migratory birds do not return

At the end of August, Hou Xiao left the harbor alone.He bought a ticket for the [-]:[-] p.m. waiting station. There were not many people in the waiting station, and the lights were brightly lit. From time to time, the sound of people talking softly could be heard. The radio would ring every few minutes, announcing the time of the next train entering the station.

Hou Xiao was carrying a heavy and old hiking bag, standing on one side of the waiting chair, because he had nothing else to do, he had to look up at the small TV on the wall, which was playing a tourist promotional video of the harbor .Without the rendering of music, there are only dry scene cuts and texts, which makes those scenes look a little funny.

Strictly speaking, the harbor is not a good place.Autumn is the longest of the four seasons. Unlike the economically prosperous areas, there are still old blue brick walls and low and low buildings everywhere. The sky is indifferent all day long. It also brought an unceremonious tingling sensation to the face.

During the day, it is as quiet as an empty city, and only at night does it really come alive.Ambilight lights will shine through the window panes, illuminating the whole room as if it were daytime.

The station announcement sounded again, and people in the waiting area gradually stood up.Hou Xiao carried the mountaineering bag and consciously stood at the back of the line.

On the outermost layer was the admission notice he had received, the corners of which were wrinkled and wrinkled. Several times, he had the urge to throw it directly into the water and ignore it, pretending that he had not received it, Did not see the name of the school on the notice.

Although the harbor is not big, every student rushed out with all their strength. Most of the students in the same class were very good, and they got an enviable result in the exam.On the day of the break-up meal, some people gathered together to discuss which good university to apply for. There was a lot of laughter and laughter. The class teacher drank wine, clinked glasses with them in a daze, said a lot of blessings, and was surrounded by a group of people who had just stepped in. Jokes, embarrassing things are all set up for people and they don't realize it.

Hou Xiao stayed out of the crowd all the time, sitting alone in a corner in a daze.He is not a persistent person, so he was only disappointed for a while about failing the exam, and gradually lost his emotions, until the drunk head teacher accidentally mentioned Du Baigong's whereabouts, saying that he went to a certain place. When he was in a certain university, he realized that he still tasted the taste of failure irresistibly.

The reality threw him and Du Baigong on both sides of the river with a gap that couldn't be ignored.

Du Baigong is quite famous in the harbor.His grandfather lives here, he is a very prestigious little old man, known as Du Lao, he likes to make appointments with people to play chess, and sometimes he will help people calculate things when the mood arises.

Although this thing seems a bit feudal and superstitious in the 21st century, for the people in the harbor, it is more like an act of planning for a rainy day. Gradually, the reputation of the old man spread, and sometimes he went for a walk outside , can chat for a long time with strangers you meet by chance.

Du Baigong came here in summer. He seems not afraid of the heat at all. In the dog days, he was wearing a blue shirt as a base layer and a red tie. There was a dark check pattern on the suit jacket outside. It didn't fit well with the customs and customs of the seaport, so that when Hou Xiao first saw him, he reflexively thought that this person must not be easy to get along with.

That day, he accompanied his aunt to the old man's house to deliver the loquat cream he made at home. The old man's house is located in a very high location, and he climbed dozens of steps to get there. Hou Xiao was raised as a child in a greenhouse since he was a child. He also neglected to exercise, was so tired that he was out of breath, and fell far behind. When he caught up, he saw his aunt and the old man sitting and chatting together, while Du Baigong stood aside, pulling off his tie in twos and twos. He also took off his coat.If Hou Xiao thought there were women around, he would definitely have to take off his shirt.

Du Baigong changed all the clothes that got in the way, changed into a refreshing casual clothes, and exhaled lightly.Hou Xiao stood at the door, and before he had time to say hello, he heard the old man casually laugh, and said to Du Baigong, "It was replaced so quickly, if your father knew about it, wouldn't he scold you to death?"

"He drove back. How do you know if I'm dressed according to his requirements." Du Baigong adjusted the position of the watch carelessly, and joked: "You won't report me anyway, right?"

The grandpa and grandson looked at each other and laughed together.Hou Xiao listened to him in a daze, and stood at the door in a daze, or the aunt raised her eyebrows when she saw him, and introduced to the old man with a smile, this is a little naughty boy in our family.

Hou Xiao really wanted to correct her choice of words. He thought he was pretty good at home, and he didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Occasionally, he would make small troubles at school, but it was just a joke among classmates, and he never made trouble. Go to the parents, he dare not take the hat of naughty boy, but since it is the elders who are talking, he has to take it.

Hou Xiao said hello, stood beside his aunt consciously, wiped the sweat off his head, and felt that his back was wet with sweat, but Du Baigong who was beside him didn't feel hot at all, and was still squatting by the sofa with the old man. one of the dogs played.

He suddenly wanted to know how Du Baigong managed to keep his sensitivity to temperature in such a low state, even if he could wear long-sleeved trousers in the scorching air, he still wanted to make a fuss, could it be God? Cold?

The aunt talked with the old man for a while before getting up and leaving. The old man was too cold to lie on the recliner and didn't want to move. There happened to be a ready-made errand runner next to him, so he directed Du Baigong to send them out without any psychological pressure.

Du Baigong pursed his lips, looking a little reluctant, but he still stood up, and before going out, he slapped the dog's head ruthlessly, and made a victory gesture to it.

It was very sunny outside, and my aunt put on a sun umbrella. Out of a young man's mentality of saving face, Hou Xiao really didn't want to stay under the same umbrella with her, so he just followed behind, his skin was so hot from the sun. .

When Du Baigong sent them off, he was very quiet and didn't say anything. He didn't smile until he sent them to the steps. He said a few words of kindness to his aunt, and then turned his gaze to him.

"Go back and pay attention." Du Baigong pointed to his tanned arm and explained, "Be careful of sunburn."

Hou Xiao nodded subconsciously, but forgot the most basic social etiquette. The aunt beside him patted the back of his head lightly, thanked Du Bai respectfully for him, dragged him under her umbrella and took him away.

When Hou Xiao was halfway down the steps, he turned his head in a strange way. He didn't expect that Du Baigong was still standing there, but his hands were no longer empty.He was holding a cigarette case in his hand, and he was biting an unlit cigarette in his mouth. It was obviously a bit surprised to see him turn around. He stuffed the cigarette case into his pocket two or three times, took off the cigarette, and made a mouthful at Hou Xiao. type.

Don't talk about it.He said.

There was silence in the carriage, and the ceiling lights cast warm yellow light down.This bus does not have air-conditioning, and the cabin is stuffy and dry. Hou Xiao wanted to open the window, but worried that the outside air would cause dissatisfaction among other passengers, so he simply withdrew his hand.

There were not many people in the car, most of them were people who came back from part-time jobs and hurried back overnight. Like Hou Xiao, there was only one person rushing to school. Hou Xiao recognized him, the study committee member of the next class, Ai Qi.

He didn't expect to be accompanied by people of the same age on this journey. After all, the other students set off early and went to different universities. Unlike the mountain school he went to, probably only those who have been in the local area for many years have heard of it.

Hou Xiao gave up listening to music to pass the time, and planned to take a nap, although he might not be able to fall asleep.

Unexpectedly, Ai Qi, who had been sitting by the window on the other side, suddenly walked up to him and greeted him.Hou Xiao was a little surprised, so he quickly gathered up his energy and chatted with her.

At the beginning, it was nothing more than some pleasantries, but gradually the topic changed a bit.Hou Xiao found that Ai Qi was even worse than himself. She missed the college entrance examination, and her family could not afford her to repeat the exam. In desperation, she had to go out to work.

The young girl, who has already tasted the warmth and warmth of human feelings in advance, was pushed and had to step into the trend of society, and she couldn't help herself.Hou Xiao comforted her a few words, and was about to end this topic when Ai Qi took the initiative to talk about her school days.

"The transfer student who came in the second year of high school." Ai Qi said, "I even handed him a love letter. Now that I think about it, the world he lives in must not be within my reach. It's so prosperous that I can't even imagine it. "

Hou Xiao's hands in his pockets trembled, and he grabbed the earphones subconsciously, noncommittal.

Probably because Hou Xiao spied on Du Baigong's little secret that was never known to outsiders, Du Baigong took the initiative to say hello when he met him the next day.

Hou Xiao was riding a bicycle with a bag hanging from the handlebar, which contained the soy sauce that his family asked him to buy. He was in a hurry to go back to turn on the air conditioner. When he saw Du Baigong standing under the sun, he was once again shocked by this person's ability to resist heat. .He opened his mouth and asked almost without thinking, "Aren't you hot?"

"Ah." Du Baigong was stunned for a moment, and quickly waved his hands, "It's okay, I can wear a lot in summer, but I'm afraid of the cold."

"That's it." Hou Xiao responded, thinking to himself, although I'm afraid of heat, I'm not afraid of cold.This unreasonable psychological balance made him temporarily abandon his desire to go home, and after a few words with Du Baigong, he rode back slowly.

The delivery of soy sauce was late, Grandma scolded him, Hou Xiao accepted it with a smile, and turned to get the ice cream in the refrigerator again, without the slightest sense that dinner was about to start.

He sat cross-legged on the sofa, kept tuning the channel while pressing the remote control in his hand, and finished half an ice cream in one go.

"Brat, you're going to eat right away, do you know that? You're still eating ice cream, so you deserve a beating." Hou Yu came down from the stairs and grabbed his ear at the very beginning. Hou Xiao backed away while begging for mercy, the whole back His back was stuck on the sofa, and he still didn't forget to hold the ice cream firmly.

Hou Xiao smiled and slapped her hand: "Sister, sister, it's okay, it's okay, my ears will turn red if you pull it again. Don't, don't take my remote control."

Hou Yu glared at him: "Don't let me take up the TV, get out of here."

Hou Xiao shrank his head and sat down to concentrate on eating ice cream.He had just finished eating the ice cream, and was about to make a precise shot to throw the popsicle sticks into the trash can when he saw the door of the house being pushed open. The old man stood outside, knocked on the door, bent down and smiled at them .

He just remembered that his aunt invited the old man to dinner at home last time. The old man is not a person who likes to deal with people, so he readily agreed, and today happened to be the day they agreed on.

He straightened his sitting posture unconsciously, saw Du Baigong coming in with the old man, and when their eyes collided, he bent the corner of his eyes at him.

"You're here. I'm planning to ask Xiao Xiao to pick you up. Sit down quickly." The aunt came out of the kitchen and asked the old man to sit down. "There are two more dishes here."

After the elder sat on the sofa, Hou Xiao didn't dare to occupy the seat in a big way anymore, so he quickly stood up and stood aside.Only then did he realize that his hands were sticky, and before he could throw the popsicle stick in time, the water dripped onto his hands.

Hou Xiao immediately threw away his things and ran into the bathroom to wash his hands. Just as he was about to go out, he felt someone tap his shoulder, which made him almost jump up in fright.

As soon as Hou Xiao turned around, he saw Du Baigong waving at him, he hesitated for a while and leaned over, and heard Du Baigong ask softly: "Is there any place near your house where not many people go?"

His voice seemed to have magic power, and Hou Xiao was immediately fixed in place, and it took him a long time to regain his thoughts, and replied like a mosquito: "Yes, I will take you there."

There is a rockery behind Hou Xiao's house, and behind the rockery is his small world.It was the wooden house built by his parents when he was a child, and there were some things that were not usually used in it. Sometimes Hou Xiao would go there for leisure, and his family usually would not come here to disturb him.

He unlocked it, let Du Baigong in sideways, and turned on the light again.The furnishings in the room are quite simple, there is a small window, and two pots of cacti are placed on the window sill.It is also sheltered from the sun, so it is a good place to escape the heat in summer.

After getting his permission, Du Baigong went to open the window, moved the two pots of cacti aside, fumbled for a cigarette case from his pocket, smoked one and bit it in his mouth, but he didn't see him lighting it.He lay on the window sill, half-closed his eyes, and his eyes fell on the branches in the distance.

Hou Xiao was ready to see the smoke, but he didn't expect Du Baigong to have no desire to light a cigarette.He was a little surprised, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is that just the case? Don't light it?"

"Hmm." Du Baigong didn't seem to want to answer this question, so he just explained ambiguously, "I didn't bring a lighter."

Hou Xiao consciously put away his curiosity, stood aside, and put a candy in his mouth.He vaguely saw that the pocket where Du Baigong put the cigarette case protruded slightly, as if a lighter was stuffed inside.

He knew that Du Baigong was lying, and he didn't want to offend others, so he pretended he didn't find anything and didn't start.

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My heart, a bird of the wild, found its sky in your eyes. ——Tagore's "The Gardener"