blowing clouds

During the time when he just returned home, Chen Li’s favorite thing to do was to listen to the news of Hong Kong’s handover on the radio while admiring his son’s admission letter. Due to repeated inquiries, he who was illiterate at first is now I was able to read the notice smoothly from beginning to end.

This couple with a low level of education is already very satisfied with the specialty, and this topic has become the best glue between them.After the reunion, the initial silence and crying were gradually replaced by normal life. If there is a special temperament in people who have squatted in the hall, then Chen Li's temperament in this aspect is gradually being worn away, except for his sitting posture. Standing posture is also habitually kept tight.

This family seems to be becoming more and more complete and normal. Although Chen Xiyang has always shown introverted traits and has not been able to accept the reappearing image of his father without any barriers for a while, he is unwilling to let his father misunderstand. During the idle summer vacation, he often sat beside his father, even though the father and son always chose to remain silent.

The lighting in the old house was not good. Sometimes they turned their heads and could only see the outline of each other in a daze, but it seemed that father and son would spend some time together in this way. Those unnecessary barriers are melting away.

One morning, Lu Yan went out to work as usual. When she was putting on her shoes, she glanced at her husband who was sitting upright on the saddle: "Don't keep listening to the radio, you haven't shaved your head this time, have you?"

"No, it's not long either." Chen Li stroked the sparse hair on his scalp.

"It's not long, it just has no shape, and it's left there, go and fix it," Lu Yan tugged at her floral short sleeves, "Did you hear that, let Xiyang accompany you."

With his son to accompany him, this kind of unnecessary activity seems somewhat feasible, Chen Li rubbed his head and muttered: "It's really not long, what kind of cultivation... Do it, I'll just go out and hang around."

Walking on the unfamiliar street, Chen Li followed behind Chen Xiyang step by step. Although there was no verbal communication between father and son, and the eyes of people around them rarely looked at them with pure kindness, they didn't care.

The son takes Lao Tzu to the barber shop, and this behavior seems to hide an extraordinary meaning.

Chen Xiyang took his father to the barber shop that he often went to. In the scorching summer, behind the black glass door, there was only the sleepy proprietress, and even the flies hid in the shade of the sun. He would never move unless necessary, hum The hum was also weak.

The proprietress raised her confused eyes and subconsciously gave Chen Xiyang a welcome smile: "Here we are."

A familiar smell poured into his nostrils, it was the smell of shampoo and hair mixed together, which always reminded Chen Xiyang of bitterness, but for his father, it should be a genuine breath of life.He nodded and sat down on an old chair, picked up the old magazine with curled pages and yellowed pages: "Give my dad a haircut."

Chen Li smiled cautiously, and turned his head before sitting on the heavy metal chair: "Why don't you have it done? Your hair is longer than mine."

"No, I'll wait for you." Chen Xiyang looked up at his father.

While waiting for the water to boil, Chen Li, who was restrained in the metal chair, looked at his son in the mirror and smiled unconsciously. Chen Xiyang also raised his head when he heard it, and looked at his father in the mirror.Chen Xiyang didn't know the reason, but it should be a manifestation of consciousness prior to thinking. He looked at the wrinkles on his father's face and raised the corners of his mouth.

No matter what the past is, no matter what the future is, at this moment he is just bringing his father to get a haircut.

There is nothing to say about the handicraft work of the proprietress. After doing some simple repairs, she shaved Chen Li's face, and he looked much more energetic.

Chen Li looked at himself in the mirror, rubbing his smooth chin back and forth with the back of his wrinkled hands, feeling that his face had never been so smooth in his life.It has been nearly a month since he was released from prison, but sometimes, the image of a family of three together makes him feel unreal, like a reflection in water, which will disappear when he blows his breath, but on this peaceful summer morning , he deeply realized that he was already free.

After paying the money and leaving, on the way back, Chen Li was completely different from when he came. His eyes were no longer limited to his son's back, but he looked around, observing this novel world.

Some tricycles selling cooked food and fruits have already arrived at the entrance of every alley. Most of the male bosses are squatting under the trees with their clothes up and smoking, while the female bosses are joking and joking with each other loudly. Chen Li is like their old man. Acquaintances, walk all the way and laugh with them all the way.

When passing by the store with a small wooden sign, Chen Li stopped in his tracks, and he looked at the dusty black bump in the most conspicuous place in surprise: "Ah, we all have telephones here?"

Chen Xiyang nodded: "Public phone, five cents per minute."

"It's not cheap," Chen Li clicked his tongue, "but it's really convenient to contact friends, but I'm afraid those old guys of mine can't afford a phone..."

Chen Li's eyes were fixed on the phone, but his thoughts drifted away, obviously thinking of his former friends.

Sure enough, after returning home, Chen Li no longer sat in front of the window, but seemed restless.He began to pace around the house frequently, and from time to time he would go out for a walk alone. Like Chen Xiyang, Lu Yan figured out his thoughts. When Chen Li finally expressed his thoughts, Lu Yan let out a snort and put down the noodle cutting machine. knife.

"Which friend do you want to meet?"

Chen Li's sitting posture was rarely relaxed, avoiding his wife's gaze: "Who else do you think you can see? After so many years, who else recognizes me as a friend except Lao Lin."

"I knew it was him!" Lu Yan turned around angrily, and wiped her hands on the apron irritably, "You are really his good brother. You beat him up and sentenced him to death , You are interesting enough, but what about him? How many times has he come to see our mother and daughter in the past few years since you went in? Now that you have come out, you have not learned enough lessons, and you still want to visit him? Do you still treat him as a brother?"

Chen Li sighed sadly: "Yan'er, that's not what you said. You don't know that we used to work on steel and worked night shifts. If Lao Lin didn't pull me, I would have plunged into the steel furnace Yes, that is my savior."

"Okay, you can continue to ask him to repay your kindness, anyway, we are used to living without men." Lu Yan sat down angrily.

"Don't be angry, let's be reasonable, let's talk about it," Chen Li came to Lu Yan's side, "Lao Lin and I have a life-long friendship. Besides, I made my own way and acted bravely for a while. He was neither incited nor instigated, so I can't blame him entirely. Right? Now that things are over, it’s not okay for us old brothers to get together and chat about gossip? Don’t keep saying that, don’t tell me I’m such an old person, and now I’m still going to fight for him? "

"I..." Lu Yan wanted to say something more in a panic, but when she saw Chen Xiyang who was watching them quietly, the evil words in her mouth were replaced by sighs unconsciously, "You, you, who would have thought that you, who lives in a prison, are actually Is he a nice guy? I just feel aggrieved! You can be friends, but he didn’t come to visit you after you finally came out, and let you come instead?”

Chen Li also sighed: "You don't know about that. I have inquired about it. He still lives in the original old house, and now he is sick in bed and cannot get out of bed. His child dropped out of school to take care of him. Why did he come to visit me? "

"Can't even get off the ground?" Lu Yan clicked her tongue, and then muttered a series of unintelligible words.

"Yeah," Chen Li said with emotion, "I heard it's serious. If you say he's not very old, but we two brothers can say that we see each other less often. If you get upset because of this, it's too much." Not worth it."

Lu Yan slapped his hand away with an unfriendly expression, but her eyes and tone were obviously not as strong as before: "I don't understand the friendship between you men, and I don't bother to care about it. If you want to go, go, it seems to save us. It's as if I'm sorry."

"My wife is a hero among women, so is a good wife."

Chen Li smiled and pressed Lu Yan's shoulder, and Lu Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing: "I'm illiterate, and I'm pretty good at phrasing."

Chen Li must have tossed and turned that night to meet his old friend who had been away for many years, and Chen Xiyang was also quite touched. Like his mother, he could not have no resentment towards the friend who caused his father to be imprisoned, but he also felt that this kind of friendship between friends He was fascinated by the friendship between the two ribs, and he never had a close friend, let alone a brother who was close to life and death. The image of his father seemed to have become more stalwart, and it made him feel a little more respectful.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Chen Li took Chen Xiyang out. He bought a roast chicken and a pack of shredded tripe for a special trip, which shows how much he attaches importance to this friendship.

Chen Li didn't even need to ask any more questions along the way, the dusty memories slowly returned with his footsteps, he led his son through the streets and alleys, and finally arrived at the place he visited most often.

"Son, I took you to Uncle Lin's house a few times when you were very young, do you still have any memories?" Chen Li looked at the familiar short house in front of him and smiled.

Chen Xiyang was only four or five years old at the time, and he had relevant impressions but didn't have any specific details, so he shook his head.

Chen Li's enthusiasm was not extinguished at all, he pulled him and said, "Come on, let's go."

It is far away from the downtown area. Although it is also a square bungalow, it looks a little more depressed. The ancient poets planted vegetables full of tranquil and elegant pastoral style. Here, a piece of green vegetables or shallots grown outside every household, It just makes people wonder if they can't even afford food.

Chen Li was both excited and nervous, and the familiar iron door was also full of rust. He was trapped in prison for the past five years, and the outside world also failed to escape the ravages of time.The door was open, Chen Li looked back at his son, the two walked out slowly, and just as they entered, they saw a thin figure sitting on a horseback washing clothes in the courtyard.

Because he was too thin, the protruding spine seemed to pierce the sweat-soaked thin short sleeves. Looking at his back, he was probably a boy about the same age as Chen Xiyang.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, the boy stopped. After wiping off the sweat on his short sleeves, he turned his head and looked at them with dark eyes.The short hair on his forehead was wet with sweat, and it was a little messy when it stuck to his forehead, but it still gave people a delicate and well-behaved feeling, which was pleasing to the eye.

"My child, you are... Lin Ji, right?" Chen Li took two steps forward and then bent down, his tone seemed a little uncertain, but there was a smile of nostalgia in his eyes.

The boy named Lin Ji nodded and stood up, his hands and feet were as slender and straight as sugar cane.

"You definitely don't remember me." Facing the silent boy, Chen Li's eyes were full of relief, "Is your father at home?"

Lin Ji still nodded, but when he pointed to the wooden door in the courtyard, he said with care, "Yes."

After Chen Li nodded, he led Chen Xiyang into the door. When passing by Lin Ji, the two silent boys glanced at each other, neither of them opened their mouths, and there was no emotional change in their faces or eyes, but Chen Xiyang felt inexplicably The other party gave himself a very familiar feeling.

This is strange, although his father and that Uncle Lin are close friends, but he and Lin Ji should have never met before, Chen Xiyang couldn't figure out where this familiar feeling came from.

A hoarse cough interrupted Chen Xiyang's thinking: "Cough cough cough... who's here?"

Hearing the voice of his old friend, Chen Li stepped into the house that was a little darker than his own in three steps: "Old Lin, it's me!"