cloud and sun

"Yingyue, will you recite yesterday's poems?"

"Memorize it. But I don't know what it means." The little girl tugged at her father who was wearing a Chinese tunic suit, and muttered, "The business girl doesn't know the hatred of subjugation, and she still sings flowers in the backyard across the river. It's a beautiful girl who is singing ?"

"She's still so young, so you teach her these poems." The girl's mother spoke to her.

"Yingyue is smart and knows how to recite poems and essays." She pinched the girl's face and said, "Does Yingyue know what year it is?"

"Well... In 1949, we read newspapers together on the day Grandpa Mao gave a speech. You let me remember that day. Yingyue can remember it very well."

"Well, that poem is about the feeling of subjugation. My parents went through the war, and your grandfather died during the war, so Yingyue should remember that day well."

The girl's mother was afraid that the girl would be exposed to too much knowledge when she was too young, so she took the girl to the street.

The streets in the small town are very narrow, and it happens to be close to the end of the new year. There are many people on the street, and there are many children who come out of nowhere and run around.

"Yingyue, do you want candied haws? Mom will buy them for you."

"Hmm. Mom, do I have an older brother?"

"Why do you ask this all of a sudden?"

"Because one day I saw my father holding a photo of a boy and looking at it for a long time."

The mother took the candied haws and handed them to Huang Yingyue, her eyes trembling: "No, when the war comes, it's too late to run away, so why would I want to have a baby! Our family fled here all the way south."

Huang Yingyue still has some memories of going south with her parents, but she has never experienced the war, but she just heard from her parents that she felt terrible.

"Mom, look, there is a child crying on the ground over there."

None of the people coming and going on the street stopped to ask what was wrong with the child, and they were probably used to this kind of situation on weekdays.

"what happened to you?"

"I couldn't find my mother. I was too hungry just now, so I stole a steamed stuffed bun from the side of the road, and then the shopkeeper found out. I ran all the way and ran here. But the steamed stuffed bun disappeared somewhere along the way."

Huang Yingyue looked at the dirty children on the side of the road, pulled out a candied haws in her hand, stuffed them into her mouth, and gave the rest of the candied haws to the children.

"Eat this! This is very sweet."

The child snatched the candied haws and stuffed them inside.

Huang Yingyue's mother pulled up the little boy and asked, "Do you remember where your home is? I'll take you back."

The little boy shook his head.It was cold outside, and the little boy was still wearing a single suit.

"Do you want to follow us to the academy? There is a charcoal fire in the academy."

The little boy nodded and followed Huang Yingyue and the others back.

Huang Yingyue also only has one cotton padded jacket for winter, which was specially sewn for her by her mother. Her mother also embroidered a flower on the patch of her clothes.

Except for a few books, the academy was empty, and there was a pot of charcoal fire in the middle of the whole room, and it had to be burned a little bit, otherwise the charcoal fire would not be enough for a winter.

"At the beginning of human beings, nature is kind and similar, □□..." A neat voice came from the room beside.The little boy also read along.

"Mom, look at him studying!" Huang Yingyue pointed at the little boy with a look of surprise.

Huang Yingyue leaned over and asked, "What's your name? How old are you this year?"

The little boy was a little timid now, and his voice was very low: "My name is Joe... I am four years old this year."

Huang Yueying's mother summoned a few children outside the academy, and gave each of them a few candies: "Go to the street and ask someone who lost a four-year-old boy named Qiao Que, and ask him to come to the academy to pick it up."

Several children got candy and left happily.

Huang Yueying saw Qiao but kept chanting to the voice next door and asked, "Can you read?"

The little boy shook his head, and Huang Yingyue sighed: "I can't read a few words, and my father hasn't had time to teach me. But I can recite poems, and I will recite them for you."

The little boy became interested.

"At noon on the day of hoeing, the sweat drips down to the soil."

The little boy followed timidly, but Huang Yueying didn't expect that Joe would recite it just after hearing her read it a few times, so she became interested and recited another one for Qiao Que.

"I don't know the moon when I'm young, and I call it a white jade plate." Qiao still followed up, but he could see that he was much happier than before.

Near noon, a plainly dressed woman came to the academy.Although Qiao had a good time with Huang Yingyue, he ran over when he saw a woman.

"Mother."

The woman hugged Joe but thanked him for a while, and then left in a hurry.Qiao turned around and waved goodbye to Huang Yingyue.

Huang Yingyue said to her mother on the side: "Mom, Joe is so smart. I taught him to recite, and he can memorize it after a few times."

"Really? It's a pity."

Not all children can go to the academy to study. After the war, there are not many children who have the opportunity to study, but everyone is looking forward to the future life. Although life is still difficult, life is very happy.

Huang Yingyue's father began to teach her how to read.She is a fast learner, and soon she will be able to copy the "Book of Songs" from the book.

Huang Yingyue's family likes life in the small town very much. Without the ups and downs of the past, life is stable and happy.

But Qiao would come to town once a month, and Huang Yingyue would give him the poems she had copied while practicing calligraphy.Joe was very happy, and carefully folded them every time and put them in the inner pocket of his clothes.

Fast forward three years, Huang Yingyue has grown a lot taller in the past three years, but Qiao has also grown a lot.The town is building a school, and it is expected that the first batch of students will be admitted in the fall.Huang Yingyue's father reserved a place for her very early on.The school recruited Huang Yingyue's father as a local teacher, and I heard that the other teachers are college students recruited from other places.

No one in the small town has ever seen what a university looks like. On the day they first arrived, the mayor specially invited someone to hold a banner to welcome them.

But Huang Yingyue and Qiao were both there.Qiao sneaked into the town, and Huang Yingyue's mother took the two children to watch the excitement.

"Sister Yue, are they the new teachers?"

"should be."

"Auntie, my mother asked me to ask you how much the school's tuition is."

Huang Yingyue: "Are you going to school?"

But Qiao nodded: "My mother said that our family only raised me as a child. If the tuition fee is not expensive, she can send me to school for a few years."

Huang Yingyue pulled Qiao but was very excited: "Then we can go to school together!"

In the autumn of that year, the school accepted the first batch of students as scheduled. In order to maintain a unified schedule, the school only had one class, so Qiao and Huang Yingyue were both in the same class.The teacher looked at Qiao, but he was afraid that he would recognize his life, so he specially arranged him next to Huang Yingyue.

Huang Yingyue herself is old and has learned a lot before, so she learns the fastest, so it is logical that Huang Yingyue has become the person in the class that all the children like to play with.But Qiao always followed Huang Yingyue and didn't like to talk.

Time passed day by day, and the life in the small town was as calm as ever.Huang Yingyue's grades began to decline, but Qiao began to take the first place in the test every time. In the past, Huang Yingyue taught Qiao to read and write, but now it is Qiao who taught Huang Yingyue to count.

On the day of junior high school graduation, Qiao and Huang Yingyue sat on the railing outside the school, just like they had done many times before.

"Yingyue, where are you going from now on?"

"My dad said he would send me to the county to study in high school. But my brain can only memorize poems and essays, so I probably won't be able to pass the university entrance exam. What about you? Are you still studying?"

"I probably won't read it anymore. My family has no money for me to continue my studies. My dad is going to try it in Shenzhen, and let me go with him."

"My father said that you should continue to study. You have good grades, and you will have a bright future if you continue to study!"

"I'm just worried that you will be bullied without me in the future. The high school is in the county town, and there is no one who can take care of me."

"My dad found an uncle who lives far away and asked him to take care of me. Don't worry. Did your dad say when to leave?"

"Just this summer!"

Huang Yingyue looked at Qiao Que, and she didn't say what she wanted to say, but Qiao Que comforted: "Don't worry, it's not like you won't come back."

"But I heard that many people went there and never came back."

Qiao looked at Huang Yingyue's red eyes and felt distressed: "I'm not them, I will come back."

Qiao and Huang Yingyue didn't see each other a few times throughout the summer.Qiao, however, was probably taught a lesson by his family, so he didn't dare to look for Huang Yingyue every day.

Most of the girls of Huang Yingyue's age are already married, but Huang Yingyue's parents didn't give her an in-law.There are quite a few people who come to propose marriage, but there are few girls in the main town who can read so many books, so they are very popular.

Huang Yingyue did the math, but Qiao hadn't come to her for ten days.She thought of the many summer vacations before, but Joe would help the family carry things to sell in the town, and then come to her by the way.But this summer, Joe didn't come to her.

Huang Yingyue was helping her mother do some shopping one day, and happened to meet Qiao Que on the street.Qiao saw her turn around and wanted to leave, but Huang Yingyue stopped him.

"When are you leaving? I'll see you off when you leave."

"Going to catch the train, I might leave very early." After speaking, he was about to leave.

"I don't care!"

But Qiao didn't understand what Huang Yingyue was talking about: "Huh?"

"I said, don't hide from me. It doesn't matter what they say about me."

"But... I can't hurt you. Let's stay far away from now on."

"Have you read all these years in vain? The people I like in the future won't care about these things."

"But I care! I want to protect you, and I don't want you to..." Qiao whispered more and more, until finally Huang Yingyue didn't hear clearly.

"Then if other people dislike me, how about you marry me?"

Joe nodded: "OK."

Huang Yingyue didn't expect Qiao to be so straightforward, which made her a little embarrassed: "I don't need you to marry, there are so many people asking me to propose marriage. Just tell me when you will leave!"

"Six o'clock in the morning the day after tomorrow."

"In such a hurry?"

"Ah."

As soon as Huang Yingyue thought that Joe would leave in two days, she suddenly thought of the days when she and Qiao had played together all these years, and felt a little sad for no reason.

"Okay, I'll remember, I will definitely see you off then."

Huang Yingyue got up early that day, and her mother made a special breakfast for Huang Yingyue to take there.

Joe and his dad didn't bring much.Qiao Que's mother was also present, and greeted Huang Yingyue warmly when she saw Huang Yingyue coming.

Qiao Que's father hugged Qiao Que's mother, but Qiao Que saw it. He had an urge to run over to hug Huang Yingyue, but reason made him restrain himself.

"Take care. Remember to come back to see me during the Chinese New Year... we, don't forget the people here when you go outside."

"Well, you have to take care of yourself, this is for you." Qiao handed Huang Yingyue a box, "I will open it when I go back."

Huang Yingyue had nothing to give to Qiao Que, so she took off her hand strap and gave it to Qiao Que.

"This is the safety rope my mother begged for me in the temple. I will lend it to you for half a year to keep you safe."

"Thank you."

But Joe and the others needed to go to the county to take a boat, so they couldn't make too many stops, so they left in a horse-drawn cart.

Huang Yingyue returned home and opened the box that Joe gave her, which contained a pen.She knew Joe had been saving money, but she hadn't thought he was buying the pen.There is a note under the pen.

Huang Yingyue opened the note, and there was a sentence written on the note: Wait until I come back to marry you.

That autumn, Huang Yingyue went to the county town to attend high school with the pen that Joe gave her.There were fewer girls in high school, and without Qiao Que's care, Huang Yingyue couldn't get used to it for a while.

She found that she always looked at the sky on the windowsill outside the classroom and missed someone from time to time.All the books she had read said it was a sign of falling in love with someone.

It actually snowed this winter, and Huang Yingyue hurried home after finishing her first semester of high school.Huang Yingyue was very happy throughout the winter vacation, but when she thought of seeing Qiao again, her heart jumped uncontrollably.

However, Huang Yingyue, who had waited for a whole winter, heard the news that Qiao Que's mother had gone to Shenzhen when the year was approaching.However, Qiao hadn't heard from her for half a year. Huang Yingyue didn't expect this to be the first news she knew.

"Their family is planning to settle there. I heard that they are doing well. When Qiao Que's mother left, she told me that she was going to send Qiao Que to high school next year."

Huang Yingyue couldn't believe it was the result: "Mom, why didn't you tell me that Qiao Que's mother is gone?"

"You didn't ask me either. And I know you wouldn't be happy if I told you."

Huang Yingyue choked up with her mother in her arms: "Mom, Joe borrowed something from me and hasn't returned it yet!"

Huang Yingyue's mother comforted her daughter: "Is it important?"

"It's the safety rope you asked for me last time. Without the safety rope, who will protect me in the future?"

"Good girl, you will find someone who can protect you in the future."

In this way, Huang Yingyue finished high school without Qiao Que.During high school, Joe would occasionally send her a letter, most of which contained his recent situation, but never mentioned when he would come back.

Huang Yingyue is already an old girl, and she is not married yet, so she wants to at least get the safety rope back first.

Huang Yingyue's parents talked with her about what happened afterwards.She didn't get into the university she wanted to take, and she didn't think about the future.

"That kid from the Qiao family won't come back! You're just wasting your time waiting for him." Huang Yingyue's father had always liked Qiao Que, but at this time he was also very disappointed in Qiao Que.

"Yingyue, my parents are also planning for your future. If you are admitted to a university, your parents will still send you. If your parents find you a marriage, it will be even more difficult to get married in a few years." Huang Yingyue's Mom has been very anxious about this recently.

"Mom and Dad, I want to be a reporter in Chongqing. I can't learn physics and mathematics, but I can write articles very well. I have considered it these days. I will try to go to the Chongqing newspaper office first."

"Well, that's fine. But we must also pay attention to the fact that it's time to get married."

"Your uncle's home is in Chongqing, so you can go live with them. I'll call your uncle later."

One year passed, but after Joe's college entrance examination, Huang Yingyue wrote a long letter, which meant that he couldn't wait any longer, and each of them would go his own way in the future.

Huang Yingyue hasn't received any letter from Qiao Que in this year. She doesn't know whether it's because Qiao Que is too busy with the college entrance examination or her parents put away the letter.This time she sent it from a newspaper office, very resolute.

This letter was written not only because she couldn't wait any longer, but because she had learned too much in the one year at the newspaper office, but Joe had been away for four years, and they might have been strangers to each other for a long time.And she felt that Joe deserved a better girl, she was not smart, and she was much older than Joe.

The editor-in-chief of the newspaper is a child of her uncle's friend's family. Recently, her uncle has been trying to match the two of them. Although Huang Yingyue doesn't like it, she can't bear the pressure from her parents.Many girls her age have children.

Huang Yingyue bought a bicycle with one month's salary. Every evening after get off work, she would ride the bicycle around the river before going home.

At the end of July, it is the hottest time of the year, and many people come to enjoy the coolness by the riverside in the evening.

"Yingyue!"

Huang Yingyue felt that the voice calling her was vaguely familiar. When she stopped the car, the faces of the people in front of her were a little unclear under the setting sun, but Huang Yingyue could still recognize some people even if they hadn't seen each other for four years, even if they had changed a lot.

Huang Yingyue froze when she saw Qiao Que, and looked at Qiao Que walking towards her with a shocked face.

"Why did you come back?"

"I'm afraid you can't wait, come back and marry you."