Chapter 7 Chapter VII

A lamp shines down from Xingle's bedside.With no one around, he felt a lot more relaxed.He took a bite of the Fa Kueh brought by Uncle Pyingto, which looked a lot like thick wheat bread and tasted like it.He felt as if he was at home, young again. He had just written home a letter to his sister, saying that he intended to come home as soon as he could get away.When the date was confirmed, he would telegraph her again.He also attached a letter to Bo Ying. He thought of the days when he and Bai Ying fell in love, and a string of memories flooded his mind. Bai Ying has grown into an eighteen-year-old girl.The body has matured, and he is no longer a skinny little urchin.One day, Xing Le came back from Zhangzhou and went up the mountain to see her.He saw her grinding rice by hand in the kitchen.He left home for half a year, and that was the first day back home.They were still fifty feet apart.She looked back and saw him, his arm frozen on the wooden handle.He stood there in a daze, unable to speak a word.So does she.Then her arms slowly started to move, and the grinder slowly turned again.

What's the matter?Why didn't she run out and hug him like before?Of course not now, she has grown up.no.Even farm girls know manners. Xing Le walked towards her slowly.She put down her handle and walked forward, smiling sweetly, but a little shy and reserved. What, you're not happy to see me? Of course she was happy, she answered too quickly.Then he turned around and yelled, his voice was so excited, Mom!Xingle is back.Then he said: Wait a minute.I only have one or two bowls of rice left, which will be ground in no time. She returned to Shimobian, frowning deeply.The hand mill is operated with a horizontal wooden handle, and a rope at the end of the handle hangs from the flower plate.Xing Le stood quietly, watching her push the stone mill, shaking her body.Her eyes looked at him from the side from time to time.The eyes are sad and lonely.

At this moment, he knew that he loved her deeply, and she loved him deeply. They had a chance to be together that afternoon, sitting on the grass near the heron's nest, looking down on the valley in the sun, as they had done when they were children.He started to inhale the fragrance on her face and she said: Don't do that. Why?tell me why. Because we all grow up. No one saw it. And I can't be your wife either. She said in a flat tone.She let Xingle understand their situation.She couldn't leave the heron's nest, and she didn't want to.His mother told her that he had planned to come to Singapore for several years.Why didn't she accompany him to Zhangzhou?Of course not that year.They are understaffed.Who takes care of grandpa?He is almost completely blind now.He is totally dependent on her.Not only did her grandfather need her service; he only spoke to her when he had something in his heart.That alone is enough.Why didn't her brother Tianzhu get married?Having an extra young woman in the family can be of great help.No one knows.Tianzhu just refused to marry.I heard that someone was a matchmaker for her younger brother Tiankai.She didn't know what that would do.As far as she knew, the girl's name was He Zai, and she was an empty-headed, lazy person.She and Tiankai are a perfect match, they only need a mouth to eat.Wo Tsai is charming.She is the daughter of a pretty widow, and she learned all kinds of obsequiousness from her mother, and she is the best at teasing men. Tiankai wanted her, and Baiying's family was relatively well-off in the village, because they had a good field.They may be married next fall.Thinking that a young woman who is not very serious is going to live in the house, Bai Ying feels very panic.

The next year, when Xingle came back, she found that she was even more beautiful, but she was just as sad and resigned to fate as usual.She was nineteen years old, and according to custom, it was time to get married.Her family has changed, her family has changed a lot.Tiankai's wedding cost three hundred yuan.Although He Zai was born in a poorer family than theirs, she always felt that she married a rich man.She should help with some field work, watering vegetables, feeding pigs and ducks, and other chores on the farm.But she doesn't.When doing laundry, she only washes her own and Tiankai's.In the first few months, everyone regarded her as a bride and didn't care about her. She is really a big bride.Later, everyone saw that she regarded herself as the daughter-in-law of the family. On the surface, she was a daughter-in-law, but she was actually the young mistress of a rich family.Mrs. Lai is an optimistic, round-faced, reasonable woman who intends to turn a blind eye.But she is not easy to bully, she insists on the authority of her mother-in-law.The usual peaceful, happy family is no longer the same.He Zai thinks he is a big shot at home, because she is the only one who can have children and inherit the family's cigarettes.All her actions indicated that this was her only mission.Both her mother-in-law and Bai Ying hate Tiankai's wife.But there is no way.He Zai didn't care much, she was lazy by nature, and she looked sloppy after only a few months of marriage.Tiankai must be very disappointed. The wife he married turned out to be so cold, slovenly, and not enthusiastic at all.But she had big breasts and a sensual ass, and he couldn't live without her.Everyone in the family should automatically cooperate.When Mrs. Lai had to ask He Zai to do things, both parties were very angry.As for Bai Ying, she felt that it would be easier to wait for He Zai to do things than to do it herself.When she was washing and drying clothes, seeing her wandering around, smiling, not intending to help at all, as if she already had a child in her belly, and she was busy doing her motherly duty, it was really irritating.She announced her pregnancy several times, but neither Bo Young nor her mother believed it anymore.Tianzhu went to the fields early in the morning and came back after dark. He went to bed very early, so he didn't care much about family affairs.

Grandfather is now completely blind and needs constant care.It was really touching to see the emotion between Bai Ying and her grandfather, who did not call him An Gong according to the custom, but nicknamed him Grandpa.She felt it was the most perfect affair of her life, 100% mentally and emotionally together.No matter how busy she was, her grandfather's needs came first.Their life is still decent, with a lot of broilers and eggs. Boying especially likes to cook for his grandfather and feeds him with his own hands. There are not enough people in the fields.Tianzhu cooks, Tiankai eats, and women take care of the house for them, it seems to be a destiny.One day, Tiankai suggested hiring a helper, mentioning sugar cane.Xing Le has known Gan Cane since school. She has round eyes and an honest and cute smile, but she is extremely stupid in class.He could only do arithmetic with his fingers, up to twenty.Because of his calculation in this way, it is very difficult to add seven to four.Instead of counting from eight, nine, ten, and eleven, he bent his fingers and counted from one to seven.When he counted to eleven, he didn't know how many fingers he bent after seven.His classmates laughed at him, but he was not angry.He admitted that they were smart, but he didn't understand how they calculated.

Sugarcane, Xingle said: Don't bend your fingers.Count from eight. He curled his fingers again.one two three four.In other words, he just couldn't figure out the magic of addition. Xing Le and the other boys looked at him, and he also looked at everyone with frank and kind eyes, sniffing his nose and smiling.He has one characteristic: he is always happy.He has no mother since he was three years old, and his father loves him very much, the only son.Now his father is dead too.It's strange to say that such a stupid person has never been bullied. He always does his part and smiles at everyone.He is very strong.He can swim very well and has broad shoulders.This is the sugar cane that Xingle met at school.

The village girls love to tease him, but they also like him very much.He came and went doing odd jobs and never cared about the pay.He doesn't hurt anyone at all. Bai Ying's family now employs sugar cane, and he does everything from field work to the simplest housework.He is kind and patient, and only asks for three meals and a house. When Xingle came back that year, Baiying greeted him with tears in his eyes.It happened that everyone was inside, seizing the fallen ears on the threshing floor.Bai Ying went back to the kitchen to get things.Seeing Xingle walk into the fence, she rushed to meet him.She held his hand, looking around, tears dripping down her cheeks.They entered the house hand in hand, and went to see everyone.Her eyes were still wet when they came.Those were tears of joy, and she didn't want to hide them either.He Zai said viciously: Look, Bai Ying is so happy, she must dream of him coming back every day.This joke has gone too far.

Frankly speaking, Xing Le didn't know what to do.He loves her deeply, but their lives are so far apart.He knew that he was going to study abroad soon; everyone wanted him to.He is going to college, and when he graduates, she must be married.Strange to say, he always felt that she would never leave the heron's nest. The summer vacation was very pleasant, and they saw each other often.Sugar cane often comes with them too.Everyone did not regard him as a worker. According to the democratic rules of the farm, everyone's worth is measured by the results of their work.Both Bo Ying and her mother love sugar cane.As long as he is around, everyone is looking for him, and he is proud of his strength and is happy to help.When he looked at Bai Ying or worked for her, his admiration was so obvious that it was too frank to be angry.It was touching to see him picking up the woolen ribbon that had fallen from her braid, holding it in his hand, looking at it as if it were a sacred object of a Bodhisattva, and then handing it back to her.

One day, the three of them were in the lychee grove, and she said: I want to see the eggs in Lusi's nest.Will you find one for me? no problem.During the lychee and longan season recently, sugarcane is very good at climbing trees and shaking fruit. He really went.The nests were at least fifty feet high, perched on bushes that grew out of cracks in the rock. Please don't go.Bai Ying yelled.I want to see Lusi eggs, but it's too dangerous He didn't hear it at all.There are a few scattered footholds on the rock surface, and there are dense bushes all the way through the gaps.

Please don't go.Bai Ying and Xing Le shouted. It doesn't matter.he said aloud. He must be delighted to have this opportunity.They looked up with bated breath as he climbed higher and higher.Something fell and a branch broke, but he kept climbing.When he reached the top, he reached out to touch the nest, and a bird flew up with a cry.He lurched back suddenly and reached out to catch the egg. one or two?There are three over there!He yelled down. One is fine.Oh, please be careful! He turned and crawled down, holding a bird's egg in his hand. Don’t do that, Bae Young screams.Put the eggs in the shirt.

He does as she says.The hands are free again.He climbed down slowly, facing the rock, holding on to the rock face and the branches with both hands.Suddenly, twenty feet from the ground, he stepped on some loose rocks, rolled down, stopped on his heels, and jumped lightly to the ground. They breathed a sigh of relief.He couldn't be happier.It's easy.Don't be afraid.He said. Did you bring it down?Boying said. What did you bring? egg. His stomach felt wet. Sorry, sorry, Bo Ying. It doesn't matter.I am happiest that you are safe and sound. so sorry.You want eggs. It doesn't matter.I shouldn't have asked you to go at all. He takes off his shirt.The belly was dyed yellow, and everyone laughed out loud. Strangely, the next morning, when she went into the kitchen, Sugar Cane gave her a bird's egg, which was intact and not damaged at all. Look, see what I bring you.He smiled so cutely and cheerfully. Thank you, Cane.But we can't do this anymore, or Lusi will move away.