Superficially reserved

On the day of Ching Ming Festival, the sky was cloudy and there was no wind.

The sun is hidden in the thick clouds, and the whole land is surrounded by a dark blue haze, the closer to the mountain, the more humid and hazy.

Xia Yu and Zhou Ding arrived in Jiangcheng one day earlier and rented a hotel next to Martyrs Mountain.

He woke up early, lay on the bed without saying a word, picked up his mobile phone to order flowers and fruit baskets.

After ordering, he turned his head and saw that Zhou Ding was still in a deep sleep, his breathing was even, his sleeping face was soft, with one hand on his waist, the arm exposed outside the quilt had strong muscles, and there were a few ambiguous pink scratches on it .

As he was watching, his closed eyes suddenly trembled.

Zhou Ding opened his sleepy eyes, his voice was muffled and hoarse, with obvious sleepiness: "Why did you wake up so early?"

"The air here is too humid, and I'm not used to it."

Xia Yu said, "Go on to sleep, it's only past six o'clock, we'll go there at nine o'clock."

In the past, their family would arrive at the cemetery at 08 o'clock for tomb sweeping, and leave around 30:[-], so they would definitely not hit each other after nine o'clock.

Zhou Ding was still sleepy, he closed his eyes and hummed.

He rubbed Xia Yu's shoulder, buried his head in the socket of his shoulder, and continued to sleep.

Xia Yu couldn't sleep.

With his eyes closed, he lay without any sleepiness, his knuckles lightly tapping the sheets, silently feeling the passage of time.

After holding back and waiting until 08:30, Xia Yu opened her eyes and got up.

Zhou Ding also sat up, and they stood side by side in front of the sink to brush their teeth.

Xia Yu said: "I'll just go in later, you wait in the car, I'll be out soon."

Zhou Ding responded, "Did you buy anything?"

Xia Yu: "I bought flowers and fruit baskets and put them at the reception desk downstairs."

Zhou Ding asked again: "Where's Mingbi Yuanbao?"

"Those that are not used are too polluting."

While talking, they washed up and went out neatly dressed.

When passing by the service desk, Xia Yu took the ordered bouquet and fruit basket, then got into the car, and the two headed towards the cemetery together.

It was just after nine o'clock when they arrived at the cemetery, and the road and the parking lot were crowded with grave sweepers.

After finally finding a parking space, Xia Yu said, "You wait here, I will go up by myself."

Zhou Ding glanced at the mountain full of people: "Are you going to the top of the mountain?"

"Well, I'm going to the top of the mountain, and I'm going to the foot of the mountain." Xia Yu carried a fruit basket in one hand, and put the bouquet on the fruit basket.

Zhou Ding didn't want to get off the car: "I'll accompany you, and I'll help you carry your things."

Xia Yu weighed the weight of the fruit basket: "That's fine."

In the past, they went up the mountain together as a family, and they took things separately, so they didn't think it was too heavy. This time, he was alone, and he carried two fruit baskets and three bouquets of flowers. Can also take it easy.

He distributed the things to Zhou Ding, and then took him to the martyrs cemetery at the foot of the mountain.

Martyrs Mountain is named after the Martyrs Cemetery at the foot of the mountain.

The feng shui of this mountain is also excellent. The closer to the foot of the mountain, the more expensive the tomb is. Many people even spend a lot of money to prepare a place for the elderly in the family in advance, because the later they buy it, the worse the location, especially the rich want to buy it here. My ancestors can get closer to the martyrs cemetery and get the blessing of these founding heroes.

Xia Yu's grandparents were lying in the martyrs cemetery.

He hadn't seen them since he was a child, so he didn't have any impression. Every time he came, he kowtowed and left without anything else to say.

This time it was the same, he came out within 10 minutes.

Seeing him coming out, Zhou Ding walked over and said, "Are you going to the top of the mountain?"

Xia Yu nodded: "Yes."

The Martyrs Mountain is not high, and it takes three to 10 minutes from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain.

It's just that the steps of the Martyrs Mountain are carved out of rock, which are a little narrower and higher than ordinary steps, and they are a little uneven, so it is very tiring to climb up.

When he reached the top of the mountain, Xia Yu's back was already sweating.

He didn't stop, he didn't stop until he came to a certain row of tombstones, and then took the fruit basket and bouquet from Zhou Ding's hand: "You wait here, I will come soon."

Zhou Ding hummed, and stood still.

Xia Yu took the bouquet and fruit basket and walked to a tombstone.

The man in the black and white photo has a handsome face, and when he smiles, his eyes are curved like two crescent moons.He looks very similar to Xia Yu, but his eyebrows are gentler and more elegant than Xia Yu's, and his hair is also longer than Xia Yu's, making him look very gentle and delicate.

Xia Yu lowered her eyes and looked in front of the tombstone. There was a bouquet of white chrysanthemums there. Xia Yi and her sister-in-law should have been there.

As for father and mother, they never came, at least not once.

Xia Yu didn't think much, and put the fruit basket and bouquet she brought over.

Then he raised his head, stared at the man in the photo, and called softly: "Brother."

After shouting, Xia Yu pursed her lips and said nothing.

He was familiar with the man in the photo, because Xia Zhao died when he was three years old. He was too young at that time, and he had no impression of Xia Zhao at all. He didn't remember whether he hugged himself or not. Has he ever talked to himself? Even if he tried hard to recall, he couldn't remember anything about the past between their brothers.

But he knew Xia Zhao very well.

Because he was the first to tell Xia Zhao after he found out that he was gay, and he had nowhere to tell about the confusion and hesitation that no one listened to, and he only poured out to Xia Zhao's photos.

They are a kind of people, and they are blood brothers.

Others couldn't understand, but he believed that Xia Zhao would understand and support him.

After a while, Xia Yu looked at the person in the photo, and said again: "Long time no see."

As he said, he squatted down and brushed away the dead leaves falling on the tombstone. He lowered his eyes slightly, and his voice was very soft, like reminiscing about the old days, and also like pouring out, "A lot of things happened at the end of the year. I fell out with my parents. In the Cold War. We didn’t celebrate New Year together, and we didn’t meet again after that, but it doesn’t matter, I think it’s fine now, if we don’t meet, we won’t quarrel, and it’ll save us worry.”

As he spoke, the growling voice seemed to fill his ears again, and Xia Yu's father's angry face appeared in front of his eyes.

The feeling of shock and collapse at that time was recalled again, and she clenched her hanging hands. Xia Yu stared at the man smiling softly in the black and white photo, and asked in a low voice: "Do you hate them?"

As the breeze blew, the white chrysanthemum leaning against the tombstone was blown, and the man in the photo was still smiling gently.

This question will never be answered.

Xia Yu lowered her eyes again, and breathed out: "I'm done talking about the unhappy ones, let me share some more happy ones with you."

Speaking of this, Xia Yu glanced not far away.

This is different from the Martyrs Cemetery. The Martyrs Cemetery is surrounded by white walls and black tiles. There are special guards, gates, and places to stay. This place is completely open-air, except for the stone ladders, which are rows of graves. One look, and you can see Zhou Ding standing upright by the steps and waiting.

Zhou Ding was wearing a black sportswear and a peaked cap, but his outstanding height still made passers-by keep looking at him.

He could only push his hat lower and stand further to the side.The brim of the hat covered half of his face, so he couldn't notice Xia Yu's gaze.

Xia Yu looked at Zhou Ding and told Xia Zhao in a low voice: "That's my boyfriend, his name is Zhou Ding."

He said, "I'm in a relationship with him, a very serious one."

"I picked him, and I took the initiative to approach him. He is very good. He is good in everything. He is confident, sunny, and kind. He is a very good boy. He is especially good at basketball. I like him the most. Look, once you see it, you will be fascinated once."

Speaking of this, Xia Yu couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips and said, "I like him very much."

At this time, Zhou Ding finally noticed Xia Yu's gaze.

He raised his head, waved at Xia Yu, pointed to himself, and mouthed: "Do you want me to come over?"

Xia Yu understood, and nodded after thinking about it for a while.

He also wanted Xia Zhao to see his boyfriend. He felt that Xia Zhao would be happy for him and wished him well.

Soon, Zhou Ding walked over.

"Xia Yu."

He stopped beside Xia Yu, and subconsciously raised his eyes to look at the tombstone. When he saw the photo, he froze for a moment, "This is..."

Xia Yu said, "My brother."

Zhou Ding said lightly: "You both look alike."

Looking at the start and end dates on the tombstone, he quickly calculated the age of the other party when he died, only 27 years old, very young.He asked, "Is he Xia Yi's father?"

Xia Yu nodded: "Yes."

Zhou Ding said, "It's a pity to be so young."

"Ah."

Speaking of Xia Yi, Xia Yu couldn't help but feel a little lucky.

——Fortunately Xia Yi is not like them.

Xia Yi was sunny and cheerful since he was a child, and he always had a smile on his face. He knew how to make girlfriends when he was in kindergarten, and he was called a parent because he had a puppy love with a girl in his class when he was a freshman in high school. So many twists and turns.

That's fine with him.

"Come on, let's go back."

Xia Yu turned around and left, "It's still early, we can go to the lake first..."

The voice stopped abruptly, Xia Yu's pupils shrank, and she stared blankly at the two figures standing not far away.

It's Xia Yi and sister-in-law!

How could they come here at this time?

Shouldn't they have finished sweeping the grave? !

Xia Yu's expression and brain went blank at the same time, and he stood there blankly, feeling a little helpless for a while.

But Xia Yi and his mother reacted much more naturally.

Xia Yi smiled and waved at him, while Xia Yi's mother nodded at him, the smile lines at the end of her eyes made her look extra gentle.

Seeing them approaching, Xia Yu clenched his hands unconsciously and took half a step back.

He could confess his sexual orientation and lover in front of Xia Zhao, but he dared not say anything in front of Xia Yi and his sister-in-law. The sister-in-law has been a widow for nearly 20 years, and Xia Yi has no father since childhood, and he has lost his father's love forever.

Zhou Ding should not have come over.

But people are already here, and there is nothing they can do. How should I introduce Zhou Ding to them?

Xia Yu took a breath, forced her to calmly nod to Xia Yi and her sister-in-law, "Why are you here now?"

Xia Yi said: "My mother copied the scriptures and lost them at home, so I went back and got them."

He looked at Zhou Ding, "Brother Zhou is here too?"

Zhou Ding coughed lowly: "Hello."

After speaking, he nodded to Xia Yi's mother to say hello, his expression and movements were somewhat restrained.

Xia Yu stood in front of him without a trace, and said to his sister-in-law: "He is my classmate. We made an appointment to go outing by the lake. I couldn't carry the fruit basket, so he carried it for me."

Zhou Ding echoed, "Yes."

The sister-in-law smiled at Zhou Ding, and said to Xia Yu: "I thought you wouldn't come back."

Xia Yu didn't want to talk about this, so he turned his eyes away, and happened to see the bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone that he thought was Xia Yi and the others, and asked, "Didn't you put this bouquet of flowers?"

The sister-in-law shook her head: "No."

Xia Yu asked: "Who let that go?"

"People who love him."

Father?Mother?

There is a high probability that the mother came quietly by herself.

Xia Yu pursed her lower lip lightly, her thoughts were a little confused, but she felt a little comfort in her heart.

The sister-in-law squatted down, raised her head after placing the sacrifices: "Are you leaving?"

Xia Yun hummed: "Yes, goodbye."

"Go ahead and have fun."

The sister-in-law's eyes were slightly bent, and her voice was gentle, "Don't worry about the family, everything is fine at home."

Xia Yi also waved at them: "Goodbye little uncle, goodbye brother Zhou!"

Xia Yu nodded, and left with Zhou Ding.

Halfway through, he suddenly frowned, turned his head as if thinking of something, and looked at Xia Yi's mother and son - Xia Yi was kneeling in front of the tombstone and kowtow, while his sister-in-law was standing aside, holding three burning incense sticks in her hand.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Ding asked.

Xia Yu shook her head, and was about to look away when she saw her sister-in-law raised her eyes just at this moment.

Their eyes met, and she smiled at him and nodded.

Xia Yu blinked, and a bold guess suddenly popped up in her heart.

He felt that although sister-in-law was always quiet and had almost no sense of presence, she actually knew everything and knew everything.

She probably, knows everything.