preface
This happened to my father’s friend, my “master” Dong. I was still in middle school when it happened. Over the years, dong’s experience has stuck in my throat. Over the course of more than a year, I gathered and tested my memories of the events before and after. The writing and the ending are heavy. Perhaps that is what life really is, but may we still rejoice in the spread of good and mourn the triumph of evil.
1
It was 15 years ago that my father got acquainted with the fortune-teller, Old Dong.
In our small central Plains county, a north-south street runs through the city. Walk a few more steps to the south or north, and you will find a dirt road at the junction of urban and rural areas. And the line between superstition and science is as blurred as the line between country and city. For a long time, the profession of “fortune-telling” was indeed very successful in the wide world.
Push four columns, see eight characters, occupy auspicious omen, seek Yin Yang house, higher education, salary increase, marriage and funeral, open city housewarming…… This profession involves quite a wide range, the famous gentleman is praised by the faithful women, as a result, over time, in shilibanxiang is like a god on earth, the life is quite prosperous; Poor people like the old Dong, the general level of ability is limited, not high for good or evil, see shady courage is not enough, the most adept is to look at the name. In such a vast market, it is barely enough to earn three square meals of rice.
Lao Dong and my father met by chance.
When my family to buy a house in 2004, my dad to see, passing old tung’s room to rent a small house, the door very quietly with a blue white, rusty iron plaque – “science MingGuan”, at that time I was in primary school, is not a formal name, perhaps is some kind of psychological suggestion, my dad a foot into the store and chatted with old tung discovered two town of the original, when I was a child living in the country’s compound is separated only a few steps road, is a neighbor.
Knowing that my father is to see the house, the old Dong immediately pointed out that his shop opposite a flat on the fifth floor of a good house, if they have money, will put that set down. Soon after, my home and old Dong became close neighbors again, standing on the balcony of the 5th floor of the new house, always can see old Dong sitting on the street in the dim sunlight squinting eyes in a daze, hand is a cup of strong tea.
2
Before long, I got a formal scientific name from the old dong.
By this time, Lao Dong and my father had become good friends, he read my eight characters, went back home to read the old books for a few days, considered carefully, put forward several proposals, and finally together with my parents, decided on a name for the 5-year-old me. Now that I come to think of it, all I’ve got from Old Dong is this loud and weird name, apart from a few memories of him and his little “famous museum of Science”.
Lao Dong was not tall, his face wrinkled and wrinkled, and he did not look at all like a man under 60. The whiskers on his chin and cheeks were always dirty and grey, like his short hair which was always the same all the year round. Dong was a soft-spoken man who never quarreled with anyone. His clothes were old but neat and neatly kept, like a retired intellectual.
Lao Dong’s shop is small and windowless, divided into two rooms. In the front half of the street, there were tables and chairs, pasted with star maps, and painted on the wall the eight diagrams, the five elements and the five grams, as well as the two flags signed with ages old, which the old Dong had counted out the two hexagrams occasionally, and the Lord had sent them to fulfill their wishes. The second room is dark and quiet, with a bunk bed that he rides every morning and evening on an old cross-beam “28 weighted” Phoenix brand bicycle to and from his home in the countryside, a dozen miles from the city.
Most of the time Dong was out of business, either dozing in the back room or sitting under the roof in the sun. Unlike other fortune-tellers, he never actively solicits visitors. Instead, he waits for them to arrive, with the reserve and easy-going manner of an old-school “intellectual”. Into the old Dong store customers, is not the neighborhood, I do not know which gust of wind blowing from the “predestined people”.
Fortune-tellers spend most of their time talking — not so much in fortune-telling as in guessing the mind — and almost every fortune-teller has a set of verbal skills that turn black and white on their heads, often hiding seven secrets and saying three. But old Dong did not. Old Dong mouth clumsy, reported the eight characters, on their own meditation, calculate the result is also directly told bearer, basic do not consider bearer’s mood face. It was bad for his business, of course, but the old Tung was so happy that he did not mind it at all.
Whenever he earned little money, he went to the nearby deli to buy some fried chicken skin with rice — his favorite dish, fragrant, oily and cheap.
In the real sense of “home”, Lao Dong did not actually — since he was young, he started his fortune-telling business and became a bachelor for most of his life — in that rural courtyard, what he had were only two small red brick tiled houses, the courtyard shabby and the hearth deserted, which were not really “home”.
My uncle’s house was also in the countryside. Every time I went to his house, I would run to Lao Dong’s small yard not far away and look around curiously. As always, Dong told me stories about the ghosts and spirits he had encountered. When I’m happy, I sit on the wall, basking in the sun and humming a tune. I still remember Lao Dong’s “Singles Song”, which he sang to mock himself:
“Bachelor, bachelor,
Bachelor is a hemp plant high on the mountain.
Old or young,
Feed yourself and keep your family hungry,
Warm yourself and your family.
…”
More than ten years have passed, many memories are blurred. But I always remember the little things about Dong. In my eyes when I was a child, Old Dong is really a no – concerns, xiu Xian visit the road of the world.
3
In the business of divination, Old Dong was undoubtedly a failure. For example, when the heavy rain came in the summer of 2013, Dong didn’t “calculate” what changes the rain would bring to his life.
In 2013, When I was just in middle school, I went back to my uncle’s home for a period of time in the summer vacation. In my memory, that summer was very hot and stuffy. It seemed as if there was no wind between heaven and earth. Uncle always said it was a sign of heavy rain. Day after day, old Dong came back from the city at 6 o ‘clock in the evening every day. Riding his phoenix 28 aggravation, he entered the house, turned on the small incandescent lamp, and opened fire to cook under the dim light.
During the long summer months, Dong’s diet was monotonous. During that time, few people were willing to walk to his famous science museum on the hot and smoking streets, and He had to give up the pursuit of fried chicken skin for a while. Every night when I came home, I could eat dinner for one in the small garden in front of my house by picking a couple of greens and cooking a packet of instant noodles. Or hand – pulled noodles, no Saozi, only the garlic sauce poured white noodles, the whole summer garlic flavor in the old Dong lingering.
In autumn that night, the dreary weather finally can not hold back, like basu full of the strength of the whole summer, under a persistent rainstorm. The long dry canal next to his uncle’s house was filled in a twinkling. The rain beat hard against the glass and on the concrete floor of the yard. Thunder soon followed, and the sky was completely black except for purple lightning, which tore through the thick black clouds.
The storm, which lasted all night, brought a great surprise to Lao Dong’s life. Even later, listening to him and my dad talk about what happened that night, I could still sense his nervousness.
Lao Dong doesn’t have a TV at home, nor does he use a mobile phone. He always goes to bed after 8pm. At 2 o ‘clock that night, the old dong had already fallen asleep, but in a sound of wind and rain faintly heard a burst of crashing the door. His courtyard was at the outermost edge of Zhuangzi, so no one would disturb him at night. But the sound of smashing the door has been non-stop, the old Dong this just became alert.
After a long hesitation, Lao Dong CAI finally got out of bed and opened the gate of the courtyard. “Plop!” he shouted, and what came in the door was a woman holding a child in her arms. This can frighten old Dong to be in a hurry, receive also is not, do not receive also is not. In the end, he was in the yard in the rain for a while before he realized it, dragging and dragging a large and a small number of uninvited guests into the house.
A young woman with a little girl appeared in front of the old Dong in this kind of weather, with countless question marks and exclamation marks filling his head. After a while, in the spirit of saving important determination, the old Dong or women and children settled in their own small bed. The woman had a sallow complexion, no obvious trauma on her body, and a normal body temperature. She looked like she had not eaten for a long time. Old Dong went to the kitchen to boil a pot of rice porridge, suddenly the courage of a spoonful to feed. The woman’s belly “rumble” sound, slow for a while, the face slowly has the life, the breath also slowly uniform long rise, after a while, was asleep. Old Dong sat in the outhouse until dawn.
After daybreak, for the first time, Old Dong did not come to the “famous museum of Science” to open for business. For the first time, the cries of babies were heard from the small tiled house that had been deserted for decades. Young woman woke up, “plop” a kneeling in front of the old Dong, thousands of gratitude called “benefactou.” After a flurry of politeness, Dong Finally found out the origin of the woman.
Woman called small peach, the original home is far away from this. The husband got drunk over two months ago and fell into the water and died. Handle the funeral of the husband, a gang of people in black on the door, small peach just know dead ghost husband borrowed usury before he died for gambling debts, these years, even this with interest early multiplied several times, small peach dare not report to the police — the ious in black and white in the creditor’s hand; She could not afford it — the creditors came to the house every day, and a few big men kept near the house day and night. The passbook and jewelry were all handed over, and finally even the household register book and property ownership certificate were also put up, but they were still far away; Mother’s family, relatives all borrowed, relatives know that is owed usury, would like to have how far away to hide.
A few nights ago, see those people drink wine, small peach will hold the daughter less than 3 years old, tiptoe risk escaped. She did not take luggage, also do not have a little money, a single person with children, dare not go to relatives, also dare not stay near home, all the way almost grain rice did not enter, took a car, also picked up the truck, ran away for three days and four nights, finally unable to support, in the rainy night in the old dong knocked down the door.
It had been several days since the heavy rain when Lao Dong told my father about it. My father’s opinion is, small peach body after all still have hundreds of thousands of debt, if one day creditors really come to, old Dong will inevitably be implicated. Three or five days is fine, but it’s best to get in touch with her family and send her back as soon as possible.
The usually gentle Old Dong lost his temper. He said that Xiao Tao managed to escape from the tiger’s mouth without hiding anything, and could never send anyone back to the Wolf den again. “Help people to the end, send Buddha to the west, know people’s difficulties not only do not help, but also push people. This is not benevolence and injustice.”
The old man argued stubbornly with my father and even tried to prove the validity of his decision with the metaphysical point of view. He drew a hexagram for xiao Tao and got “mountain fire burn”. hill Ben implied the meaning of beaming, the old Dong then decided that mother and daughter stay here, will be safe, good luck.
My father sat in the chair opposite dong and listened to his long speech. “Whatever you want,” he sighed.
4
Xiao Tao settled down temporarily in Lao Dong’s home. Years on, I still get a strong sense of magical realism whenever I talk about it. “The weak woman was bullied, the rivers and lakes people to save”, this is before only in the drama and drama will appear in the old plot, but at that time it suddenly happened in my side, really let me have a kind of “the ancients honest not I bully” exclamation.
Small peach and her daughter’s sudden appearance, let the old dong busy up. With a three-mouth dinner, there’s more to it than a bowl of white noodles with garlic sauce. According to the meaning of old Dong, small peach is not out of danger, although leave home far, but go out to work or be discovered by creditor very likely, had better not leave small courtyard easily. Before that, Dong had to carry the burden of raising his family.
This year, Dong is already 58 years old. As he approached, he repainted the plaque on the museum of Science and hung it prominently outside his shop. Closing the door late at night, working overtime, waiting energetically for customers to come.
A young woman with a girl went in and out of the old Dong’s small courtyard, and the village gossips began to rise. The young woman that takes a girl to seek leave, the fortune-teller of lonely half life, add the age difference of two people such great disparity, a variety of mysterious and ineffable element arrived in the mouth of village a crowd of idle person, ferment gave the story of a lot of many versions very quickly.
In various versions of the story, old tung plays a different role, or old to cheat, the minds of a hypocrite, or curated fickle betrayal, occasion, they even think, old tung quietly accumulated over the years the big house, pretending to be poor at home out infinite, small peach was just one of countless pen romantic debt creditor, now it is come to life.
And the role of small peach in each story is surprisingly consistent, no matter how large is the opinion of old tung identity difference, but when it comes to small peach, all asserted that, she must be a frivolous woman of material – look less than 30 years of age, with little old tung together at the age of 60, there will be a few years old “daughter”, that is only one possible – is nothing more than little peach greedy old dong house, although the old man really down and out in appearance.
Naturally, the daughter of Xiao Tao also became the object of discussion. Many middle-aged women in the village soon started to argue about whether the little girl’s eyes, nose and mouth looked like Lao Dong or a little more like Xiao Tao.
Small peach as a stranger, the door is not out all day long, naturally it is difficult to hear these gossip, but the old Dong as the party, but also can only keep silent.
Riding a broken bicycle in the village to see wandering when the idle han, still brake parking, ignoring the other side of the ridicule taunts, gentle greetings and then left the cart; Back to their own small courtyard, always look back warily, then locked the door, early turned off the light. He was still afraid that his creditors would come after him.
strictly guard, everywhere beware, in a twinkling of an eye, small peach mother and daughter lived for half a year, the creditor has not come to the door. Small peach mother and daughter two people’s face also gradually have a smile, the little girl grew up day by day, the old dong gave her a beautiful name — Qiuyang.
In addition to the height of the numerology of the little girl’s birth, the name also has another meaning: on the night of the start of autumn, the two of them entered his house in this way. Therefore, “autumn” is a must have; The girl’s life is inclined to Yin soft, “autumn” word and bleak gas, chose “Yang” word to reconcile. The sky is high and clear, the autumn sun is rich fruit, has a wheat fragrance taste.
In the past, Mr. Dong was proud of the name he gave me, but since qiuyang, my name has been relegated to the second place. The old man always explained this beautiful name to my father again and again in poetic language. My father said half jokingly that the most accurate hexagrams were those of peace for Xiao Tao and her daughter. “Science naming museum” opened for half a lifetime, the most successful work is “Autumn Sun” for xiao Tao’s daughter. For this reason, old Dong should hang a pennant for himself!
5
On the winter Solstice in 2013, many shopping malls in the county put up tall Christmas trees in front of their doors. Small peach’s body recovered, the limelight also passed, but she did not want to leave the meaning, the old dong also did not let small peach leave the meaning. He is still busy, rain or shine on the road between the shop and home.
Christmas morning, old tung mysteriously found my daddy, said the afternoon to my dad, please do me a favor — he works in a circuit city took a fancy to a reduced price for 32 inch LCD TV, after asked, circuit city master said that because the business is too hot, don’t have time to help him handle this cargo delivery, he wanted to please my father to help him carry on a drive in the afternoon.
My father a promise, asked the old Dong, so many years of mobile phones and computers are not used, how suddenly to buy a big?
Old Dong a little embarrassed smile, hesitated and said, Qiuyang is more than 3 years old, has not yet to go to school, usually the children in the village do not find her to play; Xiao Tao doesn’t have to say anything. Gossip outside is not pleasant to hear, and she doesn’t keep company with people in the village. A few days ago, small peach said intentionally or unintentionally, the autumn sun will be idle sick, the old Dong this just had to buy a color TV to give them the idea of diversion.
Only suffering from the limited money in hand, down a few days of home appliances shopping, finally in the east of the city to find a returned home, low price “problem machine” – this machine’s screen is a little crooked, customers do not want to buy, the mall directly at the purchase price sale. “The screen does not matter”, old Dong said with confidence, as if he had seen a big color TV to the courtyard to bring a round of vitality, “today to send the machine home, tomorrow I will find someone to connect the signal, there is a picture, there is color, can give them two women diversion, is a good machine!”
Old Dong is still a step too late. In the afternoon, when my father drove him to buy a color TV set, the boss shook his head — The old Dong did not pay the deposit when he asked for the price this morning, and at noon someone beat him to it and picked up the leak. This let the old dong hurried to be disappointed, “This morning with you agreed to leave it to me! You can’t break your word in business!” Gentle old Dong this time really anxious eyes, out of the usual, under the public and the store owner of the dispute. My father quickly went up to persuade, it was not easy to pull the angry old Dong out.
My father told dong not to worry and he would think of a way out. Old tung is crouching at the door of the store, he a small cloth wrapped around 1200 dollars in his pocket, he is the number one out of the Qian Xiazi, prepared for the small peach and qiuyang surprise a small fortune – long in the memory of my father, the weather has been very cold that day, old tung kept his feet did not change all the year round, yellow old cloth shoes.
One can’t calculate the heart of a person by calculating his or her whole life
The dream of big color TV of liquid crystal of old Dong was dashed so. But did not pass a few days, an old color TV set — ten years ago “big head type” old machine, or came to the door of old Dong’s small courtyard.
That few days, my father asked around, that a small hotel in the city closed down, is dealing with a batch of old color TV, quickly contacted the old Dong. Lao Dong settled 300 yuan directly on the spot, picked up a machine with the best appearance and carried it onto the car.
When my father drove the old Dong and the color TV back to the courtyard, he met the mother and daughter xiao Tao for the first time. Let my father unexpected is, small peach is not like the old dong mouth soft weak appearance. She was not afraid of life at all, from the familiar, coarse voice atmosphere, extremely warm and my father to exchange greetings, also asked my father in which unit to work, but the old Dong was once a little embarrassed to stand outside the room.
“I told you! Peach this woman is not easy! Holding a girl to pull a car to escape from debt, escape life, think of this is not a weak woman can do it. Even today, my father still says that such a mature, even a bit fierce young woman, nest in the old Dong has always been quiet and cold small courtyard, always make people have a sense of inexplicable incongruity.
Pulling the cable and installing the set-top box, the three people ushered in the most different New Year. Old Dong’s small yard has the popularity and the New Year flavor, he also finally saw the garish Spring Festival Gala in the small color TV screen for the first time.
6
Xiao Tao has never been to Lao Dong’s shop. My father joked with The old Dong, said that the old Dong has the skills, small peach shrewdness dare to do, it is better to let the small peach to become the owner, this “science famous museum” business will certainly make money. The old big hand waved: “can’t nonsense! A woman’s house, don’t understand these door door road! Besides, people have ideas of their own!” small peach with Old Dong said, the hometown is certainly not back, she did not dare to contact relatives and friends outside, such as the wind is over completely, she wants to find a job here, temporarily stable, take care of the autumn sun live well, this is undoubtedly the best choice.
Old tung himself as a man, said in a strict sense, is also a hobo – is certainly work can’t help small peach is introduced. Later, when my father went to the old Dong shop to chat, the old Dong unexpectedly put forward some awkwardly, Qiuyang is about to go to school age, want to ask my father to help small peach in the city to introduce a job.
old Dong know, small peach can not always stay in their own depressed dilapidated small yard, she opened, old Dong is no way to refuse.
That’s a tough question for my dad. He did not immediately say yes, nor did he reject Dong, but said to wait. The job introduction is not difficult, but my father actually from the beginning of the old Dong has been accepting small peach this matter is opposed to – even if now again how calm, but like an uncertain time bomb, always let a person in the mind vaguely uneasy.
But as time went on, my father’s worries seemed entirely misplaced — the menacing creditors had never made an appearance in the peach story but never in reality. Summer vacation approaching, I went back to the uncle’s home again, after the old Dong’s small courtyard son, I saw with the small peach autumn sun.
Qiuyang powder carved jade, running around the yard, is babbling to say what; Xiao Tao was wearing an apron in the middle of the yard, Shouting angrily to Lao Dong to climb up and down to clean up the house. When she saw me coming, she warmly greeted me and asked me if my father was busy recently. See her quick-witted appearance, really like my father teased old Dong said, “is a good material when the wife of the shop-owner”.
Old Dong’s small courtyard also changed appearance: everything is done in good order, small vegetable garden enlarged area, windowsill put on a few colorful cheap flowerpot, planted a few kinds of flowers and plants, the kitchen more bowls and chopsticks, the hearth is also clean a lot.
Lao Dong’s two small tiled rooms have a bed for Xiao Tao and her mother in the back room, and a new camp-bed in the outer room — I didn’t know until that day that He had been sleeping there since last summer. He ambitiously described his own plan to me: until this year’s New Year home appliances to promote sales, on the installation of an air conditioner, “color TV interested, air conditioning to blow, autumn sun next summer will not need to be hot again! “But there’s no way to surprise them anymore. Peach is now the treasurer of the house!”
Only then did I notice that the little jingling key that used to hang on the waist of the old Dong had disappeared. I thought it must be given to Xiao Tao for safekeeping. I sniggered at Dong, the financial power had been handed over, xiao Tao should be promoted to “wife of boss” soon.
But the old dong probably did not think of, I also did not think of, this actually is the last side of us two.
7
Did not wait for the home town promotion again, this winter, the old Dong but riding his phoenix 28 aggravation, in the midwinter weather fell not far from the village on the township road.
A few days after laba in 2014, it was snowing heavily and the roads were covered with thick ice. Qiuyang in the night before the start of spring suddenly had a high fever, Dong let little Peach at home to take care of the children, put on his old cotton-padded jacket, got on his bicycle to the neighboring village clinic for medicine.
Finally arrived at the infirmary, only to find it closed. He braved the snow to go directly to the county hospital, emergency doctor to old Dong took a thermometer and four “Ruizhi Qing”, explain to old Dong to return the child’s fever first, until the day road is good, in time to see a doctor. The old dong with frozen hands on a piece of paper carefully noted: “after 38℃, with 1, with 39℃, with 2, after drinking was covered by sweat.
This piece of paper, which was later found in his arms, was also wrapped tightly in four antipyretic tablets.
On the way that day, Lao Dong probably fell many, many times. The most severe fall was on his way home, less than 2 miles from home. It was a steep slope, and after dong fell, the bike hit him hard. When the passing villagers found him in the morning, he lay in a snow nest in a very twisted position, unconscious all night, except for the temperature of his heart.
Qiuyang’s illness is good, but the old dong collapsed on the camp bed. He was badly hurt in the waist and froze in the snow all night. The doctor ordered a period of rest in bed. When my father told me this news, I still thought that I would see this old man come to work every day after the New Year.
The little “famous museum of Science” locked the door, and when it opened again, it was already the sixth day of the New Year. The landlord had removed the things of the old Dong, the pennant had been taken down, and the iron plaque had been put aside.
Within a few days, The “Famous Museum of Science”, which Dong had run for more than 20 years, had become a pedicure.Uncles and aunts in the community began to soak their feet for two hours every afternoon. His little “science museum” evaporated so quickly and inconspicuously that I knew he would never come back.
On the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, my father bought milk, eggs and supplements and came to visit Lao Dong’s small yard. He was half leaning over the bed, reading a book, still looking very weak in his old coat and thin quilt. See my father, the old dong high interest many, regardless of the house charcoal fire has been out of the cold, as usual, talked about the auspicious time.
out of the small courtyard, small peach hurried out, my father thought she was going to talk about the old Dong’s illness, but small peach is just low voice, eager to ask him a few months ago to help inquire about the work of things, pour out their own and autumn sun all kinds of frustrations, even with tears.
Small peach this move let my father quite surprised — the old almost did not live through this year, small peach and so many thoughts about looking for a job? My father gave xiao Tao some unkindly instructions, don’t only worry about their own work, take good care of the old Dong’s health is a matter of great importance. small peach heard, no more polite entanglement, tears turned into the courtyard, “MAO” shut the door.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Dong passed away.
8
A few days after my father went, Lao Dong caught a bad cold. When you have a high fever, there is no medicine and no one in the house. Small peach mother and daughter is when disappear, also nobody knows.
When my uncle went to Lao Dong’s house that day, he wanted to send him some mutton dumplings for Chinese New Year. At that time, the old Dong collapsed on the bed motionless, is dying, small peach and Qiuyang missing. The room was neatly furnished, and Dong’s empty money box was left on the floor beside his bed. For years, Dong had neither a mobile phone nor a passbook, and all the money he earned by doing calculations was kept in a chest in the inner room. Uncle at that time also thought, small peach is to old Dong to buy medicine to go? I don’t know how to find someone next door to take care of it before I leave.
The firecracker of the New Year has been ringing off here and there, but the small peach and Qiuyang have never appeared, their departure is just as abrupt as the arrival at the beginning. Even at dong’s final funeral, there was no sign of the mother or the daughter in the sparse farewell crowd.
Uncle said, when the old Dong left, his mouth has been intermittently chanting “Autumn sun, Autumn sun, autumn sun”, other what also can not say.
“This old man usually gives names to people and calculates his fortune. He never asks for a fee. A bachelor can save a little money all his life.” Up to now, talking about old Dong, my father still infinite regrets: “calculate a lifetime of hexagrams, this one is really not clear, small peach this woman, old Dong is really not accurate. Their mother and daughter are safe to cross a disaster, but the old dong his own life to send! A fortune-teller, want to do good do not see the sinister heart, only believe his righteousness, only believe his fire! In the end, he’s dead! …”
Listening to my father ramble, It occurred to me that Dong had once spoken to me about his “ideal” — a word that seemed a little funny to come out of the mouth of such an honest and honest man — during my last encounter with Dong in the summer of 2014.
That day I go out when he left, old tung half-jokingly said to me, if you want, I can worship him for the teacher, we want two people go to a big development for city like Shanghai, Shenzhen in that city to open a “scientific MingGuan”, is sure to make a lot of money, can also take qiuyang go out “see the world in the color TV is a what”!
Small peach and Autumn sun, just like the old Dong himself had a dream.
Afterword.
The pedicure shop downstairs of my house soon went out of business and is now a small nursery. Every evening, the children were laughing inside and outside the door.
Sometimes I stand on the balcony, vaguely aware of the old fortune-teller in the street in the sunset, shaking his gray head, squinting at the way tea.
Chat with this piece, comfort old Dong.
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