Self-cultivation with a plate of tomato scrambled eggs

On the afternoon of the first day of the new year, Song Xiaowu went to Xishan Cemetery to pay homage to his grandparents.

The ancestors of the Yao family had sacrificed as early as Zishi, and Song Xiaowu followed the old man and elder brother to salute by offering incense, but his thoughts drifted to the cemetery far away in the suburbs.

The cemetery management office posted a new announcement. Song Xiaowu glanced at it by chance, and saw the word "useful life", and stopped to look carefully, only to find that the content actually had something to do with him.

Grandpa and grandma's tomb was chosen by himself when grandpa was still alive. Song Xiaowu was completely unclear about many terms of the contract, not to mention the reform of relevant policies over the years.After listening to the staff explain for a long time, Song Xiaowu finally figured out that many cemeteries are facing the problem of expiry this year, and the national management department has not yet issued relevant regulations, so they can only temporarily follow their own standards and notify the family members of the deceased to continue to guard the tomb fee to postpone.

It was in the evening, and the cemetery administrator's family members came to accompany him on duty. The woman was cooking in front of the simple stove, and the two children were playing with the big yellow dog that guarded the gate.The administrator completed the formalities for Song Xiaowu, and touched the head of the boy who stole from the dish of preserved vegetables without washing his hands: "Don't make trouble for your mother."

He took out the cigarette case and handed one to Song Xiaowu. After being politely rejected, he lit it in his mouth and said casually, "After today, we will wait for the Ching Ming Festival. At that time, there will be many filial sons and grandchildren who go to the grave. Let's go to the grave again." You have to stay one by one and notify people to renew the fee."

He smiled brightly, with a sense of commonplace: "I don't know what to do with those who have no successors... Let's hope that the higher-ups will issue policies sooner."

Song Xiaowu followed his gaze, and there were rows of black stone monuments among the pines and cypresses, neat and solemn, and the precarious setting sun could not add any warmth to this place.But the family next to him was not affected in the slightest by this. They were busy, setting up a table for reunion dinner in this small office. Bully her.

They have seen countless parting and vicissitudes, and then continue their day-to-day lives.

After the car returned to the urban area, Song Xiaowu bought some vegetables in the supermarket.

During the Chinese New Year, the city was empty, only the songs celebrating the New Year in the supermarket were still tirelessly "Congratulations". Song Xiaowu couldn't escape being brainwashed when he came out of shopping, so he hummed a few words along with him.

The newly built parking lot is on the basement level next to Liji Restaurant. Song Xiaowu parked the car and went to open the door with his pocket.

The layout of the first floor is exactly the same as when he left last year.Song Xiaowu put the things on the table, and before he had time to take a deep breath, he smelled a very faint smell of smoke in the air.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up a bottle of wine he just bought, and walked quietly to the second floor.

The door to the room on the second floor was indeed ajar.Song Xiaowu gently pushed the door open a little more, but there was no sound.

There was indeed a person sitting on the balcony, facing him sideways, with a cigarette between his fingertips.

The man lowered his head, and it was against the light, so he couldn't see his face clearly, but Song Xiaowu couldn't think that a thief had entered the house at this moment.

Li Tianqi noticed something, turned his head suddenly, and met the eyes of the person at the door.

No one moved.Song Xiaowu had no reason to feel that the wine bottle in his hand was a bit cold, but he remembered that when he was in the supermarket, he obviously didn't take the wine from the freezer.

He was no longer sure about the details of what had just happened.Song Xiaowu frowned unconsciously, then raised his head, Li Tianqi had already walked in front of him.

When he saw the things in Song Xiaowu's hand, he seemed to smile, but the smile was very shallow and couldn't reach his eyes.

"Go and sit on the first floor, it's too dusty here." Song Xiaowu heard him say this, and when he habitually turned around to go downstairs, he looked back at the house: the furniture inside was moved when he bought a new house in Qingfu District. It's almost done, there is indeed a lot of dust on the ground, and there are scattered cigarette butts in addition.

Going downstairs, Song Xiaowu turned on the headlights, and glanced back, coincidentally Li Tianqi lowered his head and coughed twice, the gray temples were still there, Song Xiaowu could no longer deceive himself, insisting that what he saw before was only due to the light.

He was carrying the pile of ingredients, but he couldn't move as he walked towards the kitchen.

Li Tianqi didn't look at him again, and stepped forward to open the kitchen door: "The bowls and chopsticks haven't been used for a long time, please disinfect them first."

Song Xiaowu took it in a daze, and went to open the disinfection cabinet as promised, then cleaned up the cooking table, washed vegetables and cut meat, Li Tianqi helped peel the onion and garlic, and mixed water and rice into the rice cooker.All the situations have been repeated thousands of times in the past years, except for the frozen silence at this moment.

A table was simply cleared, and two dishes were served: Kung Pao Chicken and Sweet and Sour Cabbage.The two Chinese dishes that Song Xiaowu ate most often when he was in Citigroup had good ingredients and a low error rate.

His cooking skills still haven't improved.After firing on my own for so long, the things I make are not hard to swallow, but filling the stomach and providing energy is what they are all about.

Li Tianqi filled the rice for him, Song Xiaowu was stunned for a moment, but still took it, and buried his head in delivering it to his mouth.

Can't taste it.He has been here every year when he returns to China, but this is the first time he meets Li Tianqi.Unexpectedly, there were huge surprises and overwhelming thoughts. Pushing him, he almost logically stretched out his arms to hug the person in front of him, kissed him, rubbed his ears together, and took all his warmth and breath into his arms, and then, He just remembered that they had separated.

Separation means that he has no position to ask him if he has had a hard time, and he is not qualified to accuse him of not taking good care of himself.They are no longer related.

"The air quality in Beijing is still not good." Countless words were swirling on the tip of his tongue, but what Song Xiaowu finally said was the most innocuous sentence, and it was not what he really wanted to ask at all.

Li Tianqi said "hmm": "Governance has to be done step by step, and the awareness of environmental protection is a good start."

When they lived together in the past, they didn't have the habit of chatting at the dinner table. After a long separation, while trying to get closer again, they took the initiative to confine themselves to such polite and safe topics as nature and weather.

Since they tacitly dared not touch the future, they even tried their best to avoid each other's current situation.

Greetings like strangers.

Putting down the chopsticks, Li Tianqi cleaned up the table and brought the dishes into the kitchen.

Song Xiaowu sat where he was, and when he heard the sound of washing dishes, he actually thought in his heart that he would rather Li Tianqi had a new girlfriend or boyfriend, so he could stay with him at this moment, say a few unimportant words, and wait for him to wash his hands. After finishing the bowl, they will hold hands and go for a walk, and then go home together, they will hug each other and sleep.

Ordinary people don't have so much deep and selfless love, but it's just because watching each other toss and turn alone, the sadness will be even worse.

But this idea only came up for a moment, Song Xiaowu couldn't deny it, but whenever he imagined such a picture, the boredom in his heart became heavier.

Li Tianqi gave him too much food, and when he held it in his hand, he realized that he had already passed the age when he had a good appetite and grew up when he saw the wind, but he didn't say anything, deliberately made things difficult for himself, but refused to admit it, In just three or four years, why have they changed so much from each other?

The smell of food and fireworks gradually disappeared, and after losing the illusion of homely warmth, the two of them could no longer find an excuse to stay.Li Tianqi must be very busy, the phone in his pocket kept vibrating while eating, but he obviously didn't want Song Xiaowu to know, so Song Xiaowu cooperated and turned a deaf ear.

But at this moment, he even needs to take out his mobile phone and make a natural transition before leaving sadly: "Then, I'll go first... Take care of yourself."

This is an exhortation that he was almost four years late.Song Xiaowu gritted his teeth and forced a smile: "Yes. Be careful on the road."

He intentionally acted heartless, even hastily skipping the back of Li Tianqi walking out the door, took a few steps up the stairs, and delayed for a while before allowing himself to rush to the window sill to look for that figure.

Then he suddenly realized that he didn't know where Li Tianqi was going.

The window that has not been cleaned for a long time is covered with a thick layer of dust, but it still does not prevent the coolness from reaching the fingertips. Song Xiaowu withdraws his hand and presses the aching stomach. It was getting worse and worse, like a rusty blunt knife stirring, he couldn't hold it back, his hands and feet were weak, he went downstairs and went straight to the bathroom, squatted in front of the toilet and vomited up and down.

Song Xiaowu felt a little more relaxed when he vomited until only stomach acid was left. He sat on the floor for a while without strength, stood up with his arms propped up, and was about to turn on the faucet to wash his face.

Then he saw Li Tianqi, who had gone and returned, standing at the door and looking at him, his eyes were full of regret.

Song Xiaowu opened his mouth, trying to explain something, but the bitter taste in his mouth was so uncomfortable that he couldn't think of what to say for a while.Seeing this, Li Tianqi turned around and went out again.

Song Xiaowu was stunned for a while, then turned around, washed his face, and rinsed his mouth.

Without a towel to wipe his face, Song Xiaowu wiped the water droplets on his face twice with his hands as he walked, feeling overwhelmed, and went straight to the lobby, only to see that Li Tianqi hadn't left when he looked up.

Li Tianqi brought him a glass of water, it was a little hot just after boiling, but for Song Xiaowu at this moment, it couldn't be more suitable.Holding it in his hands, he took two sips carefully, and finally felt refreshed, no longer shivering in his heart, and at the same time lost the strength to continue to maintain proper proportions with the person in front of him.

He lowered his eyes in the warm and humid mist, quiet and lazy, like the promised eternity.Li Tianqi's rationality was completely defeated, and he almost subconsciously wanted to reach out and stroke his hair, and then gently hug him in his arms.

But in the end, he just asked, "Is it a bad stomach, or too much pressure?"

Song Xiaowu raised his head and smiled self-deprecatingly: "I ate too much."

Everyone knows this is not the real answer, just as the question is not the real question.But, that's all.

When the water in the cup was dry enough to drink, Li Tianqi stood up again, stretched out a hand, hesitated for a moment, and then lightly patted Song Xiaowu on the back, then he turned and left without saying anything.

Song Xiaowu smelled the smell of tobacco between his fingers, it would not last a day or two.He was out of his mind for a while, and slowly drank the water glass in his hand before it completely cooled down.

He vomited too badly just now, Li Tianqi mixed sugar and salt water for him, the more he drank it, the saltier it became bitter, probably he didn't mix it well.