The sky had not yet dawned, the crescent moon still hung in the west, and the stars were so dim that they were about to sleep. There was no fog this morning, and there was no heavy wind, but the street was deserted, and I had not heard the shouting of the sellers. Yining carried a cloth bag and walked to the station that had not yet become lively.

The lights at the ticket booth were bright, and in the window sat a young, tired woman who squinted and took a nap after a routine inquiry, looking for a normal state of work. Yining didn't look at her a few times before leaving, he didn't want to take a long-distance bus with no place.

The car sped up quickly, and after a low roar, the car pulled out of the checkpoint with a red and white pole. The lights around the houses are rising, which is a signal of the hard work of the elders who prepare breakfast for the children. Saturday is not a busy day, and many people can gather around a table to have a good time. Yining was a mixed bag, and there should be people in the same mood as him in the world at this time, and he tried to calm his uneasiness.

The people in the car are not crowded, but there are many people going up and down. The old man and the baby on crutches are all looking for common, and they are safe and sound, while several middle-aged villagers are chatting loudly, listening to the driver from time to time to ask a few words, making the whole carriage very lively.

The scenery outside the window gradually returns to color, the pale mountain color is more graceful in the morning light, and the tall cypress spires occasionally stop at the top of the cypress tree, the majestic red-necked white crane, flapping their wings and combing their supple feathers. The half-glossy and halfumbra fish pond will be filled with golden waves, which are silent fish stretching their veins.

There is still a long way to go, but seven points have been completed. It's just that this narrow and rugged mountain road makes the speed of the car extremely slow, and the shaking will make people with motion sickness painful. Yining has long been used to it, so he didn't eat to pad his stomach, and he wouldn't be stupid enough to find guilt for himself.

"Kick the brakes! Kick it off!! There was a shout outside the car, it was an old man from Chenjiawan waving, and the driver did not stop in time, leaving the old man at the telephone pole more than ten meters away from the back of the car.

I saw the old man running to the car door with the strap basket on his back, "Chen Wazi, you haven't practiced this skill yet, your old man is much better than you, you left me so far today, I'll give you a report to the old man." The old man was obviously familiar with the new driver, but what didn't make Yining think was that the new driver turned out to be Master Chen's son.

"Uncle Luo, you have wronged me, you are hiding in the telephone pole tree, how do I know how far away you are." Driver Chen replied with some grievances.

"Uncle Luo, next time you stand at the fork in the road, I will look better and clearer, and I am not determined to abandon you."

"Okay, I'll stand there next time, don't pretend to be blind for me."

"Okay, okay, okay, don't talk about it, I'm driving." Driver Chen started his car again.

Stop, this familiar greeting has been circulating for a long time, and it is used when getting in and out of the car. The short and clear words make people listen very kindly, just like the sound of the gong at the beginning of the play, which expresses all the expectations and difficulties.

The roar stopped, at the head of the broken bridge. This broken bridge is not one of the West Lake, but a new bridge that has stood for more than 20 years by splicing the remaining stones from the dam ditch at that time. Qiaotou is Song Da Niang's noodle restaurant, saying that she is the eldest mother, but in fact, she is not old at all, just as old as Yining's mother. She has been running this noodle restaurant for more than a decade, welcoming visitors from other places and nourishing the hungry insects in her hometown.

"A-Ning is back, come and eat a bowl of noodles, child, don't be hungry, add as many ingredients as you like, it's enough." Aunt Song saw Yining return and warmly entertained him.

Aunt Song treats Yining very well, not only related to Yining's mother. She loves children very much, and gave him special care as early as when Yining was young, if she really said that there was a close relationship, she should be regarded as Yining's godmother. Aunt Song is a friend in Yining's mother's yard, and she married to Huanglong Township, so she treats the son of a close friend in her boudoir with blue eyes, and Yining is also very well-behaved, so she is very heartfelt.

"Aunt Song, how is my mother?" Yining asked.

"It's not good, you can go home and see." Aunt Song has already put the noodles in the pot and is rolling the dough at the moment.

The fire in the furnace was burning vigorously, and the boiling water made the noodles in the bowl steam. Yining gulped down enough noodles, and his body gradually recovered his temperature. Lady Song's noodles may not be the best in all the noodle restaurants, but they must be the most humane, she can clearly remember each diner who has been there, and will do her best to adjust to meet the needs, and sometimes chat with strange customers, so that the restaurant is full of laughter.

After swallowing a large mouthful of hot soup, Yining felt a burst of warmth. This is what his father taught, and when the cold hits, when you feel homesick, pour a sip of hot soup and you will get your wish. At this moment, he finally realized what it was like.

After saying goodbye to Aunt Song, Yining embarked on the last journey home. This is a very ordinary trail, solid hard loess potholes, surrounded by some black and green weeds, many wild fruit vines entangled on the slopes, and a few wild orange trees that have not yet bloomed.

Across the path, the gray tiled house is in sight, which is Yining's home. His nose suddenly ached, and he unconsciously quickened his pace. He shouted, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" I am back! As usual, he expected to see his mother, who was cleaning up at the dam, stop what she was doing and walk down the stone steps to meet him. But he forgot that his mother was sick.

The lights were on in the room, the door was ajar, and a few new photos were added to the diagonal mirror, and Yining had an ominous premonition in his heart, but he also pressed down to find his mother. She was boiling the pot by the fire pit, using the fire to pick up the accumulated ashes, he wanted to make the fire more vigorous, she didn't know that Yining was coming, maybe he didn't even think that Yining would return so soon.

"Mom, I'm back!" Yining stood behind his mother crying, and she turned around, and Yining's face hurt in her heart.

"Son, you're back, sit here and roast the fire, and talk to your mother." Her voice was a little low, but she could hear it clearly.

His mother's words put Yining at ease for a while, and Yining absolutely believed his mother's words, because his mother had never lied to him and had always taught him to be an upright person. But he never imagined that his mother had lied to him this time.

She wholeheartedly hopes that her son can become a talent, and she doesn't want her illness to affect him, so she doesn't want to get better if she is sick, and she doesn't hope that he can rest assured when she is seriously ill.

"A-Ning, go and fetch your sister back, she is herding sheep in the forest of Mangrove Bay, and it will be time to eat in a while."

"Well, I'll go." Yining put down the cloth bag in his hand and pushed the door out.

Mangrove Bay is very close to home, and if you shout loudly, you can hear it from people on the mountain. But Yining decided to quietly appear in front of his sister and give her a little surprise, he carried a few of his sister's favorite toffee in his pocket, and he could already think of his sister's cheering appearance.

Mangrove Bay used to be a maple forest, but it has shrunk a lot in recent years, and it is far less beautiful than it was back then. The unmanaged wilderness of closed mountains and forests is now a paradise for pines and cypresses. There were a few bursts of sheep bells in the forest, and Yining knew that she was not far from her.

When he touched the territory of the sheep, but there was no trace of his sister, it is estimated that she ran away to play again, is she still skipping rope at Little Bell's house? While he was still thinking, he suddenly heard a sheep suddenly screaming and rushing towards him. He thought the sheep was crazy, but it bleated affectionately and licked his trouser legs. They were followed by three mixed-colored lambs, who, in a panic, screamed uneasily, and immediately hid under the ewe's belly to feed.

Time flies so fast, the one in front of me has been upgraded to become a sheep mother, and has a lovely offspring, so how should the little sister who is their owner change?

Yining began to look for his sister, and he was about to step away, when he suddenly saw a child sleeping on the branches of the white sycamore, and it was his sister. He avoided the scattered dry leaves and crept around to the bottom of the tree to wake her up. Unexpectedly, I bumped into her thrilling turn over.

He broke out in a cold sweat, but at that moment, he played far beyond the usual level and took her steadily.

"Shi'an, your heart is really big, second brother, I'm scared." Yining didn't blame, just gently put her down and tidy up her scattered sideburns.

"Second brother, I knew that you would come to catch me, I woke up early, I knew when you came, it was Xiaobai who told me." Shi'an pointed to the snow-white ewe and said.

"Then you can't mess around, I can't catch you or not, girl, you've gained weight."

"Second brother, you underestimate me too much, my jumping skills are the first, and I can't fall at this height. Also, I didn't gain weight, I just grew up, and what did you promise me? Shi'an shook Yining's hand and tried hard to pick it open.

"I'm bringing it, but according to your performance just now, I can only give it to you when I go home, so I won't be allowed to play like this in the future." Yinin didn't criticize his sister, just gently knocked her head and pretended to be angry.

"Come to my shoulder." Yining bent down and motioned for her sister to come up. Yining thought that she might not have the opportunity to give her such an experience in the future, so she had to be happy at this moment. The sheep was very obedient, followed Yining's footsteps, and arrived home without hurry.

Mother's craftsmanship has not regressed, and it is still a familiar taste. The three of them sat at the square table and talked about the situation of the past six months. The old cow of the family was sold to Su Ping of Walangou for slaughter, the black mouth of the gatekeeper died, and the barn accumulated by the family was punched by rats from time to time, which made Yining very stunned. He couldn't stop the changes in nature, and he had to sigh at the ordinariness of life.

Yining asked about the photo frame, and her mother only said that she was dead and buried in the back mountain. This impermanence can always easily tear apart Xinfu, and the vivid face can never be seen again. The sad truth can only be accepted, and nothing can be changed. Yining did not go to the back mountain to express condolences to his deceased relatives, and it was not the right time to worship.

The mother was tired, so she asked Yining to lead Shi'an out for a walk.

"Second brother, give it to me, give it to me!" When Shi'an saw that his mother was gone, he immediately began to show his teeth and claws. He was also embarrassed, peeled off the candy wrapper, and fed it to his sister, who was waiting to be fed.

"Let's go, the second brother will take you out to play in the water." Holding his sister's hand, he walked to the fork ditch by the Qingshui River with a basket. The younger sister naturally knew what he was going to do, and turned over the big and small stones to catch the crab. These crustacean critters will make for a hearty dinner. They caught a lot of them until the sun went down.

My mother still doesn't talk much, but my sister is the opposite. She kept clinging to Yining, begging to bring her more good things. She is very fond of some small objects in the city, a half-new hairpin can make her happy for days, she also yearns for the outside world, and always wants to go out and see. My sister hasn't been to the county seat for a long time, and Yining decided to take her to the procurement during the Spring Festival, so that she can make her wish.

Night had come and my mother was still coughing. The moonlight outside the window was much brighter than last night's, and the stars were clearly laid out in a brilliant Milky Way. Yining accompanied her sister to count the stars in the sky on the sky tower.

How beautiful and tranquil the night is with the company of loved ones! But he himself felt deeply lonely, and he hugged his little sister tightly and snuggled up with her for warmth.

Where is he a foolish person, his mother's abnormal behavior has touched his sensitive heart, the mother knows her son well, but the son does not understand the mother. He just didn't want to expose the lie, he didn't want his mother to be sad.

He coaxed Shi'an to sleep and carried her back to the warm bed, but he went back to the high place and was secretly sad. He was helpless, but he couldn't fall yet.

The moonlight is cold, but the stars are lonely, and the ones you see are constantly intertwined, where will you delve into this hard-won mirror?

At the moment, he is also lonely, but he cherishes this time. In two nights, he was about to say goodbye to his hometown again, and after shedding tears, he pinched his sister's face and turned back to his room.