Shen Shu

To Zhou Tong's relatives in his hometown, Shao Zixun is not a stranger.When the car was parked in the grain drying field in front of Zhou's century-old house, a gray-haired but hale and hearty old lady came out to greet her.That was Zhou Tong's grandmother.Not long after, some cousins ​​who stayed in their hometown also sat in the living room very naturally, chatting lively about the sunshine and steam in the patio.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Tong's grandmother asked the two of them to stay for lunch.On the dinner table was the same flowing enthusiasm that had nothing to do with regional differences—although Shao Zixun still couldn’t understand Hokkien, he could see that everyone’s faces were full of joy, as if a child’s return could be a rush. To worry about the typhoon.

Once again, he fully appreciated the charm of Fujian-style home cooking, so that he almost couldn't stand up.Ever since, he waved to the enthusiastic relatives of the Zhou family, and sat on the stone bench outside, smoking habitually.Across the front hall of Zhou's big house, he could hear Zhou Tong's voice.There was a smile in the words he didn't understand.Shao Zixun looked up to see the cornices on top of old or new houses and the sky above them.

When Shao Zixun was about to light his third cigarette, Zhou Tong walked out with the old lady of the Zhou family.Seeing Shao Zixun, the amiable old lady once again praised him enthusiastically.But Shao Zixun couldn't understand the local dialect, and the old lady spoke so fast that Zhou Tong had no time to translate, so he nodded vigorously between her sentences.Seeing Shao Zixun responding to his words with a smile, the old lady also smiled happily, with a faint look of the past in her eyes, which reminded Shao Zixun of the old photos of the Zhou family that Zhou Tong had shown him.In the photo, the bride in a Chinese-style wedding dress is dignified without losing her aura, and the bride appeared in front of her as an old man after half a century.

The yard in front of Zhou's old house had been deserted for quite some time.After re-cleaning, it became an ideal drying ground.The only thing from the past that was born was a well in front of me.

"That well seems to have existed in the late Qing Dynasty. But it has been dry for several years." Zhou Tong once introduced Shao Zixun to him in this way when he came here for the first time.This time, Zhou Tong added an explanation: "Originally someone planned to fill it up - after all, there is running water, but the family members are used to watching it stay there, and it has almost become a kind of spiritual sustenance. What? It will become a bit spiritual after a long time, so I don't plan to touch it."

Shao Zixun can easily understand this truth and emotion.He squatted on the edge of the well and poked his head out to look at the bottom of the well.Just after noon, the sun barely reached the bottom of the well.Although there is not much water left in the well, only a thin layer is left covering the ground, and the raised soil is already higher than the water surface, but there is still cool water vapor coming up from the well, bringing a sense of humidity.On the wall of the well, the dried dark blue of the old moss and the dark green of the new moss are intermingled, almost covering the stone slab itself.

This is indeed a very old well, so old that the four sides of the well platform have been paved with new and old layers of asphalt and cement, and only the well itself can explain the years it has passed.

"Zhou Tong, come and take a look." Shao Zixun supported the mouth of the well with both hands, squatted outside, looking into the well, he couldn't see the temperament of a half-successful person.

At the other end, the old lady of the Zhou family was still holding Zhou Tong's hand, talking in a rambling manner, her voice undulating like the songs Zhou Tong had heard when she was young.Zhou Tong bowed, held her wrist tightly and listened carefully, with a sincere smile in the corner of his eyes.Hearing Shao Zixun calling him, Zhou Tong hesitated.The old lady patted him with a smile, motioned for him to pass, and shouted from a distance, "Tong, be careful!"

Zhou Tong responded to the sound and walked towards the well, only to see that Shao Zixun's upper body had reached the mouth of the well, as if he had discovered something unusual.He grabbed Shao Zixun's back collar and pulled it back, and said in a somewhat aggressive tone: "You should watch it, what should you do if you fall, the depth is no less than eight meters—"

Shao Zixun did not reply, but pulled Zhou Tong closer to him, motioning him to look down.I saw a small half of something protruding from the mud at the bottom of the well.Judging from its shape and the complete shape under the soil, it seems to be a flat cuboid, and judging from the thickness of the side, it seems to be more like a book.

Zhou Tong also saw it.He tried to recall his previous impressions of the well, but he could only imagine the water sparkling in front of the dry well; he didn't come to see it often after it dried up in the past few years. If Shao Zixun hadn't discovered it, he would never have it. Possibility to see this thing.He adjusted his glasses, but at such a distance, it was difficult to take a closer look at the thing.

"Is there a rope? I'll go down and have a look." Zhou Tong was still thinking about whether to take out his mobile phone and zoom in to see clearly, Shao Zixun rolled up his sleeves with great interest and was eager to try, looking more eager than anyone else To find out the situation.

This made Zhou Tong inexplicably upset.

"……let me."

"--what?"

"Have you forgotten, senior? I belong to the mountaineering team. Even if I wanted to die, I wouldn't jump into the well in front of our house, right?" As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and went back to find the rope, leaving Shao Zixun behind I don't know what to say later.However, he still felt a bit of joy and a sense of pride that he didn't know how to describe - Zhou Tong, who didn't seem to talk much, was still very good at talking in front of him - even though he seemed to be choking on himself.

Zhou Tong pulled out the long and thick well rope, and when he sat by the well and pulled it hard to verify its firmness, Shao Zixun still looked at him expectantly.

Sensing his gaze, Zhou Tong raised his head and looked at him with a half-smile, stared at him for a long while before laughing flatly, and said, "How could I give you this chance to have fun with my Gujing. I will trouble you to tighten the rope later, senior." After speaking, he tied the rope around his waist without any hesitation.

"Tong, be careful!" the old lady shouted from a distance.

Zhou Tong responded, and then carefully supported the edge of the well with both hands, and stepped into the well with his legs.

"Tong, be careful!" Chose the most solid posture and half-squat and half-kneel beside the well, while laying the rope rhythmically, Shao Zixun said this in broken Hokkien, imitating the old lady's instructions , I couldn't help laughing.

"Don't make me laugh, it's your fault for falling." Zhou Tong's voice came from three meters down.

"It's good to have a smile. Let's see how bored you have been these days!" Shao Zixun looked down at Zhou Tong who was gradually approaching the bottom of the well, his eyes were full of indescribable feelings.

Although the well has not been responsible for supplying water for a long time, the bottom is still covered with a layer of water, and the wet moss on the well wall has a coolness that does not match the August weather outside.When stepping on the soft sandy soil at the bottom of the well, Zhou Tong felt that he was already in another era, only someone's voice above his head and the small piece of sky reminded him that he was still here.

He raised his head and waved to Shao Zixun to indicate that he was fine.Immediately afterwards, he squatted down and scraped away the sand covering the bag with his bare hands.A package wrapped in oiled paper was just dug out.He patted off the sticky sand and soil, and then looked closer to the bottom of the well and the bottom of the well wall to see if there were any related things, allowing water stains and sand and gravel to rub on his clothes.

As a result, there was nothing down the well but that parcel and the old fallen leaves.

Zhou Tong was a little disappointed, and turned his attention back to what he had just found.The space at the bottom of the well was too small, and it was inconvenient to open and search, so he had to use the original packaging and bend it gently to guess what was inside.Based on the feeling in his hands, he deduced that the contents inside were indeed books or other bound objects.Specifically, it was also drawn out and carefully pondered.He yelled out of the well, motioning for Shao Zixun to pull him up.

The author has something to say: [-]% of the next update will be after the general electives are taken at the end of the month.Fortunately, I am entertaining myself_(:з」∠)_