Chapter 52: Staying Behind, the Sorrow of Separation
Yang Guofeng and Xia Heng's Bentley passed each other. He stopped his motorcycle and looked into the car for a long time, but couldn't figure out what was going on.
He rushed to Yang's house and shouted "Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu!" before the car even stopped.
"Hey, uncle, why are you here?"
Only when he saw Xia Wu coming out of the yard did Yang Guofeng feel relieved.
"Nothing, I just happened to be passing by and wanted to take a look." Yang Guofeng was not very good at lying, so he couldn't help but ask, "A car just passed by. Do you know it?"
Xia Wu smiled, "Uncle, you've heard about it from the village, right?"
"Hi!" Yang Guofeng sat down and said with a wry smile, "Just now, that guy asked for directions at the store at the entrance of the village and said he was looking for you. I thought he might be looking for trouble, so I hurried over to check on him. Are you okay?"
"It's nothing serious. The family that adopted me wants me to go back."
"You, do you want to go back?" Yang Guofeng's heart was in his throat.
Xia Wu teased him, "I haven't thought about it yet."
Yang Guofeng sighed. He had heard that the family that adopted Xia Wu was quite wealthy, so he really had to think about it carefully.
But if Xia Wu goes back, what will happen to the mountain?
Although they had been together for a short time, he still couldn't bear to leave Xia Wu.
I couldn't say anything better at the moment.
Old Master Yang couldn't bear it any longer. "Don't listen to Xiao Wu's nonsense. She has no intention of going back!"
Yang Guofeng seemed to have changed his face and became cheerful again.
"It's better not to go back. I've submitted all the materials for the hot spring development application you asked me to apply for last time. I should have news after the New Year. Don't worry, as long as you're in the village for one day, I'll help you with anything I can!"
At night, Xia Wu lay on the bed and chatted with Qi Miaomiao.
"Did Xia Heng really go to the village to look for you?"
"Yeah, he showed up suddenly, stayed for less than an hour, and then left again."
"Haha, so funny, I thought he would forcibly take you back to the Xia family."
"He originally wanted to, but he didn't even consider whose territory this is. I'm not bragging, but I'm loved by everyone in the village now, and flowers bloom wherever I go. No one can leave me (bragging)."
"I believe it. Your old village chief is the one who misses you the most."
"What village chief? It's the village party secretary!"
"It's all the same. But didn't you tell anyone else that Xia Heng was looking for you? Someone else asked me about you."
Xia Wu thought about Xia Heng's embarrassing appearance today. He guessed that no one would mention it after he returned home. This was definitely his dark history.
She couldn't help but snickering, "Don't worry about the others, I'm not going back anyway."
"Are you really addicted to that place?"
Of course not!
Every day, Xia Wu is like a dragon guarding a treasure, always thinking about what her little hill lacks and what she needs. Although she has no money at the moment, there is hope in her eyes.
With the arrival of spring, the fruit trees on her mountain will begin to bloom and bear fruit. She will also raise chickens, ducks, and geese, buy fish fry, and plant fences...
Everything is worth looking forward to. What fun things can we do when we return to Beijing?
Qi Miaomiao didn't understand, but respected her sister's choice.
Although Yanggou Village has beautiful natural scenery and Qi Miaomiao is willing to stay for a few days, as for a long-term stay? Forget it.
Xia Heng came and left, leaving only a slight ripple in Xia Wu's ordinary life, nothing else.
As soon as we eat the New Year’s Eve dinner, time seems to have been accelerated.
Except for the first day of the Lunar New Year when he was idle at home, Xia Wu visited relatives every day from the second to the sixth day.
Yang Guojun's relatives were leaving, and Liu Guizhen's relatives were also leaving. They asked Xia Wu if he wanted to go. Xia Wu thought he had nothing to do anyway, so he went with them.
Then, at the age of 21, he received countless red envelopes and compliments.
Praise her for her good looks, good personality, and politeness, praise her for her ability, filial piety, and staying with the elders, which is rare.
It was rare that there were no weird relatives on either side. Maybe it was because Yang Guojun and Liu Guizhen had greeted each other in advance. Anyway, Xia Wu had a very happy time shopping.
On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, there was a temple fair in the town. Yang Guojun rode a tricycle and took his family to the town to play. They went there in the evening and found a small restaurant that was open in the town and had something to eat. When night fell, people came from all directions one after another.
The streets were crowded with people, and the dragon and lion dance teams holding torches lit up half the sky.
The young and middle-aged people who have gone out to work have returned. This is a rare opportunity for them to maintain close relationships with their children at home. Some people let their children sit on their shoulders. Even if the children are eight or nine years old and have passed that age, they can still smile happily when they sit on their father's shoulders with their mother by their side.
"Throughout the year, this period is the only time when things get lively. Once the Lantern Festival is over, everyone leaves again."
The prosperity and bustle before our eyes is as short-lived as fireworks, and behind the laughter lies the bitterness of impending separation.
Xia Wu had never been a left-behind child, so seeing this situation, he actually felt the same way as Yang Guofeng.
“It would be great if these people could stay in their hometowns and support their families.”
Yang Mingyue's siblings' parents also came back. They rushed back from Hai City, but failed to get tickets. They were still on the train on New Year's Eve and only returned to the village on the first day of the new year.
The couple took the train for more than 30 hours and arrived home, but their steps were still weak.
He was carrying large and small bags on his back and holding a bunch of things in his hands, all of which were for his family.
"Mom, this is the rheumatism plaster I bought for you. I went to a top-tier hospital and had someone prescribe it for you. It's really effective. One patch lasts for three days."
The couple packed their things and distributed gifts to their family members.
Yang Mingyue and Yang Mingyuan stood aside eagerly, waiting expectantly.
I bought new clothes for the two children, but unfortunately they grew too fast and the clothes were a little small. Yang Mingyuan had to use all his strength to squeeze his feet into the smaller size sneakers.
His mother squatted on the ground to pull off his shoes, lamenting that her son was growing too fast and blaming herself for not knowing the size of his feet.
Yang Mingyuan even tried to comfort his mother: "Mom, it's okay. Wear thick socks in winter, and they will be big enough when spring comes."
Yang Mingyue pulled at the sports jacket that was half an inch too small and thought her brother was right. She didn't need to wear a sweater in spring, and the jacket wouldn't be too small.
The two children are so sensible that it makes people cry. If they can earn money at home, who would be willing to leave their children behind and go out to work?
Yang Mingyue did well in the exam this time, ranking second in the class. The first place was a boy whose parents were at home and ran a restaurant in town. They gave him extra lessons every week.
So I did better than her in the exam.
Yang Jiangang held up his daughter's certificate and looked at it. He was very happy and said, "It's better to have it yourself than to have it from your parents. Our family can't compare to others. You have to work hard. Your future depends on you. If you can get into a prestigious university like Yang Wei, I will sell everything I have to send you there!"
Yang Mingyue was actually afraid that her parents would dislike her for not getting first place, so she said that the first place student had to take extra classes and grinned.
In addition to buying new clothes for his daughter, Yang Jiangang also bought her a second-hand smart phone, which he bought from a flea market. He spent 200 yuan to replace the screen, so that she could make and receive video calls without any problem.
"I'll go to town and get a secondary card. I'll leave my phone at home. You can't bring it to school, and don't let your brother play with it. You can only play with it on Sundays. Dad will teach you how to video chat."
Seeing the phone, Yang Mingyuan was so happy that he shouted loudly: "I can!"
Yang Jiangang glared at him, "You know nothing! You only scored so low on the test! I'm lucky I didn't beat you up!"
Yang Mingyuan pouted and sat back down, "I've made progress."
Before, he couldn't even get 100 points in Chinese, math and English combined, but this time he got 150 points. How can this not be considered progress?
Yang Mingyue quickly learned how to use a cell phone. Her father patted his daughter's head with satisfaction and said, "When your mother gave birth to you, she must have left all the good things for you. That's why your brother is so stupid."
Yang Mingyue pursed her lips and smiled shyly, feeling warm in her heart.
That being said, the two children are both biological children, and the family chats affectionately about things in school, society, and the village...
After chatting for a long time, Yang Mingyuan snuggled up to his mother and suddenly asked, "Dad, Mom, when are you going out?"
"I'll take you to town on the eighth day, and we'll go on the ninth day."
"Leaving so early? Aren't you going to be home for the Lantern Festival?"
"Well, I'm waiting to start working and earn money. When you grow up and your parents have some free time, we can reunite as a family."
Everyone knows this is a lie.
Children grow up and adults grow old, and they will eventually be together less and more often than not.
Yang Mingyuan got up, took out the tin box of biscuits from the bedside table, opened it, and poured it onto the bed.
A pile of colorful banknotes fell out.
Yang Mingyuan sniffed and said, "Dad, this is the money my sister and I saved. It's all for you and Mom. Can you stay home and spend the Lantern Festival before leaving?"
The two adults were dumbfounded when they saw the pile of money. "Where did you get the money?"
Yang Mingyue quickly explained that the money was earned by her and her brother from working in their spare time. She did not earn as much as her brother, and her brother saved all the money he earned.
For countless families, the Spring Festival is destined to be a sleepless night.
Yang Mingyue and her brother came to see Xia Wu and gave her the specialties her parents brought back from Hai City, including coconut candy, coconut crisps, and many snacks.
The brother and sister presented it to Xia Wu as if it were a treasure, and their faces were filled with happiness when they mentioned their parents.
They changed into new clothes and washed themselves clean. When asked, they found out that their parents took them to the bathhouse in town to wash. Yang Mingyuan even boasted that he could grow strawberries with a basin of ashes from washing.
Xia Wu was amused by his description, and felt relieved when she saw that the two children were clean.
Yang Mingyuan proudly told her, "Sister, I gave all the money I earned working for you to my mother. They promised me that I would go out to work after the Lantern Festival."
Xia Wu was obviously stunned.
Yang Mingyue's eyes sparkled, "Sister, after the New Year, we'll come back to work for you. By then, we'll have saved a year's worth of money, and maybe we can let my parents stay at home for a month!"
The child, who is usually so sensible, seems to have become childish in order to stay with his parents for a longer period of time.
Xia Wu stroked their heads and comforted them earnestly: "Okay, you will definitely be able to save more money this year."
Mr. Yang Siye's family also came back on the 29th day of the lunar year. They cleaned all the places in the house that the elderly could not take care of. They took out the elderly's bedding and hung it in the yard to dry.
When Xia Wu passed by, he saw a young man standing on the roof of Yang Siye's house playing with his mobile phone. Later, when he passed by again, he saw the grandfather and grandson sitting at the door basking in the sun. Yang Siye asked them all kinds of questions, but the young man was still playing with his mobile phone and answered casually.
It was a lonely winter day. She aimed her camera at Mr. Yang Si, wanting to take some festive photos of him during the New Year. Mr. Yang Si went back to his house to change into his best clothes, and stood in front of the white wall, smiling so hard that his teeth were showing.
"Fourth Master, look at the camera, yes, smile like that."
Mr. Yang Siye's grandson is called Yang Shuhua. After seeing Xia Wu, he finally put down his phone and started asking questions.
Xia Wu smiled and said, "I've just returned to the village. The Fourth Master has been taking good care of me. I just happened to be free recently and wanted to take some videos for the New Year. I hope I won't disturb you guys."
She is good-looking and has a kind attitude. Almost no one will refuse her among the opposite sex of the same age.
Yang Shuhua was flattered: "Don't bother me, don't bother me, what are you filming?"
Xia Wu waved her phone. Yang Hongwen was still filming the empty space. She sighed, "I want to make a video about left-behind children and the elderly. You guys are usually working outside, and the Fourth Master is quite lonely. I've never seen him smile so happily."
Yang Shuhua obviously didn't hear the hidden meaning in Xia Wu's words, and said in surprise: "When I was a child, my parents went out to work, and I was also a left-behind child. Maybe I can give you some advice."
Xia Wu did not comment and interviewed him in a serious manner.
Ask him who took care of him when his parents were not at home when he was a child, ask him how often he contacts his family after going to college, how often he goes home after work, and what it is like to work outside.
These were all what Fourth Master Yang wanted to ask, but unfortunately, when he asked, his grandson was not very willing to answer.
If it was Xia Wu, Yang Shuhua would be much more enthusiastic in answering.
The left-behind victims gradually become the left-behind perpetrators when they grow up, but they turn a blind eye to the harm that their actions may cause.
Xia Wu seemed to be thinking, being left behind is not just about the pain of missing someone day and night for several years, but also about indifference. Children who are left in their hometown to grow up will become even more indifferent because of the lack of emotions.
But none of them realized it.
Fourth Master Yang didn't think there was anything wrong with his children and grandchildren only coming back for a few days throughout the year. In the minds of the older generation, living was more important than anything else. How could one live without making money?
But the younger generation should not be like this, after all, they are the victims who are left behind.
Xia Wu interacted with many people in the village. She took Yang Hongwen to visit and photograph many families, with the theme of left-behind children.
During the Chinese New Year period, express delivery services stopped and profitable businesses also stopped.
Xia Wu focused on filming the video. She filmed the lively New Year's Eve dinner at home, the occasional visit with relatives, Yang Mingyue and her brother spending money to keep their parents, and Yang Shuhua's indifference towards the Fourth Master...
The video was taken on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year. Most of the migrant workers who returned to the village could not wait until the end of the Lantern Festival. The crying of children could be heard one after another at the entrance of the village. The old man hunched his body, his eyes following the fully loaded bus that was leaving, and he refused to look away for a long time.
Xia Wu’s new long video is out.
The title is "Left Behind - The Sorrow of Separation"
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Li Yun also left his hometown and went to the train station to check his ticket, carrying large and small bags.
There is no high-speed rail in her hometown, and if she wants to take the high-speed rail, she needs to take a two-hour train to the next city for transfer.
The green train was packed with people. By the time she finally found her seat, she was sweating all over. After finally sitting down, there were people standing around her, trapping her in the seat. She couldn't even take out her cell phone.
The phone made a special alert sound, which was the video update reminder she set specifically for Xia Xia.
Or can't you wait until you get off the train?
But Li Yun couldn't wait any longer. The mixed smells in the carriage assaulted her cerebral cortex. The irritation of leaving, coupled with the hardship of the crowded carriage...
She desperately wanted to watch Xia Xia's video to distract herself.
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