(17 years ago)

After a plague, the strong men of Yuetang Town suffered countless deaths and injuries, and most of the survivors were old and weak women and children. There were few pedestrians in the street, except for a few vendors, feebly shouting at the vegetables that had just been dug out of the earth, hoping to exchange them for a few copper plates.

"Get out, get out of here. The butcher who sold meat kicked away the ragged child in front of him: "These days, I can't even raise my own dolls, and I can't be a great benevolent! ”

"I can do the work for you for as long as you want. Don't get paid, as long as you give me two taels of pork on credit. The boy was still on his knees, about seven or eight years old, but with a stubbornness and fortitude on his face that did not match his age.

My grandmother had been lying on the bed for days, swallowing only liquid food, and her face was yellow and thin because of malnutrition, and her cheeks were sunken. Maybe add some meat to the porridge, and my grandmother's illness will heal faster.

"Credit?" the butcher was sharpening his knife, and after listening to it, he thrust the knife into the board and sneered: "If you can pull it out, I will promise you." ”

The boy hurried forward, drawing his sword, but it was fixed in the wood, and with his thin body and hungry stomach, he could not shake it in the slightest.

"Let's go, let's go. The butcher waved his hand disdainfully: "When you grow up and have strength, come to work for me." ”

"Mu'er, this is for you. ”

The boy raised his head, it was Uncle Lin who sold tofu in the town, and because of his unsmiling and taciturn nature, the people in the town called him mute. He cut out a few pieces of tofu from the basket and handed them to him along with the ribs.

"A man has gold under his knees, don't kneel. ”

"Uncle Lin......" The boy's heart was sour, and tears poured out at once.

"It's not for you, remember to give it back to me when you grow up. Lao Lin picked up his shoulder and turned to leave.

The boy trembled and walked to the edge of the bed with the porridge, and the grandmother got up and drank two sips, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't swallow it, but sweated profusely.

"Mu'er. Leave me alone, my grandmother knew in her heart that death was not far off. You go to Taoyuan Town to find Mr. Yu and Mrs. Du, they are kind-hearted and will teach you to grow up. ”

"Grandmother, I'm not leaving. Xiao Mu grabbed her hand tightly and said bitterly. After his parents died in the plague, his grandmother was the last straw and the only source of light in his life.

"Mu'er, be obedient. You took your grandmother's bracelet as a substitute for some travel expenses. Grandmother took off her wrist an old gold bracelet, the only dowry she had, glowing a quiet yellow with age.

Seeing that he was reluctant to reach out to take it, the grandmother put the bracelet next to the pillow and turned her back without saying a word.

"Brother Xiao Mu, Brother Xiao Mu!" A childish voice came from outside the door: "My father asked if you want to go to the tofu factory to push graphite, and I can give you a few copper plates every day to work." ”

Xiao Mu opened the door and saw Ah Mo standing at the door with a smile, she was seven or eight years old, although she was thin and wearing coarse cloth clothes, she couldn't hide her delicate face.

"Let's go. Mo grabbed his hand.

Xiao Mu looked back at the room: "Grandmother, I'm leaving." Grandmother's back trembled slightly, but she never looked back.

"Isn't that Ah Mu?" The two women were dressed by the river, and their sharp eyes saw these two children walking side by side: "Lao Lin is too strange, he is so embarrassed, and he has to take care of other people's messes." ”

"It's weird, but it's an infatuation. The older woman laughed.

"How?"

He sold tofu all his life, and it was only in his forties that he saved enough money to marry a widow despite gossip. As a result, within three years of getting married, my wife died in childbirth. ”

"Married a widow, aren't you afraid that others will chew the root of your tongue behind your back and poke her backbone? The new daughter-in-law looked surprised.

"No way, his wife is pitiful. Originally, he promised a rich and noble family, but before he passed the door, the groom and the official died of lung disease. Lao Lin Yuan had a deep affection for her, because the family was poor and did not dare to propose marriage, after this happened, he gritted his teeth and came to the door again to ask for marriage. The two of them respect each other like guests, but they have had a good time, but it's a pity. The woman sighed and shook her head.

No wonder he was silent, seeing heaven and earth and stone mill together. Xiao Mo is not like her father, innocent, smiling every day. ”

The woman's voice was high and low, coming along the riverbank, Xiao Mu reached out and covered Amo's ears: "Don't listen." ”

"It's okay, I'm used to it. Mo lowered her head and smiled.

"Soak the soybeans overnight, pour them into the stone mill after soaking, and add water while turning them to let the bean juice flow out evenly, remember? Uncle Lin pushed the stone mill and said while demonstrating.

"Remembered. ”

"It's a lot of work. Uncle Lin handed him a plum cake: "I'll eat here for dinner in the future, it's enough." ”

Xiao Mu stuffed the cake into his clothes, planning to bring it back to his grandmother at night, and then stayed here to help. Uncle Lin worked all day long, without saying a word, even at the dinner table. In his spare time, he just tended to tending to the two jasmine trees in front of the door.

"That was my mother's favorite flower when she was alive. Ah Mo looked a little lonely: "Dad really misses her, so he doesn't want to see me." ”

"Don't think so. Xiao Mu gently held her hand: "Uncle Lin just doesn't talk much, but I can see that he loves you very much." ”

When I got home at night, I saw that the oil lamp had been turned off. He tiptoed over and tucked the quilt for his grandmother. Feeling that something was wrong, he gently probed her snort.

My grandmother died.

She lay neatly on her bed, and the gold bracelet was wrapped in a handkerchief and placed on the side of her pillow. didn't cry as much as expected, hoarse, Xiao Mu just calmly stroked the white hair on her sideburns.

From then on, I was the only one left.

Like, there's nothing wrong with that. At least grandmother, she doesn't have to suffer anymore.

According to her grandmother's wish before her death, Xiao Mu put her and her grandfather together. When I got home, I saw flower lanterns flashing by the river.

"Mo. He saw the figure clearly and walked over: "It's so late, why are you still here?"

"I've heard about your grandmother. Ah Mo's eyes were ruddy, and she put down a lantern in the river: "When I was a child, others laughed at me for having a mother and not having a mother, and my father told me that if I had something to say to the deceased, put the note in the lantern, as long as I followed the river, I would definitely be able to swim to the other party." ”

"Hmm. He bowed his head and was silent.

"Brother Xiao Mu, this is for you. Ah Mo stretched out her hand, and in her palm was a peanut candy: "This was bought for me by my father on my birthday a few days ago, and I didn't want to eat it." ”

"No need. Xiao Mu said softly: "You can eat it yourself." ”

Ah Mo broke the peanut candy in half and stuffed it into his mouth: "Sometimes, as long as there is sweetness in the mouth, I feel that life is not so bitter." ”

The tip of Xiao Mu's nose was sour, and he nodded slightly.

Ah Mo carefully wrapped the remaining half of the sugar in paper: "The rest will be given to you tomorrow." ”

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I ate a lot, I don't eat anymore. Mo swallowed.

Xiao Mu took the candy and stuffed it into her mouth: "Eat it, my brother will find a way to buy it for you in the future." ”

"Thank you, Brother Xiao Mu. Her eyes smiled like a crescent.

As he grew older, Xiao Mu's height became a lot taller, so he went to the dock to become a porter, suffering hardship and earning more. Although he was only fifteen years old, he was not as strong as those strong men. But because he works hard, he never complains, and he is very popular with employers.

Lin Mo has been slim and jade, carved with powder. If it weren't for the coarse cloth clothes, I would have thought it was a young lady from a rich family. The young people of the town love to come to her stall to buy tofu, just to say a few words along the way. Xiao Mu also goes every day, and Lin Mo knows that although he is embarrassed, he is noble by nature, and always quietly weighs him a few taels of tofu.

"Thank you. Xiao Mu took it silently.

When the stall was counted, Lin Mo found that there were several more copper coins in the bamboo basket. I don't know how many goods Xiao Mu helped people move at the dock in exchange for these. Lin Mo vaguely remembered that his hands were full of blood blisters, and his fingers could only hang in the air when he lifted the flat pole, and he frowned in pain when he touched it.

"Brother Xiao Mu, in fact, you don't need to ......" she knocked on Xiao Mu's door.

"Take it, I don't want to owe you. Xiao Mu was a little embarrassed and handed her a paper bag.

"Peanut candy!" Ah Mo said in surprise as she smelled the sweet fragrance through the paper.

"I heard Uncle Lin say that tomorrow is your birthday. I didn't prepare anything else......"

"I love it. Ah Mo lowered her head and smiled, and asked a little melancholy: "Brother Xiao Mu, what are you going to do in the future, you can't do short-term work for the rest of your life." ”

"I haven't thought about it yet, but I'm not going to stay here forever. Seeing her sad face, Xiao Mu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Recently, people often come to the house to propose marriage. My father refused on the grounds that I was young. But I know that I will definitely not be able to escape it in the past few years. She paused, plucked up the courage to ask, "Brother Xiao Mu, are you willing to ......?"

"Mo. Xiao Mu interrupted: "You should find a good family, at least to ensure that you have no worries about food and clothing." ”

"Oh. Ah Mo lowered her head and said nothing, drawing circles on the ground with the tips of her shoes, and then smiled bitterly: "Brother Xiao Mu, thank you for the sugar, I'll go first." ”

Xiao Mu hummed softly, but clenched her fists after she turned around.

After only a few months, the streets are beating gongs and drums, which is very festive. Xiao Mu knew in his heart that it was Ah Mo who was going to get married. He rummaged through the cabinets, found the gold bracelet left by his grandmother, and sent it to the Lin family.

A few days after the wedding, Xiao Mu walked out onto the street dejectedly, only to see the bridgehead crowded with people.

"Mother-in-law, what's wrong. He asked.

"Yesterday was the Lantern Festival, many people put lanterns to pray for blessings, and the government sent people to clean up the river this morning, but I didn't expect to salvage a corpse. Later, I found out that it was the new daughter-in-law of the Xu family who committed suicide by jumping into the river. Hey, the wedding was beautiful a few days ago, what can't you think about. ”

"Xu family?" Xiao Mu was shocked in his heart and squeezed out of the crowd. When I arrived at the door of the tofu workshop, I heard Uncle Lin's unwavering voice: "If you want it, just take the dowry back." ”

"Phew. My son carried a sedan chair to marry her as the main room, and she was good, threatening me with a pair of scissors not to touch her. I thought it would be fine in a few days, but what happened? I actually committed suicide by jumping into the river without saying a word, and people who don't know still think that our Xu family abused her. Sure enough, there is a guy who has a mother and no mother, and he is shameless. ”

Uncle Lin stood silently in white clothes, and his weather-beaten face did not have much expression. Xiao Mu trembled with anger, walked in and knocked the Xu family to the ground with a punch: "If you can't speak, don't speak." ”

"You dare to ......" the son of the Xu family roared angrily: "You guys, beat him to death." ”

The family surrounded Xiao Mu in the middle and added fists and kicks, until his nose was blue and his face was swollen, and he spit out a mouthful of black blood. Uncle Lin didn't stop him, and walked back to the living room to burn paper money silently.

"Forget it, don't beat people to death. Let's go!" The son of the Xu family beckoned the family to lift the dowry box, and scolded Uncle Lin's back: "Your daughter is not worthy of entering my ancestral grave, you can collect her body yourself!"

Xiao Mu got up according to the sore chest, stumbled in and lifted the white cloth, Amo's face was already white and swollen, covered with a thin layer of rouge, and her hair was recombed. The bracelet on his wrist was a wedding gift he had given a few days ago.

Xiao Mu lowered his eyes, and his Adam's apple moved with difficulty.

"Uncle Lin. He knelt on the ground: "If I had been braver, maybe I would have ......."

"It's none of your business, it's her life. Uncle Lin interrupted him: "Don't blame yourself, you can go." ”

"Uncle Lin......" His throat choked, but Uncle Lin was unmoved, just quietly continued to burn paper money.

At night, Xiao Mu put the lanterns into the river one by one and watched them flow down the river. He stuffed a peanut candy into his mouth, and with tears, it tasted bitter.

"Tears are useless, if you want to protect important people, the only way is to make yourself strong. At some point, a man in a dark blue robe sat beside him: "If you want, I can help you." ”

Xiao Mu turned around and saw a familiar face.

"How can I help?"

"Have you ever heard of it, Cloud Silence? ”