The person who opened the door was an old lady, about sixty years old. When she saw a young man standing at the door, she was a little curious and a little uneasy.
Try asking: "Who are you looking for?"
Gu Yang stuttered a little: "I, I'm looking for..."
Completely unprepared and caught off guard.
The old lady pointed to the neighbor's door and asked, "Are you looking for her house?"
Gu Yang nodded and smiled politely.
Although the old lady in front of me is full of wrinkles, she looks kind and approachable, and even has a kind expression on her face like ordinary old people.
The old lady said with a disappointed expression: "She's not at home."
While answering Gu Yang, he instinctively walked to the door of 601 and stretched out his hand to knock on it a few times.
Still no one answered the door.
"Qi Mei'er!"
I shouted a few more times at the top of my lungs, but there was still no response.
The old lady seemed to be at a loss and turned her attention to Gu Yang.
"Look! There's no one!"
"Then where did she go, do you know?" Gu Yang asked curiously.
"I just don't know!" The old lady spread her hands helplessly.
"How long?" Gu Yang asked again.
"Probably...probably," the old lady thought and counted on her fingers, and finally said with certainty: "There were still people there the night before yesterday, but the door couldn't be opened at noon the day before yesterday. It is estimated that there are at least 100 people there by now."
It’s been three or four days.”
After saying that, the old lady suddenly remembered something and looked at Gu Yang suspiciously.
"You, who are you?"
Gu Yang: "I, I am from the Youth Organization Association, and I am responsible for visiting the elderly alone. It is a charity."
"Oh."
The old lady nodded as if she understood, and relaxed her hostility towards Gu Yang.
.......
.......
At the same time.
In Wanning County, which is adjacent to Dawa County, in Lianhua Food Market.
An old lady with a stooped body, leaning on a cane, and carrying a bag similar to clothes on her back, limped and walked slowly along the aisle of the vegetable market.
The vegetable vendors around her greeted her warmly.
But the old lady just nodded lightly, smiled a little, declined their kindness, and then walked straight to a condiment and dry goods stall.
"Old woman, what do you want?"
"Get me a pound of dried chili noodles."
The old lady's voice was sonorous and powerful, as if she was worried that the vendor wouldn't know that she wanted to buy chili noodles.
He turned his head and looked around, as if he was investigating the surrounding environment.
Some are sneaky, some are guilty, and they look clumsy and funny.
"Dried chili noodles? That's good!"
The vendor repeated it cheerfully and was busy helping the old lady pack the bags with a shovel.
However, the old lady seemed worried about something and hurriedly took a step forward and said:
"Is this chili noodles spicy?"
"It's spicy! Of course it's spicy!"
The vendor stopped packing bags and explained: "It's very spicy, but there are also mildly spicy and medium spicy, and the prices are the same."
"No, no, I want the hottest one." the old lady emphasized.
"The hottest one?" The vendor smiled and said, "Yes, this is it."
"Huh?"
The old lady didn't believe it, so she stretched out her withered and rough fingers, pinched a little and put it on her tongue to taste.
"Uh! This, this isn't spicy!"
"Not spicy? Haha...Old lady, are you kidding me?"
The vendor was speechless. He had encountered many such customers.
It's obviously very spicy, but customers say it's not spicy. Obviously, customers just don't like it because it's expensive!
The vendor turned around and said with a smile: "How much do you want? If you want more, it will be cheaper. If you want less, it will be cheaper."
The old lady immediately said: "No, it's not about money. I want very spicy chili noodles."
"Okay, then go check out other stalls!"
The vendor almost cried in anger.
The old lady bowed slightly and walked away embarrassedly.
Somehow, a faint blush suddenly appeared on the originally calm face, and my heart beat three times in a row.
But suddenly, because I thought of something, my attitude became firm again. At the same time, the redness on my face gradually dissipated.
Slowly and with small steps, I came to another stall.
Also ask the stall owner for the hottest chili noodles.
The stall owner recommended the spiciest one to her, but after tasting it, she was still very dissatisfied.
The stall owner became anxious and defended: "Old lady, don't bother anymore. This is the spiciest thing in the whole vegetable market, and every merchant buys the same stuff. There is no such thing as the spiciness you said."
”
"No, I want something very spicy." The old lady said firmly.
The vendor smiled silently and said: "There's nothing wrong with the chili noodles, but there's something wrong with your sense of taste. It's a common problem among the elderly. The older you get, the worse your sense of taste becomes."
The old lady ignored the other person's scolding.
I just searched from house to house, but in the end I still couldn’t find the chili noodles I liked.
However, I was still compromised by reality.
I bought one with normal spiciness.
Then he walked towards the outside of the vegetable market.
After a lot of effort, I finally got to the nearest bus stop with the help of a primary school student.
"Thank you, kid."
The old lady said with a smile, her eyes full of the little boy's kindness and honesty.
"You're welcome, grandma, this is what I should do." The little boy said politely and trotted across the road the next moment.
The old lady looked back at the little boy, her face full of distress and envy.
Suddenly I remembered something and subconsciously touched the small satchel hanging on my arm.
After touching the chili noodles, I felt relaxed.
Inexplicably, his face was full of hatred, but it was quickly overwhelmed by the kindness and kindness carved by the years, leaving no trace behind.
......
......
The other side.
Gu Yang has been warmly invited by the old lady to her home.
The old lady was also visited by some young people from the so-called charity organization half a year ago. When those people came, they brought her cooking oil and rice. They cared about her very much, and they were better than their own sons and daughters. Naturally, I am also very enthusiastic about Gu Yang.
Although Gu Yang didn't bring those daily necessities when he came, the old lady didn't mind.
Of course her family doesn't lack those things.
As people get older, they no longer have much interest in the so-called things outside the body. After all, if you don't take them with you in life or death, as long as they are enough, they will be enough.
On the contrary, there is an urgent need for more spiritual things.
Being cared about and valued by others is better than anything else.
"Last time, there was a group of young people. When they came here, they took this and that. I thought, I don't lack any of these things. I am already very grateful that you can come to see me, an old woman. Take anything or not.
It’s really not important.”
The old lady said with gratitude.
“They taught me how to use WeChat on mobile phones, how to buy things online, how to video chat... They also told me about their college life, and some even asked me what people in Dawa County were like decades ago.
It’s such a life. In short, I talked a lot with them and had a very fulfilling day.”
At the beginning, what the old lady said to Gu Yang was almost all off-topic.
Of course Gu Yang felt that she had no idea what she wanted to know.
Somewhat speechless and helpless.
He knows that some things cannot be rushed.
After the old lady completely let go of her suspicions, Gu Yang raised the subject of Cai Wenqi with her.
"Does the grandmother next door to you live alone?"
"Yes! She has a hard life. Because of her eye disease, she has never been married in her life. Now she has no children. It's so pitiful!"