The bare bed board was exposed on the bed, and the mattress was spread out in the corner. Two pillows were piled on the bed like a pile of Buddhas, and there was a dark mark on the exposed corner.
Er Gouzi let go of the hand that was holding Su Nianmei and climbed up to cover the mark. The floral skirt swayed with her buttocks.
Su Nianmei was shocked and had a bad feeling.
She walked forward and hugged Ergouzi, whose legs were still jumping back and forth. She touched Ergouzi's clothes and they were dry, not the feeling she expected.
Gu Xiaobao tugged at Su Nianmei's clothes. She put Ergouzi on the bed and half-knelt down.
Gu Xiaobao whispered in her ear, "Ergouzi wet the bed."
Su Nianmei turned around and looked at Ergouzi, who was sitting on the bed pinching the little skirt, she sighed helplessly, climbed onto the bed resignedly, and took out the mattress.
Gu Xiaobao slowly came over dragging a large wooden barrel.
Su Nianmei looked at the sensible little boy, put the mattress into the bucket, and reached out to rub the little boy's head.
Gu Xiaobao's mother rubbed his head and he squinted his eyes happily. He silently gave Ergouzi a good deed in his heart and erased the incident of Ergouzi wetting the bed last night from his mind.
He looked at Ergouzi with a very relieved look.
——
Su Nianmei moved the bucket to the public pool downstairs. There were not many people in the courtyard in the morning. She sat leisurely on a small stool. Just as she picked up the water pipe to fill it with water, the sunlight above her head was blocked by a figure.
Su Nianmei raised her head with half-closed eyes and looked over, but was tapped on the head by the hat. She subconsciously tried to dodge, but the water pipe in her hand was snatched away.
The man turned the valve with one hand and held a cigarette in his mouth, the smoke seemed to be half-held in his mouth, but his military uniform was neatly worn. There was also a "tsk tsk tsk" sound coming from his mouth.
He threw the water pipe on the ground and said in standard Mandarin, "Girl, this is not the way to wash a wet mattress."
As he spoke, he took out the mattress, put one foot on the edge of the table, and half-placed the mattress on the wooden barrel, leaving the part with the urine stain exposed. He took the alkali that was placed on the ground, broke off a small piece with his hands, smashed it into slag with a stone, and without any disgust, he directly reached out and rubbed it on the part with the urine stain. He then took out the kettle next to him, poured a little hot water on it, rubbed it with his hands, and smeared it all over the place with the urine stain.
Then he added, "After it dries, just wash the urine stains with clean water. You don't have to wash the entire area."
Su Nianmei looked at him and nodded.
I took a look at him. He had a crew cut, looked neat and tidy, had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a very handsome appearance. He had a cigarette in his mouth, his right hand was wet and water drops were constantly falling down, and his left hand was holding his hat. He exuded a nonchalant air and did not seem to be very old. She was completely different from the person who had just skillfully washed the mattress.
I casually asked, "Do you have children?"
He was also stunned for a moment, then reached out to take out the cigarette, half holding it in his hand, staring at the ashes slowly burning from the cigarette butt, flicking it, and said in a hoarse voice, "No, I saw my mother washing it for my sister when I was a child, so I remembered it as well."
The cigarette was almost burned out. The man pinched it gently, and the cigarette went out. The cigarette butt fell lightly into the flowers.
A soldier came jogging from a distance and waved at him. The man stood up slowly, said "see you again if we're lucky", and walked over with long, slow steps.
Su Nianmei looked at the man's back. His tall and thin body wrapped in military uniform made her feel a little restrained.
Su Nianmei looked in the direction he was looking. Under a tree about five or six meters away from her, there was a 28-inch bicycle parked. On the back seat was a shoulder pole loaded with vegetables, fruits and other things.
The man got on his bicycle and left with his companion.
I don't know how long he watched there.
——
After Su Nianmei washed the mattress, she hung it on the wire outside to dry.
She was carrying a wooden bucket, and as soon as she opened the door, Gu Xiaobao was standing in front of the door with a small army green shoulder bag on his back, a few strands of hair standing up on his head, looking ready to go.
Su Nianmei was a little surprised and asked, "Baby, where are you going?"
Gu Xiaobao pinched the strap of his small bag, and the little toes of his two feet twisted quietly one by one on the ground. When he looked over, he could see his shoes moving.
He hesitated for a long time before he stammered, "Mom, I, I want to drop out of school."
Su Nianmei was stunned for a few seconds holding the wooden barrel. She blinked four or five times before she reacted. She squatted down, put the wooden barrel aside, hugged Gu Xiaobao, and let him sit on her lap.
"Baby, aren't you happy going to school?"
Gu Xiaobao nodded first, then paused and shook his head.
Su Nianmei patted Gu Xiaobao's back gently, thinking back to when Gu Xiaobao's reaction was a little strange after seeing Shi Hua, and asked again, "Is there someone bullying you at school? For example, a classmate? Or a teacher?"
Gu Xiaobao bit his lower lip subconsciously, and his hand holding the shoulder bag strap suddenly tightened. He still shook his head and weakly uttered two words, "No."
Su Nianmei sensed Gu Xiaobao's nervousness and stopped asking, "Why did you want to drop out of school?"
Gu Xiaobao finally relaxed. "Er Gouzi's mother said that mom and dad went out to work to earn money for my schooling. I don't want mom to go out to work." Gu Xiaobao's voice became smaller and smaller. "If I drop out of school, our family will have money. Mom and Dad..."
Su Nianmei looked at the little guy who was still about to cry. Tears were rolling in his eyes but refused to fall. She felt a little distressed. "Mom and Dad go out to work not only to make money. You see, Dad is a soldier. Only when he goes out to work can he protect more people. This is responsibility."
Gu Xiaobao nodded as if he understood, but no one knew how much influence this sentence would have on his future life.
Su Nianmei patted Gu Xiaobao's back gently, but the tears that were hanging in her eyes could not help falling. Her little hand clasped Su Nianmei's fingers, without saying a word.
Su Nianmei looked around but didn't find the figure in the floral dress. "Where's Er Gouzi?"
Gu Xiaobao's sobbing became quieter and quieter, and he stammered, "His mother took him away."
Gu Xiaobao lay in Su Nianmei's arms, his little body soft, his eyelashes fluttering, and he fell asleep soon.
Su Nianmei looked at the little guy and sighed softly. After all, he was only a five-year-old child. Put Gu Xiaobao on their bed and cover him with a quilt.
There seemed to be Gu Xichao's scent on the quilt. She remembered that he pushed her against the door last night, and her heart beat faster.
The author has something to say: The first day Captain Gu left, I missed him~
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