Big Brother
Xu Nian's train was on the afternoon of September 1st, so he didn't rush to catch it after getting up. In addition, he had been packing his luggage for the past few days, so his main task today was to hurry on his journey.
Because she was almost kidnapped when she went on the road alone last time, her family decided that both Xu's father and her older brother would take her to school together.
While Xu Nian was having breakfast, his grandparents and his uncle's family came over. Grandma Xu took out eighty-eight yuan from her handkerchief and handed it to Xu Nian.
"Nian Nian, take this. This is a reward from your grandparents for getting into university. Your brother Feng Kai also gave it to you last year."
Xu Nian glanced at her aunt, and only then did she happily accept it since she didn't seem to have any objections. Her grandparents were living with her uncle's family in their old age, and she didn't want to make them unhappy at home just for eighty yuan.
To show that she was encouraged, she playfully lied to her nieces and nephews, "Do you know how much candy you can buy with this much money?"
Seeing them all shaking their heads, she said exaggeratedly, "Look at how big our house is! If I spend all my money on candy, it will be enough to fill our house."
Tietou is already in the second grade and has a certain understanding of numbers. He is obviously not that easy to fool.
"Auntie, are there really that many?"
Xu Nian lied to the children with a firm tone, "Of course." Without waiting for them to wake up, he tempted them again, "Do you want candy?"
"think!"
"think!"
"I want to, too!"
The three of them shouted in unison, making the adults cover their ears. Xu Nian laughed heartily, "Good darlings, if I want you, I'll study hard, okay?"
He winked at them as he spoke: "Grandpa and grandma are rich, but they only reward children who study hard."
Grandma Xu looked at the fourth generation of the family kindly and confirmed what Xu Nian said.
"Your aunt is right. As long as you study hard, your great-grandmother will explain things to you every time you take the final exam."
Bing'er was the happiest, "Okay, okay, grandma is the best."
While finding it funny, Xu's mother watched for a while and couldn't help muttering in her heart that the girls in the Xu family all looked very smart.
The adults and children chatted and laughed, which alleviated some of their reluctance to leave, but when going on a long journey, it is better to leave early rather than late, so they did not dare to stay at home for too long. After checking their luggage, Brother Xu drove them to the station.
This is when the advantage of having a car comes into play. Normally, they could only ask others to deliver the things to the county, but because they were their own things, Brother Xu drove for most of the day and took them directly to Lin County, which is a large county town. Because of its convenient transportation, a railway was built, and there are also trains directly to the capital.
Huaxian and Linxian are adjacent to each other. Her third brother bought the train ticket here last time.
The four of them went to the station to ask the time. They said it was 4:27. Xu Nian and the others were leaving at 6:05, so the time was still quite loose. But they all urged Brother Xu to go home quickly, otherwise it would be dark and they were afraid that the donkey would not be able to travel at night.
Second Brother Xu thought about it and gave up the idea of seeing them off. He drove away with his father and his brothers and sisters watching him. He had walked a long way but could still hear his father's instructions. He felt both sad and happy in his heart.
The three of them didn't know what Brother Xu was thinking. Xu Nian had experience riding in buses, so she took the two of them to find an empty chair in the waiting area and sat down.
"Dad, big brother, let's get some food out and eat first. Otherwise, eating on the train will be inconvenient, and the food won't taste good."
Xu's father had no objection, and neither did Xu Fengjian. The three of them took out the multi-grain buns they had steamed at home. Xu Nian asked them to wait, then took out two kettles and ran to the reception desk to get two kettles of warm water.
Seeing that his sister was sweating profusely from running, Xu Fengjian stood up and took the things.
"Coming with my little sister has broadened our horizons, but next time, don't do everything by yourself. Tell me I'll go, and you can just follow Dad's lead."
Xu Nian smiled sweetly, "It's great to have a brother." Then she joked to her father, "Dad, why are all your children so outstanding?"
Xu Qinghua was a little nervous about coming out, but he was mostly happy. Who in the village didn't envy him for having such a good pair of children? He said none of his children were bad, so when he heard Xu Nian's words, he nodded unexpectedly, "They are all good children."
Xu Nian was stunned for a moment, while Xu Fengjian felt a little embarrassed. He was already a father, and at this age, being called a good boy by his father, how could it be a little awkward and sweet at the same time...
After eating, Xu Nian pointed to the signboards to her father and elder brother and told them where to queue, how to read the train code, how to transport the luggage for inspection and other precautions. She was mainly worried that they would not be able to figure it out when they came back and would get into trouble.
The three of them chatted and waited for a while, then they heard the conductor holding a loudspeaker and shouting that the train was checking tickets and entering the station.
"Dad, big brother, look, our ticket numbers are exactly the same as the one called out by the conductor. When you come back, the operation will be the same!"
Xu Nian walked between the two of them. She was lucky that she didn't get on the bus this time. It was estimated that almost all the students who took the college entrance examination in this province came here to take the bus. Most of the students were accompanied by someone. Everyone was crowded for a while. Xu Fengjian stayed behind to protect his sister. With him as a shield, Xu Nian and the others quickly entered the carriage.
The three of them were on sleeper berths, and these tickets were all bought by Xu Fengcheng. When Xu Nian entered the carriage, she felt that it was quite clean and tidy, and she instantly felt that her third brother was a good person.
The three of them were sleeping next to each other. Xu Nian let them sleep on the lower bunk while she slept on the upper bunk. After spreading some things on the bunk, Xu Nian lay down on it feeling bored.
There were four beds in the carriage, and they occupied three of them. When the train started moving, no one else came.
Xu Fengjian asked, "Is this bed empty?"
Xu Nian didn't have much experience, so he said hesitantly, "Generally speaking, it's probably at the next stop or the next one. Another possibility is that if no one buys a ticket, it's left empty."
She was grateful to Xu Fengcheng and told him the truth: "Brother, did you see the people last time? Most of them were dressed very simply. In fact, most people probably don't want to spend a lot of money to buy a sleeper. They would rather suffer a little and save the money."
Xu Fengjian thought about it and realized it was true. He glanced at Xu's father and said, "Fengcheng is afraid that we will suffer." He imitated Xu Nian's tone and said, "I really have a good brother."
Father Xu laughed heartily. He knew that giving money to the third son to get a job had hurt the feelings of the eldest and second sons. Although they didn't usually say it, they probably had some thoughts in their hearts. Plus, the second son had carpentry skills, so the eldest son seemed a little lonely.
Xu Nian didn't realize it before, but when he came back this time and found out that his second brother had opened a small workshop at home and did some carpentry work for others in his spare time, he realized that his eldest brother spoke less at home.
Xu Nian had some thoughts in her mind, and she said as a small talk: "By the way, big brother. Didn't you all go up the mountain when it rained a while ago? I walked around the back of the mountain and saw that every time it rained, it seemed that the rainwater accumulated in the small pond over there. Have you ever thought about using it?"
Xu Fengjian didn't have any ideas, so he casually asked, "How can we use it?"
Xu Nian replied: "Didn't our government announce its internal reform policy at the end of 1978? I heard that some places have already started piloting the household contract responsibility system."
Xu Nian was interrupted by his father, "What does that mean?"
"To put it simply, the people contracted collective land as family units, managed it independently and were responsible for their own profits and losses, forming a distribution model where 'you pay enough to the state, leave enough for the collective, and the rest is yours.'"
"Our team works together, so there are always people slacking off. I think instead of that, our family should just follow the policy. Let's ask the team if we can contract the small pond out back. It doesn't fall under the category of cropland anyway. My brother can use it to raise fish and sell them later. This will not only increase our income, but also give us more opportunities if the country has any policies later."
Xu Nian remembered that her history teacher in her previous life had said that although the household contract responsibility system was not promoted nationwide until 1982, land management was not so strict in 1979. In many places, small parts of forests and other places were contracted to villagers. Xu Nian wanted to ask her elder brother. Although her elder brother was not good at other things, he was very patient and careful, and most importantly, he had a flexible mind. Even if the policy did not give people opportunities at this time, her elder brother would definitely dare to tinker with it as long as there was a chance.
Sure enough, Xu Fengjian's eyes lit up when he heard it: "Little sister, are you telling the truth?"
Xu Nian got down from the upper bunk, sat down next to them, and whispered, "The news is definitely true, but many places haven't been told yet. I also heard about it from a friend. Big brother, you should go and try it first. It's best to talk to uncle first. Don't contract too much. I think the small pond in the back mountain is good. It's neither too big nor too small, so it won't be a burden to contract it. People won't say too much if they find out."
"After two years, you'll have raised enough animals, and the policy will be mature by then. Even if someone has objections, there won't be much they can do."
Xu Fengjian nodded after hearing this. "I'll use branches or something to fence it off. It's close to the mountain river, and most importantly, it's close to our home. I'll go back and see if that's a good place to dig a hole to divert water."
"It's a good idea to raise fish without having to watch them all the time. I'll secretly go to the river to find a few wild fish and raise them. I'll also gain experience while doing so. After work, I'll dig up some grass and throw it in for the fish to eat. It's not a big deal except for a little effort."
He looked at Xu Nianyou and said, "Little sister, do me a favor and see if your school has any books on fish farming. I'd like to read some."
Xu Nian knew she had made the right choice. His eldest brother was the most promising one in the family. Apart from lacking education and opportunities, he had everything else: intelligence and courage.
"Brother, we don't have to go to our school. After we get here and settle in, I'll take you to the library. I'm sure it's for sale. When I get used to it, I'll go to the library at the Agricultural College. If there are any professional books on animal husbandry, I'll find a way to get them for you."
"Little sister, you are really my savior. Don't worry, if I really raise her, I will give you a share of the profits in the future."
Xu Nian chuckled, "Well, it's a deal then. You work hard and I'll wait to get paid."
Seeing his son staring at him, Father Xu felt a little guilty towards his son. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I'll go with you to talk to your uncle when we get home."
Xu Fengjian was now completely relieved and his heart was completely at peace.
He took good care of Xu Nian along the way, so Xu Nian didn't have to worry about anything. When they finally arrived at school, he arranged everything for her.
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