"How long is Grandpa going back?"

"A week. The day after tomorrow, Dad will send you back. My sister said.

From Qingdao to Wucheng, my father drove very carefully along the way, and every time he arrived at a rest area, he would stop to let his grandfather take a breath. Chen Feng drove for a while, but his speed was significantly faster than what his father thought was safe, and he was driven back to the back seat not long after. It took eight hours of six hours to walk until it was time for dinner.

The car did not drive straight home, but stopped in front of a tall gatehouse. Looking up, this is a tall house with red bricks and red tiles, although the courtyard layout is blocked by a two-person high wall, but you can see the grandeur at a glance. The half-concealed chimney shows no signs of regular use, and the red gazebo shape is shining, except for a faint gray-black hanging on the red glaze inside. The vents under the ridges were also painted vermilion, and a chubby pigeon had built a nest outside the window of the vent, and was now lying in the nest and shaking its head to observe the movement on the ground. The roof and façade were still shining strongly, and there seemed to be a red light enveloping the entire building. The pigeon under the partition window looks like a blue-gray handicraft in the sunlight, on a golden base. A bright green tile engraved with the words "Taigong is here" in golden yellow is inlaid in the corner under the roof, which stands out in this red light.

The gatehouse was covered with dark purple tiles, and standing in front of him, Chen Feng could clearly see his facial features. Inside the doorway were two open crimson iron doors, densely covered with golden copper nails. Outside the doorway is a pair of tiled couplets, also with a gold and green background. Chen Feng didn't remember what was written on the couplet, anyway, it was just auspicious words like "Fortune and Treasure". But the eye-catching four big characters of "Purple Qi from the East" in the horizontal batch position really impressed him, and he muttered in his heart how many catties these tiles have, and it probably hurts to hit his head.

Dad made a phone call, and a middle-aged man came out of the yard. It may be a bit reluctant to say that he is middle-aged, and his face is only about forty years old, so he can be called an older youth. This man is of medium height, about 1.75 meters tall, flat head and broad face, and his face is full of red light. When he saw his father coming, he threw away the half-smoked cigarette, held his father's hand with both hands, greeted and welcomed, and the smoke from his nose and mouth quickly dispersed in the sun.

When the man saw his grandfather who had just gotten out of the car, he slapped his stomach and laughed loudly and ran over, opening his mouth to call uncle. Turning his head and seeing Chen Feng supporting his grandfather, he raised his hand and touched the stupid boy's head, and patted his shoulder enthusiastically. That hand was very strong, as if it was checking whether Chen Feng's bones were strong.

Walking into the door, what catches your eye is a shadow wall, an antique shape of red tiles on a red background, and the white part of the fish belly in the middle is written in cursive. Turning around and entering the courtyard, it turned out that the building was a row of six large tiled houses, with four bright red pillars standing in front of the corridor, and many children's playthings on the corridor.

The courtyard is very large, the ground is covered with bricks, and there is hardly any dirt in the whole courtyard, except for two pomegranates planted in front of the main house. There are two matching rooms on the east and west sides, although they are not as grand as the main house, but it also took a lot of thought. There is also a little open space in front of the door, but a few persimmons are planted inside. The persimmon tree has already blossomed and borne fruit, and although the fruit is still green, it can be seen that it is growing well.

The owner's living room is also very spacious, but because the corridor in front of the house is too deep, and it is already evening, the house is not very bright. Looking up, a "happy eyebrow" painting occupies most of the wall, with a row of wooden sofas underneath the painting, and some of the other furniture in the room is also made of solid wood. Chen Feng didn't understand these things very well, so he helped his grandfather sit down obediently.

The man also sat down in front of the coffee table, skillfully boiling water to make tea, and in a short time poured a small cup in front of everyone. The tea is beautiful, clear yellow. Chen Feng was indeed a little thirsty, so he took a sip of tea and took a sip of it, which had a bitter taste.

After the greetings, the heat just now suddenly cooled down, but for more than ten seconds, it looked very embarrassing. Several people sat on the sofa with tea to hide their strangeness to each other, all waiting for each other to speak first.

Just then, a childish footstep came in, and a child came out of the door that led to another room. The child is about two years old, chubby, and tiger-headed. It looks like he has just woken up, pouting and holding a small belly. He was wearing a blue-green vest, which was propped up by his small belly, and he walked and shivered. The child is not wearing pants, and the chick × shiver with every step.

"You gave birth to another boy?" Dad turned his head to look at the man and smiled to express his envy.

"No, it's my grandson."

"You're only thirty-nine years old and have a grandson? How old is your boy? It's not as big as an iron bull, is it? ”

"He's about the same as Iron Bull, right? This year is nineteen years old. ”

"Nineteen? The Iron Bull is twenty-four. This kid is a week and a half now, right? ”

The man proudly said "yes", and reached out to hold the fat boy who walked to him on his lap. "That kid didn't go to school well, and he wouldn't go to school if he didn't graduate from junior high school. On the sixteenth, he told him about his family, and he wanted to wait until the twenty to do a happy event. Unexpectedly, he was still in a hurry, his daughter-in-law was pregnant just a month after they were engaged, and neither of them knew when they did a good thing, and they didn't let them live together. What's wrong with me? I went to the police station to change the age and get married. This house was built for him, and the two of us lived in the old house. ”

The man glanced at Chen Feng as he spoke, as if he didn't believe that he was twenty-four years old, and turned his head to ask his father for verification. He turned his head to look at Chen Feng again, looking up and down. I don't know if it's because I'm still in school, Chen Feng still has some childishness in their eyes, plus a big round head, he really looks small.

"Now that the child is precocious, Tie Niu should also find a daughter-in-law, right?"

"I'm still in school, why don't I have to finish my job to find it." Dad said.

"It's time to look for it, it's so big. A few days ago, my sister-in-law called me and said that let me pay attention, and whoever has a good girl will introduce it to Tie Niu. My sister-in-law was already in a hurry. ”

"I am not as blessed as you, and our family is late to get married. That's it," Dad suddenly pointed at Chen Feng and said, "I'm still breastfeeding." ”

"Your family got married late? Others don't know and I don't know? How old were you when your daughter was born? Is there seventeen? When you're his age, he's almost gone. ”

Suddenly, the old bottom was revealed, and Dad laughed and took the fat boy and hugged him in his arms. The child does not recognize life, and does not cry or make a fuss when he sits on his lap. The father was interested, and also reached out and touched the child's chicks × chickens. The child protested and broke free, climbed off his lap and ran.

"Seventeen years old, you just turned sixteen when Xia'er was born, and you just celebrated two months of your birthday." Grandpa's sudden words shocked everyone in the room. Dad couldn't hide the ugly thing when he saw it, so he could only admit it.

For this hometown, Chen Feng is both familiar and unfamiliar. When he was a child, he lived with his grandfather here, and he didn't go to Qingdao until he finished junior high school, and he never came back for three years of high school. Later, when my grandfather got old, he missed his homeland more and more, and it became his task to accompany his grandfather back every summer after going to college.

The man who received them was his father's cousin and brother, and it is said that he was very close to his father when he was a child, and his grandfather liked him very much, and he ate and lived in his grandfather's house. The life of the poor family is the closest, because everyone has nothing, and the children of relatives and neighbors are all put together to raise, and whoever has food and drink, as long as they give a mouthful, it is a very good relationship. On the contrary, after the days got better, they were busy with each other, and they couldn't see each other all year round, and gradually they became separated. In the thatched thatched cottage back then, everyone could still sleep on the same bed without any scruples. Now this red brick and red tile is uncomfortable sitting together.

I will be at the door of the house soon, and my grandfather has already returned to his heart, and it is already a great face to be able to eat dinner here. No matter how much the uncle tried to keep him, he insisted on going back to his house. The father also declined the other party's invitation, firstly because he was afraid that his grandfather would be angry, and secondly, because his son was also uncomfortable. By the time I drove home, it was already getting dark.

"Tie Niu, you're too bad today." In the car, Dad suddenly taught Chen Feng a lesson, and his tone was suppressed anger. "When you eat at someone's house, you don't even say a word, and you don't toast your uncle."

Chen Feng didn't speak, twisting his head to look out the window.

"When you were a child, he liked you very much, you and he got into a quilt, lived in other people's houses all day long, and treated you as his own son."

"I forgot."

The father sighed and glared at his son in the rearview mirror, but finally suppressed his anger and did not blame him further.

The yard where my parents used to live was very close to the courtyard where they drank tea, only separated by two houses. The yard where Grandpa and Chen Feng live is actually not far away, and they will arrive at the corner. The yard is close to the edge of the village, and not far from the door is a large puddle, which is full of rainwater in the summer, and some small fish and insects will grow in the water. The children of the village often come here to swim and bathe, and Chen Feng was also a frequent visitor there when he was a child. The diagonal gate of this courtyard is where the uncle now lives.

The old house was uninhabitable for a long time, and a few years ago my father came back and rebuilt the house with two yards, and it was a row of four-room bungalows. It is said that the bricklayer was found by the uncle just now, and he saved a lot of money inside and out. Mom's yard has long been rented out, and now it is for another relative surnamed Chen to live in. said that it was rented out, but in fact, it didn't charge money, but it was just to find someone to take care of the yard, so as not to have problems with the house that had been unoccupied for a long time.

Dad kept talking about his uncle's goodness, and knew that they were coming back, so he came early to clean up the yard, and the fallen leaves and weeds on the ground were thoroughly cleaned, and the furniture in the house was scrubbed.

In the evening, my father sat in front of Chen Feng and said that he would return to Qingdao tomorrow afternoon, and his brother's store could not do without him. Tell him to walk around with relatives at home and take care of his grandfather. If there is something to do, go to the uncle, don't be as ignorant as in the afternoon, and give him some money when he is done.

That night, the silly boy barely slept.

(People who drift north always have mixed feelings about their hometown.) On the one hand, it is the place where he grew up, and the day and night there buries his most precious past. On the other hand...... The long-term parting makes the hometown unable to accommodate his soul, maybe from the day he leaves, the people of Beipiao will no longer have roots. ）