She was right, that was indeed the only photo of him and her.
He was only about seven years old when he moved to the hutongkou of the county town. When he was a child, he was not as tall as he is now, and was much shorter than other children of the same age.
At that time, he was the only boy in the family. His sister had not yet been born, and his parents loved him very much.
After arriving in the county town from Chengjia Village, he was very interested in everything unfamiliar around him. He would always go out to play secretly without telling his parents.
He has a dull temperament and doesn't like to talk, so the children nearby don't like to play with him.
And because he comes from a small, backward rural area, he spends his time cutting grass and playing in the mud, so he doesn't understand the interesting things that city kids do.
As a result, the children nearby did not like to play with him, and even secretly called him a "country bumpkin" or "bumpkin".
He was in high spirits at the beginning, but gradually became unhappy. He would just sit and wander at the entrance of the alley every day, not daring to make friends.
Soon after, his father told him that a technician from out of town had moved into the alley today, and he was the technical master of his factory. He also said that his family had a little daughter, who was only two years old this year.
Dad also said that although Master Xue was a scholar, he had no airs about others and was very kind.
His mother quickly took him to their house and gave him some home-made braised pork.
Aunt Xue entertained them warmly and took out a big apple and gave it to him to eat.
That was the first time he ate an apple, and he was munching on it until a cry of "Wow!" suddenly came from behind, startling him!
I saw a tiny little girl, staggering along, crying, and standing on tiptoe to reach for the apple in his hand.
"I...mine! Mine!" The little girl's words were very unclear, but her hostility towards him was very obvious.
Because he ate her big apple!
Aunt Xue quickly picked her up and coaxed her that she was too young to eat apples and asked him to eat the apples quickly.
After hearing this, the little girl started crying again.
In that era, apples were a rare commodity, and most families were living in poverty. How could a big apple be given to a child just like this?
So, Cheng's mother quickly took the knife, cut off a large piece and gave it to the little girl, coaxing her to share it with her brother.
The little girl got the apple and quickly smiled, showing four small white teeth.
Xue's mother said enthusiastically: "Big brother, please take your sister out to play, okay? She doesn't know how to be born."
Cheng's mother warned: "Take my sister to the big yard for a walk. You can't go far, do you understand?"
Afterwards, the two mothers got into a heated chat and sent them away.
Cheng Tianyuan was still a half-year-old child, so he didn't know how to take care of children. He saw that the little girl was chubby, with big eyes, a small nose, a small mouth, pink cheeks, and two small pigtails. She was as cute as a porcelain doll.
I also like it very much in my heart.
He held her carefully, as if he was afraid that she would break if she fell, and he protected her left and right. He was extremely careful.
The little guy was indeed not afraid of strangers and followed him with unsteady steps.
She shook her round head, curiously looking at this and that. She had long forgotten to eat the apple in her hand.
Cheng Tianyuan swallowed his saliva and gnawed on the remaining apple.
"You...eat quickly."
When the little guy saw him eating, he suddenly remembered the apple she was holding in her hand. He quickly brought it to his mouth, exposed his four teeth, and took a bite.
Cheng Tianyuan looked at the teeth marks that looked like mice and couldn't help but smile.
The little guy ate for a while and saw the big tree in the corner of the big yard had fallen yellow leaves, so he ran over to pick them up and threw away the apple in his hand!
Cheng Tianyuan was anxious and quickly picked it up, ran to his house to get a spoon of water, washed the piece of apple, and then ran back.
Unexpectedly, the little guy disappeared!
He was frightened and quickly searched around the big yard.
"Hey! Hey!"
Just when he was panicking and at a loss, he heard a sound of "Wow!" and rushed over - the little guy fell on the two stairs in the yard, crying loudly!
He didn't care about anything, rushed over and picked her up haphazardly.
He was only seven years old at that time, a half-grown child with no strength at all.
The little guy is fat and round, and his legs and arms are kicking around.
With the force of his rush, he barely managed to pick her up, but before he could hold her in his arms, his hands quickly became unable to hold her up, and his feet lost their balance. The world suddenly spun around and he rolled down the steps with her wrapped around her!
The two mothers came over after hearing the cry and saw him lying at the foot of the steps. The little guy was lying on his chest, still crying...
Xue's mother was not angry. Instead, she smiled and praised him as a responsible brother who was willing to step in even if he fell.
Not only that, she also asked him to often play with his little sister.
Since then, he finally has a playmate!
Although his playmate is a little kid, doesn't know how to talk, and loves to act coquettishly and naughty, he cherishes this playmate very much, accommodates her in everything, and listens to her.
They got tired of being together day by day, and gradually became intimate.
The little guy doesn't even love being held by Xue's father, he only loves him as "Brother Yuan".
Slowly, she talked more and more, followed him, and went everywhere to have fun.
He began to study, and also integrated into the circle of nearby children, and gradually ran out.
However, he never left his little friend behind and often took her to play with him.
She is small, her pace is small, and she cannot run as fast as other children, so everyone doesn't like her as a laggard.
He always protected her and secretly gave fun things to other children so that they would not reject his playmate sister.
When she ran slowly, he would carry her on his back.
When she loses, he helps her win back.
She is happy and so is he.
…
Cheng Tianyuan squinted his eyes and recalled the beautiful childhood days in a low voice.
"One time, Uncle Xue hired a photographer to take a family photo. I was already ten years old at the time, but I was still short, about eight years old. You refused to take the photo and hid behind me..."
Xue Ling was only five years old at the time, and her memory had long been blurred. She was so fascinated by what she was listening to that she couldn't help but ask, "What happens next?"
Cheng Tianyuan grinned and whispered: "Then you said you won't take the photo unless I accompany you to take the photo. Uncle Xue laughed and said, you two have such a good relationship, you must take this opportunity to take a photo. I haven't taken the photo yet.
After taking the photo, I was very happy and nodded quickly to say yes."
He paused, then smiled again.
"The master who took the photo said, let me carry you on my back and take pictures together. But you didn't cooperate. You hid here and there, hiding behind me, but refused to show your head. So, the master had no choice but to come over and take the photo.
.”
He held the well-preserved small photo and explained in a warm voice: "Since that day, I have been waiting every day. After waiting for more than half a month, the master sent me two photos in total. I need one.
, you get one too."
Xue Ling lowered her head and whispered in embarrassment: "I... don't even know where I lost it."