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墨書 Inktalez
Jia Ao was running in circles around the trees in the yard, while Jia Yu, tired from chasing him, squatted down and began to pout, "I can't catch you! This isn't over!"
"Your new clothes! Just throw a tantrum on the ground!" Jia Ao stopped to catch his breath.
Initially, Jia Yu had only sat down, but after Jia Ao passed by, she decided to lie down on the ground. Just then, Aunt came out of the kitchen and saw Jia Yu lying there. Angrily, she exclaimed, "Why are you bullying your sister again? If I don't punish you for a while, you'll be miserable, won't you?"
"I didn't bully her! She just lay down on her own!" Jia Ao grinned.
"You go over and let her hit you a few times! It won't hurt!" Aunt shouted at Jia Ao.
"You should get up too! You're a big girl now; who still throws tantrums on the ground?" Aunt went over and gently pulled Jia Yu up.
"I'm not getting up! He won't let me hit him, so I'm staying down!" Jia Yu said, sounding genuinely aggrieved as she began to cry.
"Quickly go over and let her hit you a couple of times!" Aunt ordered Jia Ao.
"Why is it always me who gets hurt?" Jia Ao reluctantly walked over and squatted in front of Jia Yu.
Jia Yu quickly pushed herself up with her hands and swung her arm to give Jia Ao a big slap across the face.
"Oh my!" Jia Ao yelped as he stumbled back a few steps. Standing there, he kept touching his face, which was now flushed red. His eyes seemed a bit misty; it looked like he was about to cry from the surprise of his sister's unexpected strike.
"You little brat, why are you so fierce?" Jia Ao complained.
"Hehe! Who told you to run so fast? I couldn't catch you!" Jia Yu giggled through her tears.
"You can't hit your brother like that! Do you understand?" Aunt scolded Jia Yu as she noticed Jia Ao's reddened face.
“Who let him run so fast?” Jia Yu tossed her long hair dismissively.
“Let’s eat!” Aunt turned to Jia Ao, removing his hands from his face to reveal clear finger marks. She pinched his cheek gently. “Does it hurt?”
“What about you?” Jia Ao replied with a whimper.
“Look at what you did to your brother!” Aunt scolded Jia Yu angrily.
“Hmph!” Jia Yu pouted, refusing to speak.
“Let’s eat!” Aunt glanced at Jia Yu before turning away.
Wen Sheng helped by going to the kitchen to fetch bowls and chopsticks. Although Aunt wasn’t particularly fond of Wen Sheng, she still prepared a few dishes as if caring for a relative from her maternal side.
“Where’s my uncle? Why hasn’t he come back for dinner?” Wen Sheng politely inquired when it was time to eat and noticed that her uncle was still absent.
“Jia Ao’s grandfather is ill. He and Jia Ao’s two uncles are at the hospital taking care of him! Our family doesn’t have much money; we’ve already spent over 500 just on his treatment!” Aunt replied while eating.
“Is it serious?” Wen Sheng asked with concern.
“He’s sick, and this time it’s quite serious. We don’t know if he’ll pull through!” Jia Ao put down his chopsticks.
“Oh! Then we need to hurry and see him!” Wen Sheng seemed to understand the importance of cherishing life.
“Child, you don’t understand! We can go see him, but where will the money come from? Our family isn’t wealthy! The eldest and the second don’t want to contribute anymore, and we’re the third; can we be the only ones paying? Just take care of your own family matters; you don’t need to worry about ours,” Aunt shot a glance at Wen Sheng.
“I came here today to ask you to take me to see Wen Xin! We haven’t heard from her in days, and we’re really worried!” Wen Sheng said softly, looking at Aunt’s expression.
“Perfect timing! I also want to visit Grandpa in town. How about we drive there together?” Jia Ao suggested.
“Drive there? That’ll cost a fortune in gas!” Aunt shot a glare at Jia Ao.
Startled, Jia Ao fell silent, focusing on his meal. Wen Sheng suddenly felt embarrassed; was his face really not worth even the cost of gas? Yes, the poor had no face to speak of. He lowered his head, unable to eat another bite.
After forcing down half a steamed bun, he stood up and took his used dishes back to Aunt’s kitchen.
“Are you full?” Aunt asked, feigning concern.
“Full!” Wen Sheng replied in a low voice.
“Why did you eat so little today? Is it because my cooking isn’t good? It’s just home-cooked meals! What can I do?” Aunt laughed.
Wen Sheng thought Aunt’s laughter lacked warmth.
“Heh, I’m full; it’s just that I’m not very hungry today!” Wen Sheng forced a smile. “How about letting Jia Ao accompany me to see Wen Xin?” he proposed to Aunt.
“She’s in Huang Jizhen, over ten miles away. It’ll be dark by the time you get there and back. Who will do the work in the fields? Besides, Wen Xin is old enough to take care of herself,” Aunt said, sounding somewhat displeased.
“But…” Wen Sheng didn’t continue; he felt too embarrassed.
“Then just tell me the exact address! I’ll go by myself!” Wen Sheng finally mustered the courage to look up at Aunt.
"You child, why are you so disobedient! It's a sixty-mile round trip; how are you going to get there? Can you still afford to lose Wen Xin?" Aunt exclaimed angrily.
Just then, the door creaked open! Uncle hurried in from outside.
"Uncle!" Wen Sheng quickly stood up.
"Wen Sheng is here! What's the matter?" Uncle asked with a smile. His smile was much kinder than Aunt's.
Uncle appeared much more benevolent than Aunt, having spent many years working in the fields. He wasn't very fair-skinned, but he was sturdy and looked quite energetic. He wore a somewhat worn short jacket, blue trousers, and shiny black leather shoes. His hair was slightly graying, and the years of hard labor had left marks on his face. Uncle seemed a bit afraid of Aunt; it was common for men in the countryside to fear their wives.
"I want to go see Wen Xin!" Wen Sheng looked quite dejected.
"That's no problem! Let Jia Ao take you," Uncle replied readily. "Jia Ao, go borrow your third brother's motorcycle, and you and Wen Sheng can head over to Huang Jizhen to see Wen Xin!"
Upon hearing his father's words, Jia Ao happily ran out to borrow the motorcycle.
"But what about the work this afternoon?" Aunt shouted at Uncle. "You're just giving orders without thinking! There’s so much work to do in the fields!"
"It can wait until tomorrow; it’s not a big deal. Wen Sheng has come from so far; can’t you just give Jia Ao a break?" Uncle replied somewhat defiantly.
"Fine! I’ll do as you say," Aunt said angrily as she stacked the bowls together forcefully.
"I haven't eaten yet!" Uncle muttered under his breath.
"Eat if you want!" Aunt snapped as she turned and went back into the kitchen.
Not long after, Jia Ao rode in on a bright red motorcycle with two wheels. It looked brand new, as if it hadn't been bought for long.
"Isn't it cool?" Jia Ao said excitedly, patting the seat of the motorcycle. "In a couple of years, I'll get one too!"
"You can't afford that! We don't have extra money at home!" Aunt shouted at Jia Ao.
"I'll go work!" Jia Ao replied with a grin.
"Even if you earn money from working, you still have to support your sister's education. You can't just spend it freely!" Aunt said with a stern face.
"Hehe!" Jia Ao chuckled foolishly.
"I'm off!" Jia Ao waved goodbye and called out to Wen Sheng.
"Come back quickly; there's still work waiting for you in the fields!" Aunt called after Jia Ao and Wen Sheng as they stepped out of the house.
Riding the motorcycle felt great, and Jia Ao drove it with enthusiasm.
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