Please don't touch me at the same table, thank you

The two brothers' car drove along the Shuntan Avenue, bypassed the old residential buildings full of creepers, bumped a few times on the slightly undulating path, and turned into the gate of the community.

Song Zhishen's parents had already received the news that the eldest son was coming back, but the two elderly people had bad legs and feet, and their ears were not clear, so they simply opened the door wide, so that everyone passing by could see clearly and It is convenient for the son to enter the house.

When Song Zhishen stepped into the house, the halo of evening had enveloped the entire neighborhood, and the street lamps and the small light bulb at the door illuminated the way home.

My mother was half-sitting on a bamboo and rattan chair in the small garden, watching my father, who was wearing a plastic raincoat, clean up the flower field, dig the soil and bury the manure to re-root the flower seedlings.

As soon as Song Zhishen entered the house and saw this scene, he became obsessed with cleanliness.

Song Huai's obsession with cleanliness was inherited from him, and his obsession with cleanliness was influenced by his father when he was young. When he saw the scene in front of him, his eyelids twitched twice, and when he wanted to stop him, Song Zhishen blocked him.

"It's all right, let the old man clean up." Song Zhichen was still laughing beside him, "Recently, my mother suffered from arthritis again and couldn't squat down. It rained heavily in Beijing a few days ago. If these flowers can't be saved, When it gets warmer in another day, it won’t be able to bloom.”

"Okay Dad, don't be too busy, wash your hands quickly and let's get ready to eat, and I will help you after eating."

Song Zhichen patted his father on the shoulder, and put away the agricultural tools in his hand without any explanation, "My brother and you are both clean freaks, and they hate dirty and smelly, so I inherited it from my mother, and I ate it indiscriminately." It's okay, I'll do it."

His father gave up after hearing the words. He looked at his eldest son while taking off his gloves, and asked strangely: "Why are you back at this time? You were fired by the regiment? Can't you continue?"

"My son finally came back, what are you talking about?"

Song's mother reproached a few words, but she also looked at Song Zhishen, feeling very strange.

Not to mention the two of them, even Song Zhichen was muttering when he first received the call.

Their parents were workaholics in their early years. Coupled with the reasons of that era, it is not uncommon for them to stay away from home for several years.When the two brothers grew up, they unknowingly inherited this spirit of 'dedication'. Although Song Zhishen spent several months in the research room when he was busy, he was better than Song Zhishen. Under the eyes of my parents, I really didn't have time to eat for several days, and the old man and the old lady can still go to the door to grab people openly.

Song Zhishen was different. No one could figure out how he would engage in scientific research in this direction.The South Pole is freezing cold, and the living environment is extremely harsh. Once stationed, there will be no one for several months, which is very demeanor of his parents when they were young.

Now they are all used to the fact that the eldest son does not come home all the year round, they only think that he has gone abroad to settle down, but Song Zhishen came back without saying a word...

"It's nothing." Song Zhishen didn't intend to confess to his family about the matter between the husband and wife, so he said vaguely, "It's just that Xiaohuai fought with others, which caused some conflicts. It just so happens that I'm not very busy at work recently, and I have piled up vacations all these years. If you don’t invite me, just come back and stay for a few more days, and come to see you too.”

"Oh..." Song Zhichen drew the tone and said jokingly, "It turns out that looking at my sister-in-law and son is a serious matter, and we did it by the way?"

"Then it means that you forget your mother after marrying a daughter-in-law."

As soon as Song's mother mentioned this, and saw Song Zhishen standing in front of her, she immediately became angry, "When will you let me taste the taste of being unfilial?"

"Oh, I've never heard of such a novel request."

Song Zhishen has been urged to marry for so many years, and he has already become thick-skinned, "It's a pity that I am almost 40 now, and if you look around me, there are either married housewives or young girls, so I am an old uncle. You can be someone's father, how can you take advantage of him?"

"Do you also know that people can be fathers at your age?"

The old lady was unhappy when this topic was brought up, and she didn't bother to talk to him anymore, so she stood up on crutches and walked into the house.

Although Song Zhishen is close, he still has his own work and life after all. In order to take better care of the two elderly people, they specially hired a nanny to help wash and clean the vegetables. When you are bored, you can also talk to the elderly.

The Song family's home decoration is not rich and grand. The dining room is a simple old mahogany square table that has been used for decades, a few Chinese chairs, and a rice cover to prevent mosquito bites. The mesh of the plastic cover slowly floats upwards. When you smell it carefully, there is also a faint smell of tofu soup in it.

What I ate tonight were fried vegetables, egg custard, steamed sea bass, winter melon and tofu soup, and a bowl of black rice porridge.

Before dinner, Song Zhichen glanced at it, and said casually: "Why is the food so light today? Aunt Zhang, come to my place later to get some food money, and buy some good food tomorrow. After finally coming back, let me Brother, have a good taste of your craft."

Aunt Zhang was about the same age as them. Since she was hired to take care of the daily life of the two old professors, it was the first time she saw their eldest son. Hearing this, she couldn't help smiling restrainedly, and looked at Song Zhishen curiously.

"I have to give money, but I don't need to buy so many good dishes." The old lady pouted at the old man, "Your father left the window open to blow the cold two nights ago, and the old problem of toothache happened again. I can't even eat meat. Aunt Zhang, you can cook two dishes for them to eat, and my wife and I will continue as usual."

"Ah, I see."

Song Zhishen was stunned for a moment, and just about to ask when the toothache happened, Song Zhichen had already picked up the topic familiarly, "Have you had the toothache again? I said I would take a good look at it, but I still refused to listen. I will come to me tomorrow Let me arrange it with my friend, give Dad an expert number, and see if it can be cured this time, otherwise the pain will last for several days, how can I bear it."

Song's mother answered immediately: "I'll look for your dad's medical insurance card and medical record card later. I told him several times that he didn't go to the doctor every time..."

Song Zhishen buried the tip of his chopsticks in the porridge and rice, listening to them complaining about this and discussing that, talking and laughing, he was lost in thought for a while.

After dinner, when he pushed open the study door, the old lady opened all the drawers, and there was a pile of yellowed papers spread out on the table. She was wearing presbyopic glasses and smoothed each letter and put it back in a cowhide envelope. It's like reading an academic journal.

Song Zhishen closed the door subconsciously, "Mom? Are you looking for me?"

"Yeah." The old lady nodded her chin and signaled him to find a place to sit down, "It's something, we haven't chatted for a long time, let's sit down."

"it is good."

Song Zhishen sat down, and only then noticed that the letter papers his mother was sorting were not only yellowed, but also seemed to be broken if slightly pulled, and the traces of time were clearly visible.

Sensing his gaze, Mother Song explained: "These are all secretly sent to me by your father when he was young."

Song Zhishen was slightly taken aback, "Father? Send you a letter?"

"Yeah, didn't you expect that?"

In everyone's eyes, Father Song has always been an image of being unsmiling and unable to speak. Seeing the surprise in his son's eyes, Mrs. Song also smiled.

"Who hasn't been young? When your father was in his twenties, he was much more reckless than the two of you. It was so hard in the Mainland at that time. There was nothing, and everything was waiting for charity from others. Your father was in Laomei. When studying abroad, he wanted to serve the country. When he was in college, he was influenced by Mr. Qian and minored in mechanical and power engineering. When Mr. Qian was blocked from returning to China, he was also blocked on visa issues. I was so irritable at that time, and I fought with the embassy people, and I was imprisoned for a year with excuses."

"He didn't stop when he was in prison. He put it there every day to teach the inmates and prison guards what quantum mechanics is, what is condensed matter, and what is the structure of atomic nuclei and elementary particles. Who can stand it? But his He was not well-known for a while, and he was protected by someone, so he was released with a commuted sentence and returned home smoothly."

These are topics that his father and mother have never talked about with him, and Song Zhishen couldn't help laughing, "It seems like something Dad can do."

"Yeah," the old lady laughed again, "but when the Liaoning missile base was built in China in 1958, there were a lot of elites gathered there, and your father was also recommended to go there. Because of the confidentiality agreement, we completely cut off contact after he left."

"I couldn't make calls, and I couldn't send letters there. I was researching a project in Beijing at the time, and even if I went to see him, I couldn't get away."

When the old lady said this, her calloused and freckled fingers touched the delicate letter paper, her eyes were full of memories, "Then he wrote these letters to me."

Song Zhishen asked suspiciously: "Isn't it impossible to deliver?"

"Yeah, it's very strict, he can't send it out at all."

"He wrote me a letter every now and then, put it in an envelope, sealed it with a postmark, and locked it in his little box, and no one was allowed to see it. After waiting for several years, when he came back early, I went to the train station When picking him up, he packed a small bag with other things, and carried the wooden box on his shoulders. I asked him what was in it, but he didn't say anything. I was afraid that he would steal the materials for research, so I took the opportunity to secretly put them away. The lock's up. Boy, there's a pile of letters popping out of it, stuffed to the brim."

The old lady laughed while talking, "I will always remember that day, the box popped open, and the envelope floated out, and scattered on my face, legs, and knees, like snow. I saw his words on every envelope, which read: To my wife."

Song Zhishen's gaze fell on the table subconsciously. One of the letters was very different from the other concise letters. It was written with a correct pen and filled a whole page.

慧：

Today is the third day of November. I wonder if there is any snow in my hometown, and the road is smooth?

A few days ago, the Prime Minister came to visit and sat chatting with Professor Qian and the others. I happened to hear everyone chatting about family letters. They always talked about the homework that I always talked about when I wrote letters. I only hated the craftsman for not making the letter paper longer It’s best to fold it into several rolls and stuff it into the envelope, so that the longing will not be interrupted by changing the paper.

Thinking of my few pens, often asking you if you are well, whether the child is well, whether you have eaten dinner, how much money is left in the house, etc., and thinking that other people’s writing is a model family letter, I feel more and more ashamed, so I decided to change from the previous concise Style, talk to you softly.But after walking around for a long time, I don't know how to say a thousand words, and when it comes to the pen, only you and the child are safe, and nothing else.

I look forward to when the snow will melt so that I can see you soon.

Although there are no important matters in the letter, they are all trivial matters, but every single stroke is more moving.

"Your father has a dull and rigid temper. He doesn't like to talk, but only keeps his emotions in his heart."

The old lady Song said slowly, "When I was young, I used to say that you and your younger brother are two, you are the most like your father, and your younger brother doesn't like to hear this, and always fights with me. But now, I would rather you be like me A little more, at least don't be too taciturn like your father."

There are so many profound meanings in these words, how could Song Zhishen not understand?

His fingertips couldn't help shaking, and he pretended to be calm and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"What else can I do? Of course it's for your return to Beijing." Mrs. Song snorted and tapped the desktop, "I'm getting old, but I'm not completely confused yet. Are you coming back for us, or because of your relationship with us?" Your daughter-in-law came back after having a quarrel, and you know it in your heart."

"We have been in Beijing these years, and Xiaolan has been in Lin'an. We can't take care of things on both sides. But she is a woman and has to take care of her children. These years are always hard. If you have any complaints, just listen to them and don't talk to them. She quarreled."

As she spoke, she patted her son's arm reassuringly, "You're a man, what's the point of being short in front of your wife? You're not an outsider. Remember to be sweeter, and if you help others with some housework, you can be with you again." Are you angry? We have been a couple for so long, only by understanding each other can we go a long way."

In addition, he also said: "When I have time to bring Xiaolan and the children to Beijing to play together, traveling can also relax and relieve her pressure."

Song Zhishen thought that the housework between them was not so easy to solve, but it was not easy to pour cold water on the old man, so he agreed wholeheartedly.

He lived in Beijing for three days, and the old lady was afraid that he would still be overwhelmed after returning home and would quarrel with Zhao Yulan again, so these days, she seized the opportunity to tell her son the love story of his parents, trying to make him draw inferences from one instance and apply it in a comprehensive way. in their married life.

Before leaving, the old lady specially bought a large bag of fruits she picked out, as well as some Beijing specialties, and asked her son to take them home for the family to taste.

Song Zhishen didn't have the face to say that he would have to get a divorce after returning to Lin'an, and considering that the two old people had a bad heart, it wasn't the right time, so he concealed the matter.

Before leaving, Song Zhishen asked for a leave of absence to drive him to the airport. While waiting for the traffic lights, he took an orange from Song Zhishen's plastic bag, peeled half of it to his brother, and complained while eating: "What are you talking about, Mom? , put it there all day long reminiscing about the past, I couldn’t stand it without seeing the old man, did she run to the mahjong parlor next door as soon as she opened her mouth? When you left, she had no one to talk about, and my marriage would be involved again. "

When Song Zhishen thought that Zhao Yulan was waiting for him with a divorce agreement on the other side of the plane, he lost his appetite and said in a languid way, "Then you can find a girl to marry, and let her old man rest assured and it's over."

"Farewell." Song Zhichen shook the steering wheel, waved his hands in fright, and said vaguely, "People like me are not suitable for marriage. After getting married, I spend every day in the laboratory and forget my wife and children when I get busy. Which girl can bear it? Forget it, it’s better not to be Huo Huo.”

"..."

Song Zhishen felt an arrow hit his knee.

"I don't expect to have children anymore." Song Zhichen joked, "Brother, you have to help me say a few words in front of Xiaohuai when I get old, and I don't need him to serve me with shit and urine. Me, I'm not that thick-skinned... as long as you can help me build a grave and burn some paper money every year."

At their age, half of their lives have already passed. There are old people who are going to retire and children who have to be raised and educated. It is impossible to say that they are not afraid of death.

Song Zhishen was in a mess, "You're talking nonsense again."

When the plane landed, it was already evening in Lin'an.

Zhao Yulan had a dinner party at night, and Song Huai didn't need her to take care of him at school, so she simply brought relevant documents and materials, found a cafe near the airport, and waited for him while drinking a latte.

Song Zhishen got off the plane, and before he had time to pack his luggage, he had to go to a cafe a few hundred meters away to find his wife to sign the divorce papers.

Zhao Yulan ordered an iced Americano for him, and after Song Zhishen took his seat, Zhao Yulan pushed the relevant documents in front of him after he put his coat on.

"Let's take a look first. There is a printing shop nearby, and it's very convenient to change the documents. If you are not satisfied, we can talk about it in detail."

Zhao Yulan took out a signature pen and put it on the table, "There are two requirements. The custody of the son and the distribution of the real estate cannot be changed. The rest... Let's discuss it."

It was also the first time for Song Zhishen to sign such a document. He glanced at the cover briefly, and he lost the mood to continue reading.

"According to your requirements." Song Zhishen unscrewed the cap of the pen, turned over a few pages, and pressed his finger on the document to fill in, "I should fill in the blanks, right?"

"Wait." Zhao Yulan pressed the paper, frowning slightly, "Please read the contents of the document before signing."

Song Zhishen looked at her, "It's okay, I don't worry about the agreement you made."

Zhao Yulan said: "I suggest that you should keep an eye on this kind of matter. Solve all the problems beforehand so that there will be no such disputes after the divorce."

"Why are you so careful." Song Zhishen joked, "Are you afraid that I will blackmail you?"

Zhao Yulan didn't answer directly, she withdrew her hand and said in a deep voice, "You should take a closer look."

"..."

Song Zhishen was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a burst of embarrassment.

Only then did he understand that Zhao Yulan's purpose was not to fear that he would lose money, but to completely cut off conflicts that were difficult to reconcile in the later stage, such as major misunderstandings about the divorce agreement caused by not reading the contract. In short, to read more now, Less entanglement in the future.

"……understood."

He nodded embarrassingly, opened the file and looked at it seriously.

After looking at it, he discovered many points that he hadn't noticed before.

For example, the second article is about child custody, upbringing and visitation rights. The custody of the son belongs to Zhao Yulan, and Song Zhishen needs to pay 1000 yuan a month for child support——

It's just a drop in the bucket for their salary, and it's just a way to let him show his heart.

On the other hand, the man can visit Song Huai twice a month, and each time does not exceed two days. The visiting time needs to be discussed with the woman in advance due to the irregularity of the man's work.

The rest are trivial regulations on the division of property, debt disposal, liability related and liquidated damages, etc.In addition to custody rights and real estate, Zhao Yulan also specially listed a list of property income and expenditure for the two people's joint property, and divided the property of the two people over the past two decades as completely and fairly as possible, and no one suffered a loss.

Couples who have been married for decades, every item on the list seems to have completely drawn the boundary between the two.

Song Zhishen finished reading in silence, then nodded, "No problem, can I sign?"

"Okay."

Zhao Yulan hummed, watched him finish signing, and then pressed the pause button on the recording pen in her cuff.

The divorce agreement is in duplicate. Although the divorce certificate has not yet been obtained, it is not considered a separation in name.But this is like a wedding before marriage. Only after a ceremony can one gradually feel the real feeling of divorce.

"Get your ID card and household registration book ready at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, and see you at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Zhao Yulan carefully packed these documents into her tote bag and asked, "By the way, when are you going to move out?"

Song Zhishen didn't answer her question directly, "Did you tell Xiao Huai about this?"

Zhao Yulan paused slightly, and after a while she replied: "He will know sooner or later, you don't have to worry."

"Since you haven't said it yet, can I stay at home for a few more days?"

Song Zhishen said in a low voice, "I've asked for more than half a month's leave, when I leave... I'll come and talk to him, okay?"

Zhao Yulan clenched her fists subconsciously.

After being silent for a while, Song Zhishen sensed her resistance, and decided to settle for the next best thing, "What about this Sunday? He's still at school now. I'll spend this weekend with him and leave. Is that okay?"

The ice American didn't move at all, and the ice cubes melted slowly.

Zhao Yulan thought of the display trophy cabinet in the study, and finally nodded.

"can."

The author has something to say: Divorced.

Coming out soon.