Chapter 13: A third-year man is also a man
Wen Wan looked up at the boy in front of her, wearing an old double-breasted cotton-padded jacket and with hair cut like it had been gnawed by a dog, and smiled: "I'm almost eighteen, how about you?" How did you get here? It was just a hot-headed thing, she didn't want to talk about it anymore.
Lu Donglin said, "I'm twelve, and I have an older brother. There are three of us in our family. Do you know my brother, Lu Dongping? He works at the commune. He will be twenty-three after the Chinese New Year. My sister, Lu Chun'e, is fourteen." After saying that, he looked at Wen Wan's muddy hands and said, "Hey, I'm telling you, you don't have to be so fast. You just got here, why are you working so fast? I'm telling you, you have to take your time with your work. Do you understand what slacking off means? I guess you don't understand either. Just don't be too honest. Just do your job and make sure my uncle can't find any fault with you and doesn't scold you."
Wen Wan was stunned for a moment. Could it be like this?
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Hongying started scolding: "Lu Donglin, you little bastard, what are you doing? You only come to work one day a week and you're still dawdling. Your hands don't move when you speak, right? Do you need to use your hands to speak? Are you going to eat dinner tonight?"
Lu Donglin rolled his eyes, snorted with his nose in the air, and finally didn't dare to talk nonsense with Wen Wan anymore, so he moved more quickly.
After a while, he couldn't help it anymore: "Hey, little educated youth, what do you think of my brother?"
Wen Wan looked at him and smiled: "Your brother is very nice!" He has helped her several times since she got off the train. He is considered the most familiar person to her since she came here.
Lu Donglin was stunned for a moment, feeling his eyes were dazzled by the young educated youth's smile. How could someone so good-looking exist? Her voice was so soft and pleasant to the ear. Unlike the two women at home, who spoke like loud speakers.
By the time they got off work in the evening, he and Wen Wan were already very familiar with each other. He even enthusiastically helped Wen Wan carry the dustpan on their way down the mountain. Zhang Hongying was furious and had a bad face all the way home. What's wrong with these two people? They're eating their own food while they're hanging around this little educated youth. I really want to hit them.
When Lu Dongping came back, he saw Lu Mingjiang and Zhang Hongying with grumpy faces. He was stunned for a moment, glanced at Lu Chun'e, pointed quietly, and asked silently: "What's wrong?"
Lu Chun'e winked at him. When the meal was ready, the three siblings didn't eat in the house. Instead, they went outside, each holding an enamel bowl, and squatted in a row by the eaves. Lu Chun'e said, "He's angry. Lu Donglin didn't work properly this afternoon and kept talking to the new educated youth. Mother scolded him in the fields."
Lu Dongping raised his eyebrows: "The little educated youth is going to work today?" He thought that he would definitely not go today after crying all the way yesterday!
Lu Chun'e nodded: "Let's go. We'll go when the sun is already high. Uncle's face looks so droopy, it's really ugly."
Lu Donglin picked up on her, "Uncle's old face is ugly even if it's not drooping. It can't be compared with the young educated youth. The young educated youth is so pretty." Then he called out to Lu Dongping, "Brother, I asked the young educated youth today. She will be 18 after the Chinese New Year. Isn't it time to have a wedding at 18? Hurry up! In our team, no, in our brigade, there is no girl this pretty. If you don't make a move, she will be someone else's by then."
Hearing this, Lu Dongping reached out and slapped him on the head: "How can such a small kid be so troublesome?"
"Why am I meddling?" Lu Donglin was slapped in the face and suddenly sat down on the ground. He snorted in dissatisfaction, "I'm just too young and at a disadvantage. If I were eighteen or nineteen now, I would definitely take the young educated youth as my wife. How can I let such a beautiful girl be given away to others?"
Lu Dongping stood up suddenly, holding the bowl and looking down at him condescendingly: "You're just a third-grade kid, and you're already thinking about a wife? What kind of nonsense do you learn in school all day? Is there bean dregs in your head?"
Lu Donglin stood up unconvinced and snorted: "What's wrong with being in the third grade? I'm still a man, please don't discriminate against my age."
Lu Dongping was too lazy to pay attention to him. He finished his rice in a few mouthfuls, threw the bowl on the stove, and quickly went to get some water to wash his face and feet.
Maybe it was because of what Lu Donglin said, but Lu Dongping actually dreamed. He dreamed of Wen Wan, and he dreamed of him holding the soft body of the young educated youth, who was looking at him with tears in her eyes, making people want to bully her. He bent down to kiss her, but the young educated youth raised his hand and slapped her in the face, angrily cursing, "Lu Dongping, you rascal!"
Lu Dongping suddenly woke up from his dream. Lu Donglin, who was sleeping at the other end, had shrunk to the middle of the bed at some point and kicked him in the face with one foot, exactly where he had been slapped by the young educated youth in his dream.
He sat up suddenly, stretched out his hand and slapped him.
At the educated youth center, it was Wen Wan's turn to cook.
But Wen Wan hasn't gotten up yet.
She wasn't that sleepy, but her arms, legs, and whole body ached, and she woke up several times at night from the pain. Now that it was just dawn, she was sleeping soundly.
The three grown men stood outside looking at each other. After a while, Wang Jianmao said, "Forget it, let me do it." Do they, a few grown men, really have to wait for a little girl to get up and cook?
Liu Changqing said: "It's up to you. I have no objection even if you keep cooking for her." Anyway, he doesn't have to cook, as long as he has something to eat.
When Wen Wan woke up, it was already bright outside.
She rolled around on the bed, hugging the quilt, wailing in her heart: it had only been three days, only three days had passed, and she didn't know how many days were left. How was she going to get through the rest of her life?
Then she suddenly remembered that three days had passed and today was the fourth day. She had agreed to cook today. It was terrible. She had slept until now and no one said anything. It was too late.
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