Eleven yuan excited to cry
When they got home in the evening, Father Shen and the second brother were sitting in the main room waiting for them. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the brothers and sisters, they knew that the skewers must be selling well.
The family of six gathered around the round table in the main hall, watching the little sister unfold a pink floral handkerchief filled with small coins, one, two, three cents...
Although Shen Roujiao was the only one who counted aloud, everyone else followed her silently in their hearts, one yuan, two yuan... ten yuan, eleven yuan. When they finally counted to eleven yuan and ninety cents, Mr. Shen burst into tears.
He never thought that the youngest girl in the Shen family could be so successful. In just two days, she earned more than 20 yuan and was able to pay back the money she owed to Aunt Zhao immediately.
Seeing her father crying, Shen Roujiao couldn't help crying too. She threw herself into her father's arms and sobbed loudly.
In her previous life, she never cried when her company made hundreds of millions of dollars after going public; now that she has made more than ten dollars, she is crying her eyes out.
At this moment, Shen Roujiao felt that she was a useful person, someone needed by her family.
Setting up a stall is really hard work, but it also gives you a real sense of accomplishment.
Father Shen stroked his little daughter's head again and again, tears dripping onto his rough hands and sliding through his fingers into Shen's soft black hair. "If your mother were here, she would be so happy to see our youngest being so sensible and lovable."
When talking about their mother, the father and daughter burst into tears, and the brothers standing beside them also secretly wiped their tears.
The previous days were so hard and difficult, and too many repressed emotions were released like a dam breaking. After crying for a while, I felt a lot more relaxed!
Seeing that his younger sister's mood had warmed up, the fourth brother raised his eyebrows, leaned in front of Shen Roujiao, and asked lovingly: "I won't open the stall tomorrow. Where do you want to go to play, brother will take you!"
After all, she was a little girl, so Shen Roujiao easily felt loved. She stood up from her father's arms, raised her little face and said coquettishly, "I want to go to the mountains to play!"
Go up the mountain?
What a fun guy!
What fun things are there in the mountains?
Originally, Shen Tianyou thought that his younger sister would say that they were going to visit the brigade supply and marketing cooperative or something, or at least go to the river to catch shrimps, but he never expected that they were going up the mountain.
"That's not fun at all. If you don't believe me, ask Third Brother."
That’s right. Ever since the eldest and second sons of the Shen family were assigned to work in the factory, the farm work at home has basically fallen on the third and fourth sons. And the rice fields are on the mountain, how could they not know!
Before Shen Tiannan could say anything to persuade her, Shen Roujiao said, "I want to go up the mountain to pick some fruit to eat."
It seems that the sand apples at noon are really to my little sister’s liking. I’m still thinking about it!
The third brother only guessed half right.
Shen Roujiao wanted to go up the mountain. First, she really loved eating those small red fruits. In the late 1970s, there was a shortage of supplies, so there was no concept of eating fruit. She relied on wild fruits to satisfy her hunger. Second, the wild pear juice she squeezed last time didn’t sell well. She wanted to pick some more pears and try a different way of cooking them, selling them with stinky tofu, to see how they sold.
Earning twenty yuan a day is too slow now. Shen Roujiao wants to earn more.
"Then, third and fourth sons, take Jiaojiao up the mountain tomorrow and pick more of her favorite foods. Don't let her climb trees or she will fall. Also, stop by the brigade's supply and marketing cooperative and buy some candy or something for the youngest son."
After giving his instructions, Father Shen took out fifty cents from his trouser pocket, stuffed it into the third child's hand, and turned to the eldest child and said, "You, come with me into the house. I have something to ask you."
Seeing Shen Tianhua helping his father up, the second oldest, Shen Tiancheng, said anxiously, "Dad, I'll go up the mountain with them tomorrow." Then he took out fifty cents from his shirt pocket and said to the younger ones, "Brother, I'll treat you guys to popsicles tomorrow."
Popsicles!!
Hearing these three words, Shen Roujiao's eyes lit up.
Even in my dreams, I am still thinking about that cool feeling and looking forward to tomorrow coming soon.
Perhaps because she was exhausted from working so hard for several days in a row, Shen Roujiao slept until noon. The brothers had already finished breakfast and were waiting for their little sister in the yard.
Seeing her cute sleepy look, they couldn't help laughing, and while laughing they fetched water for her to wash.
After finishing breakfast under surveillance, Shen Roujiao and a few brothers set off.
Unable to resist the temptation of popsicles, everyone unanimously decided to go to the supply and marketing cooperative first.
The early bird catches the worm, and the late bird picks up the worm.
A few people rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative, but there were only two popsicle tickets left, at 5 cents each.
The second brother didn't eat any, the youngest sister ate one alone, and the third and fourth brothers shared one. Several people squatted at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, licking the popsicles they coveted so much, wishing they could eat half a popsicle for the whole day.
From time to time, Shen Roujiao would pass popsicles to her second brother. Unable to resist his little sister's nagging, Shen Tiancheng would take a small piece, hold it in his mouth, wait for the ice to melt into water, and then swallow it into his stomach. The icy taste was mixed with the sweetness of sugar water, and it was full of the taste of happiness.
"Little sister, this is for you."
I don't know when, the third brother walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative again, this time holding a pink hair ribbon in his hand.
In fact, it is a 50 cm long and 6 cm wide pink ribbon inlaid with silver threads on both sides. Many little girls in the village wear it. Those with better conditions at home will buy two and wear them one on the left and one on the right when braiding their hair. It looks very beautiful.
"Brother, where is this thirty cents?"
When she first bought the popsicles, Shen Roujiao glanced at them through the glass cabinet and sighed in her heart: They are so expensive.
She was already very happy to be able to eat popsicles. The pink ribbons at three cents were simply a luxury item.
She can't bear it!
"In the future, what other girls have, my little sister will have too. Our youngest one will also be pretty."
"Come on, brother, let me put it on you!" Shen Tianyou took the hair ribbon from the third brother, folded it again and again, put it into the rubber band that Shen Roujiao used to tie her hair, and then pulled it gently. The pink ribbon immediately looked like a blooming flower, placed on the top of the little sister's head.
"Beautiful!" Shen Tiancheng exclaimed.
The third brother walked from the side to the front, looking left and right, staring at the little sister again and again, "Our little sister is no worse than that girl from the picture magazine."
"Third brother is lying to make me happy. I'm not that pretty."
Shen Roujiao's facial features are actually quite attractive, with single eyelids, thin lips, and two pear-shaped swirls when she smiles.
The most important thing is that she inherited the high nose bridge of the Shen family. Therefore, her small face has its own style and memory point in modern times, commonly known as: supermodel face.
The outline is three-dimensional, with the eyebrows and eyes of an oriental person.
Not a beauty, but better than a beauty.
There is no woman who doesn't love beauty. From the elderly to children, everyone knows how to be beautiful. Shen Roujiao is no exception. She was so happy to be praised by her brothers.
With a big pink flower on his head, he followed his brothers up the mountain.
The mountain road was bumpy and rugged, but the few of them walked with confidence, laughing and joking all the way, and finally found a sand apple tree halfway.
Shen Tianyou climbed to the top of the tree effortlessly and picked the reddest and largest ones. Shen Tiancheng took off his shirt and stood under the tree, holding his shirt in his pocket, staring at the fruits thrown down by the fourth brother. Every time he caught one, Shen Roujiao and Shen Tiannan cheered and jumped for joy, reaching their highest emotional value.
This time the harvest was quite good, with half a bag of red sand apples.
There was a lush tree, and its dense shade blocked out the scorching sun. The four siblings sat leaning against the roots of the tree.
The cool breeze blew on their faces, and they bit into the red sand apples, which were sour and sweet, fragrant, crispy and full of flavor.
Shen Roujiao pointed to the wild pear tree not far away and said, "Fourth brother, pick some more pears later."
"Do you want to squeeze more pear juice? I drank all the leftovers from last time."
"I don't want to squeeze it this time. I want to steam it."
"Steamed?" Shen Tiannan took out another red fruit, rubbed it on the lapel on his chest again and again, and handed it to his younger sister.
"Yes! Peel a whole pear, put it in a bowl and steam it. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on it when it comes out. It should be delicious. I'll steam a few for my brothers to try in the evening." Shen Roujiao took the fruit and bit off a big piece.
"Little sister, you have so many ideas. I admire you!" I can't remember how many times Shen Tianyou has said that he admires Shen Roujiao.
He felt that his younger sister had become a completely different person since she came back from studying in the county town.
Learning makes people progress, without any falsehood.
He needs to learn more in the future.
His third brother also had the same idea as him.
Later, the villagers found that after finishing their farm work, the third and fourth sons would hold the book in their spare time and help each other.
Knowledge changes destiny, this is true.
Soon, fate favored them both.
The third brother worked as an accountant in the village brigade; the fourth brother, Bass, went to the village radio station, and later to the township cultural center, and finally worked at the Xiaonanchuan Municipal Cultural Bureau.
Of course, this is all later.
Now, they don't know where their future life will lead them, nor do they know what kind of changes knowledge will bring to them. However, in my younger sister, they truly saw the power of knowledge and simply imitated her.
…
While Shen Tianyou was working hard to pick pears, Shen Roujiao discovered a patch of small yellow flowers. They grew close to the ground, not very tall. The small flower had five petals, and the stamens in the middle were also yellow.
Pick one and put it to the tip of your nose; there is no smell.
"There are a lot of these little flowers on our mountain, but they're not pretty. The pink ribbon on your little sister's head is more beautiful." Shen Tianyou, who was standing on the tree, said loudly to Shen Roujiao.
"It grows in patches on the back mountain. If you like, I'll take you to pick them." Shen Tiannan pointed to the top of the mountain behind him. He was very familiar with this mountain.
"It looks cute." Shen Roujiao pinned the small yellow flower she picked behind her ear, patted the dirt on her hands, and stood up.
Shen Tiancheng, who was holding a pear, picked one and hung it behind the other ear of his little sister. He looked at it from a distance and squinted his eyes. "It looks like an earring."
With a "bang", Shen Tianyou jumped down from the pear tree, placed the largest pear on the little sister's head, and said with a smile: "Really, it looks very beautiful."
Shen Roujiao straightened her neck and turned around carefully to prevent the pear from falling. But after she took two steps, the pear still rolled down from her head and landed right at her second brother's feet. He picked it up and put it into his clothes.
They ate, played, laughed and joked, and when they came down the mountain, the three brothers' shirts had been changed into cloth bags for fruits, and even their sleeves were filled with pears.
At the fork in the road back to the village, Shen Roujiao pointed to the dirt road on the left and said, "Brother, I want to go this way."
The Shen family's home is located at the front of the village. If you walk to the right, you can reach the front door directly. If you walk to the left, you will go around the entire village and have to walk from the back of the village to the front.
"Why take a detour?" Shen Tianyou asked with a frown.
"I want to meet a friend!"
"ah????"