In that ice-covered era, on a cold Chinese New Year's Eve, our family had just moved to the county seat for the New Year. My twin sister and I were playing outside, and despite the freezing cold, we were still in high spirits building snowmen and having snowball fights.
Suddenly, I noticed a lonely, thin boy staring at me, thinly dressed and out of place in this cold season. I sensed his loneliness and helplessness, so I pointed at him and motioned for my mother to notice him.
When his mother saw him, she immediately asked him with concern why he was going out alone and offered to take him home. The boy shook his head gloomily and did not speak. I feel distressed, maybe he's mute, right? He was silent for a moment, then suddenly hugged his mother and cried loudly, his voice full of sadness and despair. He told us that his name was An An, that his parents died unexpectedly two years ago, and that he was now living with a timid uncle and a grumpy aunt. His life was difficult, he often had to eat the last meal without the next, and he had to endure the scolding and beating of his aunt.
Hearing this, a trace of sadness and anger flashed in my mother's eyes. She comforted An An and asked him why he ran away from home alone, and learned that his uncle's family went to his aunt's house for the New Year, leaving him alone at home, he couldn't help but want to see the excitement outside, so he sneaked out of the house.
When Dad came over, he sighed and asked, "Have you eaten dinner?" He shook his head.
Although our family's economic situation is not very good, my parents always leave the best for our three sisters, and we are never short of food and clothing.
An An, at a young age, has to live a life under the fence, and is bullied by her aunt, which is really pitiful.
Thinking about it, my eyes moistened.
I held An An's hand and said solemnly, "Don't worry, my sister will take care of you from now on and will never let you starve." ”
Mom came out of the kitchen with a big bowl of rice in her hand and put it on the table, asking An An to eat it quickly. An An may have been so hungry that she almost gobbled it up, and quickly ate all the rice in her bowl.
Mom asked him if he wanted to add some more food, and he shook his head and burped to the laughter of our family.
After eating, his father asked him what his plans were.
He said in disappointment, "I don't have any plans, I have nowhere else to go except my uncle's house." ”
There was a smell of sadness in the air.
In the end, Mom and Dad took An An home, and I followed them.
We arrived at Uncle An's house, and they just came back.
Seeing us send An An back, his uncle thanked us awkwardly.
An An's aunt was displeased, and her face was full of dissatisfaction with An An.
I couldn't take it anymore, my fist was already clenched, and I wanted to beat her.
My mom gave me a look and motioned for me not to cause trouble.
I pouted before I let go of my fist.
Mom and Dad exchanged a few words with Uncle An An and prepared to leave.
As soon as we walked to the door, An An's aunt stopped us, and her attitude suddenly changed, and she seemed a little flattering.
She said: "You can send An An home, which shows that it is also a kind of fate. If you wish, we can give you an an adoption. ”
Mom and Dad didn't speak, and Uncle An An came over to apologize and said, "She's joking, don't mind." The road is slippery on a snowy day, so be careful to go home. ”
As we walked out the door, I heard a familiar voice and turned my head to see that it was An An.
He trotted all the way over, his face flushed from the cold, and he panted and said, "I'm glad I caught up." ”
Child, what's the matter? Mom asked softly.
He shook his head, nodded again, and suddenly took out a greeting card from behind him and handed it to his mother.
He said with some embarrassment: "Thank you uncle and aunt for taking me in and sending me home today, this is a greeting card I made myself, I wish your whole family happiness." ”
With that, he left in a hurry.
The greeting card is noticeably rough compared to the quality in the store, but the handwriting is upright and powerful, and it is clearly written with care.
On the way home, we were all silent, and occasionally I could hear my mother sigh once or twice.
After three days of careful consideration, my parents decided to adopt An An. I was skeptical about this decision, after all, my family was not wealthy, but my parents didn't say it, and I didn't want to ask too much.
Uncle An An thought about it for a few minutes and agreed to let An An go home with us.
Dad put forward an additional condition, no matter what happened, An An's uncles and aunts could not come to him and could not make demands on him.
An An's aunt readily agreed.
I remember when my parents proposed the idea of adopting An An, she was so happy that her eyebrows fluttered.
After An An followed us home, he was a little nervous at first, but with the love of his parents and my company, his smile gradually increased.
I have a cheerful personality, and I have a lot of fun with the children around me not long after I first came to the county, and I can be said to be the king of children.
The day after An An came to our house, I didn't hesitate to introduce him to my friends.
Perhaps because he was an outsider, my friends didn't seem interested in him. I tried to introduce it, and they went about playing on their own.
I was about to say something, but An An stopped me, "Feifei, you go play with them, I'll just watch you from here." ”
Back then, we all loved to play marbles and jump bands. Since I love to play, I ignored him.
Since then, he has been sitting quietly by himself watching us play.
Until one day, a child two years older than us came nearby, the family had a little money, he was a little bully, very unreasonable, always robbing us of things, we refused to play with him, he started to beat people.
Once, I was playing with a couple of girls, and he wanted to join us, but we wouldn't let him, and he went home angry.
After a while, he brought a tool and cut our rubber band while we weren't looking.
We blamed him, but he looked dismissive, saying that whoever told you not to let me play, I will cut it once you see me in the future.
I angrily shouted to him, "You cut our rope, hurry up and make compensation, or I will let you walk around without food." ”
He didn't seem to take my words seriously, but was even more triumphant.
I was angry and motioned to the two girls next to me and we went up together.
Perhaps it was the disparity in power between men and women, and the three of us were quickly defeated against one. In the midst of the fierce struggle, I felt some pain in my forehead, as if I had hung up the lottery.
I'm ready to exert myself again, and I must make sure that he will retreat.
At this time, An An suddenly ran over and said with an anxious face: "Feifei, you stop and let me come." Hearing his words, I immediately stopped.
At this time, An An was like a returning king, with a dazzling light on his body.
However, I can't help but have a hint of concern about his physique, although he looks thin, can he really fight?
Perhaps sensing my concerns, he cast a trusting look at me.
Despite being short and slender, An An's fists and kicks were unambiguous, and he beat the kid who bullied us into obedience in three or two strokes, and he was unscathed, which made me stunned.
This brawl can also be regarded as a battle for An An's fame, and he won a group of little fans and henchmen.
With the daily relationship with us, An An gradually integrated into our circle and became more and more cheerful.
Mom saw the change in him and showed me a lot of appreciation.
I finally mustered up the courage to ask the question I've been wondering about: "Mom, why did you adopt An An in the first place?" Is it because the neighbor said that he adopted a son to maintain the family image? ”
In those days, especially in the countryside, families wanted to have a son, and without a son, it would be difficult for the family to move an inch.
My mom only gave birth to three of our sisters, and after giving birth to twin sisters, her health became so bad that doctors even said it was almost impossible for her to get pregnant again.
Therefore, my mother suffered a lot of criticism and ridicule in her hometown, and even almost caused her parents to divorce.
In order to escape these pressures and maintain the harmony of the marriage, Mom and Dad decided to move to the county seat.
Although life in the county looks a little better, it's still tough.
Dad didn't have much education, so he could only earn money by working as a coolie, and there was a brick factory nearby, where he worked as a brick porter.
Every time Dad came home from work, he was exhausted and exhausted.
My mother, on the other hand, was unable to go out to work because she had to take care of our three sisters, so she had to raise pigs, chickens and ducks in the basement to barely support the family.
Therefore, the burden of the whole family is on the father alone.
The family was already having a hard time, and my mother had to divide the penny into two flowers, and now there is another mouthful, isn't this even worse?
The mother pondered for a while, and then said: "Actually, it's just out of pity, that child lives in that kind of family, destined to be destroyed, your father and I are also parents, my heart is really sad, and one more person is just one more responsibility, difficulties are always temporary, we will be patient and will get over." ”
After listening to my mother's words, I felt very guilty in my heart, because I had misunderstood my parents.
For many years after that, my parents treated our four sisters equally, but because An An had an honest personality, my parents had a special love for him, because my mother was always worried that he would be bullied by me.
It is often said that it is the mother who knows her daughter the most, but this is not the case, and my bullying of An An is just a joke.
I like to go out and play freely, especially after my two younger sisters go to school, my mom has a job and is so busy all day that she doesn't have time to worry about me.
As a result, I was basically unsupervised, and sometimes I would forget my homework or what my mother had told me, and only An An would immediately understand what I meant to do it.
I was busy with my homework in my room.
When my mom came home from work, she saw that the room was neat and clean and gave me a thumbs up.
I glanced at An An with some humility, but he had a calm expression, and I was relieved.
Since my mother started working, the meals at home have been prepared by An An.
Originally, my mother asked me to do something, but because I accidentally broke several plates, my mother was greatly affected and finally gave up.
At this time, An An spoke: "Auntie, let me come, I used to cook at my uncle's house." ”
Actually, I know that my mom doesn't necessarily want anyone to cook, it's just that because I'm too naughty, my mom wants to teach me a lesson.
Please An An has also become a good helper for me, I know I can't mess around anymore.
An An has always stuck to his ideas, and every night after finishing his homework, he tries his hand at cooking in the kitchen, and unexpectedly, his cooking skills gradually improve.
I may have been a little jealous, but I couldn't help but praise him for his performance.
An An is not only good at cooking, but also has excellent academic performance, from elementary school to high school, he always comes out on top, becoming the pride of his family.
Although there was an accident after the college entrance examination and the family's financial pressure became heavy, An An's decision to almost give up her studies made her family feel very moved.
An An once said: "Uncle and aunt, please stop arguing." I can skip school and work to earn tuition for my sisters. ”
These words made the parents teary-eyed. The father apologized to his mother and promised to make money from now on, and the mother also forgave the father, and the family was reconciled as before.
An An eventually successfully entered the university, not only applying for student loans and work-study, but also reducing the burden on her family through hard work and scholarships.
After graduating from university, An An successfully joined a listed company in Shanghai, where a portion of her monthly salary was used to support her family and promised to cover her sister's tuition.
Although his parents felt sorry for his hard work, An An insisted that it was his responsibility.
In my sophomore year, we went back to our hometown to mourn my grandmother's death. Although An An did not need to go, she insisted on participating in the funeral as a family member.
However, after the funeral, there was a little contradiction in the family, and the aunt blamed her mother for trivial matters, and her words were stimulating. Seeing this, the father tried his best to defend his mother.
The situation was tense, and my father suddenly fell to the ground, his hands on his chest, and he was in pain. I panicked, and my mother was in tears.
This scene shocked us and made our hearts ache.
An An called the medical staff with an expressionless face, without panic.
Before his father was rushed to the hospital, he had a few words with his aunt, and that conversation is still unforgettable.
He said in a calm tone, "I hope you can sincerely pray that my uncle will be safe." If something goes wrong with him, I will hold him accountable at all costs, even if it takes everything. And, on the question of whether there is an heir in our family, from now on, I will be the child of my uncle and aunt. I will do my best to take care of them in their old age. ”
His words were sonorous and powerful, and they shocked all who had any contempt for our family.
I looked at him and felt the powerful aura emanating from him.
Fortunately, the father was sent to the hospital in time without irreversible consequences.
I have been graduating for three years, when my father was diagnosed with uremia, and the whole family, including An An, had a matching test, but no one was successfully matched.
Fortunately, after two months of waiting, my father finally waited for a suitable kidney source. For his father's **, An An took out all his savings, even including the funds he was going to start a business with his friends.
Because of his father's illness, he had to cancel his appointment with his friends.
My father felt very guilty, but An An said, "For me, my family is always the most important thing. Everything else can be restarted, but the family cannot be lost. ”
For the sake of his father, he took a month's vacation from the company to accompany his father through the operation period and take care of him before and after.
Mom said with emotion: "It was An An who supported our whole family. ”
Yes, over the years, the family has experienced a lot of challenges, and An An has always been at the forefront to protect our home. It's really hard to imagine what our family would be like without him.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, An An has spent 24 years at home.
Today, he has become a successful entrepreneur with a caring wife and lovely children, and can be said to be a winner in life.
I'm happy for him.
Over the years, we have truly become a close-knit family, who takes on the responsibilities of son and brother and cares for everyone in our family.
In a few days, 2024 will be ushered in.
In the new year, I wish my brother's company prosperity, growing old with his sister-in-law, and peace and happiness with his nephews and nieces.