Chapter 7

A bit of an awkward situation arose, and in the end, Liu Feiyang took out the money from his pocket, deliberately picking out the bill that was in the middle and passing it over. At the moment of contact, his fingers touched Ran's, which felt cool, like an electric shock, making his whole body tingle and his mind go blank. Even after Ran turned and walked away, he was still staring at his fingers.

Over time, Liu Feiyang learned that the girl's name was An Ran, a very gentle name. Her fate was somewhat similar to his, perhaps even more tragic.

Originally from a well-off family, her parents were both workers in a silver mine. Just two years ago, on the eve of her college entrance exam, a sudden mine disaster buried her father deep in the collapsed mine, and his body has yet to be recovered. Her mother had intended to keep it a secret from her so as not to affect An Ran's future.

However, her mother underestimated her own ability to bear the burden. She fainted at the mine and was rushed to the hospital, where she woke up paralyzed on one side. With such a disability, she lost her ability to work, and An Ran had no choice but to return home to take care of her mother. The mine provided a compensation fund, which has been used entirely on her mother over the past two years.

Her academic performance was good, and even without attending school, she was a well-known girl in the town. She was invited to work as a teacher at a kindergarten. When she met Liu Feiyang and the other boy, she was on her way to get medicine for her mother.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. The two children, whose fates were so similar, thus began their first encounter.

Liu Feiyang and the other boy sat on the kang (a traditional heated bed), tidying up the clutter and piling it in the corner. They didn't have much luggage, so they didn't ask An Ran to take it out, and it wouldn't have been appropriate to ask.

From time to time, they could hear sighs coming from the eastern room: "What did I do in my past life to deserve this? Heaven is punishing us, this orphan and widow. My poor daughter hasn't even married yet, and people are already talking behind her back. Old man, you're enjoying your peace, but what about us?"

She wasn't annoyed with the two boys, but in those times, having two men stay in a girl's home, regardless of what happened or how pure their relationship was, would be seen as inappropriate by others.

Liu Feiyang heard this but remained silent.

Now, if he were to leave, he would be a thousand times unwilling. The saying "Let others talk while you do your own thing" was too exaggerated. His real thought was: "Go ahead, talk, I hope it becomes real."

Currently, the two had found a place to stay, but they needed to consider their livelihood. Spending money without earning it was not sustainable, and with the holiday, they couldn't find work. They decided that after the seventh day of the first month, they would find a restaurant to wash dishes and serve food, at least to sustain themselves.

After settling this matter, the next issue was the necessary expenses.

It was the New Year, and even if they couldn't buy themselves New Year gifts, they had to make the kang warm and the chimney smoke. The two tidied up and, seeing a sickle in the yard, picked it up and headed to the mountain behind. This mountain was part of their village, all connected. The only difference was that the village was at the foot of the mountain, about three li away.

They didn't feel particularly tired. On the mountain, they started looking for hazel rods, which are wild hazel trees. There were many of these, and the two began cutting them with the sickle. Each carried about a hundred pounds, which almost obscured them, a large bundle.

An Ran's family used coal for heating, but this luxury was beyond their means. An Ran had only two bags left, and there was a black mark on the ground in the yard, where the coal was broken and mixed with yellow mud to save on fuel.

God closes a door but opens a window, and this was true.

On the way back, the other boy chased a wild pheasant, which could be considered a New Year's gift.

When the two returned, An Ran had already come back with the medicine, which was traditional Chinese medicine that needed to be boiled. She was squatting in the kitchen, watching it.

Seeing the two come in, she turned and smiled, "You're back."

This smile made Liu Feiyang feel breathless, as if basking in a warm spring breeze. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, "Yeah, we're back!"

He wasn't a reserved person, but at that moment, he didn't know what to say next.

"Sis, look what we got," the other boy proudly held up the pheasant.

The pheasant was colorful and beautiful.

"Pheasant? That's amazing..." She smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Ran... come in, my back hurts, can you help me massage it..." the mother called from inside.

An Ran's expression changed slightly, possibly because her mother had already spoken to her about something. The content was easy to guess: keep your distance, no physical contact, and don't talk too much.

As she passed by, a pleasant fragrance wafted over.

"Bro, I know what you're thinking. Be honest, are you interested in Sis Ran?" the other boy nudged Liu Feiyang with his elbow and whispered mysteriously, "Sis Ran is a hot commodity anywhere. If you're interested, you'd better act fast, or someone else will get her first, and you'll regret it for life..."

"Get lost..." Liu Feiyang was a bit annoyed, "What do you know, you little brat? Hurry up and start the fire, I'll go to the market..."

"Hey, hey... don't look down on me. Do you know what I saw at Er Maizi's house a few days ago? Foreign movies, imported blockbusters..."

"I've seen Hong Kong movies too, start the fire," Liu Feiyang replied briefly and pushed the door to go out.

"It's different, those were two people acting, with instructions... all useful for when you get married!" the other boy retorted with wide eyes.

"..." Liu Feiyang left without a word.

Actually, he couldn't quite figure out his feelings for An Ran. In terms of their relationship, they were landlord and tenant; in terms of age, he was the younger brother and she was the older sister. He didn't know what "liking" or "loving" meant, as people at that time were very shy and avoided such words.

What troubled him now was the issue of how to address her. The other boy could call her "Sis Ran" without hesitation, but Liu Feiyang found it awkward to say, feeling it was inappropriate.

Calling her "An Ran" seemed too direct, while calling her "Ran" seemed too intimate.

He walked out of the alley with his hands in his pockets, went to the market, and bought firewood, rice, salt, and toiletries. Since it was the New Year, he also bought red underwear for himself and the other boy. He returned with a large bag of items and then went back to the market to pick out bedding, spending over three hundred yuan, leaving less than half of his budget.

He tied the bedding with a rope and carried it on his back. On the way back, he still noticed some strange looks, but it was almost dark, so there were few people around.

He walked happily, turned a corner, and just entered the alley.

"Ring, ring..." This was the clear bell of a Phoenix bicycle.

Liu Feiyang looked up to see five or six people on bicycles, wearing enviable high-necked sweaters, all looking at him with arrogance, disdain, mockery, and a hint of anger.