Chapter 124: Chapter 124: The Three Musketeers
It was still chilly in the spring, and there were few people on the road in the morning. From time to time, red firecracker debris could be seen on the roadside, and there were also some young children under school age running out from the roadside blocks, wearing new clothes and holding a box of firecrackers in their hands. Whenever they saw someone passing by on the road, they threw one on the ground, and they laughed when they saw the passers-by get scared.
When Feng Yiping saw this, he really wanted to buy a box and have some fun. When he was little, he never had the chance to play with such high-end toys. He didn't know if they were available back then, and even if they were, his family could probably not afford them.
Today is the ninth day of the first lunar month, and whether they like it or not, everyone has embarked on the journey back to school. Along the way, you can see many boys carrying their luggage on one shoulder while carrying their schoolbags on the other shoulder. Only the girls are carried by their fathers, who carry their luggage while sending them to school.
Feng Yiping and Wang Changning rode their bikes, carrying a bunch of things with them, but they weren't heading for school. They turned off halfway to Xiao Zhijie's house. It was really not easy to ride a bike uphill. Feng Yiping's bike was okay, at least it was a mountain bike, but Wang Changning's old-fashioned 28-inch bike with a single front wheel was hard to push.
Xiao Zhijie must have been waiting in front of the block since early morning. When he saw them arrive from afar, he told a small child next to him and came down to help them push the bicycle.
'Have you gained weight again?' Feng Yiping asked, looking at his plump cheeks and not quite sure.
'No, I'm just wearing more clothes,' Xiao Zhijie denied.
'If you keep getting fatter, you're not the one who should worry, it's Zhang Qiuling who should worry!' Wang Changning said quietly, which made Feng Yiping laugh out loud and give him a thumbs-up.
Xiao Zhijie gave him a mock kick with a smile.
When they arrived at the grain drying field in front of the village, Xiao Jianping had already placed a long string of firecrackers on the clothesline by the side of the field, and as soon as they approached, they started to crackle and pop.
'Just leave the car here, the path into the village is not easy to walk on.' Xiao Jianping helped them take the things from the car.
They didn't stay long at his house, just eating an apple and a bowl of dumplings. After a short rest, they were busy again, carrying things outside.
The main reason they came today was not to pay New Year's visits, but to help Xiao Zhijie move house. He had spent the whole of last semester trying to persuade his family and teacher Wang to move in with Feng Yiping, and finally they agreed.
On the back of Xiao Jianping's bicycle were a few boards, and he carried the heavy luggage on his bicycle. Xiao Zhijie, on the other hand, was a little embarrassed to be pushing a bicycle behind him. Feng Yiping and Wang Changning couldn't help but laugh when they saw this, even though Xiao Zhijie's parents were nearby. The bicycle he was pushing was a women's bicycle.
Luckily, the colour of the bicycle was still a very masculine black, otherwise they would really have to ask Xiao Zhijie for the money to fix his tooth.
It's true, with his short, fat legs, riding a bike like Wang Changning's, with its upright frame, he can only pedal standing up, and he really can't reach the seat.
His mother kept on giving him instructions all the way to the road's edge, and Xiao Zhijie was quite impatient. With a face of joy at finally being free, he said, 'Mom, I'm going first, you go home early too,' and rode off, leading the way.
Feng Yiping said, 'Auntie, don't worry, we'll take care of ourselves. We're not far apart, and Uncle Di also knows the area, so it's convenient for you to come over when you have time.'
'I know, I feel at ease when I have you with me,' her mother said, but she pulled up her sleeve and wiped her eyes.
'Oh, what's there to worry about? He doesn't live at the same place as you, he's at school. I've told you before, the three of them living away from home are doing better than at home. You go back, I'll have lunch with them,' Xiao Jianping said.
When they passed the school gate, the three of them sped past, afraid that the teachers would see them and catch them. On the first day of school, there were always a lot of things to do.
Amidst Wang Changning and Xiao Zhijie's unusual laughter, Feng Yiping left the three of them behind and went to Lin Hui's house to pay New Year's visits.
He was afraid that his uncle was waiting at home knowing that he was coming. From Meijiawan, they also learned about Feng Zhanchang and the others' situation. Uncle asked a few questions and was quite emotional. Originally, those of them who worked for the public sector were not only respected, but also had a good income.
Nowadays, more and more people are making a fortune outside. In contrast, the salary he received a few years ago seems laughable.
Auntie confirmed the news she had heard from Feng Yiping with her own ears and was very happy for his family. She kept saying, 'It's finally good!' freewebnøvel.coɱ
Lin Hui was listening very carefully. Her father was also considered a capable person, but she wasn't sure about his exact income. She estimated that the salary and other income, mainly other income, added together, would be a few thousand yuan at most in a year, which was not even as much as Feng Yiping's family earned in a month.
Having just left Xiao Zhijie's house, Feng Yiping really couldn't eat anything. In the end, his aunt forced a large bag of fruit on him.
He got on his bike and was about to leave when Lin Hui rushed out of the house with a bag. 'Yiping, wait for me, I want to go to your place and take a look too.'
What's there to see at my place? But it's not good to refuse either.
Lin Hui jumped onto the back seat of the bike, put her arm around his waist without any sense of awkwardness, and said loudly, 'Let's go.'
Although Feng Yiping had been born twice, it was the first time he had ridden a bike with a girl. Although he and Lin Hui were only about the same age as brother and sister, after all, they were both adults. Whether Lin Hui had a boyfriend or not, he had to be careful.
So he rode very carefully, more carefully than when he later drove a car. He really listened in all directions and watched in all directions, for fear that if he wasn't careful, he would encounter something unexpected and suddenly brake, causing Lin Hui on the back seat to slam forward, making Lin Hui mistakenly think that he had some kind of evil intent, which would be bad.
So he had a hard time riding for a while, and in the cold weather, he even broke out in a sweat. When they finally arrived downstairs safely, Lin Hui looked at his sweaty face and said, 'You're still in such bad shape!'
Hey, Feng Yiping didn't bother to argue, just shook his head and took the lead towards the upstairs. Lin Hui caught up with him and said, 'Yiping, what do you mean? Do you think I'm heavy?'
Seeing the way she held her school bag, Feng Yiping dared not say anything. 'No, you're quite light. I ate a lot at Xiao Zhijie's house this morning, and just now I ate some fruit at your house, so my stomach is full and I can't exert myself.'
'Really?' Lin Hui was obviously quite satisfied with his answer, but she wanted to smile and confirm.
'Of course, when it comes to such important issues, I always speak my mind,' Feng Yiping said with righteousness.
With Lin Hui joining in, the lunch meal became even more lively. Lin Hui was probably of average intelligence, but she did have a high emotional quotient. A few words from her were enough to bring her closer to the others.
Taking advantage of the three of them reuniting for the first time today, Xiao Zhijie clamoured for a name, which was quite the trend at the moment. When he said this, everyone was interested except Feng Yiping, and they all offered suggestions, but they were all quite average.
For example, Xiao Jianping said, 'The Three Treasures of Liangjiahe,' which was obviously teasing them. There were also other self-praise words like 'The Three Heroes of Liangjiahe' and 'The Three Jie,' which were full of arrogance, and 'The Three Friends' and 'The Three Talents,' which were literary and elegant.
When Feng Yiping was asked, he also smiled and casually said the word 'The Three Musketeers,' without knowing which string had been played wrong. However, they unanimously voted for it, and it was too late for him to regret it.
In the internet age, many words have been corrupted by everyone. For example, words that sound the same as the word 'cheap' tend to lean towards the 'cheap' direction. He had just thought of this quite funny, and it slipped out when he wanted to.
Well, he successfully made himself the youngest 'cheap' person among the Three Musketeers.