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墨書 Inktalez
Just then, a hair collector came to the village.
My hair was thick and long, having been grown for five years, almost reaching my waist.
After some haggling, I sold it for 80 yuan.
I ran home, sweating profusely, and my Aunt had just returned from the fields.
I handed her the money and said, “Aunt, I sold my hair for 80 yuan.”
She wiped her hands and ruffled the back of my head, saying, “Who on earth would cut your hair so short?”
“It’s okay, Aunt. Hair will grow back. Didn’t you always say my hair was too long and that it shed all over the house?”
“I’ll take you to the barber to tidy it up; it looks terrible.”
“No need, Aunt. Just give me some quick trims with the scissors; I don’t want to waste 5 yuan.”
That evening, the sky was filled with red clouds.
Aunt borrowed a new pair of scissors and trimmed my hair while scolding me.
First, she cursed the hair collector for being unscrupulous, then scolded me for being foolish and letting anyone cut my hair.
As she continued to scold, her voice softened.
“From now on, you should keep your hair long; girls look better with long hair. We don’t lack for your 80 or 100 yuan.”
When my Second Brother came home and saw that my long braid was gone, he was furious.
“You might as well get a buzz cut; this hairstyle makes it hard to tell whether you’re a boy or a girl from behind.”
When my mother found out, she scolded me too: “With your long and thick hair, you could have sold it for at least 150 yuan!”
Throughout high school, I never let my hair grow long again.
Short hair was easier to manage; it saved time and effort.
Later on, my elder brother sent back 1,000 yuan to help with our urgent needs at home.
It was only when I entered high school that I realized people were different from one another.
Many classmates attended tutoring classes during summer vacation and had already learned high school material in advance.
They easily kept up with the teacher's pace, while I felt like an old, weary ox, trudging along. The teacher paid more attention to the top students and didn’t care whether we struggling ones understood. After a month, my confidence was nearly shattered.
At eleven o'clock, Second Brother returned. I seized the opportunity to ask him questions, but as I did, my spirits began to sink. There was just too much to learn; it felt impossible.
Second Brother put down his pen and said, “Shi Shi, when I was in high school, I felt just like you—dumb and overwhelmed.”
“I want to excel in everything and prove myself,” I replied.
“Later, I realized that studying requires focus and sometimes letting go of certain things.” He explained that in the second year of high school, students would be divided into science and liberal arts classes. Those studying science would hardly touch liberal arts subjects; as long as they passed the standardized tests, that was enough.
So I could start making choices now, getting a head start by solidifying my foundation. “Science is relatively easier for employment, while liberal arts require more memorization and are better suited for girls. You decide for yourself.”
That night, the stars filled the sky. Second Brother spoke of his past lightly, but I knew that when he had crossed those mountains alone, it must have been incredibly difficult. Now he held a guiding light and turned back to point me in the right direction, hoping I could avoid some of the detours he had taken.
I decided to forgive him for the time he put a dead mouse in my bed when we were kids. I wanted a good job; I wanted to earn more money. So I chose science and gave up history, politics, and geography. With fewer subjects to study, my focus sharpened, the pressure lessened significantly, and I could clearly feel my progress.
However, in the midterm exam rankings, I placed over forty in my class. The poor performance in liberal arts dragged down my overall score.
When my mother learned about my grades, she clicked her tongue and said, "I told you so. She's just not cut out for studying. With these scores, she’ll probably only get into a third-tier university."
The villagers chimed in, "The money in the Lin family must be endless; they’re just burning it away."
"That child still isn't married? They don’t seem to be in a hurry!"
How could they not be in a hurry? Aunt was nearly beside herself with worry.
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