Back to my 1980s

"Brother, when are we going?"

As soon as they finished eating, Zhao Ru urged them to hurry up.

Zhao Hua went inside, put the money in the drawer, and looked speechlessly at Zhao Ru who was following behind him, saying, "What's the rush? We just finished eating. I've been casting nets all morning, I'm exhausted. I'm going to rest for a bit."

Zhao Ru pressed further, "When will you be done resting?"

After putting the money away, Zhao Hua turned around and looked at the girl behind him. The fifteen-year-old girl still had a touch of naivety in her eyes and brows, but her eyes were soft and sweet, and her nose was small and delicate. She was beginning to show the makings of a beauty.

The only flaw was her short, ear-length hair. A while ago, my mother heard that someone was coming to the village to buy hair, so she dragged my younger sister to sell her hair. A good braid can be exchanged for more than ten yuan, which is not a small amount of money. How could my mother give up this income?

The hairdresser was a ruthless peddler, only interested in cutting hair long and even. Even if we agreed on how he wanted it cut, he would change it as soon as he took the first snip. I was happy to take the money, though I would just complain a few times.

My younger sister was left alone at home, looking at her short, dog-chewed hair, and cried for several days in despair.

Having grown accustomed to her younger sister's long, flowing hair in her previous life, she felt a pang of sadness looking at the wispy strands in front of her: "Next time, grow your hair out properly; long hair looks better."

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Zhao Ru was taken aback, and her eyes began to redden slightly again.

Zhao Hua realized she had made a mistake. If she cried, she wouldn't be easy to comfort her. She couldn't just tell her to drink more hot water right away...

He quickly changed the subject, saying, "I went to town the other day and saw some Dacron dresses in the textile shop. They looked so pretty. It's getting hotter and hotter, so they'd be perfect for you. I'll take you to buy one when I earn more money."

The effect was indeed remarkable. Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru completely forgot about her hair. Her eyes lit up, and she clutched the hem of her clothes, fidgeting with her hands as she said shyly:

"You're really buying it for me? Won't people laugh at me if I wear that out? I've never seen anyone else wear it!"

"Nonsense, why are you making fun of me? They're all dressed in drab clothes. They'd be envious of you if you wore a pretty dress, and my little sister would look amazing in it!"

Seeing Zhao Ru's shy and hesitant demeanor, he found it strange, chuckled, and waved his hand, saying, "Go and prepare what you need to bring. I'll lie down for a bit longer before we set off."

"Okay!" Zhao Ru smiled, turned around and left.

After resting for a while, Zhao Hua felt it was about time, so he got up to call Zhao Ru.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Zhao Ru and her mother squatting by the door, cleaning up the IOUs from that morning.

Hearing the noise, the two turned around at the same time and said, "You're up? Aren't you going to rest a little longer?"

"Shall we leave now?" Zhao Ru asked.

Zhao Hua nodded and said, "Yeah, that's about it. Go early and come back early; it's not safe to go too late."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru got up and ran to wash her hands. Zhao's mother also got up to help tidy up her things and reminded Zhao Ru, "Be careful on the road with your brother."

"Yes, Mother," Zhao Ru replied, wiping her hands casually on her clothes after washing them.

After getting ready, he led Zhao Ru out the door.

The two walked along the dirt road towards the river, and soon arrived at the riverbank. They untied the rope, led Zhao Ru onto the boat, and headed straight for the desolate island.

I was scared off this morning, and now that it's daylight, I'd better go and get my revenge.

Zhao Hua rowed the small boat, while Zhao Ru, bored, put her hand into the water, enjoying the splashing water on her palm.

He whispered a reminder to be careful not to fall, but didn't pay any more attention, because if he were in the cabin, he would want to do the same thing...

Half an hour later, the two arrived at the desolate island. Zhao Hua docked the boat, and Zhao Ru looked around, then asked Zhao Hua with a puzzled expression, "Brother, why are you stopping here? Are you going to stand on the shore and cast your net?"

Zhao Hua couldn't possibly tell her that he had come looking for trouble because he had been intimidated; that would damage his illustrious image.

He casually replied, "Go up and take a look. I put the traps here today. I don't plan to take them back to dry in the future. They attract too much attention. If it's suitable upstairs, I'll dry the traps here from now on."

Zhao Ru was also here for the first time. Feeling both excited and a little timid in the new environment, she asked, "Should I come with you?"

Zhao Hua nodded and said, "Let's go together, you have nothing to do here." After saying that, he got off the boat first.

When Zhao Ru heard her brother say that, she thought it made sense. Besides, she was also a little curious about what the desolate continent looked like, so she got off the ship and followed him.

Zhao Hua pulled Zhao Ru up the earthen slope. After Zhao Ru stood firmly, he let go of her hand and looked around. The feeling of looking around during the day and at dawn was indeed different.

In the early morning, it was so dark that it was hard to see clearly, but now it's much clearer.

There was an iron sign next to it that said a certain section of the Qinghe River. There were too many words, so I only glanced at it to know what it meant and didn't read any further.

Although Zhao Hua only has a primary school education and hasn't been paying attention in class, he still knows quite a few characters.

Looking at the masterpiece he'd left behind that morning, feeling guilty, he hastily smeared some paint on it with his foot to avoid his sister noticing anything amiss. He then turned to Zhao Ru and asked, "Do you want to come with me and take a look, or wait here?"

Zhao Ru found her brother's actions a bit strange, but didn't ask further. She said, "Let's go. It feels like someone used to live here."

Zhao Hua nodded and led Zhao Ru forward.

Zhao Ru shrank back, jogged forward, grabbed Zhao Hua's clothes, and followed closely behind.

At the edge of the desolate island stood a few willow trees, which looked quite old, with wrinkled bark. They were surrounded by reeds, and behind the reeds, the center was full of hard, yellowish-brown mud.

A small pile of sesame stalks was neatly stacked on the ground, the bottom of which had begun to rot, and it was unclear how long it had been there.

The simple wooden house was dilapidated, with part of the thatched roof collapsed. It must have been occupied by someone before, but it was now abandoned.

The two had only taken a few steps forward when they stepped into a pile of half-dried sesame stalks, and Zhao Hua suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Don't move!"

He gave a low shout and turned around to shield Zhao Ru tightly behind him.

Zhao Ru held her breath in fright and followed his gaze.

In the tangled weeds ahead, a short, stubby, brownish-brown body was curled up, its dark spots blending into the soil and making it almost invisible unless you looked closely.

Its triangular head was slightly tilted back, staring coldly at the two of them.

It's a spotted snake.

Zhao Ru's face turned pale.

Everyone in the countryside knows that this thing is very poisonous. A bite can cause swelling and pus discharge at best, and even death at worst.

Moreover, this thing doesn't hide from people. If you get close to it, it will stay still and curl up in place, just staring at you. Only when you get close enough will it suddenly open its mouth and take a bite.

It bites and then suddenly releases its grip and runs away. Unsuspecting victims can't find the culprit after being bitten. It's very cunning. This is the only highly venomous snake in the Shuanghuai Village area.

Zhao Hua stared at the spotted snake in front of him. Without any suitable tools in his hand, he could only protect his younger sister behind him and slowly back away. He inadvertently turned around and saw Zhao Ru's pale face, which was filled with fear.

Anger welled up inside him. After escorting his younger sister to a safe area, he looked down, picked up a large rock at his feet, and smashed it hard at the snake.