The Silent Cherry And Plum Blossoms

Tao Anzhi didn't know at what age other people's memories started.She remembers things from a very early age.

Like she never saw her parents.She only has a grandfather.

For example, she has the best and most powerful grandfather in the world.He knew everything, taught her to write, taught her to recite multiplication formulas, and recite ancient poems.

Grandpa is a retired chemistry teacher, and he is kind.Life in the small town is simple and dull, but she is very happy.When the weather is fine, grandpa will take her to go fishing with him on a bicycle.She was sitting on the back seat of the bicycle, her feet dangling and shaking, counting the white clouds in the sky.

There are few people in the village, and almost everyone has a little bit of relative relationship that can be calculated without abacus.Tao Anzhi knew that the grandfather in his memory almost never lost his temper, he always had a smile on his face, and he was very popular. When he went out and walked around, someone would call him "Teacher Tao" from far away. Even if he bought vegetables, he would buy more Some onions, ginger and garlic.

On Saturdays and Sundays, students will come to him for tutoring, and sometimes he will cook food for students to stay for dinner.First-class workmanship.Many students even begged their parents to pay more tuition fees and let them take care of their meals.

Such a good grandfather, an omnipotent grandfather.

Tao Anzhi clearly remembered that morning, which was her first day in kindergarten.She was wearing the new dress her grandfather bought her, and she was sitting obediently on the dining table drinking porridge, with her brand new schoolbag on the chair next to her.It is pink in color, in the shape of a rabbit, fluffy, and has two long hanging ears.It was bought by my grandfather from the town.She loved it so much that she almost slept with her back on her back.

Halfway through the porridge, my grandfather smiled and said, "By the way, I forgot to bring red eggs for us."

It is a custom in the country that on the first day of school, parents will prepare two red eggs and bring them to school to eat.

Tao Anzhi did not expect that these were the last words her grandfather said to her.

Tao Anzhi waited for a while but did not meet him.Suddenly there was a muffled sound in the kitchen, as if a heavy object hit the ground.She called grandpa, but there was no answer. She slid off the chair and ran to the kitchen.

She stopped at the door.A bright red egg rolled to her feet, she looked over in bewilderment, grandpa was holding another egg in his hand, his face had turned blue-gray.

Tao Anzhi didn't go to kindergarten that day.

She was completely confused about what happened next. Someone came over and changed her into a white mourning dress, wearing hemp.The elders of the same clan came to help, and a temporary mourning hall was set up at home.

She sat alone on the bench in the mourning hall, and her ears were filled with various voices, cries, mourning, and they were discussing burial, cremation and other words.

There are also those people whom she calls aunt and aunt talking in a whisper not far away:

"I heard that it was a sudden myocardial infarction, and it went away very quickly. When the son of the old Yang family who delivered the gas arrived at home, his body was cold..."

"Poor teacher Tao, have you notified his daughter? I heard they are in Beicheng?"

"Teacher Tao's daughter? I haven't seen her for many years. Hey, she is also ignorant. She gave birth to a daughter at a young age and threw it to Teacher Tao. The child is six years old, and she has never come back to take a look..."

"What's going on here, where's the child's father? Why is the surname Tao following Teacher Tao?"

"Keep down, the kid is still there..."

The voice that was getting louder and louder was deliberately suppressed, and it sounded rustling.Like the thick fallen leaves in the cover of a winter forest, some unknown monster lurks underneath.

Pop out at any time to bite you.

"Daughter born out of wedlock" "The other party is a rich man, so I don't admit it... That's why I entered the Tao family's household registration."

Tao Anzhi was only six years old at the time, and her grandfather had already taught her to recognize many characters, and she understood a lot of them.

She said nothing.

Grandpa lay in that "wooden box" and put on another set of his clothes.She's seen it before, it's something he doesn't often wear, it's ironed straight and docile.He loved to laugh when he was alive, but now his face is gray and wood-colored, and his lips seem to be curled up.

This "walks more peacefully," that's what those people say.

And these people are still playing and talking beside them.

Grandpa said before: Children are not allowed to interrupt when adults are talking.

So she didn't interrupt.

But grandpa can't stand up and stop them now.

Tao Anzhi lowered his head slowly.

She just sat there motionless, pale mourning clothes, small body, like a small piece of stiff statue.The adults around came and went, making arrangements for the funeral.An elder noticed her and brought her something to eat.At night, she wanted to stay and watch the night, but she had no choice but to keep her words light, so she was sent to the home of the elders of the same clan in the village to spend the night.

The next day she came to the mourning hall early, offered incense, bowed down, and burned paper according to the adults' instructions.

Although it was early autumn at this time, the heat was still poisonous, and the remains could not be kept for too long. A funeral and cremation were required before the urns could be placed in the ancestral hall in the village.

Tao Anzhi's grandfather lost his wife early, and he has only one daughter and one granddaughter under his knees.He was under 60 when he died, so it is not a joy or funeral.Can only keep things simple.

But no matter how simple it is, there must be filial sons and filial daughters wearing sackcloth and filial piety. The old man in charge asked a little angrily: "What's the matter? The daughter of the Tao family hasn't arrived yet? It's so unfilial! Parents are here, don't travel far! Now Parents are gone, where is she?"

The old man is seventy-five years old. When he was young, he beat devils, served as the village party secretary for several times, and went to the sea to do business. He has a high prestige in the village. The juniors call him "Old Uncle". Not many people dare to answer.Everything is ready now, except for the person who should have arrived long ago.

The old uncle still wanted to say a few more words, but he caught sight of Tao Anzhi who was kneeling, the child's dark eyes, and the corpse that could not be closed for a long time, and swallowed the few words he wanted to say.

Mending was scattered and there was no good end.

Is there anything more desolate than this?

The old uncle thought.

Tao Anzhi still didn't speak, and knelt in front of the coffin, turning himself into a small stiff clay sculpture again.

At this moment, a woman rushed in from outside the door. Before everyone could react, she knelt down with a plop, walked a few steps to the coffin, and called out sadly: "Father..."

After kowtowing three times, she still hung her head, her shoulders were trembling, and she was sobbing.

Her neck, long and snowy, hung tremblingly, exuding a beauty of astonishing fragility.The surrounding environment seemed to be quiet all of a sudden, only her thin and crisp wailing was in the mourning hall.

Tao Anzhi stared at her without blinking, watching the aunts and aunts around him sobbing to comfort her, watching the unbearable faces of the men next to him, even the old uncle turned his face away.

Suddenly she raised her head and looked this way, Tao Anzhi met her eyes, that strange yet familiar clear and haggard face was full of tears.Tao Anzhi's clay sculpture-like body gradually loosened and fell apart with a creak, revealing a small fleshy body.

The woman rushed over quickly and hugged her into her arms.

Tao Anzhi's immature heart trembled suddenly.In her only years, she rarely felt a woman's embrace. This embrace was extremely soft and fragrant, and she was still trembling slightly.

Tao Anzhi thought of the hen raised by her grandfather, who would chirp anxiously on rainy days and hide the chicks under her wings.

An Zhi pursed her lips, suddenly feeling like crying.I even wanted to say those two words.Just for a short while, maybe 1 minute, maybe only a few seconds?

But before she could feel the embrace, the woman withdrew.

Tao Anzhi's little bit of courage disappeared in an instant.

She stared blankly at the woman whispering towards the coffin, sobbing until she choked, a plain white hand clutching the fabric on her chest, as if it could relieve something.An Zhi looked at it, but also felt that his chest was stuffy and it was difficult to breathe.

Teacher Tao's daughter finally arrived. The old uncle sighed and waved people to prepare the coffin.

Tao Anzhi, who hadn't shed tears all this time, suddenly let out a sharp howl from his throat, and rushed to hug the coffin, insisting that no one should close it.

The scene was sad and chaotic for a while, and the old uncle sighed deeply again.Orphans and widows, poor to see.

Tao Anzhi broke her throat, and she didn't even cry that day.They loaded Grandpa's coffin into the car and were about to take it to the funeral home in town for cremation, and the crying woman followed.

The old uncle frowned.Originally, according to the customs of the village, women were not allowed to be cremated, and they were still unmarried women.But his facial muscles twitched, but he still didn't say anything.

Naturally, Tao Anzhi couldn't follow, the car started to kick up a cloud of dust.

She raised her head with difficulty and looked away.

She was six years old, and she hadn't even started kindergarten yet.She still doesn't know life and death, but she already knows death and parting.