Zhou Wenli reached out and grabbed the metal doorknob. The chill of that moment made Zhou Wenli's palm tingle. She hurriedly opened the door and slipped into the residential building.

The large iron gate made of iron railings does not block the cold wind outside, but the concrete walls around it also play a role.

Zhou Wenli thought about going home and quickly taking a hot shower, opening an electric blanket, and comfortably nesting in the warm quilt, just imagining this, her body seemed to be warm.

Zhou Wenli stepped on the stairs, and the sound of footsteps made the voice-activated lights light up layer by floor.

She sensed something and looked up at the floors above.

It seemed that someone was going down the roof of the building, and the lights on the top floor came on, and then the lights on the lower floors also came on one by one.

The sound of two footsteps turned on the voice-activated lights of the entire building.

Zhou Wenli paused.

Her footsteps stopped, and no footsteps could be heard from above.

Zhou Wenli shuddered. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she always felt something wasn't right.

She quickly found the key to her security door and rushed to the door.

The key is inserted into the lock hole and makes a slight grinding sound.

On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, the neighbors did not go to bed so early. The voices of every household and the sound of the Spring Festival Gala on the TV are intertwined into a hazy echo in the building.

The sound of the key inserting into the lock slot was amplified, accentuated from the echoes.

In addition, Zhou Wenli heard the sound of breathing behind her.

That sudden, unhurried breath sounded so loud that it sounded like a seriously ill person gasping for breath with difficulty.

Zhou Wenli broke out in a cold sweat behind her back.

Her heart was beating faster, and the sound of blood vessels constricting and expanding hit her eardrums. She didn't want to turn back, she wanted to pretend that nothing had happened and hurry home, but her hands trembled unconsciously and she lost her strength. She couldn't even do a simple twist of the key. Her legs were a little limp, and she imagined someone silently sticking to her back. She also thinks about a lot of the news she saw and heard when she was younger.

When Zhou Wenli was young, social security was really not good. Zhou Wenli's parents were still alive at that time, and they often told their siblings to be careful when they went out. One year, not far from where they lived, there was a murder. When the family of three went home, they were targeted and followed to the door of their home. When the father opened the door, the gangsters rushed up directly, pushed the three of them into the room, locked the door, stabbed the father to death, and then grabbed the child and forced the mother to take out all the belongings hidden in the house. The child's cry drew the neighbors. Before the robbers could take their finances, they killed people and fled through the windows.

Zhou Wenli forgot whether the gangsters were caught in the end, she only remembered her parents' advice to her, and the days when she was worried about taking her younger brother Ah Jun to and from school. At that time, the residents of the neighborhood were all in danger, and occasionally encountered passers-by who were traveling with them, and both sides were vigilant.

Zhou Wenli hasn't felt this kind of fear for many years.

No, it's not.

She had just experienced something similar not long ago.

She had only recently discovered the little boy by accident...... The little boy was crouching on the stairs behind him......

Zhou Wenli trembled more and more when she thought of this.

The boy ...... Not human at all......

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of sniffing.

The whirring of a child's nose replaces the sound of heavy panting.

Zhou Wenli was stunned for a moment, and slowly turned her head.

The little boy crouched on the stairs, grasping the staircase railing with both hands, his head against the iron railing, and pressed a mark on his forehead. There was an unhealthy red in his pale face, and his hands were red and swollen from the cold. He sniffed, wore thin clothes and pants, and looked like a vagabond.

Zhou Wenli opened her mouth.

The first time she had seen the boy, she had seen him mischievous or staring at people in a terrible way, but now he looked like a different person.

The boy was still staring straight at the man, but he seemed to have lost his previous spirit, like a poor sick child.

Zhou Wenli was stunned for a while, forgetting her fear.

She didn't understand why the boy who had been fine the other day had become like this.

If you want to talk about cooling, it will cool down before the New Year, and a new round of cooling will have to wait until the New Year. This Spring Festival, it is a sunny day, the sun is shining during the day, the temperature is not low, and the cold at night is ......

Zhou Wenli suddenly remembered that she had also felt unusually cold before.

Since coming out of her younger brother Ah Jun's house, her body has not been very warm. Crowded, air-conditioned buses didn't keep her warm.

It's a psychological coldness.

Imagining the familiar water heater and electric blanket at home, she will feel hotter. In previous years, she spent Chinese New Year's Eve like this.

The difference this year is probably that the people who eat Chinese New Year's Eve dinner together are different. The person she wanted to eat Chinese New Year's Eve with was not there, but she spent Chinese New Year's Eve with someone she didn't expect.

Thinking of Sha Kai, who would only come back to work after the New Year, Zhou Wenli felt cold again.

The little boy sniffed and stood up suddenly.

Zhou Wenli only determined at this time that the child was indeed very young, thin and thin, and looked like a primary school student.

He stood up quickly, rubbing the iron railing, not only revealing his forehead with red marks, but also rubbing the hem of his clothes by the iron railing, so that the hideous scar on his stomach flashed in front of Zhou Wenli's eyes.

Zhou Wenli's mind was blank, and when she saw the boy turn around to go upstairs, she blurted out: "Wait." ”

The boy stopped and tilted his head to look down at Zhou Wenli.

Zhou Wenli didn't know why she stopped the other party. When she saw the boy's dark eyes staring straight at her, without blinking, she felt a trace of fear in her heart.

She didn't speak, and the boy didn't leave.

The voice-activated lights went out suddenly.

Zhou Wenli was startled and stomped her feet.

The light turned on, and Zhou Wenli's retina still had the image just now, and suddenly saw that the boy had been pasted in front of her.

Zhou Wenli could feel the coolness coming from the boy's body through the thick clothes.

She took a step back and pressed her back against the security door.

The little boy tilted his head, still staring at her with that straight look, not knowing what he was thinking.

"You...... What is your name? Zhou Wenli was in a panic and only thought of this question.

The boy didn't answer, but just looked at Zhou Wenli for a while, and suddenly grinned and smiled.

The child's innocent smile made Zhou Wenli lose the ability to think.

She remembered a long, long time ago, when she was not divorced, Shakai smiled and called her mother to run to her.

Shakai was even younger than the boy in front of him, and he couldn't walk steadily.

No, it seems to be older than the boy in front of him, and he should have read by then......

Zhou Wenli couldn't remember clearly.

After her ex-husband forcibly took Shakai away and refused her a visit, she stopped thinking about it. At that time, she was full of thoughts about her younger brother Ah Jun, and she was busy taking care of Ah Jun in the hospital, and every day when she saw the ward round, she was extremely nervous, for fear of hearing bad news. After Ah Jun was discharged from the hospital, Ah Jun fully recovered, Ah Jun had his own life, and married someone and had children, she thought of Shakai again.

She is not a competent mother.

She also didn't think that Shakai would be filial to herself.

It's just that......

The boy seemed to see Zhou Wenli's distraction, took a few steps back, and distanced himself from Zhou Wenli. Like a nimble monkey, he leaned back against the handrail of the stairs and rolled down the stairs.

Zhou Wenli was frightened and hurriedly rushed to the side of the stairs.

The voice-activated lights went off and on.

Zhou Wenli only saw the empty staircase steps, and did not see the little boy again.

Zhou Wenli's heart was empty.

It wasn't until the voice-activated lights went out again that she came back to her senses.

She had been standing outside for so long that her hands were frozen.

She slowly opened the security door and entered the house, only to see that it was pitch black.

Zhou Wenli turned on the light, and did not rush to take a hot shower, nor did she turn on the electric blanket to warm the quilt.

She sat down on the couch, leaning a little out of strength.

She thought about Sha Kai when she was a child, thought about Zhou Nuan, who grew up watching her, and thought about the little boy she saw just now.

She obviously has an adult son, but she has never experienced the adolescence and rebellious period of a child, has never worried about her child's high school entrance examination and college entrance examination, and has never worried about her child's study and work......

Ah, she worried about Ah Jun's work. Ah Jun's first job was when she was busy and asked her relationship to help find it. The ex-husband also helped. But not long after Ah Jun did that job, he became ill, and it was not enough to take sick leave, so he had to resign in the end. Then, it's a busy process of seeing a doctor. When Ah Jun got better, he found his current job through the community neighborhood committee. She originally thought that Ah Jun's body would stop working so well. After Ah Jun got a job, he told her about it. She also persuaded that she disliked the neighborhood committee's meddling, but Ah Jun didn't listen.

Zhou Wenli's head was empty for a while, and her mobile phone rang, which woke her up.

It was a call from his younger brother Ah Jun.

Zhou Wenli hurriedly picked it up.

“…… Well, I got home a long time ago and forgot to call you. Don't worry, it's okay. I'm ready to sleep. You go to bed early, too. Well...... Good night to the warmth. You go to bed early. Well. Good bye. ”

Zhou Wenli hung up the phone, only to find that she had received a message on WeChat.

When she opened it, she saw that it was a message of Chinese New Year's Eve greetings sent by many people, with pictures and words.

The row of red dots was pulled to the end, and Zhou Wenli saw the "son".

Sha Kai sent Chinese New Year's Eve wishes after dinner, although it was a copy and paste of content, but it also made Zhou Wenli feel at a loss.

It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea where Shakai's job came from. Like those college students in the news, submit resumes online? Attending a career fair when you graduate? Or was it introduced by his school teacher? Why did he come here to work and not stay with his father?

When her ex-husband contacted her, he said it lightly, and there was an unfamiliarity that she hadn't been in touch for many years.

When she answered the phone, she looked at the unfamiliar number, and she was only surprised, and she didn't remember who it was when she heard her ex-husband's voice at first glance. After that, she thought about reuniting with her son, and the nervousness in her heart accounted for the majority, or Ah Jun smiled and said that this is a good thing, after all, it is mother and son...... At that time, my brother and daughter-in-law were still there, and they were also smiling. She and Ah Jun are husband and wife, and they laugh more alike. But before Shakai could come, his brother-in-law died......

Will...... Shakai wanted to see her mother, so she specially looked for a job here?

Zhou Wenli thought of this and was a little distracted.

She stood up uneasily and paced around the living room, recalling how Shakai had behaved since she moved in. She may not have done a good job...... Shakai was disappointed in her, so did he go back to spend Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with his father? Is it because she didn't do a good job...... She has never been a good mother......

Zhou Wenli sat on the sofa and covered her face.

The glass windows rustled softly. Voices could be heard outside.

Zhou Wenli looked at the window and saw the snowflakes attached to the windowpane.

It's snowing......

"It's snowing."

"Really, it's snowing."

People from the neighborhood came to the window, and there were happy exclamations of children.

In southern cities, it is exciting to see snow.

Zhou Wenli also walked to the window, pushed open the window, and was greeted by a cold wind with snow flakes.

She looked down and saw a bouncing child in the light of the street lamp downstairs.

The thinly dressed child spun in circles among the snowflakes, reaching out to grasp the snowflakes, as if he didn't feel the cold, and he didn't feel lonely alone on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Zhou Wenli looked at it and laughed unconsciously.

The little boy happened to look up at the snowflakes and met Zhou Wenli's gaze.

His cheeks were rosy and he didn't look cold anymore. The breath that comes out of the mouth is not hot.

Zhou Wenli waved at him without thinking.

The little boy blinked and disappeared on the spot.

Zhou Wenli was startled, her eyes turned, and she searched downstairs.

"Giggle......" The child's laughter rang out abruptly in the room.

Zhou Wenli turned around and saw the boy sitting on the coffee table, smiling and looking at herself with bright eyes.

Zhou Wenli also laughed.

She closed the window and asked softly, "What's your name?" ”

The boy just laughed and ran around the house curiously, looking around.

Zhou Wenli was not angry, coaxing the child like she used to coax Zhou Nuan, asking him if he wanted to drink water, eat, and watch TV.

She turned on the TV and played the Spring Festival Gala. In this background sound, Zhou Wenli looked at the child's lively appearance with a smile.

Time was zero in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Wenli's eyes fell on the wall clock on the wall.

She hasn't kept the New Year for many years, but she didn't expect that today's New Year's Eve is with a child......

“…… Happy New Year to all. New Year's ......" was played on the TV.

"Happy New Year."

Zhou Wenli turned her head sharply to look at the child.

The little boy learned what he looked like on TV, said Happy New Year, and showed a bright smile to Zhou Wenli.

"Happy New Year." Zhou Wenli's eyes were a little red, and she responded in a low voice.

※※※※※

"Happy New Year!"

“happy new year！”

"Good luck!"

“merry christmas！”

"Hahahaha, what the hell! Christmas is over! ”

"Good luck, eat chicken tonight!"

"!"

"You're all fooling around."

"Unforgettable Tonight~Unforgettable Tonight~"

"I sincerely bless you, always bless you, and achieve truth, goodness and beauty~"

"Happy New Year! Everyone's wishes come true in the new year! Health and safety! ”

Syllable! Syllable!

Several crackers were opened, and streamers and debris were scattered in the conference hall.

The crowd cheered, each saying his own blessings, and singing New Year's songs out of tune.

"It's snowing! Look, it's snowing outside! ”

"It's just a few snowflakes, also called snow?"

"That's it for the South. No matter how big it is, there will be a snowstorm. ”

"It's not enough to build a snowman or have a snowball fight. Next year, we might as well go to the north for the New Year. ”

"Hahaha, where are you going?"

"Let Uncle Kang book a hotel."

"Then you should ask Xiao Li to order."

"Yes, yes, yes! Xiao Li, what do you say? ”

Li Yun smiled shyly, not knowing how to deal with this kind of coaxing. He didn't hate it, he just wasn't quite used to the excitement.

The ghosts who were making a fuss didn't care about Li Yun's answer, and quickly put the snowflakes outside behind them, took the beer on the table, and poured it.

Everyone seems to be drunk, laughing and laughing uncontrollably, welcoming the new year.

Even Yin Shikang and Uncle Li and several other elderly people were holding a bottle of Moutai, each holding a small cup, clinking glasses with each other, their faces were ruddy, and they were grinning.

Li Yun looked at Wang Yiqiu.

She was pulled by Song Yingying, stuffed a fairy stick in her hand, and squeezed by the window with several girls of different ages, while reaching out to catch the snowflakes, she used the fairy stick to draw circles in the air.

"Now that fireworks are banned, it's hard to buy even crackers and fairy sticks. This is still left over from previous years. Song Yingying said with annoyance, "It will be gone next year." ”

"So, find a country for the New Year, you can set off firecrackers, and you can see the snow in the north." The drunk next to him interjected.

Song Yingying pointed at people with a fairy stick, "Running so far, I'm in trouble." ”

"Hey, be careful with the candles, don't get into the room." The drunkard was showing some soberness at this time.

Song Yingying continued to shake the fairy stick and make threatening movements.

The girls laughed, and even Wang Yiqiu curled the corners of her lips.

The sorrow of saying goodbye to my parents seemed to burn out with the fairy stick.

Li Yun lowered his eyes, looked at the small fireworks that burst out, and sighed in his heart.

Forget it, let's take a look. Maybe after a while, Wang Yiqiu will figure it out.