paddock

On New Year's Eve, the restaurant where Yuan Ning's second aunt worked closed down, and the owner's family returned to their hometown, leaving her the store key and entrusting them to help guard the store.Yuan Bo took out his passbook and solemnly handed over the money he had saved for more than half a year to his second aunt Yuan Ning: "Mom, you help save this money, and you don't have to worry about my tuition fees in the future."

Second Aunt Yuan Ning looked at the balance on the passbook, her nose soured, she stretched out her arms to hug Yuan Bo, and also hugged Yuan Guang who came up to her.Yuan Guang is still young, he doesn't think as much as Yuan Bo, but he is also very obedient under Yuan Bo's teaching.With such two sons, Second Aunt Yuan Ning is content.

The mother and son were talking when the phone in the shop rang.Yuan Bo's heart tightened, he got out of Yuan Ning's second aunt's arms, and hurried to answer the phone.Firecrackers were crackling outside on New Year's Eve, but Yuan Bo still clearly heard the voice from there: "Is it Yuan Bo?"

Yuan Bo said: "It's me, why did you call back again? Didn't you say you were going to Zhang's family? If you call all day long, the people there will be upset if they find out..." Yuan Bo said As he talked, he became worried again, but he couldn't bear to ask him to hang up the phone.

Second Aunt Yuan Ning led Yuan Guang to the phone and listened to Yuan Bo talking to Yuan Ning.

Yuan Ning told Yuan Bo all the places he had been to during this time, and told Yuan Bo about the university introduced by Xue's grandma.Yuan Bo didn't know that there were so many universities, he was stunned when he heard this, and felt that the road ahead was even more bleak.He gritted his teeth and said to Yuan Ning: "It is the best test to take the test! We have agreed that we will go to the Capital University together! Next, you have to work harder, otherwise you will not pass the test, you You know, I got No.1 in the town in the final exam!"

Yuan Ning said: "Yuan Bo, you are amazing! I am two points behind No.1 in class two, and he has done all the extra questions correctly. I can't keep up with him."

Yuan Bo said: "If you can't catch up, you should work harder." He paused, "Of course, don't be tired, you must go to bed early and get up early to be energetic. Don't just spend time burying your head in reading books, you have to go out for activities and make more money." Friend." Yuan Bo was worried that Yuan Ning would be tempted by the outside world, and that Yuan Ning would become a nerd because of his studies, so he wished he could fly to Yuan Ning's side and protect Yuan Ning as before.

Yuan Ning obediently listened to Yuan Bo's exhortation.

Yuan Bo saw that Aunt Yuan Ning had been standing by the side all the time, and knew that she missed Yuan Ning very much, so he said cruelly, "Mom also wants to talk to you."

Yuan Bo handed the phone to Second Aunt Yuan Ning and turned away.

He raised his hand and wiped his tears.This is Yuan Ning's first New Year's there. With Yuan Ning's quiet personality, he doesn't know if he will be bullied in such a complicated big family.

Ever since Yuan Ning was sent to the Zhang family, the fire burning in Yuan Bo's heart has never subsided.

He has to work hard, he has to stand out, he has to be admitted to university, and he has to make great achievements.

Only in this way can he take good care of his mother and younger brother, and he can meet Yuan Ning again.

It's not enough just to leave his hometown and come to the town, it's not enough, he has to go farther to catch up with Yuan Ning's footsteps and not be so far behind Yuan Ning.

He is an older brother, how could he make Yuan Ning stop and wait for him!

Yuan Bo took a box of eggs and some candies and biscuits to visit his teacher who has always been very kind to him.He asked the teacher about the situation of the college entrance examination here.Teacher Yuan Bo was very surprised, but he still told Yuan Bo truthfully: There are at most one or two college students in the town every year, and very few of them can be admitted to key universities.

Yuan Bo had expected this to happen, but he still felt very uncomfortable.Yuan Bo said, "Which school is the best in the city?"

Teacher Yuan Bo said: "If you are really determined, you'd better be admitted to the High School Affiliated High School in junior high school. The chances of going straight to the next high school are very high. But you don't have urban hukou, unless you are in the top ten in the city in the high school entrance examination. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to make an exception for No. [-] High School to accept you."

Yuan Bo silently wrote down what the teacher said.He has already read the textbooks behind, and the content of each subject has not been so simple since the third grade. It is not easy to get the top ten in the city.

This is a poor town, and the teaching staff is very weak. Every year, many teachers try to find ways to transfer away, as if there are man-eating tigers hiding here.

Think about it too, "poor" is not a tiger that eats people.

Yuan Bo thanked the teacher and went home to help prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

As soon as Yuan Bo left, Teacher Yuan Bo's wife came out.Seeing the eggs and candy and biscuits on the table, she said, "Your student will definitely be successful. You are so motivated at such a young age, and you treat people so well."

Teacher Yuan Bo sighed and said: "He has encountered too many things." He described the situation of Yuan Bo's family in detail.

Teacher Yuan Bo's wife also sighed after hearing this.She said: "This is probably what you often say about 'you can grow up without suffering'." The beloved brother was sent away, the gambling father cheated and divorced, and the orphan and widow were dependent on each other. Adults may not be able to bear it.Fortunately, Yuan Bo was not overwhelmed by these things, but worked harder and stronger.

Teacher Yuan Bo said: "I will fight for it and take this class to the senior high school entrance examination." If such a child does not help, he really feels uneasy.If he can really teach a student who is admitted to the Capital University, forget about his regrets back then.

On New Year's Eve, we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.Yuan Ning finished talking with Yuan Bo and his second aunt, and went to Zhang Xiuyan's room to read a book. The children went to play, and the adults were busy in their own way, but no one came to disturb them.It wasn't until it was time for dinner that Zhang Xiuwen ran over and called them to eat.

There are many Zhang family members, and the reunion dinner is divided into several tables, and the seats are arranged according to seniority and relatives. Yuan Ning is Zhang Xiuyan's follower, and sits next to Zhang Xiuyan under the envious and jealous eyes of Zhang's peers.Yuan Ning sat down, and found that many people's eyes were on him, so he couldn't help but move towards Zhang Xiuyan.

Zhang Xiuyan noticed Yuan Ning's small actions and felt that Yuan Ning was still too timid.People like the Zhang family really don't need to worry too much, even if they had 1 guts, they wouldn't dare to provoke him. It's too late for them to curry favor with Yuan Ning, how could they embarrass Yuan Ning?

Sure enough, before the food was delivered, many people came up to talk to Yuan Ning, some of whom had met during the day, and some of whom had never seen each other. They all kindly introduced their identities to Yuan Ning, and most of them were from the Zhang family. side branch.One of the families has not moved, that is the family of Uncle Zhang's family.And the people sitting near them didn't come either.

Yuan Ning was keenly aware of this clear-cut situation.He looked at Zhang Xiuyan.Seeing the old god Zhang Xiuyan drinking tea on the ground, Yuan Ning also picked up a cup of tea and drank it.He is small in stature and has short hands. He is obviously imitating Zhang Xiuyan's movements, but he looks a little less mature and a little more cute.

Mr. Zhang has been paying attention to Zhang Xiuyan's side. Seeing that Yuan Ning has learned a four-faced look, he is secretly happy, and the bad feelings about his son and daughter's discord have been reduced a lot.If they don't get along, let's not get along, anyway, he didn't expect to see a situation where brothers and sisters respect each other, and brothers and sisters get along with each other.

After a meal, Yuan Ning roughly recognized the people and collected a lot of lucky money.He followed Zhang Xiuyan back to the courtyard where they lived, ran to Zhang Xiuyan's room and opened the red envelope to have a look, he couldn't help being startled.

He had never seen so much money!Although the second aunt gave him the bank card, he never touched it at all. He usually applied for "special funds" from Zhang Xiuyan when he went out to buy things, and Zhang Xiuyan helped pay for it.Yuan Ning immediately didn't dare to open it anymore, and handed in all the red envelopes in front of Zhang Xiuyan: "Brother, can you save them for me?"

Zhang Xiuyan thought of Zhang Xiuling and Zhang Xiuwen who were trying to keep the new year's money in their hands for a while, stared at the pile of unopened red envelopes in Yuan Ning's hand for a while, raised his hand to take them, and held the red envelopes in his hands like playing cards Spread it out: "Draw one, and if you keep your usual spending, I'll save the rest to the bank for you."

Yuan Ning hesitated.The amount of these red envelopes is really too big, it was a full 500 yuan just now!In the past, my parents' monthly salary was less than [-] yuan, which covered half a year's salary.Yuan Ning said: "Why don't you save it all, anyway, I don't spend much money."

Zhang Xiuyan pointed out the facts: "That's because I'm always at home."

Yuan Ning calmed down.

Zhang Xiuyan said: "I will not be able to relax as much as this semester when I start to divide arts and sciences in the next semester. Keep some money with you for backup, and I won't lose any money when I'm not at home." Xiu Yan never thought that he would have the patience to persuade his younger brother to keep his pocket money.

Only then did Yuan Ning draw a red envelope.He was very lucky, he got the envelope from Mr. Zhang, and there were ten cards of Mr. Mao stuffed inside, which was a full 1000 yuan, enough to cover the income of Second Aunt and the others for a whole year.

Yuan Ning was dumbfounded.

Zhang Xiuyan didn't intend to take it back, he nodded and said, "Keep it."

Yuan Ning returned to the room, staring at the big red envelope in a daze.He knew that Zhang's family was very different from his second aunt's, but he never thought that the gap would be so big.Lying on the bed, Yuan Ning stared fixedly at the beam carved with patterns.

Big brother treats him so well, he will be spoiled.

Although the eldest brother promised that he would always be his younger brother, he knew that if the fourth brother had bad news, the family would definitely be in chaos.Ms. Xue proposed to adopt him, and it was for Ms. Xue that Mr. Zhang sent Assistant Han to pick him up.Assistant Han said that he looks a bit like the fourth brother. If something happened to the fourth brother, Ms. Xue would feel very uncomfortable seeing him, right?At that time, he might be given to someone else, just like Second Aunt sent him away. It's not that he doesn't want him, but that he can't be...

If there is such a day, he will definitely be very reluctant.

Yuan Ning quickly got up from the bed, went back to the desk, opened the book stuffed in the luggage, and continued to read.Before that, he had to work harder—if he worked harder, even if he was sent away, he would still be able to catch up with his elder brother.My elder brother said that birds of a feather flock together and people are divided into groups. Excellent people will always stand with excellent people.

He wanted to stand with his eldest brother.

Yuan Ning felt that the words in the book had become a little blurred, so he raised his hand and wiped it on his face with the back of his hand, his hand was wet, and there were tears flowing out for no reason.Yuan Ning wiped his face vigorously with the back of his hand.The eldest brother dislikes him crying the most. Both the eldest brother and his father hate weak boys.

But the eldest brother is so smart and powerful, and the Zhang family is so rich, it is really difficult for him to catch up with the eldest brother.He was really afraid that one day he would never see his eldest brother again.

Zhang Xiuyan routinely went to Yuan Ning's room to "inspect" before going to bed, but found that the light was still on in Yuan Ning's room, and there was a faint sobbing sound.His heart skipped a beat, he frowned, opened the door and walked in.The little stutter in the little arms and legs was sitting under the lamp and wiping tears with the back of his hand vigorously, his face was completely red from his wiping.

Zhang Xiuyan raised his face and called names: "Yuan Ning."

Yuan Ning was startled by the sound of the door opening, and when he heard Zhang Xiuyan's shout, he hurriedly wiped away the tears from his face.He sucked his nose hard and shouted, "Brother..."

Zhang Xiuyan stepped forward and half squatted in front of Yuan Ning: "It's Chinese New Year, why are you crying?" If someone saw it, they would think he was bullying him.

"I didn't cry." Yuan Ning's eyes were red, but she bit her lip and refused to admit it.

Zhang Xiuyan frowned, and stretched out his hand to separate his upper and lower lips, preventing him from biting his lower lip in.The soft touch made Zhang Xiuyan think of Yuan Ning's cautious joy when he kissed him.Zhang Xiuyan said: "If you tell a lie, your nose will grow longer."

Yuan Ning didn't dare to speak anymore.

Zhang Xiuyan asked again: "Why are you crying?"

Yuan Ning reached out and hugged Zhang Xiuyan's neck, holding Zhang Xiuyan tightly.He was so afraid that he would never see Zhang Xiuyan again, he would never be able to get close to Zhang Xiuyan like he was now, and he would never hear Zhang Xiuyan talking to him again.He didn't know when it started, but he already liked his eldest brother so much, thinking that he might be separated from his eldest brother in the future, he felt very sad and scared.

Yuan Ning's tears fell down.

Zhang Xiuyan felt his heart was scalded by those warm tears.He tensed his throat: "Don't cry!"

Yuan Ning said: "Yes, I'm sorry, big brother. I shouldn't cry. My mother said that if you cry in the New Year, your luck will become worse. But the tears just don't obey and keep falling," he raised his hand and wiped the tears vigorously. , "I have wiped them off, and they still keep coming out."

Zhang Xiuyan reached out and hugged Yuan Ning.

He doesn't like weak guys, but Yuan Ning's tears always make him feel bad.

Zhang Xiuyan said, "Someone bullied you?"

"No," Yuan Ning hugged Zhang Xiuyan tightly, "No one bullies me. I'm just, I'm just afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" Zhang Xiuyan asked with the utmost patience.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to see my elder brother in the future," Yuan Ning said sadly, "Elder brother is like a person from another world. If, if one day I can't stay at home, I will definitely not be able to see my elder brother again."

Zhang Xiuyan said: "Why do you think like this? How could you not stay at home?" He really didn't know how such thoughts came to Yuan Ning's little head.

Yuan Ning hugged Zhang Xiuyan and did not speak.

Zhang Xiuyan walked out of the house with Yuan Ning in his arms.

The night air is very fresh.

In the sky hung a crescent moon so small that it was almost invisible.

The stars in the sky squeezed away the clouds, blinking at the world, much brighter than usual.It hasn't snowed in the past two days, but there is still a lot of snow in the yard. Only when the north wind blows and shakes off most of the snow from the branches, can barely reveal a touch of greenery from under the snow.

Yuan Ning was blown by the icy wind, and tears froze back.He looked at Zhang Xiuyan.

Zhang Xiuyan also looked at him.

Yuan Ning disarmed and surrendered.

He put his arms around Zhang Xiuyan's neck and told Zhang Xiuyan everything he thought of.

After hearing this, Zhang Xiuyan fell silent.If one day, Ms. Xue couldn't stand the excitement and wanted to send Yuan Ning away, would he insist on letting Yuan Ning stay?At the beginning, everyone thought that since Ms. Xue wanted to adopt Yuan Ning, she should adopt Yuan Ning. If it was not suitable for her, she would just send him away.With the Zhang family's financial resources, it is very easy to find someone to support Yuan Ning.

Wasn't it the same when he adopted Zhang Xiuwen before?Even knowing that Zhang Xiuwen was approached by his biological father, what they thought of was not to appease Zhang Xiuwen, but to observe how Zhang Xiuwen would respond.

Although he didn't want to admit it, both he and Mr. Zhang actually put on a high airs in their bones.

Both Zhang Xiuwen and Yuan Ning are very sensitive.

Zhang Xiuwen knew their attitude, so he tried his best to satisfy them and to gain a foothold in Zhang's family.

Yuan Ning is different.

Yuan Ning has no way to be like Zhang Xiuwen.

Adopting a child is different from adopting a cat or dog. No matter how young a child is, he will have his own ideas, and after getting along for a long time, he will have feelings for each other.Like now, is he still willing to send Yuan Ning away?

If one day he had to choose between Yuan Ning and Ms. Xue, who would he choose?Who will Mr. Zhang choose?Zhang Xiu paused for a moment, and said, "In another four years, the elder brother will die."

Yuan Ning was taken aback.

Zhang Xiuyan said: "At that time, I can live by myself. If there is such a day, I will take you to live outside. When my mother recovers, I will take you back to see her." He scanned Yuan Ning's Head, "So you feel relieved?"

Yuan Ning said, "But, but..."

Zhang Xiu looked at him strictly.

Yuan Ning didn't know what to say.In that case, Zhang Xiuyan will be very sad. Although he is an adult, moving out for him means leaving home for him and separating him from his family.Yuan Ning said, "Brother will be uncomfortable."

"It's not for you," Zhang Xiuyan saw Yuan Ning's thoughts, "I have always had such a plan. I will go to university in a few years. At that time, I will study in other places, which is similar to moving out. At that time, I will Buy or rent a house near the university, and I can bring you there by the way."

"Is that so!" Yuan Ning became happy.

"Yes." Seeing that Yuan Ning was not sleepy, Zhang Xiuyan put Yuan Ning down, led Yuan Ning back to his room, and helped him put on his coat and scarf. God, I'll take you outside to set off fireworks."

Yuan Ning put down the big stone in his heart, didn't want to sleep at all, and ran out with Zhang Xiuyan without hesitation.Zhang Xiuyan ordered a lot of fireworks from someone, and took Yuan Ning out.The others were not asleep either, some were playing cards, some were drinking tea and chatting, and some were playing in the garden.Zhang Xiuling and Zhang Xiuwen were also there. Seeing Zhang Xiuyan bring Yuan Ning out, Zhang Xiuling was very happy: "Ning Ning, I thought Big Brother hid you again!"

Zhang Xiuyan looked at her.

Zhang Xiuling took Yuan Ning's hand, and bravely spoke to Zhang Xiuyan: "Brother, do you have the fireworks? Can we set them off? Can I light the fire?"

Zhang Xiuyan replied mercilessly: "No." How could he let them light the fire.

Zhang Xiuling's face suddenly collapsed.

Zhang Xiuyan ignored her, stepped forward to set up the fireworks himself, asked everyone to retreat to the corridor, and lit the fuse himself.

A long sound cut through the silent night sky, and bright fireworks also bloomed in the sky.

After the first firework was scattered, the second firework bloomed again, and it took ten times before it finally fell silent.Zhang Xiuling and Zhang Xiuwen clapped their hands fiercely in the corridor: "Brother, come again!" On the special day of New Year's Eve, they were not as afraid of Zhang Xiuyan as they were usually.

Zhang Xiuyan turned his head and saw Yuan Ning looking at him expectantly, so he moved the second tube of fireworks to the open space in front and lit it again.He and Yuan Ning raised their heads together, looking at the fireworks that bloomed in the sky one after another.Many children were attracted to them. Seeing that Zhang Xiuyan was letting them go, they didn't dare to step forward to make trouble, but obediently stood beside Zhang Xiuling and the others, waiting for Zhang Xiuyan to continue letting them go.

The fireworks opened until twelve o'clock in the morning, and the sound of firecrackers crackled.This is not an urban area. Fireworks and firecrackers are not banned. Twelve o'clock is usually "receive the God of Wealth". , The sound of firecrackers boomed like a competition.

Yuan Ning was taken aback.

Zhang Xiuyan quickly reached out to help him cover his ears, and only let go after the most ferocious wave of "Fortune Cannon" passed.He bent over and hugged Yuan Ning: "Sleepy or not?"

Yuan Ning nodded.After playing for so long, it's really time to go to bed, he doesn't want to sleep in tomorrow.The plan for a day lies in the morning, and the plan for a year lies in spring. Tomorrow is the first day of the new year, so he can't let it go to waste!

Zhang Xiuyan called Zhang Xiuling and Zhang Xiuwen to go back and rest.Their family actually lived in the same yard, but their schedules were different, and they didn't see each other very much during the day.

Zhang Xiuyan was afraid that Yuan Ning would think wildly, so he directly carried Yuan Ning back to his room.Yuan Ning knew that he could sleep with Zhang Xiuyan again at night, so he obediently brushed his teeth, washed his face, finished the bathroom, got into bed and waited for Zhang Xiuyan.

Zhang Xiuyan turned off the light, went to bed, and said, "Go to sleep."

Yuan Ning felt that his whole body was enveloped by Zhang Xiuyan's aura.

Big brother always makes him feel at ease.

Yuan Ning soon fell asleep deeply.

The little wild boars are still having fun in the "dream".

The boss of the little wild boar happily told Yuan Ning that Luo Yuanliang liked the New Year's goods he prepared very much, and even made a shelf to put all the things in it. The empty house seemed to be more occupied by people.

What worries Yuan Ning is that Zhaofu still hasn't come.Yuan Ning asked Ivory: "Did Zhaofu not come when I was away? Is Chinese New Year really so busy?"

Ivory comforted: "Chinese New Year is the busiest time for adults, right? You have to visit relatives and friends everywhere. Even if Mr. Xie doesn't go out, many people will come to your door. It didn't come every day before, and neither do you."

Yuan Ning was still very worried: "But I always feel that this is not the case." If it was only a day or two, he could still wait with peace of mind, but Zhao Fu disappeared for several days in a row—how could Yuan Ning not be worried.

Ivory closed its leaves and gave a suggestion: "Don't you guys have a phone? You can call Mr. Xie and ask."

Yuan Ning thought it was a good idea: "I will call tomorrow, and I should also pay New Year's greetings to Grandpa Xie!"

The day before yesterday, Cheng Zhong helped Luo Yuanliang bring cured chicken and duck, and the eldest brother asked him to give Cheng Zhong the New Year's goods bought for Luo Yuanliang, and asked Cheng Zhong to take them back to Luo Yuanliang.They set out in a hurry, and they didn't have time to ask Cheng Zhong about Mr. Xie and the situation of recruiting blessings, so they could only ask Cheng Zhong to help him say hello to Mr. Xie.

Yuan Ning was thinking about Zhao Fu and Mr. Xie, and was not in the mood to play with the little wild boars, and soon fell asleep in a daze.

Early the next morning, Yuan Ning called Xie's hometown.

The call was connected quickly.

However, the person who answered the phone was not Mr. Xie.

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Long time no see small theater:

Brother: Wait for me, and I can take you out to live together.

Ning Ning: What does cohabitation mean?

The eldest brother is serious: it means living together.