Chapter 4 Cosmos (3) Under this roof, all generations...

Lin Xia washed her face vigorously in the sink. The sweat mixed with tears stuck to her skin, which was very uncomfortable.

After being frightened just now, she seemed not to be so scared anymore after using poison to fight poison.

But it's embarrassing, really embarrassing.

But he didn't laugh at her or question her. His hands were very gentle. He pulled her slowly and applied more force little by little so that she didn't feel any pain at all.

She inexplicably felt that the place on her forearm where he touched was a little hot, and she couldn't help but touch it with her other hand, staring at the mirror for a while.

Take a deep breath, okay, go back to sleep, if you don’t sleep now you really won’t be able to get up tomorrow.

She picked up the quilt on the floor, folded it a few times, held it in her arms, and opened the bathroom door.

Unexpectedly, He Chuan was standing at the door, leaning against the wall, with his arms folded and his eyes closed as if he was resting.

"Why are you still here?"

Lin Xia was a little surprised.

He Chuan didn't answer, but just opened his eyes and looked at her:

"Go back."

After a pause, he continued:

"If you can't sleep, just turn on the light. It will be better with light."

Lin Xia was distressed: "It's even harder to sleep with light on."

It’s dazzling when the light is on and scary when the light is off, there’s nothing she can do!

He Chuan felt helpless. He thought for a moment, then turned around and took something off the TV cabinet in the living room. He said to her:

"Put this by the bed."

Lin Xia was puzzled and followed him back to the room. She saw him put the thing in his hand on the bedside desk, then turned and walked out the door. He didn't know where he went to rummage through the drawers. When he came back a while later, he was holding a light bulb, installed it on it, plugged in the wires, and instantly a flash of orange light appeared in front of her eyes.

Lin Xia was a little surprised: "So, this is a desk lamp!"

The table lamp before me is made entirely of ceramic. A large mushroom stands on a green lawn, beneath which sits a young girl in a blue dress, surrounded by a few lively puppies and kittens, playing with their owner. The ceramic is exquisitely fired, imbued with the intricate beauty of handmade objects from the pre-modern era.

This piece of porcelain had been placed in the living room. Lin Xia thought it was just a decorative piece, but she didn't expect it to be a lamp.

He Chuan explained: "Because the light is too dim, no one uses it."

But it was just right for Lin Xia at this moment.

"Go to sleep."

He Chuan didn't say anything else and just turned and left.

After turning off the lights, Lin Xia lay back on the bed. She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the only light in the room on the table. It was dim and warm, which made people feel calm.

Did he guess she was scared because of the book? Or did he simply think she couldn't sleep in her bed? Whatever the reason, he took into account the girl's pride and didn't expose her. He endured his sleepiness and waited at the door to send her back to her room, and even lit a beautiful lamp for her.

Lin Xia likes everything beautiful.

Just like the hand he was holding hers, slender, white, with distinct joints, and very beautiful.

Half asleep and half awake, she thought vaguely.

.

In the Northeast, the days are long and the nights are short in the summer. It is usually light at three or four o'clock in the morning. Lin Xia barely managed to sleep for a short while when it was daybreak. He was woken up by He Ping at six o'clock.

Lin Xia woke up like a sleepwalker, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Her legs felt soft, as if she was stepping on cotton.

After coming out of the bathroom, Lin Xia saw He Ping cooking in the kitchen, while He Chuan was practicing calligraphy on rice paper on the square table in the living room. Lin Haisheng was standing behind him watching, without saying a word, but with a hint of approval in his eyes.

Although the two people look different, in the eyes of others, this picture looks like father and son, or grandfather and grandson.

Lin Xia knew that Lin Haisheng excelled in calligraphy. His teacher was a renowned scholar, and he himself was a well-known figure in the calligraphy and painting world. He had previously been a Chinese professor at Northeast Normal University, but had retired early due to illness and was living in Xiaolin Farm as a way to recuperate. City leaders would regularly visit him, requesting calligraphy, but he was arrogant and always declined, thus offending many.

When Lin Xia was seven or eight years old, Zhao Qianyi asked her to learn calligraphy from Lin Haisheng, but she couldn't concentrate on practicing, and Lin Haisheng didn't have the patience to teach a child. After a few months of learning, both the grandfather and grandson were upset and finally parted ways unhappily.

This was the first time Lin Xia saw Lin Haisheng admiring someone, and she couldn't help but walk forward to watch.

She had only studied for a few months, not even an entry-level student, so she didn't know whether He Chuan's handwriting was good or bad, but it looked like his handwriting was indeed beautiful, sharp and incisive, and full of character, just like his fountain pen signature on the title page of his poetry collection.

She quietly turned her head to look at his face. He didn't look at her, nor did his gaze shift at all because of her arrival. He just stared at the paper with a very focused expression.

Lin Haisheng said: "Xiaochuan is hardworking and down-to-earth. Xia Xia, you should learn more from him."

"oh."

Lin Xia responded reluctantly, feeling a little dissatisfied.

I just don't like calligraphy. You don't even know that I've been practicing day and night in the studio!

He Chuan put down the last stroke and glanced at her. For some reason, Lin Xia suddenly felt that he must have seen through her thoughts. There was no reason, it was just intuition.

At this time, He Ping stuck her head out from the kitchen and said with a smile:

"Don't be busy writing yet, clean up and eat."

Lin Haisheng picked up the inkstone and paperweight beside him. He Chuan put down his brush, took the things in his hand, and whispered:

"Uncle Lin, I'm coming."

Under this roof, all generations and titles are confused.

.

Lin Haisheng and He Ping never said anything to Lin Xia. Lin Xia felt relieved when she was sure that He Chuan had not told anyone about her embarrassing incident last night.

Last night's incident became a secret known only to the two of them.

After struggling to finish breakfast, Lin Xia quickly escaped back to her room to take a nap under the pretext of reading a book. As soon as she touched the bed, she lost consciousness and did not wake up until after 11 o'clock. It was time for lunch again.

She was not hungry at all, she just ate a few bites reluctantly. Lin Haisheng glanced at the more than half of the rice left in her bowl. Although he did not scold her, his expression was stern.

The older generation was born in poverty and cannot stand seeing anyone wasting food.

Lin Xia was very depressed.

After dinner, Lin Haisheng went back to his room for a nap, He Chuan read in the room, He Ping cleaned the kitchen, and Lin Xia sat on the sofa, mechanically fiddling with the remote control.

Lin Haisheng's family also has a TV, but there are no cable channels installed. There are only CCTV-1 and Wangchun City Local Channel. The former broadcasts news, while the latter is black most of the time, only occasionally showing some health product advertisements and unknown movies with no beginning or end.

It seems that no one in this family needs to watch TV, or perhaps Lin Haisheng only listens to the radio and doesn't watch TV, so other people don't need it either.

He Ping saw Lin Xia's bored look and couldn't help but say to her:

"Xia Xia, if you don't find it interesting, let Xiao Chuan take you to Aunt Hao's house to play."

"Aunt Hao?"

"She has chickens, kittens, and rabbits at home. You'll definitely like them."

.

Lin Xia changed into a sky blue dress and followed He Chuan out.

Aunt Hao was the neighbor who lived next door. Her house wasn't big, but she had a huge yard where she cultivated a vegetable patch, growing cucumbers, persimmons, beans, and eggplant. It looked thriving, fruitful, and well-tended. But at the gate, a large gray and yellow wolfhound was tied. It barked non-stop when it saw Lin Xia, frightening her so much that she quickly hid behind He Chuan.

"Don't be afraid, it won't bite."

He Chuan protected Lin Xia behind him with his backhand and shouted:

"Whistle, sit down!"

The wolfhound seemed to be very familiar with He Chuan. Upon hearing this, it howled, put its hind legs on the ground, sat down obediently, and gently wagged its tail.

Lin Xia quietly looked out from behind He Chuan and asked curiously:

"Is it called a whistle?"

"Well, because Aunt Hao said his cry sounded like a whistle."

How are they similar? Lin Xia was a little puzzled.

Aunt Hao is a short, plump, middle-aged woman. Her husband works in a forest farm and goes out early and comes back late. Her son works in another place and never comes home all year round. She is the only one at home every day, so she is particularly welcoming to neighbors who come to visit.

"As expected of Teacher Lin's daughter, she's so pretty!" Aunt Hao took Lin Xia's hand and greeted her happily, "Eat some persimmons! I just picked them and washed them!"

The green tomatoes soaked in cold water looked sour and astringent. Lin Xia hesitated:

"Is this cooked?"

"Ripe, ripe! This persimmon variety is like this. It's called 'Thieves Don't Steal'. It's sweeter than red and yellow persimmons!"

Thieves don't steal? Is it because they think green tomatoes are unripe that they don't steal?

Lin Xia fished one out of the basin, shook off the water stains on it, and took a tentative bite.

The cold juice splashed in his mouth, and the fresh and rich tomato flavor spread. There was a hint of fruit fragrance in the sweetness. Lin Xia had never eaten such delicious persimmons.

Aunt Hao asked, "Is it delicious?"

"Hmm!" Lin Xia nodded repeatedly, took another bite, and said vaguely, "But this can't be called a tomato, it should be called a tomato."

Aunt Hao chuckled: "Xiaochuan said the same thing when he first ate it. You two brothers and sisters are exactly the same!"

Obviously, Aunt Hao didn't understand the generational relationship between the two people.

Most people don’t understand it, not even Lin Xia herself.

Lin Xia glanced at He Chuan quietly and found that he didn't react much. She didn't know whether he didn't pay attention or didn't care as much as He Ping.

Afraid that Aunt Hao would say something embarrassing again, she quickly swallowed the persimmon in her mouth and said to Aunt Hao:

"Is there a cat? I want to see a kitten."

"Yes, come with auntie."

Aunt Hao's cat is a very beautiful calico female cat. She gave birth to kittens a month ago. Aunt Hao built a nest for them in the house using waste cardboard boxes and old clothes. The mother cat lay lazily on the side with her eyes half closed, and the three little kittens rolled around in the nest, playing and fighting.

When Lin Xia saw such a lovely scene, her heart melted and she squatted beside the cardboard box, staring at it intently.

But these three kittens, one white, one dark gray, and one light gray, are they really all born from a calico cat?

"Why is the mother a calico cat and the baby a solid color?" Lin Xia was puzzled. "And the colors are different."

Aunt Hao said with a smile: "A calico cat doesn't necessarily give birth to calico cats. This kitten probably takes after its father. It's normal for a litter to have different colors."

Lin Xia nodded, not quite understanding.

"Would you like to take one home and raise one?"

"No, I'll just take a look." Lin Xia said embarrassedly.

Zhao Qianyi wouldn't let her raise one, and she was very self-aware that she wasn't good at raising animals. She could even kill a goldfish or a turtle.

He Chuan seemed to like cats, too. He squatted beside her and reached out to touch the kittens. The kittens were very clingy and would hold onto his hand to climb up. But when Lin Xia went to touch them, the kittens would hide and meow, their screams piercing their hearts and making unpleasant noises.

The mother cat glanced over here, confirmed that nothing serious happened, and then lay back down, looking as if she didn't want to care.

"Why?" Lin Xia was so angry that she bumped into the person next to her. "Why do they only kiss you?"

He Chuan was caught off guard and staggered. He subconsciously protected the kitten in his arms, feeling a little amused and helpless.

"Maybe they're shy. They just met you and aren't familiar with your smell yet. Just play with them more."

"Really?"

Lin Xia really believed it.

He Chuan lowered his eyes and looked at the little girl who was so close to him, her heart and eyes full of anticipation, and smiled barely perceptibly.

"Yeah, really."

"Eh? That's not right. Why are there only three?" Aunt Hao beside her suddenly realized something. "Where's the other kitten?"

Lin Xia was surprised: "Anything else?"

"Yes, a black and white one. It was the most mischievous one and disappeared without a trace."

So the three of them began to look for the cat all over the house. The mother cat ignored their behavior, yawned slowly, turned over and changed to a more comfortable position, as if the lost cat was not her own child.

After searching every corner and every bottle and jar, he still couldn't find it. He Chuan asked, "Could it have gotten out?"

Aunt Hao: "No way, I pay attention to every time you open the door and enter the house."

At this moment, there was a sudden barking of a whistle outside.

The three people went out and saw Shaozi stretching the chain around his neck and looking up at a big tree next to him and shouting desperately.

Lin Xia saw a small ball of furry black and white on the branch and couldn't help but exclaimed:

"Ah, is the cat in the tree?"

Aunt Hao squinted her eyes and took a closer look. "Oh, it really is! This bastard! He forced the kitten up a tree! I'll go get a ladder."

He Chuan said, "No need. Aunt Hao, take the whistle back and I'll go up."

He Chuan was such a good student that Lin Xia thought he was just like those lazy nerds. Unexpectedly, he climbed up the tree in the blink of an eye as soon as he said he would. The tree was not low, but he moved lightly and nimbly. He picked up the kitten and jumped down in no time. The whole process took no more than a minute.

When He Chuan walked up to her with the kitten in his arms, she was still a little overwhelmed.

The kitten shivered and huddled in He Chuan's arms, looking incredibly pitiful. Only after seeing its appearance did Lin Xia begin to understand why Shao Zi had barked at it. The kitten was indeed black and white, but the fur was unevenly distributed, especially on its face, where patches of fur blurred its features. The entire cat looked ugly, completely different from its siblings and mother.

But He Chuan did not despise it. He gently stroked it from head to toe and comforted it. Then he squatted down and carefully handed it to the mother cat who rushed out of the house at some point.

The mother cat picked up the kitten by the scruff of the neck in her mouth, turned around and ran away.

He Chuan remained squatting, looking at the two cats' backs as they left, with an indescribable soft smile lingering in the corners of his eyes and brows.

There may be hypocrisy and flattery between people, but not between humans and animals. Everything they do is sincere.

From that moment on, Lin Xia was certain of a fact in her heart.

The boy in front of you who climbed the tree to save the cat without hesitation is a good person.

And...she knew why a whistle was called a whistle.

Because when Aunt Hao grabbed its collar and beat it with a rolling pin, it howled sharply and aggrievedly, really like someone was blowing a whistle.