The protagonist of the first chapter 'Star Dream' is an old man from Huaguo, named Yan Xingguo.

He is close to 80 years old and lives alone in an old neighborhood in the capital.

Most of the old communities in this old community are also inhabited by some retired old people and old ladies, and few young people live.

On weekdays, Yan Xingguo doesn't interact with his neighbors frequently, but he likes to play chess.

But what he likes is Go, and there are few people in the community who can play with him.

And even when playing chess, Yan Xingguo rarely mentions his own affairs.

When asked about his work, he either smiled or was silent, but never answered.

Therefore, some other neighbors in the community know very little about Yan Xingguo.

I don't know what Yan Xingguo did before he retired, and I don't know the situation in Yan Xingguo.

Life goes on like this, day after day.

Until Yan Xingguo caught a cold by chance, it was easy to get better.

It's just that this time the cold seems to be a reminder from his body, he is getting older, and he feels more and more weak.

After walking a few steps and climbing a few flights of stairs, you can't stop panting.

Chapter 1,

The story of the Star Dream unfolds in this context.

"Lao Xu Tou got up early in the morning, worked in the house, cleaned up the house, and under the old woman's thoughts, he took the bag of garbage down and threw it away, and went outside to buy breakfast by the way."

"But when I got to the door of the community downstairs, I saw that there was a figure earlier than him, carrying something in his hand, but he stood at the door of the community and didn't move."

"'Old Yan'?"

Just in the midst of the neighbor's greeting,

The story of this chapter begins.

……

Yan Xingguo, who was standing in place panting, raised his head when he heard someone shouting.

Last night, because of a cold, I had a headache and brain fever, and I felt chills for a while, and I felt hot for a while.

I tossed all night, and I didn't fall asleep.

Early in the morning, I got up and went to the doctor.

The clinic is not far from the community, and Yan Xingguo is walking.

prescribed medicine, came back again, and then walked to the door of the community, but it seemed to have lost all his strength at once.

I couldn't move forward anymore, I could only stand trembling in place,

I didn't dare to squat down, I was afraid that I would never be able to stand up again, but I just stood in place, and I couldn't stand steadily.

I could only stand there and gasp for breath.

I didn't feel that uncomfortable,

It's just a long sigh, I'm still old.

"Lao Yan, are you okay?"

Neighbor Lao Xu is also the only one in the community who communicates with Yan Xingguo a little more.

Seeing Yan Xingguo standing in place with his waist bent, panting, he asked with concern.

Yan Xingguo shook his head.

“…… Is this unable to walk? ”

"Eh, when you're older, it's all the same, sometimes it's really walking, and suddenly you lose all your strength, let alone moving, and you can't stand steadily. Sometimes when you cross the street and stop in the middle of the road, the passing driver is urging you, and you can't move yourself, and you really want to shed tears. You're all right. ”

"Do you want to rest for a while, or will I help you up?"

Neighbor Lao Xu reacted and said to Yan Xingguo with a smile.

"I'll just take a break."

"Okay, then you rest."

Neighbor Lao Xu answered, and from the door of the community, dragged a chair that was usually cooled and placed here.

"Then I'll go, the old woman in the house is still waiting for me to buy breakfast and go back."

After saying more, the neighbor Lao Xu left.

Yan Xingguo looked back, but he didn't sit down on the chair,

It's just that he is still holding a bag of medicine in his hand, and he is supporting the armrest of the bamboo chair with his hand.

Just stood up for a while, regained a little strength,

Seeing that there were more people in the community going this way, Yan Xingguo moved his feet a little more upstairs.

……

"Crackling ......"

In the study,

The keyboard tapping sounded continuously,

Ji Zhuo writes the story of this first chapter.

The story in the text continues.

……

Yan Xingguo returned to the house.

I first went to see if there was any water in the thermos bottle,

The cork was torn open, and there was no water inside.

Yan Xingguo went to the kitchen again and boiled a kettle with a kettle.

In Yan Xingguo's house, the furnishings are very simple,

In the kitchen, a green old refrigerator with some paint off the edges,

It's always buzzing when it's working,

An old range hood that can't wipe off the oil stains and is also mottled with paint.

Pasted on the stove, there are already some small black dots on the tiles, look carefully, you can find that those small black dots are porcelain dropped.

In the living room,

There was a rattan sofa, and the rattan had been for a long time, and Yan Xingguo pounced on it again, but the cloth had been for a long time.

There is a TV set, and the bloated case behind the screen can also be seen for some years.

A few years ago, Yan Xingguo wanted to replace it, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was not necessary.

So although he gives a lot of pension every month, he never spends it very much.

This room full of old fellows, like him, is also dying.

Standing in front of the stove, Yan Xingguo looked at the flames burning on the gas stove and boiled the water in the kettle on the stove.

Suddenly remembered something,

Yan Xingguo supported the stove with one hand again, lowered his body, and opened the cabinet under the stove.

Pulling out the bag that should be containing rice in the cabinet and taking a look, sure enough, there was no rice left at home.

Looking at the empty rice bag, Yan Xingguo paused,

He sighed for a long time before he straightened up again.

When he went out just now, he should have bought rice and came back.

Before going out, I was still talking about it, and I looked sick and forgot about it.

was a little silent, Yan Xingguo leaned over his waist and held on to the stove,

Standing in front of the stove, he watched the water in the kettle boil before turning off the fire on the stove.

Pour the boiled water into the thermos flask first, and then pour some water into the water cup to take medicine.

took the medicine,

Yan Xingguo sat on the sofa again and rested,

From the pocket he carried with him, he took out his wallet,

There is a photo pinned to her purse, a woman who looks young,

A long dress with broken flowers, and a smile on her face.

However, the photo has been yellowed, and the woman in the photo should be not young.

With a somewhat rough hand with deformed knuckles, Yan Xingguo rubbed the photo with his hand,

Then, cautiously, I put the photo back in.

Take your wallet back into your pocket as well.

……

“…… Lao Yan, are you going out again? ”

Passing through the gate of the community again, Lao Xu, the neighbor I met before, had already finished breakfast at this time.

He was sitting at the entrance of the community, chatting with some other people in the community.

"Hmm...... Go out and buy some rice. ”

Yan Xingguo responded.

"Then you remember to carry the bag lightly, don't walk for a while and then lose the strength to go. We're all old, but we have to be old. ”

Yan Xingguo smiled and didn't respond.

Neighbor Lao Xu thought of something, and shouted to Yan Xingguo again,

"Eh, Lao Xu, do you want to play a game of Go again in the afternoon?"

Yan Xingguo paused and nodded in response.

"Okay."

Yan Xingguo nodded,

Just like that, I went out to the supermarket to buy rice.

……

“…… Lao Yan, speaking of which people in your family, why haven't I seen it? ”

At the bottom of the building, in the shade of this tree, a folding table was set up and a chessboard was laid out.

The two of them sat opposite each other, playing Go.

Neighbor Lao Xu pinched the chess pieces, and after taking a step, he asked Yan Xingguo again,

When Yan Xingguo heard this, his eyes were still staring at the chessboard, holding the chess pieces in his hands,

Silent for a while, put the chess pieces down on the chessboard,

"My wife died early, and she didn't have children with me."

Yan Xingguo said.

When the neighbor Lao Xu heard Yan Xingguo's answer, he was interested,

He had asked Yan Xingguo many times before, but Yan Xingguo was always silent and rarely answered these things.

"Then you're alone? Didn't think about finding another one? ”

Yan Xingguo just smiled and said,

"I'm so old, what else are I looking for?"

"It's just that you should find one when you're so old, otherwise you'll die in the bed in the house at that time, and no one will know if the body is hard."

Yan Xingguo listened,

paused, just shook his head,

"I'm sorry for her in my life, just this one wife."

"You're really ......"

The neighbor Lao Xu said that he didn't know what to say, and then sighed.

Then I thought of something else, and I asked about something else.

"Speaking of which, what did you do before you retired? Why have I never heard you mention it? ”

Yan Xingguo listened to this again, and paused,

Then he just raised his head, smiled at his neighbor Lao Xu, and didn't answer anything.

"Lao Yan, it's so secretive, you didn't do any secrecy work here before, right?"

For this question,

Yan Xingguo was just silent, at most he smiled,

But not a word.

“…… Eh, no more, no more, Lao Yan, let's be here today, my son and daughter-in-law will come back with their grandson in the evening, and they have to go grocery shopping. ”

"yes, okay."

……

In the evening, rice was cooked.

Yan Xingguo sat on the sofa in the living room and ate.

The TV set opposite is playing the evening news,

Yan Xingguo didn't raise his head much to watch TV,

It's just to make the TV make some sound.

Otherwise, he would be alone, and the room would be quiet.

Older age,

I can't eat too much flavor when I eat.

Plus this cold, even more.

Yan Xingguo took some vegetables and drank a bowl of porridge, and he couldn't eat anymore.

Raise your head, the TV is still playing the news,

Yan Xingguo sat on the sofa and watched.

At this time, his mobile phone, which he rarely used, rang.

Yan Xingguo hurriedly reached out to pick it up,

Halfway through his hand, he paused, but he still picked it up.

“…… Is there something looking for me? ”

This is the first thing Yan Xingguo said to the other end of the phone,

Then when he heard what the person on the other end of the phone said, Yan Xingguo was a little silent.

It seemed that there was a middle-aged man on the other end of the phone, concerned about Yan Xingguo's recent situation.

“…… I'm in good health and don't need to be cared for organizationally. ”

“…… I'm still physically strong, and I don't need anyone to take care of me. You just need to arrange for comrades in need. I don't need to. ”

Yan Xingguo seemed a little stubborn at this time.

In the end, the person on the other end of the phone seemed to be a little helpless because of Yan Xingguo's stubbornness.

I just made an appointment with Yan Xingguo, and in a day or two, I will give Yan Xingguo and other veteran comrades a collective physical examination.

hung up the phone,

Yan Xingguo put the phone aside.

After a pause.

Yan Xingguo got up from the sofa and walked to the balcony step by step.

Through the window of the balcony, Yan Xingguo held on to the edge of the window, raised his head, and looked out the window at night.

It's just that the weather isn't particularly good tonight, and the lights in the capital city are exceptionally bright.

There were no stars or moons in sight, only night that covered the entire sky.

But Yan Xingguo still stood on this balcony, looking at the dark night sky outside the window, and looked at it for a long time.

When he finally withdrew his gaze, he also looked at the bustling lights of the city in the distance.

……

In the book,

Time just goes on,

Yan Xingguo lives alone day after day.

It's just that after a cold, the body looks weaker and tired easily.

It is difficult to sleep in bed at night, and when I wake up in the middle of the night, I lie down in bed with my eyes open.

I don't know what I'm thinking.

……

“…… Uncle, do you want me to help you go downstairs? ”

The rice in the house was eaten again, and Yan Xingguo came out to buy rice.

The supermarket staff looked at Yan Xingguo and seemed to be a little struggling to carry the rice, and said loudly.

"I won't bother you."

Yan Xingguo carried a small bag of rice and some other vegetables, and shook his head,

But after walking a few steps, he could only pause and gasp,

“…… I'll help you, uncle. ”

The supermarket staff saw Yan Xingguo's embarrassment and took the initiative to step forward.

Watching the staff next to him take the rice from his hand,

Yan Xingguo was silent for a while, and then he seemed to react and thanked the supermarket staff,

"Thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome, uncle."

……

"Uncle, I'll put it here for you."

"Alright, alright, thank you."

The supermarket staff has been helping, bringing things downstairs to the supermarket, and they have all walked along the road again.

Only then did he return the rice bag to Yan Xingguo.

Yan Xingguo took it back and looked at the person and walked away.

It can be regarded as resting in the same place for a while, and then turning around again, carrying things to continue walking towards the community.

"Grandpa."

At this time,

Behind Yan Xingguo, a girl's voice shouted,

There was some grievance in the girl's crisp voice, as if she was shouting Yan Xingguo.

Yan Xingguo turned around,

I saw him behind him, and I don't know when there was another girl.

The girl was twelve or thirteen years old,

She was wearing a long red dress with bare feet and a star embroidered on the chest of the skirt.

It's just that his body is full of dust, and his hands and face are dirty and dirty, as if he hasn't washed it for a long time.

The long skirt that was originally bright red on her body was also covered with a thick layer of dust.

It's like a girl who hasn't changed her clothes for a long time, who hasn't washed her body for a long time, and who has passed through many dusty roads.

At this moment, the girl was looking at Yan Xingguo aggrievedly, with some tears in her eyes, and she was almost about to roll out.

With the girl's dusty little face, it looks particularly distressing,

"Little girl, what's the matter?"

Yan Xingguo looked at the girl like this, and was also a little distressed, and hurriedly put down the rice and vegetables in his hand,

Reluctantly squatted down and asked the girl.

"Where's your family?"

"A lot of my family has passed away, grandpa, I'm so hungry, grandpa, can you give me something to eat."

The girl sniffed aggrievedly and said to Yan Xingguo with a crying voice.

It seems that after seeing Yan Xingguo, the grievances that have been accumulated for a long time have finally been vented.

Yan Xingguo looked at this girl and felt kind,

Seeing that the girl was about to cry, I felt even more distressed.

"Good...... Grandpa gave you ...... food."

Yan Xingguo hurriedly responded, went to rummage through the bag,

But he went to the supermarket and bought some vegetables and rice, but there was nothing to eat.

When I looked back, I saw a steamed bun shop on the side of the road.

"I'll buy you some buns for you to eat......"

"Grandpa, I'm going to be with you."

"Okay, okay, don't cry, don't cry, grandpa will take you to buy food."

Hearing the girl say this, Yan Xingguo thought that the girl should be an orphan and ran out of somewhere.

took the girl to the roadside steamed bun shop in a hurry, Yan Xingguo bought the girl eight steamed buns and cups of porridge sold in the steamed bun shop, and gave the girl to eat.

Watching the girl gobble up, it seemed that she was very hungry.

Yan Xingguo was even more distressed.

"Little girl...... Where did you come from, and do you have any other relatives in the house? ”

Waiting for the girl to finish eating, Yan Xingguo asked again,

The girl listened to Yan Xingguo's question, her eyes were aggrieved again, with tears in her eyes, she pursed her lips, looked at Yan Xingguo and shook her head,

And then he said,

"I'm from far, far away."

"Grandpa...... Can you take me in? Can I follow you, Grandpa? ”

Yan Xingguo listened to the girl's words and felt a little distressed.

There was also some hesitation.

It is said that when you encounter an orphan, you should contact the police or the neighborhood committee.

See if you can find her relatives again,

But looking at the little girl holding him tightly, looking at him aggrieved,

Yan Xingguo was particularly distressed.

"Grandpa......"

It seemed that seeing Yan Xingguo's hesitation, there were more tears in the girl's eyes,

Rolling out of his eyes and onto his dusty face, leaving traces of tears.

"Grandpa, I can sing, I can do a lot of things, can you let me follow you...... I don't have any other relatives, grandpa......"

"Grandpa, I'll sing you ......"

"Oriental Red ~ Sun Rising ......"

As if to let Yan Xingguo keep her, the girl sobbed and sang to Yan Xingguo with a crying voice.

Yan Xingguo listened to the song, but he paused suddenly, trembling a little.

has been silent,

After listening to the girl's singing, she nodded.

"Okay, then you can go back with me first."