Now that they had the clothes, they were envious of the wooden guns Shao Qihai had made for the children. All of them were extremely eager to have one. Shao Qihai had no choice but to continue struggling with the wood and shave the wooden guns for them.
However, because of this, Shao Qihai got much closer to the villagers. He even became the idol of many children in Great Eastern Village, who were now clamoring and saying that when they grew up, they wanted to become a soldier like Uncle Shao and be as impressive as him when they returned home.
Shao Qihai’s skills and vigor were what the children yearned for the most. In an instant, Shao Qihai became the goal that many children in the village pursued.
Shao Qihai suddenly became the target of the children’s admiration and learning process. For some time, he had to pay more attention to his image and words when he went out to do something. However, he still had to wash the clothes and do housework when he needed to.
After a while, the village couldn’t gossip about Shao Qihai washing clothes anymore.
“What’s wrong with washing clothes? When you become a soldier, you wash your clothes yourself. You do your own things. Uncle Shao said that this is good.”
The mothers who liked to gossip were a little embarrassed, but the children immediately targeted the fathers.
“Daddy, why are you so lazy? You don’t even wash your own clothes and smelly shoes for Mommy. You’re really not a good man.”
The mothers were delighted. All of a sudden, many men went to the river, lowered their heads, and washed their clothes with dark expressions.
Of course, many of these children started washing their own clothes too, saying that they wanted to prepare for the future, when they’d join the army.
This was a good influence in the long term. Some children really remembered it, and later on, they actually embarked on this path. The educational resources in the village were limited. In addition, some children indeed weren’t cut out for studying. Studying till junior high was already considered very good. Many people only finished elementary school.
Fortunately, at the time, the requirements to enter the army weren’t high. After a child entered the army and was handed over to the country, the child would really be taught well and come back reborn.
Even if they were only gone for two years, they would still be completely different when they returned. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that their fate had changed.
Among them were not only boys but also girls, as they now knew that they could also go.
Although the army recruited fewer girls, they also had dreams. Later on, Great Eastern Village really produced female soldiers.
However, this would all happen in the future. Seeing that many children in the village were clamoring about joining the army when they grew up, Mu Jingzhe took this opportunity to encourage them to take their studies seriously. This was because higher educational qualifications would make things better for them in the future. These words also affected the children to a certain extent.
There was very little development in Great Eastern Village afterward. Many children had changed their fate, and these changes started on that ordinary day, when they followed them excitedly and shouted, “One, two, one!”
Life stayed this way for a week.
In June, Ji Buwang said that he wanted to go overseas and asked Xiao Wu if he wanted to go with him. This was a rare opportunity, and Xiao Wu naturally couldn’t miss it. Hence, Xiao Wu followed Ji Buwang overseas for the first time.
They went to a recital, and Xiao Wu also had the opportunity to see the people with different skin tones and hair that Mu Jingzhe had mentioned before.
Unlike the one or two foreigners that he would occasionally see in the big city, this time, he saw foreigners everywhere he went. However, the color of their hair and eyes was different from what Xiao Wu had imagined.
Xiao Wu was gone for quite a few days. When he came back, he had actually learned the local language and could even sing their songs. Ji Buwang said, “Xiao Wu isn’t only talented in music. He’s also talented in languages. He can sing local songs after listening to them twice on the streets. Even though he doesn’t know what the lyrics mean, he did a remarkable job of imitating them.
“You have no idea how much of a sensation he caused overseas with his ability. When we came across a singing busker, he picked up the song immediately, and everyone started throwing money at him. He even earned quite some money by doing it.
“This was even reported by the local television station. Later on, they even came over and invited him to a show. If I hadn’t remembered that we needed to come back, I would’ve taken him to the show to earn money.”
There were also many people overseas who yearned for the mysterious East. Needless to say, Ji Buwang’s disposition and appearance weren’t bad no matter where he went. Thanks to Xiao Wu’s looks and ability, he attracted both people’s eyes and money.
Mu Jingzhe looked at Xiao Wu, who was smiling so hard that his teeth weren’t visible. She could only give him a thumbs-up and tease him. “Then you should’ve taken him there to earn back the expenses of this trip.”
Ji Buwang laughed. “Aren’t you afraid that I’d run away with Xiao Wu or wickedly sell him to the locals?”
“Ha ha.” Mu Jingzhe laughed out loud. “If we didn’t even trust you that much, we wouldn’t have let you take Xiao Wu away.”
This trip overseas had greatly benefited Xiao Wu. He slowly began to set his sights further and he also developed a strong curiosity about music in other languages. He even developed an interest in folk music.
Mu Jingzhe naturally wouldn’t stop him. It just so happened that Shao Qihai had a comrade-in-arms whose relative wanted to host some guests. They said that their people were good at singing and dancing. Every time they invited guests over, they would form a circle at night to sing and dance.
Because Xiao Wu was interested, they went in the end. Seeing that the costumes they wore were very nice, Mu Jingzhe even bought a set for herself and the kids to change into.
When Xiao Wu learned the way they sang, they went ooh-and-aah over him again and said that he was a quick learner. Before he left, Xiao Wu successfully picked up their musical instruments too.
The five kids went to Ocean City for Children’s Day and even visited the amusement park.
After going to all these places, Xiao Wu’s world had completely opened up. Mu Jingzhe felt that he had overcome the trauma of Shao Qiyun being his mother. He had gone back to the way he was in the past, and perhaps he was even more cheerful than before.
Seeing that Xiao Wu’s condition had stabilized, Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. She no longer focused on Xiao Wu and instead turned her attention to the other children and her work.
She had not stopped paying attention to Shao Dong and the others previously, but people had limited energy. Because she had been especially concerned about Xiao Wu, she had unavoidably neglected the other children. However, the other four children were also concerned about Xiao Wu, so nothing had happened. Besides, they were very busy themselves.
Shao Xi had been working on his travelogue. When he finished perfecting it during the summer vacation, it might even be published. There might also be subsequent books. After all, he had to keep traveling to other places.
Shao Xi’s perspective was always very unique and exuded a childlike innocence. This was because he was just a child with many ideas that adults couldn’t think of. However, at times, he was abnormally clear-headed. Behind his simple words were remnants of an extremely cold reality.
He didn’t use a lot of flowery language when he wrote, but his words appeared vivid on paper. They were beautiful and warm, yet amidst the warmth and beauty was a hint of reality that was cruel and naive.
Children might not be able to feel it when they read his words, but when adults did, they would always smile before falling into deep thought.
In addition to the travelogue, Shao Xi had also been submitting manuscripts to newspapers and magazines. They regularly invited him to write articles for them, giving him a stable income in exchange.
