The kindergarten is about to close for summer vacation. This year, the kindergarten is planning to open a summer care program. After school, we held a meeting to ask which teachers would like to come and work during the summer vacation. The ceiling fan creaked and groaned as it turned. The wind squeezed out from between the blades, but it didn't cool my face at all. Instead, it seemed to make the heat in the room even more turbulent.
The principal said, "Our kindergarten plans to open a summer care program during the summer vacation, mainly to take care of children from dual-income families." The principal paused, her voice a little uncertain, "The weather is hot during the summer vacation, so it will be a bit tiring. Teachers who are willing to stay will receive an additional salary in addition to the summer vacation allowance."
The room fell silent for a few seconds after he finished speaking. Everyone wanted to stay home and relax during the hottest two months of the year.
Fang Yu raised her hand. "I do."
The principal was somewhat surprised, then smiled, "Great! Teacher Fang Yu is young and energetic!"
After the meeting, a teacher asked her curiously, "Fang Yu, you're really diligent. You're willing to come even in this hot weather?"
"My mom has to mind the shop, and I get bored at home all by myself," Fang Yu said with a smile. The more money she earns, the easier it will be for her mother.
The evening sunlight slanted into "Jihong Clothing Store". Fang Yu was almost at the store. The scene of seeing Lian Wuliang when she entered the store yesterday came back to her mind.
She quietly walked into the shop, where Yu Jihong was ironing a dress. "Mom, I'm home."
"Oh, school's out, Fang Yu."
"Mom, our kindergarten is having a summer care program, and I signed up! Besides the summer allowance, there's extra pay," Fang Yu said excitedly, putting down her bag.
"It's hot during summer vacation, Fang Yu, you don't need to work so hard. Just stay home and play for two months!"
"I've already registered, I can't back out now." Fang Yu stuck out her tongue and walked over to her mother to hang up the ironed clothes.
Looking into her daughter's bright eyes, Yu Jihong felt a pang of sadness. She put down the iron and took out a brown paper envelope from under the table.
“Lian Wuliang came this morning,” Yu Jihong said in a low voice. “He left this behind; there was 20,000 yuan inside.”
Fang Yu's smile froze on her face as she stared at the envelope. "Mom, what are you going to do?"
Yu Jihong sighed, "I can't find him even if I want to return it. Just like back then, he left and I never heard from him again."
Did he give you his number?
"No."
"Mom, keep this money and buy yourself insurance so you'll have security when you get old."
"Mom thought about it, and even if I kept it, I would give it to you."
"I don't want to. I'm young and I can earn it myself."
Yu Jihong deposited the money in the bank. She didn't use it to pay off her mortgage or buy insurance for herself and Fang Yu. The money just lay quietly in her bank account.
Fang Yu continued attending summer camp after the summer vacation ended. Fang Dongqiang returned to the county town, stayed for a day or two, and then went to the countryside. They didn't see him.
The village was sweltering with the chirping of cicadas, making the whole village feel scorched. There are fewer and fewer young people in the village now, and there are fewer children during the summer vacation. Parents who do business or work in other places will take their children out with them during the summer vacation.
Villagers enjoying the cool air outside have been discussing a topic lately. The village loudspeaker has been broadcasting it repeatedly, and notices have been posted on the village bulletin board and at the village store entrance: starting from midnight in 2000, all deceased persons must be cremated.
"What a terrible thing! After a person dies, they should have a complete body. This fire has destroyed everything, leaving no trace of their memory. They won't even have the face to meet their ancestors in the underworld."
"What can we do about the government's regulations? They've been doing this in the city for a long time. Last year, when my third brother passed away, he was cremated, and they weren't allowed to bring his body back. It was only a matter of time before we were in the same boat."
"Cremation? That sounds terrifying. I don't want to be burned."
"The person is already dead, what is there to be afraid of?"
"If big cities are doing this, it means it's a good thing."
In the village, where most residents are elderly, the air is thick with a mixture of fear, confusion, and helplessness. Some are cursing, some are worried, and some see it as progress.
Fang Shugen's mother's mental state was already unstable, and the thought of being burned in flames after her death made her panic instantly.
She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The fire started, and she thought of Ren Lutong again. The forest was ablaze, and Ren Lutong was being chased by the flames until he disappeared. The scorching heat of the raging fire felt as if it were burning her skin.
It was pouring rain outside. She thought it was good that the rain would put out the fire. Then a strong gust of wind swept across the roof, and she saw that the wind had blown away the small house in the mountains. With the heavy rain, she had nowhere to hide.
Fear and worry, like two venomous snakes, tightly coiled around her heart. She felt like she was suffocating; in the darkness before her, she wanted to rush out, but her legs felt as heavy as lead, and she couldn't move an inch.
The rain outside the window poured down harder and harder, and the wind blew stronger and stronger, as if it would swallow the entire village. And Fang Shugen's mother's heart, too, sank completely into the abyss of despair in this downpour.
The next morning, Fang Shugen woke up to find his mother missing. Everyone helped search for her, and finally they found her shoes by the stream outside the village.
It was during the flood season, and the stream was swollen and muddy, with branches and weeds floating on the surface.
It wasn't until evening that villagers downstream found her near a reef. When they pulled her out, she was already lifeless, her face still bearing the lingering fear.
It was the height of summer, and the body couldn't be kept indefinitely, so Fang Shugen's mother's funeral was quick and simple.
After Fang Huahua finished arranging her grandmother's funeral at home, she said to Fang Shugen, "Dad, Grandma is gone, and my little brother isn't going to school anymore. I want to go to the city or another place to work."
“Okay, Hua, you’ve been cooped up at home for so many years, it’s time for you to go out and see the world!” Fang Shugen looked at his sensible daughter. “Mom can cook simple meals now. We’re just the two of us eating at home since we have nothing to do. My little brother said he wants to go to town to learn how to repair motorcycles. They provide room and board, and he can learn a trade.”
Fang Huahua settled her wages with the factory, contacted Fang Yu, and chose to go to the county town on Friday.
The asphalt road was softened by the sun, and Fang Huahua sat in the car staring at the scenery rushing past the window.
A breeze drifted in through the half-open window, carrying the scent of earth and grass. She clutched her bag tightly, her anticipation for the unknown and her longing for a new life growing wildly in her heart like summer weeds.
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