During breakfast in the morning, Zhang Tan mentioned the idea of buying a raincoat to Xiaobai. Xiaobai was very enthusiastic and raised his hand to ask for participation. He also volunteered to be responsible for the children’s raincoats. The children’s raincoats he bought back were colorful and had various patterns.
, fancy and cute, she liked it so much that she picked one for herself and one for Zhang Tan. It was a father-daughter outfit.
She excitedly showed Aunt Huang the little raincoats she had purchased, one by one, chirping like a little magpie, and the parrots on the tree were singing praises.
Aunt Huang praised her and helped carry the raincoat to the storage room. Xiaobai also ran up and down. Zhang Tan asked her to play, but she refused, like a busy little bee.
The three of them moved all in one trip. Aunt Huang immediately returned to the office to handle things. Zhang Tan and Xiao Bai rested in the yard, sitting on the steps in front of the yard, blowing in the wind and drinking Bear drinks.
It's past nine in the morning, and the temperature has not yet risen. Sitting on the steps, with the shadows of the trees casting down on me, it's very cool.
Xiaobai took a few sips of the little bear, feeling happy, and suddenly turned around and ran back to the classroom. After a while, the little raincoat holding her came out, sat back on the steps again, pointed to the pattern on the raincoat and asked Zhang Tan: "Old man,
Where is my mother?"
Zhang Tan thought what she was going to do, but when he suddenly heard this sentence, he froze on the spot, looking at her and not knowing how to answer.
The two of them looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes. Xiao Bai's hopeful eyes gradually dimmed, and finally he lowered his eyes, hugged Xiao Yucoat, held his chin in his hands, and sighed sadly.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Tan was about to say something to comfort him, when he suddenly heard Xiaobai muttering to himself: "My mother is dead."
Zhang Tan saw that when Xiaobai said this, his voice was low, his little face was looking at his feet, his hands resting on his chin, full of sorrow, which made him unable to say what he originally wanted to say, feeling so pale and weak.
After Xiaobai was silent for a moment, he sighed again. Different from the previous one, this time it was like a sigh from a person with rich experience in life after having figured it out.
"I don't even know how to cry." Xiaobai said to himself.
Zhang Tan stretched out his hand, gently rubbed her little head, sat closer to her, put his arms around her little shoulders, slowly held her in his arms, and said, "Do you miss mom?"
Xiaobai raised his head and glanced at him, tilted his little head and rested it on his arm. He hummed softly and said that both Liliu Dudu and Cheng Cheng had mothers, but she and Xiwawa were the only ones who didn't have Xiaomi.
"But you have a father." Zhang Tan said.
Xiaobai was silent for a while and said: "Xiaobai didn't have an old man before, but now Xiaobai doesn't have a mother. Others have an old man and a mother."
She was strong enough not to cry, and her eyes were not wet, as if she was not talking about herself, but Zhang Tan felt extremely distressed.
He and Xiaobai sat on the steps in front of the yard and chatted for a long time. They didn't get up and leave until the shadows of the trees gradually disappeared, the sun shone on their heads, and the temperature increased and became hotter.
After returning home, the two of them tidied up and put on sun protection clothes. Zhang Tan prepared a water bottle for Xiaobai and took her out. Before going out, he grabbed a temporary camera.
Under the shadow of the trees in the yard, Lao Li appeared, enjoying the cool air and drinking tea. When he saw them appearing, he lazily said hello and continued to close his eyes and meditate.
Zhang Tan and Xiaobai walked right out the door and turned right into Huangjia Village. After walking for a while, they entered an alley paved with gravel roads. A cat meowed in their ears. They turned around and saw someone's courtyard.
On the wall, a big, lazy orange cat walked out.
The big orange cat was not afraid of strangers at all. When he saw them, he glanced condescendingly and continued to walk on the fence. Zhang Tan picked up the camera and took a photo of it. The big orange cat seemed to be frightened and bowed its back with fur.
It bounced up on the spot like a spring, jumped off the wall, and jumped onto Xiaobai's head with a click, shocking Xiaobai.
"Meow~~~"
The big orange cat jumped down from Xiao Bai's head and ran away. It seemed to use Xiao Bai's head as a springboard.
"Shovel~~~" Xiaobai hugged the watermelon and was dissatisfied.
"The cat has left." Zhang Tan said as she tidied up the watermelon head.
Xiaobai was so angry that he wanted to settle the score with the big orange cat. He ran forward and turned the corner, but he didn't see the wilted big orange cat and came back angrily.
Zhang Tan smiled and comforted her, don't be angry with a cat. Xiaobai snorted, turned away his head, ignored him, walked deeper into the alley, came to a three-story building, and stood in the alley.
, raised his head and shouted toward the third-floor window: "Xiwa—Xiwa, are you there??"
After shouting for a while, there was no response from Xi'er, so she probably went out.
"I'm going to see Xi'er." Xiaobai walked through the narrow alley, climbed the stairs, arrived at the third floor, and knocked on the door. No one from Xi'er's family responded, so they all went out.
"She and Sister Jin'er are not here." Xiaobai said to Zhang Tan who caught up, since Xi'er is not at home, then they should leave.
Zhang Tan said: "Xiao Bai, you're already here, isn't your uncle right at the other end of the corridor? Why don't you go and take a look?"
"Huh?" Xiaobai then remembered that her uncle also lived here. She laughed awkwardly, scratched her head, and ran to the other end of the corridor to knock on the door, "Uncle~~~Uncle, are you at home?"
Uncle, hey~~~~"
He turned around and told Zhang Tan that his uncle was not at home.
"Then let's go." Zhang Tan said.
Xiaobai took two steps and suddenly asked Zhang Tan to take a photo of her. She was standing at the door of her uncle's house with a smile like a flower. She turned around and told her uncle that she had come to see him, but he was not at home, ho ho ho.
Oh, I might as well give my aunt an explanation.
"Then stand still and smile happily." Zhang Tan held up the camera, and Xiaobai made scissor hands in front of the camera, smiling happily in the sunshine.
"Yeah~~"
Click~
"The photo is ready."
"Let me see~"
Xiaobai stood up on tiptoes, looked at the photos next to Zhang Tan, and nodded to express satisfaction.
The two of them then went downstairs and walked along the alley, going around and around like a maze. Xiaobai was completely confused and couldn't tell the difference between east, west, north and south.
However, there are so many cats and dogs deep in the alley. It is summer and the weather is hot, but the alley is deep and the sun cannot fully shine through. Waves of drafts blow through, bringing coolness, and many people sit in the shade to enjoy the coolness.
While chatting, Zhang Tan and Xiaobai passed by, greeting people from time to time, and many people took the initiative to say hello to him.
"Old man~"
"exist!"
"Hey, do you know so many people?" Xiaobai asked curiously, thinking that her old man was so amazing. She knew people wherever she went. How could she know so many people?
"Because I grew up here." Zhang Tan said.
"Huh?" Xiaobai was quite surprised.
"Don't you know I grew up here?"
Xiaobai shook his head.
Zhang Tan asked: "Then where do you think I am from?"
Xiaobai said: "Hohoho, Xiaobai thought you and your mother were together."
Zhang Tan: "..."
He took out his mobile phone, pulled up the photos, and searched for the place they were looking for. "It's close here. It's just across two alleys. Let's work harder. It's already 11 o'clock."
"I have to." Xiaobai rolled up his sleeves and took the lead.
"Wrong, it's the alley on the left, don't go to the right." Zhang Tan shouted, Xiaobai smiled awkwardly and ran back again. Finally, the two stopped in front of a two-story self-built building.
It's very dilapidated and no one has lived there for a long time.
Zhang Tan stood in front of the small building and looked at it, his eyes full of complexity.
Xiaobai stood at his feet and looked up at the small building, confused and curious.
This small building is where Xiaobai and Bai Yuxin lived before.
