As the sun set into the village, Gao Wenqing and Su Xiaofang, a rural couple, had just finished a tiring day's work. The old scalper of the family followed the two slowly, looking even more tired than them. Sitting on the threshold, Su Xiaofang took out two cloves of boiled potatoes and handed them to her husband, looking at his mud-stained hand and taking it carefully.
"Wen Qing, you see that Dazhi is about to take the high school entrance examination, if you have good grades, you can go to a good school in the city to study in high school." Su Xiaofang's eyes shone with hope.
Gao Wenqing nodded, "At that time, we may have to go to the city with him to find a job." "Turning the conversation to the future always makes people forget about the difficulties ahead for a while.
After dinner, night fell, and Dazhi was still seriously reviewing in the dim light. The voices of women chatting outside the door were heard, and from time to time the conversation mentioned Dazhi's achievements and his future.
A few days later, on a summer afternoon, the terrible news suddenly struck the river - Li Dazhi and his friends accidentally drowned while playing in the water. When the news of returning to the village spread, it was like a sharp knife plunged straight into the hearts of the villagers.
"What should I do? This kid is the pride of our family! The old lady burst into tears, and trembled on the ground.
There was a mixture of grief and sympathy among the neighbors, "What beggar-like thing told me the news?" Gao Wenqing's voice was hoarse and angry, "I don't believe it! Gotta go find him! ”
He turned around and walked out of the village, still trying to find a sign of hope. Anxious and heartbroken, he saw his son on the surface by the river, his body was stiff and there was no sign of life...
When he returned home at night, he sat powerlessly on the ground and did not speak for a long time, and the father of the child kept flashing the image of the swollen and cold body in front of his eyes, and his wife, who was wiping tears beside him, did not say a word.
For several days, Su Xiaofang sat in a daze, holding the photo of her son in front of her with her hands and unable to let go; A heavy pressure imprint in the heart can not be erased.
The silence of the night is a place where the heaviness of the atmosphere and the silence and indifference of a tragedy in a village...
Time passed quietly in silence and sorrow. Su Xiaofang was deeply trapped in self-blame and endless memories, and her husband Gao Wenqing's eyes gradually lost their former brilliance, and they just repeated the same work every day.
An embarrassing suggestion suddenly came from a distant relative: "Why don't you adopt a child?" This may be able to relieve the pain in your heart. ”
This sentence was like a pebble thrown into the surface of a lake like stagnant water, causing ripples in circles. Gao Wenqing was obviously moved, "Maybe this can give us a new hope." ”
However, Su Xiaofang shook her head, tears welled up in her eyes again, "There is no one to replace Dazhi!" We have only one son! ”
Controversy began to play out frequently in this house. After each argument, the brief lull always made the two feel heavier. The persuasion of relatives seems to have only increased their estrangement, "Can't you all think about each other?" An elder couldn't help but reproach.
The rift in the relationship grew bigger and bigger over time, until one morning, there was a lonely back on the road at the head of the village - it was Su Xiaofang walking through the mist.
"Where are you going?" Gao Wenqing's voice was powerless and hoarse.
"I need to be alone and quiet," her voice was so soft that it seemed like it would be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Gao Wenqing, who was left behind, looked at the back of his wife who was far away and was silent. In any case, he could not understand why his wife could not accept some of his efforts and attempts to ease the pain in each other's hearts.
It was nearly noon when the sun cast a dappled shadow on his face through the thin clouds. Facing the empty room, Gao Wenqing slowly realized that this tragedy brought not only sadness but also deep psychological trauma to the family, and they first needed to learn how to touch each other's hearts before learning how to face it...
"We can't go on like this, we have to make a decision!" Gao Wenqing's words were firm and forceful, and this was the first time in many days that he had been so categorical.
Su Xiaofang stopped the movements in her hand, it had been a long time since she had heard her husband have such a firm voice. She turned around, her eyes filled with endless confusion, "What else?" I can't get out. ”
The mood of the two rose to a new level. "We have to look forward! Can't always dwell on the pain of the past! Gao Wenqing almost roared angrily.
Su Xiaofang shook her head, her face covered in tears looked particularly pale, "Have you ever understood the heart of being a mother?" ”
The quarrel gradually escalated to the previous disbelief and the current helplessness. Eventually, after a sharp thud, everything fell silent. Objects were scattered all over the place, and the cups on the coffee table cracked a long slit.
Su Xiaofang silently picked up her clothes and personal belongings and put them into a small backpack, deciding to stay away from this home full of memories but also just as painful. She walked without words, and at the moment when she was about to step out of the house, she looked back and asked a question that made her own heart ache:
"Are you sure you still want to stick to your methods? Even if the last warmth of home is broken? ”
Gao Wenqing was speechless in the face of this final questioning—the entanglement in his heart was deeper and more painful. The door was gently closed with thoughtfulness and determination, "I'll be back... When my heart is better. ”
Only the words echoed in the emptiness. The village was surrounded by night, and the only sounds at this time were the occasional cries of distant animals and the slender shadow at the head of the village—the lost wife looking for a place unknown to heal alone.
The dim light on the road casts a long shadow, and the old ox is still eating the grass without knowing it, as if the atmosphere at home has nothing to do with it.
The husband, who was alone at home, finally lost the last line of defense to bear not speaking: "Do you not understand my heart or is my heart going too fast..."
In the season when the days were getting shorter and the nights were getting longer, he walked by the stream where his son used to play and play: "Dazhi, Dazhi... It's not that Dad doesn't want to remember you, but is your heart just because you're not there, and you can forget the part that everyone can't let go of right away? Even if it's suffering..."
Time is a long river, no matter joys and sorrows, it always passes quietly. One day after Su Xiaofang left home, she began to turn white, and Gao Wen got up early in the morning and sat on the threshold alone. The morning breeze blows through the ends of the hair, but it also carries a hint of coolness.
Last night, I saw Dazhi's bright smile and immature words in my dream again: "Dad... Can you come back early today? Let's go to the river to catch fish together. After waking up, there was only a room of loneliness and silent calling.
The people of the village knew about his family, and they could not bear to disturb the quiet grief, and they only watched from afar as the man who had often spoken little but was full of affection in the past family reunions faced the challenges of the new day alone.
As the sun sets and approaches, there is a constant stream of chickens and ducks returning to their cages and walking after dinner, but there is always a feeling that there is a little less enthusiasm in the past, and instead there is a certain sign of caution and even a little indifference. No one knows how deeply the absence of a family member has affected this young family.
Until a sentimental evening, when the sun attached to the field like the color of an oil painting, and the palm of his hand caressed his face, a figure slowly appeared on the path at the entrance of the village, and the back was a little fragile, but it was familiar, but Su Xiaofang was back.
The door of the house was hidden, and she saw her husband's unused dinner on the dining table, and there was a clear dirt mark on the back of his rough hand, and he obviously returned home directly from the field, and he was at a loss and did not notice her arrival until he saw her put down her backpack and quietly looked at him, "You are back".
After a long separation, the two eyes met, the warmth in the depths of the blood was rekindled, and the tears that gradually welled up through the corners of each other's eyes condensed into a silent but profound dialogue in the air, which is the relief after too much inner struggle, and it is also a moment of emotional love and bitter exchange, which is better than all words, and the amount of information that can be effectively conveyed is moving. It is heartbreaking, as if all the encounters in this life are born for this moment, without a word, or even just through the common eyes, you can perceive each other's hearts, the century-long emotional entanglement and reluctance in each other's hearts finally have a way to release, that is, to go home, and then like their relatives once taught them, to live together, to meet the unknown, and there will be no fear, because there is enough burning fire in the heart of the five thousand years of civilization that has not faded, even if it has experienced more cold wind and rain, it can also rekindle the enthusiasm of life and the hope of life with human wisdom。