When the pears are green

Song Li unfolded the paper, and a few lines of simplified Chinese characters appeared on the paper: Little girl, when you receive this letter, I will have gone back with the wind. I have nothing but a few old books, which I want to give to you. I hope that you can take in my two cats for the sake of our friendship as fellow townsmen.

Jiang Qingzhou didn't recognize the words on the paper. He sometimes stared at the paper in thought, and sometimes stole a glance at Song Li's expression.

Song Li looked through the paper and seemed to see the lonely old man with gray hair and hunched back again. Just like that afternoon on Mid-Autumn Festival, the old man was lying in a rocking chair and said to her: "Little girl, keep going forward and don't look back."

"Qingzhou, it's the old gentleman from Weijueming Study. He has returned home and wants to entrust his cat to me." Song Li noticed Jiang Qingzhou's expression, and she told Jiang Qingzhou calmly.

Jiang Qingzhou understood what Song Li meant by going home. He quickly held Song Li's hand, fearing that she would be sad because of this matter.

"Qingzhou, the old gentleman and I just met by chance. I just didn't expect that he would want to entrust his cat to me. He has been bound by his hometown all his life, and now that he has returned, he is free." Song Li said softly to Jiang Qingzhou.

After Song Li finished speaking, she looked at Jiang Qingzhou with a questioning look, and Jiang Qingzhou nodded slightly at her.

When Song Li saw this, she said to Wu Mingde and Li Yun'an, "Mr. Wu, Mr. Li, since you have been asked to deliver the cat, then please keep the cat!"

Wu Mingde released his hands that were covering the two cats. The two cats were freed. They meowed at Wu Mingde a few times, then quickly ran to the snow in the yard to play, causing the black dog in the house to bark.

Li Yun'an handed the wooden box taken from the ox cart to Song Li. Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly took it and placed it on the ground in front of Song Li.

Song Li opened the wooden box and saw a box full of books neatly arranged inside. She gently stroked it with her hand and then closed the wooden box again.

"Except for the books the old gentleman left to Miss Jiang, Mingde and I sold the rest of the books at a low price. We then used the money to pay the rent of the bookstore, and used the rest to handle the old gentleman's funeral." Li Yun'an explained to Song Li.

After Wu Mingde heard this, he glanced at Li Yun'an and then continued, "The old man also gave a few copies to Yun'an and me as a reward."

Song Li smiled and asked, "Where is he buried?"

Li Yun'an and Wu Mingde stopped warming their hands. Li Yun'an raised his head and answered Song Li: "According to the old man's instructions, Mingde and I found a secluded place and dispersed in the wind."

Song Li didn't expect such an answer. She said softly, "That's good. Let's go home with the wind."

Wu Mingde then told Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou how the old man found them.

It happened just as the twelfth lunar month began. One morning, there was a hurried knock on the door of Hengqu Academy.

The gatekeeper recognized the old gentleman. He knew that the old gentleman had a close relationship with the headmaster, so he took the old gentleman to see the headmaster. The headmaster found Wu Mingde based on the old gentleman's description.

Wu Mingde handled the old man's funeral according to the old man's instructions. He wanted to temporarily foster the cat at his second brother Wu Mingxuan's home, but because his second brother's youngest son was born not long ago, his second sister-in-law was afraid that the cat would be shy and scratch the child, so Wu Mingde had to give up.

After thinking it over, Wu Mingde gave half of the book the old man gave him to Li Yun'an, and asked Li Yun'an to come with him to deliver the cat to Song Li. However, it started snowing as soon as they arrived at Heihe Town, so the two decided to take shelter from the wind and snow at Li's house first, and then go to Jiangjia Village after the snow stopped.

When Wu Mingde saw that the snow had stopped this morning, he hurriedly drove the Li family's ox cart to Jiangjia Village with Li Yun'an.

After listening to this, Song Li was filled with emotion. She didn't know what the old man had experienced, nor could she comment on his behavior. Since the old man regarded her as a trustworthy fellow villager, she would definitely take good care of the two cats that accompanied him in his last years.

"Mr. Li, how is Lingling doing recently? The last time I went home, Yueyue mentioned that Lingling got engaged not long ago." Song Li asked Li Yun'an about Lingling's situation.

"Lingling is fine. She doesn't reject it and she likes that man very much. My father is not very good to Lingling. Maybe that man has something that Lingling wants." Li Yunan answered absent-mindedly.

Li Yun'an thought of the scene when he and Wu Mingde ran to Li's grocery store to avoid the snow. He and Wu Mingde ran into the grocery store together, but did not see Li Ying or Lingling. They only saw a young man sitting at the counter of his own grocery store, calculating with an abacus.

Wu Mingde and Li Yun'an looked at the scene in front of them hesitantly. They immediately suspected that they had gone to the wrong place. They turned back to the shop door at the same time. Li Yun'an looked at the familiar street, the familiar shop and the familiar plaque, and he led Wu Mingde in again.

The three of them looked at each other in silence. Just when Li Yun'an wanted to ask what was going on, Lingling ran in from outside. Li Yun'an grabbed Lingling and asked, "Lingling, did our father sell our shop?"

Lingling looked at Li Yun'an and Wu Mingde, then looked at Hu Zhimin who was sitting at the counter. She smiled and said, "Brother, you misunderstood. Our father didn't sell the shop."

"Then what's going on?" Li Yun'an and Wu Mingde asked at the same time, pointing at Hu Zhimin.

Lingling lowered her head in embarrassment. Hu Zhimin walked out from the counter. He bowed to Li Yun'an first, then called out, "Brother."

Li Yun'an couldn't believe his ears. He looked at Hu Zhimin, then at Lingling, and Lingling nodded to Li Yun'an.

Li Yun'an originally wanted to go home and argue with Li Ying, but after seeing Lingling's dependence on Hu Zhimin, he had to give up.

At the same time, Wu Mingde told Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou about the scene when he and Li Yun'an first met Hu Zhimin.

Song Li said to Li Yun'an: "Mr. Li, as long as Lingling likes it, it's fine."

Li Yun'an nodded and said nothing.

The four of them talked around the brazier for a while, and Wu Mingde said goodbye: "Brother Jiang, Miss Jiang, I have to go back to Wuzhuang Village, so I'll say goodbye to Yun An first."

Song Li looked at the sky and suggested that Wu Mingde and Li Yun'an eat their fill before going back.

Wu Mingde repeatedly declined, so Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou had no choice but to see them out the door.

Song Li thought for a moment, and then she said to Wu Mingde, "Mr. Wu, if you have time, please come to my house and tell my parents that I have enrolled Xiaoxing in the bookstore in town. I originally wanted to go there in person, but the weather has been bad recently, so I couldn't go."

"Okay, Miss Jiang, I'll make time to go there after I get home. Before I went to the academy, I asked Minghui to teach your brother and sister to read. This is a good opportunity for me to go and see how Minghui, the little master, is teaching." Wu Mingde said to Song Li with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Song Li thanked Wu Mingde again.

Wu Mingde and Li Yun'an drove away slowly in the ox cart. Li Yun'an sat beside Wu Mingde and asked, "Mingde, why do you think the old man wanted to give the cat to Miss Jiang?"

Wu Mingde said as he drove the ox cart: "Maybe we hit it off at first sight."

"Mingde, I'm also curious why you let Minghui teach Miss Song and her brother to read. I remember that you are not such a kind-hearted person." Li Yun'an teased Wu Mingde.

Wu Mingde glanced at Li Yun'an and continued, "Minghui is bored at home, so it's a good opportunity to give her something to do. When she's busy, she won't talk about you all the time."

Wu Mingde finished speaking and glanced at Li Yun'an. Li Yun'an closed his mouth and stopped talking.