Which way to go is the road?

In the North China Plain, a touch of green exists even in winter: winter wheat. Planted and sprouting in October, it then lies dormant and endures the harsh cold, waiting for spring to arrive and present everyone with a stunningly green sight.

However, this year's drought, with only one snowfall before the Lunar New Year, has caused many of the wheat seedlings in the fields to develop dry leaves due to lack of water. The remaining green is gradually losing its luster, resembling children with tears in their eyes, crying for food.

"No, we have to irrigate the fields. The soil moisture is too poor. If this continues, the yield will definitely decrease!" Xiang Yusheng went to check on the wheat field in the morning and came back with a worried expression.

Zhang Xiue, who farms and always listens to her husband, poked her head out of the kitchen while cooking, wearing an apron and holding a ladle: "When are we watering?"

"I'll clean up the tractor and deliver the water hose this morning, and then I'll go this afternoon!" Xiang Yusheng took a cloth and went over to wipe the dust off the tractor.

"It's not even the fifteenth day of the lunar month yet, and relatives might still be coming to visit. Are you really going to water the fields now?"

"What's wrong with the fifteenth? The fields are so dry, who can sit still at home? Let the relatives come, you stay home, let Xiang Fei come with me to water the fields!" Xiang Yusheng's idea was sound, and most people couldn't persuade him!

Xiang Fei's family has fifteen mu of irrigated land. If they were to irrigate each mu individually, it would take at least a week. In that case, they would have to spend the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the wheat fields.

"Do we have to water them all?" Zhang Xiue asked timidly.

"The soil moisture is poor in the north area, let's water that area first! We can wait until after the fifteenth of the lunar month to water the others, let's just wait until after the fifteenth!" Xiang Yusheng planned.

In the morning, Xiang Fei helped pack up various tools and warmed the family's beloved tractor with hot water. The tractor had been idle all winter, and the machine was hard to start when it got cold!

Whenever Xiang Fei was home, it was his job to crank and drive the tractor, something he started doing almost as early as sixth grade. Xiang Fei developed early; back then he was already over 1.7 meters tall, quite robust, and strong!

After having an early lunch, Xiang Fei went to the tractor. He released the throttle, held the crank handle with his right hand, lifted the depressurizer with his left, put all his strength into his right hand, cranked faster and faster, and then suddenly released the depressurizer, and the tractor started to chug.

The farmland to the north was a bit far from the village. It took Xiang Fei half an hour to drive the tractor there. Then, it took him less than an hour to install the water pump parts at the well and lay the water supply hose.

When huge sprays of water gushed out from the water supply belt, Xiang Fei and his father beamed with joy.

The work of changing the water inlet for irrigation was done by the father, Xiang Yusheng, while Xiang Fei was responsible for looking after the tractor, adding some cold water when the water in the tank boiled, and otherwise just spacing out.

Daydreaming in various scenarios—amidst the churning noise of a tractor; beside the spray of water from a hole in a water hose; in an endless wheat field; ...

Actually, "daydreaming" is just an outsider's immediate impression. For me, it means I'm lost in thought—just a few days ago, I was working as a network administrator and reading in an internet cafe in Kyoto. Now, I'm in a vast wheat field under the open sky. The stark contrast and the completely different environment create a very strange feeling.

Imagine bringing those familiar people from Kyoto into this environment, or planting your parents and sister into that world—it would be completely out of place, no one would be used to it, and it's not realistic.

But why can't they? They're all human! It's just that their backgrounds, educations, and the people they interact with are different. These factors determine the jobs they do, the lives they face, the emotions they possess, and all the other resources they have.

Wait, let's think about it from the other side. How can someone from the countryside have the abundant resources that Qian Luomei and Zhang Fang possess? We can't change our birth, so the only things we can change are our education level and the people we meet. Therefore, rural people, especially those from impoverished backgrounds, can only change their fate by working on these two aspects, thereby changing their lives.

Some might say that different jobs can change one's life trajectory! That's true, but what determines a job? It's still about education and connections, as we've mentioned before. Even if you become an apprentice at a car repair shop, you first need to get to know the master, gain their trust and support, before you can achieve anything!

In the evening, Xiang Mei rode her bicycle to the field to deliver food—dumplings, stir-fried cabbage, and shredded potatoes.

"Brother, let's eat! Look, your favorite dumplings, and stir-fries... Oh no!" Xiang Mei's gentle voice suddenly exploded.

Xiang Fei rushed over: "What happened? Did you lose something? Or are you injured?"

"No, it's just, it's just..."

"What is it? Just tell me!"

"I was in such a hurry that I forgot to take my chopsticks!" Xiang Mei said with a pained expression, looking innocent and apologetic.

"What's the big deal? Don't make a fuss, it's fine if you didn't bring it!"

"But how do you eat? It's okay to eat dumplings with your hands, but how do you prepare vegetables? You eat with your hands too, it's so unhygienic!"

"People from rural areas can't even handle this small problem? They have absolutely no life experience!"

Xiang Fei walked to the roadside, bent down a locust tree branch, broke off two small twigs about the thickness of chopsticks, removed the bark from the bottom, and held them in his hand, forming what looked like a pair of chopsticks.

Xiang Mei looked at him with admiration: "Brother, you have so many ideas! How come I didn't think of that?"

"You're so silly! Otherwise, why would I be the older brother and you be the younger sister!"

Having shown off his skills to his younger sister, Xiang Fei was quite pleased with himself. Feeling hungry, he used his homemade chopsticks to pick up a dumpling and put it in his mouth. However, he accidentally licked the tip of the chopsticks, and a look of pain appeared on his face.

"What's wrong, brother?" Xiang Mei asked with concern when she saw him like this.

"It's alright, locust tree branches taste a bit bitter. It would be better if there were elm trees nearby; elm branches are sweet, just like elm seeds!"

"I'll go find you some elm branches!" Xiang Mei volunteered.

"Just make do! It'll be tough, it won't kill you. By the way, Xiang Mei, how's your studying going these past six months? You haven't fallen behind, have you?"

"I haven't fallen behind, but I'm feeling down and don't really want to go!"

Xiang Fei laughed upon hearing this: "You're such a little devil, talking like an adult. And you're even upset? What are you upset about? Are you in a puppy love relationship?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? You're so annoying!" Xiang Mei turned her face away, her face flushed with embarrassment!

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. So what are you sad about? Tell me, and I'll see if I can help! You have your high school entrance exam this summer, you can't afford to be distracted!"

Hearing her brother's words, Xiang Mei snuggled closer to him affectionately: "Brother, I don't really want to go to school anymore either. Our parents work so hard, and you're earning money too! I'm the only one who gets to eat for free!"

"If you don't want to go to school, what do you want to do?" Xiang Fei frowned immediately upon hearing his sister's words.

"I'm going to work! I heard it's easy for girls to find jobs outside, and the wages aren't bad! That way I can buy lots of clothes and eat all kinds of delicious food!"

"Xiang Mei, if you dare to drop out of school, you won't have me as your brother! And you won't have me as your sister either. What are you thinking about all day? Just wanting to eat and wear whatever you want? You might as well drop out of school and get married. Let your in-laws buy you whatever you want to eat. Let me tell you, if you drop out of school, your life will be ruined! Ruined!" Xiang Fei threw his chopsticks into the lunchbox, stood up and roared at Xiang Mei.

This scolding brought tears to Xiang Mei's eyes, who had always been pampered by her older brother. She remained silent, her shoulders heaving, her face full of grievance.

After a few seconds of silence, Xiang Fei sighed and reached out to hug his younger sister to his chest: "I didn't mean to scold you, Xiang Mei. You need to be sensible. For a family like ours, the only way out is to go to university. I have no hope left. I hope you can make a leap forward and have a bright future! Don't just think about the present; those little pleasures will ruin your happiness for the rest of your life!"

Xiang Mei wiped away her tears and hugged her brother, saying, "Brother, I understand. I was being unreasonable just now. I'll listen to you; I'm determined to get into university!"

Before we knew it, darkness fell, and a few stars appeared out of nowhere, hanging in the night sky, carrying the hopes and blessings of the rural people for a bountiful harvest.