Light red lotus lights illuminate the fields under their feet, Xia Houlin and Shen Jue walked aimlessly, and somehow they walked onto a narrow gravel road with dirt walls on both sides, dustpan and bamboo poles piled up along the way . Shen Jue couldn't see the road with the power fence on, so she wanted to take it off because she was afraid that others would see her face. The factory superintendent visited the night market, and in a short while, a crowd of people came to watch. After walking carefully for a long time, I stepped on a dustpan and stumbled, and was supported by Xia Houlin's arm.
"I'll take you away." Xia Houlin said, slipping his hand on his wrist and leading him away.
The two continued to walk in the dark, speechless all the way. Xia Houlin didn't speak much since he and Tang Shiqi joined, and sometimes laughed and explained to him the gadgets on the side of the road, but he still saw the absent-mindedness in Xia Houlin's eyes. After all, it is an old friend, how can the relationship be broken? He sighed in his heart, this time he still didn't weigh it well. Xia Houlin grew up in Jialan, so he had a lot of friends, and Xia Houlin should not have been involved in this matter.
He shrank his hand, and Xia Houlin's hand slid down and fell into his palm. He noticed that Xia Houlin's hand was stiff for a moment, but he didn't break free and let him hold it. Xia Houlin's hand holds the knife all the year round, it is very rough, like sandpaper for sharpening a knife. They went deeper and deeper, and the people gradually disappeared. The factory guard who was protecting them followed far behind, and only the two of them were left in the silent passage. He still didn't let go of Xia Houlin's hand, and Xia Houlin didn't let go of him either. The two of them walked slowly like this.
In the silence, Shen Jue suddenly said: "The matter of Jialan should be handed over to another stall."
"no!"
Xia Houlin stopped abruptly and turned around, but Shen Jue did not stop and bumped into Xia Houlin, Xia Houlin staggered back, and involuntarily supported Shen Jue's waist. He was still holding the lantern's pole in his hand, the pole was against Shen Jue's waist, the lantern swayed under the pole, and the dim light danced on their faces, through a thin layer of black veil, They both saw each other's eyes.
Xia Houlin's heart skipped a beat, he took a step back, and asked calmly, "Is it not hurting?"
Shen Jue subconsciously wanted to say no, but the words turned around again, and said, "It hurts."
"Ah? Where does it hurt?" Xia Houlin lowered his head to look at his arms and body. In winter, he was well-dressed, and the hit just now wasn't fierce, so why did it hurt
Shen Jue didn't have time to think, he casually said "leg pain", and regretted saying it. He didn't hit his leg wherever he hit, and he knew he was talking nonsense when he heard it.
Xia Houlin smiled, "Are you tired of walking? Then take a break."
Shen Jue nodded. Xia Houlin put the lamp on the ground and squatted down to help him rub his legs. He looked down at the top of Xia Houlin's head and said, "Let it be done by someone else. It's good for you and Dongchang."
"Are you afraid that I will be soft-hearted and mistake the overall situation, young master?"
"I'm also afraid that you will feel uncomfortable."
"There are some things I have to face," Xia Hourong stood up and said, "I can't escape, I can't escape, I don't want to, I don't want to escape."
"Do you have to torture yourself?" Shen Jue still disagreed.
"Master, I beg you," Xia Houlin looked at him and said, "I want to make a decision about Jialan myself."
Shen Jue also watched him remain silent, and finally sighed and said, "If your junior brother is willing to submit, let him enter the East Factory. However, if he insists on not obeying..."
"Then it's up to me," Xiahou Lin slowly clenched his hand under his arrow sleeves, as if he had exhausted all his strength to speak, "kill him with your own hands."
——
Tonight's moonlight is white and cold, and the snow reflects the clear light, reflecting on Bailiyuan's palm-sized face, she is as white as a porcelain doll. She smiled, but there was clearly a taste of sadness. Chiyan looked down at her, and after a while, he said seriously, "Baili, do you have any wishes?"
"desire?"
"Well, I can help you." Chi Yan said.
"What if my wish is for you to be buried with me?" Bailiyuan whispered, "Are you willing to help me realize it?"
Tired and hesitant.
Bailiyuan clenched her fists, her eyes gradually became ruthless, and she whispered: "Sure enough... it's all a lie!"
"I can take your ashes with me," Chi Yan said suddenly, taking out a purse from his arms, pouring out the only three copper plates in it, and placing them on the windowsill for Bailiyuan to see, "Use this Pack."
It was a very old purse. It was originally a blue color, but the color faded after a long time and turned into a light blue color. The fierceness in Bailiyuan's eyes dissipated a little, and she asked, "Why use this?"
"My brother sewed it for me." Chi Yan said, "He didn't give me a lot of things, and he lost some later, only this purse is left."
Bai Liyuan stared at the purse, she always knew that Chi Yan missed his twin brother, and she didn't want her ashes to be put in the purse sewn by that person. She gritted her teeth in anger, turned around and kicked the big tree a few times, her stomach hurt even worse, and she felt blood gurgling down her thighs.
She kicked a few times and stopped, turned her head towards Chi Yan and said loudly, "Are you an idiot! How could such a small purse hold my ashes!"
He was stunned for a moment.
Bailiyuan wanted to leave. She felt that she was very weak now. She forgot to wear a scarf when she went out. No longer. A man with messy clothes appeared in the corner in front. He came out to show respect. In a blink of an eye, he saw Bailiyuan, Bai Shengsheng's face, and a petite appearance. His heart suddenly floated, and his eyes were shining, and he staggered over.
Bai Liyuan frowned in disgust, reached into her arms, and held the dagger hidden in her waist.
"Go away, what are you doing!" Ah Chu came out of nowhere, holding a broom and hitting the man in the face with all his might. This woman was fierce like a dominatrix, and her originally enchanting makeup was sharpened.
The man screamed and ran away, Ah Chu threw the broom, ran to Bailiyuan with her skirt in hand, and said, "You kid, didn't I tell you not to run to the front?"
Bai Liyuan opened her dark eyes to see that she didn't speak. She looked to the side, and she was squatting on the window sill while looking at her. He probably wanted to jump down to stop the hooligan. Both of them were stupid. She sighed and took Bailiyuan's hand to take her away. Suddenly, she saw blood on the snow and said in surprise, "Whose blood is this?"
Bailiyuan said: "mine."
Chi Yan also pointed at her, "Her."
Ah Chu grabbed Bai Liyuan's shoulder and asked in a panic, "What's wrong with you? Where are you hurt?"
"My stomach hurts." Bailiyuan said, "I seem to be poisoned."
Ah Chu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Stomach pain? Is there bleeding from the thigh?"
Bailiyuan nodded.
"Has it flowed before?"
Bailiyuan shook her head.
Ah Chi understood, and sighed again. She suddenly knew what it was like to have a child, and looked down at Bailiyuan, the girl was sick, like a piece of paper fished out of the water, pale and paralyzed, with no strength. She took her hand and walked to the backyard, not forgetting to tell Chi Yan: "Go and cook a bowl of brown sugar water."
"Can brown sugar water detoxify me?" Bailiyuan asked.
Ah Chu laughed breathlessly, "Yes, yes, it can not only detoxify, but also beautify your face."
Ah Chu took her back to her own room, burned the charcoal cage in the room, and then took out the menstrual belt from the stand. Bailiyuan picked up the menstrual belt, which was a long red cloth strip embroidered with big red peony flowers, and the inner lining was stuffed with cotton, which was soft to the touch. The two ends were wearing slender white cloth strips, I don't know what they were used for.
Ah Chu taught her how to use it, including Tiankui. Bailiyuan listened ignorantly, Ah Chu helped her to tie the belt, her arms were wrapped around her, and a faint scent of rouge came over, covering her vaguely. She wondered absently, where had she smelled this smell before, it seemed to be found in many places, and the women in the brothel in the Red Chamber always loved the scent of fragrant powder. Ah Chu handed her a hand stove to warm her stomach. Holding the stove, she suddenly realized that she was not going to die, she was a little disappointed, as if she should have died.
Her cotton trousers were dirty, Ah Chu asked her to sit on the carved bed and wrapped her in a quilt. The quilts were also red. She knew that red quilts were used in brothels, so that when a man and a prostitute went to bed, it was like entering a bridal chamber, and there was a false joy.
Ah Chu also got into the quilt, hugged her knees and asked her, "You child, you don't even know Tian Kui, did your mother teach you?"
"No," Bailiyuan looked down at the flower on the quilt, "My mother didn't speak to me."
Aya asked suspiciously, "Why?"
Bai Liyuan said: "When I was a child, a fortune teller came to my house and said that I was reincarnated by an evil spirit and would kill my parents in the future. My parents were afraid, so they sent me to live in a nunnery on the mountain. Buddha energy can calm me down and keep me from being a demon."
"You can believe what the fortune teller says? When I was a child, an old blind man said that I could be a queen in the future!" Ah Chu looked at Bailiyuan and asked cautiously, "Then you have been living in the nunnery?"
"Well. That place is very cold, it snows every day, and there is nothing but a kind of red flower. There are only two or three old girls in the nunnery, and they are panting when they walk. I can only play by myself. I Sometimes I make snowmen and name them and pretend they are my best friends."
"Haven't you ever been home?" Ah Chi asked her.
Bailiyuan said: "I went back. During the festivals, my father would send someone to take me back to the house. The old aunt told me that I have many brothers and sisters. If I please them well, they will let me stay at home. I I went to the snow and caught a snow fox. It was very difficult to catch a snow fox. I set up a lot of traps in the snow, and my fingers were rotten before I caught one. I put it in a cage and brought it to them, They were very happy at first, but the fifth sister was naughty and put her hand into the cage and was bitten by Xuehu. My parents said I was unlucky, and when I came back, my sister was injured and Xuehu was beaten to death."
"Why is this? She stretched out her own hand, it's none of your business!" Ah Chu held her grievance for her, her face flushed with anger.
"Later, I made glutinous rice dumplings for them to eat, and they didn't want them either. They said that if you eat something made by evil spirits, you will get sick. In fact, the glutinous rice dumplings are delicious. I eat them and I have never gotten sick." Li Yuan put her chin on her knee and said slowly, "I came home when I was nine years old, and my second sister looked at me pitifully and invited me to play with them. They climbed up the rockery, I was afraid, and waited for them below. The ninth brother was hit by the second sister, fell to my feet and died. The second sister was afraid that my parents would punish me and put the blame on me. I said it was not me, but the second sister. My parents didn’t believe it. I I begged other brothers and sisters to testify for me, but no one listened to me. They all saw it, but no one testified for me. Since then, my parents have not let me go home."
Ah Chu was worried, but Bai Liyuan looked indifferent, and continued: "Later I realized that the second sister is their sister, I am not, I am an evil ghost, and the evil ghost has no brothers and sisters, so they will not testify for me. In fact, my parents should kill me. If they don't like it, they should kill me. Why keep my life?" Bailiyuan raised her face and even smiled, "Sister Ah Chu, what do you say? right?"
"Bah, bah! What nonsense! It's them who are at fault, not you. Brothers and sisters are young and ignorant, that's all, but there are no parents like this in the world!" Ah Chu pressed her into her arms, " We, A Yuan, are the best. We are beautiful and have a good heart. We can catch foxes and make glutinous rice dumplings. A Yuan, can you make glutinous rice dumplings for my sister?"
Bailiyuan was suffocated, her nose was full of the rouge smell on her body, she wanted to get out, but Ah Chu didn't let her move. She had no choice but to say yes. Ah Chu smiled and let her out, scratched her nose, and asked, "What about you and Xiahou? Isn't he your brother?"
Bai Liyuan shook her head and said no, "My brother was picked up by me in the snow. His mother didn't want him as soon as he was born. His father treated him as a slave. He is just like me, so I recognize him as a brother."
Ah Chu gently touched her cheek, her small porcelain-white face seemed to shatter in the palm of her hand, Ah Chu smiled slightly, with a very soft light in her eyes, "Actually, my sister has no family either. When I was very young, my father offended Wei De, who was in charge of the Sili Supervisor at that time, and his home was copied by Dongchang. I don't even remember what my parents looked like. I only remember those ferocious Dongchang fans. Mind, you can recognize me as a sister."
Bailiyuan didn't agree, only said: "But I'm a bad guy, you won't like me."
Ah Chu lightly patted her palm and said, "What a coincidence! I'm a badass too!"
Bailiyuan was stunned.
"When I was your age, I burrowed into other people's dog holes every day and climbed trees to steal other people's jujubes to eat." Ah Chu smiled and said, "How about it, bad little sister, do you dare to recognize bad big sister as your sister?"
Bailiyuan was silent for a long time without speaking, A-chu was a little embarrassed, and suddenly regretted that she was being blunt. A Yuan is dressed so richly, she looks like the daughter of a wealthy family, how could she recognize her as a sister who is an official prostitute who can't redeem herself? But she has always been like this, what she thinks and says. Mom told her so many times, she just couldn't change it. She pinched her fingers and hurriedly found herself to go down the steps, "Oh, that... I'm just joking... "
"Sister." Bailiyuan suddenly said.
Ah Chi was stunned.
"Sister," Bai Liyuan lay down and slept in her arms, "Didn't you say that I can recognize you as my sister? Now I agree, and you will be my sister in the future."
Ah Chu seemed to have been knocked in her heart, and tears fell from her cheeks. She wiped the tears from her face and gave a heavy "um". After sitting for a while, he got out of bed again with bare feet, and rushed out the door, angrily: "What's going on with this Xiahou? It takes so long to cook brown sugar water!"
Opening the door, Chi Yan just walked outside the door, both of them were startled. Ah Chu drove him in, Chi Yan brought the brown sugar water to the kang table, and then brought the kang table to Bailiyuan. Ah Chu was complaining again that the charcoal fire was not warm enough, so she was tired of going to the kitchen to get snow charcoal back. Chi went away, carrying a dustpan, and added the charcoal to the charcoal cage.
Bailiyuan sat on the bed and probed the brown sugar water with a silver hairpin, which was not poisonous. She turned her head to look at the two people outside sitting in front of the charcoal cage and roasting the fire, and Ah Chu was chatting about something. This woman has a very loud mouth that will never stop. For a while, he said that the prostitute was very good to her these days, and he didn't force her to pick up guests, and for a while he said that there was no good thing for a man.
He was tired of the toasted front of his clothes, but he didn't listen when he saw it. Bailiyuan drank all the brown sugar water and felt warm in her stomach. She lay down and wrapped her body tightly with Ah Chu's big red quilt, her eyes still looking outward, Ah Chu was removing her makeup, and now she could only see Chi Tien.
His face was changed with powder, not the original appearance, but his features did not change. In fact, he has a pair of sharp eyebrows, but he has a dull look on him, and always looks like an honest man, as if anyone can bully him. So the anger in his brows disappeared, leaving only tranquil An Ran.
In fact, they met for a long time. When she was an ordinary little girl, looking forward to returning home soon after the Chinese New Year, she saw him in the big mansion. She slept alone in a room without a charcoal fire. The maid and the old mother were gambling in the next room. She trembled as she listened to their drunken laughter and cursing. She remembered being wrapped in a quilt like this, but the quilt at that time was very hard and cold like a piece of iron. She had no choice but to hug her knees instead, counting the sheep hoping that she would fall asleep soon, as long as she fell asleep, it would be cool.
In a daze, she heard a sound of xun, melodious, like the wind in the night sky. She woke up all of a sudden, the Xun sound kept floating, and she couldn't fall back to sleep again. She stared at the top of the dark bed for a long time, quietly got up from the bed, and walked down to the ground barefoot in only a single shirt. She first climbed on the ground and listened to the wall for a while, making sure that the old mother and servants next door would not suddenly come to see her, then put on her jacket, climbed up on the tumbler to open the window, and turned out through the Xuan window.
That Xun sound drifted in the silent night sky, like the snowflakes in Shuobei, also cold and quiet. Listening to Xun, she felt that her heart was empty, like a worn-out leather bag that could fit a lot of wind. She walked in the corridor with bare feet, following the sound of the xun, her feet were freezing cold and kept cold, and the corridor under the moonlight was silver-white and stretched forward in twists and turns. She stepped on the hard ground, and felt that the erratic Xun sound seemed to take her to a place where ghosts lived.
She finally found the Xun in the garden—it was a young man, who seemed to be somewhere between a young man and a teenager, wearing a gray-white cloak, whether it was the original color or faded from washing. He sat on the edge of the pond blowing xun, the moonlight sprinkled on his shoulders, he was like a ghost that came with the moonlight, as if he would evaporate with the moonlight as soon as the day dawned.
She squatted secretly behind the holding post and rubbed her hands while listening to him blow the xun. She suspected that it was a dream, and she didn't dare to move or make a sound, for fear that if she made a sound, the ghost blowing the xun would float away. The ethereal sound of xun spreads like the desolate moonlight in the blue-white garden, covering her whole body, and she herself has become a blue silhouette in the moonlight, a small mass like a small beast. She listened silently and wholeheartedly, and the cold sound of Xun carried her thoughts, turning into a little mayfly and flying high and far. She burst into tears, tears dripping down her cheeks onto the backs of her hands.
She thought she had met someone just like her, and they were just as lonely.