Return to the top of the road to champions

February 1989, 2, Sunday, the 5th day of the twelfth lunar month, is also the Spring Festival of this year.

Tao Wei, who got up from the kang before dawn, put on his clothes, packed the kang and went to the stove, poked the stove hole and stuffed two more firewood, filled the cauldron with water, and Tao Wei returned to the house.

After rubbing his hands together, Tao Wei took off the dog-skin hat and handbags from the kang cabinet, put them on, and left the room. First, he cleaned the yard, and then took out a Chinese cabbage from the cellar, the dumplings for the New Year's Eve dinner. Prepare to wrap cabbage stuffing, one is to take the implication of a hundred wealth, and the other is that in the past, the family eats cabbage stuffing every year on the [-]th.

After returning to the house with the Chinese cabbage, a faint mist enveloped the entire stove room. Putting the cabbage aside, Tao Wei slowly returned to the inner room. After tidying up all the things, he moved the table in the outer room to the inner room and wiped it clean carefully. , Take out the white cloth that has been washed a few days ago and spread it carefully.

Looking at the clean and white desktop, Tao Wei pursed his lips, turned around and went back to the outer room to take the two tablets with small photos back to the inner room, and carefully put them away.

Taking two steps back, looking at the honest and shy familiar faces in the photo, Tao Wei twitched the corners of his mouth to reveal a big smile. The bright smile like a blooming flower instantly lit up Tao Wei's entire face.

"Father and mother, happy new year, the second child wishes you a happy new year."

A deliberately raised voice sounded in the small room, and then Tao Wei, who was kneeling on the ground, kowtowed three times heavily.When he lifted it up again, except for the reddish eye sockets, the smile on Tao Wei's face became brighter and brighter.

Very early on, Tao Wei told himself that it’s New Year’s Eve, not to cry but to laugh, just like his mother told him not to cry, to be strong, this year is the first year his parents passed away, no matter what he wants to let them come back What I saw was a well-lived second baby with a bright smile.

With this thought in mind, Tao Wei still showed a bright smile even though his heart hurt like a blunt knife cutting flesh.

Listening to the sparse whips in the village, Tao Wei, who was empty-hearted, walked back and forth in the small room, either tidying up the neat bedding or rummaging through the few clothes at home. .

Finally, it was ten o'clock in the morning as if he was struggling through the day. Tao Wei, who had been laughing all morning, rubbed his stiff cheeks at the shout outside the door, and walked out of the room quickly while agreeing.

Standing outside the courtyard gate, Wan Xiaodong, wearing a dog fur hat with a blushing face, saw Tao Wei coming out, jumped up and waved, "Erba, mother, let's go over to have dinner, brother here has a small whip, let's play after dinner."

Wan Xiaodong's bright eyes and a smile like a ray of warm sun suddenly filled Tao Wei's heart, and Tao Wei, who smiled again, nodded, went back to the house, put on a padded jacket, walked out of the room, and followed Wan Xiaodong out of the yard.

On the way back, Wan Xiaodong mysteriously took out a small whip from his pocket and handed it to Tao Wei, "Erba, take a look, let's have more, let's play together after dinner."

The mysterious Wan Xiaodong who seemed to be holding a baby made Tao Wei smile slightly, and shook his head, "Brother, let me go, I will watch."

"What?"

Tao Wei's refusal made Wan Xiaodong stare at Tao Wei with wide eyes in surprise, Tao Wei paused and looked at Wan Xiaodong with a smile, "I'm afraid of jumping hands, brother, let me watch."

Tao Wei's explanation suddenly made Wan Xiaodong sound like his little friend who was often called out by Beng, and shrank his neck. Some hesitant Wan Xiaodong looked down at the firecracker in his palm, and immediately shook off the timidity that had just arisen , raised his chest, "It's okay, I'll let you see it, it's fun."

Tao Wei was amused by Wan Xiaodongxiong's high-spirited appearance like a little rooster while talking, and he agreed with a smile while nodding.

Fried fruit, sticky bean buns, thick rice porridge boiled for takeaway with small miscellaneous fish, although it is the first meal of the day, but in this era of rural areas, when every household has just solved food and clothing, this meal is already very Good, good, Tao Wei smiled and squinted his eyes while drinking rice porridge that he hadn't eaten for a long time and eating sticky bean buns dipped in sugar.

After having a late breakfast and playing in the yard with Wan Xiaodong for a while, Tao Wei greeted Geng Erfeng and made a decision to make dumplings at three o'clock in the afternoon, Tao Wei left Geng Erfeng's house with a smile.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard and looking at the lonely and thin back of Tao Wei, Geng Erfeng's heart sank a little, but both Tao Wei and Geng Erfeng knew that Tao Wei must stay at home today this year.

After taking a nap at noon, Tao Wei got up and chopped up the cabbage first, then took out the few white noodles at home and put them aside to wait.

Before three o'clock, Wan Xiaodong, Geng Erfeng, and Wan Yonggui came to Tao Wei's house together with a piece of meat. Seeing the neatly tidied up room and neatly placed memorial tablets, the couple was right. Looking at it, a bitterness flashed across his eyes.

After Wan Xiaodong kowtowed to Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng, Geng Erfeng started to make a face-to-face meeting, and Wan Yonggui sent Tao Wei who wanted to help and started chopping meat.

The couple quickly prepared everything and then greeted Tao Wei into the house to make dumplings. Except for the first few bags that were crooked, Tao Wei's big Yuanbao dumplings became more and more beautiful with smooth hands and feet, which made Wan Xiaodong Tsk tut surprise also made the silent Geng Erfeng and Wan Yonggui even more panicked.

The dumplings wrapped by Tao Wei himself were placed one by one on the curtain and sent to the courtyard. They were cooked for Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng at twelve o'clock in the evening, hoping that the children would welcome their parents back home.

Half a pot of stuffing made four large dumplings, and the work was not finished until after five o'clock in the afternoon. The three Wan Yonggui who sent home to make dumplings, and Tao Wei who gently closed the courtyard door were not as busy as before. Put on the embolism, but leave a gap in disguise.

Returning to the empty room again, after a brief silence, Tao Wei patted his face and smiled again, moved a stool and sat on the side of the table where Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng tablets were placed, put his hands on the table and Tao Wei was lying on the table The only pair of quiet smiling eyes slightly bent, "Father, please chat with me."

Tao Wei, who lowered his eyelids and pulled the corners of his mouth to show a big smile, narrowed his eyes, "If you don't speak, Erba, I will treat you as agreeing."

Tao Wei who knocked on the table impatiently began to tell Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng the little stories of those years.

A piece of memory that keeps being dug up, dancing and talking Tao Wei has stood up from the stool at some point, standing in a small open space and performing alone, Tao Wei danced alone in a one-man show Huanchang also spoke drippingly.

His voice was hoarse and his limbs were sore, but the unstoppable dancing made Tao Wei's face covered with sweat, and the brighter smile on his face formed a sharp contrast with his increasingly quiet eyes.

The cheerful dancing didn't stop until the sound of crackling firecrackers sounded outside the door. Tao Wei, panting heavily, put his trembling hands on his knees, bent over and raised his head to look at Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng. The smile on his face paused. After that, it became brighter and brighter, "Father, Erwa will cook dumplings for you, wait for Erwa."

The deliberately raised voice echoed in the small room, trembling with sore legs, Tao Wei ran out of the room, rushed directly to the door, took the dumplings placed on the big vat in the yard back to the curtain, and went back to the room Tao Wei stoked the fire.

The hot water that had been warm in the cauldron was tumbling quickly. One by one, I put the big dumplings into the pot, took out the big spoon and lightly grated it. Standing in front of the cauldron, I silently counted the first opening, the second opening, Three times, he picked up a dumpling and pressed it with his fingers. The deflated and bulging dumpling made Tao Wei twitch his mouth.

Turning around, he took out three plates from the cupboard, counted the dumplings and put them on the plates. More than 40 large dumplings filled the three plates, and held a plate of dumplings in one hand.

"The dumplings are ready, mom and dad are eating dumplings."

Tao Wei ran into the house with dumplings, shouting, and put the dumplings in front of the two memorial tablets, then turned around and went to the kitchen to get his share, and took out three pairs of chopsticks and mashed garlic in advance.

"Daddy's"

"Damn."

Muttering, he put the chopsticks on the two steaming plates and pulled the stool forward. Tao Wei sat in front of Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng. Tao Wei squinted and looked at the parents in the photo. , "Father and mother, happy new year, let's eat dumplings and try Erwa's craftsmanship."

Tao Wei, who lowered his head while talking, seemed unable to feel the scorching heat. He ate the hot dumplings with big mouthfuls, and talked about the delicious Tao Wei's eyes reddened by the hot dumplings. Tao Wei, who wiped his arm, continued to eat, and soon Tao Wei ate up a plate of dumplings like a storm.

Looking up at the two full plates of dumplings in front of him, Tao Wei paused with a smile on his face, turned his head to look at the side, then turned his head again, silently pulled the two full plates of dumplings, bowed his head and ate them one bite at a time with.

In the quiet room, the silent Tao Wei lowered his head and ate the New Year’s Eve dinner alone, while outside the window was the sound of sparse firecrackers and children’s laughter, one, two, three, counting while eating Tao Wei, who was choked up, knocked on his chest hard, as if he wanted to knock out the blockage in his chest, and continued to eat. Three plates of 47 dumplings made Tao Wei retch. After wiping away his physiological tears, Tao Wei put After stacking three empty plates together, he raised his head and looked at Tao Chengcai and Geng Dafeng.

After watching in silence for a while, Tao Wei who took two steps back knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily.After a tear fell quietly, Tao Wei stood up again, packed up the dishes and left the room, and walked into the steamy stove.

After a short period of silence, sobs and sobs sounded in the small stove, but in the stove that was completely enveloped in heat, nothing could be seen except the bitter sobs, hiding in the mist and clenched tightly. Tao Wei's lips were crying with tears streaming down his face and full of loneliness.

I don't know how long it took, Tao Wei regained his mood and returned to the room with red eyes, smiled again and said good night to his parents, and then curled up under the bed with his cotton-padded clothes and trousers in his arms.

Tao Wei, who buried his face in his cotton-padded jacket and cotton trousers, didn't fall asleep until a long time later, and the peaceful room was filled with loneliness, except for the faint smell of dumplings.