Early morning, four o'clock.
The sky turned white, and a hazy mist spread lightly on the Yunmeng River, where several fishing boats were drifting swayingly.
"Buzz——"
The propeller slowly stopped turning, and the ripples calmed down.
On the fishing boat, the old man had a gray-white towel draped over his shoulders and black rain boots on his feet. He looked at the lively heavy rain in the fishing net, and couldn't help but smile on his weather-beaten face.
"Speaking of which, the air is very good this morning."
The old man grabbed the towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The sparkling lake water was reflected in his eyes. I don't know if it was an illusion, but the river water seemed to be much clearer than before.
Soon the old man withdrew his gaze, carefully wiped off the water drops on his hands, took out the mobile phone in his trouser pocket, opened the chat software, pressed his finger on the phone, and said cheerfully: "Ale, dad collected a few big ones this morning. Fish, you guys probably haven’t eaten fish for a while, I’ll send it to you later.”
————
six o'clock.
"Ding--"
Next to the pillow, the alarm clock on the phone rang suddenly.
The next second, a hand immediately reached out from the bed and turned off the alarm clock.
A man in his thirties yawned and glanced at his sleeping wife and three-year-old child beside him. The corners of his mouth turned up involuntarily. He got out of bed lightly and opened the door.
"Ale..."
Voices in dialect sounded in the bathroom.
Gululu~
The man spat out the mouthwash, picked up the phone, and said, "Dad, be careful when you go into the city."
Immediately, I fried eggs, soaked milk, and started breakfast, starting a new day.
Not a moment later.
"Husband~" In the half-open door, a woman with messy hair and sleepy eyes poked her face out. When she saw the man preparing a loving breakfast, she immediately called out sweetly.
"Hey, you're up."
The man placed the dishes and chopsticks, turned to look at his wife, and said with a smile: "Let me tell you something, my dad went out on the boat this morning and collected a lot of fish. He sent me a voice message early in the morning and said he would deliver the fish to us soon. "
"Fish.
"It's okay not to mention it. It's really a bit greedy to say the least. We haven't eaten for a while."
As she said that, a smile broke out on the woman's face: "It just so happened that Tuan Tuan also said that she missed grandpa."
"Is grandpa coming?"
Suddenly, a childish voice filled with sleepiness sounded.
The little girl wearing a pink strawberry pajamas appeared next to her mother's right leg. When she heard that grandpa was coming, she already had an expectant look on her face.
Seeing this, the man nodded with a smile and said, "Well, grandpa is coming to see Tuantuan today."
"Very good!"
Hearing this, the little girl clapped her hands happily.
The woman walked into the bathroom and her voice came from afar: "Are you busy at work today?"
The man picked up the cup, drank the milk in one gulp, quickly stuffed the bread into his mouth, picked up the briefcase and said in a hurry: "There is something going on at the company today. I'll leave first. You can take Tuantuan to the kindergarten later."
"kindness."
The sound of the door being gently closed came to her ears. The woman looked at her daughter who suddenly woke up and waved her hand: "Tuan Tuan, let's come over and wash up first. We can see grandpa when we get back from school."
Half an hour later.
"Tuantuan, let's go."
The woman carried her schoolbag on her shoulders, held the little girl's hand and walked out of the community, heading straight to the kindergarten.
"Dudu..."
Several small electric donkeys honked their horns and emerged from the crowd like loaches.
It is now 7:40 in the morning, and the empty streets are already busy with traffic. The sun is pouring through the leaves, and the sanitation workers below are cleaning the fallen leaves on the roadside.
The hot aroma slowly floated out from the breakfast shop, and the tables outside were full of people, looking at their phones while eating.
A large group of people poured out of the subway entrance in the distance, scrambling to scan the bicycles at the intersection.
This city has started a new day.
"Tuan Tuan, you must listen to the teacher in school."
At the entrance of the kindergarten, the woman took the trouble to remind her, took the schoolbag from her shoulders and put it on the little girl's back. "There is some honey water made by mom in the schoolbag, remember to drink it up."
But they all nodded in agreement and greeted the little boy next to them happily:
"Qiangzi, good morning. Is this your brother?"
"Oh, don't call me by my nickname."
Normally, the little boy would have been quarreling over this matter, but today, uncharacteristically, he pulled the young man next to him who was about twenty-five years old and said, "That's not my brother, this is my great-grandpa."
"..."
As soon as these words came out, the man and Tuantuan's mother looked at each other in an instant.
"Ahem, little kid, childish words are unbridled."
The young man's smile froze a little, and he patted the little boy's back gently: "I will definitely come to pick you up when school is over."
Hearing these words, the little boy couldn't help but feel a little suspicious in his eyes, and finally said: "Zeng...Okay, then you have to keep your word!"
Immediately afterwards, the two children jumped into the kindergarten.
The young man nodded politely towards the woman and strode away.
"Looks like a soldier."
Tuantuan's mother looked at the man's erect figure and couldn't help crying or laughing: "He seems to be the only child in Zhang Xiaoqiang's family. Could it be his uncle? But... what the hell is Grandpa Zeng."
Immediately, she took out her mobile phone and put it to her lips: "Tuantuan has arrived at the kindergarten. Let dad come and pick him up later."
"Okay, okay."
Lin Le replied in a low voice.
"Hey, I really envy our brother Le, he is a real winner in life."
Suddenly, a slightly smiling voice came from the seat next to him.
Lin Le turned around and looked.
Lu Xiaoming was blinking at him. A young man in his early twenties, he graduated from college and had just completed his internship period in the company. He was not a bad person and didn't have that much of a problem.
"You didn't see me chanting sutras."
Lin Le typed on the keyboard.
He recently took on a project and his workload increased dramatically.
Lu Xiaoming was startled, and then realized that what Lin Le was talking about was that every family has a sutra that is difficult to recite, so he simply changed the topic and said, "Oh, today is already Friday, so we can rest tomorrow."
Lin Le asked casually: "Do you have any plans?"
Hearing this, Lu Xiaoming laughed twice: "Hey, didn't there just be a new movie released recently? I'm going to watch a movie with my girlfriend for dinner tonight."
"To be honest, it's me who should be envious!"
A colleague with a fat belly shook his head and said: "One of you has a family and a career, and one of you is single. I am alone. When will I, Zhao, meet the girl of my destiny!"
As soon as these words came out, Lin Le and Lu Xiaoming said in unison: "How about you reduce your belly first."
"Damn, can you chat?"
The colleague with the chubby belly looked just as I expected: "Brother Le, Xiao Ming, this is not the first day you have met me. I have a body that is prone to obesity, and I will gain weight even if I drink water. You two seem to You’re kidding me.”
Then, he immediately said:
"Besides, if you really like me, you will definitely find my beautiful heart..."
Before the word "spirit" could be spoken, suddenly, a series of firecrackers and the sound of gongs and drums were heard downstairs. The sound was so dramatic that even the 19th floor where their office was located could clearly hear it.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise.
"What's the sound?"
"Hey, that's strange. Didn't yesterday's Taoist code for Zhenping pass?"
"Then what's going on downstairs?"
The leader was away and this happened again. People in the office looked down through the windows curiously.
I saw that the originally crowded streets had been cleared, and a team of nearly a thousand people came forward in a mighty manner. The leader was still dozens of people wearing bird feather masks, with graceful and light postures, as if they jumped lightly. Can fly.
In the middle of the team, hundreds of Taiping Dao Taoist priests were either reciting Taoist scriptures, or holding various musical instruments such as pipes, flutes, flutes, altar drums, and gongs, playing music diligently.
The tune is high and melodious.
"Hey, it doesn't seem like what they are reciting is [The Song of the Three Treasures of Taiping to Conquer Demons]."
After careful analysis, a knowledgeable colleague said in surprise: "It's a bit like that [Chaotian Shengying Song]. I remember isn't this song specially used to celebrate victory?"
Everyone listened carefully and found that the tune was indeed different from usual.
Lin Le picked up the camera on his mobile phone and kept zooming in on the people dancing the Shang Yang Dance in front of him. After careful observation, he couldn't help but curiously said: "Speaking of which, I feel that the Shang Yang Dance they danced this time is very..."
I groaned for a long time, but I couldn't find a better adjective from my head.
"Charming, very charming."
Lu Xiaoming next to him hit the nail on the head. He also held up his mobile phone, staring at the screen of the mobile phone, and had already started recording.
"Yes, yes, you used the word well." Lin Le couldn't help nodding in agreement, and then he said from the bottom of his heart: "They danced particularly beautifully today. I feel like they are really like birds. They danced so beautifully." It’s charming!”
Growing up, he had seen the [Zhenpingan] Taoist Code no less than forty times. It would not be an exaggeration to describe every step of the ritual process by heart, and he could tell the difference at a glance.
"Ahem."
Just when the office was in a commotion, a slightly unhappy voice sounded: "What are you doing during working hours?"
"The boss is here, hurry up."
Everyone immediately pretended that nothing was wrong and returned to the office happily.
“Hey, I just watched Julu’s official short video account.”
The fat-bellied colleague lowered his voice and said, "It's strange. There are also Taoist ceremonies held at Guangzong and Yao Palace today. It seems that it's not just our Julu. I don't know what's going on."
Today is destined to be flooded with Daodian news.
Today will be an unforgettable day for both them and for them.
Time flew by.
Before I knew it, it was already sunset.
Lu Xiaoming packed up his things, glanced at Lin Le who was still working overtime in front of the computer screen, and whispered: "Brother Le, I'm leaving now. See you next week."
"Okay, okay, okay."
Lin Le said without looking back: "Have fun."
"kindness!"
Lu Xiaoming picked up his backpack and left quickly.
As soon as he arrived downstairs, he saw a familiar figure standing at the door of the lobby. A smile bloomed on his face unconsciously, and he immediately ran over: "Ye Ye, why didn't you send me a message when you arrived?"
This was a girl in a black skirt. She hugged Lu Xiaoming's arm and said with a smile, "I don't want to give you a surprise."
"Hey, you must be hungry."
"I've been hungry for a long time."
The two of them talked and laughed all the way to the subway.
While waiting for the train, the couple encountered a strange thing. The two of them suddenly saw a huge group of dozens of people coming down from the elevator. They were wearing ancient and modern costumes, which attracted many people's attention.
But now that the atmosphere is more open, everyone is looking at it with curiosity at most, but they don’t think it’s that strange.
"Are they attending Comic Con?"
"It doesn't look like it, he must be a costume lover."
The young couple couldn't help but talk a little more.
"Lao Qi, Lao Sha, you two come and sit here."
"I'm coming."
After getting on the train, Ye Ye touched Lu Xiaoming with her elbow and whispered: "Look, that person is so strange."
"What?"
Lu Xiaoming turned his head in confusion and looked at the seat not far away.
There sat a gentle man in white Confucian attire. He looked left and right, his brows and eyes full of curiosity, his lips moved, but the words he spoke were not something ordinary people could hear.
"I didn't expect that the human world would change so much in just a few hundred years!" The gentle man sighed with emotion: "This thing called the subway is so fast, it's like shrinking into an inch."
"You say so, Lao Sha."
The man named Lao Sha has blond hair, a young and handsome appearance, and a very fashionable and eye-catching outfit. He has gold-plated headphones, a large gold chain, a trendy jacket, and several rings on both hands. He has slightly squinted eyelids and shakes his head from side to side. .
"My voice is loud because if I act righteously, I will be able to reach the sky wherever I go."
"I can walk without fear of slanting shadows, and I won't look at anyone who disturbs my mind for a long time..."
Music plays from the headphones.
Lao Sha said calmly: "Yes, yes, yes."
"..."
Qi Li hesitated to speak, and finally just shook his head and smiled.
"The History Museum has arrived." After a while, the subway announcement sounded.
"Then I'll take Lao Qi and the others to the museum. Please be careful on the way." Yang Xingwang, who was dressed in ordinary clothes, warned: "Lao Sha, there are many people in the mall, so you have to be careful with the children."
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid."
People are coming and going on the subway, laughing couples, office workers rushing home, friends in small groups... This small place seems to incorporate all aspects of life.
With this in his eyes, Lao Sha smiled and waved.
The train doors are closed.
————
Late at night, seven o'clock in the evening.
"Ouch, I almost lost track of time when I started working."
Lin Le parked the e-Mule and quickly walked into the building. With his lips pressed to his cell phone, he said, "I've entered the community and will be home soon."
In the corridor, several delivery boys were waiting for the elevator like him.
These people knew each other and chatted casually with each other, asking how many orders they had run today and how much they could probably earn.
Get on the elevator and get to the floor. Lin Le took out the key from his trouser pocket, but before he could unlock it, the door opened by itself, and a bright smiling face came into view. She shouted: "Dad is back!"
"Oh, my family is together."
Lin Le leaned over and picked up Tuantuan, rubbed his daughter's smooth little face with his own, and said with a smile:
"How did you know dad was back?"
Tuantuan hugged his father's neck and smiled proudly: "I heard the sound of you walking."
Hearing this, Lin Le said exaggeratedly: "Wow, so powerful!"
Tuantuan's mother came out of the kitchen with the food. When she saw the father and daughter, she shook her head and said, "Stop standing at the door. Wash your hands and eat quickly."
"Okay, let's eat."
Lin Le put down his briefcase and saw his father walking out with fish soup and shouted: "Dad."
"You're back just in time, let's eat."
A smile broke out on that weather-beaten face.
——
In the community, there are buildings and thousands of lights.
Ordinary and precious.
(End of chapter)
