Grandma Xiaochun noticed that there was one more person at this time. She glanced at Luo Qiu suspiciously. Shen then looked at Luo Qiuâs cousin Luo Shan and asked curiously, âLuo Shan, who is this?â
âHe is Luo Qiâs son, Luo Qiu. Yesterday, he came back from the provincial capital to visit you⦠You donât remember?â Luo Shan looked at Grandma Xiaochun nervously.
âItâs really Luo Qiu!â
Grandma Xiaochun quickly put down the bowl of noodles in her hand, then quickly wiped her hands on the apron hanging on her body, and walked directly to the front of Luo Qiu.
The old woman raised her head. She looked a little excited and grabbed Luo Qiuâs palm with both hands, âCome, let grandma take a good look at you. You are all grown up! Exactly! Exactly! You looked exactly like your dad!â
Grandma Xiaochun grabbed Luo Qiuâs palm tightly. Luo Shan, who was looking on, could even feel the grip.
Grandma Xiaochun rubbed her eyes at this time, and said with a smile, âCome, Luo Qiu. Grandma will serve you some noodles that I made when I got up in the morning. You canât buy it outside! Come, come, kid. â
Grandma Xiaochun dragged Luo Qiu into the kitchen at the back of the house while saying that.
Luo Shan and his wife looked at each other. His wife was quite nervous at this moment, âHusband, why did your mother suddenly⦠I still canât figure out how she can look like a normal person? It scares me to death! Do you think that it is⦠terminal lucidity?
âHow did I know?â Luo Shan shook his head, âShe was so illed. The doctor in charge of the hospital said that she couldnât be saved⦠But anyway, her appearance in high spirits is always better than her appearance yesterday⦠You go and inform them. Let them know about her situation. By the way, go and see if Shanshan is at work. She is also a doctor. Let her come and take a look first!â
âOkay, okay, Iâll go now.â His wife hurriedly ran out the door.
â¦
Grandma Xiaochun opened the lid of the kitchen pot. It was steaming. Luo Qiu leaned over, flipped away the steam with his palm, and said with a smile, âIt smells good.â
âItâs aromatic, right? Then eat more.â Grandma Xiaochun chirped, âYour father liked it the most when he was young.â
âWell, I heard him say it before.â Luo Qiu nodded.
Grandma Xiaochun filled the bowl with some noodles and soup, and sighed, âBut I canât see him anymore. What a pity.â
She brought the big bowl to the front of Luo Qiu. Luo Qiu took it with both hands.
Grandma Xiaochun raised her head at this time, puckered with a smile, âMy child, thank you for visiting me. If it werenât for you, Iâm too old that I might nowâ¦â
Luo Qiu shook his head gently.
Grandma Xiaochun patted Luo Qiuâs palm, âI understand. There are some rules, right? Although I donât know what happened to you, grandma knows you are a good boy. Because your eyes looked exactly the same as your father, Luo Qi.â
Luo Qiu smiled and said, âReally?â
Grandma Xiaochun chuckled, âDonât you think I mean it, kid?â
âI hear you then.â Luo Qiu nodded.
Grandma Xiaochun said, âHurry up, the noodles wonât taste good when they are soaked. If time is running out, accompany grandma to pick some fresh osmanthus after you finish eating later. I will make some fillings. I will cook Tangyuan, letâs eat together tonight.â
âOkay.â
Tangyuan; the symbol of reunion.
â¦
Dazhe rented a farmerâs house near the construction site where he worked part-time recently. It was not expensive. It only cost three hundred yuan per month, but it was meanly furnished.
âBoss, I would like a bowl of plain noodles.â This was a breakfast stall on the roadâs side in another village where he rented a house. The truck driving to the construction site had lifted dust at this time.
Dazhe gulped the free pickled, dried radishes⦠Basically, the people on the table next to him were like him. They would go to work on the construction site after they finished eating.
After a while, when Dazhe was halfway eating the noodles, he was patted on the shoulder. He turned his head and saw a fat man in a suit, with side-part shiny hair and a small leather bag under his arm.
The man was drinking with a pack of lemon tea holding in his hand. He smiled and sat down at this time, âBrother Zhe! I knew you were here!â
âDonât tell me about your business. Leave if you have nothing to do. I have to work after I finish eating. I donât have time to serve you.â Dazhe wanted to add chili sauce to the plain noodles. He didnât even look at the fat man.
âHehe, Brother Zhe, I have been your friend for so many years. You donât have to give me the cold shoulder, right?â The slightly fat but well-dressed man⦠Big Head still giggled, âLook, I have been calling you these days, but you hadnât answered it. Thatâs why I came here to find you early in the morning! Itâs unlucky that I stepped on shit in the morning. Just my luck!â
Big Head crossed his feet, took out the tissue, and kept wiping his leather shoes while saying.
Dazhe snorted and said calmly, âWait for me? I think you are waiting to ambush me. I said, donât look for me again. Last time was the last time. I have already said that clearly.â
âBrother Zhe, how can you say that Iâm ambushing you?â Big Head stood up, âWell, stop eating the noodles. Come, brother, I will treat you to some gourmet food at Hongfu Building! Later I will find you a girl to chill you out at Yage!â
He stretched out his hand to pull Dazheâs arm as he said, intending to pull him up. Dazhe frowned unexpectedly. He shook him off and said with a deep voice, âBig Head, what do you want to do? I said, donât bother me. I will have to go to the construction site later!â
âHey, my brother Zhe, you⦠I donât know what I should say anymore. What are you going to do on this poor construction site?â Big Head sat down again, âDo some calculation. You break your neck for a day only to earn a hundred. Whatâs the point? How about this? You just quit the job. Is it okay?â
âAt least itâs clean money.â Dazhe gave Big Head a cold look.
It was not the first time that Dazhe treated Big Head with this attitude. He was not angry, and sighed, âOh, Brother Zhe, we do not classify money into clean and unclean. When you are rich, who dares to say your money is not clean? Just throw money at those who pretend to be sage. They will do whatever you ask! And those who donât touch anything are those who canât make it. Besides, in those years, you⦠â
âBig Head!â Dazhe put his chopsticks on the table emphatically and scowled at him.
Big Head shrank his neck subconsciously, and he recalled what a ruthless character he looked like ten years ago when he was cutting people with a machete, âBrother Zhe, donât be angry. Itâs my fault. Itâs my fault. I mentioned something that shouldnât be mentioned. Myâ¦my words are mean. I punish myself; I punish myself! I⦠I slap myself!â
Big Head gently patted his mouth twice, âBrother Zhe, calm down, calm down.â
âIâm not angry with you.â Dazhe shook his head.
âReally? I know Brother Zhe, you are a generous and loyal good brother!â
âLeave me right away. Iâm sure I wonât be angry with you,â said Da Zhe abruptly.
Big Head looked stiffened in an instant and said, âBrother Zhe, I have no choice. I donât want to bother you, but I have to work⦠Well, my boss asked me to come to you.â
Dazhe frowned, shook his head, and said, âGo back and tell him that Iâm not free. Let him find someone else.â
Dazhe put down three yuan on the table while saying that, stood up, and walked out.
At this moment, Big Head calmly looked at Dazheâs back and said, âDazhe, you have to think about it. My boss, President Xiao, wants to see you, so donât put me in difficulties⦠You know President Xiaoâs means, right?â
Dazhe turned around abruptly, âBig Head, what do you want to do?â
âSister-in-lawâ¦â Big Head looked at Dazhe, âOh no, itâs the former sister-in-law and your child. I heard that they are living well now. She has found a new man who is a teacher, right?â
âBig Head, I warn you!â Dazhe glared as if a leopard out of the cage. He grabbed Big Headâs collar and pulled Big Head to his front. âDonât you dare try me!â
âDonât be nervous, donât be nervous. I just said it casuallyâ¦â Big Head was full of cold sweat behind his back, and he subconsciously swallowed his saliva. âBrother Zhe, letâs eat and have a talk at Hongfu Building. What do you say?â
Big Head stretched out his hand nervously and patted Dazheâs hand, which held his collar, âBrother Zhe, Brother Zhe?â
Dazhe pushed Big Head away, turned around, and walked towards a black Passat parked next to the breakfast stall.
Big Head breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out his hand, patted his forehead, and hurriedly caught up with him.