The world is broken, the cubs mend it

"..."

Wang Mazi knew from the tone of his voice that he was very angry, but since he said so, he couldn't just go ahead and make trouble for himself.

The two went their separate ways. When Chen Jiahe found the child, he was squatting on the ground poking earthworms with a branch.

After a few days of grazing, the old ox seemed to be much stronger and no longer as skinny as before.

"Don't you feel bored dealing with cows all day long?"

Chen Jiahe was holding the cow in one hand and the child in the other. The little guy seemed to have gained weight recently and looked heavy sitting on his arm.

“Not boring…”

Yuanyuan's attention was all on the wild flowers in her hands. The pink petals felt soft to the touch and had a faint fragrance.

Children sometimes entertain themselves, so their leisure time is not that unbearable.

As the days passed and the time to get the appraisal came, Village Chief Wang came early in the morning to call the father and daughter to take a bus into the city.

The final result determines whether the child stays or goes.

The sun had just risen, Yuanyuan was still holding half a pancake in her hand, leaning on Chen Jiahe's arms, drowsy.

"..."

Village chief Wang hesitated to speak. He was not as eloquent as he had been when he first persuaded people to do the appraisal, and he was also afraid that the result would be counterproductive.

"Jiahe, you have to be mentally prepared."

In the end, he still raised it in an air of superiority, met the other person's numb eyes, and subconsciously pursed his lips.

"Know…"

The answer in Chen Jiahe’s mind tends to be no, because he knows clearly whether he has done some things or not.

But what if?

"..."

Village chief Wang was a little surprised when he saw his calm face. He thought he would ask him to pay him the money.

It seems that he really takes this child seriously, but the longer he waits for the result, the more painful it becomes.

Arriving at the city hospital, Chen Jiahe took the credentials to get the report. Looking at the densely written words on the paper, his fingers slowly tightened.

"What's going on? What did it say?"

When Village Chief Wang saw his gloomy face, his heart skipped a beat.

"I can't read. Please show me."

Chen Jiahe handed him the report, his fingertips trembling visibly.

"You damn kid, I thought you understood it, you scared me."

Village Chief Wang took the appraisal report from his hand and poked him in the waist with his elbow.

He was illiterate but read it so seriously that he almost scared himself.

"What does it say?"

Chen Jiahe moved closer, and the little one in his arms also poked his head out to look.

"Hmm..." Village Chief Wang deliberately kept him in suspense. Seeing that he was getting more and more anxious and about to scratch his head, he stuffed the report back into his arms and said, "Come back with me and prepare to register the child."

"Really mine?"

Chen Jiahe's hands were shaking violently as he held the report, and the smile on his face became more and more obvious. It was rare to see him so happy.

"It's written in black and white, how can it be false?"

Village chief Wang patted him on the shoulder and said that even if he couldn't find a wife, it was good to have a child.

Now he felt relieved, for he was afraid that the result would be unsatisfactory and he would be chased for debt.

"..."

Chen Jiahe didn't say anything more. His steps became lighter and the corners of his lips were always raised.

He had never expected a second person to appear in his life. The arrival of the child added a rich color to his life, which he could foresee at a glance.

Now that he has someone he wants to accompany and raise, he also has hopes for the future.

Life is meaningful only when you have a purpose.

"I heard that you want to support your children to study and go to college?"

On the way back to the village, Village Chief Wang suddenly brought up this matter.

In the eyes of others, this may just be a joke or even a fantasy, but he thinks it is feasible.

A person may be poor but his spirit cannot be poor. He has this ideological awareness and is ahead of most people in the village.

After the reform and opening up, the country advocates gender equality, and girls with promising future can bring honor to the family.

"That's what I think. Who knows what will happen in the future? I don't know if she is good enough for studying."

It was rare for Chen Jiahe to talk more to outsiders. He opened his thin lips slightly and let out a long breath.

He was not raised well, but he wanted his child to live a stable and happy life.

If you can't raise it well, it's better not to have it.

"Then you have to work hard and save money, because you will have to spend money in the future."

The children of Village Chief Wang also went to school, but their grades were not ideal and they were unable to continue to take higher education exams. He understands the pressure involved.

"Know…"

Chen Jiahe's thoughts have been wavering these days. He is worried that the child is not his and is afraid that he will think too much and end up with nothing.

Now that the dust has settled, he can plan whatever he wants.

The household registration book at home is a little faded, and all the information on it is handwritten and stamped with the official seal.

With a report confirming the parent-child relationship, the subsequent process will be much simpler.

As the official seal was stamped on the page with the child's information, Chen Jiahe's mood also became excited.

"Look at this. From now on you will be my child, and we will depend on each other."

He pointed at the child's name and spoke every word with extreme seriousness.

"Haven't I always been Dad's child?" Yuanyuan looked at the words on the household registration book, as if she remembered something, and asked innocently: "Dad, do you know these words?"

"..."

Chen Jiahe's smile froze on his lips. He closed the household registration booklet and put it in his pocket.

"Dad, why don't you say anything?"

Yuanyuan poked his father's cheek with his finger, and the short stubble on it was a little prickly.

"I was born silent."

Chen Jiahe pursed his lips into a straight line and held her in his arms as he walked through the crowd.

There happened to be a market in town today, so he went to see if there was anything to buy.

The only livestock in the family was a cow that he wanted to keep for farming, so he wanted to buy a pig and raise it to sell for money.

He was very sensitive about money, and he took to heart what Village Chief Wang said that day. He wanted to raise more livestock that could be sold, as farming alone was not enough.

"Dad, look at the chickens."

Yuanyuan squatted in front of the stall and looked at the furry yellow chick, whose pointed beak wobbled as it walked.

Chickens can lay eggs and hatch chicks. Chen Jiahe bought three chicks, two females and one male.

"This one is called Diandian, and this one is called Huahua..."

Yuanyuan held the chicks in her arms and named them one by one, gently stroking their heads with her thumbs.

"Can you tell the difference?"

Chen Jiahe felt that there was no difference between the three chicks, each with a pointed beak and two legs.

“I can tell the difference…”

Yuanyuan looked at him confidently, saying that she would not forget the name she had just chosen.

"Really?"

Chen Jiahe took the bamboo cage containing the chicks, put it behind him and shook it gently twice, then pointed at one of them and asked her.

"What's this bird's name?"

"Call me Huahua!"

Yuanyuan gave the answer without much hesitation.

"Wrong, you just called it Diandian."

Chen Jiahe pointed to a brown spot on the chicken's foot, which he had just observed carefully.

"So it's called Huahua now, not Diandian."

Yuanyuan is good at adapting to circumstances and immediately changed the chick's name.

"Good for you…"

Chen Jiahe curled her lips speechlessly. After all, it was her who chose the name, so she had the right to interpret it.