In the guest bedroom, my mother had already cleaned it up, and everything was placed in a staggered manner. found a set of pink bedding for Xia Yao to change into and returned to the living room.

Xia Yao and her mother were busy in the kitchen, and Lao Chen was still looking at the book with an unapproachable look.

Old Chen Tou looked up at me, and his eyes made me shudder. Lao Chen Tou is a typical Chinese father, stern, old-fashioned, not good at expressing but giving me a mountain of fatherly love. Looking back carefully, from childhood to adulthood, if it weren't for Lao Chentou's strict and careful teaching and Lao Chentou's moral guidance, there is a high probability that I would have become a street hooligan and ruffian all day long.

Although Lao Chen always doesn't give me a good face, I also understand that this is also due to my own self-inflicted.

I simply came to the windowsill to smoke by myself, and at first glance, I saw the house of the third grandfather opposite. Where the house still stands, I can't help but think of a past:

In 2018, a relative in his old age was laid in memory at the cemetery. It's not a blood relative, the same surname is Chen, plus the ancestors have been friends from generation to generation, in China's towns and villages, the relationship is naturally self-evident, cut constantly, according to the generation, I should call him the third grandfather.

passed away in 2018, leaving behind a middle-aged son with a high career and a wife who is also rare and strong.

I heard my parents talk about the third grandfather, when he was young, he responded to the call of the country to enter the army, and accidentally fell disabled in the army.

Later, he obeyed the professional arrangements of the local armed forces department for veterans at that time, and the third grandfather became a forest ranger.

One reason why I remember such an old man vividly is because he used to be a soldier, and the second reason is the unswerving and touching love between him and the third grandmother.

Now I can always see the derailment of a celebrity who has been in love for many years on the Internet, and sigh the absurdity of love in this world with the self-media, and then think of the love of the third grandfather in that era, but it is moving.

The last time I saw the third grandfather was in the first month of 2018, my parents took me to the third grandfather's house to pay New Year's greetings, which was the first time I understood the pain of a paralyzed old man in a sense.

The young and ignorant years only care about the number of toys, and when they are young and emotionally sensitive, they know that the world is more or less helpless.

The son of the third grandfather has long since divorced his daughter-in-law, and the only grandson inherited the temperament of the third grandfather and resolutely entered the army, rarely taking holidays, and his son was also away on business.

I don't know if two lonely old men secretly wiped their tears when the streets were full of firecrackers that year.

That year, my parents and I pushed open the heavy door of the third grandfather's house with a large bag and a small bag, and the wooden door made a long moaning sound, as if telling about one hard time after another.

It was daytime, but the house was surprisingly dark, and the walls of the cabin were covered with newspapers of a slightly dated age, from the founding of New China to the establishment of special economic zones to the Beijing Olympics.

The third grandfather lay on the sofa, motionless, like an ancient vicissitudes of stone statue that was integrated with the sofa. If it weren't for the faint light reflected in my eyes, I would probably think that the third grandfather was dead.

When the third grandmother heard the movement, she rushed from the kitchen, and when she saw our family standing in the middle of the living room, I obviously saw that she was relieved, and then said: "It turned out that you were here, and I returned you to move again for your third grandfather, for fear that he would fall off the sofa!"

After a few pleasantries, my mother followed the third grandmother into the kitchen and got busy. And I, Mu Ran, stood in the middle of the living room, at a loss.

The hot meal was served, several people sat around 3 together, and the parents and the third grandmother chatted about family life intentionally or unintentionally. And I just watched TV and ate without saying a word.

The parents picked up the bowl to eat, but the third grandmother did not.

The third grandmother held a small bowl, the bowl was full of minced, boiled meat porridge to a paste, the third grandmother took a spoon and carefully fed the third grandfather, the third grandfather just opened his mouth blankly, a small part of the porridge entered the mouth and slid down the esophagus into the stomach, most of it was because the oral muscles that the third grandfather could not control flexibly were scattered in the chin, the third grandmother hurriedly helped the third grandfather wipe his chin, and carefully fed the second porridge. Watching the third grandmother go back and forth like this, it was like a mother nursing her child.

What could have ended in an hour was finished in two hours. Mom helped the third grandmother wash the dishes, and Dad helped the third grandmother repair the old electrical appliances at home. The third grandfather was still lying on the sofa, and all I could hear was all kinds of advertisements on TV and the heavy breathing of the third grandfather.

Suddenly, the third grandfather made a noise, and a hoarse and vague voice came from a music box that looked like it had fallen into disrepair and had no beauty. I was surprised for a while, when I was about to call my parents, the third grandmother in the kitchen had already come to the third grandfather in an instant, and then she slowly helped the third grandfather up, and picked up the already skinny third grandfather to sit in a wheelchair, and pushed into a small cubicle.

As night fell, we were ready to leave for home. The father said: "Call you the third grandfather, pull his hand, when you were born, he was not paralyzed, he was holding you at that time, and you were still smiling at him!" Among the juniors, his favorite is you! ”

I was stunned, but in fact, in my impression, I really did not have the impression of such a person, forced by the majesty of my father. I was reluctant, and even walked up to the third grandfather lying on the sofa with resistance, took his swollen and weak hand, and said, "Third grandfather, do you remember me?" I'm Chen Yang! ”

The third grandfather, who was originally like a stone statue, woke up at that moment, he couldn't express his feelings with his body, but he used his eyes to radiate light.

The third grandfather looked at me, squirmed his lips, and said words that I didn't understand, not because the third grandfather's needs didn't understand me, but when he couldn't control his vocal cords and mouth, to me, all he said was "buzzing".

The third grandmother stood aside and said with a smile: "Your third grandfather said that he couldn't imagine that such a sick child in the past is still fat and big-eared!"

Hearing this, I was amazed that there was a spiritual relationship between the three grandfathers and three grandmothers. After saying a few polite words, and sensibly telling the third grandfather to pay attention to his body and other vernacular, I was ready to get up and leave with my parents, but the third grandfather held my hand with very little strength.

Tears overflowed from the corners of the eyes of the third grandfather, like a child who couldn't get a toy, tears slipped down on his face covered with age spots, at that moment, I saw the old man crying for the first time, and I was shocked for the first time, and to this day, the face full of tears is still fresh in my memory......

I heard my grandmother say that the young third grandfather is not the paralyzed and powerless person he is today. The former third grandfather was full of spirit, just returned from the army, went up the mountain to hunt deer, went down to the field to plant rice, dived and caught fish, and could do anything.

The third grandfather was the dream lover of the young girls in the nearby township, and the third grandmother agreed to the relationship on the first day of the matchmaker, and asked the matchmaker to give the third grandfather the insoles she had handmade, and she hurriedly got married a few months later despite the opposition of her parents.

The young and frivolous, bloody third grandfather had a daughter-in-law in this way, and the poor marriage at that time did not have the so-called bride price, nor did he follow the gift. The third grandmother who married into the third grandfather's family handed over the hard-earned money saved by many years of frugality to the impoverished third grandfather on the wedding night.

In that gray era of eating tree bark, chewing grass roots, and gnawing on Guanyin soil. The neighbors even borrowed a new quilt and a few simple stools and chairs for the newlyweds.

The third grandfather could only use his hard head to buy the third grandmother's hard-earned money to buy candy, organize a banquet, and distribute it to the neighbors. This made the financial situation of the third grandfather, who was already a four-walled family, even worse.

The third grandfather's family had three children, two sons, and a newborn daughter. The three grandmothers had no milk, so their daughter died. Immediately afterwards, the eldest son also suffered and died in the plague. The third grandfather desperately reclaimed the wilderness, left his dignity in exchange for food from the squire Shihao, and finally saved the lives of the third grandmother and the only remaining son.

When the third grandfather was fifty years old, he was still a forest ranger. One night, the third grandfather felt that there was a strange sound in the forest, so he told the third grandmother that he had gone to the forest, and that night it was raining, dripping, and the path was muddy.

The third grandfather did not return in the middle of the night, the third grandmother called the people in the village despite the heavy rain, until dawn, the third grandfather was lying in a sinking pit, full of blood, the third grandmother also fainted, when the third grandmother woke up, the third grandfather was already paralyzed by brain trauma, so the third grandmother fainted again.

For more than ten years after that, the third grandmother never left the cabin again, taking care of the third grandfather who was paralyzed, unable to speak, and incontinent all day long.

One day when I was in high school, my parents, who were working outside the home, called me to inform me that my third grandfather had left.

Later, in the chat with my parents, I learned that the third grandfather was sick and hospitalized, and the son of the third grandfather gave up his job.

The third grandmother takes care of the third grandfather in a hospital in a big city full of modern technology, and the third grandmother doesn't understand anything, and she is embarrassed in the hospital, and is talked and laughed at behind her back.

Later, I asked for leave from school, and I hurried to my third grandfather's house, saw a black and white photo on the urn, and tried to coincide with the tearful appearance that once came.

The funeral was carried out in an orderly manner, without much sadness, after all, everyone felt that the third grandfather was relieved, and the third grandmother also felt the same, she said: "My old man has been paralyzed for more than ten years, locked in the house every day, sleeping on the sofa, and now he is dead, and he is free after being a ghost reincarnation."

At that moment, I thought: the third grandfather is free, and the third grandmother can also be free, and there is no need to take care of the third grandfather every day, and you can enjoy the blessings of your old age. Surprisingly, the third grandfather's funeral ended, and a month after the leaves returned to their roots, the third grandmother took care of the third grandfather's relics and quietly left in a sleep.

Perhaps, the third grandmother lived for the third grandfather, and the third grandfather also died for the third grandmother.

reminds me of a love poem by Mr. Mu Xin:

The old days have slowed down

Cars, horses, and mail are slow

There is only enough to love one person in a lifetime

In the past era, love was so simple and pure, everyone had a place in their hearts, and they decided to get married. But in today's generation, there are always people who post on social platforms: May your true feelings not be disappointed, and may you have someone to accompany you for the rest of your life, but in this bright and complicated, extramarital affair, love triangle, those people do not have the heart to talk about a relationship seriously and treat a relationship. It's ironic.

Smoking cigarettes, I came to the sofa in the living room and sat down, a strict father who was not good at words, and a son who had nothing to do and even suspected of ADHD in this space, which made the atmosphere change slightly.

"Dad, did you buy the fireworks?" I tentatively leaned over to Old Chen's side.

"I originally planned not to buy fireworks, but this year Yaoyao came to the house for the New Year, and you can buy them after eating later." Old Chen finally ignored me.

"Oh well. But ha, Dad, I've been strapped for money lately, so ......... "I deliberately slowed down my speech, implying that Old Chen Tou could be generous.

"Buy more and have a lively year this year. Treat Yaoyao well! "Old Chen Tou looked at me angrily, and then took out his mobile phone to transfer money to me." Yaoyao is such a good girl, beautiful, kind, diligent, thrifty, clever, you, you are not enough to achieve, and there are more than failures........." Old Chen looked at me with a drooping face.

"Dad, let him pass after the relationship is over!" I had no choice but to answer. Xia Yao seems to have a kind of magic that makes our whole family happy to accept her, and our parents seem to be more concerned about our separation.

"What's next? You two can't be unclear, right? Could it be that tomorrow when I go out for a walk, Old Man Zhang asks me: Old Chen, who is the female doll from your house, I can't answer that it is Chen Yang's classmate, whose female classmate came to your house for the New Year? Old Chen didn't look back, still flipping through his book and asking me if I arrived.

I was stunned, and the old Chen, who had always been old-fashioned and serious, would discuss the relationship between me and Xia Yao's children, so my thoughts slowly fogged and became confused............

"It's eaten, eaten!" Xia Yao brought out the dishes from the kitchen, and her mother followed behind and said, "Come, come, come, Yaoyao is also cooking today, you two can taste Yaoyao's craftsmanship!"

Their voices pulled me back from the space of self-independence of thinking, and old Chen put down his book and walked to the kitchen to serve the food. Old Chen Tou opened the wine sent by Xia Yao for the first time and prepared a few cups.

I looked at the scene in front of me independently, and it seemed that this home made people feel comfortable and satisfied because of Xia Yao's integration.