Yingzi was born in a minority inhabited area in the southwest. The folk customs here are simple, the mountains are stacked, the terraces are stacked on top of each other, the scenery is very pleasant, the food is quite rich, and it is a bit mysterious. The customs and customs of ethnic minorities make it a good place to live. However, due to backward transportation and lack of information, the economy has never developed.

2

There are five brothers and sisters in Yingzi’s family. In addition to Yingzi, there are also Yingzi’s two sisters and two brothers, plus grandparents and parents, Yingzi There are nine people in the family. Every time we eat, there is no room at the dining table. The sisters will very wisely put some vegetables on the bowl and sit on the threshold or squat in the courtyard to eat. Although the life is a bit hard. , the family is enjoying themselves happily.

Yingzi has always studied very well. People in the village praised the child as not only smart but also very diligent. When she was fourteen years old, Yingzi was admitted to a key high school in the county. Her teachers and classmates all felt that she would have a bright future. At least she would not be like most local girls who had already married and had children in their teens and lived a peaceful life. The days when our fathers faced the earth with their backs to the sky.

Yingzi’s parents also felt that their child still had potential. If it weren’t for the two younger brothers, they would have been able to help Yingzi get ahead. But right now, we really don’t have the ability to provide education for three children. The cost of education is one thing. What’s more important is that if all three children go to school, the parents at home will not be able to do the farm work at all, and the grandparents are getting older and need more education. People take care of you. If Yingzi is at home, he can not only help take care of his grandparents, but also do a lot of housework for them, so that his parents can rest assured to do farm work outside.

Why doesn't Yingzi want to study? Although she doesn't know what reading will bring her, she knows that if she doesn't study, she will have to marry early like her two sisters. She doesn't want to be like that. After spending her life, although her sisters had no choice but to do so, she still hoped that she could become a lucky person in a poor life.

In addition, from the teacher’s words, she knew that as long as she studied hard, she would no longer have to face the loess and back to the sky like her father’s generation. She would have the opportunity to get out of this mountain, and those with better luck could improve their family’s life. Reduce the burden on parents.

But now, one brother is about to enter the third grade of junior high school, and the youngest brother is about to enter the first grade of junior high school. Grandma suffered from cerebral thrombosis last year and is still unable to walk. Fortunately, grandpa can still help take care of her, but grandpa’s legs It's not good either. He can only help with feeding and the like. The memory of my grandfather, who is already in his eighties, is declining year by year. He can't remember what medicine grandma needs to take every time. So basically the burden of the family falls entirely on the parents.

Since the results of the high school entrance examination came out, her parents tacitly said nothing to Yingzi about going to high school. Yingzi also knew that her parents didn't know how to speak, and they didn't have the heart to speak. They were waiting for Yingzi herself. Having said that, they also knew that Yingzi had always been a sensible child, and she must know how to choose.

Seeing that school was about to start, Yingzi didn't do much. He just worked hard every day and basically never let himself have any leisure time. Sometimes he wouldn't even eat at night and would go to bed after finishing his work. Her parents knew what was going on, and they would not let Yingzi drop out of school as long as they still had some energy left. But last year, when my grandma fell ill, the family already owed more than 20,000 yuan to relatives. If Yingzi continued to study, their debts would only increase, and there was no telling how many more years they would have to endure with no end in sight. In this case, the only thing her parents could do was to hope that Yingzi would be more open-minded and not resent them. During that time, her mother's eyes would be red every morning when she woke up.

Three

When Yingzi saw her cousin coming back, it was like seeing a beam of light. She longed to break into the big city like her cousin and live a clean and bright life. Instead of the current days of being miserable every day, doing laundry, cooking, feeding pigs, chopping firewood, and not seeing the horizon at a glance.

On this day, Yingzi prepared dinner, fed the pigs, and greeted her two younger brothers. Before her parents came back for dinner, Yingzi quietly sneaked to her uncle's house. After entering the door, Yingzi looked a little shy and timid when he saw his cousin. Coupled with his already rosy and fair skin, Yingzi looked even more shy. The cousin burst out laughing when she saw Yingzi's cute appearance. After asking about the purpose of her visit, her cousin didn't say much and just asked Yingzi to go back and ask her parents for their opinions before making a decision. The cousin knew that Yingzi was under fifteen years old and had no experience or education. It would be difficult to find a job. However, she knew the situation of Yingzi's family better, so she still hoped that she could help this little cousin.

Naturally, Yingzi’s parents knew that it was better to go to a big city than to squat in this mountain village, but they knew even more that the family was currently short of labor, and Yingzi was young and hadn’t read much. , afraid of being cheated when she went to a big city, but when Yingzi told them that her cousin would help her find a job, and after finding a job, she would send her salary home to help pay off debts and support her two younger brothers in school, their parents did not say more. What.

Four

In the first few days after entering the city, Yingzi was full of curiosity about everything in the city. She would always unconsciously exclaim that there are such fun and high-tech things in the world. Even if she just takes the subway, she would feel that it is no different from magic.