“...... Young man, don't look at these hooks and tiles, the pavilions and pavilions are all like that, but let me tell you, some of them were handed down from the Ming Dynasty, some of them were from the Republic of China, and some of them were rebuilt after liberation...... Look at that...... That building is before the Ming Dynasty, where was it when I was young...... Hey, it's still there now that I'm old. ”

On the boat, the old man held a pole and pointed to the buildings passing by both sides of the boat, his wrinkled face with a smile.

Lian Ge, who was sitting on the boat of the painting boat, also followed the direction pointed by the old man's words, looking at these buildings and people who had weathered the years, feeling the cool breeze on the Qinhuai River from time to time, and some smiles appeared on his face.

“...... At that time, there were only a few boats parked on the small dock, the Zhang family, the Li family, the Xu family, and then my family......

At that time, it was still my father who supported the boat, and sometimes, the boat could not earn a few dollars a day when it floated on the water, and I could often hear my mother scolding my father for being unproductive, saying that he knew to guard the boat all day long......

After that, my father got sick, and his feet were swollen and shiny, and medicine was not as developed as it is now, and before any disease was detected, people were gone......."

As he spoke, the old man shook his head, then looked up at the river and beyond.

"Young man, sit tight, you're about to cross the bridge, this bridge is crossed, this water is in a hurry......"

The old man said hello, but didn't get up, just let the painting boat be pushed by the current, and slowly moved towards the bridge.

Hearing this, Lian Ge looked forward along the river, nodded, and didn't make a sound.

And the old man who was holding the boat, this was looking at the surface of the Qinhuai River, and continued to say from the previous words,

"When my father left, my mother and I stayed by my father's bedside, and on the afternoon of the day they left, my father and he woke up for a while, and when he woke up, he didn't say anything, just looked at me,

I know that he wants me to guard this boat, but he himself has suffered for a lifetime, and he doesn't want me to suffer for another life......

In the end, he didn't say anything. ”

"Hey, I was so arrogant at that time that I didn't want to guard this ship and live my life like my father...... But at that time, I couldn't help it, I didn't read much, I didn't have a high level of education, and I didn't have any other skills, I was almost eighteen at that time, so I couldn't let my mother raise me, right?"

The old man shook his head, picked up the pole in his hand and continued,

“...... I just took my father's class, and like my father, I held the boat in the Qinhuai River, this pole, like a lot of things, it was not so easy to pick it up and put it down.

In a blink of an eye, this has been decades, and I have been guarding this ship all my life. ”

“...... However, there is one thing I can do better than my father, at least my son will not have to hold the boat anymore. ”

As he spoke, a proud smile appeared on the old man's face,

"Just the small dock where you got on the boat before, young man, is now my son in charge, and my family also has a part in it. ”

With the words of the old man full of a sense of age, the boat followed the current and passed under the bridge.

Lian Ge raised his head slightly, looked at the bluestone with the sparkling water shadow reflected at the bottom of the bridge, and smiled slightly,

"Then old man, you shouldn't have any regrets in your life, right?"

"The family is still harmonious, and the children are still good, so there is no regret......" the old man shook his head, "I just can't let go of this ship." ”

"Look at this ......, young man," the old man pointed to a place on the top of the cabin of the painting boat, where there were some faint and old scratches,

"These traces are painted when I was a child when I was able to touch this top, but I was beaten by my father, and I cried and went to my mother to complain......"

The old man reached out and gently stroked the faint trace, a knowing smile on his face.

"Hey...... It's been so many years in the blink of an eye.

I didn't understand it before, just such a broken ship, I couldn't let go of anything that made my father come to an end, but now I understand it too......"

“...... This year, my granddaughter and granddaughter also persuaded me, saying that I was so old that I should stop supporting the boat...... But I still can't let go of this pole......

However, after all, I am getting older, and sometimes this boat really can't hold up, and when you come back next time, young man, I'm afraid you won't see me. ”

So saying, the old man got up again, and walked back to the bow of the boat with the pole.

In the cabin, Lian Ge also got up and walked out of the cabin.

Looking at the scenery passing by both sides of the strait, Lian Ge said calmly:

"Old man, it's time to let go. ”

Hearing this, the old man's action of holding the boat paused slightly, and he didn't look back, and smiled,

"yes...... It's time to let go. The old man looked at the surface of the Qinhuai River and continued: "But young man, you just let me hold this boat to the end." ”

Hearing this, Lian Ge glanced at the old man and didn't reply, but just walked back to the cabin and found a place to sit down at will.

"Old man, you can support it, and by the way, tell me about these ten miles of Qin Huai. ”

"Okay. The old man nodded, "Since you are willing to listen, young man, then I will tell you about it." ”

"Young man, look at that place, the three-story building that is a distance from the shore, that is a must in Qinhuai for ten miles, the baked cakes in his house, I have always been very greedy when I was a child, and I always pestered my father to buy it.

But at that time, I was poor, and my father could only buy one for me every other month, and he had to hide it from my mother, otherwise my father and I would have to be scolded......"

As he spoke, the old man smiled,

"But the bread tasted so good, oily and fragrant...... But it's a pity, after the death of this old man, the bread can no longer taste like that......"

Shaking his head, the old man withdrew his gaze from the building, pointed to the ancient building next to it and continued,

"Look at that, it's the Jiangnan Gongyuan in ancient times, I often went in when I was young, and the yard was full of grass at that time, and there were some large and small jars, which were placed in that courtyard...... Now the grass in that yard is gone, and there are more people to go......"

While the old man was talking, he pointed out to Lian Ge the goulan tile houses and pavilions on both sides of the strait.

Lian Ge half-leaned on the seat of the cabin, listening to the words of the bow of the ship drifting in the wind, and the sound of the water being cut under the boat.

“...... Sit tight, young man, you have to cross the bridge again......"

The old man shouted, and then used the pole to move the water again.

The boat then passed under the bridge.

“...... After crossing this bridge, even if Qin Huai has walked half of ten miles, young man, look ahead, this scenery is beautiful. It's a pity that you didn't come at night, young man, otherwise the lights would have been more beautiful when they were on......"

With the slow voice of the old man who held the boat,

The boat slowly marched along the Qinhuai River, and the scenery on both sides of the river continued to retreat.

......

Eventually, the boat slowed down and slowly came to a halt on a shore.

"Huh...... It's over, it's ......."

The old man put away the pole, looked around, and shook his head.

Lian Ge then got up from the cabin and walked to the bow of the ship,

"Young man, the ship has come to an end, and if you go any further, you will turn back. The old man turned around and said with a slight sigh.

Hearing this, Lian Ge looked at the old man and smiled slightly,

"Then come here. ”

Raising his head, Lian Ge glanced at the surrounding scenery, retracted his gaze, and looked at the old man again,

"Old man, I don't have any money you need to pay for your boat. But since you've crossed my ride, I'll take you too. ”