round spring

Later, I liked the number "seven" very much. I also called Brother Chun as Seventh Brother, which was a secret name.

——An Yuan's Diary

After a night of rain, the sky and the earth became much clearer, the hot and stuffy air in summer also disappeared, and the smell of grass and earth in the air became stronger.

Shen Xingchun liked the smell after it rained, and An Yuan liked it too. After washing, the two stood side by side under the eaves, spreading their hands to catch the raindrops falling from the eaves.

An Yuan's fingers were soaked, and the water drops fell on the ground along his fingers. Finally, he closed his palms until there were shallow puddles in his palms. He glanced at Shen Xingchun who was beside him.

Shen Xingchun still raised his head and looked at the water drops on the edge of the tile seriously, and An Yuan swung the water in his face when he didn't pay attention.

Shen Xingchun couldn't dodge in time, the small handful of water in An Yuan's hand spilled all over his side face, and the water droplets trickled down his cheeks and past his veined neck.

He raised his hand and wiped the water stains on his collar with the back of his hand, and An Yuan ran into the yard after arguing with him.

Shen Xingchun also took a handful of water, and chased after him, "Xiao Yuaner, don't run away,"

"Idiots don't run away." An Yuan giggled, ran a few steps and looked back, "Brother, come and chase me."

Shen Xingchun couldn't run fast with the water in his hands, otherwise he would have caught up to him long ago. An Yuan ran around the yard,

Seeing that the water in his hand was almost spilled, Shen Xingchun ran away and caught up with An Yuan in two steps, reaching out to grab An Yuan's shoulder.

The sandy ground just after rain was slippery, An Yuan watched Shen Xingchun grasp his arm as soon as he raised his hand, instinctively tilted his body to one side, trying to avoid Shen Xingchun's overstretched hand, but ignored the wetness under his feet. On the muddy ground, the soles of the shoes slipped, and the whole body fell sideways and backwards.

Shen Xingchun was right behind him. An Yuan fell back. He originally wanted to help him, but was hit by An Yuan, and the soles of his feet began to slip. Finally, he and An Yuan fell to the ground together.

An Yuan fell on Shen Xingchun's body, and the back of his head hit Shen Xingchun's stomach.

Grandma listened to the two of them arguing in the house all morning, and after making a meal, she came out to call someone. She looked at the two lying in the middle of the yard, covered in mud, and couldn't stop laughing.

Shen Xingchun lay flat on the ground, An Yuan's upper body leaned against him, Shen Xingchun used his muddy fingers to wipe and draw on An Yuan's face, and An Yuan also rubbed the mud on his body.

"Xiao Yuan'er, wash my brother's clothes," Shen Xingchun continued to move his hands, and An Yuan's face had already been painted into a cat.

"I don't wash it," An Yuan said, "You wash it for me."

Grandma walked over, smiled and slapped each of them, "One will be eighteen soon, and the other will be fourteen. They are taller than me when they stand up, and they are still lying on the ground playing with mud like a child. Get up quickly." .”

The two looked at each other, but couldn't hold it back, and stared at the high and blue sky for a long time.

Grandma urged them: "Hurry up and wash up, and have breakfast after washing."

Shen Xingchun laughed enough, propped himself on the ground with one hand, and pulled An Yuan's arm with the other to pull him up.

It was almost noon after the two cleaned up and had breakfast, and it was grandma who kicked them out.

"You two got up early in the morning and yelled to pick mushrooms. It's noon, and you haven't moved yet. I have prepared the oil for frying mushrooms."

Shen Xingchun found two pairs of rain boots and gave An Yuan a pair of smaller ones. After putting on his rain boots, he smiled and said to his grandma: "Let's go now, pick two baskets full at noon, and fry a few plates of mushrooms. All of them are sun-dried into dried mushrooms."

In the end, each of them broke a small basket made of wicker by grandma on their arms, and they went out with a few convenience bags in their pockets.

After passing through the back vegetable garden is the back mountain, and walking east for a while is a mixed forest. There are many mushrooms in the forest, some grow in the grass, some grow on rotten tree roots, and some grow on the edge of the forest on both sides of the road. in the weeds.

In fact, Shen Xingchun knew about [-] or [-] kinds of mushrooms in the higher mountains and forests farther away, but the mountain road was a bit slippery after the rain, so for safety reasons, he did not bring An Yuan up the mountain.

Shen Xingchun hummed a ditty, and led An Yuan across the small road. He didn't feel someone following them until he reached the main road. He looked back several times but didn't see anyone, because there was a deep bush behind him, and there was a There is a large hazel forest, only the leaves of the hazelnut trees are shaking slightly, and the leaves are rustling.

An Yuan noticed that Shen Xingchun always looked back, and also looked back, "Brother, what are you looking at?"

"I feel like someone is following us." Shen Xingchun said.

An Yuan looked back again, a little frightened by Shen Xingchun's words, "Impossible? Who will follow us?"

"I don't know, maybe it's someone who works in the village."

"Maybe," An Yuan tugged at Shen Xingchun's basket, "Let's go bro, you must have read it wrong."

There were too many mushrooms in the grass. As soon as they reached the edge of the woods, An Yuan had already picked half a basket, and the more they picked, the more excited they were.

But Shen Xingchun's attention was not on the mushroom, he held a white mushroom stem in his hand and did not move, he turned his head suddenly after hearing the movement in the grass behind him getting closer.

"Who?"

Hearing Shen Xingchun's scolding, the people behind him knew that they had been spotted, so they quickly squatted down and hid in the tall and low grass, but without the cover of large bushes, this time Shen Xingchun and An Yuan both saw behind the grass of shadows.

Shen Xingchun opened his hands to protect An Yuan behind him, and led him back two steps, and took two steps to the side of the empty and flat road, if there was danger, the two of them would have time to run.

Shen Xingchun narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at the figure hiding in the grass. If it was a villager, it would not be sneaky, but the people who come to this woods are usually from the village, and outsiders would not go so far on purpose, obviously , The people hiding in the grass are coming for them.

Shen Xingchun had a premonition that they were coming for him.

Looking at the hair, he could tell that it was an elderly woman whose hair was half gray, with her back low and her spine obviously curved.

The woman's back was kept as low as possible, but her wrinkled face was tilted upwards. A pair of old and pale eyes looked at Shen Xingchun through the gaps between the slender and dense grass leaves. The grass leaves covered the right half of her face. The large red birthmark was divided into several pieces.

Shen Xingchun frowned, and gestured to An Yuan to wait on the spot, and he walked towards the woman.

An Yuan tugged at him, and said nervously, "Brother..."

"It's okay, I'll go over and have a look." Shen Xingchun patted An Yuan's arm, motioning him not to move.

But as soon as Shen Xingchun took a step, An Yuan raised his heel and followed him, his fingers were still tightly grasping his arm. Seeing that he didn't listen, Shen Xingchun was sure that women would not hurt them, so he held An Yuan's hand behind his back and led him slowly. Walk slowly into the grass.

Shen Xingchun had already recognized the woman based on the birthmark on her face, even though he was only three years old that year, a three-year-old was very young, and might not be as tall as the blade of grass blocking the woman's face.

In his three-year-old memory, there are only red birthmarks and the crying of a woman, helpless and numb.

But the woman was powerless, and at the age of three, he was still thrown out of the door by the man.

The woman watched Shen Xingchun getting closer, lowered her head in a panic, her skinny, old wrinkled fingers randomly grabbed the blades of grass, and covered her hair in vain, trying to cover her face , like deceiving her, thinking that Shen Xingchun would not be able to see her, nor would he recognize her.

When there were still a few steps away, Shen Xingchun stood still and did not go any further. After a little distance, he opened his mouth for a long time and managed to utter a syllable: "You..."

Shen Xingchun didn't know how to address her, didn't know how to address the woman who gave birth to him.

He remembered that the woman's surname was Zhang, and her first name was Zhang Mei. When she was a child, her brain was burnt out due to a fever, and her intelligence was slightly lower, but she was not completely stupid, but her ability to learn and understand was slower than ordinary people. She married someone without going to school. The married man's surname is Sun, and he has forgotten what his first name was. He heard these from his grandparents when he grew up.

Shen Xingchun was the youngest child in the original family, and there were six older brothers and sisters above him. He was the seventh child, and his eldest sister was almost 20 years older than him, and she also married early. In fact, Zhang Mei counted Not in her 50s, but she looks older than her grandma.

When he was ten years old, he was sent back by Shen Jianjun, but he only stayed in that house for two days. He didn't see Zhang Mei in those two days and two nights. She was locked in the room by the man.

Because she did not agree with the man selling Shen Xingchun.

Shen Xingchun sat at the door for two days, through the thick door, listening to her intermittent crying, sometimes heavy and sometimes soft, the sound of pawing at the wooden door with her nails.

"Why are you here?" Shen Xingchun said a long sentence, this was the first time he saw Zhang Mei in more than ten years.

Zhang Mei still lowered her head and was not ready to respond. She didn't speak until she heard the rustling of grass being trampled closer and closer. Her voice was just like her appearance, so old.

"Little Seven..."

Shen Xingchun didn't answer, he didn't even have a proper name before Shen Xingchun, Zhang Mei called him "Little Seven" according to the ranking.

After the woman shouted, remembering that he already had a name, she hurriedly changed her words: "Da, Dachun..."