When I returned to my lodgings, the sun was already high in the sky.

Standing on the bustling street downstairs of the rental house, Meng Fan looked at the surging crowd of people, and always felt that something seemed to be missing.

"Toot ......"

It only rang for a moment, and the mobile phone that was originally in his pocket had been taken out by Meng Fan.

Looking at the unfamiliar number on the mobile phone screen, Meng Fan couldn't help but smile bitterly. It turned out that the one who was missing was the person who would call him every day after work.

He connected the phone and put it to the side of his face: "Hello, who?" ”

"It's Officer Meng Fanmeng, right?"

A beautiful woman's voice came from the earpiece, and Meng Fan immediately searched for the owner of this voice from his memory: "That's right, it's me." Ge Qing? ”

"I can't imagine that Officer Meng still remembers me." Ge Qing's voice was very flat, so plain that there was no taste: "My grandfather's funeral will be held at ten o'clock in the morning at the southern suburbs cemetery the day after tomorrow. My grandfather rarely complimented people, but he would mention you almost every day during his lifetime, and I think if you could come, he would be happy in another world. ”

"Okay, I'll be there on time."

Hanging up the phone, Meng Fan was a little dazed.

His eyes were fixed on the crowded streets, but he didn't have the slightest focus, and there was only a shadow flickering in front of him.

"Brother Fan, otherwise, I'll send you up to rest." Wen Zishi's voice came from behind Meng Fan, and when he finished speaking, he had already arrived at Meng Fan's side, looking at Meng Fan with a little worry.

Meng Fan smiled and shook his head, "No need, you go back first, I'll go up by myself later." ”

Wen Zishi could see that Meng Fan's smile was so bitter, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only say, "Okay, Brother Fan, take care of yourself." ”

"Woo ......"

Watching the car disappear from sight, Meng Fan turned around, took two steps towards the gate, and stopped.

He shook his head, exhaled lightly, and said, "I remember Tingting said that her home is in Mingwei Town, seventy kilometers away from Luocheng. ”

took out his mobile phone, and as soon as he dialed it, Wen Zishi's voice came out of the earpiece: "Hey, Brother Fan, is there something wrong?" ”

"Well," Meng Fan hesitated slightly, he never knew that he had always prided himself on being decisive, even in the face of life and death, he was a little apprehensive at this moment: "Zishi, you can send me to a place." ”

"Okay, I'll be right over!" In the earpiece, Wen Zishi's voice was crisp and neat.

In less than two minutes, the familiar silver Volkswagen drove up to Meng Fan, the car had not yet stopped, the door had opened, and Wen Zishi had also come out of the car.

"Brother Fan, where are you going?"

"Mingwei Town."

"It's quite far from there, Brother Fan, what are you going to do there?" Wen Zishi was a little puzzled.

"Because ......" Meng Fan's gaze was a little dazed: "Tingting's home is there." ”

Mingwei Town is a small mountain town, surrounded by two mountains on the left and right, and there is only one road leading directly to the town. Like a collar, it encloses the town and hangs far beyond the sea.

The town is not very densely populated, and a long road along the river forms the main road of this not very lively market.

Walking outside the town, Wen Zishi slowed down the car: "Brother Fan, do you know where Sister Ting's house is?" ”

Meng Fan shook his head slowly: "I don't know." ”

"This town isn't very big, why don't I ask?" Wen Zishi asked tentatively.

"No need. She said that next to her house, there is an old woman who has been setting up a stall there to sell stinky tofu since she was a child. Zishi, stop the car, let's get out of the car and walk. ”

"Hey, okay."

Along the slightly fishy and turbid Wei River, the two walked slowly.

"Tingting said that when she was young, the water of the Wei River was still very clear," Meng Fan looked at the constantly flowing river, stepping on the wooden riverside corridor under her feet, with a smile on her face: "She said that she often fishes in the river and catches crabs, and her wild swimming skills are also taught to her by Wei He." ”

"Now that the river is full of garbage, I guess there will be no fish." Wen Zishi responded with a little emotion.

"No, there are fish in the river." Meng Fan pointed to the middle of the river more than twenty meters wide, "Look, there." ”

Wen Zishi looked in the direction pointed by Meng Fan, but he didn't see anything, and he was about to speak, but he saw a silver-black small fish only seven or eight centimeters long jumping out of the water.

"There are fewer and fewer of them, they are hidden in the muddy sewage, which is difficult to see in normal times, but even the most tenacious life cannot stop the increasingly cruel reality. Staying with me is like living in a river of sewage. ”

Wen Zishi didn't understand what Meng Fan wanted to say, and wanted to take over the conversation, but he didn't know what to say.

The two of them walked silently by the river.

"Zishi, do you know why I didn't drive over by myself, but I had to let you see me off?"

Meng Fan suddenly stopped, causing Wen Zishi, who was a little distracted, to suddenly wake up from his chaotic thoughts, and he instinctively blurted out, "Why?" ”

Meng Fan, who had always had a gloomy face, suddenly laughed, and that smile was full of self-deprecation: "Because, I don't dare to come alone, and I don't dare to face Tingting's family alone." ”

"But, you know, when I came out of town, I suddenly wasn't nervous." Meng Fan pointed ahead: "Look, there, the old woman who is selling stinky tofu, let's go and taste the stinky tofu she makes." ”

Meng Fan said, and walked over to the small pedal tricycle stall first.

Smelling the pungent smell of stinky tofu, Wen Zishi had a feeling of pinching his nose and running away. But looking at the man in front of him, he still followed.

Meng Fan put down the gift he was carrying and said to his mother-in-law, "Mother-in-law, will you give each of us a piece of stinky tofu?" ”

"Hey, that's good!" The old woman smiled, the wrinkles on her face squeezed deeper, revealing a mouthful of inlaid white teeth: "Young man, do you want to be spicy?" ”

"Give me more spice." Meng Fan turned around and said to Wen Zishi: "Zishi, do you want some chili peppers?" ”

Wen Zishi shook his head: "Brother Fan, it's not that you don't know, I can't eat spicy food." ”

"Okay, then let's give him more spice." Meng Fan ignored Wen Zishi, who had a bitter face, and said to the old woman.

"Haha, young man, I didn't expect you to be so domineering. This kid can't eat spicy, so I won't give him spicy. The old woman's skin was loose and covered with brown age spots, but she was not slow at all in turning the stinky tofu.

"Haha, mother-in-law, you're right, since he doesn't like spicy food, then don't give him spicy food."

"Well, that's right! Young man, you two are from out of town, aren't you? The old woman asked while flipping the stinky tofu rattling in the oil pot: "Don't look at my mother-in-law, I'm old, my eyes are not very good, maybe one day, this stinky tofu stall will not be able to do it." But ah, there's no mother-in-law in this town, and I can't tell who it is! ”

Wen Zishi gave a thumbs up: "Mother-in-law, you are really amazing, we are indeed from other places." ”

"Okay, come, how about trying my mother-in-law's craftsmanship."

The two took the small bowl handed over by their mother-in-law, and looked at their mother-in-law's slightly trembling and calloused hands, Wen Zishi suddenly felt that the taste of stinky tofu did not seem to be so pungent.

Picking up a piece of stinky tofu that was fried and browned, exuding steaming steam, looking at the red and bright chili powder on the stinky tofu, Meng Fan put it in his mouth, and took a bite carefully, the heat went straight to his mouth and nose, the spicy taste rolled in his mouth, and the soft and crispy stinky tofu was chewed in his mouth, not only did not have the slightest smell, but there was a fragrant and tender taste between his lips and teeth, he couldn't help but praise: "Mother-in-law, the stinky tofu you made is so delicious!" ”

Wen Zishi stuffed his mouth with stinky tofu at this time, and he didn't have time to wipe the oil flowers flowing out of the corners of his mouth, so he only tried to chew and swallow the food in his mouth, nodding again and again.

The mother-in-law looked at the two young people who were conquered by her own craft with satisfaction, and her loose eyelids narrowed with a smile: "This Mingwei Town, mother-in-law, the stinky tofu I made is a must, and many children grew up eating the stinky tofu that my mother-in-law made me." ”

Mother-in-law pointed to a two-story building next to her: "The little girl of the Xie family, since she was a child, I like the stinky tofu I made the most, every day when she goes to school and after school, she must eat stinky tofu here before she is willing to go, and now in a blink of an eye, she is also big, and she flew out of Mingwei Town. It's been a long time since I've seen this child, and I don't know how this child is doing. ”

When the mother-in-law mentioned Xie Mengting, the two stopped at the same time, and the stinky tofu, which was originally extremely delicious, seemed to have lost all its taste, like chewing wax.

"I'm here to see her family this time." Meng Fan's voice was a little low.

"Young man, do you know Tingting?" The old woman suddenly put down the chopsticks in her hand, took a slight stumbling step, and took a small step next to Meng Fan: "Tingting, how is she now?" How are you doing? ”

"She ......" Meng Fan looked at her elderly mother-in-law's undisguised concern, for fear that it would stimulate her, and said carefully: "Mother-in-law, I am his boyfriend, she has some things and can't come back for the time being, can you take me to meet her family?" ”

Meng Fan said, for fear that her mother-in-law would not believe it, and lifted the two gift boxes on the ground.

"Ah, you're Tingting's boyfriend!" The mother-in-law grabbed Meng Fan's arm in surprise, her cloudy old eyes approached, and she looked Meng Fan up and down: "Mmmmmm, yes, Tingting is a good eye!" This child, she is not young anymore, Xiao Xie and the two of them have been worried about this child's marriage, but she just doesn't open up, saying that she is still young, she doesn't want to get married, and she doesn't want to introduce her to someone! ”

The old woman didn't even care about the stall, took small steps, took Meng Fan's arm and walked towards the small building next to her, and said as she walked: "Xiao Xie and his family must be happy if they know the news!" Let's go, mother-in-law, I'll take you to meet them! ”

Meng Fan was afraid that this enthusiastic mother-in-law would fall, half of it was pulled, half of it was supported by the old woman, and walked towards the ordinary two-story building.

He didn't know, he didn't know how to face this old woman who treated Tingting like a granddaughter, and he didn't know how to face Tingting's parents.