Time flies like an arrow, and the sun and the moon fly by. After the Spring Festival, in a blink of an eye, it’s the time of cicadas singing and ripe lychees.
"Neng'er... Neng'er..." Mrs. Li called loudly at the door of her home.
Little Huineng Huineng was going to the huge old lychee tree by the village river with several other little Huineng children in the village to watch the adults eating lychees when he suddenly heard his mother's voice calling him. I didn't bother to pick up the lychees that fell from the tree, so I ran home quickly.
He pushed open the firewood door, walked to his mother who was mending clothes, and said, "Mom, are you calling me?"
As soon as Mrs. Li saw the panting little Huineng Huineng, she said loudly: "Neng'er, come back to your father quickly. There is a letter from home. Please tell him to come back and take a look."
"Yes, mother. Dad and Uncle Zhang are planting lychees by the village river!" After Huineng Huineng finished speaking, he walked out of the door again like a gust of wind.
Mrs. Li looked at the big envelope on the stage again. Gradually, the two red stripes in the middle of the envelope turned into a patch of red...
As a result, the sounds of joyful gongs, drums, and festive suonas changed from soft to loud, coming to her from a distant place, getting closer and closer...
She saw her husband, Lu Xingxuan, dressed in official uniform, gauze hat, and red flowers. He was being escorted into the big red sedan chair by many officials, and majestically carried into a tall and majestic yamen...
This is a dream that her husband Lu Xingxin has had almost every night since he was demoted to Lingnan Xinzhou, a dream that he has been looking forward to for more than 20 years...
After getting married, Lu Xingxin also described to Ms. Li many times the scenario of being reinstated as an official...
"Madam." Mrs. Li's hand trembled, her fingers pricked with the loom, and she woke up from her dream.
Lu Xingxin said half-jokingly: "Madam, seeing how happy you are, what good things are you thinking of?"
Li's face turned red and she sucked the pricked finger with her mouth. Lu Xingxin asked eagerly: "A letter has come from Fan Yang? Where is it?"
Mrs. Li nodded, looked at the table and said, "Just now, the county official sent a letter. I dare not open it. I guess it is from Fan Yang's hometown."
When Lu Xingxuan heard this, he chanted excitedly as he walked: "I have been wandering in the south of the Five Ridges for twenty years, and the swan geese have disappeared and come here..."
Xiao Huineng asked Li quietly: "Mom, why is dad always so happy every time he hears some news about Fan Yang?"
Li was about to speak but stopped. Lu Xingxin picked up the letter, which was slightly damaged from traveling around many places, and shouted in surprise: "Ah, it's Brother Wenlong's font! Brother Wenlong finally has a letter!"
Li was slightly surprised and asked: "Wenlong? Who is Wenlong? Why haven't I heard you say that there is a man named Brother Wenlong in my hometown?"
Lu Xingxin said: "Brother Wenlong was my classmate in the same year. At the beginning, we were both elected prefects by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In the blink of an eye, it has been more than 20 years since we broke up."
Li is a country girl, so she still doesn't quite understand: "How come he suddenly wrote to you?"
Lu Xingxin didn't answer and asked instead: "Madam, do you know how I treated the people when I was an official in the north?"
Li Shi smiled: "You have never taken me back to your hometown, how can I know how you are in the eyes of the people? However, judging from our current situation of poverty, lack of food and clothing, at least it proves that you are not a corrupt official."
"Our Lu family has been officials for generations, and our ancestor Lu Zhi even left a legacy, warning future generations to be honest and upright as officials. Back then, I, Lu Xingxin, wanted to repay the favor of the imperial court and glorified the Lu family family. I am diligent and honest in government. However, I was framed by a traitor and I was dismissed from office and exiled. Therefore, I have never given up and been unwilling! When I came to Lingnan, I asked Brother Wen Long to help me excuse myself in the court and look for opportunities to make a comeback. Later. "I heard that Brother Wenlong was promoted to Hanlin bachelor and became a capital official, so he would have a better chance to speak for me, so last year, I asked someone to send him a letter." Lu Xingxin recounted eloquently.
Li was about to speak but stopped.
Lu Xingxin opened the letter with great hope and couldn't help but read aloud: ...Brother Xingxinnian asked us, how dare we forget each other! Brother's predicament in Lingnan is like a tiger falling on a flat sun, which Wenlong can only imagine. Wenlong united with his colleagues, contacted the same year, and reported to the Ministry of Civil Affairs several times, but...
Lu Xingxin's face changed drastically, turning as white as a piece of paper, his eyes gradually became dazed, and he stood still.
In a daze, the letter seemed to turn into the cold, mocking face of the imperial censor Leng, announcing to him over and over again: Your crime, Lu Xingxin, is unforgivable. Since you have been demoted to a commoner, you will never continue to use it!
The sound became colder and heavier each time, like a heavy hammer, hitting Lu Xingxin's heart again and again.
Lu Xingxin's face turned from white to blue, then from blue to black. He shouted "Wow", a stream of blood spurted out from his mouth, and his whole body collapsed to the ground...
Mrs. Li and Xiao Huineng exclaimed in unison: "Husband..."
"father……"
…
Xinzhou County in the Tang Dynasty seemed like a mud ball inadvertently thrown onto the shore of the winding Xinxing River.
Although its name is "zhou", it is under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou.
In order to save Lu Xingxin's life, Li took Xiao Huineng and staggered into Xinzhou County.
Entering the south of the city, Ms. Li looked around, looking around a shop. Finally, she hesitated, walked to a grocery store, and asked the waiter, asking sincerely: "Brother, waiter, where is the pawn shop in the city?" ?”
The waiter looked at the old man and the young man and guessed: The old man and the young man are definitely not here to buy anything!
When the waiter heard that he was here to inquire about the pawnshop, he said impatiently: "Go, go, go and inquire about other matters elsewhere..."
Li grabbed Xiao Huineng and was about to turn around and leave when a middle-aged man walked out.
He is the owner of this grocery store, his surname is An Daocheng.
An Daocheng drank with the waiter at the hotel and said to Ms. Li, "Sister-in-law, are you from the country?"
Mrs. Li said: "Yes, my mother and I are from Xialu Village. The child's father is ill and has no money to buy medicine, so he wanted to go to the pawn shop..."
An Daocheng said: "You go straight along this street, go east at the third intersection, then turn north, and then..."
Li was very embarrassed, "Excuse me, which way is north? I'm a little dizzy..."
An Daocheng was about to reach out to give her directions, then thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, I'd better take you there to save you two from taking the wrong path."
Li thanked him profusely and followed An Daocheng to the pawn shop.
The counter of the pawn shop was very high, and Ms. Li's body was so short. She struggled to raise her arms before handing over a bag of clothes.
The shopkeeper took out a new official uniform from the bag and looked down at Mr. Li: "Where did this official uniform come from? Did you steal it from the Yamen? Tell me!"
Mrs. Li said very stubbornly: "Although our Lu family is poor, we would rather starve to death than steal other people's things!"
The pawnshop owner picked up the official uniform and asked aggressively: "I didn't steal it. You, a common people, where did you get the official uniform?"
Li said: "My master once served as an official in the north, so of course he had official uniforms!"
The shopkeeper repeatedly weighed the official uniform: "This official uniform is the same as that of the prefect. It seems that your master once served as a prefect, served as an official for one term, and was rich in business for three generations. Since you are a family of officials, you still need to use estimators. Living in clothes?"
Mrs. Li sighed, speechless. At this time, An Daocheng, who was standing aside, clasped his hands to the pawnshop manager and said: "Big shopkeeper, twenty years ago, an official was demoted from the Central Plains to our Xinzhou. It seems that these two women are his family. I think you shouldn’t make things difficult for her.”
The big shopkeeper packed up his clothes, took out a few pieces of broken silver from the drawer, and muttered: "I cut my job to serve the people twenty years ago. I am so poor that I can't open the pot. Why do I still keep this official uniform..."
Li took the broken silver and, under the guidance of An Daocheng, pulled Xiao Huineng into the Chinese medicine shop.
This is the first time Xiao Huineng has been to the city after he was born.
…
The winding Longshan Mountain is still full of clouds and colorful scenery, but the Lu family's thatched cottage at the foot of the mountain has lost the laughter and vitality of the past.
Xiao Huineng sat quietly under the eaves, fanning a small clay stove to cook medicine.
Indoors, Lu Xingxin was lying stiffly on the bamboo bed, motionless, like a corpse.
After a while, you could see his eyes rolling, and two huge tears falling helplessly from the corners of his eyes.
Mrs. Li wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and comforted him: "Husband, please be more liberal."
Lu Xingxin had a look of pain and sorrow on his face: "Madam, there is no hope of reinstatement, and there is no time to return home. Can I think about it?"
Li said: "If you don't want to be an official, then you shouldn't. What's the benefit of being an official? The power of heaven is unpredictable, the current situation is unpredictable, and you are always on tenterhooks. If you are not careful, you will lose your black gauze hat."
Lu Xingxuan said: "However, I have studied hard for ten years and am full of economic articles. How can I fulfill my life ambitions if I don't become an official? A man born in this world should govern the country and bring peace to the world, and be famous forever and be recorded in history forever. Besides, I am dismissed from office like this. Exile has brought shame to all the ancestors of the Lu family. If we can't make a comeback and revitalize the family, I will never rest in peace!" Lu Xingxin coughed violently, his body shook non-stop and he couldn't breathe.
Mrs. Li beat him on the back and shouted sadly: "Master... Master..."
Lu Xingxin finally spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. Panting, he said, "Master? Whose master am I, Lu Xingxin,? As an ordinary person, I can only call him a great master!"
Lu Xingxin sometimes laughed wildly, sometimes cried bitterly, like crazy. After tossing for a long time, he fell asleep.
In the yard, Xiao Huineng, who was boiling medicine, seemed to be stuck in some kind of thinking that was constantly cutting and unorganizing. The expression on his face was extremely confused.
The cattail leaf fan in his hand kept fanning the wind, but it did not hit the air inlet of the stove.
Mrs. Li shouted from inside the room: "Neng'er, is the medicine ready?"
But Xiao Huineng was completely unaware, thinking hard as before.
Li called twice more, but still got no answer, so she walked out of the room.
Seeing that Xiao Huineng was in a daze, she tapped him lightly with a wooden stick.
Xiao Huineng was startled, and Da Mengfang realized that he was stunned and asked: "What's the matter, Aniang?"
Li said angrily: "What's the matter! What's the matter? I asked you to make medicine, where did your soul go?"
Only then did Xiao Huineng realize that the fire was almost extinguished.
Xiao Huineng hurriedly added a few pieces of firewood to the clay stove, and while fanning the air, he asked, "Mom, why has dad's official uniform been kept until now?"
Li said: "Your father has always dreamed of being reinstated as an official and wearing it back to Fanyang. Therefore, he protected it like a treasure. Even if the family ran out of rice for a few days, he would not let it be used for cooking."
Xiao Huineng asked with concern: "Now that we have pawned it, can we get it back in the future?"
Mrs. Li let out a long sigh: "Oh! Why are you coming back? Your father is dreaming! Once he is dismissed and exiled, there is no possibility of reinstatement! No, the letter has come, and the court has said that he will reduce his position to serve the people forever. Not renewed."
Huineng tilted his head and asked, "Dad vomited blood because of this and became so angry that he got sick?"
Li said: "Who says otherwise? He has been in Lingnan for twenty years, but he has been looking forward to one day being re-employed by the imperial court. Now his hope has been shattered. Without this breath, he will not be able to survive..."
Xiao Huineng asked again: "What are the benefits of being an official? Why does Dad dream of being reinstated?"
Li said: "People die for fame, and birds die for food. Your father didn't just do it for a gamble, to gain a good reputation in front of others."
Xiao Huineng asked: "Reputation is so important? Do people live just for a reputation?"
Li was stunned and didn't know how to answer. When the medicine was boiled, Mrs. Li poured it into a bowl and carried it into the house.
…
Lu Xingxin's illness became more and more serious day by day. He lost all consciousness and coughed non-stop. Xiao Huineng came in with the medicine, blew on it and said, "Dad, it's time to take the medicine."
Lu Xingxin shook his head feebly and said intermittently: "If you can...son, you...don't take medicine every day. Dad's disease cannot be cured by medicine. It will be a waste of money. If you use the things at home After the pawn is over, you two won’t even be able to eat anymore..."
Lu Xingxin refused to take medicine.
When Mrs. Li fed him, his jaw clenched and the medicinal soup spilled all over him. Xiao Huineng was so anxious that she cried, but there was nothing she could do.
After nightfall, Lu Xingxin struggled on the verge of death, looking extremely painful.
Mrs. Li stroked his chest, while Xiao Huineng wiped the phlegm from the corner of his father's mouth with a cloth. Lu Xingxin breathed for a while, and his mind became slightly clearer.
He looked at his wife and children who were about to become orphans and widowed with infinite compassion, and said in a very desolate tone: "Madam, Neng'er, please leave me alone. I am a grown man. I can't honor my ancestors, nor can I support my wife and children. What's the use of living?" …”
Mrs. Li cried and said: "Master, what nonsense are you talking about..."
Xiao Huineng also puffed up his chest and said, "Dad, please get well soon. From now on, when I am an older child, I will help you farm."
Lu Xingxuan smiled brilliantly: "When I live, I drag you down in vain, but when I die, you are left orphaned and widowed. How will you live in the future..."
The family sobbed.
Outside the window, there was wind and rain, lightning and thunder.
Lu Xingxin was on his deathbed.
One moment it felt like a sharp knife was cutting out his heart, and the pain was unbearable; the other moment, it was like a devil pressing down on his head, and he was terrified.
He kept talking nonsense: "...No...No...I can't die...I'm not willing...I want to go back to Fan Yang..."
Xiao Huineng and Li were helpless and could only cry in each other's arms.
There was a loud thunder and the oil lamp was blown out by the strong wind.
In the darkness, little Huineng's desperate cry came: "Dad..."
There was no hope for Lu Xingtao to be reinstated, and all his thoughts were lost. When Xiao Huineng was three years old, he left his virtuous wife and beloved son and passed away.
When Li saw it, she felt her liver and lungs being torn apart, her heart broken and her heart broken...
