Mountains and Seas

Chapter 2: Life is so fragile

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Pain. Those who feel that kind of pain are those who have given their all.

The kind of heart-breaking, cramp-like pain, the kind of soul-sucking, mental-collapse pain, makes it hard to breathe even if you curl up into a ball.

Those who have never been deeply in love, or have never been abandoned like trash, cannot understand that kind of heart-wrenching and bone-deep pain.

Since the day of our breakup, the sky is no longer colorful. The world is gray and everything around us is tinged with a light gray.

I can't see any hope, no bleak future, and no end to my life. It's like being alone in an endless desert. No matter how long I travel, I can't see any people or find any water. All I see is endless despair and endless silence.

The crowds are like the sea, but you can't feel the hustle and bustle; the city is prosperous, but you can't feel the cold or the warmth.

Although I am reluctant to admit that I am trash, I seem to be abandoned by the whole world.

Even if I wander under the scorching sun or in a sea of people, I still feel the coldness.

Zhu Li walked on the street in a daze and lost manner, heading towards her rental house.

"Hey, young man, watch out when you walk. You're stepping on my book." Suddenly a scream loud enough to tear the eardrums rang out. An elderly peddler rushed towards him and roughly pushed Zhu Li away. He was caught off guard and staggered, almost falling to the ground.

Zhu Li steadied himself and looked at the vendor innocently.

The elderly vendor picked up the book that Zhu Li accidentally stepped on, and kept brushing off the dust on it, while glaring at Zhu Li with murderous eyes.

Zhu Li saw clearly that there was a faint shoe print on the book, which could be cleaned by patting it. She didn't know why the old man was so angry.

"Didn't you open your eyes? Who will pay for the books if they are stepped on?" Ignoring Zhu Li's stunned and innocent expression, the old man continued to yell at Zhu Li aggressively.

The other vendors around and passers-by all seemed to have indifference on their faces, except for the curiosity of watching the fun.

He had no intention of arguing with the old man. After all, working hard to make a living was not easy for anyone.

Zhu Li, feeling depressed, said in a hoarse voice, "How much is this book? I'll buy it. Is that ok?"

"Buy? ... Uh, are you really going to buy it?" The old man's brain was suddenly a little confused. He glanced at Zhu Li's eyes that were so bright that they contained almost no impurities. He still wanted to confirm whether he had heard it wrong.

"The price is reasonable, so I bought it." Zhu Li added to prevent vendors from raising prices.

"This Classic of Mountains and Seas is a hardcover edition. If you go to a bookstore to buy it, it will cost you at least several hundred yuan. Although mine is an old book, not a single page is missing. I'll give you a discount. I'll sell it to you for thirty yuan. How about that?" The old man's expression changed and he immediately got into character.

In fact, everyone knows what old books are like. They are purchased at the price of waste paper, that is, they are purchased by weight. The purchase price is at most two yuan.

"Fifteen." Zhu Li bargained as usual.

"Fifteen? How is that possible? This is a hardcover." The vendor exclaimed slightly exaggeratedly, his cloudy old eyes rolling, "Young man, I won't waste my words on you. If you really want it, take it for twenty-five."

"Fifteen, if you are willing to sell it, I will buy it." Zhu Li still insisted.

Bargaining is a common thing in business, especially for street vendors like this, who often encounter people who bargain. He thought that since he had made some concessions, the other party should also make some concessions. However, the reality was beyond his expectations. Zhu Li insisted on giving a fixed price and refused to budge.

"Hey, young man, I've already given in a little at my age, can't you add a little more?" The old man started to act tricky and pretended to be pitiful.

"Uncle, if I hadn't stepped on this book, do you think I would buy it? Just say you want to sell it, or not?" Zhu Li's expression was indifferent. As long as the other party said "no", he would promise to turn around and leave. He had no intention of buying the used book, but just wanted to make up for his mistake and didn't want the old man to continue to pester him, so he decided to buy it.

"It's a loss, it's a loss. There's no business today. I just want to make you familiar. I hope you'll come again next time." The old man handed over the antique Shan Hai Jing, pretending to be helpless while muttering to himself.

Zhu Li paid the money, took the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and was about to leave when suddenly the street became chaotic and the flow of people heading towards the rental house became chaotic like a pot of boiling water.

"Is he crazy? Run away, this psychopath."

"What's going on?" An old man passing by asked confusedly to several acquaintances who were fleeing in panic.

"Run, my Uncle Deng, that Xiao Zhang who drives the forklift has gone crazy, and now he is driving the forklift recklessly everywhere, killing several people. Oh, what a world this is, such a good young man can go crazy in an instant." A kind-hearted lady, seeing Uncle Deng's trembling appearance, hurried forward to support him, sighing.

... ...

With sirens blaring, police cars rushed here at lightning speed.

The crowd that was bustling and lively just now suddenly became chaotic and panic-stricken, and faint sounds of crying and wailing could be heard among them.

The vendors on the street did not believe the news at first, but as more and more people ran away and cried, they began to panic. They hurriedly packed up their things, got on their tricycles, and fled like a swarm of bees.

The old man who sold books was also hurriedly packing up his pile of old books. Maybe because of his old age, he was not very neat in packing. He was not as energetic as the one who just yelled at others. He was in a hurry and had just put the books on the cart. Before he turned around, the books fell to the ground with a "crash".

The roar of the forklift could be clearly heard, and through the front window glass, one could see a young man about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He had a haggard face and a ferocious expression. He stared blankly at the fleeing crowd, with a vengeful sneer at the corner of his mouth, looking exactly like a demon possessed by the devil.

"Forklift driver, stop immediately, or we will take extreme measures." Three or four police cars arrived, and seven or eight policemen drew their pistols and aimed at Xiao Zhang on the forklift. A policeman holding a loudspeaker warned the forklift driver Xiao Zhang while directing the flow of people.

But the young man named Xiao Zhang seemed to have completely fallen. He ignored the police's warnings and continued to drive the forklift at the maximum speed, ramming it into the crowd frantically.

As luck would have it, the forklift crashed towards where Zhu Li was standing. Zhu Li was about to dodge, but out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw the old man, the elderly peddler who sold him the book.

"Ah, no." The old man looked horrified.

Screaming suddenly.

This stubborn old man is almost dead, but he still desperately protects those old books.

The forklift roared, unstoppable, and rushed towards the old man selling books with unstoppable force. Zhu Li was just an ordinary person, and avoiding danger was an ordinary person's subconscious reaction, but somehow, the old man reminded him of his deceased grandfather, the old man with wrinkles all over his face, who always haggled with others when doing small business.

However, such an old man was extremely generous to him. After running a small business for a day, he was reluctant to eat a bowl of dumplings, rice noodles, etc. on the street, but spent all the money he saved on him.

If my grandfather were still alive, he would probably be older than this old man. A warm current silently surged in my heart.

Ever since her breakup, Zhu Li has become cold and indifferent, as if she had been abandoned by the whole world. She can’t feel any warmth or beauty.

Thinking of his deceased grandfather, the warmth that surged in his heart was the only warmth he had felt during this period of time.

No one knew where he got the courage from, or if he was possessed by some mysterious force, but Zhu Li stuffed the Classic of Mountains and Seas into his waist and suddenly rushed towards the old bookseller at a speed that ordinary people could hardly match.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Xiao Zhang's extreme non-cooperation finally made the intercepting policeman lose his patience. Gunshots suddenly rang out and shot towards Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang, who was sitting in the driver's seat, had a grim smile frozen on his face, with blood splattered on his chest and forehead. The cold and bloody scene was horrifying.

Just as the forklift, which had just lost control, was about to hit the old man selling books, the old man suddenly felt a strong force pushing at his waist. His body fell to the side uncontrollably, just avoiding the direction of the forklift's impact.

That's right, the person who pushed the old man away was Zhu Li. The old man reminded him of his grandfather. Family love was the only warmth that gave him at this moment. He didn't want to see the old man die, so he subconsciously chose to do this.

Although the old man escaped the fate of being knocked away, what about Zhu Li

"Bang"

It was not the sound of a gunshot, but the sound of Zhu Li's head hitting the front window of the forklift. Zhu Li felt like he was flying up, and a huge force surged up, making him unable to control himself.

Good people don't live long. Maybe it's not appropriate to use this phrase here, but it's just like that. Zhu Li's body fell from the air to the fences on both sides of the street.

This is a residential street, and the fences are made of steel bars. The tops of the fences are cast into sharp arrowheads like javelins. If you fall on them, the consequences can be imagined.

There was no miracle. As the old bookseller watched in astonishment and horror, Zhu Li's body happened to hit the tip of the gun on the fence, "Puchi, Puchi..."

Except for the head, Zhu Li's body was completely pierced by the fence. Blood splattered and there were countless screams. The scene was extremely tragic.

He twisted his head in confusion. He couldn't believe it. How could it be such a coincidence? How could his luck be so bad? Isn't it said that good people will be rewarded? He just sacrificed himself for others and repaid evil with kindness, but in the blink of an eye, he ended up like this.

The scene became even more chaotic, even the armed policemen were stunned. The end of this young man who bravely stood up for justice was too heroic.