Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Chapter 122: Live Like a Human Being

"Be sure to call me when you need anything!"

Aunt Wang didn't chat much with Yang Chaoyue. Seeing Yang Shimin sweeping the yard, she went straight in and chatted loudly with Yang's father.

You can clearly hear Aunt Wang's loud exclamation:

"Five thousand yuan a month? And meals and accommodation included!"

"Huang Lei signed this for you? Wow! Yueyue is talking to celebrities now."

"Oh my god, on TV! Really? I'd like to take a good look."

Aunt Wang's loud voice was filled with both surprise and delight.

In the village, being on television is equivalent to passing the imperial examination in ancient times.

Within a week, the news would spread throughout the entire Wanggang Village.

"Seven or eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. Yueyue was only this short back then, following me around digging for crabs. Now he's so successful!"

Not a moment later.

I saw my father seeing Aunt Wang off.

My father is not good with words, and he speaks softly.

Yang Chaoyue could feel that his father's bent back had straightened, and his smile was full of pride: "I haven't asked this girl much; she earned it all herself."

My father served in the military and has an introverted personality.

Saying such things sounds humble, but in reality, it's the father showing off to the fullest extent.

It turns out that I can also be a source of pride for my father.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I suddenly felt that my father looked a little younger at this moment.

A dozen or so dried Qingchuan fish hung on bamboo poles in the yard, their eyes sun-dried to a grayish-white color.

The fish mouth was spread open and straw was stuck in it.

We arrived at the crooked willow tree.

Yang Shimin rode his motorcycle out to buy groceries and cook a nice meal to entertain Jiang Yang.

Yang Chaoyue explained the purpose of the wishing tree in Wanggang Village: "Write your wishes on red strips and tie them to it."

"Will it work?" Jiang Yang took the red slip from Yang Chaoyue.

"Sincerity is key, it works very well. I write down a wish every year, and it usually comes true."

"Is it real or fake? What's the format?"

Yang Chaoyue led Jiang Yang to the east side of the willow tree, where there was a small cluster of red strips, all written by Yang Chaoyue before: "You need to write the time, name, and age after your wish. You can see what I wrote."

Jiang Yang reached out and gathered them up, arranging them in order. The words on the first strip of cloth were written crookedly:
[Wanting a doll—Yang Chaoyue, 5 years old, 2003.]
"He could write when he was 5 years old."

"My mother taught me this when I was little."

Jiang Yang asked Yang Chao, "Did it work?"

"I actually did it! I didn't have money to buy a doll, so I drew a stick figure doll on the wall with firewood, and I drew the ears bigger than the head." Yang Chaoyue covered his mouth and laughed.

The writing on the second red strip was still crooked and messy:

[Don't let the ancestors find out I stole the sustenance candy—Yang Chaoyue, 7 years old, 2005.]
"You dare to steal the sugar offered by our ancestors? You're really ruthless."

"You've never stolen a bite?" Yang Chaoyue asked.
“I’m much tougher than you. I’ve been stealing food since I was four years old.”

"You're only 4 years old and you dare to do this? Aren't you afraid your ancestors will be angry?"

Jiang Yang laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Our ancestors have already tacitly approved it, and besides, I wasn't a three-year-old child back then."

Next, look at the third red bar.

[I fought with Wang Niang's daughter and lost. I want to beat her next year. — Yang Chaoyue, 9 years old, 2007]
"Did they win afterwards?"

"Can not remember."

Make a few jokes.

Yang Chaoyue laughed loudly.

Looking at the contents of these red strips, it's as if I see my former short and naive self growing up rapidly.

Some of my past wishes were so naive.

It's ridiculous, yet I miss it.

A northwest wind swept through the dried fish in the courtyard, making a clicking sound as the fish tail bones collided with each other.

A duck's quack could be heard from time to time in the reeds.

Next, let's look at the fourth red stripe. Not every year's red stripe remains intact on the willow tree.

Some were blown away by the wind, while others were soaked and corroded by the rain and slid off.

The handwriting on the fourth red strip is significantly neater, and it reads:

[I've been urinating blood all day. What should I do? I won't die, will I? I want to live a good life—Yang Chaoyue, 11 years old, 2009.]
"Oh ho, did that wish come true?" Jiang Yang glanced at Yang Chaoyue.

It was obvious that Yang Chaoyue's face was flushed: "It didn't happen. The person standing next to you now is Yang Chaogui."

She laughed and said, "It was my first time getting my period back then, I didn't know anything about these things. I thought it was a terminal illness and I was going to die... Let's not look at this anymore, let's move on to the next one."

Just finished speaking.

Jiang Yang's phone rang; it was Wang Jun calling.

It's probably about Yang Chaoyue's contract and some points to note.

Jiang Yang went to the side to answer the phone.

Yang Chaoyue then flipped through the red slips at the back.

So far, it seems that all the wishes on the red strips have come true.

I want to know what wishes I wrote on this wishing tree after I turned 11, and whether they came true.

I used to just write it down and that was it; I never actually looked at it.

I watched it again this time when I was praying with Yang Ge. I found it very interesting. It felt like watching myself grow up.

The next red slip of paper had very faint writing, which could only be made out with careful reading. Yang Chaoyue slowly read it aloud: "Mom and Dad..."

I've only managed to utter two words.

Suddenly realizing what he had written back then, his throat tightened, and he swallowed the words in his mouth.

The red note read: [My parents have been arguing a lot these past two years, and it seems like they're really going to get a divorce this time. I hope they won't. — Yang Chaoyue, 12 years old, 2010]
Yang Chaoyue felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

This wish was not fulfilled.

I thought my mother didn't want me anymore, and I cried until my voice was hoarse.

I gradually accepted it later.

It's not that my mother doesn't love me; it's just that she can't get along with my father. Even after the divorce, she still cares about me.

Let's continue reading.

[I've become obedient and sensible. I won't scribble anymore, and I won't steal candy anymore. Now I'm a good child in the eyes of adults. I want my mother to come back—2011, Yang Chaoyue, 13 years old]
Yang Chaoyue pinched the end of the red strip with his fingers, his knuckles turning white.

I've now adapted to being in a single-parent family; the real struggle was with myself back then.

He smiled and continued reading.

[My mother got married and had a new child. My mother really doesn't want me anymore. I hate my mother, I hate her newborn child, and I really want her to come back. — Yang Chaoyue, 14 years old, 2012]
Yang Chaoyue smiled bitterly.

Despite the hatred, she still longs to be loved.

Longing and hatred tug at each other repeatedly throughout the night.

What were you thinking at the time?

I remember now, in the two years right after my parents divorced, there was hatred mixed in my longing for my mother.

As I grew older, I gradually came to understand.

My mother didn't stop loving me just because she got divorced; she was just not suited to be with my father, which led to a bad marriage, and all that was left in our lives were numb arguments.

After her life settled down, Mom started taking care of herself.

Separation does not mean the end of love.

Children from single-parent families learn to be strong.

Tear off all three red strips.

Make peace with your past self.

Understand your parents' choices and accept the imperfections of life.

She wouldn't show Jiang Yang the unfulfilled wishes.

She didn't want Jiang Yang to see the dark side of her past.

They were also afraid that if Jiang Yang saw that his wish hadn't come true, he wouldn't write the red slip anymore.

I'm really curious to know what Jiang Yang's wish is.

Let's continue reading.

[I'm going to work in another city. I want to make a lot of money and live a decent life—Yang Chaoyue, 15 years old, 2013]
ps: Ask for monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)