Salad Days - Chapter 3

For Jiang Shen, going to the city twice a week is a big deal. Tan Lingling was still early in the morning. He turned over the new year’s clothes for him to put on. He also picked a fine cashmere coat, and carefully brushed his eyebrows against the vanity mirror.

“You go to comb your hair and get some water.” Tan Lingling commanded Jiang Shen while applying lipstick, “Clean up.”

Jiang Shen looked at the mirror to deal with his sleeping hairs, and it took a long time to get down.

Tan Lingling came in and took the scarf: “Wear those new sneakers.”

Jiang Shen said, “Oh,” sitting on a small stool and tying shoelaces.

Tan Lingling squatted down, her cashmere coat was too long and had to be rolled up on her knees: “Your feet grow so fast.” The mother sighed, “There are not enough shoes and clothes to buy.”

Jiang Shen thought quite naively: “You can’t change the bigger one.”

Tan Lingling couldn’t help crying: “Where can I change my old clothes? Our conditions are average, but I can’t afford to lose my face.”

Obviously, Jiang Shen could not associate the words “refitting with old clothes” and “shame on the face”. He has the innocence of his own age and is not bad at all.

The pheasant in the yard also woke up, Tan Lingling did not close the fence, the chicken went out for a walk and **** himself, and saw Jiang Shen “cluck” twice.

“Tony.” The dog hair is fashionable and must give a chicken a foreign name. Jiang Shen shouted obediently. “We’re going out.”

Tony chicken shook his neck. Tan Lingling was already calling him outside the courtyard, and Jiang Shen hurried out.

“You are not stupid.” Tan Lingling smiled, “still talking to a chicken.”

Tan Lingling, who took the shuttle bus to the city, sat a lot, and the driver masters all knew it. She was quite surprised to see her today: “Any food delivery?”

Tan Lingling: “Go and buy something.” She pushed her son, “Sit back.”

The driver’s master closed the door: “It’s too early, sleep on the road, and I will call you when it’s time.”

Tan Lingling agreed quite happily and sat on the edge of Jiang Shen, letting her son lean on herself: “Sleepy?”

Jiang Shen was excited: “Not sleepy, what are we going to do?”

Tan Lingling touched his head: “I went to school in September, take you to see the new school.”

Jiang Shen: “Are they together with dog hair?”

“Here.” Tan Lingling took his hand. “But Chen Maoxiu is a junior high school. You and Chen Qingling are in a class.”

Jiang Shen was very happy: “Then I can go to and from school with Qing Lingzi.”

Tan Lingling nodded his forehead: “It’s necessary to call someone’s name on the outside, as well as dog hair. It’s hard to hear at school.”

Jiang Shen was very obedient about what his mother said. He leaned on Tan Lingling’s shoulder for a while, and couldn’t help but look out of the car window. Tan Lingling took a nap for more than an hour and passed. Shouting them, the two got out of the car in a hurry.

Tan Lingling went to the mall first. When she came out, she had two more cigarettes in her hand. Her mother carefully wrapped the cigarette case and put it in a shopping bag. The expression on her face seemed to be more relaxed.

The school that Jiang Shen wants to study is not particularly good in the city, but elementary school, junior high school and high school are all together, which is especially convenient for students who want to continue to study. The Jiang family also took a fancy to this point, and the tuition was not too expensive, so he asked the town mayor to help a transfer student.

But even if she helped the school and accepted, Tan Lingling still felt that she had to go to the school to say hello. She has always been a woman of ideas. Although she sometimes does not give up money, she will not be ill-treated by her family and human relations.

“I’m going to the principal’s office.” Tan Lingling bent over and adjusted the whole collar of Jiang Shen’s coat. “You play by yourself?”

The campus is relatively safe, and Jiang Shen is not afraid to walk around, but he remembers something else: “Don’t you buy sugar today?”

Tan Lingling made a “disgusting” expression: “Did you eat it yesterday, as I said before, you can only eat it once a week.”

Jiang Shen “Oh” for a while.

Tan Lingling was uncomfortable, and then urged a few words before she went to the office building with a cigarette.

Although they are all on the same campus, their names are different. The primary school is called the city experiment, and the junior high school calls the city sixth middle school. Jiang Shen has no courage to go to the upper grades, so he honestly dangles in the lower grades.

There are no classes on weekends, and the school staff and teachers on duty don’t care about him. Jiang Shen randomly found several classrooms and looked at them like a dog patrol. Sitting in the front row and lying in the back, I felt very happy in my heart. .

Tan Lingling finished the delivery in a short while, and found her son on the large campus for a long time, and finally used the school’s radio speakers to call Jiang Shen out.

“No one can play at school.” Tan Lingling was really angry, “so happy?”

Jiang Shen smiled: “Happy.”

Tan Lingling splashed his cold water: “I’m really happy to see you at school.”

It was not too late for the mother and the child to come out of the school. Tan Lingling took Jiang Shen straight to the Palace of Culture. Teacher Lin had arrived at the dance room and was surprised when she took off her down jacket: “Are you here?”

Tan Lingling was more polite to Teacher Lin: “Come here, Teacher Lin looks really good today.”

Teacher Lin laughed, she said “you are welcome”, and then waved, let Jiang Shen come.

“Did you buy dancing shoes?” Teacher Lin asked.

Tan Lingling was a little embarrassed: “It’s not too late…”

Teacher Lin did not say anything, went to the costume room and took out a pair of spare dance shoes: “I have big girls here, do you want to try it?”

Jiang Shen quickly took off his shoes and was ready to put them on.

Teacher Lin took a pair of ballet shoes, the size was okay, but Jiang Shen would not tie it. He sat on the ground, tied his legs cross-legged for a long time, and the sweat came out.

Teacher Lin bent down: “Don’t worry, I’ll bind you.”

The boy’s ankle was much thicker than the girl’s, and the bandage was a little shorter. Teacher Lin gave him a few rounds. Because of the cold weather, Jiang Shen’s woolen pants hadn’t been taken off, and the legs of his pants were all rolled together. Calf.

When Jiang Shen stood up, it was a little funny. It looked like a duck with shaved legs. Tan Lingling looked at the door and couldn’t help but bowed her head and smiled.

Jiang Shen didn’t notice that his expression was very serious and he stood straight in front of the mirror.

Teacher Lin said: “Let’s warm up first, lower the leg and stretch the legs, don’t force it, what can be done.”

She bent down in front of the mirror, and Jiang Shen learned her movements. Teacher Lin straightened up and walked around behind him, reaching for his back and pressing: “Slow down…”

Jiang Shen’s palms touched the floor, and Teacher Lin was very satisfied: “Get up.”

Jiang Shen straightened his back.

“Go back a few more times.” Teacher Lin held his back, “Come slowly.”

Jiang Shen couldn’t help but ask, “What is this for?”

Teacher Lin: “This is called the lower back.”

Jiang Shen’s head was up in the sky, his hands over his head, he felt his clothes stretched out, his stomach exposed.

“Don’t relax.” Teacher Lin put some effort, “Put your waist up.”

Jiang Shen held his breath and felt embarrassed, his face flushed.

Teacher Lin saw it and said with a smile: “Don’t be shy, it won’t be like this next time you change your dance clothes.”

Jiang Shennane didn’t speak. After finishing the lower waist, Teacher Lin instructed him how to stretch and press the legs. When finally splitting, Jiang Shen didn’t expect that he could do so easily.

“Very good.” Teacher Lin praised him, “I have to practice every day after I go back.”

Jiang Shen nodded, and when he stood up, he felt a little uncomfortable. His pants were too tight. He didn’t find it when he split his stomach and slammed down. He only realized that his movements were so powerful.

Tan Lingling looked at her son’s hand under the cover and changed shoes awkwardly, and finally did not hold back the laugh.

Jiang Shen: “…”

Teacher Lin kindly comforted him: “Boys, normal, change loose pants next time.”

Tan Lingling helped Jiang Shen take off his shoes, and when he was about to go back, Mr. Lin pushed back: “Give him these shoes. Go back and change the bandage, you can wear it for a while.”

Tan Lingling knew she was well-intentioned, and she accepted it, whispering not so embarrassedly: “This young boy grows too fast and usually has to change shoes…”

Towards the sunrise gate, and the curtain went home. When Tan Lingling called Jiang Shen, the boy rubbed his eyes in confusion. While he was asleep, he squeezed his ballet shoes in his hand. Now it seems that the soles are deformed.

Tan Lingling took his hand and asked, “Does your leg hurt?”

Jiang Shen yawned: “No pain.”

Tan Lingling: “What do you endure when you get home? Just say it when you feel pain.”

Jiang Shen thought for a while and honestly said: “There is still a little…”

Tan Lingling laughed at her son twice.

Jiang Luoshan had already cooked his meal when he went back. Tony was in a vigorous circle in the yard. When he saw Jiang Shen and Tan Lingling, they spread their wings and took a few hard shots.

Tan Lingling went into the house to feed the chicken food, and Jiang Luoshan glanced at his son’s ballet shoes and didn’t speak.

The family sat and ate dinner together. When cleaning up the tableware, the dog hair came to call Jiang Shen to catch the bird. Jiang Luoshan waved his hand: “Go and play.”

Jiang Shen and Gou Mao left.

Tan Lingling washed the dishes, took out the needle thread from the house, and moved a stool to the entrance of the courtyard. Jiang Luoshan carried the charcoal basin at her feet.

The two talked for a while, Jiang Luoshan fiddled with the charcoal fire and asked, “Are the tuition fees paid?”

“Handed over.” Tan Lingling lifted the needle and scratched her hair. She found some new ribbons, took off the old ballet shoes, and sewed them slowly. “How much money do we have?”

Jiang Luoshan looked at her sewing shoes: “Don’t worry about the money, I work hard every day, and I will have a good harvest in September this year.”

Tan Lingling sighed. She lowered her head and sewed her shoes very briskly, but the tone was not easy: “It would have been possible to buy a rice transplanter… Are you tired again in April and May this year, can you bear it? ”

Jiang Luoshan: “I can’t stand a big man?”

Tan Lingling gave him a sneer: “You, my son is like you too. I have suffered a lot, and I don’t say anything when I feel tired.”

Jiang Luoshan smiled and did not speak, he asked: “How about our son dancing?”

Tan Lingling smiled: “I haven’t started to learn yet, what kind of lower waist, stretches, splits today? Oops, it hurts when I look at it.” After a pause, she said, “but she likes it.”

Jiang Luoshan’s expression was complicated again, and after a while he slowly said: “You said, why did our son suddenly like dancing? Not a little girl…”

Tan Lingling rolled her eyes: “What time is it, not what happened to the little girl, maybe our family will have a dancer in the future.”

Jiang Luoshan smiled and listened to his *blocked keywords* and said “dream words”, while reaching out to fiddle with the charcoal fire, bright red stars flew up.

It seems to be warming the cold night of early spring.