Those things that happened in those years

Chapter 49 Playing in the Water

Hong Liguo always felt that, whether it was back then or now, winter and summer vacations were definitely the happiest days for students—no homework to urge them on, no classroom constraints, just plenty of free time.

Because of Jie's special family situation, whenever Hong Liguo and the others invited Jie to go out, they had to help him with some chores first: fill the water tank, carry enough firewood for the house, clean the yard, or water the vegetables in the garden. Only after finishing these chores could they leave with peace of mind.

During summer vacation, Hong Liguo and his friends' favorite place was the stream more than a kilometer away in front of their house. The stream was calm and only reached their calves. The group of them would wade, bathe, and have water fights in the stream, having a great time every day and never getting tired of it.

That noon, after lunch, Hong Liguo invited some friends to play in the stream. Just as they were having the most fun, they suddenly heard voices coming from downstream. Everyone quickly held their breath and listened carefully, and it really was the sound of people talking.

The midday sun was blazing, and few adults would come to the stream. Moreover, the sound seemed to be getting closer, and more clearly, it was the voice of a group of girls. They weren't wearing any clothes at the time, and upon hearing that it was girls, they were so frightened that they rushed out of the puddle and ran to the sand to find their clothes, frantically putting them on.

Just as he finished dressing, he saw seven girls wading up the river downstream. Judging from their age, they were two or three years younger than Hong Liguo and the others.

When the group realized that all the people who came were girls, they knew that they wouldn't be able to play in the water today, so they immediately dispersed. In the end, only Hong Liguo, Jun Ge, Jie, and Hong Bo were left by the stream.

It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but the shovels they brought to block the water were still on the beach. If they left the tools there and ran away, they certainly wouldn't be able to explain it when they got home.

Just as the four of them went to get the shovels, the group of girls had already passed the bend and could see them clearly. The girls were stunned for a moment, then started chattering and joking, their clear laughter drifting on the wind.

Just as Hong Liguo and Jun Ge picked up their tools to leave, they heard a girl call out "Brother!" in a clear voice.

The four of them turned around simultaneously—by then the girls were not far away, and Hong Liguo immediately recognized the person standing in the middle of the crowd as none other than his cousin Linghua from his uncle's family. Of course, this Linghua had nothing to do with the Linghua from the pop music show Phoenix Legend.

That "brother" was called out by Linghua.

Upon seeing that it was Linghua and her friends, Hong Liguo stopped in his tracks.

Linghua walked over quickly, smiling, and asked, "Brother, are you guys playing in the water here?"

Before Hong Liguo could speak, Hong Bo chimed in, "That's right! We were only halfway through our bath when you scared us away." He then pointed to the other companions who had already walked away.

As soon as he said that, the girls burst into a burst of cheerful laughter, with one short girl laughing the loudest. Hong Liguo recognized her; she was Sister Chen Liu from the back street of their village.

Hong Liguo looked at them and asked, "You've come to play in the river too?"

Linghua nodded: "Yes! I didn't have much to do during the holiday, and it was hot, so I came to play in the water to cool off."

Hongbo joined in, laughing, and said, "Want to shower together? We just plugged the leak, and we've only showered halfway through. The water's just the right depth for backstroke!"

The girls laughed again, their voices melodious: "You've all showered, we're not going to!"

"Who's going to shower with you? Don't you know there's a difference between men and women?"

"Yu Hongbo, you're asking for a beating for saying that!"

"Hey, what are you saying? You think we're dirty?" Hongbo retorted indignantly. "The water you're wading through now, didn't it flow through here too? It's water we used, and you were having a good time wading through it! Why are you hitting me? We were having a good time and you came and messed things up. We let you have fun, and you want to hit us? That's not fair."

Upon hearing this, Sister Chen Liu immediately squatted down, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it at Hong Bo, giggling all the while. Hong Bo didn't back down, scooping up water with his shovel and retaliating, splashing Sister Chen Liu all over. Sister Chen Liu, still angry, picked up small stones from the beach and threw them at Hong Bo. Hong Bo quickly hid behind Hong Liguo and Brother Jun, jumping and teasing her, "You missed! You missed!"

At this moment, Li Xiuxiang, who was standing in the group of girls, spoke up: "You guys must have been playing for quite a while, right? Why don't you go home first and let us play for a bit more?"

The usually cheerful Jun Ge stammered, "Even if you hadn't come, we were almost back anyway."

Hongbo, however, was unwilling: "Why go back! If they don't come, we can play for another two hours!"

The place where Hong Liguo and his friends were playing in the water was a bend in the stream, hidden in the most secluded part of the entire stream. The banks were about two meters high, forming a natural barrier. There was also a very fine and spacious sandy beach by the stream where they could sunbathe. This place was secluded, cool, and quiet, making it the perfect place to play in the water and take a bath.

"Brother, you guys go back first, let us play for a while," Linghua said to Hong Liguo in a coquettish tone.

Hong Liguo nodded: "Okay, you guys play." Then he turned to Jun Ge and said: "They didn't bring shovels, let's help them make the dike more solid, otherwise it will be washed away by the water in no time."

Sister Chen Liu snorted, "We're not going to play in the water you've already played in!"

"That's alright," Hong Liguo said. "I'll drain the water and fill it up again for you."

As he spoke, Hong Liguo, along with Jun Ge and Jie, dug a gap in the dam and released all the stored water. Then they sealed the gap and started storing water again.

While the others were busy working, Hongbo was still joking around with Sister Chen Liu. Not only did he not come to help, he also stubbornly said that he would destroy the dam so that they could not play.

Just as Hong Liguo was concentrating on reinforcing the dam, he suddenly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that a very pretty girl in the group of girls was staring at him. The girl had a round face, rosy like a ripe apple, making one want to take a bite; especially her slightly pursed lips and charming smile, which was particularly captivating.

Hong Liguo knew her—she was his cousin Linghua's best friend, named Tong Yuhong.

After the group reinforced the dam, Hong Liguo said to Linghua, "Linghua, go ahead and have fun! This dam is sturdy enough for you to play until you get home."

Sister Chen Liu spoke up again: "If they don't leave, how are we supposed to play? I'm not playing!"

Hong Bo immediately retorted, "This place isn't yours, I'm not leaving. I'll stay here and watch, and see if you dare go into the water—if you dare go into the water, I'll take your clothes!"

"You dare!" Sister Chen glared at him. "If you dare take it, I'll chase you to your house and beat you up!"

Linghua had no choice but to plead with Hong Liguo, "Brother, please take him away quickly! Otherwise, we can't play anymore."

Without a word, Jun grabbed Hongbo and pulled him away. Hongbo struggled and shouted, "I'll sneak back later and see how you guys play!"

Hong Liguo followed for a dozen steps and couldn't help but look back—just as he met Tong Yuhong's gaze. Tong Yuhong quickly and shyly turned her head to the side. Hong Liguo suddenly felt that the girl was simply too beautiful, making his heart itch.