Chapter 8 Admission Notice

  In the distance, the gate of the courtyard could already be seen. The courtyard and gate of Xie Yu's house were very special, not because of their grandeur and majesty, but because of their simplicity and crudeness. The crudeness was to the point where it didn't even seem like a spiritual master's home, and was inferior even to that of an ordinary farmer's home. The courtyard walls were made up of tree trunks as thick as an arm and half a person high, while the gate was just two wooden doors with all the paint peeled off. All of this was due to Xie Zhongshi's intentions, who said it was a state of mind.

  This is perhaps the desolate atmosphere, just like his family.

  "Xiao Ge, wait for me!"

  A loud and slightly rough voice came from behind Xie Yu Xiao, it was Er Hu's voice. Er Hu had a silly smile on his face, with a small basket in his left hand and a letter in his right hand that he kept waving around as he ran while shouting, and soon arrived in front of Xie Yu Xiao.

  Xie Yuxiao looked him up and down and asked, "What's so funny? What's good to laugh about? Hmm, today you're not too sloppy, in the future it should be like this."

  Two Tigers didn't wear anything good today either, but they wore a pair of white tourist shoes and a tattered denim shorts, which looked pretty decent together.

  Two tigers were slightly out of breath, he stuffed the letter into Xie Yu's hand, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said: "Brother Xiao, your letter, Dongquan University, congratulations, I'm very proud of Brother Xiao! Also, my dad is fully recovered, has gone to work in the field, my mom asked me to thank you sincerely, look, even the eggs were brought by me."

  Xie Yu furrowed his brow, looking at the thirty or forty eggs in the bamboo basket, and said: "What's the point of bringing this? Your mom told you to do something, so you just do it. Honestly, take it back quickly, I'll read the letter first."

  "It's great, the day has finally come, I'm finally going to leave this mountain village. I don't want to live for others anymore, I want to live for myself." Xie Yuxiao looked at the admission letter from Dongquan University's Computer Science Department in 2004, excitedly said, and put the letter in his back pocket, heavily patted Erhu's shoulder and said: "You're also a sophomore this year, you must study hard, and be like me in the future, got it?"

  The two tigers nodded, Xie Yu Xiao laughed and scolded a silly look, turned around and walked home. The second tiger followed up, saying that the eggs must be delivered, otherwise his father would break his dog leg. Xie Yu Xiao hesitated for a moment, said okay. He understood the second tiger's father, from when he was a child, his father had been chasing him with a stick in this Blood Spirit Village countless times.

  When Xie Yuxiao was still thirty steps away from home, he suddenly stopped and turned to Erhu, saying: "No one can mention my going to college, not even the fact that I got in. No one, including your parents, understand?"

  "Why?"

  "Just don't say anything if you're not going to say anything, why ask so many questions."

  The two of them walked a few more steps, and a not-so-big wolf dog with black and white fur suddenly ran out from the yard of Xie Yu's house, rushing to Xie Yu's side, jumping up and down excitedly.

  This dog is called "Black Leopard", it was picked up by Xie Yu Xiao on the side of the road three years ago when he went to the county town to take the high school entrance exam, and over the past three years, the bond between man and dog has become extremely close.

  The two tigers saw the "black leopard" and were very happy, standing still and calling out: "Black leopard, stand up, black leopard, hurry up and stand up, I'll go find you some bones to eat." The black leopard looked at them twice, wagged its tail, and followed Xie Yuxiao in front, jumping and skipping along. The second tiger was unwilling to give up, suddenly taking out an egg from the basket and saying: "Black leopard, come, stand up and I'll give you this egg to eat."

  The black leopard ignored the two tigers' eggs and first thanked Xiao Yu and the two tigers, who wagged their tails and slipped into the yard. As soon as they arrived at the gate, Erhu suddenly tensed up and stopped Xiao Yu, asking in a low voice: "Xiao Ge, is your sister at home?" Xiao Yu hesitated: "What's with asking about my sister? You're so tense, did you offend her?"

  Two Tigers were busy saying no, just asking. Xie Yu Xiao was about to ask a few more questions when he heard his sister Xie Xue Ni shouting in the courtyard: "Black Leopard, stop jumping around, I know, I know, otherwise you wouldn't be so excited." As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Xue Ni, wearing a plaid shirt, walked out.

  Xie Xue Ni was three years older than Xie Yu Xiao, and although she looked a bit rustic in her clothes, her face was delicate and pretty, her figure was fiery, and her whole body radiated a unique charm that was both simple and elegant. The appearance of Xie Xue Ni made Er Hu, who was normally very casual and rough around the edges, feel extremely nervous and flustered, and in his anxiety he accidentally crushed the egg he had just picked up to tease Hei Bao into a pulp.

  In a flurry of panic, Eggshell dropped and slapped his right hand, which was full of egg whites, wildly on his buttocks.

  Xie Yu Xiao stared at Er Hu with a weird expression. Er Hu was at a loss, his eyes darting around in all directions. Xie Xue Ni stood at the door, watching the two of them act so strangely, and couldn't help but burst out laughing: "You two big men are staring at each other like this, hurry up and go inside. Yu Xiao, you're really something, going out yesterday and only coming back now. Hurry in, Dad has already started scolding, see how you explain it to him."

  Xuě Nī's speech was rapid, seemingly without pause. She pulled Xiè Yǔxiāo along for a few steps before suddenly remembering èr Hǔ and turning her head to say: "èr Hǔ, what are you standing there stupidly for? Hurry up and come in, you're really a foolish little kid."

  Two tigers were stared at by Xie Xue Ni's big eyes, and they became even more flustered, stuttering a few sentences, taking a few steps forward, shoving the basket into Xie Yu Xiao's hands, saying: "I, I won't go in, I still have work to do when I get back."

  Xie Xue Ni looked at Er Hu, who was hastily leaving, and said: "This Er Hu is strange, every time he sees me, it's like I'm going to eat him or something. Hehe, little brother, look, look at his butt!" Xue Ni covered her mouth and pointed at Er Hu's butt, bursting out laughing. Xie Yu Xiao glanced over and said: "He probably sat on dog poop! Hmph, he must be guilty!"

  "Alright, what were you saying?" Xie Xue Ni pushed Xie Yu Xiao: "Don't talk nonsense, someone kindly brought eggs over and you didn't even invite them in for a glass of water before leaving. Is there anyone as rude as you? Besides, that Er Hu is always calling out 'Xiao Ge' this and 'Xiao Ge' that, how sweet can his mouth be?"

  "I've already given him enough face by not letting him call me Master all day." Xie Yu Xiao said nonchalantly, and stepped into the courtyard.

  Before entering the house, a loud and harsh voice came out: "You damn kid, I let you study painting with me in peace, but you don't. Let me tell you, if you can master this one skill of mine, you'll have food and clothing for life. Running around all day, what kind of damned spiritual master doesn't even know who he is..."

  These words, Xie Yu Xiao had heard hundreds of times since childhood. Now, as soon as he hears these words, a nameless fire rises from his abdomen. He feels that his father should not dictate his ideals and hobbies, nor should he speak to him in the same tone used to train dogs. Although he admires his father's paintings, his father never thinks about how to sell them or improve their lives, nor does he allow others to change this life.