Holding the bowl, He Huai'an felt the temperature of the chicken soup, and passed it along the thin bowl wall to his palm. His eyes gradually wandered, and he scooped up the first spoonful of chicken soup and slowly sent it to his mouth ... As long as you drink it, you will feel warm, He Huaian thought so.
However, the moment the thin spoon touched his lips, an icy chill ran up his ankles. It seems to have penetrated into the soul along his spine, and on his soul, there was a heavy knock. He Huai'an shivered violently, and woke up from the illusory warmth. He stared blankly at the smiling village chief, then glanced at the chicken soup in his hand, and suddenly realized that he was about to make a irreversible thing.
"You... don't you drink?" He Huai'an stopped and asked the question just now, but this time, there was no more desire in his tone.
The village chief's smile faded, and he looked at He Huaian coldly without speaking.
He Huai'an felt a sense of unease. He stood up from his position and wanted to take a step back, but he felt something grabbed his ankle. He looked down and found that Mu Xinsi's hand was actually empty. Holding it on his feet, the cold touch brought by the skin was the heavy hammer that suddenly woke him up just now.
Isn't Mou Xinsi dead? Why is he still moving? He Huaian had a white sweat on his back. He glanced at Mu Xinsi, who was still silent, and then at the expressionless village chief. His body suddenly trembled. At this moment, He suddenly understood what the strangeness he felt when he put Mu Xinsi into the coffin just now.
Mou Xinsi's body is too soft. Under normal circumstances, a dead person will gradually stiffen 9-12 hours after death. This is commonly known as corpse stiffness. After a period of time, it will be completely softened. Then it rotted and deteriorated, but Mu Xinsi beside him did not. From the moment she was declared dead, her body was soft and never stiffened for a moment.
A strange thought exploded like fireworks in He Huaian's mind. He squatted down, put his hand on Mu Xinsi's pulse again, and immediately froze in place.
Although it was weak, his fingers did feel the pulsing beating, and there was some indistinct temperature on her skin, all of which showed that Mu Xinsi was not dead.
"It's a pity." The village chief standing next to him said.
He Huaian raised his head and looked at him. He said, "Do you know that Mu Xinsi is not dead??? Did you deliberately want me to put her in the coffin??" All the clues were connected, and he remembered that he stopped at the The coffins in the yard and on the lids of the coffins were scratched, "You made those people? You know they didn't die, but you locked them in??"
The village chief said indifferently: "I didn't know it at first." He looked at He Huaian, slowly drew out a sharp sickle from behind him, and fiddled with the blade with his fingers, "After several times, I Just found out about it."
He Huaian took a step back in fear.
The village chief said calmly: "But it's too late. It's been in the graveyard for a few days, and no one can survive."
He Huaian said in a trembling voice, "You... what are you doing?"
"Didn't you find it?" said the village chief, "Why are so many people dying around me, but I'm fine?"
He Huaian said: "You..."
The village chief grinned, revealing a row of teeth that had turned yellow from smoking. His face was wrinkled, his smile ferocious and frantic, "Because I've been killing people, that's why the mountain god keeps me—" He held the sickle , fiercely rushed towards He Huai'an.
He Huai'an was shocked and dodged sharply to the side. The village chief fell with a knife, directly slashing a huge gap in the chair beside him. He Huaian saw that he really wanted to do something, and his reaction was very fast. He was indeed afraid of those unknown things, but he was not false at all if he wanted to fight with people—
He Huaian scolded a swear word, picked up the chicken soup on the table with his backhand, and splashed it on the village chief's face. This chicken soup has just been simmered, with a thick layer of oil floating on it. Although there is no smoke, it is extremely hot. "Ah!!!" The distance between the two was very close, the village chief was splashed with hot chicken soup, let out a shrill scream, closed his eyes and waved the sickle in his hand. He Huaian seized the opportunity, grabbed the chair under him and smashed it at him, but after two or three strokes, he smashed the sickle from the village chief's hand.
As soon as the knife fell, He Huai'an had no scruples at all, jumped in front of the village chief, waved his chair and hit the head of the village chief with a slap in the face.
The village chief was smashed and stunned, his head was broken, and he fell to the ground screaming, blood dripping all over the floor.
He Huai'an took advantage of the victory to pursue and attacked him a few times, but he was afraid of smashing people to death. When he stopped, the whole person was panting and sweating, and the village chief who was going to attack him just now lost consciousness under him.
He Huaian spat on the ground, turned around and went out, and when he came back, he had a rope in his hand. In order to prevent accidents, he used this to tie up the village chief firmly, but when he finished these things, the rain that had been falling outside suddenly stopped.
But in an instant, the whole world turned into a bright and pleasant color, and the sun showed half of his face from behind the clouds, which instantly refreshed the damp mood a lot.
He Huai'an sat on the chair and gasped for a while, looking at the comatose village chief next to him and the sunny weather outside, he was a little murmured, thinking that this village chief is a big boss with some hidden secrets, or why? As soon as he knocked unconscious, it was sunny outside.
He Huaian rested for a while, recovered, and quickly went to check on Mu Xinsi, who had been lying on the ground, and found that her body had recovered the temperature, not only breathing, but also a heartbeat. It was not like she was dead, but fell into a deep sleep .
what happened? He Huai'an really couldn't understand, so he simply sat on the spot and smoked a cigarette, intending to wait for Song Qingluo and the others to come back and have a good discussion.
Song Qingluo and Lin Banxia finally came down from the mountain.
At this time, the two of them were covered in mud and water, and they looked very embarrassed. Song Qingluo's condition was extremely poor, her face was too pale, and there was no trace of blood. He was hit hard by the fish before, and he didn't know if he was injured. Lin Banxia was a little worried about him. He originally wanted to carry him, but he refused.
"That thing hasn't been completely sealed, you'd better stay away from me." Song Qingluo said.
Lin Banxia said, "Won't that thing affect you?"
Song Qingluo said, "There must be some influence."
Lin Banxia said, "Then you..."
"It's fine for now." Song Qingluo said softly, "Don't worry."
The two arrived at the foot of the mountain and were about to go to the village chief's house. On their way, they had to pass by the stream, and when they were walking back, they happened to meet Jiang Ruonan who gave them information yesterday. She came out to fetch water again, still in the same clothes and the two water jugs, humming a little song in her mouth, and was seriously filling the water jugs with water.
She heard the footsteps of the approaching person, raised her head, and saw Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo who were all covered in mud.
"Yeah, what's the matter with you?" Jiang Ruonan was surprised, "Why is your body covered in mud?" After she said this, she immediately remembered something, and the bright smile faded a little for some reason, "You guys came down from the mountain. ?"
Lin Banxia said, "Well, I just got down."
"You actually went up the mountain?" Jiang Ruonan tilted his head with a naive expression, "I'm still alive."
This is a bit strange, Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo looked at each other.
"Didn't you fetch water yesterday?" Lin Banxia asked curiously, "You alone can use so much water?"
"Of course it works." Jiang Ruonan laughed again, her delicate face had an expression that Lin Banxia couldn't understand, she said, "There are several people in my family who have to use water, the neighbors My aunt also wants water, and I have to fill their tanks too."
Song Qingluo and Lin Banxia both tasted something else from this bright smile. They didn't speak at the same time. They watched her hum a song, filled the water jar, and picked it up. planning to go.
It wasn't until she was about to walk away that Song Qingluo spoke again. He asked the question in a low voice, but Jiang Ruonan could definitely hear him. He said, "How many people are left in your family?"
Jiang Ruonan's voice was a bit distant, but Lin Banxia still heard her answer clearly. She said something inexplicable. She said, "Don't you think my name is ugly? I actually think so too."
Lin Banxia watched Jiang Ruonan go far away. He remembered the first time he saw Jiang Ruonan. This seemingly soft little girl picked up the head that fell on the ground in front of him and put it back calmly. into the coffin. At that time, he just felt that this little girl was very courageous, but now it seems that she has other secrets.
Song Qingluo said and left, and the two continued to walk back slowly.
The weather is clear, the damp smell of rain is much lighter, and the fragrance of soil and grass is more, which makes people less annoying.
But there was still no one in the village, and the whole place was quiet. Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo returned to the village chief's house along the path. As soon as they entered the yard, they saw He Huaian sitting in the main room.
He Huaian was smoking a cigarette, and his expression was better than before. After seeing Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo, he excitedly waved to the two of them: "You are finally back!!"
After Lin Banxia entered the house, he saw the village chief who was tied tightly on the ground and bloodstains all over the ground. He was stunned and said, "What happened? Didn't you take Mu Xinsi's body with you?"
"Can't go." He Huaian said, "The car was smashed—" He took a heavy puff of cigarette, "I guess he did it." He kicked the village chief.
"He smashed it? What's going on?" Lin Banxia asked curiously.
He Huai'an told the two of them what happened before, including the village chief who wanted to confuse him to drink poisonous chicken soup, including Mu Xinsi's life, including the fact that after he found out, the village chief wanted to attack him with a sickle—
Lin Banxia was stunned for a moment, thinking that what everyone encountered was so exciting.
After He Huai'an finished speaking, seeing that Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo were not in good condition, he remembered to ask them what happened to them.
"It's nothing." Lin Banxia said, "It's just a fight with a fish."
He Huaian: "... Huh?"
Lin Banxia: "I mean it literally."
He Huaian: "???"
Lin Banxia gave up: "Forget it."
Song Qingluo didn't have much energy, so she found a chair to sit on and actually started to doze off. Seeing him, Lin Banxia hurriedly urged him to take a shower and change his clothes. He raised his eyelids and muttered, "I still need to touch the water."
Lin Banxia coaxed him like a child: "Go to rest after washing, I and He Huai'an will take care of the aftermath."
Song Qingluo glanced at He Huai'an and the village chief on the ground, and said, "Okay." Then she got up neatly and left.
When Lin Banxia was talking to Song Qingluo, He Huaian looked at him eagerly and didn't dare to interrupt, until Song Qingluo left, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Song doesn't look very comfortable. "
"Well, it's raining." Lin Banxia said, "Does your phone have a signal now?"
Only then did He Huai'an remember that there was still a mobile phone to use. He picked it up and looked at it and found that the signal was full. He was pleasantly surprised: "There is a signal, there is a signal!!"
Lin Banxia breathed a sigh of relief, it would be much better to have a signal, otherwise, although the matter has been resolved, how to leave here is a big problem.
He Huai'an immediately said: "I will contact the outside now and let them come in to pick us up. Do I need to bring weapons or something?"
Lin Banxia thought for a while, and said that to be on the safe side, it's better to bring it. After all, the problem of the village chief needs to be solved. He Huaian laughed as soon as he heard it, and said that as long as it was a human matter, the village chief should be handed over to the police uncle. He picked up his mobile phone and dialed a number. After explaining it, he told Lin Banxia that people outside would come over immediately.
Lin Banxia nodded, looked at Mu Xinsi and the village chief lying on the ground, and said, "Then you can guard them here, I'll go see Song Qingluo."
He Huaian said yes.
Lin Banxia went to the place where she lived and saw that Song Qingluo had changed into clean clothes and was lying on the bed drowsy. He raised his eyelids when he heard Lin Banxia's footsteps and said, "How is it?"
Lin Banxia said, "He Huai'an informed people and said that he would come to respond immediately."
Song Qingluo hummed softly.
Lin Banxia said, "How about you, how are you feeling? Is there something wrong with you?"
Song Qingluo said, "No."
Lin Banxia was still very worried: "Really not injured?"
Song Qingluo didn't answer, Lin Banxia took a closer look, only to realize that he was already asleep. His long eyelashes rose and fell slightly with his breathing, his brows frowned slightly, and he looked tired. Lin Banxia helped him pull the quilt in distress and went out lightly.
He also went to the bathroom to take a shower and changed into clean clothes. Although the experience just now was very thrilling, he was not too tired, so after washing up, he went to the main room and waited with He Huaian for the people who came in to meet him.
While waiting, the village chief who was knocked unconscious by a stool by He Huaian woke up. After waking up, he was cursing. He Huaian was upset, and a stool knocked him out again. Lin Banxia was stunned for a while, thinking that he didn't realize that He Huai'an was also a grumpy old man. He Huai'an probably felt that Lin Banxia was looking at her in the wrong way, and quickly explained. : "He's not a good guy, he's killed a lot of people."
Lin Banxia whispered, "No, weren't you scared at first? Why are you so daring now?"
He Huai'an said, "The village chief is a human being."
Lin Banxia: "..."
He Huaian: "What is there to be afraid of?"
Lin Banxia found herself unable to refute.
About four hours later, He Huaian's cell phone rang. After he picked it up, he excitedly said that their people were here, and asked Lin Banxia to wait in the room for a while before he went out to answer. Lin Banxia snorted and saw him running out excitedly, and brought in five people after a while. These five people were wearing black uniforms with a swastika drawn on the chest on the right side of the uniforms. This symbol Lin Banxia recognized, pronounced "wan", and has the meaning of immortality in Buddhism.
The group of people knew He Huaian, but they didn't know Lin Banxia, but He Huaian had obviously introduced it in advance, so they just nodded respectfully when they saw Lin Banxia, and started without asking any questions. Cleaned up the scene. One person sent Mu Xinsi directly out of the mountain village to ensure that she was treated as quickly as possible, while the other people recorded every corner of the house very carefully. After taking it away, I was also asked some more conventional questions, such as how the casualties were, and whether any other losses were caused. He Huai'an replied one by one, it seemed that he was used to it.
The village chief was also sent away. In the form of a criminal, he woke up halfway before getting into the car, vomited something, and it seemed that He Huaian had suffered a concussion. He had planned to scold again, but he saw He Huai'an standing beside him with a gloomy face, rubbing the back of the chair, silently silent for a moment, and then tied up and stuffed into the car.
After dealing with the people who should be dealt with, those people asked about Song Qingluo's situation. Lin Banxia said that he was sleeping. These people were not surprised. They nodded and said that they were waiting outside. No hurry, they must wait for Mr. Song to sleep. Wake up and go.
Lin Banxia watched them clean the house, and went out with a very polite attitude.
He Huaian was still sitting in the room, handed Lin Banxia a cigarette, and said, "Are you tired? You can go back and have a good rest."
Lin Banxia thought about it for a while and then told her true situation: "Actually, I have a job, and this time I asked for leave."
He Huaian: "Huh??"
Lin Banxia said honestly, "Song Qingluo said to take me on a tour."
He Huaian: "..."
Lin Banxia said, "It's really interesting."
He Huai'an took a deep breath, and half of the cigarette in his hand was smoked by him. In the smoke, his tone was vicissitudes and sadness: "Please let me call you Brother Lin."
Lin Banxia: "..." But you seem to be older than me.
Song Qingluo slept for about three hours before slouching out of the bedroom, yawning with a pale face, asking if anyone was here.
"It's all here." Lin Banxia said, "Let's go now?"
"Well." Song Qingluo said, "You have to do something before you leave."
Lin Banxia asked, "What's the matter?"
Song Qingluo said, "Go and take that little girl named Jiang Ruonan with you."
Lin Banxia was taken aback: "Why?"
"It's useful." Song Qingluo said, "The specific purpose of this thing on me is still a mystery. She may have something to do with this thing, so bring her some insurance."
Lin Banxia snorted and went out to find someone.
After tossing for a while, the sky was already dark. Lin Banxia remembered that Jiang Ruonan had mentioned that she lived next to Mr. He, and walked in that direction.
The continuous heavy rain finally stopped, the moon also came out, and as soon as I looked up, I could see the starlight, knowing that tomorrow would definitely be a good sunny day. In the surrounding yard, the lights began to light up. Lin Banxia was walking on the path and was not afraid. He actually liked the atmosphere at this time. Firefly trail.
Although he knew the general direction, Lin Banxia still knocked on the door of a villager's house to find out Jiang Ruonan's specific address. What surprised him was that the villagers who had been locked out a few days ago actually had someone The door was opened for him, and someone even asked him if it was over.
"It's over. Has it stopped raining? You can come out." He replied with a smile.
After walking for a while, Lin Banxia arrived at the place where Jiang Ruonan lived as the villagers said. The light was on in the house. He knocked on the door, and a young face appeared from behind the door.
"It's you, what's the matter?" Jiang Ruonan looked at Lin Banxia vigilantly.
Lin Banxia said, "Are you at home alone?"
The vigilance in Jiang Ruonan's eyes grew stronger.
Lin Banxia suddenly realized that the way she asked the question seemed a little wrong, and said embarrassedly: "Ah... I'm not a bad person, I just want to talk to you about something."
Jiang Ruonan gave face very much: "That's what the bad guys say."
Lin Banxia: "..."
"But the bad guy shouldn't be as good-looking as you." Just when Lin Banxia didn't know what to do, Jiang Ruonan added another sentence, and she opened the door.
Lin Banxia showed a moved expression.
"If the prettier little brother came to me," Jiang Ruonan said, "I would definitely leave with him without asking anything."
Lin Banxia thought to herself, little girl, you can't be so handsome, you will be kidnapped.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Jiang Ruonan asked.
Lin Banxia was smart this time and said, "That pretty little brother wants to see you."
Jiang Ruonan hesitated for a moment, but agreed, turned around and locked the door, and was about to leave with Lin Banxia. Lin Banxia said helplessly: "Why did you agree, not afraid that the pretty little brother will do bad things to you?"
Jiang Ruonan was quiet for a moment, and then said something Lin Banxia didn't expect. She said, "Have you found that thing?"
Lin Banxia: "..."
Jiang Ruonan said seriously: "Where it is, I will be there."
Lin Banxia looked at her and thought that this little girl was really different.
On the way back, Lin Banxia and Jiang Ruonan chatted for a while, and learned that she was the fifth girl in the family, and there were four older sisters ahead, but those sisters were not as lucky as her, and they had not lived past one year. No, she is lucky, she is thirteen this year, and in a few years, she will be able to marry. Her name is Jiang Ruonan, because the family wanted a boy, so she named her that name. She also has a younger brother, but the younger brother has been taken to her grandmother and grandpa, and she lived here with her grandparents.
Lin Banxia felt that Jiang Ruonan was actually a very lively girl. Although she was slender, she had a tenacity that reminded him of his sister.
The two were talking, and soon they arrived at the door of the village chief's house, and saw Song Qingluo waiting at the door.
"You're back?" Song Qingluo said.
"I'm back." Lin Banxia replied.
When Jiang Ruonan saw Song Qingluo, he lost the cheerfulness just now and looked a little nervous. Standing behind Lin Banxia, he didn't say a word, and his cheeks began to flush.
"Get in the car." Song Qingluo looked at Jiang Ruonan.
Jiang Ruonan glanced at the off-road vehicles behind him and said in a low voice, "Where are you taking me?"
Song Qingluo looked at her calmly, her eyes didn't seem to be looking at a little girl: "Is there anything worse than this?"
Jiang Ruonan was actually silent. The shy blush on her cheeks gradually faded away, leaving only thinness and paleness. She licked her dry lips, and finally turned around and got into the car without asking anything.
Lin Banxia asked inexplicably, "What's going on?"
Song Qingluo sighed, "Get in the car first."
The two got into the car driven by He Huaian and sat in the back seat together. The car slowly drove away from this remote small mountain village, and went to the outside world along the muddy mountain road.
The author has something to say:
Lin Banxia: After the tour, do you want to bring some gifts to Ji Leshui
Song Qingluo: What do you want to bring
Lin Banxia: That alligator gar looks expensive, and I don't know if it's delicious...
Song Qingluo: Refusing to eat wild animals starts with me.
Lin Banxia: Right! Then bring him something else.
A week later, Ji Leshui, who received a mass of carrion, turned into a screaming chicken again.