大年初一到初二呢幾日,老街好似浸喺一片紅噹噹嘅新年色彩入面,嗰種由日子浸出嚟嘅熱鬧,帶住一陣市井特有嘅煙火氣。呂記雜貨店嘅門楣換上咗嶄新嘅春聯,黑色嘅墨跡散出淡淡嘅紙香,兩串大紅燈籠喺凍冰冰嘅冬風入面輕輕搖晃,將來來往往嘅人塊面都映到紅撲撲咁。空氣入面周圍都係炮仗爆完之後留低嘅硝煙味,夾雜住街坊鄰居互相拜年嘅寒暄同笑聲,仲有遠處邊個屋企蒸緊年糕嗰陣飄出嚟嘅甜香。
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爸媽今年難得將舖頭嘅手作放低咗半日,忙住招呼嚟拜年嘅街坊。我著住一件新買嘅深色外套,手上面揸住把掃帚象徵式咁掃吓門口嘅紙碎,但目光卻忍唔住飄向隔籬巷口嘅方向。嗰種期待收喺心底,好似一杯暖水,表面望落平靜,裡面卻一直冒住細細嘅泡。
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冇過幾耐,陳詠賢就由巷口行出嚟。
11Please respect copyright.PENANAuiQf4kDSB6
佢今日著住一件素淨嘅米白色呢絨大褸,長髮簡單咁紮成一個低馬尾,成個人散出書香門第嗰種乾淨同清秀。喺老街街坊眼中,詠賢一直都係嗰個「人哋嘅女」——有禮貌、讀書叻,就係性格清冷咗啲,平日見人都係點吓頭,從來唔見佢同咩同齡嘅男仔多講兩句。
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果然,幾個路過嘅遠親叔伯見到佢,笑呵呵咁行埋去打招呼:「詠賢呀,越來越標緻喇,今年考試又考第一呀?新年快樂呀,祝你學業進步!」
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詠賢只係淡淡咁停低腳步,微微頷首,禮貌而疏離咁應咗一聲:「伯父新年好,祝你身體健康。」然後就客氣而快手咁結束咗對話,連多寒暄半句嘅耐性都冇。嗰種拒人於千里之外嘅清冷,令啲長輩有啲尷尬咁乾笑咗兩聲,但又冇話可說——因為呢個女仔由細到大就係呢個性子,對任何人都客客氣氣,但亦都對任何人都保持住一定嘅距離。
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可是,當佢一轉過頭,穿過雜貨店門口嘅紅燈籠光影,目光落喺我身上嘅一瞬間,嗰張清冷嘅面具好似春雪遇到太陽咁,瞬間融得乾乾淨淨。
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佢眼底嘅疏離化做細碎嘅笑意,連腳步都輕快咗好多。佢直行直入舖頭,熟門熟路咁行到我身邊,嗰種自然嘅動作彷彿呢度唔係人哋嘅舖頭,而係佢自己屋企後院咁隨意。
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「你爸媽呢?」佢壓低聲線問我,語氣帶住一絲只有對我先會嘅嬌軟同依賴。
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「去後面廚房睇火呢,阿媽煲咗新年糖水,準備分俾街坊。」我笑住放低掃帚,由衫袋掏出早就留起嘅一粒紅紙包住嘅花生糖遞俾佢,「頭先見你應付嗰班親戚,又係一副生人勿近嘅樣,隔幾個舖位都聞到你嗰陣寒氣。」
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詠賢接過粒糖,修長嘅指尖輕輕剝開糖紙,將糖放進嘴裡面,甜味喺舌尖慢慢化開。佢白咗我一眼,嗰一眼帶住純粹嘅少女嬌嗔:「我又唔係開善堂嘅,同唔熟嘅人有咩好講?聽佢哋問東問西就覺得煩。倒是你,頭先企喺門口發咩呆呀?魂都飛埋。」
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「邊有發呆……我正諗住一陣去邊度行吓,老街都俾我哋行到爛晒。」我有啲心虛咁捽捽頭,唔敢話佢知我頭先成個腦都係佢。
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嗰日下午,我哋好似平時咁,安安靜靜咁坐喺雜貨店入面幫手睇舖。客人其實唔多,多數都係隔籬鄰居嘅細路跑嚟買啲瓜子花生或者汽水。我哋並肩坐喺櫃檯後面嘅長凳上面,肩膀挨住肩膀,布料摩擦發出細細嘅聲響。舖頭入面嘅舊收音機傳出賀年金曲,喜慶嘅旋律喺安靜嘅午後顯得格外溫馨,彷彿時間喺呢一刻放慢咗腳步,外面紛擾嘅世界都同我哋無關。
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當舖頭暫時冇人嗰陣,佢會由帆布袋入面拎出一本書,揭到其中被書籤夾住嗰一頁,細細聲讀俾我聽。佢把聲好好聽,好似山澗入面流過嘅泉水,清脆中帶住溫柔。我雖然對嗰啲書完全唔明,甚至連裡面有啲詞句嘅意思都諗唔明,但望住佢專注嘅側面,聽住佢嗰把溫柔嘅聲線喺耳邊流過,心裡面就湧起一種從未有過嘅踏實同安寧。
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「聽得明嗎?」佢讀完一段,側過頭望住我,長長嘅眼睫毛好似兩把扇仔咁微微震動。
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「聽得明……大概啦。」我咧開嘴笑,「總之係你讀嘅,我都覺得好聽。」
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佢輕輕哼咗一聲,耳根卻以肉眼可見嘅速度泛起一抹紅暈,隨後嬌嗔咁白咗我一眼,將本書合上拍咗我一下:「淨係識得貧嘴。呢本書寫得好好㗎,你真係聽唔明,轉頭我借俾你自己慢慢睇。」
11Please respect copyright.PENANAJTJIXUojoc
「好,你借俾我嘅我都睇。」我重重咁點咗下頭,將佢本書接過嚟,放喺心口前面。
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黃昏時分,夕陽將老街嘅磚牆、電線桿同我哋兩個嘅影子拉得斜長斜長。我哋趁住舖頭暫時唔使忙,並肩坐喺老街巷口嗰座舊石階上面——細個嗰陣我哋都成日坐喺度,睇住條街由日頭變夜晚。我哋望住遠處天邊燃燒緊嘅晚霞,嗰片霞紅到好似要滴出血咁,金黃色嘅光灑喺老街嘅青石板路上,將呢條舊街披上一層溫柔嘅金紗。
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「浩然。」佢突然開口,目光望住遠處漸漸暗落嚟嘅天色。
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「嗯?點解?」我轉頭望住佢。
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「出年……我哋就中三喇。」佢輕輕轉過頭,目光同我嘅視線喺空中交匯,清澈嘅眼眸入面倒映住晚霞嘅光,「時間過得真係快,好似一眨眼我哋就咁大個喇。」
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「係呀。」我望住佢,心裡面湧動住無數想講嘅說話。我想同佢講,無論時間點變,無論之後去邊度讀書,我都想一直咁樣陪住佢,守住間舖,守住佢。連嗰句收埋喺心入面好耐嘅表白,都已經湧到喉嚨口,熱辣辣咁,帶住少年人嘅衝動同豁出去嘅勇氣。
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但我望住佢嗰對清澈得容唔落半粒沙嘅眼,望住佢眼底入面嗰種毫無保留嘅信任同溫柔,最後都係將句說話吞返落去。我驚,我怕自己俾唔到最好嘅未來佢,怕一旦捅穿咗層紙,萬一以後連並肩坐埋一齊嘅資格都冇埋。
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於是,我只係伸出手,輕輕拍咗拍佢膊頭,用盡量輕鬆嘅語氣講:「放心啦,唔理之後去邊度,讀咩學校,我都會一直喺你後面。邊個敢蝦你,我條命唔要都要護住你。」
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詠賢愣咗一下,隨即眼底泛起一抹羞澀而滿足嘅笑意。佢冇講嘢,猶豫咗半秒,然後輕輕將頭挨落我條手臂上面,享受住呢份溫熱而安靜嘅歲月。微風吹過,帶住佢髮絲間淡淡嘅香味,嗰一刻,我真係好想時間可以永遠停留喺呢個黃昏。
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夜色漸深,熱鬧咗成日嘅老街慢慢靜落嚟,家家戶戶都掛起紅燈籠,然後陸續熄燈,陷入沉睡。
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我返到屋企,瞓落床,但瞓唔著。我諗住聽日可以再見到佢。然後,我聽到一啲聲。
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一開始係遠處嘅聲。深沉嘅夜色入面,遠處老榕樹上面無數沉睡嘅雀鳥突然毫無預兆咁驚慌失措起嚟,發出淒厲而混亂嘅尖叫,成群結隊咁瘋狂衝向漆黑嘅夜空,好似喺度逃離緊啲咩滅頂之災。
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然後係地下嘅聲。大地深處隱隱傳來一陣沉悶如悶雷、令人心膽俱裂嘅低沉轟鳴,嗰種聲由遠而近,好似有嘢喺地底下面爬緊上嚟。
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最後係身邊嘅聲。我企起身,見到雜貨店木架上面懸掛嘅瓷碗,竟然喺冇任何外力碰撞嘅情況下,開始劇烈而詭異咁自行震顫起嚟,發出刺耳嘅碰撞聲。
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其中一隻碗,終於震到跌落地,「啪」一聲,碎開。11Please respect copyright.PENANASqbPkwLp7n


