Chapter 92

Cheng Jemin could tell that his brother, who had not yet married, was already in charge of the household. In the eyes of their parents, he was the pillar of the family. After the meal, his brother took an axe and went to chop firewood.

"Brother, have a cigarette." Cheng Jemin looked at the Hongtashan cigarettes in his brother's hand but did not take them. Instead, he smiled and said, "I've seen this brand on TV; a pack is almost as expensive as half a bag of grain. You should give them out on the street. It's a waste to smoke them at home."

As Cheng Jemin spoke, he took out a Jinzhong cigarette from his pocket, threw one to Cheng Jemin, and lit it with relish.

His brother's frugality made Cheng Jemin's nose tingle. Back then, his brother had given him the chance to go to school, which was almost the only way to leave this land. Since then, their fates had been completely different. This exceptionally intelligent young man now worked from dawn till dusk, his sweat falling in drops, and he was so thrifty that he would split a penny into two! In a few years, his brother would be just like their father, a genuine farmer!

Thinking of this, Cheng Jemin's eyes moistened. He quickly lit the cigarette and took a deep puff to hide his emotions.

It had been a long time since he had smoked such low-quality cigarettes. Cheng Jemin was choked by the first puff, causing a violent coughing fit and blurring his eyes.

"Don't smoke if you're not used to it. This cigarette is a bit harsh and strong!" Cheng Jiguo saw his brother coughing and tears streaming down his face, and hurriedly said.

"Brother, I need to talk to you about something."

Cheng Jiguo was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."

Just as Cheng Jemin was about to speak, he heard someone shout, "Jiguo, come out for a moment!"

Cheng Jemin instinctively looked in the direction of the voice and saw Tian Hua standing not far away, tall and graceful.

Cheng Jemin had always had a good impression of this very beautiful girl. When they were young, whenever her family had something good to eat, she would always bring some to his house. The most memorable time was when she had brought a jar of pork and vermicelli stew in a canning jar, which she had packed in her schoolbag. The aroma of the meat and vegetables had made the two brothers dizzy... In their impoverished lives, having such a kind and benevolent girl paying attention to them made him feel infinitely warm. In a sense, Tian Hua was like his own sister.

"Brother, Sister Tian Hua is calling you. You go over first." Seeing his brother hesitate, Cheng Jemin pushed Cheng Jiguo hard.

Cheng Jiguo hesitated for a moment, then threw down the axe and walked over to Tian Hua with large strides. Cheng Jemin watched the two figures and suddenly had a desire to eavesdrop. The two did not have much contact, and they quickly parted after a brief conversation by the short wall.

When his brother returned, he chopped firewood even harder. Cheng Jemin's heart ached, and he had a bad feeling.

"Brother, what did Sister Tian Hua want?"

"Nothing much. I'm going to the convenience store to buy some salt for our mother. I'll talk to you when I get back."

Cheng Jiguo put down the axe and picked up the clothes on the ground. Watching his brother's back, Cheng Jemin's heart tightened. He understood his brother's pain, just like when he had seen Gu Xixi's mother.

No, Xixi and he still had hope for the future, but what about his brother? Was he planning to break up with Sister Tian Hua?

"Big Brother Cheng, Big Brother Cheng..." Just as Cheng Jemin was splitting the last piece of firewood, a somewhat childish voice called out from outside the door.

Cheng Jemin opened the door and saw a little girl panting as she ran in. He recognized the girl; she was Tian Hua's younger sister, Tian Yu. In the past, Tian Yu and her sister were always following him around in the village. After a year, the little girl had grown taller.

"It's you, Little Yu. What brings you to see my brother?"

"Big Brother Jemin, when did you come back?" Tian Yu asked happily.

"Yesterday. It's been a year, and Little Yu has grown into a big girl. How's your studies?"

"Um, I got a double hundred on my exams during the break!" Tian Yu's big eyes twinkled as she asked anxiously, "Is Big Brother Jiguo not at home?"

"He went to buy something. Is there something you need?"

"Well... Well, my father just invited Uncle Cheng to our house, along with Uncle Er and others. There are a lot of people. I heard my mother say that they are going to decide on Big Brother Jiguo and my sister's marriage today." Tian Yu said, worried, "Big Brother Jiguo is not at home, what should we do?"

Cheng Jemin's mind raced. He understood: Tian Jiaxing was forcing his father to make a decision.

If his father went, the Cheng family's reputation and his brother's happiness would be at stake. He couldn't let his own brother be looked down upon by others!

Without much thought, Cheng Jemin said, "Little Yu, you don't need to look for my brother. I'll go with you."

Tian Yu looked at Cheng Jemin, who had a prominent nose, mature, and confident, and her little heart trembled. For a moment, she even thought that Big Brother Jemin was more handsome than the stars in the posters.

"Okay, I'll go back." Tian Yu turned and ran. The sensible child knew that she couldn't help much with such a big matter at home, so she quietly went to inform her sister.

Cheng Jemin quickly returned to his room, took a small bag, and walked briskly toward Tian Jiaxing's house.

Tian Jiaxing's living room was already full of people, and the table was set with tea. The new black-and-white TV was on, and a singer was energetically singing "A Fire in Winter."

"Brother Jiaxing, now that you have this one, you don't need the 14-inch one anymore. Why don't you sell it to me? It's a waste for me to run to your house every day to watch, and it uses your electricity!" A man in his forties joked.

Tian Jiaxing threw a cigarette to the man and said, "Brother Three, you're too late. The small TV was taken by my sister-in-law's nephew as soon as it arrived."

"Oh, just a step too late!" The man regretted.

Just as they were talking, someone called Tian Jiaxing. He waved to the men in the room and said, "Everyone, have some tea. I'll go out and greet them."

"Uncle Three, why did Uncle Tian call us all here today?" A man in his thirties asked while smoking.

The man next to him, in his forties or fifties, with dry, cracked hands, peeled off a callus and said casually, "What else? It's about the marriage of the eldest daughter!"

"The eldest daughter is getting married? That's great news, but I wonder which lucky guy is marrying our village's golden phoenix."

"You've been working as a carpenter for so long that your head has turned to wood!" The uncle glanced at the young man, "Ergui, you're not as well-informed as your wife."

"Ergui, what's really going on?" the young man asked, puzzled.

"Yesterday, Old Tian talked to Brother Xigui and agreed to marry his daughter to his eldest son."

"Oh, it's Jiguo. That's a good match; Old Tian is really open-minded this time!" Ergui took a deep puff of his cigarette, "When they get married, I'll make their furniture extra nice!"

The uncle frowned and looked at Ergui, "You're really a blockhead. Do you think Old Tian, who is so shrewd, would let Tian Hua marry a farmer?"

"If he doesn't want it, what's the point of all this?"

"Old Tian told Xigui that Tian Hua will start working in the county after the New Year. He has already bought the land, and your family needs to build the house. Do you think your family can do it?"

Ergui, who knew the Cheng family's situation, sighed, "Uncle Xigui's house is drafty and cold. This is really putting him in a difficult position."

"Old Tian is waiting for him to back out!"

Ergui smacked his lips, "Then... Uncle Xigui's face will be really damaged..."

Cheng Xigui, hunched in a corner, was smoking silently. The cigarette in his hand was almost a stub, but he didn't notice.

At that moment, someone said, "Uncle Er, you're still so strong. Have a cigarette."

"Brother Xigui, I heard Jemin stayed in the province and became an official. Tsk, tsk, you see, education really makes a difference. When you go home, give Jemin a message. I bought two fish for the family." An old man sitting next to Cheng Xigui said enviously.

At this moment, Cheng Xigui was both happy and worried. He was happy that his second son had made it, but he felt even more guilty about his eldest son. If they had had the means to send both sons to school, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

As the host, Tian Jiaxing's eyes were on Cheng Jemin, who was surrounded by people. The young Cheng Jemin, in his attire and demeanor, was different from the other young men in the village. No, even compared to the young men in the county, he stood out. It was great that Cheng Xigui had such a son! He had heard that the second son of the Cheng family was assigned to the Water Resources Bureau. Oh, if only his own son could be half as good.

Thinking this, he became even more determined to have his daughter marry into the city.

"Oh, Jemin is back. When did you return?" Tian Jiaxing pushed aside the people next to him and smiled at Cheng Jemin.

Cheng Jemin smiled and handed Tian Jiaxing a cigarette, "Uncle Tian, I came back last night."

"From Tianyuan City, it takes a whole day to get here, right?" Tian Jiaxing looked at the cigarette Cheng Jemin handed him, feeling even more jealous. This kid's cigarettes were even better than his! He had seen this brand, Hongtashan, at his brother's house, and it cost about 21 yuan a pack.

Just starting his career, he's already putting on airs. But, you're still shallow. How much money do you have to fill that big hole in your family?

"It takes a day from Tianyuan City, but I came from Cangliu County, so it only took half a day."

Tian Jiaxing, a sensitive person, was surprised to hear that Cheng Jemin came from Cangliu County. "Did you go on a business trip to Cangliu County?"

"No, the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department selected a group of young cadres for agricultural support. I went to Cangliu County."

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