warm and deep

Chapter 55 Spring Cold
Taking advantage of the twilight of dawn, Guo Zisu came to the intersection leading to the town and waited quietly for the arrival of the truck.

Time flies so fast, the last time I waited for the bus here was to return to Qingshi Village with Liang Shi, and she still clearly remembered the swarming crowd, the simple and honest Liang Shi.It seems like it was yesterday, but it is already a new year.

"Beep—" With the sound of a siren, a truck came. Guo Zisu recognized that it was Toyama's car, and quickly waved.

Toyama stopped the truck in front of Guo Zisu with a snort, and asked with a smile, "Mr. Guo, didn't I hear that you are not a child in Qingshi Village?"

"Yes. I went there today to attend a colleague's wedding."

"Oh, it's still very early for the wedding wine. The wedding wine here is only served in the afternoon. Where do you go for a stroll, I'll pick you up later." Shan Fu said that he was about to put away the guests car drove away.

Guo Zisu grabbed the window sill of his cab.Said: "I have to see other friends. I want to go early."

Toyama opened the door of the cab and said that you can come up.I'm going into town to do some shopping now, and I'll be right back.

Guo Zisu jumped up and said happily: "Today is really lucky, I just met you when I got here."

Toyama also smiled, and took out a steaming baked potato and handed it to her, "I came out so early, I haven't had breakfast yet. Fill your stomach while it's hot."

Guo Zisu thanked him, and immediately began to enjoy the sweetness of baked potatoes.

Fu Shan drove the car and asked, "Has that Liang Gong returned to his hometown? Is he still setting bones?"

Guo Zisu nodded: "He is studying medicine now, and he is treating two patients with leg injuries."

Toyama said: "He has a good heart, a good personality, and is good at everything."

Fushan bought good things, picked up some mountain people returning home at the intersection, and drove Guo Zisu straight to the town.

Seeing that Guo Zisu was carrying a travel bag, Fushan found a wooden stick and asked her to carry it on his back to save effort.

Guo Zisu thanked him, carried the bag on his back, and walked forward with a hunched body.

After walking a few steps, out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to see the flowery dress and the back of the stone passing by her side in a hurry.Because he was carrying something, he didn't care.When she came back to her senses, she turned around and took a closer look, only to see that Toyama's big truck was already packed and was heading for the city, and it was impossible to see who was on it.

It’s already around nine o’clock in the morning, and the sun is slowly shining over from the top of the mountain. There are birds on the mountain calling out to their friends and singing songs, and occasionally there are eagles neighing, but the sound disappears after only a moment. In Skyrim now.From time to time on the mountain road, mountain people walked past her with fast steps.

Unknowingly, she was sweating all over her body. She felt hot all over. She took off her down coat and took a rest.

As she walked, she thought, Liang Shi was with her before, and he carried the most and the heaviest things on the way alone, she walked with her hands shaken, and even played tricks on him for fun.

If it was late, Sister Chunhua would pick them up on the way with minced meat when she knew they were coming back.

Liang Shi is no longer here.Sister Chunhua knew that I would come for a wedding today, so why didn't she come to pick me up on the way?

She thought about it, and laughed at herself again.Sister Chunhua is busy with building a new house, so how can she pick me up in broad daylight in bright sunshine?

She remembered that she seemed to have seen the flowery dress and the back of the stone just now.Am I wrong?Well, I must have read it wrong. Shishi is the most courageous, and he dare not go in and out openly wearing a long floral dress under the blue sky and broad daylight.No matter what, when the spring flowers appeared, he was afraid to avoid them like a tortoise.

Just as he was thinking, Liang Shi called: "Zisu, are you ready to leave?"

Guo Zisu gasped and said, "Why are you leaving? I'm almost there. Hehe, didn't expect that?"

Liang Shi laughed loudly: "You can think of this, you should think of this, maybe you were hungry all day yesterday, why don't you rush to Qingshi Village on an empty stomach?"

Guo Zisu spat at him, and pretended to be angry and said: "Ignore you, I will call you later when I am eating delicious cured fish and bacon."

"Haha, how can you talk about cured fish and bacon at this time. Didn't you remind me? Remember to send me two yuan for me." Liang Shi said with a smile.

Guo Zisu also smiled: "Okay, don't you still have a few pieces of the meat you gave to Sister Chunhua last year for them to ask for, and I will help you ask Sister Chunhua back later."

"Oh, sister Chunhua must know that you are framing me, but you are actually greedy." Liang Shi was still grinning.

Guo Zisu said: "You called to talk about bacon?"

"Yes. However, I'm also very jealous that you can see Uncle Bone and Minced Meat right away. I really miss them."

Guo Zisu smiled secretly, haha, you also have moments of melancholy.

Liang Shi continued: "Tell Min Rou, we will pick him up to play during the summer vacation. Tell Uncle Bone, Zihao's legs are almost fit."

Guo Zisu teased: "Mr. Liang, you are not so old, are you? How many times have you said this to me. Can you come up with some new ideas?"

Liang Shi said embarrassedly: "Hey, I'm afraid you'll forget it. Okay, I'll call you as soon as I have a new idea."

"Okay, bye." Guo Zisu hung up the phone, picked up his travel bag, and saw that Qingshi Village was just under the col, so he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Guo Zisu's heart was a little excited.As she walked forward, she looked around, hoping to see spring flowers or minced meat.In the past, every time I came back from the outside, I would see Minced Meat running towards me. This time, I had almost reached the canteen, why didn't I see him running over?
There were several children playing in front of the canteen, and when they saw Guo Zisu, they scrambled to call her.She smiled and took out some sweets and handed them out.

The owner of the canteen came out and greeted Guo Zisu with a smile to walk inside.Guo Zisu thanked him, and said that he was entrusted by Liang Shi, and wanted to visit Uncle Gu's house first.

The boss said that Uncle Gu and the principal are matchmakers for Li Yimin and Xia Lian, and they may have gone to work at both parties' homes today.It's better to go to the school first, where there is a wedding room for the couple, and the wedding ceremony is also organized in the school cafeteria.

Guo Zisu thought, that's right, he should go to the school to seal the gift money first, then go to Sister Chunhua, and come to the banquet later.

As soon as Guo Zisu entered the school gate, he saw that the room he used to live in was crowded with people, with bright red paper-cuts pasted on the windows, red couplets on both sides of the door frame, and a big double happiness character pasted on the door.It seems that the school gave this suite to Li Yimin and Xia Lian as their wedding room.

Many people who were busy recognized Guo Zisu and greeted him immediately.Guo Zisu saw a seat for guest registration next to him, hurried over, took out the gift for the couple and the red envelopes he had prepared from his travel bag, and handed them over.

Someone came over and handed her a cup of hot food, beckoning her to sit inside.

She drank tea and said: "I still have something to do, I'll come back later." After saying that, she put down her teacup and walked out.

Walking to the entrance of the playground, a teacher from the school greeted her loudly from behind, ran over and asked her where she was going?

She turned her head and smiled at him, and said, "I'll go to Chunhua's house to play."

The teacher immediately stopped in his footsteps, a strange look flashed across his face, his lips moved, he didn't speak, but nodded silently.

Guo Zisu looked at him with questioning eyes.

Seeing him looking around, without saying a word, he just nodded again and said, "Okay, come over for dinner earlier."

Guo Zisu nodded in agreement.After leaving the school gate, go to Chunhua's house along the uphill where the principal took her.

Halfway up the slope, she was startled.Only a few scorched logs of that classical style wooden house were left lying down in disorder.The ground was all black and scorched.

She ran a few steps, and when she arrived in front of the ruined wall, there seemed to be a burning smell in the air.She couldn't help crying sadly.

Several children heard her cry, ran over, surrounded her, and looked at her silently.

She trembled and cried and asked them, "Where's their family?"

"The minced meat went to his mother's grave." One of the children said.

Guo Zisu suddenly understood the reason why Chunhua and minced meat were not seen along the way, and also understood the strange expressions on the faces of others when they heard that she had come to Chunhua's house.She grabbed a child with tears in her eyes and asked, "Where is his mother's grave?"

The child pointed to the mountain, and was scared by Guo Zisu's expression and ran away.

Guo Zisu walked up the mountain and shouted at the top of his voice, "Minced meat!"

There was a cry of "wow", and the dirty minced meat rushed straight down from the mountain, crying inarticulately.

When he ran over a ridge, he tripped and rolled a few times, got up, ran over like a beast out of the cage, threw himself into Guo Zisu's arms and cried loudly.Tears, snot, and mud all wiped Guo Zisu's clothes unceremoniously.

Guo Zisu hugged him and walked towards Chunhua's grave step by step, tears streaming down her face.

She couldn't believe it, in just one winter vacation, dear sister Chunhua was separated from her.

She knelt in front of the grave for a long time, listening to minced meat intermittently telling about everything that happened on New Year's Eve, which was heartbreaking.

After a long time, she grabbed Min Rou's hand, pulled him up, and said, "Son, where do you live with Dad now? Let me go and see."

Minced Meat took her to Xinwuchang, where a simple shed was built with wood and oilcloth.

Guo Zisu walked in following the minced meat. The ground inside the shed was also loose soil, and the rainwater flowed in, making it wet. When he stepped down, it was full of mud.

There was a bed in the shed, covered with cheap sheets and quilts.Guo Zisu lifted the sheet, and there was nothing under it except straw.The bed was covered with yellow mud.Her nose was sour, and two lines of tears fell.

Looking up and looking around, a simple stove was built with a few bricks, and pots and stoves were placed in a mess on it.Guo Zisu walked over, lifted the lid of the pot, and saw that there were some cabbage leaves that were boiled yellow, and there was a layer of ash in it.Said: "Minced meat, this dish is already dirty and can't be eaten. Throw it away."

Min Rou said: "My dad cooked this dish the day before yesterday. He said he would cook it for me after I finished eating. He was afraid that I would burn the shed if I started a fire, so I was not allowed to cook it myself. I just poured it out Gotta eat."

"You dumped it now, he will cook it again when he comes back tonight." Guo Zisu said, angrily picked up the pot of leftovers and poured it out.

Minrou looked at her helplessly, and then dragged out a plastic box that had been deformed by burning from under the bed.

Guo Zisu looked at the box and recognized that it was used by Sister Chunhua to put the minced meat into shoes. Thinking of the scene when Chunhua was holding the box and talking to her full of longing, she couldn't help seeing things and thinking about others, holding the box and crying sadly.

Seeing her crying, minrou began to cry again.After crying, he opened the box, took out the bag that Guo Zisu entrusted to the reporter Wang, opened it, and said, "Mr. Guo, my dad left me a piece of sausage for what you entrusted last time. He always didn't Cook it for me. Can you cook it for me?"

Guo Zisu held the piece of sausage, remembering that he had bought a long bunch.She asked, "Why did you only leave a section for you, have you finished eating the rest?"

"I don't know where my dad took the other things." Min Rou said with his head down.

Guo Zisu suddenly remembered that he had seen the back of a flowery dress and a stone in the town.It's not that I misread it, but that this place has completely changed.I can't help but feel sad again, and the tears don't stop.

She said to the minced meat: "I have steamed this sausage at home, you can just warm it up a little when you eat it. You don't need to cook it."

Minced Meat heard this, and quickly put it back into the bag, put it in a plastic box, and said, "Then I'll keep it and eat it slowly."

(End of this chapter)