It’s the New Year’s Eve again, and the roar of firecrackers is everywhere.
At the end of the year, it was still raining instead of snowing. Stepping on the blue bricks covering the shallow water, I occasionally glanced at the shops next to each other, which were open today.
Only the wine shop on the street and the lonely coffin shop opposite the wine shop had their doors open. They seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world and had no idea what an important festival today was.
Su Fan was still lying on the rocking chair with his eyes slightly closed, wondering what he was thinking about. Over the past few years, it had become a habit to sit in front of the door all day long, waiting for Lao Zhou to come over and drink.
During this period, you can also listen to the music played in the pavilion. When the music ends, Lao Zhou will get drunk, send Lao Zhou back to the shop, and then come back to lie down. If he goes out for a walk occasionally, he will not leave this street.
[
Over the past few years, although Su Fan had a cold temperament, he was still kind and kind. He had become very familiar with his neighbors, and even aunts who had good intentions would often propose marriage to Su Fan.
Su Fantuo had a wife at home, so he politely refused. Gradually, the neighbors had no choice but to give up and believed that Su Fan really had a wife at home.
In the past few years, apart from listening to Miss Tao'er singing, Su Fan would occasionally go to the teahouse to listen to a few stories. He liked this feeling very much, as if he had returned to the teahouse in Luo City back then.
It's just that Lao Zhou hasn't come yet today, and Miss Tao'er hasn't gone to sing. Su Fan is a little impatient, but also has some indescribable feelings, so he insists on lying there and waiting.
I don’t know whether it’s because the weather has been so lukewarm since the beginning of winter that I feel uncomfortable, or because I miss Longshi Village in a foreign country.
In short, Su Fan had already stood up and looked at the coffin shop where the door had been open for a long time but there was no movement. He looked at the silent pavilion with a confused expression.
He held up the oil-paper umbrella, walked out of the wine shop, and walked towards the coffin shop. The coffin shop exuded a thick smell of decaying wood chips, and the sound of nailing wood could be vaguely heard.
Reason paused in his heart and seemed to feel relieved.
Lao Zhou is fine. Under the dim oil lamp, Lao Zhou is concentrating on nailing wooden boards. He looks very focused. He didn't even notice Su Fan came in for a long time.
"Is this coffin rushed in a hurry?" Su Fan stood aside and asked doubtfully.
Lao Zhou's expression didn't change much. He also understood that the only person who could come to his shop at this time was Su Fan. The others wanted to stay away from this dirty place.
"It's urgent." Lao Zhou said without any tone.
After saying yes, Su Fan stood aside and watched Lao Zhou doing carpentry work. It was the first time in several years that he saw Lao Zhou making coffins. It felt fresh in his heart, so he stood there and watched carefully.
"Are you afraid of death?" Lao Zhou suddenly put down the file in his hand and asked dully.
Su Fan, who had not yet reacted, was shocked. He was very afraid of life and death. In his eyes, except life and death, there was nothing worth worrying about.
"Afraid." Su Fan paused for a moment and replied firmly.
Lao Zhou suddenly smiled. He shook his head, sawdust began to fly, and there seemed to be nothing else in his eyes but a piece of wood in his hand.
"I am also afraid of death, but only those who have truly died will be afraid of death." Lao Zhou said while looking at the flying debris, his expression serious, as if he had really died.
I don’t know why Lao Zhou, who is usually slovenly, actually talked about life and death with me today. I felt uncomfortable occasionally, but then I brushed it off, thinking to myself that something had happened to Lao Zhou.[
Su Fan deliberately glanced at the wooden figure lying on the small table again, Su Fan showed a smile and said lightly: "Did you carve this wooden figure?"
"Yes." Lao Zhou replied simply.
/
Perhaps he felt that his answer was too simple, so Lao Zhou continued to add: "I used the wood left over from making coffins on weekdays to carve a wooden figure myself, so as not to waste it."
For a moment, the two fell into silence again. Fortunately, this was not the first time. They had been so quiet when drinking together before, but today they just changed places.
"What is life and death?" Su Fan didn't know why he asked such a question. Maybe he was a little sentimental about life and death these days, so he asked this question.
Lao Zhou's hands seemed to be trembling a little, but they quickly returned to normal. It was as if he didn't hear Su Fan's words at all, and sawdust flew around to form a beautiful line.
"Everything outside the coffin is life, and everything inside the coffin is death." Lao Zhou chuckled and said casually.
Su Fan also suddenly laughed. Lao Zhou's seemingly funny words, but after careful consideration, life and death turned out to be such a simple issue. Life is life, and death is death.
After another moment of silence, Su Fan turned around and left.
"We may never see each other again." Lao Zhou suddenly shouted, and then lamented: "I have been a coffin for half my life, and I don't want to die outside the coffin."
Su Fan stood in front of the door, his legs seemed to be solidified on the bluestone, unable to separate for a long time. He could not turn around to take a look, but just nodded silently.
There was a "bang."
I held up the oil-paper umbrella, and a splash of water fell on the grass, knocking it down slightly, but the unyielding grass still stood tall and proud, standing proudly in the world.
"good."
After replying with a "good word", he hurriedly left. Lao Zhou breathed out a relieved breath and fell into the flying debris again.
Bypassing the liquor store, he walked directly towards the end of the street.
The teahouse was a little deserted today, but fortunately the storyteller was not resting. Listening to the book at this time was quieter, and there were very few cheers.
There was just no sound of applause, but the storyteller still spoke wonderfully, without any power due to the bad atmosphere.
The teahouse owner was very polite and Su Fan served more tea. He sat near the door where it would be brighter and he could clearly see the boss's flattery.
The business of Su Fan Liquor Shop has not been good in the past few years, but it has been doing well for a long time. Most of the neighbors guessed that Boss Su must have a certain background.
There are also rumors that some immortals from Tiannan Guan visited the wine shop a few days ago, which shocked many people. Tiannan Guan is a sect of immortals, and being able to go to the wine shop means that Su Fan must be an extraordinary person.
So there was a new wave of people proposing marriage and giving gifts, and there were also many people who were flattering. Regarding these, Su Fan just laughed it off. Life is not easy, and it is very frustrating to be able to do these things.[
"In New Year's Day, the business is not good, and many people don't come to listen to the book." The shopkeeper explained while adding tea.
Su Fan smiled slightly and nodded without saying anything.
In the past, Su Fan would only come in the afternoon, but today he came at noon. The shopkeeper was a little curious, so he asked: "Shopkeeper Su didn't drink with Lao Zhou today?"
Su Fan mostly turned a blind eye to all kinds of gossip about his neighbors. When Lao Zhou went to a wine shop for a drink for the first time, a neighbor quietly told Su Fan that Lao Zhou was an ominous person and advised Su Fan not to be with him.
It's close.
But Su Fan didn't care much. It was rare for Lao Zhou to have anyone to talk to on this street, so he became acquainted with Su Fan. Later, they even went to a wine shop to drink every day.
At first, some neighbors tried to persuade Su Fan, but later they saw that Su Fan only said yes and there was not much change in reality, so he had to give up.
This kind of thing is just a rumor, and it becomes true when rumors are spread. Speaking of it, Lao Zhou is really pitiful. With this in mind, he glanced at the shopkeeper inadvertently and said calmly: "I've been there."
When the shopkeeper saw that Su Fan didn't want to talk much, he left knowingly.
"However, Mrs. Liu was born in a miserable life. For the sake of her useless husband, she threw herself into the river to encourage her husband. Liu Yanqing did not know that his wife committed suicide, but thought it was caused by an enemy, so he worked hard to practice martial arts..."
"Bang." Su Fan slowly raised his head as Su Fan lowered his head. The old storyteller was packing up his luggage. This was the last scene of the day. After this scene, the old man was going home.
Su Fan was slightly startled. Some thoughts flashed through his mind, but when he thought about it again, he couldn't think of anything, so he had to give up.
Before he could get up, the old storyteller bowed to Su Fan and left in a hurry. Su Fan felt a little regretful and wanted to stop the old man, but was greeted by the shopkeeper.
"It's the end of the year. I've heard that the wine at Su's Liquor Shop is very fragrant, but I've never tasted it. I want to taste some today." The shopkeeper walked up and said with a smile.
Su Fan smiled, nodded, and walked ahead towards the wine shop.
"This wine is very delicious. It's called Peach Blossom Wine." Su Fan explained while serving the shopkeeper a glass of wine.
The shopkeeper was quite casual. He found a place and sat down. He glanced at the dark coffin shop opposite, shuddered inadvertently, then turned around and cursed secretly.
After pouring the wine and paying ten taels of silver, the shopkeeper left satisfied.
The sun was about to set. I didn't hear Tao'er's music today, and Lao Zhou didn't come to drink. I always felt a little empty, so I picked up the wine bottle and walked to the coffin shop.
Normally, Lao Zhou would still come to drink at this time, but he didn't come today. He just said that it took too long to make the coffin, which delayed the drinking time.
As soon as he walked into the coffin shop, Su Fan frowned. Lao Zhou's head was floating on the newly made coffin, and he seemed to have fallen asleep. Su Fan was very surprised by this. Lao Zhou must sleep with his head on the wooden box.
, but not today.
He only felt that there were masses of gray energy shrouding him in front of Lao Zhou, which was the energy of death. After listening to Lao Zhou's judgment on life and death before the fight, Su Fan could finally see those clouds of gray energy.
…
Lao Zhou was dead, lying in the coffin he had been working on all day.
Not knowing where Lao Zhou was from, he could only be buried on a hill outside the town. Inside the coffin was the wooden figure he made. If you look closely, you can see that it was the wooden figure that Lao Zhou grew up in when he was a child.
Big, a portrait from birth to death.
It's just that the box was still on Lao Zhou's bedside and was not put into the coffin. This was Lao Zhou's last instruction and the box was left to Su Fan.
The door to the coffin shop opposite never opened again. Ever since I learned about Lao Zhou's death, that room seemed to have become even more ominous. No matter who came from that direction, most people would go around to the wine shop before leaving.