The next day, I had a very good morning, I opened the curtains, and I came into view of the blue sky and the mountains stretching in the distance, I didn't feel any extra sleep, and quickly sat up from the bed, and then took the guitar that Xiao Ai had given me out of the cabinet, and I wiped it again, until I couldn't see a little dust, and then I lit a cigarette and talked to it as if it were a person.

I tugged at its strings and asked, "Remember how long it has been since your original master sang with you?" …… It must have been a long time, but don't miss it too much, because you will have another chance later, but you have to cherish it, there will be no such opportunity in the future, you must go back to Nanjing with me, and she will not go back. ”

I put the guitar back in the rudimentary case I had made and went downstairs.

At the bar on the first floor, Ade was eating instant noodles, and I came up to him and said, "Ade, give Lin Ziqing a call and invite her to join us later." ”

As soon as Lin Ziqing's name came out of my mouth, Ade began to get nervous, and he asked me, "You are so mysterious, what kind of activities are you roaring, you didn't tell me last night." ”

I smiled and replied, "You know that my wallet was stolen on the first night I came to Taipei, and I have to go back to Nanjing, and I have to pay for the journey back, so I plan to do a roadshow at the entrance of the new university to raise some money to go back." ”

"Just you? …… I'm looking at the hanging! The money for the roadshow is not so easy to make now, and there are too many students who can play musical instruments in Shih-Hsin University, and this talent can't impress them. ”

"Of course I can't, that's why you called Lin Ziqing, she is not very appealing at Shixin University, what about you, you also asked her out for a legitimate reason by doing me a favor, I think she will definitely agree."

"Really?"

I nodded affirmatively, but Ade still refused to believe that I could earn money for the return of the road show, and it wasn't until I told him that Xiao Ai would also come, and he walked out of the bar as if he had confidence in it, and then made a call to Lin Ziqing with a red face.

As I expected, Lin Ziqing agreed to his request, and he jumped out of his nervous mood as if he were triple jumping, and then there was a burst of ecstasy.

……

In the process of waiting for Xiao Ai and Lin Ziqing to arrive, Ade and I made a sign, the appeal is very simple, that is, a mainlander came to Taipei with great expectations but did not go back, hoping that everyone will gather their love, accumulate a lot, and finally help to make up enough money to return home.

Lin Ziqing didn't seem to have classes for half a day in the morning, she came to the "Ade Hotel" before Xiao Ai, and after a brief hello to us, she went to the second floor with breakfast to see her little sister Ami.

About a quarter of an hour later, Xiao Ai also rode the scooter I had seen before and stopped at the door of the Ade Hotel, she took off her helmet in the just right morning sun, like an ordinary girl who could not be more ordinary, but she was beautiful, and I knew almost all of her experiences, and I also knew that she preferred the present, rather than the self who could spend extravagantly in Nanjing but had an empty heart.

"Well, I bought you breakfast."

I took it from Xiao Ai's hand, it was a bowl of small wontons that I liked to eat, but it was a little different from Nanjing's approach, even if I tasted it, the skin on the outside was stronger, and the filling on the inside was much bigger, which made me nod my head in praise, Xiao Ai smiled, and sat down on the steps at the door of the hostel with me. She told me that this wonton is actually a practice in Shaxian County, Fujian, which is more authentic.

I knew that I didn't have much time with her, so I took the initiative to find a topic to talk to her, and I rarely asked her: "We've known each other for a long time, what kind of person do you think I Jiangqiao is?" ”

Xiao Ai seemed to have an evaluation of me as a man in her heart, so she replied almost without much thought: "You? You are a man who entertains himself, humors everyone, but is strict in his heart......" Speaking of this, she stopped, then looked at me and smiled, and said: "Actually, there is nothing wrong with this, because I think traditional men have feelings, and they will not look vulgar because they like to compete for fame and fortune!" ”

I looked at her, and I couldn't figure out whether her comment was praising me or taking the opportunity to belittle me, but I didn't take it too seriously, and asked her instead, "Then what do you think a traditional woman looks like?" ”

"Traditional women are fierce women of temperament, they must be innocent, and follow a man simply because of love."

I don't know why, when I heard Xiao Ai talk about the standards of traditional women, especially the point of innocence, I was inexplicably moved in my heart, how worthy of a man to pursue such a woman in this impetuous and tempting world.

Xiao Ai pulled my arm and asked me with a serious expression: "Jiang Qiao, what kind of woman do you think I am?" ”

Like Xiao Ai, I almost didn't think about it, so I replied: "If I don't have deep contact with you, I will definitely think that you are a typical Bai Fumei who loves to play and doesn't understand the hard work of life, but after I really understand it, I feel that you are actually a very strict woman, but this kind of strict values will lead you to be unsociable and overly proud...... Let me ask boldly, are you a very innocent woman? ”

Xiao Ai didn't resent me asking her this somewhat explicit question without warning, she asked rhetorically, "Do you mean innocence by body or mind?" ”

"The innocence we discuss must include both mind and body, and if there is no innocence at all, it is not an innocent woman."

Xiao Ai didn't avoid the way I looked at her, and she replied, "I'm an innocent woman. ”

I nodded, didn't ask anything more, but felt a little sad in my heart, and this sadness was caused by the loss in my heart. I asked myself over and over again, why did I never have the courage to take this step even though I knew she was such a good woman?

When I was thinking about this problem, Lin Ziqing and Ade walked out of the hotel, they stood side by side in front of me and Xiao Ai, and Ade was holding the guitar that Xiao Ai gave me, he handed the guitar to Xiao Ai's hand, and said: "Jiang Qiao cherishes this guitar, and I will see him take it out and wipe it every day......"

Xiao Ai took the guitar from Ade's hand, she opened the case, took the guitar out of it, and then put her slender fingers on the strings and stared at it for a long time.

This guitar was given to me by her before she went to Japan, and I know that it is the most cherished thing she has around her since her parents divorced, and I don't understand what mood she gave it to me at first, but now I understand.

If I have ever hurt a woman, she is one, because my inner strictness and persistence have always made me unable to be calm, unable to let go of my hands and feet, and give her a little more care.

I lowered my head and exhaled, then closed my eyes again, and I knew I had missed out on those best times.

……

At the entrance of Shih-Hsin University, Xiao Ai and I stood together, and Ade and Lin Ziqing helped us put up the sign asking for help, and then Lin Ziqing started to call, as if to notify his classmates to come over to help and build momentum for us.

I don't know what affected Xiao Ai's feelings, she didn't talk much, just held her guitar and tuned it over and over again, but she couldn't tune in to her own satisfactory state.

I looked at her a little impatient, and I didn't know what to say, so I sat on the curb behind her, and just looked at her back with a negative gaze.

At this moment, it is the peak period of students' classes, and gradually people surround them, many male students take out their mobile phones, and the camera seems to be aimed at Xiao Ai, and Xiao Ai does not pay attention to this somewhat impolite behavior, she still bows her head and tunes the guitar.

When she finally called out the notes she was satisfied with, she didn't even have an opening sentence and began to sing, but she was obviously out of shape because she had a high attainment in music, she forgot the words, and there was a place where the rhythm could not keep up, so she stopped singing only half of a song.

The onlookers were also surprised by Xiao Ai's state, but a few of them still took out some bits and pieces of money and put them in the jars we had prepared in advance.

At this time, someone in the crowd pointed at me, and then said loudly: "It turns out that the person you are looking for is Teacher Ruan, you must be a couple...... Otherwise, how could you find Taipei from the mainland? ”

Xiao Ai is the focus of attention of the students in this place itself, someone said this, which immediately aroused everyone's curiosity, and then the topic was infinitely magnified, and more daring students ran to Xiao Ai's side to verify, but Xiao Ai never said a word, and then plucked the strings with his fingers in silence, and I, a layman, could hear that her performance did not have any melody at all, but it was like a kind of emotional venting.

I politely asked the curious students not to disturb Xiao Ai, but they turned to me for confirmation, and I didn't give a positive answer, but my eyes never left Xiao Ai, and I always felt that her silence and absence were because she was suppressing some emotions in her heart.

In my gaze, Xiao Ai finally spoke to everyone present: "At this moment, I really want to sing a song, but I am worried that it will be redundant...... The song is a very old song, I have been listening to my mother sing it when I was a child, and the melody has long been familiar to me, but I never understand what the lyrics are expressing. However, people's state of mind will change, and many things that you once did not understand have now become unforgettable, making people think and yearn for ......"

After Xiao Ai said this, he looked at me beside him......

I first avoided her gaze, then looked at her as well, and whispered, "I want to hear it." ”

Xiao Ai nodded, and plucked the strings of the guitar, and a familiar melody dispersed in the sun with the wind, and I vaguely remember that this was a song that spread all over the streets many years ago.

"Because I love your love, because I dream of your dreams, I grieve your sorrow and rejoice in your happiness. Because of passing by your path, because of your suffering, so happy with your happiness, chasing your chase. Because you dare not listen to the oath, because you dare not believe the promise, so rest assured of your silence to convince the fate of tomorrow. There is no wind and rain to hide, there are no bumps and bumps and you don't have to go, so hold your hand with peace of mind and don't think about whether you should turn back. Maybe holding hands may not be easy to walk in this life; Maybe with the road of companionship, this life will be busier, so holding hands, we will have to walk together in the next life, so with the road of companionship, there is no time to look back......"

When the song was only halfway sung, Xiao Ai's eyes were filled with tears, I don't know if this sudden sadness stems from her regret about her mother's relationship, or from the real helplessness and unattainable in her heart, but I was really moved, because an old song that has been baptized by the years is expressing her simplest view of love......

I was really touched, how much this simple view of love coincided with me, so why should I ignore the warmest spring in front of me, and instead search for it in the vast sea of people?

At the end of the song, I grabbed Xiao Ai's hand, then exhaled heavily, turned to face her and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this song should be called holding hands...... Once, in the textile mill on Tulip Road, my mother also liked to listen to songs on the cassette machine when she was not working, and this song was the one she listened to the most...... At the time, I didn't understand it, but now I understand: no matter poverty, no matter birth, old age, sickness or death, we all hold each other's hands and walk through, with this belief to support our lives, love is just a piece of cake! …… When your life is implicated with someone who has nothing to do with you, you give her destiny to her, she entrusts her destiny to you, there is no more wonderful emotion in this world, right? ”

Xiao Ai looked at me with tears in her eyes, and at this moment, like me, she was moved by this simple truth.

I squeezed her hand, used all the courage I had accumulated in the first half of my life, and said to her in the eyes of everyone: "Come back to Nanjing with me, Tulip Road and the old alleys are simple...... But there is room for two people who are not very happy! ”

Xiao Ai's eyes were moved, hesitated, and wavered...... As time passed, the noise of everyone became louder and louder, and the sun and warm wind seemed to dispel the noise for us, which made our world only have each other, and one held hands, regardless of the simple truth of the road ahead!