River City Story

At the end of August, Xu Jialin still had no news.The more he waited like this, the more uncertain Lin Yan felt.At this time in previous years, Xu Jialin would have been back, but this year, the phone at home didn't even ring once.

He Zhengxi didn't have deep feelings for Xu Jialin, he was still in a carefree state every day, devoting himself to reading the dictionary and studying, or following Lin Yan to find fun.

After finishing his two-month part-time job, Lin Yan received a total of 500 yuan. After he bought clothes for He Zhengxi and daily expenses for the past two months, he still had more than half of it left.Lin Yan especially wanted Xu Jialin to know that he could make money too.

Such a small thought, even in the indefinite wait, did not disappear.

Two days before the start of school, Lu Ming came to the old ancestral hall again, with two new schoolbags and a file bag, which contained He Zhengxi's household registration certificate and the registration guide of Experimental No. [-] Elementary School. thing.From this, Lin Yan knew that Lu Ming and Xu Jialin had always been in contact.

"Uncle Lu." Lin Yan held his new schoolbag and raised his face, "Do you know where old man Xu is?"

Lu Ming squatted down and picked up Lin Yan.

Children should be soft and sticky, but Lin Yan never grows flesh, like a stick of firewood.With this thin body, he takes care of the small courtyard of the old ancestral hall and takes care of his 7-year-old brother, always looking fully wound up.Lu Ming sighed, wiped away Lin Yan's bangs, pressed it against his forehead, and said, "Old Xu will be back in September. During this time, concentrate on studying and don't worry about other things."

Lin Yan nodded: "Understood."

He was young, and Lin Yan didn't know how to hide his emotions when facing adults. Lu Ming saw disappointment on his face.

On the first day of school, Lin Yan held He Zhengxi's hand tightly all the way, and personally sent him to the class.

He Zhengxi had never experienced group life, and Lin Yan was full of worries about it, so he came to the first grade to hang out during class.He didn't intend to talk to He Zhengxi much, he just wanted to see in private whether his brother was being bullied or whether he was bullying others.

He Zhengxi had trouble getting up, so he couldn't guarantee to get up early.Lin Yan bought an alarm clock and put it next to the bed, but it had little effect.There was really no other way, so Lin Yan got up half an hour earlier every day, and then tried every means to drag He Zhengxi out of the bed, screaming and choking all the way to school.After a long time, the school's old janitor also got to know the difficult brother in Lin Yan's family.

When He Zhengxi finally got used to the biological clock of the first grade and was able to get up by himself, Xicheng also entered the real early autumn.

The day Xu Jialin came back happened to be the last working day before the National Day Golden Week.After school that day, Lin Yan held He Zhengxi's hand tightly as usual, and squeezed out of the army of parents at the school gate.He hasn't been home with Cai Hengyuan for a while. Cai Hengyuan's whereabouts have been erratic for more than half a month. Even Chen Shan asked for leave twice unexpectedly. He guessed that something happened to Cai Hengyuan's family, but he asked Once, Cai Hengyuan insisted not to speak, so Lin Yan had no choice but to shut up consciously.

The two children squeezed out of the crowd and played while walking on the side of the road. He Zhengxi also had a box of yogurt in his hand, which was bought by Lin Yan.

"Brother, you drink too." He Zhengxi inserted the straw in and handed it to Lin Yan first.

Lin Yan wiped off the sweat from his forehead, and pushed He Zhengxi's hand away: "I don't want to drink this stuff, you finish it quickly, we have to go to the supermarket to buy food reserves." He also planned to take He Zhengxi to the mall during the holiday , this season is the most cost-effective to buy winter clothes.

He Zhengxi was carrying a bulging schoolbag, nodding while drinking milk.His hair has grown a bit now, and it feels fluffy to the touch. From a distance, it looks like a cute pompom.Lin Yan liked to rub He Zhengxi's head every time there was a boring moment when cats disliked dogs. Brother He treated his classmates with a normal temper, not cold or hot, but to Lin Yan, he was always as warm as spring.He likes to sit on a small bench and let Lin Yan rub his hair.

In the supermarket, as soon as Lin Yan stepped up the steps, he saw Lin Fei waving at him. Lin Yan grinned at her, walked quickly to the checkout counter, stepped on his feet and shouted, "Sister Lin Fei!"

"Hey! I haven't seen you for a few days. Lin Yan seems to have grown a little taller." Lin Fei walked over the cash register and leaned over to talk to the two children.

"Really?" Lin Yan was a little happy.

Lin Fei nodded: "Of course, classmate He Xiao has also grown taller."

Lin Yan: "Oh..." When he was about to say a few more words, Lin Fei said, "Someone is here, I'm going to work first." Lin Fei patted the brothers' heads one by one and returned to their posts.Lin Yan waved goodbye to her, pushed the cart and began to look at the shopping list.

He Zhengxi snickered behind Lin Yan's back, but Lin Yan curled his lips and ignored him.After walking around the shelf twice, he was still laughing softly, Lin Yan finally couldn't stand it and shouted: "What are you laughing at!"

He Zhengxi immediately held his breath and shook his head.

"Talk but don't talk." Lin Yan turned his head and left, He Zhengxi quickly followed, stepped on Lin Yan's heel deeply and shallowly, and circled around like this, Lin Yan suddenly braked, and He Zhengxi "boomed" Hit Lin Yan on the back.

"Oops, my perfectly shaped nose..."

"This is your punishment for stepping on my shoes, laugh again, and cook by yourself at night."

He Zhengxi approached Lin Yan and teased, "Brother, do you like sister Lin Fei?"

Lin Yan's face turned red all of a sudden: "Nonsense, I don't like her. I'm a primary school student, so people won't like me."

He Zhengxi snorted, and continued: "I didn't say whether she likes you or not, the question is whether you like her or not?"

"I think your brain is broken." Lin Yan pushed the shopping cart to pay the bill, and He Zhengxi followed behind with a smile.After entering the school for a month, he has mastered a lot of so-called gossip in life.Beneath He Zhengxi's unsmiling and serious little face, there was a surge of complex thoughts, and this little thought was basically practiced on his brother Lin Yan.

The two returned to Linshui Street after arguing and stood at the door of their house. Just as He Zhengxi took out the key hanging around his neck, Lin Yan dragged him behind him.

"Wait." Lin Yan whispered, "Our door is opened a crack."

There was vigilance in his words, and He Zhengxi also became nervous after hearing this.It's just that there was a little bit of excitement in this nervousness, He Zhengxi almost wanted to break the door with a kick.He recently caught up with a martial arts TV series, his moves are handsome, and his heart is very itchy.

Lin Yan looked at He Zhengxi who was eager to try, and helplessly raised his hand to press his forehead.This idiot never knew how to write the word fear.He stretched out a finger, gently opened the door a few centimeters, poked his head in to listen carefully, then retracted, there seemed to be someone in the main room.

He wrapped his arms around He Zhengxi's neck, and said in a low voice, "I'll call out first, if the people inside chase them out, we'll go to Lao Jiang's."

"Uh-huh!"

"Did you really hear it? I don't believe it."

"really!"

Lin Yan snorted and turned his head, circling his mouth with his palm: "Who is at my house! Come out! Otherwise, call the police!"

The people inside the door seemed to pause when they heard the shout, and then he walked out. Lin Yan stood outside the door and watched without moving.He looked at the long-haired and bearded man who was getting closer and closer, his face gradually piled up with shock, his dark and bright eyes began to mist, and when the man came to him, Lin Yan threw his head into the man's arms without hesitation. tie.

"Old man Xu! Why did you come back! Smelly old man!"

With He Zhengxi beside him, he was already doing the run-up, and Lin Yan didn't give him orders for a while, and now his morale was gone.He stared blankly at the "savage" who was holding Lin Yan in front of him, and after a few seconds he could vaguely discern that this was the kind-hearted Uncle Xu who picked him up from the trash can?

He Zhengxi stood where he was, with his mouth wide open, not knowing whether to call uncle first, or express his surprise first.

Lin Yan's head was buried in Xu Jialin's arms and could not come out. In the end, Xu Jialin had no choice but to pick him up and take He Zhengxi's hand back to the main room.

He Zhengxi stared blankly at Lin Yan, and finally said, "Brother, are you acting like a baby with Uncle Xu?"

Lin Yan hugged Xu Jialin's back and choked without looking back: "No!"

He Zhengxi blinked: "I don't believe it."

Lin Yan didn't respond anymore, he had to get close enough to Xu Jialin, and he didn't have the time to pick up on He Zhengxi's faults.Seeing this, Xu Jialin hurriedly gestured: "Okay, stop this topic and see what good gifts I brought you." Then he looked at the faces of the two children and took a sip each.He Zhengxi felt that his beard was scratching, so he retreated again and again, but Lin Yan giggled happily.

Xu Jialin didn't know the children's preferences at all. The gift was bought at a nearby wholesale market after getting off the train. It was a set of replica Lego toys and two autumn clothes.He Zhengxi didn't have much interest in this kind of thing, but he still wanted to give Uncle Xu face, and locked it in the cabinet after two serious games.As for the clothes, Lin Yan also felt that the two sets did not fit well.Children of his and He Zhengxi's age have grown in stature quickly, but no matter how much they change, they won't grow 10 centimeters in a few months.So these two clothes were also locked up.

Xu Jialin scratched his head, feeling a little guilty: "Hey, uncle can't do things with his brain, you two, please be careful, this dress will be the same next year."

Lin Yan squatted in front of the cabinet, turned to look at him, and nodded: "Anyway, you are an old man, and forgetfulness is normal."

He Zhengxi covered his mouth and laughed, Xu Jialin also laughed, the three of them laughed foolishly for a while, and then they started to make dinner together.

The next day, the Golden Week holiday began, and Xu Jialin proposed to take the two of them out to play.It's just that Lin Yan didn't like to go out, and He Zhengxi was too busy studying his homework, so the two of them had no intention of going out.Xu Jialin spread his arms and was very happy, he happened to have the time to sleep on the bed to catch up on sleep.He seemed to have not slept fully for a long time. During the first three days of Golden Week, he only woke up in the evening to eat, wash, and then went back to sleep.

After Xu Jialin'an had stayed at home safely enough, he began to call friends and friends to lie down at night and go out at night.

Xu Jialin's appearance was not bad, he shaved his beard clean, cut his hair short, tidied it carefully, and walked on the street, he was still very capable of bluffing people.Besides, he made up for the sleep at home, and the original decadent atmosphere disappeared. At first glance, he looked like a middle-aged successful person.Most of those cronies who hung out with him all day knew that Xu Jialin had two children in his family, but some women and young boys whom he had just met rushed to stick by his side, thinking they could get some benefits or promises.

Xu Jialin enjoys this state very much, hangs out in different bars and KTV every night, and returns to the old ancestral hall drunk at night.

In fact, Lin Yan has long been used to Xu Jialin's usual demeanor, but he still feels scared and unfamiliar with his appearance after drinking.

After Xu Jialin came back, He Zhengxi slept with Lin Yan the whole time.He was still in the heartless grade, and he never cared what Xu Jialin was like, so he still slept soundly at night.After a while, he realized that the fatigue in Lin Yan's eyes became more and more obvious.One night after the Mid-Autumn Festival, He Zhengxi was awakened by a burst of shouting in a daze. After careful identification, he found that it was Xu Jialin who was drunk and crazy in the yard.He Zhengxi had met some similar people at the traffickers before, so he didn't have any special feelings. When he was about to go back to sleep, he suddenly noticed that Lin Yan beside him was shaking.

At this moment, He Zhengxi was unexpectedly worried. He sat up and asked in a low voice:

"Brother? What's wrong with you?"

Lin Yan closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. About ten minutes later, when Xu Jialin finally calmed down, Lin Yan also let out a long sigh of relief, and returned to his usual relaxed appearance: "Go to sleep, I'm sleepy."

He Zhengxi rubbed back and forth on the pillow twice and nodded.He actually wanted to know if Lin Yan was a little afraid of Xu Jialin when he was drunk, but he still didn't ask for a long time.Soon, he couldn't resist the turbulent drowsiness and fell asleep.

Xu Jialin should have earned a lot of money and brought it back this time, otherwise he would not have the capital to go out and sing every night.Xu Jialin is such a person who doesn't care about the next meal after a meal, spends money lavishly, and pays for treats whenever others make a move.Lin Yan always felt that he was living in a muddleheaded way, but when he looked carefully, this middle-aged man who was out of tune was enjoying it very much, and he never showed fatigue or pressure.

He envied such a character.Since Lin Yan came to Linshui Street to live in the old ancestral hall when he was five years old, his heart has been hanging in his throat.So he is always busy and dare not be idle.

Lin Yan didn't know what kind of person he was going to be. The qualities of his parents were obvious. Xu Jialin was unrestrained and unrestrained. The neighbors on Linshui Street were all hard-working people. He had never appeared by his side. The so-called successful people.So when he first started to learn to write, he was very confused when faced with the questions about the future on the graph paper.

He just wanted to make money, make a lot of money, and live a better and more stable life with Xu Jialin.As for how to make more money, he still doesn't understand.

After the midterm exam, Xicheng ushered in late autumn, and the frequency of Xu Jialin's going out began to gradually decrease.Lin Yan guessed that he probably spent almost all his money, and his mood became more relaxed and happy.He wished that Xu Jialin would not have a dime left in his hands, and it would be best not to even be able to afford a bottle of Erguotou.However, although Xu Jialin loves to play, he still has a bottom line. He has never touched the tuition and living expenses left for the children. When he really has no money in hand, he will go to the bearded house to eat, drink and sleep.In his opinion, it seems that sleep can solve all problems.

He Zhengxi also began to get used to Xu Jialin's subtle life attributes, going to and from school, eating and doing things, all followed Lin Yan's rhythm, and didn't pay much attention to what Xu Jialin was doing.

He didn't disrespect Xu Jialin, but from the bottom of his heart, He Zhengxi regarded Lin Yan as the head of the family.He was just a little confused. Although Lin Yan was already independent enough, he would always show a very strong dependence when facing Xu Jia. This dependence was also mixed with temptation and hesitation.

Xu Jialin had too many bad problems, and he didn't look like a qualified guardian at all, but Lin Yan never formally raised any opinions on it.He seemed to be infinitely embracing everything about Xu Jialin, and even enjoying it.He Zhengxi, who had just entered the first grade of elementary school, did not understand what Lin Yan was thinking.If it was him who played games every day, he would have been kicked out of the house long ago, but Xu Jialin still lived happily.

Such a peaceful life lasted for several months. On the day of Lidong, when Lin Yan and He Zhengxi got home from school, the street lights were already on.A red sports car was parked in the alley, shining arrogantly.They stepped on each other's shadows and stepped into the small courtyard, ready to greet Xu Jialin first in the main room, but when they reached the door, they heard a heavy panting and a woman's moaning from inside.

Lin Yan immediately took He Zhengxi's hand to stop, and walked towards his hut in another direction.About half an hour later, through the window, Lin Yan saw a woman with heavy make-up coming out of Xu Jialin's room, stepping on narrow and pointed stiletto shoes, her skirt was as short as her thighs.The woman was smoking a slender cigarette, her fingernails were painted bright red, a bit eye-catching.Lin Yan asked He Zhengxi to stay in the room, he went out alone, stood behind the woman, raised his head and asked:

"who are you?"

She turned around unsteadily, bent down, and her wipe/breast almost touched the tip of Lin Yan's nose.The woman smiled and blew a smoke ring at the boy in front of her, grinned red/sweet lips and said, "I am your uncle Xu Jialin's wife."

"Cough! Cough!" Lin Yan took two steps back in disgust, frowning and looking at the woman in front of him.Then, he turned around and ran into Xu Jialin's room, pulled the sleeping man up, raised his hand and slapped him twice.

"Old man Xu, don't sleep! The woman outside said that she is your wife!" Lin Yan's hands were not strong, and it didn't hurt when he hit his face, but Xu Jialin's dream was disturbed, and his mood became a little bad .He pushed Lin Yan to the side of the bed, panting heavily: "Don't make noise, I want to sleep."

Lin Yan reluctantly dragged Xu Jialin up from the bed, and dragged him out. He felt his little heart was filled with inexplicable emotions, hot and cold, like magma from a volcano, or like a tree that had just been killed. The old Popsicle was burning with anger, but it was tight from his chest to his throat.

Xu Jialin didn't expect Lin Yan to have such strength in his thin body.He was dragged by Lin Yan, staggered like a torn rag, and was thrown in front of the woman.

"She said! She is your wife!" Lin Yan clenched his fists and roared word by word.

The woman seemed to be watching a farce, still smiling, as if she was out of it.At this time Xu Jialin finally opened his sleepy eyes, he was very annoyed, he felt that Lin Yan was too courageous, and he also thought that he might be too tolerant to him on weekdays, unknowingly this kid actually climbed onto his head.

Xu Jialin immediately spat on the ground, picked up the half-lit cigarette in the woman's hand, and took a deep breath drunkenly, with a carefree and indifferent expression on the corners of his mouth.Then, in front of Lin Yan, a ten-year-old child, he bent down and met the woman's fiery red lips.

The atmosphere suddenly reached its peak, the man/woman in the smoke, maybe they were kissing deeply, or just touching lightly.No matter what the situation is, in Lin Yan's eyes, there is no difference.His body seemed to have fallen into the deep sea, heaving and falling in the invisible waters, even his breathing was heavy.

If you don't do something, you will explode, Lin Yan thought.

He turned around and pulled out a bamboo pole from under the pea seedling, and swung it vigorously towards the two of them.

"Go away! It's too dirty! Get out of here, not in my house! Go away! Go away!"

Lin Yan shouted hoarsely, the corners of his eyes were red, and tiny teardrops hung on his face, the great sadness gathered in his limbs, but he felt empty.Lin Yan felt as if he had been deceived, and thought that he didn't understand Xu Jialin. He had always been like this, but this time he brought the woman home.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan realized that he was too stupid.Why should a child care about the affairs of adults?But this small courtyard belongs to the three of them, and there can be no fourth person, let alone such a woman.

He Zhengxi ran out. He wanted to hug Lin Yan, but he was so scared that he had to stand still.

The woman screamed and fell to the ground, Xu Jialin's anger also rose, he raised his hand and slapped Lin Yan's face.Lin Yan was young and light in stature, after such a slap that was neither light nor heavy, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ear, as if a needle had been pierced into it, and after a while, his vision became hazy and blurred, and then he slowly focus.

He Zhengxi suddenly cried out from the side: "Brother, your ears are bleeding!!"

Lin Yan only felt that his head was dizzy. He touched the side of his ear, and brought his hand to him to see that there was indeed blood: "...don't scream, it's too noisy, brother fainted."

He Zhengxi stopped talking immediately, and only nodded vigorously.

Xu Jialin didn't expect that he could beat Lin Yan to blood. At this time, he was already a little scared, worried that Lin Yan's ears would have problems again.He ran over, hugged Lin Yan, and apologized repeatedly.

"I'm sorry, Uncle was wrong. Uncle just fainted, so I'll take you to see a doctor."

The woman was also frightened. At first she just wanted to tease the child, but she didn't expect such a thing to happen, let alone being beaten.She got up from the ground in a little embarrassment.

"I have a car, and I will take the child to the hospital first," she said.

Xu Jialin nodded, and when he put Lin Yan in the car parked at the door, he hurried back and said to He Zhengxi, "Take care of the house, don't run around."

He Zhengxi stared straight at Xu Jialin with fierce eyes.No nods, no shakes.

Xu Jialin had no choice but to say: "Forget it, you still follow."

He Zhengxi went back to the house without making a sound, carried his schoolbag, then quickly ran out of the yard, opened the car door and sat beside Lin Yan.

In the driver's seat, the woman was on the phone in a hurry; outside, Xu Jialin was still locking the door and did not get into the car.

He Zhengxi hugged Lin Yan tightly, and said in a very small voice:

"Brother, I brought a utility knife. If they bully you again, I'll kill/kill them, okay?"

The author has something to say:

Sorry, it's late, I slept until just now at noon...