Meng Yiming said to Erni, "When I'm not at home, you can come to our house for dinner. Just be careful and don't let my parents find out."
Erni has grown a lot taller than before and has gained some weight. She is no longer as skinny as before.
She squatted on the ground, chewing a steamed bun, looking at him eagerly and saying, "Brother, study hard."
After more than a year of education under Meng Yiming's guidance, Erni already knew what reading was and that only by reading could one become a useful person.
Erni's clothes have short sleeves that only reach her arms, and she has a very special birthmark on her right wrist.
Every time Meng Yiming saw this birthmark, he would unconsciously take a second look at it.
It was a brown crescent-shaped birthmark about one centimeter in size, with two brown moles on each side of the crescent, like a crescent moon in the sky with two stars beside it.
Meng Yiming waved to her, "Come and sit next to me."
Meng Yiming suddenly had an idea and took out a pen. "Stretch out your right hand and I'll draw a picture for you."
Meng Yiming took a blue pen and drew a picture based on the birthmark.
There is a half moon and two stars in the sky, high mountains in the distance, a meadow nearby, two rabbits on the meadow, and a little girl with braids is running happily on the meadow.
Erni stared at the painting on her wrist, blankly, as if she had merged into the painting.
After a long while, she raised her head. The moonlight in the painting seemed to be reflected in her eyes, and her eyeballs were shining.
"Brother, what you drew is me." She used an affirmative sentence.
Meng Yiming said: "Well, I hope you are happy and happy."
Erni liked this painting very much. She raised her arm, reluctant to touch it, and smiled happily.
At that moment, she should have felt joy and happiness.
After Meng Yiming entered high school, he met a very good and friendly head teacher, a man about the same age as his father.
Maybe it was because he was locked up in school every day and couldn't skip classes, or maybe it was because he wanted to perform well in front of the head teacher, but he suddenly became interested in learning, and his parents were very pleased.
However, Meng Yiming's mother still found out that Erni came to their house for dinner.
Some nosy neighbor told his mother that they saw the nanny's daughter coming to his house every afternoon, and sometimes she would hide one or two steamed buns and take them back.
However, Meng Yiming's mother did not make it public.
The main reason was that Meng Yiming's father would be transferred from Wucheng to another city soon, and they didn't want to go through the trouble of finding a new nanny, so they just had to make do with this one for a while.
It was late November and already quite cold.
Meng Yiming paused while eating, "Are our whole family leaving here?"
His family has moved away, what will Erni eat in the future?
The mother said, "Yes, we don't know where we're going yet, but we'll be there soon."
Meng Yiming thought for half a minute and said, "I don't want to move, I want to study here!"
My mother said, "Don't mess with me. Can't you study anywhere?!"
In the more than two months since the start of school, Meng Yiming has only seen Erni a few times, both times at the corner of the wall at the intersection.
Because every Saturday when he returned home, his mother was already at home, and when he returned to school on Sunday afternoon, his mother was still at home, so Erni didn't dare to come.
Another week passed and Meng Yiming returned home from school.
His mother happily told him, "Your father's appointment has been decided. He will go to Wencheng."
Meng Yiming went to Wencheng with his father a few years ago, and the bus ride took a day and a night.
My mother added, "This month will be very busy. I have to hand over my work, visit relatives and friends, and handle your school transfer procedures."
In other words, they will leave here by the end of December at the latest.
He may never see Erni again.
It wasn't that Meng Yiming couldn't bear to part with Erni, but rather that he felt pity for her. He was worried that Erni wouldn't have enough food or clothes to eat, and would be beaten. Also, out of responsibility, he promised Erni that he would marry her.
Meng Yiming poured all the candy in the candy jar into his schoolbag and went to Erni's house with the schoolbag on his back.
The last time Meng Yiming saw Erni was in autumn. She was wearing her own tattered clothes. It was winter when he saw her this time.
Erni wore the clothes he gave her. She had grown a little, and the clothes were no longer as loose as they were last year.
Erni was barefoot again, chewing a dried corn stalk in her hand.
Erni saw him, and she was delighted. She ran over and asked, "Brother, why are you here?"
"Why aren't you wearing shoes again?"
"The shoes are rotten."
Meng Yiming: “…” If it’s broken, can’t you weave a new pair?!
However, he knew that it was useless to say these words unless Erni made them up herself.
Meng Yiming took out a candy from his bag and gave it to her. Erni happily held the candy in her mouth.
The two sat on the edge of the field, and Meng Yiming said, "Erni, my family is moving, but I will do what I promised you. Wait for me, wait until you are eighteen, and then I will come to find you."
Erni was immersed in the joy of eating candy and asked happily, "Where are you moving to, brother?"
"It's very far away." Meng Yiming added, "Maybe you don't need to wait until you are eighteen. When I can earn money on my own, I will come to pick you up and give you food and clothes."
Erni happily agreed.
Meng Yiming gave all the candies in his schoolbag to Erni and told her, "Find a place to hide them and don't let your family find them."
Erni held the candy in her little hands, her dirty little face, her big eyes curved, and her mouth was wide open smiling, like the happiest person in the world.
Meng Yiming said, "It's getting dark. I have to go back. I'll see you next week."
Before leaving, Meng Yiming told her, "Wait for me here every Saturday from now on."
The next week came again. Meng Yiming went to the store to buy a pair of cloth shoes, and came to see Erni without going home.
Erni was already sitting by the edge of the field waiting for him.
Meng Yiming took out a pair of shoes from his schoolbag and said, "I bought you a pair of shoes, put them on."
Erni looked at the shoes, her eyes widened. She put them on with surprise and joy, "So warm!"
The shoes are too big, leaving a lot of space at the back.
Meng Yiming said: "I think I can still wear it next year."
"Brother, you are so nice!"
Meng Yiming took out more than ten yuan from his schoolbag. This was the New Year's money and pocket money he had saved since he was a child.
"Hide this money well, don't tell anyone, and don't use it unless absolutely necessary!"
Erni seemed to understand, "Brother, you won't come to see me anymore?"
Meng Yiming said honestly: "I haven't come here in the past few years. I will come to see you when you grow up."
"What if you can't recognize me then?"
Meng Yiming said, "How could I not recognize you? As soon as I saw your wrist, I knew it was you!"
Erni held out her hand again, "Brother, draw another one, the same as last time."
Meng Yiming drew it for her again.
At that time, Erni might have felt that the happiness of the girl in the painting represented her own happiness.
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