There is only one room in the Lin family, low and damp, and the wooden walls are pasted with old newspapers, all of which are newspapers that Lin Niangzi picked up from the street and threw away after reading others. Because the room was too damp, the newspaper was covered with yellow water stains,

There was no light in the room, and the small windows were open to let in the faint moonlight outside.

"Mom, the noodles are so delicious." Xiaoyu hugged Lin Niangzi's legs, and Lin Niangzi slowly squatted down: "Xiaoyu is one year older, and in the future, Xiaoyu's mother will take you to eat noodles on your birthday every year." ”

"If only Dad were here, our family would be able to eat two bowls of noodles! Mom can also eat more. ”

Xiaoyu thought that when her father was still there, every time she had a birthday, a family of three would order two bowls of noodles, and her mother would give the shopkeeper a small bowl, and one person would clip a large chopsticks to her, which was fragrant and warm. Thinking of her father's broad shoulders, Xiaoyu's eyes were a little wet, she was worried that her mother would see her crying, so she lowered her head and snapped, and the tears fell on the brick floor, spreading a small halo.

The moonlight was faint, Lin Niangzi didn't notice the sadness on her daughter's face, the difficult life had almost squeezed her emotions, she just wanted to wash an extra basin of clothes while there was still a moon outside. For more than a year since Da Linzi disappeared, she relied on washing clothes, sewing and mending people, and doing woolen work to support the life of the mother and daughter. Fortunately, she has a pair of skillful hands, and she can knit out two bamboos with any pattern she has seen.

"Girl, go to bed by yourself, and Mom will wash a basin of clothes."

It was already late autumn, the house was a little cold, and the water in the well at the entrance of the alley was even more ice-handed, Lin Niangzi came to the entrance of the alley with a wooden basin and shook a bucket of water to wash clothes.

Many alleys in Shanghai already have running water, and their alleys are famous for their lower corners, where they live in poor people, and no one spends money to pay for tap water, so everyone uses the water from the well at the mouth of the alley.

It was already past eight o'clock in the evening, and the sound of clothes on the washboard usually didn't sound loud, but it was especially loud in the dead of night.

Soon someone opened the window and scolded, "Who, don't sleep?" ”

"It's just that I wash clothes at night, and my mind is not refreshing."

Lin Niangzi smiled bitterly, her mind was not refreshing? She also wants to be refreshed, but today a bowl of noodles cost five cents, and spent five cents to buy a silver bracelet, one dollar, how can you earn it back without washing some clothes, and you can eat it for a long time.

The door of the bun shop opened, Lao Meng came out with a bucket of water, and saw Lin Niangzi squatting at the mouth of the well to wash clothes by the hazy moonlight, so he asked in a low voice: "Laundry clothes at night, Lin Niangzi, the neighbors are going to scold." ”

Lin Niangzi tucked the hair hanging down from her sideburns behind her ears again, sighed and said, "I spent some money today, and I have to earn it back." ”

Lao Meng shook his head and sighed: "This big forest is really ...... Hey, he's not at home, your mother and daughter are really suffering. ”

Lin Niangzi's nose was sour, she lowered her head, and her tears fell into the wooden basin with a crackle.

Lao Lin carried the bucket and poured the water under the old locust tree, shook his head and walked back.

The old locust tree was probably full of water, and the branches suddenly trembled.

Lin Niangzi was startled, and looked at it, as if there was a person standing under the locust tree.

"Who...... Who's there? Her voice trembled.

No one answered, Lin Niangzi was very scared, and wanted to escape back with the basin, but after thinking about it, she still mustered up the courage to stand up and walk over.

She just opened the window and scolded loudly, she didn't even sleep, if there is really a bad person, as long as she yells, someone will always come out. If there are really bad people who calculate this alley, she has a daughter, and she always has to worry about going out by herself.

Lin Niangzi took a few steps forward, watching the branches and leaves of the old locust tree shake a few more times, as if trembling.

There was no one, nothing under the tree, only a stream of ...... A faint smell of blood.

Lin Niangzi breathed a sigh of relief, the smell of blood rushed straight to her nose, she held on to the tree and retched a few times, thinking that it was not easy for Boss Meng, and she had to wash meat and make stuffing at night, but it was so late, and the sound of washing clothes by herself was so loud, why did Boss Meng chop the stuffing but there was not much movement?

She turned around and walked back, feeling that she was thinking too much, there were still a lot of clothes to wash tomorrow, how could there be so much spare time to think about the west, Lao Meng's steamed buns no matter how delicious they were, it had nothing to do with her, and she couldn't afford to buy meat buns.

Meng's steamed bun shop sells meat buns, with thin skin and big filling, a bag of meat and a bag of oil, which is more expensive than other people's steamed buns, and is also more delicious than others.

The people living in this alley are people who don't have much money, there are people who pull foreign cars, those who resist big bags, come back from a tiring day with a small broken wine bottle in their hands, buy two fragrant big meat buns from Lao Meng, bite down, the oil flows down the corners of the mouth, and then drink the two taels of wine, go home and lie down on the kang, wake up and be a good man, and go out to make money with a hundred times the spirit.

The men in this alley are all living like this, only Da Linzi's family is not like this, Da Linzi is an only son, and his mother made a big wish in front of the Bodhisattva to ask for it, this wish is enough for three lifetimes, his own life, Da Linzi and his wife I, Da Linzi children I live, the promise is three generations of vegetarians, and the first fifteenth day of the first month will be offered to the Bodhisattva.

So the steamed buns in this alley are fragrant in the morning and evening, but the Lin family never patronizes them, Xiaoyu is very obedient, and when he sees people eating steamed buns, he lowers his head, and he won't be hungry if he doesn't look at it.

The sound of rubbing clothes with a washboard was a little louder, and Lin Niangzi was afraid that the neighbors would scold her again, so she rubbed it carefully with her hands, poured the water after washing for a while, and carried the bucket to the well to carry water.

"Great Beauty ......"

As soon as the bucket was thrown down, a man's voice rang out in a low voice.

Lin Niangzi was stunned, her name is Da Mei, Wang Da Mei, only Da Lin Zi calls her so, and everyone else calls her the Lin family lady.

It's the voice of the Great Forest!

Lin Niangzi didn't care about the bucket in the well, and hurriedly looked around.

The dark houses on both sides, the door panel of the bun shop reveals a little oil light, the old locust tree with bright leaves in the moonlight, and the black wellhead, there is no figure, who is it? Who's talking?

"Da Linzi? Is that you? ”

Lin Niangzi's voice trembled, and the surroundings were very quiet, and there was no movement at all.

Are you thinking too much about yourself? If Da Linzi comes back, he can't come out immediately, how can he still have the heart to hide the cat with himself?

Lin Niangzi sighed and pulled out the bucket little by little.

She poured the water into the tub, and when she staggered and did not stand still, the bucket shook, and most of the bucket was sprinkled on her.

Thinking of Da Lin's strong arms and legs, and the flesh bumps like small rats on his body, where did Da Lin use himself to do these when he was at home.

Lin Niangzi's tears came again, and she didn't dare to cry for fear of being heard by the neighbors, so she shook her wet coat, walked to the old locust tree and squatted down slowly, covering her face with her hands and crying silently.

The branches and leaves of the old locust tree shook again, and there was a faint black shadow on the trunk, like an anxious face of a man.