The old man was still rubbing the corners of the room stiffly. He was a little surprised that his movements were so stiff today, as if he couldn't raise his hand. He was a little doubtful if it was arthritis, but he didn't feel the pain.

If he continues to wipe like this, he will have to wait until he can finish the tables, chairs and benches in the room. Xi Liu loves to clean the table so much that when he is at home, he is alone holding a rag and wiping the table every day.

Thinking of his granddaughter, the old man became a little happy. Xi Liu was afraid to see him because he wanted him to come back to see him. The more he thought about it, the happier he felt, and the stiffness in his hands slowed down a little.

He didn't know why, but his thinking seemed to have slowed down. Now he had to think about something for a long time.

The old man sighed, he was so old that he couldn't accept his old age.

After wiping the table, he slowly supported the table and walked slowly to the big cabinet in the room. His hands were full of purple and opened the cabinet, and his hands were trembling slightly uncontrollably, and he took out the bottom piece of cloth wrapped inside.

Slowly opened, there were all kinds of beautiful headbands that little girls would like. The old man touched these cute headbands with a smile on his face.

In the past, when he went to the market, he always bought a headband for Xiliu. At that time, he was so poor that he didn't have much money to buy a good-looking one. Later, Xiliu left, and he slowly saved some money. Every time he went to the market, he knew that his granddaughter was not at home, but he still couldn't help but buy it back and keep it in his hands. He thought that if Xiliu saw it, he wouldn't know how happy it would be.

As he thought about it, he became happy first.

Unexpectedly, these headbands could be handed over to Xiliu one day. The old man stood in front of the cabinet, holding the cloth, looking at the headband inside, and a smile slowly appeared on his face covered with dark scars.

This smile is a bit stiff, but full of expectations. After a few years, sometimes, the old man can't sleep in bed and looks at the paintings drawn by his little granddaughter on the wall and regrets it.

I regretted sending him away. He missed her. I couldn't sleep all night long. I wondered if Xiliu had eaten well, whether she slept well, whether the people who adopted her were good to her, whether she cried, or not, whether she missed her grandfather...

But when you get up the next day, all these regrets will be hidden.

He told himself again and again that Xiliu was still young, smart and well-behaved, that such a good child should not suffer with him, such a bad old man, and he could not even buy better clothes for this child. It would be better for her to enjoy her.

The old man has seen those little girls who are spoiled once or twice, wearing beautiful clothes, beautiful shoes, and all kinds of headbands tied on his head, which is so beautiful in the sun.

They don’t have to wash clothes, do housework, or stay in a dilapidated house every day and can’t even watch the TV. The old man wants his granddaughter to live such a life, even if he misses this little Xiliu who he has been raised from a cradle baby, he has to endure it.

But now, his Xi Liu came back to see his grandfather.

The old man looked at the headband and smiled for a long time, carefully hugged the cloth tightly, stiffened his body, slowly walked out of the house, sat outside on a chair, with a pair of muddy and white eyes, looking at the farthest part of the path full of hope.

***

Wei Mingyan came to the bamboo forest with the man in his arms.

He put down the little girl and took out the pair of shoes he had put out before.

This is a pair of small leather shoes, which are so red that they are very eye-catching. At first glance, they are the styles that little girls like.

The handsome Taoist priest threw his shoes to Zhong Hua and "burned."

The young man quickly took it, started a fire again, and threw the shoe inside. The shoe was leather and smelled when it burned. He was so choked that he coughed, which made Xi Liu look back and worriedly at him.

"You know how to do it?"

Wei Mingyan ignored Zhong Hua, who had a bitter face, leaned against the bamboo, lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the little girl, "You have learned a lot by Wang Jinchuan's side. Can you lie?"

Xi Liu's white face showed a little certainty. She nodded in a glutinous voice, "Xi Liu will lie."

"Good boy."

The Taoist priest leaned over slightly, shook the bell, and watched the pinching marks between the girl's neck gradually disappear, and the place became whiter again, then he smiled.

He touched the girl's head and told her warmly: "Don't cry for a while, let grandpa leave with peace of mind, okay?"

As soon as she heard her grandfather, tears began to roll in Xi Liu's eyes. She tried to wink and hid the tears. She choked and tender voice and whispered, "I won't cry, I want to make my grandfather happy."

"good."

Wei Mingyan stood up straight and glanced at the little girl's feet. At this moment, there was already a pair of red leather shoes, with two rabbit ears made of fake fur on it, which were playful and cute.

Zhong Hua had helped Xi Liu clean her hair before. Now she is wearing a cartoon suit with Mickey Mouse pattern and wearing small red leather shoes. Her hair is neat and her skin is fair. Her eyes are a little moist because she had tears just now.

Xiliu smiled at the handsome Taoist priest, sweet, as if she had lived in a sweet pot since childhood and was raised by a coquettish person.

Zhong Hua came over, she stepped forward, held his hand, raised her little face, and said with a smile, "Brother, let's go find grandpa."

"He must miss me."

"Okay, brother will take you to find grandpa." The young man's eyes were a little red, and he still tried hard to squeeze out a smile, holding the hand of this little sister who had been a child, and slowly walked in the opposite direction.

Someone saw it on the way and said hello, "Huahua is back? Now he is a big leader, and he has a future!"

Zhong Hua responded with a smile, then said goodbye and continued walking forward.

The two villagers carrying hoes were confused when they saw him walking away while holding something in hand.

Isn't that nothing?

The old man was waiting at the door of his house when he suddenly saw two people walking over the path. He quickly stood up with his stiff body and looked forward to it.

"grandfather!!"

The little girl's crisp voice rang out, and then a small figure rushed over quickly. The old man was thinking a little slow now. Before he could react, a little girl squeezed into his arms.

The little girl held him and kept acting coquettishly. His heart was soft and his eyes were filled with relief.

"Grandpa, I miss you so much, I have always missed you very much..."

The old man trembled his hands and patted his granddaughter's back, opening his mouth to speak, but his stiff tongue was a little vague, "Grandpa also...want to be happy with Liu..."

He didn't find out what was wrong with him, but Xi Liu and Zhong Hua discovered it and just thought it was not known.

Zhong Hua closed his eyes, hid the sorrow in his eyes, and walked over with a smile, "Grandpa Gen, I met Xi Liu on the way, so I took her back. Look, I didn't buy any food."

"It's okay...it's okay..." The old man waved his hand, his face full of pure joy. He paused for a while, and hesitated to look at the path behind the two of them, "Who... sent Xiliu back?"

Zhong Hua was stunned. Before he could think of how to answer, the little girl who acted coquettishly in the old man's arms spoke first, "It's my parents. They went to the county to do business first. They happened to meet their brother, so they asked him to bring me."

The old man nodded and asked, "Xi Liu, are your parents good to you?"

"Okay, my parents said they like Xiliu very much. They bought me a lot of food and fun, and bought me new clothes. Grandpa, do you think my shoes look good?"

The little girl seemed to show off and stretched out her feet to show the old man the red shoes she was wearing. The old man's vision was actually a little blurred, but when he looked at the red, he still smiled happily and nodded.

"It looks good, it looks good. We like to wear whatever we like."

His brain was half stiff, and he didn't realize why the granddaughter in front of him was still as tall as he left a few years ago. He just asked happily with her hand.

"Xi Liu, have your parents sent you to school?"

"I'm in the middle of the school, all the children in the school like me. They say I'm pretty and like to play with me. The teacher also likes me the most. Every time I eat, I give me chicken legs..."

The little girl's childish voice was crisp and full of happiness, "I also made many friends and had many paintings. Grandpa, I tell you, my parents take me to the amusement park every week, and we play a lot..."

"Would Xi Liu Kai be happy?"

"Of course I'm happy. Grandpa, mom and dad are so nice to me. When I first arrived, they came to sleep with me. They never let me go out alone at night. They always talk to me and watch TV for me. Grandpa, do you look at the Mickey Mouse on me? Is it good to see?"

The old man laughed happily, "It looks good, it looks so good..."

He touched the hair of his granddaughter in front of him and asked, "Didn't your parents buy a headband?"

Xiliu paused and said with a smile, "I bought it, but I forgot to wear it. What I wear now is Grandpa, you bought it for me before, and I can't bear to throw it away."

The old man's purple face had never smiled since his granddaughter came back. He took out the cloth from his pocket carefully and opened it carefully, revealing all kinds of beautiful headbands inside.

"Look, this is bought by grandpa for you. I don't know if you like it or not. There is a Mickey Mouse here. Grandpa remembers that we Xiliu like Mickey Mouse the most..."

He reached out his hand to take out the Mickey Mouse's headband alone, but his hand fell on it, but in front of him it was misty and he couldn't see anything clearly.

Xi Liu looked at the old man in front of him that had already begun to turn white, blinked quickly and hid tears. He picked up the headband of Teacher Mi and put it on his head.

She asked, "Grandpa, am I good-looking?"

The old man looked up slowly, his eyes were already covered with a cataract, which belonged to the dead.

He could no longer see it, but he still slowly smiled stiffly, "It looks good. When my grandfather bought it, he thought Xi Liu's belt would definitely look good."

The tears in the little girl's eyes could no longer be allowed to fall. She pursed her lips to suppress the crying and penetrated into her grandfather's arms.

Her voice was sweet, full of coquettishness, "Why do I ask my grandfather and say it looks good! You must have coaxed me!"

"No, no, Xiliu is really good-looking, grandpa won't lie to you."

The old man smiled, but his head was heavy.

He whispered, "Xi Liu, Grandpa is a little sleepy. Can I lie down first?"

"I'll support my grandfather."

"Xi Liu has grown up and is so sensible. Xi Liu, grandpa wants to hear you talk about your parents..."

"Well...My father is very tall and strong, and can protect us. His eyes are bright and he always calls me a good daughter. His mother looks very good and treats me very well..."

Wei Mingyan leaned on a crutch and watched the old and the young go in, stepped out his long legs and walked in.

"Xi Liu, Grandpa, Grandpa, go to bed first, go out to eat candy, ah..."

The old man on the bed heard the noise, and he reluctantly let go of his granddaughter's little hand and asked her to leave first.

The handsome Taoist priest watched the little girl go out and sat on the edge of the bed and said, "Xi Liu is gone, do you have anything to tell me?"

"I, I remembered..." The old man lying on the bed smiled bitterly and said in a hoarse voice, "I rolled down from the cliff with my firewood on my back. It's so high that I can't live..."

"You asked me at that time what was under the cliff..."

"There is really a stream below, with many beautiful stones and birds falling on me, chirping..."

Wei Mingyan leaned on a crutch, rubbed the wood in his palm and whispered, "You remembered your granddaughter whom you had never seen since you sent her away. You wanted to see her, so you got up again."
To be continued...