Wu Xiaotian came back from his grandmother's house sullenly, saw the lifeless home, and thought that he would never see his grandfather again, and he was extremely sad.

"Xiaotian, shouldn't you go back to school? Why haven't you left yet? Wu Hong asked in surprise.

"I don't want to study anymore." Wu Xiaotian muttered quietly.

"Why?" Wu Hong asked in surprise.

"The school has to pay for materials again, where is the money at home?" Wu Xiaotian whispered.

"No! Learning is definitely going to go. Why are you so young when you don't go to school? Wu Hong yelled at Wu Xiaotian angrily.

"I went to Guangdong to work, and I went to my mother by the way." Wu Xiaotian said loudly.

"Looking for your mother?" Wu Sifu raised his head and looked at his son, who was taller than himself, "Do you have news of her?" ”

"Nope. I went to my grandmother's house in the morning. Wu Xiaotian replied weakly.

Wu Hong glanced at her brother, wanted to say something and held back. The family fell into endless silence.

Li Jian patted Wu Hong on the shoulder and motioned for her to go outside to talk. Wu Hong followed Li Jian to the side of the dam outside the house, only to hear Li Jian whisper to Wu Hong: "You must let Xiaotian go to school." For such a young child, it is definitely not possible not to study.

In case you enter the society and get a bad habit, it will be too late for everyone to regret it. You go and ask him how much he is going to pay, and you pay him. ”

Wu Hong was noncommittal and returned to the house in silence. She put on her mother's apron and began to clean the house. In the past few days, everyone has changed out of dirty clothes and pants, put them on the cement laundry table in the dam, boiled hot water, and began to wash clothes.

In the evening, Wu Hong made a table of meals and poured a cup of two pots for his brother Wu Sifu. Wu Hong handed the wine to Wu Sifu and said, "Brother, you haven't slept for the past few days, and you've worked hard." After eating, you go to bed early and get a good rest. ”

He turned his head and said to Xiao Tian: "Xiao Tian, what should you do, go back to school tomorrow, you don't have to worry about family affairs." Now that you are in your third year of high school, it is important to review your homework, and being admitted to college is your most important goal now. ”

"Yes, yes, yes. Xiaotian, your sister-in-law is right. Only when you are admitted to university and have a good future will your family have more hope. Uncle Li Jian echoed on the side.

Wu Hong took out 500 yuan and handed it to Wu Xiaotian, and said softly: "Be obedient, be like a man, and this family will depend on you in the future." ”

Wu Xiaotian looked at Wu Sifu, hesitated to take the money handed over by his aunt, and his eyes were red. After a long while, he choked up and said to Wu Hong, "Thank you!" ”

After dinner, Wu Sifu wanted to go to bed, but the drunken nerves made him more conscious.

He picked up the bamboo flute and went to the bamboo forest next to the house and began to play it. After the song "Father" was played, he began to play "Mother" again. The sound of the flute is mournful and desolate, hovering and echoing through the forest.

"Big brother, your bamboo flute is so good!" Li Jian didn't know when he came to Wu Sifu's side.

"I used to learn from my comrades-in-arms in the art troupe when I was in the army." Wu Sifu replied in a low voice.

"Brother, what are you going to do in the future?" Li Jian asked hesitantly.

"What else can I do? One day counts as one day. Wu Sifu tapped his palms with a bamboo flute.

"Dad used to be very good at weaving bamboo baskets and bamboo sieves, will you?" Li Jian asked again.

"I'll make it up. I used to learn from my father. Wu Sifu looked at his brother-in-law Li Jian suspiciously.

"Brother, let's go up the mountain tomorrow to cut bamboo and weave bamboo baskets and bamboo sieves, okay?"

"What's the use of making all this? Nowadays, plastic baskets and bamboo baskets are used, who still uses this? Wu Sifu said lightly.

Li Jian didn't want to say anything more, the two lit a cigarette and were silent, the flickering cigarette butts flashing faintly in the night.

According to the customs of Zhu County, three days after the deceased, all married daughters or relatives will collectively go to the grave of the deceased for the last time to pay respects, which is called the "three graves". After the "three graves" are completed, relatives are not allowed to return to the deceased's original home.

On this day, Wu Sifu took his sister, brother-in-law, aunt and aunt to build the "three graves" in front of his father's grave. After kneeling three times in front of Wu Yuanshou's grave, several people got up and left.

Wu Hong's eyes were red and he said to Wu Sifu: "Brother, we have to go." If you are alone at home, you should drink less alcohol and eat three meals on time. When you have nothing to do, you can make bamboo baskets and sell them, maybe you can exchange some money. ”

Wu Sifu nodded.

Wu Hong said again: "Don't worry about your father's debt. We'll go back and scrape some for you. ”

"No, I don't. I'll find a way to pay it back. Wu Sifu said weakly.

Wu Hong didn't say anything more, picked up the duffel bag that had been packed a long time ago, looked back at his father's grave step by step, and then looked at his brother, who was over half a hundred years old, and left.

Wu Hong thought of her nephew who was in her third year of high school at school, and her sister-in-law was adrift, and there was no warmth in this cold home, and she couldn't help but burst into tears again.

My mother is gone, my father is gone, and there are huge debts, what should I do with this family? It turns out that there is still a mother when I go home

The hot soup and hot water, this year there is a father's affectionate shout, can it be later?

Wu Hong looked back from time to time. Li Jian dragged her and said softly, "Let's go." I don't know if the children in the family have been naughty and mischievous these days. ”

Wu Hong thought of the children at home, so she had no choice but to wave her hand to her brother and leave with tears in her eyes.

Wu Sifu stayed at home alone, and he often looked left and right at this four-row three-room blue brick house, and there was nothing but quiet. He was bored, he didn't bother to do anything, and he didn't want to do it.

Whenever it's time to eat, I cook some rice or a bowl of noodles indiscriminately, and sometimes I don't even bother to fry the vegetables, and I will live a meal. It's a two-pot head, and one meal can't be missing.

On this day, the sun sets in late autumn, and the sunset at dusk immerses the mountain beams of Takemura in warmth. A nighthawk flew over Wu Sifu's head, and the hissing sound made Wu Sifu's heart tremble.

He looked up at the lonely Nighthawk, and a wave of sadness welled up in his heart. It's as if he's the lonely nighthawk. The departure of his parents, the departure of his wife, and the huge debt of hundreds of thousands of yuan entangled his painful heart like a mess.

What to pay off those debts? Where to make money? If you stay in this ravine, you can't dig three feet into the ground, and you won't be able to dig 200,000.

Wu Sifu habitually touched his trouser pocket. He wanted to find a cigarette to relieve his boredom, but what he found was an empty cigarette case. Angry, he threw the empty cigarette box under the sunbath.

He looked intently at the sky, watching the sunset fall into the mountain beam little by little, and the bamboo mountain slowly turned from green to gray and black. The late autumn wind blew a chill on his body, and he didn't feel the cold at all, and he didn't move at all.

He wanted to tear his throat open and scream desperately, shouting out the bitterness in his heart and the depression in his heart. But he opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, and his hoarse throat felt as if something had clicked on it.

He turned around and went into the house, took out half a bottle of liquor from the wooden cabinet, unscrewed the cap, poured most of the bottle of liquor into his stomach in one go, and then poured it weakly into the firewood by the wood stove.

When the rooster crowed three times, Wu Sifu opened his drunken eyes and found that he was not sleeping in bed at all. Sprinkler was still swimming on him, and he fell asleep again.

After dawn, Uncle Wu came to him to borrow a dung bucket to pick up dung and found him sleeping next to the wood stove. Glancing at the wine bottle on the ground, Uncle Wu understood everything.

"Sifu, why do you belittle yourself like this? As the saying goes, there's no mountain of flames that can't be climbed. The days have to go on, and Xiaotian is still counting on you! Third Uncle Wu helped him up from the wood stove.

"Third uncle, don't worry!" Wu Sifu burped and stammered, "I'll pay off the debt." People don't die, and accounts don't die. Wu Sifu stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Uncle Wu hurriedly helped him to sit down on a bamboo chair.

Third Uncle Wu walked outside the house and sighed heavily: "Second brother, second sister-in-law, you are relieved!" The debt when you left made the two masters of Sifu live! ”

From the night he was drunk, Wu Sifu's temperament changed greatly. He drinks every day, others have lunch, and he hasn't eaten breakfast yet. Others went to bed with the lights out, and he was still drinking by the wood stove.

Wine became his companion, a medicine for his sorrows. It's as if as soon as you get drunk, those annoying problems are gone. He carries wine bottles all day long, and adults and children in Wujiawan call him "wine leprosy".

"Dad, Dad!" Wu Xiaotian stood in the hall, looked at Wu Sifu lying on the bamboo chair, and then looked at the wine bottle in the corner, and woke Wu Sifu out of his daze angrily and heartbrokenly.

Wu Sifu opened his eyes, looked at his son in front of him in surprise, and rubbed his eyes: "Is it Saturday today?" How did you get back? ”

"I'll come back and get my clothes." Wu Xiaotian said in an angry tone, "Do you know how to drink at home?" The smell of alcohol! You see, what do you look like now? ”

"You don't care what I look like. I grabbed my clothes and hurried back to school. Wu Sifu said angrily to his son.

Third Uncle Wu came back from the field with a hoe, passed by Wu Sifu's house, and saw Xiao Tianyi in the middle of the hall, probably with his father. Hurriedly stepped into the house: "Xiaotian, why are you home?" ”

"I'll come back and get my clothes." Wu Xiaotian replied aggrievedly.

"Have you put away your clothes? Let's go, go to the third master's house, and I'll ask the third lady to make something to eat for you. Third Uncle Wu coaxed and persuaded him.

"He told me to go back to school." Wu Xiaotian glanced at Wu Sifu, "Third Master, if you look at him, you know what it looks like to drink?" ”

"It's getting dark, how do you get back to school? Let's go and go to my house. Your dad is an adult, don't care about him. Third Uncle Wu dragged Xiaotian to his house.

Aunt Wu was very surprised when she saw Xiaotian. Third Uncle Wu hurriedly said, "Xiaotian came back to get clothes." You go cook and get a few eggs out. ”

Third Uncle Wu came to the stove to make a fire, and Aunt Wu sighed: "Sifu doesn't leave his mouth like this every day, but what should I do?" If Pingping had been in charge of him at home, it would have been better. ”

"Be quiet, don't let Xiaotian hear it." Third Uncle Wu whispered.

Early the next morning, Uncle Wu sent Xiaotian to the village to take a motorcycle back to school. Howling sky travels through

In the reckless bamboo forest, there are many worries. He turned back to Uncle Wu and said, "Third Master, you usually look at my dad more." ”

"Well, your dad is annoyed too. If you owe a debt, no one will be in a good mood. You don't care about him, you just have to read your book. Third Uncle Wu said worriedly.

Seeing Wu Xiaotian away, Uncle Wu walked to the village office.