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墨書 Inktalez
In early September, An Shaojie, Qinglan, and Lin Xi started school.
The primary school in the mountain village is different from those in the city, where there are many students and several classes for first graders. Liu Family Village Bay, located in Wufeng Mountain, belongs to Watershed Village. Watershed Village has a total of eight small groups like Liu Family Village. The children from these eight groups all attend the village primary school, but due to the limited number of families that can afford to send their children to school in the mountain village, there is only one class for each grade from one to six. This situation is not only due to economic conditions but also reflects people's mindset, especially regarding families that allow girls to attend school.
As a result, An Shaojie, Qinglan, and Lin Xi naturally ended up in the same class.
After starting school, since Qinglan's Grandma was at home, she would remind and urge her Grandma to prepare meals early. She was eager to go to Lin Xi's home to invite Lin Xi to school and then head over to An Shaojie's house together.
Lin Xi and An Shaojie's families did not have anyone specifically at home to cook meals; they had to wait for their Mother En or Mother to finish their household chores or work in the fields before starting dinner.
In contrast, Qinglan's home had Grandma dedicated to cooking for her, so they naturally had their meals earlier than Lin Xi and An Shaojie's families.
Therefore, after eating every day, Qinglan would carry her backpack and go early to Lin Xi's home to wait for Lin Xi so they could go to school together. As soon as she arrived at Lin Xi's home and saw Lin Xi there, Qinglan felt relieved.
She knew that as long as Lin Xi was still at home, An Shaojie would be waiting for them.
Thus, Qinglan aimed to eat breakfast early enough just to make sure she arrived before Lin Xi had her meal.
She needed to wait for An Shaojie every day, while An Shaojie was waiting for Lin Xi.
Because of this arrangement, Qinglan's older brother Liu Jiawei, who was also in the fourth grade at the village primary school, rarely went to school or returned home with his younger sister.
Liu Jiawei did not want to wait for An Shaojie.
"I can't stand that guy! I won't go to school with him; only you can tolerate him because you're both foolish," Liu Jiawei said through gritted teeth while pointing at Qinglan.
"Brother, if you don't want to wait for him, I won't force you. Why do you have to speak ill of him?" Qinglan stomped her foot, hands on her hips, jumping in front of Liu Jiawei with a raised eyebrow and glaring eyes.
"You." Liu Jiawei pointed at Qinglan, unable to speak for a long time due to anger, and turned to Liu Xiuzhen for help, "Mother, look at her. She's only tough at home, but in front of An Shaojie, she's like a mouse facing a cat."
"She's just like her father, not only taking his surname but also completely following him, unable to break away from that family." Liu Xiuzhen cast a disdainful glance at Qinglan, a sarcastic smile appearing on her lips.
In recent years, due to Qing Shusheng hurting her feelings, Liu Xiuzhen felt somewhat despondent, speaking with both sarcasm and bitterness.
Moreover, because Qinglan was close to Bai Cuifen's family through Qing Shusheng, Liu Xiuzhen held some resentment towards Qinglan as well. She would often pour out her thoughts onto Qinglan without considering whether she could understand or if it was appropriate for her to hear. This frequently left the two children, who were still naive, feeling awkward, but she remained oblivious.
Ignoring her brother and mother's objections, Qinglan continued with her backpack, humming a nursery rhyme she had just learned at school, bouncing towards Lin Xi's Home.
As soon as Qinglan stepped out of the house, Qing Shusheng angrily scolded Liu Xiuzhen, "You are her mother! Do you even realize what you just said? Qinglan is still so young; do your words sound like those of a mother? Even if she has done something wrong, what she needs is your guidance, not your mockery."
As soon as Qing Shusheng finished speaking, Liu Xiuzhen dropped what she was holding and stormed up to him, shouting loudly, "How have I mocked her? You all can do it; why can't I say something?"
Qing Shusheng blocked Liu Xiuzhen with his hand and retorted, "What have we done? What did you see? Is it fun to keep making a fuss every day?"
Qing Shusheng knew that Liu Xiuzhen had begun one of her endless tirades. If he continued to engage with her, they wouldn't be able to do anything else for the rest of the morning. Furthermore, if this continued, he didn't know what unpleasant and filthy words she would throw out next.
He quickly stepped back and tried to leave.
However, Liu Xiuzhen refused to let go and grabbed Qing Shusheng's sleeve stubbornly.
In desperation, Qing Shusheng had no choice but to pry Liu Xiuzhen's hand away and push her back. Unexpectedly, he pushed too hard and sent Liu Xiuzhen falling to the ground.
This provoked Liu Xiuzhen even more; she began to wail on the spot while continuously hurling insults.
This is a tactic commonly used by Liu Xiuzhen, and Qing Shusheng has become accustomed to it, so he ignored her and continued walking outside.
Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, Liu Xiuzhen suddenly got up from the ground, rushed outside the courtyard, and began to curse at Bai Cuifen's house.
"You shameless vixen! You have no other abilities but to seduce men. Bah! And you still pretend to be innocent."
Liu Xiuzhen's shouting was unprecedented; not only was her voice loud, but she also used nearly every curse word imaginable.
Her cursing not only drew out everyone inside who was having breakfast, peeking their heads out to see what was happening, but most importantly, it caught the attention of Qinglan, who was sitting with Lin Xi, waiting for An Shaojie to go to school.
Since Qinglan heard it, then Lin Xi, An Shaojie, An Shaomin, and Bai Cuifen naturally heard it too.
The veiled insinuations might be lost on the children, but everything that burst forth from Liu Xiuzhen's mouth was direct and comprehensible to the locals—plain insults.
In An Shaojie's house, aside from Qinglan who shamefully lowered her head and An Shaojie who angrily bowed his head, everyone else exchanged glances in confusion.
Suddenly, with a loud "bang," An Shaojie slammed his chopsticks down on the dining table, stood up, shot an angry glare at Bai Cuifen who was sitting across from him with her head down eating, and stormed over to Qinglan.
Qinglan looked up in fear at An Shaojie, who resembled an enraged lion.
"Get out with me."
Before anyone else in the room could react, An Shaojie grabbed Qinglan with one hand and forcefully pulled her off the stool.
Qinglan was already frail, and at that moment, An Shaojie's anger fueled him with strength; with a pull and a shove, he pushed Qinglan far away.
Qinglan stumbled back to the door, tripping over the high threshold and hitting her head against the wooden door. With a loud thud, she exclaimed, "Ouch!" and the entire room fell silent.
Qinglan grimaced and covered her head, but made no further sound.
"An Shaojie, what are you doing?" After a moment, Bai Cuifen finally reacted, putting down her chopsticks and quickly stepping forward to An Shaojie's side. She raised her hand and swung it towards An Shaojie's head.
An Shaojie blocked her hand with his arm.
Although Bai Cuifen's slap did not land on An Shaojie, it struck at his heart. At that moment, he silently vowed that one day he would return this slap.
Of course, An Shaojie did not resent his mother, Bai Cuifen; he did not intend to repay her.
He wanted to repay Qinglan!
It was because of her family that his family had been shamed.
It was because of her that his mother had to hit him.
Even though Bai Cuifen's slap did not hit An Shaojie, she still scolded him before walking over to Qinglan. She pulled away Qinglan's hands and examined her forehead.
"Oh my, a big bruise!" Bai Cuifen exclaimed dramatically as she began to blow on and rub Qinglan's injury while turning back to scold An Shaojie again.
An Shaojie glared angrily at Qinglan.
Qinglan lowered her head, catching a glimpse of An Shaojie's furious stare directed at her. Feeling nervous and flustered, she quickly jumped out of Bai Cuifen's embrace and said, "I'm not hurt, Mother."
Bai Cuifen looked at Qinglan in confusion, not understanding what was happening.
At that moment, everyone present was unaware that years later, An Shaojie would owe Qinglan not just a slap, but also a pain that would leave a lasting mark on her heart.
Back then, the young Qinglan did not comprehend why she felt so anxious and flustered. It wasn't until many years later, when she recalled that moment, that she realized her fate with An Shaojie was destined to be a calamity that would keep her life in a state of tension and chaos.
In fact, it wasn't just Qinglan who felt flustered at that time; Bai Cuifen and An Shaomin also shared the same sentiment.
As for Shaw Min, she had always been a calm and reserved girl. Although she was somewhat soft-hearted, she wouldn’t panic over such a trivial scuffle.
However, on that day, she felt an unexpected surge of anxiety just like Qinglan. She had no idea that years later, the pain An Shaojie inflicted on Qinglan would be returned to her by Liu Jiawei in another form.
Bai Cuifen stared blankly at the few children in front of her, standing still for a long time. Suddenly, an inexplicable sadness washed over her. She walked to a chair and sat down in a dispirited manner.
At this point, An Shaojie had already turned around and entered his room, shouldering his backpack without greeting anyone. He merely glanced at Lin Xi standing by the door before walking out of the house.
"An Shaojie, you haven't finished your meal!" Bai Cuifen called out as she chased after him.
An Shaojie ignored her and walked towards the bridge.
Qinglan and Lin Xi hurriedly followed him outside.
All the way, An Shaojie paid no attention to Lin Xi either, striding ahead alone until they reached the school.
After An Shaojie and the others left, Shaw Min finished her meal before shouldering her backpack and heading to school.
That year, Shaw Min was in the third grade.
Since that argument, An Shaojie, who usually ignored Qinglan, treated her like an enemy. However, Qinglan continued to be cheerful as always, carrying her backpack and going to An Shaojie's house with Lin Xi to wait for him to go to school.
On the way to and from school, An Shaojie almost never spoke to Qinglan. Even when he clearly knew that Qinglan was asking him something, he would ignore her until Lin Xi relayed her words to him. He would then respond, but only to Lin Xi, who would pass his reply back to Qinglan.
Sometimes, even when Lin Xi conveyed Qinglan's words to An Shaojie, he would frown and refuse to answer her.
On the way to school, Qinglan and Lin Xi liked to bring snacks. An Shaojie never refused the snacks that Lin Xi shared with him; even if it was something he didn't like, he would happily accept it.
"Is it good? This is my Mother En's homemade persimmon cake," Lin Xi said, tilting her head and standing straight, her bright big eyes seriously looking at An Shaojie.
"Yeah, it's good. Everything your Mother En makes is delicious," An Shaojie replied while eating, nodding his head and looking very pleased. He gazed into Lin Xi's eyes that sparkled like stars but never glanced at Qinglan.
Lin Xi giggled, her chubby doll-like face displaying a naive and adorable smile. The dimples at the corners of her mouth made her smile even sweeter.
Seeing her warm and sweet smile made the clouds of worry on An Shaojie's face disappear in an instant, and his heart felt as clear and blue as a sunny sky.
"Brother Shaojie, you actually look great when you smile!"
By this time, autumn had deepened. Lin Xi wore a light purple floral cotton jacket with a diagonal collar and a purple gold hat on her head, revealing her round big eyes. The autumn wind made her cheeks rosy. When she opened her mouth, she inhaled a breath of cold air; she squinted her eyes as her delicate voice was almost carried away by the wind.
"Ha!" An Shaojie put a piece of biscuit in his mouth and tilted his head with a silly smile.
"Brother Shaojie, I have biscuits here; you can have some too." Qinglan offered the biscuit bag in her hand towards An Shaojie.
An Shaojie acted as if he didn't see the snacks that Qinglan handed over, not even glancing at them, and continued talking to Lin Xi.
At this moment, Lin Xi would stuff her own food into An Shaojie's hands, take Qinglan's snacks for herself, and share them with Qinglan.
Qinglan would look at Lin Xi happily and smile.
Although An Shaojie never spoke to Qinglan and refused to accept anything from her, especially after their arguments when he would almost always wear a stern face towards her, she still smiled joyfully every day.
Because as long as she could go to school with Brother Shaojie every day and see him smile or frown, she felt content.
Moreover, she believed that as long as she continued to be good to him, one day he would notice and return her kindness.
In class, Qinglan and Lin Xi sat together. Whenever An Shaojie lacked any stationery or study supplies, Lin Xi would immediately lend her own to him. Qinglan would happily take out her supplies and share them with Lin Xi.
Qinglan didn't mind that An Shaojie didn't use her things; in her heart, since An Shaojie accepted Lin Xi's items and Lin Xi shared them with her, it was as if An Shaojie shared things with her too.
During these moments, the two girls would tuck their little heads behind their books and giggle, as if they had done the happiest thing in the world.
Time flew by quickly, and soon winter arrived.
Winter in the mountains came particularly early and was exceptionally cold.
Shaw Min had been weak since childhood. Every winter, when faced with extremely cold or damp weather and chilly winds, she developed an allergic skin condition that caused unbearable itching and red rashes all over her body. During such weather, Shaw Min could not attend school.
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