River City Story

At the end of June, the senior high school entrance examination started in the continuous rain. It happened to be the weekend, and He Zhengxi persistently stood by the sidelines to accompany the exam for two days. On the third day, he wanted to ask for leave to accompany him, but Lin Yan flatly refused .

"Why are you making fun of it? You're reviewing at school peacefully. Isn't it the end of the term in a few days?"

He Zhengxi muttered twice in response, fiddling with the textbooks in his hands, and when he had had enough, he went to the book corner to play.He is the type of person who has to take a breath before running forward. If he is tense all the time, he can't help but want to fight or quarrel with others.

He only discovered this matter at the beginning of Xiaosheng last year.He Zhengxi himself is rarely nervous about exams, but Lin Yan attaches great importance to his younger brother's admission to higher education.The Experimental Middle School only has one experimental class for each level. He Zhengxi's strength definitely allows him to enter the experimental class. Tuition and fees for the next academic year.

Lin Yan barely passed the experimental class mark at the end of the crane, but it was not until the second semester that he realized that good grades equal to earning income.

During those days, He Zhengxi was ordered to study hard every day, and for more than a month, he was not even allowed to leave the house after school.Then one day, He Zhengxi couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, got up from the bed irritably, picked up the pen container and threw it on the ground, which shocked Lin Yan.When asked what happened, He Zhengxi only said that he fell asleep.

After that, he seemed to have taken a magic pill, and he was completely enlightened in the aspect of interpersonal communication.There was no harm in Lin Yan's request to He Zhengxi. If He Zhengxi felt forced, he would not refuse. Anyway, he just nodded, and he continued to do things at his own pace in private.

He knew that Lin Yan just wanted to let the family of three have a better life.

In He Zhengxi's heart, the meaning of Lin Yan's existence has surpassed that of an ordinary elder brother, so as long as he has the opportunity, he also hopes to take the initiative to do something that makes Lin Yan happy.

On the afternoon of the third day of Lin Yan's high school entrance examination, after finishing the first two classes, He Zhengxi asked the teacher for leave, took the bus again and rushed to Xicheng No. [-] Middle School.The reason for asking for leave is - I have some heatstroke and want to go home and lie down.Although the teacher was curious why he didn't go to the school infirmary to lie down, and the child looked very healthy, he didn't look like he was suffering from heat stroke.But He Zhengxi had good grades and had no criminal record. Thinking that there was no reason to skip class, the teacher let him go with a wave of his hand.

The high school entrance examination is not as good as the college entrance examination, but it is still an important exam. Even if it is raining, there are many parents gathered at the gate of the high school.He Zhengxi got out of the car, carried his schoolbag and went nearby to find a clean place to lie.Seeing that a young man like He Zhengxi also came to accompany the exam, there were a few grandmothers beside him who were a little curious. Everyone had nothing to do, so they came to talk to him in twos and threes.

"How old is the young man, where does he go to school?"

"Didn't you go to school today?"

"How's the grade?"

……

He Zhengxi felt that the people of Xicheng were too enthusiastic and unbearable, and the weather was sweltering and warm enough.

He put on a particularly innocent smile and answered the questions one by one.

"I'm 12 years old, and I'm in the first grade of junior high school."

"The adults in the family are on a business trip, and I'm here waiting for my brother to take the exam."

"Drizzle, there's no need to open an umbrella, grandma, come over here, the ground is dry and there are trees here."

If Lin Yan saw his current appearance, he would definitely look disgusted.

He Zhengxi chatted with a group of elders and aunts for nearly half an hour, feeling his mouth was parched, and when he was about to take a drink from his cup, the sound of the bell for rewinding came from the wall, and the people next to him began to gather towards the door.He Zhengxi thought he was too careless, got too involved in the chat, and forgot the time.He was a junior high school boy, and he was really embarrassed to squeeze in with the elders, so he stretched his neck and waited at the outermost edge.

Lin Yan was wearing a blue and white striped short-sleeved shirt and casual trousers, which were school uniform pants from the Experimental Middle School, and a pair of black sandals on his feet.Because of the rain, he rolled up his trousers, revealing his white calf, which is rarely seen in the sun.Very plain attire, but looks dazzling and refreshing.

He opened the umbrella and planned to take a walk like this, but before he even lifted his feet, he detected his little brother from the corner of his eyes who was jumping up and down not far away, so he waved helplessly.When he got closer, Lin Yan smiled and said, "You look like a sea dog."

"I call it an honest and honest smile." He Zhengxi raised his chin unconvinced, "Don't you like it?"

"Okay, I like it, what you said is right." Lin Yan poked his head out to look at the bus while talking to him, he didn't want to drag He Zhengxi all the way through the rain with an umbrella.

"I'm fine after the exam. Your elder brother Cai Hengyuan helped to contact the tutoring job. I have to go to the interview in a while. Do you want to follow?"

He Zhengxi's face immediately collapsed, and he said a little unhappy: "Follow, why not follow, Cai Hengyuan has transferred schools for several years, and he can still contact you with a tutor."

Lin Yan tapped He Zhengxi's head with one finger: "Don't call him by his name like that, you have to ask his brother to know."

He Zhengxi muttered and replied, "Got it."

He didn't ask Lin Yan why he was looking for a part-time job again.Every summer vacation, Lin Yan must have a job. When he was just in junior high school, he went to the construction site with a fever to shovel cement, but he was sent back by the foreman soon.I have also done handouts, shop visits, and sales promotions.Lin Yan is young, and it is impossible for a serious company to accept him, so he can only do some odd jobs.He Zhengxi felt that the tutoring was pretty good, a hundred times better than being outside in the wind and rain.

"Why don't I look for a job too, and I'll be idle at home." He Zhengxi had no position to persuade Lin Yan, he also wanted to find something to do.The whole family lives in Qianyaner, so there is no way, they can't live in it, how can they eat and drink.

Lin Yan raised his hand to pat He Zhengxi's head and knocked again: "You stay at home and watch the door. Our family is poor, but it's not so poor that a child like you can go out to work."

"Then you sold breakfast with Grandpa Li when you were 10 years old, and you still blame me?" He Zhengxi felt that he should be quite versatile, no worse than Lin Yan.

Lin Yan lowered his head and sneered like self-deprecating: "Your brother and I are just poor people. If we are not busy, we will feel uncomfortable. It is like the equipment in the steel factory. Once idle, it can no longer be used. Collect waste products. It's all too troublesome."

This made He Zhengxi feel uncomfortable. He has never been to a steel factory, and he doesn't know which equipment will become waste when it stops working, so he replied with "Oh", and then the two of them stopped talking in a very tacit understanding, An Jing Wait for the bus, take the bus, and arrive at the station.

The family that Cai Hengyuan introduced to Lin Yan was surnamed Qi, and they lived in the teacher's apartment.My father works in an out-of-town power grid company, and my mother goes to the countryside to work as a secretary in the village. She is extremely busy on weekdays, and there is only one son at home, named Qi Xuxu.Qi Xuxu is a little younger than He Zhengxi, he is still in the fourth grade, he is quite obedient, but his math grade is too bad.Qi Xuxu's mother has a good relationship with Chen Shan. Once they called to talk about making up lessons, Cai Hengyuan who was next to him immediately thought of Lin Yan.

Cai Hengyuan has returned to Xicheng a handful of times in recent years, mostly during the summer vacation. Every time he returns to the old ancestral hall, Lin Yan is either working or on his way to work.When he had time, Lin Yan used it all to catch up on sleep.Cai Hengyuan thought, Lin Yan is so smart and excellent, there is really no need to go outside to suffer, it is just a part-time job resource, Lin Yan must not have it as a teenager, so he thought of tutoring.

At first, Lin Yan was worried about running into difficult parents. He had seen too many such people in school, so Cai Hengyuan was quite a buddy.You only need to teach for two hours a day, from 9:11 to 25:1500, [-] yuan an hour, and you can earn [-] yuan a month.As an underage junior high school student with no education or experience, Lin Yan felt that this was simply too good.Fourth grade math is a piece of cake for Lin Yan, and he can spare the afternoon to read novels or preview high school courses.

The haze brought about by Lao Jiang's death quickly dissipated in the busyness, leaving only the fragments of getting along, which became a memory hidden in the hearts of the two.

After He Zhengxi finished the final exam, he was recommended by his teacher to attend the one-week intensive class organized by the school. To put it bluntly, it was a summer camp, but the teachers were of a higher level, stricter than the one that Lin Yan had attended in the past.Lin Yan was very concerned about this matter, and even wrote a special note before leaving, explaining the precautions to He Zhengxi one by one.

"Toilet water, toiletries, regular medicine, a change of clothes, underwear, socks, paper towels... I think about it, don't find things left behind when you get somewhere."

He chatted for a while, then took out a small mobile phone from the box next to the pillow and handed it to He Zhengxi.

"What thing?" He Zhengxi took it and pressed it for a long time.

Lin Yan gave him the charging base: "The phone has a card, and the money is fully charged. If there is anything to do there, you must tell me." He grabbed He Zhengxi's hand, turned on the phone, and said, "I can't do it in class. Take it out, there is no other use for this thing besides calling."

He Zhengxi nodded, stuffed the things into the interlayer of the backpack, and Lin Yan grabbed it: "Whatever is on your mind every day, charge it first."

"How to charge?" He Zhengxi was at a loss for this thing.

Lin Yan sighed, took the phone over and pushed open the back cover, "The white square inside is the battery." He showed He Zhengxi how to charge it with the cradle, and continued: "Don't get wet, and you can't charge it all the time. Do you know? But it consumes very little power, and you basically don’t need it, so if you really don’t understand it, save it.”

He Zhengxi nodded blankly: "Oh."

"Fool." Lin Yan went up and snorted He Zhengxi's hair, then fished out his schoolbag, and began to check for gaps.

When He Zhengxi saw that Lin Yan was about to put in the bottle of face oil again, he immediately took his schoolbag back and said, "I don't use that, it's summer, and my face isn't chapped."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lin Yan stood up, poked his shoulder with his finger and teased him.He Zhengxi's face turned red quickly, he lowered his head shyly to look at his toes.Seeing him like this, Lin Yan stopped molesting him and went out to prepare dinner.

He Zhengxi looked at the busy figure in the yard through the window, and felt as if he had just unscrewed a bottle of carbonated soda in his heart, with a swish sound, small sweet, crispy bubbles began to appear.He involuntarily stood up and walked out, stood behind Lin Yan, and hugged him up.He Zhengxi bit Lin Yan's thin shoulder through his clothes, didn't speak, just lay on his stomach, wherever Lin Yan went, he followed.

"Master, you are 12, and you still think you are wearing crotch pants." Lin Yan patted He Zhengxi's buttocks with one hand, "Go to the house and cut an onion for me."

He Zhengxi buried his face in Lin Yan's clothes, took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, making the small area hot and humid, Lin Yan shook his shoulders uncomfortably.He Zhengxi tightened his grip on his brother's waist, and said in a muffled voice, "Wait 5 minutes, brother, let me hug you for a while."

The child doesn't seem to be acting like a baby, Lin Yan wondered, could it be that he is showing reluctance?It's greasy enough.However, Lin Yan himself couldn't help worrying. Ever since the day He Zhengxi came to the old ancestral hall, the two of them had never been separated for more than a day. Now they suddenly had to go from being together day and night to not seeing each other for seven days in a row. adapt.

The two stood in the yard in a strange posture for a few minutes, and He Zhengxi felt the rise and fall of Lin Yan's chest with his palm.He didn't let go of his hand reluctantly until the air became humid again.The kitchen of the old ancestral hall has been upgraded. Last year, Xu Jialin found someone to temporarily build a small side room in the courtyard. Finally, the natural gas was connected. It is very convenient that there is no need to worry when it rains.

Lin Yan squatted next to the bucket to clean up a mackerel, while He Zhengxi stood and scooped water for him.

"This fish, how do you want to eat it? Fried? Braised?" Lin Yan carefully pulled out the gills of the fish and threw it into the trash can next to him, motioning He Zhengxi to pour water into it.

"I want to eat." After pouring the water, He Zhengxi moved closer to Lin Yan, stretching out his head to rub.

"Hey! My body is full of fishy smell, and you don't think it's bad..." Lin Yan shook the fish at him, "Okay, okay, hurry up and chop the onions for me, don't make any trouble, why are you like a dog?" of."

He Zhengxi stood up sleepily, murmured something, and walked away with extremely heavy steps.Lin Yan turned around helplessly, and continued to concentrate on working with his fish.

The two of them ate in silence during this meal, and He Zhengxi didn't go out to play again in the evening.No matter what Lin Yan did, he followed, always trying to find opportunities to rub against his brother.Before going to bed at night, just as Lin Yan took off his clothes and lay down, before the blanket had time to spread out, He Zhengxi flew over according to his belly.

"Brother! Can you go with me!"

"Damn it! You're going to smash my stomach out, open it up." Lin Yan wanted to get He Zhengxi away. It's really hard to say if his younger brother's forehead just rests on his lower abdomen or his chin. Lin Yan felt embarrassed.

It just seemed that He Zhengxi didn't intend to let go of his hug this time, no matter how Lin Yan pushed him, he just wouldn't let go, so Lin Yan had no choice but to give up.

"Okay, then you can just hug me like this. After a while, your brother and I want to solve my personal physical problems, so I will make the bed. Then you will wash my clothes and sheets for me."

"hey-hey……"

He Zhengxi smiled and started to move again, Lin Yan had no choice but to stretch out his hand and scoop him up.

"Didn't the teacher say that you can develop a new habit in seven days, and you may develop some new hobbies during this week. When you go home, you may not want to sleep with me It's on the bed." Lin Yan freed up a hand to smooth He Zhengxi's hair. "Besides, when I go to high school, I may have to live on campus. Will you still go to school with me then?"

He Zhengxi lifted his head with tears in his eyes, and stared at Lin Yan: "No. [-] Middle School must live on campus? Can I go to school?"

Lin Yan troubled: "It's hard to say... Anyway, I'll be back after the weekend."

He Zhengxi lay on Lin Yan's chest again: "Then I must live alone, I am the only one left at home."

Lin Yan tapped his head: "You are already 12."

He Zhengxi: "12 is also a child. As a younger brother, I need the love and care of my elder brother. I don't agree with you going to live in school. You have to stay with me."

Lin Yan had no choice.In fact, No. [-] Middle School can be a day student, and doesn't have to live on campus. He wanted to see He Zhengxi's attitude first.

Lin Yan knew He Zhengxi's ability to live alone. He didn't expect that as soon as he mentioned that he wanted to separate, this person would immediately change back to his appearance a few years ago.Lin Yan lay on the bed, staring at the moths outside the mosquito net.

Forget it, he thought.The 12-year-old from someone else’s family probably needs pocket money for tantrums in the arms of their parents. This one in my arms has never taken the initiative to ask for pocket money. I don’t need to worry about my academic performance. I can cook, chat, play ball, and I’m still a handsome guy. Reserves are already better than most.

Hmm... to be content.After Lin Yan figured it out, his eyelids began to droop slowly.Seeing that his brother was starting to feel sleepy, He Zhengxi got up quietly, pulled the blanket on him quietly, turned around and stared at the window, stared for a while, then turned back, and observed the sleeping brother in the faint moonlight. Lin Yan.

15 years old happened to be the age for boys to have acne on their faces, but Lin Yan hadn't had it a few times, and his face was still flawless.The lines are soft, the tip of the nose is straight, and the eyebrows are neither thick nor light. He looks indifferent and has a good temper.

The girls of the Experimental Middle School had privately ranked the boys in the senior grades, and Lin Yan firmly occupied the No.1 position based on the average score calculated based on his looks and grades.He himself didn't know about this, but He Zhengxi knew it all.Lin Yan has never cared about things other than study and life. He rarely participates in group activities, and has never developed hobbies. Instead, he often finds pink love letters in the table hole, but he takes them all. Go and put it away and stuff it into the stove.

The outstanding classmate Lin Yan is a magical young man who is invulnerable to swords and guns.

He Zhengxi also received a love letter, just a few months ago.That day, a cute little girl blocked He Zhengxi at the door of the school bathroom after school, and hurriedly stuffed him with a scented envelope. He Zhengxi had already run away before he could speak.

His face was almost as red as a monkey's ass at that time, although half of the reason was because he was suffocated by urine.Later, this letter fell into the hands of his elder brother. Lin Yan sat on the edge of the bed with a smile on his face, crossed his legs, and weighed the letter back and forth in his hand, teasing He Zhengxi for half an hour. There was a scent of letter paper, and the atmosphere was very strange.From then on, He Zhengxi was terrified when he saw this thing.

Lin Yan's mouth is quite poisonous, especially in front of acquaintances, and his expression is very rich. Only when he is asleep, he is quiet and soft.He Zhengxi sometimes couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, or was awakened by a nightmare, he would always stare at Lin Yan's sleeping face for a few minutes.Lin Yan seemed to have a unique atmosphere of tolerance, obviously his experience was not ordinary at all, and his life was not going well, but he was able to accept everything without making a sound, and never complained.Others are rubbed against the ground by life, but Lin Yan is not, he will silently throw it over his shoulder, and then put the unlucky days on the chopping board with a playful smile.

"Brother, you are amazing, you are my idol." He Zhengxi leaned close to Lin Yan's deaf ear and whispered.

Lin Yan closed his eyes and raised his hand to wave a few times, muttering impatiently: "Don't bite me, the one next to me is fresher than my blood, his flesh is also tender, look for him..."

He Zhengxi chuckled a few times, and fell asleep happily.

Early the next morning, Lin Yan personally drove He Zhengxi to the assembly point on a clanging old bicycle, and when the school bus left, he disappeared without a trace, so he rushed to the teacher's apartment with worry and uneasiness. Continue tutoring.

This bicycle is something left by Lao Jiang. It has a basket in the front and no beams, so it is easy to ride.When Lao Jiang was around, he often rode out to buy vegetables, and every time Lin Yan saw it, he would say, "Little girls only ride this kind of bike".As a result, within a few years, the rider was replaced by himself.If Lao Jiang could still see the lower world in the sky, he would definitely be laughing at Lin Yan with his broken voice.

When the landlord came back to clean up the things in the clinic, the bicycle was originally intended to be sold as scrap, but Lin Yan took it back.Lao Jiang's pile of unknown medicinal herbs and various casseroles are now piled up in the utility room of the old ancestral hall.

Lin Yan, as long as he treats him well, he can remember him forever, even if his life has only been more than ten years.It was also because of this that Lin Yan always put Xu Jialin first in his heart.He always felt that if it wasn't for Xu Jialin, he would have turned into a corner of the street long ago.

Lin Yan rode the bike and thought about some messy and far-fetched things. He was quite worried about whether He Zhengxi and his classmates could get along well, and what to do if there was a conflict when sleeping with someone.He Zhengxi has no parents, just an old man Xu who doesn't care and Lin Yan, an underage elder brother. If some classmates really use this to run on him, he might become crazy.Lin Yan knew He Zhengxi too well, he always acted stupid in front of him, it was cold to rush and rush outside, if provoked, he could explode into a landmine.

Because he was worried about He Zhengxi, he was a little distracted during class that day.Qi Xuxu didn't bother him either. After finishing his homework, he quietly put down his pen, took out a plate of watermelon and a box of yogurt from the refrigerator, and pushed them in front of Lin Yan without a sound.

"Let me eat?" Lin Yan asked, pointing at himself.

"En!" Qi Xuxu nodded.

Lin Yan thought this kid was so cute, he really wanted to pinch Qi Xuxu's face and hands, but in the end he held back.Lin Yan inserted the yogurt straw, put it in Qi Xuxu's hand, and took the plate of watermelon himself.

"If these two eat together, they will definitely have diarrhea. Let's solve it separately."

Qi Xuxu nodded obediently again, seeing Lin Yan's heart bursting with joy.He naturally thought of He Zhengxi again, what was He Zhengxi like in the fourth grade?

There is an ancient text in the reading class that says: steaming is not rotten, cooking is not cooked, pounding is not plaque, frying is not bursting, ringing a copper pea.

When He Zhengxi was about 10 years old, he was bald and unpredictable in character. He occasionally refused to eat oil and salt, and often pretended to be stupid. Not all the way.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan exhaled calmly.Fortunately, Xu Jialin picked him up. If He Zhengxi was still running around on the street, he might have become a hooligan. After all, he was called "cruel little brother" by Feng Bowen at the age of 7.

"Bronze Pea", "Little Hooligan", "Cruel Little Brother"——He Zhengxi sneezed as he got out of the car.

He rubbed his nose and thought, he didn't have a cold either...