye Fuyu was secretly shocked." Do you walk every day?”
"No, I live in school. I only walk when I come back and go to school.”
"What grade are you in?"
"The second year of junior high," said Fang Jie.
"What is your future dream?"
"I haven't thought about it yet. As long as I have a salary, I'll do anything.”
Ye Fuyu knew how much this child wanted to support this family as soon as possible. He asked calmly,"Why doesn't your sister have a household register?”
Fang Jie, who was still smiling, burst into tears."My father is the only one in our family who has a household register, but he's dead, so we can't register anymore.”
Ye Fuyu found it unbelievable. How could only one person in the family have a household register? What an unusual thing this was. He comforted Fang Jie and said,""Tell me everything about your family from the beginning to the end, okay? I might be able to help you.”
Fang Jie immediately raised his teary eyes and asked expectantly,""Really? Then where should I start?"
"Tell me first, why don't you have a household register?”
"The people in our village only register when they want to get a wife. They usually don't study. They have to register when they study, but they don't want to register when they're in primary school. Because the primary school is in the village next to us, there are not many people studying, and everyone does not have a household register. My sister couldn't go to high school because she didn't have a household register. After that, she stopped studying. When my father died last year, someone told the household register that my father had died, and they canceled my father's household register. So I won't be able to go to high school and get a wife in the future. The elder sister could get married, and that shorty had a household register. Their future children could also be registered.”
Ye Fuyu felt that it was simply a fantasy. How could they fall behind like this? To him, this was simply the survival of a walking corpse. " Your mother is married. Why doesn't she have a household register?"”
Fang Jie felt wronged and said," My mother remarried. Her previous husband died, and her household registration was with her previous husband. Her mother-in-law told people that my mother died too, and they canceled her household registration.”
"Then did your sister ask about the household register?" Ye Fuyu asked.”
"My sister went to ask and even asked for money from her. She said she didn't have it, so she was sent back.”
"Then how did your father die last year? Was he sick?”
Fang Jie couldn't stop his tears from flowing. He said pitifully,""My father was smothered to death by the charcoal in the stove.”
"What kind of carbon?"
Fang Jie replied," It's that kind of charcoal. We call it bright charcoal here. If you burn that, you'll suffocate if you don't get ventilation."”After saying that, she started crying. Ye Fuyu comforted her again.
Ye Fuyu saw that he had stopped crying." Does your family have no income and rely on the things your mother made up to earn money?"”
Fang Jie nodded.
"You seem to have a lot of land here. How much do you have at home?”
"We divide the land according to the number of people. Originally, there were four people in my family, and each person had one mu and three mu of land. However, only my father got it, and only he had a household registration.”
Ye Fuyu could imagine that the things in his room were all his family's rations for a year. There was an indescribable feeling in his heart. Perhaps it was in such an environment that Fang Yan was so sensible and so strong. However, the two of them had been eating rice at Fang Yan's house for the past two days. This was already the best food his family had. Their family had lost two more meals. He was silently calculating how much cash they had on them.
Ye Fuyu couldn't bear to ask further, but he still asked,""Why didn't your sister find a better family? He's so beautiful and capable.”
"Someone from afar came to propose marriage, but my sister rejected it. She felt that it was too far away and did not want to marry. The only one who is willing to marry my sister is that shorty who is the closest to my family. Everyone else thinks that my family is poor, that my father is a fool, and that my mother is a madman. They are afraid that their children will also be fools and madmen in the future.”
Ye Fuyu already understood. She understood Fang Yan. Fang Yan must have felt that she could not take care of her family if she married far away. What a kind girl. She was pure and innocent. She would rather die than take care of her family.
It could be said that she had sacrificed her lifelong happiness, or rather, she had never considered herself and had " tied " herself to the door beam of this family. How could her child be a fool? How could he be a lunatic? She must be as smart, obedient, lively, and cute as her. She could have married far away and left him alone, but she still chose to sacrifice herself to protect her family. It was a true blessing.
Ye Fuyu could sense that Fang Jie didn't like Fang Yan's fiancé." How short is your sister's fiancé for you to say that about him?"
Fang Jie stuck out his tongue, stood up, and put his hand above his ear.""He's already 30 years old and can't grow tall.”
"Little Jie, is he handsome?"
Fang Jie exclaimed exaggeratedly," I've never seen anyone uglier than him. He has a bad temper and often scolds my sister. He was always leaking air when he spoke because he had lost one of his front teeth.”
Ye Fuyu smiled. How could such a man be worthy of Fang Yan? Ye Fuyu asked himself, he might not even be worthy of Fang Yan. It wasn't because of his looks, but because of his great virtue and the freedom to sacrifice himself.
Although Ye Fuyu was carefree, he had never sacrificed anything for his family. His family had let him be since he was young. Now that his relatives had left, he could no longer do anything for them. It was a pity. "He's indeed not worthy of your sister," Ye Fuyu said.”
Fang Jie smiled happily.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]