The next day, I got up early and went to school to take the last final exam of this grade. At noon, I went home for lunch. There were only my mother and I. Grandpa, grandma and the Xu family went to visit their ancestors' graves. My mother told me that we had to vacate two rooms today and clean them up for the Xu family to stay in. The old people were not used to staying in hotels. So, the three of us had to squeeze together for the next few days. After lunch, I took a nap and went to school for the exam. Before leaving, my mother patted my shoulder and told me to go home early after the exam.
After the afternoon exam, I didn't dare to delay for a moment, humming a little tune and running back. I felt very relaxed, finally waiting for the summer vacation, and if I got the first place in the exam, my grandparents, parents and I would give a reward. Next semester, I will be a fifth-grade student!
One day, Grandpa Xu gave me a gift. The box was as big as a TV and the packaging was exquisite. I went back to my room and opened it. It was a toy organ. When I tapped it with my fingers, clear notes floated out. It really could play a nice tune.
After dinner, we went out for a walk again. But unlike yesterday, grandpa and grandma didn't go, and Uncle Xu didn't go either. They wanted to stay at home to reminisce about the past. Uncle Xu took Nanfang and our family of three to the riverside.
The hot and humid air was flowing slightly, the setting sun was slanting on the mottled brick wall, and we walked through several winding alleys and came to the river. Today, Xu Nanfang changed his clothes, shorts and sandals, and looked very refreshing. His face was full of childishness, and he looked a few years younger than yesterday.
"Qinqin, Nanfang is a guest, take him to have fun." My mother told me.
I nodded. Although Xu Nanfang was older than me, he was still a guest of our family. I took him to the grass by the river to catch grasshoppers, big and small, and put them in glass bottles to take back to see who could catch more and bigger ones. The big green-backed grasshoppers were the dumbest. If I pressed them gently, they would get stuck in my palm and couldn't get out. The small grasshoppers with brown heads were the most cunning and often slipped away through my fingers. Xu Nanfang had a lot of fun playing with me. I guess they didn't have these fun things over there.
"Qianqian, look, there's a super big one over there." Nanfang whispered in my ear.
I looked up and saw a big green grasshopper, about as long as my middle finger, resting on the tip of the grass. Nan Fang crouched down, opened his right hand, and slammed it down, "Haha, I caught it." He sat in the grass, stretched out his legs and rolled around, smiling with some pride, revealing his two small fangs.
"Look." I pried open his hands. Oh, I used too much force, and green water flowed out of the insect's body. "Eh, disgusting!" He looked at me a little dejectedly, and his expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry was very cute. I could see him clearly. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose, and full lips. Maybe it was because of the summer, his exposed skin was tanned a little dark red. "Hehehe." I laughed and pulled a big grass leaf to wipe his hands. The hands of the southerners are much bigger than mine, with long fingers, wide palms, neatly trimmed nails, and delicate skin.
I took him to catch dragonflies by the lotus pond. Nanfang held my arm and shook his head. “Dragonflies are beneficial insects.” I thought about it and it was true. It was also mentioned in the textbook. I should not appear to be a bumpkin in front of him. I took my hand back and introduced to him that we call dragonflies “dingding cats.” Nanfang smiled curiously and asked me why it was a cat. I couldn’t explain it, but it was called that anyway. This cat is not that cat.
The setting sun is bright, the sunset glows brilliantly, and the fields are quiet. In the distance, cicadas and frogs are chirping by the lotus pond, like whispers. By the river, red dragonflies are dancing in the sunset glow...
This beautiful picture has been treasured in my heart for many years, and it is still so clear today.
In a blink of an eye, the three members of the Xu family had lived in my house for more than a week. During this period, my aunts came back to visit once. My grandparents always treated the Xu family warmly and attentively. They walked around in the first few days, and spent the next few days drinking tea and chatting in the study. The best bedroom in the house was vacated for Grandpa Xu, and my parents treated him with special respect.
Later, I gradually learned from my grandparents that Grandpa Xu had no other relatives here. Back then, the Xu family fell into poverty, and Grandpa Xu was the only one left. My kind-hearted great-grandfather took him in. He had lived in the Zhao family since he was twelve or thirteen years old, and grew up with my grandfather. When he was in high school, he joined the army.
Nanfang played with me. Sometimes he told me about life in Taipei, street food in Taipei, their textbooks, student activities, and traditional Chinese characters. I asked him about Sun Moon Lake and Alishan, which I learned from the textbooks, and he answered me in detail. At that time, my impression of Taipei was so far away, so far that I could only see this place through TV dramas. I couldn't figure out which direction it was in. I only remember Nanfang telling me that Taiwan was a part of the motherland, in the far south.
At that time, the kids on our street would get together to skip rope, play shuttlecock and play badminton whenever we had a holiday. There were kids of all ages. The kids all said, "Qinqin brought a big kid." I formally introduced Nanfang to them and said, his name is Xu Nanfang, my brother.
Nanfang can play badminton and teaches us like a little teacher.
When I was playing shuttlecock, I accidentally kicked Wang Zhenzhen's new pants, leaving a dirty footprint on them. The chubby Wang Zhenzhen immediately glared at me, pouted her lips and shouted, "Zhao Qinqin, you kicked me and soiled my new pants, what do you say?"
I knew she wouldn't stop yelling, so I quickly reached out to pat it off, trying to get rid of the dirty spot, but for some reason, I couldn't get it off.
"My father brought this back from Chengdu." Wang Zhenzhen turned around and pushed me rudely. I leaned back and stumbled, hitting the wall. My elbow hurt a little, and I looked up and saw a small piece of skin was scratched.
Nan Fang appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of me. "You can go back and wash your dirty clothes. Don't push me."
Wang Zhenzhen still insisted, "Then go wash it for me and make it look like new!"
"Okay. But you have to take it off first and bring it back to us." Nan Fang said, turning his head slightly to smile wickedly.
Wang Zhenzhen was so angry that she ran away. Nanfang took my hand and looked at it, frowning, "Let's go back and apply some medicine."
… .
I started to look at Xu Nanfang differently from then on. This summer vacation I had an unexpected gain.
The three Xu family members stayed at our house for ten days before returning to Taiwan. When they left for the south, I hid behind a sycamore tree and said nothing. I felt very reluctant to leave. We didn't have a child of that age at home, and it was rare for one to come. I had just had fun playing with him, but he had to leave.
Mother stood in the middle of the yard and called me sideways, "Qinqin, we played together every day, but now I am leaving and I don't even come to say goodbye to Nanfang."
Only then did I come out from behind the sycamore tree.
"Qianqin, we'll be leaving soon." Nanfang said to me, carrying a canvas backpack.
"Oh. Goodbye, South."
"Goodbye!" (To be continued)