eleventh
1
The two brothers became inseparable again. Abu would always wait for Aren at the door of his classroom after class, and then the two of them would ride home together. After that, they finished their homework and played football together. Alan played very well. He often played with the children and had become a core player. Abu was the oldest in the team. Due to his lack of exercise, his coordination was not good at all in the beginning, and he often fell down. However, under Aren's leadership, he also made rapid progress and could get along with the children. Under Abu's tutoring, Aren's grades had also improved a lot. The relationship between the two brothers became much better. This really surprised Yongnian and Wengui.
Every time Wen Xuan returned from the sea, he would see his two nephews on the beach. He stood at the side and watched quietly. Alan's limbs were agile and he reacted quickly. He ran around the court, shouting and yelling, just like Wen Gui. Abu stood in front of the door, frowning and looking serious. He was simply a replica of Yongnian. Wen Xuan rubbed his chin and smiled. He continued to stand and observe.
Alan dribbled the ball and ran quickly to the sand. He passed a child and shot the ball into the goal. "We're in. It's in." He jumped up and cheered. The other children also clapped and cheered. Abu stood up straight and looked. Aren ran around the others and shouted. When he saw Wen Xuan, he ran over and said,""Uncle, I just scored a goal. Did you see that?"
"I saw it." Wen Xuan said.
Aren smiled and ran away. Wen Xuan raised his head and glanced at Abu, who was frowning, and smiled. The children ran off on the beach again. The fine sand was thrown around under their feet and even landed on the children's faces. The children were enthusiastic, running around and laughing.
After a while, some parents stood by the roadside and began to call their children to eat. Some children left. A child shouted that he wanted to play for a while longer. The number of children playing football was decreasing. In the end, only Aren and Abu were left on the beach. Alan picked up the football and walked to Wen Xuan's side with a smile. Abu also followed. He was originally quite fair. After a period of exposure to the sun, his entire body had become dark. Now, he was staring at Wen Xuan with his eyes wide open.
"I haven't seen you for a while. You've grown up.”Wen Xuan said.
Abu smiled awkwardly, revealing his shiny white teeth.
"Why don't you sit at uncle's place for a while? Uncle has something for you." Wen Xuan said.
"Alright. Let's go to uncle's house." Alan said as he tossed the football in his hand.
Abu turned his face away and did not speak.
"Brother seems very cool." Wen Xuan said.
"Brother has always been cool." Aren said.
Wen Xuan raised his head and smiled. He led the two children to the bamboo shed. For many years, the roses in the yard had not been taken care of, and they were already two meters tall. The flower buds of all colors were in full bloom, exuding a fragrance in the twilight. Some of them had already withered, and the flower buds had fallen between the branches, hanging. Some fell to the ground and scattered into pieces, spreading on the dark and damp ground under the flowers like a spread of paint.
Wen Xuan lowered his head, glanced at the silent Abu, and smiled.
"We're here, we're here." "Brother, look, there are so many flowers."”
Wen Xuan turned around. He looked over the tall rose bushes and saw a man who had suddenly appeared on the porch. He heaved a sigh of relief and felt as if his heart had been reactivated. Something landed in the place that had been empty for a long time and jumped violently. He took Aren's hand and said,"Aren, maybe next time." Uncle has a guest today."
"Is that so?" Aren looked back and said.
"Let's go. Mom must be waiting for us.”Abu said.
Wen Xuan nodded and reached out to touch Aren's head.
"Alright then." Aren looked at the rose forest again, turned around, and left with Aren.
Wen Xuan looked back at Xi 'er who was sitting on the porch. Time seemed to flow backwards. She was sitting there, looking down at a book. Perhaps she had grown up a little. Her face was pale. Her hair was dyed a different color. Other than that, he could not see any other difference. He reached out and rubbed the corner of his clothes, not knowing what to do. The bucket that should be in his hand fell onto the boat. He considered whether he should go back to get the bucket and turned around.
Xi 'er looked over and stood up, saying,""Where are you going?"
Wen Xuan saw a big girl, not a little girl. Her long dress was wrinkled and fluttered in the sea breeze.
"My bucket is on the boat." Wen Xuan avoided her gaze and pointed to the sea.
"Where are you going?" Xi 'er stared at him and asked.
"No, I have to get that bucket back.”Wen Xuan said.
"Bucket? Where?" Xi 'er looked behind him and asked.
"On the ship. I'll be back soon." Wen Xuan turned around and grabbed a blooming rose beside him. With just a light touch, the rose scattered. The petals scattered all over the ground. He glanced at it, then went out and went down the beach. Then, he looked up at the row of fishing boats that were swaying slightly on the sea. He knelt down and sobbed softly. Her tears flowed down uncontrollably. He looked down at his tears dripping onto the sand, creating wet pits. After a while, he wiped his tears, stood up, and stepped into the waves. The seawater brushed against him and gently hit his body. He bent down and took a handful of water, slapping it on his face. The seawater was cool and bitter, sliding down to his chin that was full of beard. He got on the boat, took the bucket full of things, and walked back. He went to the beach and saw Xi 'er holding the book and standing beside the flowers, looking at him.
"Didn't I tell you to wait for a while?" Wen Xuan smiled awkwardly and said.
Xi 'er glared at him and threw the book at him.
"What are you doing?" Wen Xuan grabbed the book and put down the bucket.
Xi 'er giggled, ran to his side, and grabbed the book again. Wen Xuan looked at her and frowned. Xi 'er looked at him and shook the book as if she was going to throw it into the sea.
Wen Xuan understood what she meant and smiled. He grabbed the book and threw it onto the sand. He bent down and carried Xi 'er into the surging waves. Xi 'er giggled as she looked at the surging red between the sea and the sky. She was thrown into the sea by Wen Xuan and flipped over in the water. She stretched out her hand to lie in the water and turned back to look at him. Wen Xuan swam up and reached out to push away the hair that was stuck to her cheek. He looked at her.
The red glow was fading. The sea and sky became blurry and were closing up.
"Let's go back." Wen Xuan said.
Xi 'er smiled and coughed as if she had choked on water. Wen Xuan frowned. Looking at her, he could always make her laugh foolishly.
"Swim a little longer." Xi 'er said.
"Just for a while." Wen Xuan said.
"Just for a while." Xi 'er said. She turned around and swam forward slowly. She smiled, grabbed his hand, and led him to swim further into the sea.
The sky had already darkened. The cold seawater surged up, almost drowning the two of them.
"Slow down. It's too cold here." Wen Xuan swam closer to Xi 'er and patted her shoulder.
Xi 'er turned around and approached him.
The seawater surged up her smooth chin and slid down again.
"Let's go back." Wen Xuan pulled her and swam back.
The sea was pitch black. The village on the shore lit up.
After dinner, Xi 'er went to her room. Wen Xuan poured a cup of tea and looked up at the house. He realized that the house had been cleaned. He put down the bowl and rubbed his chin. Shi Guang had returned, and Xi 'er had become an adult. Wen Xuan knew that she must have experienced a lot. He didn't want to ask her anything. To him, the most important thing was that she was back. He thought of the time when he came back. It was then that he met Xi 'er. Time flew by like flowing water. He seemed to have returned to a certain point. And this was something he often thought about. He had been racking his brains to no avail. Now, he could only stare at the door of the room, lie on the table, and fall asleep.
After Xi 'er returned, the house returned to normal. As usual, Wen Xuan came out at sunrise and returned at sunset. Xi 'er was still waiting for him on the porch. She took out all his clothes and washed them all.
In the evening, he returned. The few clothes he had were taken out, washed clean, and hung on a bamboo pole in the courtyard. His pants were still soaked in the bucket. He walked up to the bamboo pole, put one hand on it, and turned to look at Xi 'er, who was sitting on the porch mending her socks.
"This is taking out all my belongings!”Wen Xuan said.
Xi 'er smiled. Her face appeared gentle under the glow.
"I don't know how you survived all these years. Is this still a sock?" Xi 'er said as she held up the socks in his hand that had a few holes in them.
"That was done by the rats." Wen Xuan said.
"A rat?" Xi 'er smiled and said," Where are those clothes? It wasn't just this much in the past?"
"I threw it away." Wen Xuan said.
"Throwing it away?" Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan nodded and reached out to pull up the smelly clothes stained with fish scales and blood, pulling them off. He turned around and saw the bucket of clothes by his feet. He threw the clothes over. The clothes fell out of the bucket and splashed water.
"Just like this." Wen Xuan said.
"You just tore off your clothes and threw them away?”Xi 'er shook her hand and said with a frown. She glanced at Wen Xuan's sturdy upper body and lowered her head to smile.
"I didn't throw it into the bucket. I just threw it into the sea. I can't wear it anyway.”Wen Xuan said.
"You threw clothes into the sea?" Xi 'er asked.
"I can't wear it either. Throw away one piece after another." Wen Xuan said.
"Then you haven't washed clothes before, right?”Xi 'er asked.
"Do you mean washing clothes in the sea?”Wen Xuan said.
"Alright then." Xi 'er said," Your clothes can be used to grow seaweed.”
"Isn't that just right?" Wen Xuan said.
"If that's the case, you won't have any clothes.”Xi 'er said.
"How is it?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Throw the clothes into the sea." Xi 'er said.
"I'm afraid so." Wen Xuan said.
"Are you emptying your closet?" Xi 'er asked.
I'm emptying my closet." Wen Xuan nodded and said.
"Why?" Xi 'er said," In the end, you won't have a single piece of clothing.”
"What do you want that thing for?" Wen Xuan smiled and asked.
"Aren't you going to put on your clothes? What if there's nothing else?" Xi 'er said.
"I'm not going to put on my clothes." Wen Xuan turned his head to look at the surging sea in the distance and said.
"You want to go to the sea, right?" Xi 'er asked.
"When the closet is empty, I'll go to the sea. Anyway, there's no one there." Wen Xuan said.
" So, that's a time." Xi 'er said.
"What time?" Wen Xuan asked.
"You keep throwing your clothes out.”Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan shrugged and said,"Who asked me to be lazy?" There's no one to wash my clothes for me."
"That's a good excuse." Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan smiled. He looked back at the row of shirts and pulled down one.
"You'd better wash it before putting it on." Xi 'er said.
"This is not what I told you before.”Wen Xuan turned to look at her and said.
"If you don't take a shower, I'll throw the clothes away.”Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan nodded, walked up the porch, and entered the house.
Xi 'er turned to look at his wet upper body and smiled.
When he returned from the sea the next day, Xi 'er was still sitting on the porch mending his clothes. The blanket was hanging on the bamboo pole, fluttering in the wind.
"Even the last piece of cloth to cover up your ugliness was thrown out by you.”Wen Xuan looked at the bedsheet and said.
"Are you going to move Hai back to your room?”Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan turned his head to look at the trash can by the door and said,""You went in to cause trouble again?"
"I'm afraid there might be some unknown creature inside.”Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan smiled, went up the porch, and entered the house. Xi 'er put down her needle and thread and turned around to see him enter the room and open the closet door. She smiled and lowered her head to insert the needle into her torn clothes.
"I'm also very lazy and don't like to wash clothes.”Xi 'er saw that he did not speak for a long time and said.
"I will still throw it away." Wen Xuan said.
"Throw it away. There's still more." Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan took out a piece of clothing and walked out. He stood on the porch, waved his clothes, and looked down at her.
"Aren't you going to try?" Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan pulled off his wet clothes and put them on.
"It fits quite well." Xi 'er said.
Wen Xuan scratched his head and smiled awkwardly without saying anything.
2
Now, Xi 'er was back. Wen Xuan's entire person became spirited. He often sent the fish to the dock and then returned home. In those days, he could always catch a lot of fish and sell them all.
"Well done! Others didn't get much." said the fishmonger.
"I was just lucky." Wen Xuan said.
There were only a few fishermen who came to deliver fish at the dock. They stuffed the weighed fish into a white foam box covered with ice. Some of the fish were still alive, so they threw them onto the wet dock, killed them, and stuffed them into boxes. Wen Xuan lowered his head and stuffed the fish into the box one by one, then covered it with a row of ice. Finally, he emptied his water tanks, stood up, and wiped his sweat.
The fishmonger stood at the side, taking notes. He took out a cigarette and handed it to Wen Xuan, nodding at him. Wen Xuan didn't take it. He turned around, scooped some water from the bucket, and washed his hands. After a while, he took the money from the fishmonger and stuffed it into his pocket. He went to the dock and passed by the truck parked at the side. Someone was stuffing foam boxes filled with saltwater fish into the truck. The truck was dripping with water, and it stank. However, compared to the dock, this place was cleaner.
Wen Xuan reached out and tidied his messy hair. He turned his head to look at the hot road and walked towards the clinic. He rubbed the soles of his shoes on the steps outside the door to see if there were any fish scales stuck to them. After a while, he knocked on the door and pushed it open. The doctor and a few patients sitting at the side turned their heads and looked at him. The air was stuffy. The ceiling fan spun slowly, stirring up a trace of hot air. He did not enter the clinic but closed the door. He turned around and sat on the wooden chair by the door.
The fishermen walked to the fishmongers, received their share of the money, and left. Some returned to the boat, while others walked straight back to town. The fishmonger lowered his head and drew on the paper. The cigarette in his mouth flickered, and ashes fell. He looked up and glanced at the truck, as if he had forgotten something there. The workers had already moved all the foam boxes into the car. They closed the iron gate behind the car and stood to the side to smoke.
Water dripped from the side of the truck. Steam rose from the hot ground. The fishmonger patted the account book, threw the cigarette butt into the sea outside the dock, and turned around to walk back. The two men also threw away their cigarettes and returned to the truck.
The fishmonger returned to the car and glanced at Wen Xuan, who was sitting by the door, before slamming the door shut.
The car turned around, and dust flew all the way as it drove onto the roundabout road.
At that place, the water on the ground was in the shape of a truck.
The door opened.
Wen Xuan turned around and saw that it was a few patients. He turned around and looked at the empty dock.
The door opened. The doctor walked out and stood by the door. He looked much older. His white hair had also thinned. He stretched out his hand, touched his slightly bent knees, and sat down. He also looked at the dock.
"Long time no see." the doctor said.
Wen Xuan glanced at the doctor and turned around.
"Aren't you going in to sit?" the doctor asked.
Wen Xuan shook his head and looked at the water shoes on his feet, saying,""I'd better not go in."
"It's alright." the doctor said.
"It's hot there too." Wen Xuan said.
"Of course." The doctor said," It's been so long. Where did it go?"
"It was submerged in the sea." Wen Xuan said.
"Is that so?" the doctor asked.
Wen Xuan reached out and scratched his chin without saying anything.
The doctor looked at him and smiled. He asked,"Is she back?"
Wen Xuan turned back to look at him and nodded.
"I think so too." the doctor said.
"On the porch one day." Wen Xuan said.
"What kind of feeling is that?" the doctor said.
Wen Xuan did not speak. The heatwave floating in the air was suffocating.
"When I was in school, I met a girl. Three months passed. I never saw her again.”the doctor said.
"What kind of experience would that be?”Wen Xuan asked.
"Time will make many things lose their color and become blurry.”the doctor said. His tired eyelids drooped down, and he blinked his cloudy eyes.
"Has she changed?" the doctor asked.
"I don't know. I can't tell. Which aspect are you referring to?" Wen Xuan asked.
"It'll be at least three to four years since he left.”the doctor asked.
"I've forgotten how long it's been." Wen Xuan asked.
"Didn't you ask where she went?”The doctor asked, or did he not want to know?”
"That doesn't have much of an impact." Wen Xuan said.
"Then you don't know what she did either?”the doctor said.
"She never said that. However, she must have experienced something.”Wen Xuan said.
A few children ran to the dock and squatted beside a pool of dirty water, looking at a small fish that had been thrown by the fishermen. They picked up the small fish and threw it into the sea. The waves crashed onto the pier, splashing white foam. The children screamed and retreated to the road.
"That's true. A girl leaves school, leaves home, and goes out.”the doctor said.
"After that, I think she was in her rebellious phase. She read a lot of books, thought about her own matters, and even considered our relationship.”Wen Xuan said.
"That is a very complicated stage. Especially a child like her." the doctor said.
"Yeah, I didn't handle it well." Wen Xuan said.
"What can you do? Besides, you're just a half-way father.”the doctor said.
"There's something else." Wen Xuan said.
The doctor looked at him and smiled.""Perhaps you haven't thought it through yourself.”
"Probably." Wen Xuan stood up and said.
"Aren't you going in for a cup of tea?" the doctor asked.
"No, I have to go back." Wen Xuan said.
"Come often in the future." the doctor said.
Wen Xuan touched his head, got off the road, and walked towards the dock.
The group of children had already run away, chasing after a small car that had just entered the town. Wen Xuan turned his head and saw Yongnian sitting in the car. He crossed the dock and boarded his fishing boat. He glanced at the red clouds in the sky and sailed away from the dock.
When he returned, the porch was already illuminated with a pale yellow light. Xi 'er stood up with a book in her hand and looked at him.
"Are you still reading these books?" Wen Xuan asked.
"I think there are some things that I haven't understood yet.”Xi 'er said.
"Is that so?" Wen Xuan lowered his head and glanced at the cover of the book." Let's go back." It's cold here at night."
Xi 'er wrapped her coat tightly and turned around to follow Wen Xuan into the house.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。