Chapter 172 The Boy’s Choice
Hongdou was so happy to see Bai Nansheng that she cried and called him "Second Uncle"...
Bai Nansheng twisted the bastard's wrist and dislocated it. He couldn't stop the situation immediately, so he asked other passengers to call the train police to come and deal with the matter.
The bastard naturally denied it all the time, but in the end, he was dragged off the bus by the conductor.
Bai Nansheng took Hongdou to the dining car and bought a bowl of noodle soup for two dollars. Only then did the uncle and nephew have a seat.
Hongdou exclaimed, "A bowl of noodle soup costs two yuan! In our compound cafeteria, it's only 15 cents a bowl!"
Bai Nansheng frowned, "Then why don't you go back and stand?"
Hongdou stuck out her tongue and dared not say a word.
After a while, she couldn't help asking Bai Nansheng, "Second Uncle, which station did you get on the bus? Did you see me early in the morning? Did you see that old woman snatch my seat and bully me? Or did you see that child snatch my braised eggs and chicken feet?"
"Uncle, where are you going on a business trip?"
"Uncle, you haven't changed at all! That's why I recognized you right away!"
"Uncle, you've been away from home for so long, how did you recognize me?"
"Uncle, what a coincidence this time! I just went out and encountered something, and then I met you! I am so lucky!"
Red beans chirp like a happy little sparrow.
Bai Nansheng stared at his niece and looked her up and down. "Hmm! Isn't it such a coincidence?"
Ah this,
Anko tilted her head and bit her lower lip.
She was smart, she heard the teasing in her uncle's tone, and then made a bold guess, "Uncle, could it be that my mother asked you to come?"
Bai Nansheng, "What do you think?"
Anko understood.
She felt ashamed and a little sad.
Since I decided to go on a long journey alone to take a walk and see...
She was extremely excited.
I didn't expect that I would encounter so many bad things just after leaving home and on the train. It really proves the old saying - everything is good at home, but it is difficult to be away from home for a day.
Fortunately, the elders in the family had foreseen this and even called back my second uncle who was thousands of miles away.
Thinking of this, Hongdou felt a little uneasy and said awkwardly, "Second Uncle, thank you... Fortunately, you are here."
Bai Nansheng smiled, "You are quite capable, little girl! However, you still lack social experience. It's okay, you will get used to it if you go out more often in the future, but it's more reassuring to have someone accompany you."
Seeing that Hongdou was a little embarrassed, he comforted the little girl, "In today's world, it is really difficult for single girls to go out... Just like your fourth aunt, she didn't go out much for two or three years because she had a child. But in the future, she will travel back and forth between Kyoto and the northwest every year, but she will definitely not go alone, either with your uncle or with her colleagues..."
Hongdou asked Bai Nansheng again, "Second Uncle, when did you get home? Have you seen my grandparents and my parents?"
Bai Nansheng, "The night before yesterday!"
Hongdou understood, "So! You all kept it a secret from me..."
Bai Nansheng, "Then tell me about the things you encountered today. Do you want a helper? Or do you think you are fine alone?"
red beans:……
She was silent for a long time, and finally figured it out, "Second Uncle, thank you!"
Bai Nansheng smiled.
He originally wanted to tell Hongdou that he had seen Fan Heng at the train station.
To be honest, Bai Nansheng doesn't want Hongdou and Fan Heng to be together.
——Because he could tell from the boy’s eyes that Fan Heng was a desperado!
This type of person has strong explosive power and tends to go to extremes.
Bai Nansheng himself is such a person, so he knows very well that he and Fan Heng both desperately desire the warmth of family, but he is definitely not a man who is content with a dull life and is willing to live a routine life at home.
Hongdou is young, and the adult men she usually comes into contact with are family members, but every man in the family is very responsible to the family. To Hongdou, Fan Heng had a special, mysterious aura that she had never encountered before. And Fan Heng's desire for family is what Hongdou likes and is willing to give for.
Therefore, Bai Nansheng hopes that Hongdou can find a boy who is responsible for the family as a partner.
If Hongdou's partner is Fan Heng, she will have to pay a huge price, and... there is a possibility that she will not get any rewards in her family or marriage!
However, Bai Nansheng did not tell Hongdou this.
His own marriage was a failure, so he has no right to criticize others.
In the following journey, Hongdou and Bai Nansheng made three rules:
First, the uncle and nephew should not talk or contact each other unless necessary when taking public transportation such as trains and cars. Even if they are in the same car, they can talk to each other when they are resting in a guesthouse.
Second, the uncle and nephew spend their own money, and the second uncle cannot control how she spends it!
Third, she has the final say on which city to go to first, where to go shopping, and what to do.
Of course Bai Nansheng had no objection.
But this kind of day only lasted one day...
Hongdou regretted it.
The main thing is that it’s so difficult to find a car!
Another thing is that she thinks her second uncle is so amazing. He told her not to contact him when he was on the road, but he really didn't contact her at all and he also hid his tracks. There were several times when she thought her second uncle was lost, and she cried and looked for him everywhere. In the end, her second uncle couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to stand up and ask her what was wrong...
Hongdou was very ashamed.
Then she asked her second uncle to arrange the itinerary.
Then, Hongdou turned into a happy little sparrow.
——While on the road, she chattered on and on about everything that had happened at home over the years when her second uncle was not at home, telling her second uncle every single detail.
——After arriving in the city, she went shopping with her second uncle, and her second uncle paid for whatever she wanted to eat or buy.
——Eat well during the day and sleep soundly in the guesthouse at night. Sometimes my second uncle would knock on the door and call her to get up and catch the bus, but she would not respond...
For Bai Nansheng, he was also very happy during the days he spent with Hongdou.
Hongdou is smart. When chatting with him, she will not only talk about everyone in the family, but also subconsciously talk more about him.
So he found out...it turned out that his family members were not like he had imagined, because his long absence had caused their feelings towards him to fade.
It turned out that his father Bai Zhenggan had an iron box. Every time he received his salary, Bai Zhenggan would put a banknote in it. Every year during the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as Bai Nansheng’s birthday, Bai Zhenggan would put another banknote in it.
Hongdou only knew about this from her grandmother Tang Liren - her family had previously bought a shabby house for Bai Nansheng, which was later converted into a convenience store, and is now slowly getting better. The grandparents discussed that they should treat everyone equally, and if the second child has a house, the eldest child should also have one. But my grandparents didn’t have enough money. Later, my grandmother saw a yard she liked and wanted to buy it, but she didn’t have enough money, so she asked my grandfather for money.
Grandpa said I have no money.
Grandma asked if you saved a tin box of money for the second child?
Grandpa said, didn’t you also say that the money was given by me to the second son?
Grandma said, I’ll return it to you later!
In short, grandparents later bought a villa with a yard for the eldest daughter. But Hongdou didn't know whether they had ever used the money in the box.
Bai Nansheng also heard from Hongdou that the house with a yard that his family bought for him had been rented out to a convenience store, but his family still lived in the top three floors. Tang Liren would go over to clean the house every two days. She would always put some roasted pecans there, saying that was Nansheng's favorite.
She also washed the old clothes that Bai Nansheng had thrown there once a month, ready for Nansheng to wear as soon as he came back...
But her second uncle never came back, so Tang Liren had no choice but to sit on the third-floor terrace after cleaning the room and eat the pecans she had brought last time.
Hearing this, Bai Nansheng's eyes turned red.
——He went back in a hurry that day and indeed saw that the room had been cleaned thoroughly. The closet was filled with his washed, soapy clothes; on the table was a plate filled with roasted walnuts, fresh and crispy.
It turned out that his parents had always missed him.
Even though he had been gone for a long time, even though he was already in his thirties... he was no longer a child.
His brothers and sisters also think about him all the time. Especially the two married sisters, no matter what good things they had, they would always bring them home and would never forget him.
No wonder he always receives strange things from home every now and then...
Along the way, Hongdou chattered about her family's affairs to Bai Nansheng...
About four or five days later, the uncle and nephew finally arrived at Nanling Island.
Taotao's college classmate Sun Ximei hired a tricycle rider to hold up a sign at the train station, picked up Hongdou and Nansheng, and then took them to Sun Ximei's home on the tricycle.
Sun Ximei is married and has children. She originally wanted to arrange for Hongdou and Bai Nansheng to live in her house...but her house also has two bedrooms and a living room. She and her husband and children live in one room, and her parents-in-law live in another room.
So Bai Nansheng and Hongdou declined, just had a meal at her house, and then went to the guesthouse to book two rooms to stay in.
Sun Ximei sent her thirteen-year-old nephew to take Bai Nansheng and Hongdou around the neighborhood for two days.
After they got to know each other, they started to travel around the area on their own.
Nanling Island is a very beautiful place.
But it is just an island.
Before this, Hongdou had never seen the sea. Now seeing such a magnificent scenery with her own eyes, she couldn't help but be amazed.
Hongdou and Bai Nansheng also followed the fishermen to fish in the coastal waters; followed the fishermen’s wives to repair the fishing nets; followed the children of the small fishing village to go fishing; and watched the fishing boats in the distance with the wives of the village under the lighthouse... They also saw many strange sea fish, conchs, shells and so on...
Hongdou lived on Nanling Island for a whole month.
She misses home.
So Bai Nansheng bought a lot of gifts for Sun Ximei to thank her for her care.
Then the uncle and nephew bought a lot of seafood and went to the train station to check in the goods. Then they said goodbye to Sun Ximei. They traveled light and went to the cities that Taotao pointed out. After swiping their cards and sending postcards, they returned home together.
Along the way, Hongdou and Second Uncle had become very familiar with each other. She no longer avoided Second Uncle and kept thinking about him.
"Uncle, where is Fan Heng now?"
"Fan Heng went to the Great Northwest... The scenery of the Great Northwest must be no worse than that of the seaside. It must be a place with high skies and low clouds! I really want to go and see it!"
"Uncle, which do you think is more beautiful, the sea or the beach?"
"Uncle, it would be great if we could go on a trip together as a family! And let Fan Heng come along too!"
"I've been out for so long, Fan Heng should have returned home by now, right?"
Bai Nansheng declined to comment.
He and Fan Heng are the same kind of people, so he is certain that Fan Heng will not come back.
Maybe he didn’t go to the Northwest at all!
It took the uncle and nephew two days and three train changes to get home.
The Bai family was so happy to see Hongdou return safely!
Hongdou had been away from home for over a month and missed her family very much... In addition, she was able to relax while talking to her second uncle about her family and family matters along the way, and the depression in her heart had long since disappeared.
Seeing her elders and family members, Hongdou smiled with joy.
When the family saw Hongdou become lively and cute again, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and thought Taotao's method was really effective!
However, Bai Nansheng only has a few days left of vacation, and Song Zhi will be going abroad again next month. In the next two years, it is unlikely that the family will be reunited.
So Taotao called Lili, and during the days when they were waiting for Lili to come back from Beijing with the children, the family ate and drank to their heart's content, and even, at Taotao's suggestion, found a small hillside by the river in the nearby barren mountains and had a picnic...
A few days later, Lili arrived with the children, and Howard, who was on a business trip, also hurried over. The whole family had a reunion dinner, and then went to the photo studio to take family photos, as well as individual photos of each family member, brothers and sisters, according to seniority, and each room...
In the end, everyone in the room got a full photo album!
Howard was a busy man and left the next day.
A day later, Bai Nansheng also set off amid Tang Liren's tears and returned to accompany the team.
Hongdou couldn't help herself and ran to ask Taotao, "Fourth Aunt, is there any news about Fan Heng?"
"Yes, I have!"
Taotao showed Hongdou the postcard sent back by Fan Heng.
Hongdou looked at them one by one and said with a smile: "Fourth Aunt, why are the postcards he sent back so beautiful? Hey, these stamps are also beautiful. Are they the stamps for philately that he bought at the post office? This guy is so funny! These stamps are not suitable for collection after being postmarked..."
"Wow, this is the postmark of Tianqu City, and this is... the postmark of Lan Qun, huh? How come the dates on the postmarks are only one day apart? Oh my god, is he in a hurry? Why doesn't he stop and enjoy the scenery... Oh, I was so lazy when I went to Nanling Island, I slept until ten in the morning every day!"
"Why is there a postmark of Lanfang City? As I recall... Fourth Aunt, you didn't seem to let him go to Lanfang City? Then what was he doing there?"
Later within a week, Fan Heng sent back another postcard.
Taotao gave it to Hongdou.
Hongdou took a look and saw that it was sent back from your city?
"What is he doing in Guicheng?" The girl was puzzled. "He has already checked in, why doesn't he just come back? And he doesn't have to go through Guicheng to come back, right?"
Three days later, after dinner, the whole family sat in the living room to watch the 7 o'clock news broadcast.
"...the broad masses of the people, under the leadership of..., hold high the banner, build socialist modernization, and persist in internal reform and external opening up..."
"Good evening, dear audience! According to our reporter, today... Comrade, accompanied by Comrades XX, XX and others, visited Shenzhen... and decided to build the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone..."
Xing Xing stared at the screen of her black and white TV, lost in thought, and murmured, "The new era has finally arrived!"
Taotao, "What are you talking about! Hurry up and pass me some roasted melon seeds..."
Xingxing was still staring at the TV, as if she didn't hear Taotao's words, and her expression seemed to be both happy and sad.
Seeing that her younger aunt didn't react, Hongdou quickly took the small box of roasted melon seeds and handed it to her fourth aunt.
Taotao praised: "Our Hongdou is still so well-behaved!" As she said that, she grabbed a handful of roasted melon seeds and stuffed them into Hongdou's hand.
Hongdou was cracking melon seeds with Fourth Aunt with a smile on her face.
Sudden--
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Someone knocked on the door. "Secretary Bai? Is Director Tang home?"
Huang Dou ran over to open the door, and came back soon with newspapers and letters in his hands. "Grandpa and grandma, it's Grandma Zhao from the next door. She said she came back from a walk and went to the transmission room to get her newspaper. She also helped to bring our newspapers and letters over."
Bai Zhenggan, "There should be my Banyuetan! Bring it to me quickly."
Bai Dongsheng also said, "Is there any in Economic Weekly? It should be here soon... Is there any? Give it to me."
Green Bean and Potato kept shouting, "Storytelling! Is there a storytelling session?"
The whole family happily distributed newspapers, magazines and letters.
Taotao received a thick letter. The handwriting on the envelope was obviously from Fan Heng, but the postmark... was actually sent from Shenzhen a week ago?
Taotao fell into deep thought.
——The turbulent era has come to an end, and the superiors have begun to carry out reform and opening up. The slogan is "Let some people get rich first, and then drive others to get rich." Shenzhen was originally a small fishing village. Because it is close to the port city, it will be used as an experimental city for reform and opening up and will be at the forefront of reform and opening up.
But what was Fan Heng doing in Shenzhen?
Taotao opened the envelope.
Inside was a thick letter and a photo of him.
The letter was written to Hongdou.
Taotao glanced at it briefly and handed it to Hongdou.
Hongdou didn't notice the letter at first, as she was reading the newly arrived story with great interest.
Seeing Taotao handing over a stack of letter paper, Hongdou took a look and immediately handed the story to her younger brothers. She took the letter paper handed over by Taotao and read it carefully.
Hongdou's face gradually turned pale.
turn out to be--
Before leaving Song City, Fan Heng never thought about going back.
He has made up his mind to break up with Hongdou.
This decision was made on the night Taotao invited him to the Bai family for dinner.
If the Bai family were not so loving to each other, perhaps he could still be at ease with Hongdou. However, after seeing how the Bai family got along with each other, he asked himself… No matter what, it was impossible for him to devote all his love to his family and his lover like the Bai family did.
He wants to wander around and make the world his home. This is not him being cool, but he... really thinks so.
If Hongdou wants to be with him, does she have to wander with him for the rest of her life?
But Hongdou was well taken care of by her family. She was the only girl in the Bai family's generation, and everyone loved her.
She is a princess in an ivory tower, she shouldn't be wandering around with him, sleeping in the open air!
Fan Heng thought seriously again - could he stay and be an honest man for Hongdou, and from then on be trapped in the trivial matters of firewood, rice, oil and salt for three meals a day and to earn money to buy a house with a yard?
cannot.
That……
Fan Heng was in great pain.
After leaving the juvenile detention center, he accidentally met the beautiful, kind and lovely Hongdou. It was she who fell in love with him first... and confessed her love to him openly.
Fan Heng couldn't believe it at all. How could the daughter of a high-ranking official like a poor boy like him who had been in prison?
But the fact is - Hongdou has been insisting in order to be with him and to be recognized by her family. At the same time, she has been encouraging him and even teaching him personally, hoping that he can change his destiny by passing the college entrance examination.
How could he not love such a kind and positive girl?
He loves red beans very much.
But what has he done for Hongdou?
There was nothing he could do.
He is just a poor boy.
Fan Heng has already begun to think about quitting.
But he didn't know how to tell Hongdou.
In this pure and beautiful love story, Hongdou is a brave warrior who overcomes all obstacles, while he is a complete rickety coward!
He is not worthy of Hongdou, even...
He felt that his existence and his relationship with Hongdou would make Hongdou no longer perfect!
So when Hongdou's fourth aunt suggested that he and Hongdou go out and travel separately, Fan Heng had already made the decision.
——Take the opportunity to go out alone and calm down.
Everything is up to you.
He first went to Kyoto as Taotao requested. After visiting all the scenic spots, he went to Professor Fu to get the books, hurried to the Northwest, and personally handed the textbooks and registration forms to Jiang Hongzhi.
Next, he followed Taotao's instructions and traveled around several cities in the Northwest to complete the check-in task.
During this period of busy and hectic days, Fan Heng found that his life was extremely fulfilling and exciting. Even if he often has to endure hunger, even if he encounters people with ulterior motives and needs to fight with them with his wits and courage...
He even often thought of Hongdou, imagining that she lived in a beautiful house with bright and beautiful flowers blooming in the yard; she took good care of the family, washed his clothes cleanly, and cooked delicious meals for him...
In comparison, Fan Heng still prefers the present...
A wonderful experience that belongs only to him.
After completing the check-in task assigned by Taotao, Fan Heng had no destination.
When he was watching TV in the waiting hall of the train station, he found that the TV was full of propaganda about "reform and opening up", "introducing foreign investment", "allowing some people to get rich first", "it doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat", "special economic zones"...
As if by some strange coincidence, he went to the deep city.
At that time, Shenzhen was still a small fishing village, and there was not even a train.
Fan Heng got off the train in Guangcheng and took a long-distance bus. After experiencing a series of accidents including selling piglets, robbery by bandits, and vehicle breakdown, he finally arrived in Shenzhen.
To his disappointment, Shencheng was even more dilapidated and poorer than Songshi!
However, it was also crowded with outsiders who came from all directions - like Fan Heng, they all heard from newspapers, news and radio stations that Shenzhen had become a special economic zone, and they all wanted to come here to see the situation and see if they could find some opportunities.
Fan Heng also hung out with these people, eating and living together.
Obviously, these people, like Fan Heng, were very disappointed when they saw the dilapidated and poor city of Shenzhen.
Some people who were quick-witted began to inquire.
Some people say that the port city, which is only separated from Shenzhen by a river, is rich and prosperous. Moreover, the rich in Hong Kong do not care about their origins, and there is gold and opportunities everywhere.
Many people were moved.
Ask again -
There are no formal customs clearance procedures now, so it is impossible to pass through openly.
Want to go back?
Then we can only jump into the sea and swim to the other side while it’s dark and no one is noticing!
Another way is to bring dry food and climb over the mountains and hills to cross the border. However, whether it is this side or that side...it is all primeval forest. No one knows whether there are man-eating beasts on the mountain, and it is impossible to tell the direction.
Fan Heng stayed here for a few days.
He watched helplessly as some people jumped into the sea or tried to swim across... Most of them were caught by the border armed police, and a few were missing. Some people took some dry food and went over the mountains and hills in another direction, and never came back. I don’t know if they got through safely. Or died in the mouth of a beast. And even more people returned to their hometowns sadly, feeling disappointed with Shenzhen.
Fan Heng was smart. Knowing that there were many outsiders where he was temporarily staying, he started a small business.
At first, I bought flour to make buns and steamed buns. I also tried going back to Guangcheng and buying a sack of defective products from underwear manufacturers, and then selling them to these outsiders... The business was actually quite good.
Later, someone came to him and said that someone had brought some small appliances and daily necessities from Hong Kong City. Seeing that he was eloquent, he wanted him to help sell them.
When Fan Heng left Song City, he had more than 200 yuan in his hand. During the past month, he had been away, and of course he also traded some local specialties, so the money he had remained at around 130 or 140 yuan.
After arriving in this dilapidated Shenzhen City, although others despised this shabby fishing village, Fan Heng had turned the money in his hand into 200 yuan in just a few days.
In the process, he met someone who knew everything about "crossing the harbor"...
Fan Heng thought for a long time and decided to go to Gangcheng to try his luck.
But Hongdou is still waiting for him to come back!
So Fan Heng spent three days and three nights suppressing himself, warning himself to go back after earning more money... to buy a house with a yard for Hongdou, to dress her up beautifully, to plant flowers in the yard, and to buy whatever she wanted...
But thinking about it this way, Fan Heng became even more eager to visit the wealthy and prosperous port city!
He hesitated for a long time and wrote a long letter to Hongdou, recording what he had seen and heard along the way.
At the end of the letter, he wrote in black and white:
"...I decided to go to the other side and take a look, to complete the last step of my dream. Dear Hongdou, when you receive this letter, I am not sure if I still exist. If you are lucky, I will be thinking of you at this moment. If you are unlucky, please forget me."
"Hongdou, Xiuxiu is illiterate and doesn't have many skills to make a living. If I leave again, her life will be very difficult. I'm sorry to bother you to take care of her again. I have already sent you 300 yuan. In addition to the 200 yuan I returned to you and Fourth Aunt, please give the remaining 100 yuan to her. At the same time, please tell her something for me - just think that your brother is dead! Only in this way, if we meet again in the future, we will have the joy of a new life."
"…I feel very sorry for making such a decision. In the final analysis, it may be because of my poverty, my self-esteem, or it may be because I am unwilling to accept the dull reality. My dear Hongdou, I wish you peace and happiness in your life, and never worry."
Signature: Fan Heng, who may never have a future.
Hongdou held the letter in her trembling hands and read it four or five times in a row...
She couldn't believe it was true!
The other people in the family had already learned the general content of the letter from Taotao, and they couldn't help but look at Hongdou with great pity.
Tan Fenghui sighed, "It is said that children from poor families grow up early! So Xiao Fan... knows exactly what he wants. He knows that he and Hongdou are not suitable, and he doesn't want to drag Hongdou down..."
Bai Dongsheng said softly: "Say less, the child is feeling very uncomfortable!"
Tang Liren whispered, "Xiao Fan is not from here. It seems that only he and his sister live here. Now that he is gone, his sister must have no one to take care of her. It should be a little girl about Hongdou's age. If we can help, let's help her!"
Tao Tao said: "I will go find Xiu Xiu tomorrow. You all have to go to work and I am free!"
Xing Xing, "I'll go with Fourth Sister!"
Tang Liren urged everyone to go and rest quickly.
Tan Fenghui was worried about Hongdou and stayed with her daughter all night.
Hongdou held the letter in her hand and stared at it until the early hours of the morning before she burst into tears, "Mom! He doesn't want me anymore! Wuuuu Fan Heng doesn't want me anymore..."
Tan Fenghui was extremely distressed. She hugged her daughter tightly in her arms, just like when Hongdou was severely concussed by Bai Zhenzhu and returned home from the hospital. At that time, Hongdou had lost some of her memory, but she always dreamed of the scene where Bai Zhenzhu threw her down, so she had nightmares at night!
Tan Fenghui held her in her arms all night long and coaxed her softly.
The same is true now.
"Hongdou, my good child..." Tan Fenghui whispered her daughter's name softly, stroking her daughter's back over and over again.
Mother’s embrace is so warm and her voice is so gentle. Hongdou was tired of crying in her mother's arms and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Taotao handed the children to Song Zhi's care, and she and Xingxing prepared to set out to find Fan Heng's sister Xiuxiu.
Hongdou insisted on going.
Looking at Hongdou, whose face was covered with tears and whose appearance was haggard, Taotao wanted to persuade her to have a good rest at home. But Hongdou insisted on going, and said that if Taotao and Xingxing didn't let her go, then she would go by herself.
Tan Fenghui also advised, "Taotao, just take Hongdou with you!"
Taotao no longer insisted, and went to find the Fan family with Hongdou and Xingxing.
The Fan brothers and sisters rented a woodshed in the staff compound of the Municipal Land and Resources Bureau.
It was a small windowless room, pitch black. There were two single beds in the room...or to be more precise, a single bed and a mat on the floor. There is also a table and a chair, and a five or six-layer high shelf in the corner, which Xiuxiu uses as a wardrobe and a place to store pots and pans.
The only electrical appliance in the room is the electric light, and there is a coal stove at the door.
Xiuxiu is sixteen years old, the same age as Hongdou, and makes a living by selling snacks on the black market.
When Taotao and the others arrived, Xiuxiu was sitting at the door of her house kneading dough - she wanted to make fried dumplings, which cost ten cents each and could contain five leeks and eggs. She could earn three cents for each serving. She could sell about 20 copies a night and earn fifty cents.
Seeing Hongdou coming, Xiuxiu was very happy, "Hongdou, you're here? I'm making dumplings right now, I'll cook some for you first, okay?"
Anko shook her head.
She looked at Xiuxiu and wanted to say something...
It seems that...
I can't say anything.
However, Xiuxiu saw Hongdou with tears on her face, and then looked at Taotao and Xingxing who were accompanying Hongdou. She seemed to realize something and asked quickly: "Hongdou, is, is something wrong with my brother?"
Hongdou whimpered a few times and handed Fan Heng's letter and photos to Xiuxiu.
Xiuxiu took it, turned the letter over and over, and said anxiously: "…What's written in this letter? I, I can't read! Hongdou, did my brother have an accident?"
Hongdou was crying her heart out.
Xiuxiu became even more scared...
Tao Tao said: "Xiu Xiu, don't worry, it's like this...your brother went to Hong Kong City."
Xiuxiu was stunned for a moment, her eyes widened, "What? He, he went to Hong Kong City?"
Even though she was a country girl who couldn't read a single word, she knew that it was impossible for people from the mainland to go to Hong Kong.
so--
Did her brother go there secretly?
Xiuxiu's face turned pale - she was not very experienced and still thought that this was a turbulent era. If her brother secretly ran away to Gangcheng, she would probably be implicated. what to do? Is her brother safe now? Will the police come to arrest her? Why would my brother go to Hong Kong City? If that place was so easy to get to, wouldn't everyone be scrambling to get there? !
Oh my god, what should she do!
Xiuxiu was at a loss.
Taotao quickly comforted Xiuxiu, "Don't be afraid, we won't tell anyone about your brother. And your brother asked us to bring you three hundred yuan..."
Yes, Fan Heng said in the letter that he would send back 300 yuan, return 200 yuan to the Bai family, and leave the 100 yuan he earned to Xiuxiu. But Taotao felt that Xiuxiu was very pitiful, and Xiuxiu was also a self-reliant girl.
Then give her all three hundred dollars.
Xiuxiu's tears also flowed, and she kept bowing to Taotao and Xingxing, "Thank you!"
Then she looked at Hongdou again, and the two of them looked at each other with tears in their eyes——
Finally, Xiuxiu said to Hongdou: "I'm sorry, Hongdou, I, my brother... he must want to go over there to make a lot of money, and then come back to marry you in a grand ceremony... Hongdou, I'm sorry!" After saying this, Xiuxiu burst into tears.
Hongdou shook her head, "He is the prodigal son, and I am..."
She suppressed her sorrow and said softly, "...I am Hongdou."
Red beans represent lovesickness.
In a very short period of time, Hongdou experienced: worry (family disapproval) - joy (going out to relax) - despair (broken heart). She became listless and unhappy all day long.
A young girl in her prime looks like a withered tree all day long, and her family members are worried about her.
Taotao thought of an idea and suggested that Hongdou stay with her for a while. Follow her to Kyoto first. While she is working, let Hongdou help take care of Feifei and Momo. And when she arrives in Kyoto, Hongdou can visit Riri's house so she won't be too lonely.
By next year, after Hongdou takes the college entrance examination and registers at a new school, she will start a new school life and make new friends. I believe she will slowly forget Fan Heng.
Everyone in the family thought this was a good idea, and Hongdou was also willing...
So Taotao and Song Zhi ended their more than one-month vacation in Song City and prepared to pack their luggage and return to Beijing.
She couldn't help but complain to Song Zhi, "Hey, do you think Fan Heng will do well in Hongcheng and become a big capitalist? Will he come back to Hongdou then?"
Song Zhi, "That depends on Fan Heng's ability."
Tao Tao pouted, "Humph, even if he comes back to find Hongdou, we Hongdou can't care about him anymore! This kind of person is too much!"
Song Zhi, "He is not wrong. He knows that he and Hongdou are not suitable for each other. It is better for both of them to separate early."
After a pause, Song Zhi said to Tao Tao: "Hongdou is still young, only sixteen this year, and she is a good girl. She will have many opportunities to meet better people in the future... As for the current matter, you should pay more attention to it!"
Tao Tao asked curiously: "What's the matter?"
Song Zhi sighed, "What else could it be? It's about Song Sui and Xing Xing!"
Hearing this, Taotao held her forehead with her hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
