Xu Shanlan

Xu Shanlan woke up after sleeping for more than an hour. Cong Zhanyi conjured up three glass balls and put them on the table for him to play with.The woman's son saw the commotion and scrambled forward to make do with it.Xu Shanlan didn't protect things like ordinary children, and played with the woman's son openly.Two little boys dug a hole in the plastic bag and flicked it in first.Cong Zhanyi stayed by the side all the time, and the patience he showed surprised the woman.Generally speaking, teenagers aged fifteen or sixteen are at the time when their rebellious mentality is extremely strong, and they don't want to play with little kids, but he doesn't mind, and speaks slowly.The children bounced the glass balls in and picked them out again. The adults looked boring and bored, but they had a lot of fun.

Time moved forward minute by minute amidst the monotonous sound of the train, stopping at one stop after another, people going down one after another, and others coming up one after another.Those who take hard seats are basically short-distance, and gradually, the carriages become more and more empty.

Among those who got out of the car were the woman and her son.The woman really liked Xu Shanlan. Before leaving, she left the remaining few pears on the table and said with a smile, "You guys eat." Cong Zhanyi did not refuse. Although he is young, he is naturally reserved and self-disciplined In front of so many people, flirting with a woman for a few pears is a joke.But he also refused to accept favors in vain, even if it was only a few pears.When the woman stood up to pack her luggage, she still stuffed the oranges she bought in the morning into the woman's son's pocket.

The woman smiled and sighed, and led the child away.

It's not completely dark outside yet, the lights are already on in the carriage, and the conductor is pushing the sales cart back and forth for a walk.Cong Zhanyi touched the money in his pocket, silently calculated in his heart, and thought it was enough, so he bought two boxes of lunch, one for each of Xu Shanlan.This was the first time Xu Shanlan ate a boxed lunch on a train, but he couldn't forget it for a long time, so that many years later, he would go out to play games instead of taking the plane or train, just to have a boxed lunch, but unfortunately the taste was completely different.In fact, the lunch box on the train is not good at all. It is a translucent white plastic box, and the dishes are nothing more than fried garlic moss and potato shreds. There are at most a few slices of sausage, served with white rice.Xu Shanlan didn't know if it was because he was hungry, or because he was a child who was eating out deliciously. He actually ate more than half of a boxed meal, and the rice grains stuck to the tip of his nose.After eating and drinking a few sips of hot water, I leaned on the seat with my stomach full and hiccupped.

"Are you full?" Cong Zhanyi pulled his leftover half box over and ate it.

"I'm full, I'm full." Xu Shanlan regained his energy after eating and drinking. He refused to sit still and played glass balls on the aisle in the middle, attracting several children in a carriage to watch the excitement .Xu Shanlan was rather shy, and would not take the initiative to invite other children to play with him, but he would not refuse if they offered to play with him. The children had a good time playing together.

Xu Shanlan must go to bed at 09:30 every day, and he will feel sleepy at that time, not to mention that after sitting on the train for a whole day, the child couldn't bear it, so he yawned early, put away the glass ball and ran over to lean on Cong Zhanyi's body to act like a baby: "Brother, brother, I haven't had milk yet."

"Milk is not sold on the train, let's drink it after getting off the train."

"Then when can we get off the bus?" Xu Shanlan felt bored.Cong Zhanyi hugged his soft body: "We'll be there after you sleep."

"Oh——" Xu Shanlan was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes, "Brother, I'm a little hot."

Cong Zhanyi took off his coat and pants, let him lie flat on the bench, resting his head on his lap: "Go to sleep."

Xu Shanlan stretched out his feet impatiently, rubbed off his shoes, and loosened the cloth belt tied around his left ankle, revealing the silver bracelet inside.This was bought by the elderly in Xu Shanlan's family when Xu Shanlan was born for a hundred days. There are two bells on it, implying longevity.Xu Shanlan's mother is very superstitious about this, and has kept the child until now.Fortunately, the silver bracelet can be stretched and stretched, so it may not be too tight to wear, but the bell will ring when it moves.Xu Shanlan was six years old, just when he was about to understand, he was embarrassed and afraid of being laughed at by his seniors.Cong Zhanyi helped him wrap a strip of cloth around the silver bracelet so that no one could see it if it was blocked by his trousers.It's just that before going to bed, the cloth strips are always taken off.

Xu Shanlan was sleeping on a bench in shorts, revealing two fair calves, chubby little feet, and the silver bell on his left ankle. Anyone passing by in the carriage couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

Cong Zhanyi leaned back on the chair and dozed off.The two ran out in the middle of the night, and he was worried all the way with a child. He was afraid of being discovered by the master and afraid of going the wrong way. He was exhausted physically and mentally, and fell asleep after a while.It was really uncomfortable to sleep in the middle of the night, so I put Xu Shanlan on the bench, and went to sleep on the chair opposite, although curled up, it was better than sitting.

Cong Zhanyi has practiced martial arts for more than ten years, and he is used to getting up early. He got up at six o'clock the next day, and took the toiletries to wash his face.Xu Shanlan likes to sleep in, but he woke up surprisingly early today, and ate something with Cong Zhanyi. He was very excited when he thought that he would go home to see his mother soon, so he grabbed the elder brother and kept talking about this and that.One will talk about the kitten at home, another will talk about the pictures on the wall, and another will talk about my many comic books and show them to my brother.He wished he could fly home immediately, and put all the treasures he had hidden in front of his elder brother, to show off.

Cong Zhanyi listened carefully to what he was saying, echoing from time to time, fiddling with the little boy's chubby fingers.

No matter how far the road is, there will be an end. They finally arrived at the station at noon. As the flow of people walked out of the platform, a completely strange city mixed with chaos and noise instantly rushed into view.Cong Zhanyi held a black bag in one hand and pulled Xu Shanlan in the other. He stood there for a long time in a daze as he watched the crowds and vehicles coming and going. He couldn't even find the bus stop.

Cong Zhanyi found Xu Shanlan in his hand, and when he looked down, he met the little boy's clear eyes with fear and worry.Xu Shanlan asked cautiously: "Brother, can't we find a home?"

Cong Zhanyi settled down, and quickly said: "No. Brother can find it." Subconsciously, he held Xu Shanlan's hand tightly, suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, took a deep breath, and made a big gesture. Calmly, he walked to an old lady selling popsicles.First bought an ice cream for Xu Shanlan to eat, then took out the letter from Xu Shanlan's mother, pointed to the address on the envelope and asked, "Grandma, do you know how to get to this place?"

"Ah, the smelter, it's not far. It's the No. 5 bus station. Look at the stop sign. You'll be there in seven or eight stops."

It is good to have a destination, Cong Zhanyi breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled sincerely at the old lady: "Thank you, grandma."

Xu Shanlan followed Cong Zhanyi onto the bus while licking the cream ice cream.The conductor sat behind the exclusive seat by the door, with a black ticket bag hanging on his chest, and shouted mechanically in a high-pitched voice: "Go in, go in, go in if it's a long way, buy a ticket first if you haven't bought a ticket— —”

Cong Zhanyi bought two tickets for one yuan. It was not the rush hour and there were not many people on the bus.Xu Shanlan quickly ran to the place where the two cars were connected and sat down. He liked this seat the most, as he could twist and turn with the car's turns, just like sitting on a rocking car.

Cong Zhanyi stood next to the chair to protect Xu Shanlan, but looked out the window, silently remembering the situation on the road.Finding Xu Shanlan's home went very smoothly. After all, City H is not that big. As for the workers' dormitory of the smelter, they basically know it, as long as they have a good general direction.After entering the yard, Xu Shanlan already knew the way. He was so excited that he shouted: "Mom—Mom—" and rushed forward, Cong Zhanyi followed unhurriedly.Seeing Xu Shanlan run up to the third floor, he knocked hard on the door: "Mom, open the door, Lan Zi is back, Big Xu Bao is back, Mom—"

He knocked for a long time but no one came out, Xu Shanlan was dumbfounded, his mother was not at home at all.Confused and frightened, he turned his head and looked at the elder brother helplessly.Cong Zhanyi stepped forward, he was sure that there was no one in the room, but he still knocked twice.The door was closed coldly, and there was no response.

"Mom——" Xu Shanlan read from Cong Zhanyi's face the disillusionment of hope. The child's feelings in certain aspects are always surprisingly sensitive.He knocked harder on the door in vain, until his little hands were red, and the boy cried out in disappointment and sorrow in the silent corridor: "Mom, open the door, Mom, come back, I'm Lanzi, I'm Big Xu Bao—Mom— —Woooo—”

Cong Zhanyi stepped forward to stop Xu Shanlan's small body. The neighbor next to him heard the noise, opened the door and came out, calling out, "Hey Lanzi, why are you back?"

Xu Shanlan saw a familiar face through his tearful eyes, but for a moment he couldn't remember what to call him, so he stopped crying and leaned towards Cong Zhanyi.

The woman saw the boy's bewilderment, and smiled comfortingly: "I'm your Aunt An, don't you remember, Lanzi?"

"An... Aunt An..." Xu Shanlan seemed to have a little impression, so he called softly, and then said, "I'm looking for my mother."

"Your mother has gone out and hasn't come back for a long time." Aunt An tilted her head and thought for a while, "It seems that she is going back to her mother's house. It has been more than half a month. Eh, don't you know?"

The light of hope that had just risen in Xu Shanlan's eyes dimmed again, his small mouth curled up, tears streaming down his face.

Aunt An looked at Cong Zhanyi, then at Xu Shanlan, and said comprehensibly, "You came back from the place where you practiced martial arts, right? Don't cry, Lanzi." She squatted down and took out a flowered handkerchief, and wiped it for Xu Shanlan. Tears, "Don't cry, good boy, come, stay at Aunt An's house for a while."

Xu Shanlan desperately shook his head and wiped away his tears, sobbing and said: "I want my mother, I want to find my mother—" Turning around, he kept knocking on the door, "Mom—you don't want Lanzi, oh my god—woooo—" Cong Zhan Yi hugged Xu Shanlan, and the little boy cried in the arms of his senior brother until his heart broke.

Aunt An looked at Cong Zhanyi: "You are..."

"I'm his senior brother. If he's homesick, I'll take him back to have a look."

Aunt An sighed: "It's quite far away. It's not easy. Come to my house and stay for a while. Have you eaten yet? Auntie will make something for you."

Cong Zhanyi shook his head: "No, thank you, Auntie." Without waiting for Auntie An to continue persuading, he picked up Xu Shanlan and walked downstairs.After walking a few steps, I vaguely heard Aunt An's long sigh behind me: "Really, you've screwed up the child...you've done something wrong..." Cong Zhanyi didn't stop walking, but his lips were tightly pursed.Xu Shanlan was only concerned with being sad and weeping, he didn't pay attention to the things around him at all, he only felt that the elder brother was carrying him out of the building, as if he was about to leave.Xu Shanlan hurriedly struggled to get off the ground: "I won't leave. Brother, I won't leave. I'll wait for mom..."

"Auntie said just now that she's not at home." Cong Zhanyi tried to persuade him.

"No, I don't..." Xu Shanlan cried out of breath, "I'll wait for my mother, I'll find my mother..."

Cong Zhanyi didn't persuade him anymore, in fact he didn't know how to persuade him.He hugged Xu Shanlan, sat on the swing in the yard, and waited.In fact, Cong Zhanyi had a premonition before coming here, and this time he would definitely fail.He heard from his master that Xu Shanlan's parents had been arguing for divorce, and neither of them returned to that home.But Xu Shanlan wanted to see his mother so much, he wrote several letters to no avail, he couldn't wait any longer.In the little mind of the child, his mother will definitely be at home. He doesn't understand what divorce is, and he doesn't understand why his mother wants to go back to his mother's house.And these, Cong Zhanyi didn't know where to start with him.In other words, Cong Zhanyi was just a 15-year-old boy, and he couldn't tell the difference at the time. Should he tell Xu Shanlan that his parents divorced and no one cares about him, or should he not say that and let the child come and take a look in person? It's good to give up.

No matter what, Xu Shanlan didn't find his mother this time. He and Cong Zhanyi waited in the yard until the sun went down. After crying and making trouble, the rest was just tired.He lay in Cong Zhanyi's arms, no tears, just sobbing.From this day on, Xu Shanlan never mentioned going home to find his mother again.

Fortunately, it was already midsummer, and the wind at night was not too cold. Cong Zhanyi carried Xu Shanlan who was tired from crying on his back. He had no relatives in City H, so he had to go back to the station first, where he could take a rest.The bus has long since disappeared, and there are few people in the dark street, only the dim street lights reflect it.Cong Zhanyi walked forward step by step, seeing the shadow behind him gradually shortening under the street lamp, and gradually lengthening in front of his eyes, he tried his best to identify the direction in the night.A teenager, carrying a boy on his back, walked in a completely strange city, as if it would never end.

Cong Zhanyi still remembered this past event so vividly that when Xu Shanlan categorically rejected his mother and chose to stay, he felt an inexplicable and even vicious joy in his heart.Cong Zhanyi is not a broad-minded person, never has been, even if he is calm on the surface.He has to repay even a little favor to others, and the same is true for hatred.In the days to come, Cong Zhanyi didn't say a single good word about Xu's mother in front of Xu Shanlan, and even rarely mentioned it, treating it as if that woman didn't exist at all.Because he knows that the cruelest thing for a mother is not her son's resentment and anger, but neglect.

Years ago, you ignored him; so, years later, he can ignore you completely, because he has me by his side.