Chapter 081
In the middle of a noisy classroom, Zhen Zhen carried her bag down the last flight of stairs and came out of the school building.
She went straight to the carport and unlocked and pushed on her bike, first pushing it out of the school, out of the school gate, then pedaled on the bike, picking up speed and heading to the post office.
Parked the bike and walked quickly into the post office.
To the post office window, Jane handed the money order to the staff, and took out the money sent to her by the newspaper.
The money was not much, but she was very happy to hold it in her hand, and when she put it in her wallet, her heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
With a smile on her face, Zhen Zhen rode her bicycle home in the cool early spring wind.
Parking her bike in the yard, she went inside and sat down in her room, pulling out the money from her wallet, carefully organizing each piece of money, flattening it with her hands, and then carefully putting it into her book.
This was the first money she earned from writing articles, naturally she wanted to keep it as a souvenir.
When her children grew up, she could show it off to them and let them listen to her inspirational story as a mom.
Putting the book with the coins in it away, Zhen Zhen turned to the book she had used to record her inspirations and drafts, and took out the article that had been drafted and read it aloud with great emotion. There were often reading activities in the literature club, and since she had the ability to read aloud, she was naturally free to do so.
After reading it and sitting down on the bedside, she suddenly let out an ah and said, “It’s really well written!”
Anyway, there was no one around, so she wasn’t embarrassed at all.
After finishing her beauty alone in her room, and glancing at the time on her alarm clock, Jenny went out to pick up her doll.
When she arrived at the place, she naturally saw Li Shuang and Ah Wen as usual, and the three of them picked up the doll together, talked with the doll, bathed in the sunlight filled with gentle warmth, and walked home slowly.
When they entered the alley, Li Shuang said to Wen and Zhen Zhen, “Call me when you’re going to eat.”
Wen answered, and Zhen Zhen said out loud, “I won’t go to the cafeteria to get food.”
Neither Li Shuang nor Shizuku was surprised that Zhen Zhen didn’t go to the cafeteria to get food.
Li Shuang looked at her and asked, “What are you going to cook tonight?”
Tonight can and does not make good food.
Jen smiled and said, “We’re going out to a restaurant as a family tonight.”
Oh?
Li Shuang and Shizuku looked at Jen’s face.
Shizuku said, “Looks like there’s something happy going on.”
Jen still smiles, “Let’s just say it’s a little happy.”
Li Shuang looks at her curiously and asks, “What kind of little happy thing?”
Zhen Zhen hesitated for a while, “I will tell you later.”
Li Shuang: “Mysterious.”
Since she went to college, she has been acting honeyed from time to time, asking but not saying.
When Zhen Zhen didn’t say anything, Li Shuang and Ah Wen didn’t pursue the question.
The three of them split up in the hutong and went home, the children didn’t want to be separated and all followed Dan Sui to play.
Until Squire Huaeming came back from work, Wen and Li Shuang came over to call for dinner, the children went back to their own home to eat.
When He Ziyan’s children left, Zhen Zhen and Shui Huai Ming naturally took Zhong Minfen and her children out.
Zhong Minfen didn’t know what was going on and asked on the way, “What’s the happy occasion? Do we have to go out to eat?”
Zhen Zhen smiled and told her, “Mother, I’ve earned some money, so I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Zhong Minfen was a little surprised, “You can still make money in college?”
Zhen Zhen still smiled, “Yes.”
Zhong Minfen felt that she didn’t understand what Zhen Zhen said, so she didn’t continue to ask more questions.
Anyway, the children a filial piety to take her out to eat good food, she will feel at ease to follow to eat is, can not live up to the children’s intentions.
Even the children, a family of six, to the restaurant to sit at a small round table.
Sitting down and ordering food, Danshui Dantong and Xingyu sat together and waited for the food to be served.
Looking at these three dolls sitting together, Zhong Minfen suddenly sighed with emotion, “Time really flies.”
Zhen Zhen and Shui Huai Ming also looked at the three dolls and added, “Who says it doesn’t.”
This person, ah, passes from year to year, and everything in the past is buried in the years.
Time rotates, generations pass, generations rise, and times are always changing.
***
Family members go out to eat naturally do not drink, eat and come back.
In the years without recreational activities, there is not much that can be done after dark, and the night sleep is relatively early.
Comparatively speaking, the elderly children go to bed a little earlier, and the young and strong go to bed that much later.
Zhen Zhen sat at the writing table and wrote furiously.
Serving Huai Ming came back from washing up, sat down on the bedside and said, “Writing again?”
Zhen Zhen didn’t turn her head, squeezing her pen and saying, “Suddenly I had a bit of inspiration, so I had to write it down right away, otherwise I’ll forget it.”
Servant Huai Ming said, “When you publish a book someday, I’ll have to buy a copy to treasure.”
Hearing this, Zhen Zhen involuntarily smiled and turned her head to look at him, “Can I still publish a book?”
Servant Huai Ming asked directly in return, “Why not? People must have some dreams?”
Zhen Zhen thought for a moment, then nodded, “That’s right, there is always a dream, as long as the work is deep, the iron mortar is sharpened into a needle, no matter if the dream can be realized or not, I just need to bury my head in the sand and work hard.”
Servant Huai Ming looked at her and said, “There are some things that don’t rely on hard work alone, especially when it comes to writing articles, which is more or less tainted with talent. Based on my personal feeling, I think you still have talent in this area, so believe in yourself.”
Zhen Zhen’s eyes shone brightly at his praise, “Is that so?”
Servant Huai Ming once again asked rhetorically, “When have I ever lied to you?”
Zhen Zhen laughed, “I like it when you lie to me.”
She could be said to have persevered under Shi Huai Ming’s deception, because he had always said that she was a good writer, so she initially wrote with passion and motivation, never thinking of giving up and quitting.
From joining the Literature Club to having her articles selected for the school newspaper, to having her submissions adopted, she achieved her small goals one by one, and her confidence in herself grew as her heart grew stronger.
After writing what was in her head, Zhen Zhen put down her pen and went to bed.
Serving Huai Ming pulled off the lights in the room and lay down with Zhen Zhen.
Zhen Zhen lay on his chest, letting go of her imagination in the night, but her voice was still small, and she asked Squire Huai Ming with some embarrassment, “Do you think …… it’s possible …… for me to one day become a ……”
After a half a day’s pause, her voice was even lower as she picked up three words, “A small writer?”
Squire Huai Ming laughed, “Be bold, why can’t it be a big writer?”
Zhen Zhen whacked him, “I’m asking you very seriously.”
Servant Huai Ming held her hand, “I am also serious.”
Zhen Zhen grunted, “How bold is a man, how productive is the earth?”
It wasn’t something to discuss, the two of them looked at each other in the night and didn’t go any further.
***
After receiving the first overdraft reply, Jen received several more overdraft replies from newspapers and magazines one after the other, as if she had gotten lucky. Some of them needed to be revised, while others did not.
When she saw so many replies, Zhen Zhen was almost confused with joy.
Because it didn’t feel real, her mind drifted, so she wasn’t sure if she was a good writer or just lucky.
But the money in her hand was the most tangible, and every penny was a full affirmation of the article she had written.
After the feeling of fluttering slowly faded, Zhen Zhen’s heart has more confidence and a sense of solidity.
As the visible results piled up more confidence in her heart, she didn’t hide it from Li Shuang and Ah Wen anymore.
On the way back from the cafeteria in the evening, Zhen Zhen asked the two of them, “Can you guys spare some time tomorrow night?”
Unsure of what this was about, Li Shuang and Shizuku looked at her together and asked in unison, “What’s wrong?”
Jen smiled a little and said, “We haven’t gotten together alone in a while, so I’d like to take you guys out to dinner, and you can pick whatever you want to eat.”
Li Shuang and Shizuku had a smile on their faces together, and Shizuku speculated, “You must have something happy going on.”
Every time I ask, I don’t say anything, I hide it and keep it secretive.
Zhen Zhen this time do not intend to hide, smiled and said softly, “I write my own things, to the newspaper and magazine to submit some articles, over a few drafts, earned a little bit of money, so …… want to share the joy with you …… ”
Hearing this, both Li Shuang and Wen’s eyes widened.
Li Shuang couldn’t believe it, “Really?”
Jen nodded, “It’s true.”
Shizuku: “You can, how long have you been hiding this from us?”
Zhen Zhen will explain: “Since last year, I have been trying to submit articles, and I have submitted many articles, and many of them have been returned. This year, I feel that my luck has changed all of a sudden, and I’ve suddenly gotten several manuscripts.”
Li Shuang and Wen’s faces were still full of surprise and amazement.
They looked at each other, then Li Shuang said, “So have all the articles been in the paper?”
Jen nodded at them again, “It’s all been published in newspapers and magazines.”
Li Shuang didn’t ask any more questions, and pulled on Zhen Zhen’s wrist, speeding up her steps, “Quickly go, quickly go back, take out the newspapers and magazines, so that I can see the articles you wrote.”
Zhen Zhen was not prepared for this, ah said, “Can’t I not read it? It’s embarrassing.”
Li Shuang and Wen said in unison, “No!”
Li Shuang was even harder, “After hiding it from us for so long, how dare you not let it be seen?!”
Zhen Zhen didn’t dare to speak.
Then, then let them read it.
Anyway, as long as the writing goes on, sooner or later they will have to see it.
The three of them walked into the hutong with quick steps, Li Shuang and Wen didn’t go back to their own home, but directly carried their lunchboxes and went with Zhen Zhen to her house. The children just happened to be playing here, and it would be good to directly call home for dinner later.
When they entered the yard door, Li Shuang and Wen greeted Zhong Minfen, and then escorted Zhen Zhen into her room.
Zhen Zhen did not resist at all and took out the newspapers and magazines she had collected from the drawer.
She opened the newspaper and magazines, found her own article, and pointed it out to Li Shuang and Wen.
Li Shuang and Ah Wen exchanged looks, looking at it very seriously, no one made a sound.
When they had finished reading, Li Shuang and Wen synchronized to put down the newspaper in their hands and looked at Zhen Zhen.
Zhen Zhen was not very comfortable being looked at by them, and said out loud with some exasperation, “The writing …… isn’t very good ……”
“It’s not good?” Shizuku was the first to speak out.
“Not good newspapers and magazines can be published?” Li Shuang immediately picked up.
Putting down the newspaper in his hand, Li Shuang looked at Zhen Zhen and said, “You’ve hidden it really deep, big writer.”
Hearing the word “big writer”, Zhen Zhen’s face brushed red, patting Li Shuang said: “Don’t call me blindly, I can’t be enough for the writer’s name, I’m just casually writing for fun, the literary talent and the depth of thought are very limited.”
The company said, “I think they are quite good ah, you really did not go to this university for nothing.”
Zhen Zhen smiled again, “It was not in vain, it opened a new door in my world.”
Both Li Shuang and Wen were proud and happy for her.
But the two didn’t over express it, Li Shuang said, “I have to go for this meal! Eat western food!”
Shizuku follows, “Then of course I have to go too, and I have to drink red wine!”
Jen laughs, “All manageable.”
***
April day, the most warm and cozy.
Li Shuang, Wen and Zhen Zhen dressed up and wore dresses to go out to a western restaurant together.
This scene is similar to seven years ago, but very different, the breeze from the hem of the skirt to take away the seven years of time.
The three of them went to the western restaurant and sat down to order food and drink, talking about the world.
The one who talked the most under the influence of alcohol was still Wen, because compared to Li Shuang and Zhen Zhen, she felt that she had lived the most bitter and stifling life all these years. If it wasn’t for Zhen Zhen moving in with her, her life would have been over long ago.
Zhen Zhen and Li Shuang let her talk freely and follow her in criticizing her mother-in-law.
After all, it’s impossible to say that he’s not at all responsible for all the wrongs that Shizuku has suffered before. Of course, the place that should be affirmed should still be affirmed.
After the pain was finished, the heart was completely comfortable.
Three people drink slightly drunk out of the western restaurant, holding hands back toward home.
Under the moonlight, the three of them took advantage of the drinking mood to sing some cheerful songs, singing long live friendship!
Wen is the youngest of the three and the most insecure.
She took Zhen Zhen and Li Shuang’s hands and asked over and over again, “Say it again, are we best friends for life?”
Zhen Zhen and Li Shuang looked at her and answered over and over again, “Yes! It has to be!”
People, there are only a few people in their life who they can meet and show their heart to.
If you meet one, no matter if it’s a lover or a friend, just shake hands and walk for the rest of your life.
***
How long is a lifetime?
For a dog, a lifetime is only about ten years.
After the spring of this year, Dabai’s old age became more obvious than before.
Probably the older it gets, the more it resembles a child, and lately it has become more and more clingy.
As long as Zhen Zhen is at home during the day, it will crawl at Zhen Zhen’s feet, quiet and does not make a sound.
Zhen Zhen knows that it is old and does not like to play, so it is in this way and its mutual companionship.
She sat at the table reading and writing things, and when she was tired she went to touch Dabai, who would wag his tail at her.
***
April was drawing to a close.
Time approached early summer.
The atmosphere of learning on campus was getting worse and worse.
Compared to those young college students, Zhen Zhen was after all older and a bit more composed.
She doesn’t let herself be affected by the atmosphere in the school, still attending classes according to the schedule and doing what she should do.
On an ordinary day, Zhen Zhen pushed her bicycle and left for school at the right time.
Dabai walked her slowly to the entrance of the alley.
Before Jen got on her bike, she turned around and said to Dabai as usual, “I’m leaving, go home now.”
After saying that she got on the car and left, but when she was riding out of the gate of the military compound, she suddenly realized that Dabai did not go back.
Turning back to see Dabai’s figure, Zhen Zhen was busy pinching the brakes to stop.
She got off the bike and turned back, still telling Great White, “Go back quickly, don’t run around.”
As a result, Big White still didn’t listen to her, his eyes froze and he stood still not far behind.
Every time Zhen Zhen stuck to the point of going to class.
Seeing that time was running out, she had no way to send Big White back to be locked up, so she had to just bring it with her.
Bring to the school near, ZhenZhen let big white in a willow tree sit down.
When Great White sat down under the willow tree, Zhen Zhen looked at it again and said, “Don’t go anywhere, wait for me here, okay?”
Great White looked at her and cocked his head, naturally unable to spit out any words.
Zhen Zhen pushed up the cart and tried to head towards the school.
Seeing that Big White didn’t follow her anymore, she put her heart down and hurried to class first.
But because Big White was waiting for her outside, she wasn’t as focused and concentrated as she usually was during class.
After class, she immediately packed up her textbooks, picked up her bag and ran out of the classroom.
Pushing her bike out the front door of the school.
Jogging over to the willow tree, she is relieved to see that Great White is still lying under the willow tree waiting for her.
Zhen Zhen looked at Big White and smiled a little, calling it, “Come on, let’s go home.”
Because Big White ran slowly, Zhen Zhen rode her bike slowly.
Turning to look at Dabai as she rode, Zhen Zhen smiled and said, “You’re getting really clingy now, so if I come to class from now on, you’ll have to wait for me outside the school?”
Great White trotted without making a sound.
Because it was tired, when it arrived home it curled up in its nest and rested.
At noon, Zhen Zhen went to bring Dan Sui Dan Tong and Xing Yu back.
As soon as the children came back, the house was bustling with the sounds of chattering dolls.
Great White lay motionless in his nest, only his eyes with their dense eyelashes blinking.
It just quietly watched the people in the house, the adults walking around, the children running around.
Xingyu could not run steadily, and fell to the ground with a thud, falling into a dog’s mouth.
Zhong Minfen was heartbroken, screaming “Ouch, good boy,” and went up to pick up Xingyu.
Xingyu was crying in Zhong Minfen’s arms.
But Zhen Zhen said, “It’s inevitable for children to fall down, so we have to let them get up by themselves.
Zhong Minfen said, “Dolls are delicate, not like when you were little.”
Servant Huai Ming said, “Mother, you can’t spoil them too much.”
Zhong Minfen: “Why don’t you spoil them if you have the conditions?”
……
Dabai was a little tired again, blinking slowly twice and closing his eyes.
In the afternoon, when all the people in the family had left, only Zhen Zhen was left, it climbed up again and went to the house, lying at Zhen Zhen’s feet.
After lying down for a while, it suddenly got up quietly and went out with slow steps.
Zhen Zhen has been at the table to concentrate on writing.
When she is inspired, she can’t wait to write with a pen in both hands.
By the time she finished writing this piece, it was almost time to pick up the kids in the evening.
Getting up and realizing that Big White wasn’t at her feet, Jen didn’t care much.
She gathered up the manuscript on the table and put it away, and went out to the school.
After bringing the child back, she remained the same as usual and went to the cafeteria with Li Shuang Arwen to fetch food and return.
When she came back from the cafeteria, she waited for Mr. Huai Ming to get off work, and then she had dinner.
When it was time to eat dinner, there was still no sign of Dabai coming back, so Zhen Zhen went out to the door and shouted twice.
In the past, Dabai often went out to play, and basically came back after calling a few times.
But today, Zhen Zhen called several times, but the big white did not appear.
Zhen Zhen muttered in her heart, went back to the house and sat down, muttering, “Where did it go?”
Zhong Minfen picked up her chopsticks and speculated, “Maybe he ran far away and tripped over the dog he was playing with.”
Still unsure in her heart, Zhen Zhen just picked up her chopsticks and put them down again, “I’ll go to the door again and call out twice.”
But before she reached the gate of the courtyard, she suddenly heard two voices shouting, “Auntie! Auntie!”
Walking to the gate, she saw that it was He Ziran and Cheng Chen who were calling out to Auntie.
The two boys are at the most naughty age, every day after school they don’t come back on time, they play outside for a while before coming back.
This time, they not only came back by themselves, but also brought back several boys of their age and Dabai.
He Ziran and Cheng Chen were carrying something like a stretcher, and on the stretcher lay the dying Dabai.
Seeing Dabai’s appearance, Zhen Zhen jumped in shock, “What happened to Dabai?”
He Ziran gasped, “We were playing gunfight in the grove, and saw that Great White was lying in the woods dying, and didn’t respond when we called out, so we used our stretcher to carry it back.”
The stretcher was made by them to carry the “wounded” during the gunfight.
Hearing the word “dead”, Zhen Zhen’s heart violently seized.
Cheng Chen this and then said: “We have checked, Dabai body is not injured, no foaming at the mouth, should not have eaten the rat poison.”
Zhen Zhen’s heartbeat was so rapid that before she could say anything, Servant Huai Ming, who had come out together, suddenly spoke out, “Please, carry Big White in.”
“Yes, chief!” He Ziran and Cheng Chen responded, busy carrying Great White into the courtyard and placing it in front of its nest.
Seeing that something was wrong, Zhong Minfen and the three dolls also got up and came out.
The boys He Ziran brought in also followed to see what was going on.
The boys chattered:
“It should just be dying.”
“It’s not dead yet, it’s still gasping for air.”
“I’m talking about dying, don’t you understand?”
“I’ve heard that when a dog is dying, it will sneak out by itself and hide to die by itself.”
……
So it turns out that sticking to her like that today and having to follow her to school was saying goodbye to her?
Zhen Zhen bent her knees and squatted down in front of Big White, not even quite daring to gasp for air, and in a long time she squeezed out a sentence from her throat, “Big White ……”
Great White heard her call, and its eyelids moved slightly for a few moments, laboriously opening its eyes.
But it only opened them for a moment, and soon slowly closed them again.
Seeing Great White like this.
A boy said, “It doesn’t react when we call it, but it reacts when you call it.”
Hearing this from the boy, Zhen Zhen’s eyes brushed wet.
She hurriedly buried her face in her knees, and for a few moments she held back her tears and raised her head again.
She looked at Dabai with red eyes.
Trying hard to hold back, smiled and stretched out her hand at Big White, and said again in a trembling voice, “Big White, shaking hands …….”
Great White lying still, breathing has been very shallow.
A boy said loudly again, “It certainly can not lift, can not shake.”
As a result, as soon as he finished speaking, Great White suddenly lifted its paw and put it into Zhen Zhen’s hand.
This time, it used up all of its last strength in its life.
Zhen Zhen instantly burst into tears.
The world became blurred in tears.
As if, seeing the seven years together.
–
That year she had just arrived in Xicheng and forgot to close the door at home.
Raising her head she jerked up to see a big furry head across the room, the big head resting on the desktop, the round eyes showing a clear and ignorant naivety, the crooked head was staring at her.
-The second time she came to Xicheng from the countryside.
The second time she came to Hee Town from the countryside.
Shortly after entering the school gate, Big White dashed towards her like a rocket.
He rushed up to her, rubbing against her and pouncing on her with a face full of excitement, his tail wagging like a propeller.
-The tail wagged like a propeller.
The year they left school, it followed their car silently.
It didn’t bark, it didn’t go too far, it kept its distance, and it just followed.
It was only when Zhen Zhen called out to it that it rushed up like the wind and jumped into the car with a big smile on its face.
-It was waiting for her at the entrance of the alley.
It waited for her at the entrance to the alley.
She stroked its doggy head and said, “Come on, Dabai let’s go home.”
Dabai wagged his big broom-like tail and followed her, his silhouette stretched out by the setting sun. ……
……