Ʀᴇᴠᴇʀᴇɴᴅ Iɴsᴀɴɪᴛʏ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Tie Zhu sat by the narrow path that ran through the village, staring blankly at the blue sky. Tie Zhu was not his real name. Because he had been frail since childhood and his father feared he might not survive, he was given this nickname according to local custom.

His real name was Wang Lin. The Wang surname was considered a great one in the nearby villages. Their ancestors had been carpenters, and in the county town, the Wang clan was still well known, owning several shops that sold wooden goods.

Wang Lin’s father was a concubine-born second son of the family. Unable to inherit the clan’s affairs, he had married and settled in this village, leaving the county town behind.

With his fine skills in carpentry, the family lived in modest comfort. They never lacked food or clothing, and even in the village, they were treated with respect.

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From an early age, Tie Zhu had shown remarkable intelligence. He loved to read, his mind always brimming with ideas. In the village, he was almost universally regarded as a child prodigy. Whenever others praised him, his father’s wrinkled face would brighten with a wide, genuine smile.

His mother’s care for him was even greater. From childhood to youth, Tie Zhu had grown up surrounded by his parents’ affection. He knew well how high their hopes for him were. At his age, other children were already working in the fields, yet he remained at home with his books.

The more he read, the more thoughts stirred within him, and with them came a longing for the world beyond the mountain village. Lifting his gaze to the distant end of the path, Tie Zhu let out a quiet sigh, closed the book in his hands, and rose to walk back home.

In the courtyard, his father sat with a pipe between his fingers. Taking a long, deep draw, he looked up as Tie Zhu pushed open the door and asked, “Tie Zhu, how goes your reading?”

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铁柱坐在村内的小路边，望着蔚蓝的天空，神情发呆，铁柱不是他的本名，而是从小因为身体瘦弱，父亲怕养不活，于是按照习俗称呼的小名。

他的本名叫做王林，王姓在四周几个村落内算是大姓，祖上木匠出身，尤其是在县城，王氏家族也算颇有名气，拥有数个专门卖木制品的店铺。

铁柱的父亲是家族内庶出的次子，不能接管家族要务，而是在成婚后离开县城，在此地村庄定居。

由于有一手精湛的木匠活儿，铁柱家境也算小康，吃穿不愁，就算是在村子里，也多受人尊敬。

...----------------...

铁柱从小就极为聪明，喜欢读书，想法很多，几乎是村子内公认的神童，父亲每次听到别人夸奖，脸上的皱纹都会绽开，露出开怀的微笑。

母亲更是对他关心有佳，可以说从小到大，铁柱都是生活在父母的慈爱之中，他知道父母对他期望很高，别人家的孩子在他这个年纪都已经下地干农活了，可他却在家读书。

书读的多了，想法自然也就随之而来，对于山村外的世界，他充满向往。抬头望了望小路的尽头，铁柱叹息一声，合上手中书本，起身向家中走去。

父亲坐在院子里，手中拿着烟袋，深深的吸了一口后，对推门进来的铁柱说道：“铁柱，书读的怎么样了？”

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