【Gao Gui】The Glorious Years

From this valley they say you are going,

I will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile.

For they say you are taking the sunshine,

that has brightened our pathway awhile.

—— "redrivervalley"

2012.4 Tatsuma Sakamoto

When Suzi and Xiaowu entered the room chirping, I was dozing off on the leather chair in the study.In recent years, I have become more and more prone to sleepiness. Although I wake up early, I can still sleep for ten hours a day after calculation.At this moment, the delicate melody of the granddaughters was suddenly added to the sound of the pattering rain, and I woke up from the damp and old dream.

"Grandpa, you need to exercise more, you will lose your energy if you sleep too much." Suzi's apricot-shaped eyes had imperceptible worries.

"Old, old, let nature take its course, ah ha ha ha." I stretched myself, damn hard.

"Not old at all, our grandpa is the cutest and most energetic cool grandpa in the world, isn't he, Suzi?" Xiao Wu coquettishly hugged my neck from behind, and rubbed me twice with her little furry head.Only then did I realize that her short hair had been permed again.These seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls can really make a fuss.

I looked at my two precious granddaughters in a daze. They were so energetic and energetic, just like the erythrina in full bloom in the yard, just like me and Mutsu that year.Mutsu.Along with exhaustion, her name has frequently appeared in my life recently.Now I always think of her, and sometimes I see her shining face when she was 17 years old in my dream, "Chen Ma", she always calls softly in my ear, I stretch out my hand to embrace her, but she smiles lightly Disappeared.Aaron asked me who Mutsu was the day before yesterday.I knew that I had slipped my words again in the dream, and prevaricated that it was an old friend from the past, man.Aaron said no, he was afraid that I would be jealous, because you are too old to have an affair.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, let me tell you some breaking news, Xiao Lin is out!" Xiao Wu giggled, "Grandpa, do you still remember Xiao Lin?"

Kobayashi?Well, I have the impression that Xiao Wu seemed to be one of the guests invited to the birthday party last year. If I remember correctly, he should be a classmate.

"Xiao Lin has a boyfriend, he's aboveboard." Xiao Wu said again.

Suzi seemed a little embarrassed, and said, "Oh, why are you telling grandpa these things? Grandpa doesn't like to listen. Do you think everyone is as corrupt as you?"

Ah ha ha ha, the little girls really thought I was an old antique.

I cleared my throat, and decided to tell them a story I had personally seen, which might be more interesting than Kobayashi coming out of the closet.

In the summer of 1944, at the age of 17, I eloped with Mutsu from Osaka to Okinawa.My family firmly opposed my association with her on the grounds that they thought she came from a poor family background.It's unbelievable that my dear family members still have the strength to care about these things in these turbulent times.

"You are just a merchant, so what right do you have to look down on her being poor?" I laughed at my stubborn father, and got a hard slap in the face in return.

very good.

I just ran away from home with my beloved girl and a box of my dad's most cherished treasure, money.I imagined that he would be weeping with anger when he found out, and it was satisfying to think of that scene at the time.

Okinawa was chosen because Mutsu was cold and sick. I thought a place with a warmer climate might be better for her.It turned out to be a good decision. In addition to the warmth, the white sandy beach and coral reefs also opened our eyes. We immediately fell in love with everything here, including the delicious udon.The residence was decided quickly, and Mutsu almost took a fancy to the small residential building surrounded by Liuqiu pines at a glance. It itself is not very eye-catching, but the surrounding lush greenery makes people feel happy.We chose to rent a room on the second floor, and the price was quite cheap.After paying the deposit with the landlord, it occurred to me that maybe Mutsu chose it because she thought it would not be too expensive. She has always had more plans than me. Apart from my boldness, I actually have no strengths in life.

The first night of stay was not safe.There was only one bed, and Mutsu calmly told me that I would not be allowed to touch it until I was an adult, so I had to stay as far away from her as possible in that limited space, fearing that I would not be able to control myself.Mutsu is much more serious than me, and she said no, then it was not a joke.The warm and humid air at night made me feel in a trance. Listening to Mutsu's steady breathing next to my pillow, I didn't know if I was dreaming for a while.

That's when I heard a heated argument next door, two young voices alternating viciously, two men, no, more like two boys.One is deeper and the other is clearer. If you speak calmly, it should be nice to listen to.They savagely rebuked each other for their arrogance, and cursed viciously for each other's viciousness.

"Go home and be your young master! Get lost!" said the low-pitched one.

Then they fought, and they fought hard.Bang bang bang bang, the sound of things being smashed.

Then something fell hard.

Then came heavy breathing.

and inaudible groans.

"The sound insulation is poor." Mutsu complained in a low voice.With her back to me, I leaned up to look at her, and found a subtle embarrassment on her usually calm face.She closed her eyes tightly, frowned and told me to sleep honestly.

The next day I woke up early, Mutsu fell asleep, I leaned over and kissed her soft forehead, and then went to the balcony to watch the street view.The sky is not yet clear, the road is quiet and there are no pedestrians, and the lush Liuqiu pines around are a little gray and blue under the influence of the sky. Everything makes me peaceful and satisfied.

"Morning." Someone said to me from the balcony next door.

I look at him.nice long hair.

"New one here? I'll be a neighbor from now on, please take care of me." The man was full of smiles, and he didn't look like the type who would fight or even fight with others.

"Ahahaha, please take care of me. My name is Sakamoto Tatsuma, what do I call it?"

"Katsura Kotaro. Did you sleep well at night? The air in Okinawa is good for sleeping."

……

I was born with a glib voice, and suddenly I didn't know how to speak, "I was so noisy to death" is not like what I should say when we meet for the first time.

But he seemed to have realized something, laughed loudly a few times, and said, "Sorry, I will keep my voice down in the future." His attitude was really sincere.

"Who are you talking to, wig?" said the lower voice from last night suddenly.A boy who was slightly shorter than Katsura Kotaro stepped out and hugged him from behind.

"New neighbor, his name is Chen Ma, please say hello to him."

He turned his face towards me.A chiseled and handsome face should be able to make a girl's cheeks blush instantly.The lips are thin, and the lines give people a feeling of indifference, as if it is not surprising how many hurtful words spit out from them.

It is quite different from Katsura Kotaro.

"Morning." He said lightly.

This was the first time I met those two people.They were about my age and very good-looking.