Chapter 38
When Fengzhen went to the city this time, Lin Youqing and his wife bought a new outfit for their niece, a yellow floral dress and a pair of green plastic sandals. He Guijuan also gave the two sisters the same braids, with pink hairband flowers tied on the shiny black ponytails, making them look playful and bright.
Fengzhen stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself back and forth many times, and was so happy that she almost danced with joy.
"By the way, Jiang Jiang, I have a gift for you." Feng Zhen remembered the gift she hadn't given away yet and took it out from her bag.
This is a colorful bracelet that she had made herself. She secretly bought the materials for the bracelet with her New Year's money. She was afraid of being discovered by her family, so she could only secretly make it when she went out to collect grass for pigs. She made a little bit every day, and it took her several days to finish it.
"Wow, so beautiful. Did you make this up, Sister Fengzhen?"
"Of course." Feng Zhen nodded proudly after receiving the approval.
"I'll put it on for you."
Jiang Jiang stretched out her hand, Feng Zhen untied the bracelet and put it on next to her watch. Jiang Jiang had a slender wrist, and the bracelet looked particularly beautiful on her hand.
Feng Zhen sighed, "I don't know when we will meet again."
"When you pass the exam and go to junior high school in the county, we can meet often."
There is no middle school in the commune, so students in the village who have finished primary school and are willing to continue their studies can only go to junior high school in the county town.
Feng Zhen shrugged her shoulders. "Junior high school? I may not be able to pass the entrance exam, and I don't want to continue studying. It would be good enough if I can learn to read after finishing elementary school and not be a blind man."
Fengzhen doesn't like going to school and thinks that going to school is not as comfortable as working in the mountains.
Jiang Jiang heard this and said nervously, "How can you not study? You must continue to study. Dad said that reading can make people open-minded. The more books you read, the more you will understand and the more angles you will have to think about problems. This way you won't spend your whole life in a muddle."
"At least you have to finish junior high school... If one day you don't want to work in the village anymore, you can go out and see the world."
"Okay, let's talk about it when the time comes. There's nothing I can do if I fail the exam." Feng Zhen curled her lips. In her eyes, studying was an optional thing.
"Then you must study hard when you go back." Jiang Jiang reminded.
"I see." Feng Zhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You've really been with Uncle and Aunt for too long, and you have a lot of principles to teach. I promise I'll try my best, but if you really can't pass the exam, there's nothing I can do."
"Zhong Xing and the others are here." He Guijuan came over to call Feng Zhen, holding a large bag of things in her hand, "These are all for everyone. I divided the things into three parts, one for your grandmother, one for your eldest sister-in-law, and one for your second sister-in-law. And these eggs and pancakes, you can keep them for the journey."
Feng Zhen reached out and hugged Jiang Jiang. "I had a lot of fun this time in the county. The noodles and meals cooked by Aunt San were all delicious. It was my first time to go to a department store and take a bus. I also bought new clothes and ate a lot of snacks... Jiang Jiang, thank you."
The feeling of parting suddenly became stronger, and Jiang Jiang's eyes became moist. "Sister Fengzhen, I will come back to the village to play with you when I am free. You must come to the county to continue your studies. I will wait for you."
Feng Zhen was choked with emotion. After a long while, she nodded solemnly, "Okay."
"Just send it here." Feng Zhen wiped her face with her hands and forced a smile, "Third Aunt Jiang Jiang, goodbye, I will miss you."
"You are a good and simple child. You should study hard at home and pay attention to the balance between work and rest. Don't rush to do all the dirty and tiring work. Some work should not be done by a child like you. Come to Third Aunt's house to play during the holidays."
"good."
He Guijuan and her daughter watched the three of them get on the bus before turning around and walking back.
In April, the peach blossoms in the mountain bay opposite the county primary school have bloomed as bright as fire, the air is moist, the grass is green, and the river water is clear. It is filled with the breath of revival of all things.
After the bell rang for the third class in the morning, as soon as the teacher walked out of the classroom, the students in the class immediately became restless and started playing and chasing each other in the classroom corridor. After more than a month of getting along with each other, the classmates have become familiar with each other.
Jiang Jiang was studying how Feng Zhen had woven the bracelet she had given her when her deskmate Chen Qiannan suddenly said, "Where did you buy this dress? It's pretty nice."
"Is this the one I'm wearing? I bought it at the county department store." This was the first time that Jiang Jiang wore this dress to school. She had worn it two or three times, but they were all when she was at home. It would be inappropriate to wear a cotton jacket in March or April, but it was not yet the weather to wear short sleeves, so this one was just right.
"I think it looks good, too. It's bright red and makes people happy just by looking at it."
"Is this made of wool? It feels really soft."
Several girls also gathered around to discuss Jiang Jiang's red sweater.
"How much does this sweater cost?"
"It seemed to be six yuan." Jiang Jiang still feels the pain when he thinks about it now. When buying vegetables during the winter, cabbage was two cents per pound, and radishes were only one cent per pound. He didn't know how many pounds of cabbage and radishes he could buy with six yuan.
"It's so expensive." The girl smacked her lips. This was almost enough to cover their family's expenses for a month.
In the afternoon, the school had a unified labor class. Each class was responsible for its own area. Jiang Jiang looked at his red sweater, and then saw that it was busy and dusty outside. After thinking for a while, he took off the sweater, folded it carefully and put it in the drawer.
Ever since Jiang Jiang came to the county primary school, Xie Jinyan would wait for Jiang Jiang to go home together unless there was some other reason. That afternoon, Xie Jinyan waited under the elm tree at the gate for about ten minutes, but still didn't see Jiang Jiang. He wanted to go home directly, but on second thought, he went into the school to find her.
Xie Jinyan went to the first grade classroom first. It was empty, not even a single person was there. He then went to the teacher's office. Teacher Tian asked him when he saw him, "Xie Jinyan? Isn't school over? Why aren't you going home yet?"
"Teacher Tian, I want to look for Lin Jiangjiang."
"Lin Jiangjiang? She left school after school."
"I understand. Thank you, teacher."
The county primary school is not far from the county party committee compound, and it takes about ten minutes to get back there. Before going home, Xie Jinyan went to Lin Youqing's house to take a look. It didn't look like there was any sign that anyone had come back. How could Jiang Jiang not come back home for so long?
Xie Jinyan looked worried. After returning home, he threw his schoolbag on a chair and walked out.
He looked for several places where Jiang Jiang might go, but didn't see anyone. He was wondering when he saw a group of people gathered under the loess steps over there, doing something unknown.
An old lady advised, "Little girl, don't cry. Tell us what's sad about you. We can see if there's anything we can do to help..."
Xie Jinyan's ears buzzed and he quickly jumped down the stairs and ran over. The person in the crowd was indeed Jiang Jiang.
"Jiang Jiang." He patted her shoulder lightly.
Jiang Jiang raised her head. Her eyes were swollen like a rabbit. Her ears, neck and face were all red from crying. She looked confused. "Brother Jinyan?"
The weight in Xie Jinyan's heart instantly fell. He looked at the people around him and said in a gentle voice, "Thank you, uncles, aunts, grandpa, and grandma. I don't know what happened to my sister. I will take her back later. Thank you for your concern."
When everyone heard him say this, they automatically dispersed, some went to work, and some went home.
There were only two of them left at the stairs. Xie Jinyan saw her tears streaming down her face and hesitated for a moment before pulling off a section of his sleeve to wipe their tears for her.
Jiang Jiang tried hard to calm down, but just as she was about to speak, her tears flowed uncontrollably again. Xie Jinyan held her shoulders and watched her cry for a long time before he spoke with a sob.
"Wow...Brother Jinyan, my sweater, my sweater is gone."
"Sweater? The red sweater you wore when you left the house this morning?"
Xie Jinyan took a look and saw that Jiang Jiang was only wearing a white spring shirt.
"Don't be sad, tell me why you disappeared."
"During the labor class in the afternoon, I took off my clothes and put them in the desk drawer for fear of getting them dirty. When I came back, they were gone. They all looked for it for me but couldn't find it." Jiang Jiang felt more and more sad. This sweater was not cheap and was bought by her mother. If it was lost like this, she didn't know how to forgive herself.
"Is it possible that a classmate is playing a prank on me?"
Jiang Jiang shook his head, "No, my classmates wouldn't make such a joke like that."
The clothes didn't have wings, so how could they disappear out of nowhere? It was probably taken away by another student. Xie Jinyan asked Jiang Jiang again, "Is there any feature on your sweater?"
"It was a red cardigan with my name sewn on the cuff."
"Let's go back first. I'll help you look for it tomorrow. Uncle Lin and Aunt He will be worried if they see you haven't returned home after get off work. Let's discuss it carefully when we get home."
Jiang Jiang thought about it, nodded, stood up and followed Xie Jinyan back.
As soon as they returned to the gate of the compound, they saw Lin Youqing and He Guijuan who had just got off work. They were a little surprised to see the two children coming back at this time. Their daughter's eyes were swollen like walnuts. He Guijuan took a step forward in surprise, "Jiang Jiang, what's wrong? Did your classmates bully you at school?"
"Aunt He, Jiang Jiang can't find her sweater. I'll go to school tomorrow to help her look for it. She's already very sad. Please don't blame her."
He Guijuan was relieved when she heard this. "I thought it was something serious. If it's gone, it's gone. Mom will buy you a new one another day."
Lin Youqing also nodded, "Your mother is right, it's just a piece of clothing, I'll buy a new one another day, as long as he's fine."
"Jinyan, thank you so much today."
Xie Jinyan scratched his head and said, "Uncle and aunt, you are too polite. I will go back now."
Lin Youqing and his wife took their daughter back home.
That night, Jiang Jiang couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned all night long, and still felt sad when she thought of the red sweater.
The next afternoon, He Guijuan was not on duty, so she went to the county department store to buy a new coat for Jiang Jiang. The red woolen coat was out of stock, so He Guijuan could only buy a light yellow sweater for her daughter. The new clothes felt very good to the touch, and the color was fresh and simple, which was just right for this season.
The new clothes were not cheap, and Jiang Jiang felt even worse, so she never dared to leave clothes in the classroom again.
After Xie Jinyan went to school, he helped her look for two days, but couldn't find her, and there was no one else wearing a red sweater in the school.
After a few more days, there was almost no hope of finding Jiang Jiang's woolen sweater, so she could only accept this fact.
There was no class that weekend, so Xie Jinyan accompanied his grandmother to the market to buy vegetables. The market was crowded with people. His grandmother was picking carrots in front of a stall. He didn't know how to pick vegetables, so he waited on the side. Suddenly, a flash of red caught his eye. Xie Jinyan's eyelids twitched and he looked up. A girl about seven or eight years old was wearing a red sweater, handing over money in one hand and taking vegetables in the other.
"Thank you, auntie."
"You are such a sweet girl. The red sweater you are wearing is so pretty. It is bright red and makes people happy just by looking at it."
Hearing the compliments from others, the girl raised her neck slightly and pursed her lips happily, "This was bought for me by my mother at the county department store. It cost six dollars."
"Wow, it's so expensive." The aunt smacked her lips.
It seemed like he had seen this girl somewhere before. Seeing that the girl was about to leave with the dishes, Xie Jinyan followed her without thinking too much.
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