The world is broken, the cubs mend it

"..."

Chen Jiahe didn't understand why she was so happy. His heart was aching and bleeding, and he felt uncomfortable even if he spent an extra penny.

His mouth was dry in the middle of the day and he was too lazy to say anything more.

The three of them parted ways at the entrance of the village. Chen Jiahe returned home and put new clothes on the child. The little guy looked more lively in the new clothes.

When the villagers saw him carrying back a lot of things, they thought they were seeing things. The sun really rises from the west, and this stingy man was not willing to pluck the feathers of the things.

Dad was in the kitchen cutting the fat he bought today to make lard, and the aroma of burnt meat filled the house.

"Stand further away."

Looking at the child standing next to the stove, Chen Jiahe gently pushed her head. He was worried that the oil would burn her at such a close distance.

But the child was still useful. When he saw him taking the small iron basin to hold lard, he took the initiative to run over and get it for himself.

The crispy and fragrant lard residue sprinkled with some salt is a great snack. Chen Jiahe picked some for her to eat and put the rest for cooking.

Yuanyuan was sitting on the doorstep with a bowl of lard residue in her hand when she heard a quarrel coming from afar.

It turned out to be Wang Mazi, who went to the market with him today. He was chased and beaten by his old father because he spent money on a useless skirt.

If you use the money to buy a skirt to buy daily necessities, you can buy a lot of them. It is difficult for those who are in love to have a good ending.

Chen Jiahe did not throw away the child’s old clothes. Instead, he took them to the side shed and threw them together with corn stalks to make a nest for the cows.

With few people in the family, the work seems extraordinarily heavy. The fields cannot be left idle, so after preparing the vegetable seeds, we have to go to work again.

Chen Jiahe was young and strong and worked quickly. He dug holes in the land and sowed the rapeseed one by one.

He had carried some water in advance and placed it on the edge of the field. Yuanyuan picked up the watering can and followed him to water the fields, doing her job in a very professional manner.

"are you tired?"

The little girl couldn't carry much water. She only scooped a little from the scoop to water a pit and it was gone. Chen Jiahe felt tired for her as she walked back and forth.

"Not tired!"

Yuanyuan just treated this as a game and was having a lot of fun.

"..."

Chen Jiahe waved the hoe and buried the seeds with soil. He knew that she probably thought it was fun, but he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips. He appreciated people who were more diligent.

When the villagers passing by saw the child, they couldn't help but praise her for being sensible. Most children of her age love to play with mud.

However, the child's enthusiasm was limited. After watering for a while, he found it boring and sat on the edge of the field to pull the flowers and plants on the ground.

Chen Jiahe took care of the rest himself, carrying a bucket of water and watering the seeds along the way, until all the seeds were soaked before the sun set.

The father and daughter were returning home in the evening breeze. They met Wang Mazi under a willow tree by the roadside. Wang Mazi was holding the clothes he had bought at the market in the morning, looking absent-minded.

It seems that the thing in his hand was not given away. Chunhong didn't like him and refused to accept his gift.

"Jia He, are you saying that I really have no chance?"

"There's a show!"

"Really?"

Wang Mazi's depressed expression suddenly brightened up and he looked at him expectantly.

"You have a part to play in the circus."

Chen Jiahe said this calmly and walked away quickly with the child.

Wang Mazi was left standing alone in the wind, and it took him a long time to realize that he was making fun of him.

"Dad, what's a circus?"

Yuanyuan looked at him curiously, with a hint of confusion in her innocent eyes.

"Probably a place with performing animals and clowns who do magic tricks."

Chen Jiahe had never seen a circus performance, but he had heard about it during the time he went to the city.

"Then why is Uncle Wang's show in the circus? Will he perform as well?"

"Um…"

How can it not be considered a performance if it is so ugly?

In fact, Chen Jiahe felt a little sorry for Wang Mazi. His feelings were very strange, without any rules or reasons, but they attracted so many people.

Anyway, he doesn't believe in love, he doesn't believe in any kind of emotion, only what he holds tightly in his hands is real.

After having dinner and washing up at night, Yuanyuan lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He looked at his father, who was fanning himself, and his head leaned towards him.

Chen Jiahe was not used to being too close to people, and the child's sudden approach made him subconsciously step back.

"?"

Yuanyuan glanced at him in confusion, then moved her body and rested her head on his arm again.

"Dad, I can't sleep."

"I can't sleep either."

Chen Jiahe glanced at her with his arms stiff, not knowing what to say.

There was silence in the air for a moment. Yuanyuan looked up at the dark beams and picked at his fingers out of boredom.

After a while, a hand gently patted her head, and the rough fingertips scratched her hair a little.

"Go to sleep..."

Chen Jiahe doesn’t know how to coax children, and her movements and words seem particularly stiff.

I don’t know if there was any news from the village chief. The child’s breathing gradually became even, and he fell asleep with his head resting on his arm.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, I couldn't help but think of my childhood.

At that time, he slept alone in that cold little house. He remembered that he was afraid of the dark when he was young and he also hoped to sleep with his parents.

But his parents were not soft-hearted towards him. They were particularly cowardly in the village and would vent their anger on him.

The reason why the villagers thought that the couple had some mental problems was because they were usually very friendly to everyone when they were out.

But when he returned home and closed the door, he wanted to beat his child to death. This behavior is really puzzling.

Perhaps some parents have no status outside, and the only people they can control are their own children, and they look for their lost dignity in their children.

When the news came back that the couple had died in an accident while working in the city, Chen Jiahe did not feel any sadness at all, and even felt a sense of relief.

He has lived alone for so many years, doing almost the same thing every day. Occasionally, he would feel lonely in the dead of night, but he still felt that being alone was the safest.

Listening to the little guy's breathing beside him, Chen Jiahe actually wanted to get closer. It is human instinct to get closer to warmth.

But thinking that this was not her own child, she tried her best to restrain herself from having too many feelings for her, otherwise it would be just a false joy.

The child seemed to feel insecure and snuggled into his arms again.

early morning--

Not long after the sun rose, there was a hurried knock on the door. It was Village Chief Wang who came to see him.

Chen Jiahe opened the door and looked at him gloomily, and he guessed his purpose.

"Have the child's parents been found?"

"No, I've asked several neighboring villages and no one has lost a child at home."

It’s strange to say, the village is far away from the town, and the child couldn’t have walked here by himself. I guess he was abandoned here by someone.

Village chief Wang couldn't help but wonder if he had had an affair with the child outside, which was why he left the child here.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to call him dad all the time. The most important thing is that he looks so much like her.