Jean Love

It was the late autumn of 2002. The autumn in Guangdong is not necessarily very cold, but that day, with some exceptions, the sky was overcast, the north wind was blowing, and the wires were blowing like a rope, and red plastic bags were flying in the air. A white foam lunch box, and a tornado in the distance, like a vortex in a rushing river, wrapped in all kinds of paper scraps, tumbling and moving like a Nanyue style.Rolling shutters rattled, glass windows rattled, and the wind seemed to destroy everything with all its might.

I hid in the store, looked out the window through the glass, it was gray and black, and it was a hazy chaos.

The wind stopped, the autumn rain was pattering, the next morning, the bell rang, and I heard the bad news from the other end of the phone: Grandpa is gone, last night, grandpa was gone, just last night, grandpa returned home for a hundred years!

Hanging up the phone, pacing back and forth at the gas station, with this lingering voice that I don't want to believe still echoing in my mind, I took a handful of air, wiped my eyes and the bridge of my nose with my palms back and forth, and crossed the top of my head, between my fingers Long hair, tearing from side to side, up and down, scalp pain, cats on the body, tears streaming down my face, it's real.

At Yuexiu Station in Guangzhou, my brother bought the ticket. The bus took at [-]:[-] pm. The station was crowded with people, the sky was gray, and the tunnel was dark. It was already [-]:[-] pm when I got home.

"Hey, old boy, I'm back." Hearing the sound of the motorcycle, grandma turned on the streetlight in front of the house, with a sad expression on her face and the same tone as before.

"Didn't you eat anything in the car? Wash your face and eat first. I've already heated it up and put it in the pot." My mother came out of the kitchen, looking haggard, her hair was a bit messy, and she was listless, as if she had a bad cold .

My father fell asleep and my niece fell asleep. Except for the sound of dripping rain outside the house, as usual, people in the village fell asleep early. I put down my backpack, picked up a flashlight on the TV cabinet, and looked at my brother: "Go, go have a look."

"Hey, don't go now, we will go tomorrow." Grandma stopped us.

The next day, my brother, sister-in-law, and grandma came to grandpa's bed together. Grandpa had already changed into a shroud, like an ancient official uniform, covering a thin body with his eyes closed and the corners of his mouth slightly open. , with prominent cheekbones and calm makeup.If it's just sleeping, it's still peaceful.

We lined up, knelt down, and kowtowed to Grandpa's bedside!

My sister-in-law was next to my brother, my brother was next to me, and I was next to my grandma. Grandma was wailing loudly, chanting non-stop, cadenced, like a witch's term.The elder brother sobbed softly, snotted his nose, and left it on the ground.

I couldn't cry, I was solemnly silent, and I knelt quietly, recalling my grandfather's voice, appearance, and all kinds of things.

I remember the kindness when my grandpa’s rough hands stroked the top of my head, the tenderness when my grandpa helped me tuck the quilt, I remember elementary school, the poached eggs my grandpa cooked for me when he heard that I was selected to participate in a competition in the town, and I remember middle school , I was seriously ill before the exam, and my grandfather repeatedly told my mother.I remember a familiar shabby cotton cap, a familiar serious face, a gray Chinese tunic suit, a pair of black water shoes, and a long-handled iron shovel on our shoulders, watching us step onto the big brother’s road. Motorcycle, turn around slowly.This turned out to be the last heroic figure grandpa left us, the most authentic picture, and the warmest image.

His love is not publicized, more often he just pays attention silently.

I kept remembering, kept thinking, and forgot the sadness, because I forgot that he has left, passed away, his body has become cold, and will soon disappear in front of our eyes, leaving empty images, only memories.

"Why don't you cry?" Grandma stopped crying suddenly, reached out and pulled the corner of my clothes, and I couldn't cry even more.

Back in the living room, grandma still found it strange, and told others, Brother Chen Hui, and Sister Xinlan, saying, "Thankfully, Grandpa treated me well during his lifetime, why I was so hard-hearted, I couldn't bear to shed a single tear."

What's the matter?what happened to me?Indeed, I couldn't cry at that time, I couldn't cry in front of them.

The family invited Taoist priests, and the cousin who married far away sent incense candles and cigarettes. The elders were making arrangements, and the elder brother and several young adults were taking care of them. We didn’t understand these things, so we had to pay and wait for instructions , to be some helpers, the mother was busy, her complexion was yellow, and the respected people in the village came to ask her: "Will you open the gate?"

"Yes." Mother nodded.

Open the door, people from the same village, or from the village next door, who were familiar with before, with a feeling of gratitude, do not need to be invited by the owner, they will take the lead, count the number spontaneously, come to mourn and worship, and send a little gift money, After the old man is buried, everyone sits down to have a meal together and bids farewell to the deceased, and does not participate in or mix in other matters.

Grandpa was carried by four people, walked through the streets and alleys, came to the ancestral hall in the village, and put him in the coffin. The Taoist priests began to do the magic, and put some coins and ornaments.

After the elder brother worshiped, he went to Guangzhou the next day. He said that he only had two and a half days of vacation, leaving his sister-in-law behind. The sister-in-law said that she wanted to spend more time with her niece at home.Zhao Xin couldn't ask for leave, so he didn't come back.When my younger brother rushed back, he had a pair of muddy leather shoes, a pair of black trousers, a black coat, a full beard, and messy hair. He looked like a caged animal or an escaped prisoner. The state of distress was obvious at a glance. I was overjoyed, but I didn't have time to inquire about the details. I just said that it would be good when I came back.

Take care of the old man's affairs first, the coffin has been closed, sealed and nailed tight.

The next day it was sent to the top of the mountain. The black coffin was dark and heavy, with thick hemp ropes and round solid wooden sticks. Four strong men swayed back and forth, shoulders on the stage, and walked slowly all the way. Families and relatives lined up in long queues.The cries continued, desolate and desolate.

After walking for a while and stopping for a while, the suona sounded and played a sad tone. The Taoist held the ritual tool and worshiped around the parked coffin. The relatives followed and worshiped until it reached the top of the mountain. Everyone worshiped together, and then removed the white cloth on the head. , everyone went home, leaving the young and middle-aged in charge to prepare for some finishing work.Grandpa was not buried on the same day, but was placed on another day.

After everything was arranged, the feast was set up in the ancestral hall of the village, with a total of eleven tables. The family killed a fat pig of two or three hundred catties, but it was still not enough, so I went to the town to buy some. This is a white and happy event. It was very lively.Holding the wine glass, the father went to each table to toast, nodding, bowing, and thanking each table.

Some people say that we should mourn and change, some people say that we should turn grief into strength, some people say that this is the blessing that the old man has cultivated in his previous life, and he can leave as soon as he says, without hurting or burdening his children and grandchildren. If every old man has such good luck, that would be nice.

The elder sister who married far away went back, the relatives nearby left, the banquet was dispersed, the dishes were put away, everything became simple and calm again, the tears were like the autumn rain outside the house, which had already stopped, and the melancholy was like the dark clouds in the sky, gradually dissipating.

The family sat around, their eyes fell on each other, and they chatted about recent events.

"Boy, why did you tell you to come back quickly? You didn't come back until now?" Grandma took his brother's hand, patted the back of his hand twice, fixed her eyes on his face, and asked with concern.

"I also wanted to come back earlier, but I couldn't leave. They held my luggage and refused to let me go."

"There is such a thing? Then how did you come out this time? Didn't you say that so-and-so in the village was with you?" Grandma's eyes widened.We all turned our faces away, pricked up our ears, and listened carefully to my younger brother's description of how we escaped from danger.

"This time, it's really lucky to have that so-and-so, who helped me escape, so that I escaped smoothly..." The younger brother used his usual exaggerated expression, as if telling a martial arts story, vividly, dancing, and presenting a thrilling scene. Described his adventures as an ordinary training exercise, so proud, it seems that the story did not happen to him.

I heard from him that the so-and-so in the village is the leader there, and he is the second organizer of this small gang. When they passed by, no one knew that it would be such a coincidence. The joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign country can be imagined I know, it was originally introduced by a friend, but now there is another fellow villager, I thought, this job is quite reliable.

So, full of joy, full of longing, attend classes every day, occasionally record lectures by yourself, sell products, first consume by yourself, call on people around you, acquaintances, and relatives to consume together, it is best to start this great cause together, Income will double rapidly, and buying a car and a house is just around the corner.

At the beginning, I didn't understand anything, only my brain seemed to be injected with hormones. With that enthusiasm and drive, four buffaloes couldn't hold it back.

It wasn't until the ammunition and food were exhausted, the wallet was dry, and there was nowhere to go, that I slowly recovered, and slowly calculated the gains and losses in return. Coupled with the strong dissuasion and intervention of family and friends, my mind returned to normal. When I woke up, my luggage was detained .

If you can't get it out, you want to use brute force, but the two masters graduated from a martial arts school. How can you beat them with that ability?

A person's most powerful strength often comes from grief and depression. Once it breaks out, it will be unstoppable and invincible.Receiving the notice of his grandfather's death just ignited this power in his younger brother's heart.

That afternoon, while their head was resting, he greeted fellow villagers, quietly stole his luggage and the luggage of the Hunan girl he had brought, and was about to leave when I don't know who so-and-so informed, Hulala was surrounded and trapped in the middle, the shape was like throwing a handkerchief when I was a child, but this is not a game, but a war.