On Saturday, Zhuxian No. 1 Middle School has a monthly holiday. Wu Xiaotian stacked all the books into a stack, tied them into bundles with rope, and prepared to move home and no longer come to school.

Classmate Huzi knew about Wu Xiaotian's family situation, and when he saw Wu Xiaotian's sad expression, he persuaded him: "Xiaotian, the college entrance examination will be taken in half a year, let's grit our teeth and pass it soon." If you drop out of school now, you won't be able to make it, and you will regret it in the future. ”

"My dad stayed at home alone, probably either drinking or sleeping. Hundreds of thousands of debts,

How can he pay it back? I'm afraid he won't be able to think about it, so go back and take care of him, and I can also help a little. Wu Xiaotian said helplessly.

"How can you help?" Huzi said anxiously.

"At least he doesn't have to take the material fee and living expenses anymore. After the Chinese New Year, I will go out to work to help my family pay off their debts. Wu Xiaotian said sullenly.

"If you go out to work now, if you want a diploma or not, if you want a skill or not, how much can you earn? If you are admitted to university and study a good major, you will not have to worry about not making money. Huzi saw that Wu Xiaotian was rolling the quilt and wrapping cotton wool again, so he couldn't help but persuade again.

"How many years will it take me to pay off my debts after college? Can the person who lent us money wait that long? It's moral for people to borrow money, don't we still laugh at it? Wu Xiaotian sighed helplessly.

"There's always a way. Didn't you say that Teacher Yang was going to ask the school for help? Huzi felt that Xiaotian was reasonable, and he couldn't find a better way to persuade him for a while, but he really didn't want him to drop out of school.

Another idea.

"How much money can the school solve? Alas, forget it, I'm not in the mood to read. Wu Xiaotian said whimsily.

Huzi's father runs a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city, and he wanted to tell Xiaotian to ask his father to work in his restaurant. But Xiaotian's father has a disability, what can he do? Washing dishes? Washing dishes is a woman's job, and he is a big man, will he feel embarrassed? Sweeping? Is it lame that affects business? If I tell Xiaotian now, will Xiaotian agree? Besides, there was no discussion with my father. Forget it, go back and ask Dad first, and we'll talk about it later.

Huzi looked at Xiaotian and said, "There are so many books, as well as bedding and basins, how can you get them back?" Otherwise, you should go back and see your dad today before making a decision. Put these things here first, no one wants them. ”

Xiao Tian flipped through the books, and they were really heavy; He lifted the futon again, but it was loose and difficult to handle; If you carry another basin, it is estimated that the road will attract people's attention, and you will really think that you are a construction worker. I had to nod and say, "Okay, you can help me watch." I'll pick it up in a few days. ”

Wu Xiaotian stuffed a change of clothes into his bag, and walked out of the student dormitory with his bag on his back.

The creeper on the outer wall of the dormitory building is still luxuriant, still spitting green, and the emerald green leaves shiver in the autumn wind from time to time; A few yellow sycamore leaves swirled in the air, floating slowly.

Wu Xiaotian glanced back at his bedroom, where Huzi's clothes were still hanging by the window, and he was waving in the wind, as if he was saying goodbye to himself. I couldn't help but feel a sour feeling in my heart. Farewell, Huzi! Farewell, campus!

He took a deep breath, thinking that the future was long and the future was bleak, and he didn't feel sour. Without looking back, he walked briskly towards the school gate.

When he got home, Xiao Tian saw his father wearing a long apron on his chest and sleeves on his hands, and he was under the eaves

Cutting bamboo and scorning.

There are a lot of hundreds of bamboos piled up in the dam in front of the house, and my father is up and down with a knife, like a broken bamboo, and the shiny and sharp knife "snaps" to cut the hundred bamboos. That posture, that technique, is not inferior to the old contempt craftsman Wu Yuanshou.

"Dad, I'm back." Wu Xiaotian puffed up a smile and shouted affectionately.

When Wu Sifu saw his son coming back, he quickly put down the knife, patted the bamboo ash on his body, took his son's backpack and walked to the house.

Wu Xiaotian was very surprised when he saw his father cutting bamboo and scorning, and asked, "Dad, what are you doing with scorn?" Do you make a back? ”

"Weaving a bamboo sieve." Wu Sifu replied simply.

"Weaving a bamboo sieve? What does a woven bamboo sieve do? Xiao Tianhu asked suspiciously.

"Sell." Seeing his son's questioning face, Wu Sifu smiled and said, "Two days ago, I went to the town to catch up with the market, and I saw someone selling bamboo sieves and bamboo baskets, 15 yuan each, and the style is not good-looking. It's okay these days, I'm thinking, I'll make it up, it's better to make it up and sell it. ”

Xiaotian didn't say anything, but he thought in his heart, it took a few days to make a bamboo sieve, and I don't know if anyone will buy it, how much money can I make? For the hundreds of thousands of debts owed by the family, it is simply a drop in the bucket.

Wu Sifu hurried to live and cook. He washed the rice and put it in the black tin pot on the wood stove, and the wood burned crackling, and simmered the rice in the pot by himself.

He took out the meat again, cut it into shreds, mixed it with ginger and garlic, and salted it; Take out a few potatoes and cut them into shreds; Then a bowl of egg custard was mixed and steamed over the rice.

The stove was lit with a red fire, and the room instantly warmed up. The rice in the pot has an attractive aroma, and the shredded potatoes are stir-fried with rapeseed oil in the iron pot, and the aroma is sultry.

Xiaotian sat by the fire hall and lit the fire. Looking at his father's busy appearance, he was in a trance for a while. Shouldn't my father be holding a wine bottle to drown his sorrows? How does it look like a different person? Looking at the situation, my father's mood was much better than before.

I still don't say I want to drop out of school? If so, what will happen to Dad? Will it be like when I made a mistake when I was a child, and I slapped my head and hit it down? Or throw things in anger, squat to the side, sulk, and smoke non-stop? Thinking of this, Wu Xiaotian was a little timid in his heart, and he didn't dare to say anything if he didn't read.

"Dad, I can't see it, you're quite good at stir-frying." Wu Xiaotian said to Wu Sifu.

"Definitely! Don't look at who I am! Wu Sifu said in a good mood.

Seeing that lunch was almost ready, Xiao Tian moved a small bamboo table to the side of the fire hall, and the father and son ate with firewood and roasted the fire, and no one spoke.

Wu Sifu scooped the egg custard to his son and said, "Eat more." Reading is stressful and the brain is used a lot. When Xiao Tian saw his father mention reading, he felt that it was a good reason, so he wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the idea of not studying. I only heard Wu Sifu say again, "I went to see your Teacher Yang." ”

"Have you gone to see Mr. Yang? When? What did you say? Xiao Tian was stunned.

"Teacher Yang said that your monthly exam results are not satisfactory. You have to work hard, there are only a few months left before the college entrance examination. Wu Sifu said calmly.

Xiao Tian was stunned there, holding a chopstick dish, and he didn't put it in his mouth for a long time.

"Eat! You just have to read your book well, you don't have to worry about anything else, and you can't control it. Don't always think about those debts, that's not what you should be thinking about right now. Wu Sifu said with a serious face.

"How do you pay back the money you owe?" Xiao Tian raised his voice and rushed out of his mouth with a trembling voice.

Wu Sifu was stunned. He didn't expect his son to get to the heart of the problem. He didn't want to think about this annoying question, so he drank a lot of alcohol in order to numb himself. Today, the almost numb question was raised by his son again, what should he say to his son? Wu Sifu obviously didn't come up with a solution.

"No matter how much money you owe, it doesn't matter to you. Children who have not yet grown up are thinking about some unrealistic things. I'm a man, I'll find a way to pay it back. Wu Sifu said with little confidence.

"I don't want to go to school anymore, I can work to earn money." Wu Xiaotian said angrily.

"Put away your child's thoughts, and study hard is the right way." Wu Sifu was a little angry, and his face immediately drooped.

Words are not speculative. Wu Xiaotian ate and went to take a nap in anger, but Wu Sifu ignored him. Wu Sifu cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks, fed the pigs, and began to scratch the strips again.

In winter, it gets dark early, especially in the mountains. It was as if lunch had just been eaten, and it was getting dark. The bamboo forest behind the house began to fog, swirling, steaming, dreamy.

Wu Sifu was busy all afternoon, and he didn't pay much attention to his son Wu Xiaotian. Did he sleep all afternoon? In the past, when I saw him come back, I would consciously write my homework, what happened to this kid today?

Maybe it's too tired from studying, so let him sleep.

After eating in the evening, Wu Sifu went to bed early. Wu Xiaotian sat in the hall, changing TV channels round and round.

Wu Xiaotian thought about it, when he came back this time, his father was in a good state, he didn't even drink, and he was still scratching a scorn. He should have a plan for life.

Do you want to go to school? I told Huzi categorically that I didn't want to read it, and I wanted to go out to work to earn money. Tomorrow when he goes back to school, what will Huzi think of himself? The family owes so much money, even if I go to work by myself, I can't pay it back for a while.

Xiao Tian thought of these questions and had a terrible headache. He kind of understood why his father was always drinking.

The next day, he slept until three o'clock in the morning and did not wake up.

Wu Sifu couldn't bear it. Standing in front of his son's bed, he yelled, "You don't read anymore, do you?" Get up, go to the bamboo forest to cut bamboo and come back, I will teach you to weave bamboo baskets, and tomorrow you will take them to the market and sell them. ”

Wu Xiaotian covered the quilt and ignored him.

"You've grown up, you can do it, go earn money! You think there's gold all over there, just waiting for you to pick it up. Think for yourself, what else do you have besides the strength you have? The more Wu Sifu scolded, the more angry he became.

Wu Sifu was so angry that he wanted to beat him with a bamboo stick. But when he thought about it, when the child was older, beating him might not work, and the key was to turn the corner. Then he slammed the door in a rage and left.

Wu Xiaotian covered himself in the quilt for a while before getting up. Forget it, let's go to school. If you don't go to school, in addition to working on construction sites, you are wandering around in society, without a diploma and no skills, how much money can you earn? Maybe life will be as miserable as Dad's.

Wu Xiaotian got up, ate haphazardly, picked up his schoolbag and left.

"Where are you going?" Wu Sifu asked.

"Didn't you want me to go to school?" Wu Xiaotian replied without looking back.

Wu Sifu hurriedly took out the living expenses he had prepared from his trouser pocket, walked over and handed them to him. said softly: "The study task is heavy, and life is a little better." Next month, Daddy will give you a little more. ”

Wu Xiaotian didn't answer. Wu Sifu stuffed his son's schoolbag and pushed him, "Let's go." Be careful when riding a motorcycle. ”