Lin Mo entered the house. Tang Le went to change into dry clothes because he was soaked. Now, only Lin Mo and his two children were left in the room.
This was the first time Lin Mo had come to sit inside Tang Le's house. The last time he came to pick up Lin Sheng, he had only stood outside the yard and hadn't come into the house. He left in a hurry and didn't take a closer look.
He carefully surveyed the furnishings of the house. The mud-brick house was dilapidated and worn, with the roof leaking in places. There wasn't even a container to collect the water; the rain simply dripped onto the pristine mud floor, where it was absorbed by the soil.
People often walk on the ground, and the soil is trampled to be extremely firm, with a faint glow, as if it has been polished.
This house was even more dilapidated than the mud house Lin Mo and his family had lived in before. Apart from the spacious yard outside, the house was the size of a tiny block of tofu.
He looked at the rabbit on the ground, then at the table with pieces missing from it, and at the black, chipped pottery bowls.
And the two children lying on the edge of the table, their faces pale and their bodies emaciated by hunger. Lin Mo could imagine that he was leading a very difficult life with two children alone. He was even poorer than the other poor families in the village, and even worse off.
The two children were a little shy. Although they had been to Lin Mo's house and had several meals there, they still felt unfamiliar.
He was staring at Lin Mo with his round little eyes, his face showing a bit of timidity and curiosity.
Suddenly, a pair of small hands rested on Lin Mo's knees. Lin Mo looked down and saw that it was Tang Le's youngest son, Yoyo. He was trying to play with Lin Mo.
Perhaps because the child thought Lin Mo and Lin Sheng looked somewhat similar, he dared to tentatively pull him to play.
Lin Mo smiled softly and gently stroked his head. The little guy wanted to hide at first, but he didn't dare to move. He looked a little timid, but he was also slowly trying to get in touch with Lin Mo.
At this moment, Tang Le finally changed his clothes. He lifted the tattered curtain, walked out from the inner room, and greeted Lin Mo warmly.
"Lin Mo, I'm sorry, there's not a good place at home, it leaks everywhere, I'm sorry to trouble you for a while." Tang Le is an honest man, he doesn't know how to be polite, he just says things directly.
Thinking that Lin Mo was living such a good life now, Tang Le was afraid that he would not be able to adapt to his home, and he felt a little guilty and couldn't treat him well.
Lin Mo said without any concern: "It's okay, Brother Tang, I'm used to it."
There was a hint of embarrassment in Tang Le's eyes, but he responded with a smile.
"Let me light a fire for you. It's a bit chilly on this rainy autumn day. I'll dry your clothes at the same time. They're uncomfortable when they're wet and stick to you."
As he spoke, Tang Le started to light some firewood in the stove in the house, and motioned Lin Mo to sit closer.
"Lin Mo, sit here. It's closer and warmer."
Lin Mo replied calmly, "Okay." Then he slowly moved the chair with uneven legs over.
The two children also moved and ran to between Tang Le's thighs, silently curled up in their father's arms, with curious looks on their faces, staring at Lin Mo from time to time.
Tang Le added some firewood and asked, "Lin Mo, you're standing at the gate of my yard in the pouring rain. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
Lin Mo glanced at the two children in his arms, wondering whether he should tell this to the children.
Even though children are young, it doesn't mean they don't understand. Even if they don't understand, they will definitely understand when they grow up. After hesitating again and again, Lin Mo still felt that some things should not be said in front of children.
Lin Mo smiled and said to the two children, "Little Deer Yoyo, uncle has a little toy here. Can you guys take it and play with it inside? Uncle has something to say to your dad."
As he spoke, Lin Mo pulled out a small straw animal from his sleeve and handed it to the two children. Neither child reached out to take it, but instead immediately looked at Tang Le. Tang Le had no choice but to take it for them and then give it to them.
Only then did the two children dare to take the toys. After Tang Le's approval, they took the toys into the inner room to play.
Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh: "They all listen to you."
Tang Le scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, "I can't help it. I raised these two kids since they were little. They are very shy. Only when I am with them do they dare to leave the house. They usually don't leave the house and rarely see people outside."
Lin Mo had a faint smile on his face, his long eyelashes slightly lowering his chin, hiding the expression in his eyes.
He said slowly: "Brother Tang, I'd like to ask about your child..."
When Tang Le heard this, the innocent smile on his face disappeared completely and he became gloomy.
A large man sat by the stove, silent for a long time. Lin Mo didn't ask any more questions, but just looked at him quietly with a complicated emotion.
After a while, a man's hoarse voice finally came from the other end.
"Before coming to this village, I had a wife." After Tang Le said this, he finally raised his head and looked directly at Lin Mo.
Tang Le: "She and I are childhood sweethearts. We grew up together, and then slowly, we came together naturally.
We got married and had two lovely children. But she is gone too..."
Tang Le recalled the past, and a tear rolled down the face of this burly man.
Tang Le held back his tears and choked up as he said, "It's all my fault. I'm incompetent and can't support her. When she just gave birth, she didn't take good care of herself. I had to help supplement the family income and carry the two children on my back to wash clothes for others in exchange for some copper coins.
I went to work at the dock every day. She felt that I was working hard and would rather carry me on her back and do some odd jobs to help with the family income than have a good rest.
Until later, when she fell ill, she also went out to help others without telling me, and later..."
Tang Le was speechless in the end. His heart felt like it had broken down and he cried uncontrollably.
Lin Mo had never seen a man cry like this before. He cried more heartbrokenly than a woman. Perhaps because he was afraid that the child would hear him, he was restraining himself and suppressing his sobs, fearing that the child would hear him and cry too.
Lin Mo took out a handkerchief and handed it to him with sympathy on his face.
"The child is still inside. Dry your tears and don't let the child worry."
Tang Le looked at the handkerchief handed to him by Lin Mo, was in a daze for a while, and finally took it silently, wiped away his tears, his eyes were still red.
Tang Le adjusted his mood and continued, "If she could have told me earlier, if I could have discovered it earlier..."
"The deceased is gone, please accept my condolences." Lin Mo could only comfort him in this way.
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