between heartstrings

The automatic door of the main building opened and closed, and Wei Sizhe's figure melted into the night until he could no longer be seen. Chu Jiahe stepped into the corridor and gently pushed open Wei Qiao's door.

The light was still on, and Wei Qiao was already fast asleep on the bed, with the spread "Spring Tea Notes" under his palm.Chu Jiahe tiptoed over, bent down and took out the notebooks, put them on the head of the bed, tucked Wei Qiao's quilt, and quietly turned off the light.

"Sir, I wish you a sweet dream."

There are signs of early summer in early May, with rising temperatures and less clothing.On this windless day, Wei Sizhe came to the nursing home early, and when he walked into Wei Qiao's room, Chu Jiahe was standing by the window trimming the bouquet.

A handful of yellow///chrysanthemums and lilies in bright and soft colors are heavy, but Wei Sizhe just skipped them hastily, after all, they are not as eye-catching as Wei Qiao, who is sitting by the bed in a black suit.

"Dad." Wei Sizhe gave Wei Qiao a thumbs up, "much handsomer than me."

After straightening the collar, Wei Qiao replied confidently: "That is."

"I can't wear the leather shoes anymore. The soles are so hard that they squeeze my feet." Wei Sizhe stretched up his trouser legs, squatted down to open the shoe box, and held Wei Qiao's ankles, "Try the pair of sneakers I bought for you, most of them Size, stuffed with thick insoles, comfortable."

Wei Qiao blocked Wei Sizhe with his arms sideways: "Your tie is almost on the ground, get up, I will wear it myself."

Seeing this, Chu Jiahe dropped the bouquet, and was about to reach out to help when he ran over, when Wei Qiao slapped him on the back of the hand: "Don't worry about it, go do your work."

Two big men stood by and guarded Wei Qiao as they struggled to put on their shoes, fastened their shoelaces after stumbling, and sat in the wheelchair smoothly, only then did they dare to relax their tense nerves.

Wei Qiao said, "Bring me the bouquet."

Chu Jiahe sprayed water on the flowers a few times, holding them in Wei Qiao's arms with both hands.

Before going out, Wei Qiao saw something hanging on Chu Jiahe's wrist, and asked suspiciously, "Xiao Chu, why did you take two thermos cups?"

"This cup is for you to make tea." Chu Jiahe replied, "This stainless steel cup is brand new, and it's the first time I use it. The white tea inside is the teacher's favorite."

After hearing this, Wei Qiao's nose suddenly felt sore, he slowly raised his arm, and patted Chu Jiahe's back hard.

Chu Jiahe took care of Wei Qiao and sat in the back seat. On the passenger seat were flowers and cakes that Wei Sizhe made by himself last night. Ban Yue loved to eat oily jelly cakes, so Wei Sizhe learned to please his mother often.

After getting in the car, Wei Qiao's state changed visibly with the naked eye, his eyelids were extremely low, his expression showed disappointment, and he was silent while clutching his crutches.Arriving at the cemetery, there is no one in the park, the gardenias under the cypress trees are in full bloom, and the rich white dotted the sides of the road, stretching into the distance.

Ban Yue's tomb stands deep in the cemetery, in a remote location, surrounded by a clump of roses.Chu Jiahe helped Wei Qiao stand up from the wheelchair, and slowly walked to the tombstone to stand still. This is a joint burial tomb. One side of the place where the urn is placed is covered with a stone slab, and the other side has been glued and sealed with marble glue.

Ban Yue's name only occupied half of the tombstone, and Chu Jiahe stood silently, waiting for Wei Sizhe to arrange the oily corner sugar cake, then unscrewed the thermos, poured out a cup of freshly brewed white tea, and placed it on the altar.

With a plate of dim sum and a pot of new tea, Wei Qiao breathed a long sigh of relief, and said in a hoarse voice, "Si Zhe, take Xiao Chu and wait for me under the cypress tree."

Chu Jiahe originally thought that he would have to offer incense sticks and listen to a scripture in the Buddhist recitation machine, but he stayed for only 5 minutes before and after, and only Wei Qiao was left in front of Ban Yue's tomb.The birds landed in the forest, and the air was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers. Chu Jiahe stared at the old man on crutches from a distance, his posture was solemn and solemn.

"Before my mother died of illness, she once told me that she didn't want relatives and friends to mourn her." Wei Sizhe said in a calm tone, "He also specifically told me to try not to let my father fall into the memory for a long time, which will be very influential the rest of his life."

Wei Sizhe said distressedly: "I don't know if she overestimated my ability or underestimated my father's feelings for her."

Chu Jiahe turned his head to look at Wei Sizhe, stepped closer to him, and then stared at the uneven tombstones in the cemetery.Death is not something that people often think about, but it is something that everyone must face.

Although the topic to be discussed next would be very heavy, Chu Jiahe did not hide anything, and his words were not reserved.Both he and Wei Sizhe had faced the death of their relatives directly, and the scene at this time was no stranger to them.

Chu Jiahe asked: "Mr. Wei, how do you understand death?"

"What a coincidence." Wei Sizhe put his hands in his pockets and replied, "I also asked my dad the same question."

Chu Jiahe was slightly surprised: "When did you ask the old gentleman?"

Wei Sizhe sighed briefly: "When my dad and I stood in front of my mother's grave for the first time."

Wei Qiao shifted his weight to the crutches, bent down with difficulty, and reached out to touch the photo of Ban Yue in the middle of the tombstone.Chu Jiahe was worried that he would not be able to stand firmly, and before he stepped out, Wei Sizhe stopped him: "Don't worry, it's fine."

Wei Sizhe looked ahead, stared at Wei Qiao for a moment of thinking, and replied to Chu Jiahe softly: "When my mother was critically ill and hospitalized, I read a lot of remarks about death in a book. Some people think that the body/body is the soul. Containers, some people agree with reincarnation, some people believe in the existence of heaven and hell, but my understanding is neither deep nor complicated, superficial and intuitive—it just represents the disappearance of life.”

"Time is constantly pushing us towards it, and no one can stop this matter, so although time is a good medicine that can heal everything, it is very kind, but it is also very cruel."

Chu Jiahe's eyes fell on the gardenia bushes, and he continued, "It sounds scary."

Wei Sizhe was noncommittal, looking at his father's figure, he suddenly smiled: "But I've heard a saying, 'Death can be defeated, and when you defeat it, you don't think it's scary anymore'."

Wei Sizhe suddenly changed his relaxed tone, and Chu Jiahe unconsciously rolled his eyes, waiting for his next words.

"The man said, 'Standing at the end of life, it is worthwhile to come to the world, full of heart is to defeat death'."

"This sentence is too far-fetched. With my current experience and experience, I still can't understand it deeply, but there is someone who has been walking in front of me and keeps teaching me a lot of sophistication and truth. I believe that one day, I can also be with you. He feels the same way."

"'Death is an unexpected encounter with a long-lost old man in another form'." Wei Sizhe recalled, "When I asked my dad how to understand death, he answered me like this, so I think, he is right. Death has no fear."

The figure of grandma appeared in Chu Jiahe's mind, making his expression gradually calm.He smiled shallowly: "Is that so... What else did the old gentleman say?"

Wei Sizhe tilted his head in the direction of Wei Qiao, and said softly, "When you guys chat next time, let him tell you the story himself."

"After all, the days ahead are still long."

There is a wind in the forest, the sun penetrates the dense branches, and the golden light is everywhere.Standing beside the rose flowers is an old man in a suit, holding a bouquet of flowers peacefully, with no trace of sadness on his aging face.

After a long time, Wei Qiao brought the bouquet to the tombstone, placed it properly, then stood up unsteadily, straightened his clothes, and showed a long-lost, innocent smile, just like when he first met Ban Yue.

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