Dreaming back to the 90s to help my dad catch a rival in love

After returning from the flower girl's place, the exhausted old lady Ning didn't even eat dinner, and went back to her room to rest after washing up early.

Ning Jianguo nervously asked his son what was the matter. Ning Xiaobei had reached a "united front" with the old lady this time, and his mouth was taut, no matter how much his father asked him, he would not say anything.

After dinner, Ning Xiaobei lay down by the window to watch the moon outside.Today is already the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, and the Emei moon hangs high in the sky, the moon shadow is faint, and there is no starlight.

He counted the days, the new year will be celebrated in a few days, and that old friend of grandma's may not be able to celebrate next year.

The old flower seller was originally called "Shui Xiang", and she raised her two daughters by selling flowers.The eldest daughter has now gone abroad and settled in Canada, and only the divorced younger daughter is by her side.

It turns out that Granny Shuixiang's house is only a ten-minute walk from Jiandeli, in a row of old-fashioned Shikumen buildings.

When Ning Xiaobei helped his grandma to walk into the alley, he saw the big Chinese character "Demolition" painted on the wall along the way.A large circle was painted with white or red paint on the outside of the Kaizi, and the paint dripped down the gray walls, like tears from centuries-old houses.

When grandma saw it, she held her grandson's arm tightly, closed her eyes and turned her head away, saying that she seemed to see the circles of dead people drawn on the ground when tinfoil was burned for the dead on Qingming Festival and in the middle of July.

He hugged grandma's thin shoulders tightly, comforted her constantly, and then followed the address given by Shuixiang's mother-in-law and daughter all the way to the door of Shuixiang's grandma's house.

Granny Shuixiang's home is really fragrant, with the fragrance of flowers inside and out, even in the cold winter months, there is a plum blossom on the chest of drawers against the gray wall.Not to mention that all kinds of flowers are planted inside and outside the whole house, which is arranged like a flower house.

Granny Shuixiang, who was so emaciated due to illness that she was out of shape, was lying on the bed. The uncontrollable pain made her cry uncontrollably. Even the scent of flowers in the room couldn't suppress the old air in her body.

"Mum, Mrs. Ning is here."

The old lady's youngest daughter opened the door and welcomed Ning Xiaobei and the others in.

The old lady Shuixiang turned a deaf ear to it, and still just yelled.

"Shuixiang, I'm here. I'm here to see Nong Lai."

Old Madam Ning was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she couldn't stop crying when she saw her like this.

"Miss, Miss Jane is here. Great, great."

After seeing Old Madam Ning, Granny Shuixiang's expression suddenly became lively.She struggled to sit up, the younger daughter hurried forward and put a pillow behind the old lady so that she could straighten up and talk.

"Go, make tea for Miss Jian. If you want to make Biluochun from Suzhou, use the set of white porcelain cups in the second cupboard. Go quickly."

Granny Shuixiang should also be from Suzhou, with a strong accent in her words.

Ning Xiaobei separated for a long time before realizing that she called grandma "Miss Jane".

Ah, grandma turned out to be named "Jane".

Ning Xiaobei lowered his head in shame.He has always regarded his grandmother as Mrs. Ning, but he always takes it for granted that he does not remember her maiden's surname.

In other words, at his grandma's funeral in the "real world", he only knew that grandma's name was "Jian Qingxia" after reading the couplet.Later, when I went to Suzhou to visit the tomb every few years, I saw her name on the tombstone.

"Miss Jane, this is (for you)."

After sending her daughter out, Grandma Shuixiang turned her body sideways, groped for a long time in the quilts piled up beside the bed, took out something, and put it in the nanny's hands solemnly.

Ning Xiaobei moved his head curiously, and almost screamed out, only to see a small piece of gold wrapped in an open handkerchief.

"Non, what does that mean?"

Grandma looked at her puzzled.

Granny Shuixiang lowered her head in embarrassment. She was obviously an old lady in her 70s, but she made an expression that only a girl could have.

"Miss, I'm a bit greedy. After much deliberation, I still have to pay you back."

She brushed back her white hair from the sideburns and tilted her head slightly.

Ning Xiaobei suddenly discovered that this Shuixiang mother-in-law didn't see her at all.

Or, in her world, there are only her and grandma now.

"Before leaving, sir, he gave me a 'little yellow croaker', and this is it."

She pointed to the gold nugget in grandma's hand.

"What 'sir', which 'sir'?"

Grandma's voice suddenly rose, and the arm holding the gold nugget began to tremble.

"That's Mr. 'that'. The 'that' who went to Taiwan in 38."

Granny Shuixiang lowered her head and rubbed a corner of the quilt with both hands, showing an envious expression, "Mr. is really kind to Miss. In the past, when Mr. Chased Miss, he asked me to send a bouquet of flowers every day to Miss who sells pens." Counter. Roses on Mondays, lilies on Tuesdays, calla lilies on Wednesdays, tuberoses on Thursdays...they are always different..."

Ning Xiaobei watched grandma's body curled up deeply, and a muffled groan came out of her throat.

"I remember that year very clearly. It was the summer solstice. My husband specially came to my flower shop and said he was leaving..."

"I asked him: Sir, where did you go? Are you coming back?"

"My husband said: I'm going to Taiwan."

"I asked him: Where is Taiwan?"

"The master said: It's a small island."

"I said: Small island? Is it like Chongming Island?"

"The gentleman said: probably so."

"I also said: Chongming Island is very close, and it takes half a day to get there by boat. My husband went to the small island, and if you want to go back to Shanghai, you can just take a steamer boat. Shuixiang sometimes goes to Shiliupu Wharf to sell flowers, maybe I was the first to see it when the sir came back."

"The gentleman said: You may not be able to buy a ticket."

"I laughed, Mr. is not short of money, how can I not buy a ticket."

"Shuixiang...don't talk about it. Don't talk about it anymore."

Grandma held Grandma Shuixiang's hand, shaking her white hair.

Granny Shuixiang didn't seem to notice, and continued talking on her own.

"Mister asked: Summer is here, what flower does Miss Jane like most in summer?"

"I said: Ms. wears a gardenia or a white orchid on her chest in summer. When Shimai Department Store arrives in summer, the salesgirls all wear blue cheongsams with a gardenia. sky."

"Shuixiang...don't talk about it..."

Big tears fell on the edge of the quilt, leaving groups of transparent water stains.

"Mr. took out this 'little yellow croaker' from his briefcase. Here, this is it."

Shui Xiang pointed at the gold nugget and giggled, with a sly and ashamed expression on her face.

"Mr. said: Don't send bouquets to the pen counter every day from now on. This summer, you can send a gardenia or white orchid to Miss Jane every day. This is the money for buying flowers."

"Miss, I'm scared to death. Gardenia, why is it worth a gold bar? Not to mention giving away one summer, even a hundred summers are not worth it. I just want to return the gold bar to Mr., a black The big car suddenly stopped in front of the flower shop. Two people in black clothes got off and took Mr. away... no, they dragged him away..."

Granny Shuixiang was talking, and suddenly began to sing in Suzhou dialect.

"Gardenias, white orchids, buy one for five cents. Gardenias, white orchids,..."

"Xiaobei, let's go..."

Grandma threw the gold nugget on Granny Shuixiang's quilt, and was about to get up on crutches.

"Miss, don't be angry, don't be angry with Shui Xiang."

Seeing this, Granny Shuixiang didn't know where the thin body got strength from. The old lady stretched out her thin arm, and tightly grasped the hem of the old lady's skirt.

"I know, I took the money from the husband, so I shouldn't take money from the lady. But over the years, every time I go to deliver flowers, the lady will put the money on the milk box and put it on the window sill Come on... I know I'm wrong, I'm greedy, I actually accepted it all. But miss, I want to eat too, I, I'm damned..."

Tears kept rolling down Granny Shuixiang's cheeks. She picked up the gold nugget and stuffed it into Grandma's hand.

"Miss, please forgive me. I'll return the 'little yellow croaker' to you. You see, the red gold 'little yellow croaker' is twelve pieces, and I haven't touched it. I haven't touched it since the first day. Anan's father is dead. I didn’t touch it when I was there, and I didn’t touch it when Ah Nan went abroad. I’ll just wait for the lady to come, and I’ll return this to you. Return it to you!”

The little girl who was looking for a porcelain cup in the kitchen hurried into the room when she heard the quarrel, and hurriedly pulled Granny Shuixiang and Mrs. Ning away.

"Mrs. Ning, I'm sorry. My mother's mind has been confused since she fell ill in autumn. She doesn't recognize people very much, sometimes even I can't recognize her. Don't worry about what she said. It's gibberish."

She said with an apologetic face, and pushed Granny Shuixiang back on the bed, and carefully tucked in the quilt.

"Mum, lie back and don't catch a cold."

Ning Xiaobei supported Granny Ning, feeling that if she let go of her hand a little bit, grandma might slide all the way to the ground.

Lying back on the bed, Granny Shuixiang's eyes returned to the white porcelain vase, her mouth opened and closed, Ning Xiaobei thought she was going to say something.After pricking up my ears and listening for a long time, the old lady started to groan again.

"Let's go."

Ning Xiaobei stuffed the tear-stained handkerchief into his skirt, and patted Ning Xiaobei's hand.

Just when the two were about to leave the room, Shuixiang's mother-in-law on the bed suddenly yelled again.

"Don't wait!"

"Miss, sir told Lennon not to wait for him!"

Old Madam Ning turned her head tremblingly, Granny Shuixiang on the bed turned her face sideways, looked at Old Madam Ning standing at the door with full hair, and shook her head.

"Mr. said: Jiandeli, I can't go back. When you go to send flowers, find an opportunity to tell Miss Jian not to wait for me. I can't go back."

Old Madam Ning took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, her right hand supporting the cane kept shaking.

"I can't go back, I can't go back..."

Granny Shuixiang turned her head, looked at the ceiling, and smiled.

"Sir, my message has been delivered... Miss, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

In the end, Ning Xiaobei quietly put the piece of small yellow croaker in the big vase with plum blossoms in Shuixiang's mother-in-law's house.Her little daughter should notice when she changes the water for the flowers tomorrow.

On the way home, Granny Ning's tears never stopped. The driver driving ahead kept looking at the grandparent and grandson in the rearview mirror, fearing that something might happen.

"Don't tell Father Nong what happened today, does Xiaobei understand?"

After getting off the car, the two walked on the small square in front of the Tongzilou. Madam Ning touched Ning Xiaobei's head with a soft and weak voice.

Ning Xiaobei nodded, and assured grandma that even if the enemy beat me with a whip, I would not say anything.

"Little ghost, you will be happy to find a good wife."

The old lady laughed through her tears, looked up at the faint moonlight in the sky, and smiled sadly.

"She's right, she can't go back..."

----

Because the old lady went to bed early in the morning, the remaining two could neither watch TV nor listen to music, so Ning Xiaobei and his father also washed up early. Weapons Magazine.

It was also quiet downstairs, and it seemed that Zhao's uncle and nephew didn't have any programs today.

Instead, the sound of the violin came faintly from the fourth floor. It should be that Chang Leyun, who was preparing for the grade examination these two days, was hurrying to practice.But at about nine o'clock, the sound of the piano disappeared, and the whole building gradually became quiet.

Ning Xiaobei put the magazine on the bed and fell asleep leaning on Ning Jianguo's generous arms.

He felt that he had stepped into a dream again, as if he had returned to the old Shanghai in the 40s and witnessed a love that he couldn't ask for.The place where the story happened is familiar, it is Jiandeli where he has lived for more than ten years.

It's just that the layout of the room in the dream was completely different from what he was familiar with. There was no small attic on the second floor, and the main room was not divided into front and back.

In addition to the two pear wood wardrobes he is familiar with, there are many furniture in the room that he has never seen before, such as Ningbo drum stools and Suzhou-style dresser.The floor lamp is Western style, maybe American style, with a lampshade made of multicolored glass supported on a thin frame.

Wearing a blue indanthrene long cheongsam, a woman with short perm and short hair came slowly from the entrance of the alley. She was holding a brown Kun bag in her hand, and a delicate gardenia was pinned to her chest. ...

"Boom boom boom!"

A hasty knock on the door woke Ning Xiaobei up from a dream but not a dream. Hearing only a "da", Ning Jianguo turned on the small lamp on the bedside table, also with a dazed expression on his face.

"Open the door, is there anyone in the room? Open the door."

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grandma's story