The Wen family was considered one of the more well-known families in the village.
It's just that their reputation is strange. Since the last century, the Wen family has always been at the bottom of the economic ladder. The grandfather honestly farmed the land, and the grandmother honestly mended shoes to supplement the family income, but they just couldn't get rich.
The elderly couple decided not to have any more children after having a son, because they were afraid they couldn't afford to raise another child; having just one child was already a huge burden.
Wen Yiquan was born like this. He was a naughty child and always liked to follow other children around. Even when they scolded or hit him, he would not fight back but would just laugh foolishly.
Thanks to his simple and honest nature, he managed to make a few friends. His family remained poor as always, and life went on like this.
"Dad, was our family really that poor before?"
On New Year's Eve, Wen Mo was assigned to guard the house. Wen Yiquan sat on the bamboo chair he had never let go of since childhood, humming a little tune as if he had already retired, and occasionally chatting with him. Perhaps because they were free, the two of them were laughing happily.
"We're poor, really poor."
Wen Yiquan sighed softly, as if recalling the past, and picked up the ceramic teacup beside him. "This teacup has been used for several generations and I still can't bear to replace it. I've had this thing since I was born."
"So this teacup is twice the size of me." Wen Mo took the teacup, gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, and his upper and lower gums shivered from the cold.
"This water is so cold, it's freezing me to death."
"Don't talk about death during the New Year."
"Then I'll get rich from the cold." Wen Mo put down his teacup, rubbed his hands between his legs to generate heat, and it took him a while to warm up.
Grandpa and Grandma were shopping in town, while the father and son, one big and one small, sat in the yard in a daze. Every now and then, a few familiar passersby would come by and say hello.
Wenmo didn't recognize any of them, but his father could call out their names accurately and respond with a smile. He even got up, took out a cigarette, and offered it to the person, who didn't refuse and accepted it generously.
“This is your Uncle Zhao, come over and say hello.” Wen Yiquan patted his son on the shoulder.
Wen Mo straightened up and was even taller than Wen Yiquan. He greeted him with a smile. When Uncle Zhao saw the tall boy, he immediately praised the boy for being good-looking and well-raised.
After Uncle Zhao left, Wen Mo continued to sit on the bamboo chair in a daze, as if nothing had happened.
"Dad, you know everyone in the village."
“Nonsense, I grew up here. Just now, your Uncle Zhao, I used to follow him around when we were kids.” Wen Yiquan lit a cigarette, puffed on it, pinched the mouthpiece and exhaled a puff of white smoke, and sighed, “You’re just used to living in the city, you’ve never been poor, you don’t understand human relationships.”
Wenmo didn't retort because he really didn't know the uncles and aunts in the village very well.
When I was a child, I was sent to the countryside for only a few months, so I don't remember much. Now that I'm older, I can't recognize many familiar faces.
"After all, I haven't lived here for very long."
“I’m not saying you haven’t lived long, I’m saying you’ve never experienced poverty.” Wen Yiquan reached out and slapped him on the head with a loud crack.
Wen Mo winced as he was slapped, clutching the back of his head and exhaling cold air. He looked up and said resentfully, "I wasn't exactly rich when I was a kid, and besides, I didn't experience what you went through back then."
"It's good that you haven't experienced it, it's good that you haven't experienced it."
Wen Yiquan seemed to remember something, and his whole body relaxed, the bamboo chair beneath him creaking.
Just as he was about to continue speaking, he heard light footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw a pretty young woman who had just combed her hair rubbing her eyes as she came down the stairs.
"Lianbao is awake, I'll go see her." Wen Mo immediately got up and ran over with a smile.
"Bring her a chair too. After she washes her face and brushes her teeth, she can listen to your father tell a story." Wen Yiquan waved his hand, telling him to get lost.
Wen Mo didn't mind at all; his mind was only on Xia Lian, who had just come downstairs. He ran over to greet her and led her to the bathroom to wash up.
"Did you go to bed late last night? Why are you getting up so late today?"
He handed me the towel and started fiddling with the water heater, waiting for the basin to be filled with hot water.
Xia Lian's eyes were not fully open. She only became a little more awake when the heat hit her face. Wen Mo took a towel and wiped her face haphazardly a couple of times before she was fully awake. There was still some eye discharge in the corners of her big eyes.
"Even pretty girls get eye boogers," he remarked, helping to clean them before handing over a toothbrush and a cup. "Go brush your teeth, you're up so late."
Xia Lian nodded, squeezed out the toothpaste, and stood in front of the sink brushing her teeth, still able to speak even with her mouth full of white foam.
"We slept together yesterday."
"I know! But don't say it, shh... shh..."
Wen Mo shushed him twice, put a finger to his lips to stop him, and then looked up and saw that no one was outside, which reassured him a little.
"Speaking of which, how come I saw you sleeping in the next bed this morning? Didn't I hold you while you slept last night? When did you go there?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Lian spat out the white foam in her mouth, washed herself clean, and whispered, "I crawled over there this morning."
"In the morning? What time did you get up in the morning?"
"Um... five o'clock."
Xia Lian thought for a moment, then lowered her head innocently, "Because Wen Mo said that we can't let Grandma find out that we're sleeping together."
"...So you got up so early and climbed back to the bed next door?" Wen Mo slapped her forehead, finally realizing why she was so sleepy. "My bad, I should have just gotten up and gone to the bed next door... Come to think of it, I don't think I could get up anyway."
Suddenly I felt a little sorry for Lianbao.
A girlfriend like this is something others might only dream of.
If I could have a girlfriend like that, I'd be willing to drive a sports car and live in a mansion!
Oh, I already have a girlfriend like that, then it's fine.
After Xia Lian finished washing up, her face, moistened by the hot water, was rosy and seemed to be steaming. After several months of nourishment, her face was noticeably rounder and felt quite nice to the touch.
"You've gained a lot of weight." Wen Mo chuckled and pinched her cheeks, as if he were squeezing two water-filled balloons, the kind of touch that you couldn't bear to let go of.
"You've gained weight."
"Yes, that means our family is getting good nutrition."
Wen Mo pushed her back, then carried a bamboo chair and placed it on Wen Yiquan's left, while he sat on the right, protecting Wen Yiquan like door gods.
Wen Yiquan crossed his legs and carefully examined the girl for a while before nodding in satisfaction. "It's rare to see our Lianbao usually, but every now and then you notice she's gotten even prettier. That shows you're quite attentive to her."
“Dad, I called him Lianbao.” Wen Mo retorted earnestly.
Wen Yiquan clicked his tongue, then laughed in exasperation, "Tsk, so you're just clueless, aren't you? You've made me rich from anger."
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