When Lu Rong was picked up from the bed, he was soundly asleep. Wang Tu dressed him, and he closed his eyes in a daze, raising his hand when asked.
Wang Tu's movements were not as gentle as usual, and the sweater was pulled down hard on his head. Lu Rong's ears hurt from being hung, and he snorted twice in dissatisfaction.
After putting on the sweater, he fell down on Wang Tu's shoulder and continued to sleep, allowing him to fiddle with his arms, with the rustling sound of down jacket rubbing in his ears.
After zipping it up, he drooped his head and sat on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed, waiting for Wang Tu to twist a towel to wipe his face.
But Wang Tu put a woolen cap and scarf on him directly, carried him out of the bedroom, and quickly went downstairs to the second floor.
As the door opened, the howling wind brought snowflakes in, Lu Rong shivered, the drowsiness disappeared instantly, and he opened his eyes.
The area directly in front of the courtyard of the house was illuminated, glowing with a pale light, while other places were hidden in darkness.
Wang Tu put him beside the driveway of the carved gate, and whispered, "Just stand here and wait for me, and I will drive."
Lu Rong stood motionless at the same spot, looking at his white breath under the street lamp, a little sleepy and a little excited.
He had never been sent to kindergarten by Wang Tu before dawn, and he would definitely be the first child to arrive today.
is number one.
The family's black car stopped in front of him, the door opened, and Lu Rong climbed into the co-pilot.
As soon as he sat firmly, the car rushed out. He leaned back and struggled to pull the seat belt to fasten it on himself.
"Brother Tu, today I have to go earlier than the other children." Lu Rong swung his two legs hanging in the air back and forth, and patted the seat with his gloved hands, his tone full of complacency.
Wang Tu did not respond as before, but drove forward in silence, exited the gate of the villa area, and drove onto the street.
It was still dark, there were no pedestrians or vehicles on the road, and the area illuminated by the street lights was full of snow.
Lu Rong turned his head and breathed on the glass window, then took his hand out of the glove, and drew on it. There was an occasional noise as fingers rubbed against the damp glass.
The black car was driving fast, and Wang Tu kept looking at the rearview mirror with a sullen face. Lu Rong has been drawing on the glass, not noticing that the rear has been shrouded in darkness.
It is different from the darkness in the middle of the night, without the light of street lamps or the faint outlines of houses. It is so thick that it is like the substance, without a trace of light.
The black spread forward like a huge curtain, chasing the car, swallowing everything it passed, together with the stars in the sky.
Wang Tu stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and the wheels rolled up a cloud of snow and fog. There was a pothole on the road ahead. He neither slowed down nor avoided, and drove directly over the pothole.
The vehicle bumped violently, and Lu Rong popped out of the seat and was buckled back into the seat back by the seat belt. He yelled happily and exaggeratedly: "Ouch my ass."
In the past, when he put on such a tone and expression, Wang Tu would always laugh. But now he didn't say anything, just looked forward with a heavy face.
Lu Rong, who didn't get a response, couldn't help but look at him. Under the light of the street lamp, he saw two red marks on his face. After carefully identifying them, he asked, "Brother Tu, what's that on your face?"
Wang Tu didn't answer, only started coughing.
He coughed badly, as if he couldn't breathe, and Lu Rong looked worried.
"Are you sick?" he asked.
After a while, Wang Tu said in a hoarse voice, "Rongrong, have you remembered what Uncle Bai taught you?"
Lu Rong was stunned for a moment, then replied: "I remember."
"Then let me listen to you."
"Don't let anyone find out that I can turn into a fawn, and don't tell anyone about it."
After he finished speaking, he added a sentence: "I didn't turn into a deer. Yuanyuan and the others talked about the deer in the zoo. What they said was wrong, and I didn't turn into a deer for them to see."
As soon as the voice fell, there were a few small laughter from behind, like a child laughing with his mouth covered, the sound drifted into the car mixed with the wind and snow.
Lu Rong turned around quickly, but the back of the chair blocked his view, so he could only press his face against the car window and roll his eyes backwards with difficulty.
The place far behind the car was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't see it.
Lu Rong blinked blankly, lost interest in the laughter, and turned to look forward again.
Between heaven and earth, in the wind and snow, an invisible barrier is moving fast, isolating everything along the way behind the darkness.
A few more voices sounded from the black barrier.
It was the child's malicious laughter, the man's treacherous and deep murmur, mixed with the woman's mournful cry, like the neighing of a night owl and a female ghost complaining.
Lu Rong slowly sat up straight.
He was a little scared and wanted to hug Wang Tu, but knowing that he was driving, he only moved over there sensiblely and reached out to grab a corner of Wang Tu's clothes.
The car continued to speed forward, the ordinary family car driving 180 yards on the empty road, the sound of the engine and wind noise, and the windows rattled.
Lu Rong didn't dare to look back, but asked nervously, "Brother Tu, what are those people doing behind? What are they doing?"
"It's okay, Rongrong, Brother Tu is here." Wang Tu didn't explain, but only comforted him.
Wang Tu looked at the rearview mirror again, and suddenly stepped on the brakes. The family car slammed on the brakes and slid forward several meters on the snow, making harsh tire friction sounds.
Lu Rong was tightly restrained by the seat belt, but his heart was pounding with fright.
"Sit still and don't move." Wang Tu said hurriedly before getting out of the car.
Lu Rong didn't want to be alone, so he climbed to the driver's seat with hands and feet, and said in panic: "I want to be with you."
"Don't move, I'll be right back." Wang Tu turned around and ordered.
Wang Tu had never been so strict with him before, Lu Rong was frightened immediately, so he could only sit back in his original position with his mouth pursed.
He dared not turn his head to look behind the car.
The dark night, the strange sound, and Wang Tu's sternness made him feel that there must be something scary behind him, such as the monster on TV.
He only followed Wang Tu closely with his eyes, watching him run around the front of the car, take out a long-necked white bottle from his arms, uncap the bottle and bow back quickly, pouring the liquid inside on the street.
The snow surface made a sizzling sound of being eroded, and a thin red line across the street appeared, which disappeared in an instant and was hidden in white.
After Wang Tu finished all this, he ran back to the car. As soon as he opened the passenger door, a small and soft body rushed towards him.
Lu Rong hugged him tightly, closed his eyes and hurriedly urged: "Get in the car quickly, get in the car quickly, and go to the kindergarten. The teacher is amazing, you are not afraid of anything."
"We won't get in the car. We won't go to kindergarten today. We have to leave here immediately." Wang Tu hugged him, turned around and ran to the right.
"Gloves, my gloves." Lu Rong hurriedly reminded.
He just took out his gloves to draw on the car window, but he hasn't had time to put them on yet.
Wang Tu retreated to the car again, picked up the woolen glove left on the seat and handed it to him, and hurried to a dark alley beside the street.
Suddenly coming out of the car from the warm interior, Lu Rong was shivered by the icy cold air. He buried his face next to Wang Tu's neck, and slowly opened his eyes to look behind him.
Those strange noises suddenly disappeared, and the surroundings were instantly quiet. Lu Rong looked in that direction, although he couldn't see anything, but instinctively felt that something was watching him, his whole body was cold and cold, very uncomfortable.
He quickly retracted into Wang Tu's arms, only hearing his rapid panting and the sound of his feet stepping on the snow.
Wang Tu ran very fast, and Lu Rong was bumped so badly, but he held back and didn't make a sound.
This is a narrow and curved laneway, with low and dilapidated houses on both sides, and branched laneways from time to time, extending in all directions like leaf veins.
Wang Tu walked through these alleys with Lu Rong in his arms, and soon came to a small dark courtyard, and slammed on the iron gate vigorously: "Senior Brother, Senior Brother."
The lights in the room flickered on, and after ten seconds, the iron door was opened.
Lu Rong, lying in Wang Tu's arms, turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a black down jacket standing at the door.
Huh? He gasped a little inwardly.
He knew this middle-aged man. He was Uncle Chen who cleaned the villa area. He often took a broom and pushed a cart to sweep fallen leaves. When he saw Lu Rong playing in the yard, he would call him out and hand him a candy.
Wang Tu forbade him to eat anyone's food, except what Uncle Chen gave him.
Lu Rong's chin was wrapped in a scarf, and on his head was a yellow wool cap with a pompom, only revealing a pair of dark eyes and a pointed nose.
A flake of snow fell and hung on his eyelashes, and he blinked.
Uncle Chen looked at him, but asked Wang Tu, "Are you here?"
The voice is serious.
Wang Tu replied: "We escaped from the villa, and temporarily blocked it with soul rinse water."
Uncle Chen said again: "The two of us are enough, but we can't take him with us, let's put him here first."
Hearing this, Wang Tu hugged Lu Rong and walked into the yard. Uncle Chen blocked the door and said, "Don't put it in this room, it's not safe."
Wang Tu looked around and saw two large blue trash cans not far from the door, so he hugged Lu Rong over and put him into the half-empty one.
Lu Rong was taken aback unexpectedly, his upper body was exposed outside the bucket, and he grabbed Wang Tu's sleeves in panic: "I'm not trash, I'm a child."
Wang Tu took his hand off, and said softly: "Lu Rong, Uncle Chen and I are going to do something, so you stay here and don't go out, we'll pick you up after we're done."
"No, I'm going too, I'm not trash." Lu Rong crawled out of the trash can with hands and feet.
"Be obedient!" Wang Tu said sharply.
His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his forehead was bulging with blue veins, and his expression was fierce.
For a while, Lu Rong didn't dare to move anymore, his eyes quickly filled with tears.
He held back his crying and asked aggrievedly, "Is it just for a while?"
"Yes." Wang Tu said.
"Then can I sit outside the trash can and wait?"
"No." Wang Tu refused coldly.
Lu Rong's voice was already crying: "Then come and pick me up, don't let the garbage truck take me away."
"It will be soon."
"I still have to ask the teacher for leave." He choked up and added, "Don't say I'm in the trash can."
"it is good."
Wang Tu said: "You also have to remember to hide well and not make any noise. Unless Uncle Chen and I come to pick you up, no matter what happens outside, you can't come out."
Lu Rong nodded, and the pompom on the top of the woolen hat also swayed.
"Then sit down." Wang Tu said.
Lu Rong sat down carefully, his buttocks were soft, he reached out and touched it, it was a bulging plastic bag.
Wang Tu slowly lowered the lid of the bucket, and when it was halfway covered, he saw the child inside looking up at him, with tears in his eyes full of fear, but he pursed his mouth and remained silent.
His heart softened, and he said softly: "Don't be afraid, Chen Shuming and I will come to pick you up early, don't panic if you come late, but remember, you must not go home."
"It doesn't need to be tomorrow morning, it will be over in a while." Uncle Chen closed the courtyard door, put on the down jacket he was wearing, and said while zipping it.
"Anyway, you have to hurry up, so as not to be driven ahead by the garbage truck." Lu Rong lowered his voice and begged.
Wang Tu was about to say something, when he heard a loud noise from a distance, as if something exploded.
He and Chen Shuqi looked in that direction, and saw that the stagnant black curtain began to spread forward.
He didn't hesitate any longer, closed the bucket lid with a bang, and ran towards the dark side with Uncle Chen, his movements were unusually quick, and they disappeared into the alley in an instant.
Listening to the disappearance of footsteps, Lu Rong sat in the dark trash can, tense all over, staring at the gap above the lid without blinking.
Uncle Chen didn't turn off the lights when he left, and orange lights spilled from the top of the courtyard wall, allowing him to see the opposite alley wall through the gap.
There is an iron door on the mottled wall, and a small yellow advertisement is posted beside the door. Lu Rong didn't know the words on it, but there was a string of numbers below, so he silently read it in his heart.
"130..."
Those sharp laughter and mournful cries sounded again in the distance, and a plastic bag next to the trash can also rattled in the wind.
There seemed to be a monster hiding in the darkness, peeking at this trash can from somewhere, making his heart clenched in fear, and his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Although this smelly trash can blocked those scary things and became his only shelter, but the inside of the bucket was freezing cold, and his hands and feet were numb from the cold not long after.
Lu Rong wanted to adjust his posture, but when he moved a little, the garbage bag under his body rustled.
He remembered what Wang Tu had said not to make any noise, so he still sat upright, his ears catching the movement outside, hoping to hear the familiar footsteps.
He really wanted to lie on his soft little bed at this moment, cover his chin with the quilt, and only expose his ears to listen to the sound of the TV from the next room.
That voice reassured him, knowing that Wang Tu was not far away.
Lu Rong was thinking blankly, sniffing softly, raised his sleeves and wiped the cold tears off his face.
He continued to count, repeating the series of numbers over and over again, from beginning to end, and then from end to beginning.
His vision gradually blurred, he stared at the only light, and broke a sob in his mouth.
I don't know how long it has passed, but Wang Tu hasn't come yet. He finally couldn't resist anymore, and after stumbling around for a while, he leaned against the wall of the cylinder and fell into a deep sleep.
…
It was dawn when Lu Rong was woken up.
His trash can was covered, and the trash was thrown into the bucket next to it, making a thumping sound.
Wang Tu didn't come to pick him up yet, but he heard someone talking next to him.
"...I slept so hard last night that the big pot of soup that was simmering in the kitchen was completely boiled dry, and the pot was almost burnt through. The guests this morning didn't drink the soup."
"I also slept like hell, I have to get up at five o'clock to make a face-to-face meeting, and I don't wake up until six o'clock..."
Lu Rong sat up straight, put his eyes on the gap and looked out, and saw that the iron door opposite had been opened, and two aunts, one fat and one thin, leaned against the door and chatted.
Wang Tu said that he would come to pick him up at dawn, maybe he couldn't wait, but now it was already dawn, and he didn't come.
People passing by along the way would throw rubbish, and the trash can was as full as a hill, and it was thrown on the ground beside the bucket.
No one wanted to reach out to lift the lid of the bucket next to it, and no one found a child curled up inside.
Lu Rong thought, Wang Tu was only delayed by the matter, and he would still come to pick him up after finishing the matter. At that time, you must accuse him loudly, and never get along with him again.
— at least not for a day with him.
I don't know how long it has passed, I just know that waiting makes the time so long.
But as the light in that gap gradually dimmed, as if it was getting dark, he felt how time passed so fast.
He buried his head on his knees, and made up his mind that as long as Wang Tu came now, he would not blame him, and he would continue to be friendly with him.
Whenever a cart passed by, Lu Rong felt a heart-wrenching tension.
The trash cans in the alleys are all loaded with carts.
At that time, he will also be dumped into the cart and taken away, like a ball of garbage, taken to an unknown place to be dumped, but it must be a place where Wang Tu can't find it.
Lu Rong looked down at his gloves and let his fingers move around inside.
He had been hungry for a whole day, his stomach kept growling, and his nose was so sensitive that he even felt the smell of instant noodles in the trash can was still delicious.
When he was hesitating whether to dig through it, the trash can suddenly slammed, a light shone in from above his head, and the murky voices outside became clear in an instant.
He quickly raised his head and looked at a fat aunt.
The fat aunt is holding the lid of the trash can with one hand and holding a bun in the other. Seeing Lu Rong, she stopped chewing, showing a shocked expression.
"Which family are you from? Why are you sitting in the trash can?" she asked aloud.
Lu Rong looked at her nervously, without making a sound.
The fat aunt stuffed the remaining buns into her mouth, and stretched her hands under Lu Rong's armpits, trying to hug him out.
"I'm not going out, don't carry me out, I have to wait for someone." Lu Rong jumped into the air, grabbing her arm and shouted in panic.
Regardless of his resistance and struggle, the fat aunt lifted the kicking child out and put it on the ground.
"What's going on?" asked another.
The fat aunt replied: "As soon as I opened the lid of the trash can, I saw this child inside."
Another person looked Lu Rong from head to toe, looked at his thick dark blue down jacket, leather snow boots, matching woolen hat, scarf and gloves, and said: "You are well dressed, and you still have money." Other people's children."
The fat aunt asked: "Child, why are you sitting in the trash can? Where are your parents? Where do you live? Is there their phone number—hey, hey, where are you going?"
Lu Rong ran towards the entrance of the alley without looking back.