soft hedgehog

On the day of Laba, Ji Tong took the plane with very little luggage, and started a sudden trip in a hurry. When he went out, he was so flustered that he almost forgot his passport.Wang Teng and the others had something for him to buy on their behalf, and even made a long list for him within an hour. The three of them sent him downstairs and waved goodbye to him cheerfully.

He turned his head and waved his hands, the camel hair scarf that Hu Aihua had worn for a long time was wrapped around his neck, his delicate chin was tucked in the scarf, and the eyes on his face were not as eager as before.Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Wang Teng called out "Hey".

"Brother Yuchen knows you're going out, right?"

Hearing the name, he leaned on the box and said nothing.

"Understood." Wang Teng put his hands in his trouser pockets, a little ruffian, "He went out secretly again, you really belonged to me. What should we say if he comes here again? First, let's get the words right, bro, don't give me any trouble." You screwed up."

The roommates stepped on the steps Liang Yuchen used to sit on. Ji Tong raised his head and then slowly lowered his eyes: "Don't tell him the truth, just say that I'm busy, and I can do anything."

Wang Teng understood: "Don't worry, put your heart in your stomach." After speaking, the three turned around to go back, but this time they were stopped by Ji Tong again.

"and many more."

"how?"

He pulled up the scarf with his left hand, revealing only a pair of disturbed eyes.

"If my brother insists on waiting for me here, you... Please persuade him to go back."

It's cold outside.

After listening to his words, the three of them felt a little weird when you looked at me and I looked at you.

The days that followed proved that this statement was superfluous.

When Ji Tong returned to China, he met Liang Yuchen at the school gate and returned to the dormitory full of worries. When he opened the door, only Hou Jin was there.He spread the suitcase on the floor and took things out one by one. Hou Jin climbed down from the bed and got his two cheap imported cigarettes. He was so happy that he almost lit one on the spot and helped him out of gratitude. repositioning repositioning.

He bought cosmetics for Hu Aihua and ginseng tablets for Liang Changlei, and squatted on the ground to take them out one by one.Hou Jin asked: "Did you buy anything for your brother?"

"I don't know what to buy."

In fact, I bought it and didn't know when I would be able to give it back, so I didn't buy it at all.

After tidying up for a long time, the dormitory was very quiet.When it was about to end, he took out the last piece of clothing and hugged it in his arms, and looked down at the empty box: "Hou Jin, has my brother been here these days?"

Hou Jin was standing by the table unwrapping cigarettes: "I haven't been here."

"Not once?"

"No."

Ji Tong slowly breathed a sigh of relief.Maybe Liang Yuchen has already figured it out, maybe the next time he comes to him, he will say that it was just a spur of the moment, but in fact they are still ordinary brothers.Life just sorted out the chaos and got back on track.

I should be happy.

He stood up and dragged the suitcase under the bed and stuffed it. Passing by the window, he subconsciously glanced at the open space downstairs.

—

The third day back was Friday. Ji Tong finished the last exam of this semester. When he walked out of the teaching building, the sun was a little dazzling. It seemed that spring was approaching.He looked up at the sky, raised his hand to block the sun, and took a deep breath.

The cold winter air poured into the lungs, and the whole body was shivering with cold.

While going down the stairs, he turned on the phone.As soon as the screen turned on for a second, the call came in quickly, as if it had been dialing all the time.

"Mom?" Thinking his mother was going to ask him if he wanted to go home for dinner tonight, he stopped on the stairs and walked to the side to answer the phone.

"Are you at school?" Hu Aihua's voice was a little anxious.

"Yes." He put his left hand in his pocket to warm up, "I just finished the exam, I'll go back later."

"Don't come back yet." His mother stopped him immediately, "Your Uncle Liang is going to your school soon, and he is already on his way. You can pick him up at the gate near the subway and take him to the student office."

Ji Tong was startled: "What is Uncle Liang doing here?"

But the other end didn't explain any more, just said: "For your brother's sake, you should talk less when you see him, don't annoy him, he is in a bad mood."

Ji Tong agreed, his heart trembled with his footsteps, he took a few steps slowly and then ran towards the school gate. After waiting outside for nearly 10 minutes, he saw Liang Changlei who came hurriedly, wearing clothes he would only wear when moving goods. gray jacket.

"Uncle Liang."

Liang Changlei showed displeasure when he saw him, "I told your mother that I don't need to look for you", and then asked, "I didn't delay your business."

Ji Tong shook his head hastily: "I've finished the exam, I'm idle."

"That's good," he said, "Take me to the Academic Affairs Office, no, it's the Student Office, which is where students are in charge."

Before he finished speaking, he had already entered the campus, like a chicken without a head.

Ji Tong almost ran after him, not like a leader at all: "What are you doing there? This way, the right side."

Liang Changlei stepped on the ground quickly and vigorously with his leather shoes, without looking back, he said, "Yuchen called suddenly in the afternoon, saying that the school arranged for him to go abroad for half a year, and he is boarding the plane, so I don't have to worry about it."

Then he said: "Aren't you talking nonsense? After going abroad for half a year, it's just a phone call. I haven't even seen each other. If I call again, the phone will be turned off. I've thought about it, so I can only ask your school Teacher, what is going on here?"

Ji Tong paused for a moment, staring blankly ahead.

Liang Changlei was still running forward. After running for a long time, he suddenly realized that he hadn't followed, so he called out to him.

As if waking up from a dream, he quickly chased after him and raised his head and asked, "Uncle Liang, what did you say, where did my brother go?"

Liang Changlei has always been a prudent person, and he seldom gasps like this: "I didn't even say this clearly on the phone. I sound like the United States, so I'm not sure."

Hallucinations all around.Ji Tong's heart was beating so hard that it almost jumped out of his body, but the blood in his whole body was as if he could not breathe, so he forced himself to calm down.He led Liang Changlei to the third floor of the student office, and after asking several people, he managed to stop the administrative teacher of the Graduate School of Gaofan College.

After all, it was the Liang family's business, and Liang Changlei didn't let him in.He just stood at the door and never left, his fingers turned white.

Without saying a few words, the two faced each other in the office and raised their voices.

The job is a female teacher, and she is full of grievances and injustices when she is approached by the parents of the students for no reason, let alone her attitude is so impatient.

"What are you calling me? He handed in the application form and went through the process by himself, with black and white writing here. Do you still think we tricked him?"

"Several students fought for this spot. Giving him this is an affirmation of him. He has a positive and cooperative attitude and is an adult in his twenties. As teachers, we certainly feel that he has already discussed with his family."

The two were arguing in the office, and the sound could be heard in the corridor, and many teachers looked sideways when they passed by.Ji Tong was so flustered that he seemed to have run 800 meters. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but his body stood upright by the door like a stake without any reaction. Listening to their conversation, his whole body seemed to be in a fog.

It's like watching a movie across a table in a theater. Although it is realistic, you can't believe it.

Brother really left?

A phone call, a few words, and half a year away.

It's not like him at all to be so sloppy and without confession.

Liang Changlei took the application form. When he saw his son's signature, his face turned red and then turned pale. He was both embarrassed and puzzled. He spoke again after a long while: "Teacher, don't take it to heart. I was too anxious just now. Can you please trouble me about this exchange plan?" Tell me more about the situation? At least let me know where my son is going and when he will be back."

He didn't understand, thinking that everything was an exchange plan.

Ji Tong outside the door looked pale and raised his head to stare at the female teacher.

"Wouldn't it be over if you talk like this early? Come here and I'll tell you."

She led Liang Changlei to her computer screen, and pointed to him one by one: "He has to go to these countries, and the order is not certain yet. He and Professor Xu have the specific itinerary on hand. Are you a parent?" You need to be so careful."

Talk things lightly.

Liang Changlei stared at the screen, full of unanswered questions, his expression still solemn, and just about to speak, he heard a sentence behind him:

"Then when will he come back?"

Ji Tong came in at some point, standing behind the two of them with a restrained and nervous expression, cautiously tentative when asking questions.

The female teacher was a little surprised: "Who are you?"

"I..." He muttered, "I'm his younger brother, and I've been at the door just now. Teacher, I'm also a student in the outer courtyard. If you know, please tell us when my brother will be able to return to China."

Liang Changlei came to his senses and said yes repeatedly.

"I can't tell. It will take five or six months." She closed the form and stopped perfunctory, "If you just ask him, it's over. He has to contact his family."

After finishing speaking, as if he couldn't stand it anymore, he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ji Tong: "Don't worry."

Ji Tong took it and said thank you, holding it in his hand: "I'm not in a hurry."

—

Going home just in time for the evening rush hour, the [-]-kilometer road was blocked for more than half an hour.

The atmosphere was oppressive, and Ji Tong bluntly brought up a topic: "Uncle Liang, I heard from my mother that you are building a new shop. Is everything settled?"

Liang Changlei replied absent-mindedly: "I'm going through the formalities."

Ji Tong asked again: "Does that mean the original shop will be returned soon?"

"We have to wait until the lease here expires."

"That--"

"Tongtong."

Liang Changlei seemed very tired, and waved his hand at him: "Uncle wants to be quiet."

Ji Tong kept silent, his face was wrinkled like a wet towel.He didn't want to be quiet, but he didn't dare to be quiet.

When people are in a panic, they always try to cover up their hearts with words. He seems to be a little clumsier than ordinary people.

The taxi passed by the eyes of burning people.Liang Changlei saw it, leaned on the backrest, and asked him, "Tongtong, did you mention your brother's departure before?"

Ji Tong shook his head slowly: "No, I don't know."

Liang Changlei looked out the window, looking powerless: "Yuchen has always been accountable in his work, and he never made me worry like this, not to mention he hasn't asked me for money after going out for so long, how can this be done?"

After a pause, he suddenly had another explanation: "Maybe he is considering that I have no money, and feels sorry for me that I have just used up all my savings."

Ji Tong kept his knees together and remained silent.

"My son..." Liang Changlei's eyes were cloudy, his eyelids were loose, and he aged a few years in an instant. "The bad thing is that he thinks too much about others."

—

When I got home, Hu Aihua immediately greeted me as soon as the door opened, as if I had been restless alone for a long time, and asked my husband: "How is it? Did you ask clearly?"

Liang Changlei nodded wearily: "He's going by himself."

There was no reason, no one forced him, so Liang Yuchen volunteered.

The expression on Hu Aihua's face froze for a moment, subconsciously glanced at Ji Tong, and then quickly moved to another place.

Ji Tong didn't pay attention at all.

After a while, he heard someone calling him: "What's wrong with Tongtong?" Then he slowly regained consciousness, without changing his shoes, he went back to his room.The room was almost half empty, there were empty beds on the bookshelves, in the closet, not even a bedding.Everything seemed to go back to the day he and Liang Yuchen met for the first time three years ago.When he got home, he found that the workers were loading the upper and lower bunks, and asked his mother angrily if he had sold his bed.

At that time, the upper and lower bunks were empty like this, and Liang Yuchen had just appeared in his life at that time, and the next day, he saw him washing his hair by mistake.

Hu Aihua followed in at some point and asked, "Son, are you okay?"

Ji Tong turned around in a daze: "Mom, where did you move your things?"

Hu Aihua said: "Of course it is at school."

"When did you move? Why did you move out?"

Since he only left for half a year, why bother to move everything to the school? Does Liang Yuchen not plan to come back here again?

"I don't know, it's been a few days since I moved out." Hu Aihua turned around, wiped the table with his fingers lightly, and turned his fingertips over to look, "Really, it's only been a few days and it's dusty. Mom forgot to clean it."

Things are gone, the scene is saved, and the ground is full of dust.

Ji Tong backed away in a daze, and fell to sit on the bed.

Looking forward to Liang Yuchen's moving out for so long, he seemed to feel happy when this day really came, but facing the empty bedroom, he only felt sad but not happy.No one would have guessed that it was just a nap on the plane, and when I woke up, my life had changed.The room became his alone, and a certain plane at the airport, like a goose, took away his elder brother, with an undecided return date.

Suddenly, he went back to that year, when he was crying through the glass in the waiting hall, shouting "Brother, brother!", but Liang Yuchen couldn't hear him, but smiled at him, comparing and comparing gestures on the phone.

Ji Tong shouted "Brother, brother!" in his heart again, but his heart felt empty, and there was an echo.

Hu Aihua walked up to him and knelt down, put his left hand on his knee, and wiped the corners of his eyes gently with his right hand.

"Tongtong, isn't this exactly what you want?"

Ji Tong raised his head and looked at her anxiously, as if he couldn't believe that he hoped so.He lowered his eyes and saw that there were tears on his mother's fingers.

Suddenly a person jumped out in front of him, it seemed to be Zheng Beibei, pointed at him and said, "The cat cries and the mouse pretends to be merciful."

"I……"

He was speechless to refute, and with the evidence in black and white, the two mothers and sons only knew the secret.

He felt ashamed in front of an informed mother.

Hu Aihua withdrew his hand, gently pushed his knee, and lowered his voice: "Son, don't be afraid, mother is there for everything."

She will do for her only son what he wants to do but dare not do, she dotes on him and protects him, as long as she lives in this world for a day.

Ji Tong had no words to answer, only silence.

After a long time, he walked out of the room, turned his head, and saw his parents talking on the balcony.

Liang Changlei leaned on the balcony with his back to the living room, facing the night scene outside, and still clutched his phone tightly.

Calculating the time, the plane hadn't landed yet, so it was impossible for him to wait for his son's call.

Hu Aihua stood behind him, put his hands on his shoulders, comforted him in a low voice, then turned sideways and secretly wiped his eyes with his sleeves, without Liang Changlei seeing.

Standing in the living room, Ji Tong felt a strange sense of powerlessness rising from the soles of his feet, flooding his neck like water, making him breathless.

He knew he couldn't hide, and everything would be clear this time.