The snow kept drifting, turning from cotton wool to goose feathers, falling from the sky in a sprinkling manner. The street stones, roofs and roofs of cars parked on the side of the road are covered with a thick layer of silver.

An umbrella covered with snow moved slowly in the wind and snow, leaving two pairs of footprints on the ground behind it, starting from under the old willow tree and reaching out to the flower bar in the distance.

Bishenghua tells a long-ago story that I don't know if it's true or false while walking.

"Within a few years, the note cut from the old willow tree grew into a large tree, and not a single mulberry tree survived on the surrounding grounds. The name of Mulberry Camp gradually fell out of people's minds, and people began to call it Willow Camp. Because there are no mulberry trees and willow trees are worthless, the farmers who originally planted mulberry and silkworms have no income, and their lives are becoming more and more miserable.

The old butler took the lead in making a small business. Because the Hua family's connections and prestige were still there, the trade was quickly opened, and the willow camp formed a small market on the original site of the Hua family's old house. Everyone said that the feng shui of the old house of the Hua family was good, some said that the old man Hua had a spirit in the sky, and some said that this willow tree was blessed by the gods.

Some businessmen built new houses on the edge of the bazaar. Of course, the new houses at that time are now old houses, just like the old houses on this street that we see now, which were basically built at that time.

The market gradually became crowded, so Willow Camp became Willow Camp Lane.

The old housekeeper remembered what Master Hua had said. He thought that there must be a reason why Old Man Hua would not ask him to transplant the willow tree to the roots of the mulberry tree for no reason. Perhaps the roots of this mulberry tree have not died, and one day it will come back to life through the transplanted willow tree. So he swore to guard this old willow tree for the rest of his life.

Fortunately, the old willow tree is worshiped as a sacred tree, and naturally no one will destroy the sacred tree, and no one will break the ground around.

The old housekeeper at that time also made money, so he bought the land of the pond where the old willow tree was, and built a house on it."

When Bi Shenghua said this, he was walking side by side with Aoki to the door of the Ruhua Bar.

She pointed to the house in the bar and said, "This is the pond in the backyard of the Hua family, and the old willow tree at the entrance of the alley was originally planted here." The house was built by the old housekeeper, and it was repaired several times before it is what it is today. ”

Aoki looked up at the familiar house.

The cornices of the roof were covered with snow, like a white dragon. There are many carved patterns under the eaves, and it may be that after repairs, it is no longer possible to see what is carved. The blue bricks and mottled white ash of the walls still show traces of ancient age.

Although the first floor has been renovated into a bar, it can be seen that a lifetime of dedication has been spent on decoration. The overall exterior wall style does not conflict with the antiquity here, and the nostalgic and literary style of the bar complements the antiquity of the old house.

Only the glass windows on the second floor, the aluminum alloy anti-theft fence outside the windows and the words "Zhou Gong Interpreting Dreams" posted on the windows are very abrupt, which is very inconsistent with the pattern here.

It was the first time Aoki looked so closely at the place where he lived, and he realized that there were many things that he had not noticed before, and these things became extremely vivid when the story of his life flower was told.

The snow was so heavy that his vision blurred. He seemed to see the old mulberry plant, which slowly turned to ashes in the fire, and the mulberry trees around him withered with it. A cloud of green smoke rose from the old owl's nest on the old mulberry tree, and a crow flew up from the fire and circled the tree three times, wailing and mourning.

"The housekeeper's surname is Bi?" He retracted his misty gaze and said.

Bi Shenghua nodded lightly: "That's my grandfather." ”

"You have always been reluctant to leave Liuying Lane, and you are also resolutely opposed to demolition, is that because of this?"

"That's right. My grandfather's last wish is to guard this place and the old willow tree for generations. He didn't know why the Japanese were looking for the old mulberry tree back then, and why Old Man Hua burned it down, but he knew that what the Japanese wanted to protect with Old Man Hua must not be as simple as a tree. He said that the Hua family lived for the mulberry tree, and if it wasn't for the willow tree transplanted, he would have died in the fire. So our Bi family lives for this willow tree. ”

"When I was young, every spring, my grandfather would take us to cut the branches of the old willow trees, and then cut them to the river. There are also several willow trees that I planted alive. ”

"But how long will you keep this? Sooner or later, this place will have to be demolished. Aoki said.

Bi Shenghua said: "When I was a child, I also asked my grandfather like this, and he said that everything in the dark has its own fixed number, and he will know it when he arrives that day." I also know that it is not appropriate to keep such a family tradition now, but I guess it is a thought. ”

She gently flicked the dead branch in her hand and looked up at Aoki. The two were very close to each other, and the cold outside made it seem warmer under the umbrella.

Aoki also looked at her gaze and saw that her eyes were full of soft light. As the crow said, the original man has become more and more feminine, although the clothes she wears are still so neutral.

"Uh...... I'm going to New Zealand this time...... It's not a trip, so ......" Aoki suddenly felt that his words were so pale, and he didn't understand why he was saying this.

Bishenghua snorted and laughed.

"You can just go, leave me alone. I'm telling you this just to tell you that I won't leave Liuying Lane. And you are different, you are not an ordinary person, you can't stay in Liuying Lane for the rest of your life. No matter where you go, just remember that there is an old willow tree here, remember that you once stood under the tree for a day and a night, and remember that there is a person who is willing to guard a piece of wood for the rest of your life. ”

"But ......"

"Don't do it, you can listen to the dead crow!"

At this time, Aoki suddenly felt the umbrella in his hand sink, and with a bang, a small inky black head with a few white snowflakes hung upside down from the edge of the umbrella: "Hey, such as-flower——, I'm helping you don't want to be quacked!" ”

……

Over the next few days, Aoki came to the old willow tree again and again, reminiscing about the day and night he had stood under it.

The scene at that time was vivid, but he couldn't remember what was going on in his mind at that time, as for the things before that, as long as he thought about it, his head buzzed, and his mind felt like a mush.

The stories told by Bi Shenghua are not detailed, many of them are stories told by her grandfather when she was a child, and it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood. But listening to Aoki's ears, there is a familiar feeling.

He always felt that he would not come to this street for no reason. This old willow tree, the mulberry roots in the soil, and the stories that happened here, will they have anything to do with themselves? At the beginning, people all over the street regarded him as Huazi, and in the end, only Shenghua took him in, is this considered a providence in the dark?

Aoki remembered that Bishenghua mentioned the Xia family in Nanzhen, and the Hua family in Mulberry Camp were the two major families in Wuzhong. Then the people of the Xia family, especially Xia Wenyuan, who is quite old, should have some understanding of the events of the year.

Therefore, he decided to visit Mr. Xia again before going to New Zealand.