Chapter 21 Chapter One

The water in the lake was turbulent, and under the green moonlight, there were huge waves churning like fields. They fled the village like stray dogs, rushing blindly through the dense bushes full of barbs and thorns, struggling in the knee-deep mud.Later they crossed the thick reeds in the hollow and reached the lake.Because of the churning of the lake water, the silt and aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake rose up, so it had a fishy and smelly smell.Under the moonlight, the waves in the lake appear a light blue, for some unknown reason.They stopped by the lake at the same time, their two hearts beat with the same rhythm, and their two mouths panted with the same frequency, at least I think so.In this way, the moon was like frost, and they huddled their necks tightly, and the smell from the overflow of the lake painted their senses like paint.

The reeds rolled up behind them, bowing at the front, straightening at the back—up and down—like long waves chasing them, as if to drive them into the lake. I also don’t know who pushed me into the reed field—a few seconds ago, I was hugging the neck and kissing Mr. Mei with the webbed hands in "Ancestors of Webbed". Reeds?The dark green reeds are tall and strong, and the "monk" bird's exquisitely woven grass nests are hung in rows on the stems and leaves of the reeds. The fledgling chicks open their golden mouths, waiting for food.A few bamboo-like thin snakes climbed up the stalks of the reeds. They were very clumsy, and they fell down when they climbed not far from the bird's nest, fell down and climbed up again.If you can't climb up, you will never give up.The sight terrified me.I scatter the reeds and run away like a nightmare; the reeds are cold and sticky, like poisonous snakes.There are cackles and cries all around. Is it a poisonous snake or a monk bird?

My childhood was not over.Just because I was lost, I cried bitterly. Bitter moonlight shines on the reeds, and the poisonous snakes coiled on the reeds all hold their heads up and open their mouths, with forked tongues pointing rapidly in their mouths, like bunches of scorching small flames, and the cold and damp breath is exhaled from the snake's mouth to my face, I can't help but cry. But after all, I got out of the reed field, and looked back, the curved long snake lit up because of anger, like a twisted tongue of fire, reflecting every detail of every reed.I instinctively approached the two people standing by the lake.I saw their eyes staring at the strange waves that had condensed on the lake, and they couldn't help but straighten their eyes: the light blue waves were slowly churning, and the dull thunderous roar was rolling at the bottom of the water, making people feel that the lake would rise at any moment. A column of waves soaring to the sky.

After a moment of silence, I lightly poked one man's waist with a finger, but both of them turned around quickly at the same time, as if I had startled them.Four big golden eyes stared at me anxiously.My height is not as high as their knees, so it can be seen that they are tall, like two tall and slender reeds. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" I asked timidly.When I timidly asked the question, I turned out to be aggressive, as if I was judging these two tall young men. They looked at me with big golden eyes, with numb faces, as if they didn't understand me... In my memory, their clothes were short and thin, and the buttons held the buttonholes so tightly that they might fall off at any time.Half of the arms with slender hairs stretched out from the sleeves, and the four big hands were trembling, like four silly little animals.I still remember their soft yellow hair and soft yellow beards on their lips.In short, in my impression, these are two young people who show embarrassment and preoccupation everywhere.

At that time, I repeated the question above. The sound was so pressing that they had to answer right and wrong. "I'm Big Mao." "I'm Ermao." "I'm Ermao's older brother." "I'm Da Mao's younger brother." "We're twins." "Mother gave birth to us both." "As soon as she was born we died." "That's what our father said." "Did our mother die as soon as she was born? It's just a legend." "Or maybe she died before we were born? It's just a legend."

"She might have been raped." "She may have been assassinated." "Now we stand here and look at the scenery in the lake." “The scenery in the lake is beautiful.” "After watching the scenery, we are going to the other side of the lake." "We're going to swim to the other side of the lake." "Our father died last night." "He's dead with his eyes open." I have heard that the two of them are often in a state of ecstasy.You told me that from the day they were able to stand and walk, a figure of a strange woman periodically appeared in front of their eyes.Her hair was disheveled, and her face was tightly pressed against her cheekbones, as if it would crack if she scratched it lightly.The woman stood in a dark corner, watching them sadly.Sometimes she also made a strange sobbing sound: cluck-cluck-cluck-clack, like the sound made by a patient with a stomach ulcer when he is hungry.Whenever she stood in the dark and watched them thoughtfully, the cold would roll in and make their teeth chatter involuntarily.Who is she?As they grew older, the brothers guessed that the woman was their mother.Sometimes she opened her arms, and the scratches on her chest were shocking, and the smell of blood glowed, making their terror even deeper.

On a warm summer night, the golden moonlight shone through the dilapidated window lattices. The moonlight painted the black wall, and on the wall lay a emerald green mantis with a big belly.It held its head high and held its curled front legs high, motionless.Then the moonlight shifted to the beam, on which hung a purple-red, dusty spindle.On the tops of the weeds in the yard, the grasshoppers uttered mournful calls, and the little beasts with fleshy feet walked among the weeds, making rustling sounds.I heard him say that the two brothers woke up at the same time at the same night. They had just passed their ninth birthday that night. Although they were taller and heavier than boys of their age, their hearts were weaker than boys of their age. Be thin and naive.The ghost of the woman entangled them tightly, and terror oppressed their hearts.They woke up at the same time because they felt a cool hand touching their faces at the same time, and because they smelled the cold and fishy breath from that hand, like the belly of a frog.

They got up quickly, their bodies shrunk back, and after shrinking to the top of the kang, their two naked bodies were tightly attached to each other.The woman stood under the kang, the moonlight shone on her blue face, as if the phosphorous fire was burning.She smiled coldly, sucked her lips together, and sprayed the cold wind soaked into their skin onto their faces. They cried almost at the same time, and the woman's shadow faded into the obscurity beyond the moonlight and disappeared. Their father pushed open the door and came inside.Dad took out a scythe and flint from the hole in the wall, crackled and lit the fire, sparks splashed everywhere, and there was a rustling sound.A soybean oil lamp was lit, and the moonlight immediately dimmed.The two brothers were crying.Their father said impatiently: "It's midnight, don't sleep well, why are you howling!"

The two brothers looked timidly at the shadow behind the door. They clearly felt that the woman was hiding there. As soon as the lights were turned off, she would come out and caress their faces with that hand that seemed to be covered with wet webbed membranes. .Their furtive glances caught Pa's attention.He yanked the door open, and the brothers screamed, and they saw the woman's body pressed tightly against the door panel like a thin sheet of paper. Their father found nothing, scolded them a few words, blew out the lights, and crawled to sleep next to them. "Father, she touched my face!"

"Father, her hands are cold and sticky!" "Whose hand?" Dad said, "Whose hand, dog? Get sleepy, get sleepy." The woman stood in the moonlight and sneered again, her blue face was like a ball of will-o'-the-wisp.However, their father was already snorting. Later, when they told Dad about the woman, Dad pondered for a while and said, "You dreamed about it, your mother..." I heard that the two brothers had very indifferent feelings towards their mother. They were afraid of her, bored with her, and wanted to get rid of her, but she penetrated everywhere, like a cold wind.

They asked, "Father, how did my mother die?" "Your mother died of illness."