In a dilapidated adobe house, a young man sat on the adobe bed, his eyes dull, staring blankly.
Looking around, there were only a few pieces of furniture in the house except for the adobe bed, and a wooden box that was so dirty that you couldn't see its original color, which was used to store clothes.
On a black and red wooden basin stand, there was a bumpy white porcelain basin, and the paint on the basin was peeling off from the bumps, and the black iron and rust inside could be seen.
Then there were two small benches, which also looked very historical. Apart from that, there was no other furniture.
Qin Chuan sat on the kang and looked at everything in front of him. He had been awake for more than half an hour, and finally confirmed that he was reborn.
Looking through the window into the yard, the windows were not made of glass, but yellowed rough paper. In summer, it blocked the light but not the rain, and in winter, the cold wind blew and could freeze a person to death. And such rough paper was full of holes, which made people sad.
There are two adobe houses in the whole yard, one for himself and one for his mother and sister, and a small side room next to it, which is used as a kitchen. In the small yard with a fence, there is a chicken coop in the southeast corner of the yard, where three old hens and a rooster are raised. This is the most valuable property of the family. It is also the only source of income for the family besides farming. Seeing this scene, Qin Chuan couldn't help but smile bitterly. At this time, the family was really poor. It was not living but survival. Those who could survive were called survivors. Suddenly, Qin Chuan's eyes focused and saw the red paper on the kitchen wall. He rubbed his eyes and carefully identified it. It turned out to be a big red "囍" character paper-cut. Qin Chuan was stunned for a moment, and his face changed drastically. He jumped off the earthen kang. Due to the violent movement, a lot of dust was raised on the ground, and Qin Chuan started to cough violently. But Qin Chuan didn't care about these things at this time, and ran quickly towards the wooden box, because on the box was the only new thing in the house, a calendar. At that time, there were no mobile phones, and everyone used calendars to record the days, tearing off the days as they passed. Looking at the date on the calendar, August 14, 1994, Sunday. The days before this day were circled with a pen. Qin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, everything was just right.
August 14th was a day Qin Chuan would never forget, because it was the day when his younger sister Qin Rong, who was one year younger than him, got married.
Qin Chuan looked at the sky outside. The sky in the east was just beginning to turn pale. Everything was still in time, so he walked out the door quickly.
His mother Fang Cuicui was busy doing something in the yard, watching her son Qin Chuan walk out of the door.
Fang Cuicui casually ordered, "Dachuan, when you get up, help clean up the house. The neighbors will come to help soon. Today is your sister's wedding day, so be happy." Qin Chuan looked at his mother who died of overwork in his previous life. When she died, she weighed less than 60 kilograms. He felt sour in the corners of his eyes as he stared. He opened his mouth to call out "Mom", but lost his voice because he was too excited.
His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. His nose just felt sore and tears flowed down.
The hair on the temples of the mother in front of him was already gray. She was only in her early forties, but she looked like a person in her fifties or sixties. There were wrinkles on her face, some gray hair on her temples, and a knot between her eyebrows that seemed to never be untied. Her hoarse voice was like a rough chestnut shell pulling her throat, which made people feel uncomfortable. Seeing Qin Chuan crying, Fang Cuicui's red eyes also shed tears, and she choked and said, "Dachuan, don't cry, don't cry, today is your sister's big day. Mom knows that you feel bad, and Mom feels bad too, but Mom can't do anything, Mom has no ability..." Qin Chuan rushed up and hugged his mother tightly. He knew what his mother was talking about. A big day is a happy thing for every family, but it is not the case in Qin Chuan's family. His sister Qin Rong is only 18 years old, just an adult, and has not graduated from high school. She married a 30-year-old lame man in the next village who is lazy and greedy. The reason for this is to raise tuition for Qin Chuan. A month ago, Qin Chuan, who graduated from high school, received a college admission letter. After the family was happy, they faced the problem of tuition fees. Two thousand yuan in tuition fees was an astronomical figure for Qin Chuan's family. Fang Cuicui, his mother, humbly borrowed money from relatives and friends, but it was a drop in the bucket. Finally, the matchmaker in the village gave an idea, saying that Qin Rong was not young anymore, and in the village, it was time to get married. So they just arranged a marriage for Qin Rong and took the betrothal money to let Qin Chuan go to college.
After hesitating for a long time and having a sleepless night, the mother agreed. The younger sister Qin Rong locked herself in the room and cried for two days. Her tears wet the pillow, and then dried and wet again. Finally, she agreed. She agreed, but in this era, two thousand yuan is not a small amount. In rural towns, a household with a monthly income of ten thousand yuan can be commended in the county. Very few people can come up with two thousand yuan for the betrothal gift. The matchmaker found the Liu family in the next village. The Liu family is well-off, with a son and a daughter. The daughter married in the county town and married well, but the son is a lame man and has a bad reputation for being lazy and can't find a wife. At this time, there are not many families who can come up with two thousand yuan for the betrothal gift. Only the Liu family is willing to pay this betrothal gift because of their son, so after the matchmaker's introduction, the marriage was settled. "Mom, is my sister up?" Qin Chuan was finally able to speak, choking and asking. If there was anyone he felt most sorry for in his previous life, it was his younger sister Qin Rong. Fang Cuicui shook her head: "I'm not lying in bed. I tossed and turned all night and probably didn't fall asleep. I heard your sister crying secretly in the middle of the night. Dachuan, I hope you will live well in the future.
You must not forget your sister, otherwise, I will die with my eyes wide open."
Fang Cuicui said sternly, and without waiting for Qin Chuan to agree, she wiped her tears and turned around to work. This is the attitude of this generation facing the suffering in life. There is no time to be sad, and they have to live desperately.
Qin Chuan was stunned in the place, his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by someone, and he was very uncomfortable.
In the previous life, I nodded hard and agreed to my mother, and then I hid in the house during my sister's wedding, buried my head in my chest, and hid like an ostrich, listening to the joyful sounds of the people in the yard, listening to the wedding procession blowing and beating, picking up my sister and leaving, but I never had the courage to step out of the door.
Half a month later, I took my sister's betrothal money to go to college.
But this time, I won't do that again. I won't be that ostrich anymore. I won't selfishly use my sister's lifelong happiness to exchange for my own future. As time passed, the sun rose higher and higher, and the yard became lively. Neighbors came to help. A big iron pot was set up in the yard, and two big hair dryers "buzzed" and blew the flames even higher. Qin Chuan took a kitchen knife from the kitchen, moved a chair and sat down in front of the grindstone at the entrance of the yard, and began to slowly sharpen the knife.
Behind Qin Chuan was a small courtyard with a bright red "Happiness" character hanging on it. It was dilapidated but extremely lively.