Yang Chen didn't know what kind of punishment he would receive, whether it was life or death. He had rushed to the southwest countryside. It was a village with beautiful mountains and clear waters at best, and poor mountains and rivers at worst. Ding Hao's old mother was bedridden, and he was very
The one-year-old little sister supports the family with her still weak backbone.
As Mouse's best friend, he had to take a look.
Yang Chen had just stepped into a closed village surrounded by mountains and rivers that had only received electricity last year. Wu Jie, who was far away in the capital, called him. The man laughed a few times out of habit, and then said happily: "Yang Zi, there will never be a rat like him in the world. Good luck."
Please give my regards to Mouse's family. You can pay me the money first. As for Mouse's old mother seeing a doctor and his little sister going to school in the city, I will take care of it."
Yang Chen hummed, hung up the phone, and let out a long sigh.
This time, the bitch of fate didn't tease him, and let him get his wish. Most of the time, the rat would be like him, fleeing overseas. Whether he lives or dies depends on his own destiny.
Dingjiazhai, the name of the village. Just by hearing this name, Yang Chen knew that most of the people here were named Ding. The village is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with nearly a hundred households located along the mountains. In front of the village is the foot of the mountain, surrounded by a large rapid river.
The village rushes past. There is no ferry or bridge. There are only two zip lines in and out.
Poor mountains and harsh waters bring out unruly people.
It's just a deep-rooted prejudice among city people. Yang Chen entered the village via zipline and asked two fellow villagers about Ding Hao's family, from which he sensed a simple folk custom that was not found in the city.
Ding Hao's home is above the village, almost halfway up the mountain. Yang Chen walked on the bluestone and admired the ancient village with an unknown number of years of history. He thought that if the traffic had not been too congested, this place might not have become as famous as the Phoenix Ancient City.
Well-known scenic spots.
It's a pity that the same beautiful scenery has a different fate.
The magnificent natural scenery is filled with another atmosphere...poverty.
At the end of the bluestone road is Ding Hao's house. The wall made of stone slabs is as high as the chest. In the small courtyard are two old houses that seem to be unable to withstand the wind and rain for several years.
Yang Chen knocked on the door gently.
"Who is it...wait a moment..."
A slightly childish and crisp voice echoed in Yang Chen's ears. He guessed that this must be Ding Hao's second sister. The door opened. The person who opened the door was a skinny little girl in her teenage years, with a messy ponytail, a delicate face, and clear and smart eyes.
There is a hint of sadness, and the little hands that open the two dilapidated courtyard doors have rough skin and have been tortured by life.
Eleven year old little girl.
Use your weak shoulders to carry the whole family.
In the rural areas of southwest China, winter is not very cold, and the night temperature can be a few degrees below zero at most. However, the thin clothing of the little girl is really worrying. Yang Chen felt sad and said: "Er Ya, I am your brother's comrade."
"I know you, you are Brother Yang Zi, come in quickly." Erya smiled and greeted Yang Chen sideways, cheerful and enthusiastic.
Yang Chen entered the small courtyard. There were seven or eight chickens running around and pecking at food. A small yellow dog lay lazily under the eaves. When he saw a stranger coming in, he opened his eyes and looked around without barking. It was like the whole village gave people the feeling.
lifeless.
Yang Chen first visited Ding Hao's old mother. The old mother was in her early fifties, but she looked like she was seventy years old. She was lying on a simple wooden bed and talking in her sleep. She kept wondering where her son was and ignored what Yang Chen said. Yang Chen
Holding the old man's rough hand, my heart felt like a knife.
The mother is worried when her son travels thousands of miles.
What's more, that boy Ding Hao committed a heinous crime.
Yang Chen handed Erya the nutritional supplements in his backpack, and then looked at Erya's residence. It didn't matter if he saw it, he almost burst into tears when he saw it.
The house Erya lives in is close to a cowshed and a stable.
There are half-person-high earth fences on all sides, and the space between the earth fence and the roof is covered with plastic film and rags. What makes Yang Chen even more unimaginable is that this house also has an "underground floor."
There was a hollow under the floor, and there were two pigs, one big and one small.
"Erya, do you usually sleep here?" Yang Chen looked around, and finally stared at the wooden board under his feet. The gaps between the wooden boards vaguely revealed the scene below.
Two pigs are playing.
"Hmm..." Erya nodded disapprovingly, squatted down, lifted two wooden boards by the wall, threw down a bunch of pigweed, and said to Yang Chen with a smile: "It's very convenient to live here. If they are hungry, I can always help them."
Feed them."
When Yang Chen heard this, he stared hard and tried not to cry. He felt that he had been through a lot of hardships when he was a child, but today he truly understands what it means for a poor child to become a master early.
He squatted in front of Erya and said slowly: "Erya, your brother has a mission and won't be able to come back for three to five years. From now on, you will treat me as your brother. I will let you wear good food and live a good life. This is
I promise your brother."
"Brother Yang Zi, you lied to me. People from the County Public Security Bureau came to my house and said that my brother was out there killing people and committing a capital crime." After Erya finished speaking, her head was buried between her legs, her thin shoulders shaking.
The little girl who pretended to be optimistic finally showed sadness when Yang Chen mentioned her brother. She choked for a long time, raised her head and said, "Brother Yang Zi, will my brother die?"
Yang Chen shook his head vigorously and said: "Your brother can't die, he will definitely come back. Before your brother comes back, you must live well and study hard. One day you will go to college. He will be so happy when your brother comes back."
Erya wiped her tears and remained noncommittal.
Bingxue is smart, and stubbornly believes that this is a white lie by Yang Zige to coax her to live a good life. Even if she doesn't say this, she will live strong for her mother.
Yang Chen didn't want the atmosphere to be too depressing, so he changed the subject and asked Erya how she knew him. Erya wiped away her tears, got up and walked to the bed, carefully pulled out a photo from under the worn cotton mattress, turned around and handed it to Yang Chen. It turned out to be Yang Chen.
A group photo of Chen, Wu Jie and Ding Hao in military uniforms, with the Monument to the People's Heroes in the background.
They used to be so heroic.
They once had the lofty ideal of always dedicating themselves to the country.
They used to be confident in themselves and full of hope for the future.
The past was like smoke. Yang Chen took a deep breath, suppressed the fluctuating emotions, smiled and returned the photo to Erya. Erya could not put it down and touched it gently. This photo was something she was proud of. In the photo, her brother with a straight military uniform was once
The pride of the whole family, now that my brother is gone, the family is also in pieces.
Erya bit her lip lightly and put the photo away.
No matter how much crime his brother commits, he will always be perfect in her heart.
It was almost dinner time in the evening, Erya was busy cooking, scraping the white noodles in the noodle vat with a bowl, hoping to make egg noodles for the distinguished guests at home. Yang Chen couldn't stand it anymore, so he rummaged through his backpack and found two bowls of Master Kong noodles.
, this is what he used to cope with his stomach during long train rides.
"Don't do it. Let's have a meal with brother today. Eat this. After we finish, you can feed your mother some of the nutritional supplements that brother brought. Tomorrow, brother will take you and your mother out of here and live a good life in a big city.
go."
After Yang Chen finished speaking, he helped Erya light a fire and boil water. Soon the aroma of instant noodles filled the air. Erya ate the noodles and kept saying how delicious they were while eating.
The food that the city people had to eat was actually treated as a delicacy by Erya. Yang Chen had tears in his eyes and was speechless. He was silent for a moment and asked Erya, "Tell me, what do you want to do in the future?"
Erya took a sip of noodles, stared at Yang Chen, and said seriously: "Brother Yang Zi, I don't want to study anymore. I want to be a female killer when I grow up and kill all the bad guys, just like my brother, who killed all the bad guys who killed my sister."
Yang Chen was stunned and speechless.
Erya thought she had said something wrong and asked weakly: "Brother Yang Zi, is it that my idea is too bad and dirty?"
Yang Chen shook his head and said softly, "Erya, your thoughts are neither bad nor dirty. What is dirty is the world."
