1

After being dismissed from the school, Uncle He began to farm, he was a good hand at farm work, in the early years, he followed Grandpa He to work in the field and learned a lot of planting knowledge, even when he was a teacher, he was not idle, and the office was full of flowers and plants.

Uncle He didn't know where to borrow an old buffalo, and renovated the long-abandoned field next to the old house, preparing to plant rice next year. Uncle He often said that this is his old business, and the belongings for eating cannot be forgotten.

Uncle He also made use of the hillside behind the old house, planted a lot of flowers and plants, there are moon seasons, four seasons of green, full of stars, and some I can't name, whenever the hillside is sprinkled with sunshine, flowers and grass will shape the sunlight into their own shape, a good scenery of bright and sparkling.

Uncle He bought some beautiful flower pots, pruned and pruned the planted flowers and plants to make bonsai, and made some space for Aunt Liu's tailor's shop, put up wooden shelves, and the flower and plant business began to be done.

Uncle He is really powerful, he doesn't look like a teacher at all when he starts a business, but Aunt Liu is left to do confinement alone. Sometimes Uncle He also spends the night in the old house, I don't know if it was because of the superbirth that made him lose his job, he doesn't seem to like to deal with He Li very much. But it just so happened that my mother was also at home, and it was my mother who took care of them.

My mother spent most of the day doing housework at He Li's house, when my brother was only four or five years old, just entered elementary school, fortunately, my brother was very capable, every time he came home from school, he and He Qing's sister helped out, so my mother could rest for a while.

Xiao He Li is sometimes very disobedient, will cry, mother is always very worried, no way to hold He Li all over the house and keep coaxing her, until Xiao He Li has no strength to cry and quietly sleep, mother carefully put her into the cradle, when she hears Xiao He Li's rhythmic breathing, she will show a shallow smile, like comforting her child.

Aunt Liu was lying on the bed and couldn't move, bed sheets, diapers or something, my mother would wash them and then go to the river to clean them, there were bamboo poles on the riverside that were specially used to dry clothes. The sun is always on the other side of the river, and when you dry your clothes, there will always be sunshine to fill your gloomy heart, and my mother has to squint her eyes to see the cracks in her heart.

The bamboo pole was still there when He Li and I grew up, and the neighbors in the neighborhood used it to dry clothes, and it wore everyone's clothes, diapers, open crotch pants, skirts, overalls, short-sleeved shirts, cotton jackets...... But it still can't disguise its old age.

Mother's hard work made Aunt Liu very embarrassed. Aunt Liu said, "Xiaoyun, in fact, you don't have to do this. ”

Mother: "You just let me do more things, so that I feel better." ”

Aunt Liu no longer persuades my mother, she understands my mother's stubbornness, just like herself. Later, despite everyone's opposition, Aunt Liu got out of bed after only ten days of confinement, and it was not a taste to be taken care of every day. Aunt Liu said: "Anyway, it's all sitting, sitting on the bed and sitting on the sewing machine are the same." ”

So the tailor shop, which had been suspended for more than half a month, opened again, but there was an extra cradle next to the sewing machine, and many uninformed people would always be surprised: "Yo! Another one was born. Some regular customers will also give He Li a red envelope, but Aunt Liu didn't accept it.

2

According to our local customs, giving birth to a child is a happy event, and it is necessary to drink happy wine, but at that time, it was difficult for a child to get a household registration, and he was usually fined, so the second child basically would not hold a wedding banquet.

He Li's full moon wine Aunt Liu only invited our family, my mother and Aunt Liu were busy making a large table of dishes, Aunt Liu said: "I originally wanted to take advantage of He Li's full moon to thank you, but now it's good, and I'm tired again." ”

Mother: "It's okay, your girl is my girl." As she spoke, my mother took out a red paper envelope from her pocket, "Liu Xia, Nuo!" This is for what reason. ”

Aunt Liu slapped her mother on the arm, "What are you doing Xiaoyun?" You were busy a lot before and after He Li was born, so you don't need it. ”

"Oh, you take it, it's not for you, give me a girl."

Aunt Liu: "Xiaoyun, I know you blame yourself, but think about it, if it weren't for you, He Li might not be able to give birth." ”

Mom looked at He Li next to her, touched his little face and said, "Liu Xia, you can take it for He Li, just think it's for me, otherwise I won't be honest in my heart." ”

Aunt Liu sighed, accepted the red paper envelope, and gently stuffed it into He Li's swaddling clothes. Since then, this red paper envelope has never been opened, and Aunt Liu has always treasured it in the box, she doesn't know how much money is stuffed inside, and she doesn't need to know.

The red paper seal was glued with the paste of red paper with couplets, and it was stuffed with the old-fashioned 100 yuan, and then my mother forgot how much money was stuffed in it, and no one knew it anymore. But it doesn't matter, this red paper envelope will become the most precious token of our two families.

For many years to come, the love and care given by her mother to He Li seemed too long in the face of her guilt, He Li's injury will accompany her for a lifetime, and all the compensation her mother made can only be exchanged for her moments of peace.

What is more torturous than love is guilt, especially the guilt of a good person, but love is eternal.

Uncle He didn't talk much during dinner, since He Li was born, he rarely spoke, he became a different person, and he was busy taking care of his flowers and plants all day long.

My dad and Uncle He had a cup of drink, and this time my dad didn't drink him.

Uncle He was also drunk, his eyes were red, like a lot of tears, Uncle He said in a daze: "The class I took is obedient, and I said that I would accompany them to graduate, now it's okay." ”

Dad: "Don't say it, Lao He, you really can't do it without your class, as soon as you leave, your grades have dropped a lot." ”

Speaking of this, Uncle He really cried, but the tears didn't flow, and they all drank wine.

Which pot is not opened, and the mother immediately gave the father a look, and the father knew that he had said the wrong thing, so he immediately changed the topic: "This dish is so delicious, I have to have another bowl of rice." So saying, he got up and went to serve the meal.

Uncle He lowered his head and finished pulling the last two bites of rice in the bowl, and by the way, he secretly squeezed back the tears that were about to flow out of his eyes, then raised his head, stretched his waist, and stroked his stomach with one hand and said contentedly: "Eat enough!" Lao Jiang, you eat slowly. ”

After the meal, Uncle He and his father fell asleep deeply, and when they woke up the next day, life continued.

3

My aunt is in the glasses business in Shanghai, and I heard that the business is not bad, and the tenants of the store at home are about to move out, so my mother and my father plan to open an optical store, and after discussing it, my mother decided to go to Shanghai.

In Shanghai, my mother also called home every day, and after briefly asking my father and brother, she called Aunt Liu, of course, what she was most concerned about was what reason, whether she ate well, how noisy she was at night, and whether her bowel movements were smooth......

After about ten days, my mother came back in a hurry, and brought back a batch of equipment for making glasses, about a dozen pieces of large and small, which were bought with all the savings of my parents in the past few years.

As soon as he got home, his mother debugged all kinds of equipment, and then pulled his father to give him glasses, but his father was neither myopic nor presbyopia, so his mother dragged him to do the experiment. Fortunately, the glasses were very successful, and the father who wore the glasses was a little more bookish.

Mom was most anxious about the news she brought back.

Maybe it was because she was away from home, and her mother had an idea on a certain road in Shanghai, and she couldn't wait to tell her father: "Let's have another child too." Mom said with a smile that she hadn't seen for a long time, and then she said with a fluttering eyebrow: "Look, I can't be by He Li's side forever, but I can have one, they are of the same age, they can go to school together, grow up together, if it's a boy, you can protect her, if it's a girl, you can listen to her." ”

is obviously talking about giving birth, but her mother herself is happy to become a child.

Dad didn't say a word, but agreed, even if it would cost him his job, because the woman in front of him hadn't been so happy for a long time.

"Don't you think about it, and say yes so soon?" Mom wondered

"I'm so happy with you, I have to say yes."

Mom hugged her father excitedly and cried with joy.

4

My dad did what he said, and he quit his job soon after, and the day he left was Friday, and when the students came home from school, my dad sat in the guard room at the school gate and watched them leave one by one.

The students who saw their father greeted him politely: "Teacher Jiang, goodbye!" ”

Dad replied as usual: "Be careful on the road, remember to complete your homework, and I will check it when I come next week." ”

Of course Dad broke his word.

My dad never smoked, and he didn't do that day, so he said maybe it would be better to smoke one.

Dad was admitted to the normal school and then became a teacher, and the journey was difficult.

In the years when I was studying, the family conditions were not good, and my father not only had to work part-time, but also had to walk dozens of miles home to do farm work during the spring planting and autumn harvest season. Every time I walked from home, my father would bring a jar full of pickles, just because he was reluctant to eat the cabbage in the school for two cents a piece, and the pickles would not spoil for a long time, so that now my father's eyebrows will wrinkle when he sees the pickles, and he says that he is tired of eating.

Several of my aunts and uncles have long since dropped out of school, working part-time, farming, and some relatives advised my father, "The family is so poor, don't waste the money, come back to farming!" ”

Dad was stubborn, and his answer was simple and affirmative: "I want to study!" "For these four words, Dad has endured all the hardships.

Dad has always had his persistence and enjoyed it, and now he has not given up, nothing more than to live a more comfortable life, because as long as his mother is happy, as long as our family is happy, he is willing to do anything.

Uncle He is the most understanding of my father, he went to my father for a drink, but my father refused: "Do you still want to drink for this kind of thing, it's all voluntary." ”

Uncle He sighed: "Why do you say you resigned?" It's a pity! ”

Dad jokingly said, "Didn't you say that if you have another one, I will accompany you to have another one." ”

Uncle He: "Okay, celebrate your son, come to my house for two drinks in the evening." ”

"That's fine!"

Dad didn't drink much, Uncle He didn't drink either, the wine didn't get drunk, but the business started, and the two laid-off workers began to encourage their reemployment, after all, there was still a big family to support, and the matter of giving birth to a son had long been lost in the river. The two of them decided to rent a storefront together, half of which was sold to Uncle He, and half was sold to my father, and the name of the shop was "Half and Half".

What a great idea! Our town happens to be a tourist town again, and there are many tourists coming and going, and such a literary shop is still the first one.

Uncle He's flowers and plants are mostly green, and Dad's drawing boards are mostly white, so half and half of the store are obviously separated by two colors, but they are very softly connected, which is also beautiful, natural, and warm, and there is no need to decorate.

Half and half and my mother's optical store opened on the same day, and Aunt Liu specially asked Wang Blind on East Street to pick the day. The blind man was a fortune teller, and the legend was very effective.

On the day of the opening, a lot of people came, firecrackers were put from early in the morning to noon, some guests took care of the business directly, Dad and Uncle He were very busy, because they were all handmade, there was not enough time, and many orders were scheduled for a week later.

During lunch, Dad and Uncle He toasted and smoked to the guests at a table, and the business was good, and they were both happy.

"Not to mention, you two are pretty creative!" Teacher Wang, who was in Dad's previous school, said while drinking wine, his round face was like Guan Gong.

"That's, we're still catching up with fashion when we're older!"

A table of staggering old men laughed.

In contrast, my mother's optical store is a little deserted, but my mother has patience, she is better at business than my father, my father will not bargain when buying things, and he will not raise the price when selling things, it is all according to what others say, my mother is different, bargaining seems to be the talent of all women. Uncle He and my dad are the same, so half and half of the goods are never clearly priced, sometimes depending on the weather, sometimes depending on the mood, and because of this, half and half of the reputation and popularity have always been good.

There are more people who buy Dad's paintings, and Dad has become famous, many parents come to learn to paint with their children, at first my dad was too lazy to charge tuition, and then he learned to paint more, so he took advantage of the trend to run an interest class.

Dad is very happy that he can be a teacher again.

In this way, our family changed from a working family to a self-employed family, and at first my dad was a little unaccustomed to it, but when he saw the birth of the child, my dad said it was all worth it.

5

In ninety-four years, at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the child that my mother had been looking forward to was born, a boy, a boy who could protect He Li, that is, me.

Why I was born?

Because of giving birth to me, our family was fined 20,000 yuan, which was a lot at that time. The family's savings are used to open a store, and half and half and the recent profit of the optical store is simply not enough.

Without waiting for my dad to ask, Uncle He gave my dad 10,000 yuan, and he said, "Take it and use it, when you have it, and when you will give it back to me." ”

Dad didn't talk to Uncle He, and paid the fine after scraping together 20,000 yuan.

Even when I was so young, half and half of all the flowers and paintings in the days when I was born were still sold very cheaply, not to make money, but to be happy.

Of course, the happiest thing was my mother, she asked Aunt Liu to hold He Li, put the two children together, and introduced themselves to the two little babies who couldn't speak, and let He Li and I hold hands. I don't know if this counts as an acquaintance, or if I don't have memories from my childhood, but I believe that there will always be feelings that will sprout at such a young age and grow up with us.

I don't know what day it started, He Li became very specific in my life, I can't search for the memory of that time, I raised with He Li when I was a child, drank a mother's milk, no need to say hello, no need to ask her name, I knew the name of this person next to me when I had thoughts, I wanted to protect her, accompany her, like a relative.

People are wonderful.

I didn't hold a wedding banquet like He Li, and Aunt Liu stuffed a red envelope into my mother, which was the one my mother gave to He Li when He Li was full moon. Seeing that my mother was about to refuse, Aunt Liu said, "Take it, give it to our son." ”

Mom didn't say anything, she accepted the red envelope, and like Aunt Liu, she never opened it.

In the hometown, the money is also called "favor", and it is to be repaid. But even if it is returned, the favor will not be cleared up in the end.

Aunt Liu hesitated for a long time, but couldn't help but ask her mother: "Xiaoyun, why did you give birth to a child?" ”

Mom denied with a smile: "Of course not!" ”

Aunt Liu: "Don't lie to me, your eyes will narrow with a smile as soon as you lie." ”

Aunt Liu loved and hated it, she stomped her feet in anger, and she continued: "You can't be blamed for He Li's affairs, why do you say that you resigned from a stable establishment job for He Li's family?" Aunt Liu said with tears in her eyes.

"Isn't it good that I've given birth, look at how cute my son is!" Mom was calm.

"But it's not fair to the child, he wasn't supposed to be born with any purpose." Aunt Liu looked at me as a baby and burst into tears.

The mother was silent, looking thoughtfully at the child in the cradle.

But I came to this world after all, and I can't go back after all. I'm going to start my life, no matter who I'm born for, my path has been paved, and I'm going to follow it to live as I am today.

Sometimes I think that if it weren't for family planning, if it wasn't for my mother's injection, if it wasn't for any reason, I might not be here, and all the opportunities at this moment are the result of all the choices I made before.

And my result was my mother's kind choice.

So I always believe in the saying that even though many people think it is naïve, and some people become less determined after experiencing betrayal and deception, I still firmly believe that "there are still many good people in this world".

The only thing that is certain is that people who believe this statement will at least not be too bad.

In any case, the total amount of goodness in this world will not be reduced, it is distributed to every living being, but some are full, some are empty, some are brave, some are cowardly, some are meek, and some are paranoid. It is because of these distinctive kindnesses that outweigh hidden evil thoughts that we have become a social species.