But after a while, the bean-sized raindrops crashed down, Ji Leshui and Lin Banxia ran away, and when they reached the stairs, they both sank like chickens. Ji Leshui didn't know whether to laugh or cry, saying that the boss is really powerful, and he even knew it was going to rain, but unfortunately the two of them slipped a little slower, but within a few minutes, the two of them were covered in water.
Lin Banxia sighed and said, "Let's go, just in time to go back to take a bath."
When they got home, Lin Banxia saw Xiao Kuo still sitting on the sofa, what it was like when they went out. Peppa Pig was still playing on the TV, and he was shaking his thin leg bones with relish. Lin Banxia walked over, touched the smooth back of its head, and said, "It's been a day since I watched it, and you're still not tired of it?"
Xiao Cave shook his head, indicating that he was not tired at all.
Lin Banxia couldn't help but smile, always feeling like she had raised a little boy. He took a change of clothes and went to take a shower. When he came out, he heard the wind getting louder and louder, so he walked to the balcony and wanted to check whether the window was closed. The wind was rustling outside the window, and the heavy rain swept the whole world. The thin glass seemed to be unable to hold up, and it couldn't stop creaking. Lin Banxia glanced downstairs and saw Song Qingluo standing in the open space downstairs, talking to someone. The man across from him was wearing a raincoat, so he couldn't see his face clearly, but he could vaguely feel that the atmosphere between the two was not good.
Lin Banxia knew that Song Qingluo hated water, but at this time he was soaked all over, and he didn't intend to go elsewhere to avoid the rain. Lin Banxia looked a little worried, turned back to the house, grabbed an umbrella, and ran into the elevator.
After going downstairs, Lin Banxia rushed into the rain with an umbrella, and soon found Song Qingluo and the man standing opposite him not far away.
"Nah." Knowing that the two of them must be talking about something, Lin Banxia didn't dare to say anything, and simply handed out the two umbrellas in her hand. Song Qingluo was slightly taken aback when she saw Lin Banxia, but she was still stunned. With kindness, Lin Banxia took the black umbrella. The person standing opposite Song Qingluo didn't extend his hand, turned his head to look at Lin Banxia, "No, thank you."
"Why don't you go in and talk? It's raining so hard outside—" Lin Banxia cried.
"No, we're done talking." The man said, he turned around and disappeared into the rain.
Song Qingluo stood there and looked at him with a cold expression. He was soaked all over, his black hair was against his cheeks, and his face was as pale as paper. There was so much rain that raindrops hung on his eyelashes. He blinked, and the raindrops fell. At first glance, it looked like a tear. But these gentle tears were so incompatible with his indifferent expression.
"Go back." Song Qingluo said softly.
Lin Banxia followed behind him, and the two entered the elevator one after the other. The atmosphere in the elevator was a little quiet, Lin Banxia was struggling with how to break the embarrassment, but Song Qingluo spoke first, he said, "The heresy of No. 47777 lost control when the stress was released, and three monitors died. "
Lin Banxia was taken aback: "Out of control?"
"Well." Song Qingluo said.
Lin Banxia said, "Need you to come?"
"No need for now." Song Qingluo said, "They are still trying other methods. If it fails, it will be very troublesome."
Lin Banxia said, "What is number 47777?"
Song Qingluo glanced at Lin Banxia and said softly, "It was a dream."
Lin Banxia was stunned, showing a look of doubt.
But Song Qingluo didn't intend to explain in detail. Judging from his solemn expression, this thing seemed to be more troublesome than what he said. I don't know if it was because the previous injury was not fully healed, or because of the rain, Song Qingluo came out. When he reached the elevator door, he staggered a step under his feet, but fortunately Lin Banxia stretched out his hand to support him: "Are you alright?"
Song Qingluo: "...It's okay."
He said that he was fine, but it didn't look like he was fine at all. Lin Banxia felt that there was no temperature in his hands at all, and it was as cold as a dead person. Lin Banxia pursed her lips and said, "Go back to take a shower first and change your wet clothes."
Song Qingluo nodded.
When Song Qingluo was taking a bath, Lin Banxia was waiting outside. He noticed that Xiao Cao, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, jumped off the sofa, and stopped looking at Peppa Pig, he kept on Supporting his head towards the bathroom, he seemed a little worried about Song Qingluo.
Lin Banxia touched its head to soothe its emotions.
Song Qingluo went in quickly, and came out quickly. He came out with a bath towel around his lower body. Lin Banxia saw his well-textured abdominal muscles. The wound from the last time in Russia was almost healed. , but still can see a faint red line running through it, at first glance, it is really annoying. He rubbed his wet black hair, half-drooped his eyes, walked to the sofa and sat down, turned his head, looked at the pouring rain outside the window, and sighed inaudibly.
Lin Banxia handed the hairdryer to him.
"Is it serious?" Lin Banxia asked.
"It's okay." Song Qingluo said.
Lin Banxia said: "The one just now... is also a watcher? He looks so young." Now that I think about it, that person's face is too young, and he is not tall. If you don't look closely, you might think that he is still a high school student.
"His face is small." Song Qingluo had no energy.
Seeing that he was not feeling well, Lin Banxia was too embarrassed to disturb him again. She raised her hand to turn off the TV, took a blanket from the room and put it on him, and said, "Go to sleep for a while."
Song Qingluo said, "The hair is not dry yet." He didn't like water, and he didn't like wet hair, but putting his hands in the wet hair to dry it didn't seem to be a comfortable thing, so he sat on the sofa. , looked at the hair dryer in front of him, and didn't move for a while.
This appearance made Lin Banxia smile. In front of him, Song Qingluo had always been synonymous with reliability. It seemed that only when he encountered water would he show his childish side. Lin Banxia said, "Otherwise I'll give you a blow?"
Song Qingluo raised her head and glanced at him, and actually agreed: "Okay." He turned his head as he spoke.
Lin Banxia walked to Song Qingluo's side, picked up the hairdryer and started to help him dry his hair. Song Qingluo's hair was a little long and felt as smooth as silk. This was Lin Banxia's first time blowing her hair, and she was very careful, for fear of hurting Song Qingluo.
Song Qingluo's expression relaxed, and her eyes slowly closed.
When Lin Banxia was halfway through, she heard Song Qingluo's breathing becoming more and more even, as if she fell asleep just like that. He hurriedly quickened his movements, dried the rest of his hair, and carefully left the sofa.
Song Qingluo leaned against the sofa and slept soundly.
Lin Banxia looked at his sleeping face, but suddenly remembered his sister. His parents went early, and he had almost no concept of family since he was a child, let alone enjoy the warmth of family. And friends, no matter how good they are, can't take the place of family. Without his sister, Lin Banxia might not have been able to live until now. Those obscure memories were so torturous that he simply forgot about it, and even the appearance of his sister became blurred.
The night was getting darker, but the rain didn't stop, but it didn't matter, the sun would rise as usual the next day.
Although there was a small episode, Lin Banxia's return to his hometown was mentioned on the itinerary as planned. He bought the ticket a few days in advance, prepared his luggage, and set off with Song Qingluo.
Maybe it was because of the timidity of being close to the hometown. After getting on the train, Lin Banxia was a little nervous and fidgeting in his position. Their hometown is remote and there is no plane, so they can only get through the train. They have to sit in the car for one day and one night, and then transfer to the bus to the county seat.
Song Qingluo asked, "How long has it been since you went back?"
Lin Banxia said, "I didn't go back when I went to college. If I had to make a hard calculation, I hardly ever came home from high school..."
Song Qingluo snorted.
"My parents died in a car accident, and I don't have any relatives, just an aunt," Lin Banxia told her story, "No way, they can only take my burden, and I understand them. , at that time no one was rich, and suddenly having one more child was always a burden."
Song Qingluo said, "Did they treat you badly?"
Lin Banxia smiled: "It's not too good, beating and scolding are commonplace, and I'm used to it." He reached out and scratched his hair, showing a helpless look.
Song Qingluo's eyes stayed on Lin Banxia's hair. Before, he always thought that Lin Banxia had dyed her hair, but after asking about it, she found that Lin Banxia had not dyed her hair, but was born with natural hair. The color is lighter than normal. Song Qingluo had only seen this kind of situation in some malnourished children, and his brows were invisibly wrinkled.
Lin Banxia's attention was elsewhere, and he didn't notice the change in Song Qingluo's expression. He continued to talk about the past: "Actually, I don't remember the memory clearly at that time. I just felt hungry." He rubbed it. Rubbing his stomach, he said with a smile, "Children at that age are greedy, and it seems that they have never eaten enough."
Song Qingluo pursed her lips and said nothing.
"My aunt has a son and a daughter, and the daughter is my cousin." Lin Banxia said, "But family planning was still in progress at that time, so my daughter was simply sent to someone else's house to be raised, and she would recognize her when she was older, probably because Well, they don't like my sister very much."
Song Qingluo said, "What's your sister's name?"
Lin Banxia said, "My name is He Xiaohua."
Song Qingluo: "It's a cute name."
Lin Banxia didn't laugh: "They say cheap names are easy to support... Just pick one." He put down the phone and yawned, "I'm a little sleepy, I'll go to bed first."
Song Qingluo said yes.
It was late at night, but the sound of the train clattering did not stop. Lin Banxia had a dream that he had returned to the hometown he remembered. In my hometown, there are trails crisscrossing the fields, and there are lush flowers and plants growing on the ridges of paddy fields. He was holding a girl whose face could not be seen clearly, jumping in front of him, suddenly someone called his name behind him, he turned his head, but only saw a black shadow, the black shadow slowly walked to his In front of him, he was about to ask who you are when he saw a hand stretched out from the black shadow and pushed him heavily.
He staggered under his feet, his body was crooked and he was about to fall off the paddy field next to him. His sister, who was holding him, tried to reach out to hold him. Before he could be happy, he found that her sister's hand had turned into a bare bone.
"Ah!!" Suddenly waking up from the dream, Lin Banxia saw Song Qingluo's face close at hand, he was breathing heavily, his face was covered in cold sweat, and his body even shivered involuntarily.
Song Qingluo asked, "Are you alright?"
"No, it's fine." Lin Banxia raised her hand and wiped her face.
"Did you dream of something bad?" Song Qingluo asked.
Lin Banxia said, "... um."
Song Qingluo was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Do you remember the perfume we gave you when we first met?"
Lin Banxia said, "Perfume? Is it the one he brought when he first met Li Su?"
"Well." Song Qingluo said, "That perfume is also heretical."
Lin Banxia was stunned for a while, not understanding what Song Qingluo did when she suddenly mentioned perfume.
Song Qingluo said: "Its role is to remind you of the most beautiful change in your memory..." He spoke slowly and lightly, "But at the time, your reaction seemed a little wrong. Do you still remember that when you Do you remember anything?"
The best change? Lin Banxia thought that although he couldn't remember what he remembered when he smelled the perfume, he had a vague impression that it didn't seem like a pleasant experience. But since it was not a pleasant experience, why did he feel that this was the best change in his life? What do you think, it's all wrong logic, right? !
Lin Banxia couldn't figure it out: "I don't remember, but the most beautiful change should also be beautiful, right?"
Song Qingluo said, "Usually yes."
Lin Banxia: "Usually?"
Song Qingluo said, "There are some exceptions."
Lin Banxia smiled bitterly, thinking that he was one of these exceptions, and thinking of the pictures in the dream made him feel more uneasy. Song Qingluo noticed Lin Banxia's unease, and said softly, "It's alright, I'm here."
Lin Banxia raised her eyes and met Song Qingluo's black eyes.
"Thank you." Lin Banxia heard her own voice, a little dry, "Thank you for coming back with me." Thinking about it, Song Qingluo can only be regarded as a good friend with him, but she doesn't know why he is willing to accompany him Return to your distant home by yourself.
Song Qingluo said: "Don't think too much, just sleep."
Lin Banxia nodded and fell asleep.
The day and night on the train finally passed, and the surrounding scenery gradually changed, from a vast plain to an ups and downs mountain, and the dense forest stretched as far as the eye could see. In the morning and evening, you can see floating in the Thick fog on the top of the mountain.
With a neigh of the train, it stopped on the tracks.
Song Qingluo carried her luggage and got off the bus with Lin Banxia. After walking out of the station, she saw the small town Lin Banxia described.
In the past few years, this small town has also undergone great changes. Most of the low-rise buildings have become tall buildings, and the greening has been done well. From the county seat to Lin Banxia's home, it took more than an hour by bus. Lin Banxia went to a nearby station to buy a ticket.
"The change is quite big." Lin Banxia sighed, "In the past, these places were all factory buildings, but now they have changed."
"Where did you study before?" Song Qingluo asked.
"In a small school in our county," Lin Banxia said, "At that time, my grades were good, and the head teacher helped me apply for a scholarship. good."
Song Qingluo said, "The school is still there now?"
"It's here." Lin Banxia said, "My sister should also go to school there." He looked at the surrounding scenery with a confused expression. In just a few short years, the surrounding area has changed too much. The place can see what it looked like back then.
The bus leaves every 20 minutes. If it is full of people in advance, you can go directly. But now everyone's conditions are getting better and better, and more people have cars, so not too many people take the bus. After Lin Banxia got into the car, he chose a seat by the window and sat down. Song Qingluo was beside her, looking around with interest. Today is Friday afternoon, the school is on holiday, and there are a lot of students in the car one after another. The students are all wearing blue and white school uniforms, and they all look youthful. It's just that Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo are really incompatible with the simple style of the people around them, especially Song Qingluo. Although that expressionless handsome face doesn't seem easy to get along with, there are still many little girls quietly. He cast his gaze towards him, and even whispered in a low voice.
Song Qingluo didn't change her face, she was obviously used to the special attention given to him by the people around her, but Lin Banxia was a little timid and fidgety in her seat. Song Qingluo didn't ask him what was wrong. Candy, handed to Lin Banxia.
Lin Banxia tore open the candy wrapper and stuffed it into her mouth. She was a little dumbfounded and said, "How come the candy also tastes like cola."
Song Qingluo didn't think something was wrong: "Isn't it delicious?"
Lin Banxia said: "It's delicious but delicious... just... why do you like Coke so much?"
Song Qingluo said that she didn't know either.
With candy in her mouth, Lin Banxia saw the conductor get on the bus and counted the number of people, and told them to fasten their seat belts, and then the driver set off. Because there were so many students and there was a lot of noise on the bus, Song Qingluo asked casually, "How long will it take to get there?"
"It used to be four hours." Lin Banxia said, "I wonder if the road has been repaired now."
"Where are you going?" As soon as Lin Banxia said this, a childish voice came from the side. Song Qingluo turned her head to look and saw a little girl with a ponytail. The girl had a round face. She had an oval face, and all her hair was wiped to the back of her head, making her look even more round. She supported her head curiously, looked at Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo, and sat behind her timid companion, who seemed surprised that she dared to dare. Talking to a stranger, he reached out and tugged at her sleeve.
The outgoing little girl just pretended that she didn't feel it, and continued to ask, "Where are you going?"
Lin Banxia said, "Go to Diangupo...Is there a road there?"
"It was repaired, and the road was repaired a few years ago." The little girl said, "Are you from here?"
Lin Banxia nodded and said again, "Are the schools and hospitals still in town?"
At his time in Diangupo, there was a junior high school and a hospital, but because of the remote location, the facilities were very rudimentary.
"Hospital and school?" The little girl patted her shiny head. "The school is gone, and the hospital has changed. How many years have you not been back?"
Lin Banxia smiled bitterly: "It's been some years..."
The little girl said, "The school has no one to go to, and it has long been abandoned. If the hospital is at the entrance of the town, you can get out of the car and walk a few steps." She looked at Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo curiously, "You two. Are the two coming back to visit relatives?"
Lin Banxia replied vaguely, Song Qingluo looked at him, and found that Lin Banxia's fingers on his knees were twisted together involuntarily, and the blood on the fingers disappeared, as if it had been since the moment he returned here From then on, Lin Banxia felt uncomfortable.
The little girl didn't notice Lin Banxia's strangeness, and was still excitedly introducing what she knew, saying that the town was rich now, the houses were all renovated, and it was no different from the city, and a large park was built...
Lin Banxia was still listening at the front, but he was a little distracted at the back, until he was lightly patted by Song Qingluo, then he came back to his senses and asked, "You said the high school in town is gone? When did it go away? "
"A few years ago," the little girl said.
"What about the students inside?" Lin Banxia originally remembered that her sister went to high school in the town, but now someone told him that she would not go to high school.
"I don't know, maybe you came to the city." The little girl said, "Are you uncomfortable? Why is your face so bad?"
Song Qingluo said softly, "He's a little tired, let him rest first."
When the little girl heard it, she sighed obediently.
Lin Banxia was indeed a little uncomfortable. He just thought he was tired, and with a slight force on his teeth, he chewed the cola candy in his mouth into pieces, and swallowed it down his throat in a panic. Seeing that his face was wrong, Song Qingluo reached out and touched his forehead, who knew that the hand was cold, and there was even cold sweat.
"Are you okay?" Song Qingluo asked in a low voice.
"It's fine, I'm fine." Lin Banxia said. "I... I'm fine." He grabbed the bag in his hand tightly, forcing himself to calm down, "It's just a little cold."
Song Qingluo looked up at the air conditioner above their heads and was sure it was off.
"Alas." Lin Banxia said, "Maybe it's been too long since I came back, so be nervous." He lowered his eyes, looking depressed and sad, "I haven't been to my parents' grave for many years, just because I don't want to. return."
Song Qingluo said, "Are you afraid?"
"I don't know either." Lin Banxia said, "It stands to reason that no matter how bad my aunt and uncle treat me, I shouldn't react like this..." He leaned on the seat, a little confused.
Song Qingluo didn't comfort Lin Banxia, but just stretched out her hand and pressed it lightly on his forehead. The warm palm brought a steady stream of heat to Lin Banxia's body, making the piercing chill fade away. Not a lot.
The bus started and drove towards the town.
Three hours later, the bus finally reached its destination and stopped at the town's station. Lin Banxia picked up her luggage and got out of the car with Song Qingluo. The little girl who talked to them just now also got off here, and Lin Banxia asked how to get to the hospital by the way.
"It's right next to it." The little girl pointed. "There, see? It's there."
Lin Banxia looked up and saw a white building. Indeed, as the little girl said, but in a few years, the town has changed a lot. The dilapidated buildings in his memory have all turned into towering towers, and the muddy paths underground have also been built into broad avenues. The whole town exuded an unfamiliar smell, almost nothing like the hometown in Lin Banxia's memory.
According to what the uncle said on the phone, his aunt should be in the hospital in the town now, and he only needs to take out his mobile phone and make a call to get the answer.
But with the phone in hand, Lin Banxia hesitated, Song Qingluo waited for a while, and suddenly said, "Shall I come?"
Lin Banxia hesitated for a moment, but still handed out the phone.
Song Qingluo pressed the number directly, and Lin Banxia asked curiously, "Do you remember the phone number?"
Song Qingluo said, "I wrote it down when your uncle called you last time."
Lin Banxia felt as if she should say something, but when the words came to her lips, it became a cry.
The call was quickly connected. Uncle's accented voice came from the other end. He thought it was Lin Banxia, and Song Qingluo couldn't understand the complaint, so he interrupted him directly: "I'm Lin Banxia's friend. Which hospital building are you in now? We've already arrived in town, and we'll be here soon."
Probably because his tone didn't sound very friendly, his uncle immediately shut his mouth and said, "Three Buildings 6-8, you guys are really... back?" For some reason, he became very cautious, who was still aggressive just now.
"Well, see you later." Song Qingluo hung up the phone.
"Let's go." Handing the phone to Lin Banxia again, Song Qingluo said.
Lin Banxia nodded, and the two headed towards the hospital.
The hospital in the town is relatively small, and there is only one building in the inpatient department. It is already afternoon now. The elevator rose slowly and quickly reached the sixth floor. Song Qingluo walked in front and saw 6-8 with the door open. At this time, the door of 6-8 was open, Song Qingluo walked to the door and saw two middle-aged people inside, a man and a woman. The woman was lying on the bed, and she didn't seem to be in a good condition. The man was sitting next to him, holding a lunch box in his hand and digging it into his mouth.
Lin Banxia's footsteps as she was about to go in stopped at the door.
After careful calculation, he and his uncle and aunt hadn't seen each other for almost ten years. When he saw their faces again, his heart did not fluctuate at all, it was like seeing a stranger. He thought he would be sad, but he didn't have any superfluous emotions.
Uncle was stunned when he saw Song Qingluo who came first, until he noticed Lin Banxia behind Song Qingluo, his expression relaxed. Full of fake and exaggerated smiles. He even wanted to step forward to help Lin Banxia with the luggage, but Song Qingluo directly stretched out his hand and stopped him: "No need."
Uncle glanced at Song Qingluo, originally wanted to say something, but probably because Song Qingluo's aura of not approaching strangers was too strong, in the end he just shrank his neck and said in a low voice, "Okay, okay, sit down. , you sit."
Lin Banxia sat down next to her and saw her dying aunt on the hospital bed. It seemed that her condition was really bad. He said, "Aunt... What's wrong?"
"Cerebral hemorrhage, and suddenly collapsed." Uncle said, "I was rescued in the hospital with great difficulty, but the result was hemiplegia, and the doctor said that I still need to observe." He rubbed his hands and smiled, "I haven't seen you for so many years, you are all grown up. It's so big..."
Lin Banxia glanced at him and hummed softly.
"Have you eaten yet?" Uncle said, "If you haven't, ask my boy to bring some."
"No need." Lin Banxia said, "I'm not hungry."
"Okay." My uncle snorted, "How are you doing? I remember when I was a child that you were too skinny, and as soon as you eat..." He said this, and suddenly stopped, obviously thinking of something.
There was no expression on Lin Banxia's face, and there was only a calmness that was almost indifferent.
The author has something to say:
Lin Banxia: I'm so nervous going back to my hometown
Song Qingluo: Don't be nervous, I'm here
Lin Banxia: Shouldn't I be more nervous when I brought a man back to my hometown
Song Qingluo: …