Nocturnal

No matter how unhappy he was, Qin Mochi dragged his small suitcase to Xia Zhenghe's house before the new year.If there are elderly people in the family, there will always be more attention to New Year's Eve.It's not that Qin Mochi is against this kind of family gathering, what annoys him is that there are always people coming in front of him, looking for trouble.Judging from past experience, the Xia family, especially his father, might be up to something else.

Xia Zhenghe likes to be quiet, so he would let the juniors come to get together during the New Year and the festival, counting it, there are not many times in a year.Qin Mochi felt that almost every time someone found fault with him, either Xia Hong's family or Xia An's family, anyway, it never stopped.When I was a child, I was picky about his manners and academic performance. After being scolded twice by Lin Tangduan, who looked like his elder sister-in-law, he finally stopped.When he grew up, he began to criticize his work situation.Especially in the past two years, after he won several influential awards, this kind of attention has intensified.

"I don't know when it will stop." Qin Mochi leaned against the window of the restaurant, flicking the cigarette ash with a depressed expression.

Xia Zhifei leaned crookedly on his shoulder, and moaned weakly twice, "It will be all right, everything will be all right."

"Go away," Qin Mochi shook his shoulders dissatisfied, "Don't always eat Laozi's tofu."

"Don't be so embarrassing," Xia Zhifei complained with his eyes closed, "The arrests these days... well, I haven't closed my eyes for two or three days in a row. Didn't you see that the dark circles under my eyes are almost catching up with pandas?"

"Arrest what?" Qin Mochi was curious.

Xia Zhifei pretended not to hear, "Hey, did the man Tao Li said was interested in you look for you again?"

"I found it." Qin Mochi looked around, saw that no one was paying attention to the two of them, and quietly popped the cigarette butt out of the window, "I want to get me to be the director of the design department in their company."

"Huh?" Xia Zhifei raised his head from his shoulder, with a vigilant expression on his face, "This scene is wrong, didn't I want to pick on you?"

Qin Mochi pondered for a while, "It probably means something like that." That's why he was annoyed by people like Lu Qiming the most.

Xia Zhifei looked at him worriedly, "Then what do you mean?"

"It's not interesting," Qin Mochi laughed, "Regardless of gender, he is not my type."

Xia Zhifei still wanted to ask, but when he looked up and saw his eldest brother Xia Zhinian walking in, he swallowed the second half of the sentence, "Brother."

Xia Zhinian nodded, and said to Qin Mochi: "Mom asked me to tell you, if the second and third uncles discuss blind dates with you, even if you don't like it, don't get too stiff. After all, it's Chinese New Year."

Qin Mochi, "..."

His premonition was right.

Xia Zhifei patted him on the shoulder, wanted to laugh but held back.

Qin Mochi glanced at him depressedly.

Xia Zhinian also wanted to laugh a little bit, and finally comforted him with his brother's airs: "It's a good thing for parents to care. If you disagree, you can discuss it carefully. Don't lose your temper."

Qin Mochi looked at him for a moment, nodded reluctantly, and added after thinking about it, "The prerequisite is that they don't go too far."

Xia Zhifei booed beside him, "Yes! People are good at being bullied, and Ma Shan is being ridden by others. You can't be too honest!"

Xia Zhinian glared at him.

Qin Mochi and Xia Zhifei ran away laughing and laughing.

As a result, at the dinner table, before Qin Mochi had finished his bowl of rice, Xia Hong coughed and went straight to the point, "Mochi, I have a meal with Zhao's family at noon on the fourth day of the lunar new year. Come with me."

Qin Mochi's hand holding the chopsticks paused, "Jewel Zhao's?"

Xia Hong nodded, smiling quite complacently, "We also have some business contacts with the Zhao family. The young lady of their family returned to China a few years ago. You are all young people, so we happened to get together."

"The fourth day of the lunar new year," Qin Mochi pretended to lower his head in thought, thinking that he might as well arrange to invite Li Yedu to dinner on this day. "Unfortunately, I also have a dinner that day."

Xia Hong's face sank, "Push it off."

Qin Mochi wanted to laugh angrily at his righteous attitude, Xia Zhinian turned his head and saw Xia Zhenghe staring at him, and quickly kicked Qin Mochi quietly under the table.

Qin Mochi took a deep breath, "I can't push it. It's a very important appointment."

When Xia Hong heard the word "date", his face became a little ugly.Xia An hurriedly said: "Mochi, let me tell you, Miss Zhao's family is very good-looking. She is a doctoral student with both talent and appearance. You will know it when you see her." He winked at Qin Mochi and smiled. Twice.

Speaking of which, Qin Mochi couldn't pretend to be confused even if he wanted to.

"Marriage?" Qin Mochi looked at Xia Hong with an unbelievable expression, "You want me to marry the Zhao family?"

Seeing that he had spoken thoroughly, Xia Hong also heaved a sigh of relief, "You are not young anymore, as an elder, you should always take care of your lifelong affairs. We have met all the girls from the Zhao family, and they are in good condition in all aspects. I You and your third uncle have already discussed with the other side, after the new year, the two of us will choose a time to meet and settle your affairs."

"Have you all met?" Qin Mochi laughed, "Who are you with? Third Uncle?"

Xia An was filled with displeasure by his smile, wanted to say something, glanced at Xia Zhenghe who had a sullen face and said nothing, and reluctantly held back.The old man didn't express his opinion, making it clear that he didn't want to interfere in this matter.Seeing his attitude, Lin Tang and Xia Zhi kept silent, and couldn't bear the anger in his heart.

"If you want to talk about a blind date, the child must be willing." Lin Tang worried that Xia Zhenghe was also there, and it was the New Year's Eve. It would be inappropriate to quarrel, so he said in a negotiating tone: "Mochi's career is on the rise. At this stage, it's not appropriate to think about starting a family at this time."

Qin Mochi smiled at her across the dining table, Lin Tang felt a little helpless at his heartlessness, but Qin Mochi's mood improved.He touched the Buddhist beads on his wrist, thinking that his relationship with Xia Hong's family was just that, no matter how he plotted against him, there was nothing strange about it, and besides, if he wanted to plot against him, it would depend on whether he accepted the trick or not.

"Mochi is only 25 after the new year," Xia Zhi said to Xia Zhenghe: "There are no boys nowadays who get married so early. And he is an adult after all. As elders, we should not be so lenient about such things."

Before Xia Zhenghe opened his mouth, he heard Xia An answer in a strange manner, "Brother, what are you talking about? We are also thinking about Mochi, so why not harm him?"

Xia Zhi pressed Lin Tang, who was full of anger, and turned to look at Qin Mochi, "What do you think?"

Qin Mochi smiled at him, "Don't worry, Uncle, it's not so easy to get my idea."

Xia Hong couldn't hold back anymore, "What are you talking about? Brat, is it wrong to worry about your marriage?"

Qin Mochi looked at him sideways, with a slight smile on his lips, "It's hard to say if there is any fault, but the problem is that your hand is too long."

Xia Hong was furious, "Why are you talking to your elders?! Has your upbringing been eaten by a dog?"

"If you have a father but not a father, of course you are not educated." Qin Mochi also became a little angry, "What's so strange about this?"

Xia Hong, "You..."

"I'm full." Qin Mochi pushed away the plate in front of him, and said to Xia Zhenghe, "Grandpa, that studio of mine is just a small business, and the capital is all my aunt's private money. It can be said that the business with Xia's is not a problem. He Shui—If you insist on forcing me to go to 'Fuyuan', everyone will look bad. What do you think?"

Xia Zhenghe fell silent.The Xia family is not considered a well-known family in Linhai City. In terms of business, it is just an upstart who made a fortune decades ago. It is of great benefit to the entire Xia family's business.Xia Zhi's two sons and Qin Mochi are the only boys of the right age in the Xia family, but Xia Zhinian is already engaged, and Xia Zhifei is in a secret unit, so the marriage cannot be arranged casually, so there is only one Qin Mochi who is suitable.But what kind of temperament Qin Mochi is, after so many years, Xia Zhenghe still has a little understanding.When Xia Hong told him about this a few days ago, he knew it would not go so smoothly, but now it seems that it is so.

Xia Zhenghe pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "If you talk about marriage, it hasn't reached that level yet. Your father just wanted to introduce you to a friend of the same age."

Qin Mochi simply refused, "No need."

Xia Zhenghe, "..."

Lin Tang was afraid that he would say something that would embarrass Qin Mochi, so he hurriedly said, "Dad, Mochi is no longer a child. Let him decide on such matters."

Xia Hong said angrily: "I am his father!"

Xia Zhenghe's expression moved slightly. In his opinion, such things as marriages are too common and nothing serious.What's more, children from aristocratic families, of course there are dandies, but more of them are very outstanding children, because of blind dates and acquaintances, it may not be impossible to be happy.Qin Mochi didn't need to be so resistant.But before he had time to speak, Qin Mochi replied flatly, "Since he is my father, why did you sell me?"

The chopsticks in Xia Hong's hand fell to the table.

There was a sudden silence in the restaurant.

Everyone in the Xia family knew that when Qin Mochi was less than one year old, thieves entered the house and he was stolen, and he was not sent back from a long distance until he was eight or nine years old.The family members are certainly responsible for this kind of thing, but they didn't expect Qin Mochi to resent it to such an extent.

Seeing Xia Hong's pale face, Lin Tang couldn't bear it, so he yelled at Qin Mochi softly across the table, "What nonsense are you talking about, I've explained it to you. What happened back then was an accident. Your father didn't want to do that either. "

Qin Mochi pursed his lips and smiled, his eyes glanced at Xia Hong's dodging eyes, which seemed meaningful.

Sitting next to Qin Mochi, Xia Zhinian also felt that Qin Mochi's words were a little too much. Even if Xia Hong's proposal made people feel unhappy after the Chinese New Year, it was still not good for the elders to lose face.

"Mochi," Xia Zhinian coughed lightly, "Give grandpa a bowl of soup."

Lin Tang hurriedly said: "Auntie specially made Buddha Jumping Over the Wall today. Dad said last time that Auntie's soup is good."

Xia Zhenghe glanced lightly at his grandson who ran over to help him add soup with a friendly expression, his face remained motionless, but he secretly sighed in his heart.It seems that the relationship between this child and Xia Hong is difficult to repair.It's also Xia Hong's own failure to live up to expectations. Why didn't Qin Mochi take him back to be raised by his side when he was sent back?If you insist on doing a paternity test in front of the child, even if Liu Xiaowan is a stepmother, he will always kiss your father... Xia Zhenghe's heart skipped a beat, why did Qin Mochi say the word "sell" so gracefully?Is there any mystery here?

Xia Zhenghe lowered his eyes slightly. When he was young, he was busy with business and missed the growth of his three children, so he always had a secret feeling of guilt towards his son.At his age, he has seen countless nasty things, so he is even more unwilling to judge his son with such malice.But Qin Mochi's words seemed to imply something...

Recalling the situation when the old Taoist brought Qin Mochi back with his apprentice, Xia Hong's reaction was not surprise, but more panic; he refused to accept Qin Mochi and insisted on taking him for a paternity test. She is extremely repulsive to the existence of Qin Mochi; in comparison, Liu Xiaowan, a stepmother, does not react as strongly as his own father...

Xia Zhenghe didn't dare to think about it anymore, secretly thinking whether he should arrange someone to go back to his hometown in Shaanxi to investigate?

Qin Mochi put the soup bowl by his hand, smiled slightly and said, "Grandpa, drink the soup."

Xia Zhenghe nodded anxiously, and when he saw that he was about to leave, he said, "Don't get angry with your father when it's Chinese New Year."

"I know." Qin Mochi said cheerfully, "Or I wouldn't just say these two sentences."

Xia Zhenghe suddenly raised his eyes, Qin Mochi looked at him for a moment, then turned his head to the side calmly, "Grandpa, I won't be at home for dinner on the fourth day of the junior high school. Something really happened."

Xia Zhenghe was puzzled in his heart, and asked casually, "What's the matter?"

Qin Mochi turned his head and showed him a good boy's expression, "Someone helped me a few days ago and brought me a batch of particularly good raw materials. He doesn't go back to his hometown during the Spring Festival and is alone in Linhai, so I have to treat him well. Don't worry, I will come back early." He knew that the old man went to bed early and slept lightly, and he didn't like to be woken up halfway through his sleep.

Xia Zhenghe wanted to give a few words of advice, but he nodded his head and said no more when he heard that the last sentence was well-behaved.

Seeing that Xia Hong didn't speak suddenly, Xia An felt a little anxious.In fact, the idea of ​​marriage was first proposed by his wife Wang Lin.Wang Lin and the female family members of the Zhao family walked around a bit, and they were close to the water, and they knew the news more sensitively than others.If it weren't for this marriage being too beneficial to the Xia family, he wouldn't want Qin Mochi to take advantage of it.Unexpectedly, the stinky boy didn't appreciate it, and even swept Xia Hong's face in public.

Xia An wanted to reprimand Qin Mochi a few words, but Wang Lin grabbed his sleeve and shook it lightly twice.Only then did Xia An notice the slight displeasure on Xia Zhenghe's face.

Wang Lin shook her head quietly.

Xia An thought for a while, and swallowed all the words.I thought to myself, forget it, forget it, talk to Xia Zhifei if it doesn't work, even if his work unit is strict, it won't stop people from starting a family.Xia Zhifei's temperament is gentler than Qin Mochi's, so maybe he has a right eye with Miss Zhao's family!Thinking of this, Xia An's brows also relaxed.

Qin Mochi knew this would be the result.He can clearly see the psychology of the family members. Xia Zhenghe is getting older, and everything should be on the safe side. As long as he doesn't make trouble under his nose, everything will be fine.Xia Hongzhi has great talent and lack of temper, and is often used as a spear by Xia An without knowing it.As for the two women, Liu Xiaowan and Wang Lin, there are scheming methods, but for Qin Mochi, as long as they don't make their minds on him, they can do whatever they want.

Still the same sentence, no one should try to get his idea!

With this little episode at noon on New Year's Eve, the next two days were quite stable.Xia Hong Xia'an didn't mention anything about Miss Zhao's family.Qin Mochi accepted when he saw a good deal, and naturally played the role of an obedient and sensible grandson in front of Xia Zhenghe honestly, even pretending not to hear the sarcastic remarks made by Liu Xiaowan and her two sons.On the fourth day of the lunar new year, he even went out early, secretly making up his mind not to return until dark.

Qin Mochi is a very lazy person, he doesn't like to go out very much, and he doesn't know where to take Li Yedu to pass the time during the Chinese New Year. He just doesn't want to stay at home and have trouble with Xia Hong.When the two talked on the phone, Qin Mochi breathed a sigh of relief when Li Yedu said that the whole day's itinerary was arranged by him.

When he arrived at the appointed place, Qin Mochi saw Li Yedu squatting on the side of the road smoking a cigarette from a distance. He was still wearing the dark down jacket he had seen last time. The clothes were half-new and not old.However, his hair seemed to have been re-arranged, and it was cut short against his scalp, making his handsome face more defined.

Qin Mochi looked at him through the car window, and felt that this man had an aura that seemed to come from the mountains. Looking at him, he seemed to see a tree, a clump of bamboo, or a strange mountain rock, without the usual pressure on the eyebrows of urbanites. Fame and power are different from anyone he has ever met.And in this difference, there is an inexplicable familiarity faintly revealed.Qin Mochi couldn't tell where this feeling came from, but it really existed.

Li Yedu twirled the cigarette butt in his hand on the road beside his feet, raised his head and looked around, with an indescribably blank look in his eyes, as if he didn't know what he was squatting here for.

Qin Mochi suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He lowered the car window and whistled at the man across the road.

Li Yedu's gaze flickered over, and after a slight start, a smile appeared on his face.He stood up, stretched his legs, looked around, and trotted across the road.Seeing him running towards the driver's side, Qin Mochi knew what he meant, opened the door and got out of the car, and asked him with a smile, "Where are you going?"

There was a smile in Li Yedu's eyes, "Worship Tai Sui, do you want to go?"

"I don't really understand these things," Qin Mochi looked at him uncertainly, "Is that okay?"

"Okay, why not?" Li Yedu closed the car door, turned his head to look at Qin Mochi who was sitting in the passenger seat, with a funny expression on his face, "How much do you know about Taoism?"

Qin Mochi thought for a while, and tentatively said: "Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", Lao Zhuang... Heaven and man are one?"

Li Yedu smiled.

Qin Mochi felt that even if he missed the point, it was not wrong, so he asked again: "Worshiping the Tai Sui is also a Taoist...uh, a ritual?"

Li Yedu said with a smile: "Actually, it evolved from ancient astrology. It can be regarded as a kind of folk celestial worship. It is widely spread because of contemporary Taoism. Bye bye natal Tai Sui, I wish you a smooth year. Your superiors here Qingguan has activities every year, don't you know?"

Qin Mochi shook his head. He has no faith, so naturally he would not pay attention to this information.

Li Yedu shook his head, "Then come with me."

This sentence was quite joking, Qin Mochi couldn't help but glance at him again.

"What?" Li Yedu started the car, turned his head slightly, and raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

"It's nothing." Qin Mochi had nothing to say, "Don't you need to go back to your hometown during the Chinese New Year?"

"There is no one in my hometown." Li Yedu sighed with emotion, "There is no one I know."

"What about your brother?" Qin Mochi remembered that he ran out to find his brother.

Li Yedu glanced at him and said with a smile, "He's fine."

Qin Mochi felt that there seemed to be some meaning in his words, but they had known each other not long ago, so it seemed inappropriate to ask this topic again.

The two left the city and drove towards the suburbs along the high speed.Qin Mochi thought of the strange things he encountered when he took this expressway last time, and he still had lingering fears, and he also wondered whether the black dog he saw that day was a walnut.After much deliberation, I leaned against the seat and fell asleep without knowing it, and dreamed vaguely.

In the dream, there was a peach blossom like mist, and under the flower tree, a small child was sitting on the crooked tree root with his back facing him, supporting the tree root with both hands, swinging his feet once and for all.Opposite him, sitting a woman with an indistinct face, with an old-fashioned bun on her head, raising her hand to pinch the little boy's face.

The young boy turned his head slightly, and complained in a soft voice, "Mother, you bullied me again."

"Mother is reluctant to bully you." The woman giggled, "Hey, do you know why mother's surname is Qin?"

The toddler shook his head.

The woman shook her hairy ears protruding from her bun, and said with a smile, "That's because Mother's hometown is in Qinling Mountains. A long time ago, Mother was in the forests of Qinling Mountains..."

The scenery in front of him suddenly shook, and Qin Mochi heard a familiar voice calling him, "Qin Mochi?"

Qin Mochi opened his eyes in bewilderment, still recalling the crisp laughter of the woman in his dream.For some reason, the woman and child he saw in the dream gave him a very intimate feeling, as if he was familiar to the bone - just like looking in the mirror and seeing himself in the mirror with a gentle smile.

"What's wrong?" Li Yedu turned his head to look at him, stretched out his hand slightly uneasy and tried his forehead, "Uncomfortable?"

Qin Mochi shook his head. People who have just woken up tend to react more slowly, and they didn't notice Li Yedu's little movement that was slightly out of bounds.

"It's okay, I had a dream." Qin Mochi rubbed his face.In his mind, the woman's laughter gradually faded away, and Qin Mochi suddenly felt an indescribable sadness.

Li Yedu seemed to have noticed something, stopped talking, just handed him the cigarette case in his hand, and lowered the car window a little.

Qin Mochi lowered his head, lit a cigarette, and sighed softly, "I was in poor health when I was young, and I probably didn't have enough brain power, so I don't even remember many things." He didn't know why he suddenly said this, maybe it was just now The dream touched him, the feeling of sadness was inexplicable, but it was so strong that he couldn't ignore it.

Li Yedu looked at him silently, his eyes were gentle and calm, as if hiding some kind of unspoken emotion.

Qin Mochi swallowed with difficulty, "I think... I may really have forgotten something very important."