Douda's figure had gradually grown in size. She calmed down and took a closer look, and it turned out to be Yang Chen.
Before the man could reach her, she waved and shouted, "Yang Chen? Why are you going?"
"Come to find you."
"Oh, call me earlier next time, I was scared by you just now."
Hearing the scolding of the girl in front of him, Yang Chen realized that something was wrong just now. She, a little girl, would indeed feel scared in such an uninhabited place. He mentally warned himself to be careful next time.
He reached out and took the backpack from her shoulder, "Are you going back?"
"Well, that's enough."
After receiving the answer, Yang Chen easily helped her carry the backpack on one shoulder, turned around and walked back.
Li Xinghe moved his short legs and followed step by step, and the two of them walked down the mountain together.
"Yang Chen, how long will it take for you to start working?"
"Not sure yet, we have to wait for notification, but it won't be long."
"There will be less opportunities to return to the village by then, right?"
"Well, it's hard to come back when I'm busy with work. I will take my parents away from here and settle down where I work."
"Yeah." Li Xinghe responded softly, and then stopped talking.
It would be a lie to say that they are not disappointed. They are two years apart and grew up together. From the moment she finished junior high school, their lives embarked on two completely different paths.
She started out as a peasant woman with her face turned to the earth and her back turned to the sky, while he studied all the way to the police college. They became people in two different worlds. Li Xinghe was not jealous of his life, but felt powerless about the upcoming separation.
Yang Chen felt the change in her emotions, "What's wrong?"
"Hey, in the village, except for my mother, you are the best to me. Now that you have to leave the village, I am a little sad. But I know that you do not belong here. I wish you all the best in the future."
Yang Chen's figure paused for a moment, and then quickly returned to normal.
Silence appeared between the two people again. The village was just ahead and would be there soon.
Secretly checking the status of the hazel pheasant in the space, it was still alive and kicking, lowering its head to eat from time to time. Li Xinghe thought for a while and said, "Yang Chen, can you do me a favor?"
"What's up?"
"I caught a hazel pheasant today. Can you help me take it to the supply and marketing cooperative to sell it? My father and second brother should be playing cards at the house next door." If she goes by herself and her father finds out, then what will happen to the chicken?
It's like catching for nothing.
"Well, okay. But how did you catch the hazel pheasant? Where did you catch it?" While he asked, he looked at her carefully up and down. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be injured.
"In the small piece of coniferous forest over there, when the hazel pheasant can't find food, wouldn't it also come to eat the needles? I was lucky enough to meet it. I don't know if it was frozen or hungry.
If you don’t move, I’ve caught you anyway.”
Yang Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise, such a good idea? Waiting for the rabbit in the real version? "Where is the chicken?"
She motioned for him to put down his backpack, held out half a bag of firewood, and pretended to stretch his hands to the bottom. Then with a thought, the two wings of the hazel pheasant were held in her hands, and amid the squawking of the hazel pheasant, she
, dragged it out of the backpack.
Li Xinghe took the chicken and handed it to Yang Chen, grinning, "Sell it for me, please, hehe."
Yang Chen took it over, "Is this chicken kept under the firewood like this? You can imagine it." As he said, he pinched the two wings of the hazel chicken together, holding it with one hand and another with the other hand.
Pick up the rearranged backpack and continue walking forward.
"I won't go that way. I'll wait for you on the alley next to your house. After selling it, buy me two kilograms of cornmeal. Thank you."
The man nodded and walked quickly to the supply and marketing cooperative in the center of the village.
She didn't dare to put down the backpack on her shoulders and hid in the alley to watch the back streets at any time. In the past, her father and second brother suddenly appeared.
Not long after, I saw Yang Chen striding back with a small bag in his hand.
"It's so fast. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's okay." He knew that she must be uneasy and afraid of being discovered here, so she basically ran back and forth.
"Here you go, there are 11 yuan left, put the money away." Yang Chen warned, taking out three banknotes from his trouser pocket, two five yuan and one one 1 yuan.
She was happy from the bottom of her heart. She had her first pot of gold. Although it was not much, the feeling of holding the money in her hand still made her heart surge. She carefully hid the money in the inner pocket of her coat, and Yang Chen quickly lowered his head.
Don't look at her slightly open top.
After stuffing the money, she took the bag. The bag was very heavy. When she opened it, she saw that in addition to a small bag of golden cornmeal, there were two apples.
People in the village rarely buy fruit to eat. They harvest it in autumn and sell it to the city. If they have extra money, everyone would rather buy grain, or even two taels of white wine than apples. He just gave her 11 yuan, the price of hazel rooster.
She may have heard that if you buy apples, you will never have 11 yuan left.
She raised her eyes and looked at Yang Chen. Before she could ask her doubts, Yang Chen replied: "The boss said these apples were leftover and had been left for the whole winter, so he gave me two so that I could go back if I have them later.
Ask him to sell it." Naturally, he would not say that he had a scholarship and bought it for her with money. He is as stubborn as Li Xinghe and does not like to owe favors.
"By the way, here's it for you. This is the office phone number of my future work office. You can call me if there is an emergency."
She took it and held it in her hand, nodded, carried the things, and said goodbye to Yang Chen. After walking a few steps, she reached out and took out one of the apples, turned around and suddenly threw it to Yang Chen. Yang Chen subconsciously reached out to catch it, "I
Just share one with mom." After saying that, he raised his hand to say goodbye and walked away quickly.
When no one was around, she put the cornmeal and the remaining apple into the space. The aroma of the apple was still in her hand. She covered her mouth and took a deep breath, "Ah~ the smell of fruit!"
Walking up the path in front of my house, still far away from the fence gate, my mother's sharp cries penetrated my ears.
The sound was like a dagger, stabbing Li Xinghe's heart. The good mood she had just felt instantly disappeared, and all the blood in her body rushed to her head. She ran home.
He ducked through the fence gate, ran across the small yard, and rushed in through the open barn door. The man was beating the woman huddled on the kang with a pole and board. Every time the man hit him, he would loudly question: "
Why aren't you dead yet? Why aren't you dead yet?"
"Dad! Dad, stop fighting!"
She climbed onto the kang, stood in front of her mother, protected her mother's head and hugged her.
What's the use of her blocking her? When Li Fu saw his daughter coming, he showed no mercy. One of them hit one, and two of them hit a pair. The pole was swung down even more vigorously, some landed on her arms, and some hit her.
She had no time to take off the basket, and the strong blow caused the firewood on it to fall down one after another, scattering a pile of firewood.
Ignoring the burning pain in her arm, she insisted on protecting her mother, "Dad, stop fighting, Dad, please calm down, Dad, we were wrong!" Naturally, she would not ask what happened, but would first admit his mistake to the man who had lost his mind.
Li Fu was already out of breath from the beating. Seeing that his daughter was blocking him and there was a pile of firewood between him, he had no interest in continuing the beating.
After hitting him with all his strength a few more times, he threw the pole away.