twenty-sixth
1
Not long after Aren returned home, he received a call from Abu. Aren stammered on the phone, unwilling to reveal the details.
"Isn't life in school good? It's better than staying in a small fishing village." Abu said.
"You might not know. Uncle is injured." Aren said.
"What happened?" Abu said.
"An accident happened when I was out at sea. He can't move his feet." Aren said.
"What exactly happened?" Abu asked.
"Mom said so. Mom called me. I'm not sure what exactly happened.”Aren said.
"Where's Daddy?" Abu said.
"I think Dad was there too. His parents did not elaborate. Uncle was so injured. I'm too embarrassed to ask." Aren said.
"Is Uncle by your side?" Abu asked.
Aren looked up at Wen Xuan, who was reading on the porch, and said,"He's outside the house in a wheelchair. I got him a bunch of books to distract him. He seems to like it."
Wen Xuan closed the book and raised his head to look at the red color that remained on the surface of the sea, waiting for it to gradually fade. Everything was hazy in the fog.
"Put him on the phone." Abu said. He turned his head and looked at the heavy rain outside the window. The pedestrians on the road hurriedly passed by with nervous expressions.
"Abu? How are you doing in London? Have you been charmed by some chick and forgotten about us?”Wen Xuan laughed and said into the phone.
Abu pinched his phone and said,"Uncle, did Dad ask you to do dangerous things again?"”
Wen Xuan glanced at Aren and pointed at the tea table in the room. Aren left the porch and went into the kitchen to boil water and make tea.
"Nothing happened. You kids." Wen Xuan said.
"What happened to your foot?" Abu said.
"Still there, but it's on strike. I need to rest." Wen Xuan said.
"Honestly, does it have something to do with Dad?”Abu asked.
Wen Xuan glanced at the kitchen and said,"That was just an accident."”
"Is there any point in saying that? I'm not a child, so it's not like I don't know. You don't have to lie to me." Abu said.
"It was indeed an accident. Abu, I have never treated you as a child. I know you're different from Aren. So I've said everything I can." Wen Xuan said.
"Then tell me what you can't say.”Abu said.
"Abu, you are now in Ying Country. Not here." Wen Xuan said.
"But Aren is here." Abu said.
"Everyone here is protecting him.”Wen Xuan said.
"The way you protect him is to occupy him and not let him go to school.”Abu said.
"This is his choice. I don't have any say in this. In this aspect. You should ask him what he wants." Wen Xuan said.
Abu did not speak.
"In some aspects, you are very similar to Liu Yongnian.”Wen Xuan said.
"I'm different from him." Abu said.
"I hope you think that way, not out of childishness.”Wen Xuan said.
"Uncle." Abu said.
"Your father, Liu Yongnian, is just a smelly and hard rock.”Wen Xuan said.
"Don't talk about this." Abu said," I want Aren to come here because I want him to come to the Ying Country.”
"I know that." Wen Xuan said.
"So, you shouldn't control him because he can't move.”Abu said.
"I hope I have the ability." Wen Xuan said.
"We should persuade him to go back to school." Abu said.
"I don't have the ability." Wen Xuan said. He shook his head and took the cup of tea from Aren.
Aren went down the porch, crossed the garden, and walked toward the sea.
The faint light between the sea and the sky disappeared, as if the sea and the sky had closed.
The surroundings became dark, and a faint twilight filled the air.
Aren walked into the waves and kept moving forward.
"Put Aren on the phone." Abu said.
Plop. Aren jumped into the sea and swam forward.
"He's not by my side now." Wen Xuan said. He looked at the dark sea. The glowing head floated further and further away.
"Call him over." Abu said.
"I'm afraid not for a while. He's not by my side now.”Wen Xuan said.
"Did he swim into the sea?" Abu said.
Wen Xuan smiled and didn't say anything.
"Give me a call when he comes back.”Abu said.
"Abu, you should be in a good relationship and not be obsessed with the stupid things that Liu Yongnian did.”Wen Xuan said.
"Remember to ask Aren to call me.”Abu hung up.
2
Then, he walked into the deserted street in the drizzle.
The sky was overcast. The street lamps were already lit up, shining with a faint yellow light. The light was like paint spreading out in the drizzle.
Abu stepped over a puddle of dirty water. The old shoes were wrinkled. He put his hands in his pockets, lowered his head, and kept walking forward. Perhaps he could go back to his dormitory and sleep, or go back to the hospital to do his ward rounds instead of walking in the rain. He shrunk his neck, feeling cold. The drizzle was like a needle, piercing into his exposed skin.
The tinkling laughter brought him back to his senses. He stopped and looked around. There were very few pedestrians on this street. A man and a woman walked past him with an umbrella. The man said something casually, and the woman raised her head and laughed. Abu turned his head to look at them until the black umbrella turned around and entered the alley. Abu raised his head and stared at the dense drizzle in the air. The rain caught his eyes. He looked down and saw the woman standing under the tree. She was wrapped in a silk scarf and stood under the tree with an expressionless face.
It turned out that he had already reached Hyde Park. She glanced at him, turned around, and walked into the bushes. He followed behind her silently, watching her back. She walked past the marble arch and walked inside, passing a place full of people. Someone was standing on a wooden chair without an umbrella. That person was waving his hands and giving a speech, vigorously attacking and condemning Western society. Someone was holding an umbrella and standing nearby to watch. More people didn't have umbrellas. They were drenched and stood outside. The audience was very interested in his topic. Someone asked. Someone lowered his head and laughed. On the other side, a fat man was standing on a beer crate and talking about environmental protection, attracting another group of people to watch. Gradually, these people lost interest in environmental protection and dispersed. On the other side, someone wearing a headscarf stood on a wooden frame, waving a flag and proclaiming that Sam was a hero. After hearing what he said. Someone shouted. The others laughed.
She walked into the crowd, appearing and disappearing in the crowd. Her headscarf had already seeped through and was fluttering gently in the wind. The umbrella in the crowd blocked his view. He could only keep moving through the crowd and follow them.
They passed through the enthusiastic crowd and walked down a long path. The ancient trees on both sides were tall, and the branches and leaves that extended out formed a natural arch. He followed behind her and kept a distance. A group of fans walked past them, cursing as if they had just finished a game. He stopped and waited, and saw that she had stopped as well.
The water from the fountain seemed weak in the drizzle. He stood behind her and watched her look up at the sculpture in the pool. She seemed to be praying silently. Not long after, she turned around and left.
The lake was covered in white mist in the rain, as if it was a fairy. She stood by the lake and looked at the surface of the lake.
They had had lunch by the lake. On this lawn, they casually ate sandwiches with chicken breast and cucumber slices and drank coffee from thermos flasks. The mayonnaise splattered onto her clothes. She laughed out loud, then reached out to remove it and put it into her mouth. At this moment, he had the urge to kiss her, but she stole a kiss instead. The bright sunlight was blinding. They narrowed their eyes and stared at the ducks swimming across the lake. In the summer, concerts without seats would always attract a lot of people. They were taking a walk under the tree. She pulled him over and walked into the crowd to listen to the music. Following the rhythm, she imitated the tourists beside her and danced. He was like a piece of wood, following them awkwardly. The laughter was like a breeze in the summer. He didn't expect time to pass in such a way. It was as if it was rolling and stopping. They waited by the lake until the sun set. The street lamps lit up. They walked quietly by the lake, not saying a word. A sudden kiss would make her giggle. He looked at the woman in the shadows, not understanding why she was smiling. He was just following her inadvertently, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as he smiled secretly.
At this moment, even the light breeze and drizzle could make him feel bone-chilling cold. He shrunk his neck and stood there, looking at the woman in front of the lake. The lake in the rain was covered in white smoke. The weather here was enough to make you lose your temper.
The quality of the umbrellas here was very poor and expensive. He really suspected that they had deliberately made these umbrellas look like this. She put down the umbrella that had been blown away by the wind and rain and laughed loudly. Everything seemed ridiculous in her eyes. Even if he always kept a straight face and stared at her seriously to show his maturity, she would always laugh it off. Most of the time, he would look at her quietly. She smiled, and her round eyes became curved. He was thinking about how he looked in the other party's eyes, but what he thought of was her appearance.
He watched as she put down the soaked scarf and threw it away. It reminded him of her giggling even at funerals. She resisted her sadness in this way, as if the world was originally humorous and laughable. Perhaps, in the past, he would run up to her and not be willing to keep a distance from her for even a moment. But now, he was unable to do so. There was a distance of more than two years between them. From this distance, he could see her clearly and understand his passion at that time.
She turned around and smiled at him. Her long black hair floated up and covered half of her face.
At this moment, he wished he could say something, but he couldn't. He had finally learned to face her quietly, instead of pretending to be mature and silent. His chest felt hot, as if it was about to explode. However, he was still speechless. He took a step forward, but it was only one step, but it also caused her to take a step back.
"You can't." she said. Then, she smiled as if she had just made an unimportant joke. Her curved eyes were like crescent moons.
Seeing this, he also smiled and inadvertently glanced elsewhere. His shy appearance was like a naughty child.
A black horse ran along the wet road. The hooves of the horses splashed. The horse stopped right in front of him, its nose exhaling a long breath of hot air. The horse shook its head and looked forward. It raised its front hooves and tilted its head.
She reached out to touch the black horse and climbed onto its back. She bent down, her legs close to the horse. Her long black hair fell down, almost mixing with the brown hair on the horse's neck. She turned the head horse's neck and whispered a few words. The horse turned around and walked into the lake. Her black hair floated up. The horse rushed into the fog and ran faster and faster, almost flying. Then, she disappeared into the misty lake.
He followed her into the lake and jumped into the cold, bone-chilling water, swimming forward with all his might. He panted and felt his body sink, thinking that something was pulling him at the bottom of the lake. He swam forward with all his might, but he was lost in the fog. He saw the black horse leaping in the mist. The horse's eyes were like starlight. The hooves of the horses stepped on the water, creating ripples. The horse stopped and turned to look at him. Then it raised its head, neighed, and ran away. He watched as the black horse ran further and further away. At last, the horse leaped over the lake and kept going upwards.
His body became heavy and he continued to sink. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but he did not grasp any of them and allowed his thoughts to become chaotic. Then, he lowered his head and noticed that he was sinking.
At a certain moment, he was rescued and dragged ashore. He lay on the wet grass and spat dirty water. Then, he stood up, waved at the people beside him, and walked away. He walked past the crowd and grabbed a Middle Eastern woman wearing a scarf before letting go. He lowered his head, knowing that a certain moment had completely passed, and walked away silently.
Perhaps time could be longer. The yellow rainwater on the ground was crushed.
The streets were filled with people. They raised their flags high and shouted. Most of the people standing outside were wearing white shirts and jeans. Their clothes were printed with the slogan "Peace, No War". The flag that was held high also had anti-war slogans printed on it.
"We're tired. The reasons for the attack were half true and half false.”Someone raised Mike and said.
People shouted,"Oppose war and demand peace."”
Abu retreated to the side of the flower bed and looked at the excited crowd, looking for an opportunity to leave. Someone stuffed a flyer into his arms. The scene of innocent children being killed was very gory. Abu stepped back and looked at the parade. He accidentally caught sight of Hong Ming, who was wearing a hoodie, a hat, and a mask. He followed her and searched the crowd, but was pushed away by a group of people.
Then, Abu rushed to the Chinese restaurant. When he first entered the kitchen, his entire body was steaming.
Old Li stared at his face that was covered in water droplets and threw him a dry towel.
Abu wiped his face, poured a cup of hot tea, and drank it. He turned to look at the clean kitchen and sat down.
Old Li sat down and turned to look at the drizzle outside the window. He seemed to be very helpless about the weather.
"Where's Hong Ming?" Abu asked.
"He's fooling around outside." Old Li said.
"Outside?" Abu asked.
"That kid wants to join the army? Go and pull. Fortunately, he has no nationality." Old Li said.
Abu frowned and could not continue.
"Some of those street brats participated in the Laker War and can't come back.”Old Li said.
"I think I saw him just now, in the parade.”Abu said.
"Sounds like he did it. Don't get involved in politics. It's none of our business. Hong Ming is too free." Old Li said.
"Can he still stay here after ten years?”Abu asked.
"He got a work visa. He was very familiar with those people, and his anger was no less than any street kid. A few years ago, he and those people had scribbled on the streets, then went to play music, tattooed and put on makeup, and dressed like a ghost. No one could suppress Hong Ming. Sometimes, you would feel that he was a native of the Ying Country. And you're still a Chinese brat." Old Li said.
Abu shook his head and didn't say anything.
At this moment, Hong Ming ran in, drenched. Without looking at them, he pulled a lunchbox from the table. Then, in front of everyone, he picked up one of the fried chicken drumsticks and started eating. Abu recognized his sweater and knew that it was him.
Old Li poured a cup of tea and pushed it to Hong Ming, staring at him.
Hong Ming threw the chicken bone aside and took a sip of tea. After taking a few deep breaths, he wiped the oil from his mouth and opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak.
"If you f * cking mention war to me, say something about the United States, or the Ying country, then shut your f * cking mouth and get lost.”Old Li said.
Hong Ming lowered his head, grabbed another drumstick, and started eating.
"You haven't eaten or drunk outside, yet you can still bear it. Truly amazing." Old Li poured him another cup of tea and said," At least you can do odd jobs here and eat hot food.”
"I saw you in the crowd. These people were very dangerous. A bunch of angry people. "It's easy to have violent conflicts," Abu said.
"Do you think the conflict isn't big enough?”Hong Ming said with a smile. He had lost weight and wrinkles had appeared at the corners of his eyes. That malicious smile was chilling.
"What's wrong? Where have you been all this year?”Hong Ming asked.
"I've been in the hospital for a year." Abu said.
Old Li turned his head and looked at Abu without saying anything.
"Study hard." Hong Ming stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and grinned.
After that, no one said another word.
The drizzle made a dripping sound.
They didn't move at all and just watched.
3
After returning to the village, Alan often sailed out to sea alone. Every day, Wen Xuan would read on the porch, waiting for his return. This change made Wen Xuan feel ridiculous. He had been out at sea for half his life, and in the end, he had become the guy waiting for someone at the door.
That evening, Wen Xuan closed his book and looked up at Aren walking to the porch with a bucket of water.
"What are you looking at?" Aren asked.
"Why do I feel like a chick when you ask me that?”Wen Xuan said.
Aren smiled, squatted down, and looked up at Wen Xuan.
"Uncle, I met a very powerful old man in the sea today. He lived in the sea and many people knew him. He seems to have saved many people." Aren said.
"Is that so? How did you guys meet?" Wen Xuan asked.
"On the sea. A few boats gathered together. I followed him." Aren said.
"That's the Pirate Congress, right? What kind of shrimp soldiers and crab generals are there?" Wen Xuan asked.
"They are all old fishermen. Someone saw me and said that the Liu family's child had arrived. Everyone dispersed. The old man chatted with me for a while and even gave me some soup.”Aren said.
"He's just like that. Did he ask any strange questions? Or ask about your family situation?" Wen Xuan asked.
"You know him? He did not mention it. He didn't talk much. He just kept smoking and made me eat. He didn't ask me anything or say anything. However, he looked very cool like a god.”Aren said.
"You would probably say that anyone with seaweed on their head looks like a god.”Wen Xuan said.
"He must be very powerful to be able to stay in the sea for so long. With so many strong winds and waves, the ship would have been destroyed long ago. He's gone too." Aren said.
"It's good that you think that way. Don't go into the sea casually in the future. Be careful." Wen Xuan said.
"Uncle, you must know him too. Quickly tell me about him." Aren said.
"I'm not too sure either. Anyway, he was just a stubborn old fisherman.”Wen Xuan said.
"What about his family? Was he going to be alone at sea?”Aren asked.
"Who can get along with such a stubborn old man? His family probably ignored him." Wen Xuan said.
"That's true." Aren looked back at the sea and said.
The setting sun had already sunk into the sea. The afterglow shone on the surface of the sea. It looked like a pool of blood red water had melted there.
"Little guy, you should go home and accompany those two old people. Don't just waste your time here." Wen Xuan said.
"I don't want to go back. He would have to nag again when he went back. They will definitely want me to go back to school." Aren said.
"It's good to go back for a meal. If you don't go back soon, Gui will come over. I don't think it's convenient for me to move. I can't hide even if I want to.”Wen Xuan said.
"Alright then." Aren said. He was still staring at the sea that was gradually darkening.
A few days later, Aren ran back to the bamboo shed excitedly and stood by the porch, panting.
"Did the shark climb ashore?" Wen Xuan asked. He turned a page and did not look up at Aren.
"No, it's not that. I have good news for you, Uncle.”Aren said.
"Is Abu back?" Wen Xuan asked.
Aren shook his head and sat down. He turned around and pulled the teapot beside the wheelchair. He raised his head, opened his mouth, and poured tea into the pot. The tea gurgled into his stomach. He put down the teapot and looked back at Wen Xuan. His chin was still dripping with tea.
"Just now, Dad brought me to the sea to see those fish steaks. He said that he was going to raise crabs and abalones in the coastal waters. That way, I won't have to go to school and can stay in the sea to help.”Aren said.
"This is big news. This was even more unexpected than a shark crawling ashore.”Wen Xuan said.
"I've been to that place before. It's close to the island.”Aren said.
"Aren, do you want to do this? Engage in marine breeding?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Mom agrees too. Anyway, this way, he could go out to sea openly and not be nagged by them.”Aren said," You can earn money by raising these things.”
"What's the difference between this and farming? It was a field that cut the sea into pieces. If you want to earn money, don't go into the sea. There's no money there." Wen Xuan said.
"Uncle, this is no different from going out to sea. I can still go out to sea to fish. He only occasionally helped out at the fish steak. I don't care about money. This way, my parents won't bother me anymore. This was better than being forced to go to school. It's better than moving to the city." Aren said.
"Aren, it's not that I don't approve of you going to the fish steak. However, there were some things that he could not explain in a short period of time. Anyway, if Liu Yongnian wanted to make fish steaks, then let him do it. I can't interfere. As for you, you should play in the sea. Just play in the sea and catch as much as you can. Don't put all your energy on the fish raft. I'm an old-fashioned person, so I don't really agree with sea farming.”Wen Xuan said.
"Uncle, I only go there occasionally. It was meaningless after a long time. There was nothing in those wooden cages. It was better to cast a net.”Aren said.
Wen Xuan raised his head and glanced at Yongnian who was standing outside the courtyard. He lowered his head and said,""Then you can go back first. I still have something to say to your father."
Aren turned around and saw Yongnian, so he went down the porch and looked back at Wen Xuan. He seemed to have a lot to tell his uncle. However, Yongnian was still around. He could only walk away.
Wen Xuan rubbed his eyes and looked up to see Yongnian standing outside the courtyard. He smiled secretly. He rowed his wheelchair, got off the porch, and rowed out. He walked out of the courtyard and looked up at Wen Xuan.
"I thought you were already a dried fish.”Yongnian turned around and pushed the wheelchair.
"Are you embarrassed to come to my porch by standing there?”Wen Xuan asked.
"That place has become a place for women again.”Yongnian said.
"You mean those roses? Aren planted it." Wen Xuan said.
The waves rushed up and spat out white foam before retreating.
Several children ran across the beach and shouted. They played tirelessly, sometimes laughing innocently, sometimes screaming loudly. In this world, there was no one happier than them.
The sea breeze blew against her face, gently caressing her warm face.
"Interesting. This would be a human degenerating into a fish and returning to the sea.”Wen Xuan said.
"Your legs are broken, so you're just going to run with your mouth?”Yongnian said. He pushed Wen Xuan forward slowly on the beach.
"Alright, you don't have to take me to the beach.”Wen Xuan said," This beach, even if I'm paralyzed now, I'm more familiar with it than you.”
Yongnian let go of the wheelchair and turned to stare at the sea with a frown.
"I'm very curious how long did you spend persuading Xiao Gui?”Wen Xuan looked up at Yongnian and said," Letting Aren go to the fish steak, does it involve something else?”
"Aren told you everything, right?" Yongnian said.
"It's best not to let Aren interfere with the fish steak. I can't stop you from doing that, but I can at least stop him. I really can't stand seeing you use your innocent son like this.”Wen Xuan said.
"I won't let him know about those things. Besides, he was only raising prawns and crabs.”Yongnian said.
"It's just a cover. You want to use those things to cover up what you've done. You still can't stop. Now, you want to drag your own son down with you. If he knew about those things. If he knew about those things. I can't imagine what will happen." Wen Xuan said.
"He wouldn't know about those things." Yongnian squatted down and pointed at the village by the shore." Do you know how much money those people have collected over the years? No one here would say anything about those things.”
"Of course. You hit me so hard. Even if there was no money, no one dared to make a sound.”Wen Xuan said.
Yongnian lowered his hands and squatted on the sand, looking at the sea.
"Why can't you stop? No one is forcing you now." Wen Xuan said.
"Stop? Why both hands? The entire sea area is mine now. I can do whatever I want. Stop? Am I a fool?" Yongnian said.
"If only I hadn't saved you back then. It would be great if you died in this sea area.”Wen Xuan said," As you get older, you become more and more muddle-headed. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have been soft-hearted. I just hope that Aren can stay away from these things. Originally, I didn't want to talk to you anymore in this life. Now, I just want Aren to stay away from you. If the matter was exposed in the end, he would not be able to bear it.”
"I'm taking care of his desire to go out to sea, right?" said Yongnian. Moreover, many people were doing marine farming.”
"That's not what you think. Liu Yongnian, I know you too well." Wen Xuan said," You should be a father, not a heinous murderer. If it weren't for Aren, I wouldn't even want to see your dead fish-like face.”
After saying that, Wen Xuan slid his wheelchair and left the beach. The children rushed past him, facing the sea breeze and holding their kites high. Looking at these children, he thought of Aren, and the worry in his heart gradually overflowed. He was basically half a cripple now and did not want to do anything big. All he wanted was for Aren to live a positive life without getting hurt. Now, Yongnian's actions were truly puzzling. He kept thinking, hoping to find a good way to help Aren.
The wind grew stronger, stirring up the fine sand. The kite faced the wind and climbed higher and higher, its tail fluttering in the wind.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。