After a while, Gu Dan finally said: "Xiaoying took Nannan to take a hot bath and put on new clothes."
Instead of letting the topic continue, Gu Dan cut it off directly.
Xiaoying nodded blankly, holding the little girl's hand and walking towards the inner room. Xunke also followed and helped prepare hot water.
Aunt Li lowered her head, wiped away the tears on her face, and said with a smile: "Actually, these few days have been a bit sad. I have sold all the things at home that I could sell, and I have paid back all the money I owed. This is the life of a human being. , what we don’t like the most is owing someone else something.
We know you are capable. The owner of the Mohist Hall who was here before is the Mozi that people outside call him, right? Everyone says he is a saint-like figure! "
She secretly glanced at Lin Xiaoyi and saw that the expression on Lin Xiaoyi's face did not change at all, so she continued: "We don't know what a saint is. We have also heard about what he did. With a group of He went to kill the leader of the bandits. He was truly a hero!
He has been busy helping Yuzhou defend the city, and we have heard about it! When the neighbors mention him, their faces light up. You are his friend, so you must be the same kind of person.
This kind of thing in our family will get over after a while. People like you are different from us. You must be doing big things. It’s okay if we can’t help you. How can we come here to cause trouble for you again? Although we haven’t read a few books, we still understand the principles of life. "
There was unexpected determination in the extremely simple voice.
Aunt Li held Gu Dan's hand and said very sincerely: "Today the child's mother will take us back to her parents' home. The hardest days are over, and the rest will be nothing. We didn't want to cause any more trouble for you. Yes, I just heard the cry of Cang's child. I thought about coming over to apologize to you. Don't blame Cang. It's my child who failed to live up to expectations. Cang is kind-hearted and a good child with a kind heart."
Gu Dan looked at her quietly.
He actually didn't know much about Aunt Li.
I only know that Aunt Li suffered hardships in her early years. Later, when her child became prosperous, she was brought from her hometown to the imperial capital to enjoy happiness.
However, the old man couldn't stay idle. Even if he didn't lack money, he still had to find something to do to feel at ease, so he later opened a bun shop. He didn't want to make money, he just refused to be idle.
Now that the family fortune has been dissipated, the backbone of her body has not been taken away.
As she said, the most difficult time has been over and she is going back to her hometown today. How much relief is needed?
She just wants to return to the beginning with decades of face and persistence.
Gu Dan held the cold, thin and rough palm and patted it gently. He was silent for a moment before saying, "You are right."
A heartfelt smile appeared on Aunt Li's face.
The smile on the face that was obviously red and wrinkled from the cold seemed a bit dazzling.
It was no longer an awkward smile of shame, humility, and embarrassment. It seemed as if it had gone back to the smile on his face when I met him occasionally on the road a few years ago, when everything was still fine at home and the war outside had not started yet.
Throwing away all her belongings was the last thing she could hold on to.
Now, this thing has not been left behind after all.
Compared with the dejected and trembling look before, this smile seemed extraordinarily sincere, and the originally rickety spine straightened again.
Gu Dan changed the topic and said: "However, that little bastard Cang is not what you think. Don't be fooled by him. Before the slap fell on his butt, he shouted louder than anyone else. Fierce. Those who don’t know better think he has suffered some great injustice! If you ask me, he just doesn’t want to study and is deliberately thinking of ways to burn books.”
"Children, they don't always like to endure hardships. Cang is still young and doesn't understand the value of truth. In a few years, when you grow up, you will understand the benefits of studying." Aunt Li continued. .
"That's not necessarily the case. A child has a different personality. Cang is restless. He is always looking for trouble. He doesn't feel comfortable unless he gets a beating. Some time ago, Xun Ke was reading a book while eating, and that boy dared to look at him. Pour ink into the bowl."
"Cang is quite courageous. However, speaking of Xun Ke, he has almost reached the age where he should marry someone, right? There are several families of the same age in Ning'an Fang who have asked us about this matter. Where is my son!
Although we are old and our eyes are no longer useful, our ability to recognize people is still there. Those families have evil intentions. Don’t listen to them. They are not a good match. "
"That's right! When it comes to neighbors' ability to recognize people, no one dares to say that they are more accurate than Aunt Li. I will remember what you said. If Xun Ke can't pass the beauty test, I will give him his legs. interrupt."
The two of us chatted with each other, just like neighbors meeting each other on the roadside. When we have free time, we chat casually about family issues, and sometimes we don’t forget to scold the younger generations. Something that doesn’t live up to expectations.
There was the occasional crackle of charcoal in the heater, and the atmosphere in the hut relaxed. The four walls protected a warm place, isolating the wind, snow and cold from the outside world.
The topic between Gu Dan and Aunt Li has turned to Xun Ke, and they are still talking about marriage. Most of the time, Aunt Li is talking and Gu Dan is listening.
Aunt Li would occasionally bring up some families who were unlucky after getting married, or talk about which families had daughters of the right age. She did not comment on the personalities of those girls, but just told Gu Dan to pay more attention to Xun Ke.
The old man has seen a lot of things in his life, and he deeply understands that only two people who are on the right path can be happy together. He also warned Gu Dan that if Xun Ke doesn't feel like it, don't force it. Based on what the child said before With this ability, finding a problem by yourself shouldn’t be a problem.
While chatting, the door to the inner room opened.
Xiaoying walked out with her daughter.
The little girl had just taken a bath and looked much fairer. She put on the thick cotton clothes that Xun Ke had just bought a while ago. She was wrapped up like a little rice dumpling. Although her cheeks were still thin, her whole body looked a little brighter. cute.
The hair that was originally hanging down without combing was now tidied up by Xiaoying and hung properly behind her back.
"Come and dry your hair. You must dry your hair after taking a shower in winter, otherwise you will get sick easily!"
Xiaoying took the little girl back to the stove, stretched out her hand to hold her black hair, and took advantage of the heat of the stove to steam the hair that had been wiped several times but still had moisture remaining.
The little girl sat obediently next to her, her honest look suddenly looked as cute as a porcelain doll.
Gu Dan also leaned over, reached out and pinched the little girl's fleshless face. The little girl's face turned rosy after just taking a bath, and she showed a pure smile to him.
"Can uncle teach you how to sing?"
Gu Dan squatted in front of her and asked.
"Can uncle also sing?"
The little girl's eyes lit up.
"Of course! But you may not have heard the songs my uncle sings, but they are easy to learn!"
Gu Dan cleared his throat and said, "Here, I sing a line and you learn a line."
"OK!"
The little girl nodded, looking forward to it.
"There is only one good mother in the world, and a mother's child is like a treasure."
Gu Dan began to teach her to sing word by word.
Of course, he didn't specifically learn the music of this era, so he picked up one of the most familiar children's songs and taught it to her.
The lyrics are naturally catchy, simple and easy to understand, without any difficulty at all.
Lin Xiaoyi tilted her head and watched Gu Dan teaching the little girl to sing seriously.
From her perspective, this song certainly cannot be said to be very good.
It was no different than the songs that the musicians in the palace had painstakingly compiled. It sounded neither grand nor majestic, and the lyrics were ridiculously simple and straightforward, lacking an elegant and harmonious charm.
Moreover, the tune is very strange. It is different from mainstream singing, and it is not as intense an emotional expression as a folk tune.
Simple lyrics and ordinary singing voice tell simple but sincere facts.
It's not difficult to learn.
It didn't take long for the little girl to clap her hands and shout excitedly: "Uncle, I learned it!"
As he spoke, he couldn't wait to sing: "Only mother is good in the world, and a mother's child is like a treasure."
The innocent and childish voice sings this song with a unique charm.
Anyway, it sounds much more pleasant than Gu Dan's singing.
As I was singing, I suddenly heard a woman’s voice calling outside the yard.
"Nanny? Mother-in-law? I'm back, where are you?"
The people who came to pick them up arrived.
"Mother!"
Hearing the sound, the little girl immediately jumped off the chair, ran out the door happily, and shouted: "Mom, I'm here!"
Not long after Nannan's voice came out, a woman who looked about twenty years old ran in. After seeing Nannan, before she had time to speak, she couldn't help but shed two lines of tears, and rushed forward to grab her. She held him in her arms.
"Nanny, mother is here, mother is here!"
The woman seemed to be rubbing her into her arms, her voice trembling.
"Mom, don't cry, don't cry!"
Nannan reached out anxiously, wiped the tears on her face, and said in a child-like tone: "Mom, I just learned a song from my uncle! Can I sing it to you?"
"Okay, okay! It's good that my daughter is here, it's good that she's here."
The woman was crying and laughing, and finally noticed the few people who were following her out. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and forced out a smile that was not very pretty.
But when her eyes touched Aunt Li, the tears that she had finally stopped could not help but flow down again. She said in a trembling voice: "Mother-in-law, I'm late."
Aunt Li looked at her, with a kind smile on her old and withered face, and said, "Just come, it's not too late, it's not too late."
"There is only one good mother in the world, and a mother's child is like a treasure."
The little girl began to sing loudly in her mother's arms.
(End of chapter)
