The Wind Blows Fallen Leaves Chapter 36

reunion

The colder the weather, the longer the lights in Shen Luo’s room stayed on. He sat cross-legged in front of his desk, and even burst into tears because he couldn’t solve a question. But the more anxious he became, the emptier his head became. He brushed the tears off his face, but the tear stains on the book could not be erased.

The bedroom door was ajar, and Anyu watched him torture himself through the crack in the door. There was no expression on his face. He turned to the balcony, opened the window and lit a cigarette. He quickly finished one cigarette. When he picked up the second cigarette, there was a noise next door. He put the cigarette back and blew on the balcony for a while before entering the house.

It was already two o’clock in the morning, and the lamp was out of power to remind him that it was very late. Shen Luo tried to calm down his emotions and opened the door carefully. An Yu had already fallen asleep. As soon as he entered the door, he smelled a faint smell of tobacco. He stared at the ceiling blankly, feeling the slow breathing of the people around him.

“Can you teach me how to smoke?”

“If you have anything bothering you, you can tell me.”

“It’s okay.”

After saying this, tears were already flowing down my temples.

“Go to sleep.”

Not long after the class started, Shen Luo couldn’t hold on any longer, his eyes slowly lost focus, and he fell asleep on the test paper. At this time, every teacher did not dare to relax and could only call him to the office after class.

Shen Luo just lowered his head and remained silent. He wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. Fei Zhu hurried over to smooth things over.

“Why are you here? I’ve been looking for you for a long time, and Teacher Li hasn’t left yet? I have something to do with him, so you should be busy first.”

Shen Luo was rescued before Li Ruoqin could say anything.

After Fei Zhu brought him here, he didn’t say anything. He rummaged around at his workstation for a long time before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, and signed his name with a wave of his hand.She handed it to him and said, “Go back and have a good rest. You can go anywhere you want during these three days off, but you have to protect yourself. If three days is not enough, just a week. If it is not enough, just give me a call and come back when you have figured it out. But it must be before the college entrance examination!”

“Once a teacher, always a father. Go!”

Fei Zhu wiped away his tears and looked at Shen Luo like a father. He stiffly took the leave note and was about to go back to pack his things. Before he pressed the door handle, Fei Zhu stopped him again and specifically told him: “There is no need to go back and bring the book. You can’t read it if you bring it like this.”

Shen Luo was stunned. He did have plans to go back and get his books. After hearing what he said, he went straight to the school gate.

“Thank you.”

After leaving school, Shen Luo didn’t go anywhere, and he didn’t know where he was going. He slept in bed all day, and didn’t wake up until nightfall. He leaned on the bedside with his whole body sore. There was still an hour before the evening self-study was over. When he opened his phone, there were dozens of missed calls and messages. He didn’t have the slightest patience to reply to each one at the moment. He only selected a few important ones and sent a few words briefly.

At this time, he should be studying in the morning and evening. When it comes to giving him free time, his mind goes blank and he doesn’t even know what to do next.

He flipped through his address book and dialed his grandfather’s phone number in the country. This time it was not connected as usual. Both sides were quiet for a moment, and there were constant footsteps on the other side, as if they were trying to save someone’s life. Shen Luo felt that they had been separated for too long, and they were speechless.

“Hey, Luoluo, are you there?”

Even though he didn’t get an answer, Shen Yixiang still chattered on the phone, as if Shen Luo was listening quietly over there.

“Is there something bothering you? Do you want to tell me? Don’t hold anything in, it’s not good for your health. Today is a changeable day. You, a child, have been afraid of cold and heat since you were a child, but you don’t know how to add clothes. You must take care of yourself. And Xiao Qian, you two take good care of yourselves and come back when you have time. We are all at home.”

After saying so much, no one responded. After a few minutes, he reluctantly hung up the phone. You Min lay on the hospital bed, staring at the phone in his hand without blinking.

“Is this the call from Luoluo?”

“Yes, there is just no sound. Maybe he made a mistake. He should be in class now. They should come back after he is discharged from the hospital.”

The last sentence was said with a smile. Shen Yixiang helped tuck the corners of the quilt and said, “I’m going to get a bucket of hot water. You eat the apple I peeled for you first. It’s so sweet.”

You Min took a bite of the crisp apple, and the juice burst in her mouth. It was the sweetest thing she had eaten in these days, sweeter than the sugar coating on the pills.

After returning from fetching water, You Min looked out the window at the branches and leaves being blown wildly, and asked a little childishly: “When can I go back? I want to go home. The New Year is almost here, can I still go back to celebrate the New Year?”

Shen Yixiang’s bent back paused for a moment, and then he said angrily: “What are you talking about? It’s not a serious illness, so why can’t you go back to celebrate the New Year? Not only can you have a good New Year, but you can also have a happy reunion year.”

“Okay, you are so knowledgeable, I believe you. It has been a long time since the Chinese New Year was so lively.”

Shen Luo had already shed tears after hanging up the phone. He didn’t dare to speak for fear of being overheard. He immediately decided to pack his things and go back early tomorrow morning.

Shen Luo was busy one night and cleaned the entire room. His eyes were on the potted plants on the bookcase. They were doing very well. Shen Luo remembered that they had not been watered for a long time, and there was no dust on them.

By the time An Yu came back, he was so tired that he fell on the bed. He felt something covering his head and a hazy voice sounded in his ears.

“Get some rest.”

But when Shen Luo opened his eyes, the temperature around him had gone cold, and the alarm clock didn’t ring. Shen Luo couldn’t hold up his body, his mind was in confusion.

After getting off the bus, there was an old woman selling fruits with a pushcart at the platform. Although the fruits on the stall were not in good quality, she couldn’t stand it and strongly recommended that she cut them all for him. They were all seasonal fruits, and there were not many varieties. It was obvious at a glance that they were grown at home. Shen Luo wrapped his coat tightly and picked some of each. Before leaving, the old woman gave him a few more.

Shen Luo didn’t ask anyone to pick him up, so he prepared to walk back by himself. Halfway through the journey, the soles of his feet began to heat up, and his legs gradually became colder. The sound of a tricycle sounded behind him. He subconsciously leaned to the side, but the sound gradually slowed down. He looked back and saw Hua Niang’s bright eyes. The cart was carrying flour exchanged for wheat. She parked the car on the side of the road, got out of the car, and took Shen Luo’s arm and said, “I haven’t seen you for a while. It’s not the weekend. Why are you back after the festival?”

Seeing that she was close to the middle of the road, Shen Luo pulled her to the side of the road again and said, “I asked for leave from the teacher and came back to take a look.”

After saying that, she stuffed some fruits in her hand to her. She took them and said, “Then your grandpa is worth living. Come on, I’ll take them back to you.”

Before Shen Luo could refuse, Hua Niang packed up her messy tricycle into a clean corner and put a piece of cardboard on it. The next second she took Shen Luo’s small bag and put it aside casually. Then a sound of car horns urged them, and Shen Luo had no choice but to sit on it.

The car was very old, but she drove it very steadily, and it was not bumpy even on the gravel-filled road. She drove very slowly. There were crops planted on both sides of the road, and from time to time a dirt bag was exposed, as well as a bowed back.

Time passed quickly, and scattered smoke from the kitchen was already floating in the air. Through the fallen branches of the kitchen smoke, it felt like watching flowers in the mist.