Chapter 49: The Pitiful Hearts of Parents All Under Heaven

  Walking on the small road in the campus, beside the canteen's small road, the dim yellow streetlights emitted a faint glow, a small insect flew tirelessly around the light, this light was relatively weak, and the surroundings were still somewhat dark.

  Liu Meng took out his mobile phone to make a call home, usually making one call per week. Today he got the money and was very happy, so he wanted to share it with his parents.

  The phone was answered quickly, and it was my mother who picked up. She first asked Liu Meng about the Northeast, whether it was very cold, and reminded him to wear more clothes, put on the down jacket they bought at home as soon as possible, eat well, and not to save money by starving himself.

  A child travels a thousand miles, and the mother worries. All mothers are like this. Liu Meng's mother nagged on and on, and he patiently listened, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two. His heart felt warm and fuzzy as he said with a smile: "Mom, it's actually not cold at all in Northeast China now that schools have started heating. I was even wearing long sleeves today, and it's really not much different from home."

  "You kids are just showing off, the heating is on and you're still saying it's not cold. Your father and I have been checking the weather forecast for Ice City every day, it says the lowest temperature is almost zero degrees Celsius every day, after a while, it will be minus thirty degrees Celsius, if you pee outside, your little chicken will freeze to death, so be sure to pay attention to keeping warm." The mother was still nagging and reminding them again.

  Liu Meng nodded repeatedly in response to his mother's special entrustment, feeling very embarrassed.

  The father on one side hastily reminded the mother to finish her conversation and hang up quickly, as it had already been nearly five minutes, and long-distance calls were expensive.

  His mother repeatedly said yes, and then hurriedly instructed a few more sentences, again and again instructing him not to urinate outside. Liu Meng had no choice but to agree again and again. His mother was about to hang up the phone when Liu Meng hastily said: "Don't worry, every time you're in such a hurry, I just subscribed to a new package, long-distance calls are only 1 yuan per minute, which is even cheaper than domestic calls."

  "Can't be too good to be true, don't get cheated!" Mother was a simple and honest rural woman, who had never left Suishui City for decades. She heard from fellow villagers who worked outside that there were many scammers out there, so she hastily warned Liu Meng, "You're new here, don't get cheated."

  A 17-year-old child suddenly ran so far away, and as parents, they were always worried at home.

  Look at you, rambling on and not getting to the point. Father complained and quickly took over the phone, saying: "Xiaomeng, in school, learning is the top priority. Don't be stingy with money, spend it where needed for studying, but don't waste it either. Strive for good grades. The village rarely produces a university student like you, everyone's watching and expecting you to achieve something and do some good deeds for your hometown, got it?

  Liu Meng felt a lump in his throat and was also moved. This is what parents are like, raising him with hardships and bitterness, previously, he had been studying all along, from university to PhD, no matter how hard or tired his parents were, they always supported him to continue his studies.

  Before that, although Liu Meng had been self-sufficient since his graduate student days and no longer asked his family for money, the money he earned, apart from his living expenses, was all used to purchase equipment and set up a personal laboratory. He really never gave his parents a penny or bought them any gifts.

  At the thought of this, my nose suddenly turned sour and tears welled up in my eyes. These are my parents, who have never expected any return or reward, but have selflessly given their all. Our family's few acres of land can only bring in 5,000 yuan a year, even with good weather conditions. If there is a flood or drought, the cost of seeds and fertilizers will be lost, and we'll be lucky to make 3,000 yuan for the year. And yet, this family has raised three children, and I was able to go all the way to earning my Ph.D. The hardships they endured are beyond imagination.

  But his parents never complained about their hardships in front of him, every time they returned home, they always thought of ways to make delicious food for him, add some nutrition, and didn't let him do anything, hurriedly preparing to slaughter chickens, buy meat, and wrap dumplings.

  How to repay parents' kindness!

  The first 23,000 yuan he earned, Liu Meng had already thought it out, first giving his parents 10,000 yuan, so they wouldn't be so frugal.

  At the thought of this, Liu Meng couldn't help but interrupt his father's instructions and said excitedly: "Dad, I'm studying hard in school and I'll definitely get a scholarship, 2,000 yuan per semester. I can earn my living expenses myself. Besides, didn't I write something during summer vacation and upload it to the internet? Many people read it and the website bought it for 30,000 yuan. I'll transfer 10,000 yuan back home tomorrow."

  "What?! You're getting paid that much for writing those things? Are you doing something bad?! Let me tell you, in school, you're just a student, studying is your main job, don't think about other things, don't get distracted. If you don't have enough money, just tell your family."

  When his father heard that his son had earned 30,000 yuan, he could hardly believe it. This was equivalent to the income of their hard work at home for six years, which was a huge sum of money.

  "Why cheat you? Your son has made a name for himself, aren't you happy yet? From now on, just wait to enjoy the blessings." Liu Meng continued.

  "The son has earned the money, why don't you believe it? The child has been honest since he was a kid and would never cheat. This is a good thing." The mother had been listening all along and scolded him, unhappy with his questioning of the father.

  Mothers always find it easier to unconditionally believe in their children.

  "Honestly, Mengzi, those thieving and cheating things are absolutely not allowed. We should earn our living with genuine skills, not by being deceitful." His father still had some doubts in his heart, this son had only been at school for two months, yet he had earned so much money.

  "Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely earn money with my own hands and brain, every penny is what I deserve." Liu Meng replied firmly.

  "That's great, that's great! It's really your grandfather blessing from above. Later, I'll go burn some incense money for him. Your grandfather will know you're doing well and he'll be very happy too." Father's dark face revealed a joyful smile, it was even more delightful than eating the finest delicacies.

  "Mengzi, you'd better keep the money you've earned yourself. In the future, you'll be settling down in a big city and your dad and I won't be able to help you much. Even when it comes to getting married, you'll have to rely on yourself. I saw on TV that marrying a wife is very expensive nowadays. Your dad and I are doing fine at home, we don't lack food or drink, so there's no need for you to send us money."

  "Mother took over the phone and said, 'Still take learning as the main priority, this is the right path, don't work too hard on part-time jobs, pay more attention to your body.'"

  It took almost an hour to hang up the phone, Liu Meng looked at the starry sky, tonight's sky was exceptionally clear, even the moon was shining with a soft glow, sprinkling on the windowsill.

  Before the bed, bright moonlight, I wonder if it's frost on the ground. Raise my head to gaze at the moon, lower it to think of home.

  Taking a deep breath, facing the starry sky, Liu Meng muttered firmly to himself, "Father, mother, I will definitely let you live a good life, and I will also make you proud of me."

  The mid-term exam is coming soon. Liu Meng made a firm decision to achieve an exceptionally outstanding result, an unprecedented result, and make a name for himself in one battle.

  Father hung up the phone, hastily pulled some grass stalks, went to a small shop to buy a pack of paper money, and went to the grave. After returning, he squatted at the crossroads in the village entrance, smoking an old pipe, with a smile all over his face, even more happy than eating dumplings in a year of famine. Passersby greeted him, "Liu Ying's dad, why are you squatting here smoking? You look like something good happened at home."

  Liu Meng's sister is called Liu Ying, who is the eldest in the family, a common practice in rural areas of central China.

  His father knocked on the dry tobacco rod and smiled: "Xiao Meng, that kid is promising. He has been in school for less than two months and has earned 30,000 yuan, which is equivalent to our farmers' income for six or seven years. It's really worth it to read books."

  Someone laughed and said, "Well, you can just wait to enjoy the good fortune now. Tomorrow Xiaomeng will have a great future, he must let him repair the road from our village to the town. On rainy days, it's impossible to walk, and everywhere is muddy."

  His father replied firmly: "That's for sure. If that little rabbit doesn't do something practical for the villagers in the future, I'll be the first to disagree."

  The newcomer flattered him for a few sentences and left.

  Before long, another person walked by, Village Head Liu Yonggui, who strolled over with a carefree air, puffing on a high-end filtered cigarette. Seeing Father squatting there with a somewhat gloomy expression, he said: "Yunsheng, what are you doing sitting here smoking that old dry tobacco at such a late hour? Come, I have some good cigarettes here, take one and give it a try, you usually can't even afford to smoke."

  Liu Yonggui handed him a cigarette, and his father Liu Yunsheng took two puffs of the dry tobacco, waved his hand, and wiped the smile off his face. "I won't smoke anymore, this is high-grade stuff, I'm not used to it, you'd better keep it for yourself. If I want to smoke something, just say so, our family's kids will all buy it for me."

  "What's the big deal, having a college graduate at home is so arrogant! Yunsheng, I'm telling you, now college graduates are everywhere, and it's hard to find a job after graduation. Even if they do find a job, they only make around 3,000 yuan a month. Our village's big company hired several college graduates this year, including one from a famous university. Let alone your family's situation, Liu Meng is still a poor student, I'm afraid you can't even afford the tuition, and yet you're buying him cigarettes? Don't brag too much, or you'll get tongue-tied." Liu Yonggui fully demonstrated his village leader level of speaking.

  In the village, the one who didn't get along with Father Liu Yunsheng was Liu Yonggui. The two were about the same age and had been at odds since childhood, neither yielding to the other.

  Liu Yunsheng was diligent and hardworking when he was young, but unfortunately his family was too poor to afford education. He later joined the army and achieved some success in the troops, but unfortunately, he coincided with the troop's downsizing and was laid off due to lack of cultural knowledge, so he returned to his hometown.

  This also strengthened Father's belief in cultivating a college student for life, and he had suffered from being uncultured all his life.

  After returning to the village, it happened that the old village chief retired. At that time, my father and Liu Yonggui were in charge of village affairs together. Liu Yonggui was a cunning person who knew how to flatter and curry favor with others. He colluded with the village accountant and squandered public funds on lavish spending. My father often criticized him for this, but eventually, he was isolated by Liu Yonggui and other village officials. In anger, my father resigned from his position.

  "Hmph, my son is no ordinary university student. He's only been at school for less than two months and he's already earned 30,000 yuan. He wanted to send me the money, but I refused. I'm not worried about food or drink, what would I need that money for?" Liu Yunsheng argued with wide eyes, his forehead veins clearly visible.

  "Haha, I won't argue with you either. Let's just see how things go. My son's company made over 10 million in sales this year. Yesterday, I told him to fix the road in our village, and unexpectedly he agreed right away. He said that when the time comes, he'll name the road after me. You say this kid is so filial! Forever, when you walk on that road, be careful not to get hurt!" Liu Yonggui laughed loudly as he walked over.

  Liu Yunsheng glanced at his mouth and said disdainfully, "Go ahead, with that kind of big shot, it's only 10 million, a shell company, something to curry favor with the town head."

  Father always squatted until the moon sank to the west before going home, his belly was hungry and growling, but he didn't feel it at all, still happily puffing on his dry tobacco pipe.

  The night in the countryside is quiet and noisy, with sparse farmhouses closing their lights early to sleep. The surroundings are quiet and deserted, with only a few remaining lights emitting a dim glow. The village is surrounded by farmland, where insects chirp and birds sing, creating a melodious and picturesque scene.

  The next day, despite his parents' repeated refusal, Liu Meng still sent 10,000 yuan back home.

  He took some time out and also bought a gift for Cheng Fei and Min Ran to send over, as a thank you to the two sisters for buying him clothes. After doing all this, Liu Meng felt very satisfied.

  Money may not be omnipotent, but having no money is absolutely impossible. Since money can bring happiness to family and friends, it's hard-earned and meaningful.

  Filled with unprecedented vigor, 300,000 was earned, and 3 million is still far away? Liu Meng believes that it's absolutely not far off.

  。。。。。。。。

  Working hard outside, take care of your body. When you have time, go home and visit often; when you don't have time, make a phone call frequently. Time is cut off but kinship remains.

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