Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 431 Forked Road
Mo Xiaoshan stood at the door, staring blankly at his mother and the baby in her arms inside the house. He froze on the spot, unsure of how to react.

The younger siblings surrounded their mother, laughing and teasing the baby.

Perhaps sensing too much unfamiliarity, the baby's lips twitched, and it began to cry loudly.

The mother gently patted the swaddled baby, humming a local dialect to soothe the infant.

"Xiaoshan, here you go..." Li Ergou walked over, holding a carbon pen in his hand and handing it to him, a hint of flattery on his face. "I don't know what you want, but I figured you'd need something to write with since you're in middle school in the city, so I bought it for you while I was there. And let me tell you, it's pretty expensive, it costs forty-five cents!"

“I don’t need it, I have a use for it.” Mo Xiaoshan pushed him away and turned to go into the yard.

After taking a few steps, he stopped again.

My mother just gave birth, and she had a C-section at a hospital in the city. So, when I come home on my days off from school, isn't it specifically to visit my mother and...my younger brother?
If I were to turn around and leave like this, I fear I would hurt my mother's feelings.

Since his mother remarried Li Ergou last February, he has mostly stayed at school and rarely goes home to avoid the awkwardness of seeing her.

Even during the summer harvest, autumn harvest, and holidays, he stayed in "his own" home, helping "his own" family with farm work, rarely going to his mother's "new home," and never exchanging a single word with his stepfather.

Mo Xiaoshan leaned against the cedar tree in the yard, the rough bark digging into his back, and looked around the simple courtyard blankly.

The early summer sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on his gray-blue school uniform.

The baby's cries inside gradually subsided, replaced by the mother's soft humming.

He recognized the tune; it was a lullaby from his hometown. He vaguely remembered that his mother used to lull his younger siblings to sleep in the same way.

"Brother, you eat..." The six-year-old stepsister Er Ya handed over a piece of roasted bun, her eyes still showing a hint of timidity.

"Oh, I'm not hungry." Mo Xiaoshan waved his hand, ignoring her.

“Oh…” Er Ya turned around and glanced at her stepmother, her face showing a wronged expression.

"Hill..."

His mother's voice came from behind, and Mo Xiaoshan subconsciously straightened his back.

He slowly turned around and saw his mother standing there, leaning against the door frame.

Her face was still somewhat pale, and the stray hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to her skin. Underneath her loose, coarse cloth clothes was a figure that had not yet recovered.

But her eyes were bright, filled with a cautious anticipation.

“…Thank you!” Mo Xiaoshan’s heart softened, and he took the baked bun from Er Ya’s hand.

"Xiaoshan, come inside and sit for a while. It's tiring to stand outside." His mother smiled slightly. "I made some mung bean soup. You can drink it with your younger brother and sister later."

Mo Xiaoshan pursed his lips, and finally nodded.

As he passed by his mother, he smelled a faint milky fragrance.

Li Ergou had already gone out sometime ago, and his younger siblings were also gone, most likely running off to play. Only the infant in swaddling clothes lay quietly in the cradle.

Mo Xiaoshan noticed that the cradle was made of pine wood, with its edges polished smooth and rounded, unlike the rough wicker basket that sat in the corner of the house.

“Your stepfather specially asked Tang the carpenter in the village to make it,” his mother said, following his gaze, and handed him a bowl of water. “Tang the carpenter is very skilled; he even made a small bed for…Seventh Brother.”

Seventh one?

Mo Xiaoshan paused for a moment, then took the bowl, his fingertips touching his mother's rough palm.

He lowered his head and took a sip. It was sweet, with sugar added, which was a rare treat in the countryside.

"Is he... good to you?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Mo Xiaoshan regretted them.

This question is so naive and ridiculous!

The mother smiled, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes smoothing out: "Not bad. She knows how to care for people, is hardworking, and is very concerned about your younger siblings. After last autumn harvest, a six-month-old calf was added to the family, and in a couple of years it will be able to help plow the fields."

She paused, then continued, "Xiaoshan, I know you have something on your mind, but you have to move on. Your stepfather genuinely wants to be good to you, that pen..."

“Mother!” Mo Xiaoshan suddenly interrupted her, “I’m not a child anymore, I don’t need him to bribe me with small favors.”

"You child..." The mother sighed, wiping her hands on her apron, "I have something important to discuss with you."

She took a cloth bag out of a box and carefully opened it.

Inside was a stack of yellowed pages, which Mo Xiaoshan recognized as his family's household registration book.

“You’re sixteen now, almost seventeen, it’s time to arrange a marriage for you.” The mother’s fingers traced the household register. “A few days ago, I asked someone to go to the Sun family in Houtun to act as matchmaker. Their second daughter is a year younger than you, pretty, hardworking, and works at a soy sauce shop in the city, earning a little over two yuan and forty cents a month…”

Mo Xiaoshan slammed the bowl down on the table with a thud: "Mom, I'm still in school..."

"I know, I know," the mother said with a smile. "You'll be graduating next year, right? I was thinking you two could get engaged first, and then get married right after you graduate. You don't know, in Xinhua, women are rare and precious!"

"The Sun family has taken a few glances at you and thinks you're a good young man, so they've decided to marry you. The betrothal gifts aren't too high; if we pool our resources, we can barely manage to settle the matter. Otherwise, the Sun family's daughter might be snatched away by someone else!"

"Mother, I don't want to get married yet."

"You're talking nonsense, child!" the mother frowned. "Our Xinhua government has a regulation that every adult male can be allocated forty mu of land. If we go to Xinhua Bay or the Ziwu River area, we can buy an additional forty mu. You've studied for so many years, do you think that's a huge estate? Your father wouldn't even dare to dream of it back in the Ming Dynasty!"

A dog barking came from outside, which was quite annoying.

Mo Xiaoshan lowered his head and remained silent, staring at his calloused fingers, the result of holding a pen for a long time.

He recalled the thick books in the school library, the teacher's words that "knowledge changes destiny," the passionate words among his classmates, and the ideals he had once made.

"Mom, I want to go to university." He looked up. "My teacher said my grades are pretty good, and I can take the university entrance exam. I want to... give it a try."

The mother's face changed: "University? That's equivalent to the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty, not something ordinary people like us can get into!"

“Yes, that’s possible!” Mo Xiaoshan said confidently. “At Xinhua, regardless of identity, gender, or background, as long as you can get into university, you will be admitted and receive a certain amount of government student aid.”

"Huh?" The mother was stunned. "Even an ordinary farming family like ours can take the exam?"

“Mother, in our Xinhua, every citizen has the right to education, without exception.” Mo Xiaoshan’s eyes gleamed. “Moreover, studying is the only way for ordinary people like us to get ahead. As the ancients said, ‘There are golden houses in books.’ As long as we get into university, our whole family’s fate will be completely changed!”

"If I get into university, can I become an official?" the mother asked softly.

"..." Mo Xiaoshan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Yes!"

“But…” The mother’s face showed a troubled expression again, “If you go to university, it will take several more years. Then the family…”

“Mom, there are government subsidies for university education, so it won’t cost much over three years,” Mo Xiaoshan said. “Besides, after graduation, you’ll get at least ten yuan a month.”

"Ten yuan!" the mother whispered. "Wouldn't that add up to... several tens of yuan a year?"

"Mom, it adds up to more than a hundred yuan a year."

"Oh, over a hundred yuan!" The mother was stunned. "...More than we earn in several years of farming? Xiaoshan, are you kidding me?" "Mother, why would I lie to you..."

The baby in the cradle suddenly started crying, and the mother quickly went over, picked him up, and gently patted him to comfort him.

“Xiaoshan, it’s not that I don’t believe you,” his mother’s tone softened. “But you know our family’s situation. We have to raise six children, oh no, seven. No matter how capable your stepfather is… If you get married and get your share of the land, not only will you have hope for the future, but it will also ease the burden on the family a little. The Sun family’s daughter is really good…”

"Just like you marrying someone surnamed Li now, isn't that great?" Mo Xiaoshan said somewhat impatiently.

The mother's expression changed instantly, and the baby in her arms seemed to sense that something was wrong, and cried even harder.

Footsteps echoed in the courtyard. Li Ergou returned, sickle in hand, carrying a bundle of freshly cut grass on his back, his head dripping with sweat.

He looked at the scene inside and hesitated whether to come in.

He turned around and walked towards the cowshed.

"I'm going to pick some vegetables from the garden." Mo Xiaoshan suddenly stood up, the stool scraping against the ground with a harsh sound.

He practically fled the house, nearly bumping into Er Ya who was running back inside.

The vegetable garden is behind the yard, neatly divided into several rows.

Mo Xiaoshan mechanically picked a handful of vegetables, then plopped down on the ridge.

"Reading can not only change one's own destiny, but also change the face of our entire country."

"knowledge is power!"

"Knowledge is wealth!"

"Reading can broaden a person's horizons, allowing them to see more and further. It can also change a person's temperament and mindset. Knowledge makes it easier for a person to succeed!"

"..."

He recalled what his teacher had said in class, and his obsession grew even stronger. He gripped the bunch of greens tightly in his right hand.
-
"Husband..." Chunniang placed the baby in the cradle, returned to the bed, sat there in a daze for a while, and then nudged her sleeping husband with her arm.

"Huh?" Li Ergou was awakened, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong? Did the child wet the bed again?"

"Go to sleep." Chunniang leaned closer to her husband. "How much... savings do we have left?"

"Don't you know how much savings we have?" Li Ergou lay back down, tilting his head to one side, ready to go back to sleep.

"What if you have some hidden money?"

"You silly woman..." Li Ergou muttered, not arguing with his wife.

"Sigh..." Chunniang sighed, "Are we, the mother and children, a burden to you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting, you old hag?" Li Ergou turned around and said irritably, "I love you, I married you, so of course I have to support you and your children! What a burden! We live under the same roof, with food and drink, this life is much better than in the Ming Dynasty."

"Master..." Chunniang hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Xiaoshan, he..."

"It's nothing, the kid's just stubborn, still thinking about his dead father. I won't hold it against him," Li Ergou said with a smile. "No matter what, I'm the head of the family, and on the household register, he's my son. When I get old and can't work anymore, will he dare not take care of me in my old age?"

“That’s true,” Chunniang smiled. “However, the master…”

"Why are you always so talkative, wife? Don't you let people sleep in the middle of the night?" Li Ergou reached out and patted his wife's chest, muttering, "Tomorrow, we have to get up early to work in the fields, so we can't let this keep us from getting any sleep."

"No, sir, I have something to tell you." Chunniang's voice trembled slightly. "Xiaoshan... he wants to continue his studies."

"Then let's study," Li Ergou said, feeling the softness of her hand. "Isn't it that I won't graduate from middle school until next year?"

"After graduating from high school next year, he wants to go... to university."

"Huh?" Li Ergou stopped what he was doing. "University? That's the most prestigious school in Xinhua. It's not a place that just anyone can get into!"

"Xiaoshan said he wanted to give it a try."

"Oh, then I'll give it a try."

"Going to university costs money..." Chunniang's voice lowered, "Besides, he hasn't been able to help us these past few years..."

"That's true! Xiaoshan is almost seventeen, he's an adult now, and he can start living in his own household and getting his share of the land."

"He wants to go to university..."

Li Ergou fell silent.

"Husband, have I made things difficult for you...?" Chunniang felt extremely guilty.

She's almost seventeen years old, and still needs to be supported by others; that's really unreasonable.

Moreover, Xiaoshan is his stepson.

Li Ergou suddenly sat up, then jumped off the bed and rummaged through the cabinet to find a wooden box.

"What's this for?" Chunniang asked, puzzled as her husband opened the wooden box and took out several credit union deposit slips and a handful of coins.

“Our family’s savings are all here, a little over thirty yuan in total,” Liu Ergou said softly. “I’m thinking of selling your house and yard over there, which could get us forty or fifty yuan. That would be seventy or eighty yuan, which should be enough for Xiaoshan to go to school for a few years.”

“Then let’s…” Chunniang felt a lump in her throat.

“We still have land, don’t we? We can always make some money every year. With the government’s birth and food subsidies, our family of nine will never go hungry. By the way, during the winter off-season, I can go with the men in the village to the West Coast or the Qinglan Peninsula (now the Olympia Peninsula in Washington State) to hunt for furs, which can bring in quite a bit of money.”

Chunniang turned her face away, tears falling onto the quilt, leaving dark circular stains.

“Silly woman, why are you crying!” Li Ergou sat on the edge of the bed, put his arm around his wife’s shoulder, “Xiaoshan is my son. If he’s successful, I’ll have face too. Just you wait and see, if Xiaoshan really gets into university, our family will be rich! In the future, our whole family will enjoy the good life.”

"How do you know that if Xiaoshan gets into university, our family will prosper?" Chunniang asked, leaning against her husband's chest, her voice trembling with emotion.

Do you know Deputy Township Head Wu from Maoxi Township?

"Ah."

“He’s a scholar who came from that management university,” Li Ergou said softly. “Think about it, he’s only twenty years old, and he’s already the deputy township head, in charge of more than a dozen villages and thousands of people. I reckon that in a few years, Township Head Wu will definitely become the county head, and maybe even climb to a higher position.”

"You mean, our Xiaoshan could become a township head or a county head someday?"

"Hehe, even if they can't become officials, are they afraid that a kid who comes out of university won't make a lot of money?"

"Husband, you mean..." Chunniang gently hugged her husband's neck, "...support Xiaoshan in taking the college entrance exam?"

"Go take the exam!" Li Ergou suddenly felt a burning sensation in his abdomen, and his hand once again slipped inside his wife's clothes. "When he becomes successful, he can't forget his old man!"

Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting two intertwined shadows onto the wall.
-
(End of this chapter)