At noon the next day, Shu Nian was woken up by a phone call.
Shu Nian slept very late yesterday, and at this time, due to lack of sleep, she has a severe headache. She rummaged through her phone in a daze, looked at the caller ID with frowning eyes, and answered the phone: "Mom?"
As if she didn't expect that she was still asleep at this point, Deng Qingyu asked in surprise: "Aren't you awake yet?"
Shu Nian turned over, buried himself in the quilt again, and muffled, "I just woke up."
"You don't have to go to the recording studio today?"
Hearing this, Shu Nian immediately woke up and sat up. After thinking it over, she immediately lay down and said obediently, "No, I don't have a job until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year."
"Then you..." Deng Qingyu asked hesitantly, "Do you want to go back to my hometown with my mother?"
Shu Nian fell silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
"If you don't want to, mom will bring you something to eat now." Deng Qingyu sighed, "I didn't go back last year, and I have to go back this year. I called your grandma yesterday and heard that she said that her heart is not feeling well recently. , have to go back and have a look.”
The "grandmother" Deng Qingyu said was not Wang Hao's mother.
It's Shu Gaolin's mother, Shu Nian's grandma.
Shu Nian squeezed the phone tightly and made up his mind, "When will you be back?"
"If we want to go, we will be ready to go there this afternoon." Deng Qingyu said, "We will drive there directly. If there is no traffic jam, we should get there at six or seven in the evening."
"Okay, I'll pack my things now."
"That's fine." Deng Qingyu said, "We'll go directly downstairs to you in a while. By the way, you don't have to come down too early. I'll come down after I call you."
"it is good."
After hanging up the phone, Shu Nian pulled out the suitcase from the room. Thinking that this trip would take a week, she stuffed a few more thick clothes, took a cosmetic bag and skin care products, and wandered around the house absent-mindedly, taking everything she wanted to bring.
After making sure there was nothing missing, Shu Nian packed the suitcase.
She sat on the carpet and looked at her phone with a hesitant expression. If it was before, Shu Nian felt that he would pack his things seriously, and then sit aside, waiting for Deng Qingyu to contact her.
Instead of being like now, when you can't concentrate on packing things, you are constantly thinking about a problem——
Do you want to tell Xie Ruhe about her going back to her hometown
Shu Nian didn't know if it was necessary to tell him about this kind of thing.
It feels a bit deliberate when I say it, but I'm afraid that he will find her and find no one if he doesn't say it.
She struggled for a while, and threw the phone aside depressedly, not understanding why she was so shy and worried about making a phone call.
Shu Nian stood up and changed into a suit of clothes. She went to the mirror and put on a thin layer of lipstick. Then he knelt down next to the closet and flipped through his socks, just in time to catch a glimpse of the mobile phone on the ground.
Be quiet for a second.
Shu Nian picked it up and dialed Xie Ruhe's phone.
The other end answered quickly: "Shu Nian?"
"Yeah." Shu Nian licked his lips, "It's me."
Xie Ruhe asked: "What's wrong?"
"I'm going back to my hometown soon." Shunian was a little nervous and said honestly, "So I can't accompany you to recover during this time, so I just want to tell you."
Hearing this, Xie Ruhe fell silent.
He didn't speak, and Shu Nian didn't know what to say: "Just talk about this, nothing else."
Soon, Xie Ruhe asked: "Go back to Shiyan Town?"
"Yes."
Xie Ruhe thought for a while, and gave a few more instructions: "Be careful, don't go out alone. If you have something to do, try to go out with someone you know, and don't go out alone."
After finishing speaking, he seemed to feel that his reaction was a little overdone, so he added something in a low voice.
"In Chinese New Year, thieves are rampant."
Shu Nian lowered his eyes, as if thinking of something, he was a little dazed: "I know."
The two didn't say any more. Just when Deng Qingyu called, Shu Nian said goodbye to Xie Ruhe, then packed his suitcase and left. At this moment, both Deng Qingyu and Wang Hao went downstairs.
Wang Hao came up to help her lift the box, and smiled at her kindly: "Nian Nian is beautiful again."
Shu Nian smiled awkwardly, "Hello, Uncle Wang."
Deng Qingyu came over to help her straighten her scarf, looked at her face, and frowned: "What time did you sleep yesterday, why are you so dark circles?"
Shu Nian said vaguely, "I'm a bit insomnia."
The three got into the car.
Wang Linxi didn't get out of the car, but stayed in the car, and waved happily: "Sister."
Shu Nian nodded to him, and sat with him in the back seat. She lowered her head to fasten her seat belt, but for some reason, it couldn't be inserted into the buckle.
Noticing her actions, Wang Linxi blinked and pointed to another buckle: "Sister, you should insert it here."
Shu Nian subconsciously switched to the buckle he mentioned, and successfully buckled it.
"thanks."
Wang Linxi is thirteen years old this year, and it is time for her body to grow. Compared to the last time Shunian saw him, he seemed to have grown taller again. He was very handsome, with a fair appearance, and his round eyes made him look like a little hamster.
Shu Nian didn't spend much time with him, and they were not familiar with each other.
She has always heard Deng Qingyu say that Wang Linxi has a very violent temper. He looks innocent, but he is like a bully in school, and the number of times he is called a parent in a semester cannot be counted on ten fingers.
But in front of Shu Nian, he seemed to have turned into a real little sheep.
He listened to her very much, and treated her with a close and friendly attitude.
Shu Nian remembered that when they first met, Wang Linxi didn't treat her like this. He put on a deep guard and resisted her coming, as if he was afraid that she would snatch his father away.
Nor did she recall when this attitude began to change.
will feel grateful.
Because of his attitude, occasionally Shu Nian would have a feeling that he is not completely an outsider, and besides her mother, there are people here who are looking forward to her arrival.
Shu Nian really didn't sleep well last night. Hearing Wang Linxi's chattering voice, he leaned against the back of the chair and fell asleep unconsciously. After waking up, I looked outside, only to find that I had already entered Shiyan Town.
It was already dark, there were no pedestrians on the road, it was deserted and desolate.
She subconsciously pinched the corner of her clothes tightly and looked away.
Wang Linxi next to him was not sleeping. He caught a glimpse of her movement from the corner of his eye. He raised his eyes from the phone and showed her neat white teeth: "Sister, do you want some water?"
Shu Nian lowered his head and flipped through the bag: "It's okay, I brought it."
Deng Qingyu was sitting in the passenger seat, and when she heard the voice, she looked over: "Niannian is awake? We'll be there soon, shall we go to grandpa's first? Or do you want to live with grandpa?"
Shu Nian thought for a while: "I'll go to Grandpa's side."
"..." Deng Qingyu looked hesitant, and asked her opinion hesitantly, "Then let's go to grandpa's first, and then go to see grandpa together later, shall we?"
Shu Nian nodded: "Okay."
The house they used to live in in Shiyan Town has been sold.
The uncle's family still lives in the grandfather's house, and there is no extra room for them to live in. Deng Qingyu could only follow her husband to live in her in-law's house, but the house was not too big to accommodate so many people.
Shu Nian felt that it would be more appropriate for him to live at his grandfather's house.
Shunem's grandfather and grandmother are a bit patriarchal. Deng Qingyu's elder brother gave birth to two sons, who were brought up by them, so they did not read the granddaughter personally.
The attitude is not bad, just not warm. I haven't seen her for a long time, and I haven't asked her how she is doing.
Wang Linxi is a child brought by Deng Qingyu's husband's family after her remarriage. Except for the three of them, there was basically no one who took the initiative to talk to him, and they seemed to be guests.
After dinner.
Sensing the silence of the two children, Deng Qingyu didn't stay long and offered to leave. The four of them said goodbye one by one and got back into the car. Shunian's grandparents lived nearby, and it took only a few minutes to drive there.
The two old people learned that Shu Nian was coming back in advance, so they were waiting at the door.
Shunian got out of the car and obediently called out: "Grandpa, grandma, I'm back."
"Is it Niannian?" Grandma Shu smiled kindly, came to hold her hand, and stared at her carefully: "Why are you so thin, why don't you go to Ruchuan to eat well?"
Shu Nian pursed his lips and smiled, but didn't speak.
Grandpa Shu reminded her from behind: "Come in first, don't let the child be cold outside."
Deng Qingyu said a few words to the two old men, then asked Shunian a few words, and then went to her husband's house with Wang Hao.
When their car drove away, Shu Nian was holding the hands of his grandparents, and was about to enter the house with them, when he suddenly heard a woman's cry not far away.
She looks back.
It was a middle-aged woman with disheveled hair and looked crazy. A young man followed behind, pulling her helplessly: "Mom, don't be like this... Shall we go home?"
With tears in her eyes, the woman said to herself, "Xiangxiang... Where did our Xiangxiang go? I can't find it... It's almost Chinese New Year, why haven't we come home..."
The young man coaxed her: "Shall we go home first? Xiangxiang might be at home."
Shu Nian recognized her.
It's Chen Xiang's mother.
In junior high school, the class next door suddenly disappeared, and the body of Chen Xiang was found a week later.
Grandpa Shu looked at Shu Nian, subconsciously pulled her back: "Let's go back."
The next moment, Aunt Chen raised her eyes and saw Shunian. She stopped crying, as if she recognized something, her eyes were wide open, she walked over slowly, and stood in front of Shu Nian.
Shu Nian subconsciously held her breath and took a step back.
The young man quickly grabbed her: "Mom!"
Aunt Chen didn't make any other movements. She stared blankly at her, and then burst into tears: "Good boy... good boy..."
Shu Nian clenched and loosened his fists, softly comforting: "Auntie, don't be sad."
Aunt Chen should be the same age as Deng Qingyu, but her hair has turned gray, her face is full of wrinkles, and she looks old and decadent. Because her daughter died tragically at the hands of others at the same age, she is no longer happy.
Whatever happened, she was no longer happy.
Every day and every night is like living in hell.
She would rather let herself die instead of her than live in this world like this one.
Shu Nian was a little nervous, his palms were sweating thinly. She wiped sweat onto her trousers, reached out to hold Aunt Chen's hand, and said softly, "The bad guys have been arrested. Chen Xiang is in the spirit of heaven, and will rest in peace."
Probably because seeing Aunt Chen's appearance, grandparents' hearts became heavy.
When the three of them entered the house, Grandma Shu told her, "Actually, it's fine at ordinary times, but when it comes to the holidays, she will start crying and look for that girl Chen Xiang everywhere."
Shu Nian let out a muffled hum.
Grandma Shu looked at her, didn't mention it again, and sighed: "In a blink of an eye, your father has been gone for almost five years, but it's so fast... why was he buried in Ruchuan? Let me think about it with your grandfather." It's hard to see him."
Shu Nian bent his lips and said, "I'll drive you in the future, let's go together."
"Nian Nian." Grandpa Shu waved at her.
Shu Nian walked over and squatted in front of him, like a puppy: "Grandpa."
Grandpa Shu rubbed her head, looking in a trance, staring at her eyebrows and eyes similar to Shu Gaolin's, his eyes were red without knowing it, tears were flowing, and he repeated three words back and forth.
"It's really nice..."
The two old people couldn't stay up all night, and they went back to their room to sleep on time at nine o'clock.
Shu Nian dug out the suitcase, took a shower in the bathroom, and then went back to the room. She slept in the room that Shu Gaolin used to live in, and the furnishings inside were the same as before.
Only the window was equipped with a layer of anti-theft bars, and two extra locks were installed on the door of the room.
When he saw the two locks, Shu Nian looked dazed, and he could probably guess what Deng Qingyu said to them. She pursed her lips, her nose sore inexplicably.
She turned on the light, climbed onto the bed, and tucked into the quilt.
The last few days have been festive.
Yesterday was Shu Nian's birthday, today is Valentine's Day, and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Shu Nian looked at Moments, was fed a mouthful of dog food, and quickly withdrew.
Shu Nian didn't know what to do, so he lay on the bed bored and practiced bubble notes for a while.
Soon he became sleepy, and his eyelids gradually drooped, as if being pulled down by something. She turned over and was about to tuck her head into the bed and sleep.
The next moment, the phone rang suddenly.
Shu Nian was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyelids, he answered the phone in a daze: "Hello?"
Xie Ruhe's voice came from next to his ear: "Shu Nian."
It was only early ten o'clock at this time, which was still early for both of them's normal routines.
Shu Nian rubbed his eyes vigorously, he didn't know what he was looking for, he just wanted to hear what he had to say, so he hung up the phone and went back to sleep: "What's wrong?"
He was silent for a few seconds, and asked softly, "Are you going to watch the year?"
Shu Nian repeated: "Shou Sui?"
"Um."
Shu Nian felt a little strange, but after thinking hard for a long time, he couldn't find anything strange, so he sat up, suppressed his sleepiness, and nodded seriously: "Hold on."
The two talked for a while, and Shu Nian gradually came to his senses.
She remembered what she had done today, and said hesitantly, "Is it New Year's Eve today?"
"..." Xie Ruhe didn't say anything.
"Then I don't seem to have had the New Year's Eve dinner today." Shu Nian scratched his head in a daze, and asked softly, "Should I make it up now?"
There was still silence.
Shu Nian thought for a while, then wondered: "But didn't my birthday just passed yesterday..."
Before Shunian finished speaking, Xie Ruhe suddenly interrupted her, as if someone had exposed a lie, and said in a slightly embarrassed tone, "I misremembered the time."
Shu Nian still hasn't reacted: "Huh?"
"Today is not New Year's Eve."
"what is that?"
Xie Ruhe paused, and said in a low voice, "... Valentine's Day."