Chapter 103 fourth quarter

Luo Yang and Liu Xu left Shahu Village at five o'clock in the morning, and they planned to arrive at the county seat before noon.Even though it was summer, the sky was not bright yet, and the two of them walked silently under the gray morning light. When they first left the village, they walked on a small road. As they walked, the road disappeared, leaving only patches of saline-alkali land and the Gobi Desert not far away.In the distance is the endless desert.However, such an environment does not hinder their journey, and they do not need to distinguish whether there is a road on the ground, because the ground is very flat except for dust and gravel, so flat that there is not even a slightly larger tree.As long as the direction is good, they will arrive at the county seat according to the scheduled time.

Liu Xu is a woman after all, she can't keep up with Luo Yang's speed after walking for a while.Every time Luo Yang walked, he would stop and wait for her for a while. The sky was getting brighter, but they heard a few howls faintly coming from the wilderness. "There shouldn't be wolves?" Liu Xu said, following closely. "Look at this poor place, even the rabbits were eaten up by you educated youths back then, how can there still be wolves?" Luo Yang, who had been silent for several days since the death of Luo's mother, finally spoke. "Attention! I'm not an educated youth, I'm originally from Shahu! Besides, you didn't eat less rabbit meat back then."

"Let's go, the sun will rise in a while, and we will be scorched by the sand of the Gobi Desert." Hearing Luo Yang's urging, Liu Xu quickened her pace, a bit like a trot. Luo Yang had no choice but to slow down again. "It would be great if I could meet the carriage going into the city." Liu Xu said. "Maybe." "Now if it's time to harvest watermelons, if the villagers want to sell melons, more people will come to the city. We can take a free ride and have watermelons to quench our thirst." Liu Xu added. "Don't dream. Now the watermelon is only as big as a fist, and you don't know it."

... Luo Yang and Liu Xu talked one after another, and the two of them walked while talking, not as dull as before, as if they were walking much more briskly.But not long after, Liu Xu fell behind Luo Yang again, and she had to trot for a while to catch up. That's how accidents happen. Liu Xu, who was trotting all the way, suddenly stepped on a sandy nest, sprained her ankle, and soon became red and swollen.She squatted on the ground and looked at Luo Yang tearfully.Luo Yang came over and helped her up. Except for the sand dunes and the Gobi Desert, the place is deserted and uninhabited. It is still far away from the county town, and it is impossible to return to the village.

Luo Yang asked, can you still go?Liu Xu gritted her teeth and said, let's go!Luo Yang had no choice but to help her limping forward.Because they walked too slowly, the two of them were like two ants moving across the open wilderness. Luo Yang carried catkins from noon to the afternoon, but he hadn't arrived at the county seat yet.Unfortunately, they didn't meet a carriage or a camel driver on the way to the city.At dusk, all the water and dry food they brought had been eaten, and they had no strength left, only endless hunger, thirst and exhaustion. Liu Xu sat down on the ground: "I don't want to go." She raised her head and said to Luo Yang, "You go first and go to the county town to find a carriage to pick me up."

"It will be dark when I come back, how can I let you stay on the way alone." Luo Yang said, "I was joking with you when I mentioned wolves in the morning, but there are really wolves here. I'm afraid we will arrive Without the county seat, it will soon become the wolf's dinner." "It's all my fault, I've hurt you..." "Don't say that, you used to take care of my mother in the village, and now you've come to do me such a big favor and let my mother go away with peace of mind. I don't know how to thank you!" After the two of them said some polite words, Liu Xu stood up again and let Luo Yang walk forward slowly.The more polite Luo Yang was, the more Liu Xu felt the weight of the jade bracelet on his wrist.She knew in her heart that the matter between herself and Luo Yang was just a wish of Luo's mother, and it was also a wish of her own.Thinking about this, Liu Xu hesitated for a moment, took off the jade bracelet on her wrist, handed it to Luo Yang and said, "Mom Luo is already at ease, and I can't make you feel at ease. I will return this to you!"

Luo Yang said: "This is Mother's wish, you can keep it as a souvenir." "You know, mother Luo didn't mean for me to keep the bracelet as a souvenir when she gave me the bracelet." "Don't you take it seriously? You already knew that I have a lover in my heart." Luo Yang said the word "lover" very emphatically. Misty tears flashed in Liu Xu's eyes, and she said: "In this case, I can't keep it. This bracelet must be very precious. Besides, who am I to you? You want me to give it to you When the mother dies, wear sackcloth and mourning?"

"Of course you are my elder sister. I have always called you elder sister. It is normal for an elder sister to send her mother; it is also natural for an elder sister to have a bracelet that my mother gave her. Yours, I have no right to take it back." Liu Xu stopped talking.She said she wanted to return the bracelet to Luo Yang, just to see how much Luo Yang loved her.When Luo Yang said "I have a lover in my heart", she finally died of that long-awaited heart.As for the jade bracelet, she thought, even if it was priceless, it would not mean much to her, and maybe one day she could sell it to an antique dealer for a good price.She thought again, since she still couldn't arouse his affection for her with the provocative method of "returning it to him", it would be better to keep the jade bracelet, at least it would connect them because of the sister-brother relationship.Even if one day even the sister-brother relationship is gone, you can still "sell it" to see if he is really a gentleman who can treat money indifferently.So Liu Xu put the jade bracelet on again.

The above discussion made the hearts of both of them restless for a long time. They had nothing to say along the way, and they only moved forward bit by bit. Probably because of the influence of her mood, Liu Xu felt that her injured foot was painful every time she moved, and she finally couldn't walk anymore.Luo Yang had no choice but to help her stop beside a small sand dune, and they sat on the sand. It was getting dark in the sky. Looking around, the long sand and dust were blurred by the last few rays of the setting sun. Not far away, there were ruins of earthen walls and a pile of bones of livestock in an abandoned courtyard, in the unsheltered wilderness The faint white light is shining, as if it is the last elegy for the world or a desperate farewell.In fact, even such a ruined wall will not exist for a long time. Under the wind and sand, it will eventually turn into countless sand grains and disappear in the boundless Gobi Desert.Only the pile of white bones of livestock clearly shows the life that once existed, and conveys a kind of fear of imminent death forever.

Looking at the ruins and bones, Luo Yang temporarily forgot his hunger and thirst.He remembered that a few years ago, the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources had to supplement the geological and geomorphological data of the nearby areas and the impact prediction of the surrounding environment on the sand city. He left a note for Maisui: All life is eroded and annihilated in this long yellow sand. As for the tiny people, they once tried to change the world. In addition to creating overwhelming dust, there are also uninhabitable courtyards.Sand enters and people retreat, sand enters again, and people retreat again... Where can people retreat?Where do our souls end up?Where does the dream go? ... He knew that the young Maisui couldn't answer such a question. He left her the note just to find someone to talk to, and that person was willing to listen to him.

Luo Yang understands that this is a common situation in the arid regions of Northwest China.Relevant data show that Lop Nur, located in the east of the Tarim Basin, was once a rippling and abundant lake, but it completely dried up in the early 1970s, making the Lop Nur area a sea of ​​death in the Gobi Desert; Qingtu Lake in the Hexi Corridor used to be It is an oasis. Over the years, it has become the most desertified area due to unrestrained reclamation and water intake. It is one of the birthplaces of sandstorms in the north; there are more than 130 days of wind and sand in this area every year. The Li Desert and Badain Jaran Desert are also approaching Meng County at a rate of 20 meters per year.Those courtyards abandoned in the desert are the masterpieces of Huangsha, and it can also be said that they are the masterpieces of human beings.But Sand City is adjacent to Meng County, and the teeth are dead and lips are cold, and Huangsha is no longer far from the city... As an individual living in the city, even if you encounter sandstorms frequently, most people don't think too much except cursing.Luo Yang is a sentimental person, and he has lived in the Shahu area for quite a long time, and the heavy worry about the gradual loss of his homeland often occupies his mind.At this moment, witnessing the long yellow sand and the scattered broken walls, how could he not be moved by the desolate scene? At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun is dotted on the horizon made up of Gobi and sand dunes, but the sky is not dimmed because of this, but the sky turns yellow and bright, as if it has been dyed yellow by the endless sand, and even the air shows a kind of viscous of yellow. "I'm afraid it's going to be windy," Luo Yang said.As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly looked up and saw a large grayish-yellow smoky cloud standing on the horizon in the distance. After a while, the cloud spread out and became dense and boundless, as if laying a thick wall on the horizon.Soon, the grey-yellow "wall" seemed to engulf thousands of troops, rumbling towards Luo Yang and the others. Luo Yang knew that a sandstorm was inevitable. Quick, hide in the abandoned yard ahead!As Luo Yang said, he pulled up Liu Xu and was about to run forward, almost forgetting about her injured foot. The grey-yellow "wall" spread out.A sudden gust of wind blew up between heaven and earth, and the originally peaceful Gobi Desert surged like waves. Liu Xu has experienced several sandstorms in the countryside.Once a severe sandstorm brought great disaster to the entire Shahu Village: the strong wind destroyed some simple houses and even some bowl-sized trees, and some livestock and several children were blown into the ditch and drowned.Facing the scene in front of her, she panicked, and with the pain in her feet, she couldn't move at all.Luo Yang carried her on his back and ran forward stumblingly, but after only a few steps, he was knocked down by the strong wind, and the two of them fell on the sand. The wind howled, the sand quickly flew and rolled, and the surroundings became dark, and the time seemed to fall from dusk to night in an instant.Except for the rumbling wind and the suffocating earthy smell, Luo Yang and the others could hardly see or feel anything.They held hands together, but they were separated under the strong force of the strong wind. The two people were pushed by the storm to roll and beat on the sand. After an unknown amount of time, Luo Yang almost passed out due to suffocation.The wind gradually subsided, and he regained a little ease of breathing, although it still had a strong earthy smell and a mouth full of sand, which made him cough continuously. The violent wind finally calmed down, and the raging Gobi Desert fell silent again.Luo Yang stood up from the sand pile and slapped the sand all over his body.In the darkness created by the sandstorm, he found himself lost.In front of me is the yellow sand all over the world, the endless yellow sand... Where did the catkins go?He broke out in a cold sweat.At this moment, he has only one thought, find someone quickly!Otherwise, it will be troublesome to wait until it is completely dark. In the vast Gobi Desert, it is undoubtedly a needle in a haystack to find someone.Luo Yang recalled that they said at the beginning of the sandstorm: Go to that abandoned yard!If nothing happened to Liu Xu, after they were separated, she should be able to think of going to the abandoned yard to find him. Fortunately, Luo Yang just stumbled to the edge of the desert with the strong wind, and did not stray into the real desert.Based on his experience working in the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, he looked for markers that could identify the direction.In the distance, the ruins of the earthen wall where he and Liu Xu meet have been half buried by the sand, but due to the flat terrain, they still stand like beacon towers between the yellow sand and the Gobi.Luo Yang walked towards the ruins of the earthen wall.As expected, Liu Xu squatted behind a broken wall, unkempt, like a native, with frightened eyes.The wind tossed her around and eventually pushed her here.Seeing Luo Yang approaching, she limped over while holding on to the wall, regardless of the pain on her foot, and threw herself into his arms.As if she had experienced life and death, she wept without scruple. Many years later, when Liu Xu recalled the sandstorm, he always thought with emotion: Everything is God's will.Even God couldn't bear to separate them.Therefore, no matter how many reluctances Luo Yang has, they are destined to be husband and wife and stay together for life. What kind of symbolic meaning does Luo Yang and Liu Xu have for this former homeland abandoned by the world in the desolate Gobi Desert?Maybe everything is really God's will. At this time, it was completely dark.They didn't dare to wander around, so they could only spend the night in this abandoned yard. In early summer in the Northwest, the temperature difference between day and night is very large. During the day, the sun is scorching, but at night, people can feel the bone-chilling cold.Liu Xu and Luo Yang sat at the base of the wall, cuddling each other involuntarily to resist the biting chill.They were so tired that they finally dozed off. Luo Yang was awakened by the howling sound one after another in the distance.In this empty wilderness, what else is there but the howling of wolves? "Wake up!" Luo Yang pushed Liu Xu who was leaning against him. In fact, Liu Xu had heard the high and low screams a long time ago, and she was too frightened to move. The howls were mournful and real, one after another, piercing through the thick night.At this time, the wolves were probably as hungry as Luo Yang and the others.The difference is that Luo Yang and the others have been exhausted by the terrible sandstorm, but the wolves are excited because they smell the breath of their prey.Maybe it won't be long before they become a delicious meal for the wolves. Liu Xu trembled all over. "Sister, don't be afraid. If a wolf comes over, I will hit it with stones and clods." Luo Yang said.Even Luo Yang himself didn't believe these comforting words.Because except for a few sections of earth walls around them, there are only gravel, and there are no larger stones or clods at all.Unless they can have tools to beat the earth walls into clods. The howling of wolves was getting closer. Liu Xu shivered and moved closer to Luo Yang, their breath was like a ray of warm wind, warming and comforting each other in this terrifying night. Soon, they will be buried in the belly of wolves, and they will be "buried together".This thought made Liu Xu forget her fear for a while, and instead she was a little happy, a little gloating, gloating about what Luo Yang called her "lover"—wait until tomorrow, no, it should be now, and the person who is full of sorrow and melancholy is the one named Mai. Spike's girl, not himself. Liu Xu no longer trembled.She suddenly and boldly raised her hands to cup Royang's face.Luo Yang felt a refreshing coolness - it was the jade bracelet brushing his face. "Royan, you really don't want to fulfill Mommy's will before we die? I mean, we're going to see Mommy in another world soon, how do you explain it to her? You promised her last will Is it just a lie?" At this time, Liu Xu changed what she originally called "Mother Luo" to "Mom".Royan knew what this meant, but he didn't respond. Wolves howled everywhere, as if they were echoing Liu Xu's words.They could already feel the stench exhaled from the wolves.The footsteps of death are getting closer and closer to them. "It seems that we can't escape this disaster. I'm really happy to die with you." Liu Xu continued, her tone was very light and leisurely, a bit like babbling in a dream. "Sister, stop talking!" "I'm afraid it's too late to say anything else. You have to admit that we are childhood sweethearts, from the day your family was catastrophe. In that summer, your family was taken away by the rebels. You were helpless in the yard, sad and desperate. I I made up my mind to protect you and help you; later, I took care of your mother for you, and even did not hesitate to let you get out of Shahu Village smoothly... including coming to Shahu Village this time to play a filial wife, all because I wholeheartedly want to marry Here you are. You can't be so callous to me!" "Sister..." Luo Yang exclaimed.He really didn't know what to say to her. "Don't call me sister again. You put the jade bracelet on me with your own hands, how can I be your sister?" Liu Xu burst into tears, and she hugged Luo Yang tightly. "There is one thing I must tell you." Liu Xu said again, "I told you a story when I came to Shahu Village this time, and the girl in the story should be me. Besides, her ending in Shahu Village is not the same as before. Start like I told you." Luo Yang: "What should it be like?" "Do you still remember the morning when you were going to study in the provincial capital? At that time, I just came back from the village chief's house, and you met me taking a bath." "Why did you go to the village chief's house in the middle of the night?" "Because you want to leave Shahu Village, I once asked the village chief to issue a certificate and let him let you go." "and after?" "Later, I often went to the village chief's house at night, and I could not come back until it was almost dawn. The village chief's wife is usually not at home at night, so he just... he just..." "I see." "Then I found out I was pregnant with his child, and I didn't dare tell anyone, so I had to beat myself up. I jumped off the fence, I was waist-deep in water, I bumped my arm against the corner of the table. Stomach... At that time, I even wanted to die. It was hard to get rid of the bad fetus, but God punished me." "I don't know, you suffered all this for our family!" "It's not your fault. If it weren't for the situation today, we wouldn't be able to go back alive, and I would never have told you about it." "What about the village chief?" "The villain has his own reward. I don't know what disease he had. He went to the county to have an operation. Later, a plastic catheter was inserted through the abdomen, and then a glass bottle was hung on his waist all day. The pain was so painful that he hanged himself." died." "We have no way to settle accounts with him!" Luo Yang trembled all over.At this moment, he knew that Liu Xu had paid so much for him, including the most precious thing of a woman.On this night, he may have to give his life because of him.No matter what the reason was, at this time he didn't have the courage to push a woman who was on the verge of extreme danger away from him, making her despair of life and at the same time despair of the true love of sharing weal and woe. The howling of wolves was getting closer.Luo Yang could already see the green fireflies in the darkness—they were the hungry eyes of wolves flickering in the dark night... The turning point came suddenly. A bolt of lightning tore through the night, tearing apart the thick clouds in the night sky, as if splitting the night in two.As the strong light passed by, the raindrops slapped the night rapidly, and slapped the Gobi Desert in the night.A strong earthy smell and the smell of mist filled the air.After a while, only the sound of the pouring rain could be heard. Everything in the world was drowned in the sound of the rain, including the smell of earth and the bloody smell of wolves, which were quickly washed away by the heavy rain. It rained heavily for half the night, which is a rare heavy rain in the western region since summer. When it was daylight, the rain stopped. Luo Yang and Liu Xu walked out of the dilapidated dirt yard and looked around, but found no sign of the wolf.They were already drenched and trembling all over, not only because of the cold, but also because of the excitement of the survivors after the catastrophe.A heavy rain last night rescued them from the siege of wolves. A new day begins, and the bright red sun rises slowly from the horizon, spreading the golden rays to the earth, making everything resplendent and vibrant.The Gobi Desert was soaked in rain, so moist and fresh. The dots of camel grass and wild sand onions seemed to emerge from the sand overnight, full of life juice, and swayed towards the two survivors. When Luo Yang and Liu Xu finally boarded a carriage going into the city, they couldn't help crying with joy.At this moment, Luo Yang thought, in the series of thrilling encounters last night, he had never thought about Maisui, nor what would happen to Maisui after he died.At the moment of life and death, he is connected with this woman beside him. Although he doesn't love her, what does all this indicate?At this time, Luo Yang, who thought of the ears of wheat, felt extremely ashamed, but his face was blank. Sitting on the carriage, Liu Xu didn't seem to wake up from what happened last night, she still cuddled closely with Luo Yang.Luo Yang hugged the wet catkins, but he still didn't have the courage to push her away.Thinking of what she told him about the past, a bone-piercing chill immediately spread throughout his body, reaching his heart.Yes, they will return to Sand City alive.Yes, he knew he owed her a lot on that horrible night yesterday.He could no longer relentlessly push away the woman in front of him who had been with him through thick and thin and who had given everything for him.But he doesn't know whether he still has the courage to face the future—the future of the three...