Chapter 12
"We're graduating soon, let's go out and have some fun together." Xie Yiyi happily took out her phone and showed Yoda the places she had already picked out for fun, all of which were nearby.
"I had planned to travel together as soon as we graduated. We didn't make it back then, so I have to make up for it now."
However, Xie Yiyi's baby was still too young, and the activities they were doing required constant care, plus Yoda's own health wasn't great. For all these reasons, the graduation trip had to be a compromise, turning into a short trip to nearby areas.
It's heartbreaking that a group of once young and strong people have all become old, weak, sick, and disabled.
Yoda took it and looked at it. "Mother Ming?" he asked. "What's this?"
Xie Yiyi: "This is a very famous parenting blogger. She recommended tourist attractions suitable for traveling with children. I've selected a few, you can see which one is the best."
Yoda flipped through them and found them all quite interesting. Besides recommendations for mother-and-baby trips, they also suggested some activities suitable for the whole family.
Yoda's gaze lingered on a tour package—a family trip—and he seemed somewhat tempted. Xie Yiyi, assuming Yoda had decided where to go, leaned closer and said, "Why are you looking at this? Even though you're not feeling well, you don't have to go on a trip with old people. This takes too long, and the progress at each destination is very slow."
"It's nothing." Yoda was just thinking about his parents and younger brothers. Because of him, the whole family hadn't gone on a trip in a long time. In the past, his parents were always happy when they went on a trip every year.
Having made up his mind, Yoda carefully examined the specific itinerary of the tour. Although the trip was long, it was perfect for the whole family to take a leisurely getaway. Plus, it was suitable for the younger children, as his younger brothers had never been before.
Yoda recalled that back then, she and Shixing had originally planned to go to the beach when they came back for summer vacation. She had even prepared a gift for him. Among the several options Xie Yiyi had suggested, they decided to go to the beach.
Xie Yiyi was also very satisfied. Photos taken at the beach look good; this is nice.
Back home, Yoda brought out his piggy bank, which he had been saving money for since childhood. It was made of ceramic and shaped like a little girl with curly hair, sitting with her eyes closed. It was almost half a person tall.
He patted the little girl's head solemnly. "It's all up to you." Having woken up penniless, Yoda's only savings now consisted of this.
Carefully tilt the piggy bank, open the bottom opening, and slowly take the money out.
Yoda had accumulated all his banknotes, from the oldest to the newest, little by little. However, he was puzzled to find a pile of the newest banknotes at the very end.
This was clearly not something he put there himself. When Yoda first woke up and went shopping, he was very uncomfortable with the newest banknotes and kept asking the people around him, "Is this really not a counterfeit?"
After all, the style I remembered had changed so drastically that no one would believe it, and I had to be careful when it came to spending money. I still remember the first time I went out to buy something. I handed over the money with trembling hands. Even though my parents were very sure that what they gave me was real money, Yoda couldn't help but worry. What if they returned my money?
Fortunately, the deal went smoothly in the end. But it left a deep impression on Yoda.
So when Yoda saw that familiar pattern, he was certain he hadn't put it there himself. Since waking up, he'd been constantly broke, so there was no way he'd put any money in there.
Although I used to feel justified in asking my parents for money when I was studying, now that I'm almost thirty, I can't bring myself to ask for money every time.
Mom prepares as much as she puts in the bag, and we use only that much.
Looking at the few one-yuan and two-yuan notes left on the ground, they must have been put there by the younger brothers. The neatly folded ones were undoubtedly put there by You Li, while the crumpled ones were definitely put there by You Ming.
Looking up, Yoda saw two little heads peeking through the crack in the door. He waved to them and asked, "Did you save this?"
The two little ones came running in, and Yuli obediently replied, "Yes, Mom said that you can use the piggy bank to make wishes. You put money in every time you want to make a wish."
What wishes did you all make?
You Ming counted on his fingers: "Toy cars, ice cream machine, cookies..." like ordering food, he couldn't stop.
Yoda looked at the obedient Yuli beside him: "Little Yuli, what did you wish for?"
Yuli: "If I want my sister to get better, Mom will be happy."
Yoda patted his little head, and Yuming, seeing this, squeezed in as well: "I agree, sister, get better."
Yoda and her brothers carefully put all the money away, little by little. "Now, your sister has a wish: for the whole family to go on a trip. We need this money. Once I start working, I'll help you fulfill your wish, okay?"
He promised You Ming on his left, "I'll buy you a model car, the longest one."
Looking at Yuli on the right, I remembered that he had been solving the Rubik's Cube many times recently. "I'll buy you a Rubik's Cube, the biggest one."
You Li smiled and said, "Thank you, sister." You Ming sat to the side, muttering to himself, wondering which of his favorite toy cars was the longest.
After placing the order and confirming the itinerary, Yoda looked at Yuri, who had been obediently following him. They bought ice cream, and the two sat downstairs in the apartment complex, slowly eating it together. One was young and the other sick, so they were usually absolutely forbidden from eating it, and they ate it very carefully. They were worried about the ice cream melting and also about their parents seeing them.
Although he chose a corner out of the streetlights, Yoda's eyes darted around warily. Yuri, hiding in Yoda's shadow, seemed completely oblivious to the danger.
In the community garden, You Ming led a group of children in a chase, their little voices emitting bursts of laughter. Every time he caught someone, everyone would burst into laughter, and even when he failed to catch someone, they would still laugh.
Yuli seemed oblivious to the commotion over there. Yuda asked curiously, "Why don't you go play with the other kids with Yuming?"
Yu Li shook his head: "I don't want to play."
Yoda looked at the other's small face; the chubby cheeks were hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to discern his emotions. "Are you unhappy?" Thinking of Yuli's blank textbook, Yoda continued to guess. "Don't you like reading?"
Yuri shook his head again.
Yoda: "Then why are the textbooks all blank?"
Yuli replied calmly, "Because I know how to do it."
Yoda, upon hearing this, was somewhat excited. A genius was right beside him! He immediately stood up, his upper body, holding the ice cream, exposed to the light, feeling a little unsafe. He quickly crouched down, facing Yoli. "Really? Then I can skip a grade!"
Yuli was instantly excited too. He didn't want to play kindergarten games like eagle catching chicks or hide-and-seek with the other children. He wanted to skip a grade and go to a higher one.
But she shook her head: "Let's not. If I skip a grade, the school dismissal time will be different, and Mom will have an even harder time."
While her older sister was asleep, her mother already had a hard time taking care of her, herself, and Youming every day. Now that her sister was awake, Youli overheard her parents saying they were worried about her health after she had slept for so long.
Thinking of this, she looked down at the ground, her long eyelashes obscuring the light in her eyes. She was small in stature, but her words were mature beyond her years.
Yoda scratched his head: "What's the big deal? Mom and Dad would be so happy if they knew you could skip a grade. It's okay, my sister will talk to them. Besides, what's wrong with getting out of school a little late? You and Yoming can wait for each other, and you can even do your homework in the classroom."
Seeing Yuli raise his little face, looking both tempted and hesitant, Yuda's heart melted. He quickly promised that he would definitely handle the matter well.
Yoda felt a little embarrassed comparing herself and her younger brother. "Little Li, you're such a good boy. When I was little, I never thought about these things. I would often run out to play after school and only come back when the adults came to find me."
Yoda was at the age where he loved to play and jump around, and I would say every age does. If he hadn't been unlucky enough to get hit, he would probably still be wandering around outside now.
Thinking back to my elementary school days, what I wanted to do most every day was to lead a bunch of friends to play everywhere—parks, ponds, school gardens, or even any street corner where there was a flat spot, we could gather a group of people to sit on the ground and play.
Yuli: "Do Mom and Dad agree too?"
Yoda was a little embarrassed. "Agreed? I didn't ask, I just went to have some fun."
After all, if asked, the answer would definitely be no.
After playing together a few more times, the other students were restrained by their parents, and gradually only Shixing and he remained. The two families lived close by, and the adults always felt that Shixing could control himself, so they felt at ease.
However, hehe, Yoda thought of the memories of him and Shixing secretly going out to play without the adults' knowledge. Friendship is unbreakable when you play secretly.
Seeing Youli's curious little face, Youda shut his mouth. He couldn't say anything more; the environment was complicated, and it wouldn't be good if he corrupted his younger brothers. Youli was well-behaved, but Youming wasn't. If he picked up this habit and led the neighborhood kids running around, their family would become the neighborhood's public enemy.
Just then, Yu Ming charged over like a cannonball. He was covered in sweat and smelled like a wet puppy. Yu Da held his arm with a hint of disgust. "Slow down, why are you sweating so much?"
Yu Ming, with his sharp eyes, spotted the ice cream wrapper in Yu Li's hand and immediately screamed, "Where did this ice cream come from? I want some too!"
Yoda rubbed his ears, startled by the child's high-pitched voice. Just moments ago, Yoming had been excitedly running off with his friends, but now, the risk of running into his parents while buying more had increased dramatically.
Moreover, Yoda glanced at the silly boy who was circling around Yuri three times to the left and three times to the right, trying to find the ice cream. He thought to himself, given his inability to keep secrets, if he ate it today, all three of them would be scolded.
“This is someone else’s food, and they’ve littered. We’re protecting the environment, and we were just about to throw it in the trash can.” At Yoda’s prompting, Yoli nodded in agreement.
I thought I'd have to spend a lot of time persuading him, but Yu Ming believed me without a second thought. He even took the packaging box from Yu Da's hand and went to throw it away with Yu Li. As they walked, he kept saying that he also wanted to protect the environment.
Yoda sighed, "This little fool, he should just go home and drink plain water. He should really put environmental protection into practice."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com