Chapter 22
As he read the book, Li Zhuiyuan felt hungry, but Aunt Liu hadn't called for dinner yet, and she was still busy in the kitchen preparing dishes.
Breakfast was advanced because of Xue Liangliang's voice, and lunch was delayed because of Runsheng's arrival.
I guess everyone is hungry by now.
Li Zhuiyuan went to the room to choose some snacks and placed them between himself and Ah Li. At the same time, he silently remembered that the next time Uncle Qin went to buy snacks for him, he had to remind him to buy them in pairs, otherwise he would not be in good condition. Pick, because Ali likes to eat the same snacks as herself.
Last night when I came back on the tractor, my grandfather brought him a box of Jianlibao. Li Zhuiyuan also took two bottles, opened them and placed them in front of Ah Li.
Ah Li held Jianlibao in both hands, lowered his head, and looked at it carefully.
Li Zhuiyuan immediately said: "Drink it and you are not allowed to keep it."
Ali's head lowered.
"If you like, I'll get you an unopened bottle later."
Anyway, this thing has a long shelf life and is sealed. Li Zhuiyuan felt that since Grandma Liu had experienced the devastation of smelly duck eggs, it would be easy for her to accept a can.
Ali immediately picked up the drink, imitated Li Zhuiyuan and took a sip, then stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
"Is this your first time drinking?"
Ah Li looked over, her expression was not rich, but Li Zhuiyuan could always understand her.
"If you like to drink, I still have a box there. You can drink one bottle at a time and take one away with you. After you finish drinking, I will beg the master to buy me more."
Ah Li quickly took another sip. Although he made no other moves, Li Zhuiyuan seemed to have an idea in his mind:
A cute little girl holding Jianlibao, with crooked eyebrows and shaking her legs happily.
"Shall we play chess?"
After hearing this, Ah Li immediately took out the small chess box that had been placed beside him.
After setting up the chessboard, Li Zhuiyuan and Ah Li started playing. The two of them had always defaulted to playing fast chess, but this time, in the middle game, both sides were evenly matched. They continued to compete until the end of the game, and Li Zhuiyuan was finally defeated.
This was the hardest time for Ah Li to win since the two played chess. The girl looked up at Li Zhuiyuan. She was not unhappy, but more cheerful.
After losing the game, Li Zhuiyuan had a smile on his face. This time, he suddenly applied part of the algorithm of "Fate Deduction Theory" to Go, which produced unexpected results.
The chessboard was still the same chessboard, but in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, it became more alive, which also made his chess moves more flexible and changeable.
However, when the second game of chess started, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Ali's style had also changed.
After she reminded her that she didn't have to give in to herself, she really didn't deliberately want to lose to herself, but she didn't mind playing with herself more every time. What she cared about was the process experience, and winning was just for her. An inevitable result.
But this time, Li Zhuiyuan found that Ali's chess style suddenly became stable. Step by step, he hardly gave himself any flaws or opportunities. No matter how flexible or changeable he was, it was meaningless in front of a mountain.
He lost, defeated by the girl's chess prowess.
Yes, whether it is fortune telling or fortune telling, it just gives you another perspective on the world, and you are still yourself.
It is a good thing to have an extra angle, which is equivalent to an extra pair of eyes or an extra pair of ears, but being too addicted to it and thinking that you can really do whatever you want after mastering it is like a little ant standing on the head of an elephant and looking at it. I really feel that I have it. So tall, that would be ridiculous.
Seeing Li Zhuiyuan's silence, Ah Li reached out and gently pulled his sleeve.
A warm smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face: "I was thinking about what was in the book just now. If it wasn't because I lost the chess game, why would I be unhappy if I lost to Ali?"
Just after comforting the girl, Aunt Liu downstairs finally called for dinner.
It was still a separate dining table, but after Runsheng arrived, Li Sanjiang finally had a lonely companion.
Li Zhuiyuan first divided the small plates for Ah Li, and as soon as he picked up the chopsticks and took a few bites, he heard a "gurgling" sound coming from behind, like thunder on a dry land.
Turning around, he saw that Runsheng's stomach was rumbling, sitting in the corner.
There was a large incense handmade by Aunt Liu stuck in his rice bowl, which was already lit and burning. He was sitting there at the moment, waiting for the incense to be burned.
Once a person is overly hungry, the feeling of hunger is often not that severe, but when delicious food is placed in front of him again, the silent feeling of hunger will return doubly.
This feeling of being so close yet having to endure the clock and wait is indeed a kind of torture for Runsheng.
Li Zhuiyuan asked curiously: "Brother Runsheng, do you have to wait until the incense is burned before you can eat it?"
"Well, yes." Runsheng swallowed hard, and then made a stirring motion with his hands, "You have to mix incense ash before you can eat it."
Li Zhuiyuan remembered this habit. Runsheng once said it to himself, but what he wanted to ask this time was: "Brother Runsheng, is there a big difference between eating it after it is cooked and mixed into ashes, and eating it directly?"< br>
"Ah?" Runsheng was stunned for a moment, "I really haven't thought about this. Don't normal people have to wait for the incense to be burned out?"
"But would a normal person mix rice with incense ash?"
"Then... let me try?"
Runsheng pulled out the incense from the rice bowl, took a bite at the unlit end, and while chewing, not only did his face not show any pain, but his brows relaxed, as if he felt particularly refreshed.
Immediately afterwards, he picked up the chopsticks and eagerly took a few big mouthfuls of rice into his mouth. After swallowing, he looked at the incense in his hands with surprise and exclaimed:
"Xiao Yuan, I really ate it and I no longer feel nauseated!"
Aunt Liu makes incense using the ancient method. Although this thing is not for eating, it is not a big deal if you eat it. Well, it is mainly used to moisturize the spleen and stomach. Maybe even if there is a small thing, it will have no impact on him. .
Runsheng happily took a bite of the incense, and then pulled the rice vigorously. He was eating with great enthusiasm. This posture seemed to hold in his hand not the incense, but a green onion that could be used for rice.
Li Zhuiyuan asked: "Brother Runsheng, would you like some sauce?"
"Jiang?" Runsheng thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes."
Aunt Liu got up and went into the kitchen, brought a bowl of salty sauce for breakfast porridge to Runsheng, and placed it on his small table.
Runsheng picked up Daxiang, dipped it in the dipping sauce, and took another bite. It was so delicious that his eyebrows wanted to fly upward.
"Xiao Yuan, you are so awesome. This is much more delicious than waiting for the incense to burn out."
Runsheng seemed to have opened the door to a new world, and he ate extremely happily.
Li Sanjiang took a sip of white wine from the bar. Seeing Runsheng eating like this, he couldn't help but laugh and curse:
"Damn it, I have to find a way to get you some authentic Northeastern miso in the future. That stuff is delicious when dipped in anything."
Li Zhuiyuan took a sip of soup, looked at Li Sanjiang, and asked, "Master, have you been to Northeast China?"
Li Sanjiang wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, sat with his legs spread apart, and assumed the posture of a mountain eagle:
"Have you ever been there? Back then, I was captured as a young man and sent directly to the Northeast. Later, my legs and feet were so flexible that I ran all the way from the Northeast into Shanhaiguan."
After opening the chat box, he couldn't hold it back any longer. Li Sanjiang took another sip of wine and continued:
"After entering the customs, I thought about walking back all the way south along the railway, but before I could go far, I was captured again as a young man, wearing the same set of clothes, and was pushed to the front line to fight again.
But this time I have experience. While Shangguan was drunk, I took aim at the sky, wrapped up a group of people and ran away at night.
When I almost reached the border of Xuzhou, my hometown was right in front of me, and I was arrested again.
But this time it was very fast. The team I was in was broken up on the third day. Originally, the platoon leader wanted to reorganize us, so I worked hard below, and the entire platoon that had just been reorganized was all broken up again. Dispersed.
Then I became more cautious and didn't dare to walk along the railway or the road. I walked wherever the road was small and there were few people. Then I returned home smoothly.
After I got home, I felt uneasy again. I was arrested again later, but I slipped out of the experience. They arrested me during the day, and I was able to sneak back at night.
After that, after returning home, I just kept secretly and didn't dare to go out and wander around again, and I hid in Ansheng. ”
Li Zhuiyuan sighed: "Master, you are so amazing."
My grandfather actually participated in all three major battles.
Although he is on the opposite side, he is still making contributions to the frontal battlefield.
Li Sanjiang touched his stubbly chin and said modestly: "It's okay, it's okay, haha."
Runsheng had already finished half a bowl of rice and was taking a short break when he interrupted:
"When I came here in the morning, I met someone showing a movie on the road. They said it would be shown tonight in the open space of the town market. The name of the movie is "Reconnaissance across the River".
Xiaoyuan, would you like to go see me tonight? ”
"Brother Runsheng, we are going to Shigang Niu's house after dinner."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Li Sanjiang waved his hand, "It's just a fool over there. I should be able to come back early and make it in time."
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ah Li in front of him. He knew that the girl could not accept the scene of so many people close together:
"It's better not to go. I'll read a book at home. Brother Runsheng, you and your grandpa go and watch."
At this time, Liu Yumei suddenly said: "Ali is going, even if she sits far away, she has to watch this movie."
Li Zhuiyuan noticed the slight tremor in Liu Yumei's tone. He turned around and found that she was still eating normally, but the corners of her eyes seemed a little red.
This was the first time that he saw Liu Yumei being so out of sorts.
After the meal, Runsheng pushed out the cart at home, and Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan sat on it.
The Runsheng stroller is very stable and you basically don’t feel too many bumps, but the speed is still a bit slow.
"Marquis Runsheng, in the next few days, you should learn to ride a three-wheeler, the faster one."
"Uncle, why don't you buy a tractor? I'll learn that one, and that one will be faster."
"Do you think I look like a tractor?"
Runsheng stopped talking.
Li Sanjiang lit a cigarette, looked at Li Zhuiyuan and asked: "Xiao Yuanhou, do you think our family should buy a TV?"
"Master, you can buy it if you want to see it."
"My grandpa is asking about you."
"Oh, I don't have much time to watch TV."
There are so many boxes of books waiting to be read in the basement, so there is no time to watch TV.
"You're such a bastard."
Li Sanjiang also wanted to use the TV to make his great-grandson happy, but he found that he didn't seem to be very interested. He gave him pocket money, but he only wanted the things he bought himself and didn't even go to the canteen on weekdays.
Runsheng, who was pushing the cart, said excitedly: "Buying a TV is good, good."
"You're so tall, hurry up and push. Do you want to watch a movie tonight?"
"Oh!"
Arriving at the intersection in front of Niu Fu's house, Li Sanjiang got off the car early, tidied his clothes, then seriously raised his mahogany sword and wiped it carefully with a cloth.
After making these preparations, he walked into Niu Fu's house.
Niu Fu's two sons and two daughters-in-law came to greet him. As soon as Li Sanjiang came in, they served tea and snacks, which was very enthusiastic.
Li Sanjiang sat down first and talked to them.
This kind of employer is actually the best to deal with, because they will tell you everything like they are pouring beans, and then you can just follow their ideas.
Li Zhuiyuan looked for Niu Fu in the house. He looked through several houses but couldn't find it. This made him suspect that Niu Fu would no longer live here.
After leaving the main house and coming to the nearby woodshed, Li Zhuiyuan found Niu Fu.
In my original idea, Niu Fu should lie in bed and not be able to move and suffer all the neglect...
But I still thought too well of Niu Fu's children's filial piety.
Niu Fu, who was half paralyzed due to an accidental fall, was placed directly in the woodshed without even a bed.
The haystack under him was his bed, with piles of dry firewood on the left and towering piles of debris on the right.
There are two bowls next to it. One bowl is clean with water poured into it, but the other bowl is dirty and has accumulated many layers of dirt. It should be used for rice.
As for Niu Fu's clothes, he was naked on the upper body and had no clothes on. He was wearing a pair of shorts on the lower body. They were dirty, almost scabbed to the body, and smelled bad.
Also, the children are not even willing to give him a bed to sleep on, let alone wash his body and change his clothes.
Li Zhuiyuan covered his nose with his hand and came slightly closer.
The last time I saw Niu Fu, although he was hunched over, he was strong in other aspects. After all, he was only fifty years old. At this age, in the countryside, he still fell into the category of "strong labor".
But now, Niu Fu was too thin. His mouth was open and he kept mumbling. He didn't know whether he was talking or an uncontrollable reaction.
When Li Zhuiyuan came in, he glanced sideways for a moment, then moved back again, looking aimlessly at the roof.
After watching for a while, Li Zhuiyuan came out and breathed in the fresh air outside the woodshed.
"Meow."
A cat meowed, and on the wall next to me, a disabled and ugly old black cat walked out.
It looked at Li Zhuiyuan, raised its paw and licked it.
"Don't you think it's too quiet?"
The black cat froze while licking his paws.
"Everyone thinks that the other party does not exist. There is a lack of interaction. You can make some noise at night to intensify the conflict."
"Meow..."
This time, there was an extra trill in the cat's meow.
Li Sanjiang performed rituals in the yard. His two sons, who had no time to wash dishes for their biological father, were kneeling in front of the altar table with their wives, extremely pious.
After the ritual was completed, Li Sanjiang patted their shoulders one by one with a peach wood sword and said to comfort them:
"Don't worry, you yourselves know what evil things your father has done. Some debts incurred by the old man will be paid off by the old man. It will not implicate you, so just take it easy.
If you feel that all the bad luck has not gone away, there is nothing you can do. Just introduce the remaining bad luck to other close relatives' homes. However, if you bite the bullet, you must not tell it, otherwise it will Even relatives are gone. ”
"Lead, lead, let's lead, uncle, please help us lead!"
"Forget it, it's better not to do it. It's too harmful to others and ruins my moral conduct."
Li Sanjiang started to take Qiao, and when another red envelope was delivered, he sighed,
"Well, in that case, I will help you get rid of your bad luck, but you have to keep your mouth shut about this matter, and you must not let it out."
"Uncle, don't worry, we understand, we understand."
Li Sanjiang performed another ritual for them, and after finishing it he said:
"Okay, the remaining bad luck has already led you to the second and third family."
With everyone's gratitude from Mr. Niu's family, Li Sanjiang walked out with Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng.
When sitting on the cart going to Niu Rui's house, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but asked curiously: "Master, I originally thought you would preach to them."
"Preaching to them? Haha, your master is out of my mind. Is it necessary for people who even need to preach to support their parents?
It's better to ask for more money. Master, I can also buy more pork head meat and wine.
I just hope that nothing will happen to the Niu family again. If something happens again, I will not be able to reconcile myself. I am really afraid of ruining the brand. ”
"Didn't you solve the problem of death?"
"Yes, that's right."
Li Zhuiyuan knew that nothing would happen again. After the three children were tortured to the end, the cat-faced old lady would also disappear on her own.
When they were approaching Niu Rui's house, they saw Niu Rui squatting there on the dam, frying medicine on a small stove. Next to him were his children sarcastically saying that these medicines were of no use except costing money and that they could not be cured no matter how hard they were treated.
Niu Rui also beat people to death when he was young. Although his mother, Mrs. Niu, wiped his butt, he still had a bad temper.
Unable to hold back his anger, he stood up and slapped his daughter-in-law who was still holding the child.
The son roared and came up to beat Niu Rui, and Niu Rui started fighting with his son again.
Although he was suffering from a strange disease, at the moment when his condition had just been brought under control, he was wrestling with his son on the ground for a while, and they were inseparable.
When Niu Rui's wife saw this, she screamed and came up to scratch Niu Rui's face, angrily scolding him for not being a human being, not only spending family money on medicines in his old age, but he dared to do something to her precious son.
The children's cries, scuffles, and curses all gathered together, like a symphony playing on the dam.
When Li Sanjiang arrived, they stopped, and then the whole family's bruised and swollen faces were replaced with flattering smiles.
Niu Rui was personally rescued by Li Sanjiang. The Niu family also heard the voice of the long-dead old lady Niu coming from the old house, so they were very convinced of Li Sanjiang.
After respectfully inviting Li Sanjiang into the room, everyone began to cry and beg.
After Li Sanjiang appeased them, he started performing rituals again.
After finishing the first set, Li Sanjiang said the same words to bring away bad luck. Niu Rui's son immediately sent another red envelope, and Li Sanjiang performed another ritual.
But before leaving, Niu Rui secretly stuffed a red envelope and prayed to Li Sanjiang to exorcise evil spirits and cure his illness.
Li Sanjiang also accepted it, saying that he would help him set up a long candle when he returned, but also told him that no matter what, he must take medicine on time and not stop.
This can be regarded as the professional ethics of an unsophisticated person. I will collect your money for you to pray for blessings and provide psychological comfort, but you have to continue to take medicine and continue to see a doctor.
However, this request will undoubtedly continue to aggravate the conflicts between Niu Rui and his family.
Because Li Zhuiyuan knew that Niu Rui's disease was incurable, and it would be a bottomless pit that would constantly bring you hope and deeper despair. Niu Fu had completely lost the ability to take care of himself after being paralyzed, so his status suddenly declined, while Niu Rui was still in a struggling stage.
Although Niu Rui is not too miserable at the moment, as long as the current conflicts continue to accumulate, there will definitely be even brighter fireworks in the near future.
Look at the hatred in his family's eyes towards him, the ending will not disappoint.
Therefore, when the black cat passed by him this time, Li Zhuiyuan just nodded calmly.
When arriving at Niu Lian's house, Li Sanjiang was invited in first by her family as usual.
Li Zhuiyuan didn't see Niulian in the main house, so he went to the woodshed to check, but there was none either.
Finally, he saw Niulian tied with iron chains next to the pig pen. On the other side was the toilet at home.
It means that every time her family members come here to use the toilet and sit on the dragon chair, they can talk to her.
He was quite considerate of the old man, fearing that she would be lonely.
The basin where she ate was next to the pig trough, and there was a spoon for scooping feed for the pigs next to the basin. It looked like she was being fed to the pigs as well.
As long as the pig has a mouthful to eat, she will not miss half of it.
She was awake now and not numb. When she saw an outsider coming over, she covered her face with her hands to cover up her own ugliness.
Li Zhuiyuan saw both her grandson and granddaughter. One had a bandage on his head and another on his arm. They must have been injured by Niu Lian when he was ill.
The two children, while spitting at her, hit her with stones, not playfully, but specifically throwing them at her.
The child's parents also saw it, but did not stop it. Instead, their eyes were filled with hatred.
The black cat walked out from the eaves above the pig pen.
Li Zhuiyuan didn't speak and walked farther away. Then, Niulian's pleading voice came from the pig pen again, saying that her illness was cured and begging her children to let her go. She was cured.
What greeted her were scoldings from her children and a few harsh kicks from her son when he came up in one breath.
Cow Lotus was kicked until it curled up in the corner, howling like a dog.
Obviously, they had believed it before and had been "cheated".
The black cat jumped down step by step along the tall objects, and finally came to Li Zhuiyuan's feet, and rubbed Li Zhuiyuan's trouser legs with its cat face.
Li Zhuiyuan bent down and touched its head.
The black cat enjoyed it so much that he almost leaned over and opened his belly.
The grandfather started to perform rituals, and as usual, he received an extra red envelope to help guide bad luck to those two families.
When leaving Niu Lian's house and heading back home, Runsheng was pushing the car and held it steady with one arm, and started counting with his fingers with the other hand:
"The second, third, and third families of the old family have all invited the uncle to pass the bad luck to other families. Isn't that the same as the bad luck not spreading to other families?"
Li Zhuiyuan corrected: "Brother Runsheng, it's different."
"What's different?"
"Because the master charged three extra cents."
"Yes, Xiaoyuan, you are right!"
When I got home, it was dinner time in the evening. After eating, Li Sanjiang yawned and waved his hands: "I won't go to the movie. I'll take a shower and go to bed. I'm exhausted."
Today's religious ceremony was so intensive that even the young man couldn't bear to dance six times in one afternoon, but the master still gritted his teeth and persevered. His physical fitness is really nothing to say.
Uncle Qin was waiting with many benches, and Aunt Liu didn't bother to clean up the dishes as usual. She put aside the housework temporarily and waited together.
Liu Yumei changed into a cheongsam, also wore jewelry and rouge.
For an old lady of her age, many times she wears makeup not to look good, but to show respect.
The movie was shown in the open space next to the town market. Before it started, people came to take seats early.
Uncle Qin and Runsheng squeezed in and put down the bench, forcing a gap.
With their physiques, people around them dared not speak out in anger, so they could only lower their heads and move their stools.
However, Uncle Qin took out a lot of candies from his pocket and gave them to the children, and took out cigarettes to share with the adults. The people around him accepted them happily and no longer had any dissatisfaction.
Liu Yumei and Aunt Liu were sitting between them. Although she was old, she still had a graceful figure. Looking at her back, she looked out of place with her surroundings.
As for Li Zhuiyuan, he and Qin Li were sitting in a far corner where there was no one around. They were a little far away from the screen and relatively far away. The viewing effect was not good, but the advantage was that it was quiet and no one disturbed them. In itself, there were so many people like this. The place is not suitable for Qin Li.
A few vendors with carts set up stalls at the back, selling cheap snacks and toys. These vendors can also be seen at events, and they will go wherever there is popularity.
Some children are buying things, but more can only look on with envy and give some advice to children who have money to buy things.
Li Zhuiyuan touched his pocket. When he lived at Li Weihan's house, Cui Guiying would regularly give himself some pocket money. However, every time he got the money, he would be surrounded by his brothers and sisters and go to Aunt Zhang's canteen to buy snacks for everyone. .
On the second day after being sent to the Taiye's house to become a monk, when Li Weihan and Cui Guiying came to give him clothes, they stuffed themselves with some more money, this time they stuffed a lot more money.
In addition, Li Sanjiang also gives himself pocket money, and Li Zhuiyuan usually has no consumption needs, so he saves all this money.
At least among children, he is considered very wealthy.
"Ali, sit here and wait for me."
Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan walked to a vendor and bought two bubble blowing toys.
After coming back, there was one for him and one for Qin Li.
While the movie was showing, the two of them kept blowing bubbles from behind.
Ah Li had a lot of fun, and the bottom of the pot quickly reached the bottom. Considering that the girl likes to collect, Li Zhuiyuan bought three more for her.
At the same time, I scanned among the three stalls and finally bought another pair of ropes.
In fact, there were many trinkets on the stall, such as bow hairpins, colorful hairbands, etc. However, Li Zhuiyuan considered that Ali’s outfit was designed by Grandma Liu herself every day and felt that wearing these would not be effective. good.
The most important thing is that he knew that if he gave it to her, she would definitely wear it, and finally decided not to deprive Liu Yumei of the joy of dressing up her granddaughter every morning.
Ah Li looked at the red bracelet on her wrist. She must have liked it very much, because she stopped blowing bubbles.
However, she quickly looked at Li Zhuiyuan's wrist.
Li Zhuiyuan raised her hand, revealing her blue bracelet. Only then was she satisfied and continued to blow bubbles.
The movie ended and Liu Yumei and the others came out.
Runsheng was very excited and kept saying lines from the movie. He also regretted that there was no war now, otherwise he could have been a scout crossing the river.
Li Zhuiyuan smiled and agreed with him, feeling in his heart that Runsheng was really suitable, and his professional abilities were barely adequate.
Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu were silent. It felt like they had just attended the funeral of a relative.
Liu Yumei held a handkerchief and wiped her tears as she walked.
Li Zhuiyuan greeted him politely, but when he saw that Liu Yumei was unwilling to say anything, he gave up.
When a group of people were walking back from the town market, they saw Aunt Zhang from the canteen running on the village road opposite:
"There's a phone call coming, there's a phone call coming, it's yours, Marquis Xiao Yuan!"
……
The on-site seminar on the river boat took much longer than expected. Local comrades will definitely seize every opportunity to spare no effort to promote this project. Luo Tingrui also used his professional expertise and began to explain the project to the surrounding leaders. some key points and difficulties.
In fact, most of the comrades on the ship did not understand water conservancy and engineering, but this did not prevent them from listening with interest.
Because the construction of this bridge not only takes into account professional aspects, but also needs to combine shipping needs, urban planning, highway construction and even military factors.
The most important thing is the speed of social development. I have learned similar lessons before. At first, I thought it was bold and radical to plan ahead. Not long after the construction was completed, I found that it was still too conservative.
Finally, when it was getting dark, the seminar ended.
The boat started to sail towards the shore, and everyone took out their cigarettes and shared them with each other.
Xue Liangliang didn't smoke, so he stood alone on the side of the ship. After learning that the Baijia Town might be under his feet, he had been feeling a little uneasy.
Suddenly, he heard something moving under the river.
He looked down and saw a figure appearing under the water.
At this time, a hand patted his shoulder, and Xue Liangliang was startled.
Looking back, it was Luo Tingrui.
"What's wrong, Liangliang, I just saw that you were still distracted."
"Director, I'm fine."
"Why, don't you like attending such a meeting?"
"No, Director, I may not have rested. I know the importance of this kind of meeting."
"Well, since you plan to join this industry in the future, you must learn to adapt. Those of us who are professionals can easily despise administrative work, but without an efficient and stable organization, many things cannot be implemented. Sometimes, the more professional you are in some aspects, the more amateurish you appear in other aspects.”
"I understand, director." Xue Liangliang knew that Luo Tingrui was trying to remind him.
"Let's go ashore. You have a good sleep on the way back. Don't delay tomorrow's class."
"Okay, Director."
After returning to the shore and getting on the bus, Xue Liangliang sat in the back row. Soon after the bus started, he fell asleep in a daze.
As he fell asleep, Xue Liangliang suddenly found that his lower body was a little cold. He opened his eyes and was stunned. He was sitting on the car seat, but he didn't know where the water got into the car, and the water level had reached his waist.
He looked ahead. The small lights in the car were on, and he could see the people sitting in front of him, and even heard the quiet conversations between them.
"The car is flooded, driver, master, the car is flooded!"
Xue Liangliang shouted, but no one paid him any attention. No one seemed to notice.
"Master, stop the car, the car is flooded, master! Director, director!"
Still no one responded to him.
Gradually, the water reached his chest, and Xue Liangliang began to pull up the car window, but it was pitch black outside and the car window could not be opened at all.
At this moment, a figure seemed to flash across the darkness in front of him, so fast that Xue Liangliang mistakenly thought he was dazzled.
But soon, the figure appeared again, and his face was pressed against the car window.
The dim light in the car illuminated the groggy face, and it was unclear whether the man or woman was male.
"Click..."
But at this moment, the car window was suddenly opened and pulled to the maximum.
The next moment, the water in the car seemed to have finally found its only outlet, and all of it rushed towards him.
Xue Liangliang felt that his whole body was squeezed out by the water flow. He was rushed out of the car window and fell into darkness, and his body continued to float uncontrollably.
"Crash..."
He didn't know how long he had been drifting, but as if he had been photographed by Jiang Tao, there was a sharp pain in his body and he woke up.
He lowered his head and found that he was lying on the river bank, with rugged stones underneath, and blood marks on his palms, arms, chest and thighs.
There were no major wounds, but such large-scale scratches were really painful.
Holding back the pain, Xue Liangliang stood up with difficulty and glanced around. The moonlight above his head was shrouded in a layer of gray fog, making the environment below also full of haze.
But you can probably tell that this is the riverside, not too far from where we boarded the boat for the seminar.
But if I hadn’t left Nantong by car long ago, why did I come back here?
Xue Liangliang felt at a loss. Suddenly, he saw a woman appearing in front of him.
The woman is wearing a blue skirt and a ponytail, holding a porcelain vase in her left hand and a black umbrella in her right hand.
Why is she holding an umbrella?
When Xue Liangliang had this idea, he discovered that it was raining in the sky, and it was raining heavily. The huge raindrops hit his body painfully.
This rain...has it been falling all the time?
"Hey, who are you!"
Xue Liangliang shouted at the woman.
The woman didn't seem to hear what he said, and walked straight towards the river holding an umbrella.
After getting closer, Xue Liangliang could see the woman's face clearly. Her makeup and eyebrows were a bit dusty, but she was very young.
The main reason is that after Xue Liangliang came out of Siyuan Village, he first went to the hospital and then to the riverside. He had no chance to look at the police bulletin board, otherwise he would have seen the woman's photo appearing there at this time. The police had already launched a wanted warrant for her.
At this time, seeing that the woman was still walking towards the river, Xue Liangliang reached out and grabbed her arm holding the umbrella:
"What are you going to do? Don't get carried away. You can't go any further!"
The woman ignored him and continued walking forward.
"Plop..."
Xue Liangliang felt an incredible force coming from the woman's body, and she actually knocked him over.
Immediately afterwards, he found that his hand seemed to be stuck on the woman's arm, and he could not break free no matter what. He was led by her towards the river.
This position was really uncomfortable. Not only was it impossible to maintain balance, it also caused my lower body to constantly experience friction on the stones.
When the woman stepped into the river, Xue Liangliang used the buoyancy of the water to balance her body, but what followed was a strong feeling of choking and suffocation. This was even more terrifying.
He struggled hard, but to no avail.
The woman continued to move. She was walking at the bottom of the river, surrounded by darkness. Xue Liangliang became more beautiful. One hand was still attached to the woman's arm, but his whole body was above the woman.
He wanted to shout, but every time he opened his mouth, water rushed in, completely blocking his voice.
He had to use his other hand to grab the woman's hair. After wrapping the hair in his hand, he began to exert force.
The woman's figure did not change at all, and she continued to move forward at the bottom of the river. Xue Liangliang's original upward force turned into a downward movement, which made his whole body stick to the woman's back.
The hair began to grow, incredibly long, and they were extremely tough. Even if there were just a few hanging there, Xue Liangliang could not break them. Instead, the more he tried to break away, the tighter they were tied.
By the end, he was almost holding the woman from behind while she was carrying him.
The desperate suffocation feeling continued, and Xue Liangliang could no longer calculate how long he had not breathed. He felt very uncomfortable and in pain, but for some reason, he still remained conscious.
This is by no means a blessing, as it allows you to taste the torment more clearly and intuitively.
Now, he was already praying that he could drown quickly so that he could be freed as soon as possible.
I don’t know how long it took, but light appeared in front of me.
How can there be light under the Yangtze River?
And under the light, the shadow of the house is faintly visible.
At the bottom of the river, there is not only light, but also villages and towns.
Suddenly, Xue Liangliang felt that all the hair that had been restraining him flowed away, and even the sticky hand could be loosened.
His whole body did not float upward, but fell to the ground.
The woman continued to move forward, following the guidance of the light, towards the vaguely visible village.
Xue Liangliang was extremely horrified to find that not only was the woman hugging him down in front of him, but there seemed to be many other figures in the darkness at the bottom of the river that he could see, all of them women with long hair, wearing different styles and even different eras. apparel.
They all had dead faces and no emotions when walking, and they were all heading in the same direction.
The water around him seemed to be flowing in a fixed direction. Xue Liangliang, who was slumped on the ground, felt his body being pulled in that direction uncontrollably.
He instinctively tried to grab everything under him that could be grasped and fixed, but failed. When he grabbed rocks, they were overturned, and when he grabbed mud, he picked up a piece of mud that quickly diluted and dissipated.
No matter how much he resists or doesn't want to, nothing can change the reality that he is being forcibly taken away.
Finally,
I got closer to the light. From a distance, it was just a streak of light. When I looked closer, I realized that it was a series of red and white lantern light sources that converged together.
And the figure of the village has become more three-dimensional and clearer. The houses are neatly arranged. At the door of each house, there is a niche with a long light on it, emitting a faint green light.
Directly in front of him, there was an archway. It was very tall and simple, and it was covered with a lot of moss.
Two rows of hanging lanterns are hung on both sides, from top to bottom, from large to small.
The red lantern on the left represents joy; the white lantern on the right represents death.
Xue Liangliang looked at the center of the archway, where there were three words.
Read from right to left,
"Baijia Town."
(End of chapter)