Respect for Mountains and Rivers

Jian Xing was awakened by Jian Ru. "Evil doers will get their comeuppance, death is just death, why does he have to tell me? Who is he trying to disgust?" Jian Ru was talking about Jian Xing's grandfather, Jian Guosheng, whom she had never met. Most people keep their family secrets hidden, but not Jian Ru. She not only wanted to expose them, but she insisted everyone should know. She didn't care about hiding it from Jian Xing just because he was young. Because of this, Jian Xing had a full night of dreams about the old stories Jian Ru muttered about. Like a bystander, Jian Xing watched with cold eyes as the Jian family was in chaos, and in the end saw Jian Guosheng push his grandmother away and walk farther and farther away. Divorce wasn't a thing in that era, so Jian Guosheng's actions were tantamount to abandoning his wife and daughter. "Hah! This could be considered divine retribution!" Jian Ru's voice was not filled with self-satisfaction, but rather dripped with sarcasm. Pretty much. It's just not being struck by lightning, but being swept away by a flood. The local death investigation, with all their efforts, had sent the list to Hexian, in Jian Ru's hands. Because of this, Jian Ru cursed for almost half a month. "Enough, you're going to wake Jian Xing again." It was the grandmother's voice. "What do you mean 'enough'? You wouldn't still be thinking about him, right? Oh, he doesn't think about you at all! With this idle time you should worry more about how many years you still have left to live." Jian Ru's words were unkind, not even sparing her own mother. Hearing this, Jian Xing sighed, got up and left. When Jian Ru saw Jian Xing, she didn't show any embarrassment, she just asked her what she wanted to eat, to which Jian Xing replied, "Anything." The grandmother was originally sitting at the door, but seeing Jian Xing, she quickly waved her over, "Quickly wash your face and brush your teeth, don't delay going to the supermarket." Jian Xing had just graduated from junior high this year and was free during the summer vacation, so she had found a part-time job at a supermarket. Upon hearing this, Jian Xing walked over and said, "Sure." With nothing to do, the grandmother hovered around her, "School must be starting soon, right? Speak with your boss early, don't let them keep you." "I won't," Jian Xing shoved her toothbrush in her mouth and mumbled, "We agreed initially that I would work until today." "Then persist a little longer and come back early tomorrow." Jian Xing nodded with her toothbrush in her mouth. After eating, Jian Xing followed her usual routine and arrived at the supermarket at nine in the morning to work the cash register and finished her first job in life at five thirty in the afternoon. "Alright, take your money and leave now, this damn weather, it looks like it's going to rain." Jian Xing heard this and glanced outside. The ground was stirring up dust, and various red and black food plastic bags were spinning around. The wind was picking up. The sky darkened in an instant, looking like it was seven or eight o'clock at night. Indeed, it was about to rain. "What are you looking at? Don't you believe me?" The supermarket owner snorted with the corner of his eyes, exhaling smoke, "This is life experience that you won't learn in school, even the best and middle schools can't teach this." "I do believe." Jian Xing rolled eight red yuan notes and put them in her pocket, then took out a one-yuan note from another pocket and handed it to the boss, "Get me four Alps." As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't wait for the boss to nod and directly reached into the candy jar. "You're earning money now and still breaking it up? Take a whole bar, uncle will give it to you." "No need," Jian Xing struggled for a bit, then poked her head to take a look, "Are there no pink ones left?" "No more, the individual ones are all these kind," the boss squinted and took a look, "What flavor is this, is it so hard to sell?" "Roasted original milk flavor," Jian Xing took a closer look at the candy jar and had no choice but to take out another one and a half yuan from her pocket, "Give me a whole bar." The boss, with a cigarette in his mouth, muttered unclearly, "I already told you, I'll give it to you, why so polite?" Before Jian Xing had time to put the money on the counter, a "whoosh" sound suddenly burst in her ear. It's raining. Even though she was prepared, Jian Xing was still a bit dazed. The store owner saw Jian Xing's expression and had a sense of pride as an "experienced person", he snorted and said, "I guess it's time to rest." Indeed, it was time to take a break. Being idle, Jian Xing decided to take refuge back at the cash register. The old man gave her a look: "I won't pay you overtime." Jian Xing stuffed the two and a half yuan on the counter into her pocket and said, "Consider it paid for the candy." "Tsk." The boss couldn't understand why this child of such tender age was so tedious. The rain is so heavy that there is no one in the supermarket. Bored, Jian Xing lowered her head to look at the variety of cigarette boxes in the counter. Suddenly, an figure caught her peripheral vision. She unconsciously straightened up and looked up, only to catch a glimpse of a side profile, and ripples spread in her calm eyes. It was a boy, very tall, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. His shoulder was damp, and as he lowered his head to fiddle with his hair, the bumps on the back of his neck were like a dragon's spine. His movements were neither big nor small, and his shoulder blades moved with him. He quickly straightened up, casually brushed his damp hair back, held up his mobile phone, and said with a slight pant, "The rain is so heavy, you guys order first when you get there." "Don't order too much, it's wasteful." "I know, it's always me paying, anyways." The rain was too heavy, covering half of the boy's voice. Jian Xing listened vaguely, not sure if the rain was too loud or if her ears were ringing again. People's senses are probably all connected. After you can't hear clearly, it seems that you can't see clearly either. Not every day offers such a chance encounter. Jian Xing couldn't help it. She pressed her hands on the glass counter and peeked out the door. The boy happened to turn his head at this moment. His movement was sudden, and the wind blew up, bringing with it a strong earthy smell. Caught off guard, Jian Xing blinked, her expression slightly stunned. The boy smiled and walked up to the counter, placing a coin and said, "Get me two packs of tissues." When he looked over, Jian Xing looked away instead. "Oh, okay." Jian Xing hurriedly lowered her eyes to look at the few opened packs of tissues beside her, her tone normal, "Which brand?" "Any." Jian Xing handed him two packs of green Heart to Heart. The boy was about to take it when his phone rang again. He smiled helplessly, telling Jian Xing, "Leave it there." With that, he took out his phone and went to the door to answer it. Seeing his back, Jian Xing's fingers pinching the tissues tightened slightly, and then she gently placed the tissues on the glass counter. As she pulled her hand back, she pinched the coin on the counter. The coin carried a thin layer of warmth and was damp with water, wetting Jian Xing's hands. Her heart went soggy too. The thrill of stolen joy came as suddenly as the rain. She pinched the coin twice and put it back into her pocket, then took a bill from the same pocket and put it into the cash register. Both were of the same value. No one would care about the difference between paper money and coins. Not even the boy, he didn't even look at it, just shoved it directly into his pocket. Those tightrope-like emotions, only Jian Xing knew. The rain continued, making the blue checkered umbrella held up by the boy's broad shoulders seem a bit small. The wind blew the rain onto his shoulder, he bowed slightly and disappeared into the rain. Inside the counter, Jian Xing didn't feel the rain, yet the palm of her hands were completely wet. She exhaled softly, slowly dispersing the tension and guilt that was building up inside her. The boss suddenly popped out of nowhere and exclaimed, "What a handsome boy." Jian Xing was so startled her breath hitched, getting stuck halfway in her throat, nearly suffocating her. "Great height, must be a college student," the boss laughed, "Even taller than my son." "No he's not." Jian Xing suddenly said. The boss replied, "What do you mean no?" "He's not a college student." Jian Xing said. The boss looked a bit surprised, "You know him? You two didn't seem to know each other just now?" "I know him," Jian Xing looked at the footprints on the ground, her voice a bit low, "I know him." He just didn't know her. The summer rain indeed took on the form of showers - one moment it was a torrential fall, and the next, it abruptly ceased. After just a few minutes, the muggy heat would return. If it weren't for the residual water on the ground, Jian Xing almost thought that everything she just experienced was a mere illusion. Splitting a piece of candy as she trod along the path, she was surprised to find an empty house upon her return. It was until sundown that her grandma, Jian Rulu, and Lu Cheng returned home. Upon seeing Jian Xing, her grandma immediately shoved something into her hands. "Here, take this," she said. "What is it?" Jian Xing asked, puzzled. Peering down at her hand, she saw a small bottle enclosed within a bag. She was about to pull it out for a better look when Jian Rulu, parking her tricycle in the courtyard, cut in, "Some fancy sunscreen lotion nonsense." "You will be training in the military, won't you? Look at this weather! Standing under the sun, you will certainly get tanned," Grandma reasoned, "Apply several layers of it. You look good fair and fresh." Jian Rulu scoffed, "Look good? Can 'looking good' feed us?" "Oh, stop being a grouch," Grandma complained, "Fed up, are you? Let's see if she dares to act fed up!" "Irritated? You're irritated, yet she wouldn't dare to express a glimmer of irritation!" Retorted Jian Rulu as she headed to the kitchen. She paused beside Jian Xing, giving her an up-and-down look, a lurking curiosity hidden behind her gaze, and then cautiously advised, "You're in high school now, not junior high. One wrong step, and the whole family will have to return to farming!" There was silence from Jian Xing. "Did you hear that?" Jian Rulu asked. "I heard you," Jian Xing replied. Satisfied with her response, Jian Rulu, however, continued her tirade, "A whip cannot get a fart out of a horse. Like father like daughter, both as inept as the other!" Having been a subject of slander for well over a decade, Lu Cheng initially took it in his stride, but these past two years, as Jian Xing was getting older, he began to feel slightly uneasy. As a man who struggled to strike a conversation with his daughter, he awkwardly advised, "It's okay just go in and try the sunscreen grandma got you. See if you like it." Jian Xing agreed. This made Grandma ecstatic. Along with Jian Xing, she entered the room, reiterating, “Don’t forget to apply it, you must apply it.” Jian Xing couldn’t help but laugh, “I got it.” Grandma pinched Jian Xing's face fondly, "Look at you, look so good when you smile." Jian Xing offered another polite smile.