......

The stars and moon are bright outside the window.

The painter in the house is confused.

Xiao Che didn't see this scene.

No matter how he thought about it, he would never have imagined that when he picked up the paintbrush, he would have such an unbearable scene when he painted the moon like an emperor.

The painting in his eyes is like a fairy in a painting, and there is no one in the world who knows how to paint better than him, and painting is as if it can ignite his soul.

But if you understand the most, you don't understand.

If you say that you don't know how to draw a little moon, you can't be wrong.

......

At this moment, Xiao Che was running wildly back to the Cultivating Heart Cottage, his mind was already in a vacuum, and there was no consciousness on his body except for his running feet.

He only hoped that his father-in-law had not left.

No matter how bad it is, I have to see him for the last time before parting.

His hand tightly grasped Xiao Hong's wrist, and vigorously made his knuckles white, and Xiao Hong's wrist was also strangled with a red line, she was not afraid of pain, but she didn't want to enter the cultivation grass hall.

She wanted to stop, she wanted to leave.

She just wanted to speak, but when she saw Xiao Che's eyes glowing red and tearful, her tone suddenly blocked in her throat, and she couldn't even make the slightest dry whimper.

It was a pair of eyes that made people speechless.

......

The cottage is quiet at night.

The big monster has already slept, and Dazhi is still waiting for Xiao Che.

Seeing Xiao Che's figure, Dazhi Huo Ran got up: "Young Master, you're back." ”

At this moment, Xiao Che's ears were out of order, and he couldn't hear any words at all, he rushed into the grass hall like a mad cow and broke in.

The stepfather is really gone.

Not even a note was left.

The cups on the bamboo table in the room, the quilt covered on the couch, and the still neat clothes of the four seasons, the breath of life left by the stepfather in the thatched cottage have not been taken away.

Perhaps, when he was leaving, he was even thinking that he could hide from Xiao Che for a while longer.

Xiao Che knelt in front of his father-in-law's couch, his head covered in the quilt, and his dull rumbling cry was as painful as if he was on the verge of death.

This was Xiao Hong's first time stepping foot in the Cultivating Heart Cottage, he was standing not far from Xiao Che, his eyes staring at him, it was the first time she had seen Xiao Che like this.

Dazhi's eyes were red, and he was a little speechless.

The big monster heard the sound and ran over, and when he saw Xiao Che's appearance, the big beast pupils suddenly became as dim as the night.

......

The faint winter sun shone down on Xiao Che's deep cheeks, and also shone on the pinch of green stubble under his chin.

He drank a lot of wine, and grew an iron-like beard under his chin overnight.

When I woke up, it was already dusk and blood.

Xiao Che sat in front of the grass hall in a daze, his eyes were extremely empty, staring into the distance, as if there was a void but uncatchable figure in front of him.

And so it was, until late at night.

He suddenly found himself in love with the night, because it felt like a gift to him.

He waited for many days, because he still had a glimmer of anticipation in his heart, and if his father-in-law forgot to bring something, he would probably come back.

The beard under his chin grew longer.

Then

Under the soft sunshine of winter, the sky is far away, and the white clouds are flickering......

Shed tears.

......

Why did the stepfather leave?

Where did he go?

Even if you have to leave, why don't you tell yourself?

What's going on?

A series of question marks swirled and danced in Xiao Che's head, and his whole person seemed to be numb, his eyes were empty and blank, like an unfathomable black abyss, his face was haggard with vicissitudes of life, and the stubble under his chin was glowing.

He seemed to have matured a lot overnight, but more often than not, he seemed to be old.

He sat on the ground in the front yard of the thatched cottage, looking at the hazy mountain shadow in the distance without the slightest charm, and whispered helplessly like a child lost in the forest: "Father-in-law...... Father-in-law......"

Soybean-sized tears dripped on the ground.

Suddenly, I heard a man shouting, "Stand up!

The voice was cold, but it seemed to be extremely gentle in Xiao Che's ears.

Xiao Che Huo Ran raised his head, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he was overjoyed: "Father-in-law!"

He pounced, clinging to the mountain-like figure, his hollow and dim eyes finally regaining their former grace and charm.

Xiao Ying held back her tears, ripped off Xiao Che on her body with her thick palm, glared at him with a blue face, and then wiped her sleeves on Xiao Che's face at will, wiped the tears on his face clean, and said sharply: "What are you crying about!

Xiao Che looked him in the eye and asked in a deep voice, "Father-in-law, where are you going, and why are you leaving?"

Xiao Ying didn't answer, as if she hadn't heard anything, and then said sharply: "Do you remember when you were a child, I let you hunt alone in the mountains? At that time, you were bitten by a violent tiger and didn't shed tears, but when you saw me, you cried like a newborn baby. ”

Xiao Ying's face sank like water, and he reached out to help Xiao Che straighten his clothes, patting the dust, and then continued: "You have never been really strong in front of me since you were a child. ”

The voice was stern.

It's the kind of sternness that Xiao Che has never experienced since he was a child.

Then, Xiao Xiang twisted Xiao Che around as if he was playing with a plaything, helped him pat the dust on his back, and shouted with hatred: "What are tears?

seemed to expect Xiao Che to say something, but Xiao Ying didn't give him a chance to speak, and his voice did not stop: "Tears are tears, and they are tears from beginning to end." ”

The stern voice fell, and his hand stopped.

Then he turned straight away.

only left Xiao Che with a categorical back.

Before parting, he didn't dare to look directly into Xiao Che's eyes, which were a pair of clear eyes that made him ruthless.

Xiao Che held back the tears in his eyes, stared at Xiao Ying's back, and shouted, "Father-in-law, where are you going?"

Xiao Ying didn't reply: "I have something!"

His throat seemed to choke, and then he pretended to be stern, and shouted, "What about you? Are you all right? Are you idle?"

Xiao Che's lips suddenly showed a sudden smile, and the gloom shrouded in the shining clear eyes was suddenly swept away, and he shouted loudly: "Father-in-law, I understand!"

Then, he had nothing more to say.

At this time, the sun and the direction in which Xiao Ying left may be the last trace of comfort for Xiao Che, the shadow of his father-in-law was stretched by the sun, although his figure gradually faded away,

But his shadow accompanied Xiao Che for a while longer, but only for a while.

In this way, Xiao Che watched his father-in-law go farther and farther away in the winter sun, until he disappeared between the forests and the sea.

......

Dazhi prepared the meal, Xiao Che took a shower after sweeping the table, and changed into a clean white shirt, the whole person was refreshed, and his clear eyes exuded a confident light.

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "Xiao Che, are you alive?"

Xiao Che nodded, scratched his head again, and laughed at himself: "Yes, it's alive." ”

Xiao Hong's gaze suddenly fell on the green and oozing beard under Xiao Che's chin, and frowned, "Why don't you shave?"

Xiao Che looked in the mirror and said with a smile: "I think it's pretty good." He turned his gaze to Xiao Hong and asked tentatively, "Why don't you keep it?"

Xiao Hong said: "Oh. ”

The expression is indifferent, as if he doesn't care, and as if he cares to the extreme.

Xiao Che shook his head stupidly, and went back to the room to shave, a simple "oh" word, but it seemed to contain huge energy.

Looking at Xiao Che's gray figure, Xiao Hong chuckled.

She understands very well that sometimes problems that can be solved with a simple word, she will never say a second word.

Xiao Hong is naturally a smart woman, different from those stupid women who like to talk a lot of nonsense, but in fact have no use in the slightest.

......

The father-in-law left, and the atmosphere of the cultivated grass hall became a little strange, but fortunately, Xiao Hong's living here also made Xiao Che and them not very lonely.

After three or five days, the smell of the New Year gradually faded.

They set off back to Nanxi Study.

Seeing Xiao Che come back, Lao Hei's eyes suddenly lit up, he rushed over and hugged Xiao Che, tears almost flowed out, and he choked up: "Xiao Che, you are finally back, I will go crazy if you don't come back." ”

The old black hair is very messy, although he doesn't like to be clean on weekdays, but now he looks far more haggard than before.

Xiao Che slowly pushed him away in disgust and asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look like this?"

......