Summer scorching

That year, Xia Bei was 13 years old, and she started to rebel, paranoid, and reticent. The beautiful innocence of her childhood disappeared with her parents' divorce.The conflict with Chen Xinping deepened, as well as the conflict with his mother.They said go east, but Xia Bei turned west; they said sit down, but Xia Bei stood up.One day, a boy sitting in the back row pulled Xia Bei's ponytail, and Xia Bei swung the chair and smashed it down.This is not the first time a boy has pulled her hair, three or four times, ten times, maybe hundreds of times.The explanation he gave was just two words "fun".And this has already annoyed Xia Bei to the extreme.

In this way, Chen Xinping was tremblingly scolded by the head teacher and the boys' parents for a long time.This should be his worst moment.At any rate, a big boss who yells and shouts, can only nod and bow his head and apologize to the two small citizens at this moment.Seeing him in such a mess, Xia Bei couldn't describe her joy in her heart.Even the corners of his mouth raised unconsciously, and he smiled.

Huang Shuping slapped Xia Bei with her hands.This slap made her eyes glow, her cheeks were hot as if she had been burned, and her whole head was blurred.Sure enough, like a daughter, like a mother.

This slap also stunned the head teacher and the boy's parents, so they yelled "hey, hey".Even Chen Xinping pulled Xia Bei into his arms, covered her cheek and yelled loudly: "Why are you beating the child!"

Xia Bei pushed Chen Xinping away, and strode out of the office with a blank expression.The next day, she stole 500 yuan from home and took a day and night train back to her hometown in Northeast China.At least in the affiliated courtyard of the foundry, Dad was there, and Xia Guo was also there.

Dad is still the technical backbone of the foundry, and Xia Guo has completely changed from a rebellious boy to a troubled youth.He couldn't pass the high school entrance examination, and asked his father to find a relaxed and boring job in the workshop. He couldn't stay, and followed a group of idle brothers to dawdle on the street.

He is an unprogressive bastard, but this has nothing to do with Xia Bei.In Xia Bei's eyes, Xia Guo will always be the elder brother who loves Xia Bei the most and is most worthy of Xia Bei's trust.The one who loves and trusts Xia Bei is also his father.

Although we have been away for six or seven years, the familiar feeling is still there.It's still a simple three-bedroom apartment, it's still an old cabinet painted dark red, it's still a scuffed folding bench.The old-fashioned radio is still there, with a lot of cassettes stacked on it, and a silver Walkman left behind.

When I was young, I shared the same bed with my elder brother. Maybe I was afraid that my elder brother would grow up and my younger sister would grow up. My father found some bricks and built a wall by himself, dividing the big room they used to live in into two. All have windows.I am preparing to move to a small room to sleep again.The wall was built, the door was installed, and a snakeskin bag of quicklime was found.Unfortunately, before Lime had time to put on the wall, her mother, who had not seen anyone for half a month, filed a divorce lawsuit in court.She didn't even go home, she didn't even talk to Dad about it.She is determined to leave, whether or not to leave, she is determined to leave.

Xia Bei didn't have time to live in the new room that was separated, or even take a look at it, Chen Xinping coaxed her out of the primary school.At that moment, Xia Bei only had hatred for Chen Xinping.

When I arrived, there was no one at home, and the house key was still hidden in a corner of the window sill as it was when I was a child.Aunt Dong from the house next door was the first to see Xia Bei: "Hey, who are you? Why did you just enter the door? Are you? Are you Xia Bei? Oh, Beibei, you're back, that, that, fat man, go call you Uncle Xia." Aunt Dong said excitedly, but Xia Bei looked at her blankly, at her, and at the key in her hand.

Xia Guo was the first to run home.He ran out of breath, and when he reached the door, he shook his clothes again and said, "Hey, who are you comparing to? Why did you come into my house?"

Xia Aiqun also came in a hurry, and stopped by the vegetable market to buy a fish and two catties of melons.Beer fish and melon are Xia Bei's favorites. Even after being "abducted" for six or seven years, Dad never forgot.

Dad: "Why don't you call me when you're here? You are still so young, and a girl runs so far away, ah, I really have you. Why don't you call me in advance? Although your mother doesn't Let us see you, at least keep your home phone number."

"Can you not mention that woman?" Xia Guo said impatiently, and handed the sliced ​​melon pulp to her younger sister: "If that woman knew that Beibei came to look for us, Beibei would still come out. Just kidding!"

Brother hated his mother, and so did Xia Bei.

The separated small bedroom is still there, and my father smiled silly: "I originally wanted to turn it into a study for Xia Guo, but this kid doesn't grow up. Keep it, just thinking that one day you can live in it when you go home. Really came back."

Dad can no longer comb Xia Bei's hair like he did when he was a child, and his brother can no longer hold her up to pick persimmons from high places like he did when he was a child.Listen to the father at the dinner table scolding, tell my brother to be more at ease, and don't fix those silly things; listen to the brother at the dinner table talking back impatiently: "I know, I know, are you annoying, Beibei is coming back , still so whimpering." Just this feeling, exactly the same as when I was a child, and that's enough.

Huang Shuping called and asked Xia Aiqun if Beibei was here?

Xia Aiqun was obedient, and Xia Guo snatched the phone: "Huang Shuping, right? Yes, your daughter is here, what? Send it back, why? What are you talking about, mother? I'll go, you still have the nerve to mention this word ?Don't talk nonsense with me! Beibei is here, this is Beibei's home, she is here if she wants to be, and if she doesn't want to be, this Gada is still her home. Oh, you want to come here, come here, come here Ah, you can take a look at your son's virtues at the moment, ah bah, you don't have a son, you don't have a son in this life. Emma, ​​please, you'd better not come here, lest you regret it for the rest of your life!"

Xia Bei didn't know the reaction of Huang Shuping on the other end of the phone, but Xia Guo on the other end of the phone smashed the phone at the last moment.He took a deep breath, grabbed a pack of cigarettes, turned around and went into the toilet.The father on the side of the phone wiped his tears and walked away in silence.

The warmth that was there disappeared in an instant.The atmosphere was dignified, and everyone felt heavy in their hearts.After half an hour, my brother came out of the toilet.Xia Bei looked at him, he hesitated: "What are you looking at, shit!"

This day I went to bed very early and lay down early, but I just lay down.The sky outside the window was still bright, gray and gray.The crickets chirped in the grass, the sound was very loud, but it became quiet again in an instant.There was a snap, as if something had hit the window.Two more snaps.

The window was divided into two halves like the room, and Xia Guo poked his head out from that end: "Damn it, don't smash it!" There was a persimmon tree downstairs, and there were three or four idle boys standing under the tree.Soon, Xia Guo heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

The cricket began to sing again, stinging and stinging.

In Xia Bei's memory, there was a scene like this: My brother caught a cricket and wanted to amuse her, so he took out a piece of fishing line and tied it to the cricket's thigh.The cricket jumped forward with the fishing line, jumping and jumping.But in the blink of an eye, the knot on the other end of the fishing line was left with only one thigh.I didn't know the reason why, pointing to the amputated leg and crying loudly, I insisted that my brother was a big villain, and it was my brother who broke the cricket into pieces.

Thinking of this, I suddenly became interested.Another empty can was rummaged from the kitchen.

The cricket was still calling. From the sound, it should be under the persimmon tree outside the window.My brother had already gone out, and there was a faint yellow light peeking through the crack in Dad's bedroom door.Xia Bei tiptoed out of the door, and quickly ran under the persimmon tree.The cricket lost its voice when it heard the movement of people.Flipping east and west, carefully lifting the bricks, and carefully picking up the weeds, groping, but no clue.

Faintly heard, there were crickets calling at the other end of the yard.Follow the sound, and the one or countless crickets will lure Xia Bei to a certain destination step by step, just like the little rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland".

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