man and boy

By the time the rice cakes are ready, it is already afternoon.

Chen Yang pulled out the neatly stacked rice cakes, Yan Qi smelled the strong aroma of glutinous rice, sniffed and took a deep breath.

Chen Yang smiled, took out a rice cake for him, and said, "Hold it in your hand and play with it, but don't eat it. When I get home, my brother will make soup rice cakes and add a soft-boiled egg for you to eat."

Yan Qi cheered happily, held the rice cake under his nose and sniffed it vigorously, then turned the rice cake over and over and kneaded it.

The rice cake just out of the oven was still a little warm, very soft, and it was very interesting to hold. Yan Qi played with this rice cake all the way to the house.

At home, Chen Yang put the rice cakes away, and then made soup rice cakes for Yan Qi.

Yan Qi stood on his feet by the stove, staring at the rice cakes in the cauldron. Chen Yang patted his head and said, "Go and wash your hands, don't drool in the pot."

Yan Qi scratched his face in embarrassment, ran out to get a bucket of water and washed his hands.

Finally, when the soup rice cake came out of the pot, Chen Yang served him a large bowl. On top of the rice cake was a fried poached egg that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, which was very tempting.

Yan Qi picked up a piece of rice cake with his chopsticks and quickly put it in his mouth.

"Huh..." It's so hot!

Chen Yang: "Eat slowly, you won't be able to taste it until your tongue is hot."

After Yan Qi took two bites, he found that there was no poached egg in Chen Yang's bowl.

Yan Qi picked up a poached egg and wanted to give it to Chen Yang: "Brother, eat."

Chen Yang shook his head with a smile, and said, "Xiao Qi is growing, and he needs to eat more eggs to grow faster."

"But brother, you haven't eaten eggs for a long time." Yan Qi remembered clearly that Aunt Zhao would sell the eggs laid by the old hens at home.It’s almost Chinese New Year these days, and Aunt Zhao is busy cleaning the house and has no time to go out to sell eggs, so she only saved a dozen or so eggs.

"My brother has grown up, so he doesn't need to eat eggs." Chen Yang said, "When you grow as tall as your brother, you don't need to eat eggs."

"When will I be as tall as my brother?"

"soon."

Yan Qi ate eggs silently, he was thinking, maybe when he wakes up tomorrow, he will grow as tall as his brother!

The next day, Yan Qi woke up, of course, he was still a little bean.

Chen Yang got up very early today, and when Yan Qi woke up, Chen Yang had already prepared all the things he was going to sell today, and when he walked into the room, he saw Yan Qi sitting on the bed in a daze.

Chen Yang came over, brought his clothes and put them on the bed. Seeing him rubbing his eyes in a daze, the hair on his head was bristled from sleep, and he looked stupid.

"What are you thinking about?" Chen Yang pinched his face and asked.

Yan Qi was not very happy, and said: "I dreamed last night that I was as tall as my brother."

Chen Yang: "..."

After breakfast, Chen Yang took Yan Qi to the town.

It was still early at this time, and the pedestrians on the road were all carrying their own things from the village to sell in the town.

Yan Qi was still sitting behind the tricycle, watching Chen Yang stepping on the tricycle.

"Xiao Qi, if you're sleepy, you can lie down on the barrel lid and sleep." Chen Yang said.

Yan Qi shook his head, remembering that Chen Yang turned his back and couldn't see him, so he said, "Brother, I'm not sleepy."

Chen Yang glanced back at him, saw that his eyes were wide open and full of energy, so he felt relieved and said, "I put a bag of fruit candies in the rice cake bucket, take it out and eat it."

Yan Qi's eyes lit up when he heard the words, he lifted the lid of the bucket, and he saw a pack of hard candies!

He shouted happily: "Brother, you are so kind!"

Chen Yang smiled, and stepped on his feet harder.

When the two came to the town, the sky was already bright, and there were gradually more people in the market. Chen Yang found a good seat, arranged the rice cakes and other dry goods, let Yan Qi sit on the small bench, and himself standing.

With the wind blowing along the way, Yan Qi's face was a little red from the cold.Seeing this, Chen Yang raised his hand to cover his face, and only took it away when he felt the skin under his palm warm up.

Yan Qi obediently sat on the small bench, but looked around curiously.

The town here is very lively, compared with Chenjia Village, it's like two worlds.

The people here also dress better than the people in Chenjia Village. A few children passed by just now, and Yan Qi saw that they were wearing fluffy cotton clothes with fur collars and scarves around their necks, which looked very warm.

Yan Qi's hands couldn't help touching his clothes.

This was bought for him by his mother last year, and it was already a bit short when he was wearing it.Chen Yang was worried that he would be cold, so he put on three sweaters and found it difficult to raise his hands.

Yan Qi looked at the brand new padded clothes on the child for a while, then turned his eyes away, and looked at the candied haws vendor on the opposite street.

The red candied haws, sweet and sour, Yan Qi licked his mouth, and after a long battle between heaven and man, he reluctantly looked away.

He remembered that there was still half a bag of fruit candy in his pocket, so he took out one, shook Chen Yang's hand, and said, "Brother, eat candy."

Chen Yang touched his head and said, "Brother won't eat."

Yan Qi blinked and said, "It's delicious and sweet, brother, you can eat one."

Chen Yang took the fruit candy, tore off the wrapping paper, and handed it to Yan Qi.

Yan Qi opened his mouth naturally, and Chen Yang put the candy into his mouth with a smile, and said, "Brother is an adult, he won't eat candy anymore."

Yan Qi gave a sound of understanding, obviously, in the heart of the six-year-old Xiao Douding, he didn't understand why adults don't eat candies anymore.

There are many people selling rice cakes in the market, but Chen Yang's rice cakes are white and firm, and are very popular in the market.

After more than half an hour, more than half of the rice cakes were sold out.

Yan Qi finished chewing the hard candy happily, imitating the stall owner next to him and yelling: "Selling rice cakes, white and soft rice cakes..."

His voice had the softness unique to children, and he yelled in a milky voice, which made the people on both sides laugh.

"Chen Yang?!"

The crisp female voice is particularly pleasant amidst the cries of sales.

Yan Qi looked over curiously, and saw a tall girl in a red padded coat walking over.

The girl walked quickly through the crowd, with an excited expression, and said, "Chen Yang, why are you here?!"

Chen Yang didn't speak, just when someone came to buy rice cakes, Chen Yang weighed the rice cakes for him, put them in a bag and handed them to him.

"Are you selling rice cakes?!" The girl looked at Chen Yang in disbelief, and said in a louder voice, "Did you drop out of school just to sell rice cakes?!"

The girl was Chen Yang's high school classmate and deskmate, named Zhao Xin. When Chen Yang was in school, she had excellent grades and often explained topics to Zhao Xin.Zhao Xin has always admired Chen Yang. Although Chen Yang is reticent, he has a kind of maturity and composure that boys of the same age lack. I feel that he is calm in every way, which makes people feel at ease.

However, Chen Yang dropped out of school.

Zhao Xin didn't believe it at first. She thought that Chen Yang's grades were so good that he would be admitted to a good university. Now there is only half a year left to take the college entrance examination. Why did he drop out at this time.

She went to the head teacher to inquire about the news, but the head teacher only told her that it was Chen Yang's own wish.

Seeing that Chen Yang didn't speak, Zhao Xin suddenly felt a little wronged.

In the past few months when Chen Yang dropped out of school, she felt very sad, and she didn't know why something seemed to be missing.Now that he met Chen Yang by chance, Zhao Xin felt that the emptiness in his heart was suddenly filled.

Standing beside Chen Yang, she saw that Chen Yang was silent all the time, and the grievance in her heart was getting bigger and bigger. This energy rushed up her heart, and when it reached her mouth, Zhao Xin couldn't help but said: "How much money can I earn by selling rice cakes?" Money?! If you go to college and find a good job in the future, the money you earn in one year is worth selling rice cakes for several years!"

The more Zhao Xin talked, the more sad she became. She always thought how could someone like Chen Yang save him from dropping out of school like this!No matter how difficult the family conditions are, wouldn't it last half a year? !

"Big sister, don't scold brother. If you are unhappy, I will give you this fruit candy."

Zhao Xin was feeling sad when he suddenly heard a child's voice.

She looked over, and it turned out to be the child who had been sitting on the small bench.

The child held two candies in his hand and spread them out in front of her, looking at her with big black and white eyes.

Zhao Xin was slightly startled: "Are you Chen Yang's younger brother?"

"Yeah." Yan Qi moved his hand forward again, and said, "Big sister, do you want candy?"

Zhao Xin looked at Chen Yang, then at Yan Qi.The obviously small and very old padded jacket on Yan Qi caught her eyes, and she looked at the small bench under Yan Qi's feet, a very simple small bench made of two wooden boards.

She was stunned for a moment, and suddenly, she seemed to understand why Chen Yang dropped out of school even in his third year of high school.

Looking at Chen Yang's silent expression, Zhao Xing felt sore in her heart, and she whispered, "I'm sorry, I was impulsive just now."

"It's okay." Chen Yang finally answered her.

Zhao Xing was a little anxious, she said: "Chen Yang, if you have any difficulties, you can come to me. If you... if you have no money to go to school, I can borrow it from you!"

"Thank you."

"It's true! I can really lend you money! You shouldn't just drop out of school in such a hurry!" Zhao Xin said eagerly, "If you tell me about your family's situation earlier, I can get it from my father. I will lend you the money, and you will return it to me when you make money in the future!"

Chen Yang said lightly: "Yes."

"What do you mean? Do you want to repeat the study after the Chinese New Year?" Zhao Xin thought for a while and said, "Repeat, I will go home and talk to my dad about it. He will definitely help you too. !"

"No need." Chen Yang said, "Zhao Xin, I am very touched by your kindness, but there is really no need. If you have to leave first, I will go back after selling the rice cakes."

"Where is your home?"

Chen Yang didn't speak.

Zhao Xin stomped her feet. She took out a piece of paper from her bag, wrote a phone number to Chen Yang, and said, "This is my home phone number. Call me if you have anything to do. My home is near our school. I will contact you today." My mother came to visit relatives in the country, my mother is waiting for me, I can't stay here any longer."

Chen Yang's hand slowly clenched into a fist, but he didn't take the paper.

He has dropped out of school, which means he bids farewell to his former student life.

Zhao Xin's eyes turned red all of a sudden, and she said, "I just want to help you. Chen Yang, I don't mean anything else, we... we used to be at the same table anyway..."

Chen Yang finally took the paper, and when Zhao Xin left, he told him: "Call me if you have anything to do!"

Chen Yang held the piece of paper in his palm, and slowly crumpled it into a ball.

what's the point.

In their Chenjia Village, only the secretary of the village party committee has only one telephone in the entire village.Many young and middle-aged people in the village work outside, leaving the elderly at home to take care of their children. The children miss their parents and will call the family. A call is calculated according to the time, one yuan per minute, which is an expensive consumption.

In Zhao Xin's eyes, making phone calls is such a common thing, but for their village, it is a consumption that they only think of when they have to.