The river is exhausted

The originally silent school gate was broken by human voices and the sound of the engine when the car started.Two exquisitely decorated street lamps stand on both sides of the school gate, illuminating this square inch of land.It began to snow again, sprinkled in the night, drifting to different places.They have no roots.

Shen Rujiang stood aside, watching the two people who looked very similar staring blankly.

"This is my mother." In the end, Jin Jue moved first. He turned his head and introduced Shen Rujiang who was standing aside, and then introduced Shen Rujiang to his mother: "Shen Rujiang, my friend."

It's not that he didn't think that this lady was Jin Jue's mother, but the young face of the other party made him guess more - this might be his sister.

"Hello." Shen Rujiang raised his eyes, looked at the delicate face of the other party, and said hello out of politeness.

Jin Jue's mother smiled and nodded at Shen Rujiang. The smile was just right, obviously from years of work and training.Then he turned to Jin Jue, teasingly said, "You're not bad, you've already made friends in school."

"You...shut up!" Jin Jue rolled his eyes at his mother, looking quite anxious, as if he was afraid that his mother would reveal more of his dark history.

"Okay, let's go home first." Jin Jue's mother put an arm around Jin Jue's shoulder.

Shen Rujiang blinked, and he felt as if some snow had fallen on his eyelashes, but to be honest, he felt that the two stood together more like siblings.

"Is it Rujiang? Are your parents here? Do you want me to take you back?" Jin Jue's mother looked at her son with worried eyes, and looked at Shen Rujiang with a smile.

"Thank you, no need. I live near the school, and I'll be there in a short walk." Shen Jinjiang politely declined.

"Then let Jin Jue bring you to our house as a guest some other day." Jin Jue's mother patted Jin Jue on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Then we'll leave first."

"I'm sorry... There was an unexpected situation today. I will play with you another day. Goodbye!" Jin Jue followed his mother into the car, and apologized to Shen Rujiang from the car window.

Shen Rujiang tilted his head, a little confused about what Jin Jue was apologizing for, but he still raised his hand and waved towards him.Watching them go away until the figure of the car disappeared at the edge where the road meets the sky.

The school gate was silent again, and Shen Jinjiang raised his head to look at the two bright street lights.There are no bugs or moths that dazzle the light, but this kind of weather.It is true that there are no insects wandering outside, and the street lamps cross and stretch the shadows sinking into the river for a long time.

He lowered his head and picked up the backpack on the ground.He took a step forward and walked slowly in the opposite direction.On the quiet street, apart from the occasional sound of passing cars, the only sound is the creak of him stepping on the snow.

He reached out and raised the scarf around his neck, just enough to cover the part below his nose.

The night was darker and colder.

When stepping into the gate of the yard, a familiar smell came over my face, after all, it was the place where I lived for nearly two years.The yard was very quiet, but the lights were still on in those rooms. He estimated that it was already eleven o'clock, and those who hadn't rested were about to rest.

When he was walking towards his room with his backpack, he stopped in front of Grandpa Yang's room.The room was pitch black, maybe the old man had already fallen asleep.

Back in the room, Shen Rujiang turned on the light.The room was very tidy, almost as it was when he went, and it was the same when he came back.But very clean, not a trace of dust.Apparently it is often cleaned, and no one seems to do such a thing except the grandpa next door.

The room looked very cold because the heating was not turned on. Shen Rujiang put down his backpack, and the corners of his mouth, which had never been curved, turned up a little.

He tried to turn on the heating, only to find that the heating supply had already arrived.Turning around and throwing himself on the familiar bed, the exhaustion of the past ten days rushed into his brain in an instant.He closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.

A night without dreams.

Shen Jinjiang slept until noon the next day.The children in the yard must have been on winter vacation long ago, and the sound of playing in the yard woke Shen Shenjiang from his sleep, otherwise he could have slept longer.

I got up and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. By the way, I took a shower. I was refreshed. After washing, I changed the medicine for the wound.

"I don't know when the stitches will be removed." Shen Rujiang was thinking while applying the medicine.

After tidying up, he came out of the room.I happened to see Grandpa Yang sitting in the yard smoking a bamboo cigarette. The old man was smoking while watching the children playing, smiling happily.Shen Jinjiang cleared his throat and shouted, "Grandpa Yang."

The old man turned his head when he heard the sound, and looked at Shen Rujiang in surprise: "Ah! When did you come back, son of a bitch?"

"It was past eleven o'clock last night. I didn't bother you when I saw you were asleep." Shen Jinjiang replied truthfully. After speaking, he paused, and after thinking for a moment, he continued: "Thank you for cleaning my room."

"It turned out to be last night! It's good to be back. I'm still wondering why I haven't come back yet. This school really doesn't treat you kids as human beings." Grandpa Yang looked up at the station. Shen Rujiang in front of him sighed and said.

"It's okay, just get used to it." Shen Jinjiang sat down beside the old man, and turned his gaze to the children who were playing around.

While smoking a bamboo pipe, Grandpa Yang kept his eyes on the children, but kept chatting with Shen Rujiang: "Aren't you going home this year?"

Shen Jinjiang was stunned for a moment, and quickly realized the meaning of Grandpa Yang's words. On the eve of the Spring Festival a year ago, he asked Shen Jinjiang, "It's been a while, why don't you go home?", Shen Jinjiang Jiang's answer at that time was "no reply".

The old man then asked why?Shen Rujiang replied "I don't want to go back" without thinking too much.

After that, the old man didn't ask any more questions. He just sat under the eaves, smoking a bamboo pipe and staring at the snow in the distance, as if he was thinking about something.Only later did Shen Rujiang know that the old man's children hadn't come back to see him for two years.

Shen Jinjiang's answer at that time seemed to be the answer of his children. He thought that he might have hurt the old man's heart unintentionally.I don't know whether it was out of a sorry attitude or what, since then he has paid more attention to the old man, and his attitude has become respectful.

But he didn't quite understand why Grandpa Yang's children didn't come back to see him.If grandma is still alive and at home, he will definitely go back every year.He didn't dare to ask Grandpa Yang this question, he just felt puzzled.

It's just that he didn't expect him to ask this question again this year. Shen Jinjiang guessed that the old man might still hope that his children could come back to see him.How should he answer such a simple question?

There was a long silence between the two, and finally Grandpa Yang spoke first: "If you don't want to answer, let's talk about something else."

"Return." Shen Jinjiang said suddenly, he glanced at the old man out of the corner of his eyes, as if to convince the old man, he said a few more times: "Return, I want to go back."

Hearing Shen Jinjiang's solemn answer, the old man suddenly laughed cheerfully, as if his children had agreed to come back to see him.But the God of Destiny always loves to joke with people so much, Shen Rujiang's answer seemed to confirm something.

Three days before New Year's Eve in February 15, several unexpected "guests" suddenly came to the yard.Shen Jinjiang stayed in the room for more than ten days, and only when he heard the sound, he looked out.

Grandpa Yang held his two children in his arms and wept freely, while behind them were their husband, wife and children.The two children knelt down to the old man one after another, explaining that they had not returned for three years.

Shen Rujiang shrank back and thought: Sure enough.No matter which child they are, they will always be attached to the home where they were born and raised.

But seeing them come back, he reckoned that it was time for him to prepare to leave.That night, the old man and his children had a big meal together, almost inviting everyone in the yard to eat together.I was so busy that I didn't think of Shen Rujiang until later, so I cooked some warm and rich noodle soup and sent it to him.

Shen Rujiang was sitting at the computer desk sucking noodles, and the old man was sitting in front of him, with a look of joy on his face.

"Rijiang, what's the number today? Why don't you go home? The Chinese New Year will be in two days. You didn't go back last year. Don't wait for your family."

"I'm leaving tomorrow, and it's not far away." Shen Rujiang suppressed some weird feelings in his heart and said calmly.

"The relationship is good, go home earlier, reunite with the family members earlier, and celebrate the New Year happily together. I will give you some things that I dried and pickled myself, and you can take them home so that the family members can taste them Let them know that you have not been treated badly by staying here!" Grandpa Yang squinted his eyes, and every word in his words revealed concern.

"Thank you." Shen Jinjiang's hand holding the chopsticks trembled suddenly, and he could feel the concern for him in the old man's words.But this feeling is very weird, the old man's unknowing concern turned into a dagger stuck in his heart.

But this can't blame the old man, after all, he doesn't know anything.Shen Rujiang felt that it was to blame, and he could only blame himself.

In fact, he really wanted to say to the old man, "Maybe I don't have a home anymore."

But just think about it.

He got up early the next day, before dawn, he simply packed up his things and set off, after all, he didn't plan to go for a long time.

Today's snow is a bit heavy, not like catkins in the past, but like goose feathers.The snow on the ground is thicker, and there will always be a deep footprint when you step on it.

With a backpack on his back, Shen Rujiang set off for the high-speed rail station, and he had already bought the round-trip tickets.Depart at [-]:[-] am and return at [-]:[-] pm.The total time on the way to and from is only more than an hour, which is actually so close.

I don't know what the place that has been away for four or five years has become now.There is some faint expectation in my heart, but the worry is always more than the expectation.