The firewood was burning in the stove, and the room gradually smelled of heat and charcoal, so I went to the room and got Xiao Ai a thick cotton coat and asked her to put it on, her red knitted sweater was too thin.

After she was about to finish the bowl of hot noodles, I finally asked her, "You went to Jinding Real Estate today, did you hear any news from Mr. Xiao?"

Xiao Ai nodded, her arms wrapped around her legs, and the fire made her face flicker, and she replied after a long time: "He has been transferred by the Commission for Discipline Inspection to the economic investigation brigade of the public security organ this afternoon, and he has admitted the fact of bribing officials, and the next thing to investigate is economic crimes." ”

I sighed, and even Mr. Xiao himself admitted the fact of bribery, so there will basically be no better chance in this matter. At this moment, I lit a cigarette because of my heavy heart, and then I was deeply worried about Xiao Ai's future

We sat like this for a long time, until the charcoal of the stove gradually lost its temperature, and then I finally said to her: "You go to my room to sleep, I sleep in the room where Zhao Mu lived before." ”

Xiao Ai shook her head, her sitting posture hadn't even changed. I knew that at the moment, every change was going to be painful for her, and she needed security, not sleep.

"It's cold outside, I have an electric blanket on the bed, you go to the bed and lie down, I won't go, just sit on the sofa and accompany you, okay?"

In the bedroom, I sat on the sofa, Xiao Ai sat on the bed in a sweater, the limited space was quiet enough to hear each other's breathing, we had such plenty of time to face each other for the first time, but for the first time we faced each other and didn't know what to say.

"Are you cold, I'll bring you another quilt."

Xiao Ai shook his head. At this moment, in addition to needing me to be by her side, she seems to have lost her need for a qiē, I know that she is holding back her feelings, but I hope she can cry happily, she shouldn't be too strong at this time.

I closed the curtains and got up again and turned on all the lights in the room. Gradually, the room we were in could not see the darkness outside at all, but Xiao Ai's sad face was more clearly presented in my eyes.

I don't know how long it took, but she finally turned her head to look at me and asked in a low voice, "Jiang Qiao, can you sing?"

"Whistle and sing, count"

Xiao Ai shook his head and replied, "Don't you sing me a song in Lukang Town, okay?"

"How did you know I could sing this song"

"I don't know, if you can sing the best guitar on my guitar, you bring it, I'll accompany you."

I answered, and took out the guitar that I had carefully kept from the cabinet, and then handed it to Xiao Ai's hand, and the moment I saw the guitar, the corners of her eyes finally flashed with tears. She plucked the strings lightly, and a familiar prelude sounded, but I was a little dumbfounded, not knowing which note to start singing

"Ehashi, when I hit the guitar panel with my fingers, you start singing, I'll lower my voice"

"Oh."

I waited while recalling the lyrics of this Lukang town in my head. At this time, Xiao Ai finally tapped the piano board softly, and I hurriedly sang in a low voice along with the rhythm: "If your husband is from Lukang Town, please ask if you have seen my father and mother." My family lives at the back of the Mazu Temple, in a small grocery store that sells incense. If your husband is from Lukang Town, please see my lover. I think she was eighteen when I left home, with a kind heart and long curly hair. Taipei is not my home, and my hometown has no neon lights. The streets of Lukang are the fishing villages of Lukang, and the people who burn incense in the Mazu Temple"

This is the first time I sang to Xiao Ai, I don't know if I sing well or not, but I work hard, and Xiao Ai, who has been helping me to accompaniment, tears flowed down like a when he heard "Taipei is not my home".

She finally couldn't play anymore, held the guitar tightly in her arms, and then raised her head and cried until it became difficult for even gasping for breath

In her crying, I seemed to see an old time, in which there was her and her parents, and they lived happily and to the fullest

I didn't convince her not to cry, I just pulled a tissue out of the box and handed it to her, she needed such a release at the moment, and I didn't mind her putting her vulnerable side in front of me in this heart-rending way, even though it would make me ache for her pain

I don't know what time it is, and I don't know what the world looks like outside the house, but the cold is real, because the water in the cup has formed a thin layer of ice.

Xiao Ai finally stopped crying, but she didn't wipe away her tears, and said to me with tears on her face: "Jiang Qiao, would you like to hear about my dad and my mother's love experience?"

"Well, I'd love to hear it."

Xiao Ai nodded, her face showed a sense of reminiscence, and she said to me for a long time: "More than 20 years ago, my mother was a college student sent by the school to Nanjing for exchange and study, and her acquaintance with my father was very simple, but it was love at first sight. It was a spring evening, and they met at Xuanwu Lake. My dad played the guitar and sang the most popular Luo Dayou of that era, because this Lukang town criticized a certain political incident in Taiwan at that time, so my mother from Taiwan paid special attention to it, she has been very patient to listen to my dad after singing but she didn't expect that after my dad sang this song, he pestered her and asked her if she believed it and fell in love at first sight"

When Xiao Ai said this, the corners of her mouth raised slightly, and I also remembered that picture in her description, in the 80s, someone dared to courtship like this, in addition to being deviant, it can be called bold.

I was curious about the result, and when I asked Xiao Ai, "What about later?"

"Sometimes fate is so simple, and music is a good bridge, the development of music in the mainland at that time is very lagging behind, so my father, who has not yet started business, can be said to be the earliest rock musician in the mainland, although my mother did not believe his nonsense of love at first sight, but also kept in touch with him, the two have been chatting about music, talking about life, and then gradually there is love"

Xiao Ai sighed, and said after a long time: "They shouldn't be together, because the exchanges between Taiwan and the mainland at that time were not as open as they are now, so my grandparents resolutely refused to let my mother marry into the mainland, but my mother couldn't let go of this feeling, and she still chose to marry in Nanjing, and soon I had my Jiangqiao with my father, can you think of how happy this picture is, when I was a child, I played the piano, my father played the guitar, and my mother was a mezzo-soprano singer, Our family performed this song together in Lukang Town, which brought a lot of fate to this family."

"Very happy"

Xiao Ai closed her eyes, tears flowed, she choked and said: "When I was three years old, my mother took me back to Taiwan to see my grandparents, but they died one after another after my father and mother got married, relatives said that my grandfather died because of excessive depression, and my grandmother also fell ill and died not long after my grandfather left, and it was my mother's willful choice that hurt them, so, this is also the reason why my mother must go back to Taiwan after the divorce, she is atoning for the sins she committed when she was young"

I looked at Xiao Ai and fell into an unspeakable sadness, I didn't know that there was such a deep past between her parents.

Looking at her sad face, I don't know why I think of Chen Yi who I love deeply, they seem to be two extremes, one is destined to be stormy, and the other is destined to live in a greenhouse, but I can't tell whether it is a luck or a catastrophe to meet these two completely different women in this life

In my silence, Xiao Ai finally wiped away her tears, she looked at me and smiled: "Jiang Qiao, there must be karma in this world, my father betrayed his mother who paid so much for him, so he is really retribution now, but why is the culprit Li Zishan living so well, why didn't God repay her, she is still so shamelessly competing for her father's share in the group"

"Why, why there is retribution, but it can't be treated equally"

Xiao Ai's love was out of control, and her hand "squeaked" as the quilt was torn

I gently put my arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Believe me, you will be fine, your mother will be fine, and your father will definitely change his mind."

"But no matter how time changes in Jiangqiao, my family will not come back, my mother has a new family in Taiwan, and she will not come to live in the mainland again."

I pondered for a long time, and finally asked her, "If your mother brings you to Taiwan to live with her in the future, would you be willing?"

Xiao Ai looked at me in disbelief, she shook her head: "Mom's new family won't accept me." ”

"What if you accept it?"

Xiao Ai's breath gradually became short, her face became extremely complicated, and after a long time, she nodded and said: "If I can live with my mother, even if I give up studying in Germany, I would like to want to go to Taiwan, I would like to be by her side."

My mood was a little low, but I didn't want to admit that it was because Xiao Ai was eager to go to Taiwan. I finally smiled and comforted her and said: "In the future, Mr. Xiao will no longer be able to take care of you, your mother's mind will definitely change Xiao Ai, I really envy you, after Mr. Xiao's accident, your mother will come from Taiwan to see you as soon as possible, which proves that she loves you very much in her heart, but I Jiangqiao has never been so happy hehe, after Zhao Chu died, I was like living in hell, but she still didn't appear, not even a comforting hug"

Xiao Ai looked at me, she hugged me gently, and then comforted me with the words I had just comforted her: "Jiangqiao, it will be okay, your mother will definitely come back to your side and endure it, all the pain will pass"

I closed my eyes and hugged her gently, her tear-stained hair fell into my mouth, the salty taste, we were like two orphans abandoned by the world warming each other and comforting each other

However, is there really a small town called Lukang in this world?