In 2007, Si Wang was promoted to the junior high school of Wuyi Middle School.

This year, He Qingying had some foreboding, perhaps because of her son's natal year, and she was determined to spend more time with him. The best way is to open a small shop by yourself, so that Wang'er can come to the store often. She still has 100,000 yuan in bank deposits, which is left after the compensation fee for the Gu family's adoption of Wang'er is paid off by the loan shark.

In the summer, with the help of police officer Huanghai, He Qingying rented a store and opened a small bookstore, which was located across the road from Wuyi Middle School.

Si Wang gave the bookstore a name - Deserted Village Bookstore.

He Qingying and his son braved the scorching summer sun and the high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius to go to the book wholesale market to buy goods, and both of them were sunburned and peeled. In addition to Si Wang's favorite literature and history books, a large number of teaching materials were also selected, which was the only way for the small bookstore to survive. She deliberately piled Guo Jingming's "Sadness Flows Into a River" and Han Han's "A City" together, plus various suspense and thriller novels, don't today's junior high school students like these?

On the first day of school, it was also the day when the Deserted Village Bookstore opened, and Officer Huang Hai brought a group of policemen to lay flowers and bouquets, and those who didn't know thought that there was a murder in the bookstore.

At eight o'clock in the morning, after completing the firecracker ceremony, He Qingying took his son to the opposite middle school to arrive. Si Wang wore a red scarf and urged his mother to go back to the bookstore early to take care of it. She was a little sad when she parted, but the child had reached an age where she didn't like to call mom at school.

Wuyi Middle School is on Changshou Road, next to the gate is a high-end nightclub, and every night the door will be lined up with luxury cars, and there are young ladies with heavy makeup in and out. The school has a small playground flanked by lush oleanders. The school buildings are connected in a horseshoe shape with a small patio in the middle. Across the playground are rows of low, two-story houses, like long islands, where the infirmary and music room are located. Si Wang adapted to the new environment faster than others, and if he hadn't deliberately slackened off, he would definitely have become the best student in the class.

Si Wang still has very little contact with people, and in the eyes of his teachers, he is an extremely withdrawn child, and no one knows about his experience in the third and fourth grades of primary school. The endorsement photo he took for Erya Education Group was thrown into the garbage heap long ago. He only talked a lot in the deserted village bookstore, because he had to drag his classmates over, recommend all kinds of bestsellers and "The Smallest Story" magazine, as well as teaching aids that were cheaper than those sold by the school, and He Qingying gave his son's classmates a 20% discount.

The following year, spring.

Those photos of Edison Chen began to be popular on the Internet, and I heard that many children secretly watched them on the computer, He Qingying was very worried about this, but she couldn't tell her son, so she could only go with him.

Si Wang's last baby tooth also fell out, and a mouth full of healthy permanent teeth grew. He didn't throw his upper teeth to the ground and his lower teeth to the sky, like other children, but gave them all to his mother.

"Wang'er, every hair and tooth of yours is precious, it was brought to you by your mother after nine deaths, and I need to keep and treasure it."

He Qingying locked his son's teeth in the last drawer of the dresser.

In the fall, Si Wang was officially promoted to junior high school student, and the first (2) class of Wuyi Middle School.

It has been six years since my father disappeared since the first grade of elementary school, and both mother and son have become accustomed to life without him, and seem to be just the man they remember in their previous lives, although there are family photos next to the bed.

The operation of the deserted village bookstore is quite smooth, He Qingying and his son are more like partners of the bookstore, and the income and expenditure have been flat for more than a year, and gradually have a meager profit, which is only enough for monthly living expenses. Because of the cover of the Huanghai police officer, the bookstore did not encounter any trouble in industry and commerce, taxation, and urban management. She sits in the bookstore every day, with almost no days off, and only hires someone to help look after the store when she is in a hurry.

Sometimes, after sleepless nights tossing and turning, He Qingying would stroke his son's back, but Wang'er said that he would rather not grow up again, the Adam's apple should not protrude, and the vocal cords should not be hoarse, so that he could always hold his mother to sleep. The light outside the window shines through the curtain on her face that has not yet grown old, Lin Chiling is only four years younger than her, and there must be other men who like her.

December 19, 2008, Si Wang's thirteenth birthday.

He never celebrated his birthday in a restaurant outside, but his mother bought a cake every year to go home, and the mother and son huddled together to listen to the birthday song. This time, Officer Huanghai also came to the door with a large bag and a small bag. To be honest, he didn't know how to give gifts at all, it was all salted fish and marinated meat, and he also gave a set of the ugliest stationery. He helped He Qingying cook in the kitchen, occasionally clumsily knocking over soy sauce or vinegar bottles. This silent and rude man, uncharacteristically instigated his mother-in-law, He Qingying couldn't help laughing, and rarely made a few jokes with him, but turned his head and saw Si Wang's eyes.

Her son was looking at her coldly.

Before blowing out the birthday cake with thirteen candles, Officer Huanghai hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, let me make a wish first." ”

He Qingying could almost guess his wish, but Si Wang rushed ahead of him and blew out all the candles, He Qingying hid in the dark corner of the room, holding his chin to observe the young man's face - what wish was he making in his heart?

After celebrating his son's birthday, He Qingying went out to see off the Huanghai police officer for a long time in order to express his gratitude. When she returned home, she found Si Wang watching a horror movie alone, with a musty loss in her eyes. This birthday was not happy, although he had a hidden face, but he couldn't hide it from his mother anyway.

Three days later, the winter solstice.

He Qingying took her son alone and went to the suburbs to sweep the grave by car. The car passed by Nanming Road, and the raindrops blurred the vision outside the car window, but Si Wang closed his eyes and opened them after staying away.

This is the grave of the grandparents, surrounded by a small river, pine and cypress Sensen. The name of the tomb owner is depicted on the stele in black lacquer, and a long list of names are depicted in red lacquer, indicating that these relatives are still in the world, and among them is Si Wang. And Si Mingyuan, as the eldest son of the family, has a name at the top. He Qingying brought fresh food to serve in front of her in-laws' tombstone, and pulled her son to kneel on the ground. The time when the three incense sticks are burned is the process of the ancestral souls enjoying lunch.

An hour later, He Qingying came to the door of another cemetery. She bought a few stacks of tin foil and asked Si Wang to pick up a bouquet of flowers. Among the crowded gravestones, find a slightly old grave inlaid with a picture of an elderly couple.

"Wang'er, kowtow to grandparents and grandparents."

Facing his grandparents, whom he had never seen before, Si Wang knelt down very sensibly and kowtowed three times respectfully. He burned tin foil with his mother, the smoke reached his eyes, tears couldn't help but flow, and He Qingying half-squatted and hugged him tightly.

On the way home, snowflakes fell in the sky, and the son asked inappropriately, "Mom, where did you say Dad went?" ”

"I don't know."

Her answer was so cold, it was like talking about an irrelevant dead person.