Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

It's the coldest time of the year. Wei Jiong rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window quietly.It has just snowed, and the eyes are all dazzling white.Grey-brown trees are dotted among them, and tall buildings with dark colors in the distance look like huge ink paintings. Lower and lower temperatures also mean two other pleasant things: Chinese New Year and winter holidays. "There are still fifteen minutes before the end of the exam. Students who haven't finished answering hurry up." The reminder from the invigilator temporarily brought Wei Jiong back to his train of thought. He glanced at the test paper hastily, and felt that there was no problem with passing, so he packed up his stationery, handed in the paper and left.

It was cold.Wei Jiong shrank his neck and walked back to the dormitory, only to find that most of his roommates had started to pack their bags.The final exams have ended, and the students who live in other places are eager to return home.Wei Jiong from this city was not in a hurry to go home, so he helped pack his luggage and books.Busy until noon, all the roommates left, and he was the only one left in the empty dormitory. Moving to other dormitories, the situation is similar, and those who have not left are basically students who are preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination.The usually bustling male dormitory building has become very quiet.Wei Jiong walked around, feeling bored, and decided to go home in the afternoon.

He didn't have much luggage, except for a few pieces of laundry that he planned to stay in for the holidays to finish reading. Wei Jiong looked at his watch, and it happened to be lunch time, so he went to the cafeteria with his bag on his back. The cafeteria was also deserted, with most tables empty.After Wei Jiong finished cooking, he came to the dining area with the plate, and immediately saw Yue Xiaohui who was eating Malatang.She also saw him, and waved for Wei Jiong to come and sit down. "How did you do in the morning exam?" Yue Xiaohui picked up a fish ball and asked with a smile, "I see you handed in the paper quite early."

"It's so-so, I guess it's okay to pass." Wei Jiong put his backpack on the seat next to him, "What about you?" "Almost." Yue Xiaohui looked at his backpack, "What, are you going home?" "Well, go back in the afternoon." Wei Jiong took a sip of the soup, "It's too salty——when are you leaving?" "No hurry, anyway, my home is in this city." At that moment, Yue Xiaohui suddenly lost interest, and then she smiled again, "Go find Xiaodouzi to play in the afternoon." Wei Jiong was stunned for a moment, but soon remembered the American shorthair cat.

"The social practice class is over, you still go to the rescue station. By the way, how is its skin disease?" "It's getting better." Yue Xiaohui looked at Wei Jiong and smiled, "You're still talking about me, aren't you the same?" Speaking of this, Wei Jiong suddenly thought of Lao Ji.Counting it, I haven't seen him for more than a week, and I don't know how the old man is doing. Now Lao Ji is very proficient in WeChat, and he still sends a few photos or videos from time to time.Wei Jiong taught him to follow several WeChat public accounts about current politics, history and law. The old man had a great time playing, and even learned to post on Moments without a teacher.During the time when Wei Jiong was busy with the final exams, Lao Ji was enjoying himself and seemed not lonely.However, once Wei Jiong is free, he will inevitably miss him.So, after lunch, he accompanied Yue Xiaohui to the bus station, watched her leave in the car, thought about it, bought a pack of Jian brand cigarettes, and then got on the bus to the nursing home.

The journey was bumpy, and it was already two o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived at the nursing home.This was originally the time for the old people to take a lunch break, but the yard was very lively.Ropes were stretched between several trees, and caretakers were hanging red lanterns.Other nurses were cleaning the yard and posting blessings.From time to time, old people were helped out of the yard and sent to various vehicles parked at the door.Judging by their expressions, they were all beaming, with a hint of anticipation.Other old people shrank their hands and shrunk their necks, huddled under the eaves, silently looking at the old people who were picked up, with expressions of envy or jealousy.

Lao Ji was in the room, sitting by the window and looking out.Hearing Wei Jiong's knock on the door, he turned his head, without a particularly surprised expression, but a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. "You came?" "Hmm." Wei Jiong put the cigarette on the table and walked to the window, "What are you looking at?" Lao Ji smiled, and pouted out the window: "Here." A gray-haired woman, her whole body was tightly wrapped in a blanket, was wheeled onto an off-road vehicle at the door.The moment the car door was closed, the woman's face was revealed.

Wei Jiong recognized her, she was the old lady surnamed Qin. "this is?" "The family will take her back." Lao Ji said flatly, "Today is the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, a small year." "Oh." Wei Jiong thought of the red lanterns and the word "Fu" in the yard, "Isn't she coming back anymore?" "That's fine." Lao Ji's face was a little gloomy, "She will be sent back after the Spring Festival." Wei Jiong was speechless.After a brief reunion, they have to return to this lonely place. For those old people, I don't know whether it is luck or misfortune.

Lao Ji watched the off-road vehicle drive away, then turned to face Wei Jiong: "Why are you here, are you on vacation?" Before Wei Jiong could answer, he saw the Jian brand cigarettes on the table and was overjoyed. "You are really a savior!" Lao Ji couldn't wait to shake his wheelchair, and went straight to the small wooden table, "I ran out of food two days ago, and it suffocated me." Take it apart, light it, and take two deep breaths.There was a satisfied expression on Lao Ji's face.He beckoned Wei Jiong to sit down, and at the same time reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.

"Take it." He handed over two hundred yuan in cash, "The other fifty is the fare." "I came here by bus." Wei Jiong insisted on giving him fifty yuan in change, "We have made an appointment, Lao Ji, you can't break the agreement." "Okay." Lao Ji didn't shirk, and happily accepted, "Why, your little girlfriend didn't come?" "That's my classmate!" Wei Jiong blushed, "Don't talk nonsense." "The little girl looks pretty good." Lao Ji squeezed his eyes, "You can think about it."

"It's worth it." Wei Jiong hurriedly changed the subject, "How is the phone, isn't it good?" "It's very useful, it's an eye-opener." Lao Ji took out his mobile phone, "By the way, I received a text message today, and I didn't understand it. Just help me to read it." Wei Jiong saw it and couldn't help but laugh.This is a network traffic reminder message from the operator. The content shows that the mobile data traffic of Lao Ji's mobile phone number is less than 2MB.It's no wonder that Lao Ji uses his mobile phone to surf the Internet all day long, so the traffic consumption is of course fast. He patiently explained to Lao Ji, and bought a new traffic package for him.Lao Ji pondered for a while and expressed his dissatisfaction. "So, whether I use them all this month or not...what?" "flow." "Yes, traffic—cleared to zero at the end of the month?" "yes." "It doesn't make sense." "Haha, yes." Wei Jiong also laughed, "I heard that the major operators are going to change their charging policies. If you find it inconvenient, I will help you get a portable Wi-Fi next time." This word confused Lao Ji again, after he figured it out, he immediately expressed that he wanted to get one. "At that time, you are welcome to come to my old Ji to browse the Internet." The two were chatting when Zhang Haisheng bumped in carrying some plastic bags. "I'm fucking exhausted." Seeing Wei Jiong, Zhang Haisheng nodded coldly, then turned around and asked Lao Ji, "Where do you put the things?" Lao Ji pointed to the corner of the wall.Zhang Haisheng babbled while putting things away: "This room can't be kept for a few days, it's too hot, why don't you hang it outside the window sill, and keep it for eating slowly." As he spoke, he took out a note from his pocket, with crooked handwriting on it, which looked like a bill. "You still have to give me seven yuan." He handed the note to Lao Ji, "It's almost Chinese New Year, the price will increase, and the money is not enough." Lao Ji took the note, crumpled it up without looking at it, threw it into the wastebasket next to the bed, took out ten yuan and handed it to Zhang Haisheng. A smile appeared on Zhang Haisheng's face, and he neatly put the money into his pocket: "You talk, I'm busy." After that, he opened the door and walked out. Wei Jiong looked at those plastic bags, most of which contained food such as frozen chicken and fish. "You want to..." "It's almost Chinese New Year, prepare some New Year's goods." Lao Ji said cheerfully, "One has to have a good New Year." "Is there no New Year's Eve dinner in the nursing home?" "Hey, let's not mention the food." Lao Ji waved his hand, "The craftsmanship is not as good as mine." Wei Jiong listened, feeling sad.Cooking the New Year's Eve dinner by one person, and then eating it alone—I'm afraid there is nothing more desolate than this. "It's nothing." Lao Ji understood his expression and smiled, "I've been used to it for more than twenty years." Wei Jiong was about to comfort him when he heard the phone ringing in his pocket.It was Mom calling, asking when he would be home.Wei Jiong didn't want to irritate Lao Ji too much, so he hung up the phone after saying a few words in a hurry. Lao Ji didn't care, he still had a smile on his face. "Your mother? Are you in a hurry?" Lao Ji patted his knees, "It's getting late, you kid, go home quickly, and give your parents a treat." "Yeah." Wei Jiong stood up awkwardly, picked up his backpack, "Lao Ji, take care of yourself, and on New Year's Eve... I wish you a New Year greeting." "Just send WeChat, don't worry about me, Lao Ji, I can do it." The smile on his face is still there, but the bitter taste is getting stronger and stronger, "You spend good time with your parents, the family, the most important thing is to be together, Neatly." Early in the morning, Du Chengcheng was awakened by knocking on the door.Clothes got out of bed, rubbed his eyes and opened the door, but a crowd of people rushed in.The leader was Duan Hongqing, behind Zhang Zhenliang, Gao Liang and several young men from the criminal police team.Everyone carries their hands on their shoulders, and everyone is not empty-handed. Du Cheng was still in a daze, but Duan Hongqing had already pushed him away, yelling and arranging for everyone to put things away.For a while, fish meat and eggs, rice noodles and vegetables filled half the living room. Du Cheng finally came to his senses: "What are you doing? Are you fucking going to open a supermarket in my house?" "You don't talk too much." Duan Hongqing carefully walked around a bag of fruit and handed him a cigarette, "Spring Festival benefits." Du Cheng knew very well that according to the usual practice, during the holidays, the bureau would at most distribute barrels of soybean oil or ten catties of eggs.In the past two years, state agencies have been strictly prohibited from distributing benefits in various names. Last Spring Festival, they did not even distribute a calendar.The room full of things is probably the result of Duan Hongqing and Zhang Zhenliang paying for it out of their own pockets. "Excessive." Although the heart is hot, the mouth is still firm, "I am alone, how much can I eat and drink?" Duan Hongqing laughed and ignored him. "Master, where do you put this?" Zhang Zhenliang took out a big fish from the kitchen, "It won't fit in the refrigerator." "The balcony." Du Cheng rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the kitchen, "Put it under the window." Boil water and make tea.Invite colleagues to sit down and rest. After drinking a cup of hot tea, Duan Hongqing sized up Du Cheng: "You look pretty good, what have you been up to lately?" "Running here and there." Du Cheng said vaguely, "No serious business." Duan Hongqing stared at him for a few seconds: "You're not obedient, are you?" "Listen." Du Cheng smiled hippie, "Take your medicine on time, eat well, go to bed early and get up early." Duan Hongqing's face darkened, he glanced at his colleagues who were still drinking tea and smoking, turned around and leaned into Du Cheng's ear, and said in a low voice, "You fucking let me relax, can you?" Du Cheng looked at him, the smile on his face gradually faded: "Old Duan, you know what kind of person I am." Duan Hongqing frowned, as if he felt that Du Cheng was unreasonable: "It's been more than twenty years, why bother? So what if we find out? The dead can't come back, and the living will suffer." "Yeah, people who die can't come back." Du Cheng looked straight into Duan Hongqing's eyes, "But I'm not afraid of suffering, anyway, I'm the one who's going to die. People who are really afraid of suffering—they deserve it." Duan Hongqing looked away, closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, he said: "Go to Sanya, the weather is pleasant and the air is good. Your brother is alone, and it's the same everywhere. Don't worry about the cost, the bureau ..." "Duan Ju," Zhang Zhenliang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "Let my master do whatever he wants." Duan Hongqing raised his head in surprise.Not only him, but everyone present was surprised: Zhang Zhenliang, who has always been known for his hard work and obedience to orders, was the first time to openly contradict the leader. So everyone fell silent.After a while, Duan Hongqing stood up first, cleared his throat: "Okay, Lao Du, you have a good rest. If you need anything else, just ask." After finishing speaking, he lifted his feet and walked towards the door. Colleagues hurriedly said goodbye, and all followed Duan Hongqing away.When Zhang Zhenliang went out, he said to Du Cheng in a low voice: "Master, take care of yourself. I'm also investigating that case. We'll meet each other next year." After finishing speaking, he pressed a button on Du Cheng's shoulder , turned and went downstairs. After seeing off the guests, Du Cheng closed the door, walked slowly to the living room, looked at the New Year's goods on the floor, and smiled. "Chinese New Year." He muttered to himself, "Yes, it's Chinese New Year." He picked up a large plastic bag, opened it and saw that it was ribs cut into small pieces, and suddenly he had the idea of ​​making a good meal. Du Cheng went straight to the kitchen. When he passed the chest of drawers, he stopped, looked at the photo frame, and said loudly, "Hey! Let's celebrate the New Year!" For the Chinese, the most important of all festivals is the Spring Festival.Although the taste of the new year is getting weaker and weaker, visiting relatives and friends during the Spring Festival is indispensable.However, for those who have no relatives or friends to visit, the Spring Festival is just the loneliest of countless lonely days. January 31st, Lunar New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve. After the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Luo Ying began to have a holiday.From that day on, she warned her father, explicitly or implicitly, not to go out frequently.Luo Shaohua was very annoyed and unable to explain to her, so he could only be obedient.The happiest one is Jinfeng. Although she has limited mobility, she still has to manage such a festival.Therefore, Jinfeng issued a list every day, Luo Ying went shopping, and Luo Shaohua was the driver. He was not reconciled, but he felt a faint sense of relief.Compared with day-to-day tracking, the work of purchasing is extremely easy.Luo Shaohua knew in his heart that he was just supporting himself. Even if he used the resources and manpower of the public security organs, it would be very difficult to monitor a person for a long time, not to mention that he is just an ordinary citizen now.Most of his persistence stems from his fear of Lin Guodong and his ignorance of the future.However, when he was exhausted physically and mentally, a voice in his head became louder and louder: "He should have reformed, right? Look at him, he is completely a docile little old man." Especially on the third day after Lin Guodong purchased the computer, this guy installed broadband Internet access at home. Since then, he has hardly left home. Except for shopping and simple physical exercise, he stays at home and surfs the Internet every day. Luo Shaohua saw him sitting in front of the computer engrossed in the binoculars, and his first reaction was anger: Bastard, why can you enjoy the convenience and speed brought by technology, why do you live like an ordinary person, why Evened the distance of more than twenty years in such a short period of time? My second reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief. He is trying his best to integrate into the new life, he is trying to feel the beauty of this world, and he is re-understanding everything he has missed. He didn't want to be deprived again.He doesn't want to die. So, the monster will sleep forever, right? Luo Shaohua decided to take a vacation for himself, and secretly convinced himself that he could take a vacation. New Year's Eve.At four o'clock in the afternoon, Luo Shaohua's family began to eat the New Year's Eve dinner.This so-called "one family" is discounted.Xiang Yang took Xiang Chunhui to his parents' house early in the morning to celebrate the New Year.This made Luo Ying very unhappy, she drank half a catty of baijiu with Luo Shaohua even though she couldn't drink enough.As a result, Luo Ying vomited unconsciously before finishing her meal.While Luo Shaohua scolded his ex-son-in-law for being unreasonable, he helped Luo Ying clean up and arranged for her to rest. The good New Year's Eve dinner turned out like this, Luo Shaohua's heart was very blocked.Jin Feng remained calm, with a calm smile on his face all the time.At eight o'clock, she would sit in front of the TV and watch the Spring Festival Gala, laughing out loud from time to time. Luo Shaohua knew what she was thinking, and also understood that Jinfeng was doing her best as a woman to maintain the peace and joy of this family on New Year's Eve.The only thing he can do is to accompany her and watch TV honestly. However, no matter it is singing and dancing, cross talk, or sketches, he can't calm down his heart steadily.The peeled peanuts were thrown into the trash can, and Luo Shaohua held half a piece of peanut shell, staring blankly at Shen Teng struggling to "help or not". Jin Feng was already leaning forward and back together with joy, looking at her silent wife beside her, her smile gradually stopped.She pushed the cigarette and lighter over and said in a low voice, "Go, have a cigarette." Luo Shaohua didn't react for a while, and when he woke up, he was half guilty and half grateful. When I came to the balcony, I saw thousands of lights like stars in front of me.This is the liveliest night of the year and the most human-like world.Luo Shaohua lit a cigarette and watched quietly as the blue smoke merged into the more intense fireworks outside the window.He felt inexplicably satisfied and lazy, as if he was already the king of the world. I am alive and can feel the blood rushing through my body.I have a whole family.Although my wife is not in good health, I can touch her warm hands every morning.Although the daughter divorced, she was not knocked down by the failed marriage.The cute grandson is a little naughty, but he is growing up day by day. I will not live alone in an empty house.You won't welcome the new year alone.Not refreshing the webpage over and over again, swallowing simple meals.No one will bless you, and you will not be blessed by others. Luo Shaohua put out the cigarette butt, and a question mark in his mind became clearer and clearer. What is he doing? Holding his mobile phone in his hand, Wei Jiong sent Yue Xiaohui a WeChat New Year's greeting.Under her profile picture is Lao Ji's.The last wechat message he sent was seven days ago. It is said that today the nursing home will organize a dinner for the elderly staying in the hospital, and when the Chinese New Year bell rings, there will be dumplings to eat.However, according to Lao Ji's personality, he would never join in the fun.At this moment, he would probably sit alone in the room, slowly eating the New Year's Eve dinner that he made himself. Thinking of this, Wei Jiong felt a little sad.The snacks, fruits and drinks on the coffee table in front of him made him faintly uneasy. Just after eleven o'clock at night, my parents began to prepare dumplings.Kneading noodles, mixing stuffing, and being busy, he did not forget to throw Wei Jiong a new set of underwear and ask him to change quickly. Wei Jiong looked at his mother's bright red shirt and trousers, secretly amused: "Mom, you are quite 'lustful'." "It's the year of birth." My mother said with a smile, her hands covered with white face, "I want to be auspicious." "Natal year? Forty-eight years old?" "You brat, you don't even know how old your mother is!" My mother picked up the rolling pin and made a gesture to beat him up, "Hmph, isn't that old?" Wei Jiong hid in the bedroom with a smile, put on a new shirt, but his mind was distracted. If I remember correctly, Lao Ji is sixty years old this year, which is also the year of birth. It was midnight in a blink of an eye, and the steaming dumplings came out of the pot.According to tradition, Wei Jiong and his father went downstairs to set off firecrackers to welcome the God of Wealth.When I went upstairs again, it happened to catch up with the New Year's bell.The sound of firecrackers outside the window also became more violent, countless fireworks bloomed in the sky, and the whole city was as bright as day.The Spring Festival has reached its climax. Wei Jiong's family sat around the dinner table, blessing each other while eating dumplings.Parents live a long and healthy life, and their sons are academically successful.Mom also added: Find a girlfriend and come back to see.Wei Jiong protested with a red face, but in the end he happily accepted a big red envelope. After eating dumplings, the Spring Festival Gala is coming to an end.At one o'clock in the morning, the sound of firecrackers gradually subsided.Mom and Dad started yawning, ready to go into the bedroom to rest.Wei Jiong began to plan another matter. After his parents fell asleep, he quietly dressed, stole two boxes of cigarettes from his father, filled another box full of dumplings, and went out. The air was cold, but not fresh.The smell of gunpowder smoke is pungent, and the heavy smoke has not dissipated.Wei Jiong hurried to a nearby 24-hour convenience store, stepping on the firecrackers and fireworks debris all over the floor. The female salesperson is not surprised by the late-night shopping customer, but the goods he buys are a little surprising.Watching the young man pick and choose from the shelves, he ended up with a set of red men's shirts, drawers and socks.The girl curled her lips, thinking that this kid is so careless, and probably forgot his father's birth year. There are few pedestrians on the road, and there are not many taxis still operating.Wei Jiong walked a full kilometer before getting a taxi.After getting into the car, the excitement in his heart still didn't subside.I took out my phone several times, and finally put it back.He hasn't sent Lao Ji a WeChat New Year greeting yet, just planning to give him a surprise. On this loneliest night. It was two o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the nursing home.Wei Jiong got out of the car, looked at the brightly lit yard, and said to Lao Ji, you must not fall asleep. Pushing the door, it didn't move.Wei Jiong looked at the two-meter-high iron gate and courtyard wall, thought about it for a while, and gave up the idea of ​​climbing over the wall to enter the courtyard, and went to knock on the door. After waiting for almost ten minutes, I saw the security guard come out of the duty room staggeringly. "Who is it, in the middle of the night." The flashlight shone directly on Wei Jiong's face, he subconsciously blocked the light with his hands, and replied dully: "Me." "Who are you?" The security guard was obviously very upset, "It's so late, what are you doing?" Wei Jiong raised the insulated lunch box in his hand: "Give dumplings to...my uncle." "Oh." The security guard's resentment did not diminish at all, "What are you doing early? What time is it? Come back tomorrow." "Don't, Master." Wei Jiong said anxiously, "I came all the way, besides..." He suddenly remembered the cigarettes in his pocket, and hurriedly took out a pack and handed it over: "It's convenient for you, it's Chinese New Year." The security guard looked at the word "Zhonghua" on the cigarette package, hesitated for a moment, and softened his tone. "Wait a minute." After finishing speaking, he turned and walked back to the duty room, took the key off the wall, and returned to the iron gate. "You guys, come and see the elderly more often." The security guard unlocked the door, "What's going on right now? There is no shortage of dumplings in the nursing home." "Thank you, Master." Wei Jiong squeezed past the security guard sideways, and while stuffing cigarettes into the other's pocket, he smelled a strong smell of alcohol. "Come out as soon as the dumplings are delivered, don't be too late." Wei Jiong hummed perfunctorily, and walked quickly to the small building. Passing through the main hall on the first floor, Wei Jiong saw that the lights in the cafeteria were still on.An LCD TV was placed in the middle of the dining table, and a few elderly people sat on the bench, listlessly watching opera programs.An orderly is dozing off by the stainless steel dining car. Wei Jiong didn't stop, turned around and walked towards the end of the corridor. Judging by the light from the bottom of the door, Lao Ji was still awake.Wei Jiong pushed the door, but it was unlocked.Almost instantly, a large cloud of smoke gushed out. The room was smoggy, and everything within sight was gray.In front of the small wooden table, Lao Ji held chopsticks in one hand and a cigarette in the other, staring at him blankly. After five seconds, Lao Ji yelled out, "You...why are you here?" Wei Jiong didn't speak, held his breath, ran to the window and opened it.The dry and cold air rushed in, stirring up the smoke in the room, and it was immediately refreshing. "How many cigarettes have you smoked?" Wei Jiong stretched out his hands and waved beside him, "Don't kill you!" Lao Ji just chuckled, as if he was so excited that he didn't know what to say.He shook the wheelchair, leaned close to Wei Jiong, looked him up and down, tried to reach out to pull him a few times, but withdrew his hand again. During the days when he and Wei Jiong met, it was the first time that Lao Ji was so at a loss. Wei Jiong was so choked by the smoke that he shed tears, and finally saw the things in front of him clearly. The first thing that caught his eyes was Lao Ji's face full of surprise. "Hey, don't look at it." Wei Jiong was a little embarrassed by the look, "Are you eating?" "Huh?" Old Ji woke up like a dream, "Yes, yes, have you eaten yet?" He hurriedly pointed to the small wooden table: "Come, come, let's eat together." Lao Ji's New Year's Eve dinner is not without richness, stewed chicken, braised fish, stewed pork vermicelli, fried pork with garlic sprouts, stewed big bones with sauerkraut, and cold salad.It's just that every dish has been completely cooled, and it has hardly been touched. Wei Jiong felt very uncomfortable. He could imagine how Lao Ji spent most of the day cooking a table of dishes, but when the whole country was celebrating, he held up his chopsticks and smoked one by one. Lao Ji misunderstood Wei Jiong's expression, and slapped his forehead: "Look at me, I'm cold, how can I eat?" He shook his wheelchair and walked towards the door: "There should still be people in the cafeteria. I'll ask them to heat up the dishes. It will be ready soon..." Wei Jiong grabbed the armrest of the wheelchair: "No need, Lao Ji, I brought you dumplings, let's eat this." "Dumplings?" Lao Ji looked surprised, "Well, well." Wei Jiong opened the insulated lunch box, lifted the lid, and held the steaming dumplings in front of him. "Try it, my mother's handicraft." Lao Ji had already picked up his chopsticks, and couldn't wait to pick one up and stuff it into his mouth. "How is the taste?" "Yeah!" Lao Ji ate the dumplings with a big mouthful, and the oil trickled down the corner of his mouth, "It's delicious!" "Hey, slow down." Wei Jiong said with a smile, and got up to get a napkin.When he turned around again, he froze. Lao Ji turned his back to himself, lowered his head, held the insulated lunch box in both hands, and his shoulders twitched slightly. he is crying. In this silent night, when countless people go to sleep with their blessings, and before the first ray of sunshine arrives in the new year, a lonely old man is crying silently. The tenacious and optimistic old man was finally stripped of all his armor by a box of hot dumplings. When he calmed down a bit, Wei Jiong put a hand on his shoulder and passed a napkin from behind at the same time. Lao Ji trembled, quickly took the piece of paper, and wiped it on his face indiscriminately. "Oh, look at me, I ate my face, hahaha." There was still a hint of crying in Lao Ji's voice, "It's so delicious, thank you mom." Wei Jiong walked around to him, deliberately not looking at him, and slowly rummaged through his backpack, and after a while, asked, "Old Ji, how old are you this year?" "Huh?" Lao Ji's expression has returned to normal, after thinking about it, "Sixty." "Fortunately, I remember correctly." Wei Jiong took out the new set of underwear and socks, and threw them into his arms, "Put them on quickly, for good luck." "You boy!" Lao Ji's eyes lit up, he took the underwear and looked at it carefully, and murmured to himself: "Yes, sixty... the year of birth." Wei Jiong urged: "Come on, put it on." Lao Ji obediently obeyed, took off his sweater and shirt with great effort, and put on a new shirt.After doing this, he was out of breath.Wei Jiong stepped forward to help him take off his trousers, exposing two thin, pale legs.Lao Ji was a little embarrassed at first, but he soon calmed down and let Wei Jiong help him change into new underpants. A few minutes later, Lao Ji was wrapped from head to toe in brand-new bright red, sat comfortably in a wheelchair, and looked at Wei Jiong with a smile. Wei Jiong was sweating from exhaustion, but he was in a happy mood.The face of Lao Ji in front of him was full of red light, it seemed that this small room was much brighter. Lao Ji stretched his arms contentedly: "It's so comfortable—look, do I look like a red envelope?" Both of them burst out laughing and laughing, Lao Ji suddenly sneezed and his whole body trembled. Only then did Wei Jiong realize that the window was still open, and a gust of cold wind was blowing in.He patted his forehead and hurried over to close the window. "It's not freezing, Lao Ji?" Lao Ji sniffed, as if yearning for the outdoor air. "Hey, kid." Lao Ji winked at him, "Push me out for a walk." The corridor was still brightly lit, but much quieter.Wei Jiong pushed Lao Ji through the cafeteria and found that the TV had been turned off and the benches were empty. When I came to the yard, there was silence everywhere, and the whole nursing home fell into a deep sleep.The two of them seemed to have no intention of talking, and walked round and round on the red brick corridor. There was a wind in the middle of the night, and the smell of gunpowder smoke in the air had been blown away.Although it is cold, it makes people feel very comfortable.Lao Ji breathed heavily, his eyes were slightly closed, and he looked enjoying. Where they were, except for the light projected from the door, it was all dark.Wei Jiong had to keep his eyes wide open and walked carefully, for fear of falling on Lao Ji.Lao Ji didn't take it seriously, although he closed his eyes, he could still accurately remind Wei Jiong in some places. "Keep a little to the left... that's right." "There's a loose brick ahead, don't trip over it." Wei Jiong was surprised by Lao Ji's memory at first, but then he realized that in the past twenty years, all of Lao Ji's activities were in this courtyard, and he probably knew the shape of every red brick on the corridor. boobs. Thinking of this, he happened to push Lao Ji to the gate of the yard.Looking at the quiet street outside the iron gate and the still bright street lights, Wei Jiong suddenly had an unstoppable impulse in his heart. He parked the wheelchair in front of the iron gate, leaned over and said softly to Lao Ji, "Wait for me for a while." After finishing speaking, Wei Jiong quietly walked towards the duty room. The lights in the duty room had already been turned off, and as soon as Wei Jiong walked to the door, he heard thunderous snoring inside.He pulled the door, concealed it, and secretly exerted force with his hands. Soon, a gap that could allow one person to pass appeared in front of him. The house was full of booze.Wei Jiong squeezed in sideways, feeling that his heart was about to jump out.With the help of the dim light coming in from the window, Wei Jiong saw the attendant on duty lying on the small bed with his clothes on, his feet hanging down to the ground, and he was already fast asleep.Wei Jiong quietly touched the wall, and lightly took a bunch of keys from the shelf.The slight clacking sound made him hold his breath, and he didn't dare to move again.A few seconds later, seeing that the attendant on duty showed no sign of waking up, Wei Jiong held the key in his palm and slowly exited the same way. After leaving the duty room, Wei Jiong dared to breathe a sigh of relief.He met Lao Ji's surprised gaze, walked quickly to the door, opened the iron lock, and pushed Lao Ji out of the yard. When he came to the street, Lao Ji suddenly became very nervous, his whole body was tense, and his hands were tightly grasping the armrest of the wheelchair.After walking more than a hundred meters, he gradually relaxed and began to look around. On the deserted street, the two walked successively through a small supermarket, breakfast shop, barber shop, mobile communication business hall, and butcher shop.When passing by an elementary school, Lao Ji asked Wei Jiong to slow down, looked at the closed school gate for a long time, and went over to touch the door sign. "It turns out that the voices of those children came from here." He became more and more excited, like a baby who just opened his eyes, full of curiosity about everything in front of him.Even though the doors and windows of those shops and storefronts were closed, Lao Ji was still very happy, and he let out a low laugh from time to time. "I didn't expect it." Lao Ji looked at the street illuminated by street lights, "I didn't expect me to come out." Walking to the middle of the street, there is a horizontal outer ring road not far ahead, and vehicles pass by with flashing headlights from time to time.Lao Ji looked at the brighter place and pointed forward: "Go there." Wei Jiong did as he did, pushing his feet secretly, and the wheelchair turned quickly. Lao Ji firmly grasped the armrest of the wheelchair, leaned his upper body forward slightly, and kept spitting out white steam. "Hurry up!" Lao Ji's voice became louder and louder, "Hurry up!" Sweat had already dripped from Wei Jiong's forehead.Gritting his teeth, he pushed the wheelchair forward vigorously. The pace of progress is getting faster and faster.A strange sound came from Lao Ji's throat, and his upper body was completely erect.Finally, the sound became a muffled growl. "Run!" Lao Ji's tone suddenly became fierce, undeniable, "Run!" Wei Jiong seems to have lost the ability to think.As soon as Lao Ji's voice fell, he took a step forward without hesitation and started to run. The wheelchair jolted violently on the street.Wei Jiong heard the howling wind, and the shaking lights in front of his eyes. The violent panting and Lao Ji's growl were mixed together, tearing apart the silent night sky. A wheelchair and two crazy people finally rushed to the end of the street. Because the speed was too fast, Wei Jiong barely stopped the wheelchair until he reached the middle of the outer ring road.Lao Ji seemed to be still immersed in the pleasure of running, still straightened his upper body, staring at the front. Wei Jiong's lips were filled with white steam, and strands of sweat flowed down his forehead.He looked at the headlights from far to near, hesitated for a moment, and slowly pulled the wheelchair back to the side of the road. After putting Lao Ji in a safe place, Wei Jiong supported his knees with both hands, bent over and panted heavily, feeling pain in his arms and legs.After he calmed down his breath and stood up with great effort, he realized that Lao Ji had lost his excited posture just now, and he was slumped in a wheelchair. "Old Ji?" "Ok." "Are you OK?" "Oh, it's okay." Lao Ji turned his head slowly, seemingly exhausted, "That's it, it's good." Wei Jiong thought about it, and decided it was better not to bother him.So, he stood behind Lao Ji and silently looked at the road in front of him. Under the illumination of street lamps, a young man wiping his sweat and an old man with a blank face constituted the strangest street scene on the first day of the new year.People returning at night flew past them, staring at each other for a moment.To passers-by, it's just a few seconds of confusion.To Lao Ji, it was a world that was already unfamiliar to him. The twenty-third car disappeared into the distance.Lao Ji said slowly: "Let's go back." There was nothing to say on the way home.The midnight run was exhausting for both of them.Lao Ji was no longer interested in all kinds of things on the street, he lowered his head and seemed to be dozing off, but the occasional sigh made Wei Jiong realize that he was still awake and in a bad mood. After a big rise, there is bound to be a big fall.The price of extreme excitement is endless emptiness, not to mention that Lao Ji will eventually return to that cage-like small courtyard. Wei Jiong was worried about how to explain to the attendant after being impulsive.Seeing that the nursing home was getting closer and closer, he began to secretly pray in his heart that the watchman was still asleep. As soon as I walked past the small supermarket, I saw the lights in the nursing home.What is strange is that the courtyard is no longer silent, but there is a faint noise, and the lights are also flickering, and there are crackling sounds. Wei Jiong felt more and more confused, so he couldn't help but quicken his pace.As soon as he walked to the entrance of the nursing home, he was stunned by the scene in front of him. Most of the windows in the three-story building were open, and the old folks poked their heads out of the windows to watch a bunch of fireworks going off in the courtyard.There was endless laughter and applause. A girl in a white down jacket walks around a pile of fireworks, giggling and dodging the watchman.The two fireworks in her hand are bursting with dazzling sparks. The attendant was already in a panic: "Where are you from, how did you get in?!" Wei Jiong supported the wheelchair, and Lao Ji stared dumbfounded at the two people who kept chasing. The girl turned just in front of the door, her black hair hanging down her shoulders. She stopped. "Wei Jiong, Lao Ji." Yue Xiaohui's smiling face was lit up red by the fireworks, "Happy New Year!"