Peach Branch Bubbles

When Tao Zhi led Jiang Qihuai back, the man was no longer there.

There are still lights and festoons in front of the cafe. Pedestrians are talking and laughing. There is no time to clear the snow on the ground in the corner.

Except for a small piece of body temperature on the dark ground rolled over the thin snow and melted, nothing was left.

Tao Zhi glanced sideways at Jiang Qihuai and pulled him forward.

The moment the door was opened, the heating in the store was instantly surrounded, and the air was filled with the aroma of coffee. Tao Zhi hadn't been here for a few months. There was no change in the store, and the black film piano music was soothing.

It happened to be dinner time, there were not many customers in the shop, and there were three clerk in total, and they were not too busy.

Tao Zhi pulled Jiang Qihuai to the small sofa in the corner and raised his hand to hold his hand.

The boy's hands were a little red from the cold, and his fingers were cold.

She wrapped his hands tightly into her palms with both hands, and she held them for a while before asking, "What time do you get off work?"

"Ten o'clock."

His voice is still a little dumb.

Tao Zhi still wanted to talk to him again, but he was working, and she couldn't delay him too much time, so she nodded: "Then I am waiting for you here?"

Jiang Qihuai looked at her, "Yes".

She didn't ask a word about the matter tonight.

Jiang Qihuai did not say.

Tao Zhi didn't know whether she should take the initiative to ask.

If you don't count the ex-boyfriend who has become a good brother like a family, she actually has no experience in dating.

What should be asked, what should not be asked, will it be a little overstepped, will it be nosy.

She can't grasp the distance between her boy and girl friends well.

She slowly turned out the papers in her schoolbag, wrote a few questions, and crossed out the answers, but her mind was empty, and she couldn't write it in.

After dinner time passed, the shop became lively. The girls and friends were chatting, laughing, and showing each other the trophies they bought on the street today. Jiang Qihuai stood behind the coffee machine to order orders, speaking slowly and standing up. The temperament is light and cold.

Obviously young people of almost the same grade, but always divided into two worlds.

Some people are innocent, carefree about food and clothing, loved by their parents, and the biggest worry in life is nothing more than test scores and homework.

Some people have to worry about living expenses and take care of the elderly. They grow up early at an age when they should be taken care of, and then become the only backbone in the whole thin family.

Tao Zhi originally planned to wait until Jiang Qihuai got off work, but it was less than nine o'clock and he received a call from Tao Xiuping on time: "Are you back?"

Tao Zhi said dryly: "Not yet."

"I know, you won't react if I don't urge you," Tao Xiuping said in such a tone as expected, "Zhizhi, what time will you promise me to come back?"

"Isn't it still a little bit?" Tao Zhi hesitated, "Dad, can I stay a little longer, my friend is not very happy today."

Tao Xiuping: "Is it your friend or your boyfriend?"

Tao Zhi: "..."

She didn't say anything, as if she had acquiesced, Tao Xiuping didn't want to let go: "Hurry up, don't play the emotional card with me here. When I can't come back at nine o'clock, the access control will be changed to eight o'clock. Don't you Say I didn't remind you."

Tao Zhi bulged his cheeks and agreed with a sullen voice.

After she hung up the phone, she looked up. Jiang Qihuai was still busy and didn't notice here.

She packed up her things, sent him a WeChat message, and walked out of the cafe.

Jiang Qihuai didn't see the WeChat sent to him by Tao Zhi until after get off work.

After nine o'clock, the little girl first sent him several cat head expressions, and finally said something.

[Branch Grapes]: I'll go home for a job first, and then I'll smuggle out to find you at night!

Jiang Qihuai glanced at the clean and empty table in the corner, curled his lips, and typed a few words.

[Smuggling is illegal. 】

The boys who worked together in the back room came out and stood at the door urging him: "Ahuai, let's go!"

Jiang Qihuai put away his mobile phone and went out of the store.

The boy locked the door, turned around and hooked his shoulder, gossiping: "The girl who came in with you later today is your girlfriend?"

Jiang Qihuai let out an "um".

"You fucking, you move very fast. We asked you what you said last time when you came?" The boy scowled and said in his tone, "Unfamiliar, classmate."

"Originally, when you said that, I was still thinking about waiting for her next time to come and ask for a contact information to communicate," the boy touched his chin, "If you don't move, just my face, don't say it will make her miss her life forever. Okay, how can you give it a little secretly."

Jiang Qihuai smiled unsaltedly, and glanced at him: "Could it be true that I can't tell if my heart is secretly thick," he said.

The boy hooked his neck and pressed it down, with a smile, "How can I talk to your senior?"

Jiang Qihuai lowered his body and didn't respond.

The two of them walked all the way to the bus stop. The boy was quiet for a while, and suddenly remembered: "By the way, that man today did nothing to tell you to go out? Who is he?"

Jiang Qihuai frowned, his face hard to look, he just said hardly: "It's okay."

The boy saw that he didn't want to say more, and nodded: "Okay."

While talking, they walked to the bus stop. They didn't take the same bus. The boy's car came, said hello to him, and left.

Jiang Qihuai stood under the empty station sign, put his hand in his jacket pocket, and stared at the small advertisements pasted on the station sign for a while.

When Jiang Qihuai was four years old, he first met Jiang Zhi on the day he was taken home by Jiang Qinghe.

At the gate of the courtyard, the dean's aunt smiled at him for the first time. He took Jiang Qinghe's hand, carried a small bag and walked out of the large courtyard.

Jiang Qinghe wanted to help him: "Is it important?"

Xiao Jiang Qihuai shook his head.

It's really not heavy. After sorting it out, I found that he had nothing at all. There was only a towel and a toothbrush in his schoolbag, empty in a cloth bag.

He came alone and walked alone.

But since then, there will be someone who is willing to like him and can also have a family.

Just like ants.

Xiao Jiang Qihuai stood in front of the vermillion door, looking at the small opening that would belong to him, his eyes brightened and thought.

Jiang Qinghe opened the door, gave way to the side, and looked at him with a smile: "Come in."

Jiang Qihuai clutched the strap of the small schoolbag tightly, couldn't help but press his lips nervously, and took a step inward cautiously and silently.

This house is much smaller than the place where he used to live, and there is no big yard, but it is warm.

The temperature came with a voice: "It's too slow, isn't it? What did you do?"

Jiang Qinghe's expression changed instantly, and he frowned: "Who asked you to come back?"

"Why can't I go back to my own house?" The man said with a drag.

Xiao Jiang Qihuai secretly raised his eyes and looked inside.

There was a man lying on the sofa in the living room. He leaned into the sofa with a bottle of beer in his hand, straightened up and looked over, his eyes fell on Jiang Qihuai.

Jiang Zhi fixedly looked at him, then put the wine bottle in his hand on the coffee table, and opened his mouth, his voice was a little hoarse: "Whose kid asked you to bring it back?"

Jiang Qinghe endured his anger: "This is your son!"

"I don't have a son." Jiang Zhi said.

Xiao Jiang Qihuai stood by with his head down, silent.

Jiang Qinghe looked at his small, soft hair, suddenly sighed, and said tiredly, "Azhi, I've got my boy back. You will cut off with those people in the future, and those ridiculous things are also Don't do it, you find a job, live a good life, let's raise the children together, okay?"

Jiang Zhi didn't speak, but looked at the little child.

Jiang Qihuai bit his lip anxiously, and his small body shrank back in silence, trying hard to integrate himself into the background board.

There was a moment of silence in the room, Jiang Zhi looked away and sneered: "I don't know who came out of his stomach or what to raise. I can't afford to live happily. I don't know what dreams your dead old man do every day. Love to raise yourself and raise it yourself."

He irritably picked up the bag on the coffee table, turned and walked out.

His legs brushed Jiang Qihuai's small body, and he walked out without even looking at him.

The security door was slammed with a bang.

In the silence, Xiao Jiang Qihuai turned around and looked up at Jiang Qinghe.

The old man stood still on the spot, his shoulders collapsed, seeming to be supporting something with all his strength.

"Grandpa." Xiao Jiang Qihuai called him a little.

Jiang Qinghe took a deep breath, raised his hand and wiped his face, before squatting down: "Hey, Grandpa is here."

"Is that my father?" the kid asked gruffly.

Jiang Qinghe smiled and touched his hair.

The child raised his head and looked at him with clear eyes: "He doesn't want me, will Grandpa send me back?"

When a four-year-old child said these words, he couldn't even see a trace of sadness.

Jiang Qinghe cried.

He embraced Jiang Qihuai, hugged him in his arms, and stroked his back carefully: "Grandpa won't send you back. Grandpa said, he will grow up with us, Ahuai."

"Let's Ahuai study, work, and when we grow up, we will marry a wife and become a man of indomitable power."

"Grandpa will teach you the principles of being a human being, and will watch you become a good person," the old man said with a choked voice, "Grandpa will not repeat the same mistakes again."

Jiang Qihuai was still too young at that time, and he didn't quite understand what the term repeating the same mistakes meant.

He only shrank in the arms of the old man, then nodded gently, and said in grandma's voice: "A Huai also grew up with grandpa."

When Jiang Zhi didn't appear, everything was developing in a good direction.

Jiang Qinghe can teach Jiang Qihuai to read and recognize words. The children are very fast no matter what they learn. Basically, he can memorize the storybooks that he has read intact and verbatim.

Jiang Qinghe will also teach him to play chess.

The old man held him in his arms and told him one by one chess piece. Only occasionally, he would be in a daze at a certain chess piece, with deep sadness between his eyebrows and eyes: "Grandpa taught your father to play chess before. He and You are as smart as you, and you learn very fast."

A small group nestled in his arms, holding a wooden chess piece in his hand and asked him happily what it was.

Jiang Qinghe named him Jiang Zhi, hoping that he can become a doctor when he grows up and heal and save people.

But he failed to watch him.

When he was busy working to make money and busy with various things, the unpruned young sapling was crooked bit by bit, and never came back.

Xiao Jiang Qi Huai'an was held quietly by the old man, listening to him talk about the past.

In fact, he doesn't like Jiang Zhi very much, because every time he mentions him, Jiang Qinghe will be unhappy.

He felt that as long as he did not show up, it would be good.

But he will come back.

Sometimes it's a few weeks, sometimes a few months, when he comes back and asks Jiang Qinghe for money, Jiang Qinghe doesn't give him money, the two will quarrel.

Jiang Qihuai was usually asleep when he came back.

The old houses in the county seat are not well soundproofed, and Jiang Qihuai is sometimes woken up.

He heard the sound of quarreling and crashing in Jiang Qinghe’s room next door. He ran out of the room and saw the drunk Jiang Zhi pushing Jiang Qinghe to the side. Then he went crazy regardless of the old man who fell to the ground. , Looking through the boxes and cabinets.

He threw out all the clothes in the closet and checked the bottom of the cabinet, pulled out the drawer, and broke the vase.

Jiang Qihuai rushed up and hugged his leg, biting him like a mad young beast, and beating him vigorously, while the tall man just stretched out a hand and pulled him by the collar. Picking it up, a drunk scent of alcohol rushed towards his face: "Are you young wild species still going against the sky?"

He was as helpless as a little chicken, grabbing his hand and trying hard to break free, his nails digging into the flesh.

The man yelled and let go, and threw him aside fiercely.

He just felt that his head hit something hard, and then there was a dark blur in front of him, with warm liquid flowing down his forehead, dripping from his chin, and pattering on the floor into a scarlet pool.

Jiang Qinghe threw himself in front of him, holding him and calling his name.

The moment he closed his eyes, Jiang Qihuai heard Jiang Zhi smiling and saw that he finally pulled out a brown wallet from under the cabinet, and then walked away with a full body of alcohol.

...

Jiang Qihuai lived in his hometown house for two years.

The next year, Jiang Qinghe seemed to have made up his mind and moved away with him.

The house was sold, and all the contents in it were treated second-hand. The house was worthless, and the money in hand was not enough for them to buy a new house.

Jiang Qinghe's card and passbook had already been taken out by Jiang Zhi. They switched to another city and rented a small house in a place where rent was cheap.

After moving, there will no longer be arguing and smashing things in the middle of the night next door.

They all escaped from the hellish life.

Within a few months after moving to the new house, Jiang Qinghe received a call. Jiang Zhi, together with some criminal gangsters in several counties, went into the robbery room and seriously injured two people and were arrested. The victim was not out of danger.

There was a lot of talk on the other end of the phone, but the old man still had no response.

He was holding the phone, listening with a dull expression, but his hands were shaking, and then hung up.

Jiang Qihuai raised his head and looked at the old man's red, cloudy eyes looking at him desperately and sadly.

He raised his hand and wiped the tears on his old face with his fingertips. The six-year-old kid said clearly in a tender voice, "Grandpa, I will take care of you."

Jiang Qinghe choked and sighed: "Fate, it's fate. I hope that if he has a chance to come out, he can change his past, if he has a chance."

Jiang Qihuai held the old man's hand, pursed his lips, his eyes drooping darkly.

Jiang Zhi is Jiang Qinghe's son, he can't bear it, but Jiang Qihuai never thinks he is his father.

He hoped that Jiang Zhi would never come out. He had better die silently in prison like this and use the rest of his life to atone for his sins.