soft hedgehog

After the nocturnal emission that day, Ji Tong's heart was completely in chaos.In the dream it was my brother's hand, caressing and lingering, but outside the dream it was full of absurdity, brother and friend respectful.

The two personalities pulled him apart, one hooked his finger in his mouth and still felt it was not enough, and the other avoided the wound on his fingertip.

He was completely confused.

Could it be that I was really like the two men in the film, longing to be hugged and touched by another man?

No, how is it possible, that is his brother, unless he is crazy.

In any case, he dared not admit that he had even the slightest thought in his heart that he shouldn't have.

But he could control himself, but he couldn't control Liang Yuchen.

Liang Yuchen is still the same to Ji Tong as before, willing to give anything except the moon in the sky and the shadow on the ground.Not wanting to be persecuted does not mean that he is not eager. Liang Yuchen's emotions and desires are as young as his own, full of energy, falling in love with someone is no different from others, and he only wants to be honest.

At home, he and Ji Tong are close brothers with different surnames, and everything is normal in front of their parents, but at school, Ji Tong intentionally or unintentionally avoids seeing him, and this alienation has lasted for a long time.

He had no choice but to take the initiative to find Ji Tong from time to time.Behavior is no longer beyond the rules, meet and say a few words, so as to suspend inner thoughts.

He knows that Ji Tong still needs time, but fortunately they are still young, one year or two, even three or four years, he can afford it.

The birthday is approaching, and the weather is getting colder every day.

It was Friday in the beginning of winter, and Liang Yuchen took Wuliangye to the courtyard to chat with Zhai Qiuyan, who had just recovered from typhoid fever.

There are few people in the alley, and the sound insulation is not as good as that of the buildings. You can hear the bicycle bells passing by outside the courtyard, and the drunks yelling. He likes it here. At the end of the meal, he candidly confessed that today is his mother’s death day, and tomorrow is his own birthday. .

Zhai Qiuyan was silent for a while, with mixed emotions in his heart.After a long time, I asked, "Where's your brother? Why didn't you come with you? I still miss him since I haven't seen you for more than a month."

If that little monkey cub had been around, his godson wouldn't be so lonely.

"He's gone to another place." Liang Yuchen said.

This morning, Ji Tong took the bus with a dozen students from the same department to the neighboring city to participate in the small language speech contest, and he will not be back until tomorrow night.

A charcoal fire was burning at the bottom of the pot, the windows were covered with a layer of white mist, and steam billowed from the room.Liang Yuchen looked at a plate of hand-cut mutton on a white porcelain plate, thinking that if Ji Tong was here, most of the meat would go into his belly.

"What about your father?" Zhai Qiuyan asked again, "Today is your mother's death day, so he doesn't need to lead you to worship?"

Liang Yuchen said, "He's also quite busy."

Liang Changlei went to find someone to sell the shop, but the landlord was not in the area, so the agent took him to negotiate the price, and couldn't sleep a day and a night.

The pain of losing a spouse must be very hurtful. For many years, he seldom mentioned his biological mother in front of his son, so the son thoughtfully and seldom mentioned it.

The scars shared by both father and son have tacitly pretended to forget on this day, with the exception of last year.

The exception last year was not only the pot of fire burning on the roof, but also the person who was by his side at that time.Thinking of Ji Tong and Yang Xiao's clumsy acting skills at that time, Liang Yuchen felt bitter and sweet, all kinds of tastes welled up in his throat, holding the wine glass, wanting to drink more, and remembering that Hu Aihua specially called during the day and asked him to go home at night sleep.Finally, he didn't dare to drink more, and only took a small sip, and the pungentness in his throat slowly dissipated.

Zhai Qiuyan and him are also teachers and friends. Now that tomorrow is his birthday, no matter what, he can't hear it anyway, so he said: "If you are free tomorrow, you should come to my place. I am alone at home anyway. It's also boring, why don't you cook a few dishes and have fun with you."

I don't know why I can accept the loneliness that I don't want to show elsewhere. Liang Yuchen smiled: "Then I will continue to come and disturb tomorrow."

"What are you talking about?" Zhai Qiuyan waved his hand, "You are just like my own son."

How could a father think his son was bothering him?I'm just afraid that my son will be alone.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Liang Yuchen left the courtyard and took the subway back to his home.

The middle-aged life drama is playing on the TV in the living room, and there are a few pieces of persimmons on a plate on the coffee table. Hu Aihua is learning to knit a sweater from Ye Xiulan.

He had said hello to go back to the room to rest, but was suddenly stopped: "Yuchen, wait."

Hu Aihua came over, sized him up and said with a smile: "Have you been drinking?"

Liang Yuchen smelled of alcohol and his face was slightly red.

"Well, I didn't drink much."

She was still holding a long needle in her hand, and a semi-finished camel hair scarf was wide underneath, and said: "You are also 25 years old, so why don't you be afraid of drinking a little wine, mom won't tell you. Besides, tomorrow is a special day, and it's also good to have a gathering with friends." It should."

Liang Yuchen looked at his stepmother upon hearing this, but didn't speak.

Hu Aihua smiled kindly: "I forgot what day tomorrow is? The older I get, the more I lose my memory."

Ye Xiulan on the sofa also wore glasses and looked over with a smile: "Even I know."

His throat stagnated: "It's my birthday."

Unexpectedly, the stepmother remembered.

Hu Aihua said: "Your father is not here, but we have not forgotten your birthday, and we have prepared a gift for you. I heard from you on the phone that you have something to do tomorrow, so I put you in the room ahead of time tonight. Come in and have a look."

"There are also Beibei's." Ye Xiulan crossed her legs and also came to joke, "Our two mothers and sons will share a copy, don't be surprised."

"How could it be?" Liang Yuchen cherished this kindness, "Thank you, Aunt Xiulan, and also thank Beibei for me."

After speaking, he was pushed into the room, and Hu Aihua turned on the light in the room.

There are several gift boxes of different sizes on the table, wrapped in colorful patterned wrapping paper, and even the ribbon knots are tied meticulously, obviously with care.

Liang Yuchen's eyes moved slowly, as if someone had stuffed a stove into his arms, and his whole body was steaming.

"Thank you, Aunt Hu."

The more moved he was, the more clumsy he became, and he couldn't even say one or two nice words.But he thought, the family should not be offended.

The door was ajar, Ye Xiulan didn't follow in, and Hu Aihua stood beside him alone.

"I have put my name on the box, and you will take it apart and look at it by yourself later."

After speaking, he still didn't leave, as if he still had something to say.

Liang Yuchen turned around and looked at her: "Aunt Hu, is there anything else?"

Hu Aihua also looked at him, and after a long time put aside the knitting needle in his hand, and pulled him to sit beside the bed.

"Yuchen." She first took his right hand and folded it on her knee, but she grabbed it again after a while: "Is this month's living expenses enough?"

Liang Yuchen was slightly taken aback.This sounds strange, and his living expenses have never been handled by Hu Aihua."That's enough," he said.

"What about learning, is there any difficulty?"

This is even more out of the question.Liang Yuchen said, "Aunt Hu, what exactly do you want to ask?"

Hu Aihua seemed to have prepared the question early in the morning, but he had some concerns when the matter came to an end. He looked back and forth for a long time before finally asking.

"Actually, it's nothing... It's just that Mom has a request. I've kept it in my heart for a long time. Don't be unhappy when you say it."

Liang Yuchen was knee to knee with her, and when he raised his head to meet her gentle gaze, he weighed the weight of the word "request" in his heart.

"You say."

The sound of the TV outside the house gradually faded, and the house was quiet, with the moonlight half-hidden by the curtains.

Hu Aihua said: "Tomorrow is your second birthday since you came home, and we have been a family for more than two years now. You are an adult and you have always been sensible, so Mom rarely talks to you when she talks about herself. Not much. But you know, Ma was always proud of you."

Liang Yuchen's hand was covered by her, it was warm.

"I know."

"It's good to know, it's good to know." Hu Aihua patted it twice again, speaking more slowly, "In the past two years, I dare not say that I have never treated you badly, but I ask myself that this mother is still qualified. If you also If you think so, can you...can you call me mom?"

Xu raised his head, his eyes were red, and he looked at him expectantly.

The annual rings in the heart of the tree decrease two rounds forward, and the family becomes a family.Hundreds of them lived together day and night, sons in front of sons and sons in back, saying that it was not true.She only hoped that her eldest son would be like her, and he would identify with his family member from the bottom of his heart.

The room was quiet, and Liang Yuchen's heart was filled with turbulent waves, the surface was still motionless, only the pair of deep eyes under the lens were shaking.

Hu Aihua squeezed his hand again: "Is it okay?"

Is it ok?In fact, it is too much to ask.Liang Yuchen had long regarded her and Ji Tong as family members, and had already shouldered the responsibility of taking care of them, and the titles were just titles.

After a while, his thin lips finally parted slightly: "Mom."

All the emotions are hidden in the ending.

He was moved, but also ashamed.After finally having a home, it is very likely that he will destroy it by himself in the future, but he can't help it.

People can't want everything, he knows, but fortunately, the true feelings at this moment are enough to comfort his soul that thinks about mother's love day and night.

Hu Aihua fulfilled her wish, walked back to the living room with red eyes, crouched on the armrest of the sofa and only shed tears, just like a little girl.Ye Xiulan was comforting at the side, stroking her back and softly comforting: "A person who is 50 or [-] years old will cry when he is happy?"

Liang Yuchen stood inside the door, intending to send out the needles and threads she left behind.The door was not closed tightly, and the crying could be heard clearly.

It turns out that Ji Tong's personality is so similar to his mother's, and this is the first time he has realized this so strongly.Unlike him, no matter how moved, his eye sockets are always dry, and he is used to being reserved.

But families aren't always alike.For example, his father once told him that he was not at all like his biological mother, but more like his father.

Thinking of this, Liang Yuchen felt at ease, like and unlike are all family members.

As the night deepened, he sat alone at the table unwrapping presents, feeling in a trance that his childhood dream had come true.When he was seven years old, he went to play at a classmate’s house. There was a big desk in the room, two drawers, and the lower one was full of boxes. It was a birthday present from his parents every year. There were pens, books, and long-life locks, and they were thrown away in a mess. together.

At that time, he thought, when can he own such a drawer?If there is, he must cherish it, treat each piece as a treasure, and never throw it away.

Unexpectedly, at the age of 25, he no longer has to envy others, and what he wants is right in front of him.

Unpack one by one.The biggest one was given by Yang Xiao and Ji Qingyang, a Bugatti Veyron car model; Beibei mother and son gave a sweater and a scarf, both woven by Ye Xiulan; the smallest was a laptop computer given by Hu Aihua and Liang Changlei, Encourage him to continue his studies.

The last piece was left, and he had already guessed what it was just by looking at the outer box.

The box is a shoe box, of course it was given by Ji Tong.

The sneakers inside are somewhat similar to the pair he often wears, white, simple style, but they are expensive at a glance.

He also understood what Ji Tong meant.Last time Ji Tong gave him a pair of shoes on his birthday, and the two had a bad fight because of it.This time Ji Tong also gave him a pair of shoes on his birthday, which was both a gift and an apology.

Liang Yuchen hadn't been as happy as he was tonight for a long time, but in fact Ji Tong was not as ignorant as he thought.

He collected the presents one by one, and sent a message to Zhai Qiuyan telling him that he would not go to the courtyard house tomorrow. When he put away his phone, he couldn't help himself, so he clicked on the photo of him and Ji Tong and looked at it again.

The two of them stood together in front of the castle. Although they were not hugging each other, their expressions were extremely intimate.

Liang Yuchen felt that he was really lucky.

—

The next evening, he put on the new pair of shoes and went out in a windbreaker.

The passenger terminal on weekends is as crowded as sardines in cans, and the exits are guarded by three floors inside and three floors outside.Liang Yuchen stood tall in a group of people, and when he took off his glasses, he stood out even more.

When Ji Tong came out, he was chatting with someone, and the classmate next to him yelled at him: "Your brother."

She pouted towards the outside of the railing.

He looked over in surprise, Liang Yuchen was also looking at him, and the two saw each other through many people.

The classmates said goodbye to him one after another, so he could only walk over and ask, "Brother, why are you here?"

"Take you home."

He lowered his head, and when he saw the shoes on Liang Yuchen's feet, he couldn't help being stunned.

He did indeed buy these shoes and handed them to his mother before he left, and asked his mother to pass them on to his brother, but he did not expect Liang Yuchen to wear them on his feet so quickly.

"The shoes fit your feet very well," Liang Yuchen said, "You have a good eye too."

Ji Tong clasped his palms and raised his head: "I choose randomly."

In fact, he chose all afternoon, spent more than half a month's living expenses, and went home early in order to catch up with the day.

Liang Yuchen thought he was awkward and didn't say much.

The two people who were still messing around all day long a month ago have changed their appearance a month later.Walking together deliberately kept a distance of two fists, avoided physical contact, and had a lot of reservations when speaking.

There was a burst of aroma from the sausage shop at the door, Liang Yuchen asked: "Are you hungry, do you want to eat something?"

Ji Tong shook his head.

When he walked outside, he realized that Liang Yuchen had come by bicycle.

"Why don't you take the subway?"

The distance from home to here is not too close, and the weather is not warm now.

Liang Yuchen said: "I'm used to riding a car, come here."

He could only walk over again, and sat silently in the back seat, firmly grasping the outer edge of the windbreaker pocket with both hands.Liang Yuchen touched his hand backwards, and pulled it forward, letting him hug his waist.

Ji Tong retracted his five fingers.But he didn't move without moving the car. Some people expressed their attitude in silence and insisted on waiting for him.

After a long time, he finally bit his lip and hugged his brother's waist, and the car finally kicked off.

The November wind was already chilly, making people shrink their necks, but Liang Yuchen stood up straight and protected Ji Tong.On the way back, the leaves were withered and yellow all over the ground, and Ji Tong's foot stepped on it occasionally, and he heard the soft sound of leaves breaking.

He suddenly realized that once the winter begins, the days will only get colder and colder, but he didn't feel this way last year.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Liang Yuchen asked.

"The people in the dormitory made an appointment to go to Yuexiu City to buy game cards together."

"There is an exam next week, no need to review?"

Ji Tong hesitated for a moment, but said truthfully: "I want to review, but they all go. If I study alone, I will seem out of the group."

Liang Yuchen was silent for a moment, then stopped the car.

Men and women hurried on the road, gushing out like a tide, and then tied their mouths at the red light.Looking down from the sky, it looks like a school of fish migrating in the deep sea. I can't see me clearly, and I can't recognize you.

"Tong Tong," he turned his head, "in fact, people don't necessarily have to be gregarious all the time. Although gregariousness is safe, it also wastes time and life."

Ji Tong's arms around his waist slowly loosened, and he argued with him in a low voice while supporting the steel frame of the back seat.

"I'm still young, and the most I have is time and life. It's like reviewing. There are so many days before the exam. I don't think it's okay to waste half a day." He actually knew that his brother was right, but he didn't want to listen.

"What about the day after tomorrow?" Liang Yuchen asked again, "They will ask you out again the day after tomorrow, do you still want to go?"

"Who knows what will happen the day after tomorrow?"

In the noisy street, the two insisted on their own opinions, but no one convinced the other.

In such a huge school of migratory fish, many fish are afraid of words like being different, unique, and unconventional. They hide in the team and follow the tide to go west and east.

Unfortunately, Ji Tong is one of them.

Liang Yuchen really wanted to tell his younger brother that besides time and life, there is something important that once wasted, it would never be found again, but he knew that Ji Tong would definitely not listen.