Chapter 410: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 410: Cheers, Happy Graduation, A Bright Future!

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

The biggest difference between Wang Xiaohua and his father, and also the biggest difference between him and many children from impoverished families, is that he has overcome the psychological barrier of feeling inferior because of poverty.

An ordinary poor person, coming to eat at McDonald's for the first time at this age, would absolutely not be calm and collected, openly telling friends the truth, because they fear being mocked, fear losing face.

Wang Xiaohua has felt inferior before, has been sensitive before, has had experiences of fearing loss of face, and even nearly fell into depression because of his height and appearance, but now he has basically overcome these psychological issues.

Of course, he admits he still cannot completely stop caring about others' evaluations of him, but he has already been able to do this: to calmly accept those unchangeable conditions of his own.

Naturally, if something can be changed, he will still strive to fight for it.

Take orthodontics, for example.

He will do his utmost to pursue that.

If it can become better, then nothing could be better.

If it cannot become better, then he will try to accept it.

This is his current mindset.

"No way, you're actually here eating at McDonald's for the first time!"

Lin Xiao cried out in surprise, then said:

"No wonder you suggested coming to eat at McDonald's, I was still wondering what's so good to eat at McDonald's."

Li Jianjia spoke up at this time:

"Lin Xiao, everyone's family situation is different, what are you crying out in surprise for? You better not look down on Xiaohua, who knows, after university graduation, Xiaohua might end up doing much better than you!"

"Don't misunderstand, I have no intention of looking down on Xiaohua, I just find it a bit inconceivable, I always thought that no matter how poor, occasionally coming to eat at McDonald's once or twice is a normal thing. Additionally, after university graduation, Xiaohua will definitely do better than me, not just 'might' do better than me, I still have this much self-awareness. I'm still thinking of clinging to Xiaohua's coattails in the future. Xiaohua, when you make it big later, you mustn't forget me, I'm your good deskmate!"

Lin Xiao was grinning, using a joking tone to preemptively latch onto Wang Xiaohua's coattails.

Wang Xiaohua said with a smile:

"If I can make it big in the future, I definitely won't forget you two. If you two can make it big, you also have to remember to give me a boost. In terms of studying I'm stronger than you, but in other aspects it's hard to say."

Li Jianjia hurriedly said:

"Xiaohua, you can rest assured, if there's anything I can help with, just say the word, I'll definitely help you!"

"Then thanks! Hope our friendship lasts forever!" Wang Xiaohua replied with a smile.

Then he picked up the iced Coca-Cola in his hand:

"Come, let's drink a toast! Wishing us all, happy graduation, a bright future!"

"Cheers!"

The three raised their cups together.

Faces all glowing with youthful smiles.

After finishing McDonald's that evening, the three went for a walk in the park near the county government.

Around ten o'clock, Li Jianjia's mother called, urging Li Jianjia to go home.

Only then did the three part ways.

Wang Xiaohua had no place to stay in the county town; the college entrance exam was over, he could no longer go back to the dormitory to sleep.

So he decided to go stay at Lin Xiao's house for one night.

Tomorrow morning he would take the first rural bus back to Shanggou Village, his hometown.

Arriving at Lin Xiao's house, he only then discovered that Lin Xiao's family wasn't very well-off either.

They lived in a walk-up apartment in the old city district, very old, no elevator.

He and his parents and his grandmother all lived together in a small house of only about seventy square meters.

This house had two bedrooms and one living room.

One bedroom his parents lived in, one bedroom his grandmother lived in.

His bed was placed in a small room partitioned off from the living room.

This small room was the must-pass road to the living room balcony, and the living room balcony was the only place in this house where clothes could be dried.

So although there were wooden partition walls, there was practically no privacy to speak of.

Lin Xiao's parents and grandmother were all very good people.

Learning that Lin Xiao was bringing Wang Xiaohua to stay for a night, they all welcomed him very warmly.

Lin Xiao's grandmother even gave Wang Xiaohua a red envelope, saying it was to thank Wang Xiaohua for guiding her grandson in his studies, making her grandson become better.

Although the money in this red envelope wasn't much, only twenty yuan, it was still the old lady's kind intention.

After accepting the red envelope, Wang Xiaohua politely thanked the old grandmother.

Early the next morning, Wang Xiaohua ate breakfast at Lin Xiao's house, then said goodbye and left.

Lin Xiao took the initiative to go downstairs and see Wang Xiaohua off to the nearby bus stop.

"Xiaohua, once you buy a mobile phone, you must contact me at the first opportunity!"

When the bus was about to arrive, Lin Xiao still didn't forget to instruct Wang Xiaohua with this one sentence.

As if afraid that once they parted, they would never see Wang Xiaohua again.

"Okay okay, once I have money and buy a mobile phone, I'll definitely call you at the first opportunity."

Wang Xiaohua boarded the bus, embarking on the journey home.

Actually, in his heart he didn't really want to go home.

His mother at home was his only reason for going home.

As for that old man, to tell the truth, he didn't want to spare him a single glance.

But if he didn't go back, he was afraid Mother would worry excessively.

He planned to go back for two days, then go down again to seek refuge with Uncle Chunsheng.

Let Uncle Chunsheng help arrange some work to do.

Even if it was a part-time odd-job waiter, earning a bit of pocket money, it was still better than staying in the rural hometown and molding away.

As for the college application preferences, he would research them in his spare time while working.

Consulting his parents' opinions and such, he absolutely would not be that stupid to ask them.

He would not mention a single word.

Just afraid that old man would pretend to understand when he didn't, and insist on making decisions for him.

This is a major matter concerning a person's lifelong fate, it's not child's play.

Past eight in the morning.

Wang Xiaohua returned to Shanggou Village.

This small village that gave birth to and raised him, since the New Rural Construction, had undergone earth-shaking changes.

It became completely renewed; the village roads were all paved, the Cultural Room had been built, every household had free tap water, and even solar streetlights were installed on the main thoroughfare.

But the village's population situation had not ushered in a turnaround because the environment improved.

Shanggou Village's population was still withering away in an irreversible trend.

The young people who should go out to work still went out to work, and did not return home to live just because the village environment got better.

The farmland that should lie fallow did not replant crops just because of a few dozen yuan per acre cultivation subsidy.

And those uninhabited black-tile mud-brick old houses were decaying at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The former bluestone slab roads had long been overgrown with weeds in patches.

The threshing ground near the village entrance where many children once played was now completely silent.

Only under the old banyan tree, there were still quite a few elderly people sitting and chatting idly.

Wang Xiaohua looked at the unfamiliar everything, recalled the familiar past, and couldn't help but feel moved by the vicissitudes time had brought.

Time really passes fast.

In the blink of an eye, Shanggou Village was no longer the Shanggou Village of his childhood.

The old home had already been torn down, and a new house was being built.

His parents had moved the family to the site of the old village entrance shop, staying there temporarily.

Wang Xiaohua returned to the temporary residence; the door was locked, and he had no key.

So he went to the construction site to find his dad and mom to get the key.

He knew his dad and mom were definitely over at the old house side building the new house.

Arriving at the old house side, he saw the previous old house had long been leveled to the ground, and now a two-story-high main building frame, with walls not yet fully bricked up, had risen from the ground.

The new building's foundation was filled very high, twenty to thirty centimeters higher than He Dazhu's building next door; He Dazhu's building was originally already one point five meters higher than a normal foundation, and now they were building a new house even that much higher than He Dazhu's house, so that this two-story building looked like it was nearly three stories high.

Wang Xiaohua really couldn't understand why his parents insisted on filling the foundation this high; the terrain here was originally high, even at normal height the rainy season couldn't possibly flood it, why waste so much money filling the foundation higher?

Could it be just to be a bit higher than He Dazhu's family?

"Dad, Mom, I'm back, give me the key!"

Wang Xiaohua entered the construction site, saw Mother was mixing mortar, Father was laying bricks.

"You're back, good that you're back!" Li Xiulan raised her head; her waist already showed a hint of a hunchback, her smiling face was covered in wrinkles.

Wang Zhanggen, however, wore a black face:

"How come you're back so late, wouldn't have been fooling around outside right after the exam, would you?"

Wang Xiaohua felt very uncomfortable inside at his accusing attitude the moment he opened his mouth.

But he didn't argue, because he couldn't be bothered to quarrel with Wang Zhanggen.

He just said coldly:

"Didn't I come back safe and sound? Rest assured, staying out one or two days won't starve me to death."

Wang Zhanggen continued to accuse:

"I know you won't starve, I'm just afraid you'll learn bad things; the county town is full of bad people, if you learn bad, you'll be ruined!"

Wang Xiaohua said impatiently:

"Got it, I have my own sense of propriety!"

Wang Zhanggen then said:

"Since the exam's over, don't stay cooped up in your room all day like before; starting today, you come to the construction site to help!"

Wang Xiaohua then said:

"Helping is fine, but I'm only helping for two days; the day after tomorrow I have to go back to the county town."

"How come you just got back and you're leaving for the county town again?" Li Xiulan couldn't help but ask worriedly.

Wang Xiaohua didn't want to say directly it was because he didn't want to stay in this home, so he told a lie:

"Isn't it to go to the county town to tutor Uncle Chunsheng's daughter? They agreed to give ten thousand yuan, let me be a tutor! You were both there that night!"

Wang Zhanggen said: "Even if tutoring, wait until after their daughter's final exams; right now their daughter hasn't even started vacation yet, what tutoring would you do?"

Wang Xiaohua could only tell another lie:

"Uncle Chunsheng asked me to go help at his company, and said not only would he calculate wages separately, he'd also teach me how to do business."

Wang Xiaohua thought, saying it like this his parents surely wouldn't obstruct him anymore, right?

After all, having someone guide you in doing business is a rare learning opportunity.

However, Wang Zhanggen's reaction completely exceeded Wang Xiaohua's expectations.

Only See Wang Zhanggen still wearing a sour face, Coldly said:

"That bastard Niu Chunsheng would really be so kind-hearted as to Teach you how to do business? Those who Earn Money from business are all treacherous merchants, you'd better keep a few more eyes open! I see he most likely thinks you're simple and easy to Deceive, so he wants to Deceive you!"