Whenever the old horse was upset, he would stand on the edge of the cliff of the Yingge Valley in Majiatun, and at this moment, he just wanted to go back to the cliff edge of the Yingge Valley and listen to the yellow warbler in the valley sing a few joyful tunes for him.

The old horse also misses his four dogs. For twenty or thirty years, no matter where he went, he always had a loyal follower by his side. They are brave, lovely, stubborn, and intelligent, and they can understand his gestures, words, and looks, and they are the friends of the old horse, the children of the old horse, and the spiritual companion of the old horse—or the comrade-in-arms of life. In the depths of his soul, there was a sad loneliness that no one could dissolve, only God and his comrades could dispel that loneliness.

Child, Lao Ma still can't figure out the child. Why does he hate children? Why is he tired of hearing his child cry? All the beauty of Yangyang was instantly shattered by her grinning cry. For a moment, Lao Ma thought that this little girl could become his spiritual companion or comrade-in-arms in Shenzhen, but unfortunately he admitted his mistake!

Now the old horse is like an old python, burrowing into the hole of Gui Ying's house, unable to open his body all day long, very angry, and has to endure the crying of children every day. He misses his ten acres of fruits, the old yard he inherited from his grandfather's grandfather, and the square inch of soil that will always belong to him in this life.

Zhiyuan still has no state to write, he reflects on his daily life, and the breath of the book that he is burning with his vitality has long been suppressed by the thick and greasy breath of life. What should he do? This point is the time for him to buy vegetables and cook. He still sat at his desk, observing his busy daily movement in and out of the room. This is his life, and it is his life. So what kind of things did he squander his life on?

He saw that he spent two hours every morning making breakfast for the two children, sending the second child to school, and buying breakfast for the elderly. He looked down on himself and spent an hour and a half every day at noon cooking and washing dishes; He watched himself spend three hours every evening picking up his children from school, buying groceries, coming back to cook, and washing dishes after meals; He watched him spend an hour every night taking care of the second child, washing his face and brushing his teeth, waiting for his wife to wait for his son to come home; He watched as he spent his weekends doing this and that for his family almost all day...... There is no doubt that he loves his home, but ......

His home is all he has, and not all he has. At the age of forty-five, more than half of his life has passed, and he is still struggling to make some room for his breath of books. That breath stored the soul and soul of what he thought was noble, and that breath enveloped the ultimate secret of who he was. Life sounds simple and complicated. He has not yet defined himself, he is still looking for a more complete, stronger, and more convincing He Zhiyuan.

He needed space, he needed quiet—space and quietness that any middle-aged man of forty-five should have. He struggled between life and dreams, he played fiercely between the world and the self, and he was still struggling with the bitter life. If life is meaningful, is it the highest point of one's meaning or value that holds up one's own meaning or value? Is it love or freedom?

He Zhiyuan, who is 1.72 meters tall, middle-aged and slightly fat, and has a bright head, let out a long sigh, helped the glasses frame on the bridge of his nose, and left the desk, controlling his bloated and cumbersome belly and unbright kneecaps, ready to go out to buy groceries.

Lao Ma watched a successful sunset on the top floor today, and the sunset was the same as the sunset on the edge of the Song Valley of Majiatun Ying, but it was completely different. The sunset on the edge of the Yingge Valley is refreshing and wide, while the sunset here is blocked, closed, and unsmooth. The sunset on the edge of the Yingge Valley is accompanied by the sound of cicadas and cows, the fragrance of flowers and grass, and the return of people to livestock, and the sunset here is accompanied by the sound of cars - the endless sound of cars. Anyway, the orange-red and mild sunset mellowed his angular heart, that's it, it's all about it. He limped back on crutches.

After dinner, the old horse was watching TV, Yangyang hid in the house and didn't dare to come out. Thanks to Xiaotang, feed her, wash her face and change her clothes.

When I came back in the evening, I went into the house to see - what a weird portrait of a person on my wall! His own idol has been replaced! He was furious.

"Grandpa, did you change my idol poster?"

"Yes...... No! Not me! When the old horse saw that he was aggressive, he immediately left the relationship.

"Is it really? That's a signed poster I bought online! Do you know how hard it is! Tsai stomped his feet in his trouser pockets.

"When I posted the leader's picture, there were no posters on the wall! There's nothing to do, so I asked your dad to buy a picture! The old horse shrugged.

"And what about the idol on my wall?" Tsai Tsai shouted aggrievedly that he had spent two years of New Year's money to watch his idol's concert, paid all kinds for him, and only hung a poster at home as a spiritual sustenance, but now he has been replaced.

"I don't know, don't rely on me!"

Boy was speechless and turned to ask his father. Zhiyuan didn't know, he went to his sister's house to ask his sister again. This is good, the little fairy who was asleep cried earth-shatteringly, as if all the grievances in the world were piling up on her alone.

"What did I say? Didn't I say anything? Tsai shrugged his shoulders and muttered, standing at the door with a puzzled expression. Xiaotang carefully counted the causes and consequences of today's events with Zai.

"You thief! Stealing so much money is amazing! It's going against the sky! Tsai pointed to Yangyang and gloated and went back to his house. Yang Yang saw that he was scolded by his brother, and he cried again. When the old horse heard this, he cried again, and he was so annoyed that he wanted to disappear immediately.

It didn't take long for Gui Ying to come back, and she had a good meal and chat with a customer today, but she came back late. When Tsai heard the door ring, he stepped out.

"Mom, guess what's going on today?" Tsai Zai's eyebrows danced.

"What?" Gui Ying is changing her shoes.

"Your lovely, beautiful, and innocent daughter stole my grandfather's money! Steal five times before and after! Five times! Guess how much you stole in total? ”

"How much!" Gui Ying's open jaw couldn't close.

"More than a thousand!"

"Really? Chief Ma! Gui Ying confirmed to Lao Ma.

"Isn't that right? Tut-tut! You two, a teacher and a manager, how do you educate your children? The old horse lay on the sofa and raised his head and threw out this sentence.

Zhiyuan heard this sentence in the room, his face was red, and Gui Ying was speechless.

"Where do you keep your money?"

"What's in the box?"

"Did you take the money to seduce the child, otherwise how could she steal?" Gui Ying pointed at the old horse and shouted.

"Why can you put anything on my head? I didn't squeak or blame me for stealing my money, and you still counted me! There's something wrong with you! "Lao Ma really didn't expect such an evil aura to come at night.

The door was open, and Zhiyuan heard the quarrel, so he hid on the balcony with his hands in his pockets. He also had a fire, but he could not release it.

"Moreover, my dad even hit her hard! The ass is red! "Tsai Boy ignites the fan.

"Really?" After Gui Ying finished speaking, she went straight to the Yangyang house, and the boy followed behind.

Yangyang was still crying, and when she saw her mother coming back, she cried even more miserably, one mother at a time, as long as her mother hugged her with open arms. Gui Ying hugged Yangyang, and when she saw that there were several red marks on her buttocks, she suddenly became angry and burst into tears.

"Did you steal your grandfather's money?" Gui Ying asked quietly.

Yang Yang cried and nodded.

"Where? Is it okay to tell your mother? ”

"In ...... ...... under the bed"

"Oh my god, it's all RMB!" When the boy lay under the bed, the scene was amazing.

"Allocate the money!"

The boy lay on the ground and made money under the small bed of Yangyang—ten yuan, one hundred, fifty cents, five cents...... After a while, there was a lot of money on the ground, and even Xiaotang couldn't help laughing.

"Go, get a plastic bag and put the money up!" Gui Ying commands his son.

After the boy was loaded, Gui Ying carried a plastic bag and threw the money to Lao Ma and said, "Take care of your money in the future, don't let the children worry about it!" ”

"How do you speak?" The old horse was furious.

"We never use cash, you are the only one in the family who uses cash, it's not that you don't have a good view of money! She took it four times and you didn't find out? Can you get so much money if you find out early and deal with it early? ”

"Did you deal with her last time she took my pen? I didn't do it last time! ”

The old horse was so scared that Gui Yingli was poor.

Gui Ying hugged the child and ran to Zhiyuan again, complaining why he shot so hard. Zhiyuan had nothing to say back except sighing, letting Gui Ying vent there, he looked at the turbidity outside the balcony, frowned, and suppressed his breath.

The old horse was sorting out the money in the bag, five cents and ten yuan, one by one, for seven or eight minutes, and his heart was so anxious.

"Boy, call your parents out!" The old horse yelled at the boy.

After Tsai called Zhiyuan and Gui Ying, several people sat at the dining table, and Lao Ma let the child be coaxed by Xiaotang.

"Let's just have a meeting to talk about this!" The family of four sat down, and the old horse spoke first.

"Grandpa, do you think this is the village committee? Still having a meeting, my God...... Hehehe! Born after the millennium, Tsai couldn't help but mock.

"It's not your place to speak!" The old horse rolled his eyes, and the boy immediately smiled.

"Let's talk about this today, and don't mention it again after that! Zhiyuan, starting from you! Lao Ma thought that Zhiyuan was the most upright, and he started calmly first.

"Hey, Yangyang didn't have this problem before. In the past few years, the family has not used cash at all, except for the money in the piggy bank, there is basically no cash. Dad, in fact, this has something to do with you, you have used money several times to induce your children to do this and that, and children naturally think that money is a good thing, and they are worried about it. Zhiyuan couldn't deny what he wanted to say the most.

"I'm taking money to induce her – that's my problem. If she didn't know that money is a good thing from me, she would definitely know that money is a good thing from others, and it is always good to know that it is good to deal with it early. Don't worry, I won't use money to induce her in the future. What else, Ma Guiying, you say! ”

"Tsai Yang Yang is our child, if they have any problems in the future, you don't care, never care! You just have to tell me and Zhiyuan, and we'll take care of it! Gui Ying deliberately emphasized the word "forever".

"I didn't care about it today! This matter was supposed to be over, and you made a fuss when you came back, who is to blame? "The old horse is on the matter.

Seeing that everyone was speechless, Lao Ma continued: "Zhiyuan, Yangyang has come back every day these days to hold new toys, didn't you ask carefully?" She eats less because she was full early in the morning with snacks, don't you notice? Don't you see a big machine toy in the living room right now? And you, it's over—it's over! You just knew! Boy! Blame me for this yelling and that yelling, why are you the last one to know? Don't you tell you that you're in the dark until now! And you, boy, my sister has been punished by your father, what are you doing fanning the flames in front of your mother? ”

"Where did I fan the flames! I'll be honest and say it's okay! "Tsai straightened up.

"You were so happy just now, you were blind to us! How good your two uncles are to your mother's sister! Why is this brother of yours looking at his sister jokes everywhere! ”

"My two uncles are good to my mother, that's because you are not good to my mother! They pity my mother! Now the whole family treats her how many times better than I don't know! Did I say anything? Tsai Tsai's eyes were red.

"What are you yelling about?" The old horse tapped the table.

"The two of them spoil her, and you've only been here for a few days! She stole seven or eight hundred pens, none of you educated her, so she stole again and again today! She stole so much money, can't I tell me? Am I in such a humble position in my family? My house is divided, my desk is occupied, my homework is noisy, my idol is changed, can't I complain? Let me ask you, is this home still mine? Tsai shouted excitedly, kicked off the chair and turned away.

The three adults at the table bowed their heads and were speechless.

After a long time, Lao Ma sighed and said: "Okay, the child has been educated, and the adult's problem has been figured out, this matter is over, and no one will mention it in the future." After saying that, he went to the recliner on the balcony, broke the plastic bag, and continued to make money there. How do the people in this house know how the old horse's money is not easy to come by, it is a fruit in the field in exchange for a fruit, a hoe and a rake dug up, no matter what, we must respect this piece of money and five cents, respect the hard work of the people behind the money and the time of the land.

There were only husband and wife left at the table, Gui Ying looked at Zhiyuan, and suddenly found that there was a look on his face that she couldn't understand. She held Zhiyuan's hand, but Zhiyuan withdrew his hand and went back to the house alone.

After returning to the house, the boy had tears on his face. Although he looks like an adult, he is still a child. The uniqueness that was once favored by his parents was divided by his sister, and now even his physical world of a few square meters is divided by his grandfather. Recently, his academic performance has declined significantly, and he has been named by the teacher in the class, and now he is facing the most important thing for a student - the final exam, which has also been completely ignored by his family.

Usually before each final exam, my father would help me with my heart, and my mother would serve soup and send refreshments, but now not to mention the attention of my parents, going home every day is a trivial matter. Tsai Tsai complained about the unfairness in these days, and was even more aggrieved why he was always the one who was ignored by everyone in the unpeaceful.

"What's wrong with you?" After Gui Ying returned to the house, she sat on the bed and looked at her husband on the balcony with his hands on his chest.

"Nothing."

"You're not in the right mood!" Gui Ying looked worried.

"Where? It's nothing. Zhiyuan said without looking back.

"What do you have to say?" Gui Ying longs for her husband to open up to her as a friend.

"It's nothing, it's half past ten, do you go to see Yangyang sleep, it's inconvenient for me to go."

Gui Ying looked at Zhiyuan, Zhiyuan looked out the window, the two were silent for a moment, and Gui Ying left.

Yangyang was already asleep in Xiaotang's arms, and Gui Ying quietly closed the door and was alone at the dining table. She is the owner of this house, and she is also an absent, funny master. She couldn't help but blame her father, and she habitually favored her daughter—even though she loved him so much. She came back late every day, so late that she missed the time to talk sweetly to her daughter, and she couldn't keep pace with her daughter's growth. Gui Ying opened a bottle of red wine from the restaurant shelf and poured herself a large glass, the reason she drank was not for her children and father, but for her husband.

Zhiyuan's expression tonight made her a little strange. The thing she feared most in the world was being estranged from her husband – something she had tried to avoid for so many years. He is educated, he is a master of arts from a prestigious university, and he can't tell a word of poetry at every turn, and he can't use it at every turn. She couldn't even pretend to listen to the poems that Zhiyuan was fond of, she could only worship him as a fan sister, but she panicked and her idol mentioned three or five times that she still didn't know.

Xiaotang stroked her rippling hair, unable to sleep. For many years, she has been so envious of Gui Ying's life, but she didn't expect to go deep into it. Suddenly, she felt that she was not unavoidably single, and she was not contaminated with anything—no children, no old people, no disputes, no sadness, as pure as white clouds over mountains. After many years of watching her sister Bao Xiaoxing's marriage, it is still a difficult account to calculate whether there is more pain or happiness.

Xiaotang recalled the marriages of those married colleagues, and few of them were wishful. Hongmei is in her forties, sad and has no children, and has been raising a husband who plays mahjong every day for more than ten years; Haiyue married into a Guangdong family, and the conflicts with her concubine and mother-in-law almost exhausted all her brilliance; Fei Fei and her husband have a good relationship, but because they are burdened with huge debts for buying a house, they don't dare to get pregnant and have children when they reach thirty-five; Huaxue is married to a little rich second generation, and her husband has hooked up with two little sisters after only two years of marriage...... Sweet gourd bitter, not perfect; Life is broken, and marriage is hardly fulfilling. Thinking of this, Xiaotang was a little relieved.

This night, Zhiyuan couldn't sleep. Today is the final deadline for him to participate in the novel competition, and he did not finish publishing on time.

It was such a bad day, and he didn't want to put another layer of gray melancholy on it. So, he didn't say anything. At half past two in the morning, He Zhiyuan stood on the balcony, looking up at the deep darkness above his head, feeling sad for the starry sky and lamenting for all things.