[R18] So and so – “Someone” 37. Stay [English]

Ten years ago, this courtyard was even more cramped than it is now.

The residential building outside Wutong has just been painted with new paint. At first glance, it looks neat and beautiful, but the old houses in the corner are particularly dilapidated. Old Man Ding is the most dilapidated household.

But at that time, he had not shrunk yet, he was energetic and strong.He would stack porcelain pots and pots on the eaves and corners, serve all kinds of flowers and plants, and also keep a civet cat named “Tuanzhang” to prevent mice from scurrying around the house.

“Leader” is the best cat that Old Man Ding has ever raised. He is more humane than a dog and can hit wherever he points.It was the one that lured Jiang Tian into the house.

When Jiang Tian was five or six years old, he was as reticent as later and was always depressed.But after all, he is still young, easily attracted attention, and easy to be soft-hearted. As long as the “leader” lies on his feet, he will be able to do nothing.

The residents in this area outside Wutong have been neighbors for decades and know each other well.The old people don’t have much entertainment, they just like to get together to chat and play chess. The parents spend their time together after dinner.

Old Man Ding didn’t like to gossip, but he was addicted to playing chess for a while, and while he was playing, he heard all about the development of Grandma Jiang Tian’s condition.He already knew the Jiang family and liked Jiang Tian very much. He almost regarded him as half a grandson.

The old man often gave orders to the “head”, who would lie on the wall of the courtyard and wait. As soon as he saw Jiang Tian passing by, he would go down the mountain to touch the porcelain.

Jiang Tian often walks and a cat suddenly falls out of his head.He had obviously braked suddenly, but the cat still fell downright on He’s shoes, a limp ball.

Old Man Ding especially liked to watch that scene – the child was so frightened that he could neither leave nor stay, so he had no choice but to freeze in place and confront the cat.At this time, he will shout to come to the rescue and pull Jiang Tian into the yard.

Sometimes it was wrapped wonton dumplings, sometimes it was simple porridge and side dishes, sometimes it was steamed two fish or stewed some soup. The old man tried his best to bring Jiang Tian something to eat.

The child is thin-skinned and stubborn. If you ask him if he has eaten, he will always nod and mutter: “Eat.”

When you ask him why he doesn’t go home, he always says with a non-fun-loving face: “Come out and play.”

What impressed the old man most was that one evening, he heard that Jiang’s grandmother had not recognized anyone recently, and even her grandson would lock the door by mistake, so he saw Jiang Tian outside the wall of his own courtyard.

He was very thin at that time, with long hands and long legs, and the shadow of his teenage years could be vaguely seen.He was carrying his schoolbag, and the key rope hanging around his neck was rolled around his fingers several times, tangled.It looked like it had been taken off but not used.

Old man Ding patted him on the shoulder, bent down and asked him: “Have you eaten?”

He showed some hesitation for the first time, but finally nodded and said: “Eat.”

The evening lights are on in the alley, and the smell of food is wafting from every house. This is the time of day when the smell of fireworks is the strongest in the world.

But he stood outside someone else’s courtyard wall and said, “Grandpa, can I look after the cat?”

Old Man Ding was lost in thought for a while, then he stroked the curled edge of the photo album and said, “You know Xiao Tian’s character. It’s hard for him to take the initiative to ask for something. He’s been like this since he was a child.”

“When he told me he wanted to see a cat, it meant he really had no place to go.”

The midday sun should be dazzling, but when it falls on this courtyard, only the few meters below the patio are covered, and the rest is dark.

This is the most inconspicuous corner outside Wutong. It is the only place Jiang Tian is willing to get close to now, and it was also the only place where he would stay for a long time.

Sheng Wang suddenly felt sad.

This is the first time that he has fallen into an emotion that is almost lonely because of what another person has experienced.

The people in the photo are stuck in that moment in time, unaware of everything outside the photo.Sheng Wang looked at he who was silent for a long time and said, “Aunt Jiang is very nice and gentle. I thought…”

“Have you seen Xiao Jiang?” Old Man Ding asked.

Sheng Wang was silent for a long time and said: “Aunt Jiang is with my father. In fact, Jiang Tian and I are not just classmates, our two families live together now.”

“Oh, oh, oh.” Old Man Ding suddenly understood, and muttered: “What do I mean, Xiao Tian is not very good at bringing outsiders here. No wonder, no wonder. So you two are considered brothers?”

For a moment, Sheng Wang felt that the word “brother” sounded a bit awkward.It’s strange, even he himself told Jiang Tian before that he once wanted a brother.

But there really is no other way to describe it.

He hesitated for two seconds, nodded and said, “That’s right.”

After saying that, he added: “It’s quite close anyway.”

Old Man Ding laughed.He usually has a tigerish face, hawk-like eyebrows and falcon eyes, with a somewhat ferocious look, but as long as he smiles, his kind nature is revealed, and he even looks a bit like an old naughty boy.

He said: “Who is older, you or Xiao Tian?”

“He, it’s my birthday in December.” Sheng Wang said.

“Oh, it’s your age.” Old Man Ding said, “Then you have to call him brother. Why haven’t I heard you call him?”

Sheng Wang: “…”

The old man lowered his face and pretended to be unhappy.

Sheng Wang coaxed: “Next time, I will definitely remember to call you next time.”

Old Man Ding: “You kids just like to lie to people.”

Sheng Wang: “…”

The old man joked a few words and then fell into memories again.He thought for a while and said: “It’s good that Xiaojiang can be replaced by another family. That girl is one I have watched grow up. She works very hard in school and is very strong. When she was in her twenties, she was very popular, but then she became calmer when she got older. She seemed to have no temper. It was also consumed by family affairs.”

“Her father used to be a gambler and owed a lot of debt. Her mother was a teacher, so she couldn’t afford to pay back so much. Later, Xiao Jiang started a business and slowly filled in the holes. Later, her mother had a disease in her brain and poor health. It costs money to treat the disease, and it also costs money to raise children. How can she stop?”

“She felt very guilty about Xiao Tian. She came to pick up the child twice, and her eyes were as swollen as walnuts. She was crying.” Old Man Ding clicked his tongue and said, “I haven’t seen her cry like that in the past twenty years. At that time, she was actually developing better than Ji Huanyu, but Ji Huanyu is a thoughtful and face-saving person.”

He poked at the boy who looked like Jiang Tianxiao in the photo album and said, “He was actually very miserable when he was a child. He had no father or mother. Later… he was picked up by several other children and put in a yard to raise.”

“Orphanage?” Sheng Wang asked.

“It’s not that formal.” Old Man Ding shook his head, “It’s like picking up a kitten or puppy. I looked at them pitifully and gave them food to eat and take care of them. The name he was given at that time was the surname of the person who picked it up. A few years later, it was banned because it was irregular, and the children were dispersed. Only Ji Huanyu remained in this area.”

“He was about to enter junior high school at that time, and he has been living in school. I don’t know how he got together with Xiao Jiang in high school, and later got married after graduating from college. He was often bullied when he was a child. He always wanted to get ahead, go to the provinces, go abroad, and do big things, so he was not willing to take care of the children at home.”

“Anyway, we had quarrels over Xiao Tian’s affairs several times, but nothing happened.” Old man Ding said, “For a while, Ji Huanyu changed his gender and stopped letting Xiao Tian run around. He took the initiative to come to Wutong to live with Xiao Tian for a year. At that time, Xiao Tian had not graduated from elementary school, and the Jiang family’s grandma had just passed away, so the two of them lived here.”

“It was good at first, at least Xiao Tian wouldn’t be unable to get in, but then it became impossible.” Old man Ding said: “How can Ji Huanyu take care of people? Xiao Tian started to run to me again. Once I saw a burnt piece on the back of Xiao Tian’s neck. He stayed with me for two days, suffering from fever and vomiting. Later he was picked up by Xiao Jiang, and not long after that, I heard that Xiao Jiang and Ji Huanyu were divorced.”

Sheng Wang thought of the scar on the back of Jiang Tian’s neck, frowned and asked, “Isn’t it Ji…he’s father who permed it?”

“I asked about it at the time, and Xiao Tian said no. He doesn’t sound like a tough-talking type. I can tell he is tough-talking.” Old Man Ding said, “Although Ji Huanyu is not a good person, he is really not very good at doing this kind of thing.”

“How did you do that?” Sheng Wang was puzzled.

“I don’t know.” The old man shook his head and said, “Little Tim is very stubborn and talks a lot. If he doesn’t say it, no one will know. I don’t dare to mention it. If I mention it, he will be in a bad mood. It’s not easy for him, and happiness is rare. How can I make him unhappy.”

The old man likes to chatter, and talks about old things in a messy and confusing manner.But Sheng Wang still got a glimpse of Jiang Tian’s childhood from these things.

He finally understood why the relationship between Jiang Tian and his mother was so weird, because there was no sense of belonging.He can understand Jiang Ou’s suffering and guilt, so he will always protect her, but he cannot regard the place where Jiang Ou is as his home.

Sheng Mingyang seemed to be equally unhappy. Sheng Mingyang was only worried about whether Sheng Wang would ignore people, but Jiang Ou was worried about whether Jiang Tian would leave.

Because he is always leaving.

Sheng Wang suspected that for Jiang Tian, ​​his former residence or the courtyard of Baima Alley might not be as good as the school dormitory to give him a sense of belonging.At least in the dormitory, he can clearly know how many years he can live there and how long it will take to unpack his luggage before putting it away.

Outside the courtyard gate, someone rode an old-fashioned bicycle and passed by slowly. When he turned into the alley, he rang the bell.

Sheng Wang finally came to his senses and stood up straight.

The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He took it out and saw that someone had added him as a WeChat friend through the class group, and the verification message said “Li Yu”.

Sheng Wang clicked accept, and the other party immediately sent the message over.

Colorful Koi: Where have you been, Shengwang?A teacher came to check the lunch break discipline. I am on duty today.

There are regulations for the lunch break in the attached middle school, and students are not allowed to enter or leave the classroom at will.Teachers patrol every now and then, and if caught, disciplinary points will be deducted.

Only then did Sheng Wang remember that the lunch break was almost over and he had already slipped out for half an hour.

Sticker: Sorry, monitor, I’ll be back in a moment.

Colorful Koi: Hurry up

Colorful Koi: I said you were feeling unwell and went to the infirmary to get medicine. Don’t wear any clothes.

Sticker: Thanks

Sheng Wang was going to put away his phone, but then he remembered something.

He asked: Monitor, can I still apply for school dormitories?

Colorful koi:…

Sticker: hands together

Sticker: I know this is a little bit silly

Colorful Koi: Yes… OK…

Colorful Koi: But you may have to wait until the end of the queue for the room

Stickers: OK

Sticker: thank you

He said hello to Old Man Ding and rushed to school in a hurry.He stepped out of the door, then stepped back and asked, “Grandpa, where is the cat named Captain?”

“He’s gone.” Old Man Ding said, “The old cat is gone.”

Sheng Wang lowered his eyes and nodded.

He threw the phone back into his pocket and ran towards school.

Coincidentally, I saw a familiar figure when passing by Duxing Building.Jiang Tian just came out of the computer room and was walking towards Mingli Building.

A wild cat scurried through the flowers in front of Duxing Building and jumped onto the window sill.Jiang Tian stopped for a moment and looked up at Wild Cat.

At that moment, Sheng Wang seemed to see outside the parasol tree ten years ago. The unconscious boy in the old photo passed through time and suddenly became clear.

It’s just that the cat who only knew how to touch porcelain to keep him is long gone.

Sheng Wang stopped for a moment, then quickened his pace and ran towards Jiang Tian.

The school that day was as peaceful as ever. The bell for the end of lunch break had not yet rang, and even the birds were curled up in the shade of the trees and falling asleep.The person who bumped into me from behind was the only living presence in this silence——

Jiang Tian felt someone hooked his neck, and the two of them staggered a few steps due to the inertia.He turned his head in surprise and saw Sheng Wang’s cheerful smile.

he heard the other party say: “Jiang Tian, ​​let’s live on campus together.”