Two

A few days later, Cen Shishi, the son of the Cen family, who had traveled in other counties at the invitation of his classmates, returned home.

Knowing that he had been admitted to the university of his long-awaited choice, the young man couldn't have been happier, and when he was excited and excited, he turned his head in the courtyard apron. This sudden move not only startled her grandmother Mrs. Cen, but also her mother Zheng Wenshu and sister Cen Limin. Zheng Wenshu thought to herself, when did this kid learn this trick. Among them, only his younger brother Cen Xinrui does not feel strange. Since becoming his brother's little follower, he has known how many skills the latter does not know to his parents: painting, shadow puppetry, playing volleyball, and it can be said that he can learn whatever he likes, and he can become whatever he learns. Looking at his grandmother and mother's surprised looks, he smiled secretly, his brother was originally a member of the martial arts team of the county No. 1 Middle School.

However, Pragmatism is a sensible young man after all, and after being happy, he began to prepare for school, and tried to help his family do some of the things he thought he wanted to do before going to Shanghai. That morning, he renovated and opened an old wooden box for his younger brother, who was about to enter middle school, to hold his clothes. It was at this time that his friend Huang Qingjun came to his home.

"Congratulations!" Facing the title of his classmates' gold list, Huang Qingjun, who looked much older than ordinary young people, sent sincere congratulations.

"Thank you!" Seeing that the good classmate made a special trip from Qingjiang City, thirty miles away, and gave him a new canvas satchel, Cen was very happy. While responding to the other party's request to take out the admission letter, he said: "Don't be in a hurry to leave today, go back after lunch." ”

"No, I'll just stay for a while, there's something going on at home. Holding the thin but heavy notice of pragmatism, Huang Qingjun looked at it without blinking. He was originally a classmate of Cen Shishi, but in order to lay a firmer foundation and realize his desire to be admitted to Tsinghua University, he took the initiative to stay one level before the exam. Now seeing Cen pragmatic being admitted to Fudan University, I can't help but feel a little uneasy about my decision: after all, it will be a year late, and I don't know what the future result will be.

"You have a solid foundation and you will definitely achieve your wish next year. Looking at Huang Qingjun's stunned expression, Cen Pragmatic knew what he was thinking at the moment, so he comforted: "If I have the opportunity to go to Beijing in the future, I will definitely go to Tsinghua Park to find you." ”

"I hope so. Listening to Cen pragmatic and heart-warming words, Huang Qingjun came back from his contemplation, smiled, and solemnly handed the notice back to the other party. He knew that his sincere wishes came from the heart, so he was once again glad that he had met such a friend in his three years of high school.

"Qingjun, you came today, I just have something I want to ask you. Cen Pragmatic suddenly remembered something.

"You say. For Huang Qingjun, it is very common for him to help each other pragmatically.

"My younger brother is going to go to junior high school at the beginning of school, and he has never boarded at the school, so I want you to take care of something difficult. Cen pragmatically said what he wanted to say to his friend a long time ago.

"Don't worry, Xinrui is your younger brother and my younger brother. Faced with this entrustment, Huang Qingjun agreed.

"Okay, okay, then there's work. Cen Shishi hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

"Brother!" At this moment, Cen Xinrui came from outside the house.

"It's a newcomer, right?" asked Huang Qingjun. He thought it was really interesting, and said Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrived.

"Yes. Cen Xinrui replied. As soon as he saw the other party's appearance, he knew that he was his brother's guest.

"He is the Qingjun brother I mentioned to you. Cen turned around pragmatically and introduced Cen Xinrui.

"Brother Qingjun is good. Cen Xinrui exclaimed very respectfully.

"Not bad, it's good to read. Looking at Cen Xinrui's sensible appearance, Huang Qingjun immediately had a good impression.

was praised as soon as they met, and Cen Xinrui was a little embarrassed.

Looking at his shy expression, Huang Qingjun felt very interesting, so he asked, "Are you going to study in No. 1 Middle School next term?"

"Yes. Cen Xinrui replied seriously.

"No. 1 Middle School is much stricter than other middle schools, can you stand it?" asked Huang Qingjun, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"If others can stand it, I can stand it. Hearing this, Xinrui replied with confidence. No. 1 Middle School is very strict, he has long heard his brother say, what "equal sign should be compared with a meter ruler", what "the composition of five wrong words should be re-transcribed", and so on. He thought, it's just that you have to study harder, there's nothing remarkable. Therefore, he added, "My father said, 'There is a path and diligence in the book mountain, and there is no end to the hard work of learning the sea', if you want to read a good book, you can't do it without working hard." ”

"Really?" Hearing Xinrui say this, Huang Qingjun felt a little interesting. He glanced back at Cen Shishi, who was listening to the conversation with interest, and asked, "What are your plans for future study?"

"Like my brother, I studied everything I needed to learn well and finally got into a good university. Cen Xinrui replied without thinking.

"Yes, that's it. Hearing him say this, Huang Qingjun was greatly admired. Although the conversation with Xinrui was only a random act for him, the short question and answer made him have an unexpected feeling about this boy who was not yet thirteen years old: this little brother was very intelligent, and he knew at a glance that he was a good seedling for reading. Therefore, he stretched out his hand and agreed with Cen Xinrui: "I'll wait for you at the first level, and I'll see you at the beginning of school." ”

"Definitely. "Before I stepped into the gate of No. 1 Middle School, I had a big friend, and he was a good classmate of my brother, Cen Xinrui couldn't be happier. He then slapped the other man in the face.

"I'm not going to send you to school, so I'm here to wish you all the best. Worried about something at home, Huang Qingjun said goodbye to Cen pragmatically.

"Okay. Seeing that he couldn't keep it, Cen Pragmatic accompanied his classmates out of the gate of his yard and sent them to the alley, and when he waved his hand, he said: "When the time comes, I will go to Beijing to find you." ”

Huang Qingjun left, with blessings for his classmates, expectations for his future, and a good impression of his newfound little brother. It's just that he didn't expect that he left on the front foot, and You Shanshan, a girl from Lichuan No. 1 Middle School who will be in her second year of high school at the beginning of the next semester, came to Cen's house on the back foot. Naturally, this young and handsome girl is also here to celebrate Pragmatic, and like him, she also has to take a look at Cen Pragmatic's admission letter.

"Sansa is here, come on, sit down and talk. ”

Hearing his familiar voice in the hall, Zheng Wenshu, who had just returned from grocery shopping, walked out of the kitchen. She was very happy to see You Shanshan, who was slender and had a beautiful face. Not only is it called pragmatism to pour tea, but he also lifted a chair himself.

"Mother Zheng, you are so polite, I will be embarrassed to come in the future. Seeing Zheng Wenshu like this, You Shanshan thanked her repeatedly.

"Look at what you say. Zheng Wenshu said with a smile. Perhaps because she liked this girl's empathy and proper manners too much, Zheng Wenshu somehow had some unreliable reverie, wondering if she might become the other half of the eldest son. Of course, Zheng Wenshu also knew that her idea was purely superfluous, not only because Pragmatic had always been noncommittal about the inquiries from her, but also because to this day, her understanding of You Shanshan was limited to the fact that this girl was the younger sister of Pragmatic junior high school classmate You Haiyang, and as for how Pragmatic got close to You Shanshan, she didn't know anything.

Seeing that his mother treated Shanshan so enthusiastically, Cen Shishi naturally knew it. But he never answered his mother's words on this issue. He felt that it was too early to talk about this kind of thing, not to mention that he didn't fully know You Shanshan's thoughts, if the other party didn't have the idea of love for him, it would be self-defeating, and ordinary friends couldn't do it.

Zheng Wenshu and Cen Pragmatic's mother and son were thinking, the innocent You Shanshan didn't know, she was just happy for Cen Pragmatic's high school, and at the same time a little worried about her future. When she thought of what her father said, "If your family is in difficulty, if you can't pass the exam, you will find a job, and you won't want to repeat your studies", she felt a lot of pressure.

"Brother Pragmatism, do you think I can pass the exam like you?" Holding Cen Pragmatic's notice in his hand, looking at him in his eyes, You Shanshan hoped to get an affirmative answer from him.

"Yes. Looking at Shanshan's expectant eyes, Cen replied pragmatically without any ambiguity. He felt that although her grades were not very high in her grade, she still had no problem getting admitted to an undergraduate university.

"That's good. Listening to Cen pragmatic answer, You Shanshan was very relieved. She has an extraordinary liking for him, who is half a head taller than herself, not only because he studies well, but also because he is sincere. You Shanshan feels that she is very lucky: since she entered junior high school, Cen Pragmatic has taken care of herself like a brother. Not to mention anything else, just walking more than 30 miles at the beginning of each semester to help her carry her luggage to school, and picking it home during the holidays, made the eyes of the girls in her dormitory hot, and said that she had received a lot of useful guidance from him in learning. Now that I think about it, my brother You Haiyang really did the right thing to entrust himself to him when he was sick with tuberculosis and took a leave of absence, but it was himself, and at first he thought that his brother was doing too much, and he didn't appreciate it.

Thinking of this, You Shanshan felt very interesting and happy, she handed back the notice she had read several times to Cen Shishi, and asked with a smile: "When will you go to school, can I send you?"

"I'm afraid it won't work," Cen pragmatic put away the notice, and nailed the lid of the box in his hand, "According to the notice, we will start school when you go to school." ”

"Oh-" Hearing this, Sansa was a little stunned. After a while, Fang said without words: "What about Xinrui?"

"My mom told him something and went out. ”

"I heard that he is also going to study in No. 1 Middle School?"

"But no," Cen was very happy when he mentioned this, and his excitement was no less than that of being admitted to the university, so that he stopped moving, "When Huang Qingjun came just now, I also entrusted him to take care of it." As an older brother, he loved his younger siblings very much and always wanted to do something for them. It is precisely because of this that Cen Huanian and Zheng Wenshu are very pleased.

"I can do it too," Hearing Cen Shishi say this, You Shanshan hurriedly said: "At least, I can help him with hygiene, laundry and something." ”

"That's a good idea. Cen pragmatically glanced at her with appreciation.

"Shanshan, let's have lunch here," listening to the conversation between the two, Zheng Wenshu, who was busy in the stove, was very happy. She put down the vegetables she was washing, walked out, and said to You Shanshan, "You guys talk, I'll be fine for a while." ”

"Thank you, aunt, when I came, my mother said that I should go back early, there is something at home. When You Shanshan heard this, she thanked her politely.

"What's wrong with you today, Huang Qingjun also said that there is something at home just now," Zheng Wenshu was a little puzzled. She jokingly said, "Have you made an appointment not to eat at our house?"

"No, I'm really at home. You Shanshan hurriedly explained.

"Let's go together, I'm just going out. Cen Shishi knew that she was thin-skinned and would not eat at someone else's house easily, and seeing that the old wooden box had been almost trimmed, he put down the tools in his hand and took the coat he had taken off from the chair.

"Where are you going?" asked Zheng Wenshu, but as soon as the words came out, she felt that it was inappropriate: isn't it the best thing for my son to go out for a walk with Shanshan?

"Go to the police station and ask when the relationship between the household registration and the supply of grain and oil will change. ”

"Then ask clearly, and save the time to take the wrong road. When Zheng Wenshu heard this, she hurriedly admonished.

"Naturally. ”

Listening to the conversation between the mother and son, You Shanshan pursed her lips and smiled. She felt that although Cen Pragmatic was tall and strong, he had a very docile temperament, not at all like her brother You Haiyang, who was as thin as a tendon, but he often fought with his parents, and went his own way, especially after his illness, his temperament was even more irritable.

Looking at the backs of Pragmatic and Shanshan who gradually disappeared after walking out of the courtyard, Zheng Wenshu stood at the door of the house for a while without moving. She didn't know what her son would say to Shanshan along the way, but no matter what she said, she liked it and hoped that he would stay with Shanshan for a while. It's just that she didn't expect that her son did stay with a girl for a while after he went out, but this girl was not You Shanshan who went out with him, but Lu Junyi, a young teacher from her husband's school.

It turned out that Lu Junyi also came to the police station for the transfer of household registration on this day, but she was transferred from other places, not from the local area like Cen Shishi.

"Hey, isn't this Cen pragmatic?" The beautiful girl Lu Chun has been cheerful all her life, and when she saw Cen pragmatic coming to the police station from a distance, she took the initiative to greet her.

"You are-" Looking at the plump but well-proportioned girl in front of her, Cen Shishi seemed familiar.

"I forgot? I've been to your house. Seeing this, Lu Chunyi smiled: "My name is Lu Chunyi, and I was assigned to the People's Primary School from the regional normal school. ”

"Yes, we met some time ago. Cen Shishi remembered that this girl had come home to find her father some time ago.

Looking at Cen Pragmatic and seriously recalling it, Lu Chunyi felt very interesting. She said enthusiastically: "I heard that you were admitted to Fudan University, congratulations!"

"Thank you. Because he was not very familiar with the other party, Cen Shishi didn't know what to say, so he could only be polite in general.

"It's still hello," Lu Junyi said very enviously, "It's a famous school again, and it's in Shanghai, and the future is limitless." ”

"It's all the same, you're not bad, you're all working, it's not like I still have to be supported by my parents. Cen said pragmatically.

"What do you call investment, what am I? Hey, it's not to help my parents reduce the financial burden on the family, I would have studied in general high school back then, not in secondary school!"

Listening to what the other party said, Cen Shishi didn't know what to say for a while, so he could only smile wordlessly.

Seeing that Cen Shishi's face was full of unbelievable expressions of self-criticism, Lu Chunyi suddenly felt that his words were a little too much, and his face was slightly red. However, it was only a matter of a while, and immediately, she found a new topic -

"You're ready for school, aren't you?"

"There's nothing to prepare," Cen replied casually, "that is, bring some relevant books and pack up the bedding and clothes you used before." ”

"You're going to bring your high school boarding futon to college?" Lu Junyi seemed a little surprised.

"What, no?" Hearing her say this, Cen Pragmatic felt a little strange.

"It's not impossible, it's just that I think that when I go to college, I need to add some new clothes. Lu Junyi explained, "This is called Zhuangxing. ”

"There's no need, right?" Cen couldn't think of any reason to do this, "I think that's fine." ”

"You didn't understand what I me—ah, no, I didn't make it clear. When Lu Chun heard this, he hurriedly explained: "I mean that many Shanghainese people are snobs, and if they dress too simply, they will look down on them." ”

"So what, you can't embarrass your parents for the sake of face," Cen pragmatic couldn't agree with such a statement, "Besides, there are not all Shanghainese in the school, and even Shanghainese are not all snobbish." ”

"That's not what I meant," Lu Chunyi felt that Cen was misleading himself, but he didn't know how to explain it to him. In a hurry, she couldn't help but burst out: "I just want to help you." ”

"Help me?" Hearing this, Cen was very surprised.

"When I came to Lichuan, my mother bought me a new blanket, and after I came, I learned that the climate here is warm, and I don't need it, so I want to give it to you. Now that the words have been clarified, Lu Chunyi can't care about the shyness of the girl's family, and said with a red face.

"This can't be," although he could see that Lu Junyi was sincere, Cen Shishi still declined, "You should use the blanket yourself." ”

"Why?" Seeing that his kindness was declined, Lu Junyi was a little embarrassed and a little anxious. To be honest, since she first saw the tall and handsome Cen Pragmatic in Cen's house, and later heard that he was admitted to Fudan University, she had the idea of having a boyfriend and girlfriend with him. She thinks that although her education is only a secondary school, her appearance and figure are not bad, not only work, but also housework, according to the saying of "men chasing women, across the mountain; women chasing men, intersecting the veil", if she takes the initiative, there is undoubtedly a great hope. But what she didn't expect was that the other party had no intention of accepting her kindness, which couldn't help but make her feel very uncomfortable.

Seeing Lu Chunyi blushing there, Cen Shishi didn't know how to get better for a while. In fact, as soon as the girl offered to give him a blanket, he guessed what she was thinking. But he felt that he could not accept the friendship. Not to mention that he didn't know her at all, and he never thought he would fall in love before college. He thought for a moment and said to Lu Junyi: "I have received your wishes, but I have no reason to accept your gift. ”

"I'm your father's colleague. In a hurry, Lu Chunyi thought of a reason.

"My father has a lot of colleagues, so can I accept their gifts?" Cen said honestly.

Hearing this, Lu Chunyi was speechless.

"Teacher Lu, you have good intentions, but I can't be too casual, don't you say?" Looking at Lu Chunyi's obviously embarrassed and sad appearance, Cen Shishi suddenly felt that he was a little unkind. But this thought flashed, and he immediately denied it. He felt that there were things that had to be said and could not be ambiguous.

Cen Pragmatic did not accept the gift, which made Lu Chunyi feel very shameless, especially when he found that the police from the police station looked at her and Cen Pragmatic in surprise, he felt even more embarrassed. It's just that after thinking about it, I feel that he treats people so seriously, and he is indeed a person worth pursuing. Since the beginning of her love, she has also been in contact with many boys, but few of them have attracted her heart. The problem now is that not only does he not accept the olive branch that she summoned up a lot of courage to hand over, but he is about to leave Lichuan, and he will become a foreigner, and it is difficult to have any possibility of interacting with him.

What should I do, just let go of a good boy like this? What if I don't want to let go? The young girl, Lu Chunyi, fell into disappointment and helplessness, so that Cen was pragmatic and left for a long time, and she stayed where she was.

What Lu Chunyi thought, Cen pragmatic didn't know, and he didn't want to know. For him, the other party was also a young colleague of his father, nothing more. However, what this girl just said added to some of the worries he already had in his heart, that is, the entanglement of going to Shanghai and the cost of going to school. He knew that his parents would plan for him, but he also knew that the family was not well-off, which would undoubtedly add a lot of pressure and burden to his parents.

However, there is one thing that Cen Shishi did not expect, that is, when he met Lu Junyi at the police station, his half-sister Situ Huimin returned home and not only sealed him with 20 yuan, but also sent him a new bed of raw silk quilt.

"His eldest sister, how good is this!"

Seeing this scene, Mrs. Cen was very moved. Although she has long stopped taking care of housework, she also knows that the salaries of Huimin and her lover are not high, and they have to send living expenses to their in-laws in other places every month, especially when she gave birth to a child last year, which is the time to use money.

"Isn't pragmatism my brother? He goes to college, how can I, as an older sister, have to express it!" Knowing that his younger brother was admitted to Fudan University, Situ Huimin has been in excitement recently. She is a very emotional person, although she is married and has children, and lives far away, she still often runs to her parents' house. If there are any troubles and difficulties at home, she is very concerned and always thinks about helping to solve them.

Listening to the conversation between Hye-min and her mother-in-law, Zheng Wenshu, who was busy in the stove, sighed with emotion. In her mind, her eldest daughter is a very smart person, not only writes with a beautiful pen, but also sings well. It's just that the family's economic conditions are not good, so after graduating from junior high school, he joined the job on his own initiative. On the surface, this girl does not regret her decision, but as a mother, she knows that she has always hidden a lot of regrets in her heart. A few years ago, whenever she heard that the sisters who went to middle school with her did well in the big city outside after graduating from college, or met them on the street who went home to visit relatives, she felt a sense of loss in her heart, but in the past few years, she got married and had children, so she saw that she couldn't go to high school and college. It was precisely because she couldn't go to school that she hoped from the bottom of her heart that her brothers and sisters would be better than herself. To be honest, before Pragmatism came to inform, she was more anxious than anyone else, for fear that he would miss something in the exam.

"Daddy's back!"

While the family was talking and laughing, Cen Limin, the little girl who occasionally rolled her eyes, suddenly shouted in the direction of the outside of the room.

Situ Huimin followed the sound and looked out——

Sure enough, stepfather Cen Huanian walked over from the gate of the compound with a bag.

"Uncle!" Situ Huimin stepped forward, reached out and took the bag that his stepfather was carrying, and called affectionately.

"How many times have you been here?" The arrival of his stepdaughter made Cen Huanian very happy, and the smile immediately overflowed on his face, and when he entered the room, he was even more moved to see the money and things she sent to Pragmatic. Although he didn't say anything, his heart was very uneasy. When he was leaving school, he overheard Fan Yun talking to her husband, who had come to pick her up. The latter told Fan Yun that his younger brother was admitted to university, and Situ Huimin was so happy that he decided to send some money and goods. But for this, her old bull Houhuai quarreled with her, saying that it was to help her brother, and it was very good to seal eight yuan and ten yuan, and she couldn't leave a penny at home, and she couldn't take 10,000 steps back, and she couldn't pull off the futon he was now covering to save face, which shows that her mind is only in her mother's house, not on him. And his words were very ugly: "No matter how you behave, you are also a daughter who is married, and you are not born to the Cen family." ”

Alas-

Thinking of these, Cen Huanian couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He believed what Fan Yun's husband said, not only because they lived next door to Hui Min's house, but also because Fan Yun's lover was not a person who said right and wrong. To be honest, he has always been not optimistic about the marriage between Huimin and his son-in-law Niu Houhuai, but because Niu Houhuai was introduced by Ge Chuanxin, the wife of his old friend Shangguanzheng, and his wife recognized it, he had to marry her off in the fourth year after Huimin joined the work. If you want to rely on him, you have to wait a little longer, and you won't be able to marry such a beautiful and capable daughter, and you will be an old girl at home for a lifetime.

The whole family is still talking enthusiastically about going to school in a practical way. Although Cen Huanian also listened to the words of his family, and occasionally echoed a few words, his thoughtful expression was still seen by Situ Huimin. She guessed that he must have something on his mind at the moment, but she didn't know what he was thinking. For his stepfather, Situ Huimin's heart was full of gratitude and respect. Very early, she heard her grandmother say that her stepfather was a talent when he was young, and many young female teachers in Limin Primary School pursued him, but he obeyed his father's order and married the widowed Zheng Wenshu, and did not dislike the latter having a three-year-old daughter. From the first day she walked into the Cen family with her mother, her stepfather treated her as if she were his own child, and even after she had her eldest brother, she was also the same, which could not help but move her a lot. The reason why she made the decision to stop going to school after graduating from junior high school and find a job was largely to repay her kindness and ease the burden on her stepfather in the family.

After chatting for a while, Zheng Wenshu found that it was time for lunch, so she asked Limin to go to the alley to see if the eldest brother had returned, and beckoned Huimin to help serve the food. The eldest daughter gave her second son a strong trip, of course she was happy, but she was a little worried that Niu Houhuai would have an awkward relationship with her daughter because of this. For this son-in-law, she has mixed feelings: to say that he is not good, that he has nothing to say about his work, and that he has a decent style of life;

Forget it, that's all there is to it. Seeing Hui Min happily serving food and rice, there seemed to be nothing unpleasant, Zheng Wenshu comforted herself. She felt that if there was anything she had learned from Huimin's marriage, it was that she hoped that she would find a virtuous girl in the future and no longer worry about her.