spring dream

002

A momentary loss and frustration appeared on Xiao Er's face, but he quickly returned to his usual indifference.He took out a brocade bag made of high-grade silk from the drawer, on which two red-crowned cranes were embroidered with Suzhou craftsmanship, packed the beaded string, and put the brocade bag into the brocade box: "You don't need to give me the money, I hope you can pay me back." Uncle Fang can put in more effort."

Fang Mingli is a frequent visitor of "Heya Teahouse", and he is an old acquaintance with Mr. Xiao.He just joined the police force in the early years, and the daily tasks are heavy and stressful, and he doesn't want to spend time drinking to relieve his worries, so this place became his second foothold besides home.

He watched Xiao Er grow up little by little. When he was a child, this child was mischievous and mischievous. Yes, you can hit it right away, without any reason.

It is such a cold-faced and violent "kid king" who makes the neighbors helpless. Only when facing Wen Qi, who is three years younger than him, will he soften his posture and hug him like a brother next door. angry.

Wherever Xiao Er went, Wen Qi followed him, his two small hands firmly grasping the hem of his clothes, no matter who coaxed him, he would not leave him half a step.The roads in the alley are narrow and tight, with many corners. Sometimes Xiao Er walks fast and can’t find Wen Qi when he turns a corner. up.

Until one day, Xiao Er completely lost Wen Qi, and the innocent and immature face in his memory remained at the age of 13 forever.

The matter Xiao Er asked Fang Mingli to investigate was related to a missing child case six years ago.

Fang Mingli would never forget in his dreams that in the early spring of March of that year, the aroma of cherry blossoms planted on both sides of Shilan Street wafted through the windows into the teahouse hall, mixed with the aftertaste of Pu'er in the cup. The 16-year-old Xiao Er's clothes were stained with a shocking red, and he stumbled into his field of vision in embarrassment, his steps were vacant, his knees suddenly knelt on the ground, and he fell straight at his feet.

The hand that was clenching the trouser leg had blue veins on the surface, blood and tears mixed together, the boy cried intermittently, and he couldn't even bite the words clearly: "Save Wenqi, Uncle Fang, save Wenqi."

However, when the red and blue police lights illuminated the filthy abandoned factory, Wen Qi disappeared.When people went to the empty building, they only found a few hemp ropes that seemed to be cut by some kind of sharp weapon, stained with blood, and the bloodstains on the ground stretched staggered towards the door.

After that, Xiao E suffered from a serious illness and recovered from his illness. He tugged on Mr. Xiao's sleeve and asked timidly, "Grandpa, have you found Wen Qi?"

From then on, there was no smile on the young man's face, but only loneliness.He spent a lot of time searching and saving, and what he added was pointless and futile.

"I will try my best." Fang Mingli accepted the brocade box, picked up the pair of Erwen playing with walnuts again, thought for a while, and asked, "Are you still going to Wen's this year?"

"Go." Xiao Er stood up staggeringly, his gestures were full of endless exhaustion, he casually glanced at the objects in the glass cabinet, and wrapped a mammoth tooth bracelet in orange brocade to prevent it from cracking in the cold, "today My son is young, it's time to go."

Fang Mingli patted his broad shoulders: "Let's go, I'll give you a ride."

"No." Xiao Er's eyelids were still downcast, and he couldn't find any light in his eyes, "I'm going to relax."

After explaining a few words to Lu Xiaozhao, Xiao E stepped out of the wooden door and opened the heavy curtain hanging at the main entrance. The coldness swept over him, making him shiver.The brocade wrapped around the bracelet was in his hand and he put it in his pocket. He pulled the zipper of his jacket to his chin, and within two steps, his hair was covered with green slag, and there were a few snow particles on his eyelashes.

The two cherry blossom trees beside the tea house were bare, and they were not yet in bloom, so they were really not worth seeing.Xiao E hesitated for a long time in his heart, but he still couldn't help casting his eyes. The scene in front of him instantly reversed to the beautiful scene in early spring of a certain year. Wen Qi had two small dimples hanging from the corners of his mouth. He was wearing a red coat and stretched his arms to reach his neck.

Muttering in his mouth: "Brother Xiao Xiao, I want to hug you."

Xiao Er picked him up, Wen Qi supported his shoulders again, and straightened his back to pick off the cherry blossom petals on the branches.

At that time, the elders and aunts in the alleys always laughed at Wen Qi. He was obviously a man, so he should be repelled by the same sex, but he insisted on sticking to Xiao Er, so he laughed and joked: "Wen Qi, when I grow up, I will marry you." Brother Xiao, how are you?"

"Okay!" Wen Qi kept staring at Xiao E with his big clear eyes, then put his arms around his slender waist, rubbing his red face against his chest, "It's a deal!"

"It's a deal." Xiao Er said this sentence with dizzy pupils, and the screen returned to the white snow scene between the sky and the earth. Peace of mind.

The university barely got a bachelor's degree, graduated for more than half a year, and lived a muddle-headed life. The days and hours, even half a quarter, and a second, for Xiao Er, it just made the illusory even more immeasurable, and there was no hope at all.

With pale red lips showing a little whiteness, Xiao Er turned a corner and walked through a secluded alley, which was the shortcut to Wen Qi's house.

The buildings in the old community were refurbished two years ago, but now the red walls are faded, the eaves are covered with dust, and the roofs are covered with withered vegetation, and no one cleans them.

Xiao Er directly pressed the eight-digit password, and after hearing a "ding", he opened the iron door of the unit. The corridor was cold, but it was slightly better than the outside.The heat from the palm covered the cold cheeks, and the calf became heavier as he got closer to the fourth floor. When he really stood at the door of Wen's house, he felt a dull heartbeat against his chest. Control trembling.

There was a knock on the door, someone was walking in the house, and the sound of approaching footsteps made Xiao Er nervous again.The door was opened, and the woman's thin face had sunken eyes. She looked at Xiao E numbly, unable to tell whether there was any hatred in her eyes, and after staring at each other for a moment, she opened the door wide and took two steps back to let the door open.

Xiao Er nodded politely, and stepped into the room. The heating was clearly burning, and even the window sash was covered with a dense layer of moisture due to the damp heat, but he couldn't feel any warmth.

"This is... a New Year's gift for you." Xiao Er took out his hand from his jacket pocket, held the bracelet and handed it to the woman.The woman didn't even look at it, her skinny wrist seemed unable to support any heavy objects at all, she pointed at the black and white photos on the shelf not far away, and said softly, "Put it there."

Xiao Er clenched his back teeth and turned around stiffly. The innocent face of a 13-year-old boy came into view. Wen Qi grinned happily. mouth.