It was a rugged and long journey to the town, and before dawn, Zhou Jiyou was called up by Grandma Shen.

Facing the bright moonlight in the sky, Shen Fei stood on the steps under the eaves outside the door, a simple washstand was placed on the wall, and he sprinkled salt on the hairy surface of a crude toothbrush and sent it to his mouth.

Zhou Jiyou stood behind the threshold, his steps frozen.

She holds a toothbrush cup with a finely made white toothbrush and a tube of high-end toothpaste from the market.

She had never brushed her teeth at the same time as him, for the first time, and presumably for the last time.

He's been rough enough.

Yu Guang caught a glimpse of a pair of slender calves and obedient five-point pajama pants, Shen Fei was just about to squat to the edge of the steps with a toothbrush in his mouth, and the movement of turning around quietly stopped, and his neck twisted.

The two looked at each other, neither of them speaking first.

Grandma Shen was collecting things in a back room where the grain was stored, and suddenly burst into anger: "I told you to run!" Tell you to run! ”

Then there was a series of ping-pong sounds, like something hard smashing everywhere.

Zhou Jiyou looked back, Shen Fei took out his toothbrush, his mouth was soaked in salt, and his speech was slightly slurred: "Grandma, I'm using, stick, beating mice." ”

Zhou Jiyou didn't understand: "...... What the? ”

Shen Fei pursed his lips, turned his head and spat on the mud under the steps, repeating: "Grandma is beating with a stick...... You stand on the side! ”

As soon as he turned around, his expression changed suddenly, and his eyes were firmly fixed on Zhou Jiyou's back.

Zhou Jiyou didn't know what was going on, and was about to ask, when his ears moved, and a squeaky sound sounded behind him.

She turned her head suddenly, and on the uneven ground, a black shadow was moving quickly, and Grandma Shen chased out of the back room with a long stick in her hand.

It was a mouse, a fat big black rat running for its life, Grandma Shen chased it and beat it all the time, the stick hit the ground, and the bang sounded.

Zhou Jiyou didn't think about it for a moment, and jumped out of the threshold with an arrow step, grabbing Shen Fei's shirt material and hiding behind him.

She was very quiet, not screaming or shouting, but she was clearly afraid, and Shen Fei could clearly hear her rapid breathing up and down.

The hottest time in the mountains at noon is more than 30 degrees, but in the morning it is greatly reduced, the breeze is cool, and it will be very cold when you stand outside the house with bare arms. Because of this, the air she exhaled suddenly seemed so hot that it pierced through his thin shirt and caressed the shoulder blades of his back, as if it could smoke the skin.

Shen Fei could slightly feel the slender silhouette of her sideways, and he was as if he had been pointed, and his whole body stiffened.

The rat was killed by Grandma Shen before it could run out of the house.

Grandma Shen disposed of the dead rat and walked out across the threshold, Zhou Jiyou saw a black and red puddle in the dustpan, and his eyes were immediately buried in the middle of Shen Fei's butterfly bones, and for a while, the breath at the end of his nose was the light smell of soap on his clothes.

Shen Fei held the handle of the toothbrush in one hand and an old-colored plastic cup in the other, turned his neck mechanically, and looked behind him, "Don't be afraid, it's already gone." ”

Zhou Jiyou woke up like a dream, let go of his hand, took a step back, and said, "Who is afraid." ”

Shen Fei: "......"

Zhou Jiyou scooped water out of the water tank, put the toothcup on the windowsill, and lowered his head to squeeze the toothpaste.

Shen Fei also went to scoop up water with a basin, and Zhou Jiyou shouted: "Eh." ”

He paused, and turned his head to look at her.

She glanced at her nonchalantly and asked, "Are you ready for your toothbrush?" ”

Shen Fei nodded: "Hmm." ”

She frowned slightly in the dim sky: "Who are you perfunctory?" ”

Shen Fei didn't understand what it meant, she stretched out her arm and handed him the toothpaste, "Na." ”

He glanced at it, but didn't answer, "...... I've brushed it. ”

Zhou Jiyou blocked him without refusing: "Can't you brush it again?" ”

Shen Fei: "......"

It wasn't the first time Shen Fei had used toothpaste, but it was definitely the first time in his life that he had tasted this unusually fresh and fragrant taste, very different from the one he had used in his memory, or in other words, they were not comparable at all.

When Grandma Shen came back from the dustpan with water, she saw Shen Fei and Zhou Jiyou squatting side by side on the steps to brush their teeth.

The mouths of both of them were piled up with white toothpaste foam, they lowered their heads, and the vision was too dark, Grandma Shen couldn't see it clearly. But such a warm and quiet picture has left a deep imprint on her mind.

She thought that when Zhou Jiyou was picked up by her family five days later, when they would never meet again, when a long, long time had passed, she could still recall this girl. Even if the appearance is blurred, some of the stories they have lived together can be brought out little by little when she is sorting out the past in the last years.

***

After getting ready, eating porridge and steamed buns, the sky began to brighten.

Shen Fei opened the way in front, Zhou Jiyou walked in the middle, Grandma Shen cushioned behind, and the three of them set off with backpacks on their backs.

Zhou Jiyou's back basket was the lightest, and the heaviest was on Shen Fei's shoulder.

In order to be able to get to the farmers' market before seven o'clock, Shen Fei took a shortcut down the mountain.

Shuttling on shortcuts with almost no roads, especially going down steep slopes and crossing single-plank bridges, Zhou Jiyou always needs Shen Fei to turn back in front of him to take a hand.

He had calluses on his palms, more than one, hard and a little prickly.

Zhou Jiyou subconsciously rubbed gently.

Her little hands are delicate and soft, like hair cakes, like cotton, and the touch is incredible.

Shen Fei's palm was slightly itchy.

He looked back at her, his eyes were quiet, there was so much hidden in it.

Zhou Jiyou raised his neck and said, "What do you see, can't you touch it?" ”

She was so calm that he turned his head back and said nothing.

Grandma Shen walked behind the two, and the second monk was confused.

Before going out, Zhou Jiyou listened to Shen Fei's Jian Yì and wore a pair of sneakers suitable for hiking, and after a long journey of nearly three hours, her shoes were comfortable and light, and the soles of her feet were sore, while Shen Fei and Grandma Shen were just stepping on a pair of black cloth shoes with almost worn soles, but they could still get wind under their feet.

On a hot summer day, the sun has just risen, and the surface of the earth is like a fire, and the heat is steaming.

Shen Fei accompanied Grandma Shen to occupy a shady place at the north entrance of the farmer's market, and Zhou Jiyou took off his back basket and rubbed his shoulders, so tired that he breathed unevenly and sweated.

It was the morning market, and it was bustling with people.

Grandma Shen didn't need Shen Fei to take care of her, so she asked him to take Zhou Jiyou for a walk around the town. She took out a gray handkerchief from her pocket, unfolded it corner by corner, and took out a five-dollar bill from a pile of small pieces of money and handed it to him. The meaning is very clear, when Zhou Jiyou wants to eat and drink, he spends money to buy it for her.

Shen Fei didn't answer, and stopped talking, and Grandma Shen glared at him with raised eyebrows.

Zhou Jiyou pressed the shoulder strap of the shoulder bag, turned around and left, and didn't wait for him.

Grandma Shen turned her head and hurriedly stuffed the five yuan into Shen Fei's hand, urging him to catch up quickly.

Zhou Jiyou forgot to bring an umbrella and a sunhat, and walked in the shade on both sides of the street.

Shen Fei overtook her from behind, walked in front of her, turned his head sideways, and caught a glimpse of her cool eyes.

Seeing him follow, she stood still, her eyes slanted upward, and her voice was as cold as well water, mocking: "You are really stingy enough, you are reluctant to give me five yuan to spend." ”

Shen Fei choked, as if he wanted to explain, his lips moved slightly, and after a while, he suddenly tightened again.

Zhou Jiyou was at a loss for words, his eyelids turned up, and he was too lazy to look at him, but his heart became more and more unpleasant.

She inhaled imperceptibly, her fingers clutching the shoulder straps on her chest whitening with exertion.

The love broke out in an instant, she glared at it, and her voice couldn't help but rise: "Didn't Old Man Shen give you money, and he refused to take out five yuan from it?" ”

For the first time since they met, she was angry at him. Even if she was dissatisfied before, she was limited to smiling at him without smiling. At this moment, her face was not good, and her eyes emitted a cold light, like a little fierce when Mi Mi fried her hair.

Shen Fei wanted to go up and touch her head to show comfort, his fists clenched, holding back this undesirable thought, and asked in a dry throat, "Who is Old Man Shen?" ”

Zhou Jiyou sneered: "I have to call him a bad old man of my grandfather." Don't you want to sue me, he found your house, but he didn't give you money? ”

Shen Fei understood, his eyelids drooped slightly, and he said slowly: "My cousin and aunt came with money, but grandma didn't ask for it." ”

Old man Shen made a generous move, it must not be a small amount, they actually don't want it?

Zhou Jiyou didn't believe it, and his words were spicy: "Why, I haven't seen so much money, and my brain is stupid?" ”

As soon as the words came out, a feeling of self-loathing immediately arose in my heart, and I unconsciously bit the mouth inside my lower lip.

She insulted her grandmother like this, Shen Fei's dark eyes burst out with irrepressible anger, and the young man's silent face suddenly had a bit more threatening momentum.

Zhou Jiyou was stunned, and hummed a laugh fearlessly, ironically: "I was hit by me, and I stepped on the tail." ”

Shen Fei's breathing was slightly heavy, and he said word by word: "No, yes." ”

Zhou Jiyou was not in the mood to appreciate his rare rich expression after being provoked by himself, so he said with a cold face: "Okay, then why don't you sue me." Can't say a plausible reason, don't expect me to believe it. ”

Two young men stood on the side of the street and confronted each other, and in the eyes of passers-by, it was like arguing.

In the morning, the sun receded little by little, and the shadows under the eaves slowly narrowed at a rate visible to the naked eye.

In order to protect his grandmother, Shen Fei gritted his teeth for a moment, and finally answered questions: "Grandma said, let Xinxin go to the outside world to open her eyes, and after she comes back, in order to be able to get out of the mountains, she will study harder in the future." You are coming to my house to endure hardships, and your heart is to go to your house to enjoy happiness, we are already the party that takes advantage, and we can't ask for money. ”

Zhou Jiyou: "......"

She knew that Xinxin was referring to Shen Xin, his sister she had never met.

He had a strained face, and his expression was honest and serious, not like he was lying. Such a simple and simple reason, Zhou Jiyou did not expect. Her heart was shaken, and she couldn't calm down for a long time.

At this moment, it seemed that she couldn't alleviate the complicated and unspeakable mood without questioning, and she heard herself ask softly: "Really?" ”

Shen Fei glared angrily, his lips pursed into a straight line, as if he would turn his face with her in the next second.

Zhou Jiyou's head lowered, and his voice was also lowered by one degree, so slow that he could barely hear clearly: "Stupid or not...... stupid"

Old man Shen's money should not be in vain. This sentence, she said in her heart.

Silly or not...... Shen Fei heard clearly.

He remembered that Zhou Jiyou had said that he was stupid on the day he came to the house, and now, she said that grandma was stupid.

He could distinguish the tone, and the meaning of the two "stupid" was different. The former is to watch the excitement and stay out of the way; The latter is touched and reveals his true feelings.

Zhou Jiyou raised his eyes to look at him, "So you're reluctant to spend money?" "Because I don't have any money......

Shen Fei returned to the paralyzed face that couldn't see love, and his eyelids drooped: "School is about to start, and I have to save for my heart." ”

Zhou Jiyou had a sharp mind and asked, "What about you?" ”

Shen Fei looked at her, first puzzled, then understood, but did not speak.

Zhou Jiyou looked into his clear eyes: "You said to save for your sister's tuition, what about you?" ”

He took the lead in stepping forward, "Let's go, I'll take you around." ”

Zhou Jiyou: "......"

Do you want to escape? She didn't ask any more questions, and stepped along.

Ciling Town is located in the hinterland of central Anhui, known as the "land of fish and rice" reputation, the façade on both sides of the street is a row of blue-gray two-storey small buildings, the top of the house, the bottom of the business, the eaves of the corner, the structure is rigorous.

Zhou Jiyou walked into a store, Shen Fei thought she wanted to buy something, paused in his footsteps, and followed, only to see her standing directly in front of the public phone by the wall.

The proprietress sat at the counter knitting a sweater, and when she saw a girl with a temperament obviously different from a little girl in the township, she couldn't help but look at her twice.

"Calling?" Spoken dialects.

"Ask if you want to call." These days, Shen Fei has developed the habit of simultaneous interpretation.

Zhou Jiyou glanced at him and looked at the proprietress: "Yes." ”

The Mandarin pronunciation of the word is correct and round.

The proprietress had already guessed that she was not a local when Shen Fei spoke, and seeing that she was still a child, she couldn't help but emphasize the charging standard.

Zhou Jiyou lifted a layer of old flower cloth covered by the surface of the landline to block dust, and dialed out a provincial number under the guidance of the boss's wife.

The plastic microphone was held in the palm of her hand, and her heart was very quiet, like midnight when the lights went out.

It rang for a long time before answering, and a man's voice slowly came with a hint of hesitation: "Xiaoyou, is it you?" ”

Zhou Jiyou's face was calm and said, "Shen Ke, it's me." ”