spring dream

Chapter 51

051

In the early morning of New Year's Eve, Xiao Er was awakened by a series of ear-piercing and disturbing firecrackers. He opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while, picked up his phone and turned on the screen. At 05:30, he slept less than three Hour.

The throbbing in the chest, the heart full of heat, the person in the dream called his name repeatedly, sometimes lightly, sometimes mournfully, Xiao Er began to be unable to distinguish between dreams and reality, and often woke up, feeling that Wen Qi was by his side, Seeing his face, he flicked again, and there was only a white wall in front of him.

The whole person went from being silent to making a slight movement. Xiao Er sat on the edge of the bed, his bare upper body was bent, his shoulders, waistline, and tight muscles were exaggerated. He was sullen and weak. Holding on to his muddled consciousness, he didn't remember to put on a coat until he felt cold, got up and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Lu Xiaozhao pushed open the window of the bedroom in the east wing from the outside, leaned on the window sill to peek in, but saw no one, put down the tray in his hand, a plate of celery and peanuts, a bowl of purple rice porridge, oil cakes and tea eggs, all of which were Xiao Er's favorite food.

After wiping his face twice with a wet towel, his body exuded water vapor and smelled the fragrance. Xiao Er pulled out his chair and sat in front of the desk. He still had no appetite. He drank some porridge and peeled an egg, and his stomach was almost full.

Underwear was changed to a black hoodie, the outer layer was an army green retro jacket, straight-leg slacks, and a pair of high-top Converse shoes. Xiao Er took the key and carried a box of tea, and walked towards the gate of the courtyard.

The only small flowers that can be seen flourishing in the alleys in winter are the "Jingjiuhong" hanging under the eaves, or densely clustered on the roadside.After passing the third fork, Xiao Er walked into a deeper alley, and after a short walk, he saw a quaint Chinese herbal medicine shop.

Lifting the heavy curtain and stepping into the heater, Xiao Er met the pharmacist behind the counter, put down the tea, sat on the wooden chair and waited quietly.Uncle Zhang's clear voice in the back room gradually approached, and he sent the patient out of the clinic with a smile. When he saw Xiao Er, he twitched his beard and said, "Master Xiao is here?"

Xiao Er nodded and touched the top of his head, "Still so busy during Chinese New Year?"

Uncle Zhang thanked the tea and gave it to the apprentices around him: "I hope that there will be fewer people coming to this shop every day, the less the better." He turned to Xiao Er and smiled, "The old man is in good health. Bar?"

"Yesterday, I climbed Baiwang Mountain with the old Wangtou next door, and it took me faster than me." Xiao Er narrowed his eyes, and his spirit was not good. From cold to warm, he felt like dozing off.

"In Shengyang Hutong, I haven't seen Mr. Xiao's doctor before, so we old bones are so envious." Uncle Zhang pushed the freshly brewed tea to Xiao E's hand, and changed his tone, "I'm here to ask Wen Qi’s, right?”

Xiao Er lowered his eyelashes and let out a very light "hmm".

Uncle Zhang took a sip of tea and reported truthfully: "The medicine is prepared on time and in the right amount, and delivered once a week. I will remember everything you told me."

"I'm sorry to trouble you." After Xiao Er finished speaking, he scratched his Adam's apple in a slightly anxious gesture. After a long blank, he asked, "Wen Qi... did you mention me?"

After closing the lid of the cup, Uncle Zhang put the teacup back to its original place, answered irrelevant questions, looked at the golden light shining through the window, and said, "Wen Qi is very healthy."

The taste of Chinese herbal medicine is mild and not strong, and the light honeysuckle fragrance comes from the small casserole on the corner table. Xiao Er suddenly heaved a sigh of relief, and smiled to himself for a while, with gratitude in his tone: "Old man, thank you, really."

On the way back to the courtyard, Xiao E went to a time-honored store to buy a bag of ox tongue cakes that grandpa loved most, and picked out two gifts of the same style for Lu Ran and Lu Xiaozhao.Sitting on the stone chair next to the red plum tree, looking at the two red lanterns under the doorpost of the main room, Xiao E shoved two ferret furs, lowered his head, and muttered to himself.

Wen Qi is now alive and healthy, and there is nothing better than this.

This year has experienced a lot, but sitting around the dining table at this time are still the three closest family members of Xiaoer.The old man always eats in silence, giving one ear to the TV and the other to his grandchildren. Lu Xiaozhao is the last to serve, and Lu Ran waits for him to move his chopsticks together. Xiao E still picks out the rotten leaves of vegetables and eats them with rice. Pull it into your mouth, nothing has changed, everything at home is still warm and ordinary.

After eight o'clock, Lu Xiaozhao stared at the TV with a sweaty nose. On the stage of the party, there was a young lady in a gorgeous skirt. He narrowed his eyes, and as expected, the familiar question came again: "Aren't the young ladies beautiful?"

On this day last year, Lu Xiaozhao replied to Lu Ran with blushing and hesitant words, but at this moment, he said without changing his face and heartbeat: "I've seen too many beautiful sisters in the tea house, so it's just so-so."

Xiao Er glanced at Lu Ran's expression, um, there are still some changes.

We are full of food and drink, the TV is still on, and the people have already dispersed.Mr. Xiao carried the birdcage back to the main room to rest, while Lu Xiaozhao was busy with pots and pans in the kitchen, and only Lu Ran was left in the yard. Xiao E threw the gift he had bought into his arms, waved his hand generously and said, "You're welcome. "

Lu Ran opened it and saw two pure red cotton trousers, one size fits all.

"You should get one too!" Lu Ran clenched his fist and shouted at Xiao E's back, "Red cotton pants and leather monkey, you must be the most beautiful boy in Zhalan Street!"

Xiao Er closed the door with his backhand, couldn't hold back, and laughed heartily.

The room was empty, dotted with faint light spots. Xiao Er stood by the door for a while, took off his shirt and went to the bathroom.After washing up step by step, he sat on the bed in a daze until the light and shadow outside the window kept dancing on the ground. Xiao Er propped his arms back and raised his head to see the hazy fireworks reflected on the window sash.

New messages kept popping up on the phone. Xiao E edited the New Year greeting messages, selected all the contacts in the address book and sent them together, then turned off the phone, leaned back on the bed, opened his arms, and fell into a deep sleep.

From the first day to the fourth day, for four days, Xiao Er hardly ever left the room.He eats and sleeps on time and adjusts his schedule. On the fifth day of the lunar new year, he plans to return to the teahouse to prepare for the opening ceremony.

When I woke up early in the morning, my mind was blank. This was the only time in the past two months that I slept until dawn.He shook his head, squeezed his sore eyelids, and moved his stiff shoulders. After taking a shower, he was full of energy, packed up some clean clothes, and walked out the door of the east wing with his bag.

After he paused, Xiao Er thought for a while, and stepped back again. There was a very important thing that he almost forgot.Putting down his luggage, he opened the drawer and took out a stack of red bills. Before he could go outside the courtyard, through the crack of the closed door, Xiao Er had already seen a few small round brains stacked like arhats at the corner.

Crossing the threshold, smiling, and pulling down his trousers, Xiao Er bent over and sat on the stone steps, facing the light, and raised his chin at the gang of brats.

There are a few familiar ones who came here last year, and there are also some new faces among them. This year, there are more children who send the God of Wealth than before. Xiao Er felt guilty pinching the thickness of the red envelopes, and heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there should be enough.

The first one who stepped forward was still the oldest girl Xiao Er knew. Now her facial features have taken the form of a beauty. Expressed his liking: "Master Xiao, I always think you are the most handsome man I have ever seen, including my dad."

"Be careful when your dad hears it and beats you!" A naughty little boy interrupted behind him, and the children lined up laughed loudly.

Xiao Er pursed his lips and tried his best to restrain his expression that was almost out of control: "Do you think that you can get more money by praising me?"

"Can you?" A head poked out of the queue.

Xiao Er nodded: "Yes."

When the boy who interrupted heard it, he immediately changed his words: "Master Xiao, you are more handsome than my grandpa!"

Xiao Er tried his best to hold back his laughter, pretending to be serious and said, "How can a man be influenced by money."

"That's right, I'm really useless." This time it was a female voice, with a sweet and greasy voice, "Master Xiao, I secretly took pictures of you with my mobile phone, and even set it as a screen saver, my parents saw it!"

Xiao Er rested his elbows on his knees, supported his chin, and squinted at her: "Your parents won't beat you?"

"How can I?" The girl said triumphantly, "They praised me for my future, and they know that they like a man with a big house at home."

This time I really couldn't hold back, and everyone burst out laughing wildly.

"Master Xiao, I like you too!"

"I like it too, I like it too!"

"Huh? You're a boy!"

"Oh, then I'll change it, um...Master Xiao, I like your money!"

I'm really convinced by these little bastards.Shaking his head, Xiao Er rolls the tickets into the red envelopes. He spends generously. Each person has 500 yuan. Recite the compiled "Send to the God of Wealth" to Xiao Er, and only when he is satisfied can he receive the reward he most wants.

The momentary noise quickly dissipated. Xiao Er looked at the quiet and winding alley, stared at a bright place for a while, and waited for the sun to warm his body. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and rubbed the back of his neck. .

The children's laughter is always very powerful, allowing Xiaoer to regain a moment of peace, but this feeling did not last long, and he began to feel sad again, and the memory fragments imprinted in his mind kept flashing, causing him to lose his mind. Can lift his head up quickly.

A figure appeared in front of him, blocking the original rich and gentle light.There was the last red envelope left in Xiao Er's hand, and he didn't move. I don't know if he didn't feel someone coming, or he was waiting for the other person to speak first.

The wind blew in front of itself, bringing with it a familiar smell. Xiao Er suddenly opened his eyes, and while his shoulders trembled slightly, he had already denied his conjecture countless times in his heart.He didn't dare to have extravagant hopes, he was afraid of being disappointed, he was used to the long wait, and he didn't want to let a moment of false joy destroy the courage he had built up with great difficulty.

But when he heard the voice that was always thinking day and night no matter day or night, Xiao Er knew that he no longer had the strength to bear the life of only one person.

"I like you too."

Xiao Er raised his face while breathing tremblingly. Before he could clearly see the face of the person coming, his whole body crashed into a soft and comfortable embrace, which made his tense rationality finally disconnected, and he surrendered willingly.

They hugged each other like this.

A corner of the red envelope was exposed from under the crook of the arm, and Xiao Er heard the other party smile, and said softly against his ear, "However, I'm not here to give to the God of Wealth."

The surrounding scenery suddenly became brighter, hot, bright, and full of vitality. It was clearly the deep winter, but Xiao Er seemed to have stepped into warm spring in an instant.

"I give myself to you, do you want it?"

Wen Qi turned his head sideways, rubbed the corner of Xiao E's lips, and called out affectionately and infatuatedly: "Brother Xiao Xiao."