Short Story Pride

—1—

Some things cannot always be fair and cannot be divided equally, just like intelligence, just like wealth, just like appearance, just like love.

Like a mother’s two sons.

The mother only has two sons, one named Xu Qiang and the other Xu Ping, or, one named Aqiang and the other Aping.

Their destiny is just like their name. Their mother gave them a time, a desire to be a strong person in life, called Aqiang. There is a person who is given the hope of a safe life, called Aping.

The names are certain, and their fate seems to be framed. At least that was the case for the first half of my life. People who believe in fate call this fate. People who believe in science call this probability.

Aping himself said that the difference between the two was less than a year. Aqiang's birth was like God carefully carving a work of art, and his birth was like God's head being pinched. It's just that God's head is clamped first, and the artist comes last.

Aping is the elder brother and Aqiang is the younger brother.

Ah Ping and Ah Qiang go to school on the same day.

On the day of school, my mother held Aping, who was crying and fussing, with one hand, and held Aqiang, who was smiling with the other hand. Ah Ping cried out and threw the fried dough sticks far away in his hand. One stick was placed on the grass and the other floated on the river. Aqiang was chewing fried dough sticks with a grin on his face, like a question mark.

When it comes to studying, Aqiang is curious and Aping is hostile. Attitude determines success or failure. The gap widened from that moment on.

When I was in elementary school, two people were in the same class. Being in the same class is not a good thing. The contrast is stronger. The good ones become better and the bad ones get worse.

Aping is older and taller, sitting in the last row, hiding in the back corner and reading the little book; Aqiang is younger, sitting in the front row, and studying various subjects hard under the teacher's nose.

A Ping has been like a nail on his butt since he was a child, unable to sit down for a moment; when A Qiang was studying, he could sit on his butt from early morning to sunset.

A Ping played wildly in his youth, rarely scoring 80% in the exam, and was basically at the bottom of the class; Aqiang had excellent academic performance, scoring above 90% in all subjects, and was ranked at the bottom of the class. Ranked in the top three.

Aping often stands outside the classroom because of his naughty behavior; Aqiang often goes on stage to receive awards because he has won awards in various competitions.

Aping was admitted to the county junior high school reluctantly; Aqiang was admitted to the city's key junior high school with excellent results.

…

The students were puzzled.

Neighbors were puzzled.

Teachers often wonder.

How come there is such a big difference in the flesh that these two brothers have from the same mother? From the age of three, you can basically see and predict the future life path and direction of the two brothers.

My mother also naturally arranged them in order in her heart. The younger brother Aqiang comes first, and the older brother Aping comes second.

My mother has always been proud of Aqiang and always praises him when she meets everyone. However, when it comes to Aping, my mother always shakes her head.

—2—

On my seventeenth birthday, Aping told me a secret.

A Ping said with a smile: "There is less than a year difference between before and after. Aqiang is like a work of art carefully crafted by God, and when it is my turn, it is like God was accidentally pinched." "Hit your head?"

When he said this, he was celebrating his birthday with a group of our buddies at a roadside barbecue stall. Birds of a feather flock together, he and I are both poor students, but we are close friends.

He said: "Man, I am really proud of having such a good brother and proud of my mother."

I raised a glass of beer and said: "Ah Ping, I'm just proud of you, and I just wish everything goes well..."

He raised the glass with his right hand and raised his fisted left hand, making a jerky striver gesture.

He said: "Okay, let's set sail tomorrow..."

This oath should have been made sonorously and powerfully, but when it came out of Aping's mouth, it seemed weak and boneless. , I can’t hear the heroic words and tragic words, I can’t hear the helplessness and sorrow, it is as light as a cloud on the horizon in September.

At that time, the afternoon sun shone on his face, lighting up his immature face, shining on his body, and projecting it on the wall. That was the first stubborn silhouette of a thin-bodied boy in his fleeting youth.

That year, Aping graduated from the third grade of junior high school.

A year ago, his father was hospitalized due to illness and spent all the family's savings, still unable to save his life. Since then, the family has lost its backbone and its source of income. The family has to rely on the small fruit stall set up by the mother to support them.

Aping begged his mother several times. He said that he was not good at studying and asked to drop out of school.

His mother couldn't resist him, so she had to agree.

The day after having dinner with us, Aping picked up his backpack and boarded the train south to Shenzhen with the migrant workers in the village, officially starting his journey to work.

On the day he left, the autumn sunshine in Xiaoshan was bright. The sunlight shines on his body and is projected on the wall, casting the first stubborn silhouette in the fleeting years of youth.

A young man said: "Okay, let's set sail tomorrow..."

The oath was as light as a cloud on the horizon in September.

—3—

After that, we wrote letters and made phone calls to Aping. He talked about the working life in Shenzhen, which was hard but exciting.

A Ping comes back and forth like a migratory bird. I saw him twice, and each time I felt that he had grown taller and stronger.

Two years later, I returned to my hometown in Hunan to attend high school and take the college entrance examination. He also followed his uncle to work everywhere, and gradually lost contact with Aping.

I learned some things about Aping and Aqiang from friends and neighbors.

Aqiang is still a top student. Everything was as expected. He was successfully admitted to a key university and continued his master's and doctoral studies. After graduating with his doctorate, he stayed to work in a company in Shanghai.

A Ping has been working in Shenzhen to support his younger brother in college, graduate school, and Ph.D.

When Ah Qiang was in school, Ah Ping usually sent him money once a month, initially 500 yuan, and later 1,200 yuan.

The students didn’t understand why they didn’t send their living expenses for one semester in one lump sum. Ah Qiang knew very well that Ah Ping could not afford so much money at one time.

Aqiang is always busy after work. He never goes home and rarely calls his mother. He likes to hang out in karaoke bars and dance halls when he has nothing to do, and seems to be looking for the happy time he lost in childhood.

My mother went to Shanghai once and saw Aqiang living in a single apartment, leaving early and returning late every day. He said that housing prices in Shanghai are too expensive and he has to work hard on his own. It would be better if he was born into a rich family.

—4—

Nine years later, I returned to the village again.

That night, the classmates had a gathering in the county town. A Ping came late because of something. Before he arrived, my classmates kept telling me stories about Aping.

When Aping was working in Shenzhen, he often called his mother to greet her. Two summers ago, his mother fell ill. In order to take care of her, he ended his working career and returned to his hometown where he was born and raised.

After many twists and turns, we jointly established a color steel factory in the village. He was catching up with the real estate development boom, and because of his integrity, the factory developed rapidly. Now, everyone calls him "Mr. Xu."

When Aping was working, he felt that too much time was wasted in his childhood. Through continuous self-study, he has obtained a bachelor's degree this year, and he still maintains the good habit of reading a hundred books a year.

While everyone was talking, Aping opened the door of the hotel. He arrived, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with bright eyes and meticulous hair.

The atmosphere in the box suddenly reached a boiling point. The old friend was particularly cordial when we met, and talked about how he was naughty in elementary school, had a grudge against his studies, and was basically "sentenced to a suspended death sentence" by his teacher. But A Ping said nothing about the hardships of working part-time and the difficulty of starting a business.

At the end of the banquet, Aping said to several of our former close buddies: "Brothers, I have a heartfelt invitation. In three days, my mother will celebrate her 60th birthday. Let's have a dinner together. "Fan, wish my mother a birthday, please!"

—5—

Three days later, a group of us went to Aping's house with gifts to wish his mother a birthday.

A Ping greeted us warmly and explained to us that he called A Qiang yesterday, but he said he couldn't come back and there was a project waiting for acceptance.

As A Ping said, he called A Qiang again, hands-free.

On the phone, Aqiang was very happy and wished his mother a happy birthday. He also thanked Aping for helping him pay most of the mortgage. He was happy and proud to have such a brother...

Everyone was very happy and drank a lot of wine. Talked a lot. The brothers lamented the difficult days they had passed and the hardships they had endured in life, but the hardships were like the sand leaked by the hourglass, and they would eventually accumulate into a pile of sand, which was real and beautiful.

Aping bought a big cake for his mother. When cutting the cake, Aping said: "My mother has no formal job, and her life is not easy. Now that we two brothers have grown up, you can enjoy Enjoy the blessings of the gods."

My mother's eyes were filled with tears, but she hesitated to speak.

A Ping drank too much and said, "Actually, my mother doesn't know that you have always been my pride."

My mother cried, and her tears fell on the cake. I guess there is something indescribable in my mother's heart.

I remembered the secret Aping told me on his seventeenth birthday.

He said: "Aqiang is my mother's biological child, and I actually adopted him."

I expressed doubts. He only said two words: "Really!"

That day, the sun shone on his body and projected on the wall, casting the first stubborn silhouette in the fleeting years of youth.

He said: "Okay, let's set sail tomorrow..."

The oath was as light as a cloud in the sky in September.

Although some things cannot be fair and cannot be divided equally, hard work is fair and so is love.