There is a middle-aged man in the Yun family courtyard.
Over the past ten years, people in the town have experienced aging and illness, and now few people know that this man is Yunzhong's father. The man was very good at doing things. He visited the neighbors and thanked each family one by one for their care of the couple over the years. He was humble and courteous. Even though Aunt An usually kept her mouth shut and wanted to complain a few words, she couldn't open her mouth. Besides, After all, it's someone else's family business, and it's not good to just do it for someone else.
The man put down the dishes, sat opposite the young man at opposite ends of the old elm table, and said softly, "Let's eat." The young man buried his head in the rice, never looking at his father.
"How are you doing with your studies? Have you been delayed?" Yun Yiliang had a habit of asking questions at the dinner table about all matters big and small. Therefore, in Yun Zhong's memory, it seemed that he was not happy to eat alone with his father. Every time he asked questions, his father often got angry, so Yun Zhong would choke on the unswallowed food in his throat, as if the blood in his esophagus and stomach had been twisted into ropes out of thin air, and the taste was very unbearable.
But it was unreasonable not to answer. The young man stared at the table and whispered: "I haven't been to school recently." Yun Yi gave a cool hum and didn't say much.
According to the custom in the town, there is no rule of observing mourning for three years after the death of parents. You can make your own arrangements after waiting for the first seven years. In the blink of an eye, the first seven days have passed, and Yun Yiliang wants to take Yun Zhong to move to the place where he makes a living, so as not to get emotional. Yun Zhong is still young and is always immersed in grief, which is not a good thing after all.
Having not been to school for many days, the young man felt a little uneasy. When his classmates asked about this, he had no idea how to respond. Unknowingly, I walked into the small courtyard behind the school. Autumn is already deep, and most of the flowers and plants in the small courtyard have withered. The once lush and lush flowers with no place to rest, now only remain with yellowing dead leaves and grass. Amidst the sound of reading aloud, the remaining red on the autumn mud is rolling with the wind.
The young man felt a tightness in his chest, and his thoughts seemed to be rushing along with the broken flowers. The young man in coarse cloth sat among the flowers and cried loudly. At dusk in autumn, the young man felt sad.
Unexpectedly, there was a rough and thick hand rubbing on the top of my head. The young man raised his head, his eyes dim with tears. The visitor smiled warmly and pointed to the corner of the courtyard, "I once carried a bag on a study tour to the south of Nanting Ridge. The climate was rainy and there was poisonous fog and miasma, which made it difficult for bamboo shoots to survive. However, the local bamboo is very different from ordinary bamboo: old bamboo After it dies, new bamboo shoots sprout from the center of the old bamboo. They are protected by the dead old bamboo's body, allowing them to grow without worries. When the new bamboo's bamboo bones become straight and can carry the poisonous fog, the old bamboo's body will crack on its own, leaking out its contents. Hsinchu."
The teacher also sat on the floor like a young man, not caring about the clean cloth on his body, and said: "The death of a close relative is so painful that it can be experienced sooner or later sooner or later. Although the time spent with you is not very long, but Your mother has given you the love she can give you without any reservation, just like an old bamboo wrapping you up, waiting for the day when it will flourish. Don't let her down."
The new moon quietly climbed into the autumn night. The moonlight shone on the teacher, the boy, and the classmates who were reluctant to leave, and also shone on the old bamboo forest in the corner.
It was late at night, and the oil lamp in the husband's house was still on.
The figure flashed, and suddenly there was a figure sitting opposite the gentleman.
"Thank you sir." Yun Yiliang bowed his hands. The husband nodded and motioned for Yun's father to sit down and talk. The tea set and two cups of hot tea have been set up in the study, as if someone had already known that someone would come.
"In fact, you should explain these principles." After drinking tea, Mr. Yun looked at Father Yun calmly. The middle-aged man shook his head helplessly, "Sir, I must also know that my son is more resentful and unfamiliar with me than family affection. It is also because I, a father, have been away for many years. There are some things that I don't even know how to say to him. listen."
The gentleman looked towards the dark night to the north, "The matter over there has not been properly resolved?" Father Yun frowned, his aura suddenly changed, and the flame of the oil lamp shook violently. The husband shook his head and said calmly: "I am just a poor scholar who is trapped in a cocoon. There is no need to be so vigilant."
The oil lamp gradually stabilized. After slowly drinking the tea in the cup, Yun Yiliang sighed: "How can you be an ordinary person, sir?" The gentleman did not comment, but continued to ask: "Yun Zhong is still young, and it is inconvenient to have him by your side. Zhen Zhong There is an old friend of mine, so it would be better for Yunzhong to travel around the world with him more to relax his mind, which would also be of great benefit to Yunzhong."
The middle-aged man pondered for a long time, then said goodbye and left without giving any reply.
Yunzhong didn't dare to tell his father that he actually didn't want to go anywhere. Although the world outside the town is strange and strange, there is always a faint uneasiness lingering in my heart for no reason. As for following my father, I don't even dare. After all, I still remember how painful it was when the board fell on my butt.
This distraction made him chop wood slowly. Just as Yun Yiliang happened to walk into the yard, he saw a few scattered pieces of firewood and shook his head without any trace. It seems that the death of his mother had a profound impact on the young man. At least for a while, the feeling of confusion was difficult to eliminate.
Yun Yiliang clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the door, with an old look on his face. Everyone has to go through this hurdle. Birth, old age, illness and death, death of loved ones, black hair and white hair are all insurmountable for those who practice Taoism, let alone ordinary people.
Time can sometimes solve many things, including burying longing in your heart.
Father Yun left without taking Yun Zhong with him.
The young man went to school as usual, carrying water for cooking, doing laundry and chopping firewood, as if nothing had happened. However, the young man became taciturn. When school was over, he walked home much slower. He understood that there would no longer be smoke curling up from the kitchen to accompany the dusk at home, waiting for his return.
Father Yun left some scraps of silver behind before he left, but it wasn't much. It was just enough for two or three months of expenses. It was definitely not realistic to just sit back and have nothing. Yun Zhong alone was unable to take care of the more than ten acres of land at home. After all, except for the time he went to school every day, he really had little free time, so he had to find a kind landlord to rent out the more than ten acres of land, which was better than nothing.
The young man found some errands that he could do, such as helping Aunt Liu deliver letters to relatives more than ten miles away, or doing odd jobs for the fat shopkeeper, pouring tea and water for the teahouse patrons. In just half a day, he could earn a lot of money. Tong Zi'er, sometimes he is lucky enough to meet a fat shopkeeper who invites him to be a speaker. In his free time, he can lean on the old jujube wood stairs and listen to a few passages.
It is about "A Guest from Overseas", and the whole story is written around an extraterritorial swordsman from nine foreign countries. The story is very simple. The swordsman has traveled to many places, including fairy caves and the sides of mountains and seas, deep valleys and majestic cities in the world. He has met many, many people, the love between humans and ghosts, and warriors on the battlefield. Finally died.
Taking his time, he knocked the sunflower seeds he had picked up and listened to the book. He felt that this was actually quite good. He had seen everything he should have seen, so he had no regrets.
Autumn passes and winter comes, and the winter solstice is here in the blink of an eye. This year's winter solstice was particularly cold. When Yun Zhong got up early in the morning, heavy snow had already sealed the door outside the house, and the north wind was howling, letting in wisps of cold air. Fortunately, the snow had not fallen for a long time, and the snowflakes on the ground were not very solid yet. If the snow had compacted, it would be difficult to open the door. The young man quickly used a broom to push the snowdrifts blocking the door into the courtyard, gathered them into a pile, and then ran to the stove to light a fire to make noodles.
Yunzhong rarely makes noodles. As for why he eats noodles, it's because today is his birthday. People in the town don't pay attention to celebrating birthdays, and most of them don't have the spare money to buy two kilograms of roasted meat and make a pot of soju for the birthday. Therefore, eating a bowl of longevity noodles on the birthday has become an unwritten rule. The boy's birthday is considered very unlucky. According to folk custom, the winter solstice is the solstice day of the year. There is also a saying that hundreds of ghosts walk at night during the winter solstice. This is different from the ghost gates opened on the Hungry Ghost Festival. The legend of the Hungry Ghost Festival is It is the birthday of the Heavenly Official, who opens the ghost gate so that all ghosts can return home, enjoy the incense of the younger generation, and bless future generations with good weather, peace and prosperity. However, when the gate of ghosts opens during the winter solstice, the yin energy is too strong and the evil ghosts escape from the underworld, causing all harm and no benefit.
Yunzhong didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but after being exposed to it for a long time in the town, he felt that his destiny might indeed be average, so he was even less interested in his birthday, let alone excited.
When the young boy arrived at the school, he found out that his husband had inconveniences in his waist and legs, and the roads were slippery when the heavy snow fell. He had asked for leave for the past few days, and there were no classes in the school. He was just about to go home and curl up in bed. Unexpectedly, he turned around and had a look on his face. Suddenly a snowball exploded, and I was so caught off guard that I got a little bit of ice-cold snow in my mouth.
"Yun Zhong, see what you do!" The young man shook the snow flakes off his head. When he turned around, he saw Li Dakuai holding many fist-sized snowballs in his arms and winking at him. Behind him stood a dozen familiar boys and girls. Regardless of the fact that his hands were red from the cold, he still had a malicious expression of excitement.
Not surprisingly, the young man who hurriedly accepted the challenge was hit by the snowballs from Li Dakuai and others, throwing off his helmet and armor, and huddled behind the school wall. Seeing this, all the young men turned their spears in unison and threw the snowball at the girl, causing countless jealousy in an instant.
After all, you are still not old enough to know how to show affection to women, and the feelings of youth are just using tricks to attract the attention of your sweetheart. Behind the wall, Yun Zhong took his time to watch his classmates jumping around. He stretched out his hand to touch the ice shell formed by the snow on his face, and smiled very unfaithfully. Unknown to me, the gentleman in the distance also smiled brightly.
When the wife saw her husband being happy, she secretly squeezed his waist. The gentleman uttered an ouch, turned around and looked at his wife with a frown, a look of confusion in his eyes. The lady's eyes widened: "Your legs and feet have been amazing these days. Why don't you go to school instead of standing here and giggling? If you delay your child's studies, where can you put your old face as a teacher?"
The husband looked embarrassed and said, "It's snowing for the first time today. You can't let your children memorize rote books all day long. It may not be a good thing if their nature is smoothed out." Seeing his wife's expression, the husband chuckled and said, "Besides, I heard that Qingchai has a pot-burning house. The restaurant recently opened. There are two types of soup bases placed in one pot, separated by an iron plate, which is unique. I think my wife always talks to me about the taste of hot pot, and this happens to be free, so I can take you to try it. "
The teacher's wife raised the corners of her mouth slightly, took her husband's arm, and walked towards the carriage behind her. She had been married to him for more than ten years. There were rumors in the neighborhood that after seven years of marriage, the couple would definitely hate each other, but she had no such idea at all. As for the reason, maybe it was an ironing pot when winter came, or maybe it was When enjoying the coolness on a summer night, a banana fan flutters away the fireflies.
Very good.
