River City Story

"Do we need to spend money on this monitoring?" Lin Yan raised his face and asked the newly installed camera on the roadside outside the gate.

"You're lost in money." Lu Chi lifted the two of them into the car, "I can't remember what I should have had without you. I heard from my colleagues here that nothing is going on right now?"

Lin Yan nodded, and worried again: "However, I met my brother once on the way to school, and he didn't do anything out of the ordinary, but I still don't worry, he looks like a pervert."

"Maybe people worship me." He Zhengxi said in the back seat.

"Hahaha, that's right, the longer Xiao He grows, the more handsome he is. His grades are good, and he can play ball again. There must be many people who admire you! If you grow up a few more years, you will have a company of girls chasing you!"

He Zhengxi blushed and scratched his head: "Hey, I don't want to play with girls, and they don't want to play with me."

Lu Chi smiled and said: "If you don't play ball, you can watch it. It's like this in cartoons. After you play ball, the little sister goes up to hand you water and towels. It's comfortable. Come on, tell me, it's definitely true in school. Many girls like you..." The more he chatted, the more excited he became, and several times he turned his head directly, only to be held down by Lin Yan.

"Pay attention to Big Brother Lu Chi ahead, this is on the street, drive safely." Lin Yan hurriedly reminded.

"Understood, you just put too much pressure on yourself, you should relax more at ordinary times, this is just the beginning of high school, you can't keep tense."

He Zhengxi also echoed: "That's right, brother, don't worry about my affairs, it's actually nothing, you're just too nervous..."

"Don't worry about your affairs?" Lin Yan directly interrupted He Zhengxi.Ever since he heard He Zhengxi talk about being followed as a joke, he got a little angry.

"He Zhengxi." Lin Yan said solemnly, "You have to pay more attention to your own safety. What kind of worship is it? It's a fluke. What should I do if something happens? I will die in a hurry. Our family is now In this way, you can’t know if something happened? The person who followed you must find out who it is, and I don’t care what his purpose is. You said that you knew where he was hiding, so you should call the police directly, and you are so clever ! I almost died of fright, I'm so courageous!" Lin Yanyue said that the more emotional he became, the voice raised a lot unconsciously.

"...Uncle Xu will definitely be sentenced. We will be the only two of us in the family. Don't play like this. Even if you don't study hard and dawdle every day, you can't take your own safety as a joke." Lin Yan blinked hard , rolled down the car window, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "That's all, I'm done."

He Zhengxi didn't expect Lin Yan to speak up suddenly, Lin Yan seldom preached to him emotionally, this was the first time.He was stunned for a while, and said with some guilt: "I know, brother, I said the wrong thing, don't be angry, next time I see you, I will definitely call the police, or call Brother Lu Chi."

"Yeah." Lin Yan replied with a choked voice.

Lu Chi, who was being educated by the way, finally dared to breathe out at this time: "It's alright, alright, pack up, let's go eat. Long live peace, long live peace."

From Lu Chi's point of view, Lin Yan treats He Zhengxi's younger brother as a treasure on weekdays, and he doesn't even want to scold him. He Zhengxi is indeed sensible and excellent, but which brother didn't grow up fighting all the way.Although, these two are not brothers...

During the next drive, the three of them didn't speak, and even when it was time to eat, the atmosphere was not very enthusiastic.Lu Chi specially brought the two brothers out to eat hot pot, thinking that he could hear more about the two of them talking about oboe. Who would have thought that when Lin Yan got angry, He Zhengxi would be completely intimidated.

"Come on, you two, send a representative to tell me a joke." Lu Chi picked up two shrimps one by one and put them into their bowls.

He Zhengxi: "What kind of joke..."

Lin Yan: "I won't say."

"Okay." Lu Chi took a sip of juice and said, "We have another task after eating. Uncle Xu's lawyer has something to tell you."

Lin Yan immediately became nervous: "What's the matter?"

Lu Chi shook his head: "He didn't elaborate, and I didn't ask."

"Okay." Lin Yan put down his chopsticks and leaned back on the sofa worriedly, losing his appetite.

"You child, I would have known better after eating." Lu Chi put another meatball into Lin Yan's bowl, and said solemnly: "For high school students, physical health is more important than academic performance. If you don't eat well now, Later, I will be so hungry that my stomach will hurt. Not to mention how old are you? Not enough nutrition, be careful that your head will become dull, and you will have to stuff a few mouthfuls if you can't eat."

"I... think so too." He Zhengxi quietly chimed in.From now on, he just buried his head in eating meat, and he didn't dare to talk to Lin Yan, for fear of being corrected if he said something wrong.

"Why are you stuttering here!" Lin Yan rolled his eyes at He Zhengxi, "Could it be that what I said in the car was wrong? Your brother and I have a good temper, let others go, just give you a slap, believe it or not?"

He Zhengxi immediately burst into laughter: "Believe it! You must believe it!"

"Don't be perfunctory, if you don't take it seriously next time, I'll just whip you with a bamboo pole." Lin Yan pushed the bowl in front of He Zhengxi as usual, "You're full, you eat."

"I'll eat." He Zhengxi picked up the bowl.

The lawyer Shen Han helped Xu Jialin find was Qian Sheng, and his name was Qian Sheng. He was older than Lu Chi, and his office was not far from the Municipal Bureau.During this time, Shen Han was not in Xicheng, and he left Lu Chi's phone number for some contact work.Taking the elevator up to the 12th floor, Lu Chi was drinking tea in the reception room, Lin Yan and He Zhengxi followed the secretary into Qian Sheng's office.

"This office is bigger than our main room." He Zhengxi said quietly.

Lin Yan took out his pocket and turned to look at him: "What's the matter, envy, you study law and become a lawyer too."

He Zhengxi shook his head directly: "I want to be a doctor."

"Really, being a doctor is pretty good..." Before Lin Yan finished speaking, the door of the office was pushed open, and a mature male voice sounded behind the two of them.

"The power of blood relationship is really strong. Your parents and grandfather are both doctors, and you also choose to be a doctor in the future. It's amazing." Qian Sheng walked in with a portfolio and motioned for the two to sit down.

"Parents? What do you mean?" Lin Yan was the first to react.

Qian Sheng opened the file bag, took out a document, placed it in front of the two of them, then stood up and walked to the refrigerator, and asked them: "Coke, juice, tea?"

The two shook their heads together.

"Okay." Qian Sheng came back with a can of coffee and sat in front of them. "This document was given to me by your adoptive father—Xu Jialin through his friend." He took out one of the coloring pages, Pointing to the photo of a couple above, he asked He Zhengxi: "These are your parents, do you still have any impression?"

He Zhengxi picked it up in shock.

The two people's names were specially marked on the photo - He Yi and Fang Ximin.

"I...don't know, I've already forgotten." He Zhengxi put the documents back on the coffee table, and tightened his grip on the cloth on his knees.

"Brother Xu said, you only remember that your grandfather is a doctor." Qian Sheng smiled at him softly, "Don't worry, I won't be able to fully accept such things in a short time. You can try Looking for memories from the past, a 5-year-old child should be able to remember more things."

"Do they know?" Lin Yan asked suddenly.

"What?" Qian Sheng looked at him, "You mean He Yi and Fang Ximin's family?"

"Ah."

"According to what I know, brother Xu mailed some information about your brother to Yancheng early last month."

"Will they go to Linshui Street and take my brother away?"

Lin Yan felt that a corner of his heart had suddenly collapsed, and his whole person became helpless.

"I can't give you any guarantees. Besides, it needs your brother to make his own choice." Qian Sheng looked at the two children in front of him with complicated emotions.I am afraid that my current image is not very good, but if I don't say what I should say now, I will let them know sooner or later.

"Actually, they should have come here directly since they received the information. Maybe they were worried that you would not accept it, so..."

"So, maybe my brother's family members will sneak over to see him first, right?" Lin Yan stared at Qian Sheng, his eyes were a little imperceptibly dim.

"Lin Yan..."

Qian Sheng didn't know what to say next.The boy in front of him was only 15 years old.What happened to him in just one summer, I am afraid that many children will never experience it in their entire lives.

"They have already been here. Since the end of August, they often go to Linshui Street." Lin Yan's voice was extremely calm, "My brother and I didn't pay attention at first, but the neighbors found out first, and we thought someone was coming to make trouble , I also asked Brother Lu Chi to check the surveillance, and I didn’t understand until I saw this information. Originally, my brother and Brother Lu Chi said that he didn’t seem to have any malicious intentions, and I was always worried. Fortunately, he is not a bad person. It's..."

He was pinching the A4 piece of paper on which He Zhengxi's family situation was written, and suddenly felt dry mouth, "I'm sorry, I want to drink a glass of water, is that okay?" Lin Yan raised his head and asked Qian Sheng.

Qian Sheng got up to pour two cups of green tea and handed them to them.

"Thank you." Lin Yan clutched the cup, feeling a little more at ease in his heart. "The information, have you confirmed all of them?" These sheets of paper detailed the work and family status of He Yi and Fang Ximin.

He Yi is the dean of a hospital in Yancheng, and Fang Ximin is an associate professor in the university. Even the monthly salary and real estate are clearly written. There is no record of the grandfather He Zhengxi mentioned, but Lin Yan can roughly guess it. up.Besides, He Zhengxi's facial features do look like those two people.

"As for the authenticity, you can rest assured." Qian Sheng said.

"En." Lin Yan nodded, looked at He Zhengxi, and continued to say to Qian Sheng: "Actually, I know that he is not a bad person, so I am relieved. I will not participate in other matters. You don't have to." Considering my side. It's just...you have to help me as a middleman. I need to confirm it in person. It's best to go for an appraisal on both sides. You know, no one will believe everything when you tell us all of a sudden... I can't see Uncle Xu now, please understand."

Qian Sheng nodded and said: "This is no problem. It was originally a necessary process. I called you here today, and I just took advantage of the weekend to chat in advance, so that I can be mentally prepared. It will take a while for the specific things to come." It's settled, and Lu Chi will be called when the time comes."

"Understood." Lin Yan took a sip of tea, flushed the heart that was stuck in his throat, and took He Zhengxi to get up and bid farewell to Qian Sheng, "Uncle Xu's matter is also hard. You need to worry about it. He is used to being lazy. I'm afraid I will suffer in it."

"His ability to adapt is stronger than anyone else. You are a child, don't think about it." Qian Sheng said to Lin Yan gently.

"En." Lin Yan nodded obediently.

In no mood?How could I not want to, I am not stupid.He sighed silently, bowed to Qian Sheng, refused his offer to give it away, and pulled He Zhengxi out of the office.

"Finished?" Lu Chi came over with a smile, "What's the matter, Qian Sheng is an old fox, be careful to be deceived by him."

Lin Yan squeezed out a dry smile: "Let's talk on the road."

He Zhengxi was very quiet on the way back, Lin Yan was talking to Lu Chi about his parents in his ear, but He Zhengxi refused to listen to a word.He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, his mind was in a mess.This time, I finally understand what a mess is.

He always told Lin Yan that he didn't remember the names and appearance of his parents, but he was not being very honest.

At that time, He Zhengxi was afraid of being deceived by the traffickers, and he dared not tell the truth to anyone. In the end, even he couldn't tell which sentence was true and which was false.When Lin Yan first arrived at the old ancestral hall, every time Lin Yan asked about it, he always unconsciously forgot what he should have remembered.For five years, He Zhengxi lived very comfortably in the old ancestral hall, subconsciously he no longer wanted to mention the past.Now seeing the photos and names of my parents, the faces deep in my memory quickly become clear and three-dimensional.

His father, He Yi, is very strict and rarely smiles, while Fang Ximin is just the opposite. He is a funny person, and occasionally brings his students home to play.These blurred images began to appear in He Zhengxi's mind continuously, like dreams one after another. Although the details were gone, they did exist.

The more He Zhengxi thought about it, the more his head became heavy, so he grabbed a small pillow and dozed off.

"I guess Xiaohe is tired today..." Lu Chi said in a low voice.The space in the car was small and the windows were closed. Lin Yan could hear Lu Chi's words clearly. He glanced back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you going to do, this kid must go back to Yancheng."

"Looking at his opinion, I think it's good to go back. It's not very good to have a father, a mother, and a big family to take care of you, and live a rich life." Lin Yan rubbed his backpack back and forth, his face hard to hide his depression.

"It's okay, you have a brother and I'll take care of you." Lu Chi pinched the back of Lin Yan's neck.

Lin Yan took Lu Chi's hand down, and said in a muffled voice, "When you get married and have children, you will definitely be busier than now. How can you be free to check in at the old ancestral hall every day?"

"Hey, you kid, which pot can't be opened, which pot can't be lifted, and you're still married, and I haven't even touched a girl." Lu Chi's right hand was always restless, and now he started to toss Lin Yan's hair again.

Lin Yan pulled his arm away: "Drive hard, my ear was caused by a car accident, please forgive me for my fear."

Lu Chi withdrew his hand resentfully: "Okay, listen to you."

Lin Yan said again: "Why don't you keep a pet, a long-haired one that you can touch every day, you must have some kind of fluffy thing."

"Don't mention this sad thing. My mother is allergic to those things. If I want to buy them back, I will be beaten to death by Lao Lu."

"You have your own house, and you still live at home." Lin Yan also wanted to raise a puppy, not expensive ones. Seeing the 20-yuan Shibagou at the market made his heart itch.

"Although you are quite a young adult, you still have a small print." Lu Chi suddenly became serious, "The old man in the family is getting old. As a son, I must not worry about it. How can I let them care about big things and small things? Do it yourself, and after another ten years, you will know."

"I'm willing to follow old man Xu..." Lin Yan raised his head, his eyes sparkled slightly, "No matter how many years he is sentenced this time, as long as he is still alive, I will wait and earn a lot of money to support him in retirement."

Lu Chi smiled and said, "You still talk about me, you have to marry a wife when you grow up, and then find a virtuous one, and free your hands from turning around the kitchen every day."

"Stop, stop, what kind of wife, I never thought about how old I am." Lin Yan's face turned red when he was told, "I worked hard to raise a precious daughter, but it's not for serving others."

"Don't talk, don't talk, I admit that I am young at this time, but what I said makes sense." Lu Chi smiled.

He Zhengxi listened to the conversation between the two people in the front row half asleep and half awake all the way, and he still remembered some words. For example, when Lin Yan mentioned that he would provide for Xu Jialin's pension, he really wanted to interject, saying that he could do the same.But the drowsiness was too violent, and the eyelids were as heavy as a thousand pounds. By the time I got out of the car and went home, I had forgotten all about it.There is only one thing left in my mind - whether to recognize my parents or not.

"Let Brother Lu Chi make an appointment for us. This week is not enough. I went out and ran for a long time today. Tomorrow we both have to do homework and read books. Don't make a hasty decision and think about the future." Lin Yan looked To the drowsy He Zhengxi, "Meet them next Saturday, okay? It happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they should be quite busy with work. Even if we want to meet now, we probably have to wait."

"Brother..." He Zhengxi put his forehead on Lin Yan's shoulder, "You are so cold, do you really want me to go? I don't want to be separated from you."

Lin Yan let him lie on his stomach and shuffled back to the bedroom, "Follow me here, do you suffer? What's the point? I don't even want to buy a pair of good sneakers. If you leave, I can save a lot of living expenses."

"You never thought of saving money for me, you save for yourself." He Zhengxi opened his mouth and bit Lin Yan's neckline.

Lin Yan rubbed He Zhengxi's thorny hair: "I really have nothing to say about your biting habit, I approve you to bite enough today."

"I want to bite everywhere."

"Wonderful!"

Lin Yan was lying on the bed with He Zhengxi grabbing his arm.The weather was unbearably hot, and his heart was empty and cold.

Even if He Zhengxi didn't want to leave, his parents would definitely take him back.It happened to be a new semester, so he went back and directly transferred to the second grade of junior high school. He Zhengxi was very smart, so it was not a big problem to get good grades in a big city.If He Zhengxi didn't live in the old ancestral hall, Lin Yan's burden inside and out would be much lighter, and Xu Jialin could feel relieved, there was nothing wrong with it.

That's right, what a wonderful thing this is, I should be happy for He Zhengxi.He was a child who was kidnapped and sold to Xicheng. Back then, he had already prepared for He Zhengxi to be picked up. He had done mental training for five years, and now it was time to put it into practice.

Lin Yan, you need to be more broad-minded.

Don't be reluctant, and you can't be jealous. It's okay to be a little envious.There's nothing better than bringing their family together, right...

He pulled up the soft summer quilt and covered his eyes, convincing himself like this.

Lin Yan slept until evening. When he woke up, He Zhengxi in the courtyard was already busy with dinner. He lay on the edge of the window and stared at He Zhengxi carefully.

This little brother has grown up to such a big age without any wind or waves. If the time is pushed back five years, what will each of them become?Lin Yan couldn't imagine it.

Probably sensing the gaze from his brother, He Zhengxi quickly turned around and waved at him with a spoon: "It's coming, wait another 5 minutes."

"Yes." Lin Yan pointed to the handle of the spoon in his hand, "Be careful not to drip on the clothes."

He Zhengxi immediately retracted it: "Oh oh oh, I forgot again." He laughed twice and scratched his ears.

"Don't scratch while cooking, No. 20 times." Lin Yan shouted.

"I remember, I'm going to wash my hands now." He Zhengxi turned down the heat, ran to turn on the faucet, and took a careless shower. When he was about to leave, Lin Yan's instruction came again: "Make soap."

"I see..." He Zhengxi turned back and rubbed every finger clean seriously.

At the dinner table, neither of them tacitly mentioned anything about He Yi and Fang Ximin.

Lin Yan was not happy, but his appetite improved. He Zhengxi's cooking tasted good, but it was a bit heavy. Lin Yan had never been used to it, but he silently finished half of the bowl that day.

The rare sweet and sour pork ribs are sweet and sour. Although they are a little salty, Lin Yan thinks they are delicious.

"The craftsmanship has been greatly improved, and I can go out as a teacher to mix in the rivers and lakes." Lin Yan boasted.

"Your brother is just so awesome." He Zhengxi smiled shyly.

Lin Yan glanced at him, "I learned a sentence recently."

"what?"

"There's nothing good about a dog's pleasure."

He Zhengxi: "What do you mean?"

Lin Yan: "Famous words of wisdom, my brother will send you off."

He Zhengxi frowned: "I don't sound like a good word."

Lin Yan praised: "Smart."

Before turning off the lights and going to bed, Lin Yan slumped on the desk and made a list.

In the past few years that He Zhengxi lived in the old ancestral hall, clothes, shoes, tutorial books, and all kinds of gadgets, although not worth much, have been accumulated one after another, and it is estimated that they can fill several woven bags.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan became entangled again. He raised his head and said to He Zhengxi: "In your big city, you have to use cardboard boxes to look more foreign. Carrying a few nylon woven bags will make you look like a Little wage earner? Are you losing your share?"

"You're going to send me away so soon, it's still uncertain..." He Zhengxi muttered while holding the book, "Why are you in a hurry."

Lin Yan chuckled: "Your parents will never allow you to stay in our alley. When they enter this small courtyard, they may cry with their mouths full of sweethearts."

After hearing this sentence, He Zhengxi was silent for a few seconds, and reluctantly said: "Brother, don't you think there is something wrong with the tone of your words?"

"What's the problem?" Lin Yan still had a smile on his face.

"You only have the expression of smiling at the corner of your mouth." He Zhengxi stared at him and said.

"What?" Lin Yan's face turned cold, "What do you mean?"

He Zhengxi was a little excited, his voice trembling: "If you don't agree with me to go, I won't go, I will stay here, with you, and Uncle Xu!"

"Really?" Lin Yan raised his eyes and looked at He Zhengxi, "I don't believe it. There is no child who is unwilling to go home."

"This is my home!" He Zhengxi roared.

"I do not believe!"

Lin Yan opened the drawer, took out a coin, and put it in front of He Zhengxi, "Ask yourself, whether your thoughts are firm enough, we can verify it now."

"How to verify?"

Lin Yan looked into He Zhengxi's eyes, raised his hand, put the coin on his thumb, and tossed it vigorously into the air, saying, "You can keep the number; you can leave the pattern." He slowly Walking up to He Zhengxi, he smiled, "Is the method I just learned from a magazine fun?"

He Zhengxi's eyes widened, he shook his head in panic and stopped him loudly:

"No! I don't want it! Brother, don't be like this..."