Here, Li Chu and the others were already preparing to wash up and go to bed. Over there, a large number of people poured out of the exit of Sijiucheng Railway Station.
Because of the snow, the train that was supposed to arrive at noon was delayed by nearly ten hours. People sitting on the train suffered, and those who came to pick them up suffered even more.
Because there is no specific time for this delay, the train station is not sure how late it will be, and there are no such convenient communication tools now, so people who come to pick up the train can only wait here.
Waiting outside in this kind of weather is so satisfying just thinking about it.
After this wave of people had almost come out, and no one was walking behind, the staff at the exit was just about to close the iron gate, when another figure appeared behind him.
The staff member looked impatient and was just about to call her to hurry up when he realized that this person seemed to have a problem with his legs and feet. He was holding a snakeskin bag in his hand and was walking with a limp.
Seeing this, the staff member closed her mouth angrily, because her legs were injured and she was not delaying on purpose, so she still had some patience.
After the figure walked out, the iron door behind her was closed. When she heard the movement behind her, she looked back, then turned around and picked up the bag again and walked to the roadside outside the train station square.
Her face appeared under the light, and it was Qin Huairu who was picking up rags in the south to accompany her son.
She had to come back.
Last month, in late November, she waited until the day of the prison visit to go to the prison to prepare to meet Bangge. Only then did she learn that her son had been transferred to the Northwest to serve his sentence as early as the day after the prison visit last month.
Upon hearing the news, Qin Huairu was stunned.
Why did she come all the way from Sijiu City to this unfamiliar place? Isn't it just to be closer to Bangge? This would be a good time, the Great Northwest, she doesn't even know what the Great Northwest is.
Where and how far away.
When she heard a policeman at the prison gate tell her that it was nearly ten thousand miles from here to the northwest, more than four thousand kilometers, she sat down on the ground.
Moreover, Northwest is just a general term. It is a very big place. People here don’t know exactly which prison her son will be assigned to after he goes there.
When the policeman heard that she was coming from Sijiu City, he told her to go back, saying that if she settled there, she could write home, and then she would know the specific address.
To be honest, Qin Huairu didn't believe it. She didn't believe that her little boy would be sent to the Northwest.
So she didn't leave, but stayed here and continued picking up trash, planning to go take a look again after a while.
In early December, she went to prison again, and this time she gave up completely.
Because the letter sent from the prison was returned by the person who was not found, she saw the returned letter. Although she didn't know many words, she was still able to read the letter with difficulty, and then she was finally sure.
.
She had no choice but to leave back to Sijiu City as soon as possible, because Bangge might write home at any time.
That's when the scene before us happened.
When she walked to the roadside, Qin Huairu looked around. She was a little confused. This was the place where she had lived for decades, but at this moment she didn't know where she should go.
This city no longer has her home. When she left, she sold everything she could. When she came back this time, she didn't even have a place to stay, and she couldn't even spend money to stay in a hotel.
Because she doesn't have a letter of introduction.
Go back to her parents' home? Her parents' home is near Sijiu City. This is a way, but even if she goes back now, she may not be able to reach it tomorrow morning. It is more likely that she will be...
After standing on the roadside and thinking for a long time, the only thing she could think of was to go to her two daughters.
Picking up the bag at her feet, she braved the wind and snow and walked westward. Her legs and feet, which were still limping just now, felt miraculously better after standing there for a while.
She didn't know that Xiaodang and Huaihua both lived in the backyard of the store on Qianmen Street, so she could only go to Xu Damao's old restaurant.
By the time she got here, it was already past ten o'clock, and there were almost no pedestrians on the road, except for the occasional one or two who went out early to work the night shift because of heavy snow.
When she reached the door of Xu Damao's house, she looked at the closed door and the dark yard, and hesitated.
She thought about last month when Xu Damao and the others went to pick up He Yuzhu's ashes. At that time, three people came to her door, but she didn't even pay attention to them.
Now she comes to the door. What if someone treats her like that?
She stood at the door like this for a long time, until she couldn't stand the cold anymore, so she gritted her teeth and patted the door twice.
Everyone in the room was already asleep, and her knocking on the door woke up Lou Xiao'e, who was a light sleeper.
"Da Mao, Da Mao..."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Did you hear someone knocking on the door outside?"
"Knock on the door? Did you hear it wrong? There is a doorbell. Who would knock on the door?"
"No, no, I just heard someone knocking on the door."
As soon as he finished speaking, there were several more knocks on the door.
This time Xu Damao heard it, and he sat up in surprise.
"Huh? There is really someone outside. Who is it so late?"
"I don't know, go and have a look."
"Well, lie down and I'll get dressed and go take a look."
After putting on her cotton trousers and coat, she was about to go out when Lou Xiaoe leaned over and pointed to the bed and said, "Take the flashlight and the steel rod."
"Oh well."
Just like that, Xu Damao held a flashlight in one hand and a steel rod in the other, opened the door and walked out.
Lou Xiao'e, who was lying on the bed, thought about it and put on a cotton jacket and cotton trousers.
After Xu Damao went out, he didn't turn on the lights in the yard and walked quietly to the gate.
First, I leaned on the door and looked out through the crack in the door. It was backlit, and I could only see a dark figure outside. I couldn't tell what it looked like, whether it was a man or a woman.
"Who is outside?" He had no choice but to ask.
"Da Mao, Xu Damao, it's me, Qin Huairu!"
"who?"
"I am Qin Huairu."
Xu Damao was almost dumbfounded. He wondered if he had heard wrongly.
Otherwise, why would a person who should be in the south knock on his door in the middle of the night?
"Who are you anyway?"
"Da Mao, I am Qin Huairu. I just came back from Yangcheng."
Okay, I didn’t run away this time.
"Who are you with?"
"It's just me. I'm really the only one outside."
"No, Qin Huairu, why did you come to my place? Aren't you there to accompany your son?"
In the middle of the night, Xu Damao really didn't want to open the door casually, who knew what was going on outside.