nineteenth
1
Abu's final exam results were still very good. In addition, he had already self-studied all the knowledge for the next semester. He was very confident about the entrance exam. This time, he had to leave this narrow island and go to the city. And Aren's results were even worse than before. There were a few times when he even ranked last in the class. The exam was a disaster for him. The closer it was to the exam, the more distracted he was, sneaking to the bamboo shed to look for Wen Xuan. In the end, he was promoted to the school with the lowest ranking in the class. At this time, Abu was about to take the high school entrance examination. Other than revising his knowledge in junior high school, he was also secretly reading the set of medical books. He had neglected most of the foreign language textbooks. As for the Chinese books, he kept flipping through them. He even memorized some parts of the book. To him, it was simply another window that had been opened for him. He could see things that had nothing to do with himself, his family, or his environment. There, he learned about all aspects of the human body. He kept these books by his side and flipped through them. He was eager to learn more and hoped to use this knowledge to help those in need. All of a sudden, he realized that this window had let in sunlight that he had not seen for a long time. And those myths of the past, those lingering doubts, disappeared temporarily when this window opened.
To Aren, the window was the sea in front of him. He persuaded Wen Xuan to go out to the sea to paddle a canoe.
Wen Xuan stretched out his hand to block the glaring sunlight that shot into his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and handed over the oar, saying,""You do it."
Aren took the rice milk, inserted it into the water, and rowed it.
"Slow down. Don't rush. If he used so much strength now, he would run out of strength later. At that time, we won't be able to go back." Wen Xuan said. He reached out and took off the straw hat on Aren's head. He lay down against the canoe and covered his face with the hat.
Aren paddled and turned to look at the canoe that was drifting further and further away. He smiled proudly.
The surface of the sea reflected a dazzling silver light. Aren's face was burning red from the smoke. He leaned over, propped himself up on the oar, and grinned. He felt free and happy. Facing the waves, he pushed the canoe forward with the help of the water. The vast sea appeared in front of him, extending in all directions. The canoe tilted its bow and rushed into the waves, moving forward. After a while, he was tired and could not help but pant. He put down the oar, stretched out his hand, picked up a handful of seawater, and sprinkled it on his face.
At that time, the setting sun was close to the sea, glowing red.
Aren looked up and watched it slowly slide into the sea, quietly waiting for the sea and sky to close. The world became one.
"What happened?" The change in the sky startled Wen Xuan, who had just opened his eyes. He sat up, grabbed his straw hat, and looked at the darkening sky." It's so late already?" Hurry up and go back."
"It's fine. Stay a little longer." Aren said.
"Xingxing is already out. Why aren't you going back? It's fine for me to stay here alone. You can't stay here. Xiao Gui must be very worried." Wen Xuan said.
"Then worry. She would only let me do my homework. I hate homework and I hate classes. If I want to stay here, I'll stay in the sea. I won't go anywhere.”Aren said.
"No, you have to go back." Wen Xuan threw down his straw hat and bent over to touch the edge of the boat." Where are the oars?"”
Aren gripped the oar tightly and did not speak.
"You're killing your own uncle.”Wen Xuan said.
"I don't want to go back." Aren said.
"I don't want to either. But Gui must be very anxious. If she knew, she would definitely think that I kidnapped her precious son.”Wen Xuan said.
"Then I won't go back. You don't have to go to school or do your homework." Aren said.
"Dream on. If you don't go back, neither of us can live. Eating the sea breeze and drinking seawater?”Wen Xuan asked.
"Just like last time. Living on the sea." Aren said.
"That time, I had no choice. We have to go back this time." Wen Xuan said. He bent over, pulled the wood pulp over, and began to stroke back.
"Uncle." Aren said.
"Hurry up and help. Don't talk." Wen Xuan said.
"I want to live with you. I don't want to go home. It's boring at home." Aren said.
"If your mother heard this, she would be heartbroken.”Wen Xuan said.
"She only told me to study and do my homework. She never let me go out. I just want to be free with uncle.”Aren said.
"If you really live with me, you won't have that much freedom. I'm even stricter than your mother. Other than doing homework, they also had to prepare and revise. If they did not score 90 points in the exam, they would be beaten. In addition, you will do all the housework at home. How was it? Do you still want to live with Uncle?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Isn't that brother? He was like this at home. I can't." Aren said.
"Think about it carefully. Compared to your brother, aren't you feeling much better?”Wen Xuan asked.
"That's my brother. Brother is smarter than me. How can I compare to my brother? I get dizzy when I read." Aren said.
"Aren, you're smart too. In addition, these things could not be compared. Hurry up and help us. Go back and apologize to your mother. Tell her that you were too playful and forgot the time.”Wen Xuan said.
"I didn't do anything wrong. That was indeed very difficult. I feel dizzy when I see it. How can I continue learning?”Aren said.
Wen Xuan looked up at the people waving flashlights on the shore. He turned to Aren and said,"How about this? I'll pick you up from school in the future. Let's row a little, and then I'll tutor you, how about that?”
"You can row a boat?" Aren asked.
"As long as you are obedient." Wen Xuan said.
"That's great." Aren said.
Wen Gui and Yongnian were standing on the shore, holding flashlights and looking at them. Abu stood on the other side, staring at them solemnly.
Wen Xuan panted and threw down the oar, saying,""If this goes on, I'll become the nanny of all the problem children.”
Aren got off the canoe and walked to the beach, where he was hugged by Wen Gui. Wen Gui scolded him a few times, then pushed him to Abu's side and let him follow Abu home.
Wen Xuan pushed the canoe onto the beach and turned his head to look at the couple standing stiffly at the side. The light from the flashlight swept across his body. He reached out to block the blinding light.
"I knew it was you. Brother, what do you want?" Wen Gui asked.
"You should be glad that that person is me. If it were anyone else, your precious son might not have come back.”Wen Xuan said.
Wen Gui turned his head and glanced at Yongnian beside him. He turned back and said,""What did you say?"
"Your child likes to run into the sea. Who can you blame?”Wen Xuan said.
"It's all your fault. Without you, he wouldn't be able to go. I told you to stay away from the child.”Wen Gui said.
"Without me, he would be in more danger. He was originally a man of the sea." Wen Xuan said.
"That's not it. How could he be a fisherman who caught stinky fish?”Wen Gui said.
"Open your eyes and take a good look at your precious baby. He hated studying now, so he definitely had no interest in school. There was only the sea in his mind. You saw it the last time when we were at sea! Don't tell me I brought them. If he was unwilling, no one could force him.”Wen Xuan said.
"How could that be? How can he be like you?" Wen Gui said.
"He's not like anyone else, sister. Why did you put it on me?”Wen Xuan said.
Yongnian didn't say anything. He patted Wen Gui's shoulder and hugged her.
"It's you who led him astray." Wen Gui said.
"It was you who pushed him into the sea. You did it yourself. It has nothing to do with me, your uncle. Don't try to pin the blame on me.”Wen Xuan said," Besides, that's your family matter. You're already married and your child is already so big. Do you still need me, your brother, to take care of you?”
"I told you to stay away from Aren.”Wen Gui said.
"Alright, then what do you plan to do now?”Wen Xuan asked.
"That's our business. It has nothing to do with you. Just stay away from Aren." Wen Gui said.
"Xiao Gui, you're not jealous, are you? You think I stole your Aren?" Wen Xuan said," Also, don't tell me you're planning to fight?”
"Yes, we definitely have to fight." Yongnian said.
"We can't. He was currently in a rebellious phase and couldn't fight. I, an old man without a family and children, also know that I shouldn't do this. Don't tell me you want me to teach you how to be parents.”Wen Xuan said," Or are you planning to move out of the island and live in the city? Don't let me guess correctly. It's not that I'm afraid of loneliness and don't want you to leave. If he really left, this place would be quiet. However, Aren would probably be even wilder in the city. He was so innocent and gullible, so the possibility of him being led astray was not low.”
"Who said that?" Wen Gui asked.
"Even if you didn't say it, I would have expected it. Abu was going to enter high school. Only the city had a high school, so they had to leave the island. As for Aren. You want to be like before, letting the older brother look after the younger brother and take care of the younger brother.”Wen Xuan said," Even a thief is afraid of thieves. It seems that you've put in a lot of effort for this precious son of yours.”
Yongnian looked at Wen Xuan expressionlessly and did not speak. He had been pondering over Wen Xuan's words. Indeed, some of the points he mentioned were what he was worried about.
"Let me say a few words! How long do you plan to sacrifice Abu? Also, couldn't he face Aren's inner preferences? "Here, you might still have some influence. Once you go out, you might not be so free.”Wen Xuan said.
"You're not a parent, so you have no right to say these things. They're our children, it's not your place to interfere.”Wen Gui said.
Wen Xuan pouted his lips and looked at the brightly lit village. He suddenly laughed.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Yongnian asked.
"Let Abu go. He wanted him to go to a high school in the city and stay in the school. Don't disturb him. He has the ability and potential to learn well. You don't have to worry about him.”Wen Xuan said.
"It's not Abu. It's Aren." Yongnian said.
"Aren is easy to deal with. I can pick him up from school every day and help you take care of him. In addition, I can also help him with his homework. As long as his grades improved, he would not be so disgusted with his studies and would not be so unconfident.”Wen Xuan said.
"No, I won't let Aren follow you.”Wen Gui said.
"Honestly, I don't want this child either. After talking for so long, I'm considered to be a nanny for your entire family.”Wen Xuan said.
"No, I don't agree. Aren can't stay with you. He'll become like you.”Wen Gui said.
"It would be best if you can manage it yourself. However, can you do anything about it?" Wen Xuan asked.
"What do you mean, brother? You're interfering with our child's education.”Wen Gui said.
"Don't say that. I'm just giving you a suggestion. Besides, did you educate the child? He paddled the canoe out by himself. If I hadn't paddled it back, he wouldn't have come back. Do you understand? Your child doesn't want to see you and avoid you. Why?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Do you think he has the right to speak just because he listens to you now? You're just a fisherman catching some stinky fish.”Wen Gui said.
"That's right. While he still listens to me, while he's still young and doesn't have the guts. In a few years, when he grew up and became bold, no one would listen to him. He could sail the boat himself and never return.”Wen Xuan said.
"He dares?" Wen Gui asked.
"It's not about whether I dare or not. If things continue to develop like this and you push him a little more, it's only a matter of time before he goes out to sea.”Wen Xuan said.
Tears flowed out of Wen Gui's eyes. She turned around and laid on Yongnian's shoulder. Yongnian's expression was also ugly. His depressed look made Wen Xuan laugh.
"Now, I can suppress him and teach him some basic skills. In addition, if his grades improved, he would not be so disgusted with his studies and would not avoid them. Don't ask Abu to bring him along anymore. That would only drag Abu down. Instead, it will make Aren feel guilty." Wen Xuan said.
"You can't. You can't." Wen Gui said. Her tears were falling.
"That was your responsibility, Liu Yongnian. I told you, you can't be a father. Working outside is just an excuse." Wen Xuan said," If it was possible, these two children wouldn't be like this. Now, it's all up to me, his uncle.”
"You can't. Don't touch Aren." Wen Gui said.
"Did I embarrass you?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Yes, I am. Your way of life is like a puddle of mud. I don't want Aren to be like this." Wen Gui said.
"That's how you see it." Wen Xuan said.
"I'm sorry, brother. I couldn't let go. How can Aren follow you?" Wen Gui said.
"He won't follow me. He still has to go back to your place to eat and sleep. I'm just a tutor." Wen Xuan said.
"You can't." Wen Gui said," Brother, if you're lonely, go get a wife and have your own children. That way, you can do whatever you want. Aren is ours. Let go.”
"If only Liu Yongnian could shoulder this responsibility. I can wash my hands off it. I can go back to my mud and sleep. Now, I only pity these two children. If this continues, you will only destroy them and ruin them.”Wen Xuan turned his head and stared at Yongnian." You should do those things." Teach your child well and protect your wife well. Why did it all end up in my hands?”
Yongnian turned his face away and looked at Wen Gui.""Little Gui."
"You can't." Wen Gui shook his head.
"Don't use your so-called career as an excuse. You can't do it." Wen Xuan smiled and licked his dry lips." Abu? I don't know why you don't like him. Alan! Right, you're afraid of this sea. So, what can you do? What if one day, Aren really became a fisherman who caught stinky fish? Are you going to cut ties with him?"
Wen Gui rushed up and slapped Wen Xuan's face, saying,""We spent so much effort and did so much just to prevent him from walking down the old path.”
"Sister, he is as impulsive as you. Think about it." Wen Xuan said," We're just like before. Between siblings, no one listens to the other, and no one is convinced by the other. If these two children were to be destroyed in the end…That has nothing to do with me. I just feel that it's a pity."
"You're provoking me, brother. You clearly know that I can't control my emotions.”Wen Gui said.
"If what I said wasn't the truth, why would you be so agitated? I didn't stay because I wanted to fight. I've already told you everything I can do. You can do whatever you want." Wen Xuan said.
"Little Gui." Yongnian looked back at Wen Gui and said.
"Are you going to promise him?" Wen Gui asked.
"That's the only way for now." Yongnian said.
"You have to know that if you push the child out, you won't be able to come back.”Wen Gui said.
"You can't say that. You could have taught him yourself. If you give birth to two daughters, I won't worry about it. However, these were two sons. Liu Yongnian, it would be best if you could teach him. Even if you do as I say, I'll at most be a tutor or a nanny.”Wen Xuan said.
"If I had brought her, it wouldn't have been like this. It wouldn't have been like this from the beginning.”Yongnian said.
"Now, he doesn't listen to you. Are you really going to use force to hurt him?”Wen Xuan said," That way, you'll only hit him further. Then he really wouldn't be able to come back. You and I were both young once, and we understand what that is.”
Yongnian lowered his head, as if he was staring at the black shadow under his feet in a daze.
"Maybe he was just a fanatic and hated studying. If I help you teach him well, he won't rely on going out to sea to avoid going to school. After this period of time, he would naturally come to his senses. As you mentioned, how could he like such dirty and tiring work? Once he was confident in his studies and his addiction to going out to sea was over, he would return to the orthodox path, just like Abu.”Wen Xuan said.
"Alright, I'll treat it as hiring a tutor.”Yongnian said.
"Yongnian, how can you?" Wen Gui said.
"Listen to your brother first. Let's talk about it after a while. There was more than one thing on his mind now.”Wen Xuan said.
Wen Gui turned around and stared at Wen Xuan, saying,""Don't let him stay in the sea for too long.”
Wen Xuan said,"You should regret it." Why didn't he give birth to two girls?”
With that, Wen Xuan bent over, picked up the canoe, and walked towards his own courtyard.
2
Therefore, Wen Xuan rowed a canoe to the town dock every day to wait for Aren to finish school. Then, he left the oar to Alan and leaned against the boat to rest. After enjoying the scenery on the sea, Alan could calm down. Under Wen Xuan's guidance, he studied the text and made up for the knowledge he had missed. As for Abu, he was admitted to a key high school in the city. He packed his luggage early and prepared to enter the school. During the summer vacation that year, Aren was reluctant to part with his brother. He always wanted to spend more time with his brother. Seeing this, Abu also threw down his book and spent more time playing. They climbed trees many times, slipped out of their houses, and played on the sea.
"Why are you two always running over here? Hurry up and leave me some quiet time. You're on summer vacation, I want to be on summer vacation too.”Wen Xuan sat on the porch and waved at them.
"Uncle, get the canoe." Aren said. He rushed into the courtyard and pulled off the tarpaulin covering it.
"What are you doing?" Wen Xuan asked.
"I want to row with my brother." Aren said.
Wen Xuan turned his head and saw Bu standing outside the courtyard, looking at the flickering sea.
"Abu." Wen Xuan shouted.
Abu turned around and saw Wen Xuan waving at him, so he entered the courtyard. He was standing there, leaning on the goalpost, looking very nervous.
"Can you swim?" Wen Xuan asked.
"He won't. Brother won't." Aren said.
Abu glanced at Aren awkwardly and turned to the other side.
"Do you want to drown your brother? She knew that he couldn't swim, but she still took him to row a boat.”Wen Xuan said.
"I just thought it was fun. I want to play with my brother." Aren said.
"As a child from the island, if you don't know how to swim, you'll be laughed at in the city.”Wen Xuan said.
"Brother is afraid of water." Aren said.
"It's fine now." Abu said.
"What a strange pair of brothers." Wen Xuan stood up and pointed at the canoe, saying," Carry it out first."”
Abu and Allen lifted the canoe above their heads, one after the other. They followed Wen Xuan out of the courtyard and onto the beach. They placed the canoe on the sand and looked back at Wen Xuan.
"To the sea." Wen Xuan waved at the sea and sat down.
In the beginning, Abu was a little timid and followed behind, not daring to take a step. Aren looked back at Abu and walked to his side. The waves rushed up and slid onto their legs.
"A little further. What was there to be afraid of? Be brave, you're my brother." Wen Xuan said.
Under Aren's lead, Abu took a few steps closer. The waves almost reached his waist. He could feel the huge force from the wave breaking, and he could not stand still. Aren looked back at him, took his hand, and put it on his shoulder.
"Hurry up. If this continues, you won't be able to touch a canoe in this lifetime.”Wen Xuan said. He lay down on the beach and looked at the blue sky. There was an untouchable tranquility there.
Further in. Abu's body was almost drenched. The waves that had passed by were about to reach his shoulders. He could feel his own buoyancy at work. His body felt like it was floating.
"It's about time. Stand there for a while longer.”Wen Xuan said.
The two brothers stood shoulder to shoulder in the waves that reached their chests, looking at the vast ocean. The waves pushed and crashed against their bodies, almost knocking them down and smashing them into pieces. They wiped the water off their faces and spat out the seawater in their mouths. The water was cool, but the sunlight above their heads emitted a suffocating heat wave.
Abu blinked, feeling a little dizzy.
"Brother, are you alright?" Aren patted Abu's shoulder, took out some seawater, and splashed it on his face.
"It's nothing. I just stood there for a long time." Abu said. He shook his head, feeling that he had already gotten used to the shaking in the water. His body stopped shaking and became steady.
"Alright, let go of your brother. Let him feel it for himself." Wen Xuan said.
Aren looked back at his uncle on the beach and said to Abu,"Brother, I'll let go of you now. I'll stand beside you. Don't be afraid."
Abu nodded and saw Aren let go of his hand on his shoulder and leave. The waves surged up. Abu felt the entire world shake. His body swayed back and forth. The feeling of losing support and the sense of insecurity that came from not having a foothold spread to his body. When the next wave came, he lost his balance and fell into the sea, his limbs flailing wildly. Seawater kept pouring into his head. The sound of crashing constantly entered his ears. Aren walked over, grabbed Abu's hand, and pulled him out of the water. Abu had already seeped into the water, and his body was dripping with seawater. He bent over and opened his mouth, vomiting non-stop. He waved his hand and wiped his face. He started coughing.
"If this continues, I don't know when you'll be able to touch this thing.”Wen Xuan said.
Abu looked up at Wen Xuan and returned to the deep water. He stood there and stared at the wave that was charging at him.
"When you get used to the water, you should start practicing holding your breath.”Wen Xuan said. He lay on the beach and closed his eyes to rest. A moment later, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, the two brothers had already become two dots on the sea.
"No way!" Wen Xuan stood up and waved at the two of them, saying," Come back quickly, you brat."”
Then, the two brothers began to swim back. Wen Xuan stood on the sand, turned his head to look at the canoe, and touched his chin. Suddenly, he heard a cry in the water and rushed into the sea. He jumped into the waves and swam forward. He came to Abu's side and dragged him back to the beach. He squatted down and looked at him.
Aren rushed to the beach and stared at Abu, who was pale. He asked,"Brother, are you alright?"
Abu wiped the seawater off his face and coughed a few times. He waved his hand and said nothing.
Wen Xuan sat down, looked at the sea under the setting sun, and took off his wet shirt.
Suddenly, Abu laughed. He lay on the sand and laughed loudly.
"Brother, are you alright?" Aren sat down and turned to look at Abu.
Abu waved his hand and continued to laugh. In his mouth, there seemed to be another him laughing. As a result, he could not suppress it at all. He could only laugh.
"Don't worry about him. He's like this after drinking too much seawater.”Wen Xuan said.
"Uncle. But big brother would never smile like this." Aren said.
"Is that so? It seemed that the seawater had healed him. If you have nothing to do, just bring him here to drink more seawater.”Wen Xuan said.
Abu wiped his face, turned over, and sat up.
"Alright, alright, we should go back.”Wen Xuan said.
"Let's swim a little longer." Aren said.
"Maybe next time. Go back and rest early. I've swum enough for today." Wen Xuan said. He stood up, lifted the canoe, and walked back. After a while, he turned around and saw that the two of them were still sitting there. He shouted,"Still not going back?"
The two of them stood up and ran away without looking back at him.
"This is what Liu Yongnian should do. Why did it fall on me?”Wen Xuan said. He returned to the porch, put down the canoe, sat down, and quietly watched the setting sun sink into the sea.
However, his peaceful time was soon disturbed.
At night, Aren pushed open the bamboo window of his room and stuck his head in to stare at Wen Xuan, who was reading in the room.
"What are you doing? You scared me." Wen Xuan stood up and stared at Aren's head. How did you sneak out?"
"Climbing the tree. We climbed out of the window. They don't know.”Aren said.
Wen Xuan put down his book, walked to the window, pushed Aren's head out, and closed the window. He walked to the living room and saw Abu and Aren standing on the porch. Aren grinned at him. Abu turned his face away and laughed secretly.
"What are you doing?" Wen Xuan sat down and poured a cup of tea.
"Uncle, let's go fishing for squid. Take me and my brother to catch squid." Aren said.
"Fishing for squid? Did you sneak out in the middle of the night just to do this?”Wen Xuan asked.
"Yes, we also brought this." Aren said. He waved the flashlight in his hand, turned it on, and waved it at Wen Xuan. The beam of light swept around the room.
"Alright, alright. Turn it off, I'm not a squid.”Wen Xuan said.
After midnight, they pushed the canoe into the sea and climbed in one by one.
"It's a little crowded here." Wen Xuan sat down in the middle of the boat. He turned to look at Abu on the left and then at Aren on the right. He said," I should get Liu Yongnian to get a bigger boat as my benefit."”
Aren took the oar and began to push it out.
Tonight, the moon was covered by a dark cloud. Only a little light seeped out from the clouds and condensed at the edge of the clouds, like a white fog. They looked up. A hole seemed to have appeared in the dark night sky, and a faint white light leaked out.
Wen Xuan picked up the kerosene lamp and placed it by his feet. He looked down at the surging sea. He took the flashlight and scanned the sea in front of him, then turned back to look at the village on the shore.
"It's fine here. There's no need to row far.”Wen Xuan said. He picked up a bucket behind him and took out a handful of dead shrimps and rotten crabs, scattering them all into the sea in front of him. Then, he bent down and pressed the bucket into the waves, turning the edge of the bucket. He repeated the process a few times before washing the bucket clean. He then lifted it up and placed it behind him.
"Alright, let's wait a little longer." Wen Xuan said.
Alan looked at the sea under the light and said,"Uncle."
" Don't speak. Wait patiently." Wen Xuan said.
The surroundings were silent.
The canoe swayed slightly with the waves. The halo projected on the surface of the sea also slid rhythmically.
The moonlight beside the clouds was like a pool of cold water that was frozen there, shining with a dim light.
Specks of light flashed under the water, emitting a dim light. In an instant, the canoe was surrounded by this green light. It was the light emitted by the squid's eyes. The tentacles wriggled in the water. They were eating dead shrimps.
Seeing this, Wen Xuan waved at them and took out two fishing rods, handing them to them.
Alan gently threw the hook into the sea and looked sideways at the squid swarm, waiting. After Abu took the fishing rod, he turned to look at his brother and threw the hook into the sea.
Green light flashed on the surface of the sea. The canoe swayed gently as if it was floating on the green field.
Aren felt his hand being pulled. The club head bent down, and there was a strong feeling of swaying. He immediately turned to look at Wen Xuan and his brother. He squeezed the fishing rod and pulled it up with force, dragging the squid up. The cuttlefish wriggled its tentacles, dripping water all over its body. The green eyes were staring ahead.
The green light beside the boat seemed to have been disturbed. It suddenly dispersed and gathered again.
Alan pulled the fishing rod over and picked up the squid. At this moment, the squid spat ink at him. In an instant, his face and clothes were covered in black liquid. He spat out a few mouthfuls of black ink and threw the squid into the bucket. Wen Xuan looked at Aren and smiled. Abu covered his mouth and snickered. Aren leaned over and reached out to wash his face. The flashing green light moved aside, as if to make way for him.
"How sinister. It's like farting.”Aren said. He spat into the sea and wiped his face.
Wen Xuan smiled and reached out to rub Aren's hair.
At this moment, Abu's pole shook. Abu quickly picked up the fishing rod and pulled the squid to the side of the canoe.
The green light dodged a little and flickered. After a while, the cuttlefish seemed to have gathered together to watch a show as they surrounded him.
Abu twisted the hook so that the squid's tail was facing out of the canoe. He bent his waist and stretched out his arm to move his body away from the squid before taking it off the hook. The squid spat out some ink. The squid slipped out of the hook and was thrown into the bucket. Ink splashed onto the surface of the sea. The green light quickly dispersed. They don't seem to want to be stained with ink that's hard to wash
Aren looked at his brother, gritted his teeth, and threw the rod into the sea. His face was dirty and dirty. A black flower had already bloomed on his shirt. Looking at him, Abu couldn't help but laugh again and threw the rod into the sea.
They fished until late at night. At that time, the bucket was already filled with cuttlefish of all sizes. Aren was covered in ink. Abu was still clean.
Wen Xuan turned back to look at the brothers and smiled, saying,""Go back and wash up. Don't expose yourself."
3
A few days later, the cuttlefish almost invaded Wen Xuan's entire courtyard. Aren placed them in a big, round dustpan and arranged them one by one. After using up the dustpan, he buckled the canoe upside down on the ground. He stacked the cuttlefish on top of it one by one and arranged them in an orderly manner. The entire canoe seemed to be wearing a vest made of squid.
Wen Xuan walked out of the house, stood on the porch, and turned to look at Aren. He shook his head and spat outside the door. The fishy smell in the air almost made him retch.
"What are you doing? Are you going to hold a meeting for these squid? Everyone sit in a row? In that case, do you want me to make room for you and these cuttlefish inside?”Wen Xuan said as he shook his head towards the room. After saying that, he went down the porch and put his hands on his waist. He looked at the dustpan with squid and frowned.
"Uncle." Aren put down the bucket and turned to look at Wen Xuan." These can be exchanged for money."”
"Aren is about to become a millionaire.”Wen Xuan said," What are you going to do with this money?”
"It's all for you, Uncle." Aren said.
"For me? Then wouldn't I become the leader of the illegal child labor? Isn't this a fish factory?" Wen Xuan said.
"You can use that money to buy a big fish boat. Let's buy a big fish boat together." Aren said.
"I see. I'm afraid it's not enough. Even if the entire beach was covered with these little squid brothers, it might not be enough.”Wen Xuan said.
"How much do you want? Is this not enough?" Aren asked.
"Definitely not enough." Wen Xuan said.
Aren turned to look at the courtyard and said,"We can fish again. There are plenty of them in the sea anyway.”
"Child, your thinking is really simple.”Wen Xuan said," What do you want to do if you have a fishing boat?”
"I'll go out to sea with you to fish. The bigger fish are not small shrimps and crabs.”Aren said.
"Shrimp and crab? Interesting. If your mother finds out about what you've done. She definitely won't let me off." Wen Xuan said.
"Why?" Aren asked.
Wen Xuan sat down on the porch, rubbed his face that was slightly hot under the sun, and looked up at Aren.
"Oh right, don't tell Mom. She'll nag." Aren said.
Wen Xuan stared at the squids that filled the courtyard and frowned. He did not say anything.
Then, under Wen Xuan's guidance, Aren learned quickly. He quickly made up for the knowledge that he had missed. In addition, he could also understand what the teacher said in class. His results quickly caught up. As a result, his dislike of studying lessened a lot. He did not avoid studying anymore. After Abu went to the city, he only went home once a month. He quickly adapted to the city's environment. Those trendy things and pop culture flashed past his eyes, but they did not have much of an impact on him. He was still focused on his studies, hoping to finish the high school curriculum faster. At the same time, he did not forget the set of medical books. In fact, he had brought the set of books to the dormitory and flipped through them from time to time. Not long after he entered school, he became the person who often soaked in the library. Years of self-study experience had made him understand that in order to thoroughly grasp the knowledge, he had to go through years of accumulation. Therefore, he did not relax for a moment and spent all his time studying. This child from the small island was quiet and studious. Soon, he became a bookworm in everyone's eyes.
Since he rarely went home, he had less contact with his family. Every time he came back, he would be dragged out by Aren to play. Seeing Aren's excited face, he put down the book in his hand and went out to play. Most of the time, Yongnian was not at home. Only Wen Gui stayed at home. When he saw Abu return, he rarely asked. In general, she was very assured of her eldest son. As for her youngest son, she was worried that he would cause trouble outside and make a mistake. However, ever since Aren followed Wen Xuan, the school rarely criticized him. He no longer threatened to escape into the sea. With that, Wen Gui was relieved.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。