spring dream

049

The sun shining through the window was warm on the quilt. Wen Qi put on his clothes, sat in the bright light, squinted his eyes, and looked out of the bright window.A flock of domesticated white pigeons hovered over Zhalan Street, fluttering their wings, lowering and rising, and with a whistle, they flew out of the field of vision enclosed by the window frame and were never seen again.

On the first day of the New Year, a lot of guests came to the teahouse, Lu Xiaozhao was so tired and dizzy, Lu Ran came to help, those who served food, served tea, listened to music, and sang operas, the main hall was busy, filled with the noise of gongs and drums .

Xiao Er packed the bits and pieces that Wen Qi had packed up to take away into the suitcase, zipped it up, stood it up, and pulled out the handle.He stood up straight, exhaled, adjusted his expression, and turned to look at Wen Qi: "...it's time to go."

Wen Qi didn't move, his shoulders were slumped, he was still staring at a certain scene outside, and remained silent.The room was extremely quiet, and Xiao Er waited patiently. When the area of ​​light and shadow on the wall gradually elongated, Wen Qi showed his neat white teeth and said with a smile, "Well, let's go."

Getting out of the familiar warm nest, facing the bleak winter wind, and following Xiao Er, I didn’t feel cold at all. Wen Qi’s left hand was tucked into his cuff, and Xiao Er’s right hand was firmly grasped by Xiao Er. He put it in his pocket, feeling a little hot , also a little pain.

They went against the flow of people pouring into the street and walked to the side of the road. Xiao Er put down his suitcase and raised his hand to hail a taxi. Wen Qi tore at his clothes and said with a red nose, "Let's take the bus."

"I have to reverse the car halfway." Xiao Er rubbed his palms to warm up and covered Wen Qi's frozen face. Wen Qi dodged and extended his right hand to him, "I'm not cold, hold me well." Then he said in an emphatic tone , "Take the bus."

There were very few people in the car, and even the driver was lazy, yawning three or four times at a stop.Wen Qi was infected, with tears in the corners of his eyes, leaning on Xiao Er's shoulder, his eyelids drooping, but he didn't sleep.

The back door opened, and a pair of elderly people came up, and sat down by the window, supporting each other. Wen Qi followed them with his eyes, looked at them for a while, and then raised his eyes.Xiao Er's eyes were dull, and he hadn't changed his posture since he got in the car. Suddenly, his jaw itched, and when he came back to his senses, Wen Qi smiled at him and said, "Little beard."

Xiao Er rubbed the back of his hand and felt the length: "Well, it's time to shave."

Wen Qi touched his own: "Do I have it?"

"It's bare." Xiao Er scratched his face, "There are little fluffs under the nose."

Wen Qi pursed his lips: "Look carefully, I have them too."

Xiao Er approached, his lips became hot, Wen Qi blinked and lowered his eyes: "Did you see clearly?"

After being stunned for a few seconds, Xiao E couldn't help laughing: "No."

Wen Qi nodded and hooked his fingers: "Then take a look."

The two-way bus took about forty minutes. When they arrived at the station, Xiao Er picked up his suitcase and stepped into the cold wind again. He walked towards a row of old buildings with red walls and green eaves with his arms in his arms. There were no people in the old community. It was cold and clear, and the withered leaves rustled under my feet.

Wen Qi looked around, and the outline of "home" gradually formed in his memory. The old tree in front of the unit, the stray cats that occasionally came out to look for food, and the abandoned bicycle shed made him regain a strange sense of belonging.

After pressing the eight-digit code that he had memorized by heart, the door was unlocked with a "ding". Xiao Er pulled it away, and Wen Qi walked in front. He still remembered that his home was on the fourth floor.

For six years, every New Year came with remorse and fear. Xiao Er followed Wen Qi, passed by the window on the middle floor, and looked at him in the light. A figure, strong and brave.

The pace of the two became more and more sluggish. As they approached the door, Xiao Er suddenly called out: "Wen Qi."

Wen Qi stopped, stood on the last step, turned around, and looked at him with a smile.

Xiao Er took off the string of emerald beads on his wrist and put them on Wen Qi's hand.

He rubbed Wen Qi's wrist vigorously, lowered his head, for a long time, finally let go.The door of Wen Qi’s house is still the same, with mottled walls, faded door frame, and dusty milk crate. Xiao Er put the luggage aside, his raised hand trembled slightly, and he suppressed the messiness. He took a deep breath, looked back at Wen Qi, smiled, and tapped on the wooden door twice.

"Who is it?" It was Uncle Wen.

Xiao Er opened his mouth, but failed to make a sound.

"Go and have a look." This time it was Aunt Lan, and they were all at home.The movement in the house was from far to near. Xiao Er panicked and took a step back. It was even a conditioned reflex formed subconsciously. After all these years, every time he faced the two elders, he always felt guilty, and now he didn't know how to face it. at a loss.

The door opened, and the light in the room shone at Xiao Er's feet. He gritted his teeth, looked up at Uncle Wen's surprised eyes, his heart beating bluntly, and he managed to pull out a smile, and said softly, "Uncle Wen, I'll... ...look at you."

Aunt Lan's eyes on the door fell on the ground, and her face became alienated and indifferent. Uncle Wen opened the door, took off his reading glasses, and waved his hand casually into the room: "Come in."

Xiao Er stepped over the threshold and didn't go any further. He turned sideways to let the people behind him show their faces.At first, the two old men didn't pay attention to either of them, until Uncle Wen, who was turning his back, noticed something was wrong and looked at Xiao Er again. Immediately afterwards, the glasses fell from his hands and fell to the ground, completely shattered.

Aunt Lan was surprised at first. Seeing Uncle Wen's terrified expression, she followed his gaze and met a pair of bright eyes, her breathing stopped suddenly.She has been looking at these eyes for 13 years, thinking about them for six years, and they have already carved them into her heart. Aunt Lan stood up from the sofa, walked around the coffee table, clutched the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, her nose was sour, and her eyes were hot. , almost lost control of his emotions, and asked in a trembling voice: "...You, are you, are you, Wen Qi?"

Wen Qi's eyes were red, his nose was runny, and his nasal cavity was murmuring. He took two steps forward, getting closer to both Uncle Wen and Aunt Lan, and even closer, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeves. The words are clear: "I am Wen Qi."

Before she finished speaking, Aunt Lan threw herself at the boy standing under the light, hugged him tightly with all her strength, opened her mouth wide, and burst into tears.Uncle Wen turned his face away, the silver threads on his temples were thicker than before, tears covered his face, he raised his head, and beat his heart twice.

A family of three was reunited on the first day of the new year, in this small house where they had lived all their lives, throwing away all their burdens and forgetting all their sufferings. After a long parting, they finally waited for a reunion.

The mood gradually eased, Uncle Wen walked towards his wife and children, his old figure suddenly became tough, he stretched out his hands, and hugged the two most beloved people in his life tightly into his arms.

From now on, the family will never be separated again.

Xiao Er's eyes were red, and he stood there in panic for a moment, then slowly moved towards the door, moved the suitcase into the room, leaned against the wall, rubbed his palms together, hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing.He looked at Wen Qi reluctantly, put his right hand on the doorknob, retreated outside, and gently closed the door.

The light dimmed, and Xiao Er walked back to the narrow and cramped corridor. He looked down at the stairs and was relieved for a moment, but what followed was the emptiness and loneliness that swept across like a huge wave.

It's just that he didn't know that a second before the door was closed, Wen Qi seemed to have sensed something, turned his head, and murmured his name in a nostalgic way.

Pushing open the unit door, Xiao Er couldn't help shivering when the wind blew.He wrapped his jacket tightly, stared blankly, stepped on the ground with one foot, tilted his body, and fell to sit on the steps.

Bend his knees, buried his face, and fumbled in his trouser pocket with his right hand, Xiao Er took out a cigarette pack and picked up one. With his arms on his legs, he stared at the wild cat facing him under the old tree, and the corners of his lips curled up bitterly.

Wen Qi went home, he read silently.

The momentary timidity back then made Xiao E guilty for six years, but now that his wish has been fulfilled, he should be happy, but he is full of loneliness.After finding Wen Qi, this day had been expected, but when he stood under the eaves, looking at the family who were weeping with joy, he finally recognized his identity.

Wen Qi does not belong to him, and is not his property alone. Xiao Er has no qualifications, no right to decide the direction of his life, and choose what path he should take.

Uncle Wen and Aunt Lan would not forgive him for taming Wen Qi by his side selfishly. They could have been Wen Qi's parents earlier.

The naked/exposed skin turned red from the cold air, Xiao Er stood up tiredly, looked up, then put his hands in his pockets, facing the howling north wind, walked alone on the way he came, without turning back.