Lu Rong wandered through the cobweb-like alleys and found the street after a long search. The streets were bustling with people coming and going, no different from usual.
He walked to the place where Wang Tu had drawn a line with a bottle last night, and looked around blankly.
There is nothing there, and there is no Wang Tu.
The black car they drove was still parked on the side of the road. He walked over and stood on tiptoe to look inside. It was empty and there was no one there.
He didn't know where Wang Tu had gone, and he couldn't stay in the trash can, so after thinking for a while, he could only stay by the car.
It was already evening, and people from get off work hurried past him, and no one noticed the child. Even if he noticed, he thought his family was in the shop by the road.
The days in winter are always short, it gets dark quickly and the street lights come on. Lu Rong was still squatting next to the car, looking longingly at the direction they came from.
Whenever he saw a figure in a light beige down jacket, his eyes lit up, he stood up and ran over. After seeing the man's face clearly, he lowered his head in disappointment and walked back slowly.
He looked at his short shadow, and stepped on the pompom on top with his feet. Tears dripped on the snow, making shallow dimples.
"He's just busy and won't throw you away." He whispered to his own shadow.
On the way, he went back to the trash can twice. On the way, he imagined that Wang Tu was rummaging anxiously in the trash can. He decided not to say anything at that time, and walked over slowly when Wang Tu was so anxious that he was about to cry.
But the imaginable scene never came true, Wang Tu still didn't see anyone, and he himself cried twice more.
He was very hungry, and the smell of food wafted from everywhere, making him even more uncomfortable. It was snowing again in the sky. He walked to a noodle shop by the road and looked inside through the glass door.
There was a little boy about his age sitting in the noodle restaurant. The bowl full of noodles was left on the table without moving, and he only pushed the toy car in his hand back and forth on the table.
He raised his head inadvertently, and met Lu Rong outside the glass door.
The little boy made a grimace at Lu Rong, and as usual, Lu Rong would make a grimace back. But he is not in the mood now, so he just turned around and left the noodle shop silently.
"Hey kid."
He heard a strange voice calling beside him, but he didn't realize it was calling himself, so he continued to walk towards the car with his head down.
"Kid, kid." The man raised his voice and called twice in a row.
Lu Rong stood still and looked over this time, only to see a middle-aged man with a beard standing under a tree waving to him.
"Child, come here, uncle has something to do." The man said.
Lu Rong walked over slowly and stopped in front of the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man stretched out his left hand, as if wanting to touch his head. He turned his head to one side, and the man's hand felt empty.
The man didn't take it seriously, he smiled and stretched out his right hand behind his back, holding a paper bag, and handed it to Lu Rong.
"Are you hungry? Have a meat pie." He said kindly.
The paper bag was brown with clumps of oil soaked in it. Lu Rong recognized the grinning man above, he had eaten this kind of meat pie before, it was very fragrant and delicious.
He stared at the paper bag in front of him, and a smell of baked pasta entered his nostrils, his stomach growled even more cheerfully, and saliva was secreted from his mouth instantly.
He really wanted to eat it, but remembering Wang Tu and the teacher's usual instructions, he hesitated and didn't move, only a pair of eyes stuck to the paper bag.
The middle-aged man seemed to see his struggle, and stopped persuading him, took a piece of meatloaf from the bag and fed it into his mouth, and said loudly while eating: "It's really fragrant, delicious, so delicious. "
Lu Rong watched him and swallowed.
"Come on, eat, uncle treats you to eat." The middle-aged man handed the paper bag to him again.
His expression was very sincere and earnest, with a kind smile, just like Wang Tu usually when he asked him to eat another bowl of rice.
Lu Rong was too hungry, so he no longer refused, and slowly put his hand into the paper bag.
He stared at the middle-aged man, and still took out the meatloaf very slowly, and handed it to his mouth. He thought that as long as people were not happy, he would return the meatloaf.
The middle-aged man kept smiling, Lu Rong took a bite of the meatloaf, and the aroma of stewed meat instantly filled his mouth.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Eat it, eat it, you're welcome, there's more here after you finish eating." The middle-aged man said.
Lu Rong began to eat the meat pie with big mouthfuls, answering the middle-aged man's questions while eating.
"My surname is Gao, you can call me Uncle Gao."
"Uncle Gao." Lu Rong called vaguely.
"Yeah." Uncle Gao nodded and asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"
Lu Rong swallowed a mouthful of meatloaf, and recited skillfully: "My name is Lu Rong, Fluffy, and I am four years old this year. I am in the middle class of kindergarten. I have had five good babies and three clean babies."
After he finished speaking, he waited for Uncle Gao's compliment, but Uncle Gao nodded absently, and said in his mouth, "I'm four years old..."
Lu Rong didn't wait for the compliment, but replied seriously: "Well, I'm four years old."
Seeing that he had finished eating the meatloaf, Uncle Gao handed him another piece, but Lu Rong shook his head and stopped eating.
The meatloaf was huge, and he usually couldn't finish half of it, but now that he ate the whole one, his stomach was already full.
Uncle Gao took out another bottle of water from his black bag, unscrewed the cap and handed it over.
Lu Rong just ate someone else's meatloaf, and now he is no longer polite, taking it and drinking it.
He had been thirsty for a whole day without drinking water, and he ate another meatloaf. His mouth was dry, and he drank the whole bottle of water in one breath.
Uncle Gao kept watching him drink the water. After he finished drinking, he took the empty bottle and screwed on the cap, and put the black bag back.
Lu Rong wanted to thank him and go back to the car to wait for Wang Tu, but before he opened his mouth, he felt dizzy.
The voices of people and cars began to disappear, and Uncle Gao in front of him looked at him, his face becoming more and more blurred.
He struggled to open his mouth, wanting to say that he was dizzy, but he couldn't control his tongue and couldn't make a sound, and then his eyes went dark, and he didn't know anything.
…
Lu Rong felt like he was floating in the ocean.
The sea is endless, and there is more water than many bathtubs can hold.
He floated up and down in the water, and there were sounds in his ears from time to time.
"... The train is about to leave, passengers please check your luggage..."
"...Why is this kid sleeping all the time? He's been sleeping all day..."
"Sister, we are going back to our hometown. The child is here to see a doctor. I just went back after watching it."
"It turned out to be sick..."
Lu Rong heard Uncle Gao's conversation with someone, and heard the rhythmic clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, rattling, vaguely and distantly transmitted to the ear through a layer of deep water, very unreal.
He thought that he was not in the sea, and fell into a drowsy sleep again.
…
An old pickup truck with mottled paint was driving on the winding mountain road. In addition to the driver, a thin middle-aged man wearing a leather hat with ear protection sat on the co-pilot.
"It's really too cold this day, it's really crazy this year."
"Our Longtan Mountain is like this in winter, and it's not just this year, people freeze to death every year."
The middle-aged man took out his Ashima bag from his padded jacket pocket, and handed one to the driver.
"No, no, no, I just ate the root." The driver declined with a local accent.
"Smoking it, it's okay." The middle-aged man handed it again.
The driver took it with a smile, without smoking, and carefully placed it on the back of his left ear.
"Brother Gao, it's not easy to take the baby to visit relatives in this cold weather. We should come back next spring." The driver glanced at the rear seat through the rearview mirror.
An old blue cotton padded jacket was draped over the back seat, with a slight bulge underneath. A child's head was exposed, sleeping soundly against the back of a chair. From this angle, all he could see was a yellow beanie with a pompom on top.
"I'll be busy next spring, I don't have time." The middle-aged man, Uncle Gao, replied.
The driver asked: "Then where did you come from? The accent is not from the county."
Uncle Gao smiled and did not answer, and began to ask him about the situation of Longtan Mountain. The driver immediately diverted his mind and happily answered the question.
The winding mountain road is very narrow, and the road surface is extremely muddy. Occasionally, a thin cloud of snow will appear on both sides, revealing the yellow and black underneath, which makes it more dirty.
After the pickup truck bumped through a pothole, a split road appeared on the left, a one-car country road winding into distant woods.
"Brother Gao, just follow this road, and you will be in Longquan Village after half an hour's walk." The driver stopped the car and said.
"Thank you then."
Uncle Gao threw a whole pack of cigarettes to the driver, jumped out of the car, hugged Lu Rong in the back seat, and said goodbye to the driver. After seeing the pickup truck disappearing into the distance, he sat down on a big rock beside the road.
Although there was no wind in the mountains, the air was extremely cold when the snow melted. Lu Rong moved in Uncle Gao's arms, and the pompom on the woolen hat turned in the same direction, revealing half of his fleshy face, which was squeezed and deformed. shape.
A dirty little hand was rustlingly stretched out from under the big cotton jacket she was wrapped in, and rubbed her eyes.
Lu Rong stared blankly at the gray sky for a while, his long eyelashes fluttering. He looked at the road beside him, and then at Uncle Gao who was holding him, his face was confused and dazed.
Uncle Gao held him with one hand, and took out a bottle of water and a piece of bread sealed in a plastic bag from the black bag he carried with him.
The little yellow duck on Lurong's down jacket turned gray-black, her small face was huddled in the scarf, and there were several horizontal stains, making the skin whiter on the clean parts.
His mouth was dry and crusted over. Uncle Gao unscrewed the bottle cap of the water in his hand and handed it over. He raised his head back to avoid it.
He didn't know that the bottle of water caused him to sleep all the time, but he subconsciously felt the danger and didn't want to drink this person's water anymore.
Uncle Gao didn't expect a four-year-old to be so wary, his eyes flickered. After raising his head and taking a few sips, he handed the mouth of the bottle to Lu Rong's mouth: "Drink it, this water was freshly opened by Uncle Gao, it's very clean."
Lu Rong struggled in his arms, but didn't break away. She opened her mouth to speak, but only made a hoarse sound.
Uncle Gao took this opportunity to tilt the bottle, and the water flowed into Lu Rong's mouth. Before he could swallow, the water flowed out from the corner of his mouth, and he started to cough at the same time.
Uncle Gao frowned and looked at him with a bit of impatience between his brows: "Drink well, don't spill it."
After Lu Rong finished coughing, he stared at the bottle of water and licked his lips, finally took it and drank it by himself.
After he finished drinking the water, Uncle Gao opened the plastic bag outside the bread, broke off a piece and fed it to his mouth.
Lu Rong chewed the piece of bread, and Uncle Gao said softly as if chatting: "Lu Rong, do you know that you are sick? You passed out on the street yesterday."
"What is fainting?" Lu Rong asked puzzledly with bread in his mouth, his voice was very hoarse.
"A faint is...you suddenly fell asleep and got sick."
Lu Rong stopped chewing and opened his mouth slightly: "Am I sick?"
"Yeah, but it's okay, we've already seen a doctor, and the disease is cured."
Lu Rong finished eating the bread in a daze, then turned to look at a tree beside the road. Turning around after a while, Uncle Gao was going to get the black bag next to him, and he paused after meeting his gaze.
The child's big eyes were full of tears, and the two black pupils were soaked in them.
Uncle Gao knew that every child who just woke up would go to their parents or grandparents and cry a lot. He usually coaxes people if he can, and if he can't coax him well, he can be obedient even if he scares and intimidates him.
What's more, if you have already left the city and come to the edge of the village, you don't have so much fear, and you can use any means.
But this kid is so good-looking and clever, he doesn't want to scare people into foolishness. You will see a buyer soon, and the more clever you are, the more likely you will be able to raise the price.
With tears in her eyes, Lu Rong begged softly, "I want to find brother Tu."
Uncle Gao looked at him expressionlessly, without making a sound.
"Uncle Gao, I want to find Brother Tu."
Uncle Gao said, "He has already thrown you away."
"You're lying, Brother Tu won't abandon me." Lu Rong shuddered and sat up straight from his arms.
"I know you have been guarding that car all the time, and he doesn't even want the car, for fear of bumping into you when he comes back." Uncle Gao said again.
Lu Rong's face turned red, he felt that this was not the case, but he couldn't say it out, he could only repeat mechanically: "You lied, you lied."
"I heard from the person in the bun shop that he threw you into the trash can."
"That's what he asked me to hide in." Lu Rong raised his voice and shouted.
He didn't want to hear the man talk anymore, struggling to get off the ground.
Uncle Gao hugged him tightly, imprisoned his hands and feet, and said with a sneer, "As long as it is put into the trash can, it is unwanted trash. He just wants to throw you away."
Uncle Gao pointed out the fear that Lu Rong had been hiding deep in his heart, and he was taken aback. The blood color faded from a face, and tears flowed down, hanging on the small chin.
"So, no one wants you—"
"You lied, you lied, I'm going to find Brother Tu." Lu Rong shouted sharply, interrupting Uncle Gao's words.
He clasped his hands in front of his chest, his small body trembling with excitement.
"I'm not with you, I'm going to find Brother Tu."
He slid down to the ground, but Uncle Gao hugged him and began to struggle desperately. The down jacket and fleece underwear were pulled up, revealing a soft waist.
Uncle Gao almost couldn't hold him down. He didn't understand where a four-year-old child could get so much strength, so he cursed inwardly.
He was like a desperate little lion, waving his immature paws, but he didn't have the slightest attack power. It is also like a small fish thrown on the beach, with a white belly and a stiff body, breathing with its mouth open as if lacking oxygen.
"You lie, you lie, Brother Tu won't... won't want me."
He was howling with a hoarse voice, and in the agitated struggle, his hat fell to the ground, revealing his soft black hair, which was wet with sweat and stuck to his forehead.
Uncle Gao grabbed both of his hands and pressed him tightly against his lap. Hearing the ear-piercing crying, he yelled in a disturbed voice, "If you're fucking disobedient, I'll leave you here."
Unexpectedly, these words irritated Lu Rong, he only paused for a moment, and started to move more fiercely.
Uncle Gao gritted his teeth and leaned over to look at him, thinking whether to knock him unconscious, but he was afraid that he would not see the buyer if he was injured, after all, he would enter the village in less than half an hour.
When he was hesitating, he suddenly saw two round silver bumps on the top of the child's head, the size of coins, looming in the black hair.
When he took a closer look, the silver was gone again, making him wonder if he was delusional.
When he was distracted, his hands loosened, but Lu Rong broke free and fell off the ground. He jumped up from the ground with extraordinary agility, and ran down the road.
Uncle Gao hurriedly chased after him, caught up with him in a few steps, and hugged him under his armpit.
He reached out to brush Lu Rong's hair, and said, "Don't move, I'll take a look and tell you not to move."
If the child had some intractable sore on his head, he would sell it for a lot less. After all, according to Baozipu and Lu Rong's own words, he was indeed thrown into the trash can by that brother, maybe he really threw a sick child.
Uncle Gao fiddled with it for a while, and saw that there were no sores in his hair, he was relieved, and went back to the roadside and sat down again.
After a while, Lu Rong finally stopped struggling exhaustedly, and occasionally kicked his hands and feet limply. He was lying on Uncle Gao's lap, with his head hanging by his thigh, looking at the trees hanging upside down in the distance.
Cold tears flowed from the corners of the eyes to the forehead, and then into the hair.
Uncle Gao was sweated all over by him, and he was also out of breath.
He held back the anger in his heart and coaxed him nicely: "Uncle Gao saw that you were pitiful, so he found you a new home. Your brother didn't want you, so Uncle Gao found you new parents and sewed new ones for you. Clothes, make delicious food every day, Uncle Gao is sending you to Fuwowo."
Lu Rong felt his eyes were swollen and painful. He closed them and opened them again, and continued to look at the trees, whispering in a breathy voice: "You lied..."