For a few seconds, I thought I had misheard. Grandma Tang had already recognized Zhang Jingyi, so she must have accidentally called out Tang Meili's name. But Zhang Jingyi's sharp shout made me understand that I didn't hear it wrong. Grandma Tang faced Zhang Jingyi and indeed said Tang Meili's name.
The difference between urban and rural areas is reflected in many places, among which the relationship between neighbors is the one that I feel the most deeply.
In the city, neighbors have achieved the ideal state advocated by Laozi, where chickens and dogs can hear from each other and never interact with each other in old age. In a single unit building, even if two households living across the street meet every day, most of them do not interact with each other. You don't know my name, and I don't know what you do. It is often reported in newspapers that a murder case occurred in a certain building, and the body had rotted and deteriorated for a long time without anyone noticing.
But it's different in rural areas, where there is a warmth of unity and friendship. Neighbors walk around almost every day, and when a family is in trouble, just shout out and they will gather together.
Zhang Jingyi's shout was too loud and sharp, and the only piece of glass on Grandma Tang's window cracked three times with a loud "pop" sound.
Accompanied by Zhang Jingyi's shouting, an old man and two old ladies ran into Tang Meili's courtyard one after another. Even a young man holding a wooden stick climbed over the wall from the backyard and entered. The unity and bravery of the farmer brothers are fully reflected at this moment. It's not difficult to imagine that if it weren't for Zhang Jingyi at this moment, this group of people would have beaten me up first before they remembered to ask the whole story.
Yangcun is a very small village with only over 3000 people. Anyone who frequently walks around the village can easily get along. Although Zhang Jingyi has been away from Yangcun for many years, she is still recognized, and the hostility of the visitors is immediately eliminated, replaced by the sincerity and joy that only farmer brothers have.
Especially the young man who climbed over the wall and saw Zhang Jingyi, he immediately threw away the wooden stick in his hand, took two steps forward, and joyfully said, "Little Huya, why are you here?" From the young man's expression, it can be seen that he not only knows Zhang Jingyi, but also has an extraordinary relationship with her.
I came to see my grandmother, but she treated me like a beautiful sister. "Seeing her acquaintance, Zhang Jingyi's tears flowed down her face.
How could that be? Grandma was confused three years ago, "the young man said, who was also related to the Tang family." Grandma's ears are deaf, her eyes are blind, and she can't even speak fluently. When Meili came back last year, Grandma didn't recognize her anymore. Meili cried for several days because of this
An old lady walked up to Grandma Tang and casually took the osmanthus cake from Zhang Jingyi's hand. She dipped a little water in a cup of water, and after the osmanthus cake was softened, she brought it to Grandma Tang's mouth and said, "Osmanthus, open your mouth and eat something good
Grandma Tang opened her mouth, and I saw that there wasn't a single tooth in her mouth. She could only stick out her tongue and lick the osmanthus cake with the tip of her tongue. Obviously, Grandma Tang used to love eating osmanthus cake very much. As soon as she added a few, she hummed contentedly, "Sob... ah... eat... cake." As she spoke, saliva flowed down her chin.
The young man is right. Grandma Tang is indeed deaf and blind, and her speech is not coherent anymore. But just now, Zhang Jingyi and I heard very clearly. Although Tang's voice was not loud, her words were clear and her sentences were fluent and coherent. It was definitely not like that. How could an elderly person who can only utter a few simple syllables suddenly become articulate?
A chill spread within my body, and I felt fear, a fear deep in my bones.
My brain has almost stopped functioning, and I can only mechanically watch Grandma Tang lick and eat osmanthus cake. I didn't even hear Zhang Jingyi greeting and introducing me as her boyfriend. It wasn't until the young man called me 'brother' and warmly invited me to his house as a guest that I regained my senses.
The farmers are very simple. When they call me, they just call me 'brother' instead of calling me 'Lin Ge' like people in the city. Although this name sounds familiar, I feel a bit awkward at this moment. I awkwardly responded, saying that there was still something to do this afternoon, and then hurriedly escaped from Yangcun with Zhang Jingyi.
Grandma Tang has almost become deaf and mute, and it is impossible to know about the soul pendant from her mouth. At this moment, I am no longer thinking about the soul pendant in my heart. I just want to go home, to a safe place.
There are no taxis in the countryside, and the road conditions are not good. We waited at the entrance of the village for a long time, and in the end, we could only spend fifty yuan to buy a Changhe small bread and return to the city. The driver is a local, about forty years old, with a red face and a very honest appearance. In order to approach the road, the driver turned onto a dirt road of about seven or eight kilometers before entering the city. As the van drove up this section of road in heavy rain, the tall poplar trees on both sides covered the light, and the front became dark.
The driver turned on the headlights and skillfully drove the car to avoid the ditches and bumps on the road. What damn bad weather! Don't break the car, it will cost a lot of gas
I heard the driver's voice over, he wanted us to increase the charter fee, so I took out another twenty yuan and handed it over from behind.
I didn't expect my guess to be wrong. The driver didn't want any money and gently pushed me away, saying, "Sit down, sit down, we're going to cross a narrow bridge
I withdrew the money and turned to see Zhang Jingyi's face. Her face was very pale, with faint tears on it, and she looked very aggrieved. I feel a little guilty in my heart. A little girl who went through such a thing was already very pitiful, but I deliberately ignored her and didn't say anything for a long time.
After all, tracing back to the source, none of this is Zhang Jingyi's fault, she is an innocent victim.
I reached out my left hand and gently grasped Zhang Jingyi's right hand, wanting to give her some comfort. Zhang Jingyi let out a whimper and threw herself into my arms, saying, "Brother Lin, I'm scared. I'm really scared
There is more than just one person who is afraid, my inner unease is even greater than that of Zhang Jingyi. Will the panic in the hearts of two fearful people ease if they snuggle tightly together? I lowered my head and silently gazed at the beauty in my arms, feeling a warmth in my heart. Although it was only a short day, my feelings towards Zhang Jingyi have undergone a dramatic change. With Zhang Jingyi in my arms, I feel both warm and at ease.
With a click, a huge lightning bolt fell from the sky.