After a few days of clear weather, Fu Qisheng's former schoolmates finally confirmed the weekend time and were coming.
But Wang Bing and his gang had been running to the mountains a lot recently, playing for too long, so their families wouldn't let them go out, and kept them at home to do their homework. Wang Bing wanted to sneak over the wall and go with them, but Zhao Haisheng stopped him, saying, "You, you don't come, stay at home, if Aunt Wang sees you, she'll beat you up again!"
Wang Bing said, "It's not that serious! Just go out and play for a while."
Zhao Haisheng still refused to let him go, and said with a smile: "I know the way, we have been there many times! Don't worry, you can help me finish my math homework later."
Wang Bing cursed at him, but the other party had already thrown in the half-finished math summer homework and ran away with his cousin.
Wang Bing had no choice but to stay home and do his homework.
Although Zhao Haisheng over there had a slight stutter, he was tall and strong. He looked like an adult even though he was only in junior high school. He was almost 1.8 meters tall and looked like a small iron tower from a distance. Although Fu Qisheng's former classmates could tell that he had a stutter, none of them dared to make fun of him. Instead, they were quite respectful to him.
Seven of Fu Qisheng's classmates came, four boys and three girls. Two of the girls were carrying drawing boards, and it seemed that they were here to sketch. On the way, the drawing boards were snatched up by several boys. They put some small things like fishing nets in their baskets. When the boy with the bait in the basket approached, the girls laughed and screamed a few times, and almost rode away in two steps: "Don't get close to us with insects!"
That boy was probably the first time a girl said that to him. His face flushed red and he said, "No, there aren't all bugs in here. Hey Fu Qisheng, you... you prepared it. Tell me about it!" He usually relied on his family's good conditions to always have Fu Qisheng ahead of him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so willful to come here again and again and let Fu Qisheng accompany him. However, he was not familiar with Shanhai Town and didn't know that Fu Qisheng had such a tall and strong boy. He felt a little embarrassed for a moment.
Fu Qisheng didn't say anything, but Zhao Haisheng next to him spoke up: "Yes, it's fish, cut into pieces, don't be afraid."
The girls then relaxed a lot.
Zhao Haisheng led the way and called his cousin to come over. When they got closer, he whispered, "Qisheng, don't be afraid, brother. I'll protect you. Let them see how capable you are. Stand up straight."
Fu Qisheng listened to him, straightened his back and pedaled the bicycle hard, which made Zhao Haisheng beside him laugh.
Zhao Haisheng agreed to come on behalf of his cousin this time. He knew a little bit that Fu Qisheng was bullied at school, but it didn't get to the point of physical violence. At most, he just looked down on him and made a few sarcastic remarks. Zhao Haisheng was afraid that his cousin wouldn't be able to stand up straight in front of this group of people, so he deliberately prepared a few days in advance and brought them to the mountains to play, so as to earn some face for his cousin.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, the road ahead became difficult to walk on, so Zhao Haisheng asked them to park their bicycles and lean them against a tree, and then asked everyone to pick up their things and hike into the mountain.
The students from the nearby town were a little hesitant, especially the one holding the bait. His bicycle was a newly bought geared bicycle, which cost more than 600 yuan! After thinking about it, he tied the wheel to the tree with a bicycle chain and smiled awkwardly, "Well, just in case."
Zhao Haisheng said: "We have never lost anything in Shanhai Town."
The man touched the tip of his nose, smiled and didn't answer.
Some of the other people locked their cars, while others just left them alone and followed into the mountains. There was a lot of chatter and it was very lively.
Zhao Haisheng walked in front of them, acting as their guide. They had played in this mountain since childhood and were very familiar with this area, but in order to find a more beautiful place for these people, they walked a little deeper. Sure enough, after a while, they heard the people behind them exclaim "Wow", and someone said in annoyance: "I should have brought a camera!"
"It's too late to go back now, so just use your eyes to see more!"
"I also brought a drawing board. I'll find a nice place to paint later. It's so beautiful here. It must be even more beautiful by the stream!"
…
Zhao Haisheng looked at his cousin walking silently beside him and asked him in a low voice: "Why, why are you unhappy?"
Fu Qisheng hesitated and said, "Brother, I don't want to come."
Zhao Haisheng patted his shoulder with his big hand like a palm leaf fan, almost knocking his cousin's thin body crooked. He said carelessly: "Come on, why don't you come? This is your home from now on. You are the host and you have to entertain!"
Fu Qisheng pursed his lips and said, "Yeah."
They arrived at the creek. It had rained for a few days, so there was more water here than before, but it was still clear and you could see the bottom clearly. You could even see a few small silver fish swimming in it. The people who followed them cheered again. Some of them had already sat down and took out snacks and started inviting everyone to eat. Two girls had set up their drawing boards and were choosing a place to frame the scene.
Zhao Haisheng taught them how to fish with a hook, but he only taught one of them. When the other wanted to ask, he pointed at his cousin and said, "Qi, Qisheng knows how to fish. Go ask him."
The man really came over with the fishing rod in his hand. Fu Qisheng was stunned for a moment, and then he began to talk to him in a low voice. Zhao Haisheng watched from the side and smiled with satisfaction.
They were fishing in the mountains and didn't notice how fast time passed.
Mi Yang stayed at his home in Shanhai Town, listening to Old Lady Cheng and several elders chatting. They talked about all sorts of things, but he did hear a little about the house.
The elder said, "Hey, my son has been admitted to study in Beijing, and it seems that he has no intention of coming back. He said some time ago that he was looking for a house. Even in a remote place, it costs more than 3,000 yuan per square meter. It's true that 10 square meters costs nearly 30,000 yuan, which is enough for us to buy a house!"
Old Madam Cheng said, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. When you retire, you can be busy with your own things. It would be great if we could live our own lives in a lively manner. The children are grown up now, let them go and work hard."
The other person also sighed: "You say that easily. You have four daughters, each one is better than the other. I heard that your second daughter is going to have a separate room again?"
Mrs. Cheng smiled and said, "Yes, some time ago they said that the company was allocating housing."
The two old men were talking there. Mi Yang felt that the light was a little dim, so he looked out the window.
It's starting to get cloudy again and it looks like it's going to rain.
Mi Yang felt uneasy, as if something was going to happen.
His previous memories were already very vague, and more of a vague bad feeling. He stood up and stood in front of the window, looking out. It was bright outside, but the wind was getting stronger, blowing the leaves outside and rustling.
Old Mrs. Cheng was still talking to her old friend. The two of them chatted back to Shanhai Town from the capital, and fragments of their conversation came through.
"The city's approval is coming soon. I heard they're going to build a tourist attraction here!"
"That's great. When more people come here in the future, we can open a farm stay or something like that. It will bring in more income and make things more lively."
…
Mi Yang stood there feeling cold all over. In his previous life, Shanhai Town had never been built into a tourist attraction.
Because an accident happened.
He remembered that it was also a summer vacation like this. It rained intermittently and it seemed like it would never stop. It was sunny on the weekend, but he fell ill because he was caught in the rain. Old Mrs. Cheng sent him to the hospital for an IV drip.
He stayed in the hospital for half a month, and only after he came back did he learn that something big had happened in the town.
A group of students went to the mountains to play. The stream suddenly rose sharply, carrying mud, stones and branches with it. The half-grown children were swept into the water and disappeared immediately.
Seven or eight children drowned that year, and only one escaped.
The people who were washed away by the water were outsiders, and the only one who survived was Zhao Haisheng.
For some reason, all the children in Shanhai Town were persuaded by their families to stay that day. Only Zhao Haisheng took them to the mountains. He escaped death, but later transferred to another school. No one in the Zhao family stayed here any longer.
Mi Yang's face turned pale.
No wonder, no wonder he was so unfamiliar with this person and didn't remember having any encounter with him...
Because Fu Qisheng is a dead person.
Mi Yang stood up suddenly, his legs felt like they were not his own, he stumbled to find the phone, and dialed the number with shaking hands. After calling Wang Bing's home, his upper and lower teeth chattered with nervousness, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Wang Bing, where is Zhao Haisheng? Where is his cousin, and where is Fu Qisheng?"
Wang Bing said, "We went into the mountains. It's a rare day with good weather today. Haisheng acted as their guide and we went fishing by the stream. It may be because of the heavy rain recently, the water level in the stream has risen a lot, and there are more fish, but there are more rocks washed down, which is quite annoying..."
Mi Yang closed his eyes and said word by word: "Wait for me at home, don't go anywhere, I'll be there soon."
He hung up the phone, got up and went to the room to get his backpack, found a bundle of strong ropes in the yard and put them in, took out a flashlight and a lighter, some food, and a plastic whistle that Mi Xue used as a toy on the table. As he put things into the backpack, Mi Yang slowly calmed down. He was not slow and packed it up quickly.
Mrs. Cheng was startled when she saw his sudden movement and asked, "Yangyang, what's wrong? Where are you going?"
Mi Yang glanced at the sky. The dark clouds had not yet dispersed, but the sun was still hanging in the sky, which did not attract people's attention and speculation. He could not remember what was written on that small page in the newspaper at that time. He only remembered that a river and flood control map was drawn at that time, and the possible escape routes were analyzed at that time. It was just a regret at that time, but now it has become a glimmer of hope.
Mi Yang didn't know the exact time, but he understood the crisis. He couldn't predict when the stream would surge, so he could only make up a reason to make the matter sound more serious: "Grandma, Wang Bing called just now and said that the stream in the mountain has risen a lot, and there are rocks rushing down. Today Zhao Haisheng took some children to play there, and we can't get in touch with him. It's too dangerous. Please tell the adults in the town and ask them to go into the mountains to look for him!"
Old Mrs. Cheng was startled, and she agreed and went to make a phone call. As soon as she picked up the phone, she saw Mi Yang turn around and walk out with his bag on his back. Old Mrs. Cheng put down the phone, hurriedly chased after him and asked, "Yang Yang! Yang Yang, where are you going?"
Mi Yang got on his bicycle and said, "I'm going to find Wang Bing!"
Old Lady Cheng could only try her best to call for help, but there was no guarantee that anyone would come. After all, Shanhai Town had never encountered such a thing in decades. Now the sun was high in the sky, and no adult would be willing to believe it.
Mi Yang had already prepared himself mentally, but when he arrived at Wang Bing's house and explained the reason, the adults' joking attitude still made him feel cold.
One of Wang Bing's uncles was drinking a little wine. When he heard the man pointing at the sun outside, he laughed and said, "I think you have become stupid from studying too much. What can happen in such a bright sun?"
Wang Bing hesitated and said, "But the water level in the stream has indeed risen a bit."
The uncle said, "It's okay. It will be fine after a few days of drying. I've never encountered any trouble in my life. This little rain is nothing." He looked at his nephew and teased him deliberately, "Oh, I see. You want to go out and play, and you're looking for an excuse! Don't even think about it. Your parents said that you can only go out after finishing your homework."
Mi Yang didn't waste any more time talking to him and said to Wang Bing, "Do you know the way? Take me there!"
Wang Bing hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay!"
They rode away, and when they reached the edge of the forest and saw several bicycles tied there, Wang Bing began to hesitate: "Mi Yang, I see their bicycles are still here, and the weather is not that bad, are you overthinking it?"
Mi Yang said in a deep voice: "What if there is a rainstorm? The soil on the mountain has become loose after a few days of heavy rain. If it washes down, it will not only be small stones, but even people will be washed away."
The signal in the woods was not good. After Mi Yang went in, he took out his cell phone and called Bai Luochuan. He tried to tell him in a calm tone that he was in the mountains. Bai Luochuan heard the sound of horse hooves and asked him, "Did you go into the mountains? Who followed you? The weather has been unstable recently. It's too dangerous in the mountains."
Mi Yang said: "Wang Bing, Zhao Haisheng and I probably have..."
The sky suddenly darkened, and dark clouds began to appear around noon, pressing down layer by layer, blocking out the sun.
Wang Bing felt a drop of rain falling on his face and said in a trembling voice, "Nine, nine of them."
Mi Yang held the phone and said, "There are nine people including Zhao Haisheng. They went to the stream. Wang Bing said there is a small cliff near the southeast. There is a river downstream of the stream. It is very dangerous to be washed down. You should talk to Grandpa Bai and notify the people in the town as much as possible. Pay attention to the stream and downstream..."
Wang Bing didn't hear what Bai Luochuan said, he just heard Mi Yang say "OK". He was a little panicked now, and only reacted when Mi Yang hung up the phone and took a rope from his backpack to tie it around his waist.
Mi Yang tied a knot around him and tied himself together, saying, "Don't be afraid. I've seen the direction of the water flow and the location of the river on the map. It won't rush to this side. If we encounter water, I'll stand in front and you bend down from behind and hug my waist. Then we won't fall. Then try to find a thicker tree to climb up. Do you hear me?"
Wang Bing had recovered a little and nodded, "I know."
By the stream.
Zhao Haisheng sat aside and touched his face. A drop of rain fell. He looked up and saw that the sky was getting darker. However, he did not feel much wind in the woods. He frowned slightly and felt a little alert. When a few more drops of rain fell on his face, he immediately stood up and shouted over there, "Let's go! It's raining. We have to go home."
A few people over there had already dug a pit to use as a stove, and were lighting a fire to prepare to grill a few fish they had just caught. The boy on the geared bike was particularly active. He was holding the bait, so he caught more fish after using more bait. He had just won everyone's attention and was boasting that he would let everyone taste the grilled fish. Naturally, he was not willing to leave at this moment. He continued to light the fire without getting up and replied, "Why leave? We've only been playing for a while, and I see it's not raining. Let's grill the fish first!"
Zhao Haisheng said: "It has already fallen, it has fallen!"
Fu Qisheng listened to him and packed up his things immediately, but the others did not listen. They gathered around the burning fire and laughed loudly, and no one knew what they were laughing at.
Zhao Haisheng took two steps forward and said angrily: "I told you to go... go!"
The boy grilling the fish imitated his big tongue and said, "I know, I know!"
The group of people burst into laughter again.
Fu Qisheng's face changed. He stepped forward and pushed the man, kicked the dirt and buried the fire and the grilled fish on the branches. He said, "My brother told you to leave!"
Those people were not happy about it and started pushing and shoving them. The girls were timid and moved away a little. Someone also tried to persuade them and said with a bit of dissatisfaction: "Okay, okay, stop fighting and just leave. It's really a bummer! I thought I could finish the painting here!"
"Yes, it's just raining. It's so beautiful to listen to the rain in the woods. I can take shelter from the rain by looking at the rocks over there. I don't know what you're in such a hurry for. If you go out now, you'll definitely get soaked!"
The other quieter girl didn't say anything, but her eyes kept falling on the direction of the stream. She said nervously, "Hey, look, is the water a little bigger... and, is it turning yellow?"
Fu Qisheng was pushed to the ground by them. He was close to the stream and turned his head to take a look, his face changed slightly. Not far away, a turbid and rapid stream was rushing towards him rapidly. It was dark and he couldn't see clearly what was in the water, but a piece of wood floating in it was clearly visible. It was completely different from the clear stream water beside him. He could see with the naked eye that the water level was obviously higher!
Zhao Haisheng took a look and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Water... There's a flood, run!!"
The boy who was grilling fish stopped squatting there. He stood up and looked around in confusion, subconsciously going to the river to get his things: "My fishing rod..." Before he could go over, he was slapped in the face by Zhao Haisheng. He almost fell to the ground, covering his face!
Zhao Haisheng's eyes turned red, and he cursed: "Fuck... □□ uncle! Do you want to die?"