South of Chutian

At 11:30 noon, Tang Heng took the subway to his uncle's house.

Uncle has a house in Handa. He usually lives in school and is busy with work, so he doesn’t go home until weekends.His home is located in a villa area near Han Street, which is quiet amidst the hustle and bustle. In recent years, housing prices have risen higher and higher. Tang Heng would occasionally see his uncle sitting in front of the mahogany desk in the study and sigh: "Why don't you sell this villa?" , University teachers live in villas, it is inappropriate to spread the word..."

Of course, he said this many times, but he didn't really sell the villa.

Tang Heng swiped his card to enter the community, and walked along the lush main road. After about ten minutes, he arrived at the gate of the uncle's yard.Before he entered the door, he had already heard Xiao Mi's barking—Xiao Mi was a shepherd dog adopted by his aunt last year and named it like a cat.

"Aunt Fu—" Tang Heng shouted, "help me open the door."

Aunt Fu is the nanny hired by the uncle's family.

"You kid, you don't have a key!" It was the uncle who came to open the door, wearing a loose old man's shirt, cotton home pants, and holding a teacup in his hand.

"Is my mother here?"

"It's early," Xiao Mi excitedly rushed up to circle Tang Heng, but was pushed aside by her uncle, "you're complaining to us again."

"What are you complaining about?"

"What else can it be?" the uncle lowered his voice, "it's about your going abroad—you should be good later, and don't talk back to your mother, ah."

Tang Heng nodded.

"Yo," the uncle smiled, "you are so sensible today."

Tang Heng replied absent-mindedly: "Yes."

Entering the house, my aunt quickly greeted me: "Xiao Heng, what have you been up to lately? I haven't been here for a long time."

"The topic of the graduation thesis," Tang Heng said, "There are still classes this semester."

"Come and eat more, why do you think you've lost weight?"

Tang Heng didn't know what to say, so he responded indiscriminately: "It seems to be a little thinner."

Fu Liling nodded Tang Heng's head: "Who knows what he is tossing about."

"Let's have dinner, let's have dinner," the uncle greeted everyone, "I'm going to starve to death."

To be honest, Tang Heng didn't really like coming to his uncle's house for dinner.There was no particular reason, but ashamed to say, he thought it stinks.

The aunt's surname is Zhu, and the animal protection circle in Wuhan calls her "Sister Zhu"-animal protection, that is, animal protection, with the main content of rescuing cats and dogs.Tang Heng knew that she did this out of kindness, but due to frequent contact with animals, there was always a faint smell on her body, even at home.

When Tang Heng mentioned this matter to Fu Liling on the phone one time when she was in high school, Fu Liling said flatly: "She has no children, so she must find something to keep her company."

But today, Tang Heng didn't care about whether it stinks or not——

He quarreled with Li Yuechi.

In fact, it's not even a fight.

To put it simply, after hanging up Jiang Ya's call, he called Li Yuechi.Li Yuechi didn't answer, and sent a text message saying that he was in class.

Tang Heng replied to him: Why did you go to see Wu Temple?

The whole morning after that, he silently recited this sentence—why did you go to see Wu Si?He couldn't help but wonder if the situation wouldn't be as bad as it is now if he asked a roundabout and euphemistic question.

Li Yuechi replied quickly: She said that she talked with you yesterday.

It was she who came to see me.

why did not you tell me?

Because you never mentioned that you had an ex-girlfriend.

You can ask me, or at least tell me you guys met.

No need.

why?

Having a girlfriend is normal.

Then Li Yuechi stopped replying to the news.

Tang Heng couldn't figure out why this happened.He said "it's normal to have a girlfriend", thinking that he was just stating a fact calmly, and he had even convinced himself—a person like Li Yuechi, of course, everyone would like it.

The ex-girlfriend is the ex-girlfriend, who let him know him so late?

"Xiao Heng," Fu Liling said suddenly, "Are you still in contact with the agency?"

Tang Heng said a little irritably, "I'm in touch."

Fu Liling was silent, for a while, there was only the sound of chewing on the dinner table.Tang Heng was all too familiar with this scene, and only hoped that there would be no quarrel at his uncle's house.

"Which schools have you prepared?" The uncle was very calm.

"Berkeley, Duke, Chicago—"

"Xiao Heng, tell the truth," Fu Liling interrupted him, "Is it because of your father that you only want to go abroad?"

Tang Heng put down his chopsticks and said coldly: "What does it have to do with him? He has been dead for more than ten years."

"Isn't your father just studying French philosophy? If it wasn't for him to go abroad for an exchange, he wouldn't go to the airport that day, just..."

"Mom," Tang Heng couldn't help raising his voice, "Can you respect my dad a little?"

"Respect, I respect him so much that I didn't stop him! Now you still want me to respect you, don't you? You want to be free? Have you ever thought about me, Tang Heng?"

"Hey——Liling," the uncle persuaded, "let's communicate well, ah, don't worry."

"Yes, yes," the aunt also said, "Don't mention the sad things before, and the child will feel bad."

"Did I owe you and your dad, Tang Heng, in my previous life?" Fu Liling spoke more and more quickly, she drank the water in her glass in one gulp, and said aggressively, "Do you remember the night your dad had an accident? He took a taxi to the airport by himself. I wanted to ask him if he had arrived at the airport. I dialed his phone, but I couldn’t get through. Every time it rang for a minute, no one answered..."

Tang Heng felt his heart tremble, he stood up abruptly, and growled, "Stop it!"

"Tang Heng, you are not allowed to go..."

Tang Heng pushed open the door and quickly ran out of the uncle's house.

He ran very fast, and didn't stop until he got out of the community and came to the busy street.Too tired, he bent down and put his hands on his knees, panting heavily.Passers-by turned to look at him one after another, sizing up with curiosity.

A girl in school uniform even came over and asked nervously, "Are you all right? Do you need help?"

Tang Heng said hoarsely: "I'm fine, thank you."

It's just that picture, that picture has been curled up in his memory for 11 years, like a shrinking tumor, shrinking, inconspicuous, but not dead.

When he was 11 years old, his father went to France to study.He clearly remembered that it was an [-]:[-] p.m. flight from Beijing to Paris. His father said, listen to his mother at home and take you with him next time.

It was winter, and it got dark early in Beijing.In the evening, Fu Liling came home from get off work, a little tired, and touched the top of Tang Heng's head: "Hey, ask your dad if he has been to the airport."

At that time, Fu Liling didn't have a mobile phone. They used a landline to make a call. He picked up the receiver and pressed his father's phone number skillfully.

I pressed it the first time, but it didn't answer.Fu Liling said that it might be noisy on the road and she couldn't hear it.

I pressed it a second time, but it didn't answer.Fu Liling said, why haven't they arrived yet?It's all 06:30.

I pressed it a third time, but it didn't answer.Fu Liling frowned and said that your father is the most unreliable person, is it because the PHS is out of battery?

Fourth time, fifth time, sixth time.Fu Liling got up: "Let me come, did you dial the wrong number?"

How could it be wrong?And she obviously watched him dial.

Another person dialed, and there was no miracle.

Seventh time, eighth time, ninth time.That evening, 11-year-old Tang Heng stood by the landline, feeling helpless for the first time in his life. He thought helplessly, Dad, please answer the phone, please.

No one heard.

An hour later, they got another call.People from the traffic police brigade announced that his father had been in a car accident.