Chapter 1, Siblings

Qin Feng poured a bag of pig offal from his hands into the basin outside the door, and then he opened the door and entered the house with his sister

After walking for more than twenty minutes, Qin Feng returned to their "home" with his sister. A large yellow dog with a bald tail approached silently, rubbing its big head against the bodies of the siblings, appearing exceptionally delighted

I understand, brother, please come back early! Qin Jia playfully shook her brother's arm and then obediently sat down in front of the desk that was missing a leg

Although there are rumors that food coupons will soon be abolished, grain stores are still using them. However, precisely because of this rumor, the value of food coupons has significantly depreciated, and five jin can at most be exchanged for two sesame cakes

The boy picked up a small bundle of scrap iron wire that could still fetch some money, took his sister's hand, and walked out of the garbage heap

Xiao Feng, your Uncle Hu can still afford a few sesame cakes, so you keep the food coupons for yourself

Seeing the mist in his sister's eyes, the boy quickly changed the subject. He could not possibly explain to her the principles of going to university and achieving success, as even if he did, the little girl would not understand, because he himself had not yet figured it out.

Alright, from now on we shall be the kings of junk

This is a house located right next to the railway tracks, consisting of only one room. Due to the rerouting of trains, there is now only one train passing through this track each day, which has led to its exclusion from the key maintenance sections.

In the early 1990s, luxury and waste had little connection to people's lives; every household was reluctant to even throw away used toothpaste tubes.

As the sky gradually darkened, the boy looked at the harvest before him and shook his head in resignation

The two children's dirty little hands have long been washed clean. Although their clothes are tattered and shabby, after their hands and faces have been cleaned, they appear vastly different from their previous state of rummaging through trash.

Although Qin Feng is very young, he possesses a strong sense of self-esteem. Relying on collecting garbage and picking up scraps, he has surprisingly managed to raise his three-year-old sister all by himself, without resorting to theft or robbery. The adults living in the surrounding area always have an inexplicable fondness for this mature child

Although he no longer mentioned the matter of going to school, the boy was still contemplating in his heart that as long as he had an additional 18 yuan, he could send his sister to school

The little girl pouted, pulled her feet out of the garbage pile, and walked over to the boy with uneven steps. As if seeking praise, she placed the food coupon into the army green bag slung over the older boy's shoulder, patted it with her small hand, and then said: "What's so good about going to school? I want to be with my brother. Aren't you not going to school either, brother?"

The elder brother indeed wants to attend school

Do not run around; if you are tired, just go to bed and sleep

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This child has truly suffered

Hello, do your homework well. Your brother will check it when he comes back in the evening. If everything is correct, you will be rewarded with a sesame cake to eat

"Jia Jia, do not drink raw water, as it may cause diarrhea. I will pour you some boiled water to drink"

Brother, the sesame cake is truly delicious

In an era when the planned economy and grain coupons had not yet exited people's lives, a grain coupon worth 5 kilograms could be exchanged for two steaming sesame seed cakes, sufficient for two children to have a hearty meal

"Jia Jia, let's go, brother will take you to change for some sesame cakes to eat"

With a voice of surprise, a frail figure emerged beside a mountain of piled-up garbage, resembling a little girl of about five or six years old. She raised a food coupon in her hand, her dark face beaming with a smile

The garbage heap is located beside a railway track, and the afterglow of the setting sun casts long and short shadows of the brother and sister, appearing so slender yet evoking a profoundly warm feeling

Thus, the act of scavenging has given rise to countless millionaires, and it undoubtedly remains a burgeoning industry. The majority of those engaged in this profession are still in a state of subsistence, and one can easily imagine the gains of the brother and sister.

As for the thirty yuan book fee, it can be saved.

Shaking his head, Old Hu took out a piece of oiled paper, then retrieved a baked pancake from the wall of the stove, placed it together with the other two, and handed it to the boy, saying: "Qin Feng, Uncle Hu cannot take advantage of you. Five jin of grain coupons for three pancakes, you take it well..."

Upon returning to his "home," Qin Feng saw his younger sister about to drink from the water pipe used to refill the train. He quickly stopped her and picked up a metal thermos from the corner of the room to pour a cup of water for the already complaining Qin Jia, who was thirsty.

Brother? The girl glanced at her brother. Having grown up alongside the boy since childhood, she knew that without her brother's permission, it was not allowed to take someone else's belongings

As for Qin Feng himself, before his family experienced any upheaval, he had already learned many characters from his father. Coupled with his innate intelligence, he had thoroughly studied the junior high school curriculum through self-learning over the years. If it were not for the desire to allow his younger sister to interact more with peers of her age, Qin Feng would have had no need to send her to school.

Brother, I found a five-jin food coupon

Qin Feng smiled slightly, turned, and exited the room. By this time, the sky outside had completely darkened, and the area around the house was filled with grass and the desolate land of books, resonating with the sounds of various insects chirping.

Although the boy is still young, he is very indulgent towards his younger sister. He reached out and patted the little girl's head, saying: "Silly girl, how can you not go to school? Can you really pick up scraps for a lifetime?"

The Qin siblings arrived five years ago at this location in the suburban area of Cangzhou City; at that time, Qin Feng was only seven years old, while his sister was just three.

Thank you, Uncle Hu

Although this boy has a large head and a small body, with a pale complexion that suggests malnutrition, his eyes are remarkably bright, and he appears to be around eleven or twelve years old

Isn't it good to pick up scraps for a lifetime?

Qin Feng took the enamel mug from his sister's hand and gulped down the remaining water in one breath. After wiping his mouth, he retrieved two textbooks and a stack of letter paper with writing on one side from the drawer of a table that was propped up with a brick due to a missing leg, placing them on the table.

Big Yellow, your dinner has arrived

The boy inquired last year and found out that since they do not have local household registration, the cost of attending the railway primary school, which is one kilometer away from their residence, would be significantly higher than that for local residents. The total annual tuition fee amounts to 76 yuan, and he has already saved 58 yuan, leaving him short by 18 yuan to pay the full tuition and enroll his sister.

The boy named Qin Feng did not refuse this time; instead, he took the oiled paper, tore off half a sesame cake, and handed it to his sister. Watching her devour it hungrily, a hint of a smile finally appeared on his tense little face

Brother, I don't want to go to school. They call us scavengers, and I don't want to play with them.

The boy patted his sister's head, looked at the pancake vendor, and said: "Uncle Hu, I won't buy rice or flour, I don't need this ration ticket, just take it, I found it!"

Certainly, the Qin siblings, who are often regarded by adults as role models to educate their own children, do not have a very good reputation among the group of children in this area. Whenever they go to the recycling station to deliver waste, they are always followed by a group of children who call them the "Garbage Kings".

Although the aroma of sesame wafted from the tip of his nose and the boy's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, he stubbornly placed the grain coupon on the counter, clearly adopting a stance of not accepting anything less than the sesame cake.

In this day and age, many families have several children, and the textbooks used by the eldest can simply be re-covered for the second child to use. Therefore, most schools do not impose a strict requirement to purchase new textbooks.

Especially the little girl, with her delicate face resembling a vegetable dish, is very charming. One can faintly discern that she will surely grow up to be a beauty. However, the attention of this future stunning beauty is currently entirely focused on the fragrant baked pancake.

Uncle Hu, this is a five-jin food coupon, please give me two sesame cakes

What is wrong with Uncle Hu giving you two sesame cakes, child

Moreover, he also believes that this food coupon must have been picked up by the boy, because in the more than five years that have passed, he has never seen the little boy reach out to take something that belongs to someone else

Moreover, it is fortunate that in the early 1990s, Cangzhou, which experienced relatively little population movement, had not yet seen the emergence of the later wave of vagrants; otherwise, the Qin siblings might not have been able to reside in this affordable house.

In the little girl's eyes, there was a sense of confusion. In her heart, as long as she could be with her brother, that was the happiest thing. The hardships of life and the disdain she faced in daily life could not erase the innocence of childhood.

The little girl licked her lips, taking a sesame seed that was left on them into her mouth, her eyes fixed on the green cloth bag of her brother and the picture book brother, knowing that there was still a baked pancake inside it

More than half an hour later, the boy who had taken the iron wire to the scrap station, along with his sister, appeared in front of a pancake stall located more than 100 meters from the railway primary school

After the Qin siblings left, Old Hu sighed. If it weren't for the fact that he had three children at home and his family's financial situation was quite ordinary, he would have likely taken in this sensible pair of siblings long ago

Although she has to pick up garbage and collect scraps every day, Qin Feng began teaching his sister to read and write when she was five years old. Now, at eight years old, Qin Jia has approximately the reading and writing level of a third or fourth grader in elementary school

The person making the sesame cakes was a middle-aged man in his thirties. Upon seeing the siblings in front of him, he quickly took two steaming sesame-sprinkled cakes from the wall of the oven, blew on them with his hand, and placed them in front of the girl

Old Hu let out a bitter laugh, but having known the boy for four or five years, he understood that if he did not accept the food coupons, the boy would truly take his sister away.

As a result, even the house that originally provided a resting place for the repair workers has become dilapidated. Fortunately, it is made of brick and tile, so it does not suffer from drafts through the walls; otherwise, the two children would truly be unable to survive the winter in the north

Be careful, don't burn yourself

The boy had already collected all the textbooks from grades one to six from the recycling station, and he had covered them with calendar paper, making them look almost new

"Jia Jia, when your brother saves enough money, I will send you to school. Old Wang's son said that as long as you can pay the tuition, it's fine!" A boy's large head emerged from the garbage heap about seven or eight meters away from the little girl

The siblings seem to have disembarked from a train that stopped here, but no one knows where they came from