River City Story

Lin Yan has only been to the hospital twice since he could remember.The first time was a car accident, and the second time was slapped by Xu Jialin.In short, no matter which time, the experience is not very comfortable.He stood in front of the hospital gate and hesitated for a few seconds, and finally walked in behind He Zhengxi.

"Xiaohe is here, long time no see." A pretty nurse greeted them hastily when she saw them coming.

"Sister Xu!" He Zhengxi walked over with a smile showing his small white teeth, "I'm quite busy today."

"I'm so busy! I won't talk to you, I'll go to the ward first."

"Well, you're busy."

Lin Yan looked at Nurse Xu who ran away, and smiled and patted He Zhengxi on the shoulder, "Oh, boy, you look very popular."

"Don't tell me, when they get to know you well, you will be very popular!" He Zhengxi curled his lips in dissatisfaction, turned his head and asked, "Brother, are you hungry?"

Lin Yan shook his head: "It's okay, eat breakfast in the hospital cafeteria later, don't go out."

"Okay, we'll have breakfast in the cafeteria, and let's eat fried liver at noon." He Zhengxi said braggingly, "It's a very authentic family, I fell in love with it the first time I ate it!"

"You can arrange whatever you want, anyway, school starts a day earlier than me, so there is no other time to toss about." Lin Yan said with a smile.

"Ah! Don't mention it! I refuse to listen!" He Zhengxi covered his ears tightly, "Let's go, let's get down to business!"

Their business has been busy until almost 12 noon. Before leaving, they planned to go to He Yi's office to say hello, but he was too busy to touch the ground, and there was surgery in the afternoon, so Lin Yan dragged He Zhengxi directly to the office. gone.

"It's not that direction, it's this way." He Zhengxi shook the bus card in his hand at Lin Yan, "Let's go."

"Can we not eat that thing? I don't like to eat offal." Lin Yan frowned and moved over, "Just eat a steamed wonton."

He Zhengxi has an expression that you don't understand: "The one we went to is really delicious, trust me."

"Liar, you are a dog."

"I lied to you that I am a dog!"

As soon as Lin Yan stepped on the bus, he regretted it. The crowded state was at least twice that of Xicheng, and he had to bring a run-up, otherwise he would not even be able to grab a handrail.He ate little in the morning, smelled the smell of disinfectant in the hospital all morning, and occasionally ran into one or two family members of patients with loud voices, and he was still a little dazed at this time.When the car swayed, his whole body also swayed from inside to outside.After wandering around for more than ten stops, I finally arrived at the shop He Zhengxi mentioned.

"Hey, my God, the bus in your big city will kill you if you sit for a long time."

Lin Yan escaped from the crowd, found a tree to lean against, and bent down, "If you kill me, I won't sit on that thing anymore."

"No way, it's so crowded here, and the subway station is too far away." He Zhengxi walked over and took Lin Yan's arm, "In two years, when I turn 18, I will learn to drive and buy a spacious car at that time." Yes, you don’t have to take the bus with me.”

"It sounds a bit strange, as if I am your mistress." Lin Yan said with a smile, "I still like to ride a bicycle. It is environmentally friendly and comfortable, and I don't have to worry about traffic."

"Hahaha!" He Zhengxi also laughed, and said to Lin Yan solemnly after laughing, "I said buy a spacious one! A tricycle! The kind with pedals! Hahahaha!"

Lin Yan looked at him slantingly: "It's enough to wash your brother, I'll sleep at home tomorrow, don't expect to see you off."

"No! You have to see me off. On the first day of high school, you have to be there!" He Zhengxi licked his face and leaned over, "Brother, you are my real brother! This is what you should, must, and must do !"

"Are you still eating or not? If you don't eat, let's leave."

"Eat, why don't you eat!"

The restaurant He Zhengxi was looking for was not big, but there were many people eating in it.It was already past one o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived, not counting the peak dining period, and they still had to queue up.He Zhengxi greeted the boss familiarly, turned a corner, grabbed Lin Yan's hand, and went straight to the back kitchen.

"What's the matter? You also work part-time?" Lin Yan asked suspiciously.

"No." He Zhengxi raised his chin and pointed in, "We have insiders, so we don't need to line up.

"Eat in the back kitchen?"

"almost."

The back kitchen of this store is actually brighter than the outside, but there are a lot of ingredients being processed on the table, Lin Yan looked a little nauseated, "Are you sure we want to eat here?"

"There are small rooms inside, don't worry, it's tasteless." He Zhengxi walked a few steps forward, and shouted into the back room with his voice: "Yang Lin and Yang Xiaoer, hurry up and come out to pick up the guests!"

After hearing this, Lin Yan burst out laughing, "Yang Lin? Who is it?" Just as he finished talking, a tall boy ran out.

"It's time to come, it's silly, let's go play ball after eating!"

"I'm not going to fight today. I just put a tube of blood in the morning. Come and make up for it." He Zhengxi walked over and gave him a high-five, then dragged him to Lin Yan, and said, "Introduction For a moment, this is my brother, hurry up and call me brother."

Yang Lin smiled and stretched out his hand: "Hi, brother! I'm Yang Lin, Lao He's classmate!"

Lin Yan suppressed a smile and shook hands with Yang Lin, pointed at He Zhengxi and said, "Old He? Him?"

Yang Lin: "Actually, our class usually calls him Xiao Xizai, but he doesn't like it, so we can only call him Lao He!"

"Xiao Xizai?" Lin Yan's eyes widened in surprise, then he folded his arms and replied, "It suits him very well, very cute."

"That's right! The girls in the class called it off first, and now the teacher also calls it that way, and he goes crazy when he hears it, there's nothing he can do about it." Yang Lin said regretfully.

He Zhengxi walked over, pulled the two of them apart, and urged: "Welcome us in, you are starving to death."

"Oh yes, you go and sit in the room first, and I'll serve it to you."

Lin Yan looked at Yang Lin curiously, then turned to He Zhengxi and asked, "His shop?"

He Zhengxi: "Well, the old store of more than 20 years is now under the management of his brother, and his parents are going to run the newly opened branch."

Lin Yan: "The child looks pretty good, your good friend?"

"That's right, I'll be at the same table with him when I transfer to another school."

"Very good." Lin Yan walked into the room and took out a Maza to sit down. "I was worried that you would not be able to make good friends here."

"How come, you don't know who I am?" He Zhengxi stood in front of the disinfection cabinet to pick up the tableware.

"You?" Lin Yan smiled, "You seem quite cheerful, but in fact, few people can really catch your eyes, barely."

He Zhengxi paused for a moment with the hand that was pulling the chopsticks, feeling a little uncomfortable, "Haha, really."

He didn't expect Lin Yan to be so accurate in his observations, and he really didn't like everyone, even with a little arrogance.For so many years, except for the teammates who played the game and the tablemates who got acquainted nearby, the rest of the people are really not friends.

"You, you are a little bit irritable." Lin Yan squeezed the tissue and rubbed it, "You have to learn to control your temper. It doesn't matter now, no matter what happens, others will say that you are still young, just a child, and you will definitely not be able to do it in the future Yes. Your parents, your grandparents and the others will stay away from your life sooner or later, and by then, who will continue to pamper you?"

He Zhengxi lowered his face: "I kindly brought you here for dinner, why are you still being educated?"

"Education?" Lin Yan loosened his shoulders, "Go your own way, no one can control it, how to choose, it's all up to you. I'm only 18 years old, you don't have to believe it all, just listen to it, don't take it too seriously. thing."

Seeing that He Zhengxi was getting impatient, he had no choice but to finish what he wanted to say quickly, then shut up and enter the empty state.In Lin Yan's extremely limited life experience, he can't find a way to get along with the awkward children in the rebellious period for the time being, so he can only choose to say as little as possible.

Anyway, the person is already in front of him, and he can't go anywhere, so he can just find a day to repair it slowly, Lin Yan thought.

"Why are you two in a daze?" Yang Lin came over with two set meals, "You can drink whatever you want in the refrigerator, buddies don't need money."

Lin Yan got up to help take the tray, kicked He Zhengxi and said, "How lazy are you?"

"Oh... Brother, you don't need to help, just let Yang Lin serve." He Zhengxi bit his chopsticks and said.

"It's hopeless." Lin Yan didn't bother to say anything, he smiled at Yang Lin and said, "Have you eaten? Together?"

Yang Lin: "No, no, hey, I still have things to do! Big brother, you eat so well!" After speaking, he ran away like oiling the soles of his feet.

"This kid, why is he so neurotic?"

Lin Yan muttered and walked to the small square table and sat down. Just as he was about to take a spoon, He Zhengxi silently held down his hand, "It's only fun to drink it."

Lin Yan looked at the bowl of fried liver that was almost overflowing, and gave He Zhengxi a tangled look, "Are you sure?"

He Zhengxi nodded firmly.

"Then I'll try."

After Lin Yan finished speaking, he stared at the bowl and thought about it for more than ten seconds. In the end, without using his hand, he just lowered his head and took a shallow sip from the edge of the bowl. Afterwards, he frowned and savored it for a long time before saying, " Some subtle taste, not bad."

He Zhengxi wanted to laugh at Lin Yan's procedure, but he held back.He directly picked up the bowl and took a big gulp, wiped his mouth contentedly, and said, "Yang Lin's fried liver tastes newer than other's, and it's also bland. You're from the south, so it's more palatable. "

Lin Yan hummed noncommittally, reached out and squeezed two meat buns, put them on the small plate in front of him, and said slowly: "Actually, I'm not a pure southerner."

He Zhengxi stopped the hand that was about to hold the bowl, "What?"

"I don't know where they are from, but I can tell that they don't have the local accent there." Lin Yan persistently picked up the spoon again, scooped up a spoon and ate, "They went to work in several places, and finally arrived at Xicheng fell down and gave birth to me and my younger brother, and life was very hard."

"Then do you still remember what that younger brother looks like? Or what's his name?" He Zhengxi asked.

Lin Yan shook his head, "I was only a child of 4 or 5 years old at the time. In my impression, he was always dirty, and his fingernails were full of mud. When I saw it, I backed away. I never got close to him a few times. .”

After hearing this, He Zhengxi laughed and his shoulders shook: "Then I am really lucky, I am treated ten thousand times better than your brother."

Lin Yan reached out and patted his head: "That's not true."

The two stayed in Yang Lin's shop for more than half an hour. Before leaving, they encountered a large number of people eating, and helped greet a few tables of guests. Yang Lin's brother enthusiastically packed two fried livers for them.

On the way back, He Zhengxi stared at the two takeout boxes in Lin Yan's hand, with a look of distaste on his face: "How can anyone take away fried liver...I said no, you have to take it, and you don't like it."

Lin Yan shook the bag and said, "We have worked hard, and this is what we deserve. Why not accept it? Besides, don't you like to eat? Do you hate it?"

"So much! I can't finish it all by myself!" He Zhengxi rubbed his bangs irritably.

"Maybe your parents will come back for dinner at night, will you give them a pot?" Lin Yan said helplessly.

"They eat better than the two of us outside." He Zhengxi jumped along the curb, and reached out to take the bag from Lin Yan's hand, "It's not too strangled, it's dead!"

Yang Lin's fried liver restaurant is not too far from the neighborhood where He Zhengxi lives, about 20 minutes' walk.As soon as he entered the house, He Zhengxi ran upstairs in a hurry first. Not long after, he picked up two cardboard boxes and rushed back to the living room like the wind.He pushed the box in front of Lin Yan, with anticipation in his eyes: "Gift, open it and have a look!"

"I know without turning it on." Lin Yanwo said calmly on the sofa, "Mobile phone or computer?"

He Zhengxi lay down on the coffee table discouragedly, and said depressedly: "Just pretend to be pleasantly surprised..."

Lin Yan laughed twice and said, "Don't make things difficult for me, you keep the gift yourself, I can't take it."

He Zhengxi's complexion was not very good-looking, "Why?"

"You are only young, and you have no income. It would be nice to save your pocket money for food and drink." Lin Yan opened the box and took a look, "This configuration, a lot of money, right?"

He Zhengxi said awkwardly: "Can't you just keep it? Lao He and I will each pay half of the money. It's also considered a gift from your parents. If you don't accept it, I won't be able to explain it."

Lin Yan repacked the box and handed it to He Zhengxi, "The computer in your room is quite old, so I keep this laptop for myself. Be obedient, I have been your brother for five years, I want your things do what."

"I sometimes go to my grandpa to help, and the pocket money is not for nothing." He Zhengxi pushed another box in front of Lin Yan, "You don't need to accept the computer, you have to take this mobile phone." He never He took out his own from his pocket and showed it to Lin Yan, "We have the same model, and I am not willing to use the one you gave me. But don't worry, this one is not expensive."

After he finished speaking, he walked up to Lin Yan with a hurt look on his face, "You really don't want it?"

The two stalemate in the living room for a while, and finally Lin Yan lost the battle, "Okay, but, this kind of thing, as long as it can be used, the replacement is too fast, save the money to do some serious business, you know?"

He Zhengxi thought to himself, old-fashioned, could it be a crooked thing to give you an entrance gift? He was extremely depressed, but he changed his smile, gave Lin Yan a gentle hug and said, "I know, I know, remember tomorrow Get up early and take me to school."

Lin Yan pushed him away, sighed, "When did I wake up late?"

The two of them chatted for a while in the living room, when suddenly the door was unlocked, and He Zhengxi ran over.

"Mom? Why are you back at this hour?"

"How do you talk?" Fang Ximin poked He Zhengxi's forehead while changing shoes at the door, "Lao He said that Lin Yan cleaned up the house like a model room, I'll come back and have a look." She ignored her son With resentful little eyes, he walked straight towards Lin Yan, "It can be regarded as coming, when does school start?"

Lin Yan greeted her with a smile: "Hi Aunt Fang, I start school on the 3rd."

Fang Ximin patted him on the shoulder, motioned Lin Yan to sit down, and said, "One day later than someone, the little comrade is going to die of anger."

"I'll see him off tomorrow." Lin Yan said, "Are you and Uncle He usually busy?"

Fang Ximin nodded paralyzed on the sofa: "Yes, I still have to work hard for a few more years. It just so happens that the latest project is too big, and I have to go on a business trip next week. Not to mention Lao He, they are so busy in their line of work. normal."

"……Um."

"So." Fang Ximin turned her head and looked at Lin Yan seriously, "We are all very grateful that you can enter the university here." Seeing that He Zhengxi went to the bathroom, she continued in a low voice: "You still have to worry about it." , If there is nothing serious on the weekend, I will come back home to live in. That child is getting more and more disobedient now, and he is only willing to listen to you. The adults in the family can't figure him out. What's not right..."

Not long after Fang Ximin spoke, he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, raised his voice again and changed the subject, and began to ask Lin Yanxi whether he was used to the weather in Yancheng, what major he applied for, and so on.

"Dinning at home tonight?" He Zhengxi walked over.

"I can come back to eat before my business trip next week. What kind of feast are you going to have?" Fang Ximin straightened his clothes and said as he stood up and walked towards the bedroom.

"Bring back two servings of fried liver at noon, shall I process it for you a second time?"

"Very good, I believe in your cooking skills." Before closing the door, Fang Ximin stuck out his head and said, "I don't eat steamed stuffed buns, let's say yes first."

Lin Yan stood up immediately after hearing this: "Before I went out in the morning, I stewed some red beans, which are just right for steaming rice."

He Zhengxi pushed him back: "Brother, don't worry about her."

"Can you care more about your parents?" Lin Yan went to the kitchen, unscrewed the thermos, and a burst of heat rushed to his face, "I found it when I was cleaning the kitchen, so don't be a pity." He scooped it up with a spoon Putting a few beans in his mouth and chewing, he nodded and said, "Well, it's pretty good."

Standing at the door of his kitchen, He Zhengxi saw Lin Yan busy to and fro inside, and inexplicably felt some subtle feelings of "living together".This was a deeper feeling than the one at Cai Xusheng's house, as if it was just the two of them living a small life at the moment, even though there was still a mother in the bedroom who was catching up on sleep.

"Why are you in a daze? Where's your rice?" Lin Yan opened several cabinets and looked around one by one, asking blankly.

"In my room." He Zhengxi said.

"Ah?" Lin Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "In your room?"

He Zhengxi scratched his head and said embarrassedly: "My mother is very confused, she often throws things around, and once almost threw out the freshly opened rice, so I had to carry it to my room."

Lin Yan said: "It's understandable. After all, Auntie Fang is engaged in scientific research. It's better to have less daily necessities in her mind."

"I think you are better than her, don't you have nothing to lose?"

"That's different." Lin Yan found out the rice cooker, and while brushing the inner pot, he signaled He Zhengxi to get the rice, "Hurry up, rice."

He Zhengxi groaned, and ran back to the house to carry the rice.

"Sure enough, only you can control the brat."

Fang Ximin walked over quietly holding a cup of tea, and suddenly made a sound.

"Bear kid? He's not." Lin Yan denied, "He Zhengxi is actually very sensible. He probably stayed alone for a long time, and no one talked to him when he had something on his mind. He lacked some company."

Fang Ximin took a sip of his tea and said, "You kid, there is something in your words, is it our fault?"

"No, I have a problem myself." Lin Yan turned off the faucet and packed up the rice cooker. "So when I went to Yancheng to go to university, I also hoped to talk to him more. I didn't think too much about anything else."

"Hey...you are such a good boy." Fang Ximin sighed with emotion.

"I'm not a good boy." Lin Yan lowered his head and bit his lower lip tightly.

"Huh? Why?"

Lin Yan still shook his head and didn't speak any more.Seeing his reaction, Fang Ximin thought he had poked some sore spot, so he turned around silently and went back to the bedroom.

"What are you talking nonsense about?" He Zhengxi walked over carrying the rice expressionlessly, "What's not a good boy?"

"Say you're a good boy." Lin Yan ignored the question directly, took the rice, and said naggingly: "It's best to soak it for half an hour, so that the steamed rice will be soft and sticky, so I have enough time today , you can soak, usually busy, too late. No, you have a cooking aunt when you start school, she should be very good at steaming rice. Oh, right? Does Aunt Fang like sugar? Is there rock sugar at home, or red dates, peanuts? Category……"

"You can just do what you are used to, and don't worry about her." He Zhengxi felt that Lin Yan was a little nervous. From the moment Fang Ximin entered the house, Lin Yan's whole body seemed to be electrified.He thought for a while, grabbed Lin Yan's shoulder, and said, "Brother, you can be more natural and treat this place as your second home."

Lin Yan stretched out his hand to turn on the power, but suddenly realized that he said he wanted to soak the rice just now, so he withdrew his hand. He turned his head and looked at He Zhengxi blankly: "Am I unnatural?"

"It's very unnatural, especially not free and easy, and the value of handsomeness has dropped a lot, like an old lady." He Zhengxi said.

"I don't understand what you want to say." After soaking the rice, Lin Yan turned to open the refrigerator. "You can't just eat fried liver at night. I'll cook a few more dishes for you. You just have to start school, so you have to celebrate simply."

"Don't you think your behavior is full of flattery?" He Zhengxi interrupted Lin Yan and said loudly.

Lin Yan's hand holding the ribs was a little stiff for a moment, he was stunned for a moment, and asked with a smile: "Who am I pleasing?"

"My mother, or someone else." He Zhengxi said coldly.

"Really." Lin Yan let out a breath of laughter, closed the refrigerator again, walked up to He Zhengxi and said seriously: "You are my younger brother, and my younger brother is their son, but I have no blood relationship with you relation."

"That's not what I meant... I want to say, you don't need to be so enthusiastic..." He Zhengxi explained in a low voice, "You can be more self-confident."

"Understood." Lin Yan raised his face and looked at He Zhengxi, "but I'm here as a guest, do you understand? The small area under my feet does not belong to the dilapidated ancestral hall on Linshui Street in Xicheng , I don't have any position or identity to live in your house frankly, even for a few days."