Heavy as a Mountain

"I've made up my mind."

"You've made up your mind? You're thinking too simply. If you take your younger sister to school with you, have you thought about what she'll do while you're in class?"

The speaker was a frail, short-haired woman. She was Mo Jingchun and his younger sister Candy's Big Aunt, Zhou Yun—their mother's older sister.

Holding Candy, who was looking around curiously in his arms, Mo Jingchun felt warmth rise in his heart. Though so many people were sitting in the Living Room, either Dad's siblings or Mother's siblings, Mo Jingchun knew that if his sister truly had to be raised by one of them, only Big Aunt's family was suitable.

It was not that his uncles did not care for them. Rather, neither of his two uncles had the final say in their own homes.

Mo Jingchun held no resentment. He knew his two uncles' circumstances well. They were not wealthy to begin with, and taking in another child would be the equivalent of losing a laborer.

"Big Aunt, I've already spoken with the school. Considering my special circumstances, they'll make arrangements so I can attend school without worry."

Zhou Yun frowned, her face full of heartache. In the end, she let out a helpless sigh.

"You child, why are you so stubborn?"

Mo Jingchun teased little Candy and smiled without saying a word.

After a long while, Grandpa, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke. "Since that's the case, it's settled. When the child isn't at home, I'll keep an eye on things. If Xiao Chun really can't manage after he gets to school, he can call me, and I'll go bring the little one back."

"Exactly. How could we let the maternal family raise them? Us brothers aren't in the ground yet."

One person after another spoke, as though they had already solved every problem. Even if the sky fell, they would be the first to hold it up.

Mo Jingchun did not even raise his head at the back-and-forth between his father's brothers, much less make a sound.

Knock, knock, knock—

Mo Jingchun's Uncle, Zhou Xing, tapped the yellowed Eight Immortals table three times with his rough, large hand. His gaze was sharp, like a male lion protecting its cubs.

"Brothers of the Mo family, let me make this clear first. Although my nephew and niece have lost both their father and mother, if anyone dares set their sights on those two, they'll have to ask whether the hammers of us maternal relatives agree." Zhou Xing's tone was anything but polite.

"Of course! If anyone dares set their sights on the children, they'll have to ask whether us brothers agree too."

"That's right, that's right."

"Exactly."

Zhou Xing replied meaningfully, "It'd better be that way. Don't let any unpleasant rumors from the Surrounding Villages reach my ears later."

"I'm not someone who can tolerate even a grain of sand in my eye."

Beside him, the corners of Mo Jingchun's lips lifted slightly. Even little Candy in his arms giggled along with him.

No matter how slow the eldest Mo and the others were, they understood Zhou Xing's implication by then. He was worried that some of them might have designs on the inheritance left to the two children.

Zhou Xing was not worried about the other inheritance at all, but farmland, plots of land, and mountains were another matter. If anyone said the Mo brothers had no thoughts about them whatsoever, Zhou Xing would not believe it for a second.

They were all from the same township. How could he not know the little tricks used in the countryside?

Even when his younger sister and brother-in-law had been alive, there had been no shortage of disputes over fields, land, and mountains, let alone now that the two children had lost their parents.

Seeing that the Mo brothers had fallen silent, Zhou Xing took the opportunity to pull out a stack of red notes from his pocket and slap it onto the yellowed Eight Immortals table.

Mo Jingchun's Younger Uncle and Big Aunt seemed to have planned it as well. Following Zhou Xing's lead, they each took out a stack of red Mao Grandpa notes and placed them on the table.

The stacks of red notes were about the same thickness, and each stack contained at least five thousand yuan.

This was something Mo Jingchun had never expected, so much so that the stunned expression remained on his face.

"It doesn't mean anything else. Xiao Chun getting into Jing University has brought honor to our maternal family. By the customs of the Surrounding Villages, we should have held a banquet and drinks, but given the current situation, that's impossible. Not only would Xiao Chun definitely disagree, it wouldn't be appropriate either."

"Uncle is right. Us brothers had the same thought." As he spoke, Mo Jingchun's Grandpa also pulled a rather thick red envelope from his chest. Mo Changyou's name was written on it.

Right afterward, everyone else seemed to have planned it too, taking out red envelopes one after another. Like Mo Changyou's, each envelope bore the name of the head of that household. Clearly, everyone had come prepared for today's discussion.

As for whether these red envelopes had originally been intended to celebrate Mo Jingchun's admission to Jing University, no one knew.

Seeing his eldest nephew standing there in a daze, Zhou Xing shot Mo Jingchun a glare. "What are you standing around foolishly for? Let your Aunt hold your younger sister for a while, then go get the account books!"

Mo Jingchun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he seemed not to know what to say.

"Go on." Aunt Wang Qiaoling patted Mo Jingchun's shoulder, smiling as she took Candy from his arms and teased her until she laughed.

Mo Jingchun looked at the locked drawer before him and used the key to unlock it.

The empty drawer held nothing besides two account books, but to Mo Jingchun, those two books were far more precious than many of the possessions in the house.

Of the two account books, one was a thick, soft-cover notebook, somewhat worn. In Mo Jingchun's memories, Mother often took it out to read. The words "Junior High School" were printed on its cover.

The other account book was very thin and new, an ordinary twelve-page exercise book.

In the Living Room, after Mo Jingchun left, Zhou Xing asked Mo Changyou, "The child will be starting school soon. Even if no one sends him all the way to school, someone should at least take him to the train station, right? Don't let people point fingers and say there's no one left in the Mo family."

"Brother, don't worry about that. Us brothers have already discussed Xiao Chun's schooling. When the time comes, Third Brother will personally drive him to the train station in the city. The folks in the neighborhood have also been asking when Xiao Chun will leave for school, so they can buy fireworks and firecrackers."

"After Xiao Chun leaves, we'll treat everyone to a meal at my house, as a send-off for him."

This time, a rare smile appeared on Zhou Xing's face.

"You brothers are spending too much. I'll thank you on behalf of my poor younger sister. These were things she should have done herself."

"It's only right, it's only right."

Mo Jingchun picked up the account book Mother had often used, locked the drawer again, took a black Gel Pen, and returned to the first-floor Living Room.

"Uncle, I brought the account book."

Zhou Xing glanced at the yellowed account book and gave a grunt.

"Count what's on the table, one stack at a time, and record every bit of it in the book."

"These are all favors. We may not care about them, but you must. Favors go both ways and must be repaid. That's the lesson I'm teaching you today."

Zhou Xing pointed at the account book in Mo Jingchun's hands. "Do you see it? This account book contains all the favors and exchanges your mother recorded while she was alive. They aren't merely numbers."

"Now that this account book has been passed into your hands, it means all those social obligations have been passed onto you as well."

"When you live your life, never forget where you came from!"