Good Night, Liang Xiao

On New Year's Eve, it was early in the morning, and there were almost no people on the street. Liang Xiao's red cloth was speeding along the Fifth Ring Road, and it was not yet 08:30 when he arrived at the Xishan Welfare Institute.

The parking lot was not small, but apart from the buses of the orphanage, there were only a few private cars parked here and there, and most of them were covered with dust.The security guard blocked the gate of the fence, Ye Ji'an leaned on the car door to call the principal, Liang Xiao took out the presents for the children by himself, the trunk was almost bursting.There are several boxes of Lego, dolls full of two big bags, and a set of more than 30 popular science illustration books, piled up at his feet.I bought them all when I was shopping for New Year’s goods the previous afternoon. At that time, the shopping cart was too full, and the two of them squeezed each other in the queue in front of the cashier. They were too hurried, and they forgot to buy the sex toys that they agreed on earlier.

I can only buy it on the way home in the afternoon. This is Liang Xiao’s plan. He has never purchased such items after returning to China, and he has not developed the habit of online shopping. I don’t know if there are any domestic supermarkets that have the brand he likes to use. .Of course, at such a time and such a place, it doesn't seem appropriate to think about this kind of thing. Ye Ji'an has already hung up the phone and walked towards him, picking up the two cartons of color-printed illustration books, "The dean will come to pick us up right away," he said. He raised his eyes to look at the sun, "She said that there are just the two of us."

Liang Xiao picked up the rest of the dolls and building blocks, and filled his arms, "How many children are there?"

"Sixty or so, from one to twelve to thirteen years old," Ye Ji'an said with a smile, "How many dumplings do you have to make?"

After speaking, the two came to the fence, the iron gate had already been opened, and the dean trotted out to meet them.Different from the kind old lady Liang Xiao imagined, she is very young, that is, in her 30s, with a small nose and small eyes, and short hair that reaches her ears, which looks capable, but she has a sweet smile and is quite friendly.

"The children just woke up, and I just took them to breakfast." She took a book in Ye Ji'an's hand, and walked quickly in front of the two of them, "It's a long way, thank you so much for coming here."

"Where, you have been inviting me for several years." Ye Ji'an said, with one free hand, he took a bag of dolls from Liang Xiao's arms, so that he could show his face.

"Yes, donate [-] yuan every year, starting from the year of the World Expo," the dean sighed, "You are still so young, we were very surprised when we found out."

Liang Xiao looked at Ye Ji'an with admiration, "It's not just this one," he said softly, "Senior's salary was not much at that time."

"Didn't you have to pay back the mortgage at that time?" Ye Ji'an was a little embarrassed, "The salary also went up later."

"Haha, this is Xiao Liang, right?" The dean turned around and cheered at them, "Mr. Ye has already introduced me, I'm really surprised that you can persuade him to come over."

Liang Xiao also laughed, "Senior is just not very good at getting along with children."

Ye Ji'an stepped on his shadow, "Hey, can you?"

Liang Xiao avoided it deftly, and looked at him obediently, "I can't either."

The dean laughed loudly, and it became louder in the empty front yard. "The children are very cute and well-behaved, and they are all looking forward to making dumplings with the big brother. There is nothing to be nervous about." Experienced man cheers.

There are two buildings in the high wall, both of which are small three-story buildings. The gray walls are so old that they are beginning to fall off. Probably one is used for living and the other is used for activities.The dean led the two into the building on the south side, walked through the hall and climbed the stairs. The large activity room was at the entrance of the second floor, and the lighting was very good. Through the small strip of glass on the wooden door, Liang Xiao saw that many children had already Gather inside, all sitting upright.

"All 63 are here, and they all changed into new clothes, bought with Mr. Ye's donation." The dean looked inside with a smile.

"Just keep warm." Ye Ji'an said.His usual polite smile was still on his face, but Liang Xiao could see a trace of embarrassment in it, which disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"At the beginning, they may be more familiar with students." A teacher with ponytails came to open the door for them, but the dean stopped at the door and explained, "I have already introduced you, and they are all universities engaged in securities investment. Ba, you are a golden collar at a young age, and they are all admirable. Just say hello, let’s share the gifts, and then start chopping stuffing and making dumplings, making them from scratch, so the children have a more sense of participation.”

Liang Xiao didn't think that children of this age would have any sense of admiration for financial farmers. At least when he was a child, he had no interest in his father's field of practice. He only liked to spend his father's money. After going to college and meeting a few good teachers , he really discovered the fun of data and the market, and made up his mind to devote all his energy to it.At the same time, he was even more hopeless about how much help he could help in making dumplings, but he still nodded, and the brim of his peaked cap slipped down, and Ye Ji Anyun pushed it back with his hand.

"I've already smelled it, stuffed celery," he whispered close to Liang Xiao's ear, "Do you like it?"

Help, it's celery, celery, parsley, celery, and cress, I can't eat them all.Liang Xiao thought.

"It's okay," he said.

"I know you're a picky eater, so go home and pack what you like." Ye Ji'an glanced at him again, and then followed the dean into the house, followed by Liang Xiao, a little confused.When was it exposed?Obviously, every time he asked Ye Ji'an to eat, he would deliberately avoid dishes that would make him seem picky.

The gift distribution process was very orderly. Lego blocks and books were shared, so they were placed on the shelves. The children didn’t even make a fuss and looked around. They were still motionless on the small bench. More than 80 dolls could Guaranteed to be there for everyone.The two greeted each other briefly according to the words that had been strung together in advance. Every child responded enthusiastically. The teacher stood up to receive the gift after giving an order. There were sweet smiles on every little face, which made Liang Xiao feel strange. weird.But he couldn't explain why, so he followed Ye Ji'an honestly, thinking that he would hand the bags to the children one by one, just like the Santa Claus he saw at the school gate every year in junior high school, but Ye Ji'an just handed the bags to the courtyard Mr. Long and Ponytail, sat aside by himself.

"It's just a small toy, there's no need to make it so ceremonial." Ye Ji'an looked at the group of children voluntarily queuing up in front of the teacher, and then at the thin stalks of celery that had been washed to a crisp on the low table, "Look at them, So good."

"Yeah, I suddenly felt that I was very annoying when I was a child. I probably would fight with others to grab Batman." Sitting on the small bench was not very comfortable, Liang Xiao bent his long legs and put his elbows on his knees to support his face. "They Just be quiet."

Ye Ji'an smiled, "You have never suffered before."

Liang Xiao suddenly thought, this is really the case.The reason why this group of children are so worry-free is easy to explain. They have no one to rely on since they were young, and learn to observe their words and feelings so as to wrap themselves in a well-behaved and obedient shell, and abandon the common problems of those children. It is more like a kind of self protection.

Just like he was often praised for "suddenly growing up a lot" for a while, just after he witnessed the tragic death of his own mother.

"I still shouldn't come." Ye Ji'an looked at the two or three-year-old shofar braided children silently at the end of the line, and suddenly rubbed his cheeks twice, reaching this conclusion.

"We'll tell jokes to tease them later, and they'll relax." Liang Xiao moved his gaze from the toy to Ye Ji'an's face.

Ye Ji'an shook his head, "It's because I'm not... well, I'm not very comfortable."

Afterwards, he pursed his upper lip and stopped explaining, and his spirit sank. Although it was not obvious, Liang Xiao could detect it.He didn't ask any more questions, but just observed silently. Ye Ji'an blended in very well, surrounded by small carrot heads. He was like other female teachers who taught older children to mix minced meat, and taught younger children to knead dough, making the sweater on their faces It was covered with white flour, and soon there was a smile again.In contrast, Liang Xiao felt that it was a bit funny that he could only roll the skin slowly.

However, he has a good-looking face and a harmless smile, and there is no shortage of children surrounding him, flattening the medicine with a small rolling pin with him, and getting familiar with him after chatting, and still maintaining that It's a kind of careful politeness, all they ask is big brother, are you super good at making money and so on.

Asking himself, Liang Xiao felt that he was better at spending money.

But of course you can't say that, because it's too embarrassing, and it's suspected of misleading your children.So he confided his personal experience to the children in an inscrutable manner. You must study hard and learn math and English well in order to make money.

His eyes still followed Ye Ji'an calmly.

Is it an illusion?He felt that Ye Ji'an was sad, he was sad when he wiped the child's nose with a tissue with a smile, he was sad when he avoided the child's flour paws with a smile, he was sad when he taught the child to curl the hem with a smile.

It's still a very sad kind, because the level is deep, so it doesn't superficial, so he can still laugh.

Thinking like this, he saw Ye Ji'an standing up and walking straight towards him, trying to pull him over to learn how to make dumplings.Ye Ji'an still remembered his request. Of course, Liang Xiao put aside distracting thoughts and studied with an open mind. Among the piles of radish heads, he was the first to get the moon. He should be the one who saw the most clearly and learned the fastest. In his hands, he was flat. The slumped dumplings quickly take on the basic crescent shape.

But after all, it's not a short-term thing to become a teacher. Ye Ji'an made a good time for the drawer, Liang Xiao endured the strange smell of celery, and cooperated with a few children to catch up, and finally saved a drawer of almost the same size crookedly. I don't know how many will be cooked.

Soon the first wave of finished products was ready to be cooked, Liang Xiao volunteered to participate in the dumpling cooking activity, because he knew the principle of overall planning, so he decided to use his advantages in other aspects to maximize the benefits and avoid the waste of celery. differential attack.Holding a large cutting board full of dumplings in one hand, Liang Xiao followed behind the kitchen aunt, walked through the corridor and climbed up the stairs together, and entered the steamy big kitchen.Unlike at home, the stove and operating table are all made of iron, and the size is also very large. Liang Xiao took the dumplings back and forth twice, and after finishing the transportation, he was assigned the task of arranging the dishes.

He was holding a stack of high stainless steel dishes, and placed them on the table one by one. Have a chat with him or not.

When Liang Xiao was stirring the big bowl of dipping ingredients in strict accordance with the proportions, the aunt started talking again: "That Xiaoye, I really didn't expect to see you again. It's been so many years in a flash. Thank you, young man, for being able to put He brought it."

Liang Xiao suddenly became alert, "Have you seen it before?"

"Of course, see you every day." The wrinkles on the aunt's face have softened a lot. "He was here until he was three years old. At that time, I was a little girl who just joined the work. I cooked for him. My body is very special." Weak and young, I cook all the dishes for him alone. Didn't he tell you?"

Liang Xiao calmed down from the shock. In fact, he had thought about this possibility. When he knew about Ye Ji'an's closeness with his family, and saw Ye Ji'an's unusual behavior just now, a certain guess emerged in his heart, and he was immediately caught by it. ruled out.As for why, it was because thinking about it would hurt his heart, and he instinctively didn't want to think about Ye Ji'an's setbacks.

"Before three years old?" Liang Xiao rubbed the undissolved lumps of sugar at the bottom of the bowl with the tip of his chopsticks, lowered his head, and said as calmly as possible, "He grew up in Nanjing."

"It was taken back by his adoptive parents. It seems that his father was transferred from work." Auntie seemed to be lost in distant memories, and even her voice became softer, "When they came to pick up the child, they immediately fell in love with Xiaoye. He is cute and smart, and they promise to take good care of his weak body. At that time, he only had a nickname, and he was thrown in the hospital since he was born. There were not so many rules more than 30 years ago. We were raised here, and we didn’t even have a registered permanent residence. . Later, there was an adoptive family, so he took the surname Ye, and his family loved him at that time."

is that so?Liang Xiao didn't speak.

Only the auntie said again: "At first, I came to pick up the child because I couldn't conceive, but it seems that I gave birth to another one? It would still hurt more if I gave birth to it myself. I remember Xiaoye came back once later. She looked like she was in her early ten years old. He came here by train more than 20 years ago. He didn’t say anything, just looked at us and left, please don’t tell his parents. We also know that the child may not be happy later, at that age Children, whoever likes him or not, is very sensitive to whether he treats him well, but what can we do? It has been legally handed over to others, and we can’t get it back.”

As she spoke, she began to sigh. After sighing for a long time, the dumplings in the pot floated up and shook with the boiling water. Seeing that Liang Xiao was silent, she said again: "Are you two good friends? How about I tell you more about it?" other--"

Liang Xiao interrupted: "Thank you, no need."

He showed no expression, and said word by word: "I want to hear about these private matters, and I also want to wait for the person concerned to tell me about them."

Auntie was a little resentful, and faltered to express her understanding. Liang Xiao looked at her quietly, the candy at the bottom of the bowl had been crushed.

He knew he wanted to lose his temper.

But I don't know who and what qualifications.

Carrying two large plates of boiled dumplings down the stairs, and through the long corridor, Liang Xiao's confusion finally calmed down.Through the glass strip on the wooden door, he observed the inside of the activity room again, and the first thing he saw was a familiar boy. He was no longer making dumplings, and he was sweeping the floor by the door, sweeping the flour all over the floor by himself. Putting into the dustpan, he squatted down if he couldn't clean it clean, his too long bangs drooped in front of his eyes, he quietly used his fingers to stick the dust, and rolled up his sleeves, probably because he didn't want to stain the new clothes.

Liang Xiao remembered that he introduced himself when rolling out the skin, shyly saying that he was in the fifth grade and was 12 years old this year.

Such a sensible 12-year-old.

...Senior, are you the same?Either trapped in that family, or escaped back here.

Liang Xiao looked for Ye Ji'an from the bustle of the room again.

Found it soon, Ye Ji'an was facing his direction sideways, still making dumplings with a group of children, he smiled more naturally and looked better, the sun was shining on him through the big window, as if he was glowing himself, hair Grayed out by flour without being unkempt, on the contrary, very tender.

It even exudes a feeling of a mother, just like the dean and teachers, that kind of elder kindness, that kind of tolerance and overflowing motherhood, who can hold the child in his arms at any time and whisper softly to sleep.

This is so different from Ye Ji'an at work, and also different from his usual gentleness. Liang Xiao was stunned. Before he pushed the door and went in, he clearly saw his own face in the furry sunlight. sad.This can only be described as "not a taste", he suddenly thought in a daze, senior, senior, I don't want you to be a tolerant mother, I don't want that, I just want you to be a crying mother Noisy child.

Because being a kid is really cool.

What you are owed, so many, can I return it to you?

He took a deep breath, held the dumplings steady, and walked towards Ye Ji'an.