Urban Druid

After sweeping the tomb, Gao Cheng drove Ning Qing into a quiet old town centered on courtyard houses in downtown Beijing.

Outside the gate of the area, the parking lot was strictly checked by the guards, and after passing through several checkpoints, they came to the gate of a deep courtyard.

The gate of the courtyard was slightly open, and two guards standing straight outside the gate saluted Gao Cheng, but did not check his ID again.

Gao Cheng took Ning Qing and walked in directly.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw a rich middle-aged lady walking out of the house.

When the aunt saw Gao Cheng, her face immediately filled with a kind smile, and she quickly walked up to him: "Xiao Liuer! You are finally back! The old man has already mentioned you several times! Come in soon!"

Gao Cheng is ranked sixth in the big family, and the first few are all older sisters, so it can be said that they are the real eldest grandsons.Aunt Liu's family followed and served the old man, and Gao Cheng also lived with his grandfather when he was a child, so the two are very close, and they are already real relatives.

When Gao Cheng saw his aunt who brought him up single-handedly, his smile was warm and friendly, and he opened his mouth and boasted, "Aunt Liu's complexion is really getting more and more rosy! How is Grandpa recently?"

Aunt Liu was so coaxed that she narrowed her eyes with a smile: "You are a sweet-mouthed kid! But the old man is in good health! The day before yesterday, he carried a hoe and planed the backyard!" Seeing Ning Qing in a blink of an eye, her eyes widened. Liang, looking at Gao Cheng's smile was more teased by his elders, "This is Ning Qing, right?"

Ning Qing nodded, but didn't know how to answer.

Aunt Liu saw that this was a shy child, and said with a hearty smile, "You can follow Xiao Liu and call me Auntie. We are all family anyway!"

"Auntie." Ning Qing called out coldly, not knowing how to say hello.

Aunt Liu didn't care, but took his hand and looked him up and down carefully: "The young man is so handsome, but he can't compare with Xiao Liu! Come and tell Auntie, how did you and Xiao Liu know each other?" ? Is our Xiaoliu okay with you?"

Ning Qing's limbs became stiff all of a sudden.

Seeing that Ning Qing was at a loss, Gao Cheng quickly pulled people over: "Auntie, don't make things difficult for Ah Qing, we still have to go in to see Grandpa!"

"Oh, look at my excitement! Go, go, go in!" Aunt Liu patted her forehead, turned around and led the way, and shouted as she walked, "Old man, Xiao Liu is back!"

The two followed Aunt Liu into the main room and sat down, and Aunt Liu went to pour tea for them.

Ning Qing looked at the furnishings of the main room of this ancient courtyard house.

The square house has some calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls; the square furniture looks old, but it doesn’t look like it’s made of expensive wood; although the whole house is bright and spacious, it’s not luxurious, but from From the inside to the outside, there is a sense of simplicity and elegance, which is in line with his imagination of the residence of the founding officials.

At this time, Ning Qing heard the sound of vigorous and steady footsteps approaching from a distance.

The curtain in a corner of the main room was lifted, and a hale and hearty tall old man with gray hair walked in.

The old man's back was straight, and he walked vigorously, with the upright fortitude and majesty of a soldier. He didn't look old at all.

When Gao Cheng saw the old man, he quickly stood up and went up to him to help him, calling out affectionately, "Grandpa!"

Ning Qing also stood up.It is a man who has a heroic complex. He respects and worships those generals who have come through the difficult and passionate years.

"I'm not old enough to need someone to help me!" The old man didn't appreciate his grandson's kindness, and he slapped Gao Cheng's back with the crutch in his hand, and said with a straight face, "You still know how to come back? You thought your wings were stiff and you forgot about me, old man!" Of course, he was reluctant to really beat his beloved grandson, so he raised the crutch high and then lowered it gently, just pretending.

Gao Cheng pretended to be staggered by the beating, and quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, you are in good health and don't need help! But you have to give your grandson a chance to show your filial piety!"

When the old man heard Gao Cheng's fawning words, although he still had a straight face, the smile in his eyes revealed his filial piety to his grandson and he was very happy.

Walking all the way to the main seat, Da Ma sat down with a golden knife, just facing Ning Qing, the expression on his face returned to a serious state, and said to him unceremoniously: "Sit."

Ning Qing sat down neither humble nor overbearing.

The old man sized him up for a while, his face still as motionless as a mountain, with no expression of joy or anger at all.

Ning Qing sat upright, looked straight at the old man's face, and let him scrutinize him. He felt a murderous aura rushing towards his face, which made his nerves tense slightly, but there was no trace of fear in his heart.

The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the main room was tense for a moment.

But Gao Cheng was not worried, and sat down next to Ning Qing calmly.He didn't think that grandpa would embarrass Ah Qing, the current posture was probably just a matter of pretending to be serious for a while.

It wasn't until Aunt Liu brought out the tea that the weird atmosphere was broken.

Aunt Liu saw that the old man was putting on airs and pretending to give Ning Qing a bad blow, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, old man, what are you doing? Scared Xiaoqing away, and see if Xiaoliu is not in a hurry with you!"

The old man couldn't hold back his face immediately, coughed dryly, and said sternly: "He dares!" I don't know whether this sentence was said to Ning Qing or Gao Cheng.

Gao Cheng also smiled, reached out to hold Ning Qing's hand, and said seriously, "Grandpa, Ah Qing is fine."

The old man snorted, waved to him, motioned him not to speak, but said to Ning Qing: "Drink tea."

Ning Qing picked up the teacup in front of her, smelled the tea lightly, and took a sip.

"What kind of tea did you drink?" the old man continued to ask.

"I don't know." Ning Qing answered honestly. Although he often drank tea, he didn't study it. As long as it is not too bitter, he can drink it.

However, the old man seemed to be very satisfied with his answer, and said a rare sentence: "Not bad."

Gao Cheng and Aunt Liu were taken aback for a moment, did the old man agree with Ning Qing's honesty?

Seeing their expressions, the old man seemed to have been poked in some sore foot, and said angrily: "What's wrong if you can't drink what kind of tea this is? I can't drink it, old man!"

puff!Gao Cheng and Aunt Liu looked at each other.It is said that old children are old children. After the old man retired, his temper was really like that of a child.

Aunt Liu knows that this tea is provided by the country//home//special//. It is said that it is picked from the sprouts of the only one Dahongpao old tea tree in Wuyi Mountain in the country. However, the old man came from the army and is a rough man. He can't drink anything good , It is always said that it is not as good as a big bowl of tea for a few yuan.

Of course, this kind of bull chewing on peonies somehow reached the ears of old rivals who also retreated and often bickered. When the old man went out for a walk at night, he was laughed at several times and was angry.

Unexpectedly, Ning Qing, who was also an idiot in this regard, was just right for the old man.

As long as a person has the right eyes for a certain person, he will feel that the other person is good no matter what.Obviously, the old man has a good opinion of Ning Qing now.Immediately, he changed from a serious and old-fashioned patriarch to a kind and amiable old man. He said kindly, "He is a good boy. The old man will not make things difficult for you. You and Xiao Liu can live a good life."

In fact, the old man was very dissatisfied with Gao Cheng's choice of the same sex as his partner at first.

As a traditional Chinese old man, he always has the idea of ​​holding his grandson and great-grandson in his arms. Although he reluctantly accepts the fact that his youngest son is gay, he is very upset that his eldest grandson also finds a man to be his "daughter-in-law".

However, since the youngest son has been acquiesced, due to the principle of being fair and just, it is not good to object to the grandson's choice, but he made up his mind at the time to make things difficult for the "bad boy" who "seduces" the grandson of.In his opinion, his own child is of course the best, and all the bad things are seduced by that "bad boy"!

He only heard about his old man, at first he thought that Ning Qing was just like the old rabbit he had seen when he was young, with a shy little boy, but after seeing him, he realized that although Ning Qing was good-looking, he had the delicate and handsome appearance of a southerner. , but he was not shy at all, and his demeanor was cold and solemn, his gestures were upright and natural, and his speech was honest and calm, which immediately caught his eye.

The balance in the old man's heart began to shift unknowingly when he saw Ning Qing for the first time.Moreover, the identity of a scientist has increased the weight he accepts and values ​​in his heart.

Looking at Ning Qing's upright sitting posture and neither humble nor overbearing demeanor, he murmured in his heart: such a serious and well-organized good boy is probably led astray by his grandson.According to the grandson's temperament, when he deceived others, he didn't know what coercive means were used!

Thinking of this, the old man couldn't help feeling dissatisfied with his grandson, glared at Gao Cheng and said, "If we're together, treat Xiao Qing well, and put away all those messy things from the past! Let me know that you bullied him, and see how I deal with it." you!"

Hearing this, Gao Cheng couldn't laugh or cry, why did his grandfather "rebel" so quickly? Is his eldest grandson too low status?

Besides, I still don't feel like loving Ah Qing enough, how can I be willing to bully him!

He pretended to be jealous, and said pitifully: "As soon as Ah Qing comes, grandpa won't love me anymore!"

The old man and Aunt Liu were amused when they saw him being funny.

Only Ning Qing's expression remained calm.

The old man was very different from what he had imagined. Although he had a murderous aura, he was very cute.

Forgive him for using the word "cute" to describe the old man, with this old man around, maybe such a big family will be very harmonious...

In the evening, Aunt Liu made a big table of delicious food to welcome them.But they were all home-cooked dishes. Apart from the four of them, there were also the old man's exclusive doctor and nurses at the dinner table. So many dishes were not wasted, and they were eaten cleanly, which made Aunt Liu happy from ear to ear.

After eating, Ning Qing stood in the yard smoking a cigarette. Gao Cheng hugged him from behind and asked softly, "What's the matter?"

Ning Qing remained silent.He doesn't have any emotions, he just likes to be alone habitually.

Gao Cheng also stopped talking, and the two cuddled quietly, the atmosphere was light, peaceful and peaceful.

He was called by the old man just now, and he didn't know what the grandfather and grandson talked about, but when he came out, the expression on his face was very happy.

"Cough!" At this moment, a cough startled the couple, Ning Qing subconsciously pushed Gao Cheng away, and stood up straight.

I saw the old man standing on the other side of the yard at some point, looking at them.

"Grandpa!" Gao Cheng shouted in dissatisfaction, resentful that the sudden appearance of the old man destroyed the rare and beautiful atmosphere between him and Ah Qing.His skin has long been tempered to be thicker than the walls of the capital, so he won't blush when his elders see such a pure hug.

Although Ning Qing was a little uncomfortable, she had always had a cold face and a strong mental quality, so of course she would not be embarrassed.

The old man raised his eyebrows, ignored the eldest grandson's dissatisfaction, and said to Ning Qing, "Xiao Qing, come on, let me go for a walk with the old man to refresh ourselves." Then he raised his crutches to stop Gao Cheng who was about to follow, She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "Xiao Liu is going to help Xiao Liu wash the dishes, don't follow!"

Gao Cheng was helpless, so he had no choice but to go into the kitchen to help. Before leaving, he gave Ning Qing a reluctant look, turning his head every step of the way, not to mention being funny.

But Ning Qing carefully noticed that when the old man turned around, he winked mischievously at him, and the smile on the corner of his mouth was clearly the cunning of a successful prank on his grandson.

He followed the old man out of the yard.All the way along the winding alley road paved with bluestone slabs, I walked towards the place where the old man often walked.

The winter in the capital is cold and dry. The leaves of the roadside trees on both sides of the alleys have long since fallen off. The branches are bare, pointing blankly at the gray sky, which is really nothing to see.There are few pedestrians in the alley, only the occasional whistle of pigeons makes the quiet air appear leisurely and peaceful.

Ning Qing quietly walked on the old man's left, did not help the old man, and did not talk to the old man.He didn't know how to get along with the elderly, so he could only follow the way he used to get along with his grandfather.

However, the old man took the initiative to talk to him with great interest. He was obviously very curious about the life of a scientist, and asked all kinds of questions, from daily life, to hobbies and habits, to scientific research. As long as he wanted to know, the old man would ask directly. He doesn't beat around the bush, and is very amiable.

But Ning Qing didn't talk much, when the old man asked, he said what he could say, and if he couldn't, he just admitted that he didn't know.

"Xiaoqing, what do you usually like to do?" the old man asked.

"Experiment, research." Ning Qing answered the standard workaholic answer without hesitation.

The old man was embarrassed: "This kid! This is work, not a hobby!"

"Walking the dog, feeding the cat, planting flowers?" Ning Qing thought for a while, and with some uncertainty, said what she usually does besides work.

"What kind of dog do you have?" Obviously, the old man likes keeping a dog.Since he completely retired, he has been bored, and his great-granddaughter gave him a dog to keep him bored, but gradually he fell in love with this loyal animal.

"Chinese garden dog." Ning Qing said.

"Isn't it just a local dog? Why are you talking about a foreign name!" The old man disapproved of this academic name.

"Chinese garden dog is a scientific name." Ning Qing corrected his words righteously, "There are many kinds of native dogs, and we can't generalize them to blur their boundaries. People nowadays just don't care about our native dog breeds, so the market is full of imported ones. Only if we care about it and divide it carefully, the local dog breeds will be accepted by the world like other famous dogs.” He thought of the abandoned stray dogs that can be seen everywhere in the city, most of them are Chuanzi or Local dogs, but those pampered by their owners are all dogs of foreign origin.

"According to what you said, the native dog can become a famous dog like the Tibetan mastiff and sold abroad?" Seeing his serious look, the old man couldn't help being happy.

"Tibetan mastiff is also one of the breeds of native dogs in China. If the country attaches great importance to the development of the dog industry chain, perfects relevant laws and regulations, and the guidance of the government, native dogs can also go abroad." Ning Qing pondered.

Since raising a dog, he has paid more attention to information and materials in this area, and he speaks clearly and logically, and he no longer cares about words as before.

"Don't talk about this. Go back and see my 'general' later, and see if I'm well-raised!" The old man simply changed the subject here, he has completely ignored the matter, this kind of politics// Policy decisions are better left to the current leaders.

Ning Qing nodded clearly, and followed the old man's words: "Okay."

One old and one young took a walk slowly, chatting gossip, asking and answering, but it was fun and chatting happily.

After turning a corner and entering a slightly wider cement road, I met an old man carrying a birdcage.

The old man seemed to have poor eyesight, and when he walked in front of them, he didn't know if he knew someone, and he still teased the starling in the cage by himself.

"Hey? Isn't this Old Li!" But the old man's eyes were sharp, and he immediately recognized the old man opposite him, and quickly moved his steps to stop him.

"Old Gao?" The old man called "Old Li" by Mr. Gao adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I haven't seen you out for a walk for a long time, how can you be willing to come out today instead of staying at home to play with the dog?" Have you had some tea?"

"Hmph, I can come out whenever I want, do I need your consent?" Hearing the word "drink tea", Mr. Gao immediately lowered his face, looking annoyed that his tail was stepped on.

Seeing his anger, Mr. Li smiled instead: "Oh, it doesn't matter if you don't have tea, no one dares to say that our old Gao is uneducated!" It's just that the smile is subtle, and in Ning Qing's eyes, it's more like ironic irony , quite a treacherous taste.

Could this be the old man's old enemy that Aunt Liu said?

Different from Mr. Gao's strong military demeanor, this Mr. Li is covered in silver hair and wearing a blue long jacket. His appearance is elegant and elegant, with a gentle manner. He doesn't look like a retired leader, but more like an old scholar who has read poetry and books.

"You are educated? Pretending to be an educated person all day is not too tiring! Even if you pretend to be a son or grandson, you are not the same old man!" Mr. Gao sneered, with sharp irony.

"It doesn't matter if the son and grandson are rough, as long as the daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law are educated!" Mr. Li was not angry at all, and showed off with a smile.

"Don't think that your daughter-in-law is the only one who is educated! Our family also has an educated person! She is also a scientist!" Seeing that his old enemy was proud, Mr. Gao pulled Ning Qing over, showing off his toes, "Come on, Xiao Qing Get to know him, this old guy is surnamed Li, even though he looks like a cultured person, he is actually a big bastard who squatted in the same trench as me back then!"

Mr. Li approached Ning Qing, looked up and down carefully, and asked wonderingly: "When did you have another grandson? This child doesn't look like you!"

Mr. Gao choked, and for a moment really didn't know how to explain Ning Qing's identity. After all, homosexuality is not yet legal in China, and it will take time for the old comrades to accept it.He can't just say that Ning Qing is actually his grandson's wife right now!

Seeing that he was hesitating and unable to speak, Mr. Li felt that something was wrong, and said suspiciously: "Huh? You old robber, don't snatch other people's children and pretend to be your own family!"

Hearing the contempt inside and out of the old enemy's words, old man Gao was immediately annoyed: "When did my old Gao do such a thing? This child is really a member of my family!"

Mr. Li asked calmly: "You old man Gao has done such embarrassing things too often? If you are not afraid of losing face, I will count them for you in front of children?"

Mr. Gao was furious: "Nonsense! This is my grandson-in-law!"

Ning Qing was dumbfounded.Fortunately, the facial paralysis skill is so profound that others cannot see it.

"Hey! If there is a scientist in the family, you will be pissed? What about the scientist? Our daughter-in-law is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences!" Mr. Li did not doubt the words of his old comrade-in-arms, but retorted triumphantly. exactly the same.

"Will your daughter-in-law win the Nobel Prize? Our Xiaoqing is so young, she will definitely win it in the future!" Mr. Gao didn't hit his old enemy, and talked nonsense, as if Ning Qing had already won it. The highest honor in that scientific community.

The reunion of old friends suddenly turned into a child's vindictiveness, and the rhythm of the gods unfolded, so that Ning Qing really couldn't turn the corner all of a sudden.I could only stiffen my body and watch in a daze as the two respected old men bickered childishly. The tall images of anti-Japanese heroes and elegant scholars were all ashes, flying, smoke, and extinguished.

In the courtyard kitchen, Gao Cheng wiped away the dishes that Aunt Liu had washed, and asked puzzledly, "Auntie, why did Grandpa suddenly take Ah Qing for a walk?"

"Don't worry! The old man is precious Xiaoqing, and he won't bully him with a stubborn temper!" Aunt Liu couldn't stop smiling when she heard his question, "A while ago, the daughter-in-law of the opposite door Li's family won the title of academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. When I was a child, as soon as I saw the old man, he would show off how promising his daughter-in-law was, which made the old man suffocated for a long time, and he didn't dare to go out for a few days! Now that Xiao Qing has finally come, why can't he resist taking it out to show off? Show off?"

The two old men are obviously old comrades who can be entrusted with life and death, but they always bicker when they get together.When he was a soldier, he killed more devils than anyone else, when he became a regiment commander, he won more battles than anyone else, and when he was old, he was more promising than his sons and grandchildren.

Moreover, both of them were from the army. They didn't go to school when they were teenagers. They often laughed at themselves as big bosses. They both had a magical yearning for highly educated scientists and professors. The children and grandchildren are capable, and become a family with highly educated talents, and the older they get, the more childish they become.

Gao Cheng heard that Aunt Liu's words meant that she was praising Ning Qing, and immediately felt honored, and proudly said, "That's right! Our Ah Qing is so good, he will definitely win the Nobel Prize in the future!"

Aunt Liu laughed.No wonder the old man loves Xiao Liu'er the most, the grandfather and grandson sometimes have a similar temper.

It's just that Gao Cheng, who is in a hurry here, would think what he would do if he heard that the old man guessed the factual relationship between him and Ning Qing with "piercing eyes".

The author has something to say: I finally finished coding the task TAT, Knife was so sleepy that I was about to fall asleep. .

Patients with procrastination in the late stage really can't afford to be hurt. I wrote so much in one day, and the speed is so slow~

But when it comes to the old man, the more I write, the happier I am, so I put the two chapters together.

I don't know what the head of a wealthy family is like, so I had to make up such a lovely old man, so that Xiao Gong Xiaoshou's life will not be hindered by his family, and he will be happy without regrets.