Chen Fu sneezed and covered his nose. The pen was spinning on his fingertips. He was reading the book, but he was absent-minded because it was a little strange.
He clearly said that he didn’t need to go that day, but the next day, the female secretary or assistant called again and said that she hoped to continue to employ him. Chen Fu recalled the girl’s behavior and felt that she didn’t look like someone who could joke around.
.However, the conditions offered by the other party were indeed sincere and very polite. Not only did they double the previous salary, but they also made a statement that they would respect it even if they were unwilling.
"From now on, just come once a week. We will raise your salary, 150 yuan each time... However, the cleaning must be completed before six o'clock in the evening, and you must inform me in advance every time you come, and with my permission,
Only you can come... In addition, you can't enter the master room inside, and you can't touch the personal belongings placed outside, nor can the garbage... and the potted plants on the balcony..."
…
Earnest, that's probably what it meant. Chen Fu was a little confused, should he continue? He always felt that the owner of the house was difficult to get along with.
However, according to the other party, he should not face her directly in the future. Moreover, once a week, the work content is easier than before... Provided that the girl is not a sloppy boss, otherwise... Chen Fu said
Black line, intuition will not be such a good thing.
"Ayi! It's time to eat!"
"Okay, got it."
…
After going downstairs, Chen Fu saw his mother still cooking in the kitchen, so he packed up two sets of bowls and chopsticks and served soup.
"Did sister call you yesterday?"
"Hit."
"oh."
"I said she doesn't need to make phone calls every week, international long distance calls are very expensive..."
"Her company has subsidies."
"If you have subsidies, you can't waste them like this. It would be great to save them..."
"She misses you."
"well……"
…
While eating, Chen Fu listened to his mother's chatter, and just smiled and responded. She couldn't speak clearly, but her expression was obviously much more relaxed than when she didn't receive the call two days ago. As they chatted, she talked again
Among other things, ask about the study situation and tell interesting stories about the neighbors——
"That aunt on the street inside, I saw her yesterday. She was so much younger that she was almost unrecognizable."
"Which one?"
"The one whose husband died in a car crash, the one whose son's surname is Ji, is, oh, the one who married a very beautiful wife, remember?"
"oh!"
"You have seen her, you should remember. Didn't her wife just give birth to a daughter? When she came back, she was still alive. I took a look, oh, she is very, very beautiful. She looks very much like her mother. Especially those eyes.
Ah, tsk tsk, what the old man calls the seductive eyes will be terrible when you grow up..."
"Oh."
"Hey, do you remember that she has a daughter? Her name is Xiaoyu. She is in high school now and seems to be going to college soon. She is very beautiful and well-behaved, and she can also play the piano..."
"That's the guzheng..."
"Isn't it Qin? I think she has a very good personality and is polite..."
"When I'm full, I'll go up and review!"
…
Originally, although she was a bit verbose, Chen Fu listened while eating and occasionally responded. Seeing how satisfied she looked, he didn't feel impatient. But after hearing more and more, he knew that things were not going to be easy.
, so he made a quick decision and fled quickly.
Of course, it is impossible to review, even in this life.
Chen Fu went up to the rooftop to breathe for a while and water the vegetables... His mother was born as a peasant woman. When she had free time, she liked to grow things and raise chickens. However, unlike in the countryside, there was not so much land in the city, so she used to pick it up.
Bring back some pots, barrels, etc. that others don’t want and decorate them with mud so that you can plant them.
Pick up some crops. Most of them are fruits and vegetables that are easy to grow and harvest, such as tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, sweet potatoes, ginger, garlic...etc., there are also some dragon fruit, passion fruit, bitter tea, etc., she can do it.
She planted a little, and they all did well. Whenever there was a harvest, she would plant some
Zixi said that whatever he grew at home tasted good, had no pesticides, was green and healthy, and could save money... Seeing that she was happy, Chen Fu let her go. However, after all, this is not the countryside, with broken pots and broken pots.
It is unsightly and not durable. Over time, problems will arise. For example, there will be mud everywhere, and it will cause trouble.
Few insects, rats, mosquitoes and ants... made my sister very unhappy and had several conflicts with her. Chen Fu saw that there was no solution. Before going to college, he thought that she was alone at home with nothing to do, so he spent a few days cleaning the rooftop carefully.
I did some cleaning, threw away all the useless pots and pots, and built a few flower troughs.
Strictly speaking, it is a vegetable trough...
Chen Fu smiled bitterly. However, no matter what, at least it looks much neater and full of green plants, which is much more comfortable than cement boards.
Thumb——
Not far away, there was a sound of zheng playing. Chen Fu could not help but pause while splashing in the water and looked over. The melodious sound of the zheng played the song "Jackdaw Playing in the Water".
I haven't heard of it for two or three years.
Chen Fu put down the kettle and sat on the guardrail to rest and listen. There was a period in the early years when the girl was recuperating at home, and he could often hear it. Unfortunately, it soon became less frequent, and in recent years, it has almost never been heard.
According to the mother, it seems that the son of that family graduated from
Later, he started his own business, made a lot of money, and his family moved to the city... Chen Fu knew a little bit, because if you really think about it, he was somewhat related to that person, but he didn't like to socialize very much, and he didn't like to talk to him.
There is little interaction and therefore little connection to each other.
Sigh.
The wind has picked up and it is slightly cool.
Chen Fu squinted and saw a mountain in the distance. It was said to be a mountain, but it was actually not high. Looking over it, it could easily be blocked by buildings if you didn't look carefully. However, there was an iron tower on top. I don't know if it was a lightning rod or a signal tower.
Or something, tall and pointed, very eye-catching.
Not long after, "Jackdaw Playing in the Water" stopped, and another song played. It was still nice, but Chen Fu listened for a while and couldn't hear what it was. In fact, he didn't know anything about music. He knew "Jackdaw Playing"
I only remembered the word "water" when I thought it sounded good and searched for it.
Depending on the weather, today is a good day to go out.
Chen Fu finished pouring the water in the kettle and went downstairs to get his backpack. "Mom, I'm going out for a while."
"Where are you going? Are you coming back for dinner tonight?"
"Back!"
"Hey, burn some incense."
"oh."
…
Come to think of it, it's been almost half a year.
Chen Fu walked around along the route he took to school when he was a child, heading towards the residential area where he lived at that time. When he was in junior high school, his mother gritted her teeth and bought the residential building where she lives now. Soon after, she moved there and
I rarely come back. Especially in the past two years, when I went to college, my life was at home, and I moved between schools, even less. The most recent time I came here seemed to be one day near the New Year's winter vacation.
The former primary school has now become a health center; the former wasteland has now become a residential area; the former middle school has now become a private elementary school; the former smelly river has now become a less smelly smelly river.
...In ten years, the scene in my memory has changed beyond recognition.
"Shh, shh-"
Passing by the alley, women wearing scantily clad makeup were whistling and scratching their eyes.
Chen Fu glanced at her and walked over.
Even this once-famous slum has changed a lot now. Although the houses are still dilapidated and old, at least they are no longer so dirty and filthy. Although it is still a gathering place for people from the lower class of society, the ten rooms are half empty.
, at least it is no longer as overcrowded as before.
Chen Fu stopped and walked, looking at the earth-tile houses that had been renovated over and over again. For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to the countryside.
Logically speaking, land in cities is valuable now. A place like this on the edge of the town center is worth a lot of money, not to mention the land. In addition, it is dirty, messy, and has affected the appearance of the city. It should have been demolished a long time ago.
However, after all these years, it is still fine...no one dares to touch it.
The geographical location of this place is too special. It is surrounded by hills, and you can't take them back even if you want to - ordinary mountains can be bulldozed, but this hill was once a small battlefield, and there was a small cemetery on it. So.
, even if someone is willing to spend money and contribute, the district government dare not approve it. Every year during Qingming Festival, they organize commemorative activities. It is said that not only will they not be expropriated, but they will probably plan to protect it in the future.
Chen Fu stood at the intersection of the alley where he used to live and looked at his former residence. It had also been briefly renovated and had an additional iron gate. It must have been that no one had lived there for a long time, and the door locks were rusty and the ones under the eaves were rusty.
The Bagua mirror is hung with spider silk, the door god, and the couplets are all faded and tattered.
Most of my childhood memories are blurred, so when I look at them, I feel a little dreamy. If I had not come here, if I had stayed in the outside world, then I might think of it as a dream when I think about it occasionally. Past events
I can't bear to look back, that's probably how I feel.
Chen Fu laughed to himself and walked downhill to the small street behind.
Although it is a small road, it is a country road after all, so the scene is different. Most of the buildings on both sides of the road are small buildings, with a few small shops, and occasionally one or two small bungalows. If you haven’t seen it with your own eyes,
, you can hardly imagine that the difference just across an alley can be so huge.
After looking at the roadside, Chen Fu walked toward the end of the street. Looking carefully, at the end of the road, there was a tile-roofed house covered with cloth. It was really not big, probably only three or four meters wide.
It was retracted and placed side by side with an old house in front of it. It looked more like a pigsty or something like that.
A few children were playing there, pointing around and not knowing what to say. After a while, they suddenly seemed to be frightened by something, and ran away in a hurry, screaming and laughing as they ran.
He was standing and shouting "ghost", "the old witch is coming, run" and so on.
Chen Fu frowned and walked over.
This is a tile-roofed house that has collapsed in half. A wooden pillar is used to hold up the door beam, and a tarpaulin is draped on it. The door is not paved with cement, but is still mud and sand. There are many things piled on both sides, almost all of which are rags. Take them out.
Things that are not wanted at the scrap collection station have a pungent and unpleasant smell. Next to the garbage dump, there is an old longan tree with most of its leaves missing. Under the tree, there is an old woman sitting on a tree made in the last century.
On the bamboo chair.
She was too thin, with thin and gray hair, and a hunched body. She looked like she was only as big as a teenager. It was almost evening, and the sun shone on the gray-yellow clothes she was wearing, reflecting a faint warmth.
Light. She is so thin that the waste products next to her are more conspicuous than her.
Chen Fu approached her, but she didn't notice it at all. She just looked at the children who were laughing at her, with a smile on her wrinkled face, and her eyes were as gentle as the sunshine shining on her face. Chen Fu pursed his lips. Same as half a year ago.
In comparison, she is even older, she looks to be eighty or ninety years old.
"Aunt Juan, Aunt Juan!"
"Huh?"
She turned around, looking dazed for a moment, then nodded "Oh, oh" and tried to stand up, but was supported by Chen Fu with quick eyesight and hands.
However, she is only in her sixties.
Chen Fu shook his head and pushed her hard to sit down, "Sit down, sit down."
"Hey, I didn't take a shower, I didn't take a shower..."
"It's okay, it's okay."
Chen Fu pursed his lips and smiled, indicating to her that it was okay. Because people often disliked her for not taking a shower or changing clothes, and they thought she smelled heavy, so over time, she would have a stress reaction when seeing people. Chen Fu squatted down, but
Almost as tall as she sits... She is a hunchback.
A congenital spinal deformity, with her back bulging to one side, like carrying a small pot on her side. It was okay more than ten years ago, but now she is older, lacks nutrition, exercise, and muscle atrophy, and she is afraid that she cannot even stand even.
One meter and two meters were gone. Chen Fu saw her eyes twinkling, so he smiled and asked, "Do you still remember me?"
"You are..." She muttered, her eyes cloudy.
"never mind."
Chen Fu smiled and shook his head, pulled his backpack in front of him and opened it.
The old man smiled sheepishly, reached into his pocket and took out a few yellow-white things, "Here, eat some candy."
Chen Fu looked at it and smiled bitterly in his heart.
Those were a few White Rabbit milk candies. To be more precise, they were a few that had been there for who knows how long, and she didn't know how long she had kept them in her pocket. They had melted due to the sultry weather, and even the wrapping paper was melted.
White rabbit toffee that is dyed, slightly yellowed and looks a bit sticky.
Chen Fu felt a million rejections in his heart, but seeing her friendly and expectant eyes, he still took one. Then, he took out two rows of yogurt and a bag of bread and nutritious cereals from his bag. He flipped through it.
He took out a pack of six towels and a bottle of revitalizing oil.
When she saw this, she shook her head repeatedly: "Oh, I don't want it, I don't want it..."
"It's not mine, it was given by the community."
"The community, oh, the community."
"Um."
Chen Fu nodded, opened a drink of yogurt and handed it to her. This time she did not refuse, holding the box in both hands, lowering her head, and drank slowly. I don't know if she was thirsty or lack of energy, but she sucked a little hard, but it was nothing.
The fleshy cheeks appear more sunken and skinny, as if only the skin is left against the jaw.
"Aunt Juan, you should go out for a walk more often, don't stay in there all day..."
"Uh, uh..." She drank the yogurt and just nodded.
"Don't worry, there's more."
Chen Fu found a small rubber stool with a broken leg nearby and sat down. He watched her clutching the box, her body slightly curled up, her eyes blurry, and he couldn't help but feel sad.
Poor man.
Chen Fu opened another box of yogurt. She grinned innocently, revealing the few remaining yellow and black teeth and the remaining milky white yogurt. She looked at it. Chen Fu shook his head with a sullen smile, took a piece of bread, and chewed
Tear it into finger-sized strips and hand them to her one by one to eat.
The first time I met her, I must have been when I was eight or nine years old. At that time, I was still young, so I was a little curious and scared when I saw her. I remember saying something bad and then being scolded by my mother. Again
Later, as I grew older, I went to more vegetable markets, saw her more often, bought more groceries from her, and became familiar with her, so I was no longer afraid of her.
Under curiosity and compassion.
At that time, she was not like she is now. At that time, she should not be fifty years old. Although she was disabled, she was tenacious and tenacious. She established herself in the market alone and got up early in the morning (most vegetable vendors are like this, at night
I have to sell goods at 12 o'clock, and there is business at three or four o'clock in the morning. If I am unlucky, I have to sell until six or seven o'clock in the afternoon.
To this day, every time my mother talks about her, she still says that she is great, that it is not easy for her, that her life is miserable, and then that she is stupid.
In the past, Chen Fu thought it was true, but now thinking about it, what did she do wrong? Everyone said she was pitiful, but can someone like her really live a normal life relying on the mercy of others?
She has been single for more than 40 years. She crawled out of nowhere in the world. She started begging when she was young, and started fighting for her life when she was a teenager. She provides for her own food and clothing, and manages her own life. She does not trouble others or society. That is enough.
Right? But so what? Even if the conditions are no longer
Men who are bad but just want to live a good life will stay away from her. Men who survive in the market do not have a high status in society, right? They do business with her, help her, respect her, and talk to her.
She laughs, but almost no one will treat her as a normal woman. And she just wants to build a family. As long as it is a man who looks like a human being, she is willing to accept it. However, even so, God is not willing to give
A good result for her.
Chen Fu looked at her eating without chewing and couldn't figure it out.
If she hadn't wanted to live a normal life, why would she have ended up like this? After decades of hard work, her savings could have been enough for her to enjoy her old age.
"The one surnamed Li seems to be a local. She gambles all day long, takes women out, and I heard she also takes drugs. She is really stupid. She has been defrauded of all her money... That white boy, like his father, is very lazy and lazy.
She learned how to steal when she was eight years old. She stole everything. When she was a teenager, she robbed. She was arrested and sent to a labor camp for two years...She was stupid. She worked so hard that she gave all her money to those two sons. Sooner or later, these two beasts would be killed.
Killed by lightning..."
At that time, everyone in the market basically knew this.
Chen Fu heard it several times and was deeply impressed. For a moment, he really wanted to meet this father and son, who were recognized as trash, and see what they looked like. Unfortunately, not long after Chen Fu learned about these things, it was rumored that
The old man was electrocuted to death. He was not really struck by lightning, but just for stealing wires. However, he was lucky enough to meet the little 'white boy' once. But that was more than ten years ago.
, the other party was probably only in her teens or 20s at that time. He snatched her bag in front of everyone in the market, grabbed a handful of money and left. Chen Fu still remembered the scene where she got up from the ground and smiled awkwardly.
.At that time, he was thinking that even though he was not his own, even if it was a wild dog picked up on the roadside, it would be well-fed after ten or eight years of raising it, right? Later he learned that there are really unfamiliar dogs in this world.
.
Now, she can't even pick up trash. A few years ago, when Chen Fu saw her, she could still pick up some trash to make a living. In recent years, after hearing that her stepson was arrested and imprisoned, she completely changed her mind.
Crossed. Although the local community occasionally sends people to help her, she still has a stepson in name. Even if the other party doesn't ask, she does not fall into the category of a widowed elderly person according to the regulations. Even the district government can only do
Useless mediation and limited relief. And since she
In the years after her stepson's accident, her mental condition became worse and worse. It was difficult to even walk around, and she became even more stubborn and unwilling to leave. She said she would wait for her son to come back. She only remembered Chuchu when he was eight or nine years old.
At that time, although it was short-lived and his attitude was very bad, he was still young after all, and he would still listen to people if he was coaxed. And this, for her, was already the most unforgettable memory in her life.
.She was afraid that if she left this shack, she would never be able to find it again.
Chen Fu left her things and told her to move out more, remember to eat, change towels more often, wipe her body more often, wash her feet more, and rub active oil on her joints if they hurt... Although she nodded with a humble smile.
, but Chen Fu knew that she probably didn’t remember anything.
In the evening, Chen Fu helped her to the door, but she was unwilling to leave and stubbornly held on to the door frame. Chen Fu had to give up and left under her gaze. Then he stopped behind the longan tree and turned around to look.
.The room was dark, and she trembled, as if she had walked into the netherworld.