A year later, the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded Beijing, and He Guoan, the prefect of Jiangning, fled with his wife and children for not many years, living a life of drift. After several wars, the country is now full of devastation, eight years of war of resistance and ten years of civil war, and the country began to be peaceful. Today's Guoan is a gray-haired old man with a full house of children and grandchildren. Being a stranger in a foreign land, thinking about relatives every festive season, the idea of returning to national security at this time is getting deeper and deeper, because the fallen leaves return to their roots.

The winds in late autumn are tighter, and the weather in the north is always rainy and sometimes windy and sandy. In the courtyard, Guoan sat alone on a rocking chair, and the creepers crawling all over the walls looked so dry and yellow, as if they had lost their life, and everywhere was withered and desolate. Watching these children play in the courtyard alone, sometimes their faces are full of glory, and sometimes they are so sad.

"Grandpa, grandpa," the children chased each other in the garden, and their smiles were so innocent.

"Be careful, don't fall," he looked at the boys, sometimes remembering himself, how could he have been so carefree with them.

A middle-aged woman was busy packing up in the house, took a piece of clothing and stepped forward, saying, "Dad, it's cold outside, let's add a piece of clothing." ”

"Okay, put it on," Guoan stood with his crutches, and the middle-aged woman put on his coat for him and sat down again. The middle-aged woman stood in front of Guoan and said, "Dad, my eldest brother called us just now and asked when we would be able to return to Chengdu, and asked if your old man was okay." ”

"Okay, we're all fine, we'll go back tomorrow, sue, tell Decheng them."

A child rushed forward and asked, "Mommy, Mommy, are we going back?" ”

"Xiaoyu, look at you, sweating profusely, go ask your grandfather." At this time, a man's voice came from inside the house, saying, "Aunt Xiu, what are we going to bring back to my eldest brother, you can come in and take a look." ”

"I'll come in right away," the middle-aged woman walked inside. Xiaoyu stepped forward and lay on Guoan's knees, looked up at Guoan and asked, "Grandpa, are we going back?" ”

"Well, we're going back," Guoan just nodded with a smile on his face, and added, "Let's go play." ”

"Oh~, we're going back, we're going back," Xiaoyu ran out of the courtyard door, shouting as she ran.

The next day, after the family packed up their salutes, they walked out and stood in the courtyard. The owner of the courtyard walked out and laughed: "You guys are leaving." ”

"Well, yes, we're going back to our hometown in Sichuan." Guoan was very quiet standing on crutches aside, silently smiling but not saying a word, and then walked out of the courtyard very slowly, his family and the owner of the courtyard said a few words and then walked out, called a tricycle, got on the tricycle to the train station, and got on the train to Chengdu.

Guoan wandered abroad for many years, and a peasant girl became a family, and had three sons and two daughters, the eldest son He Decheng, the second son He Dehai, and the third son He Jingrun (mentioned later), because of the continuous war, his eldest son and second son were scattered, and finally only lived in the north with his second son, until after the liberation, the country began to settle down, and now his two sons are married and have their own careers.

The eldest son, He Dehai, heard that his long-lost father and his younger brother were coming back, he was overjoyed and a little excited, killing chickens and buying vegetables at home, busy Zhang Luo, waiting for his father and his own brother to come home and reunite the family. There was a small shop near his house, and at this moment, the phone in the shop rang, and after Aunt Zhang in the shop heard the phone ringing, she quickly walked into the inner room and picked up the phone in her ear, and said, "Hey, which one?" ”

"I am He Dehai, He Guoan's son, looking for my brother He Decheng and asking him to answer the phone," He Dehai said on the phone.

"Well, I'll call now, you wait a minute," Aunt Zhang walked out after putting down the phone, looked at the children playing next to the shop, and said, "Haizi, Haizi." ”

One of the children turned around and ran forward, stood in front of the counter and looked at Aunt Zhang and said, "Aunt Zhang." ”

"Go to your uncle's house, and say his call is coming."

At this time, He Decheng was preparing food in the kitchen, and suddenly a child pushed the door in, stood in the courtyard and shouted, "Uncle, uncle." ”

Decheng heard the shouting of a child outside the house, walked out of the courtyard, and said, "Haizi, is there something wrong?" ”

"Your call is here, Aunt Zhang asked you to go for a while."

"Xiaocui, come out for a moment," a woman walked out of the kitchen and said, "Husband, what's the matter?" ”

"My call is coming, maybe Decheng and they are about to arrive, I'll go to Sister-in-law Zhang's shop."

"Oh, go ahead."

After that, Decheng looked around, faced Xiaocui, and said, "Why haven't you seen Xiaolan for a day?" ”

"This kid doesn't know where to go crazy."

"A girl who fools around outside all day long, waiting for her to come back and see me and not clean her up."

"Kid, what can he do at home when he's not outside, go ahead."

After that, Decheng pushed out the bicycle and walked out of the door, turned around and said: "Wife, I'll go out first, you pay attention to the food at home, and be careful of those cats and dogs." In those days, a family could already have a bicycle and it was already a well-off family. After finishing speaking, Dehai rode his bicycle and left, parked next to Aunt Zhang's shop, stepped forward, and said, "Sister-in-law Zhang." ”

"Decheng, you're here, come in, your phone."

He Decheng just said "um", walked into the inner room with Aunt Zhang, picked up the phone next to him and put it to his ear, and said, "Brother, where are you all here?" ”

Dehai on the phone said: "Brother, we have all arrived at the train station, and we are now next to the phone booth." ”

"Okay, you guys are waiting for me there, I'll come and pick you up right away," after finishing speaking, he hung up the phone, turned to look at Aunt Zhang, and said, "Sister-in-law Zhang, how much?" ”

"Five cents."

De took out five cents and put it on the table, and rushed out to the shop, got on his bicycle and left. Dehai rode his bicycle to the road, and the low houses next to it and the ancient alleys showed the ancient style and ancient appearance of the old Chengdu, and the ancient city walls and pavilions in the distance were so old, as if telling its ancient history, just like a weathered old man, standing in the white mist. The pedestrians on both sides of the road and the vehicles passing through the middle of the road are so noisy. Dehai rode his bicycle to the train station, parked his bicycle aside, and walked to the phone booth himself, looking around.

"Dehai," Dehai, his wife, children, and his father Guoan stood on the side of the phone booth, heard someone behind him call his name, turned around and looked at each other for a long time, and said, "Brother." ”

"Brother," the two brothers, who had been reunited for a long time, stood in the crowd of people coming and going, tears streaming down their faces. Guoan held the cane in one hand and his grandson in the other, stood aside, was silent for a while, and said, "Dehai." ”

"Father," Decheng stepped forward and looked at Guoan. Today's Guoan is full of gray hair, and the years are unforgiving, and it is already the year of the sixtieth birthday in the blink of an eye. Guoan looked at Decheng and remembered the sad past, their mother, their two daughters who died in the war, and his youngest son. On the way to escape, at that time was hungry and hungry, his two daughters starved to death on the road, their mother was overly sad, died of illness, only two sons remained in Hebei, and later his youngest son joined the army, and died in the battle of crossing the river. Decheng looked at Guoan and said, "Father, you are much older. ”

"People, there is always a time to get old," Guoan said with a smile at this time, as if he looked down on it a lot.

The woman standing behind her pulled the child and whispered, "Call Uncle." ”

The child ran over and shouted, "Uncle." ”

Decheng leaned over, touched his little head, and said, "Hmm." Then he stood up and looked at the woman behind Guoan, Dehai returned to the woman's side and introduced, "This is my inner sister-in-law. ”

"Big brother," Xiu Gu looked at De Chengdao. Decheng squatted down, stroked his little head, and said, "Little ghost, what's your name?" ”

"My name is He Yuchen," and then turned to look at his father and mother. Decheng stretched out his fingers and gently scraped his nose, and said, "Good, let the uncle hug him, okay?" ”

"Okay," Decheng picked up Yuchen and walked to the side of the road, beckoned two rickshaws, and Dehai and Guoan got into the rickshaws respectively. Decheng faced Yuchen who was holding on his chest and said, "Do you want to sit on the uncle's Yanmar." ”

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because, because my butt hurts after sitting on my uncle's Yanmar."

"Which big car is it good to ride in with grandpa?"

"Okay," Decheng stepped forward and put down Yuchen, who climbed into the rickshaw and sat next to Guoan. Decheng rode a bicycle to lead the way in front, leading Dehai and his wife, Guoan, and Xiao Yuchen into the courtyard. Xiaocui walked out of the door to greet her, Xiaolan always hid behind her mother, very shy. Xiao Cui looked at his daughter and said to everyone, "Look, this kid. ”

Decheng stepped forward and said, "This is my daughter, Xiaolan, you see that she is very shy." ”

"Children, it's been a long time to get acquainted," Xiu Gu stood aside and then stood with Dehai and said, "Sister-in-law." ”

"Well, you all go into the house, and the meal will be ready in no time." Then Yuchen rushed forward and said, "Auntie." ”

"Well, this kid's mouth is so sweet."

"He's very naughty, disobedient," Xiu Gu said, standing aside.

Yuchen stood next to Xiaolan and took Xiaolan's hand, and said, "Sister, let's go out and have fun, okay." ”

"Okay."

"Xiaolan, the meal is going to be ready soon, don't go out."