"It's just because of my husband's incompetence that I failed to reach high school for two consecutive years. However, I have made an appointment with several other scholars to go to a study room in the county to study together. We will prepare for the exam in half a year and leave at the end of the month. Please rest assured, madam.
, One day I, Liu Ming, will be the number one scholar in high school and return home in fine clothes, so that both you and Feng'er can live a good life." The middle-aged man held the woman in his arms and whispered in her ear.
When she heard that he was leaving the village and entering the county town, the woman could no longer hold back the waves in her heart, and two lines of hot tears fell quietly.
"Husband, you can go with peace of mind. I will take care of everything at home. Feng'er is no longer a little baby and has become sensible. You can study with peace of mind and get fame as soon as possible. But husband, you should also pay more attention to your health.
, Don't be too frugal and treat yourself badly. If you don't have a good body, what will happen even if you have fame?" The woman bit her red lips lightly, holding back the reluctance in her heart, and said with a slight sob.
"Don't worry, madam, I'm here for my husband. If I'm not in high school, I won't be back home!" The man gently patted the woman's back and said with a firm look.
When the woman heard this, her face turned pale. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid of damaging her husband's enthusiasm, so she had to hide her sorrow in her heart and smile bitterly.
Seven days later, on the winding path outside the village, a man carrying a bag and wearing a white shirt was reluctant to say goodbye to a mother and her son.
The man held his wife tightly in his arms, kissed her forehead gently, then bent down and touched his son's head.
"Feng'er, take good care of your mother. Dad will be back soon." The man suppressed the reluctance in his heart and said with a smile.
"Dad, Feng'er knows. Mom and I are waiting for you to come back at home." The boy nodded and said with firm eyes.
The man patted the boy's head gently again. After a chuckle, he turned and walked towards the entrance of the village, but did not look back.
Because he was afraid that if he looked back, he would lose the courage to leave.
His wife and children reluctantly looked at his retreating back, reluctant to leave for a long time, until the figure gradually faded away, and finally turned into a white dot, disappearing at the end of the trail outside the village.
Half a month later, in a small county town hundreds of miles away from Liujia Village.
It was noon at this time. On a main road from west to east, there were crowds of people, and there were endless shouts from traffickers and footmen, making it a lively scene with busy traffic.
A middle-aged man wearing a white shirt, with a delicate appearance and a faint scholarly temperament between his eyebrows, was slowly walking toward an academy at the corner of the main road, dragging his long figure with a bag on his back.
From then on, in the wing room of this academy, a candle was always lit all night long, reflecting the figure of a man holding a book in his hand, shaking his head and studying it carefully.
Half a year later, in front of the red list, there were crowds of people, congratulations and lamentations one after another.
"Brother Liu, don't be discouraged. You didn't pass the exam this year. You can take the exam again next year." A scholar in a green robe at the front of the crowd said to a man in a white shirt next to him.
"I haven't passed the exam in three years. Liu is really ashamed of his family." The man in the white shirt shook his head sadly and slowly squeezed out of the noisy crowd.
Half a month later, in Liujia Village.
"Mom, there is a letter, it is written to you by dad!" The child held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand and ran excitedly into a rice field that was as tall as a person.
When the plainly dressed woman heard this, she immediately stopped what she was doing and wiped her hands on her skirt. Then she took the bamboo slip from the boy's hand with a smile on her face and opened it to read.
But the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a faint sadness.
"Feng'er, your father may have to stay in the county for another year before coming back next year." The woman slowly put away the bamboo slips and said with a forced smile.
The boy seemed to understand something and lowered his head silently without speaking.
In the blink of an eye, another year has passed.
This year, mother and son depended on each other and lived an extremely difficult life.
Without a man in the family, there is also a lack of backbone and a main source of income. In addition, there is a drought in the fields this year. Not only is the farmer's harvest not good, but he is also unable to make ends meet. If the woman had not gritted her teeth and sold the only old head in the family.
Niu, I just exchanged some silver and barely maintained my expenses.
However, the same scroll of bamboo slips means that the man still has not been nominated for the red list, and the wife still has not waited for the man to return home in glory.
This wait lasted another three years.
On the bed in the old wooden house, the woman became ill due to years of overwork and was finally bedridden. There was no grain of rice left in the house, and everything that could be sold had been sold off.
"Mom, there is a letter from dad!" The boy ran into the house happily again, threw himself on the woman's bedside, and said happily.
The boy was already twelve years old at this time, and his body was significantly larger than three years ago. He was already six feet tall and had a strong build. He was no longer the child he was then.
"Cough...cough..." The woman heard the words, with a smile on her face, and managed to hold herself up, but she kept coughing.
"Mom, are you okay?" The boy rushed forward, helped her up, and asked with concern.
"Ahem... Feng'er, Mom has taught you a lot of words over the years. This time Mom... cough... is going to test you. You open it and read it to Mom." After the woman coughed a few more times, she said
He lay back on the bed again and said in a weak voice.
"Lian Xi, I am a useless husband. I have not been able to go to high school for six years. I really have no face to go back to the village to see my folks. But I miss you and Feng'er very much. You two have been doing well recently. I look forward to seeing you again. Mom, dad, he's gone again
No..." As the boy read, his originally excited voice gradually dropped.
"Feng'er...cough...quickly, go get a pen and paper and write a reply to your father." The woman heard this and said anxiously.
Half a month later, in the wing of the small town's academy, a haggard-looking man in a white shirt held a family letter in his hand. However, he could not see his beloved wife's own handwriting, but the immature handwriting of his son.
"Husband, everything is fine with Feng'er. Husband, just feel free to study. We will wait for you to return from high school at home. Feng'er is not only reading and reading, but also getting stronger and stronger. He hopes to be able to ride on the battlefield one day and serve the country."
This went on for another three years.
On this day, in front of a deserted grave, a strong young man picked up a letter in his hand. Anger and bitterness flashed in his eyes.
"Mom, why don't you let me tell Dad that you are so ill, and you still want me to write back to him every time to tell him that everything is fine with us? Why? It has been ** years since Dad left home, but
He has never come back to see us once, and now that you are gone, he still doesn't know.
He failed again this year. I really don’t know how long he will wait until that day. Is the high school imperial examination so important to him, so important that he can’t go home to see his wife and children for so many years? How stubborn is he to realize it?
when!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two lines of hot tears burst out from his eyes, and the young man punched the boulder next to the tombstone with a heavy fist.
With a "bang" sound, a thin crack appeared on the boulder, and the back of the young man's hand was covered with blood.
At the same time, in the county academy, Liu Ming, who was dressed in a white robe and had a beard on his face, was still reading day and night.
Over the past nine years, he has long forgotten the time, as if he would not feel tired as long as he read a book, reading over and over again every day.
Finally, in the tenth year.
"Brother Liu, you are finally in high school, and you are still the top pick."
"I got it. I got it, I finally got it!" Liu Ming held a piece of official document with trembling hands. The word "Tanhua" was written in large letters on it, and below it was his name and a square red seal.
He gently smoothed his gray hair from his temples and tidied up his appearance. He couldn't help but burst into tears, and then he burst into laughter.
On this day, Liujia Village seemed to be particularly lively.
On the only road leading to the village, a group of people were walking slowly.
The leader is riding on horseback, wearing a red robe and a high crown. Needless to say, he is naturally the winner of this year's competition, Liu Ming.
And a group of people behind him were also wearing red robes, beating gongs and drums, looking very lively.
"Liu Tanhua, the Liujia Village is ahead." The groom leading the horse pointed at the sign at the entrance of the village and said to Liu Ming.
After Liu Ming narrowed his eyes, he jumped off the horse.
"I want to walk back by myself. I didn't expect that this walk would last ten years. I don't know how Lian Xi and Feng'er are doing now." Liu Ming said softly, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said to himself.
Walk to the entrance of the village.
After taking another look at the old sign at the entrance of the village, Liu Ming quickened his pace and walked quickly towards his house.
Compared with ten years ago, the village seemed much deserted. At the bustling intersection in the village, there seemed to be only a few elderly people sitting in front of their houses, playing with the harvested grain in the fields.
"You are the third son of the Liu family, and you are back!"
An old woman with white hair who was over sixty years old looked at Liu Ming for a few times and seemed to recognize Liu Ming's identity. She said excitedly, but then she looked away again, as if she had thought of something.
"Fifth Aunt, your eyesight is still so good. It's me who's back. I was the flower girl in high school. What's wrong, Fifth Aunt, is Lian Xi okay, and where is Feng'er?" Liu Ming looked at the old woman's expression, feeling uneasy.
The feeling came to my heart and I asked eagerly.
The old woman didn't say anything more, but shook her head slightly and sighed softly.
When Liu Ming saw this, he couldn't help but feel a little thump in his heart, and then he ran towards his home without looking back.
Just like ten years ago, after climbing over a small mountain in the village, in a depression, there was a small wooden house built with thick logs.
Liu Ming pushed open the ajar door with all his strength, only to find that the room was empty.
The dilapidated house was covered with dust, as if no one had lived in it for a long time.
On the table and on the ground, there were a few wooden basins that had dried up in a mess. They were obviously used to catch rainwater when the wooden house leaked when it rained.
"Feng'er, dad is back." Seeing this, Liu Ming called out loudly.
(Second update. Dahan, Wangyu went to other places today and met with several other authors. As a result, I hurried back at about ten o'clock in the evening. Fortunately, I coded a lot in the notebook on the high-speed rail, otherwise I would have been too late to update.
.) (To be continued...)
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