Sure enough, less than half an hour later, the little boy named Gangzi patted Yunheng on the shoulder and asked him to put him down.
Standing on the ground, Gangzi bowed to the group of people. "Thank you all for your help before. If there's anything you need in the future, let me do it. Although I'm small, I'm quite strong."
Looking at this well-behaved and sensible child, everyone couldn't help but feel a lump in their throat. Thinking about the carefree and unruly children in the village, they really wanted to drag them out and let them experience the hardships of this world.
In fact, the children in the village also have their own path to development. They not only study and learn at the normal pace, but also practice fighting and various survival skills every day. When they are truly skilled, they are no worse than children from outside the village, and in some aspects, they are even better.
In the eyes of these adults, what they lack is only an understanding of this society. However, with so many elders from Pinghe Village supporting them outside, they can avoid many detours and adapt to life more quickly than others.
In that instant, seeing the child still bent over, Yunheng, who was closest to him, quickly lifted him up. "From now on, you'll be a part of our village. We don't need you to do much now. Just eat well and try to grow taller."
Gangzi stubbornly said, "I promised my grandma that I would be more diligent and help you with more things."
Yunqi said, "Your grandma also told you to listen to us, so now you'd better behave and see if you can ride on this horse or have your Uncle Heng carry you."
Yun Heng patted his head, "Call me Brother Heng. I'm still so young. Calling me Uncle makes me sound old."
"Xiao Heng, let's not bully a child. You look so impatient, how can you be an older brother?" Yun Jianying said, and then deliberately looked Yun Heng up and down.
"Who looks older than they are? I call this maturity. If it weren't for the intense sun, I would have been a handsome, rich, and successful man before." He then deliberately flicked a non-existent strand of hair.
Having been deprived of sunlight for a long time, everyone's skin was unnaturally pale. However, after being exposed to the sun for some time, everyone's skin has peeled off countless times and has long since returned to a healthy skin tone. Some people are even shiny with black skin, and Yunheng is one of the best examples.
As for these women, from the moment they started enjoying the sun to the later sunburn, they paid more attention to sun protection than anyone else.
Now, whenever they go out, they wrap themselves up completely, but it doesn't seem to affect them much.
Many people were amused by Yun Heng's little gesture. Wu Tianxi said with a smile, "Brother Heng, you could twist your waist a bit to be more alluring. Maybe someone who's your type will come knocking on your door."
Yun Heng said, "You brat, you want to find a girl from our Yun family? You dare to trip me up here? Watch out, I'll tell my sister about your embarrassing moments later, and see if you can still be so smug then?"
Yun Tianxi quickly put his hands together and begged for forgiveness, "Handsome and heroic Brother Heng, I was wrong. Someone as kind and upright as you would never stoop to talking behind someone's back, right?"
Yun Heng said, "Someone as upright and kind as me would never talk behind someone's back. I'm willing to say anything to your face."
After saying that, he put on an attitude of "what can you do to me?" which made the people around him cheer.
"Quickly, tell him what he's been up to in front of him. Let's see what embarrassing things Tianxi has done. Tell us so everyone can have a laugh." Yun Jianying, always eager for chaos, chimed in.
These little incidents involving the three of them livened up the atmosphere, and although Gangzi was still a little uneasy, he relaxed a bit.
Si Cheng walked over, lifted his clothes from behind, and placed them directly on the horse's back. "Hold on tight."
Si Cheng had him ride a relatively docile mare and taught him how to hold the reins, how to lean forward when going uphill, and how to lean back slightly when going downhill—these were some small tips.
No child could resist such a novel game. Their minds were immediately drawn to the horses, and they gradually focused on listening to some tips and tricks, a smile slowly appearing on their faces.
"These dads are different; they have so much more experience with kids than we do," Yun Liping said with a hint of envy, watching the harmonious scene before her.
Yunqi said, "He is much more patient with Gangzi than with Junjun. Junjun is often scolded by him until her eyes are red. Because of this, our matriarch often reprimands us, saying that we are too strict with the child."
Yun Liping found it hard to believe. "Impossible, right? Looking at Cheng Ge's current state, he should be treating his child better."
Yunqi said, "What's impossible about that? The two unruly kids at home are spoiled rotten by the two grandparents. If we don't be stricter, they'll be even harder to discipline in the future."
Yun Liping said, "It's not as serious as you're making it out to be. Uncle Ming and the others are just doing it for the child's own good. He's so young, you shouldn't be so harsh on him."
Yun Qi nodded perfunctorily. Yun Liping hadn't yet experienced the power of a bratty child. Once she truly understood it, she might go even further than he had.
Seeing them chatting, Liu Yuqing joined in, "We always call him Gangzi, but what's his full name?"
Yunqi had never thought about this question, and it seemed that Old Lady Zhou had also forgotten to mention it. She just didn't know if Gangzi knew her full name.
Yunqi was a little worried. "We'll have a good talk with him once he calms down. I wonder if his family has taught him to read and write after all this hardship? Will he still be able to say his full name?"
After all, this kind of situation is all too common after a major disaster. Everyone is only concerned with how to maintain their own lives and has completely neglected the education of their children. Some parents teach them a little when they remember, while others have completely excluded this aspect. After all, they are out searching for food all day long, so where do they have the energy to do these things?
Looking at the thin and small Gangzi in front of him, Yunqi was not sure if Grandma Zhou and the others had taught him any basic knowledge before.
"Gangzi is said to be about ten years old, but we don't know his exact birth date. Old Mrs. Zhou didn't explain it clearly either." Yun Liping was actually a little resentful towards Old Mrs. Zhou. Although life was very hard, her village had promised to take them back to the village. There was no need for her to abandon Gangzi like this and cause the child even greater psychological trauma.
Liu Yuqing shared the same thought: "This is so irresponsible. I initially felt some sympathy for her, but if I could turn back time, I would definitely give her a good scolding. How could she abandon such a young child like Gangzi? And she even ended her life in front of him."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com