Chapter 18: Happiness Is Actually Very Simple

Chapter 18: Happiness Is Actually Very Simple

Haifei,

Actually, ever since we became desk mates in junior high, I’ve always had this feeling that we’ve met before, as if we already knew and loved each other in a past life…

Even though we are still young, not really at the age for romance, and we should focus on our studies, I still can’t help but express the strong, uncontrollable feelings in my heart to you from time to time. I love you. Maybe using the word “like” would be more reserved?

I always think about every moment spent with you before falling asleep late at night, treasuring all the little bits and pieces of our time together.

This feeling is very hard to fully put into words.

The teacher says puppy love will affect our studies. But I think a pure, sincere feeling can also be motivation to encourage and support each other in studying and improving. We can study hard together, get into high school together, get into university together, and walk through a very, very long future together. It’s like, after I stopped immaturely and endlessly passing notes and chatting with you, disturbing your studies, didn’t both our grades improve?

Summer vacation has started.

Actually, I didn’t really want summer vacation to come, because that would likely mean I wouldn’t see you for forty-two days, and I would miss you so, so much…

….

If this letter makes you unhappy or bothers you, I hope you can forgive my boldness. Just treat it as nonsense.

Wishing you a happy and joyful summer vacation.

Su Chunfeng!

…

After finishing the letter, Wang Haifei almost felt as if Su Chunfeng was sitting right beside her, smiling and speaking those tender, affectionate words from the letter to her.

How annoying. So he already knew the reason my grades improved.

So, he did it on purpose?

The more Wang Haifei thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt. She gently folded the letter back to its original state, then opened her Chinese textbook and tucked it inside. She sat alone at her simple desk, lost in thought.

At this time, Su Chunfeng, already carrying the schoolbag his mother had sewn for him, had hopped onto his bicycle. He carried his thick, rolled-up bedding and eating utensils. Together with classmates like Li Zhichao, they chatted, laughed, and sang songs as they rode along the small path behind Wang Haifei’s house.

Knowing Wang Haifei was at home, Su Chunfeng couldn’t help but deliberately sing loudly for her to hear:

“The butterfly flies, just like childhood running in the wind. The rainbow of youth feels farther than the sea, higher than the sky. The butterfly flies, towards the castle of the future, opening the skylight of dreams, making growth faster and more beautiful…”

In her bedroom, Wang Haifei heard Su Chunfeng’s singing. Her heart stirred. She quickly took off her sandals, lifted her skirt, climbed onto the bed, opened the small rear window, stood on tiptoe, and looked outside. She saw the group of boys, some in short sleeves, some simply bare-backed. She also saw Su Chunfeng, riding a shabby bicycle, wearing a light-colored short-sleeved shirt, singing at the top of his lungs, and even glancing back at her window with a smile…

“Ah-ah!”

Clatter!

Su Chunfeng, not paying attention to the road ahead, accidentally rode over a brick and fell to the ground.

Wang Haifei’s heart tightened. Then she saw Su Chunfeng hurriedly pick up his bicycle, giving her an awkward, embarrassed smile. He got back on the old bicycle and, amidst the laughter of his friends, sped away as if escaping… Wang Haifei couldn’t help but cover her mouth and let out a quiet laugh.

…

First parking his bicycle against the wall by the doorway, Su Chunfeng carried his bedding and strode into the house.

In the yard, his father Su Cheng was tinkering with a part on the Combine Harvester under the shade of a tree on the platform. As Su Chunfeng walked towards the house, he said, “Dad, when did you get back? I saw our truck parked at the Feed Factory… Not planning to go out anymore?”

“Just got back yesterday. It’s all finished,” Su Cheng replied. “School’s out?”

“Yeah.” Su Chunfeng carried his things back into the house, threw them on the bed, and came back out. “Where’s Mom and Xiao Yu?”

“Your mom went to the private plot to spray the vegetables. Xiao Yu went out to play.” Su Cheng forcefully tightened a screw with a wrench, then stopped his work. He sat on a small stool, lit a cigarette, and puffed on it, smiling as he asked, “How were your Final Exam results? You made big promises ahead of time.”

Su Chunfeng grinned and said, “Five hundred eighty-nine points! Eleventh place in the class!”

“That’s improvement.” Su Cheng nodded with satisfaction—in the past, even if his child got first place, he wouldn’t show such a pleased expression. He would deliberately put on a stern face, playing the strict father, and lecture about not getting arrogant with success or discouraged by failure.

But now, Su Cheng was in a very good mood.

The reason, of course, was that they had made money this year.

“Hmm, these two months of hard work didn’t go to waste.” Su Chunfeng made his own summary, saying seriously, “In the second half of the year, I’ll try to get into the top three in the class.”

“Good, good.” Su Cheng’s face was full of gratified joy.

Su Chunfeng changed the subject, smiling as he said, “Dad, our Combine Harvester was busy for about two months this season, right?”

“Yeah, over fifty days.”

“How much did we earn?” Su Chunfeng looked curious.

Su Cheng’s expression became a little hesitant. Was it inappropriate to talk about such things with a half-grown kid? But after thinking for a moment, he felt the child was growing up. Besides, the idea to buy the Combine Harvester had come from the child in the first place. He smiled and said, “Anyway, the loan is paid off.”

The loan was paid off…

That was seventy thousand yuan!

Contrary to Su Cheng’s expectations, his son Su Chunfeng did not show a surprised expression. It seemed he had already anticipated this outcome. He nodded quite maturely and said, “Don’t be in a rush to pay off the loan completely. We should always keep some money set aside. Even though we can’t use it for harvesting corn in the autumn, after the corn is harvested, our machine can still go out for tilling.”

“Well, aren’t you the clever one.” Su Cheng was quite surprised. How was this kid thinking things through more thoroughly than many adults?

Su Chunfeng just grinned sheepishly and scratched his head without saying anything.

Su Cheng took a drag of his cigarette and said, “We kept five thousand. Besides, it’s not like I’ll just sit at home doing nothing for the next few months. I’ll still go out to work and earn money.” At this point, Su Cheng suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help smiling as he patted Su Chunfeng’s head. “I know. You’ve got your eye on a new bicycle, haven’t you? Haha… No problem! We’ll go into the county town in the next couple of days and buy you one!”

“I don’t need one,” Su Chunfeng shook his head. “A new bicycle at school is easy to steal. I’m fine riding this old one. But we should still buy a new bicycle. Buy a women’s style for Mom to ride, so she won’t be laughed at when she visits relatives on that old thing.”

Su Cheng was stunned.

He never would have thought Su Chunfeng would say something like that.

Before, Su Chunfeng had never explicitly asked his parents to buy him a new bicycle, but a father knows his son. Su Cheng certainly knew that a boy this age cared about his pride. Riding such a shabby, embarrassing bicycle must have hurt his self-esteem in front of his classmates. But, forced by their tight family finances, they really couldn’t bear to spend a few hundred yuan on a new bicycle for him.

But now, the family was in a better position. Su Chunfeng actually said he didn’t want a new bicycle himself. Instead, he suggested buying one for his mother, just because she might be laughed at for riding the old bicycle when visiting relatives!

In that instant…

Su Cheng, a nearly forty-year-old man who had served as a soldier and fought in battles, felt his nose sting and his eyes grow slightly red. An immense wave of shame welled up inside him!

All these years, failing to give his wife and children a good life… He had been a worthless man!

Thinking of this, Su Cheng took a fierce drag of his cigarette, threw the butt down, and ground it out hard with the toe of his shoe. He patted his oily hands and stood up. “Xiao Feng, come with me to the county town in a bit. We’ll buy bicycles today. Two of them! One for your mom, one for you!”

“That’s not necessary, is it?” Su Chunfeng was a little surprised. Why had his dad’s temperament suddenly changed? Even if they made money this year, it shouldn’t be like this?

From his understanding of his father, he should be the type who firmly believed in letting kids learn hardship and simplicity from a young age… How could he have known that, in fact, what parent in this world doesn’t deeply cherish their own child in every possible way? It was just that before, forced by their family circumstances, there really was no other choice.

…

Su Cheng was a man of his word.

As the sun set, painting half the sky red with evening clouds, Su Chunfeng and his father returned, sweating profusely, riding two brand-new Phoenix brand bicycles.

Besides the two bicycles, there were also two brand-new schoolbags stuffed full of newly bought stationery. Additionally, Su Cheng had bought his wife Chen Xiulan a pair of high-heeled sandals and a set of off-white short-sleeved dresses. Su Cheng himself, and the two kids, got a whole new set of clothes from head to toe.

“What… what have you two been up to?” Chen Xiulan looked at the two shiny new bicycles and the many bags of things, her heart aching at the expense.

Su Chunyu had already joyfully snatched the new schoolbag and new clothes.

Su Cheng chuckled and said, “Wife, you’ve suffered a lot all these years, never spending on good food or clothes for yourself. We made money this year. It’s right to get you some nicer clothes to wear. Look, this curved-frame women’s bicycle, Xiao Feng picked it out for you. From now on, you’ll ride this one.”

“Why spend all this money?” Chen Xiulan felt both happy and pained. “How expensive must this be? With this money, how much fabric could we buy, how many clothes could we make?”

“Mom, money is for people to use and to enjoy life with…” Su Chunfeng said with a smile. “Besides, Dad can earn money now, and he’ll earn even more in the future. If we have money, should we still live the same life as before? Then what was the point of Dad working so hard to earn all this money?”

Chen Xiulan paused, clearly unable to wrap her head around this idea right away.

Su Cheng was also a bit puzzled, but it seemed to make sense. He chuckled and said, “Right, right. Wife, stop nagging…” As he spoke, he pulled two ten-yuan bills from his pocket. “Xiao Feng, go buy two bottles of chilled beer and two cold side dishes.”

“Got it!” Su Chunfeng took the money and headed out.

Su Chunyu dashed out from the room and chased after him. “I want to go too! I want to buy an ice pop!”

“Buy it!” Su Cheng agreed cheerfully.

Chen Xiulan stood in the yard, stroking the handlebars of the new bicycle. A feeling of sheer happiness welled up in her heart… In all these years, when had the family ever been this well-off?

“Wife, the kids are growing up.” Su Cheng reached out and gently rested his hand on his wife’s shoulder.

“Mhm.” Chen Xiulan nodded. “I’m getting old too.”

“You’re not old. Still just as beautiful…”

“Go on, you old fool!” Chen Xiulan’s face flushed red instantly.

Su Cheng laughed heartily. “I was thinking, after we finish the tilling work after autumn and earn some more money, our family should get a motorcycle and build the house on that building plot!”

“What?” Chen Xiulan said. “What’s the rush?”

“Don’t we deserve to live in a new house too?” Su Cheng smiled. “Besides, Xiao Feng will be in ninth grade in the second half of this year. In the blink of an eye, in another five or six years, it’ll be time for him to get married. If we don’t get things set up properly ahead of time, there’ll be fewer matchmakers coming… If the home is well-furnished, more matchmakers will come.”

“That’s true.” Chen Xiulan nodded in agreement.

If Su Chunfeng knew his parents were already starting to think about his future marriage and starting a family at this point, he would probably find it both funny and touching, and feel even more moved and guilty. Although he possessed a maturity far beyond his peers, his understanding of the vast, deep love parents have for their children was still not thorough enough.

It truly fit that old saying—you don’t know the depth of parental love until you have children of your own!