"Ye Zi! You caught all these!?" Mother Sun looked at the fish in the bucket, then looked at Sun Ye who was wading towards the shore with another fish in her hand. She was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth.
Sun Ye put the fish into the bucket. With a "splash", the fish joined the group and repeated the actions of its predecessors, with its tail jumping up and down.
Sun Ye nodded, then looked down at his clothes that had been soaked by fish scales. They were covered in mud and sand, and still gave off an intoxicating fishy smell.
His nose wrinkled uncomfortably, and he stretched out his fingers to gently pinch the corner of his clothes. It was wet and sticking to his body, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Fortunately, it is summer now, so I don’t have to worry about getting a fever or a cold even if it gets wet. On the contrary, it will be cooler. It’s just a little dirty.
It seems I have to take another bath when I get home, Sun Ye thought to himself.
"Mom, is this enough fish to eat?"
"Enough! Enough! Enough!" Sun's mother said "enough" three times in a row. She added, "Usually your father and his family couldn't find many fish here. They said there were no fish and they were very smart. But as soon as you came, it was like the river was full of fish. There were more fish than we could pick up."
Sun Ye smiled and made no reply to what his mother said. As for his two brothers and his father, they looked at each other innocently and thought silently in their hearts that this fish was really a spirit and they were not wrong in the first place.
"Cook the fish tomorrow and keep them in the tank tonight. You won't be able to finish all of them in a short time. It would be a pity to let them die. Send some to your grandparents, your fourth aunt's family, one for your eldest brother and his wife... and one for your second brother and his wife as well..."
Mother Sun was muttering to herself, feeling somewhat reluctant to send the gift to her second sister-in-law's house. The main reason was that her second sister-in-law was too narrow-minded and always wanted to compete with her in everything.
Sun's mother divided up half the bucket of fish in a few words, leaving four for herself, enough to eat.
Sun Ye caught a lot of fish. She had no objection to Sun Ma's decision. There were still some fish in the river anyway. If she wanted to eat some, she could catch one or two at night when no one was around.
The bucket was carried by Sun's father, and the two brothers guarded it diligently, for fear that the fish in the bucket would jump out.
The fish was placed in a larger tank and filled with water. Although it did not swim as freely as in the river, it was much more comfortable than in the narrow bucket. It was not as good as the best, but better than the worst.
As soon as Sun Ye came back, his mother urged him to change clothes and take a shower.
After taking two showers, Sun Ye looked at the empty yard and heard the sound of the radio in the main room. The radio was the one given by the teacher. It had been well maintained by Sun's father over the years. It was polished to a shine without a speck of dust. He couldn't help but smile.
I went to look at the happily swimming fish, and I was already imagining the fish meat that would be served on the table tomorrow. The more I looked, the happier I felt, and my eyes were filled with bright light.
In the main room, Dad Sun was leaning back in a chair, listening to the music coming from the radio. He placed one hand on the armrest and tapped rhythmically with his eyes closed.
He looks like he's enjoying knocking!
Sun Lin was fiddling with the calculator that Sun Ye gave him, working hard on it.
Sun Sen was holding a book in his hand, frowning and stretching his lips from time to time, muttering to himself.
Mother Sun sat on a small stool, threading the needle and sewing the torn clothes that Father Sun had worn out from work, carefully and densely.
Under the soft light, Sun Ye looked at the scene in front of him, and his heart softened unconsciously. This was probably the most beautiful scene in the world.
"Mom, you're sewing. Can I help you with some?"
Sun Ye walked in and sat next to his mother. The clothes in the basket had not been sewn yet, so he started to sort them out.
"That's fine. The needle and thread are all in the basket. Find them yourself."
Mother Sun glanced at Sun Ye, wiped the needle on her hair, and continued to sew clothes.
Apart from cooking, which was a little difficult for Sun Ye to accept, he could do other chores well, and sewing clothes was no problem at all.
The family members were each doing their own work, chatting with each other from time to time.
The wind blew outside the house, blowing in gusts, and the peach tree in the yard swayed from side to side.
The bright moon hangs high in the night sky. There is not a single star in the night sky. Only a few clouds are left to keep the bright moon company, making it seem less lonely.
No words were spoken that night.
Sun Ye's work today was the same as yesterday's. Day after day, he could know what to do and when to do it tomorrow with his eyes closed.
The only thing worth remembering was dinner.
The fish cooked by Sun's mother was very delicious. She made two crucian carp soup, one was fried and the other was made into soup. The crucian carp soup was white with chopped green onions floating on it. The fish soup that hit Sun Ye's face made her unable to blink, and it held her attention firmly.
“Dinner is ready!”
"Senzi, go to the old house and ask your dad to come home for dinner. There's no one left to send fish to..."
Sun's mother was still stir-frying a dish of Chinese cabbage. She sprinkled some red chilies into it and casually scooped on a few more spoonfuls. When she felt it was almost done, she served it on a plate.
Sun Ye watched at the door and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it was obviously quite simple, but why did she make it so hard to swallow, even a dog wouldn't eat it.
Corn rice with a little rice mixed in it, and the rice was added to go with the specially cooked fish. I also steamed a pot of sweet potatoes. Although I couldn't eat rice freely, I could have the freedom to eat my fill.
The surface of the fried fish was a little burnt, and the green onions, dried chilies and coriander were sprinkled on the surface of the fish. Sun Ye almost drooled at the sight of it.
"Why haven't Dad and Second Brother come back yet?"
Sun Ye served the meal and kept looking out the door. Seeing that there was no one on the road, he muttered to himself:
"Could it be that they ate at the old house?"
Fortunately, not long after, two figures appeared in the afterglow of the sunset. With Sun Ye's eyesight, he could still see that there was a person in front pulling the other person behind and walking very fast.
"Slow down, slow down."
Dad Sun was being pulled by Sun Lin. He was a little out of breath, but he couldn't stop. It was all thanks to Sun Lin that he was being pulled.
"Dad, walk faster. You're the one who said: If you don't eat actively, there's something wrong with your brain."
"Mom cooked fish today. I smelled the delicious aroma while I was cooking. If I don't leave quickly, it will be eaten up."
"Hey, still smelling it? I guess it's time to eat..."
"I ate a small piece."
"No wonder you were so eager to pull me along."
“…”
"Dad, it's time for dinner." Sun Ye shouted loudly at the door, and it was visibly seen that the two of them had increased their speed a lot.
"Let's eat."
The family was ready to go. The familiar eating rhythm made Sun Ye relax his mind. He held the chopsticks tightly and aimed at the target fish piece.
Mother Sun tapped the bowl in her hand lightly, and the whole family seemed to have received a mysterious attack signal, with chopsticks flying towards the target position they liked.
Well, the fried fish is fried on the outside and tender on the inside. Take a bite and it is fresh and tender, without any fishy smell at all. Even the green onions and coriander used for decoration on the outside are so delicious that you want to swallow your tongue.
At the dinner table, the only sound was the clinking of dishes and chopsticks, without a single sound of talking. It was obvious that everyone was so immersed in the delicious food that they were unwilling to say any unnecessary nonsense, for fear that they would lose a bit of their meal due to talking.
Before the meal ended, everyone enjoyed a bowl of delicious fish soup and felt that this was the most beautiful life.
After the meal, Sun Ye washed the dishes and sat down beside the stone table. She looked up at the green leaves on the tree, with a few pink peaches mixed in. If she wasn't so full, she might have gotten two peaches to eat. Fruit is also a good thing after the meal.
In summer, the days are long and the nights are short. It was already past six o'clock after dinner, but it was still bright outside and it wouldn't be dark for a while.
After dinner, Dad Sun went to visit his neighbors early, while Sun Lin called all his cousins to come home and show everyone his precious computer. The second eldest brother Sun Sen buried his head in books and ignored the noise outside.
All in all, Sun Ye was the only idler left, leaning back leisurely and enjoying the rare peaceful time.
The days passed one by one, and life remained unchanged. Every day, there were only two places to go: home and the fields. As for going to the market, Sun Ye thought there was nothing to buy. The blazing sun outside discouraged him from going to the market.
In a blink of an eye, the day of leaving home came. Sun Ye stood at the door. It seemed as if he had just returned home yesterday and was leaving today.
There were two of us setting off this time, including my eldest brother, who was going to a university in the provincial capital, so it was convenient for him.
Another wave of farewell was inevitable. Although Sun Ye had experienced it once, he still couldn't bear the sadness in his heart. He turned away, lowered his head, and while Sun's mother was instructing his eldest brother, he quickly rubbed his sore eyes.
Facing the rising sun, Sun Ye and Sun Sen rode in a ox cart and drove away from the brigade little by little.
"Little sister, what is the provincial capital like? Will I look listless if I go there wearing this outfit?"
Brother Sun, who had just left home, seemed a little reserved and uncontrollably excited and nervous about going on a long journey. Along the way, he was either adjusting his clothes or looking into the distance.
"The provincial capital is much better than our town. Unfortunately, I've only been to the train station. It's huge, with so many cars..."
Sun Ye talked a lot, and was rarely troubled by the packages piled in front of him.
A large bag of dried wild vegetables and other things was prepared for the teachers. Although it was not worth much money, it was at least a token of thought. Mother Sun made this specially because she heard that the teachers missed the dried wild vegetables from the brigade, and she spent a lot of effort on it.
I thought I could go back quietly, but it was a lot of effort to squeeze onto the train, not to mention carrying such a big bag.
Sitting on the bus, Sun Ye frowned. The smell in the car was as unbearable as ever. It was somewhat better with the windows open, at least there was a little bit of fresh air to relieve the heat.
However, when she looked at her older brother who was jumping around beside her, she felt a little ashamed of herself.
The dizzying bus trip stopped halfway because the bus broke down and it would take more than an hour or two to repair it.
Sun Ye got out of the car and looked at the deserted driveway. Mountains rose and fell, as if there was no end in sight.
I couldn't help but feel lucky that I listened to Sun's mother and left early. If I had left right before school started, I would have been late.
"Little sister, come here." Sun Sen saw the little sister next to him pulling off her veil as she got out of the car, which immediately attracted a lot of people's attention, so he immediately called her to his side.
"Huh? Oh."
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