"No, I’m not from Wangjiazhen. I’m heading to Luoling Village to pick so herbs on Daqing Mountain," the man explained with a smile, taking out a Xin’anjiang Cigarette from his shirt pocket and offering it to Zhong Fugao.
"Oh, so you’re a doctor! No wonder you look so refined!" Zhong Fugao accepted the cigarette, tucking it behind his ear and imdiately becoming enthusiastic. Doctors are always respected.
"I’m not really a doctor; I just know a bit about dicine." The man modestly said. A gust of cold wind blew by, and he started coughing again, more severely this ti, for quite a while without stopping. The boy kept patting the man’s back and took a water flask from the backpack he was carrying to give the man a drink.
Tian Sisi couldn’t help but feel pained; she really felt it strange, what was going on with her today, why did she care so much about a stranger she didn’t know?
"Comrade, what’s wrong? You seem unwell?" Zhong Fugao asked with concern.
It took a while for the man to stop coughing. After drinking so water and wiping his lips with a handkerchief, he answered lightly, "It’s nothing; I injured my lungs when I was younger, and it’s never fully healed. I’m going to Daqing Mountain this ti to find so dicinal herbs to concoct a redy for the injury."
"Injuring your lungs is no small matter, you should take advantage of your youth to heal it properly, otherwise, it will be troubleso when you’re older."
"Yes, I’ve been regularly taking dicine, but it only serves to prevent it from getting worse. It’s not very likely to fully cure it."
"That’s really unfortunate, it seems like you’re not that old either?"
"Thirty-three, not that young anymore."
"You’re thirty-three? Really doesn’t look like it, I’m thirty-five and I look almost like I could be your father."
Zhong Fugao’s comnt made Tian Sisi chuckle; these two indeed looked like they could have a generation gap, though in reality, they were only two years apart. The boy nad Chengsi was also quite happy, chuckling with a silly smile; his Daddy was just too handso, over the years he had chased away so many bad won for his Daddy!
"Brother, what’s your na? Calling each other comrade isn’t very personal!" Zhong Fugao was quite friendly, and it didn’t take long for him to start treating the man like a brother.
"My na is He Xuewen, ’He’ as in celebrating the founding of New China, ’Xue’ as in study, and ’Wen’ as in culture. And you elder brother, may I have your surna?" The man was also sociable, imdiately introducing himself and offering another cigarette.
This ti, Zhong Fugao popped the cigarette in his mouth. The man took out a lighter to light it for him, and Zhong Fugao took puffs contentedly. High-quality cigarettes are indeed comfortable to smoke; he exhaled a ring of smoke with satisfaction, saying, "What’s there to be noble or humble about us farrs? My surna is Zhong, like in clock, ’Fu’ as in fortune, and ’Gao’ as in happiness. You can just call Fugao, brother He."
"Mr. Zhong, I think your village must be a treasure trove, having brought up such a capable person like you and such a pretty girl, and these few young lads all have extraordinary character." He Xuewen was quite flattering, making Zhong Fugao beam with joy.
"That’s nothing, brother He is the truly talented one! I’m just a farr, but these nephews and nieces of mine indeed do have good characters. Brother He, you have a good eye."
Tian Sisi smiled at the man; she found the son of He Xuewen, with his tiger-headed silliness, rather endearing. She rembered that the father and son still wanted to buy buns, but she had bought all of them, so she took a warm bun from her basket and handed it to He Chengsi.
He Chengsi was captivated by the fragrant at bun in front of him, drooling, yet he turned to look at his father. He Xuewen affectionately patted his son’s head and said, "If the young lady offers it to you, you should accept it. But rember to thank her."
"Thank you, Sisi, if I have sothing tasty in the future, I’ll share it with you too." The boy’s eyes brightened, and he imdiately grabbed the bun, but he made sure to let He Xuewen take the first bite. Then he devoured it, gulping down the bun in two or three bites.
"Mr. He is so lucky to have such a strapping son--one who could do the work of three!" Upon seeing He Chengsi, who resembled a young calf, Zhong Fugao couldn’t help but feel envious. Why do rural folks love having sons? Isn’t it because n have the physical strength to do more work? This young lad here seems to have no small amount of strength; it’s just that he eats a bit too much.
"Indeed, my health is poor; I rely completely on my son to take care of ."
"It’s only right for a son to be filial to his father."
...
Zhong Fugao and He Xuewen chatted away casually. Unintentionally, Zhong Fugao revealed a lot about Tian Sisi. However, He Xuewen’s questioning was so clever that neither the subject of the conversation nor Zhong Fugao noticed anything amiss. Jianguo, on the other hand, began to sense sothing and looked at He Xuewen with a touch of hostility. Why was this man always inquiring about his cousin? Could he be a kidnapper?
Thinking this, Jianguo watched He Xuewen intently, sitting up straight with a vigilant expression, afraid that this man might steal his cousin Sisi away. Felt by Jianguo’s eyes, He Xuewen’s heart skipped a beat—this little boy was incredibly sharp. So, he quickly changed the subject, no longer circling around Tian Sisi.
Upon reaching Luoling Village, He Xuewen and He Chengsi alighted from the vehicle first, loudly thanking Zhong Fugao, and added, "If I can’t find the herbs I need in Daqing Mountain, I’ll really have to trouble Mr. Zhong at your place. I’ll be needing your help then."
"That’s all well and good. I’ll be waiting for Mr. He to co to our Moon Spring Village then. You two be careful going up the mountain. See you later!" Zhong Fugao was very happy. People now were very hospitable; regardless if there was food at ho or not, as long as soone was willing to visit, it showed that the host had a wide network, which was a very prestigious thing.
"Daddy, are we really going up the mountain to look for herbs?" Finally, He Chengsi couldn’t help but ask. Just before in Wangjiazhen, Daddy suddenly decided to co to this remote place, leaving him utterly confused. They had planned to find a hostel to stay the night and then go to Sui City the next morning.
"Of course not. Let’s find a place to get through the night and head to Moon Spring Village in a couple days," He Xuewen was in a very good mood.
"Why are we going to Moon Spring Village? Aren’t we going to Sui City? Didn’t you say that we could make a lot of money this ti in Sui City?" He Chengsi was puzzled.
"Money is never-ending. Daddy has sothing more important to do right now. Don’t ask too much, Chengsi. If things really work out this ti, even if I die, I’ll have no regrets," He Xuewen sighed. He knew all too well the state of his health; it worsened year by year. If nothing ca of it, he didn’t know whether he could fulfill his wishes before he died.
"Ptui, ptui, Daddy, you’re talking nonsense again. My master said you’ll live to be a hundred. Spit so saliva quickly," He Chengsi hurriedly spat a few tis on the ground and kept saying "good fortune; good luck."
He Xuewen smiled. How could it be possible to live to be a hundred? With his declining health, it would be a miracle to live past middle age. But he just wasn’t reconciled! There were many things he hadn’t even begun to do. Above all, he had not found his treasured beloved. If he were to go to the underworld now, he wouldn’t have the face to et his ancestors!
"Daddy, are you missing my future wife?" Seeing the dejected look on He Xuewen’s face, He Chengsi hastened to lighten the mood.
Sure enough, a smile appeared on He Xuewen’s face. He chastised softly, "Haven’t I told you before? When we’re outside, you can’t talk like that. You should call her ’little sister’."
"I’m just saying it in front of Daddy. Daddy, do you think my wife will be pretty? Although, if she looks like the girl who gave at buns today, that’s passable. But if she can be as good-looking as Daddy, that would be even better!" He Chengsi’s words amused He Xuewen to no end. Back then, it was just a joke he made in passing, and he didn’t expect this rascal to take it seriously.
"You rascal, are you asking for a beating? Daring to joke with Daddy. Hurry up and move along, we need to find a family to stay with," He Xuewen coughed lightly, but his worries seed lessened by his son’s words.
He Chengsi giggled and walked on ahead. As long as Daddy wasn’t frowning, it was fine. The master once said not to let Daddy worry but to make him laugh more, so he could live longer. The master was gone, and in this world, he had only Daddy left as family. He must ensure Daddy lives a longer life.
PS: Who is He Xuewen? Thanks to Yaxing, 123 Listening, Amy006, Maple Frost Far Away, Little Kitty ow, I Love Myself XX, Shi Ru Chu Jian Z, and other ladies for their support, thank you all!
""""
Reviews
All reviews (0)