Xu Huaigu ran out of the villa quickly without stopping. It wasn't until he ran a long way away that he felt a lot more relaxed. He sat on the ridge of the field by the side of the road to take a rest, and casually pulled an unknown weed. Hold it in your mouth.
He hummed, feeling so happy, as if he was two different people from the one he had in class before.
A man who was pulling weeds in the field nearby saw him and greeted him with a smile: "Xu Huaigu, don't you have to go to class today?"
Xu Huaigu sneered and said, "Uncle Chen, didn't you see where I came from just now? I never miss class."
The man named Chen wanted to say something else, but Xu Huaigu suddenly pointed behind him and shouted excitedly: "Uncle Chen, you lost money!"
Chen Wuhua quickly turned his head to look at his feet, then hurriedly reached out and rummaged around in the mud at his feet, making Xu Huaigu laugh heartily on the field ridge.
Chen Wuhua seemed to have really touched something and quickly took it out. It was really a copper coin. He laughed loudly and said: "Xu Huaigu, you have sharp eyes. You saw all this. It's me who should thank you."
Xu Huaigu looked at the money in shock and suddenly burst into tears. I was just talking nonsense, how could I really have a piece of money?
If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything.
He regretted it so much at the moment, and kept secretly saying that it was bad luck. When Uncle Chen saw that he was unhappy, he smiled and said, "Xu Huaigu, you are such a big man and you still cry? Well, this money is for you. Anyway, if you hadn't reminded me, I would have lost it."
Xu Huaigu smiled happily, quickly took the copper coin, wiped off the mud stains on it, and twisted it in the palm of his hand. He was also afraid that Uncle Chen would regret it and ran away quickly, leaving Uncle Chen dumbfounded in the field.
Keep walking towards the outside of the village, and a line gradually appears in the distance. That is the big river formed by the melted snow from the high mountains, known as Lingjiang.
The water in the Lingjiang River is bitterly cold all year round, as is the water next to the village. The water is not deep, just enough to cover your calves, but it is almost weirdly wide. No matter whether it is sunny or rainy, you cannot see the other side of the river.
As always, he walked to the riverside, looked at the vast river surface, and threw away all his thoughts.
Lingjiang River is full of all kinds of small stones, which are fine and smooth and are a good thing to play with. Some will also appear in a pleasing red or green color, which looks very beautiful.
He likes these stones very much. He used to come to the river every day to try his luck and collect the ones that caught his eye. As a result, he now has a small jar at home filled with stones of various colors and sizes.
At this time, other children are usually playing house games, with each person playing a different role. Xu Huaigu never goes there, he just stays alone by the river or in the mountains and forests doing his own thing. Everyone also thinks he is a weirdo and won't play with him. However, he and Zhang Xiaohe played very well. It was probably because they both had quirks that they could play together.
There is a strong wind in Lingjiang River today, blowing wantonly and causing waves on the river. The feeling of the wind blowing on your body is really comfortable, blowing everything away from you, it feels like your whole body is melting into the wind.
He lifted up his collar to let more wind in, then closed his eyes comfortably, playing with the shiny copper coin in his hand, feeling very happy.
I won’t go looking for stones today. The copper coins feel very comfortable in my hands and I am too lazy to move. I just don’t know what is on the other side of the river?
He sat there all afternoon and couldn't think of anything. Seeing that the sun was about to set, Xu Huaigu felt hungry, so he walked home.
The setting sun sets off the paths in the fields particularly beautifully, the green seedlings are turned golden, the clouds in the sky spread out, and the clouds twinkle in the gaps in the sea of clouds.
With his sharp eyes, he saw Zhang Xiaohe walking alone in front with a small fish basket in his hand, and he had an idea.
He trotted over on tiptoe. When he saw that Zhang Xiaohe hadn't responded yet, he made a face and shouted in his ear: "Zhang Xiaohe!"
Zhang Xiaohe quickly turned around with a frightened look on his face, and then saw Xu Huaigu smiling happily behind him. Knowing that he was teasing him, he said: "What a coincidence, Xu Huaigu, I was just about to go to your house to find you. " He handed over the fish basket and said, "Here, here are the small fish and shrimps I touched this afternoon, as well as a crab."
Xu Huaigu accepted it happily. Anyway, Zhang Xiaohe often gave him these things. He seemed to be able to do anything, such as fishing, catching shrimps, picking herbs, and making garlands. He used to be the child king of their group.
Xu Huaigu envied him very much. He didn't know how to do anything, so he could only bully immovable things like rocks. However, Zhang Xiaohe always gave him some, so he was too lazy to learn.
Zhang Xiaohe said goodbye to him, and he saw people leading cattle passing by on the road, others carrying haystacks to rest on the roadside, and smoke rising in twos and threes from cooking fires in the distance.
A man was digging a ditch with a hoe on the side of the field. When Xu Huaigu saw him, he took the initiative to say hello: "Uncle Chen, why don't you go back so late?"
Chen Wuhua stopped, casually wiped his sweat, glanced at the fish basket in his hand, and said angrily: "Did that brat Zhang Xiaohe give it to you again?"
Xu Huaigu knew that Uncle Chen always ignored Zhang Xiaohe, but he didn't know why, so he could only say: "He gave it to me."
Chen Wuhua spat and cursed: "You brat has no conscience. If you don't help his mother with farm work, it's useless to do this all day long."
There's a reason he's so angry. Zhang Xiaohe's mother was his sister, named Chen Wucai. After she got married and gave birth to Zhang Xiaohe, her husband died not long after. Life has been very difficult. However, she is still stubborn and refuses to accept gifts from others. The situation is getting worse and worse, and now it is even a problem for her to eat.
As an older brother, he was anxious in his heart, but he had no choice but to vent his anger on Zhang Xiaohe. Seeing that Uncle Chen was angry, Xu Huaigu suddenly remembered something and asked him: "Uncle Chen, do you know what is on the other side of the river?"
Uncle Chen's expression suddenly became serious and asked him: "Why do you ask this?"
"I'm just curious and want to see what it's like on the other side."
Chen Wuhua became proud and said, "Then you have asked the right person. When I was your age, I saw the other side of the river once."
He slowly recalled, "That day, the sky was very nice. I was alone in the river, and I could not see the other side at all. Then there seemed to be a magic that attracted me, so I walked towards it. I walked for an unknown distance, but there was still only water. It was knee-deep and I still couldn’t see the other side. The sun was just about to set, so I was a little scared and prepared to go home. However, I walked a long way when I came here. I only walked a short distance to get there. I was a little surprised and turned around. At first glance, I didn’t expect that the other side came out so silently..."
Just when Xu Huaigu heard the highlight, Uncle Chen suddenly stopped talking. He couldn't help but ask: "Then what? What does it look like on the other side?"
Chen Wuhua changed his smile from before and said solemnly: "It's not allowed to be said, it's not allowed to be said..."
Xu Huaigu jumped up anxiously and shouted, "Why!"
Chen Wuhua finally burst out laughing: "Because I don't know either!"
Dare to love is to make fun of yourself.
Xu Huaigu was so angry that he grabbed a piece of soil and threw it on him, and ran away angrily. He was in a bad mood all the way back home after a rough and turbulent journey.
I didn't think so at first, but after being provoked by this, I wanted to know what it was like on the other side. He lay on the bed and rolled around, making the bed creak.
His mother, Qin Qi, had long been accustomed to his behavior and ignored him. She didn't even ask him what happened to make him unhappy.
After a while, he finally felt bored and stopped, sitting on the bed in a daze.
Qin Qi asked: "Did Zhang Xiaohe give these small fish and shrimps to you again?"
"yes."
She casually grabbed a sealed bag, threw it to him, and said, "Come on, go and give this to him, or you won't be allowed to eat."
Xu Huaigu was idle and had nothing to do. Hearing this, he became excited and quickly ran out with his bags in hand.
Zhang Xiaohe's house was still a little far away from him, and by the time he finished delivering the bags, it was already dark. Others might be a little afraid of the dark, but he didn't care at all. He walked no matter how he walked.
As a result, I met Chen Wuhua again on the road. He was sneaking under the wall of a family's house.
Xu Huaigu didn't want to pay attention to him at first, but when he saw his appearance, he had an idea and said teasingly: "Uncle Chen, which family offended you? You peed under their wall."
Chen Wuhua was stunned for a moment, and then whispered: "You brat, what are you yelling at? Please give me your copper coins again." He seemed to be still uneasy, so he leaned into Xu Huaigu's ear and said, "Don't tell anyone."
Xu Huaigu realized that Uncle Chen was also a scoundrel, and he left happily.
At Zhang Xiaohe's house, he was standing at the door, holding the bag of rice given to him by Xu Huaigu, hesitant.
The exam is coming up in two days, and I don’t have to go to school anymore. Do you still want to give this rice to your husband?
He was at a loss, so he looked at the moon and the tightly locked door at home. His mother had gone to bed early after a tiring day.
It was as if he felt so embarrassed for the first time. After a long time, he poured the bag of rice into the thin rice vat at home, staring at it in a daze.
Suddenly, he shrank down and began to sob silently.
