The world is broken, the cubs mend it

The old ox's eyes widened when it saw the fodder. It lowered its head and ate every bite very hard, as if there would be no next meal after this one.

Yuanyuan sat in the shade, fiddling with the grass beside her. In the fields in the distance, adults were working.

The little guy thought herding cattle was too interesting. After sitting alone for a long time, he became extremely bored and lay on the grass with his head raised.

"That child of yours can even herd cattle."

Village chief Wang also carried a hoe and went to the field. Looking at the little kid not far away, he felt grateful that he had finally led the cow out.

"..."

Chen Jiahe was hunched over weeding. He glanced at him as a greeting and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The child's patience was beyond his imagination. From his position, he could just see her crossed legs, looking quite relaxed.

"You...are always like a silent person."

Village chief Wang shook his head and went towards his own fields, not expecting him to give much of a reaction.

After 3:30 in the afternoon, the weather became much cooler. The breeze blew the green grass like gentle waves, and the tender leaves gently poked Yuanyuan's chubby little face.

"Hi!"

Wang Yingying suddenly jumped out from behind her, bent down and looked down at her.

"Why are you herding cattle here?"

"what?"

Yuanyuan sat up from the ground, stroking her hair with her little hands. I couldn't hear clearly what she was saying.

"Why are you herding cattle here? Can you keep an eye on the cattle?"

Wang Yingying sat down beside her. She was still a little kid, and if the cow ran away, she would not be able to catch up.

"I can keep an eye on it. It won't run around."

Yuanyuan felt that she had watched very well, the old ox was very obedient and stayed where it was.

"Your father asked you to herd cattle when you were so young, and you still say he is a good person."

Wang Yingying hugged her knees with her hands and rested her face on them. She had never been to herd cattle before, but she was being ordered to herd cattle at such a young age.

"My father didn't ask me to herd cattle. I wanted to herd cattle on my own."

"Ah? Why? Herding cattle is no fun at all."

“My cow is too skinny.”

Yuanyuan wants her cow to grow as strong as Yingying's cow. A thin one is not good-looking.

"Your cow looks like it's dying. It really needs to be fed more."

Wang Yingying looked at the clearly visible bones on the old ox's back. She had only heard that the Chen family's ox had suffered, but when she saw it with her own eyes she realized how pitiful it was.

The two children gathered together and talked about what had happened recently. Yuanyuan didn't have much to share, so she spent most of the time listening to the other person.

Wang Yingying has two older brothers, one ten years older and five years older than her. She was born in the early 80s, just before the implementation of the family planning policy.

My eldest brother dropped out of school after elementary school and stayed at home to help with farm work. My second brother is now in the third grade and his academic performance is pretty good.

"Did your father tell you to go to school?"

"No, what do you do at school?"

Yuanyuan shook her head. Her father had never mentioned this matter.

"Going to school is to learn knowledge. Learning to read and write will give you great abilities."

Wang Yingying looked into the distance with a longing look on her face. In two years she would be able to go to school.

"Can I go to school now?"

Seeing her high spirits, Yuanyuan became more curious.

"You can't go to school now. You have to wait until you are old enough. Many families in the village don't allow girls to go to school..."

When Wang Yingying said this, the light in her eyes dimmed again. Last time, she only heard her mother mention going to school, but she was still not sure whether she would go or not.

“Why don’t girls go to school?”

"My mother said that it is enough for a girl to learn how to wash clothes and cook. When she is old enough, she can marry into a good family. She does not need to know too many words."

"why?"

Yuanyuan tried very hard to understand what she said, but finally gave up as she couldn't understand it at all.

"My brother said this was called favoring sons over daughters, and he taught me how to read when I could read."

Wang Yingying didn't have a thorough understanding of the word, but whenever there were delicious food and drinks at home, her father and brother would eat them first. When there were outsiders, she and her mother were not allowed to sit at the table to eat.

Perhaps this is part of what the word means.

"Then I will learn to read in the future."

"Does your father agree?"

"I didn't ask..."

After listening to her description, Yuanyuan thought that going to school was a good thing and her father would not disagree.

"You still have to ask."

You have to pay tuition to go to school. The school is a bit far from the village and you have to walk several miles to get there.

"Yingying is back home!"

A shout came from a distance. It was Wang Yingying's second brother who had just finished school. He was carrying a military green bag filled with textbooks.

"Okay! I won't say any more. I'll come play with you tomorrow."

Seeing her second brother Wang Yingying stood up excitedly, waved at her and ran forward quickly.

In the setting sun, the brother and sister walked home along the ridge of the field, and their clear laughter could be heard from afar.

"It's time to go home."

Chen Jiahe also came over carrying a hoe, untied the rope tied to the wooden stake, and led the cow to pull her home.

"Dad, will you send me to school in the future?"

Yuanyuan still remembered what Wang Yingying said, and she held his calloused hand and walked back slowly.

"You want to study?"

Chen Jiahe never went to school, and the few words he knew were taught by Wang Mazi.

"I don't know. Sister Yingying said that studying is a promising career, so I think I would like to study."

"Let's talk about the future later. You are not old enough to go to school yet."

"Oh…"

Yuanyuan looked up at his father's chin with light stubble, and was not sure whether he was willing to let him study.

"..."

Although Chen Jiahe is illiterate, he knows the importance of studying. However, the cost of going to school is not small, and it takes time to save the money.

In fact, after his parents died while working away from home, he received a small amount of compensation, which he kept at home and never told anyone about.

"If you want to study, you have to study hard. You can't just learn to read and forget about it. You have to get into a good university."

“Is it difficult to get into college?”

Yuanyuan looked at him in confusion, thinking that she would have to wait a long time before she knew whether she could study or not.

"I don't know. It should be very difficult, but if you fail, then all my money will be wasted."

Chen Jiahe just mentioned it to her casually and didn't want to discuss it in depth with her. After all, she didn't understand.

He loves to measure value too much and wants to get equal returns for his investment.

If the child can make a name for himself in the future, leave the mountains and live a good life, that will be the most valuable reward, even if this reward does not happen to him.

"Then I will study hard in the future."

Yuanyuan looked at him seriously, determined not to let her father's money go to waste.

"Stop talking big!"

Chen Jiahe patted her head gently, his eyebrows slightly raised with a hint of smile.

I don’t know how long her enthusiasm for learning can last.

There are not many children in the village who go to school, and some of them refuse to go after just a few days.

"The ambition to succeed should be fostered from childhood."

007 sighed silently, no matter which dimension, the word "ambition" runs through the host's life.