tearjerker director

Chapter 1625: Poor but noble character

Sarah noticed that someone was wearing her sneakers and became absent-minded in class.

During the break, the students were laughing and playing. Sarah was still worried about the shoes. She strolled back and forth on the playground, her eyes still lingering on her classmates' feet. Suddenly, she saw the target she was looking for. The little girl wearing her shoes was leaning against the wall, sucking on a small bag of jam in her hand.

Sarah walked to a place not far from her and looked down at the shoes. They were hers, no doubt about it! She looked up at the little girl again. The little girl continued to do her own thing, eating with relish.

When the bell rang, the little girl put the jam in her coat pocket and ran to the classroom. Sarah stood there, looking at her retreating figure, thinking deeply.

After school, Sarah hid behind a concrete pillar and watched the school across the street. Girls were pouring out of the school gates, chattering. Soon, the little girl appeared. She crossed the street and ran into the alley where Sarah was. Sarah avoided her sight and followed her.

I followed the other person all the way to an alley.

The little girl skipped through the alley, and Sarah trotted after her. Suddenly, the little girl threw her arms and ran, and Sarah also quickened her pace. But she stopped in front of a door, and Sarah hid in a corner and watched from a distance.

The little girl knocked on the door and stepped aside. The door opened and a woman stood at the door looking out. The little girl suddenly jumped in front of her and said, "I'm back."

And because of this, Ali was late again.

Ali slowed down his pace, panting heavily, and walked in on tiptoe, looking towards the principal's office timidly. The door of the principal's office was wide open, and the phone was ringing from inside.

Seeing this, Ali ran up the stairs at a high pace. Suddenly, he stopped at the corner of the second floor and took a few steps back involuntarily. The principal came down the stairs with his hands behind his back: "Why are you late again?"

He pointed at Ali's shoes with his hand holding a wooden ruler and said, "Can you not say your shoes are wet this time?" Ali was speechless.

"Come down." The principal called him down the stairs, and Ali followed obediently.

"Come on, come here." The principal stopped at the door of the building, pointed outside, and made a "please" gesture. Seeing that Ali didn't say anything, he added: "Go home and ask your father to come over."

Ali's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and he raised his index finger and replied: "Principal, my father is at work."

Principal: "Then ask him to come tomorrow."

"He has to go to work tomorrow too," Ali said, tears streaming down his face.

Seeing his pitiful appearance, the principal softened his attitude a little: "Then please ask your mother to come."

Ali: "Principal, my mother is sick."

The principal thought Ali was lying again and became disgusted: "I don't listen to any excuses. Irresponsible students should be punished." He then hit Ali on the back with a wooden ruler and shouted at him: "Get out, get out!"

Ali had no choice but to wipe his tears and walk towards the school gate. By chance, the bearded teacher came towards him and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Ali?"

After briefly asking what happened, the bearded teacher took Ali to the principal.

"Don't leave yet." He asked Ali to stop a few meters away from the principal and he walked over to plead for him.

Bearded teacher: "Good morning, principal."

He pointed at Ali and said something. The principal still had a stern face. The bearded teacher finally said, "He is a good student and very orderly."

After finally getting the principal's approval, the bearded teacher called Ali, "Mandiga, come here."

Ali then stepped forward, and the principal said coldly: "For Mr. Jia's sake, I forgive you this time. Don't do it again next time, go back to the classroom." Ali raised his index finger and wanted to say something, but he stopped him: "Go back."

Ali went up the stairs dejectedly.

Bearded teacher: "Thank you so much."

The principal said coldly: "You're welcome."

Now that we already know that the shoes have been taken away, of course we have to go look for them.

So, Sarah led her brother to the little girl's house, determined to win. As they walked, Sarah pointed to a big door in front and told Ali: "Over there, that's their house."

Before he got there, Ali heard a noise from the door. He stopped and listened, then ran away without calling his sister. Sarah also followed her brother and hid in the corner.

The door opened, and the little girl ran out first, hiding in the corner beside the door. Then, a blind man walked out and called out, "Ruoya, Ruoya? You little rascal, what tricks are you playing again? Where are you?"

The little girl called Ruoya suddenly jumped out and threw herself on her father's back.

The father hugged his daughter affectionately and kissed her little face: "Little rascal. You are so naughty."

Ruoya's mother came out and hung the basket around her husband's neck. Ruoya pulled her father and was about to leave.

Dad asked anxiously, "Is there anything else you want to bring?"

Mother: "No. Ruoya, come back after you buy the bread."

The brother and sister walked home in silence. Ali looked at his sister but didn't know how to comfort her.

Originally they could have gone and asked for the shoes back with a clear conscience, but obviously, the two gave up the idea because they saw the little girl's home and found that her father was blind.

Her family situation is no better than Ali's.

This made Ali and Sarah unable to speak.

The camera switches again and comes to the small house next to the mosque

Ali's father brewed cups of tea, then took a few handfuls of sugar from his white bag and put them in the aluminum basin. The chanting continued, and suddenly his father burst into tears. He took out a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiped his eyes.

Outside the mosque, Ali and a little friend knelt on the ground to collect the shoes taken off by the adults and put them neatly in pairs.

Dad called through the cottage window, “Come back for tea.”

Ali and his friends stood up to serve tea. A boy next to them called out, "Ali, bring out the candy."

A memorial service was being held inside. Ali and his friends carried plates and served tea and sugar to the adults.

In the evening, Ali's father picked up a pair of pruning knives and fiddled with them for a while. He asked, "You really don't need these?"

The old man standing opposite him replied: "No, don't worry."

Dad: "I hope your kindness will be rewarded."

Old man: "Thank you."

Dad took the spray bottle again and turned it over and over.

Back home, the mother, with the help of Sarah, rolled up the untied wool into a ball. She asked her husband anxiously, "Can you do it?"

Dad sat nearby, carving a piece of wood, and said nonchalantly, "It's just spraying pesticides on the trees and tidying up the garden. It's nothing. Besides, it doesn't cost much. I borrowed the tools from He Zan. Sometimes he takes a vacation from work and goes to the upper city. He only saves a little money from this business..." He quickly carved a wooden handle, stuck it on the shovel to test it, and continued, "Tomorrow is Friday, Ali and I are going to the upper city. It's fun anyway, and maybe we can make some money."

Ali and his father came to the city, which was a completely different urban scene from the one they lived in. There were tall buildings, wide roads, clean streets, and flyovers extending in all directions.

His father was sweating profusely as he pedaled his bicycle under the scorching sun. Ali sat on the bicycle beam, looking around. Modern high-rise buildings and giant billboards passed by, making him dazzled.

The father and son rode away along the overpass.

However, working as a gardener in the city was not as easy as one might imagine. When Ali and his father arrived at the door of the first house, they were almost mistaken for bad people.

The second family was also rudely driven away.

The third and fourth houses, they all returned empty-handed and were even chased by dogs.

After getting rid of the dog, the father and son turned to another street, still looking back with lingering fear, and only stopped when they were sure that the danger had passed. The father squeezed the front tire and found that it was flat. He put the bicycle down on the ground and sat on the curb tiredly. Ali also sat down next to his father.

Dad calmed down and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his neck. Ali looked around and suddenly saw a faucet outside the house opposite, dripping water. Ali ran over without his father's permission and drank from it with his hand.

After drinking a lot, Ali looked up and called his father: "Dad, do you want some water?"

Dad was pumping air into his bottle and replied, "No need." Ali took over and started drinking again because he was really thirsty.

Suddenly, a boy's childish voice came from the intercom at the nearby gate: "Who? Who is it? Hello? Why don't you answer? Did you leave?"

Ali approached him and started a conversation: "I'm here. Ask your father if he needs a gardener."

This family is a little different from the previous ones. Only the boy Alex and his grandfather are at home.

Alex invited Ali to play with him, but Ali refused because he had to find work with his father.

Ali and his father walked forward in the afterglow of the setting sun.

They had not walked far when they heard Ali's voice from behind: "Ali! Ali!" Ali turned around and saw Ali standing at the door waving at them. A white-haired old man in pajamas was also waving his cane, motioning them to go back.

Ali and his father looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

The two of them came to the yard of this house. As soon as they entered the yard, the father was stunned by the scene in front of him. The yard was full of various trees and flowers and plants, just like a small garden.

Grandpa explained the situation to him: "I have some fertilizer for you. After applying the fertilizer, you can spray pesticides. Especially the cherry and apricot trees that I planted myself, I spray them with pesticides every year. One year I didn't spray them, and two trees died."

Dad quickly agreed: "Okay. Okay."

Ali took Ali's hand and started to wrestle with him: "Ali, let's go play ball, okay? Let's go."

Grandpa: "Go ahead, your dad and I are all you need."

Ali looked at his father, who nodded in agreement: "Go, son."

Ali and Alex were swinging on the swing, talking and laughing happily.
Dad covered his mouth with a handkerchief and sprayed pesticides on trees and flowers.
Ali and Alex sat on the gravel chair and played;
Dad loosens the soil for the big tree;
Ali and Alex swing on the swings with footballs and toys in their arms;

Dad is fertilizing the flowers and plants;

This is undoubtedly a very pleasant thing for Ali and his son, and of course perhaps for Alex as well.

After finishing all the work, Grandpa handed a stack of banknotes to Ali's father and said, "Thank you for your hard work. This is your salary."

Ali's grandfather was very generous and gave him extra salary. His father shouted to his son who was squatting on the ground playing ball, "Ali, it's time to go." Ali got up to say goodbye to Ali. At this time, Ali was tired from playing and fell asleep leaning on the swing.

Ali picked up the toy elephant he had dropped and put it next to him. He couldn't help laughing at the sight of Alex sleeping with his head tilted.

Grandpa: "I'll call you when I get back."

On the way home, the father and son rode their bikes on the tree-lined avenue. The temporary success made the father full of beautiful fantasies about the future. He excitedly told his son about his future plans: "I can take a month off, not work overtime, and work nearby in the afternoon. We can live a better life and buy whatever we want, including a motorcycle, a dressing table, an iron for mom, and a big refrigerator. We can also rent a bigger house. I can buy a lot of things."

Ali took over the conversation: "Buy Sarah a pair of shoes."

Dad readily agreed: "No problem, you buy a pair too."

Ali: "Buy it for Sarah first, hers is worn out."

Dad: “Okay.”

The father and son rode to a downhill slope, and the bike seemed to lose control. The father felt something was wrong and quickly squeezed the brakes. It turned out that the brakes were not working!
The father panicked and shouted, "Ali, hold on!"

Ali was so scared that his whole body tensed up and he closed his eyes: "Dad, stop!"

Father: "The brakes are broken, hold on tight!"

The father tried to slow down the bike by putting his feet on the ground, but to no avail. The bike continued to slide down the slope at a very fast speed.

Ali shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dad, stop it!"

"Don't let go!" The father had no choice but to drive the car towards a big tree on the side of the road. As a result, with a "clang", the father and son fell to the ground with the car.

As the sky gradually darkened, a small truck drove along the main road in the city. Ali and his son sat in the back of the truck. The father had a bandage on his head, while Ali had already fallen asleep in his father's arms, exhausted both physically and mentally. The father stroked his son's hair lovingly. The broken bicycle was lying in front of them, with the front axle wheel banged.

Back home, my father poured a glass of water and swallowed a few pills. He leaned against the quilt and took a long breath. My mother was mending clothes in the dim light.

Ali lay at the other end of the carpet with his eyes open, eavesdropping on his parents' conversation.

My mother mentioned that the landlord came to ask for rent again.

Apparently the family's financial situation was still dire.

The next day, after school, Sarah hurried out of the school gate and rushed into the alley. The ballpoint pen her brother gave her fell out of her schoolbag, but Sarah didn't notice it at all. After running a few steps, she squatted down to pick up her shoes and continued to run forward.

Ruoya, who was following behind, picked up the ballpoint pen and shouted to Sarah: "Sister, wait a minute! Your pen!"

Sarah didn't hear it and ran away.

Ruoya chased after her, but when she turned the corner, Sarah had already disappeared.

(End of this chapter)