Still tide

The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is the new year.

There was a lot of snow outside, and someone's bicycle fell down outside, and it had been buried by the snow until only half of the handlebar was left.The flakes of snow fell down layer by layer, rustling on the tarpaulin.

Miao Jiayan dragged a foam box containing flower seedlings over and sat down, resting her chin in her hands, she hadn't moved for a long time, if it wasn't for her blinking eyes, she would have fallen asleep.

There is no one in the shed anymore, and they are all going home for the holidays at this time.

Aunts always have to work with words. No matter how many times they have chatted about the gossip of this house or that house, as long as they start, it will be like a new one. If they are excited, they have to drop what they are doing and make gestures.The flower shed, which has been accompanied by voices all year round, is rarely empty at the moment, and there is nothing but the sound of snow falling.

It's pretty clean.

Miao Jiayan has been sitting here for half a day, and came here wearing a hat after eating in the morning.It's almost Chinese New Year, and there are many people in the family. Compared with the people in that room, he prefers to look at flowers here.

Their family grows cotton, and Miao Jiayan spends more time in the cotton field during the summer vacation. He only comes to the flower shed when there is no cotton planting in winter.

This shed is filled with four seasons crabapple, which are very cheap flowers, not worth much.They don't have expensive flowers here, and expensive ones can't be sold. Only the most common four-season flowers in this flower market are the best sellers.

He doesn't like to come to the shed very much, the humidity here is high, and the air always seems sticky.

"Oh, my mother——" a sudden cry made Miao Jiayan, who was in a daze, stand up in fright.

"Oh my god, it's Xiaoyan!" Aunt Lin was holding two cotton gloves in her hands, and the dark gray scarf was tightly wrapped around her head, only her face was exposed.She still patted her heart with the other hand, and kept muttering, "You scared me to death, why is your child sitting here so silent! Even if you sit here, you don't make any movement!"

Miao Jiayan was also terribly frightened by her, she stood up and knocked over the foam box, she was also very innocent at the moment: "What am I doing here by myself..."

"Then you made some noise when I came in. Look, this scared me!" Aunt Lin patted her gloves, walked inside, and asked as she walked, "Why don't you go home? Didn't you ask you to go back for dinner?"

Miao Jiayan buckled the foam box back and replied, "No."

"Go back early, I'm here to get the keys to the barn, let me leave here." Aunt Lin walked and talked in a hurry, looking for her keys along the rows of flower pots.

Miao Jiayan put her hands in her pockets and watched her search.

The key was where she was working before. Aunt Lin picked up the bunch of keys and asked Miao Jiayan, "Are you coming with me?"

Miao Jiayan looked at her, shook her head, and said, "I won't go back yet."

"What are you doing sitting here during the big festival, you little doormat," Aunt Lin paused, then lowered her voice and asked, "Your parents are back? They're talking about you?"

Miao Jiayan shook her head and said "no".

Aunt Lin knew grandma very well, and knew everything about their family. Looking at Miao Jiayan, she came over and patted his arm, sighed and said, "What's the matter with you squatting here, your parents and you?" My aunt is back for the New Year, it's time to go home, you have to go home."

Miao Jiayan has always been an honest child, has no temper and doesn't speak loudly. The aunts in the shed actually dote on him.

"Anyway, I will go back after the new year, and you will not hear what I say about you," Aunt Lin told him, "Don't argue with your parents, and ask them to pick you up again."

Aunt Lin didn't care about him after she finished speaking, and hurried back to help cook, she just said: "Then I don't care about you, you go early, don't wait for someone at home to call you."

Just as Miao Jiayan was about to say yes, she heard Aunt Lin muttering again: "When I came here just now, I saw the boss with a car, I wonder if the two of the Chen family have come back—"

Miao Jiayan stood where she was, and suddenly turned her head to look at Aunt Lin.

"It should be the two of them, otherwise, who else would it be?" Aunt Lin put on her gloves and pulled up her scarf to cover her face, "I'm leaving, don't forget to lock the door."

Aunt Lin pushed the door open and left, Miao Jiayan still maintained the posture just now, her eyes were slightly rounded.

His palms were sweating in his pockets and became damp.Miao Jiayan couldn't care less about the people in the family, and couldn't tell the mess around her mind, and there was only one thing left in her mind——

Chen Chao is back.

"Who is it?" In the courtyard of Chen's family, Grandma Chen stepped out of the door, carrying an unfinished cabbage in her hand, "Who is knocking on the door?"

"I, grandma," the boy outside the door replied, "Chen Chao."

"Hey, my grandson is back!" Grandma Chen hurriedly opened the iron door latch, and looked at the boy who was more than a head taller than her outside the door, smiling very happily.

Chen Chao was carrying two boxes, and the old lady wanted to pick them up. Chen Chao turned sideways to hide, and said as he entered the door, "I'll take it."

"Where's your dad?" The old lady patted her grandson's back with the hand that wasn't carrying the cabbage, "Why are you so tall?"

"It's parking." Chen Chao put the things by the door, turned around and walked out again, "There are still things in the car, I'll go get them."

The old lady was wearing a padded jacket and wanted to follow, but was stopped by Chen Chao: "It's cold, it's quite far."

There are small alleys on the side of the house, and the car has to be parked in an empty lot far away.When Chen Chao passed by, his father had already parked the car and was getting things out of the car.

"Is your grandma at home?" Chen Guangda asked.

"I didn't see my father." Chen Chao moved three more boxes, carrying his own schoolbag on his back, and asked his father, "What else do you want to take?"

"I'll take the rest, let's go." Chen Guangda closed the trunk, walked behind Chen Chao with his things, and said, "It's okay, I didn't get lost just now, I thought you couldn't find it."

Chen Chao turned to look at him, his father didn't wait for him to speak, he smiled and said, "That's right, you know this place better than me now."

Chen Chao lived here for three years, and only moved out last summer.

Before that, Chen Chao came back as many times as he could count, and he hardly ever came back.He was a kid who grew up in the city, and he seemed out of place when he first came back.

"This area used to be Dad's territory. When I was your age, I had the final say here." Chen Guangda has been getting a little fat recently, and Chen Chao didn't breathe when he was carrying things. He followed behind Chen Chao and listened to the conversation. Not so stable.

Chen Chao answered casually: "Now the peak has fallen?"

Chen Guangda changed the things he was carrying, panted and laughed and said, "Many of my younger brothers are not here now, and I would be fine if they were all here."

"Can't you come back during the Chinese New Year?" Chen Chao walked into the alley of grandma's house. He seemed to be in a good mood today, and he was in the mood to talk nonsense with his father, "The elder brother is back, so the younger brother must not wait at home? There is no rule anymore. "

Chen Guangda laughed as he walked, walked to the gate of the courtyard and shouted: "Dad! I can't lift it anymore, give me a hand!"

"Your father is not at home, stop shouting!" The old lady came out wearing a small padded jacket again, and was going to pick up the things from Chen Guangda. Chen Chao said, "Don't let grandma take it."

"Your grandson won't allow it," Chen Guangda laughed so hard just now, he forced the things into the yard, put them on the small stone table, and breathed out, "It's too heavy."

"I called now and told you not to let you bring back your food. Your dad and I are not used to the food you eat! You can't eat a few bites, and when you leave, it will be stuffed in the refrigerator for a year. "Grandma hurriedly walked around in front of her son and grandson, talking non-stop, but the smile on her face never stopped.

"Where's my dad?" Chen Guangda moved his things into the small warehouse behind the kitchen, panting from exhaustion.

"I went to buy fish, and said that the previous one was not big enough." Grandma turned to look at Chen Chao again, unable to suppress her pride, and said, "My grandson is so handsome."

"That's it, it's worse than when I was a child." Chen Guangda answered from the side.

Chen Chao and grandma ignored him.

Chen Chao's room is still the same as before, no one has touched it, and no mess is put in his room, and the second uncle, sister-in-law, and grandma are not allowed to sleep in this room when they come back to live.

Before he came back this time, his grandma cleaned it up specially. The sheets and quilts were changed and washed, and the cabinets and tables were wiped clean.

Chen Chao put his schoolbag on the table, just like he did every day when he came back from school.

"Two days ago, Xiao Tao came to ask if you would come back this year, and said he came to play with you."

Xiao Tao is the naughty boy of Ding's family. He goes to junior high school in the same class as Chen Chao, and they walk together every day.

Chen Chao asked, "Has he gone to high school?"

"Reading," grandma said with a smile, "his father beat him every three days, he didn't study hard at school, and he was caught by the teacher."

Chen Chao also laughed and said nothing.It was a bit hot in the room, so Chen Chao took off his coat.

"Xiao Miao also asked you two or three times, but she didn't ask much later," said grandma. "That child doesn't like to talk."

Chen Chao put his coat on the chair, and heard the door outside, and grandpa came back.

"My dad is back, let me see how big a fish my dad bought." Chen Guangda opened the door and went out, taking the black bag from the old man.

"Your grandpa bought the big yellow flowers for you specially, and I will steam them at night." Grandma said to Chen Chao.

Chen Chao said "Okay", put his things away and walked out of the room with his grandmother's shoulders.

"Who bought the little red padded jacket for my dad? It's really neat." Chen Guangda had a loud voice, and he could hear everything he said while standing in the yard.

Grandpa seemed quite satisfied with his red padded jacket, and said with a smile, "It looks like I'm so energetic."

"My dad was also energetic." Chen Guangda glanced at the door and asked, "Whose kid?"

Miao Jiayan walked very fast all the way, and now she was a little out of breath.The winter wind hurts a little when it is inhaled into the lungs.

Half of his body was still covering the door, and he looked into the yard with timid and tentative eyes.

Grandpa looked back and said, "Miao'er, come in."

Miao Jiayan originally wanted to greet someone, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a tall boy and Grandma Chen came out of the room.Miao Jiayan's eyes were instantly sucked away.

"Chao...Chen Chao." Miao Jiayan was panting in her voice, leaning against the door to look inside.

Chen Chao didn't see it at first, but now he heard him being called. He glanced to this side and saw Miao Jiayan.

The blazing alienation in those eyes made Miao Jiayan choke back after she hadn't finished greeting her.

He blinked at Chen Chao, dumbfounded.I walked in a hurry just now, and my hair was blown into a mess, and a few thin strands fell out in an orderly manner, slanting from the forehead to the bridge of the nose.His mouth was blown dry, with a small slit on his lip.His lipstick was crushed by his younger brother.

His eyes fell on Chen Chao for a long time, and his eyes gradually filled with disappointment.

Chen Chao didn't speak, and didn't even look at him much.

"Come on, Xiao Miao, come in later." Grandma beckoned him.

Miao Jiayan looked at grandma and Chen Chao, pursed her lips, closed the courtyard door gently for them, and ran away.