tell me

They followed the woman on the mountain road for more than 50 minutes, passed through other people's courtyards, greeted each other familiarly, and stepped on a wispy field ridge in order to take a shortcut.

Walking on the mound that only one person can pass through, the non-sticky sand rolls down fearfully because of human footsteps, and finally hides in the emerald leaf folds of cabbage.

Every house in the countryside has chicken coops, and the fences are made of yellowed bamboo poles. Through the gaps, you can see the roosters striding forward proudly, their necks trembling with the pace, and the hens curled up on the ground comfortably. He squinted his eyes, and a foul smell came from the tip of his nose.

"I heard Huzi say that you are from a big city, and the conditions in the countryside are poor. I really feel sorry for you." The woman led them into a dilapidated iron gate. The three houses were arranged in three directions, east, west, north. It's not because of the too humble wooden roof, doors and windows, but it looks like a big family.

"Do these three houses belong to your family? The yard is really big." Lu Yinke said.

"That's right. When my father was here, the front room was still occupied. Later, when he was gone, it was left unused. It was left by my grandfather. The room in the middle is where my parents live, and the house on the right is our house. .”

"I'm sorry to make you mention something sad." Du Yu stopped Lu Yinke who was still about to open his mouth, his eyebrows lowered.

"It's all right, there's nothing else to do if things happen." The woman smiled indifferently, "It's like this in the countryside. Houses are worthless, and everyone's house is a big house."

"But no matter how big the house is, what's the use? People are gone, and the bigger the heart, the emptier it is." Her eyes became moist, and she finally changed the subject and mentioned her son, "Oh, let's go to my room, the living room There are snacks on the square table. Huzi, take the teachers to eat something."

Ah Hu nodded, but shook his head again. He grabbed the woman's hand, looking helpless like a lamb that couldn't stand up.

"Where's grandma? I want to visit grandma first."

The woman sighed, wordlessly led him into the back room, and led him to the bedside.

The old man lying on the bed looked peaceful, but there was dried blood on the brow bone, a little, but it directly contributed to her death.

Ahu burst into tears, knelt down beside the bed and held the old man's withered little hand.The time was too long, the hand was already cold, the fiery heart stopped beating, and the remaining warmth gradually disappeared into the dust.

Du Yu and Lu Yinke stood outside the door and did not go in. The more silent they were, the more distinct Ahu's cry became.

Entering this room is the hall. The heavy wooden door is also equipped with a latch as a lock. The latch is a heavy piece of wood. If you push the latch in, it will not open even in strong winds.There is a hanging picture on the wall directly opposite the door, the color has almost faded, but it can still be discerned vaguely that it is a painting of Songhe Yannian.

There are still peanuts and citrus in the small plastic dish on the wooden table, and the annual calendar on the wall is turning over today's date.Lu Yinke took a closer look, and the following two lines of small characters read: suitable for marriage, offering sacrifices, encoffining, burial, and avoiding emigration.Pressing it with his fingertips, his still calm mood made him frown anxiously, and he clearly knew that it should be heavy.

The roofs of the houses here are all very high. It is obviously a two-story structure, but they are only connected by beams.A roof tile is missing, probably on purpose, because glass fills the gap.The pale sunlight was projected from that piece of glass into the cold and damp room, casting some light and shadow on the uneven concrete floor.

Du Yu followed the light and stuck out one foot, so the light flowed on the tip of his shoe.

A cat with gray and black stripes jumped down from the beam suddenly and lightly. It tilted its head and stared at the two for a while, then jumped up to the beam at the other end.

The crying inside the door didn't stop, the boy's wail mixed with the woman's sobs.Outside the door are two silent passers-by who have no right to set foot in other people's worlds.

"Tell me, how could this person be so fragile, he fell and disappeared in one fall?" Lu Yinke sat on a bench and lowered his head to peel peanuts. He lightly crushed the crispy shells and red skins and threw them into the trash can. .

Du Yu tore open a candy corn and put it in his mouth, it was hard candy.He rolled his tongue, and the high temperature in his mouth melted it into sweet and greasy sugar water, which slid down the base of his tongue and into his throat.

"I'm old, not to mention that I hit my forehead. I fell into a coma at that time and walked very fast."

"I see on the calendar that today is the proper burial, she won't be..."

"Lu Yinke." Du Yu called him indifferently, his tone was not harsh, he seemed to be talking about a common thing, but his tone was dull, "Don't make fun of the dead."

"I was wrong." Lu Yinke nodded.

He took Du Yu's right hand and held it with the palm of his hand, and rolled the peeled peanuts into it with the other hand.Before he had time to withdraw his hand, Du Yu slammed his backhand and returned it all to him.

"I have sugar in my mouth."

"Oh, that's fine." He curled up his hands slightly, and put them neatly on his mouth, and the round peanuts rolled onto the tip of his tongue.

Anyway, Du Yu took it.

While thinking to himself, he looked aimlessly to the right.

Just in time, the woman walked towards them. She thought she was just passing by, but she stopped firmly in front of them.

"Could you help me with something?" she asked. "It's a bit heavy."

The thing to take is a coffin, which was laid before his death.

The black wooden coffin was very heavy, and it was placed in the attic of the room on the left. It had been left there when the old man was still alive.

The posthumous photos were taken a long time ago, black and white but with a smile.

In the past, it could only be placed alone in the back room, but now it is fine, and finally it can be taken out and placed side by side with her old man.

Such a big headshot, framed in a black frame, I don't know what she will think when she passes by her countless times.

Du Yu was excluded from the coolies because of his thin body.The black coffin was carried down by Ah Hu's father and Lu Yinke together, and placed in the center of the hall.

But he was not idle either. The entrusted task was to climb the ladder to tie white cloth on the beams of the house.The square white cloth hangs from the beam to the bottom, covering half the height of the house, and on it is the word "Dian" written in black ink.Both sides also put up elegiac couplets, which read "The past is gone, wind and wood and sorrow".

Under the banner is a table, on which meals and incense are gradually placed.And the coffin was just behind the table.

The women began to bend down and spread straw on the ground on both sides of the coffin, a thick layer.

"This is..." Lu Yinke said hesitantly.

"It doesn't hurt to kneel on a layer of straw." The woman replied, "There are many customs in the countryside. Children and grandchildren have to kneel for a day during the wake."

"Huh?" He was startled, "Then the burial will be tomorrow?"

"Yes, you can't be cremated until [-]:[-] noon tomorrow, and you have to kneel before that." She glanced at the small clock on the table, "The other children haven't come back yet, and they probably won't be there in a while." Hurry up, otherwise I won't bother you, it's really hard work."

"Well... it's getting late now, shall I ask Huzi to take you back?" the woman said while pushing Ahu forward.

"No, no, I remember the way. Let Ah Hu stay at home." Du Yu patted Ah Hu on the shoulder and squatted down, "Then teacher, come see you later tomorrow, okay? I know this is very difficult, But be strong."

Ah Hu's eyes were swollen from crying, like two oval walnuts, Du Yu couldn't help rubbing his usually bright eyes twice with his thumb.

"I... I'm fine, can you really... find the way? Or... I'd better send you off."

"What's so difficult about this? Isn't my surname Lu, little Lu Xiaolu, I will never get lost." Lu Yinke blinked, "If it doesn't work, I'll show my real body, and the land dude will jump out after I stomp twice Served."

Ah Hu was amused to hear it, and smiled through his tears, showing his two front teeth.

"Then I really won't give it away. Thank you all very much today. It's obviously my family's business..."

"Hey, that's not right. Since you are my disciple of Lu Yinke, then I am a family. A family should help each other more if we don't talk about each other." He paused, as if he thought he could add something Order something, I don't know who I am looking at with my lowered eyes, "Look, you and brother Yuyu are also in the same family."

Du Yu raised his head and said mercilessly, "Who is with your family."

"But look, you and Ahu's family, I and Ahu's family, according to the equivalent substitution, aren't we also a family when rounded?" This seems to be a key question, and he retorted very seriously, " And Du You still recognizes me as a brother, we are so close, what is it if we are not a family?"

"Strong words make sense."

Du Yu finally touched Ahu's fluffy crew cut two more times: "Then we'll come see you tomorrow."

Ah Hu stuffed his nose and let out a dull "hmm", but before Du Yu could turn around, he quickly grabbed his hand again.

"Brother Yu Yu, can you do me a favor?" He tugged Du Yu's arm to signal him to squat down, and then he put his hand around his mouth and whispered in his ear, "That...help me Can you bring some corn candy to Lu Xiaoou?"

"Tell me, this isn't great love, what is it?" Lu Yinke also wore sports shorts today, without pockets, so he could only begrudgingly put his hands on his chest.

"Superficial," Du Yu replied, "Do you think about these things every day in your dog's head?"

"No, how dare you," he replied smoothly, "I only want you."

Du Yu sneered coldly and turned his head to face the setting sun.

What a cold sunset that is, it will not be delayed for a moment because of the warmth and coldness of the world.

But it is so hot, burning for eternity.

"Hey," Du Yu called out to Lu Yinke again, using pronouns, as if he had called out at a certain sunset, "If someone in your family dies, what will you do?"

Lu Yinke didn't answer, but quietly followed behind him, with rustling footsteps.

"You," he opened his mouth, maybe because the dusk was too depressing, his voice sounded a little tired, "Can you stop calling me that? I don't expect you to call me that much, but I will too. Tired."

Du Yu paused twice, walked slower and slower, and finally stopped completely.

Lu Yinke also took back the steps he had taken, and he saw Du Yu turned to face him, with shining and warm eyes.

"Lu Yinke," he said lightly, and the words rippled away, "I see, yes..."

He seemed to want to apologize, but he still took it in, perhaps at the same time he took it in with his proud heart.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's alright alright, don't take everything so seriously! We're all friends now, I'm joking with you!" Lu Yinke felt embarrassed when he saw that he did what he did, and scratched his head embarrassedly. Hair, "It's not just what you shout!"

Du Yu frowned, perhaps thinking why this person is so difficult to deal with, but he still said solemnly: "This is my fault, I will correct it."

"Why are you so careful, it can't be PTSD." Lu Yinke muttered a few words, lowered his head and pulled his wrist impatiently, the warmth flowed into his body through the palm, "Hurry up, it's getting dark .”

Du Yu was dragged forward just like that, and forgot to break free.

He subconsciously stared at the joint between Lu Yinke and his wrist for a long time, then slowly moved his gaze up to the solid back of the man because of the backlight, and finally slowly withdrew his hand.