As the long-awaited firecrackers sounded, Liao Shi smiled like a fool.

“Wife, our shop is open.”

Wen Xiuer looked at his dazed expression and said with a smile, “Yes, we have our own shop.”

“Mother said we will sell foods today. Let me tell you, these days I feel like I am living in the dream. It’s so beautiful and nice.” Liao Shi smelled the unique scent from the firecrackers.

“That’s because father-in-law is sensible and brother-in-law is capable, he remembered your hard works and left this shop for you. Your suffering wasn’t for nothing, our child is very lucky. Before he was born, he could live in the town. Come, we have to work hard and earn money. Our son could eat by watching the sky all day.” Wen Xiuer said with a smile on her face.

She didn’t say her last thought, if the money was left to mother Deng, it would definitely be as good as this. Her man wasn’t treated as well like the brother-in-law.

But she was already very content. Although mother Deng said she was unhappy lately but her attitude towards her husband was getting better. There wasn’t much partiality unlike in the past.

Perhaps because mother Deng had been softened, Liao Shi had been smiling stupidly all the time. She didn’t know her husband could do carpentry before, she watched him carved a hairpin when she got up in the morning.

Wen Xiuer thought about when she was a young girl and heard there was a student in the Liao family. Although, student burned money but if they successes in the future, her life could get better. Now, she had stepped out of the suffering into a bigger life beyond her expectation.

Liao Shi picked up the unfinished firecrackers, he remembered about his childhood.

“Er-di always loves me as his brother. I remember when I was a child, mother gave him a candy and he would share a half with me.” Just thinking about the happy and innocent years with Liao Tingyu made Liao Shi happy.

The baby who was smaller than him, obviously he wanted to eat them all but insisted to give him half of it.

If he chose not to eat it because of mother Deng’s anger but the little baby would cry and he couldn’t be able to stop it no matter how hard he tried.

When the little baby cried, his mother would think he had bullied him…

Later, he learned wisely. As long as his parents went to the town, they would definitely bring back delicious food for his little brother. At that time, he was out to chop wood.

The little brother would hide a share for him and gave it to him when he came back.

The two brothers secretly licked the candy bit by bit under the moonlight.

.

Liao Tingyu took advantage of his free time to visit his new home. After dividing the rooms, he felt there was still a lot of unused rooms. So, he informed the two wealthy businessmen and asked them to bring their children over to study.

This was good news for them because they had never received any information about Liao Tingyu receiving students outside the school. But something unexpectedly happened, they were lucky enough to hit it.

Ever since they received the message from Liao Tingyu, they had been preparing carefully. It was still until the end of this month.

But it was good time to reminds their children, the two taught them, “Father invited a scholar to teach you. You must remember to respect your teacher. When you meet him, you must ask him to teach you. Father don’t have much ability; I can only give you clothes and food but it wouldn’t make people respect you. I hope you will not be like me; you have to work hard to be a scholar and change our family’s status.”

Yang Wenhao the oldest child in the Yang family, was ten years old. He had seen those students with a little ink in their stomach, they didn’t even have the characters of a scholar.

The person who taught them back then; only ate, drank and wanted to be serve like a master. If things didn’t go like the teacher wants, he would blame their business status as if their bones were black and smelled like a copper.

Back then he replied to the teacher, “Since we smelled like a copper then don’t take our money.”

This sentence offended the scholar but he ended up delayed his younger brothers.

He looked at his old father whose face was filled with lines from wind and snow, he said firmly, “Father, don’t worry. I will definitely study hard and make the teacher accepted me as his student.”

He was thinking in his heart, no matter what the scholar thought of him. He must study under the scholar’s guidance and worked hard to be admitted in the Qingshan Academy. That way, he could take the examination and let those people knew he could do it all.

Yang Shu touched his son’s head with a pity, “Don’t be afraid. Father will take care of everything; you just need to study hard.”

.

.

Finally, it was the time for holiday. Liao Tingyu packed his things and returned to the shop.

Because mother Deng said the things at the shop wasn’t good. She rarely let him went back, in fact, it was because the dorm in the school was good and had nice facilities. It was better for him to stay there, instead of going back into the thatched house.

In addition, mother Deng felt since her youngest son was a teacher now, he wasn’t short of money. Even if he was short, she could give him some to live on the town.

But now, they already had nice shop in the town and the house behind had already been renovated. So, Liao Tingyu would visit when he could. His time actually very tight these days, so he couldn’t come back for a long time.

Things had changed a lot, Liao Shi and Wen Xiuer were selling bean curd in the front. The business was good.

He looked at his brother and sister-in-law who was busy, he walked through the side door without disturbing them.

The yard is full of vegetables that had sprouted with green buds, there were chickens walking around leisurely in their pens and the old ox was swatting flies with its tail under the tree.

Mother Deng and Liao Ming were pushing and grinding the beans then dried the bean curds. Everyone had happy smile on their faces.

The thatched house was turned into a brick house and built stronger.

Mother Deng saw Liao Tingyu and quickly put down her things, “My son is back, are you on your holiday today?”

Liao Tingyu nodded. He looked at the new house behind, especially his room.

“Mother, are everything ready in the house? Do you want me to bring back my things from the school?”

Liao Ming said without waiting for mother Deng, “You don’t have to bring everything back. Your mother had prepared new ones for you. If you have nothing, you can take a nap here at noon. It’s good to have short break, it will be convenient for you.”

Mother Deng agreed very much. After all, it was okay in the autumn to walk around. But if it was summer, the sun at noon could turns fish with their stomach upwards.

She took things from Liao Tingyu’s back and nagged at him, “Your father is right. Come and give your things to me. I will put it in the room for you. If you are hungry, go eat something first. If not, you could help your big brother. Don’t let anyone bully that idiot.”

“Okay, let me go and change first. I will help my sister-in-law to rest, she had big belly, she shouldn’t stand all the time. I saw it just now; the business is good.” Liao Tingyu let mother Deng took his things.

He added, “Here are the books I copied from the school. Please put them into the study room. I will go and change clothes first.”

“Go, change quickly. Let mother take care of this.” Mother Deng held the burden filled with books and muttered in a low voice, “Why isn’t good to stand? If you exercise more, the child would be born smoothly. That lazy woman sits all day long, it was good for my eldest son to keep her busy.”

Liao Tingyu didn’t hear her clearly. He walked into his new room. There was his familiar large wardrobe and a new bed. There was small table and benches which were new, mother Deng also put small bowl filled with flowers on the table.

Although it was simple flowers, but Liao Tingyu could feel the love from his mother.

There was an extremely well-carved wooden hairpin on the table. Liao Tingyu was a little confused when he held the thing.

He opened the wardrobe; inside were his old clothes which were quite good and some brand-new ones made from fine cotton.

Some of them were embroidered with elegant patterns, all were sewed carefully by his mother stitch by stitch.

His clothes had always been the best one in their home, very little of it had patches unlike his other family members.

Back then, mother Deng always sold nice embroidered handkerchief in the market. But now, she spent time to draw elegant patterns for Liao Tingyu’s clothes.

Liao Tingyu changed his clothes into an old one, put the wooden hairpin in his tied hair and walked out of the room.

He went to the front shop to help.

Wen Xiuer was busy with her big belly and heard Liao Tingyu’s voice came from behind, “Sao-zi, please take a rest and let me do it.”

Liao Shi realized that Liao Tingyu had returned home, “Hey, I didn’t pay attention. You are on holiday now?”

Liao Tingyu nodded, “If you need any help, just ask.”

“Just watch over me. If I get busy, you could help me.” Liao Shi said.

“Time flies so fast, it’s been half a month.”

Wen Xiuer was very busy, she was getting closer to the birth time and it was tiring for her to move around the shop. But now, with Liao Tingyu, she could relax a little bit.

She didn’t refuse Liao Tingyu’s kindness and sat down directly, “Because we are busy, it was easy for time to fly. You have to come home for often in the future.”

“Yes, I will try my best to live at home in the future. It would be my honour to witness my nephew’s birth.” Liao Tingyu followed Liao Shi and wrapped the bean curds for the customers.

“Sao-zi, have you asked the doctor about it? How much longer will it take?”

Liao Shi saw that the goods were gone, he took out some more from the back, “The doctor said it will be ready in a day or more. Mother already found a midwife.”

“That’s good. The town is better than in the village.”

Liao Shi looked forward for this new little life. He looked at the hairpin on Liao Tingyu’s hair, he lowered his head to work but there was a trace of smile on his lips and happiness in his eyes.@@novelbin@@