Liu Changan and An Nuan separated and walked slowly to the bridgehead.
The river breeze was warm, and the setting sun had completely sunk behind Lu Mountain. The afterglow scattered. Looking up at the Orange Island, the most eye-catching great man's head was smiling. His gentle eyes were looking at the city he had once studied and lived in, the city that was burned and rebuilt with blood.
Among humans, there were lowly ones, great ones, ugly ones, and beautiful ones … Their lives were only a hundred years, but they had performed the history of the entire race beautifully.
Humans called themselves epics, but from another height, it was just a play from beginning to end.
Su Shi once told a story:
When the basin was overturned, the mustard floated in the water, and the ant was attached to the mustard. When the water dried up, the ant went along the path. When it saw its kind, it cried and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. How would I know that there is a way to go in all directions?"
He regarded the life and mood of ordinary humans as the behavior of ants. He wondered if there was a giant roc that soared 90,000 miles into the sky and looked down on him in the boundless space and world.
Even though they were ants, they still made one yearn for them. Liu Changan had never looked down on or disdained the fear and worry of a mustard seed.
Ye Sijin was such a cute ant. Liu Changan found that since he met Qin Yanan, the memories about Ye Sijin became clearer in his mind and began to emerge. Perhaps he needed to see and think about many things in order to make his memories more complete.
However, there was no need to do so. Suppressing countless years of memories in the bottom of his heart was a form of protection for his spirit. Otherwise, if he were to casually recall hundreds or thousands of years of memories in his mind, he would have gone mad long ago.
Back to the community, Liu Changan came to the wall and picked some pumpkin vines. This was the only wall in the entire community. There were vegetables planted under the wall, and vines climbed on the wall. There were pumpkin vines, loofah vines, bitter gourd vines … Not far away, there was a grapevine rack. People who had eaten early were sitting under it and chatting under the shade.
"Xiao Liu, finish your meal early and come play Running Beard …"
"Sure, we can't afford two tables of Mahjong these days."
"It's the turn of spring and summer, and the Yang Fire is overflowing. It's easy to get sick."
After chatting for a while, Liu Changan went home and put away the dried coriander that had been left to dry for a day. Then, he used a broom to sweep the fallen leaves off the roof of the carriage. After sweeping the floor, he began to cook.
Of course, they were having pumpkin vines today. There was no meat and they were stir-fried with chilli. Liu Changan had lived in Xiangnan for many years and was used to the taste here.
Life was actually a very simple thing. As long as one didn't have so many desires and didn't crave for them to be satisfied immediately, there wouldn't be so much anxiety and worry … However, life was short. Not everyone could wait and plan slowly like Liu Changan. How to realize and enjoy one's desires in one's limited life was the root of the world's impatience.
After taking a shower, he changed into a white sleeveless shirt and black linen pants. Wearing straw sandals and carrying a large cattail leaf fan, Liu Changan came to the grape vines to play Running Beard.
Running Beard was similar to the rules of Mahjong, but it was just playing cards. It was similar to winning and doubling, but it was faster than playing Mahjong. Liu Changan was naturally a veteran.
Liu Changan was young and had good eyesight. Of course, he was in charge of the scoring. However, the old men and women also wore glasses. From time to time, they would look at Liu Changan to see if he had written more or less. From time to time, they would look ahead with their presbyopic glasses in a daze. They would mumble and look at their fingers to calculate the total score.
"Xiao Liu, you're about to take the college entrance examination, right?" Old Man Qian didn't have a runny nose today. He was much more energetic. It was also thanks to the fact that he ate three families alone last night. Now, he was very imposing. The moment he came up, he grabbed Liu Changan and set him on fire.
"Soon." Liu Changan smiled. "Let's just go to a random school."
"That won't do … After today, you have to study hard. You are not allowed to play before the college entrance examination." Old Man Qian said with concern. If he didn't play today, the game would be over. So, he just had to study hard from tomorrow onwards.
After fighting for a whole night, Old Man Qian had lost the game.
"Come back tomorrow!" Old Man Qian pulled Liu Changan's hand. His eyes were filled with anger and he said unwillingly.
"Good." Liu Changan laughed heartily and counted the money proudly.
"You wait!" Old Man Qian snorted heavily and walked away.
Liu Changan put away the eight yuan with satisfaction. He folded the tables and chairs and placed them on the wall. These tables and chairs didn't belong to anyone. A long time ago, the idle tables and chairs were moved here. No one took them back. They were public entertainment equipment.
The cards, ballpoint pens, and score books were brought by Liu Changan. He tidied them up and smiled at a shadow not far away.
Qin Yanan didn't expect Liu Changan to find her, so she walked over.
Auntie Xie in the canteen was waiting for the game to end. She was going to turn off the light bulb hanging on the grapevine rack. When she saw the situation, she quickly stopped. She carelessly held the cattail leaf fan and yawned. From time to time, she glanced over from the corner of her eyes.
The big light bulb's warm light made the shadow particularly clear. Qin Yanan's tall figure seemed to make her shadow particularly tall. She wore a black skirt and pants with a rose red ribbon around her waist. She looked light and hot. However, her waist seemed to be too slender. People couldn't help but worry about whether it could bear her heavy upper circumference.
In the evening, Qin Yanan had dinner at her father's house. She accompanied him for a drink and talked about her great-grandfather and Liu Changan. She was a little confused and annoyed.
Liu Changan smiled and seemed to acknowledge it as a greeting. Then, he walked home on his own. Qin Yanan was stunned for a moment. She originally wanted to leave, but since she was already here, she didn't want to say something and vent her frustrations. She felt a little unwilling, so she followed him.
The branches and leaves of the Chinese parasol tree, the cold moonlight, and the quiet courtyard reminded Liu Changan of a poem:
The waning moon hangs on the sparse tree, the leak breaks the silence of the people. Who sees the quiet person alone, the shadow of a lonely swan.
Startled but looking back, there is no one to forgive. Picking up all the cold branches but refusing to rest, the lonely sandbar is cold.
After a thousand years, the poet's situation and state of mind were naturally different from Liu Changan's, but some of the emotions were the same.
Qin Yanan felt that Liu Changan's back was a little lonely, and it even reminded her of the first time she had listened to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6. Why was that song, which was as calm as water and even had some cheerful little waves, called Pathos? Later, after listening to it more and growing up, she realized that true loneliness was difficult to explain to others. It was the calmness and composure that came from the accumulation of too much, too much. It was the calmness and composure that came after the heart was riddled with holes and then rebuilt. It was like the calm surface of the sea that hid the undercurrents of a storm.
It was sorrow and sorrow that people could see through at a glance. Liu Changan looked back. Looking at the face that became more and more familiar as his memory came back, he showed his usual smile.
"I have a good relationship with the Qin family and the Ye family, especially your great-grandmother and I are very close." Liu Changan was still smiling. Glancing at the Chinese parasol tree without many leaves, he said to Qin Yanan's surprise.
Qin Yanan talked to her father about Liu Changan today, but her father didn't know much more than she did. Her great-grandfather wanted Qin Yanan to have more contact with Liu Changan, and other things could be discussed later.
What things could be discussed later?
When her grandfather passed away, her father was still in swaddling clothes. It could be said that her father was raised by her great-grandfather. Her father had never disobeyed her great-grandfather. Qin Yanan was very clear that if her great-grandfather wanted to do something, her father would absolutely support him.
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