Chapter 10 chapter Ten

aha!Xingle!Bo-young sees him walking into the fence and rushes over to greet him. They stood still for a second, looking at each other.Bai Ying couldn't hide the joy on his face. They entered the house together, and Bai Ying immediately rushed to the front and shouted: "Auntie, auntie, your son is here!"When he returned to his home, he found out that his mother had moved to Lu's Nest. He set foot on the familiar mountain trail, feeling very excited.The fresh and cool air, the familiar scenery, even the smell of the mountain breeze in the woods, the appearance of the hut, and now seeing Bai Ying again made him feel like a tired traveler returning home.He regained the mood of his youth.Both body and mind recovered.He was as happy as hell.

mom!He walked towards her and knelt beside her bed. His mother stretched out a hand, put it on his head, and said in a triumphant and trembling voice like a child: Xingle, you are back.She didn't cry, but when Xing Le looked up, she squinted her eyes and looked at him, as if to see if he had lost any hair on his head.Due to her long illness, her face was wrinkled, but her expression was strong and confident.She took a look at it and felt very satisfied that not a single hair on him was damaged. Her voice has always been weak.Seeing Bai Ying standing aside, she said to him: Xing Le, when you were away, Bai Ying has been taking care of me.She treats me better than my own daughter.

What about Mimiya? She lives in Shancheng with her husband.She came to see me with her baby in May. Is she happy? good.The baby is lovely, and her husband loves her very much, you know. Xing Le was silent for a while.Mei Gong once gave him the most perfect sibling love.His mother, Mei Gong and Bai Ying are the people he cares about the most, and it can be said that they have the deepest influence on him. After a while, he said: Oh Meigong.I must see her.I didn't stop on the hillside because I wanted to see you first.We must ask her to come and I can go by myself.I haven't seen her since she got married.I know I can bring her here.Oh mom, wouldn't it be great if we could get together you, Migong and Boying?I simply don't want to go abroad anymore.

The conversation was interrupted by a child's voice calling mother, and Bai Ying turned around and said: Oh, you, where have you been? I go I go there.With his chubby little fingers he pointed to the back of the house. Come on, remember Uncle Xingle?Bai Ying asked. She led the child forward, pushed him to Xingle's side and said, "Uncle Uncle", then looked at him quietly.Xing Le saw the golden light in her eyes. Uncle!Wang Zai said. Country people are used to giving their children ordinary names, sometimes even very humble names.Wangzai means so-so, a little humble, but very kind, not as pretentious as names like Guozhu and Zuwang.

Xingle's mother said: This child is the smartest child in the world.You'll know when his mother tells you everything he said and did. Xing Le looked back.Bai Ying has turned his face away and walked out of the room. where do you come from?The child asked the new customer. Hakka.foreign. What are you doing there? read. home?Don't go to Hakka any more? I have no idea. Come and help me catch grasshoppers, will you? Xing Le felt that he seemed to relive his childhood days. not now. Then you agree?Oh, there are big grasshoppers.Yesterday my mother gave me a golden beetle.Shall I show you?

Without waiting for the other party to answer, he rushed out and immediately brought back a beetle tied with a red thread.There are green and purple golden lights on the back.Bai Ying brings him a cup of tea.Seeing the child leaning on Xingle's lap, she couldn't help smiling. welcome back.She said something simply.Then pull a low stool and sit down.Xing Le was sitting on a worn-out brown rattan chair.There is a glimmer of light in the tiny skylight!into a dark room. Everything is like the days of childhood.She said: You haven't forgotten me and your mother all these years, have you?Your mother and I were delighted to receive the letter of your return.I can't figure out what you did in a foreign country and what you saw.She looked at him and said: You haven't changed.

You haven't changed. Xing Le sat there, with his mother on one side and Bai Ying on the other, feeling really happy in his heart, that happiness was so complete, he sat quietly, not wanting to say anything.How could there be such a lovely person as Bai Ying in the world? What about Tiankai and his wife? Boying reluctantly replied: They moved to Zhangzhou to live.She is not happy here. What about Tianzhu? He healed in Xiaoxi.He had dysentery.The spleen is hardening day by day.Tired easily.The skin is also yellowish, I told him not to overwork.Now it's just me and sugar cane. Sugar cane is always good, right?

very good. Oh, you didn't tell me about the circumstances of my grandfather's death. He was buried there, with his father.Someday I can get away and take you there. Xingle remembers that when he returned to Singapore two years ago, his grandfather's hair was all white and his eyes were all blind. good grandpa. Yes, good grandpa.Eighty-three years old when he died.Her eyes were full of tenderness, without any sadness.Two days before my grandfather passed away, he said to me: Bo Ying, is He Zai here?I said no, my grandfather said: I will go soon.The feet are getting heavier and heavier.The body began to paralyze from there.After I'm gone, you and your mother have to hold on.Hezi is useless at all.I said: Grandfather, I know.She's not good, and it's not good for our family.He added: Bury me with your father.Above, slightly to the right.I like that.I said: Grandpa, you will be fine.He said: I will be around you, you and your mother don't do anything I object to, I will know.Then he slapped me on the head twice.I didn't cry, tell you I didn't cry.I said to him: Grandpa, you can trust me.I saw him weeping, so I said, "Just kidding!"Are you crying, Grandpa?He said: No, I feel very happy.Two days later we found him dead on the chair.

You must have cried a lot at the funeral. Of course.He is a good man with integrity.I feel very honored to be his granddaughter, and I will carry on.You know Bo Zai who came to our house to steal ducks and was beaten up by grandpa, right?Oh, Bo Tsai also came to the funeral and cried a lot.I don't feel like I can do anything that Grandpa objects to.I would hear his voice saying, Boying, no.Yes, I do hear his voice. She told him again, Grandpa loves you too.If you didn't go out below, she wouldn't say anything. Xing Le seemed to see his grandfather sitting on his old brown rattan chair, with his hand on the bamboo armrest, and slowly waving a whitish palm fan with the other hand. Although he couldn't see his eyes, his teeth were fine, and his stomach and intestines were fine.He had lived a life of toil and integrity all his life, and in his old age he found real rest.Xing Le remembered the movement of him swinging the fan slowly, and the laughter that seemed to come from the white beard when he looked up.

Tell me about how you learned characters, Xing Le said.I received your letter, so happy. Bai Ying's eyes lit up, she laughed and said: Oh!How is it written?I know you will be surprised. You are doing well! Remember your old teacher Tian Xiangshi?One day I said to myself that I was going to learn to write.Must learn.At least I should be able to read the account book and sign, so that I won't be bullied.I can't learn from sugarcane.What he learned before was returned to the teacher.So I asked Tian Xiangshi to come and teach me, and I paid him.I learned from the beginning of man.He wants me to carry it.

It won't be too hard for you, I know. I think it's pretty fun. She wanted to show off, so she began to recite the first few lines: the beginning of man good natured similar sex Xi Xiangyuan She spread her eloquent tongue, wishing to memorize all the main points of Chinese history, but Xing Le said: Great.I know that if you can go to school, you must be a good student. Oh, as soon as I started learning, the interest came.Later I thought, when the teacher comes, why not ask Wang Zai to come and learn?Wang Zai is a fast learner and I have to try to be ahead of myself to teach him.I can read five hundred characters now, she said proudly.Writing is more difficult.After a while, my hands became sore.Worse than embroidery. Suddenly, a wonderful light appeared in her eyes, and she said, let me show you something.She turned around and yelled Wang Zai. Wangzi, come here and bring the book.She turned to Xing Le and said: You will be shocked! After a while, a six-year-old child entered the room with big round eyes full of curiosity.Boyingla sat on a low stool beside him, proudly flipping through the pages of the Thousand-Character Classic, pointing to each word and saying, What is this?What's this? He can remember every word just by reading it once, and he will never make a mistake. Bai Ying said to Xing Le: I want to keep ahead of him, it is very hard.The teacher said he had never seen a child learn so quickly.I learned half of it first, and he caught up step by step.The teacher was startled.Everyone was surprised.Her aunt was also surprised.Isn't he great? The pride, joy and satisfaction on Bai Ying's face are the happiest scenes Xing Le has ever seen in her life. You are great yourself, he said: teach yourself to teach your children. This godson can teach and learn quickly. How many words does he know now? There are about 200 characters, and I can only recognize more than 500 characters.After reading this book, we will be neck and neck, let you know.A thousand-character text contains a thousand characters, each of which appears only once. She pushed the child up and said: Come on.You quiz him. The child put one finger in his mouth, stared at Xingle, smiled, and ran away. Where is your doll?After a while, Xing Le asked. Fell asleep.I won't wake her up now.Where's your luggage?Bai Ying asked. At home under the mountain. Are you coming to accompany your mother? Xingle said that of course he would accompany his mother when he came back. Then I'll ask someone to carry the luggage.At this time, it's so hot down here, my aunt likes it here.right?She turned to Xingle's mother. I sleep better here, she said to her son.Of course, we can't bother Bai Ying's mother forever.When the weather turns cold, I'll go down.I have Wang Zai for company here.Xing Le, your father passed away, your sister got married, and your mother died of loneliness.Bai Ying came to see me once every two or three days and brought some fruits and vegetables.Your mother is old and I often cough at night, can't sleep, and have no one to talk to.Here, she makes me a pot of hot tea every morning.Helps with my cough.When she went down the mountain, she also bought things for me. I really look forward to her coming every day.On June 27th, Xingle's mother is always very good at remembering the date. On June 27th, she said to me: Xingle will be back soon.Auntie, why don't you go up the mountain and live with us?After I got up, I really slept a lot better.She said, I must look better when you come back, and you can stay here when you come back. you really say thatHe asked Boying. real.We have trees.I know you love big trees.So that's all I thought about.Auntie and I are counting the days when you will come back. Xing Le felt that he owed her too much.Boying!I don't know how to thank you for taking care of my mother when I was away.I don't know any of these. But she's my aunt, don't forget that.You fool, who told you to go abroad, as if there is no mother in the family? The luggage has arrived, and Bai Ying is killing chickens.She dried her bloody hands and went in to see what happened.The luggage was moved into the middle wing and placed on the unpaved dirt floor.When the mother saw her son coming back, she was so happy that she got up, dressed and combed her hair, as if welcoming a distinguished guest.She sat on an old black wooden chair while he unpacked. Xingle took out three gifts; one for her mother, one for Bai Ying, and one for her mother.He first gave his mother a heavy gold ring, then took out a small ball full of silver coins and said, here, Mom, I promised you when I was a child, I would give you countless silver coins, here, these are countless silver coins.He jingled happily. The mother's face creased in contentment.He then put the ring on his mother's thin finger, picked it up, and kissed it.Then he opened another package, took out a small white jade Buddha statue in a box, and gave it to Bai Ying's mother. Come on, Boying, he said.Close your eyes and give me your hand.She stretched out her hand and felt something cool and hard slipping onto her wrist. Now open your eyes. When Bai Ying saw a jade bracelet, her heart almost jumped out.What a pleasant surprise.The bracelet is light gray and green, not too expensive, but in the country, a woman will be proud of it all her life?Bai Ying's heart was full of happiness, she asked: Can I really wear it on my hand, won't it break? Just be careful. I'm afraid it will break.I work a lot.Wait a minute for Cane to see.I don't know if he likes me to wear it or not. The child stood beside his mother with big round eyes, and Bo Ying pulled him back.Seeing Xingle open a big box, she felt a little excited.It was a toy clay stove and a set of tea sets, teapots and teacups that he bought in Zhangzhou. Now, Wang Zi, he handed him the box and said: This is for you. Bai Ying let go of the child, he ran up, and took it timidly, as if he was about to face a serious problem.He looked at the tea set as if he was about to swallow it, then overcame his shyness and stretched out his arms to hug Xingle tightly. thank you uncle.Boying said. Thank you, uncle.said the child. The ceremony is over.Xing Le noticed that on the tall chestnut wood table, there were two candles reflecting a small wooden Buddha statue.A clay censer stands in the middle with many burnt incense sticks. Why light candles?he asks. Thank you Bodhisattva, Bai Ying said.Since you left Singapore last month, your mother and I prayed every day for your safe return.On the last day of the market, I bought these red candles.Let's celebrate tonight. As soon as I ordered it, his mother said: I have already thanked the Bodhisattva.You'd better pay your respects too. Bai Ying walked to the front of the altar, lit the candle, then knelt down and kowtowed three times.She stood up and asked with a smile: How do you like the chicken to be fried, boiled or boiled in soup. White cut.He said. Now that Boying and her mother have gone to the kitchen, Xingle goes out to the lychee forest to relive the memories of his beloved old place.He stared carefully at the bluish-blue Ten Peaks and the stone pit to the north in the setting sun.The eyes fell on the slopes to the west, and the low hills stretched across the shadow of the wooded hills at the west end.He found a place to sit near the heron's nest, where he and Bai Ying used to sit when they were children, and he felt like a floating cloud, lost, and now he was home again.Every leaf, every branch, every peony seems to have a special meaning to him. So Singapore seemed so far away, so far away. He heard the voice of sugar cane calling him.He immediately stood up and saw that he had just returned home from work. They were classmates in primary school, they hadn't seen each other for many years, and now they were all grown up, welcoming each other warmly.Sugarcane was naked from the waist down, with a gray coat slung over his shoulders.His brown muscles are flexible and healthy, and his dark skin has a layer of shiny luster, just like a mature Zhu Luan, every pore is open and refreshed. They exchanged a few words, then walked back to the backyard of the kitchen, where Sugar Cane said he wanted to take a bath.He stood in the yard, took a bath with well water, and drenched his whole body.Then I went inside to change and came out in a pair of slippers and a clean set of black pajamas. The two sat on an old stool by the well, the sugar cane wrinkled its nose and said: I smell very fragrant.what is itI'm literally starving.His voice was deep and powerful. After a day in the fields, no wonder. After dinner, I fell asleep.Xingle, I don't understand why I am so lucky. At school back then, everyone said you were very lucky. Sugarcane smiled innocently.I kind of believe it myself.I am an orphan, and now I have such a field to cultivate.And Boying, you know. Xing Le didn't speak. Sugar cane stood up, went to the kitchen window and shouted: Bai Ying, what are you cooking? He came back and said it was chicken.We want to celebrate your return.of course.I don't have to point her out. Not everyone can find a wife like Bai Ying. She gave me this field.She gave me a son.She keeps accounts.What more can a man ask for?We're pretty much alone now.When Tiankai and his wife are around, don't mention it. Let's hear it. Boying will tell you.What a crime, really shouldn't.I'm glad they moved. A dining table has been set up in the east wing.It was a set of unpainted tables and stools, placed on the dirt floor.Xingle felt that she had never eaten such a good spring chicken. It was killed and cooked now, with only a little salt added.There is also a plate of bamboo shoots picked by myself.Sugarcane ate three bowls of rice.A bowl of white rice with a hungry stomach becomes the greatest happiness in the world. Bo Ying sat with the child at one end, Gan Cane sat at the other end, and the two mothers sat at the top.While working in the kitchen, Bai Ying took care of her one-year-old baby, putting her to sleep, now in bed. Bai Ying's face is small, her skin is still olive, and her lips are flexible. We don't have delicacies from mountains and seas to entertain you, Bai Ying said.But at least I killed that chicken this afternoon.Tomorrow you have cucumber soup.My mother and I left several on the vine, waiting for you to come back. Baiying's mother, Mrs. Lai, took care of Xingle for Baiying.Now she said a few polite words: We mountain people have nothing precious.Everything is self-grown.You must have eaten a lot of foreign things that we have never heard of. Nothing compares to the products grown by ourselves.Xing Le said. The girls over there are not as good as those in my hometown. Mrs. Lai said: I think you must have seen many foreign girls. Bai Ying's eyes lit up.What do they look like? Just girls, Malays, Indians, mixed races.I see nothing. The topic turned too unexpectedly, Xing Le didn't want to bring it up too soon.His mother said: Now that you have graduated from university and have a regular job, I think you will get married soon.If you bring home a foreign girl, I'll be pissed off.I don't even want to live. Mom, I'm still alone. I don't want you to be charmed by Malay women.I know it happens.Sometimes men don't want to go home at all.There was an uncle in my natal family in Zhangzhou who brought a Malay woman home.She's not pretty either, she's fat, lazy and stupid.As a girl, I just couldn't figure out how my uncle could fall in love with this woman.There is nothing Chinese women can't beat Malay women in cooking, sewing, everything.I don't understand why a man should marry a foreigner when he can marry a Chinese wife. If I meet them, I will be afraid.Bai Ying said briefly. Xing Le hoped that they would not talk about it, but women seemed to be very interested in this topic. Xingle, Mrs. Lai said: Let me just say, no one can compare to the girls in my hometown.How could Fanpo marry into our family?When you choose a girl, you must take care of your mother.You should let her choose one for you. Xing Le hoped that the atmosphere would be more pleasant.Find me a girl like Bai Ying, and I will marry her right away. Oh, no, Xing Le's mother said: You can't find a child like Bai Ying. Oh, auntie, don't talk about me, okay?Let's raise our glasses to Xingle's return. They toasted him with old wine. Mrs. Lai said: Old wine is also self-brewed.This can was brewed before Grandpa passed away. Xingle, his mother said: You should respect Baiying and auntie, thanks to them for taking care of your mother when you are away. Xing Le raised her glass sincerely, thanking them. Farmers in the country go to bed early.Before saying good night to each other, Bai Ying said to Xing Le: Bring me the laundry you need to wash during your trip.He picked out some clothes and handed them to her. She had to soak them overnight, and it would be easier to wash them the next day. That night, Xingle slept in an attic and climbed up a wooden ladder from his mother's room.Head full of old and new feelings and impressions.Looking out from the small window in the attic, you can see the heron's nest, a silver-edged shape under the quiet moon sky.The night in the mountains was strangely quiet.He stopped thinking about it and fell into a deep sleep.