The Spring Festival is the most important day of the year for everyone. People who have worked hard for a year can put down their work and have a good rest. People who have worked in other places have already returned home.
Back home, carrying big and small bags, they return to their hometown to reunite with their families; those children can wear new clothes, new trousers, and new shoes on New Year's Eve, and receive thick New Year's money.
It seems that everyone is in a particularly good mood as the New Year approaches, but for some people, the arrival of the New Year is not a very pleasant thing, such as those who still stick to their posts, such as Wu Liang
, at this moment, he was leading the criminal investigation team and was worried about the murder case in Sanli Village in which three people died and five were injured.
When Xu Lang and Xiao Yueyue came back from Sanli Village, it was already around four o'clock in the afternoon and almost five o'clock in the afternoon.
The brand-new Spring Festival couplets, door paintings, and blessing characters have all been posted, and the fruits and vegetables for the New Year have been bought early. In fact, for Xu Lang's family, the arrival of the Spring Festival is no different from usual. On weekdays,
Xu Lang and Xiao Yueyue spent the New Year's Eve alone. Xu Lang and Xiao Yueyue spent the New Year's Eve alone. It was deserted and ordinary. It seemed that there was no difference. The only difference was that the old
The Spring Festival couplets and door paintings were replaced, and new ones were put up, that's all.
Xu Lang's home, or his new home, is actually not big. It is just a two-story red brick western-style building. The first floor is the living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. Of course, there is also a bedroom. However,
It was used by Xu Lang as a storage room. There were three bedrooms and a study room on the second floor. Xu Lang's room was the largest, located on the outside. Xiao Yueyue's bedroom was slightly smaller, next to Xu Lang's bedroom.
There is another bedroom next to Xiao Yueyue's bedroom, but no one lives in it. The innermost one is a study room.
The study was always locked, and only Xu Lang himself knew what was inside. Even Xiao Yueyue, who had grown up with Xu Lang since she was a child, didn't know. It seemed that no one had ever opened the study.
It was still early for the New Year's Eve dinner. After Xu Lang and Xiao Yueyue returned from Sanli Village, two people, one large and one small, moved two benches and sat at the door, watching the people passing by in front of their house.
These people were carrying a large bag in their hands, which contained items for ancestor worship, fire paper, incense, candles, and firecrackers.
Xu Lang is from City S, Province H. He grew up in a coastal city since he was a child. Although his parents later encountered changes, he and his sister Xu Chan followed their grandmother to live in the countryside. However, they did not spend the New Year's Eve on New Year's Eve.
It is the custom of going to worship their ancestors on the day of the Qingming Festival. They only go to the graves on the Qingming Festival and the anniversary of the death of their relatives. Zhuxi County is a small county and it is deep in the mountains. Many people of the older generation say that
The customs that have been passed down are still inherited by the younger generation.
Since Xu Lang settled here, every year on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, he would sit on a bench at the door and watch the people coming and going. Of course, it is different now than when he first came here.
, when Xu Lang first came here, he would also sit at the door and look at the passers-by outside. However, at that time, only a bench was enough, and Xiao Yueyue was still a baby and needed to be held in his arms. Now
, five years have passed, Xiao Yueyue has grown up, and needs two benches.
After Xiao Yueyue came back, she put her small schoolbag back in her bedroom. At this moment, she was sitting next to Xu Lang, arching her legs, supporting her arms on her knees, and supporting her with a pair of pink hands.
Looking at her childish cheeks, she looked curiously at the people passing by from the door of her house.
people who have passed.
Xiao Yueyue is very sensible. She is much smarter and precocious than the average peers. She has perfectly inherited this from Xu Lang and her mother. For a little girl who has lived in this small county town since she was a child,
She knew what those people were carrying, and she also knew that today was New Year's Eve. However, what she was curious about was why others would choose to pay homage to their ancestors and sweep their tombs. Why didn't Xu Lang take her there? So,
Xiao Yueyue looked at the road in front of the door and asked in a sweet voice: "Dad, why are they all going to pay homage to their ancestors and sweep their graves? Why don't we go?"
Xu Lang sat on the bench and leaned against the wall at the door. He squinted his eyes slightly and looked at the sky above his head. When he heard Xiao Yueyue's question, Xu Lang did not turn his head, but said lightly: "Because we
My relatives are not here."
"Oh, where are our relatives?" Xiao Yueyue tilted her head and asked Xu Lang's profile.
"In a place far, far away."
"What is that place?"
"In the southernmost part of China, on the edge of the sea."
"The sea? I haven't seen the sea yet? I heard that the sea is very big, full of water, endless, and you can't see the edge. Is this true?"
"It's true."
"Wow, when will we go back to pay homage to our ancestors and sweep their graves? I want to see the sea." Xiao Yueyue looked at Xu Lang expectantly.
Hearing Xiao Yueyue's question, Xu Lang fell silent. The expression on his face was very sad, even sad.
Xiao Yueyue kept looking at Xu Lang's face. She didn't know why Xu Lang didn't answer her, but she knew that Xu Lang must have remembered something that made him unhappy and sad. Xiao Yueyue discovered that Xu Lang now
Her expression was just like when she was three years old, lying on Xu Lang's lap, pinching Xu Lang's cheeks with both hands, and asking Xu Lang in a childish voice: "Dad, where is mom? Why isn't she with us?"
How about living together? Does she no longer want Xiao Yueyue? "
That time, Xu Lang was silent for a long time, without telling Xiao Yueyue where her mother was. At that time, Xu Lang's expression was the same as now.
Xiao Yueyue has been very sensible and precocious since she was a child. When she found that when she mentioned her mother, Xu Lang would be very silent. When she was very sad, she never mentioned her mother again, nor asked Xu Lang.
Where is mom?
No matter how smart, sensible, and precocious Xiao Yueyue is, she is only a child over five years old after all. When she started going to kindergarten, she saw that all the children in the kindergarten had their mothers taking them to school, and
She didn't have it. Xiao Yueyue was very envious. At the same time, there was also a bit of jealousy of a child, but she was more sad. She didn't know why. When she asked her father about her mother, he always said
Silently, she didn't know where her mother had gone. Did she abandon her and her father? She didn't even know why other people's fathers had black hair, while her own father had white hair.
Xiao Yueyue knew that Xu Lang had been very unhappy these years. As for why Xu Lang was unhappy, Xiao Yueyue was still young, and she couldn't guess it yet based on her IQ.
The two were silent for a long time. Xu Lang suddenly lowered his head, turned his head and looked at Xiao Yueyue, who had been holding up his face and looking at him carefully, and asked: "How old are you now?"
Xiao Yueyue was stunned for a moment, then showed a strange expression, blinking her big eyes that looked very similar to Xu Lang's, as if to say, you are my father, are you?
Don’t you know how old I am this year?
However, Xu Lang didn't speak and just looked at Xiao Yueyue.
Seeing that Xu Lang was silent, Xiao Yueyue thought for a while and said, "In three days, I will be six years old."
"Oh, Xiao Yueyue is almost six years old." Xu Lang murmured to himself, then looked at Xiao Yueyue and asked: "Do you want to go to the city where your father lived before?"
Xiao Yueyue didn't appear as happy as other children. She stared at Xu Lang's eyes for a long time, and then asked cautiously: "Do you want to go back?"
Xu Lang was stunned for a moment, knowing what Xiao Yueyue was thinking. He laughed dumbly, stretched out his hand and rubbed Xiao Yueyue's head without saying anything.
With her head being kneaded affectionately by Xu Lang, Xiao Yueyue behaved like a little kitten, lying on Xu Lang's lap, slightly squinting her eyes, enjoying Xu Lang's touch.
The two were silent for a while, and Xu Lang stopped the intimate gesture. He looked at Xiao Yueyue and said slowly: "Don't you really want to see the sea? After the New Year, let's go see the sea, okay?"
"
"Really?"
Xiao Yueyue was still just a child after all. When she heard Xu Lang say this, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Xu Lang with surprise on her face.
Xu Lang smiled and nodded without saying anything.
Seeing Xu Lang nodded, Xiao Yueyue's eyes suddenly narrowed into crescent moons, a happy smile appeared on her face, and the two dimples on her face suddenly appeared, looking so cute.
However, Xiao Yueyue's expression did not last long. She seemed to have thought of something, turned her head, glanced at the home behind her, and then asked: "Then we will come back after we leave?"
Xu Lang shook his head and said, "I'm not coming back."
"What about the house?"
"Just leave it here."
"Why don't you come back?"
"Because we still have a home by the sea."
"This is our home too."
"This is just our temporary home. Our home is in a place called S City."
"dad."
"Um?"
"Brother Lang."
"Um?"
"Xu Lang."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to see the sea anymore."
"Why?"
"I don't want to abandon this home."
"Our home is in the south, and this is just our temporary home."
"No, this is our home, our home is here."
"...."
The father and daughter, one large and one small, looked at each other, speechless. Xiao Yueyue's beautiful eyes were filled with tears. The tears were rolling in her eyes, but they did not flow out. She looked at Xu Lang stubbornly.
, seemed to be angry with Xu Lang.
Xu Lang looked at Xiao Yueyue and didn't say any harsh words or hit her. He just stretched out his slightly rough fingers and gently wiped away the tears that finally rolled down Xiao Yueyue's cheeks.
After wiping his tears, he didn't look at Xiao Yueyue, but looked at the sky, sighed lightly, and then said softly: "Then just wait a little longer."