Life is more than just living

Liu Jiaxin suddenly gossiped: "Did you know? Zhang Yong is released from prison!" Chen Xu was shocked, "What did you say?" Liu Jiaxin quickly said: "When I came to see grandma today, I happened to see a car taking him back. After Zhang Yong got off the car, he looked around, and I recognized him immediately, but he didn't recognize me. When I returned to grandma's house, I heard grandma say you were back, so I ran over to see you."

When Chen Xu heard that Zhang Yong was back, he felt mixed emotions in his heart. He couldn't tell whether he was surprised or afraid. She felt her heartbeat speeding up and her head buzzing. She couldn't hear anything Liu Jiaxin said. Liu Jiaxin saw that Chen Xu was not in good condition, so she excused herself to go back and help her grandma with some work, and left quickly.

When Grandma Chen heard that Zhang Yong was back, she was a little at a loss for a while. After all, it was she who went to the police station to report Zhang Yong for stealing cables, which led to Zhang Yong being caught and sentenced to jail. She didn’t know if Zhang Yong knew this in his heart. Will he take revenge on her? She pushed Chen Xu and said, "Go back to your work quickly. Bad guys in your work can't get in. Go back quickly and don't live at home." Chen Xu did not leave immediately, but sat there in silence for a long time. She once told Liu Jingsheng about her experience, and briefly mentioned it to Han Yidao. At that time, she treated it as a long-standing story and told it calmly. But once she heard that Zhang Yong was back today, she suddenly lost her composure. It was like showing a movie in those old days, with scenes appearing frame by frame. Because each had their own secrets, both grandma and Chen Xu were silent for a long time.

"Dang Dang Dang" there was a knock on the door from outside. Grandma suddenly shuddered, and the two of them guessed that Zhang Yong must be knocking on the door outside, because Grandma Liu would not knock on the door when she came in. So Chen Xu comforted the old man and said, "Grandma, you stay in the house, I'll go out and take a look." Grandma quickly stopped and said, "Don't go out." Chen Xu shook his head, "Grandma, you don't have to be afraid. Besides, let's hide in the house. It's no use, the door is not locked at all. If it is really Zhang Yong, he will open it as soon as he pushes it, and the wall between our two families can't stop him." After saying that, Chen Xu straightened his coat and raised his legs. Go out and quickly come to the door. She calmed down, breathed steadily, and opened the door with both hands.

Zhang Yong was surprised to see Chen Xu standing in front of him. He looked at Chen Xu. Compared with ten years ago, Chen Xu was more beautiful. He looked a little indifferent, not as green and uneasy as before. Chen Xu just looked at Zhang Yong without saying a word. Zhang Yong's hair was very short and he was slightly fatter than before. He looked completely like a middle-aged man. He had completely lost the arrogance and unruliness of the past. Who else would he be? , looks like a ruffian who frequently starts fights with others. The two looked at each other for a full minute, and finally Zhang Yong lowered his head. At this time, grandma was finally worried and chased her out. Grandma came over and broke the silence, "Hey, isn't this Xiaoyong? Are you back?" Zhang Yong coughed awkwardly and said, "Yes, I'm back. My yard is full of grass, I put it I have pulled it out. I want to use it to make a fire. There are no matches. Can you lend me a box?" Grandma Chen said quickly: "Xu, go and get it for your brother Zhang." Chen Xu went back to the house and got it. A box of matches came out and was handed to Zhang Yong. Zhang Yong took it and said "thank you" in an inaudible voice. Then turned around and went back.

Grandma Chen Xu quickly closed the door, bolted it inside, pulled Chen Xu into the house, and whispered to Chen Xu: "Xu, this person has been released from prison. He has been locked up in there for more than ten years. Then I'm not free to stay here. He might hate me, and I don't know what he can do. You should go back to your work quickly and don't live here anymore." Chen Xu thought for a while and said, "No, grandma, I I can't leave you alone at home! Besides, he may not dare to do anything, and I didn't do anything to him." Grandma was still worried, "No, I don't feel at ease, so you should leave quickly!" Chen Xu took grandma's hand and said, "Grandma, you don't have to be afraid. We are not bad people. Why should we be afraid of him? There is no law to protect us!" Grandma said anxiously, "We have been bullied for so many years. , since when did the law protect us?" Chen Xu patted grandma's hand, "Grandma, don't worry about it so much, let's cook and eat!" Grandma was worried and sat there without saying a word.

Chen Xu prepared the meal and grandma put it down before taking two bites.

Next door, Zhang Yong is sitting next to the stove. He originally wanted to use the grass in the yard to burn the kang to make it warmer, but because it has not been used for ten years, the chimney does not smoke after lighting it, but it makes the house full of smoke. , he choked and coughed and shed tears, so he had to put out the fire. There was dust everywhere in the house. He gave up the idea of ​​burning the grass and threw it into the garbage. Zhang Yong wanted to clean up the house simply. He pulled the light switch. Fortunately, there was still electricity. It was very cold in the house. The doors and windows were broken. It looked like thieves had visited the house many times. There was nothing valuable in the house. thing.

Zhang Yong sat there in a daze. After more than ten years, he has become seriously out of touch with this society. When he was released from prison, the community correction department went to pick him up, and his mother, whom he had not seen for many years, finally showed up. She said with tears in her eyes, "Come out and be a good person this time and live a good life." She wiped her tears and gave him 500 yuan. He silently allowed his mother to stuff the money into his pocket, and then watched his mother leave expressionlessly. Since his mother remarried when Zhang Yong was a teenager, Zhang Yong has rarely seen her. Zhang Yong did not expect that prisoners would be treated so well when they were released from prison. People from community corrections came to pick him up from prison, sent him back to his home, and gave him a new mobile phone as a locating tool. Mobile phones are still similar to those of ten years ago, but you must know that mobile phones were still a luxury item when he was imprisoned. He recently saw prison police using smartphones, and he was surprised at how quickly mobile phones were developing.

Zhang Yong was a little unbelievable when he saw the earth-shaking changes in Beicheng. It wasn't until the car drove into the area around his home that he felt a little familiar. He thought of Chen Xu more than once in prison, thinking that this little girl has grown up now, maybe married and has children. He wonders what kind of life she leads. Will her husband beat her? What kind of work will she do? Be a waiter or sell clothes? She is good-looking and a good clothes rack, so she should be more suitable selling clothes in a shopping mall. This is all his imagination about Chen Xu's life.

Zhang Yong was surprised when he saw Chen Xu today. Chen Xu was even more beautiful and looked very noble. Although he didn't understand women's clothes, he knew that Chen Xu's clothes were worth a lot of money when he saw how well made they were. Chen Xu is no longer the poor girl who lets him get whatever she wants, and is now someone she can't reach. In prison, he often thought of Chen Xu and always felt that she was his woman, but he never thought that Chen Xu would wait for him. He knew that Chen Xu was forced by his power and did not dare to disobey. Perhaps for Chen Xu must be happy that he was sentenced to jail!

Zhang Yong never expected that he would meet Chen Xu on the first day after he was released from prison. He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited, but the gap between the two people after ten years was so big that it was no longer possible.

Chen Xu still slept on the bed in the hut at night, and those dusty past events suddenly broke the seal with Zhang Yong's return and suddenly became alive.