Xiao Min found Yuan Zeyang in the woods behind the pig farm.
He was practicing the boxing style his grandfather taught him by himself.
The reason why we come out to practice on such a hot day is because the sun is very strong at noon and few people come here.
He is older now and is no longer the little kid he used to be. As he grows taller, the sympathy others have for him decreases.
His face was a tan from being exposed to the sun. Although he was one year younger than Ma Yunhao, he looked more energetic and had a more solid and fuller figure.
He was wearing a rough cloth with patches all over it, but it perfectly showed off his good physique.
He somersaulted several times in a row, causing Xiao Min to scream out in surprise and clap her hands.
"Brother Xiaoyang, you are so awesome!"
Hearing her voice, Yuan Zeyang turned around and smiled at her, but the sweat dripping down his forehead soaked his eyes. He picked up an old towel under the tree and wiped the sweat off himself, then asked her, "It's so hot, why did you run out? Grandma Qian will say that you have become darker and uglier later."
Girls of this age already know what is beautiful and ugly, and Xiao Min is no exception. Normally, when the sun is strong, she would not come out at all. But today, the situation is a little special. She took off her military canteen and handed it to him, "Brother Xiaoyang, drink some water first. I have something to ask you."
Yuan Zeyang looked at the coarse porcelain jar he brought with him. It was already empty. He took the kettle and poured the water into his own jar, then picked up the jar and drank.
The mouth of the earthenware jar was a bit large and very thick, so when he tilted his neck to pour it into his mouth, the water inevitably flowed down. The water slid down the edge of his mouth and slowly flowed downwards. The crystal beads of sweat streaked on his honey-colored skin, making his young and vigorous body even more attractive.
The beautiful scenes in these romance novels did not interest the young Xiao Min at all.
She just stared blankly, then pointed at his clothes, "Your clothes are all wet, remember to change into dry clothes when you go back. Otherwise you will catch a cold and it will be bad."
"Um!"
Xiao Min picked a big leaf and sat under the tree. After Yuan Zeyang finished drinking the water and sat next to her, she told him her doubts.
Yuan Zeyang shook his head gently, "In fact, you have already made up your mind, right?"
Over the years, Yuan Zeyang knew Xiao Min very well. She was not stupid and had been well taught by Grandma Qian, but she was unwilling to believe that her best friend of five years was a bad person.
The reason she wanted to ask him was to hold on to the last glimmer of hope. She could more or less guess the answer that Grandma Qian refused to give her.
Xiao Min covered her face with her hands, feeling very distressed. On the way here, she had been trying to find reasons and excuses for Xiu Ping, but none of them could explain the fact that Xiu Ping had ill intentions towards her.
She and Ma Yunhao had no romantic feelings at all, and she was frank. But Xiuping didn't believe her, which meant that Xiuping was taking advantage of her and her friends.
Otherwise, there's no way to explain why Xiuping looked at her like that.
It would be more accurate to say that Xiuping was jealous rather than hating her. She was jealous that she could be friends with Ma Yunhao, that she could go to middle school, that she could wear new clothes, and that she had a grandmother who loved her dearly. So Xiuping had been jealous of her for a long time, but she had only just discovered it.
She cried with her head in her hands, crying for her own misjudgment of people and for Xiuping's deception. Yuan Zeyang did not disturb her.
After crying enough, Xiao Min put down her hands. Her eyes were red and there was a blush under her eyes. "Brother Xiaoyang, am I stupid?"
Xiao Min knew why Xiuping was jealous of her. The reason was obvious, but she began to doubt herself.
Yuan Zeyang rubbed her head, "How can Xiaomin be the best? When I was your age, I was much worse than you." He was the opposite of Xiaomin. Because of his status, the children in the village were unwilling to get close to him. Only Xiaomin was willing to be his friend. Of course, even if other children were willing to lower themselves and make friends with him, he would not trust them with his personality.
Xiao Min pouted, "No, I think Brother Xiaoyang is the best." Then she changed her words, "No, he's the second best, just a little bit worse than my grandma."
Yuan Zeyang was amused by her, "You have only met a few people."
Hearing him say that, Xiao Min was unhappy, "I have met many people, and none of the students in our class is better than Brother Xiao Yang. You have finished all the high school courses."
Yuan Zeyang reminded her, "I am older than them. It is normal for me to learn faster than them."
Xiao Min also reacted and nodded in agreement, then comforted him, "But you are better than Ma Yunhao. He can only find things to dismantle. Before, he brought his father's semiconductor radio to my house and dismantled it, but in the end he couldn't put it back together. Uncle Ma was so angry that he beat him up, but he came yesterday and dismantled the bicycle again."
Hearing her smile when she mentioned Ma Yunhao, Yuan Zeyang couldn't help but frown. Thinking of his own identity, his brows relaxed again, but the sadness between his brows could not be dispersed. He only half lowered his head and replied dryly, "Really?"
Yuan Zeyang listened to her stories quietly. Although he couldn't go to school, he loved listening to Xiaomin talk about these things. It was as if he had experienced them himself.
When Xiao Min was talking until her mouth was dry, Yuan Zeyang unscrewed the lid of the military water bottle and handed it to her.
After taking a sip of water, Xiao Min felt a little embarrassed and asked, "Am I a bit of a chatterbox?"
Yuan Zeyang shook his head, "No, I like listening to it very much."
After Xiao Min talked for a while, she felt much better.
People will encounter many obstacles in their lives, but no matter which one she encountered, it was not as much as what Brother Xiaoyang had to go through. He didn't even cry, so what right did she have
Xiao Min quickly separated from Yuan Zeyang. Even though almost no one would come to this place, they still had to be careful.
She took the military kettle and went to the old house to pick some vegetables.
Her mother ate in the canteen of the supply and marketing cooperative, so no one ate the vegetables grown in the private plot. She tied a bundle of green vegetables with straw rope and walked back to the end of the village with it.
On the way, I met Xiuping who was carrying a basket full of pig feed.
Xiuping greeted her naturally, "Xiao Min, wait for me for a moment. I'll go to the pig farm to exchange pig grass for work points, and then go home with you."
Xiao Min didn't expect Xiu Ping to act as if nothing had happened in the blink of an eye. They had clearly argued so fiercely before.
She shook her head and took two steps to the side, "No, I want to go home."
After saying that, he left quickly without waiting for Xiuping's reaction.
Her distant attitude made Xiuping a little dazed. She stared at her back for a long time and couldn't help feeling a little panicked.
Did Xiao Min notice it? No, no. How could someone as stupid as Xiao Min notice her thoughts? She was obviously so careful.
Xiuping kept giving herself psychological hints.
But when she finally had time to look for Xiao Min after selling all the pig grass, Xiao Min had already gone to school. She didn't have much time, as she had to do housework and cut pig grass, and she was very busy.
By the time she realized what was happening, Xiao Min was already looking at her like a stranger. When they met on the street, she would just walk past her quickly and not bother to talk to her at all.
All of Xiuping's hopes were dashed, and she ended up doing something shameful, like eloping. But that's a story for later.
When Xiao Min returned home, Qian Shulan had already gotten up.
Qian Shulan could tell Xiao Min's red eyes at a glance. She sighed softly, "You are still too naive."
Xiao Min pursed her lips. She had guessed what her grandmother was thinking. Her grandmother was such a smart person, how could she not know what kind of person Xiu Ping was? Her grandmother knew but didn't point it out, letting her discover it herself.
Xiao Min sat on the bench and leaned on her grandmother's knees. "Grandma, I must have disappointed you."
Qian Shulan helped her loosen her hair and combed it again. Her hair was black and soft. "No, you are still young after all." Xiao Min was different from herself. Although the conditions in those days were very difficult, Qian Shulan took good care of Xiao Min and never let her suffer at all. Apart from letting her do housework, she never let her do any heavy work.
You have to know that children of Xiao Min's age have to go to the fields with a sickle in the hot summer.
Maybe she couldn't compare with those spoiled little princesses in later generations, but compared with her surroundings, she was already living in a honeypot. Her life was smooth, her parents loved her, her brothers and sisters were older than her, and no one bullied her, even though Qian Shulan kept telling her that there were many bad people in the world. But she had never encountered them and couldn't tell them apart.
Qian Shulan was extremely grateful that Xiaomin saw through Xiuping's character so early on. If Xiuping had been more knowledgeable and had more tricks up her sleeve, she would not have tolerated her and could only remind Xiaomin.
Then Xiao Min will fall again in the future, and she may not have the chance to stand behind her and remind her.
Qian Shulan sighed softly, "Don't you blame your grandmother?"
Xiao Min shook her head, "No. I know milk is for my own good.
Qian Shulan patted her on the back. "Grandma is old now, and the time I can really spend with you is running out. Grandma hopes that you can become a person who is invincible from the inside out. Even if you are knocked down by others, you can stand up quickly. People have to go through a lot in their lives. If not now, then in the future."
Separation from Xiao Min is also a big test for Xiao Min. Just like her, when her grandmother left, she was completely broken. That kind of heart-piercing pain is really painful. She is now instilling little by little that she will leave one day in the future, so that Xiao Min can accept the fact that people will die little by little.
It was the first time that Xiao Min heard this word. She suddenly grabbed her grandmother's hand, her face showing obvious panic and her voice filled with fear. "Grandma, don't scare me like this." Hearing this voice, it sounded like she was about to cry.
Qian Shulan put her arm around her shoulders and consoled her with a smile, "Don't worry, Grandma should exercise every day. As long as you take good care of yourself, you will definitely live to be eighty. Grandma is only sixty-seven now, so you still have more than ten years."
Ten years is hard to accept. Xiao Min burst into laughter and said, "I will be grown up by then and can honor my grandma. I will buy her a big house and let her live in it. I will also let her eat meat every day."
Qian Shulan combed her hair and teased, "Then you must study hard and get into college, otherwise grandma might not be able to wait until that day."
Xiao Min hummed heavily.
After Qian Shulan tied her hair up again, she patted her on the back and urged her, "Hurry up and write! The teacher will check it tonight."
Xiao Min didn't hesitate and immediately walked to the desk, picked up the brush and started practicing calligraphy.