As soon as the day dawned, the broken wood creaked open, and a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy walked out of the door in tattered clothes.

Before the surrounding neighbors got up, Yun Qing was already holding a firewood knife and preparing to go up the mountain to chop firewood. He had already shouldered the burden of providing for his family, and the children of the poor had long been in charge of the household, and it was not unsatisfactory to him.

At this time, there was already dew in the morning, and Yun Qing's shoes and bare ankles were wet with dew. His hands, feet, and arms were covered with wounds, large and small. Some were bitten by mosquitoes, some were scratched by grass thorns and branches, and some were beaten by his stepmother.

The mountain road was winding, like a lazy grass snake, and he had to walk for nearly half an hour every day to reach the mountain. From spring to winter, he walked this road twice a day, and even with his eyes closed, he would not go wrong.

Despite the hard and tiring grind of chopping wood, he preferred to stay in the mountains rather than stay at home. Compared with the lack of food and clothing, the home that he wanted to escape but had to guard every day made him more painful.

Despite the cool weather in the early morning, Yun Qing still walked out of the sweat. He was to cut all the firewood before the sun rose, and then put it there to dry until it was half dry, and then carried it down the mountain.

Because the autumn sun is more poisonous, when the sun rises and chops wood, the skin on the body will be burned and painful.

Yun Qing has been going up the mountain to chop firewood since he was ten years old, but now he doesn't even have a decent firewood knife, he is not very good at carrying a firewood knife, and the handle of the knife is wrapped around with rags again and again, but his hands are still ground bloodstained.

After chopping enough firewood, Yun Qing took out the coarse grain cake from his arms and ate it with the water of the mountain stream. After that, I rinsed my mouth, washed my hands, and walked to a cave not far away.

This cave was Yun Qing's secret, and he hadn't told anyone about it.

The cave is not large, and when you enter it, there is a depression in the stone wall hidden by dead vines.

Yun Qing stood on tiptoe and carefully groped for a bag from inside.

Then pat off the dust and dead leaves from the baggage, and open it with a precious place, and there are several books in the baggage, both new and old, as well as brushes, ink cartridges, and a stack of rice paper.

Those old books belonged to Yun Qing's father, and they were incomplete. The new book was kindly given to him by Su last time, as well as those pen, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Yun Qing couldn't put down these things, but he was reluctant to use them. Especially the pile of rice paper, he only wrote three words on it - Su Balang. The rest of the time, I practiced calligraphy and used branches to write and draw on the sand.

He took the new book and put it away. Raising his eyes and looking at the rising sun, a thousand layers of pride suddenly accumulated in his chest.

After a long sigh of relief, he carefully opened the page and read it earnestly, gradually fascinated.

Just when Yun Qing was forgetting himself, a shrill voice sounded: "I really caught a thief!" I said, why do you go up to the mountains so early every day to chop wood?! It turned out that I ran here to hide and relax! ”

It was none other than Yunqing's stepmother, Qiu.

She is in her early forties, although she is thin, she has big feet and big hands, a hunchbacked shrimp waist, a dark spot on her face, thin lips like two pieces of paper, and a pair of yellow eyes.

"I've finished chopping wood." Yun Qing hurriedly stood up and protected the book behind her.

"What do you mean by cutting off? I said that you only cut a little firewood every day, and you have to spend most of the day in the mountains! It's getting more and more treacherous! Qiu Shi walked up viciously while scolding, twisting Yun Qing's ears: "Your old man is going to die at home, and you have to take the and urine!" You run here to be lazy, you white-eyed wolf with no conscience! Your heart is dark, just like you, you still want to be a reader! It really made the neighbors laugh and lose their teeth! If you were a girl, my mother would have married you off a long time ago. You can also earn a few dollars for retirement, who wants you to be a money-loser! ”

Qiu scolded vigorously, scolded incomprehensibly, and wanted to beat again.

Yun Qing struggled slightly, Qiu fell to the ground, first stunned, but he didn't expect Yun Qing to dare to resist, and then he rolled and cried.

"God, why don't you send down thunder and kill this unfilial seed! Why didn't a whirlwind sweep him up into the sky! Your wretched father is paralyzed on the kang and can't get up, if I hadn't sewn and mended and cooked over the years, you two would have survived until now?! Seeing that your wings are stiff, I won't recognize my mother, I will call the neighbors to judge the reasoning, or I will go to the yamen to sue you for disobedience! Qiu was crying with snot and tears all over her face, and her appearance was really disgusting.

Yun Qing stood aside, looking at her with cold eyes.

After making trouble for a while, Qiu probably felt very bored, so he wiped his face and sat up.

Rolled up Yun Qing's book and said, "Take this thing and sell it, it should be able to sell it for some money!" The old lady hadn't drunk for a few days, just in time to satisfy her cravings. ”

Yun Qing hurriedly stopped her, and said as well as she could: "This thing is not worth a few dollars, I will collect more firewood, and I will buy you wine to drink when I turn around." ”

When Qiu Shi heard this, he immediately straightened his waist and sneered: "Why are you afraid of making a real move?" Now you know how powerful your wife is? ”

"It's your son who is unfilial, which makes you angry." Yun Qing gritted her teeth and said, "Please don't be like me. ”

"Yo, such a well-behaved son," Qiu said angrily, "If you want to admit your mistake sincerely, kneel down and kowtow to me." ”

Yun Qing lowered his head, his two fists clenched tightly, and his back molars were almost crushed.

But he finally knelt down slowly, and without these books, his life became completely dark.

When Qiu Shi saw that he really knelt down, he immediately laughed madly: "You really knelt!" I know what you're kneeling for, you wolf-hearted thing, you haven't even knelt for me for your father! I actually knelt down happily for these books. I know what you're thinking, and I'll tell you, if you want to be blind, you won't be able to get ahead in this life! You're just like your scumbag, it's all rubbish! ”

Yun Qing reached out to snatch the book from Qiu's hand, but Qiu was very dexterous and dodged it at once.

"Little bastard, you don't have to work hard with me! Tell you, if you hurt me, I will go to the yamen to sue you and let you eat in prison!" "Qiu is vicious, like a flailing she-wolf.

Yun Qing knew that she was telling the truth, and she wasn't scaring herself. This shrew did all kinds of shameless things, she was really sued for disobedience, and she didn't want to study in her life.

Seeing Yun Qing like this, Qiu knew that he was afraid, so he turned around proudly and went down the mountain humming a little song.

Yun Qing didn't cry or shout, his whole person seemed to have turned into a piece of pig iron, and there was only an indifferent look on his face.

No one knew what was going on in his mind, except himself.