The night was deep and quiet. Nishino lay quietly on the bed, trying to close his eyes, still unable to sleep. The things he has experienced in the past few days have touched Nishino's sense of self-esteem and the bottom line of his life too much.

My mother has worked hard all her life, she is diligent, she has almost never rested, and she has worked hard for decades, but she is still so poor, so humble, and she is accused and abused by others for a few hundred yuan. He Yan's mother is the same, she has worked hard in the fields all her life for her three children, but in the end she fell ill.

As soon as he thought of the fat woman township cadre, Nishino was angry. As a national civil servant, her quality is so low, and she acts as a prestige in front of the people.

Why is that? Do hard-working and kind people deserve to work hard all their lives and be bullied?

"Nishino, why haven't you slept yet? What happened? Tulong, who was sleeping on the opposite bed, saw Nishino tossing and turning on the bed and asked quietly.

"There's been so much going on in the past few days, I'm a little annoyed, why haven't you slept yet?"

"I'm not in a good mood today, why don't you go for a walk anyway, I can't sleep anyway?" Tulong stood up and pointed to the door.

"Okay, go for a walk." Nishino sighed and nodded approvingly.

The two of them gently dressed, gently pushed the door open, and walked out. At this time, it was more than eleven o'clock in the evening, the campus was quiet, the street lamps outside the dormitory shone quietly on the ground through the leaves and branches, and the evening breeze blew, with a slight coolness.

Nishino did a few chest expansion exercises, moved his hands and feet, and then exhaled heavily, as if he wanted to spit out the depression that had accumulated in his heart for the past few days.

"How are you going to go home these days? Still happy, right? Tulong sat down on the grass next to the playground.

"How so? Despite some unpleasantness, it's okay overall. Nishino sat down beside Tulong and briefly told him about the fact that the township government came to his house that day to collect the debt.

"Some township government cadres are so annoying, nodding their heads in front of the leaders above, but in front of the people, they are vicious, like jackals, tigers and leopards." Tulong picked up a piece of rubble in the grass bushes and threw it into the distance, indignant, "They say that they are servants of the people and serve the people, but where do they have a little like public servants." The farmland water conservancy fee is collected every year, but as long as it rains a little more every year, there will be floods. ”

"And the education surcharge, I don't know what they are collecting it for? Many rural middle schools are in tatters, raining, windy, and they pretend not to see anything. Is it their duty to collect taxes and not do things for the common people? ”

"Something happened to He Yan's family, do you know?" Nishino didn't want to discuss that heavy topic any longer, they were still students, and cynicism on such a sensitive and profound social and political issue would not play any role, and no matter how much they talked, they would only add blockage to their hearts and add to their troubles.

"Something's wrong? What's wrong? ”

"Her mother is sick, possibly stomach cancer."

"No, He Yan is such a good person, if something really big happens at home, I'm really worried about her, and it's a question of whether her books can be read anymore."

"I hope it's a misdiagnosis. Her father had already sent her mother to Changsha for medical treatment, and she said that she would go to the provincial capital to accompany her mother in a few days. The car to the provincial capital is only available at 10 o'clock in the evening, so let's go and see him off together. After all, we are all friends who play so well, although we can't give financial help, but it's always okay to give some moral support. ”

"Well, I'll definitely go then." Tulong nodded and agreed.

"How are you doing at home?" Nishino looked back at Tulong.

"The family is in good health, but it's just ......" Tulong silently looked at the flower bed under the street lamp in the distance, and stopped for a while.

"When I returned to school this time, my family really couldn't come up with the money, so I finally borrowed from east to west, but I only made up a hundred yuan, and the school stipulated that I could only go home once a month, so how could this 100 yuan not last for a month?"

"So you're worried about this, you don't have to worry, I'll talk to a few of them, I won't let you starve." Nishino patted Tu Long on the shoulder, "Huang Liangmeng has hundreds of pocket money every month, I'll go and tell him, it shouldn't be a problem to ask him to support him." ”

"It's not all because of that. When I went out this time, my brother sent me off for a long time, and he said that he didn't want to study anymore, and after the Chinese New Year, he went to work in a brick factory not far from our house, and he said that his grades were not good, and he couldn't get into a good school. But in another semester, he will graduate from junior high school. He is still so young, he will not be sixteen by February next year. If I didn't have that many siblings in my family, if my family was better, he might have been able to get into high school......"

Listening to Tulong's story, Nishino couldn't help him, and the situation he was facing was not like this. The two stopped talking, but sat silently in the depths of the night.

The next day, during the morning self-study, Nishino called Huang Liangmeng outside the classroom and bit his ear quietly. As expected, Huang Liangmeng was very refreshing: "No problem, you have helped me a lot the first two times, I am worried that I don't know how to thank you, this little favor, I can still help, although my parents are businessmen, but since I was a child, I have taught me to repay my kindness." Say, how much? ”

"About two hundred dollars is enough." Nishino knew that Tulong was also a very thrifty person, and 300 yuan should be enough for him for more than a month. ”

"By the way, last time the song stall owner said that he invited you to sing in the Miao Township Style Song and Dance Hall, what happened now?"

"He contacted me the day before yesterday and said that he could settle down after going to the dance hall this Saturday night to audition. If you have time, come with me on Saturday night to see it. I like to sing very much, and the sound in the ballroom is better, so the singing effect should be good. Huang Liangmeng said as he took out his wallet, took out two hundred yuan and handed it to Xiye, "Please tell Tulong, you don't need to rush to pay back this money, if you can't pay it back, just be a sponsor." ”

It's Friday in the blink of an eye. In the past few days, He Yan's mood has been very low and he has no intention of studying. Several times, Nishino saw her lying on the table crying silently, but there was nothing he could do.

After the second evening self-study, Xiye and several people went to the head teacher to ask for leave, saying that He Yan was going to visit her mother in the hospital in the provincial capital tonight, and several people wanted to go to the station to see her off. Unexpectedly, the head teacher, who has always been very difficult to speak, agreed very cheerfully, but just said a few words with concern to let Nishino and others be careful on the road, go early and return early, and approve the leave slips of several people.

In the mid-nineties of the last century, the station in S County was still very small, and there was only one bus that left the provincial capital at 10 o'clock in the evening every day. At that time, there was no highway, and it took about ten hours to take a car from S County to the provincial capital, and set off at 10 o'clock in the evening, even if the road was smooth, it would not be until eight or nine o'clock the next morning to arrive at the provincial capital.

When a few people arrived at the station, it was just after nine o'clock in the evening, and there was still nearly an hour before the departure of the train.

"Let's go outside and buy some food for He Yan on the way, and bring some fruit for Auntie by the way. Nishino, you bring He Yan's salute to the car, help her find a seat, you accompany her here first, and we will come back after buying things. Xu Xiaoqiao said.

Something happened to He Yan's family, everyone was very worried, and this was He Yan's first time going out of the house, and he was taking the train at night, so he made an appointment to come to the station to see her off. Xu Xiaoqiao, He Yanli, Yan Ling, and Tulong all came, and Huang Liang Meng also planned to come, but there was something at home temporarily, and he asked for leave to go home just after school, so he had to let a few people from Xiye do it for him.

The car was a sleeper with two floors, and Nishino picked He Yan's luggage into the car and helped her find a lower berth by the window. Then he turned back to He Yan and smiled and said, "Just sit, the lower bunk, and by the window, safe." ”

"Thank you!" He Yan put the duffel bag on the head of the bed, then sat down on the edge of the bed and whispered.

At this time, there were not a few passengers in the car, the car was very quiet, Xiye didn't know if He Yan would return to school after going here, so he quietly stuffed He Yan with two bills, "This is the 200 yuan I earned by moving cement, and I have been reluctant to use it, you take it." ”

"I can't ask for your money, and your family is not doing well." He Yan resolutely refused.

"Take it, it's a little bit of caution on my part. If you don't, I'm going to be very upset. Xiye's attitude was sincere, and He Yan took the hard-earned money from Xiye with tears.

"How many days are you going to go this time?" Nishino was a little reluctant.

"Two or three days, maybe longer. If my mother's illness wasn't serious, I might be back in two or three days, if ...... Maybe stay there for a week, in that case, you can help me take notes in class, and when I get back, help me with my homework, okay? He Yan looked out the window, his voice was very low, and his tone was full of sadness.

There was silence outside the window, no one was working at the station at this time, and there were few people in sight on the parking apron of Nuoda. A few dim street lamps around stretched the shadow of the telephone pole for a long time.

"You don't have to worry about studying, stay there with your mother. In front of your aunt, you must pretend to be happy and don't let her see your sad face, so that her mood will be better and help stabilize her condition. Nishino sat next to He Yan.

"Nishino, I'm really scared, what should I do if my mother really has an incurable disease? What about our family! He Yan turned around suddenly, fell on Nishino's broad shoulders, and cried whimperingly.

He Yan's cry was very suppressed. Nishino's shoulders were gradually soaked with tears, and he felt that He Yan's tormented heart was broken at the moment, what kind of pain it was.

Yes, how many people in this world have hearts that are truly made of iron? How could such a bad luck happen so suddenly to this weak, innocent and kind eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl? After all, he is just a child, just like himself.

Nishino sat quietly and didn't speak, letting He Yan's tears flow on his shoulders. These days, He Yan's heart has been suppressed for too long.

The ruthless god of fate always can't distinguish between good and ugly, and always likes to tear the good soul wantonly with his own hands, and then laugh fiercely at his bloody works. Although her shoulders are not thick enough, if she can get a moment of peace in her painful heart and a moment of relaxation in her tense nerves, then let her rely on it.

After a long while, He Yan raised his head and took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away his tears.

At this time, Xu Xiaoqiao and the others came back from buying good things, Yan Ling put the bag in his hand next to He Yan's bed, rubbed his hands, smiled honestly and said: "It's a long way to ride, there is no place to eat, I'm afraid that you will be hungry on the road, we bought you some braised tofu, peanuts and a few bottles of water." ”

"We didn't know what Auntie was eating, so we just bought some apples, bananas and raisins." Tulong put down the bag full of fruit in his hand and sat down on the edge of the bed opposite He Yan.

"Thank you, you've been so nice to me, I don't even know how to thank you." He Yan took the things and said apologetically.

"What kind of thanks, we are all good friends, brothers and sisters, you can see the outside world when you say this." Xu Xiaoqiao held He Yan's hand and pretended to be angry.

"Hey, why are you crying? Didn't you say you weren't allowed to cry? Xu Xiaoqiao found that He Yan's eyes were red, and he obviously cried.

"Yes, He Yan, why are you crying? Don't worry, maybe the doctor misdiagnosed, maybe your mother just had a general stomach problem. He Yanli hurriedly comforted.

"yes, there are a lot of misdiagnoses by doctors these days. Last time, my grandmother felt unwell and went to the county hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said that she had a bad heart, lung problems, etc., etc., anyway, it was very serious, and my family was terrified. Later, I was re-examined at another hospital, and the attending physician there immediately found out the cause, my grandmother just had a common cold, but it took a little longer. The results were very happy, and my grandmother was fine after two or three days in the hospital. Tulong pretended to comfort He Yan easily.

"It's, it's, it's definitely a misdiagnosis."

"Yes, He Yan, your mother is such a good person, a good person will have a good reward, she will definitely not get that kind of disease, you can rest assured."

“…… ”

Everyone comforted for a while, and He Yan's mood improved slightly, and at this time, other passengers also got on the bus one after another. Everyone couldn't stay in the car anymore, so they got out of the car and came to the window of He Yan's bed and continued to talk to her.

After a while, the car finally started, and the time for departure came. Xiye suddenly remembered something, took out a note from his pocket and handed it to He Yan, saying: "This is the phone number of Huang Liang Meng's house, he will go home tomorrow night, you can call to report your safety at that time!" ”