Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Chen Mian reached into her pocket; the two banknotes were still warm, having been warmed by her own body heat.

Indeed, no one knows a child better than their mother. I hadn't even thought about the 20 yuan for a moment, but my mother remembered it all. This is the greatest maternal love.

Seeing her mother reaching out for money, Chen Mian couldn't help but pout, thoroughly enjoying the time she spent chatting with her mother.

"Mom, let's be honest, your son is almost 20 years old. Isn't it embarrassing if he can't even pull out a few dozen yuan when he goes out?"

"Mom is worried you'll spend it recklessly, so Mom will definitely give you some when you leave."

Tang Xiuyun spoke calmly, her right hand still in front of Chen Mian's eyes, but it did not affect her left hand from stir-frying the loofah with a spatula. Her skill was such that even Zhou Botong would have to admit defeat.

She knows her precious son too well; ever since he was little, he'd ask for two cents for a penny and want ten dollars for a dollar.

With his mindset, the more he earns, the more he spends. If we don't keep a close eye on things, he'll be lucky to even avoid accumulating debt, let alone saving money. If things are like this now, what will he do when he gets married?

Chen Mian pouted and turned to look at the roof, where several sparrows were hopping around on the tiles.

He stammered for a while, but didn't utter a single word. However, his attitude was very clear: he had no money, and he wouldn't take his life either.

Tang Xiuyun didn't have time to deal with her son for a while, but after everything was tidied up, she wiped her hands with a rag and came over.

"Don't play the cowardly bandit with me. Listen to me, hurry up!"

Just as Chen Mian was about to respond, she suddenly noticed that the fat old man on the opposite roof spread his wings and boldly landed on the windowsill next to her shoulder, pecking at the small corn cobs on the windowsill.

He suddenly noticed that the old man had inexplicably grown a tuft of hair in the shape of the Chinese character "八" on his head, which vaguely resembled Cheng Haichao's middle-part hairstyle.

He turned around and said with delight, "Mom, I have to go out to a party with Haichao the day after tomorrow."

"A gathering? Where are we going?" Tang Xiuyun was a little surprised, thinking her son was making up another story. She reached out her hand again, "You can ask Mom for it when you go."

If it were his dad, he could just throw a tantrum and run away, but he can't do that to his mom.

My mom's specialty is feigning weakness, using politeness before resorting to force. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll take action if I dare to say another word against her.

He then pouted and put his hands in his pockets. Just as he was about to pay, a familiar voice came from the alley outside the courtyard, which made his eyes light up.

"Second Cotton Mill".

As soon as Cheng Haichao entered the courtyard, he greeted her warmly, "Auntie."

"The tide is back."

"The rice is ready, let's eat together."

"Don't bother, Auntie. My grandma made a pot of dog meat, and I was just thinking of inviting Er Mian over for a while," Cheng Haichao said somewhat reservedly.

Tang Xiuyun was already infected by Cheng Haichao's simple and honest smile, and now, hearing that stewed meat reminded her of Chen Mian, her joy was even greater.

But a little surprised, he asked, "Where did you buy the dog meat?"

Cheng Haichao pursed his lips, blinked, and hesitated for a second: "I brought it back from my maternal grandmother's place."

"Aww~"

Seeing her mother nod knowingly, Chen Mian lowered her head and rubbed her face.

This wasn't brought from Grandma's place; he clearly found a stray dog ​​that had been hit and killed on the road, and just grabbed a bag from the roadside and brought it back.

Then his grandmother took care of it, put it in a pot, and started a fire to stew it.

After eating and drinking his fill in his previous life, Cheng Haichao finally told the whole story.

The two of them were too young and impulsive to think much about whether the dog was sick or not; they just ate it because they were hungry.

Later, the thought of it made me feel disgusted, so much so that I never ate dog meat again.

But I have to say, having lived half my life, this is the most memorable and delicious meal I've ever had.

As Chen Mian traveled with Cheng Haichao, she was filled with inner turmoil.

Eat it, it's a bit disgusting.

But if I don't eat it, I really want to.

It truly embodies the saying, "Want both."

"Everyone in the village is saying you've changed. You really have changed gender; you've been walking around for ages without saying a word."

Chen Mian stopped in her tracks and glanced at him sideways: "If you can't talk nonsense, then don't speak."

Cheng Haichao chuckled and shook his big butt at Chen Mian.

"Go away..." Chen Mian kicked him, then turned around and took out a one-cent coin from her pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't speak yet." Chen Mian pushed away the big face that was close to her, and with a serious expression, tossed the coin towards the controller, then stepped out with a high kick to fix it in place with the sole of her shoe. "Take heads, don't take tails."

Cheng Haichao frowned, looking incredulous. Did Chen Mian know about the dead dog?

But that shouldn't be the case; right now, only I and my grandma know about this.

While he was pondering, he was also watching Chen Mian's feet.

As the shoe was slowly moved aside, revealing the coin's face, Cheng Haichao's eyes lit up. He immediately looked up at the azure sky: "It's fate! Could it be a gift from God?!"

He immediately widened his eyes and stared at Chen Mian: "You've turned into a shaman?"

Chen Mian rolled her eyes, stuffed the money in her pocket, and left: "I've barely had this little bit of money in my pocket."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

"You're not in a hurry anymore."

Chen Mian turned around and was stunned.

Cheng Haichao actually took off his shoes and pretended to throw them away.

"Are you crazy?!" He quickly stopped him, snatched the slippers, and threw them at his feet. "You can't just throw these things around like that!"

"It's not a big deal, is it? I saw Dafa throwing shoes around earlier." Cheng Haichao slid on his slippers and muttered to himself.

"You'll fall into the ditch the day after you throw it away. Stop dawdling, I still need to buy some alcohol, I'm starving."

"Alright."

It was almost seven o'clock, and it was getting dark.

Chen Mian carried a cloth bag full of bowls, chopsticks, wine, and snacks in one hand and dragged it below with the other, while Cheng Haichao carefully carried the dog meat in a pot and pan.

The two walked one after the other, heading straight east.

Turning into another alley, I saw a girl carrying a bamboo basket walking towards me. She was dressed in tattered work clothes, with a ponytail hanging down her chest, but she kept her head down the whole time.

As they got closer, Chen Mian couldn't help but feel that the face looked familiar.

"Is that Liu Xia?"

"Mmm," the girl responded softly, but still didn't look up or stop walking.

Chen Mian thought for a moment and guessed the reason for Liu Xia's unusual behavior. Then she turned her head to look at Cheng Haichao, only to see that he had already walked ahead.

Cheng Haichao, who had been so talkative just moments before, became silent and walked straight into a newly built brick house.

After turning on the light, the room was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and benches, all covered with a layer of newspaper.

This is Cheng Haichao's future home. He will renovate it once he finds a partner, and then get married and move into the new house the following year.

Chen Mian couldn't understand why he was so obsessed with eating dog meat and becoming sworn brothers here. Where did he learn that from?

Chen Mian spent 20 yuan and 1 mao on a bottle of liquor and some peanuts. She really gave it her all for this.

I tore open the plastic bag, took out a peanut, rubbed its light red skin between my fingers, and popped it into my mouth.

"Should we smack first, or drink first?"

Cheng Haichao's face hardened: "Be serious, we're doing serious business here!"

Chen Mian reached out and grabbed another small handful: "You're just talking without understanding the situation. You ate and drank your fill at your grandma's house before coming back, while I didn't even eat lunch and I'm starving."

"Eat... first kowtow, first kowtow."

Watching the person across from him pop peanuts into their mouth one after another, Cheng Haichao was at his wit's end. He smacked his lips, his mouth watering at the aroma, but he had to take care of the important matter first.

Cheng Haichao didn't mind the dirt or the discomfort, and immediately knelt down on the spot.

Chen Mian rubbed her knees: "If you ask me, we really don't need to go through all this trouble."

Cheng Haichao said solemnly, "Our two families' ancestors fled to this Dakaiwa and have always been sworn brothers. This bond cannot be broken in our generation. In the future, my son and your son will also have to become sworn brothers."

Chen Mian didn't speak again, quietly listening to Cheng Haichao recount the past. After he finished telling the story, he kowtowed to the ground. Chen Mian was a month older than Cheng Haichao and became the eldest brother. Cheng Haichao acknowledged Chen Mian as his second brother.