“...... yes, see when you come over. ”

“...... Yes. ”

Outside the hall, by the eaves, the rainwater that washes the roof collects and flows downward.

The old man, who had taken off his coat and looked much thinner, sat on a low stool by the door, talking on the phone.

At the table, the electric stove reflected a warm red light, against the wind that occasionally blew in from outside the hall door.

“...... Little sir, let me add some hot water to you, the water in the cup should be cold. ”

The old lady who handed Lian Ge a chair stood aside, looked at the old man who was on the phone, and then turned back to Lian Ge and said.

"Old man, no need. A glass of water is sufficient. Lian Ge held the water glass and shook his head.

......

And at this moment, the old man also finished the call and stood up from the stool.

"Old man, is the phone call over?" the old lady shouted.

Holding the faded function machine in his hand, the old man nodded,

"Xiaoshan, take it and put it away. ”

"Good ......" took the phone, answered, and the young man ran towards the bedroom.

"There's some hot water in the pot, can you wash it?"

The old lady took two steps forward and handed the old man a dry handkerchief.

"Then wash it. The old man took the handkerchief, wiped the rain from his body, and nodded in response.

As he spoke, the old man looked at Lian Ge, who was sitting by the electric stove in the room, felt the wind blowing into the hall from time to time, paused, turned around, and closed the door of the hall.

"Crunch ......"

The old hall door made some noise because of the rusty hinges, and immediately after, the hall door was half closed, just to block the cold wind blowing towards Lian Ge,

Then, the hall was much darker, and the warm glow of the electric stove reflected the entire table.

"Then I'll go get you water. ”

The old lady looked at the old man, answered the call, and walked towards the back room.

"Little sir, do you want to rinse and rinse too, this is stained with some rain, and your body is always uncomfortable. ”

The old lady walked to Lian Ge's side, paused, and asked aloud.

"No need. Lian Ge smiled and shook his head, "Thank you, old man, for lending me a place to shelter from the rain, the rain on my body is almost dry." ”

Hearing this, the old lady didn't say anything more, nodded, and quickened her pace towards the backyard.

......

The old man at the door of the hall also moved his steps and walked to the table after tying half the door.

Flipping down an upside-down chair from the dining table, the old man sat down next to Lian Ge.

He didn't say much, but turned his gaze through the half-open door of the house, and looked at the rain flowing from the eaves of the house outside, and the rain and mist that shrouded the hills in the distance.

“...... Grandpa, the phone has been put away. ”

At this moment, the seventeen or eighteen-year-old man ran out of the next bedroom.

"Good...... Good. The old man nodded, "Go and help your grandmother make a fire, and by the way, tell your grandmother to take off the bacon from the kitchen beam and entertain the guests." ”

"Old man, it's not troublesome. Lian Ge stopped him.

"If you want to get, if you want to get, whoever comes is a guest. The old man shook his head and said in a loud voice,

"Go, little mountain......" said the old man, turning his head again towards his grandson.

Hearing this, the young man did not stay any longer, and trotted to the back room.

......

The hall became quieter and quieter.

Only above the rooftops, the sound of dense raindrops crashing against the tiles sounded.

“...... Where did the gentleman come from?"

The old man sat next to Lian Ge and asked out loud.

"Upstream of the river. Lian Ge smiled and repeated his previous answer.

Hearing this, the old man turned his gaze, looked at Lian Ge again, and didn't ask again,

“...... The old man has been on the Yellow River all along, saving these 'poor people'?"

Lian Ge looked out the door, looked at the mist-shrouded hills in the distance, and asked in a calm tone.

“...... When he was so big from Xiaoshan, he followed my father to make a living on the Yellow River. ”

The old man put the wool cloth on the table next to him and nodded,

“...... We gave these poor people a place to bury, and they gave us a way to live. ”

As he spoke, the old man turned his head and looked out of the hall.

"In a blink of an eye, it's a lot of years. I have spent my whole life on this Yellow River. ”

"Old man, have you seen a lot of poor people?" Lian Ge didn't turn his head and continued.

"I've seen a lot. The old man answered, "The living and the dead, those who have fallen from the river, those who have been swept down by the waves, those who have been tied up and drowned, and those who have been thrown away...... Each one is different. ”

As he spoke, the old man shook his head again and said no more.

......

“...... Grandpa, the hot water has been prepared for you, you go take a bath. ”

Just then, the young man came out of the back room and shouted.

Hearing this, the old man nodded to his grandson, and then, standing up again,

“...... Sir, you sit here first, and I'll leave for a while, old man. The old man turned around, leaned over, and said to Lian Ge.

"Old man, please take care of yourself. ”

Lian Ge nodded.

......

As he spoke, the old man turned and walked to the back room.

And his grandson, a young man of seventeen or eighteen years old, walked into the hall and squatted down next to Lian Ge.

"Sir, is this one a mouse on your shoulder?"

The young man roasted the warm light of the electric stove, looked at the mouse on Lian Ge's shoulder with some curiosity and asked.

"Squeak!"

The mouse turned its head and squeaked twice.

Hearing this, Lian Ge couldn't help but smile and nodded.

When the young man heard this, he couldn't help but turn his head again and look at the mouse curiously, but he didn't ask again.

......

Outside, the wind was still blowing, disturbing the dense and rapid raindrops, washing, lapping against the nearby buildings, the distant hills,

In the village, the smoke of the various families rose one after another, converging, blending into the hazy rain and mist.

Inside, the sound of stir-frying faintly coming from the back room sounded, and the fragrance lingered in the hall.

Squatting beside Lian Ge, the young man who was roasting the fire seemed to be a little salivating, and he couldn't hold it back, so he turned his head from time to time to look at the back room.

......

After a few moments,

The old lady put it on the dining table with a plate of stir-fried vegetables overflowing with steam, which was a plate of bacon fried with garlic sprouts.

"Knock ......"

The old lady took the last seat off the table and put it on the table.

“...... Little sir, you wait a little longer, I'll fry a side dish and eat. ”

The old lady smiled and said enthusiastically,

After wiping his hands, he turned around and walked into the kitchen again.

The young man squatting next to Lian Ge couldn't help but swallow his saliva when he looked at the plate of fried bacon, but he didn't get up.

......

"Sir, you've been waiting for a long time. ”

At this moment, the old man, who had taken a shower and changed into dry clothes, also walked back to the hall.

Hearing this, Lian Ge shook his head slightly.

“...... Xiaoshan, you also go take a bath, there is still some hot water left, in the pot, you go and mix some cold water yourself, wash it. ”

"Good. Grandpa, I'm going to take a shower. As he spoke, the young man glanced at the dishes on the table again before moving towards the back room.

“...... The family is poor, and there is nothing to eat on weekdays. Let me sir, you see the smile. ”

The old man glanced at his grandson who had walked into the back room, turned to Lian Ge and said.

Hearing this, Lian Ge looked at the old man and shook his head.

"Don't take the corpse to ask for money, poverty is also the old man, you have a good heart. I'm just a passerby, bothered by the old man's hospitality, I'm bothered, where can I see a smile or not smile. ”

“...... If the ancestors left behind, they can eat the food of the dead, and they will not make money from the dead, but they can only live on this, and they cannot make a fortune on this. ”

The old man shook his head, answered, and turned and walked towards the table.

“...... Sir, please take a seat at the table. ”