Chapter 41: Sister Finds Brother, Tears Flowing

  Lin Xue said: "I borrowed two dollars from my master. The wages before the Spring Festival were not paid, and my wages were originally low, only 47 yuan per month, and I was often ill. Before retiring, I owed more than 100 yuan to the factory, which would be deducted slowly from my wages. Today, I want to see you off, so I spent it all, after all, I can pay back slowly when I receive my wages in the future."

  Yu Songyan took out the money and gave her twenty yuan: "Return the master's money, and use the rest as our food expenses."

  Lin Xue hastily waved her hand: "No way, no way, you still have to take the college entrance exam, at least I'll have a salary in the future."

  "Do you still remember the python and the snake? The snakeskin was sold, guess how much money?"

  "How much?"

  "Three hundred and sixty yuan, isn't it a lot?"

  Lin Xue stuck out her tongue and said with infinite envy: "Wow, Yu Ge, you're too awesome, even the sky can drop money."

  Yu Songyuan said: "The money for the college entrance examination and our two living expenses are all available."

  "That's your money, I'll have my own salary for my living expenses." Lin Xue's face turned red as she said this in a low and embarrassed tone. Yu Songyan knew she was feeling awkward and didn't argue with her about it.

  On the twenty-eighth of December in the afternoon, Lin Xue finally got a holiday. She rushed back to her dormitory, and Da Jiang immediately opened the door and rushed out to greet her. Now, she was also used to Da Jiang's special courtesy. Yu Songyuan was leaning on the bed reading a book, and she happily followed Da Jiang in, excitedly asking: "Brother Yu, when are you leaving? I'm on holiday."

  Yu Songyuan said: "I'm very close, tens of kilometers, and can go back with the general at any time."

  Lin Xue was shocked and asked: "The ground is all snow, aren't you taking a car?"

  Yu Songyuan said, "Exactly, my home is just a stone's throw from the county domain. Two or three hours of walking with a cart and I'll be there. Besides, I love taking big strides on snowy plains, it's so poetic! Your home is so far away, tomorrow morning I'll drop you off at the bus stop on my way." Lin Xue's home was by the seaside farm, about 70 or 80 kilometers from the county town.

  "What time did you come back that year?"

  "I'll be back on the 10th and get ahead of the situation, preparing for a sprint!" Yu Songyuan said with intention.

  Lin Xue heard that Yu Songyuan would be back on the tenth day of the first month, and she felt extremely warm in her heart. In fact, she knew that the tutoring class wouldn't start until the end of the first month, and the school-run factory wouldn't open until the fifteenth day of the first month. He had made such arrangements, obviously just to accommodate her.

  Yu Songyuan asked: "Are you going to wear this work uniform back home for Chinese New Year?"

  Lin Xue said, "Yes, it's great, I quite like it." When she came to the factory from home, she was wearing a cotton-padded jacket and pants, as well as cotton shoes. The cotton-padded jacket and pants were made by her mother from old clothes, and now they were full of patches. The cotton shoes were made by Lin Xue herself, and the soles were also sewn by her one stitch at a time.

  She started making shoes for herself, her mother and two younger brothers when she was 10 years old. Her mother was the most beautiful girl in the farm that year, but married her father only because he had a steady income from his job. Her mother didn't know how to do any household chores or manage the family, so she had to take on all the responsibilities at a very young age and became the pillar of the family.

  She loved the thick blue denim work uniform, clean, handsome, neat and sturdy. Wearing it over her cotton-padded jacket and trousers, and then putting on the sheepskin-lined rubber shoes issued by the factory, she looked like a spirited young female worker, and she was very satisfied. Only, she was too small in stature, and even with two layers of insoles inside the smallest size work shoes, they were still a bit big for her.

  Saw the several sets of pretty little girls' clothes on the bed, picked up and compared: "Buy for your three little sisters, three little nieces, you have a good eye, wow, having an older brother or uncle is great."

  Yu Songyuan held a book in his hand, but secretly glanced at her with the corner of his eye and said: "Don't you have an older brother? There must be new clothes for Chinese New Year. When I bought clothes for Yu Ya, Xiao Hui, Chen Jing, and three little nieces, I also bought a set for you, exactly the same, plus a pair of cotton shoes, go try them on."

  Lin Xue was surprised: "Ah, you bought me clothes?" She said, and then hurriedly ran back to her room. After a while, she came in again with the clothes, looking worried, and said: "Yu Ge, these clothes and shoes are too good, but I really can't accept them. I've already troubled you enough, how can I have the nerve to take your bought clothes?"

  What she really meant to say was, I'm not even your family member, why should you buy me things.

  Yu Songyuan's heart was as clear as a mirror, "I just want you to dress up nicely and happily spend the Spring Festival, changing into work clothes is just a change of mood. If you don't mind, you can return it to me after receiving your salary."

  After hearing Yu Songyuan say that, she happily took the clothes back to change into them and then came back excitedly, asking Yu Songyuan if they looked good.

  Yu Songyuan took a look and found it just right. She was two years older than her sister Ya'er, but her height was only slightly taller than her sister's. "What a poor child," Yu Songyuan sighed in his heart.

  Lin Xue suddenly said: "Yu Ge, did you know that before I always wore my mom's old clothes and modified them to wear? This is actually the first new set of clothes in my life."

  Yu Song looked up and down, "You're still so young, but you've already got it all figured out. Wow, these shoes were a great buy, they look really good on you." Lin Xue, who had changed into new clothes and new leather shoes, was actually a petite and delicate, unbeatable beauty.

  "You're really good at buying things, the soles of these shoes aren't afraid of snow and water, and this kind of leather is easy to take care of. Brother Yu, you've gone to a lot of trouble!" After expressing her delight, she looked at Yu Songyuan and said, "Brother Yu, you actually didn't need to buy it for me, you should get yourself a new set of clothes."

  Indeed, Yu Song wore the same set of clothes in autumn and winter. A worn-out blue " Zhongshan" jacket, a pair of yellow cotton-padded military trousers, with thin cotton-padded underwear inside. On his feet were a pair of second-hand sheepskin boots bought from the street.

  "I'm a man, as long as I'm spiritual and clean, that's enough. You're different, you're a girl, you should dress up nicely." Yu Songyuan teased her. Yu Songyuan knew that she borrowed money from the driver for car fare, he wanted to buy some New Year's goods for her to take back or give her some pocket money, but he knew she would strongly decline, so he gave up.

  On the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, after breakfast, Yu Songyuan took the big general and sent Lin Xue to the station with great fanfare. Lin Xue bid farewell to them sweetly, but the majestic and powerful general had a childlike innocence, and at parting, he kept rubbing against Lin Xue's trouser leg.

  Lin Xue wore new clothes, wrapped in a big scarf, only revealing two round big eyes, wearing new leather shoes. In her hand was a thin small blue cloth bundle, hugging the general's neck, reluctant to part with him, this scene made many people who were rushing to return home stop and stare.

  After the bus departed, Lin Xue inserted her hands into the pockets of her new clothes and found a neatly folded piece of paper inside. Upon unfolding it, she discovered forty yuan and a note that read: "Be careful on the road, after getting off at Binhai Farm, buy some New Year's goods for your family to bring back home. Don't cry, smile during the New Year!"

  Lin Xue's eyes moistened, but she still smiled infinitely happily and obediently!

  She had just carefully put away the note and money, when the auntie sitting next to her asked: "Little girl, you're so pretty, such a tiny person, and you've already found someone. The tall and handsome young man who just gave you something, is he your boyfriend?"

  Lin Xue's face turned red with embarrassment, but she nodded happily and said, "Yes."

  On the tenth day of the first month, Lin Xue took a bus back to school from home. Due to snow on the road, it was already afternoon when she arrived at school. The several-kilometer-long road from the station to school was muddy and slippery, with her body covered in snow and mud. The school was quiet and deserted, with snow piled up all the way from the vegetable garden to the dormitory under the big embankment. But she wasn't afraid at all, like a happy little bird, humming the theme song of "Little Flower", hurrying to the dormitory.

  The general did not open the door to greet her as usual, she stood in front of the dormitory door and was stunned for a moment. The footprints on the snow in front of the door were clearly new, but where were they? Had they left again? Her heart couldn't help but sink down with a thud, and the more she walked towards the dormitory, the more tears fell down with a patter.

  She pushed the door of Yu Songyuan's house with her small hands, and to her surprise, the door was open. The bicycle was covered with thick yellow mud from top to bottom, and Yu Songyuan's backpack and food bag were still tied to the bike. She was overjoyed, so excited that she almost jumped up, apparently, Brother Yu and Da Jiang had just arrived too, but where were they?

  She put the bundle in her hand on the bed, turned around the dormitory, and everywhere was snow. The weather was very cold, and the north wind blew over the river embankment, making a sharp whistling sound. She first went to the toilet, which had almost suffocated her all the way. After finishing the toilet, she faced the sharp whistling of the north wind, followed the footprints on the snowy ground, and plucked up the courage to climb up the big embankment.

  Only to see the general running happily on the wooden plank bridge, playing alone and having a great time. Yu Song, on the other hand, had his limbs spread out, lying flat on his back, motionless on the thick snow on the bridge.

  The general suddenly discovered her, trampling the snow and rushing over, and immediately pounced on her in the snow on the riverbank. She hugged the general's big head and laughed uncontrollably. After making enough noise, she followed the general to walk on the plank bridge covered with snow, then squatted in front of Yu Song and looked at what he was doing carefully.

  Yu Song looked up at her eyes and teased: "It's really strange, minus ten degrees Celsius, it just rained a little while ago?"

  "Not at all."

  "Don't pretend anymore, there are still tears in your eyes."

  Lin Xue hastily wiped her eyes: "No, it's just snowflakes getting into my eyes."

  Yu Songyuan teased her, singing: "Isn't there a song that goes like this? 'Sister looking for brother, tears flowing, not seeing brother's worried heart, gazing through both eyes waiting for loved ones, flowers blooming and falling several springs and autumns.' Ah, finding brother is even more worrisome!"

  Lin Xue, already fifteen years old, blushed and lowered her head: "You're annoying, I wasn't looking for you, but for General."

  Yu Songyuan scratched her nose, "Alright alright, you're looking for the boss, not me, right? But, work starts at 3 pm, why did you come so early?"

  Lin Xue wrapped her head with a big scarf, only revealing two eyes, and gazed at him with long eyelashes. Then she quietly sat down beside Yu Songyuan and said in a low voice: "It's boring at home, I'd rather come to school."

  "Why?"

  "Brother Yu is not afraid of your ridicule, I'll just tell you directly."

  The Spring Festival is a big event in the rural areas of northern Jiangsu Province. By the middle of December, each household must steam buns (actually radish, dried vegetables, and bean paste-filled dumplings), fry doughnuts, buy carp, salted fish, and kelp, etc., and also buy rice cakes, fruit (deep-fried crispy rice balls), roasted melon seeds and peanuts. They need to invite the door god, post couplets, buy firecrackers, and have a big cleaning.

  In those years, the northern Jiangsu countryside was very poor, but even if it was poorer, every household had to prepare more food, paste red couplets, and try their best to give children a new set of clothes. From the first day to the fifteenth day of the first month, it's all about eating and visiting relatives. The so-called "passing the year" is mainly about going from door to door to eat and visit relatives.

  Lin Xue's mother was originally not good at doing housework, and on top of that, she was lazy. The house was cold and empty, without any festive atmosphere for the New Year. Lin Xue's two younger brothers were growing rapidly, their cotton pants and jackets were too short, but no one paid attention to it. It was already the 28th of December, but there was no sign of preparation for the New Year in the house, not even couplets were pasted.

  In previous years, the girl was busy with her work, but this year she went to work in the county town and won't be back home until the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. The stove at home is cold, without any smoke, Lin Gong can only sigh with a lingering illness.