Chapter 6 4.Granny Li and the small church on West Gendao Street

Before Granny Li appeared, Xiao Mu spent the most difficult time in the kindergarten.She often feels flustered, coughs constantly, and there are often whispers in her ears.Fragments of a little girl with a sweet voice.And her singing.It was as if a girl lived by her side.Xiao Mu was puzzled by all this, but she thought it all came from her heart disease.This terrible disease has imprisoned her most free childhood life: she can't ride on the slide or swing like other children.When the other children happily rushed down the slide and flew up from the swing, she could only watch from the sidelines.The aunts in the kindergarten did not allow her to participate in outdoor activities. She was often left behind by the teacher. When the children went outside to play games, she would help the aunts in the bedroom to fold the children's clothes or help the aunts to put the scattered clothes on the floor. Classify the literacy cards and put them away.After all these were done, she leaned against the door and watched the children play from a distance. Occasionally, when a ball rolled over, she mustered up the courage to kick it.

Worst of all, she sometimes coughed up blood.The first time is at mealtime.All the children were sitting at the light green long row of tables in the kindergarten dining room eating dumplings, and Xiao Mu felt dizzy for a while.She put down the spoon in her hand and sat up straight.But her heart beat even harder, and she coughed a few times.By and by, her heart was about to beat, and she thought it best to get up and leave the table.She raised her hand, and told sister Xiaomei, who was taking care of the children's meals, that she was not feeling well, and she wanted to go back to the bedroom to rest.Sister Xiaomei took a look at her plate, and she barely ate a few dumplings.So sister Xiaomei lowered her face and said to Xiaomu, it's not a good boy to waste food before going back after eating the dumplings.Looking at sister Xiaomei's angry face, Xiao Mu had no choice but to sit down again, facing a plate of dumplings that became more and more wobbly in front of her.She finally felt a strong fishy smell, she coughed again, and a ball of red saliva was spit on the plate by her.The little girl sitting across from her yelled loudly, and the children around her also yelled.A little boy with a shaved head exclaimed:

"I've seen this on TV, Duan Xiaomu must be dying!" "Ah, Duan Xiaomu is going to die!" Several children also shouted. Hearing of death, the timid girls burst into tears. Sister Xiaomei was also frightened, picked up Xiaomu and ran to the infirmary.Later transferred to the hospital.The doctor said that Xiao Mu's mitral valve heart disease would cause palpitations, coughing and hemoptysis, and she could not be operated on until she was a little older. After that time, everyone knew that Xiao Mu was a dangerous child.During the origami class, Xiao Mu coughed a few times, and the little girl next to her immediately jumped up and asked in horror, "Are you going to die again?"

When the infirmary was doing a physical examination on the children, a little boy was afraid of getting an injection, so he pulled Xiao Mu who was standing behind to the front, and said to the doctor, "Give her an injection first, she is going to die." After Granny Li walked into Xiao Mu's life and gave Xiao Mu that eternal peace, when Xiao Mu just walked into the church and started her Christian life, she felt very confused for a period of time, rescue her Is it the god she has only seen in pictures, or the kind and beautiful Granny Li in front of her?She felt that Granny Li carried the mission of God and answered almost all the questions in her life.For this, she is willing to wipe away all her previous nightmares, and is willing to continue to praise the abundance of life.

Granny Li is the grandmother of Auntie Ruru in kindergarten.She is so old, but she always waddles her little feet and brings delicious red bean soup to Aunt Ruru.Every time, she filled a full pot with the largest thermos and distributed it to the whole kindergarten.The children all liked this mother-in-law who was different from their grandmother: she wore spotless black clothes, small black square shoes, silver-white hair tied neatly with a hairpin, and a particularly dazzling silver cross on her chest.Xiao Mu felt that this was the most beautiful old man she had ever seen. Before lunch that day, the children were playing games outside, and Xiao Mu helped the aunts arrange small plates and spoons in the dining room.Granny Li came and talked with Aunt Ruru in a corner of the dining room.Granny Li noticed this lonely little girl. She has a pair of very big eyes, and there are some dangling shadows in the pupils, which makes her look aggrieved, as if she is about to burst into tears. down.She has a big head, but her body is very small and thin. She wears a crumpled and very short one-piece skirt, which reminds Granny Li of the little radish head in revolutionary movies.Granny Li asked Ruru about the little girl.Ruru said that the girl was sent by her father, but her father only paid for it for two months and never came back.And this child has congenital heart disease. The kindergarten really didn't know what to do with this child, and planned to report it to the government and send him to an orphanage.Aunt Ruru lamented Xiao Mu's father's cold-bloodedness again:

"My own child, why don't you just don't want it!" At that time, Xiao Mu was putting the dishes aside, and she suddenly lost consciousness, and the dishes fell heavily on the ground.In fact, she wanted to tell Aunt Ruru that this must not be the case, her father must have encountered other things, and it was definitely not that Xiao Mu was not wanted.Granny Li knew that Xiao Mu was obviously listening to them, so she walked over cautiously, grabbed Xiao Mu's little hand, and said with a wrinkled smile: "Xiao Mu's father will come to pick up Xiao Mu soon."

"That's right." Xiao Mu didn't look up, moved her position, and continued to place another plate. After that, it was also a dusk full of colorful clouds, and Granny Li came to the kindergarten again.Xiao Mu was picking up the comic books spread out on the floor, when Granny Li behind her called her, Xiao Mu. Granny Li unfolded a pink tutu skirt.What was embroidered on it was nothing more than some fine and granular beads, but Xiao Mu felt that Granny Li was really proud, as if she had picked off all the stars in the sky. "Give it to me?" When Granny Li put the soft skirt on Xiao Mu's body to compare the length and length, Xiao Mu asked timidly. Her little hands had already tightly grasped the skirt, and her fingers were sunk into the soft cloth. in silk satin.Granny Li handed the skirt to Xiao Mu and motioned her to go into the bedroom to change.

The skirt was very loose, and after Xiao Mu put it on over her head, it slid down smoothly, like taking a bath with delicate silk satin.She imagined herself jumping out of the nap bed like an angel.This is a rare "vigorous exercise" for her. At this time, Xiao Mu's hair was already very long, loosely draped over her shoulders, covering her dazed eyes.After she came out wearing the skirt like angel wings, Granny Li took out two shiny pink ribbons to tie Xiao Mu's hair.Xiao Mu's hair was tied into two loose braids, with pink ribbons tied at the ends of the braids, in the shape of a butterfly.

Granny Li turned to Aunt Ruru and said, "The church will pay for this child's kindergarten expenses, and will also raise money for her surgery. Tell the director not to send her to the orphanage." Ruru Auntie came over, helped Xiaomu adjust her new skirt, and nodded. "Also, if there are any activities that require parents to participate in the future, you can ask me to replace Xiao Mu's parents. If the kindergarten is on holiday during the Spring Festival or other festivals, you can take Xiao Mu back to our home, understand?" Granny Li Tell Aunt Ruru again. Aunt Ruru nodded again, and asked Xiao Mu:

"Does Xiao Mu like the new dress?" "I like it." Xiao Mu replied. In her life, the only happy moments were when someone asked her: "Do you like XX?", and she answered "I like XX" with great satisfaction. It's Dad, now it's Aunt Ruru.Those were rare moments when Xiao Mu was given a gift. After Granny Li found out that the whole afternoon was an outdoor game arrangement, she decided to take Xiao Mu outside the kindergarten.Granny Li took Xiao Mu's hand and walked all the way to a place that Xiao Mu thought was like an ancient castle. It was an old church with reddish brick walls, the top was pointed and needle-shaped, the middle one was taller, and the two sides were slightly shorter, as if there were three people cuddling closely side by side.In the middle of the church is an old wooden gate, which has been formed over the years in a dark red color, in an arc shape, and with wooden patterns on each edge.Plain white roses are planted on both sides of the church, exuding a warm fragrance in the fine weather of May.Xiao Mu stepped into the gate, and there were rows of seats and small tables inside.At the front are tall statues and colorful stained glass windows.On both side walls of the church, there are two circular green terrazzo grooves like wall lamps.Xiao Mu looked at all this curiously. When she just came, she felt flustered again because her walking speed was a little faster. She originally thought that another attack of angina pectoris was coming again, but when she stepped into this Looking at the church one by one, she gradually stopped feeling flustered.She felt a peace she had never felt before.

Grandma Li stood facing the statue in the middle, praying softly: "Lord, please let a kind and holy spirit live in this child's heart, and please take care of this child's health and growth in the days to come, so that she can have the most abundant life in your kingdom. Amen!" These words are so strange and strange to Xiao Mu.Indeed, Xiao Mu had never heard such strange words. Although she could not fully understand the meaning of these words at that time, she knew that they were words full of blessings. Deep strength.For some reason, she was so convinced that she would get better and everything would pass.Her heart attack, the constant whispers in her ears, the missing father, everything will gradually get better.She also followed Granny Li's example, closing her eyes slowly, praying for happiness. Xiao Mu also learned a lot that day, for example, the dignified statue is Jesus, and his father is called God.He was sent by his father to save people in the world.Because all people are guilty.The grooves on both sides hold the holy water that has been exposed to the sun and rain for several days, as well as the magical words of Granny Li, called prayers. When Granny Li took Xiao Mu back, Xiao Mu tugged at Granny Li's hand and said: "Mother-in-law, I like this place, can you bring me here more often in the future?"——For the first time, she didn't want to passively wait for others to ask her if she liked it, but she had to take the initiative to say that she liked it here. Xiao Mu likes Sunday morning the most.On this day, Granny Li would come to pick up Xiao Mu early and go to church to worship.The small church was full of people, and everyone held a piece of paper full of lyrics with a peaceful expression and a surging heart, and sang poems with the old man who led the singing.Most of the people who came to worship were old people, but their bodies that should have been trembling stood upright.After the singing, the middle-aged man called the pastor spoke, and everyone stared at him intently, as if he had the magic power to turn stones into gold.Xiao Mu remembered that the man's words contained many interesting stories, and even Xiao Mu, who could not fully understand it, found it very interesting.After the lecture was over, the whole church suddenly fell silent—everyone prayed together.This time, Xiao Mu followed their example, closed her eyes, and softly talked to the unknown old man in the sky. The old people in the church love the only child, Xiao Mu.They bought her candy, stationery, and clothes, told her stories from the Bible, and told her how to accept the love of Jesus and how to share her love with others. Granny Li also often sat with Xiao Mu in the back rows of the church near the gate, where they could be exposed to the warm afternoon sun, and chatted about topics of interest to Xiao Mu. "Mother-in-law, you said, my heart disease is because I have sinned, and God punishes me?" "Mother-in-law, there is always a girl chattering in my ears, is that an angel arranged by God talking to me?" "Grandma, will my dad come back here? Is he lost? Will the angel lead him to find it again?" Granny Li usually doesn't answer Xiao Mu's questions directly, but tells her some stories or reads the Bible to her.These still made Xiao Mu feel confused at first, but gradually, Xiao Mu felt that these questions were not lingering in her mind.The mother-in-law said, this is God lifting those burdens in your heart. Xiao Mu also saw the old man attend the baptism.The pastor gently tapped water on the old man's forehead. The old man closed his eyes tightly and followed the pastor's oath word by word. When the old man opened his eyes again, his entire forehead was brightly lit. It is that which is said to have eternal life. After Xiao Mu watched one baptism after another, she finally said to Granny Li: "Can I also be baptized?" Six-year-old Xiao Mu participated in the baptism ceremony and became a Christian.That day she told herself, go away from the illness, the angel will watch over me, and the angel will also help my father find the way to find me. Xiao Mu has been going to the small church at the end of Xigendao Street since she was six years old.Xigendao Street may be more appropriately called an alley, it is too narrow to pass motor vehicles, and cyclists have to be more careful, sometimes a few children playing can not pass smoothly.Later, Xiao Mu left the kindergarten and moved to a far away place. Later, when Granny Li died, the number of elderly people who used to come to this church regularly decreased, and Xiao Mu still went to this church every week.Later, all the long cotton willows in Xigendao Street were cut off, and then the boy who had been away from home for many years came back with a long lens to take pictures of this most interesting small alley in Licheng, facing the empty alley with disappointment and regret. .But those are all later.