Sanwang said, “Mother, you and Elder Sister can go play on the swing. We will play on the swing at home and won’t run around.”
Xiaowang used to play by himself on the street. Recently, Sanwang took him out to dig wild vegetables and play. Nothing really happened, so Lin Lan was not worried about them.
“Okay then, we’ll go to the swing,” Lin Lan put down some food for the two children and told them to eat if they got hungry.
Sanwang, “Mom, I’m not a child, I can take care of my brother,” I’m your biological kid!
Lin Lan smiled, touched his head and kissed Xiaowang, “Have fun at home.”
Then, the party of women and girls left.
As soon as they left, Sanwang suddenly felt as if he was liberated. There was always a feeling that if his parents, brothers and sisters were not at home, he was the boss. He wanted to go to the house, put his
hands on his hips and shout a few times.
Xiaowang watched him running around the yard happily, a little confused as to why he was acting this crazy.
After running a few laps, Sanwang finally vented his excitement.
The two played for hours on the swings and the toy frog. The toy car was practically broken down when they finally got tired of it.
Sanwang led his younger brother to eat a piece of their mother’s egg rolls before he wiped his face thoughtfully. Then, he picked up a basket and a shovel, “Let’s go pick some vegetables. Let me tell you, this family needs men like us to support it.” Women can just eat, drink, play and be pretty.”
They cut out a basket of wild vegetables and saw that the sun was still high. Sanwang said that they should take them to the river to wash them and then bring them home to dry. Only after that would they chop the vegetables into tiny pieces in order to feed the ducks. Point is, there was no need to wash them at home and waste their precious water like their sister did.
In early March, although the ice in the river had melted, the water was still bitingly cold. Only the younger boys were willing to play in the water despite the cold.
Xiaowang, “Little Third Brother, mother won’t let you play in the water. It’s cold and you might cramp up.”
“You wait up there while I wash the wild vegetables.”
Xiaowang still shook his head and refused to let him do it.
Sanwang, “I will take off my shoes and wash the wild vegetables without going into the water. Our father dares to swim in winter and I’m his son, would I not dare to even wash vegetables?”
Xiaowang thought about it and it seemed like it kind of made sense? He nodded again, “Just wash the vegetables.”
Sanwang washed the wild vegetables and stared at the water. The spring water looked particularly soft and clear, reflecting the blue sky and the fluffy, white clouds. There were also groups of white geese and ducks swimming in the water.
Everything just looked so beautiful.
He wondered what it would be like to go swimming. After holding back for more than half a year, he felt an itch spread all over his body, as if something in the water was tempting him.
He heard someone talking about winter swimming on the radio and his father also said that they organised winter swimming competitions for soldiers in winter.
Their father commented that the water in winter was still pretty warm, but was it even true?
He couldn’t help but take off his socks and dip his feet in the water, “Ah!!! It feels so good, three more tanks!”
His feet were freezing.