Chapter 9: County Town Life (2)

  On a summer afternoon, there was not a cloud in the sky, with a blazing sun overhead, and not a breath of wind. All the trees stood listlessly, languidly, fortunately it was a tile-roofed house, and the room still had some shade, so it wasn't too hot to sleep.

  Fang Mengnan slept soundly, and an hour later, he was woken up by his aunt. "You're awake, that's good. I'll take you to find your grandma, I have to go to work, hurry up, don't dawdle." His aunt stood in front of the mirror, combing her waist-length long hair, neatly braiding it into a fishtail braid.

  "Oh!" Fang Mengnan was dazed, rubbed her eyes, and leaned against the edge of the kang. Her aunt squatted down to help her put on her shoes and carried her down from the kang.

  "Wait, I'll change my clothes." said Xiao Yi. She quickly took off her clothes and changed into her work uniform. Then she carried Fang Mo Nan out of the doorway, put her down on the ground, locked the door behind her, and pulled her to walk outside.

  As soon as he walked onto the main road, the wind blowing in his face was like a hot wave, the scorching sun was like fire, and the earth was like a steamer, so hot that it made people breathe hard. Originally still dazed, Fang Mingsan suddenly woke up, his whole body covered in sticky sweat, really hot.

  They walked north, less than a minute later, and turned into another gate, 'Wen Jiao Bureau', which was rectangular in shape, with an area that wasn't small. On both sides were rows of two-story buildings, with phoenix trees planted in front of them. They walked under the shade of the trees, heading inside, where the cement ground was being scorched by the sun, making one's whole body sweat just by looking at it.

  It's good that Grandma is washing clothes in a place with running water, where a phoenix tree is planted beside it, providing shade and reducing the heat. "Mom, I'm going to work." Pulling Fang Mo Nan under the tree, she reminded her anxiously: "Nan Nan must be well-behaved, don't quarrel, and I'll give you sugar to eat tonight."

  "Hurry up! Don't be late, our Nannan is the best. Come to Nannan and sit on that stone platform over there, wait for a while, Grandma will be fine soon."

  Grandma turned off the faucet, shook off the water on her hands, pulled Fang Mo Nan and sat down on a bluestone platform not far from the faucet. Because the water was icy cold underground water, Fang Mo Nan felt particularly comfortable with Grandma's ice-cold hand touching his, cool and refreshing.

  Fang Mo Nan looked at the pile of clothes, bedding and who-knows-what in the washing machine, still bubbling away with detergent. She figured she'd have to wait a bit longer, might as well go back home and sleep some more, then get into space earlier tonight. Wasn't she unworthy of others' trust, unable to take care of herself? And what was she thinking, anyway - how old was she now, really worthy of anyone's trust?

  I used to come here often when I was a kid, and seeing the actual objects can still bring back some memories, but unfortunately, the people inside are already beyond my recollection due to the passage of time.

  She listlessly held a brick, like chalk, and drew strokes on the bluestone platform. She didn't dare to write words now. It seemed that she had to find a teacher for herself. Otherwise, hiding and concealing all the time wouldn't work out. Thinking about it, this was an education bureau, but could it be possible?

  He has been standing here for a while, it's too hot at noon, plus the sound of running water, he can't even rest. He walked out to see what was going on, and found that it was Old Mo's family next door, he knew their situation, but hesitated to say something and swallowed his words back, thinking that she must have taken advantage of the hot afternoon when no one was working to come here to wash clothes, and the gatekeeper must have let her in with good intentions.

  He was about to leave when he saw the little girl next to her, head down, unable to see her face. Wearing ordinary clothes, a light yellow tank top and pale blue pants. She was drawing on the bluestone platform with a brick, curiosity drove him to take a look at what she was drawing so seriously, so he walked up.

  He stood tall, with a stern expression, wearing a military green short-sleeved shirt and a pair of dusty gray trousers that were slightly too big. His hair was white and disheveled, making it impossible to guess his age. He wore a pair of tattered canvas shoes with white soles and black uppers, the toes and heels exposed, and what looked like cigarette burns on the surface, as if they had been used as slippers.

  "Hello, Grandpa!" Fang Mo Nan stood up and said politely.

  He wasn't very good at interacting with little kids, and awkwardly replied with a sentence. "Yeah, okay." He was clearly surprised, as most children who saw him were intimidated by his serious appearance and didn't dare to speak, but she wasn't afraid of him.

  "Mr. Lin, I'm so sorry to disturb you at work, I'll be done washing up right away." Grandma heard her granddaughter talking to someone behind her, turned around and saw the person, twisted the faucet, and said with a flustered expression.

  'Mr. Lin, also working at the Education Bureau. Observing him carefully, his right hand has obvious calluses from long-term pen holding, and his eyes slightly narrowed, calculating in his mind.'

  "Hehe... nothing much, it's hot outside, just came out to get some fresh air." "You continue washing! It's still early." He said that but didn't show any intention of leaving.

  Grandma looked at him with a blush, caught red-handed by others, but seeing that they didn't say anything. Grandma then looked at the clothes in the pool and quickly buried her head to continue washing, otherwise when everyone came to work later, she would be even more embarrassed.

  "What are these?" Mr. Lin asked, pointing at the bluestones as he saw Grandma going to wash clothes again.

  "Brush strokes, taught by my older cousin, horizontal, vertical, horizontal turn, vertical hook." Fang Mo Nan saw him and asked what he was writing without leaving, wanting to grasp it tightly. Grandma also knew him, proving he wasn't a stranger, so she answered his questions hastily.

  。

  Mr. Lin saw Fang Mo Nan's chubby and round face, very cute, and couldn't help but think of his unbearable past, taking a deep breath to suppress the sadness in his heart.

  Mr. Lin saw her writing strokes, and at her age, it was already rare to have horizontal and vertical lines, so he nodded in his heart. "Want to learn how to write?"

  "I want to, but grandma doesn't know how and no one taught me. Does grandpa know?" Fang Mo Nan Sheng hastily replied, fearing he would refuse.

  "Writing is so bitter and dull, can you persist?" Mr. Lin's already serious face became even more stern and intimidating, I reckon ordinary kids would be scared away by him.

  Fang Mo Nan heard his tone and had a playful expression, "I can, I'm not afraid." She said loudly with excitement.

  Mr. Lin looked at a pair of bright and determined eyes, which made his heart tremble inexplicably. Rarely showing the coldness and stubbornness he was known for, he didn't refuse, saying: "Alright! Follow me!"

  "Oh! Too good. Grandma, Grandpa is going to teach me how to write!" Fang Mo Nan excitedly ran to his grandma's side and exclaimed.

  "Good! Grandma heard it all." Grandma didn't expect Mr. Lin to agree to Nannan's request, so she grabbed Fang Mengan's hand and washed it under the faucet, "Look! Made a mess." After washing, she continued: "Nannan, listen to me, be good, don't make trouble."

  "I know," said Fang Mo Nan with a smile.

  "Sorry to trouble you, how can I be so presumptuous." Grandma turned around and bowed respectfully to Mr. Lin, she was illiterate, but had a deep respect for scholars in her heart.

  "It's nothing, it's rare for your granddaughter to be so diligent." Mr. Lin said in a somewhat stiff tone.

  Then Mr. Lin and Fang Mo Nan walked into his house together. Fang Mo Nan stood at the door, looking at the room in front of her, giving her only one feeling - crowded. The whole room was filled with books, except for books, there were still books. On the desk, on the wall, simple bookshelves were set up, two nails were used to support a long wooden board, and even the bed was no exception, it's really unknown how he slept at night.

  The books were old and worn, it was clear that they had been frequently browsed, many of them had yellowed edges. Some were even ancient thread-bound books, Fang Mennan just took a quick glance, saw "Kangxi Dictionary", the Four Great Classical Novels and so on, didn't dare to flip through them. She was now very curious, how did these books manage to be preserved intact, having gone through the ten years of turmoil. Ah, daydreaming again! Quickly pulled her mind back, continued to survey the room.

  At the door there is also a simple stove, this room seems to be working and resting without delay, even personal space is very difficult.

  Mr. Lin looked at the house with embarrassment, and his serious face just now was completely different. He slightly tidied up the house and finally had a place to sit. The two of them, one willing to teach and the other willing to learn, began their teaching and learning career.

  Fang Mo Nan met a cheap master who was willing to teach, and didn't mind that she was just a kid. Of course, she learned very diligently, and when he met someone who learned quickly and well, it made him feel very accomplished as a teacher, and even more willing to teach.

  In the meantime, Grandma came over and said that she would be leaving after washing her clothes. However, Old Man Lin pointed to Fang Mo Nan who was writing with his wrist suspended in mid-air, and seeing the child's serious expression, with sweat dripping down without even wiping it off, asked Old Man Lin to take care of him.

  Time flies unconsciously, it's already past six o'clock, grandma has finished cooking dinner and comes to pick her up.

  。

  "Mr. Lin, I'm so sorry, I've come to pick up Nannan for dinner at home, disturbing you." Grandma said, knocking on the open door.

  "No, she's just finished writing it." His voice was flat and even, without any ups and downs.

  "Children are not given to you, adding trouble!" Grandma frowned and asked worriedly.

  "No, he's a good kid." He glanced at Fang Mo Nan with a subtle expression, paused for a moment before saying: "In the future, you must be filial to your grandmother, she has suffered a lot, and still retains some traditional virtues of women, but is also a bit foolish."

  Fang Mo Nan's face only had a "囧" expression, although she agreed with what Mr. Lin said. After hearing it, even Grandma's face twisted for an instant.

  "Mr. Lin... my Nannan is not even three years old yet..." Grandma couldn't believe what she was saying in front of the child, and Mr. Lin's evaluation made her a bit embarrassed, but she didn't dare to refute anything either.

  "Having ambition is not about being old, having no ambition is a waste of living to be 100 years old. From getting to know you until now, it's already been an afternoon! Your words and actions are calm, careful, steady, and you also know how to adapt, understand the situation, and your demeanor is neither arrogant nor humble. You're mature and not like a child at all, Mo family's daughter, this granddaughter of yours needs to be well-educated."

  "Hmm! Hmm! I'm not very cultured, if you think highly of this child, that's her good fortune, then please take care of her." Grandma was indeed willing to indulge her grandson.

  Who says grandma is uncultured? She's actually very shrewd about human relationships!

  Does this old man have eyes behind his back? Isn't he working?! Fang Mo Nan felt a chill run down her spine for the first time, and she was sweating profusely in the middle of summer. She didn't dare say that she had been seen through, but being observed so ignorantly made her even more nervous than when she went to the temple to see the fortune teller.

  Fang Mo Nan hastily bid farewell to him, and walked away. The 36th strategy is to leave as soon as possible, it seems that her plan has not started yet, but it's already stillborn. This old man is really sharp-eyed!

  She doesn't look like a little kid at all, and no matter how careful she is, sometimes she still forgets her current age, and her natural demeanor and language reveal that she's different from other kids. The feeling she gives people is completely different from other little kids.

  Fang Mo Nan walked home and asked, "Who is Grandma? I don't remember her from before." It seems like she can't come here to play anymore. The old man observes very carefully, could he be a former spy?! She thought wildly.

  Mr. Lin was not from a special forces background, but in those years he was also from a reconnaissance soldier background.

  "Your grandma smiled and said, "You're still young, you can't know many people. All I know is that everyone calls him Mr. Lin. Your grandpa mentioned before that he's very knowledgeable, even better than your grandpa. But his temper is a bit stubborn. He always has a serious face, so people are afraid to get close to him. Nobody dares to talk to him, and it's rare to see anyone interacting with him. All these years, we haven't seen any children or relatives of his either. It's quite pitiful for an old man like that. None of us know the specifics."

  Judging from Fang Mo Nan's rough glance at the books in his room, it can be said that he is knowledgeable and erudite. Originally, she just let him pretend to be a teacher, so as to find an excuse for her future actions, but when she knew he was secretly observing her, she felt a little afraid, so she put away her own "little heart". Unexpectedly, it turned out that he became the new house guest of Fang Mo Nan's family, and they had an inexplicable fate.

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