Ten years ago, everything has to start from ten years ago.
That year, the disaster that shocked the whole country had not happened yet. The small Deerfield County seemed to always have blue skies and clear waters, gentle breezes and sunny days, and every day passed smoothly and calmly, and everyone lived in an orderly and peaceful way.
At that time, Teacher Zhang was still teaching diligently, William was still a high school student working hard in silence, and only eight-year-old Elizabeth was still carefree and happy every day.
In 2003, Deerfield County, Deerfield High School.
Elizabeth sat bored outside the door of Class 3 of Senior One, her legs restlessly swaying.
Her mother, Zhang Liling, was an English teacher at Deerfield High School. Teacher Zhang was a single mother whose parents died early, and she was alone with her eight-year-old daughter. There were no elderly people at home to take care of her daughter, and the school had to make up classes on Sundays, so sometimes she would bring her child to the school, give her a chair, and let her sit outside the classroom.
Elizabeth was very clever and would not make a fuss, just sitting quietly on the chair, or lying on the chair to draw, and would not affect the teaching of the class.
However, she is just an eight-year-old child after all, and todays forty minutes seemed especially long.
She played with her fingers for a while, and then lay down to draw, but today she didnt seem to be in the mood, and finally threw down the brush.
She sneaked to the window of the classroom, stood on tiptoe, and exhaled on the glass, then drew a big smile with her finger.
The boy sitting by the window was a big boy with a refreshing short hair, wearing a blue school uniform. The school uniform was wide and large, and it looked very rustic, but he was full of youthful energy, with a full forehead, and looked like a very energetic young man, sitting and listening attentively in class. From the side, his profile looked very calm.
He had noticed Elizabeths actions a long time ago, smiled slightly, looked at her, and his eyes were unconsciously doting. He also exhaled on the glass, and added a few strokes next to her smile, adding a few whiskers, and it became a playful and mischievous little cat.
The two were having fun, and a blue chalk hit the glass accurately. Only heard Zhang Shifang shouting in front of the lecture table: "Elizabeth!"
The whole class laughed, and Elizabeth slipped away and disappeared.
But as soon as the class bell rang, she would appear on time and walked into the classroom with great swagger.
The students all surrounded her, and they were all very familiar with Teacher Zhangs daughter and liked her very much.
Elizabeth was wearing a light-colored skirt with lotus leaf edges today, with two braids hanging in front of her chest, surrounded by the stars of the crowd.
The big brothers and sisters called her "Baby Hui" and "Princess Hui" intimately, and took out the snacks from their school bags for her to eat.
Elizabeth happily talked and played with them, and she didnt take most of the snacks, but took a Ferrero chocolate from the hand while her mother was not paying attention.
Teacher Zhang was still explaining the exercises to the students who came to ask questions, and said without lifting her head: "William, wait a while before leaving, help me correct the exams that everyone took yesterday."
"Okay, Teacher Zhang."
Someone responded, with a clear voice, which was the young man who just sat by the window and played with Elizabeth. He was organizing the English homework that was handed in, and now he raised his head, with a clear and bright smile, which was 16-year-old William.
In a short while, the students all went home.
"Lets go, William." Teacher Zhang walked in front, and glared at Princess Hui.
Elizabeth stuck out her tongue happily and ran to find William, holding his hand affectionately: "Brother, lets go."
William nodded, holding the homework in one hand and holding her hand with the other. He was the English representative of the class, and usually helped the teacher collect some homework and copy some blackboard newspapers. He was taller than the boys of the same age, a bit thin, but his back was very straight, and his figure was upright. Elizabeth was just above his waist.
The two walked behind Teacher Zhang, and Elizabeth took out the chocolate and said, "Brother, eat chocolate."
The chocolate was round, wrapped in gold foil paper. It may have been held for a long time, and it was wrinkled and soaked with sweat from the palm of the hand.
William shook his head and smiled, "I wont eat it, Hui Hui will eat it."
"I have eaten it, its very delicious, really." Said, Elizabeth also swallowed a mouthful of water.
"I dont like chocolate."
"Really?"
Seeing William nodding, Elizabeth peeled off the gold foil paper and put the chocolate in her mouth, immediately showing a satisfied look, and said with a smile: "Ah, chocolate is delicious!"
William also smiled, looking very spirited.
He has a pair of clear, black and bright eyes, and his smile is very brilliant.
Teacher Zhang, who was living in the teachers dormitory arranged by the school, was still talking: "William, I have already done the test papers, you correct them according to my answers first."
"Okay."
Teacher Zhang said again: "Hui Hui, go play by yourself, dont disturb your brother."
Elizabeth pulled her own raised chair and sat next to William, and asked, "Brother, am I noisy?"
"Noisy." William shook his head and said with a smile.
"Teacher Zhang!" Elizabeth shouted to her mother, "Teacher Zhang, did you hear that, Im not noisy!"
"Elizabeth, dont be arrogant, I havent settled accounts with you for what happened in class today yet!"
The voice of Teacher Zhang came from outside the room.
At this time, she was frying outside. She put a table outside, and usually fried outside.
Elizabeth felt that it was safer to keep a low profile, so she took out the painting album and started drawing seriously.
Teacher Zhang stretched her head and looked at it. The two children, big and small, were sitting quietly at the table. Especially William, with a focused look, was very reassuring. She smiled and went to busy with her own affairs.
When Teacher Zhang finished frying, William had also corrected most of the test papers. He corrected the simple multiple-choice questions and translation questions, and also circled the errors in the composition questions, waiting for the teacher to check again, and finally scored.
Teacher Zhang picked up the corrected test papers and flipped through them, revealing a satisfied smile: "Stop first, and have dinner before correcting."
"No need, Teacher Zhang, Im not hungry." William quickly waved his hand, scratching his head, embarrassed, and blushing.
"You see, you have helped the teacher so much, whats the matter with staying here for a meal? If you are always so polite, I will be angry!" Teacher Zhang said. This child is good in everything, but too reserved.
"You see, if you dont eat, I will be angry!" Teacher Zhang said. This child is good in everything, but too reserved.
"Nothing can be done, or do you think the teachers cooking is poor?"
The two were talking, and Elizabeth jumped off the chair in one go, and shouted happily, "Wow, its finally time to eat! Im so hungry! Im so hungry!"
Teacher Zhang and William: "..."
In the end, William sat down and ate with them.
Teacher Zhang stewed a pot of corn and pork rib soup, steamed a fish, fried a plate of shrimp, and blanched a plate of green water convolvulus.
Although it is not particularly rich, William knows that Teacher Zhangs salary is not high, and she is alone with Hui Hui. This is already a good meal, and today must be specially reserved for him to eat.
William peeled the shrimp and put it in Hui Huis bowl.
Teacher Zhang saw it and said with a smile, "You should also eat, dont spoil her."
William nodded, but after peeling the shrimp, he still put it in Hui Huis bowl.
After dinner, he corrected the test papers for a while, and then tallied the scores, and it was all done. He saw Hui Hui making eye contact with himself, and he also blinked, indicating that he had received it, and then said to Teacher Zhang, "Teacher, we will go out to play for a while, and then I will go home."
"Go, dont come back too late."
Elizabeth got the pass and immediately ran away with William.
There are not many students in Deerfield High School, but because it was built early, the campus is still very large.
The whole school is built on the mountain, and it is full of all kinds of fruit trees. In summer, it is the most vigorous time.
The two walked under the shade of the trees, and the wind blew on the body, very cool, and they went to the schools basketball court.
The boys in the class with good grades dont like to play basketball, but William loves sports.
He warmed up a bit, took the ball in his hand, and turned it handsomely, and then jumped up lightly. The ball went into the basket, and it was easy to make a three-pointer.
Elizabeth clapped her hands and said, "Brother, give it to me, give it to me."
William gently patted the ball and passed it to her. Elizabeth took it and patted it a few times. The posture was there, and the dribbling posture was also very standard. However, she is still young after all, and she is not strong enough. She has tried to shoot several times, and the ball fell down halfway. Once it almost touched the basket, but it still fell straight down.
In this regard, Elizabeth is very sad.
William smiled and picked her up and held her high: "Hui Hui, shoot quickly!"
Elizabeth put the ball into the basket and looked at the ball falling down with satisfaction. Ah, its really not easy, and I finally made a shot.
The two high-fived like teammates, and William continued to run quickly, jump, and shoot. The action was a complete set, and it was very handsome and beautiful.
Elizabeth was on the side with a flower痴 face: "Brother is so handsome!"
William came back and smiled at her, his eyes full of laughter, and his head was full of sweat. He looked confident and fearless.
His basketball is indeed very good, and he is the main player in the class. Every time there is a game, many girls come for him. The same table Guan Xiaoling said that he is not shooting, but shooting at other peoples chests. "Bang!" Hit!
William came over panting: "Do you want to shoot again?"
Elizabeth nodded, and he picked her up and continued to shoot, and taught her some basic knowledge.
They played until the sun was about to set, and they were sweating all over. Before going back, William took Hui Hui to the schools canteen, opened the refrigerator door, and said, "Pick one."
Elizabeth unceremoniously picked a mung bean ice stick, unpacked it, and held it high: "Brother, take a bite!"
William smiled, but he also knew in his heart that if he didnt take a bite, Hui Hui would not give up. So he bent over and took a small bite of the ice stick, and rubbed her hair affectionately: "Hui Hui, go home quickly!"
Elizabeth nodded, licking the mung bean ice stick to go back.
Teacher Zhang frowned as soon as she saw the ice stick in her hand.
Elizabeth didnt wait for her to speak and said, "It was bought by my brother."
"Thats not good either. Hui Hui, I tell you, dont take advantage of your brothers favor and act coquettish. Williams family is not good, and there is not much pocket money, and its all eaten by you."
Teacher Zhang was anxious and kept talking, but Elizabeth didnt listen to much, and still said, "Its okay if my brother bought it."
"Why?"
"Because he is my brother William." Elizabeth looked up and said innocently, "I am best with my brother, and I like him the most."
Teacher Zhang was so angry and funny that she didnt know what to say, and Elizabeth was still eating the ice stick, and she didnt dare to bite it, as if she was reluctant to eat the ice stick too quickly. She talked to herself while eating: "My brother is the best, my brother is the best in the class, no, he is the best in the whole school. My brother also promised me that when my birthday comes, he will take me to eat KFC."
Teacher Zhang: "..."
At this time, William, who was praised as the most handsome in the school, had already returned home.
As Teacher Zhang said, Williams family is not good and is very poor.
His home is in the suburban West Village of Deerfield County. Many people in West Village have bought houses in the county, and the ones left are mostly the elderly and children, which seems a bit desolate.
When William pushed the door open, his grandmother was sorting out the collected waste. Seeing him, she asked with a smile, "William is back? Its a bit late."
"I went to help Teacher Zhang correct the test papers." William looked at the covered meals on the table and said, "Grandma, I have eaten, at the teachers place."
"Teacher Zhang left you to eat again?" The old man said happily, she is old, always like to talk a few words, "She is a very good person, afraid that you will not be able to keep up with nutrition when you grow up. William, you have to study hard."
"Hmm." William nodded and helped his grandmother to sort out the waste.
Although their house is not big and there are many things, it is very clean and not messy at all.
There is also a big tree planted in the courtyard, with lush branches and leaves, growing vigorously upward, and the dense canopy covers most of the house, which is very cool in summer.
After tidying up the waste, William swept the floor clean and washed the clothes that the old man had changed.
Then he took out the books and did his homework under the light.
He doesnt have a desk, just a dining table that is usually placed in the courtyard for eating, and a low stool.
This is the place where he has been doing his homework since he was a child. When he was young, he didnt feel that the table was short, but now that he has grown tall, with long arms and legs, it seems very crowded, and there is no place to put his hands and feet.
But even so, it is difficult to see complaints and dissatisfaction in his eyes, and only the tenacity of a poor family can be seen.
This is William, who is studying in the first year of high school. He was abandoned when he was born and was picked up by a kind-hearted old man who picked up waste and raised him. The two depend on each other for life.
As Elizabeth said, he is very good-looking and is a very handsome and handsome boy. He is thin and tall, with a straight back, and loves to laugh. When walking on the road, he often has girls looking back at him, and the brave ones will send letters in person. However, his excellent appearance did not bring him much good luck.
This year, his family is ordinary, although his grades are very good, and it is common to get the first place in the grade. He is also a prominent figure in the school, but he is low-key and will be at a loss when he is kind to others, and will be embarrassed when he receives love letters from girls. He is not good at words, and he prefers to laugh more than to say beautiful words. He laughs very warmly and sunny, with a bit of shyness and clarity that teenagers have.
At this time, he was doing his homework seriously, and his grandmother was cooling off on the side.
The two chatted from time to time, and William said something from time to time, which made the old man laugh.
There was a walkman on the table that was received when collecting waste. Others didnt want it and was repaired by Tingyuan. The quality of the tape is not very good, and some opera pieces are playing, but the old man still listens with great interest.
The old man looked at his grandson affectionately. She herself did not have much culture and was not rich, but she was still very fortunate to keep him.
Now the child is as tall as mountains and rivers, sensible and filial, and often brings home awards, which makes her very proud and is her dearest relative.
She listened to the opera, swayed the fan, and thought: I have to collect a desk for the child tomorrow, and he is so big that he doesnt even have a decent desk.
And William, he was thinking about studying harder.
At this time, his biggest dream is to be admitted to a good university, apply for a scholarship, and then earn more money after working to take grandma to his side, and then come back to see Teacher Zhang from time to time. At that time, he hoped that he would also have money to buy a lot of things that Hui Hui likes, instead of having to save to buy a 50-cent mung bean ice stick.
He didnt have much ambition, he just wanted to have such an ordinary and simple happiness.
The night is very quiet, with a cool breeze, and there are many stars in the sky.
Everything is so peaceful and beautiful, no one expected that the disaster is about to come.
Williams life will be completely destroyed by the storm, and then rewritten.