I entered Suzhou in early 1986, and at that time, I spent city life with three old junior high school classmates. One is Xu Guiling, a member of the entertainment committee in her prime, the other is Li Shengmin, a young man with excellent character and learning, and my tablemate Zhang Xianli.
We kept in touch, and in addition to attending the three ceremonies, we often met in the small restaurants in the alleys to talk about our youth.
Zhang Xianli, who was engaged in a vegetable wholesale business in Suzhou, was in good financial condition, but in 2012, he died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage due to overwork. On that day, Xu Guiling and Lee Seung-min and I attended his funeral.
Subsequently, Xu Guiling died of illness, and although the family tried their best to heal her, to no avail. She passed away four years ago. When I heard the news, my heart was heavy, and my classmates decreased one by one, and I often felt lonely. Li Shengmin and I made a special trip to her house to mourn and bid her farewell.
Li Shengmin was the principal of a primary school in his hometown, and after retiring, he and his wife moved to Suzhou City, where their son and daughter worked. After Xu Guiling passed away, he often came to my store to chat and reminisce about our student days. Two years ago, he enrolled in the erhu class of the University for the Elderly, although the time to come to the store was reduced, but on Douyin, I saw him playing and singing with his heart, mostly old songs from the fifties and sixties of the last century.
He lived a happy life, had a virtuous wife, a successful son, and a harmonious family. However, he has rarely come to my store lately, perhaps because he is intoxicated by the happy life of his family.
However, some things come suddenly and catch people off guard.
On the afternoon of the 27th day of the lunar month, I received a ** from Li Shengmin's son, telling me that his father had a heart attack and died in the hospital. The news shocked me, and I couldn't sleep all night, and my mind was full of Lee Seungmin's figure and smile.
Li Shengmin's hometown is in Lizhai Village, Guanqiao Town, Xiao County, where he rests. Despite the heavy snowfall, I dropped everything and took the intercity shuttle bus "920K" to pay my respects. After getting off the train at Guanqiao Station, his son sent a car to take me to Lizhai Village.
Walking into the mourning booth, I gazed at his handsome statue and prayed silently for him. Then, accompanied by his son, I knelt in front of the coffin and lit stacks of dead paper for him. Seeing his wife and children crying, a trace of sadness welled up in his heart, and decades of classmates, hometowns, and brotherhood condensed into an indescribable longing at this moment.
After the end, I met other old classmates under the guidance of my old classmate Liu Jimin. Some people, even if they are old, can still feel the beautiful and rich life in the countryside from their words, and they are happy and happy in their old age.
That afternoon, I had planned to wait until after the funeral to leave, but I was persuaded by Li Shengmin's wife and son to go back early. Although I was in a heavy mood, I got into my relative's car and returned home.
In the same city, many people have a different number of old classmates. However, my only three old classmates in Suzhou City have all left, and this kind of classmate friendship other than family and friendship is now far away and can never come back.
At this moment, I am like a lonely boat, slowly drifting and swaying in the river of years. This is a period of classmates, leaving a melody of parting.