Separated by a wall, two beds.
On the west bed, Li Sanjiang frowned, murmuring from time to time, and his hands and feet swayed irregularly.
But despite such a big reaction, he still couldn't wake up from the nightmare.
In the darkness, it seemed that an invisible person was pressing on him.
The other party was very heavy, pressing down on his chest and almost unable to breathe.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push it away.
Li Sanjiang himself did not expect that he, who had carried corpses all his life, would one day be crushed by ghosts.
But in such a desperate and flustered situation, he could still find comfort for himself:
"From this point of view, Xiao Yuanhou's evil spirit has been given to me, the formation is complete!"
At this time, on the bed on the east side, Li Chaiyuan was lying quietly.
There was no pain on his face, his breathing was very smooth, and he seemed to be still sleeping soundly.
However, Li Chaiyuan opened his eyes in a dream.
He sat up from the bed, thinking he had woken up, but when he glanced outside, it was pitch black.
He understood that he was still in a dream, because the screen window in the bedroom could also let through the moonlight, so it couldn't be so completely dark.
Looking around, Li Chaiyuan found that the range he could see was the bed under him.
This is an old wooden bed with age, many details have been worn away by the years, but if you explore carefully, you can still find exquisite and thoughtful carved designs.
Li Zhuyuan took off the quilt on his body, knelt down and moved to the edge of the bed, trying to reach out and touch the outside.
This is a dream anyway.
During the day, Liu Manting asked him, is it boring in the countryside?
He replied that there are many fun things here.
Yes, there are indeed many.
In previous years, he had never understood why the word "study" was often preceded by the prefix "hard".
Isn't learning just about looking at concepts, theories, and formulas, and then making those simple questions?
Later, he realized that there are really people who can feel pain from the learning process.
He was very envious.
He is still young, he does not have too much life and social experience, and the place where he stays the longest is in the classroom, as a student:
You can't feel frustrated and tormented from the problem, you can't feel joy and excitement after solving the problem, you don't have a sense of depression, you don't have a sense of giving, and naturally you have no sense of gain.
The sea of questions is in front of you, as if you are making an extremely boring square grid graffiti.
In particular, when he followed the example of other classmates and reported his grades to his parents in order to get approval, his mother always looked at him with increasingly cold eyes.
It was as if I had done something wrong, and it was getting farther and farther away from it.
Therefore, he could not gain any emotions from learning, only ...... Numbness.
change
It comes from the moment I fell into the water and saw the little oriole.
He felt depressed, painful, and even more so when he witnessed the bearded father and son submerged in the fish pond and the little oriole danced one last time on the water, he experienced a sense of gain.
The grandfather saw himself there in a daze and advised himself to think of something happy, such as a banquet.
He didn't tell the grandfather,
I thought to myself at the time...... It is uplifting.
A brand new door opened a gap in front of him.
He fell in love with this kind of unknown and weirdness,
He finally realized ignorance and hesitation, that sense of powerlessness and uncontrollability, which made him feel a little happy in his heart.
He felt that his grandmother's behavior of taking a needle to call his soul and then putting it in the water bowl was amazing.
He looked at Liu Jinxia and Li Sanjiang and found that they were even more powerful.
They understand concepts well, remember formulas well, and solve problems.
And myself,
Just a bad student.
Li Chaiyuan's hand leaned out of the edge of the bed, he seemed to feel the wind, very slightly, and even wondered if it was his psychological effect.
Moreover, he couldn't see his hand sticking out of the edge of the bed.
He took his hand back and put it in front of him, well, the hand was still there.
Immediately, he reached out his hand again, this time, downward.
It seems to feel a little cool, still slightly, but at least it is certain that there is a difference in touch.
At the same height as the edge of his bed, there are two different media sensations on the invisible outside.
Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes, he began to concentrate his attention, to perceive as much as possible, and the hand reaching down also began to shake slowly back and forth, and his fingers were also swinging irregularly.
Be more real, be more delicate, and continue.
The first two dreams, the first was a dream of the little yellow warbler coming to the house, and the second was a dream of a hunchbacked grandfather carrying an old lady.
Then this dream should not be just a simple black.
Finally, he felt that something slender had just passed through his fingertips.
He immediately lay on the bed, allowing his arms to stretch down as much as possible.
After a while, the previous feeling reappeared, and the frequency began to increase.
As though...... Aquatic plants?
Li Chaiyuan immediately thought of the black aquatic plant he saw last time, could it be hair?
Keep brushing, shuttling, stroking your fingertips and forearms, and pinch your fingers, you can still pinch them to a fine and hard feeling.
It seems that it is really hair.
"Snap."
Li Chaiyuan's eyes lit up, it seemed that something had just patted his palm gently, not his hair was soft, it was something else.
Wait, wait, wait......
"Snap."
The second time it came.
Like what, like what?
Li Zhuiyuan began to think, trying to compare the pictures in his memory that would have similar texture collisions.
"Snap."
This time, the strength is great, but it is still not enough!
Li Zhuiyuan began to increase the sway of his arms, shaking, shaking......
Finally,
"Snap!"
With a clear vibration, I seemed to hear a crisp sound in my ears.
It's like you're standing there holding up your arm, and someone just came over and clapped your hands.
While Li Chaiyuan kept discovering, the rich black outside the bed gradually faded silently.
At the same time, the perception coming from below began to become clearer.
Li Chaiyuan could even take the initiative to reach out to wrap his hair around it, and he could also complete the next high-five while waving.
He understood that those high-fives did not seem to be intentional from the other party, but his hand happened to meet the other party's palm, because he also felt that he had slapped the back of his hand, and his voice was not so crisp.
Suddenly, Li Zhuiyuan felt that his arm was hit by something, he felt a burst of pain, and subconsciously retracted his arm upwards.
This contraction, like something that was originally stuck and blocked, continued to resume its movement.
And Li Zhuiyuan's fingertips touched a hard arc, followed by a slippery depression, followed by a clear ascent of the joints, continuing to bump along the bones one by one, and then, touching the round and towering elasticity.
Then, his fingers were disconnected, and he immediately reached out all his arms, and at the end, he grabbed five short joints that had been put together.
"Huh......"
Li Zhuiyuan immediately withdrew his hand, with a shocked look on his face.
It was a whole person, and he had just touched his toes from the back of her head.
Under the bed, someone!
And it's not just one, a few, it's many, many, a group of people!
At this time, Li Chaiyuan found that the thin quilt beside him was missing.
He looked up at the diagonal corner of the bed, where a child was curled up there, wrapped tightly in the quilt, trembling with fear in his eyes.
This child looks ...... like himself Exactly the same.
"I was so scared, I was so scared, I was really scared...... Woohoo...... Mom come and pick me up."
Li Chaiyuan looked at the "self" who was trembling with fear and asked:
"Why are you still here?"
……
"Comrade, we have already done tests and examinations for your son, he has no psychological problems, he is very healthy, very sunny and cheerful."
The female doctor in the white coat made a statement with a smile on her face, and at the same time, she couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the face of the little boy in front of her.
The little boy also smiled.
Well, what a cute child.
The female doctor raised her head again and looked at the mother standing next to the boy, she wondered why when she made a "healthy" diagnosis, the mother's face was not only not the slightest joy, but indifference.
Nowadays, psychology and mental health care in China are not yet popular, and the public does not have a deep understanding of this aspect, but psychological clinics can still be found in Beijing.
"Mom, I'm not sick." Li Chaiyuan, who was only eight years old, took the initiative to hold his mother's hand and looked up at her, "Mom, the doctor said that I am very healthy."
Li Lan glanced down at her son, then looked at the doctor again, and said:
"You were deceived by him."
The female doctor spread her hands and tried to control her emotions as much as possible, explaining:
"Comrade, since you brought your son here, I think you should have a certain understanding of psychology, so you should believe in our diagnosis and believe in our profession."
Li Lan: "I overestimated your professionalism."
"As a mother of a child, how can you do this?" The female doctor couldn't hold back any longer, "It's the first time I've seen a mother who can still feel dissatisfied when she learns that her son is healthy, I really can't understand what you are thinking!"
Li Lan: "You just said that you are professional."
Female doctor: "......"
Li Lan took Li Zhuiyuan's hand, turned around and left the clinic, Li Chaseyuan followed his mother's pace, bowing his head, like a child who had done something wrong.
Instead of going home, they came to a psychological clinic under another foreign-related hospital.
Li Chaiyuan was taken in by a new doctor for examination.
Forty minutes later, the door opened, and Li Chaseyuan was taken out.
The doctor said with a serious face:
"Ma'am, we now initially suspect that your son has more severe signs of schizophrenia and autism, which should be related to his family and emotional life in our consultation.
He longed for his mother's care and companionship.
Therefore, I hope that in the next course of treatment, as the mother of the child, you will cooperate with us as much as possible, so that your son can return to health."
After listening to the doctor's words, Li Lan lowered her head, looked at Li Chaiyuan standing in front of her, and asked:
"Is it fun?"
"Mom, I'm ......"
The doctor couldn't stand it anymore, he stretched out his hand to block Li Lan: "Ma'am, you shouldn't be so harsh on your son, his problem is already very serious now, you must pay enough attention to it, otherwise it will ...... in the future."
Li Lan didn't continue listening, turned around and left.
"Madam, Madam!" No matter how the doctor shouted, she didn't look back.
Li Zhuiyuan trotted along.
Li Lan stopped in front of the bathroom, and Li Chaiyuan also stopped, there happened to be a big mirror reflecting the mother and son.
Li Chaiyuan saw her mother in the mirror, she was staring at herself in the mirror, with a hint of disgust in her eyes.
And when she moved her gaze down and fell on Li Chaiyuan in the mirror, the disgust in her eyes still did not disappear.
"Mom......"
Li Zhuiyuan carefully tugged at Li Lan's cuffs, he really wanted to ask his mother what he could do to make her like him as much as before, instead of becoming more and more indifferent in recent years.
He believes that as long as he knows, he can correct it quickly, because he learns things quickly.
"Alan, Alan, Alan!"
Outside, there was a call from his father, he ran over sweating, not caring about panting, and asked nervously: "Alan, how is Xiaoyuan, is there any problem?"
"Dad."
"Hey, son."
Li Chaiyuan was embraced by his father.
Li Lan looked at the father and son who were hugging each other, she seemed to be trying to restrain herself, but the muscles at the corners of her mouth were still slightly raised, showing a mocking smile.
The man raised his head and saw it.
At this moment, all kinds of emotions that had been piling up in his heart in the past could no longer be suppressed, he almost roared in a trembling voice:
"Alan, what do you want to do, how do you have to be satisfied, you have to torture us in this way?"
After yelling, he sat on the ground and cried.
"Dad, don't cry." Li Chaiyuan stepped forward and wanted to wipe his tears from his father.
But he just met his mother's gaze, and he immediately stopped all his movements.
Li Lan closed her eyes, and after a while, she opened them again, and then she turned around and walked out, leaving the father and son in place.
Li Zhuyuan looked ahead, and on the shiny tiles, his mother's back was reflected in her drifting away.
……
"Why are you still here?"
On the bed, facing "myself" who was shivering wrapped in the quilt, Li Chaiyuan asked a second time.
But the other party still didn't give an answer.
Li Zhuyuan shook his head: "Thank you, I lied to the doctor during that examination, but you don't exist."
myself, I don't have schizophrenia.
As soon as the words fell, the thin quilt fell on the bed.
The "self" who was wrapped in it and trembling and shouting for his mother before was gone.
"Wow...... Wow......... Wow, .........."
Around, there was a clear sound of water flowing suddenly.
The dense darkness finally faded and turned into a kind of ash splashed with light ink.
But at least, the visibility is up.
Li Chaiyuan slowly stood up and looked around again.
He was standing on the bed, but it was like standing on a boat.
Because around, there were dark and rolling river waves, and in the river, there were corpses floating, densely packed with corpses, like rice fields with no end in sight. "The master said that I will be able to return to normal after sitting in the fast.
But why, I still had a dream.
furthermore
It's still such a dream......"
At this time, the wind seemed to be blowing on the river.
The wind passed through the corpses, bringing the unique smell of corpses from the dead.
It is more fragrant than rice, countless times richer.
Li Chaiyuan stood and watched for a long time, and he even walked to the bedside position and supported the bed railing with his hands to watch.
He didn't know how long this dream would last, and he didn't seem to have a way to wake up on his own.
Merely......
Li Chaiyuan sat down on the bed, sorted out the messy thin quilt, folded it neatly, lay down, and covered his stomach with the quilt.
Well,
He was ready to sleep.
……
"Hmm......"
Li Chaiyuan opened his eyes, and it was already dawn outside.
He knew that he was really awake.
This sleep, I slept very comfortably, my whole body was refreshed and full of energy.
Li Chaiyuan couldn't help but wonder, could it be that sleeping in a dream is real deep sleep?
If this is the case, then a dream like last night, not only did he not mind, but he was a little nostalgic.
After all, no matter how terrifying the nightmare is, he can get used to it after experiencing it a lot.
Looking down, he found that the black coils on his neck, wrists and ankles had broken by themselves.
The grandfather said it could be cut in the morning, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?
After getting out of bed, walking to the door, pushing the door, Li Chaiyuan closed his eyes and began to take a deep breath.
This is a habit he learned from his mother, who often stands in front of the bathroom mirror after getting up and takes deep breaths very hard.
Although even now, Li Chaiyuan doesn't know what the meaning of doing this is.
However, after pushing open the door and the warm sunlight covering him, Li Chaiyuan showed a smile on the corner of his mouth, as if all the haze from last night had disappeared at this moment.
Picking up the basin and toothbrush cup, Li Chaiyuan came to the terrace to get water and started washing.
"Xiaoyuan, wash up and have breakfast." Aunt Liu called herself on the dam.
"Okay, Aunt Liu."
Li Zhuyuan went downstairs, and the small wooden stool was not placed in the house this time, but on the dam.
At this time, there was already a bowl of white porridge, a salted duck egg, a plate of sour eggplant and a plate of pickled ginger on the wooden bench.
"There is still porridge in the pot, how about I get you another duck egg?"
"Enough to eat, Aunt Liu, thank you Aunt Liu."
"Thank you, this is Aunt Liu's job."
Li Chaiyuan was a little curious, how much salary did the grandfather have to pay Aunt Liu.
However, I think the grandfather's money is enough, although he lives a very "luxurious" life, but he also has a lot of inputs, and the most important thing is that he has no children, nor does he save money, and he spends as much as he earns.
"Aunt Liu, has my great-grandfather gone out?"
"No, it hasn't gotten up yet."
"Oh."
Li Zhuiyuan started to eat breakfast, he first knocked the duck egg on the wooden bench, then peeled off an opening along the crack, then took it in his hand and picked it out with the tip of his chopsticks to eat.
When he was about to finish eating, he saw a small square wooden bench at the east end of the dam 20 meters away from him, and white porridge and pickles were also placed on it.
The little girl I saw yesterday was held by her grandmother and walked out and sat down.
She was wearing a purple cheongsam today, which was much more conservative than the one of the little yellow oriole, and the embroidery on her cheongsam was also more delicate and rich.
In addition, she also changed her hairstyle today, and she also had a wooden hairpin stuck in it.
This kind of dressing is rare in rural areas, especially now that it is still summer, you know, most boys wear a pair of briefs and run around the village.
Aunt Liu moved another set of square wooden stools and small benches, this time there was a set of tea sets on the wooden bench, she lowered her head and said something to the old lady, the old lady waved her hand, and Aunt Liu left.
The old lady, on the other hand, squatted in front of the girl and whispered softly to her.
The girl sat there, her eyes level, as if there was no one else in her eyes, just like yesterday.
But the old lady's persuasion still worked, and the girl silently lowered her head, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating.
Li Chaiyuan noticed that she was holding two bites of porridge with chopsticks of pickles, and then with two bites of porridge with chopsticks of pickles, and the frequency never changed.
The old lady peeled the salted duck egg for her, and when she wanted to hand it to her, she stopped, and her body seemed to start trembling slightly.
The old lady immediately apologized and took the salted duck egg away.
The girl continued to eat, still with chopsticks and two bites of porridge.
Witnessing this scene, Li Chaiyuan had a person in his mind, that was his tablemate in the junior class, and he ate the same way, he would plan the dishes and rice on the plate in advance, how many dishes and how much rice to eat, and in the end, it would definitely be all the vegetables and rice.
If he steps on the wrong one day, he will run back to the classroom and come out again, even if he wants to go to the toilet before, he will hold back.
The girl ate quickly, and after eating, she put down her chopsticks.
The old lady took out a handkerchief and helped her carefully wipe the corners of her mouth and fingers.
Then, she stood up, picked up the bench, and walked back to the east room.
Still in that position, she put down the bench, sat down, put her feet on the threshold, and looked straight ahead.
The old lady glanced at it helplessly, then stood up and sat down on the chair.
Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the other party's gaze fell on her again, but unlike yesterday, this time she took the initiative to wave and called herself:
"Come, come here, let me see."
Li Chaiyuan walked over, and after getting closer, he seemed to be able to smell the incense emanating from the other party.
"Hello grandma."
"It's called Xiaoyuan, right?"
"Well, Li Chaiyuan."
"Grandma, my surname is Liu."
"Grandma Liu."
"Be good. After living here, it was the first time I saw other children, hehe." Liu Yumei raised her wrist, glanced at the bracelet, hesitated for a moment, as if she thought it was inappropriate, and finally pointed out a jade trigger on her ring finger and handed it to Li Chaiyuan, "Come, grandma's greeting gift for you."
Li Chaiyuan waved his hand: "I can't ask for it, Grandma Liu, it's too expensive."
"Fake, glass, just play with it."
"No, I can't ask for it."
Liu Yumei handed it forward again and urged: "The elder is grateful for it, and it is disrespectful."
Chase Li took a half step back, did not reach out to answer, but replied: "I have to ask my grandfather."
Liu Yumei nodded, put the jade finger back in her pocket, and didn't put her finger back on.
"Xiaoyuan, what grade are you studying?"
"Third grade."
"How are your grades?"
"It's okay."
"How old are you?"
"Ten years old."
"What month?"
"August."
"That's a month older than our Ahri." Saying that, Liu Yumei looked at the girl sitting behind the threshold, "Originally, our Ah Li should also be in the third grade."
Immediately, Liu Yumei's expression darkened a little, yes, originally her granddaughter should be like the little boy in front of her, cheerful and healthy, and go to school.
"Oh, by the way, Xiaoyuan, when you live here, you can go to other places, just don't go to the East House, well, don't get close to Ah Li, our Ah Li, I don't like outsiders to get close, shy, and recognize life."
Grandma Liu said the same warning that her grandfather gave her last night.
Li Chaiyuan asked: "Grandma, does Ah Li have autism?"
Liu Yumei looked at the little boy in front of her very surprised: "Do you still know this?"
These days, most people have never even heard of this word.
"Hmm."
Liu Yumei blinked, stretched out her hand to hold Li Chaiyuan's hand,
asked:
"Why, there are adults in your family who study this?"
Well, they studied me.
"I saw it in the newspaper."
"Oh." Liu Yumei sighed in some disappointment.
"Grandma Liu, there are people in big cities who can see this disease."
Li Chaiyuan was very curious, their family didn't seem to be short of money, why didn't they take Qin Li to the big city to see a doctor, but they lived here?
"Our family Ah Li is not an ordinary autistic person, it is useless to go to the hospital to see a doctor."
Li Chaiyuan didn't understand a little, it was useless to go to the hospital, was it useful to live here with the grandfather?
Liu Yumei turned sideways, looked at the tea set on the wooden bench, and asked, "Do you want to drink tea?"
"Thank you, grandma."
Seeing that Liu Yumei was about to bend down to get a hot water bottle, Li Zhuiyuan mentioned it first: "Let me come."
"Huh? Okay, come on."
Li Chaiyuan opened the tea cakes, poured tea, waited for soup, brewed tea, poured pot, scalded cups, and served soup......
When the elderly in the family home have a tea party, they will call him over to be responsible for making tea, and he has to go because he has to eat at their house.
Liu Yumei kept watching Li Chaiyuan's movements, and she suddenly felt that this child was very interesting.
"Grandma, drink tea."
"Hmm." After taking a sip of tea, Liu Yumei said, "I will leave the work of making tea to you in the future, grandma, but there are a lot of snacks here."
"Okay."
At this time, there was movement from the terrace on the second floor, and soon, Li Sanjiang walked downstairs, his face tired and sluggish.
Liu Yumei turned her head slightly and said with a smile: "Why, you didn't sleep last night and ran to be a thief?"
Li Sanjiang sighed, it was more uncomfortable than being a thief, he was chased by a group of Manchu zombies all night in his dream yesterday!
"Xiao Yuanhou, how did you sleep last night?"
"Master, I slept well."
"That's good, that's good......"
Li Sanjiang breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that the formation was indeed successful, and it was worth it to suffer some punishment.
Aunt Liu brought breakfast to Li Sanjiang, and while Li Sanjiang was eating, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying appeared in the distance, holding Li Chaiyuan's change of clothes and snacks.
When I was at home before, the children were there, and these meals could only be shared with all the children each time.
"Xiaoyuanhou, if you live here, you must listen to your grandfather's words and don't cause trouble to your grandfather, understand?"
"Grandma will come to see you, girl, obedient, if you want to come back, just run home to take a look, do you know?"
"Papa!"
Li Sanjiang angrily knocked on the wooden stool with chopsticks and scolded:
"Han Hou, you kid came to deliver things in the morning, are you afraid that your uncle will come later and I will keep you for dinner.
Heh, now you are so amazing that you don't even want to sit down with your uncle for a glass of wine.
Seeing this, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying immediately stepped forward to appease the compensation.
After calming Li Sanjiang, they left.
Li Sanjiang scraped the last bit of porridge in the bowl into his mouth, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said to Li Chaiyuan standing beside him: "Your grandfather is just sour, looking like he can't sleep at night if he takes advantage of others a little more, I am most angry with him."
His field was originally planted for Li Weihan, but who knew that this old boy actually returned the rent later.
"That's why you, grandfather, are willing to let grandpa provide for you."
Li Sanjiang smashed his mouth a few times, and these words really came to his heart.
He knew that when he really couldn't take care of himself in a crooked life, Li Weihan would not only take care of himself, but most importantly...... He won't embarrass himself.
He Li Sanjiang has been chic all his life, even if it is the last journey in his old age, he doesn't want to suffer the slightest grievance.
But in front of the children, Li Sanjiang still had to put on a shelf: "What's wrong, I owe him a pension for my pension, the land belongs to the village collective, but my house, this sale, and all the things I saved are all given to him in the end? Hmph, he can't lose it."
Immediately afterwards, Li Sanjiang touched Li Chaiyuan's chin again and continued: "But I don't want my things to be distributed to your white-eyed wolf uncles in the end; Xiaoyuanhou, be well-behaved, please your grandfather more and I am happy, my grandfather will make a note, and these belongings will be given to you directly in the future, okay?"
"Okay, when I grow up, I will provide for you in the old age, grandfather."
"Hahahaha, when you grow up, my grandfather will probably be gone a long time ago."
But these words are really happy to hear, and they are full of good luck.
Li Zhuiyuan thought of the basement yesterday, and then the "Golden Shara Wenjing" he saw on the floor of Li Sanjiang's room last night, and spoke:
"Master, what is in your basement?"
"The valuable ones are placed on the first floor, the things in the basement are not worth much, they are all the rags that your grandfather and I picked up before, and there are more than a dozen boxes of waste books that others have here with your grandfather, and ghost drawings and other things that I can't understand."
Book?
Li Zhuiyuan's eyes lit up, where was the useless book, it was his own counseling materials.
He was desperate to improve his academic performance.
"Master, can I go inside and take a look?"
"What?" Li Sanjiang was a little surprised, "What's so good about those things."
"You said that you will leave your belongings to me in the future, and your words don't count."
"Okay, okay, if you want to go through it, go through it, the key is in the cloth shoes next to that door, be careful that it is gray and dirty inside, I haven't been in it for several years."
"Thank you, grandfather."
Just as Li Zhuiyuan was about to go to the basement to explore, another hunched figure appeared on the path outside, it was Niu Fu.
"Uncle Sanjiang, Uncle Sanjiang, I'm here to beg you!"
Almost subconsciously, Li Chaiyuan's eyes immediately fell on Niu Fu's hunchback, and then he immediately remembered Liu Jinxia's warning again, and immediately turned his head sideways and turned his head away from looking at him.
But because of this, Li Chaiyuan saw Qin Li, who was sitting motionless like a sculpture in the east room, and actually moved his neck and looked at Niu Fu's back.
She can see it!
(End of this chapter)