When the story came to an end, it was nearly nine o'clock in the evening, and there was a lot of gloom around Little Red's Restaurant, and I didn't know whether to go on or not, when a big yawn from the little girl reminded me that it was time to go home.

They were very calm about my story, maybe the events of that era were too far away for them, or maybe they didn't believe me at all, and only thought I was a chattering old man, and they were just too embarrassed to interrupt me. I walked away with a sense of humor.

For a storyteller, the audience's reaction is especially important, but you must also be measured and not force others.

The days of the past are always so nostalgic, I don't mean the work in the dark, nor the dozens or hundreds of people eating together in a big pot of rice, but compared with the present, even if there is a living creature by my side, it will not look like a lonely old man.

Soon another week passed, and several of the letters I had sent before were returned, and I still couldn't get in touch with my four sisters, even one of them, and I don't know how long this search would last.

Every morning, I would pass the time by watering the flowers and reading a book, accompanied by the sparrows on a stout camphor tree behind the old house.

By the way, why don't I raise some small animals, no wonder I always feel that something is missing, this idea makes me look forward to the days to come.

Near noon, I came to Xiaohong Restaurant again, ordered a few dishes that looked relatively fresh, asked for a bottle of Erguotou, picked a comfortable position to sit down, took a sip of wine, and opened my appetite.

"Yo, old man, why did you drink today?" The proprietress cleaned up the leftover dishes and chopsticks from the guests at the table next to her, and asked me with great interest.

I smiled helplessly and said, "Hehe, there is no taste in my mouth, eh, how is business these days?" ”

"It's okay, if it weren't for the demolition here, there would be a lot of customers, otherwise my small shop would be almost untenable." The proprietress restrained her smile.

I was surprised that such a delicious meal could not be patronized, and asked, "Your food is so good, there should be a lot of people to patronize it!" ”

The proprietress sighed, as if there was something unspeakable. "You don't know the situation, the price of vegetables has risen too fast in the past two years, and the expenses have naturally increased exponentially. Besides, no matter how well the food is cooked, it is not a delicacies of the mountains and seas after all, and it is the people who come to eat it, in order to fill their stomachs, and they can't taste it. ”

I nodded, the proprietress is true, in this field, the aroma of wine may not be afraid of deep alleys.

I didn't want to continue this awkward topic, so I said, "Thank you last time, and you asked your daughter to bring me food so late without charging for it." ”

"It's nothing, it's all leftovers, it's a pity that it can't be sold." As soon as the conversation changed, the proprietress suddenly asked me: "Are you from here, why haven't I seen you before?" ”

I smiled bitterly: "Of course it is, I have been working in the field before, and I don't have much chance to come back, this time it is a matter of demolition, and ...... other."

The proprietress stopped what she was doing, heard what I was saying, turned her head and asked, "What else, is there anything I can do for me?" ”

I wanted to tell her about my search for my sister, but I didn't mention him because I didn't know him. "Oh, nothing, and I'd like to ask where there's a bird and flower market nearby?" "Flower and Bird Market...... Oh, you go to the entrance of the village to take a bus, or take a taxi, there is a newly built flower and bird market in the city, and everything is in it. "Great, exactly what you want to do. After eating, I took out the money and put it on the table, and said, "Boss, the money is here, go to the flower and bird market you said." The proprietress answered. When I arrived at the bus stop, I was dazzled by the dense station names, and then I remembered that I forgot to ask which station it was. After waiting for more than ten minutes, a red city passenger slowly stopped in front of me at my beckoning. A fat man's head poked out of the driver's seat and asked, "Uncle, where are you going?" "Go to the flower and bird market." "Okay, let's get in the car!" The fat man laughed happily. The fat man is very talkative, and he talked to me a lot about pet ownership on the way. He told me that he had an adult husky, but he was very distressed by the recent introduction of regulations in the city on the restriction of large dogs, and he planned to send it to the country, and asked me if I could sell it to me cheaply. When I refused, he looked disappointed and looked like a hanger. When I arrived at my destination, he handed me a business card, saying that it was a store he used to frequent, and that he could give a discount, which I gladly accepted. This is a flower and bird market on the outskirts of the city, with a wide view of the surrounding area, from the antique style of gatehouse brick carvings to the vivid and exquisite decorations, you can feel the ingenuity of the builders. "Wood rhino osmanthus" four huge red regular script font eye-catching. Could it be that this poetic inscription is the name of the flower and bird market? Just as I was thinking, a faint scent of osmanthus rushed into my nostrils, which instantly made me feel refreshed, and I walked to the marble tablet in front of the gatehouse, and the words in it caught my attention. "Wood rhinoceros osmanthus" flower and bird market is the local famous 100-year-old laurel king as the site, in April 2006 started construction, after more than 7 years of planning and building, covers an area of more than 10,000 square meters, with more than 300 stalls, complete business varieties, mainly wholesale and retail of various herbs and woody plants, ornamental fish, pets, rockeries and ancillary products...... The introduction at the beginning has made me involuntarily chill, the mechanical reading has not been imprinted into my mind at all, the inexplicable fear has made me unable to calm down for a long time, after so many years, how many people can still remember what happened back then, is this nightmare old laurel tree still alive? I'm not sure if the 100-year-old King Guishu referred to in the introduction is the one back then, but now I just want to confirm it with my own eyes. The hustle and bustle of the market has nothing to do with me, and the pet ownership has been cast out of my mind, and my attention is only on the signs. The arrow of the sign was like a lead that led me to the depths of my memory, urging my legs to move forward, and under the double torture of fear and curiosity, I saw the hundred-year-old laurel king. It is surrounded by iron rods, and a tree name sign has a description of its species and historical origins.

I went around, did not let go of a trace of details, carefully "savored" the ancient tree in front of me, both familiar and unfamiliar surprise made my heart beat faster, I don't know if it was because of the wine, I felt a little dizzy and chest tightness, my eyes gradually blurred.