Dear Chen Jiu

The next day, Lao Xiao and I set off to Chen Jiu's house after 8 o'clock and bought some soy milk fritters at the breakfast shop at the intersection.

When we arrived at Chen Jiu's house, grandma was walking in the yard with a cane, and greeted us happily when she saw us, "Good morning, children, have you had breakfast?"

I shook the plastic bag in my hand, "Grandma, let's buy some breakfast together."

"Eat it, I've eaten it."

As if afraid of disappointing our intentions, grandma added, "I eat lightly in the morning, and there is my red bean porridge in the pot, you can drink it."

This was really my negligence. I should have sent a message to Chen Jiu yesterday, so that I can pay more attention to my diet in the future.

"Grandma Yuan, I'm coming~"

Before Old Xiao and I could sit down, Wang Jin's voice came from outside.

Aunt Wu rode a bicycle and brought her little grandson into the hospital.

I thought that Lao Xiao would have to make his famous braised pork with venetian leaves no matter what. The ingredients I bought yesterday are still in the refrigerator, so I can also take this opportunity to learn this special dish.

"Good morning, brothers~"

"Good morning, Wang Jin too."

In order to shorten the distance between me and Chen Jiu, a friend who is a "forgotten friend", I specially dug out the limited edition electric remote control off-road vehicle I bought before, and took it out of my schoolbag to Wang Jin, "Bring it to you to play, brother Bar?"

"Wow, my brother is amazing, can you buy this remote control car?"

"Yes, am I one step closer to being your friend?"

"This child, like Xiao Jiu, has the patience to accompany children."

While talking, Aunt Wu took out the vegetables she bought from the cart basket.

I played with Wang Jin all morning. When Aunt Wu was cooking at noon, Lao Xiao and I followed into the kitchen.

"Aunt Wu, let's cook today."

Aunt Wu looked at us suspiciously, "You guys know how to cook?"

"Yes! Give me a chance to show it. If there is a step that is wrong, you can point it out, so we can make more progress."

Seeing that our attitude was quite persistent, Aunt Wu agreed.

"Boys nowadays are very hardworking. It will be a blessing to be your girlfriend in the future."

"hey-hey."

I helped lay the hands to wash and choose the vegetables, and Lao Xiao was in charge of cooking the stewed braised pork.

But Aunt Wu made extra soup for grandma to drink, and Lao Xiao and I watched and learned from the sidelines.

I bumped Lao Xiao's arm, leaned closer to him and said in a low voice, "Hey, thank you for your hard work. I'll treat you to dinner this weekend."

"What's the relationship between us, it's too out of character for you to say that.

I was idle until the make-up class, and I was always on call. "

When eating at noon, grandma specially tasted Lao Xiao's cooking first, "Well, the cooking skills are really good. We, Xiaojiu, are really lucky to be able to make friends with you two."

"Don't say that, Chen Jiu is very good."

I really can't think of what to say in response to grandma, but if I can really become friends with Chen Jiu, then it is indeed my luck.

……

After the meal, Lao Xiao and I rushed to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Grandma and Aunt Wu sat in the yard chatting.

When I turned off the tap and poured detergent into the bowl, I heard them talking about Chen Jiu.

"Gu Zong, are we still going tonight--" Lao Xiao handed me the bowl in his hand.

"Shh."

I made a gesture of silence, signaling Lao Xiao not to speak.

"Hey, it's all my fault, if it wasn't for me, why would he work so hard.

The kid thought I didn't know, and secretly worked several jobs behind my back.

I woke up several times in the middle of the night and saw the light in his room was on. You said that he had to go to school during the day, accept painting assignments online at night, and go out to work on weekends. He told me that he was a tutor.

I think this kid is getting more and more lonely, he finally told me that he wants to learn to draw, and because of my poor health, he doesn't want to go to Jiangzhou..."

"Auntie, why are you saying this again.

The doctor said that you should not have too much emotional ups and downs now, have you forgotten again? "

Lao Xiao and I were standing by the kitchen window. I never knew that apart from working in 'Golden and Bright', Chen Jiu would also stay up late at night sitting at the table drawing endlessly.

He was just a high school student, and I felt a sour taste in my nose.

"Are you okay?" Lao Xiao has never been very good at comforting others, so he just patted my shoulder lightly.

"I'm going to the toilet."

I was afraid of crying in front of Fa Xiao, it would be embarrassing.

Standing in front of the sink in the bathroom, I felt a sour feeling in my heart. In all the places I can see and cannot see, Chen Jiuzheng lives in this way.

He wants to hang out in sensual places quietly, and he has to stay up all night painting in order to earn some royalties.

In addition, he is still a top student in the eyes of teachers and classmates at school, and a grandson who takes good care of his elders in the eyes of his neighbors...

I used my mobile phone to send Chen Jiu a text message. There were a lot of things I wanted to say. In the end, I edited a long paragraph and deleted and deleted it. Then I found a picture of red bean porridge I took in the morning in the photo album and sent it with the text, "Grandma cooked it. The porridge is delicious."

In fact, I want to say 'I miss you very much'.

******

In the next few days, I would go to Chen Jiu's house every day, play with Wang Jin, and sometimes do homework with him, and our relationship is getting better and better.

Wang Jin adores Chen Jiu very much. When he mentions him, little stars appear in his eyes. Children will not hide their admiration and longing emotions.

So even though our feelings for Chen Jiu are not the same or even in the same age group, we can still quickly find resonance.

He told me about the days when he was a neighbor with Chen Jiu, that Chen Jiu helped him teach his classmates who bullied him, and subdued those classmates to become his younger brothers, and that Chen Jiu helped take care of Aunt Wu who had sprained her feet, and helped him do kindergarten handicrafts together. Operation……

I told him that Chen Jiu was very good at playing basketball in high school, and he was also very good at drawing, and his cultural class scores were ranked in the top ten of his grade...

Every night, I would have a brief chat with Chen Jiu and post some photos taken at my grandma's house.

Although Chen Jiu's reply was very simple, it was much better than when he was in school.

Lao Xiao has also started the tutoring life arranged by his parents. Coincidentally, there is a make-up class near Chen Jiu's house, so there are two days a week, Lao Xiao will still come to eat.

I also learned how to stir-fry a few simple vegetarian dishes. When I went home and made them for my mother, my mother was so moved that she cried.

Time flies on such days, and before you know it, half of the holiday has passed.

On this day, I came to Chen Jiu's house with the breakfast I bought as usual, and shouted to the yard from a few meters away: "Grandma!"

But grandma didn't respond to me, did she go out early in the morning?

I walked slowly to the gate of the yard, and saw grandma lying on the ground in the yard with her eyes closed, and her crutches also fell aside.

My heart tightened, and I rushed forward.

"Grandma!" I shook her gently, but there was no response.

Grandma was pale and her lips were bloodless.

I quickly took out my mobile phone and called 120, and then called Lao Xiao who was making up lessons nearby.

While waiting for the ambulance, I held my grandma against me.

Ten minutes later, the ambulance came, and Lao Xiao also arrived in time.

The two of us went to the hospital with the ambulance. Grandma didn't wake up all the way, and my heart was also tightened.

"Don't worry, grandma will be fine."

Old Xiao comforted me by the side.

"But, do you want to call Chen Jiu first? After all..."

His words reminded me, "Old Xiao, if you go to Chen Jiu's house now, Aunt Wu may have already arrived. You told her that grandma is in the hospital."

Since Chen Jiu entrusted his grandma to Aunt Wu, she still had to be there in this situation.

What's more, Aunt Wu must know more about grandma's situation than we do.

"Okay, then I'll go and come back quickly."

After Lao Xiao left, I was even more panicked at the door of the operating room, pacing back and forth holding my phone.

I flipped through my phone to read the chat records between me and Chen Jiu in the past half a month to relieve my inner tension. Fortunately, Lao Xiao and Aunt Wu arrived soon.

"Hey, thanks to you for sending grandma to the hospital in time."

After Aunt Wu came, I really felt relieved.

About three or ten minutes later, the doctor came out.

The doctor said that grandma had broken a bone in her thigh, and she was not in good health, so she needed to be hospitalized for observation for a week.

After returning home at night, I didn't tell Chen Jiu about this, and grandma didn't want Chen Jiu to know.

******

That day, I took the thermos bottle to the water room to fetch water as usual, and Wang Jin followed.

"Gu Zong, you can fall in love when you are in high school, right?" He and I have gotten along pretty well now, and he doesn't call me brother anymore.

"Who said that? Oh! Did you like a little girl in your class?"

"Don't you have a girl you like?" Wang Jin took this answer as a matter of course.

"I do not have."

"I do not believe."

"I'm not gonna lie, I like-"

Before I could say the two pretentious words 'study', Wang Jin let go of my hand and ran forward, shouting excitedly, "Chen Jiu!!! You are back!!"