Chapter 004: Little Tian and Little Juan

“Brother, brother! I heard from Second Girl’s little sister that you were praised by Teacher Wang today—is it true?” After school, Yang Xueling waited at the school gate for Yang Tian. As soon as she saw him walk out at a leisurely pace, she bounded over to him, laughing merrily, grabbing his hand as cheerfully as a little lark.

Second Girl was Yang Xueling’s classmate from Kiln Factory Village. Her younger sister, nicknamed Little Girl, was in the preschool class along with Yang Tian.

“It wasn’t really praise—I just got everything right during the dictation,” Yang Tian replied calmly, letting Yang Xueling pull him along the road home. He enjoyed this feeling; the two siblings were innocent and close.

“Brother, don’t be so modest! When we get home, I’m going to tell Mom and Dad, then Uncle Huang and Aunt Huang, and Sister Juan!” Yang Xueling skipped along, her ponytail bouncing atop her cartoon backpack, utterly adorable.

Sister Juan? Hearing that name, Yang Tian felt a twinge of joy and a trace of bittersweet pain. The Sister Juan she spoke of was Huang Juan, the girl to whom he was betrothed as a child.

Later, due to his introverted nature, he never took the initiative to grow closer to her. He didn’t help or care for her, often treating her coldly, and so their relationship gradually faded.

Speak of the devil—Huang Juan appeared just then, wearing a clean floral cotton jacket and red velvet trousers. As a child, she wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but the two dimples on her cheeks were deeply etched in Yang Tian’s memory.

She was Huang Juan, whose delicate looks had always been admired. Everyone said she resembled her mother—one of the great beauties of Big Willow Village.

“Sister Juan, my brother was praised by Teacher Wang today!” As soon as Huang Juan approached, Yang Xueling ran up to her. Perhaps because her brother seldom received praise, Yang Tian’s recognition from Wang Xianqiang filled her with more joy than the New Year.

“I heard about it too. Xiao Tian, I heard you want to skip a grade—is that true?” Huang Juan walked up to Yang Tian, boldly took his hand, and asked with a bright smile. Children understood nothing about the separation of boys and girls, so there was no embarrassment. Though they both knew their parents had arranged their childhood engagement, to them, it simply meant being family. If he had something to share, he’d give it to her; if something happened to him, she would be happy for him.

“Yes, Juan, I want to study with you. You’re already in third grade, so I should be in third grade too!” Yang Tian replied with a childlike grin. Though his mind was mature, Huang Juan’s gesture stirred his heart—not with inappropriate thoughts, but with the warmth of childhood companionship.

It was because Yang Bao and his wife doted on him that they arranged this engagement. This matter once caused discord between the two families.

Now, Yang Tian didn’t want history to repeat itself. He resolved to live up to all that Yang Bao and his wife had done for him, to get along well with Huang Juan. Even if they couldn’t be husband and wife in the future, they should at least be the best of friends, so that whenever their families met, laughter and conversation would flow.

“Great! If you come to third grade, we can sit together. I don’t want to sit with Chen Xiaogui anymore—he’s so annoying!” Huang Juan was delighted, then gently played with the small ponytail behind her left ear, pursing her lips. Her dimples deepened.

“Is that the big fat kid from Hong Village? I don’t like him either—he bullies girls every day on the way to and from school!” Mentioning Chen Xiaogui made Yang Xueling grit her teeth in anger.

Yang Tian was all too familiar with Chen Xiaogui. His father, Chen Jia, was the head of Red Star Village. The village council oversaw only Big Willow Village, Hong Village, and Kiln Factory Village, so the Chen family was like a local emperor. Whether someone was marrying or building a new house and holding a banquet, he was always invited to the main seat.

With such a father, Chen Xiaogui was naturally arrogant and domineering. Not just the children—even the teachers at Red Star School dared not punish him harshly.

Yang Tian remembered well that he, Yang Xueling, and others had all been bullied by Chen Xiaogui.

“Chen Xiaogui!…” Yang Tian cursed inwardly, but his lips blurted out the name.

“Brother, you mustn’t provoke him! If Mom and Dad find out, they’ll scold you!” Yang Xueling was always clever. She knew Yang Tian was slight and frail, no match for the hefty Chen Xiaogui. So she quickly invoked their parents to dispel Yang Tian’s anger, though she was surprised to see her usually timid brother show such a fierce look.

“Yes, Xiao Tian, the school’s empty now—let’s hurry home!” Huang Juan seemed to realize her words might spark a fight, so she quickly took Yang Tian’s hand and walked back at a gentle pace.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. During those months, Yang Tian continued to rise early and exercise by the White Wave River, eating heartily at every meal. His body grew stronger than he ever imagined.

Perhaps noticing how much Yang Tian could suddenly eat, Yang Bao and his wife often bought pork or slaughtered hens they raised for him. Even though it was already 1991, in Big Willow Village, families rarely killed chickens except for celebrations. Even on Yang Tian and Yang Xueling’s birthdays, Li Xiuying didn’t always kill a chicken. So Yang Tian could feel the love and care Yang Bao and his wife gave him.

But now, he simply remembered it all quietly, continued his exercises, and silently reviewed the entire elementary curriculum.

He occasionally helped Yang Xueling with her studies—just lightly, without flaunting his knowledge as a college graduate.

The preschool’s final exams were scheduled for June twenty-fourth. Yang Tian did not disappoint Yang Xueling and Huang Juan, earning perfect scores in both subjects and completing his preschool studies.

This astonished Director Wang Xianqiang, who even visited Yang Tian’s home to verify it for himself. Yang Bao and his wife were overjoyed by the news, killed a chicken, and invited Wang Xianqiang for a meal. Thus, Yang Tian’s grade-skipping was settled.

Relatives, friends, and neighbors all rejoiced for Yang Bao and his wife, believing Yang Tian had suddenly become enlightened. Though the couple claimed it was nothing, they would secretly chuckle together before bed each night—a detail Yang Xueling later whispered to Yang Tian.

Seeing his rebirth bring joy to Yang Bao and his wife, Yang Tian felt a sweetness in his heart, but he remained quiet and steadfast, knowing his journey was still long.

PS: To all devoted readers, here’s an update: “Dream Realized: A Life Reborn” currently ranks fourth in the new urban novel chart, less than twenty votes behind third place. Please, vote and support! I’ll keep you posted on its progress. Thank you!