Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 174 Never Forgotten
After Yue Xuelian left Liu Xiaonan and settled in the United States, and during the ten years after Liu Xiaonan and Meng Xiangxiang got married, the contact between Yue Xuelian and Meng Xiangxiang has never been interrupted.At the beginning, they paid attention to Liu Xiaonan's career development, and after they each had children, they exchanged parenting experiences with each other.In recent years, especially after Meng Xiangxiang graduated with a master's degree and stayed at the school to teach, the communication between the two has expanded to the teaching and academic level.

Yue Xuelian was teaching in a middle school in a Tangren community. On the day Meng Xiangxiang sent the email, she was taking the students out for an outing and did not come back until three days later.When I got home and saw the email, I rushed to my parents' house immediately.Americans don't like to live with the elderly, parents have to rent another apartment.

Knowing that their old classmate was critically ill, Yue Zifan and Lin Yidan immediately decided to return to China for a visit.After much consideration, Yue Xuelian decided to return to China with her daughter and parents.After a long journey, she was worried about her parents' health and wanted to take this opportunity to let her daughter experience the customs of her second hometown.

My daughter likes to learn and speak Chinese, and also likes to communicate with grandma and grandpa. She yearns for the far east.According to the homophony of the English name, the grandfather gave his daughter a nice Chinese name with a typical oriental charm, called Moon, and the daughter likes it very much.

More importantly, walking with her parents and daughter gave her the courage to face Liu Xiaonan, and Liu Xiaonan would not embarrass her too much.Even though she learned from her mother and Meng Xiangxiang that Liu Xiaonan still kept the photos she took on American campuses, she knew that he had a clear love and hate, and returning to China alone to face him would definitely not lead to good results.

After getting off the plane, Yue Xuelian immediately called Meng Xiangxiang to find out the details, but what she got was unfortunate news.After consulting with his parents, he immediately took a taxi to Liuzi Street.

The taxi is speeding on the highway, looking at the once-familiar country cities, mountains and fields, all the past events are gathered in my heart, and have never been forgotten.

The parents talked quietly in the car, lamenting that the old classmate passed away prematurely. If I knew this, I should have written or called the old classmate.

Yue Xuelian knew that it wasn't that her parents didn't want to write letters or make phone calls, but that they didn't have the face to contact Uncle Liu.Because of her betrayal, her parents also alienated her old classmates.

When the taxi got off the expressway and passed through Fuzhou City, Yue Xuelian pointed to this small town that had not changed much and said to her daughter: "Moon, this is where grandma, grandpa and mother lived, and it is your root in China. "

Moon has blond hair and blue eyes, but has a Chinese complexion and face. She blinked her blue eyes and said fluently: "What a magical place. The tall and pointed building in the distance is what my mother said about the tower." ?"

Yue Xuelian said: "Yes, that is the Yongfeng Pagoda, which was built in the Tang Dynasty more than 1000 years ago."

The Moon exclaimed, "Wow, that's so old! It's older than America."

Yue Xuelian said: "China has a long history, and Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and you can never finish learning it in a lifetime. I will show you to take a good look when I come back this time, and you will be proud of having Chinese blood."

Lin Yidan and Yue Xuelian were sitting in the back seat, and she said to her daughter, "Take this opportunity and find a time to have a good talk with Xiaonan. After so many years, it's time to give him a reasonable explanation. "

Yue Xuelian agreed, but thought in her heart, there is nothing to talk about, no matter how much I talk about it, he will never forgive me.

Under Yue Xuelian's skillful guidance, the taxi driver drove the car into the front street of Liuzi Street, and stopped in front of the house that once belonged to the owner.Liu Xiaonan, Meng Xiangxiang and their two children were already waiting in front of the courtyard, opened the car door, and welcomed the guests to get off.

Liu Xiaonan helped Yue Zifan get out of the car, held Yue Zifan's hand, and said with a smile on his face, "Mr. Yue is good!"

Yue Zifan patted the back of Liu Xiaonan's hand and said, "Xiaonan, we came back late, and we couldn't meet your father for the last time."

Liu Xiaonan said: "The incident happened suddenly, and I didn't have time to say the last word to my father. Teacher Yue, forgive me, I haven't written a letter to the teacher for so many years, it really shouldn't be."

Yue Zifan hugged Liu Xiaonan: "Xiaonan, the teacher can understand and won't blame you."

Lin Yidan walked over, Liu Xiaonan called out "Auntie!" and was about to reach out, but was hugged by Lin Yidan.Lin Yidan said, "Xiaonan, Auntie misses you so much."

Liu Xiaonan's eyes were moist, and she choked with sobs: "Aunt Lin, I miss you too, I miss Teacher Yue. I also ask Auntie to forgive me. I didn't tell Auntie when I got married."

Lin Yidan had tears in her eyes, but she wiped away the tears for Liu Xiaonan. She said, "Good boy, Auntie understands. Auntie is happy for your day."

Liu Xiaonan supported his Teacher Yue with one hand and Aunt Lin with the other, bragging about herself as she walked into the house: "Mr. Yue, Aunt Lin, this time I will return to China for a longer stay, and I will show you the changes in Bincheng." .I'm getting old now, not the literary youth I was back then."

Yue Xuelian stood at the gate of the courtyard in embarrassment.There was a strong contrast between Liu Xiaonan's affection for her parents and her affection, her eyes flicked away, and she didn't even look at her, let alone say hello.

She said to Meng Xiangxiang: "I knew this was going to happen a long time ago. He acted like he didn't see me. He has a very strong grudge. When I commented on his novels back then, he would take the opportunity to sue me." to my father."

Meng Xiangxiang smoothed things over and said, "Xiaonan has been in a bad mood, so don't take it to heart."

Yue Xuelian glanced at the house she was very familiar with and said: "I don't know as much as him, and I didn't come here for him. Yue Yue, this is Aunt Meng. I saw it in the video, do you remember?"

Moon raised her face and said, "I remember, hello, Auntie."

Meng Xiangxiang agreed, and asked his two children to say hello to Yue Xuelian.During the video, she saw the moon, but she didn't let Qiyu Qimeng meet Yue Xuelian, she was afraid that the two children would reveal the secrets of adults.

Qiyu looked the moon up and down and said, "Are you Chinese or a foreigner? Why do you look like a rag doll?"

Moon is not timid at all, she said: "I am of mixed race, a foreigner and a Chinese."

Qimeng said: "Brother, you can't speak at all, are you a Barbie doll?"

Qiyu said: "It's your girl's toy, how do I know?"

Qi Meng took Yue Yue's hand and said, "Moon, my brother destroys all the toys all day long. He broke all the toys. I'll take you there to play."

The three children ran into the house bouncing around. Children are simple-minded, and they are always easier to communicate with than adults.

Meng Xiang took Yue Xuelian's hand and walked into the courtyard, she said, "Xiao Nan is very happy to know that your family has returned to China."

Yue Xuelian said: "I have no doubts about his feelings for my parents, and I also don't doubt his hatred for me. Even if I hurt him, I also helped you to build a bridge and find a good one for him. Wife, there are always guests at the door, how can he be so indifferent?"

Meng Xiangxiang said: "Think about the scene when you and Xiaonan parted, he might not know how to face you."

I hope so.Accompanied by Meng Xiangxiang, Yue Xuelian went into the room to meet Jiang Changling.The old lady was chatting with her mother, perhaps because her mother ran back and forth during her illness and hospitalization, or because she had a more satisfactory daughter-in-law, the old lady called her name enthusiastically, and talked to her Say hello and compliment her daughter.This relieved her somewhat of embarrassment and gave her a little peace of mind.

Liu Xiaonan personally cooked a table full of dishes and blanched rice wine.He poured wine for the elders one by one, and when it was Yue Xuelian's turn, the jug paused on her glass, raised her head, and said without any emotion: "Drink a little, I won't drink it again."

At that moment, Yue Xuelian felt a little flattered.She used to drink this kind of home-brewed rice wine a lot, but she can't drink it anymore because the person who made the wine is no longer alive.She looked at him and whispered, "Okay, thank you."

He poured her wine, but his eyes were avoided, and he never looked at her again.He told his teacher Yue, Aunt Lin, about his entrepreneurial experience in these years, and she tasted his dishes.She was sure that it was still the taste she imparted to him back then, without any improvement or innovation.Still, very tasty.

After dinner, Liu Xiaonan took his teacher Yue, Aunt Lin, to visit the pond where river crabs were raised. Meng Xiangxiang and Yue Xuelian followed behind with her children.

Yue Xuelian caught Liu Xiaonan's voice, she hadn't seen him for more than ten years, and she still wanted to know everything about him.In the past, she only knew that he contracted Longwangtang, but she didn't know that he donated money to build a school for the village, built a vegetable and fruit wholesale market, and led the villagers to plant big cherries.

These can only show that the love in his heart has not disappeared, but has become wider.

Yue Xuelian asked Meng Xiangxiang: "Xiaonan is so successful, do you have any sense of crisis?"

Meng Xiangxiang said: "I have no sense of crisis, and I am also very successful. We appreciate and support each other. He regards me as a relative, and I also treat him as a relative. Everything he has loved and is loving, I will follow. To love, I trust his eyes, trust everything about him.”

Yue Xuelian said: "You have comprehended the true meaning of marriage."

Yue Xuelian felt like making a wedding dress for others, and it fit very well and was beautiful, but she regretted wearing it on someone else.

Walking up to the pond, the pond changed drastically, but she couldn't forget the funny scene of him lying on the ice like a polar bear, sticking his head into the ice hole and looking around when he took her to break the ice to fish.At that time, how young, how happy and how beautiful.

The fourth brother saw someone coming and walked out from the three houses on the embankment.Yue Xuelian has not forgotten that there is such a fourth brother, he taught Liu Xiaonan how to wrestle, Liu Xiaonan taught that scumbag a lesson, and was locked up at the police station for one night.

She walked up to the fourth brother and asked, "fourth brother, do you still know me?"

The fourth brother smiled honestly: "I know, you are not the one Xiaonan used to be."

Before the word object came out, the fourth brother immediately shut up when he saw Meng Xiangxiang standing next to him.

Liu Xiaonan said from the side: "The fourth brother is married, and he is still the fourth sister-in-law whom he liked before. The lovers will finally get married, and now he is the father of two children."

Being able to speak up is a good thing.Yue Xuelian stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, fourth brother."

The fourth brother said: "It all depends on Xiaonan, without Xiaonan giving me advice and giving me this job, I can't afford to support others."

Liu Xiaonan hugged the fourth brother's shoulder and said, "The fourth brother's persistence is admirable. Unfortunately, not everyone understands it."

What's the meaning?Who are you hitting with this?Yue Xuelian looked at Liu Xiaonan, but Liu Xiaonan turned around and went to talk to his teacher, Aunt Lin.

She looked at the wide water surface of the pond and the crabs crawling around by the pond. She couldn't imagine how far he had developed and how much he had changed in the past ten years.She looked at his back, so close, yet so far away.

On the way back from the pond, Liu Xiaonan asked Lin Yidan: "Aunt Lin, my dad has always been in good health and rarely catches a cold. He was working on the mountain the day before, so why did he suddenly have a sudden illness?"

Lin Yidan said: "Because you seldom catch a cold, your father is overconfident about his body. Once he gets sick, he will be seriously ill. The precursor of cerebral hemorrhage is high blood pressure. High blood pressure must have high blood lipids, sleepiness and dizziness. Your father must He refused to tell his illness, which led to the exacerbation of the condition, and early prevention and treatment can avoid cerebral hemorrhage."

Liu Xiaonan regretted endlessly: "It's all my fault! A year ago, I found out that my dad was sleepy. I wanted to take him to the hospital for a check-up. He refused, saying that he would go to the mining hospital because he didn't feel well. I didn't ask whether he went or not. , It was my negligence that caused my father's early death."

Lin Yidan comforted him: "Xiaonan, you don't have to blame yourself too much, it's because of your father's personality. Don't I know him well? To put it bluntly, I'm going to lose face and suffer. It's not right to accuse a deceased person like this, but I Still have to say, if he can be flexible a little bit, he wouldn’t be where he is today.”

Liu Xiaonan said: "After my father retired, he has never been idle. He is only 65 years old and has not enjoyed a day of happiness. This is my fault, and I cannot forgive myself."

Lin Yidan said: "Your father has been depressed all his life. After retirement, he can do what he likes to do, give full play to his strengths, and reflect his own value. Isn't it a blessing? Isn't it a relief? Why should you worry about it? You The real regret of my father's life was the day when we graduated from high school; the real misery of your father's life was fleeing Liuzi Street alone with his luggage on a cold night in midwinter; the real danger of your father's life was his death in a mine That electric shock accident. It was really dangerous, if it weren't for your father's strong physique and strong desire to survive, you would most likely lose your father as a teenager."

Liu Xiaonan let out a long sigh: "The only thing that comforts me is that my dad didn't suffer from illness. I remember one year during Chinese New Year, he said that he would never lie on the kang, be served by others and be disgusted by others, and he would be happy if he wanted to leave. He walked away. He really came according to his own words, he was very happy, leaving only his thoughts and sorrows to us."

Yue Zifan, who had been silent for a long time, said: "This is what your father did. I don't doubt it at all. Words must be followed, and actions must be resolute. I admire it."

Lin Yidan said: "At our age, we are not afraid to talk about life and death. If that day comes, we also hope to be like your father, and leave quickly and cleanly, not greedy for life or afraid of death. Not that lucky. Isn't that right, Lao Yue?"

Yue Zifan sighed: "Only those who have gone through hardships and narrowly escaped death can have such a transcendent awareness and behavior. Life and death are fate, there must be a hearty one, and I yearn for it."

Liu Xiaonan was bewildered by the two old men, he did not yet possess that state.

(End of this chapter)