20 years of restarting life

Chapter 3739 Like a Bride

"These people really know how to appreciate beauty, building houses among the cliffs."

Ye Yiyi watched with delight and said enviously, "This is truly a paradise on earth. If I were a photographer and captured these beautiful scenes, I would definitely win an award if I named it 'Houses on the Cliff.'"

"It's beautiful, but it's too dangerous. I wouldn't dare to live here. But they've probably been used to it since childhood, and it's like walking on flat ground."

Wang Yu watched as an old farmer led a water buffalo by the hand and held a bamboo pipe in the other, leisurely puffing out clouds of smoke as he walked along a narrow path on one side of a cliff that was dozens of meters deep before reaching the next slightly flatter step.

With a pounding heart, she said, "I can't even imagine what would happen if they slipped or got a leg cramp."

"I never expected that such a beautiful view was hidden here!"

Fan Chufei sighed.

"Why don't they build houses on it, since it's so flat?"

Qi Xuan'er said in confusion, "Climbing up and down is so troublesome and unsafe. Sometimes when we buy furniture or something, it's hard to move it."

"Because the land above is precious, it is the source of food, clothing, social gifts, and other necessities for each family throughout the year, as well as the source of various agricultural contributions."

Lin Xiaojie said calmly as she walked towards the roadside cliff a little distance from the car.

Zhao Chang'an noticed that she had already placed the white faux fur shawl in the car, and was wearing a striking red cheongsam with high heels and her hair in a bun, looking like a bride on her wedding day.

At this moment, all he could see in his field of vision were wheat fields and mountains on the left, a road leading to a more distant west, and cliffs and a vast plain on the right. In the late winter and early spring of this vast world, only her dazzling red stood out, striking and eerie.

Zhao Chang'an's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pretended to be nonchalant as he followed her, talking to her to distract her: "This is only a temporary predicament. With economic development, these families will all leave the mountains and live a better life."

"Really? Yes."

Lin Xiaojie asked and answered questions until they reached a roadside cliff.

About 30 meters below this cliff, there is a house with a courtyard wall made of various sizes and shapes. The courtyard wall is covered with cacti, and the roof of the house is built on a sloping slate of small and large stones, with cacti randomly planted on it in broken pots and buckets.

The courtyard was bathed in the warm and tranquil light of the setting sun. On a clothes rack made of bamboo poles, several pieces of clothing hung: a red and white school uniform, a vest that looked like it belonged to a girl, and a few small pink and light yellow cotton underwear.

Zhao Chang'an had sharp eyes and noticed the school badge on the chest of the school uniform, where the four characters "Pengzhou No. 1 Middle School" were woven in red thread.

Today is Saturday. Zhao Chang'an guessed that the girl in this family must be a senior in high school. Only senior high school students start school on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Today is the end of the Lunar New Year, which happens to be a long weekend for them to go home.

"So these people are now seizing every opportunity to climb up the social ladder by any means necessary. They don't feel guilty at all, even if they step on others. They only think that they are smart and others are stupid, and that they deserve to be deceived, stepped on, and bullied!"

Zhao Chang'an didn't understand the logic behind Lin Xiaojie's words. On the contrary, he thought that these mountain people might all have their own cunning, but this was all for the instinct of survival. However, in essence, these people were all simple, honest and law-abiding.

“Like this family, see that No. 1 Middle School uniform hanging there? It’s not easy for a girl in a family like this to finish junior high school. After junior high, she would stay at home to farm and help the family earn money, and then find a husband and receive some dowry.”

Lin Xiaojie.

“What you’re talking about is that there are many children in the family, and they can’t afford so much tuition and living expenses, plus the ignorant idea of ​​favoring boys over girls. If it’s just an only child, and there’s not so much favoritism towards boys, and the girl is good at studying, it shouldn’t be difficult.” Zhao Chang’an.

“Even if a girl gets good grades and her family doesn’t discriminate against girls, the cost of three years of high school is not low. The tuition for one semester at Pengzhou No. 1 High School is 550 yuan, which is 1,100 yuan a year. There’s also the cost of buying pens, notebooks, meals, and transportation. One mu of land can produce 700 jin of rice a year, which is 350 yuan. Land is precious in the mountains, and a family only has two or three mu of paddy fields. You can do the math yourself. And that’s just high school. University tuition is generally 2,000 yuan a year, and food is even more expensive.”

Lin Xiaojie said with a sneer, "Although I only earn 360 or 370 yuan a month, it's equivalent to the income from one mu of land, not even including the cost of seeds and fertilizer. Although in your eyes, 360 yuan is not even worth the price of a bottle of wine, it's a lot of money for some people."

“You can work part-time while studying. Explain your situation to the school, and they will arrange some things. Since your family is poor, you should study even harder and get a scholarship. Although it will still be difficult, you can always make it to graduation.”

At this moment, the people in the house downstairs heard the barking of dogs and the sound of people talking, so they came out of the house. It was an older woman and a girl of about sixteen or seventeen wearing a cotton-padded jacket.

The woman and the girl both turned around and looked up. There was an old face covered with wrinkles and a weathered, sallow complexion, and a pretty face that was delicate and youthful, full of vibrant pinkness.

Zhao Chang'an saw her and waved to the villagers below who looked like a mother and daughter. Although the girl was wearing bulky cotton clothes and trousers, which made it difficult to see her figure, she was much prettier than Lin Xiaojie. It's true that beautiful birds often come from deep in the mountains. Of the six women on his side, if we disregard temperament and figure and only consider appearance, only Qi Xuan'er and Fan Chufei could beat her.

This girl is still under eighteen years old. If she grows up a bit more after she turns eighteen, she will be able to catch up with Li Shiya's level.

However, the mother and daughter below did not respond to Zhao Chang'an's wave. They just stared straight up. Suddenly, the girl called out hesitantly, "Is that Sister Xiaojie?"

"They know each other, is this an excuse to visit relatives and relax?"

As Zhao Chang'an was thinking, he heard Lin Xiaojie say softly.

“I am the reason she was able to go to high school.”

"Boom!"

Zhao Chang'an's heart skipped a beat as he thought of her red bridal cheongsam.

He suddenly looked at Lin Xiaojie standing next to him and saw her take a small step forward, like a beautiful red flower falling downwards.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Chang'an grabbed Lin Xiaojie's legs and forcefully pulled her back.

"what!"

Only then did the incredibly beautiful girl below cry out in shock.

Zhao Chang'an looked at Lin Xiaojie, whose eyes were tightly closed and whose face was ashen. Her delicate body was as limp as a wet noodle when he pulled her back and held her in his arms without moving.

And because of the girl's scream below, which attracted more barking, dozens of households on the cliff came out of their houses to watch, realizing that they could no longer stay there, so as not to cause greater harm and damage to Lin Xiaojie.

Without saying a word, he picked up Lin Xiaojie and walked towards the car. Qi Xuan'er and the others, who were shocked, didn't know what was going on and stared in surprise at Lin Xiaojie in Zhao Chang'an's arms.

One of her arms was in Zhao Chang'an's arms, while the other hung limply.

(End of this chapter)