Chapter6~chapter7

  From that day on, Si Guang deliberately kept a distance from Ah Heng, unlike the previous lukewarmness, now with a hint of evasion.

  A few days later, Zhang Shu brought A Heng to buy autumn clothes, saying it was Si Guang's intention.

  A Heng frowned and said to Zhang Shu "Ah Po, I..."

  Zhang Shu lived for more than half her life, what couldn't she see through? She patted Ah Heng's hand to comfort her "I know you don't have any ill intentions towards Si Er, it's just that you don't understand, that child's goodness."

  Ah Heng looked at Zhang Shu's somewhat helpless face and could only remain silent.

  I think it's all good.

  Ah Heng thought for a moment, his heart felt heavy, as if he had fallen into a stone pit, pressed against his chest, and was suffocating.

  She was shut out of this world by a wall called "Winslow".

  But still, life has to go on...

  Who says that starting wrong will inevitably lead to a wrong ending?

  Ah Heng took a deep breath and slowly suppressed the distress that was surging in his heart.

  In her eyes, the world outside Wushui Town is another human world, with its own expectations, but due to the pressure of reality, it has become a ridiculous appearance. There is some loneliness and desolation, but there must be a reason to integrate hope.

  Often, the process of pursuit is precisely what is called survival.

  The first rain of autumn falls with the red leaves, wetting the white buildings. After the rain clears, through the window, a misty fog spreads out, bringing the freshness of washed earth and cool air rushes in.

  Ah Heng was in the house, constantly doing physics problems, his head dizzy and confused, he walked to the window and looked out. The maple tree outside had been washed by the autumn rain, the water on its branches sparkling, reflecting the fallen leaves below, slowly dripping, crystal clear and sharp, spinning on the bright red leaves, slowly disappearing.

  All around was quiet, with only the autumn wind rustling through the leaves of the tung tree, causing it to sway and make a soft whooshing sound.

  Ah Heng was gazing out at a distance when he was suddenly startled by the sharp, clear "chirp" sound coming from above. He looked up to see a parrot with green and blue feathers on the white gravel rooftop, its small claws stained with blood, its black eyes looking pitifully at the window, looking at Ah Heng.

  Ah Heng looked at the little parrot and knew it must have been injured, trapped on the roof. He leaned against the window with his left hand, tiptoed, stretched out his right arm, but found that he was still a palm's distance away.

  "Wait, wait for me." Ah Heng felt a bit apologetic and thought to himself that he didn't know if the birds in the capital only spoke Beijing dialect, hoping that his half-baked Mandarin would be understood.

  The little parrot suddenly shrieked - "Braised meat! Braised meat?!!!"

  Braised meat?

  A Heng was surprised and speechless, secretly scolding himself for being talkative and saying something wrong.

  Nor did she know if the bird could understand her, she smiled at its sparkling little eyes and ran away.

  Si Guang heard the urgent knocking on the door, rubbed his eyes, opened it, and saw Ah Heng. At first, he was embarrassed, then his face turned red, and he spoke warmly, "What's wrong?"

  A Heng Zhang mouth is "braised meat, injury, eaves, can't come down."

  Si Guang said with a strong spiritual force, plus 80% guilt, staring at him innocently - "Oh, the braised meat is injured and trapped on the roof, can't come down, right?"

  Ah Heng was originally sweating, but seeing Si Gua's dazed expression agreeing with her, she couldn't help but laugh, and the stuffiness in her heart also dissipated. Far Mountain's eyebrows curved into a good-looking shape.

  She pulled Si Guang's sleeve, quickly leading him to her own room, leaning out of the window and pointing at the poor little bird shivering on the eaves.

  "Braised meat! Braised meat!" The little parrot saw Si Gwan and shrieked, its bright small eyes brimming with tears in a very wronged manner.

  "Ah! Braised pork rice!" exclaimed Si Gwan.

  The young man was originally hesitant, but after seeing the parrot, he suddenly took off his shoes and climbed onto the windowsill.

  "Ah Heng, lend a hand." Si Gua furrowed her brow, bowed her head and carefully approached the parrot by the window. However, the posture was really tiring, stretching out her hand to coax the parrot, her body had no place to rest.

  Ah Heng hastily stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Si Gwang's small legs, looking up at the young man with unblinking eyes, feeling an inexplicable tension in his heart.

  The little parrot was quite clever, and slowly hopped onto Si Geng's palm without missing a step. The young man turned around, looked at Ah Heng with his arms wrapped around him in surprise, and saw that his posture seemed to be embracing him. He stared blankly for a moment, found it interesting, and burst out laughing, gently hopping down.

  A Heng also smiled and took the little parrot. In his usually calm eyes, a few hints of childishness flowed out.

  "You, know it?" Ah Heng found a piece of gauze to help the little thing stop its bleeding, looking at it with a pitiful expression, calling out in a weak voice, as if it was being coquettish.

  "Understood." Si Guang nodded and took out his mobile phone, just about to dial a number, when he heard the doorbell ringing urgently downstairs.

  "Ah, look, the master is here." Si Gwan smiled, showing her teeth, clean and neat.

  Ah Heng gently smoothed the small bird's feathers, looking at it with pity and thinking that this little thing was really pitiful. The owner must have been extremely careless to let it out of its cage and get hurt.

  The young man came out of the room to greet the guests. Half a minute later, Ah Heng heard the sound of footsteps going upstairs and the sound of noisy laughter and playfulness.

  A gentle breeze blew by, she lifted her head and saw that handsome young man.

  "Who?" She opened her mouth and became reckless.

  "Who are you?" The boy's voice was languid, with a thick, unyielding quality of masculinity.

  He doesn't remember Ah Heng anymore.

  "Ah Heng." Si Gua licked her lips and opened her mouth.

  "Oh." Xīn nodded and gave Wēn Héng a bland glance, smiling indifferently.

  He lowered his head and saw the small bird in Ah Heng's hand, his eyes suddenly became bright and clear. His slender white fingers poked at the little thing's head - "You ran wildly and got punished, tsk, tsk, you even hurt your paw, serves you right!"

  That little parrot was extremely intelligent, looking at the young man with a dejected expression, its small wings wrapped around its small head, its shiny black eyes brimming with tears.

  Xian Xi smiled, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, domineering and unreasonable, yet vivid, opening her mouth to scold: "You little rascal, stop pretending to be pitiful in front of Young Master, with this little ability, you dare to run away from home, your wings are hard, haha, glutinous rice!"

  Immediately, a beautiful hand grasped the parrot's wing, wanting to pull it up. Ah Heng looked at it with heartache and hugged the parrot, taking a step back. The young man's hand swiped at air.

  "Ouch!" Ah Heng looked up and saw the slender and tall young man, hugging a small parrot, opening his mouth like a protective mother.

  Xian Xi was stunned and took a step back, nodding his head, and kicked Wen Siyun beside him with his foot.

  Si Guang rubbed his nose in a wronged manner and said to Ah Heng in a gentle tone, "This bird is raised by Yan Xi, he has always been fond of it and won't hurt it."

  Xian Xi sneered and kicked Si Guang's butt - "Young Master wouldn't bother with this dead thing, wait till it gets fat, I'll stew it into a nourishing soup!"

  The little bird heard this and lay in Ah Heng's arms, its feathers ruffled, its claws stiffened, and it desperately wiped away tears, pretending to be dead.

  A Heng understood the meaning of Si Guang's words, knowing that he had crossed the line. The dog took the mouse, feeling a bit embarrassed, loosened his hand and handed the bird to Yan Xi.

  The boy took over the parrot, laughing complacently, with a hint of red flesh on his gums.

  "Dead things, go home, serve the young master's household!"

  Ah Heng moved over to Si Yun's side and asked in a low voice, "House rules?"

  Si Guang wanted to laugh but didn't, lowering her voice - "Probably like this, Xin Xi Se covers his own ears and plays the violin for little things!"

  Ah Heng uttered an "oh" and looked at Si Gua, with a thick smile on his face.

  She knew she had thought of something, her face couldn't hold up, turned red, cleared her throat, and changed the subject.

  "Ashi, when are you going to get a birdcage? The braised pork rice is always running around, and it's not a good idea if it gets hurt or collides with something."

  Ah Heng was somewhat perplexed - why didn't people in the capital buy bird cages when raising small birds?

  "I won't buy it." The young man's black hair was fine and sparse, curling slightly at the temples in a lazy arc.

  "It's it, I'm me, humans have freedom, birds also have freedom. Laozi only provided it with a few warm meals, what else did he do? Why should he deprive it of its freedom?"

  Stunned and speechless.

  Xian swept a glance at him with an air of naturalness and righteousness.

  Ah Heng smiled.

  She found Si Gwang easily became weak in front of Yan Xi. It was like that when they first met, and it's still the same today.

  Later on, she came to know that in this world, there was a term called aura.

  And this word was created by Sheng Lai as a spoken language. 77

  Since the little bird called "Braised Pork Rice" was taken away by Yan Xi, Ah Heng and Si Yun got along much more easily. Occasionally, the young man would gently rub her long hair, make a joke or two, and smile warmly.

  Is this... what it feels like to have an older brother?

  Ah Heng was uncertain, but this uncertainty was actually considerate, so she didn't want to dwell on it anymore. It's tiring to nitpick.

  She wants to live seriously, live with dignity, pay out slowly and get paid back slowly.

  This is an ambition, a timid and fearful ambition.

  Time flows like water, the white horse wanders aimlessly, unknowingly traversing countless paths called years. The autumn leaves have fallen, with a desolate demeanor welcoming winter.

  No one ever mentioned Erl again in front of her, and the Wen family reached a tacit understanding. They were trying to accept Ah Heng, but Ah Heng felt they were enduring, enduring very painfully, and would eventually explode one day.

  So, before the balloon called "Er Er" exploded, she could only wait quietly, waiting for life to give her some precious opportunities or joy.

  He is an objective existence, but Wen Heng is a subjective name.

  Objective and subjective, dialectical materialism, this is what the politics teacher taught her.

  Of course, studying is tiring, this is an undeniable truth both objectively and subjectively.

  But they are only in their first year of high school, and every teacher is like a fighting cock, with red eyes competing for their RMB. Who said it - time is money.

  Ah Heng won't complain, but when he sees the teachers saying "just two more minutes" nonstop during the second big class break, he feels extremely hungry and keeps growling.

  When class is over, the girls usually rush to the toilet, and the boys rush to the small shop. At this time, Ah Heng, although following behind the boys with quick steps, still feels embarrassed when she sees the expression of the boys who unintentionally glance at her holding a bread and following behind them.

  She hugged the bread, trying to comfort herself, toilets and bread are both physiological needs...

  "Damn it! I grabbed the wrong bread! Strawberry, how nauseating......" Sindai shouted in front, rubbing his black hair, and the stairs were shaking.

  "Make a small change, swap with me, I only eat meat floss!" The young man, with a messy bird's nest-like hair, smiled and leaned in beside a thin and small young boy.

  A Heng stifled his voice and burst out laughing.

  Xinda Yi was a boy who was known for being a bit of an oddball, and he was one of the top students in his class. His name was Wei Xu, and he had a delicate appearance and a soft voice. He loved to play jump rope and kick shuttlecocks with the girls. Xinda's classmates, having nothing better to do, gave him the nickname "Little Pervert", which was shortened to "Xiao Bian".

  Wei Xu, although gentle and weak like a girl, was after all a boy. He hated it most when others called him "Xiao Bian", especially when the culprit Xinda Yi did so. Upon hearing his loud shout, his face turned pale, he let out a cold hum, swayed his willow waist, and walked away with a gentle smile, carrying a meat floss bun.

  "Yoyo, Big Auntie, Xiao Bian is annoyed, be careful today he brings all the girls to deal with you!" The other boys around laughed and fell over.

  "Get lost! Who's afraid of those chicks?" Xinda sneered, nonchalantly "Who has meatloaf bread to exchange with me?"

  Boys don't like eating sweet things, after hearing his words, they dispersed immediately.

  Ah Heng looked at the meat floss bun in his hand, hesitated for a moment, ran to his side, smiled and stretched out the bun in his hand, saying to Xinda Yi - "Trade!"

  The boy's eyes were bright in his messy hair, but when he saw Ah Heng, they became somewhat complicated, and he awkwardly opened his mouth with the strawberry in hand - "I'm not hungry anymore!"

  Immediately, a beautiful parabola, strawberry bread was thrown into the trash can, then turned and left.

  Ah Heng looked a bit dazed, staring at the lonely bread in the trash can, sighed, picked it up, patted off the dust on it, and softly said in Wu dialect, "One block five for one."

  "A Heng?" A somewhat puzzled voice.

  Ah Heng turned around and saw Si Gyun, although he knew that he didn't understand Jiangnan dialect very well, but still felt a bit embarrassed.

  "Did you buy two buns? Great, give me one, I'm starving!" The young man smiled and stretched out his hand, which was clean and slender. He looked at Ah Heng and complained softly, "Today's student council meeting went on until now, and just as my stomach was getting a bit hungry, I went to the small shop, but they were already sold out of buns!"

  Ah Heng was moved and handed the meat floss bun in his hand to Si Yun.

  "I want to eat strawberries." Si Gyun's dimples were very eye-catching, and the girls going up and down the stairs looked at him with flushed faces and racing hearts.

  A Heng smiled and shook his head - "Dirty."

  Si Guang smiled and indicated that he didn't mind, but Ah Heng turned his back and laughed with a clear and bright smile.

  She hugged the strawberry bread and arrived at the corridor on the floor where her classroom was located, opened the paper bag, and took a small bite.

  A Heng said that the strawberry bread and meat floss bread are not much different, only feeling that the sweetness of the strawberry sauce overflows the sour taste, which is not the taste of the strawberries she has tasted, but it's called strawberry bread, which is really strange.

  However, it tastes good.

  On the day of Lidong, it rained. Zhang Shu repeatedly reminded her to return home early, saying that Mr. Yan had invited the Wen family to eat dumplings together.

  Mr. Yan is an old friend of Ah Heng's grandfather, a sworn brother who has been through thick and thin together, having fought on the battlefield and shed blood for each other. In the past, when they were not yet in power, one was a regimental commander and the other was a political commissar, a perfect match of literary and martial arts, like two peas in a pod. They had originally planned to become in-laws, but it turned out that both families only had sons, so they gave up on that idea.

  Si Guang originally planned to walk with Ah Heng after school, but was held up by the student union's affairs. Ah Heng waited outside the office for half an hour, and Si Guang felt uneasy, so he made an excuse, saying he had something to do, and took the umbrella from the office storage room and walked out.

  "Is it cold?" Si Gua asked Ah Heng while holding an umbrella, with a warm and gentle gaze.

  Ah Heng put on his hood and shook his head.

  Two people walked quietly under an umbrella, one on the left and one on the right, at arm's length.

  The winter wind is biting, the rain has been falling continuously. In the early morning it was still a light drizzle, but by dusk it had become a heavy downpour. The rainwater seeps into the mud, slowly being absorbed, and the neglected alleys of years past are difficult to walk through, with muddy puddles everywhere underfoot.

  Two people were walking in the mud, but unexpectedly they were splashed with mud by a commuter riding a bicycle.

  The boys and girls took out their handkerchiefs, busy and flustered, losing this and that, getting more than half of them wet in the rain.

  "Run!" Si Gwan laughed "Anyway, our clothes are all wet."

  Ah Heng grew up in the water town, was mischievous when she was young, played in the water, touched fish, and even had plum blossoms accompanying her youth in the rain. Therefore, she wasn't used to holding an umbrella. Now, Si Guang proposed, which coincided with her heart's desire, so Ah Heng nodded at Si Guang and rushed into the rain.

  Ah Heng ran in the rain, but felt that the rain here was completely different from that of Wusui Town. The gentle warmth from afar clung to his clothes, while the harsh coldness in front of him pierced to the bone. Two different feelings, heaven and earth, struck the chord in his heart called homesickness.

  Xiangyun walked quietly in the rain, gently and warmly watching Ah Heng's back.

  His face was brushed by icy raindrops, his eyes moistened bit by bit, and the old film of memories blurred and then cleared up in the rain.

  The scenes he had seen, one by one, were like a black and white movie. There was a girl who had playfully snatched the umbrella from his hand, grasped his hand, and ran with him in the rain. He was used to running behind that girl with all his might, used to having a small hand stuffed into his, used to watching the girl's growing figure in the rain, and used to calling out to her "Er Er".

  His laughter, that smile, in the winter rain, was like a swallow's whisper on a human fourth day of April.

  He was Erl's brother, once thought to be his own brother, but in a mysterious night, he and his dearest sister became strangers.

  Sometimes, he was annoyed with his grandfather. Since he knew the truth and knew that she was not his biological sister, why did he allow them to be so intimate? Letting them mix their blood into each other's bodies before telling him that the person closest to him had nothing to do with him.

  。

  At that time, Ah Heng in front of him waved his hand and smiled at him, but he couldn't smile back at her, not even pretending to be powerless.

  The beauty of April has already fallen, a cluster of peach blossoms quietly bloomed, but it's not as bright as before.

  After returning home, the house was empty, and Grandpa Wen left a note saying that he had gone to the Yan family first, asking them to hurry over after school.

  Ah Heng and Si Gwan hastily changed out of their wet clothes and left the house.

  The rain had stopped by then.

  "Where is Yan Jia?" Ah Heng asked curiously.

  "You've seen it." Si Guang smiled, leading Ah Heng around the garden, along the winding stone path, to the white Western-style building behind the towering tree.

  "We're here, it's Xī Jiā's house" Si Wǎn said with a smile, and pointed to the Western-style building with her slender fingers.

  "What a coincidence, Old Man Yan, with the surname Yan." Ah Heng was astonished.

  Xiang Yun's demeanor was unlike her usual self, she burst into laughter, her eyes shining brightly.

  The cleverness lies in the fact that Mr. Yan is not surnamed Yan, so should he follow them and be surnamed Wen?

  "Wen Lao San, this little girl in your house is interesting!" A bright and loud laughter, a thick and hoarse voice, almost deafening.

  Ah Heng's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that the door was already open, and there stood Yan Xi and a group of adults. His face immediately turned red.

  Grandfather looked at her, with a smile in his eyes. On the left stood Wen's mother, and on the right was an extremely tall and majestic old man, slightly stout, with white hair, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes that commanded respect without being angry.

  Xian's beauty was stunning, and her appearance was vastly different from that of the old man, but the sparkle in her eyes was just like his, with the same pride and aura.

  "Hello, Grandfather." Si Guang politely bowed and stood beside Yan Xi with a smile, the two boys started whispering to each other.

  "Ah Heng, say hello, this is your maternal grandfather." Wen's mother looked at Ah Heng with a rare smile on her face, seemingly also amused by her daughter.

  Since Ah Heng arrived at the Wen's house, today is the first time Mrs. Wen has looked straight at her daughter.

  She was a piece of flesh on her body, but leaving the body didn't hurt for a day, which made her confused, so she gave herself a reason to love and cherish her adopted daughter Sier more deeply.

  When she left, her mother didn't know; when she came back, a heart full of maternal love had been entrusted to another bright and considerate girl, just like the sun itself, which made her unbearable.

  She refused to acknowledge the absurd fact and rejected her own daughter.

  She is a sentimental woman, and since she can't take back the love she has for her adopted daughter, she will continue to love her.

  Just treat the girl in front of you as a foster child raised by your own family and take good care of her.

  "Call him Grandpa." Ah Heng's Mandarin was still clumsy beyond help, but his posture, bent at the waist, was perfectly proper.

  "Ah Heng, Wen Heng, good! Good name!" The old man smiled, looking at Ah Heng with even more pity.

  It was he who had brought about the events of that year, and he felt deeply guilty and heartbroken for the girl.

  "Say, Yan Shuai, how good is this name?" Grandpa Wen smiled.

  "It's good if I say it's good!" Yan Shuai glanced at Wen Lao with a hint of childishness, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

  "There's no king of heaven and earth anymore!" Old Wen sneered.

  "Third son, stop giving me this nonsense! I'm a rough man, I've been through a lifetime of hardships, but I've never been through the hardships of writing!" Commander Yan's eyes were wide with anger, his tone was coarse and rude.

  "The scale, taken from the book 'Han Feizi·Yangquan', has a sentence 'The scale is not about lightness and heaviness'. The world is complex and chaotic, with right and wrong, taking the light and the heavy, all relying on one balance. My family's little girl is indeed a person with a sense of justice." Wen Lao looked at his granddaughter, with wisdom shining in his eyes.

  Xiang Shuai held his belly and laughed loudly - "San Er, you old fool, who compared your own daughter to a grindstone?"

  The old man shook his head and sighed.

  A Heng's eyes lit up.

  She was named "Heng" by her father in childhood, meaning perseverance, and together with her brother's name "Zai", it means "Heng Zai", hoping that the two of them would live a long life under their parents' loving care. However, when registering for household records later on, the police officer made an error and wrote the character "" instead, which is actually not what Wen Lao said, borrowing from ancient books to take the name.

  But these carefully crafted gentle words almost folded up all the grievances in her heart, and even looking into Grandpa's eyes made her happy.

  "Old man, when are we going to eat dumplings? I'm starving! I'm starving!" Xian Xi listened to the adults talking and didn't interrupt, but this time she got a chance, her bright big eyes looking at Xian Shuai, looking very well-behaved, but her words were not well-behaved.

  "Grandma's bear! What are you yelling at me?!" Yan Shuai got angry, his hometown dialect slipped out, he bent down to take off his slippers and was about to hit the young man.

  The boy quickly hid behind his mother and made a face at Yan Shuai, sticking out his tongue with an innocent expression.

  Ah Heng looked at him with an unusual haughty and disdainful expression, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

  "Look, your sister is laughing at you, really doesn't understand the situation!" Yun Yi smiled and patted the slender hand of the young man, then looked at Yan Shuai "Yan uncle, don't be angry, Xiao Xi is just a child's temper, lawless and unruly, he made a bit of trouble, but you actually spared him from being beaten?"

  "Spare your life for the sake of your sister! Today I'll let you off!" Yan Shuai's eyes widened in shock.

  "You're just boasting with your mouth!" scolded Old Wen with a smile.

  The old man spoiled the younger generation, and he was notorious among his peers. When Xi was young, he was very mischievous, and the old man was so angry that he wanted to hit him, but before he could even raise his hand, the child burst into tears, wailing like a wolf, and sang "Little white vegetable, yellow in the ground, three years old without a father, five years old without a mother..." The neighbors on both sides wiped away their tears, especially the elderly women, who scolded the old man for being cruel. They said that children usually grow up to be like this because of the incense burned at home, and that he couldn't even compare to his ancestors! The old man looked at the child's big eyes, which were shining with tears, and felt a sense of pride, saying "That's right, who can compare to my grandson? Which family has a child as good-looking as mine? Not even the combined families of Old Wen, Old Lu, and Old Xin can compare!"

  But this remark got out, and Old Xin was not pleased. The two had been fellow countrymen since childhood, joined the army together, entered the party together, were promoted to officer rank together, and rose to battalion commander together. Their superiors often compared them, but they didn't get along, each looking at the other with disapproval. The more military ranks they got, the bigger their grudge grew. They even ended up living in the same courtyard, making it hard for them to avoid each other. When Old Xin's wife gave birth to a son, he compared him to Old Yan's son, saying his own was better-looking. Old Yan couldn't take this lying down! Holding his grandson Xin Daqi, he went to argue with Old Yan - "You old numbskull! What makes you say my Daqi isn't as good-looking as your Yan Xi? Take a look at your Yan Xi, that small mouth of his can barely suck up noodles, just like a little girl, no masculinity at all. You still have the nerve to say I'm not as good as you? It's embarrassing for me on your behalf!"

  The old man slapped his hand and scolded, "Your grandma's grandma is a bear! Your Sindarin (a reference to the character's appearance) looks good, but with that messy hair, people might think you're holding a monkey! You didn't marry quickly like me, you didn't have children quickly like me, your daughter-in-law took three years after marriage to give birth to a little monkey! And this little monkey is mute, I'm too embarrassed to introduce him as my friend!"

  At that time, Da Yi was almost three years old and still couldn't speak, while Yan Xi could already shout "Uncle handsome, Auntie beautiful" to swindle candies from people on the street when he was two. At three years old, his high-pitched voice was basically close to a professional standard, although not every sentence was in tune. However, this had deeply hurt Old Xin's weak heart, and he scolded Yan Xi and his grandson every day while holding Da Yi, who listened with relish. Finally, at three years and three months old, plus three days, he opened his mouth for the first time, and his first words were...

  "Xī, your grandma is a bear!"

  One sentence made everyone in the whole courtyard laugh for several months, but Xīn Dá's young self-esteem was hurt. He ran around the whole yard, catching and scolding - "Xīn Dá's dad is a bear, his mom is a bear, his grandpa is a bear, his grandma is a bear, your whole family are bears, blind bear!"

  It then became a classic and has been sung for ages without fading.

  This child is out of control, he has been vengeful since childhood, if someone bullies him a little, he will definitely get back at them ten times more, even if it's just one point less today, he'll make up for it tomorrow.

  For this reason, Old Wen didn't particularly like Yan Xi, but for the sake of his old friend's face, he still treated him like one of his own children.

  What he worries about most is that Si Guang and Yan Xi are getting too close.

  "It's still Auntie who loves me." At this point, Xian Xi was like performing on stage, exaggerating and deeply emotional, kneeling on one knee, grabbing Wen Mama's hand, with a flying red lip, smiling mischievously.

  "Auntie, you're so good to me, have you fallen in love with me? Oh my, I'm getting embarrassed! Then, Auntie, why don't you just divorce Uncle Wen and marry me instead?"

  "You're such a big kid, not a bit serious. If Uncle Wen hears you, he'll scold you again!" Yun Yi said with a mix of laughter and tears, gently tapping the young man's pale forehead, her tone warm and affectionate.

  "He's not here, is he?!" Xīn Mǎn said nonchalantly, his beautiful eyes narrowing further as he gazed at Sī Guān with ill intentions.

  Si Guang was crying and laughing at the same time. Yan Xi was only half a year older than himself, but when they were young, he would always argue that he wanted to be called "ge ge" (older brother), but Yan Xi refused. He didn't know how many times he had been beaten by Yan Xi. Finally, Yan Xi said with a fierce tone: "If you don't call me 'ge ge', I won't bother! Wait until I marry Yu Ni, and then you'll have to call me 'dad'!"

  Then he thought of being his own father and had been thinking about it for over a decade.

  A Heng moved his lips, staring blankly at Yan Xi, dazed.

  This guy is so inconsistent! No stability at all!

  "Shut up, you little stinker!" Xian Shuai's face turned bright red with anger as he grabbed the collar of Xian Xi's red sweater and pulled it in front of Ah Heng's face, gritting his teeth. "Tell your sister Ah Heng what your name is!"

  Unbeknownst to Yan Shuai, Ah Heng and Yan Xi had a history of several encounters. Yan Xi's words, "Yan Xi's words", were etched in his heart, making him feel anxious and fearful, never forgetting again.

  "Speak." He looked at her, his words faint, his eyebrows and eyes proud, black pupils and hair, flowers blooming on his lips.

  "Moderation is the best." She smiled, with clear eyebrows and eyes, her words harmless.

  At that time, she finally had a legitimate reason to call his name.

  At that time, he and she had countless unintentional encounters before finally getting to know each other.

  This mutual understanding was something she had never anticipated, and he had never made an effort for.

  One was sixteen years old and lacked sixty days; one was seventeen years old and had a full five months.

  At a young age.

  It's a narrow road, and we meet by chance.

  A good show. 88

  In December, the heating had already been turned on. As soon as he entered the house, it felt like a different world from outside the door. The warm air inside made Ah Heng feel a surge of warmth flowing through his hands and feet.

  The interior decoration of the Yan family home was not much different from that of the Wen family, except that the Wen family's antique jade carvings were more exquisite and the Yan family's decorations had a grander atmosphere. However, the distinctive feature of the Yan family's decorations was the numerous genuine photographs hanging on the walls, each one as clear and vivid as a painting, with bright and bold colors. But what was strange was that the people and objects depicted in these photos seemed to have been imbued with new souls, delicate and pure, exuding warmth and... coldness.

  "Xī pāi de." Si Guān looked at her intently, smiled, and followed her gaze to those works, eyes shining brightly. "ā Xī has a lot of artistic talent, and in his free time, he often goes out to sketch, take pictures, and excels in everything he does."

  "That photo in the corner was taken when we went out to play together last year." Siyun pointed at the photo in the corner and asked her, "Guess where it was taken?"

  A Heng concentrated his mind, looking at the photo, becoming more and more bewildered. The water vapor was swirling, as if in the clouds, yet a few brown stones appeared out of nowhere, with strange shapes, naturally formed.

  She shook her head.

  Xian Xi slapped Si Yun with a bad temper and immediately walked towards the kitchen.

  "In the hot spring water below, he was squatting there taking pictures." Si Guang looked at the photo, smiled and opened up, handsome and gentle, with eyes that shone even brighter.

  "That guy always comes up with some weird stuff."

  A Heng smiled, his eyebrows and eyes clear and warm.

  She gazed at the photo, involuntarily walking closer, stretching out her hand to touch the misty smoke, the brown stone, and the peaceful eyes. Yet, this gaze gave rise to a sense of longing and envy.

  "Next time, bring me along, okay?" She looked at Si Gwang and said with a sweet tone.

  Her father taught her: "Reading ten thousand volumes is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. In one's youth, one should set ambitious goals."

  She yearns for warmth, and she yearns for wandering. This wandering is a bold idea, but it's not rebellion.

  Whether it's Yunheng or Wenheng, she will be moderate and moderate, but freedom is the nature of youth, she wants to walk occasionally and change a layer that doesn't change.

  Of course, looking into Si Gwang's eyes, she knew her request had put him in a difficult position.

  "Good." A vague voice came from behind him.

  Ah Heng turned around and saw Yan Xi crouching beside him, neatly holding a white porcelain bowl, his mouth stuffed with dumplings, his eyebrows and eyes hidden in his black messy hair, but those lips, red and tenderly beautiful.

  "Thank you." Her palms were sweating, feeling relieved.

  "Mmm." Xīn Xī didn't have time to bother with her, looking at the plump and white dumplings, feeling very satisfied.

  Su Yun was somewhat surprised, but still smiled.

  Forget it, since Xī decided, what else can he say?

  "Dumplings are ready, kids!" A short and stout middle-aged man wearing an apron walked out of the kitchen with two bowls of dumplings, smiling at the young boys and girls in front of him.

  "Xiao Xi, go eat in the dining hall, what are you doing squatting here!" The man scolded with a smile, looking at Yan Xi and kicking him lightly.

  "Ah, Uncle Li, I've brought it out for you. How was your trip?" Xiangyun stepped forward with big strides and politely took the bowl from him.

  "Is this Ah Heng?" The man scrutinized Ah Heng.

  "Ah Heng, Li Bo Bo, said Grandfather's deputy officer." Si Gua said softly to Ah Heng.

  "Uncle Li." Ah Heng took the bowl with both hands and spoke in a low voice.

  "Alright, alright!" The man nodded, his face relieved, tears almost welling up.

  Then, he walked up to Ah Heng, gently stroking her hair and speaking softly - "Good child, it's okay to go home now, you've suffered enough."

  A Heng was stunned, Si Guang also froze, only Yan Xi continued to stuff dumplings in there.

  "Vice Officer Li!" a loud voice boomed from the dining hall.

  "Report!" Deputy Officer Li gave a military salute, his voice loud and clear.

  "Hey, you two, won't let me eat in peace!" Yan Xi was startled and began to cough violently, with tears streaming down his face from being choked by the dumplings, his complexion turning crimson like a peach blossom.

  Li Deputy Director patted Xi's back with all his might until he spat out the dumpling that was stuck in his throat.

  "Ashi, you've listened eight times a day, how come you're still not used to it?" Si Gua handed him water and smiled.

  "Grandma's!" Xīn Xī spat a mouthful of water onto Sī Wǎn's face.

  "Ah Heng, eat some more, it's cold outside and you'll freeze your ears off." Zhang Shu looked at the girl beside her and chattered on "I made them with your Auntie Li, they're delicious!"

  A Heng nodded vigorously, nibbling on a dumpling in the midst of swirling water vapor.

  "Can everyone guess what filling it is?" Deputy Li smiled and looked at the old and young people around the dinner table. He was always good at adjusting the atmosphere.

  "Ah, there's shrimp, pork, and sea cucumber." Si Guang savored the chewy texture of the tongue-tip filling, her dimples slightly intoxicating.

  "Winter melon, bamboo shoots." Old Wen said.

  "Ginger powder, scallion, sauce, chicken essence, high soup." Warm Mom tasted the soup water and spoke softly.

  "It's all right, it's all right." Deputy Li smiled.

  Everyone savored it carefully and exchanged glances, all of them quite perplexed.

  What else can be done? The ones sitting in front, eating and guessing, one can't figure out the other, it's hard to beat a whole table, and Deputy Li is also quite skilled.

  "Li Ma, you're not being very nice. Who could have guessed that something so cunning?" Xian Xi let out a satisfied burp, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and curved her beautiful big eyes, shining with amusement.

  He had dug into the kitchen ahead of time and knew what else was put in the filling.

  "What's wrong with you, it's something we often see." Deputy Li heard the young man's address and was not annoyed, already accustomed to his own children's sharp tongues.

  The child he raised, what kind of virtue, can't he be clear about it himself?

  If this also makes you angry, then you will be really busy.

  "Girl, speak up." Yan Shuai looked at Ah Heng for a long time, seeing that she remained silent, wanting to tease her into speaking.

  "Ah Heng raised his head, his voice a little soft, with a sweet tone - 'Tangerine peel.'"

  Then, he withdrew his head into the misty steam and nibbled at the dumplings in small bites.

  Everyone was stunned and looked at Deputy Li in unison.

  Li's deputy smiled even more benevolently, with the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes squeezed together, quite comical and lovely - "Ah Heng was right. The pork we bought today is a bit fatty, not four thin and six thick, I'm afraid Xiao Xi will be picky, so I chopped some orange peel into it, which removes both the greasiness and the fishy smell, just right."

  "Ah! Li Ma, you clearly know I don't eat fatty meat, yet you're bullying me again. I'm going to deduct your salary immediately, right now, it's useless to appeal!" Xian Xi curled her lip in disgust, her expression hateful, her slender and beautiful eyebrows raised, her delicate and long fingers constantly fiddling with the TV remote control.

  "Hey, no need to worry about me, my salary is none of your business." Deputy Officer Li laughed.

  He was rewarded with a first-class merit during the war and enjoyed subsidies from the State Council. As a nanny for Yan Jia, Yan Xi's family, she was doing voluntary labor entirely out of respect for her former superior.

  Others serve countless people, he only serves one person, this one, unfortunately, is a stinky little kid who has one foot in the mental hospital and the other on Mars!

  Xian Xi felt that being filial to the family's elderly nanny was a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, so she shut her mouth and lazily buried her head in the sofa.

  A Heng ate very full, but Mr. Yan persuaded him to be more diligent, so he had to learn from Si Guang's example, sipping the dumpling tea in small mouthfuls, being polite and also dragging out the time.

  Occasionally through the fog, vaguely, I saw that young man, leaning on the sofa, black hair blowing across his forehead, red clothes soft and fluffy, long legs swinging back and forth, feet tapping on the ground, lightly and leisurely clapping his hands, with a mischievous and carefree appearance, looking great.

  When Ah Heng was visiting the Yan family, he had never seen Yan Xi's parents. At first, he thought it was because they were busy with work. Later, after hearing snippets of conversation between his grandfather and mother, he inferred that Yan Xi's parents were diplomats stationed in the United States and had left the country when Yan Xi was less than two years old.

  Grandpa's original words to mom were: "Axi is a bit wild, but his parents are not around, and Shuai is not someone who can take care of children. If he can grow up, it's all thanks to the child's good luck. We let Siyuan play with him, that's okay, but those temperaments of Xihai are not something to be learned."

  Ah Heng felt uncomfortable after hearing it, but didn't know why he was uncomfortable. He quietly went upstairs and continued to do his English exercises without stopping.

  It's funny to say, Ah Heng is not talented in speaking Mandarin, but he speaks English fluently. According to Si Guang, it means he has great potential to betray his country. Si Guang has a friend who grew up with her and is studying in Vienna. When they talk on the phone, they often chat in English to practice their oral skills.

  One time, when the phone rang, Si Gua was busy with something else and didn't have time to answer it, so she let Ah Heng take the call. Ah Heng's Mandarin was stuck for half a day on "hello" and couldn't get it out, but the other party suddenly said "Hi, is that hand, this is his sister, please wait a minute". Ah Heng got excited, thinking to himself that since coming to B city, he had never spoken so fluently.

  Si Guang's hands were busy, but her eyes were idle, and after glancing at Ah Heng's expression, she laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.

  "Hello?" A clear and magnetic standard Mandarin came from the other end of the phone.

  Ah Heng fell silent for a moment, then said very seriously and solemnly to his opponent, "Another, another."

  Si Guang listened and was stunned.

  After a moment, she smiled, looking at Ah Heng, her smile was exceptionally sincere and beautiful.

  How about another one?

  I guess it's...not completely unacceptable either. 9

  Since the little bird called "Braised Pork Rice" was taken away by Yan Xi, Ah Heng and Si Yun got along much more easily. Occasionally, the young man would gently rub her long hair, make a joke or two, and smile warmly.

  Is this... what it feels like to have an older brother?

  Ah Heng was uncertain, but this uncertainty was actually considerate, so she didn't want to dwell on it anymore. It's tiring to nitpick.

  She wants to live seriously, live with dignity, pay out slowly and get paid back slowly.

  This is an ambition, a timid and fearful ambition.

  Time flows like water, the white horse wanders aimlessly, unknowingly traversing countless paths called light years. The autumn leaves have fallen, with a desolate demeanor welcoming winter.

  No one ever mentioned Erl again in front of her, and the Wen family reached a tacit understanding. They were trying to accept Ah Heng, but Ah Heng felt they were enduring, enduring very painfully, and would eventually explode.

  So, before the balloon called "Er Er" exploded, she could only wait quietly, waiting for life to give her some precious opportunities or joy.

  He is an objective existence, but Wen Heng is a subjective name.

  Objective and subjective, dialectical materialism, this is what the politics teacher taught her.

  Of course, studying is tiring, this is an undeniable truth both objectively and subjectively.

  But they are only in their first year of high school, and every teacher is like a fighting cock, with red eyes competing for their RMB. Who said it - time is money.

  Ah Heng won't complain, but when he sees the teachers saying "just two more minutes" nonstop during the second big class break, he feels extremely hungry and keeps growling.

  When class is over, the girls usually rush to the toilet, and the boys rush to the small shop. At this time, Ah Heng, although following behind the boys with quick steps, still feels embarrassed when she sees the expression of the boys who unintentionally glance at her holding a bread and following behind them.

  She hugged the bread, trying to comfort herself, toilets and bread are both physiological needs...

  "Damn it! I grabbed the wrong bread! Strawberry, how nauseating......" Sindai yelled in front, rubbing his black hair, the stairs were shaking.

  "Make a small change, swap with me, I only eat meat floss!" The young man, with a messy bird's nest-like hair, smiled and leaned in beside a thin and small young boy.

  A Heng stifled his voice and burst out laughing.

  Xinda Yi was a boy who was known for being a bit of an oddball, and he was one of the top students in his class. His name was Wei Xu, and he had a delicate appearance and a soft voice. He loved to play jump rope and kick shuttlecocks with the girls. Xinda's classmates gave him the nickname "Little Pervert", which was shortened to "Little Perv".

  Wei Xu, although gentle and weak like a girl, was after all a boy. He hated it most when others called him "Xiao Bian", especially when the culprit Xinda Yi did so. Upon hearing his loud shout, his face turned pale, he let out a cold hum, swayed his willow waist, and slowly walked away with his meat floss bread.

  "Yoyo, Big Auntie, Xiao Bian is annoyed, be careful he brings all the girls to deal with you today!" The other boys around laughed loudly.

  "Get lost! Who's afraid of those chicks?" Xinda sneered, nonchalantly "Who has meatloaf bread to exchange with me?"

  Boys don't like eating sweet things, after hearing his words, they dispersed immediately.

  Ah Heng looked at the meat floss bun in his hand, hesitated for a moment, ran to his side, smiled and stretched out the bun in his hand, saying to Xinda Yi - "Trade!"

  The boy's eyes were bright in his messy hair, but when he saw Ah Heng, they became somewhat complicated, and he awkwardly opened his mouth with the strawberry in hand - "I'm not hungry anymore!"

  Immediately, a beautiful parabola, strawberry bread was thrown into the trash can, then turned and left.

  Ah Heng looked a bit dazed, staring at the lonely bread in the trash can, sighed, picked it up, patted off the dust on it, and softly said in Wu dialect, "One block five for one."

  "A Heng?" A somewhat puzzled voice.

  Ah Heng turned around and saw Si Gyun, although he knew that he didn't understand Jiangnan dialect very well, but still felt a bit embarrassed.

  "Did you buy two buns? Great, give me one, I'm starving!" The young man smiled and stretched out his hand, which was clean and slender. He looked at Ah Heng and complained softly, "Today's student council meeting went on until now, and just as my stomach was getting a bit hungry, I went to the small shop, but they were already sold out of buns!"

  Ah Heng was moved and handed the meat floss bun in his hand to Si Yun.

  "I want to eat strawberries." Si Gyun's dimples were very eye-catching, and the girls going up and down the stairs looked at him with flushed faces and racing hearts.

  A Heng smiled and shook his head - "Dirty."

  Si Guang smiled and indicated that he didn't mind, but Ah Heng turned his back and laughed with a clear and bright smile.

  She hugged the strawberry bread and arrived at the corridor on the floor where her classroom was located, opened the paper bag, and took a small bite.

  A Heng said that the strawberry bread and meat floss bread are not much different, only feeling that the sweetness of the strawberry sauce overflows the sour taste, which is not the taste of the strawberries she has tasted, but it's called strawberry bread, which is really strange.

  However, it tastes good.

  On the day of Lidong, it rained. Zhang Shu repeatedly reminded her to return home early, saying that Mr. Yan had invited the entire Wen family to eat dumplings.

  Mr. Yan is an old friend of Ah Heng's grandfather, a sworn brother who has been through thick and thin together, shedding blood and risking their lives on the battlefield. In the past, before they took office, one was a regimental commander and the other was a political commissar, a perfect match of literary and military talents, like two peas in a pod. They had originally planned to become in-laws, but it turned out that both families only had sons, so they just gave up on the idea.

  Si Guang originally planned to walk with Ah Heng after school, but was held up by the student union's affairs. Ah Heng waited outside the office for half an hour, and Si Guang felt uneasy, so he made an excuse, saying he had something to do, and took the umbrella from the office storage room and walked out.

  "Is it cold?" Si Gua asked Ah Heng while holding an umbrella, with a warm and gentle gaze.

  Ah Heng put on his hoodie and shook his head.

  Two people walked quietly under an umbrella, one on the left and one on the right, at arm's length.

  The winter wind is biting, the rain has been falling continuously. In the early morning, it was still a light drizzle, but by dusk, it had become a heavy downpour. The rainwater seeped into the muddy ground, slowly being absorbed, and the neglected alleys of years past were difficult to walk through, with mud everywhere underfoot.

  Two people were walking in the mud, but unexpectedly they were splashed with mud by a commuter riding a bicycle.

  The boys and girls took out their handkerchiefs, busy and flustered, losing this and that, getting more than half of them wet in the rain.

  "Run!" Si Gwan laughed "Anyway, our clothes are all wet."

  Ah Heng grew up in the water town, was mischievous when she was young, played in the water, touched fish, and even had plum blossoms and yellow rain accompanying her youth. Therefore, she wasn't used to holding an umbrella. Now, Si Guang proposed, which coincided with her heart's desire, so Ah Heng nodded at Si Guang and rushed into the rain.

  Ah Heng ran in the rain, but felt that the rain here was completely different from that of Wusui Town. The gentle warmth from afar clung to his clothes, while the harsh coldness in front of him pierced to the bone. Two different feelings, heaven and earth, struck the chord in his heart called homesickness.

  Xiangyun walked quietly in the rain, gently and warmly watching Ahheng's back.

  His face was brushed by icy raindrops, his eyes moistened bit by bit, and the old film of memories became blurred and then clear in the rain.

  The scenes he had seen, one by one, were like a black and white movie. There was a girl who had playfully snatched the umbrella from his hand, grasped his hand, and ran with him in the rain. He was used to running behind that girl with all his might, used to having a small hand stuffed into his, used to watching the girl's growing figure in the rain, and used to calling out to her "Er Er".

  His laughter, that smile, in the winter rain, was like a swallow's whisper on a human fourth day of April.

  He was Er'er's brother, once thought to be her own brother, but in a mysterious night, he and his dearest sister became strangers.

  Sometimes, he was annoyed with his grandfather. Since he knew the truth and knew that she was not his biological sister, why did he allow them to be so intimate? Letting them mix their blood into each other's bodies before telling him that the person closest to him had nothing to do with him.

  。

  At that time, Ah Heng in front of him waved his hand and smiled at him, but he couldn't smile back at her, not even pretending to be powerless.

  The beauty of April has already fallen, a cluster of peach blossoms quietly bloomed, but it's not as bright as before.

  After returning home, no one was left in the house. Grandpa Wen left a note saying that he had gone to the Yan family and asked them to hurry over after school.

  Ah Heng and Si Gwan hastily changed out of their wet clothes and left the house.

  The rain had stopped by then.

  "Where is Yan Jia?" Ah Heng asked curiously.

  "You've seen it." Si Guang smiled, leading Ah Heng around the garden, along the winding stone path, to the white Western-style building behind the towering tree.

  "We're here, it's Xī Jiā's house" Si Wǎn said with a smile, and pointed to the foreign-style building with her slender fingers.

  "What a coincidence, Old Man Yan, with the surname Yan." Ah Heng was astonished.

  Xiang Wan's demeanor was unlike her usual self, she burst out laughing, her eyes shining brightly.

  The cleverness lies in the fact that Mr. Yan is not surnamed Yan, so should he follow them and be surnamed Wen?

  "Wen Lao San, this little girl in your house is interesting!" A bright and loud laughter, a thick and hoarse voice, almost deafening.

  Ah Heng's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that the door was already open, and there stood Yan Xi and a group of adults. His face immediately turned red.

  Grandfather looked at her, with a smile in his eyes. On the left stood Wen's mother, and on the right was an extremely tall and majestic old man, slightly stout, with white hair, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes that commanded respect without being angry.

  Xian's beauty was stunning, and her appearance was vastly different from that of the old man, but the sparkle in her eyes was just like his, with the same pride and aura.

  "Hello, Grandfather." Si Yun bowed politely and stood beside Yan Xi with a smile, the two boys starting to whisper to each other.

  "Ah Heng, say hello, this is your maternal grandfather." Wen's mother looked at Ah Heng with a rare smile on her face, seemingly also amused by her daughter.

  Since Ah Heng came to the Wen's house, today is the first time Mother Wen looked at her daughter with a straight face.

  She was a piece of flesh on her body, but leaving the body didn't hurt for a day, which made her confused, so she gave herself a reason to love and care for her adopted daughter Sier more deeply.

  When she left, her mother didn't know; when she came back, a heart full of maternal love had been entrusted to another bright and considerate girl, just like the sun itself, which made her unbearable.

  She refused to acknowledge the absurd fact and rejected her own daughter.

  She is a sentimental woman, and since she can't take back the love she has for her adopted daughter, she will continue to love her.

  Just treat the girl in front of you as a foster child raised in your own home and take good care of her.

  "Call him Grandpa." Ah Heng's Mandarin was still clumsy beyond help, but his posture, bent at the waist, was perfectly proper.

  "Ah Heng, Wen Heng, good! Good name!" The old man smiled, looking at Ah Heng with even more pity.

  It was he who had brought about the events of that year, and he felt deeply guilty and heartbroken for the girl.

  "Say, Yan Shuai, tell me, how good is this name?" Grandpa Wen smiled slyly.

  "It's good if I say it's good!" Yan Shuai glanced at Wen Lao with a hint of childishness, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

  "There's no king of heaven and earth anymore!" Old Wen sneered.

  "Third son, stop giving me all this nonsense! I'm a rough man, I've been through a lifetime of battles, but I've never been through the struggles of being a scholar!" Commander Yan's eyes were wide with anger, his tone was coarse and rude.

  "The scale, taken from the book 'Han Feizi·Yang Quan', has a sentence 'The scale is not about lightness and heaviness'. The world is complex and chaotic, with right and wrong, taking the light and the heavy, all relying on one balance. My family's little girl is indeed a person with a sense of justice." Wen Lao looked at his granddaughter, with wisdom shining in his eyes.

  Xiang Shuai held his belly and laughed loudly - "Third son, you old fool, who compared your own daughter to a grindstone?"

  The old man shook his head and sighed.

  A Heng's eyes lit up.

  She was named "Heng" by her father in childhood, meaning perseverance, and together with her brother's name "Zai", it means "Heng Zai", hoping that the two of them would live a long life under their parents' loving care. However, when registering for household records later on, the police officer made an error and wrote the character "" instead, which is actually not what Wen Lao said, borrowing from ancient books to take the name.

  But these carefully crafted gentle words almost folded up all the grievances in her heart, and even looking into Grandpa's eyes made her happy.

  "Old man, when are we going to eat dumplings? I'm starving! I'm starving!" Xian Xi listened to the adults talking and didn't interrupt, but this time she got a chance, her bright big eyes looking at Xian Shuai, looking very well-behaved, but her words were not well-behaved at all.

  "Grandma's bear! What are you yelling at me?!" Yan Shuai got angry, his hometown dialect slipped out, he bent down to take off his slippers and was about to hit the young man.

  The young man quickly hid behind his mother and made a face at Yan Shuai, sticking out his tongue with an innocent expression.

  Ah Heng looked at him with an unusual haughty and disdainful expression, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

  "Look, your sister is teasing you, really doesn't understand the situation!" Yun Yi smiled and patted the slender hand of the young man, then looked at Yan Shuai "Yan uncle, don't be annoyed, Xiao Xi is just a child's temper, lawless and unruly, made a bit of trouble, and you actually spared no effort to hit him?"

  "Spare your life for your sister's sake!" Yan Shuai's eyes widened in shock.

  "You're just boasting with your mouth!" scolded Old Wen with a smile.

  The old man spoiled the younger generation, and he was notorious among his peers. When Xi was young, he was very mischievous, and the old man was so angry that he wanted to hit him, but before he could even raise his hand, the child burst into tears, wailing like a wolf, and sang "Little white vegetable, yellow in the ground, three years old without a father, five years old without a mother..." The neighbors on both sides wiped away their tears, especially the elderly women, who scolded the old man for being cruel. They said that children usually grow up to be like this because of the incense burned at home, and that he couldn't even compare to his ancestors! The old man looked at the child's big eyes, which were shining with tears, and felt a sense of pride, saying "That's right, who can compare to my grandson? Which family has a child as good-looking as mine? Not even the combined families of Old Wen, Old Lu, and Old Xin can compare!"

  But this conversation got out of the house, and Old Xin was unhappy. The two had been fellow countrymen since childhood, joined the army together, entered the party together, were promoted to officers together, and rose to regimental commanders together. Their superiors often compared them, and they eyed each other with disdain. The more military ranks they had, the bigger their grudges became. They even lived in the same courtyard, which made things even more tense. When it came to comparing wives, children, and grandchildren, Old Xin couldn't take it anymore! Holding his grandson Xin Daci, he went to argue with Old Yan - "You damn old man! How dare you say that my Daci is not as good-looking as your family's Yan Xi? Take a look at your Yan Xi, that small mouth of hers can't even suck up noodles, just like a little girl, no masculinity at all. You still have the face to say that I'm ashamed for you!"

  The old man slapped his hand and scolded, "Your grandma's grandma is a bear! Your Sindarin (a reference to the character's appearance) looks good, but with that messy hair, people might think you're holding a monkey! You didn't marry quickly like me, you didn't have children quickly like me, your son's wife was married for three years before giving birth to a little monkey! And this little monkey is mute, I'm too embarrassed to introduce him as my friend!"

  At that time, Da Yi was almost three years old and still couldn't speak, while Yan Xi could already shout "Uncle handsome, Auntie beautiful" to swindle candies from people on the street when he was two. At three years old, his high-pitched voice was basically close to a professional standard, although not every sentence was in tune. However, this had deeply hurt Old Xin's weak heart, and he scolded Yan Xi and his grandson every day while holding Da Yi, who listened with relish. Finally, at the age of three years and three months, Da Yi opened his mouth for the first time, and his first words were...

  "Xī, your grandma is a bear!"

  One sentence made everyone in the whole courtyard laugh for several months, but Xīn Dá's young self-esteem was hurt. He ran around the whole yard, catching and scolding: "Xīn Dá's dad is a bear, his mom is a bear, his grandpa is a bear, his grandma is a bear, your whole family are bears, blind bear!"

  It has become a classic and is still widely sung today.

  This child is out of control, he has been vengeful since childhood, if someone bullies him a little, he will definitely get revenge ten times more, even if he loses a little today, he will make up for it tomorrow.

  For this reason, Wen Lao didn't particularly like Yan Xi, but for the sake of his old friend's face, he still treated him like one of his own children.

  What he worries most is that Si Guang and Yan Xi are getting too close.

  "It's still Auntie who loves me." At this point, Xian Xi was like performing on stage, exaggerating and deeply emotional, kneeling on one knee, grabbing Wen Mama's hand, with a flying red lip, smiling mischievously.

  "Auntie, you're so good to me, have you fallen for me? Oh my, I'm getting embarrassed! Then, Auntie, why don't you just divorce Uncle Wen and marry me instead?"

  "You're such a big kid, not a bit serious. If Uncle Wen heard you, he'd scold you again!" Yun Yi said with a mix of laughter and tears, gently tapping the young man's pale forehead, her tone warm and affectionate.

  "He's not here, is he?!" Xīn Mǎn said nonchalantly, his beautiful eyes narrowing further as he gazed at Sī Guān with ill intentions.

  Si Guang was crying and laughing at the same time. Yan Xi was only half a year older than himself, when they were young, he would always argue with him to call him "ge ge" (older brother), but he refused, and was beaten up by Yan Xiao Wang countless times. Finally, Yan Xiao Wang said fiercely - "You don't want to call me 'ge ge', I don't care! Wait until I marry Yu Ni, and you'll have to call me 'dad'!"

  Then he thought of his own father, and had been thinking for over a decade.

  A Heng moved his lips, staring blankly at Yan Xi, dazed.

  This guy is so inconsistent! No stability at all!

  "Shut up, you little stinker!" Xian Shuai's face turned bright red with anger as he grabbed the collar of Xian Xi's red sweater and pulled it in front of Ah Heng's face, gritting his teeth. "Tell your sister Ah Heng what your name is!"

  Unbeknownst to Yan Shuai, Ah Heng and Yan Xi had already met several times before. The words "Yan Xi" were deeply etched in his mind, filling him with a mix of emotions, making it impossible for him to forget.

  "Speak." He looked at her, his words faintly, his eyebrows and eyes proud, black pupils and hair, flowers blooming on the edge of his lips.

  "Moderation is the best." She smiled, with clear eyebrows and eyes, her words harmless.

  At that time, she finally had a legitimate reason to call his name.

  At that time, he and she had countless unintentional encounters before finally getting to know each other.

  This mutual understanding was something she had never anticipated, and he had never made an effort for.

  One was sixteen years old and lacked sixty days; one was seventeen years old and had a full five months.

  At a young age.

  It's a narrow road, and we meet by chance.

  A good show.