After a rain, it is already late autumn.
The wind blew off the few leaves that remained on the dry osmanthus tree in front of the yard. The rain dripped down, wetting the soil and falling into the dilapidated house.
I heard that if someone dies, a tree will die in front of the yard.
Zhang Fangyuan didn't believe it at first, until he saw with his own eyes that the leaves of the tall and lush osmanthus tree outside the window turned yellow and fell in the autumn wind overnight, and the trunk became light and could not take root. Only then did he believe it.
He planted the osmanthus tree when he was twenty years old, and it is now more than fifty years old. Over the years, no matter how dry the summer is or how thick the snow is in the winter, in autumn the yard is still filled with the fragrance of osmanthus.
Such a tenacious osmanthus tree died without any warning.
There has been only one old bachelor in the Zhang family courtyard over the years. He has lived alone for decades. Now that the tree in front of the courtyard is dead, the person who is going to die can only be Zhang Fangyuan himself.
He lay in a cold house on a rainy night in late autumn, his body as limp as a puddle of mud, hunched over in the black, iron-like bedding, and even taking a breath took away half of his strength.
There was no light in the room, and the only thing keeping watch over the bed was the cold wind that blew in because there was not enough time to paste paper on the windows. As the rain fell and the sky darkened, the room became even colder and more lonely.
Ever since he had been bedridden, his days had been muddled. When he felt better, he would get up by feeling his way against the wall to cook a few bites of food. When he couldn't get up, he would just lie in bed and starve. No one would come to his remote courtyard for ten days or half a month.
His consciousness had been blurred for so many days, but today was very strange. After nightfall, he felt cold, and when he heard the rain outside, his consciousness suddenly became clear, and he could even tell the difference between cold and heat.
He was clear-headed and knew that this was his last moment of life and tonight was the last moment.
After waking up, he listened quietly to the sound of rain filling the room. The old roof could not block the rain, which leaked straight into the house and even dripped onto his bed. He was powerless but wanted to, so he could only curl up in bed like a piece of dry grass and think about his confused life.
The Zhang family was not deserted. It had been lively in the past. Zhang Fangyuan was not an orphan. Before he was twelve years old, he had a father and a mother, and he also had uncles and cousins. At that time, he lived a carefree life. Today he would go to the fields to fish, and tomorrow he would go to the mountains to hunt birds. He also learned butchering skills from an old widower at the village entrance, and was good at everything he did.
Because he grew the fastest and had a muscular body, all the children in the village supported him as their leader and he was able to call the shots. He said that no one in the village dared to talk back to him.
He was so proud of himself at that time that he patted his chest and told my mother that he would become a landlord in the village, earn thousands of strings of cash, build a house, marry three or five wives and have a bunch of children, so that the Zhang family would continue to prosper.
His mother always laughed at him for not knowing the immensity of the world, being unsteady and not being steady, and just talking nonsense all day long.
Zhang Fangyuan made a wish to prove it to his mother, but before that day came, his father came back drunk and had a big fight with his mother. His mother was so upset that she jumped into the river. Zhang Fangyuan hated his father so much that he wanted to bite him to death, but before he could bite him, his father also died the next day. Only then did he know that his mother had cheated on him, and his father was so angry...
Zhang Fangyuan took care of his parents' funeral and his life was in disarray.
He spent the money his family had saved for him to marry a wife on drinking and having fun, and associated with some good-for-nothing rich young masters in the city. He was used as a tool and thought he was very capable. In the end, he was blamed by his most trusted master and was thrown into jail. He was now sick and disabled and could not find a job.
He thought he had lived a carefree and carefree life, but in the end he didn't even have anyone to take care of him in his old age and see him to his death. His uncles, cousins, and brothers all disliked him and had long since excluded him from the clan.
His reputation in the village was also a shabby one. He was always regarded as a useless old bachelor and a second-rate person who did not work properly... He had been ill for such a long time that even the villagers who were enthusiastic about important matters did not come to pay him a visit. In the end, he ended up dying alone in bed.
Only at the end did he realize that this was a ridiculous waste of his life.
His eyes were wide open, with remorse in his heart, staring at the dead osmanthus tree outside the house. Perhaps he didn't even know when he died.
…
"Zhang Fangyuan, Zhang Fangyuan! Are you in the house?"
"Zhang Fangyuan!"
In a daze, Zhang Fangyuan seemed to hear someone calling his name, followed by the sound of violent knocking on the door. He was a little annoyed. Which youngster in the village could call him by his name? After all, he was a grandfather. But the knocking and shouting were so loud that he jumped out of bed.
Only then did he realize something was wrong. When did his body become so strong and light? He walked out of the house in disbelief. There was a cold wind outside, the grass was withered, and the yard was empty. The osmanthus tree that had been with him for decades was gone.
"You're in the house. The Xu family has boiled the water but you haven't come over yet. They're getting really anxious! Hurry up and take the things and go. The people who are buying meat have already arrived. You're just keeping them waiting."
Zhang Fangyuan looked at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar young face in front of him. He remembered that this kid was the fourth child of the Chen family and a neighbor of theirs. He often followed him around when he was young, but this kid fell off a cliff and died when he was a young man. It had been decades ago. How come he was still standing here alive and well?
"What are you staring at?"
Zhang Fangyuan asked, "Why are you calling me?"
"I see you drank too much in the city yesterday and you're still not sober. The Xu family is slaughtering the New Year pig today, and you promised to go and slaughter the pig early in the morning, but now you're still lingering in the house. What do you think I'm calling you for?"
Chen Si saw that the man in front of him was still in a trance, so he had no choice but to go into the house and pack up all the equipment for slaughtering the pig for him.
Zhang Fangyuan stared blankly at the familiar yet unfamiliar environment around him, as if he had returned to more than thirty years ago, when he was nineteen and even the yard was empty, and the osmanthus tree had not yet been planted.
He ran around the house and finally stopped by the well, looking at his young face and his bulging chest muscles that flattened his clothes.
He rubbed his face, and even pulled his skin apart until he cried out in pain.
A feeling of joy slowly rose from the soles of his feet, making him almost lose his footing.
"What are you doing there? Are you possessed?"
Zhang Fangyuan ignored Chen Si's question, and happily took the tools from his hand. He carefully touched this set of old tools that he had bought at a high price. The handle of the knife was still clear in wood color, and the knife was not dull. Everything looked brand new.
Chen Si was just wondering why this guy was acting a little weird today, when he was suddenly grabbed and said, "You are the one who has come back to life. Let's go now, don't keep everyone waiting."
Chen Si was being carried by Zhang Fangyuan. He found the man with a smeared mouth almost splitting from his ears who was striding ahead of him very scary.
He was in a dilemma, so he softened his tone, "Fang Yuan, you should go to the city less often to eat and drink in the future. I know you don't need that little money, but if you go there every day, the villagers will start to gossip about you. I think you are acting strange today. Besides, at our age, we should have discussed marriage a long time ago. Who would dare to come to your house if your reputation is spread out outside?"
Zhang Fangyuan really didn't remember anyone saying such pertinent words to him before. Perhaps he had never listened to them before. But when he heard such admonition again today, his heart was moved. He hooked his arm around Chen Si's neck and agreed, "Okay. Don't go to the city to drink and eat."
Chen Si knew that it was not so easy to change a person's character. Zhang Fangyuan was also pitiful. He used to be a good young man, but his family suffered a great change and his temper became bad. Now he was addicted to alcohol and entertainment. How could he be persuaded to change with just a few words?
If they really listened to what was said, the uncles and aunts of the Zhang family would not have turned the door shut and given the cold shoulder to Zhang Fangyuan, and the aunt from Zhang's mother's family would not have sighed and avoided him.
But Chen Si saw Zhang Fangyuan's sincere attitude, even though he knew that he didn't take his words to heart, he was still infected with a smile on his face: "That's right, the Xu family kept half of the pig they killed today and sold the other half, and there are many people buying meat. The winter solstice is coming soon, and my mother also asked me to go and groom the Xu family's pigs. I will bargain for the price and buy two pounds of meat to take back for a snack."
Zhang Fangyuan said cheerfully, "We have to eat mutton on the winter solstice to keep warm."
Chen Si sighed: "That thing is so expensive, nearly half the price of pork, how can I afford it?"
Zhang Fangyuan smiled and said, "I'll get some tomorrow and you can come to my house to eat."
Chen Si's eyes lit up: "Is this true? Are you really calling me?"
"Why would I scare you? Food tastes bland when eaten alone. It tastes better when eaten with a group of people."
"You're probably the only one in our village who would say that."
Zhang Fangyuan smiled. He was the only one in the village whose parents had passed away and left him some money. If he was well fed, the whole family would not be hungry. In this respect, he was naturally more free and easy than other people.
Chen Si was in high spirits and talked more and more. He said mysteriously, "I heard that many people went to the Xu family to slaughter the New Year pig this time. Not only to buy meat, but also to the matchmaker. I heard that they wanted to go to Miss Xu to see the girl and propose marriage."
Zhang Fangyuan raised his eyebrows. He had been devoted to the city before and didn't know much about the affairs in the village. "Propose a marriage?"
"Are you confused? Xu Shaochun, the second daughter of the Xu family, reached the age of marriage last year, but she hasn't chosen a husband yet. I'm going to join in the fun." Chen Si showed a man's usual romantic smile: "What if I'm lucky enough to be chosen by the second daughter?"
Zhang Fangyuan frowned. Xu Shaochun was the recognized beauty in their Jijiu Village. She was very pretty and could be compared to the daughters of some wealthy families in the city. Matchmakers said she was a good fertile girl and the men in the village were bewitched by her.
Now that the little girl has reached marriageable age, she has naturally become very popular.
When talking about this matter, Zhang Fangyuan felt warm in his heart.
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