"The sky and the earth are dark and yellow, the universe is prehistoric. The sun and the moon are full, and the constellation is lined up. The cold comes and the summer goes, the autumn harvests and the winter.
During the morning class shaking his head, Duan Ling recognized most of the "Thousand Characters" issued by Mingtang in the first half month.
The teacher picked out one of the sentences with a ruler, and Duan Ling recited it aloud, changing the sentence, reading it again, and changing it again.
"What word is that?" asked Mr.
"Jun." Duan Ling sat up straight and replied.
"What about this?" asked Mr.
Unable to answer, Duan Ling held back a note of the ruler in the palm of his hand, not daring to cry out, his palm was aching hot.
"Bi." The gentleman walked through the school children with his hands behind his back, and said casually, "The bi of the He family, the bi of the Yubi Pass, there are bandit gentlemen, such as the jade and the bi, the next one."
Duan Ling couldn't help rubbing his hands, and pressed his left hand against the cold porcelain wall of the pen wash. The teacher asked questions one by one, and also rewarded the ruler. The sky was dark and dark, and the bell rang outside.
The schoolchildren roared, got up and ran away. Today is the first day of the first day of the new year, and the day of returning home from leave, the traffic and horses outside the famous hall were neighing, crowded, and many children probed their brains as if they were waiting for the festival. Duan Ling had been waiting before, waiting for Lang Junxia to pick him up. The first few days were a torment, but when he was about to leave, his excitement calmed down.
The concierge called the names one by one, and the children who were called were picked up. Many children climbed on the fence to look out, and were beaten one by one by the master holding a ruler and threatened to drive them down.
Duan Ling stood on the steps and tiptoed to look out. Lang Junxia had always stood out from the crowd and could see it at a glance, but he didn't come.
It should have been blocked by the traffic in the alley, Lang Junxia was riding a horse and couldn't get in for a while.
"Yuan Mansion - Young Master Yuan."
"Lin-"
The concierge shouted, and the children went out one after another, sending out their badges. There were fewer and fewer children in the front yard, and Duan Ling thought again that Lang Junxia might have been stumped by something.
"Cai family - Master Cai."
Cai Yan came out and nodded to the children. Duan Ling was still looking around. When he caught a glimpse of Cai Yan, Cai Yan waved to him and asked, "Where's your father?"
"I'll be here in a while." Duan Ling didn't explain to Cai Yan that it wasn't his father who came to pick him up. Cai Yan walked out of the gate. A young man riding a tall horse made Cai Yan sit in front of him and picked him up. Duan Ling looked at the young man on the horse with admiration. The man casually glanced at Duan Ling, turned and rode away.
Two quarters of an hour later, there were more than ten people in the courtyard, and there were few cars and horses in the alley outside the famous hall. Duan Ling and the boy who rang the bell stayed where they were until the concierge finished calling the last name. Duan Ling was tired from standing and simply sat down on the steps. The boy changed his foot and leaned in front of the courtyard door and looked out.
After the master and the gentlemen finished changing their clothes, they passed by in front of Duan Ling.
The concierge closed the door, and the last rays of the setting sun turned dark purple, casting the shadow of the green pines on the wall.
The concierge said, "Leave the waist card, and someone will come later, so I will naturally put it in to find you."
The young man went over first, paid the wooden waist card, but did not leave, standing on the side watching intentionally or unintentionally. Duan Ling noticed that "Buerchijin · Batu" was engraved on the waist card.
"Then what should we do?" Duan Ling asked anxiously, looking up at the boy named Batu, who had already left.
The concierge replied: "Go to the dining hall to get the night meal. After that, continue to wait. What should I do? If no one comes to pick me up, I will bring my bedding and sleep on the second floor of the library at night."
Duan Ling waited for nearly half a month, full of hope and disappointment. However, he still believed that Lang Junxia would definitely come. After all, he never broke his appointment, and he always did what he said. Maybe he was stumped by something and couldn't get away for a while.
Duan Ling returned to the room, sorted out the things, and listened to the bell ringing in the front yard. Suddenly, his heart moved, he ran over to look, and caught a glimpse of the back of Batu leaving in the distance.
Duan Ling suddenly understood that Batu meant to ask him to go to dinner.
The young man's spirit had long since been forgotten, and hatred came and went quickly. Duan Ling no longer had any hostility towards him, instead he felt a little pity for each other.
In the past two days, there were still five or six people left behind in Mingtang. The kitchen made a big pot of stewed vegetables, and even the concierge, several people lined up to pick up the food. There were two oil lamps in the dining hall, only one A table was opened, and Duan Ling came over with a bowl and prepared dishes. Seeing that there was nowhere to sit, Batu moved to the side.
When Duan Ling was hesitating, Batu finally opened his mouth and said impatiently: "I won't beat you, just sit down, afraid of that?"
Duan Ling thought to himself who was afraid of you, and he was still a little embarrassed in face, but he couldn't stand to eat with a bowl, so he had to sit down beside Batu.
What should I do if Junichi Lang Junxia really doesn't come? Duan Ling felt up and down in his heart, and then comforted himself again, Lang Junxia would definitely come, presumably it was the Qionghua Court who left him to eat and drink, so he couldn't leave.
Maybe drunk, he will come to find himself when he sobers up.
After dinner, Duan Ling went back to his room and waited for a while. He saved the charcoal and turned off the fire during the holiday. The room was as cold as an ice cave. Duan Ling couldn't sit still. There is a fire to keep warm, so I rolled up the quilt, picked it up with difficulty, and walked across the backyard to the library.
The servants have already arrived, and they have spread out the floor to sleep on the first floor. There is a charcoal stove outside the corner, which never goes out all year round. It is connected to the kitchen by a chimney pipe. In order to avoid the moisture and cold freezing, the ancient scroll bamboo slips will be broken and the ink blocks will be broken.
As soon as Duan Ling entered, the handyman said to him, "Young master is a scholar, please go to the second floor."
Although the second floor is dark, it is also very warm. The snow outside the window is as bright as day, and the fine shadows of snowflakes are reflected on the transparent white window paper, forming a fluffy light. Tall bookshelves stand in rows, and under the vertical and horizontal reflection, a light is lit in the center of the large wooden case.
The shelves around are full of books, files and wooden slips. In the past, the Liao Emperor went south and swept away the capital of the Han people. He loved the literature and books, transported them all away, and stored them in Shangjing, Zhongjing and Xijing.
Before the Battle of Huai Shui, these books were stored in the Taixue Pavilion of the Emperor of the Chen Kingdom, which was difficult for ordinary people to see, but now they are covered in the dust of history, standing quietly in the dim yellow light of the lamp, with no clue on the scroll. How many holy souls of sages from ancient times to the present are covered.
Under the lamp, Batu spread out the quilt and put a pillow. Duan Ling hesitated, wondering if he should go, but Batu didn't even look at him, and went straight to the bookshelf to flip through the books. It's really an enemy, the road is narrow... Duan Ling thought to himself, although he didn't see Batu as an enemy, he was always a little uncomfortable. It must be the same for Badu. Both children felt that there was no need to face each other coldly, but no one was willing to speak up first.
So Duan Ling spread the mattress on the other side of the long table, and between the two was the lamp, the Chu River and the Han world, which did not involve each other. He also found a book to pass the time waiting for Lang Junxia to pick him up.
Duan Ling was literate at the beginning and had a hard time reading, so he had to read books with a lot of paintings. He accidentally turned over the book "The Classic of Plants and Trees", which recorded a lot of drugs and insects, and the pictures were strange. He laughed, and when he looked up, he saw the other side of the case, and Batu glared at himself.
Batu seemed less interested in reading than Duan Ling. He moved this one, flipped that one, several books were piled up in front of him, turned a few pages of each book, and then threw them aside, changed his sitting position, scratched his neck, and took it off after a while. Shirt, wrapping the outer robe around the waist, wearing a shirtless shirt, feeling cold after a while, and wrapping half of the body with the quilt, looking like a ruffian who is hanging around.
Duan Ling was too distracted to read any further, yawned and lay on the table in a daze. From the wind and snow, there was the sound of clappers in the alley in the distance. It was the second watch, and Lang Junxia hadn't come yet.
—Maybe there won’t be any more tonight.
Duan Ling's thoughts surged for a while, and he thought about it again and again. It has been more than a month since Lang Junxia took him out of the Duan family. During this time in the school, Duan Ling thought every day that he gradually learned a lot of things, but he still didn't know why Lang Junxia brought him out.
My name is Duan Ling, and my father is Duan Sheng... Duan Ling repeated these words over and over in his heart. Did Lang Junxia send him to Beijing because of the entrustment of his father "Duan Sheng"? If so, why didn't my father come to see me? When Lang Junxia left, he said "there is still something to do", what is it? Maybe in his eyes, he is not important, just a cat and dog. After settling down, he will be done, and then send a letter to his father. Whether it is life or death, Lang Junxia will do his best.
Duan Ling was lying on the bunk, tossing and turning, and suddenly had an almost hopeless thought that Lang Junxia might never come again.
What reason does Lang Junxia have to come to pick him up? It's not a relationship, just a word
Duan Ling stretched out his hand into his arms and rubbed the jade Huang in the embroidery bag with his fingers. An inexplicable bitterness surged in his heart, like a dim light, lingering and dragging him into a deeper despair. Maybe Lang Junxia was just lying to him, just like when his mother died, the cook told him that his father might come. So Duan Ling looked forward to it for a long time, but his father did not come.
Lang Junxia may be the same, those words are just to coax children, he should not come again.
Duan Ling thought about it and buried his face on the quilt, trying to make himself feel better.
Batu heard the voice, looked at Duan Ling doubtfully through the gap under the short table, and saw that Duan Ling was twitching in the quilt, so he got up and turned over the table vigorously, and slid to the other side of the wooden table.
"Hello." Batu said in his ear, "Are you crying? What are you crying for?"
Duan Ling ignored him. Batu knelt on one knee on the case, pressed the edge of the case with one hand, and lowered his head with difficulty, trying to lift Duan Ling's quilt, but Duan Ling held on to the quilt tightly.
Batu stretched out his bare foot from the case, kicked Duan Ling's quilt, then turned over and lifted the quilt, revealing Duan Ling's face, Duan Ling did not cry, but frowned tightly.
Batu sat down cross-legged, looked at Duan Ling, Duan Ling stared at Batu, there seemed to be a different kind of tacit understanding in each other's eyes, and finally Duan Ling turned his head away.
"Don't cry." Batu said, "Hold it for me, hold back."
Batu said impatient words, but he didn't dislike it at all, just like he came here.
He stretched out his hand, placed it on Duan Ling's head, and slowly touched it down his head, then patted his arm.
Suddenly, Duan Ling felt much better.
On that day, Batu was ten years old and Duan Ling was eight and a half years old. The lights flickered in the library, like a bean, but through the heavy snow, Duan Ling's new memory was lit up. The snow seemed to cover his dark past, and at this moment, his troubles had truly changed.
Between Batu and Duanling, the clear line of lights seemed to separate the two worlds. Duan Ling found strangely that the memory of the past seemed to have become blurred. He was no longer obsessed with the beatings and abuses of the Duan family, and he was no longer unforgettable about hunger.
"Your name is Duan Ling, and your father is Duan Sheng."
With Lang Junxia's stroke, the stains and mottles on the white paper of Duan Ling's life subsided one after another, or perhaps it was covered up by a thicker ink color, and his troubles were different.
"He doesn't want you anymore," Batu said lazily.
Duan Ling and Batu leaned against the desk side by side, hugging the quilt, sitting on the ground, facing the painting hanging directly opposite the bookstore.
"He promised me to come." Duan Ling said stubbornly.
"My mother said that in this world, no one belongs to you." Batu looked at the golden and blue landscape of Cangzhou rivers and mountains, and said leisurely, "Wives and children, parents and brothers, falcons flying in the sky, horses running on the ground, A reward from the Khan..."
"...Nothing is promised to you, only you are yourself." Batu lowered his head and twisted his fingers, said nonchalantly.
Duan Ling looked sideways at Batu. Batu had a natural smell of sheep taint, mixed with the fur robe he hadn't washed for a long time, and his hair was greasy.
"Is he your father?" Batu asked.
Duan Ling shook his head.
Batu asked again, "A retainer?"
Duan Ling shook his head, Batu looked bewildered, and asked again, "Could it be that it's really your son-in-law? Where's your father? Where's your mother?"
Duan Ling still shook his head, and Batu stopped asking questions.
After a long time:
"I don't have a father." Duan Ling said to Batu, "I am a survivor."
He actually knew in his heart that when Lang Junxia said "Your father's name is Duan Sheng", maybe it was just an excuse made up. Otherwise, why did he never mention this "Duan Sheng"
"What about you?" Duan Ling asked.
Batu nodded and said, "My father has long since abandoned me. He said he would pick me up once a month, but he hasn't seen me for three months now."
"Those are all lies." Duan Lingchao Batu said, "If you don't believe them, you won't be deceived."
Batu said with no interest: "Well, but I still believe it occasionally."
"Are you often deceived?" Duan Ling said.
"It's okay." Batu turned sideways, fell asleep on the ground, looked into Duan Ling's eyes, and said, "It used to be more, but now it's less. Since you know it, why do you still believe him?"
Duan Ling was silent. He once thought that Lang Junxia would not lie to himself, after all, he was different from others.
As the night got darker, there was only the sound of snowflakes falling in the world. Duan Ling and Batu were lying on their stomachs, and the quilt had the smell of a young Batu. They didn't even know when they fell asleep, and Duan Ling didn't hold out much hope, knowing that Lang Junxia would not come tomorrow, let alone the day after tomorrow. Just like when he was still in the Duan family, adults often used his non-existent father to deceive him.
"Successor, your father is here to pick you up!"
That sentence has been said countless times. At first, Duan Ling would be fooled every time. Later, he learned and no longer believed them. But the grown-ups have also learned, and changed tricks to deceive him. Sometimes they told him that there were guests coming, and the lady asked him to see the guests. So Duan Ling ran away full of hope, standing dirty in the hall, and naturally ended up being beaten.
Sometimes they pretended to whisper in front of Duan Ling, inadvertently revealing a little bit of information to him. In the end, he laughed in satisfaction at his reaction, and then dispersed in front of him. Everyone liked to admire his cry.
In the future, he will be thrown here, but the school is much better than the Duan family. At least in this regard, Duan Ling is relatively satisfied. said. Although the monk finally died in Shang Azusa...
Duan Ling's dream was boundless, with a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere, and just when he dreamed that the river in Shangzi was green in the spring and summer and reflected the twinkling gold, Batu shook him awake.
"Hello," Batu said, "someone has come to pick you up."
Duan Ling's eyes were drowsy, and his face was sleepy. He put his other hand on him, but Tudu vigilantly blocked it.
"Is it him?" Batu asked.
Lang Junxia whispered, "Duan Ling, I'm here to pick you up."
Duan Ling was shocked, opened his eyes, looked at Lang Junxia in disbelief, and then at Batu.
Batu held the lamp and looked suspiciously at Lang Junxia's face. Lang Junxia was a little uncomfortable. Batu was afraid that Duan Ling would be abducted by an unrelated person, so he still asked, "Is it him?"
Duan Ling replied, "It's him." Then he stretched out his hands and put his arms around Lang Junxia's neck, letting him hug him.
"Thanks for your care." Lang Junxia said to Batu.
Batu looked impatient and put down the lamp. Duan Ling was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes. He wanted to say a few words to Batu, but Batu got under the short case, got back into his bed, and lifted the quilt. , covered his face.
Shangjing fell asleep in the snow, and the coldest time of the year came. Lang Junxia wrapped Duan Ling in a blanket and rode his horse. Duan Ling was blown by the cold wind and gradually became more awake. , and asked, "Where are we going?"
"New home." Lang Junxia replied casually, as if he was worried.
New home! Duan Ling was completely awake immediately, thinking that it was no wonder he was late, it turned out to be a new home.
He looked up at Lang Junxia and felt that his face was pale, maybe he was tired.
"Are you sleepy?" Duan Ling felt Lang Junxia leaning on his body, so he reached out and touched his head.
"No." Lang Junxia seemed to be drowsy, and after being woken up by Duan Ling, he beat himself up.
"Have you eaten?" Duan Ling asked.
"Yeah." Lang Junxia replied, and stretched out a hand and hugged Duan Ling, his hand was cold, completely different from usual.
"Where is the new home?"
Lang Junxia didn't say anything, but he got off the horse and took a turn, turned into a remote alley, passed through the closed market, and entered a courtyard in the darkness. He rushed into the house cheering.
The door of the new house was not locked, and the house was full of dilapidated scenes. As soon as we entered the courtyard, there were six rooms and a corridor. The lanterns that should have been hung outside the gate were not lit and were abandoned in the gatehouse. Duan Ling asked, "We will live in the house in the future. Is it here?"
"Yes." Lang Junxia replied simply, Duan Ling faced the atrium and laughed, and the sound of Lang Junxia closing the door and the door bolt sounded from behind.
Immediately after the sound of "crashing", Lang Junxia fell down, overwhelmed the unfinished flower stand in the courtyard, and fell into the snow.
Duan Ling turned around in surprise and saw Lang Junxia lying motionless.