Chapter 11: A Good Man Like a River

  Autumn wind has begun, and there will still be a few cool raindrops falling down. The air has a slight chill to it. Summer flowers have also retracted their beauty, quietly storing away the heart of summer, waiting for the arrival of another summer.

  After a period of driving practice, Cao'er successfully passed the second subject and was waiting for the "road test" to pass, and then he would have his driver's license. During the break between work and driving practice, Cao'er went to Xiaoyan's house again. Zhang Qiang had already been discharged from the hospital and had almost recovered, but he was still being taken care of by Xiaoyan like a child. When he saw Cao'er, Zhang Qiang was like seeing a savior, and he kept asking for help: "Cao'er, please tell Xiaoyan to let me do some household chores too, my bones are about to rust." Cao'er looked at Xiaoyan with a smile, but before he could say anything, Xiaoyan pretended to be angry and glared at Zhang Qiang: "Just stay still and don't move, if you're not obedient, I'll send you back to the hospital and let those nurses fix you up." "No way, I'd rather suffer under your rule than lie on a hospital bed." "Hmph! You make yourself sound like a pitiful person, as if you're living in a world of suffering." Xiaoyan turned her head away, ignoring Zhang Qiang, and secretly laughed to herself. Zhang Qiang leaned over and made a bowing gesture: "Madam, please don't be angry, I'm being respectful..." "Hehe", Xiaoyan couldn't help but laugh out loud. Looking at this happy couple, Cao'er's heartstrings were gently plucked. The internet had given Xiaoyan a warm home to return to, and she was truly lucky.

  Zhang Qiang was sent out for a walk by Xiao Yan, and the two sisters were talking quietly. Xiao Yan asked about Cao Er's learning to drive, and upon learning that Cao Er had already succeeded, Xiao Yan was both happy and surprised. At first, Cao Er was hesitant and even quit halfway due to Zhang Qiang's car accident, but unexpectedly, Cao Er was able to persist. Seeing Xiao Yan's puzzled expression, Cao Er couldn't help but reveal the story of He teaching her how to drive. "Haha... no wonder you learned so quickly and made rapid progress, it turns out you had a blue-eyed assistant!" Xiao Yan wouldn't let up, insisting that Cao Er tell her everything about what happened with He. In fact, Cao Er had never told anyone about this online romance, not even her closest friends, but since Xiao Yan was also her long-time best friend, Cao Er told her the whole story of how she met and interacted with He. Xiao Yan looked at Cao Er with a sincere expression: "I believe in online romances, when you meet the right person at the right time, it's truly a rare fate, you two must cherish it!" "En, I will!" Cao Er nodded solemnly. "One day, introduce He to me so I can get to know him too and see what kind of great guy he is." Xiao Yan smiled mischievously. "Hehe, no problem!" Cao Er agreed readily.

  Zhang Qiang returned from his walk, and the couple was busy asking Cao Er to stay for dinner. At the dinner table, Xiao Yan mentioned that after Cao Er got her driver's license, Zhang Qiang would be completely recovered and they could go on a self-driving tour. Cao Er thought this was a good idea, but considering Zhang Qiang's health, she didn't commit: "Let's let Zhang Qiang recover first, we can talk about the trip later." After dinner, Cao Er received a call from Hei Ma Wang Zi and excused herself to leave.

  As soon as she logged onto QQ, Cao saw He's avatar flashing on the buddy list. She opened the chat window and He's green bold font appeared before her eyes like a swarm of dragonflies: "My daughter is back from afar, I'll spend some time with her and won't be online for a while, goodbye, take care..."

  It seems that the river is going to disappear for a few days! The grass felt a little lost, staring at the message that was left behind, and then closed the chat window. The grass opened its own QQ space again, and walked into the backyard of its soul, where the thrill of climbing instantly engulfed it. Having known the river for so long, every moment was like a lyrical poem, or a fresh and natural prose... Two days ago, the grass posted an article on its space, titled "The Grass and the River". The pure, natural, and sincere emotions between men and women were like a clear mountain spring jumping and flowing through the words. Many people commented on the post, some of whom thought that the grass was building a fantasy castle in the air, and they didn't believe that there could be an emotional connection between men and women that transcended physical attraction. The grass smiled, thinking that the vast internet is performing different stories every day, who can say that one of them isn't the story of the grass and the river? On the internet, there are fantasies, but also realities; deceptions, but also sincerity; indifference, but also passion...

  As I read on, a post called "Black Charcoal Head" stood out from the rest. It's clear that he had carefully read Grass's posts and sincerely hoped that all friends visiting Grass's space could view the relationship between Grass and River with beautiful eyes and genuine hearts.

  The grass was inexplicably moved, she clicked on his avatar and entered his " backyard ", she guessed that it was either lush green or blooming flowers, and indeed, this agricultural soldier described a builder with a deep and broad chest like the black land.

  A post titled "I'm Black" made Grass laugh out loud, "What are you laughing at, Mom?" asked her daughter who was studying at the desk behind her. "It's a very funny article, come and read it with me!" The daughter walked over to Grass, "Hahaha..." The humorous language and witty plot made Grass and her daughter burst into laughter together, "No wonder they call him Black Carbon, it turns out there's a reason for it."

  The laughter of the mother and daughter attracted Hei Ma Wang Zi, who was watching TV, "Hehe! From now on, I'll call Dad Black Charcoal Head too..." Cao Er only then remembered that Hei Ma Wang Zi and Black Charcoal Head were identical, and she followed her daughter in teasing: "Black Charcoal Head! Black Charcoal Head!" Hei Ma Wang Zi made a face at the large mirror on the wall: "Am I black? But don't look at me being black, my whole body is radiant with light, I'm naturally black, healthily black..." "Hahaha..." Cao Er and her daughter laughed together.

  The daughter sat at her desk studying, while the Black Horse Prince continued to watch his Western movie. The grass and the Black Horse Prince never saw eye-to-eye on TV shows. The grass was often moved to tears by urban romance dramas, but the Black Horse Prince would snort in disdain, "Women just love to cry, their tears are worthless, unlike us men who don't shed a tear easily." The Black Horse Prince was often entranced by the exotic scenery and heroic deeds of his Western movies.

  Before buying a computer, the two often quarreled over which TV channel to watch. When they couldn't agree, they would play rock-paper-scissors... The loser would reluctantly accompany the other in watching their preferred channel during commercial breaks. After getting a computer, the TV became "Black Horse Prince's private property". Grass guarded the computer, enjoying himself freely and peacefully, with no more disputes.

  "Cough, cough, cough..." Someone requested to add a friend's voice. The small horn in the lower right corner of the screen kept flashing. Opening it up, it said Cao Cao had arrived. It was actually Hei Tanghai. Although Cao Cao wasn't easy to add as a friend, when faced with Hei Tanghai, she didn't hesitate and clicked "confirm".

  "Hello! Nice to meet you!" Charcoal Head's avatar appeared on Grass's Q&A page, and he sent over a greeting. "Hello!" Grass was also very polite. "I've read many of your articles, they're really well-written, with real emotions and feelings." Charcoal Head sent over his impression after reading Grass's posts. "Hehe, your writing isn't bad either, simple and natural." Grass also shared her opinion on Charcoal Head's writing. "Hahaha... it seems like we're mutually flattering each other." Charcoal Head was very straightforward and humorous, and Grass responded with a smiling face, the yellow smiley face laughing unscrupulously.

  "Teacher, can we be pen pals?" Charcoal Head suddenly changed his address, "Why do you call me teacher?" Grass was puzzled, he was just a native "child head". "I want to learn from you, so I call you teacher!" Charcoal Head said very humbly. "Hehe! Just call me Grass, we can learn from each other!" "No! I'll just call you teacher, you are my teacher." Charcoal Head was quite insistent. "Hehe! Let him be, it's just a title." Grass thought to himself.

  The grass and the black charcoal head pulled the topic to that distant place: where the black charcoal head was born, grew up, shed sweat, and dedicated his youth. There are the footprints of his ancestors who opened up the land under the stars; there is the hard work of this generation of agricultural warriors who are tireless in their labor. They cultivate and harvest on this land without complaint or regret, sowing emotions and reaping the splendor of life...

  Another good man like a river! The internet is vast, with its ups and downs, but the grass has encountered many of its finest. How fortunate! Is it heaven's favor and blessing for the grass? The grass can't help but feel excited... Before her eyes appears River's warm face once again.

  Bidding farewell to Hei Tantou, Cao Er poured a cup of red wine and came to the veranda. A bright moon hung in the middle of the sky, its gentle glow pouring down like silk, wrapping around Cao Er. She gently scooped up a handful of moonlight into her wine, sipped it, and her heart became intoxicated in this mellow, warm atmosphere...