Yan Qiu was awakened by his dream in the middle of the night.

The picture in the dream was very messy, for a while it was aunt lying lifelessly on the bed, for a while it was the back of Diu Diu jumping out of his arms, and even dreamed of the raccoon cat met when came back at night.

He dreamed that it snowed all night outside, and when he opened the door in the morning, he saw the raccoon cat lying in front of his door, its body was covered with a thick layer of snow, and its body was frozen stiff.

Yan Qiu bent down to brush the snow off his body, but just as he touched it, he saw that the lifeless cat on the ground suddenly opened its eyes again.

The originally pitch-black pupils were only left with dead white, staring at him for a moment, as if accusing him of why he ignored it when it was still alive?

Before Yan Qiu could react, he saw that the original raccoon cat suddenly changed, shrinking and shrinking, and finally turned into a lost appearance.

Then I saw Diudiu's whole body was icy cold, trembling in his arms, as if saying to him: "It's so cold."

As soon as Yan Qiu dreamed of this place, he was awakened with a start, and then sat up abruptly from the bed.

Even though he quickly realized that everything was just a dream, he still couldn't calm down for a long time.

The north wind is raging outside the house, just listening to the sound makes people feel cold, and the transparent glass windows reflect the winter snow like cotton wool.

Only then did Yan Qiu realize that the snow in the evening hadn't stopped until now.

The inside of the house was not much better than the outside. There was no heating in this old courtyard, and the heating depended on the air conditioner. When Yan came back last night, he was exhausted and fell asleep in bed without even changing his clothes.

At this moment, just feel that the whole person is like falling into an ice cellar.

He quickly touched the remote control of the air conditioner, and as soon as he turned it on, he coughed uncontrollably.

Because of the cold, he coughed violently, his throat was sore and itchy, Yan Qiu almost suspected that he had coughed up all his internal organs.

Fortunately, the air conditioner soon began to run smoothly, and the temperature in the room rose little by little, and Yan Qiu's body warmed up, and finally stopped coughing.

With wet palms, Yan Qiu took out a tissue to wipe off the blood as usual, then put on a slightly thicker coat and walked towards the door.

The dream just now left him with lingering fears.

He was a little flustered, afraid that something unexpected would happen to the raccoon cat like in a dream.

So decided to bring it back first.

He walked to the door, and as soon as he opened the door, the wind and snow outside poured in instantly.

Yan Qiu couldn't stand still, and was pushed back a few steps by the strong wind outside. The cool wind entered his throat, and he couldn't help coughing again.

The temperature in the middle of the night was even lower, and the cold wind was mixed with ice and snow, like an invisible sharp knife taking the opportunity to stab his body.

Yan Qiu endured the discomfort and put on the mask, then wrapped his clothes tightly before walking outside.

The scene in the dream kept reappearing in his mind, so he couldn't help but pause for a moment when he walked to the gate.

After hesitating for a moment, he touched the ice-like door lock with trembling fingers, and slowly pushed the door open.

Fortunately, the scene in the dream did not appear in front of my eyes, the door was empty, and there was no sign of the raccoon cat.

Yan Qiu didn't know whether to worry more or breathe a sigh of relief, but he didn't have time to think too much, wrapped his clothes to resist the wind and snow, and continued to walk outside.

At this time, the night was deep, and the hustle and bustle of the day was gone, and there was silence outside.

The alleyway in front of him was empty, the ground was covered with heavy snow, and there were no footprints on it.

Only Yan Qiu stepped on the snow, looking for the raccoon cat.

He first came to the place where the umbrella was placed at night, but the black umbrella was no longer in place, probably because it was blown around by the wind a few times, and finally got stuck under an old locust tree at the entrance of the alley.

It's just that there is no trace of the raccoon cat under the umbrella.

The scene in the dream became clearer and clearer, replaying it uncontrollably in his mind over and over again.

Yan Qiu's footsteps were even more anxious.

He suddenly regretted that in such a cold day, even if he couldn't take care of it for a long time, at least help it survive tonight.

"Mimi?" Yan Qiu didn't know its name, so he could only call it the common name for cats all over the world while walking.

However, he almost walked all over the alley, but he didn't see the raccoon cat.

Probably because I rejected its request to go home with me just now, it got angry.

It was too cold outside, and Yan Qiu felt top-heavy after only staying for a while. Although he was still very worried, he could only sigh silently, and walked back slowly.

However, as soon as he walked to the door, he saw something flashing past in the vegetable bed at the door, and then saw the raccoon cat get out from behind a pile of spinach.

But this time he didn't get close, just stopped a meter away from him, and looked at Yan Qiu quietly.

Seeing this, Yan Qiu couldn't help laughing, "Why did you go there? Is it warmer there?"

Naturally, the cat would not respond. It just turned its head and pretended to look into the distance, but it tentatively moved two steps forward.

Seeing this, Yan Qiu felt as if a drop of lemon juice had been squeezed into his heart, making it slightly sour.

So he bent down and stretched out his hand to it, and said to it: "Mimi, come here, let's go home."

Cihuamao seemed a little unconvinced, so he didn't come over right away.

Yan Qiu was not in a hurry, resisting the urge to cough, just half bent over and stretched out his hand to it, waiting for it quietly.

After a long time, the cat finally moved. It slowly raised its front paws, stepped on the snow all over the ground, and walked up to him step by step.

Yan Qiu bent down and patted off the snowflakes on its body, and hugged it in his arms.

Lihuamao is very obedient, although they have only known each other not long ago, but they are like old friends who are familiar with each other, relying on him and rubbing their heads against him.

It's like entrusting a lifetime of trust.

Yan Qiu looked at its dependent appearance and felt a little uncomfortable, "I can't take care of you for long."

Naturally, the cat couldn't understand what he said, so it just stuck out its tongue and licked his palm.

The cat in his arms was obviously so thin, but at that moment Yan Qiu felt the weight of the whole world on his arms.

So he couldn't help but sighed, "But it's too cold outside, I don't feel relieved."

Speaking of this, Yan Qiu stopped, and smiled helplessly, "Forget it..."

"I'll try my best to accompany you through this winter."

Yan Qiu opened his eyes, and saw the raccoon cat that he brought back last night lying on a chair not far from him.

Seeing that he was awake, she also opened her eyes, stretched lazily, then jumped off the chair, walked to Yan Qiu and squatted down, gently rubbing her head against his palm.

Yan Qiu smiled, rubbed its head for a while, and then sat up from the bed to go to groom.

After the air conditioner was turned on all night, the room finally returned to temperature, and Yan Qiu's complexion finally turned a little bloody, and became rosy again.

After he washes up, prepare breakfast for him and the cat.

One person and one cat finished eating, and then Yan Qiu lay on the recliner in the living room, hugging the cat and looking at the walnut tree outside the window.

He has been alone these days, and he has nothing to say.

Now that she finally has someone to confide in, how could Yan Qiu let her go.

So while stroking its fur slowly, he said: "Mimi, look at the walnut tree in the yard, it is very similar to the one in my house, almost exactly the same."

"But there must be differences. Every tree is unique, just like there won't be two of you in this world."

"Have you ever been to Qian'an?" Speaking of this, Yan Qiu couldn't help laughing.

"How could you have been there? It's a thousand miles away from here."

"My home is there, but unfortunately I don't have a chance, otherwise I really want to take you back with me."

"Mimi." Yan Qiu gently rubbed his head, "Where is your home?"

"Do you want to go home?"

"Do cats have nostalgia? Or only humans have it."

"Mimi, I'm a little homesick."

"The tree is a thousand feet high, and the leaves fall back to their roots." ①

"It's a pity I can't go back."

"..."

A few persimmons and a pot of tea are boiling on the small stove next to the deck chair.

The tea was boiled hot and made a gurgling sound on the fire.

Seeing this, Yan Qiu picked up the teapot and was just about to pour himself a cup, but at this moment there was a sound at the gate.

The cat that was already fast asleep in his arms immediately opened his eyes and looked out vigilantly.

Yan Qiu patted its head, put it down, and said, "Don't be afraid, it might be Grandma Zhang."

Grandma Zhang lived next door to him and was alone.

Probably the elderly are afraid of being lonely, so they will give him something when they are free, and stay for a while to make things happen.

The snow outside had stopped, but the wind was still strong, so Yan Qiu put on his clothes before going out.

He crossed the yard to the door and reached out to open it.

However, what he didn't expect was that the person who came was not Grandma Zhang, but Fu Shuangchi who saw him dying yesterday.

Yan Qiu doesn't want to see him now, so he subconsciously closes the door.

However, Fu Shuangchi had quick eyes and quick hands, and he blocked the door that was about to close first.

"Second brother, is this your way of hospitality?"

"Yes." Yan Qiu replied coldly, not bothering to say a word.

So many things happened between the two of them before, so Fu Shuangchi was not surprised by his attitude, and calmly replied: "Don't worry, I didn't come here to make you apologize."

Yan Qiu raised his eyes and glanced at him lightly, "I don't think I need to apologize either."

When Fu Shuangchi heard the words, the smile on his face turned cold for a moment, and he looked past him to the yard behind Yan Qiu.

"It's really not easy to find you. How did you find such a broken place?"

"What do you want to do again?" Yan Qiu interrupted his question with fixed eyes.

Fu Shuangchi finally got to the point, "I'm here to inform you that we're going back to the old house together tomorrow, haven't you forgotten?"

If he didn't mention Yan Qiu, he really forgot that except for the birthdays of the two old people in the Fu family, the next day of everyone's birthday is the second day of the new year every year. Everyone has to go back to the old house for reunion.

But now, Yan Qiu feels that it doesn't matter whether he participates in this kind of gathering or not.

Fu Shuang knew his attitude just by looking at his expression, but it was not difficult to guess.

"Whether you go or not is up to you, I'm only in charge of notifying you." Fu Shuang said clearly.

"Actually, I would just call you, but after searching around, no one has your mobile number, so I can only reluctantly come here in person."

"Is that what you came here to talk about?" Yan Qiu asked impatiently.

"Of course not." Fu Shuangchi said, looking down at the time, "Actually, Mom originally wanted her to notify you, but I took the initiative to ask you to come here. Do you know why?"

Yan Qiu didn't bother to pay attention to him, and Fu Shuangchi was not embarrassed, and continued: "Of course it's to show my generosity, second brother, you hurt me again and again, but I still don't care about you, are you moved?"?”

Yan Qiu: "..."

"You are really unfriendly." Fu Shuangchi said, the smile on his face gradually faded.

"Well, let's get down to business, I'm actually here because I got something recently."

As Fu Shuangchi said, he took out a few thin sheets of paper from his pocket.

"Do you want to see it? This is my father's newly revised will."

Yan Qiu looked at Fu Shuangchi calmly, without any disturbance in his heart, he no longer wanted to have anything to do with that family, and as for the will, naturally it had nothing to do with him.

Fu Shuangchi got used to his lack of response, unfolded the wills and read them out.

The will is very long, so he only picked out some important thoughts.

I, Fu Jianting, hereby make a will, and deal with all my property as follows:

...

After reading, Fu Shuangchi closed the paper and said with a smile, "Second Brother, did you find that you are not inside?"

"So what if you are connected by blood with them? What if you are their biological son? You have also seen that they only love me."

"No matter before or now, Yan Qiu, no one has ever loved you."

Even though he tried his best not to care about it, when he heard this sentence, Yan Qiu couldn't help being depressed for a moment.

It seemed that something flowed up his chest, and soon, he tasted the familiar, sweet smell of blood in his throat.

"Then... why did you take me back?"

Even though he knew that the front was a trap and a thorn covered with rust, Yan Qiu couldn't help asking this question that he had buried deep in his heart for a long time.

Since you don't love him, why do you want to recognize him back?

He had no expectations of family affection.

Why give him hope and then cruelly take it back?

"Why?" Fu Shuangchi pretended to think for a while, and then said as if recalling: "They originally planned to make mistakes, but..."

Fu Shuangchi paused for a moment when he said this, and a trace of complicated emotions flashed in his eyes, "Grandpa disagrees."

"He insisted on taking you back, saying how could the blood of the Fu family be left outside."

Speaking of this, Fu Shuangchi snorted lightly, "So second brother, you must go back to see grandpa tomorrow, after all, he is probably the only one in this family who has some kind of sincerity towards you."

The smell of blood in his mouth was getting heavier and heavier, just when a gust of draft blew in, it was so cold that he couldn't help coughing.

His stomach, which had been calm for many days, suddenly throbbed, and the pain made him almost bend over.

But thinking that Fu Shuangchi was still here, Yan Qiu couldn't lower his head no matter what.

So he silently swallowed the blood that was about to gush out of his throat, and tried to stand up straight.

However, when he raised his head, he saw Fu Shuangchi leaning against the door, his eyes full of pity.

"Yan Qiu, I feel sorry for you."

Yan Qiu suddenly wanted to laugh when he heard the words.

Yan Qiu Yan Qiu.

Perhaps from his birth, all tragedies have long been doomed.

The Yan family couple didn't even bother to give him a name, because they were born in autumn, so they named him Yan Qiu.

Boundless falling trees are rustling, the endless Yangtze River is rolling, it is autumn, Yulu is withering the maple forest, and Wushan Wuxia is bleak, it is autumn...

When he was a child, he asked his aunt why when he read "Three Hundred Tang Poems", all the ancient poems about autumn were so bleak?

Isn't autumn bad?

My aunt hugged him and said no.

She said that there are also those who praise autumn. The great poet Liu Yuxi once said, "Since ancient times, autumn has been sad and lonely, and I say that autumn is better than spring."④

"Autumn is a harvest and hope."

"Autumn is the most beautiful word, just like Xiaoqiu."

At that time, Yan Qiu believed it was true, but he didn't know until he grew up that only his aunt believed all of this.

But……

Shouldn't this be Fu Shuangchi's life?

Why was he the poor one in the end.

He obviously never did anything harmful to nature, but everyone he met after going around didn't like him.

Was it wrong from the beginning?

Probably because of the great joy and sorrow, the ups and downs were too great, Yan Qiu's eyes went dark for a moment.

A mouthful of blood kept gushing up from his throat, but he swallowed it all back abruptly.

Ugly enough.

He didn't want the last trace of self-esteem to be trampled on by Fu Shuangchi.

"Oh." Fu Shuangchi sighed suddenly looking at him, "Looking at you like this, there is something I really can't bear to tell you."

However, he seemed to be sympathetic, but the words in his mouth did not stop at all, "Yan Qiu, do you still remember how your right hand was disabled?"

Hearing this, Yan Qiu suddenly raised his head to look at him, his fingers gripping the wall next to him tightly so as not to let himself fall down.

How could he not remember?

That was when he was kicked out of the company by Fu Jianting because of a document error.

He had nothing to do at Fu's house all day long, so he picked up a carving knife and carved some trinkets, and then sold them in the antique market.

I once met an old man there. The old man was very interested in his works, and would chat with him every time he came.

So at that time, Yan Qiu's greatest pleasure in daily life was going to the antique market to chat with old people besides doing woodcarving.

However, one day they chatted happily and forgot the time. It was already late at night when they returned home, and Yan Qiu had a car accident on the way back.

The car accident caused a large area of muscle tear in his right hand, and he could no longer maintain the previous sensitivity and exert force for a long time. This was undoubtedly a devastating blow to him.

Therefore, Yan Qiu hasn't touched woodcarving for a long time since then.

Lu Ruan also agreed to hold a birthday party for him because he saw that he was too decadent, hoping that he would cheer up.

"What do you mean?" There seemed to be countless fragments flashing in my mind, and I slowly pieced together a complete clue of the matter.

He looked at Fu Shuangchi in shock.

Then Fu Shuangchi nodded at him with a smile, "That's right, it's me."

"Fu, Shuang, Chi!" Yan Qiu only felt something explode in his mind.

He wanted to do something, but his mind was blank, and he couldn't even give his body the next command, he just stood there in a daze.

For a moment, he felt that his soul had left his body for a moment.

He couldn't control his body, so he could only stand there with hatred in his eyes, watching Fu Shuangchi's mouth open and close.

"I can't take it anymore?" Fu Shuangchi said with a smile, "Actually, Mom also knows about it. I 'accidentally' bumped into you that day and was frightened. I went back and confessed to Mom. Guess what she said?"

Naturally there was no response.

"She let me rot about it and took my car in for repairs."

"The last birthday party was without you. They didn't intend to admit you publicly at all. In addition, you were just because of your mother's guilt."

"But I can't blame my mother, after all, second brother, you are really..."

"It's too much to get on the stage."

Yan Qiu thought that he would slap him like a TV drama heroine, or rush forward and wrestle with him to the death.

But no, nothing.

He just stood there quietly, not even having the strength to lift it up.

The heart is numb and dull.

It turned out that it was really painful to the extreme, but it didn't hurt anymore.

"so……"

Yan Qiu was about to say something when he heard Lu Ruan's voice, "Xiao Chi."

In such a cold day, Lu Ruan was still wearing suede stilettos. The rough ground in the alley seemed to make her very dissatisfied, and she walked with a embarrassed look on her face.

She stood still at the door and was relieved to see that the two did not fight.

"Xiaoqiu." She seemed to have a bit of grudges about what happened last night, so her attitude was very alienated, but she still tried her best to play a good mother, "Why do you live here? Don't make trouble, I will call the moving company to take your thingsMove to an apartment on the South Side."

"No need." Yan Qiu replied with a sigh of relief.

"You..." Seeing that he was still so stubborn, Lu Ruan couldn't help sighing, "Actually, mother wanted to come here in person, but Shuang Chi insisted on coming. He said there was some misunderstanding between you, and he must explain clearly. I hopeGet along well with you from now on."

"Xiaoqiu, I don't care if Shuang Chi was hurt like this by you, and you should be more magnanimous."

"Dadu?" Yan Qiu bit the two words lightly, "Mrs. Fu."

"When Fu Shuangchi hit me with his car, did you persuade him like this?"

Lu Ruan was originally unhappy because of Yan Qiu's words, "Mrs. Fu", but when he heard the latter words, his expression changed instantly.

She looked at Yan Qiu in surprise, then turned her head to Fu Shuangchi.

Looking at her reaction, Yan Qiu knew that what Fu Shuangchi said was true.

"No...Xiao Qiu..." Lu Ruan seemed to want to explain, but he hesitated for a long time, but couldn't even say a complete sentence.

All the words have been exhausted here, Yan Qiu tried his best to suppress all the bitterness and pain, barely maintaining the last trace of decency.

"I'm tired, so I won't send it off."

Looking at his pale complexion, Lu Ruan also knew that it would be useless to talk more at this time.

So he nodded and turned to leave.

However, for some reason, he couldn't help but stop after walking a few steps, and looked back.

Yan Qiu stood on the spot and was about to close the door, his slender fingers pressed against the edge of the door, looking a little ridiculously thin.

The whole person is as thin as a piece of paper, as if it will fall down at any time.

At that moment, Lu Ruan's heart suddenly felt a dull pain for some reason.

She was originally waiting outside for Fu Shuangchi, and she didn't come back for so long, fearing that Yan Qiu would hurt him.

But now realized later, is Yan Qiu's condition too bad at this time?

Who else could he hurt?

Seeing that the door was about to close, Lu Ruan didn't know why, as if her heart was being pulled hard by thin threads, it was painful and numb.

So she couldn't help but backed away again, "Xiaoqiu, mom will pick you up tomorrow."

Of course there was no answer.

But Lu Ruan still didn't give up and added, "You don't look very good, let's travel to Sanya with the whole family in a while, okay?"

Still no response.

Lu Ruan wanted to say something more, but Fu Shuangchi suddenly took her hand and said, "Mom, go back, I'm hungry."

Only then did Lu Ruan come back to his senses, holding Fu Shuangchi's arm in a daze for a moment, then replied in a daze: "Okay."

"Let's go home."

Yan Qiu, who was behind the gate, had been listening to them leave, and finally couldn't help it, and spit out the blood that had been suppressed in his throat for a long time.

The body slid down the wall little by little.

Seeing this, the civet cat in the house ran out immediately, biting his clothes as if trying to drag him in.

But it is so small, there is no strength to pull it.

Yan Qiu's eyes were dark for a long time, and then he recovered some strength, looked at the cat that was yelling around him anxiously, and reached out to hug it into his arms.

"sorry……"

"I may have to... break my promise."

"I wanted to accompany you... through this winter."

The cat seemed to understand what he said, and lay motionless in his arms, listening to him quietly.

Breathing became more and more difficult, and it seemed that the calm these days was an illusion.

All the ailments and tortures have torn off their disguise today and rampaged through his body.

There was more and more blood in his mouth, almost soaking his front, and it seemed that someone was cutting pieces of his stomach with a sharp knife.

Yan Qiu hugged the cat tightly in his arms, then turned his head slightly to the left, looking at the walnut tree in the yard.

Probably because his eyes were dazzled, for a moment he felt that the walnut tree in front of him was very similar to the one in Qian'an.

"Mimi... I seem to see my home."

"The tree is a thousand feet high, and the leaves fall back to their roots."⑤

"Leaves fall back to their roots..."

At some point, Yan Qiu seemed to have strength again, so he supported the wall, stood up from the ground with the civet cat in his arms, and walked towards the walnut tree.

The walnut tree that had withered all winter turned green again at some point, and its luxuriant branches and leaves were like an open umbrella, covering the small yard.

A thin puff of cooking smoke suddenly spewed out from the chimney of the kitchen not far away, and then a strong smell of food wafted across the courtyard.

Something came from behind.

Yan Qiu turned around holding the raccoon cat, and then saw a slender hand lift the kitchen curtain.

Then a long-lost figure came out of the kitchen, and a pure white cat followed under that person's feet.

"Auntie?!" Yan Qiu exclaimed in surprise.

"Xiaoqiu." The man's face was finally clear, with an expression he was all too familiar with, "Where did you go to play again? Hurry up and wash your hands and eat."

The shattered soul fluttered and finally returned to the very beginning. Yan Qiu put down the raccoon cat in his arms.

Soon, saw two cats, one white and one flower, fighting together.

"Xiaoqiu?" Seeing that he hadn't moved for a long time, the aunt put her hands on her hips to threaten him, "Go and wash your hands quickly, the food is getting cold."

"Okay, aunt." Yan Qiu responded immediately, "I'll go right away."

He still hasn't ushered in the new year after all, but he's finally home.

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The next chapter rebirth~

①⑤ from "Ping Yao Zhuan", ②③ from "Deng Gao" and "The Eight Poems of Autumn Xing·One" (Tang) Du Fu, ④ from "Autumn Ci" (Tang) Liu Yuxi