If you hadn't come, how old would you make me

Chapter 19

Two days before the New Year's Day holiday, Wen Ran unexpectedly received a call from Zhao Weichuan. She had just woken up and hadn't woken up yet. It took her a while to remember who it was. He on the other end of the phone didn't mind and said, "I remember You said you wanted to see my father, and he happens to be free these few days, so if it's convenient for you, you can come to our house as a guest. The old man heard about you and wanted to see you very much. "

Wen Ran was overjoyed: "It's convenient, of course it's convenient."

Zhao Weichuan smiled loudly: "That's just right."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Ran felt a little complicated.Because of her grandfather, she didn't want to get too involved with Zhao Weichuan, but because of the old man's relationship with her father, she couldn't let go.Balance left and right, the head is big.

Zhao Weichuan's home is not far away, and Wen Ran can go there by taxi, so he declined his offer to pick him up.It is a detached courtyard, which naturally does not have the grandeur of the Wen family, but the edges and corners are much softer.When she entered, Zhao Weichuan was in the living room, and when he looked up inadvertently, he saw her standing at the door.

"Hello." Wen Ran changed his shoes and greeted him somewhat stiffly. .

Zhao Weichuan shrugged and smiled, and took her to see his father Zhao Bonian.

Zhao Bonian was practicing calligraphy in the study room. When he heard the doorbell, he raised his head and froze there for a moment. The stuffed brush was hanging in the air. In a moment, a drop of ink landed on the snow-white rice paper.

"Uncle Zhao." Wen Ran greeted him obediently.

Zhao Bonian came back to his senses and couldn't help laughing: "Like, it's too similar. I haven't seen your father for more than ten years, and I can't react when I see it all at once."

Wen Ran sat down and quietly looked around.The surrounding walls are covered with brush calligraphy, and the fonts are all written by one person, presumably it belongs to the middle-aged man in front of him.He was wearing a white gown with a generous and elegant demeanor, which made her relax inadvertently.He should know his father very well, even remembering his father's favorite tea.

"I remember that when your father was alive, he was the one who loved drinking tea the most. We were all young at that time, and we liked to drink when we got together, but your father didn't smoke or drink."

A steaming cup of tea was placed in front of Wen Ran. She lifted the lid of the tea, smelled the wafting fragrance of tea, and listened carefully to the man in front of her. He was dressed in a white gown, and he didn't look too good in this room with a constant temperature of 26 degrees. thin.

The man smiled, "If I remember correctly, this is your father's favorite tea."

Wen Ran took a sip of the tea in front of him, feeling bitter.

With a soft smile, she said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhao."

"Study in City B?" Zhao Bonian asked kindly.

"I have been studying for nearly five years." She replied seriously.

"Oh, that one is also in City B?"

Wen Ran shook her head: "My home is in T City, and my mother is still there."

Zhao Bonian glanced at her and asked slowly, "Is your mother still in T City?"

"Yes, she still has a job in T City." After a pause, she added, "My grandfather hasn't recognized her yet."

Zhao Bonian obviously knew about this past, so he put it aside and asked softly, "Is your mother okay?"

Such a cautious tone made Wen Ran a little strange, but she still answered seriously, "Well, it's okay."

Zhao Bonian breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back on the chair: "That's good." After a pause, he asked, "Your father died young, and your mother raised you all these years by herself?"

"Yes, mother, she did not remarry."

After listening to her answer, Zhao Bonian smiled: "I grew up with your father. He is withdrawn by nature and has no friends. I'm also an odd number. Ran Ran, don't be so restrained, call me uncle, always Is it okay?"

It turned out that he could see her restraint, Wen Ran stuck out her tongue in embarrassment, and called out sweetly, "Uncle Zhao."

"Back then your father was determined to study archaeology, but your grandfather couldn't persuade him. Speaking of which, he is the only one who has a bad temper. No one in your family can catch up with him." Zhao Bonian recalled, "However, your father is really an academic. Material, you can stare at a stone for a long time, he is the one who can endure loneliness the most."

Wen Ran smiled and pondered: "Uncle Zhao, do you have any photos of my father when he was young?"

"Yes, I'll look for it for you." As he said that, Zhao Bonian got up and went to the bookcase, "Your father doesn't like taking pictures, so I don't have many photos of mine. Speaking of which, he should have a copy."

Really not many, there are only a few photos of my father in a thick album.Wen Ran caressed these old yellow photos, and the tip of her nose suddenly became sore. It was these photos, her father.She said regretfully, "We moved a lot at that time, and for some reason, we lost the photos."

Zhao Bonian suddenly raised his head: "Ran Ran, how did your father die?"

Wen Ran was taken aback, then looked up from the photo, "Car accident."

She still remembers the scene at that time. She and her mother were having lunch when they suddenly received a call from the Public Security Bureau of a certain city in Province J. In the call, the person told her mother that her father had a car accident with someone on the way home and died on the spot. .The mother hung up the phone, and immediately sent her to her aunt's house to stay, and then hurried to a certain city.The last memory she left with this incident was the thin box of ashes.

After a long silence, Zhao Bonian sighed leisurely: "Your father's life was not easy. He has some mental problems, and he is prone to problems when he is stressed. I always thought that he would be better if he married your mother. Unexpectedly, he is still young. die young."

Zhao Bonian sighed to herself, but to Wen Ran's surprise, this sentence sounded like thunder, her hands were trembling, the photos were scattered all over the place, she didn't care to pick them up, she could only hear her own trembling voice: "My father What's wrong with him?"

Zhao Bonian was also surprised. He may have realized that he had made a slip of the tongue: "You don't know?"

Wen Ran shook his head almost blankly.

Zhao Bonian sighed again, it seems that her mother concealed it on purpose, and she didn't want to let herself be broken today, so she had to make it up by herself: "Your father, he suffered from moderate depression when he was young, and it is easy to get out if he is overwhelmed. some problems."

"At that time your father wanted to marry your mother, but Mr. Wen disagreed, so your father took your mother away in a fit of anger. This is really not his usual style." Zhao Bonian paused, then smiled wryly, "But at that time also There’s no other way. I’ll never see them again, and I don’t know if they’re doing well.”

How are you?In her impression, her parents love each other, but sometimes she can always see her father holding her in a daze, and she can also see her mother wiping her tears secretly.Later, my father went out frequently due to work needs, first for a month, then for two months and half a year.

In front of her father's grave, her mother hugged her, crying and saying something she couldn't understand, "It's good to be gone, he won't have to be tortured anymore." Then she shed tears, "Your father has gone too fast in his life , I can't catch up no matter what I can do, if I walk faster, he won't be so lonely. Unfortunately, I am so useless, your father must be waiting..."

She didn't understand her mother's tears at that time, and it wasn't until she grew up that she gradually understood that her father's courage was exhausted the moment he took his mother away, and the rest of the time was just a prison for the two of them.

The winter solstice has passed, and the sky in City B has darkened early, but in this dark winter, the whole city is still noisy.Wen Ran sat in the last row of the bus holding the photo, looking at the father in the photo through the occasional dim light outside the window.This was given to her by Zhao Bonian before he left, he only kept one for himself, and gave the rest to her, for which Wen Ran was extremely grateful.

The last stop of the bus was the gate of University B, and it was already [-] o'clock in the evening when we got back to school.Wen Ran stood in the square for a long time.

She still remembers that Yao Mianmian always bought all kinds of romance novels to read when she was in University A, and he still reminded her: "Women who avoid love are stupid, because those who meet true love The odds are the same as being struck by lightning, and because the princess always kisses a few frogs before meeting the prince, so, if you don’t try, how will you know when you meet the prince and true love?”

She couldn't remember what she said, but only remembered what she was thinking at the time - not afraid of trying, but afraid of doom.So, while her courage is still there, and she can still speak, she took a step and walked towards the college building.A street lamp stood in front of the college building, with a faint light.Wen Ran stood down and took a deep breath. Just as she was about to walk inside, a black car was slowly approaching, and she immediately felt a little familiar.

The car stopped steadily and the door opened.Ye Yizhen came out of the car, he seemed to remember something, he bent down and said something to the co-driver's assistant, he glanced slightly, and then stopped there.He obviously saw her, a trace of surprise flashed in his beautiful black eyes, and then turned into a faint silence.He is such a person, no matter what happens, he can always calm down quickly, he already has enough capital to take everything into his own hands.

"What's the matter?" He hadn't had time to take off his glasses yet, behind the delicate lenses was a pair of eyes full of tiredness.For the first time, this was the first time he had shown his exhaustion unabashedly in front of her.

"I have something to tell you." Wen Ran pulled the strap of his schoolbag and said courageously.

Ye Yizhen smiled, "Wait a minute." Then he turned around and said to his assistant, "Give me the content of the meeting report tomorrow, and come here first today."

The assistant was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized and drove away.

Ye Yizhen took Wen Ran to the office, even though he was fully prepared, he still couldn't help being a little nervous.With a wry smile, he poured a glass of warm water for Wen Ran: "Drink a glass of water to warm up your body first."

Wen Ran took a sip of the water, and said hastily, "Teacher, I want to talk to you." There was sincerity in her wide-open eyes.

He groaned, patted her shoulder lightly, and smiled kindly: "I'm listening, don't worry, just speak slowly."

She murmured, but then lowered her head and said nothing, while he sat aside and waited patiently. After a long time, he heard her speak.

"Actually, after you finished talking that night, I have been thinking about this question."

"Yeah." He could see that it made her so entangled, he really didn't know whether to be thankful or what
"In fact, I have never met a teacher like you. You are knowledgeable, gentle and refined. There are too many students who like you."

He couldn't help laughing: "Are you trying to praise me?"

"No." Wen Ran quickly shook her head. "I still remember what you told me the night I came back from the airport. You said, if there is such an exception, give him a chance. I just want to say that if there is such a person, I hope he will not be too far away from me, and I will not let him go too far. Don't go too fast."

So he dug his own grave?He couldn't help raising his eyebrows: "Why?"

Wen Ran blinked her eyes, resisting the soreness of her nose and the tears in her eyes: "Because, I don't want to chase too hard." This is the mother's pain that she only understood when she grew up.

Ye Yizhen seemed to understand suddenly, and stretched out his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. The movements were delicate and gentle, almost drawing out more tears from her.

This girl hasn't fully grown up yet, but she has so many knots in her heart.But he completely underestimated her knots and imposed his own ideas on her. What else could he do?The only thing he could do was to bend down and hug her gently, just like so many times before.

"Wen Ran." He said softly, "I see."

(End of this chapter)