Chapter 36 Chapter two

I remember that when my grandfather mentioned this, I couldn't help but tilt my head, and looked timidly at the red bushes that stretched continuously into the depths of the swamp.It was evening again, the sun was cool, and clouds of smoke rose from the swamp.The branches of the shrubs swayed for a while, and then they remained motionless and silent. The cattle and sheep had automatically surrounded them, with fear in their eyes. "What bird is it called?" the little bastard asked the thin black man. The thin black man was staring blankly at the already quiet and picturesque swamp and the flowery mist in the swamp.His eyes, deeply sunken under the protruding brow ridges, are sharp, like a falcon that has spotted a hare.

The little bastard asked him again, and poked the side of his thigh with his finger - people later said that the black man's thigh was hard as a rock and cold as ice. "It's the wolf howling." He replied, in fact, it was more like talking to himself.There was another strange sound in the depths of the bushes, like a dog barking but not a dog barking, like a wolf howling but not a wolf howling. If you carefully distinguish it, you can think that the sound is closer to the sound of a dog than to the sound of a wolf.The bushes swayed and stood still, and strange noises echoed in the dead swamp.I was so scared that I trembled, but now I am used to it, and my grandson tightly grasped my skin with his little claw-like hands.He patted the little bastard's square head, and suddenly raised his head, the big muscles on his neck jumped violently, making a strange noise.He imitated it so much that the wolf in the swamp sang to him... ah... ah... "This is a wolf, a kind of bird." A sharp voice sang: "The wolf, the wolf lays eggs all over the place, the sound is like a dog barking, and the action is flashing fire, this bird is extraordinary, this bird is a divine bird, with a ganoderma in its mouth, it builds a nest in the incense of the dragon, you can see this Bird, avoid misfortune and eliminate misfortune, see this bird, live forever!" He sang over and over again, until the sun sank, the sky and the earth were completely covered by purple air, and the cold light of the stars shot down from the purple air, like twinkling fireflies.That night, the little bastard saw the wolf flying low, trailing streaks of moonlight, making the branches of the shrubs shine like golden threads.

... The little pony and the little boy were walking hard in the swamp, and the pungent smell of corruption made him and its eyes cry.There was crackling and crackling around, that was the sound of bubbles rising from the mud and bursting.There are some withered and yellow grass lumps floating far and near. They are cautiously, evasively, and bouncing around looking for a foothold on the grass mound, and they dare not slack off for a moment. A moment's sluggishness and their legs would be engulfed in the silt as the mound sank.The silt is dark red, sticky like paint, and smells foul.The swamp seems endless.On this day, the little boy accidentally got stuck in the quagmire, the more he struggled, the deeper he got, and soon he sank to his chest.The boy's hair was swollen, his nose was bleeding, and his eyeballs were bulging.He cried.The pony tried to pull him with its hoof, but she couldn't pull him up, so she cried sadly.The boy said: "Maju... leave me alone...you go on your own..." Maju said: "No, we will die together..." The boy shook his head vigorously.At this time, it was already dark, and groups of fireflies were flying.The wind blows across the swamp.Suddenly, there were a few hazy barks of dogs coming from the front. When I looked up, there were faintly a few lines of lights at the place where the dogs were barking.The foal exclaimed excitedly: "Little brother, look quickly, there is someone in front! We are about to get out of the swamp!" The boy felt a force pouring into his body.It is also a matter of haste and wisdom: the pony turned its buttocks, raised its tail, and let the boy grab it.Her four hooves grasped the four blocks of tall grass, she bowed her waist, her mouth was almost stuck in the mud, pulling, pulling, and finally pulled the boy out.

The red pony was exhausted and paralyzed. He found a hard place and lay there panting.It took a long time for the boy to let go of her tail.Looking at the flickering lights in front of him, listening to the dreamy barking of dogs, a wave of warmth rippled through his veins.He felt that the only way to vent out the pent-up emotions in his heart was to cry loudly for a while, so he began to cry.The foal squinted happily. The little boy couldn't help stroking her cool skin, combing her slippery mane, and put his face on her narrow and beautiful nose bridge.The foal's hard eyelashes rubbed against his cheeks, his lips, his mouth was licking her eyes.Afterwards, the foal was hot and hugged the boy on all fours, holding him tightly against her belly.Her mouth, which smelled of hot grass, almost bit the boy's scalp.Later, they supported each other and walked towards the light.In the past nights, they did not dare to move an inch, for fear of falling into the quagmire in the dark.Tonight, they forgot the danger of falling into the mire, the lights and the barking of dogs—the breath of the world—given them magical powers, they felt as light as swallows, and the smell of orchids even came out of the mire. delicate fragrance.At last they found the place where the light came from: a golden tree—dragon wood—a large nest in the tree—two square eggs in the nest—a great golden bird flew away— A flash of fire—a sound like a dog barking... The little bastard questioned the black man: "Have you seen a wolf?"

The black man let out a long sigh.The little bastard heard the sound of cattle and sheep chewing grass in the dark, and saw the light shining in the eyes of the black man, and the haggardness was more obvious in the night.The dogs in the village were screaming, and a woman was calling something in a hoarse voice. The black man gathered a bunch of dead branches and leaves, hit the iron scythe with a stone, a big radiant spark splashed on the dead leaves, he sucked his lips and blew, a green flame, like a swimming snake, Gradually release warmth and light.A big star also fell from the sky, making the sky very bright.He dug out two large cassava from around the fire, and stuffed them directly into the fire without scraping off the skin or beard.The flame dimmed for a moment, then brightened again immediately.

"Am I not going home?" asked the little bastard. "Do you still have a home to go back to?" the black man said in a mocking tone. So the little bastard fell silent.He poked at the burning dead branches with a small stick.The sheep sneezed from time to time outside the aperture, with a high-pitched sound, resembling a woman.Sometimes a bull's head suddenly protrudes from the light, its iron horns stand up, its eyes are bright, and it is a little scary. In the scent of cassava, the little bastard asked again: "Have you really seen a wolf?" The black man eyed the little bastard with a grim, contemptuous look on his face.His jaw was livid and pointed, with sharp edges like a steel axe.

I asked my grandpa, "Have you ever seen a wolf?" The bonfire made Grandpa's face golden.Pillars of fire soared to the sky in the far south and north, and even we could smell the melting steel. "Let's build a fire too!" I said to my grandson.His parents had been swept away by a whirlwind for more than a month, and now they landed on some grassland somewhere.But I believe they will come back, blind Wang divination also said they will come back.My grandson asked me pitifully, "Grandpa, do wolves really exist?" ... The wolf was scared away by them, and flew close to the tips of the bushes, dragging its long, broom star-like tail.The pony smelled the intoxicating fragrance from the tree, and said infatuatedly: "Little brother, it smells so good..." The little boy was also swayed by the smell, and he hugged the red pony's neck , It seems to be hugging her mother but not like hugging her mother... The foal has gradually dawned love in those days, especially when she gave her tail to the little boy, that shy love swelled up like a mushroom.She said: "Little brother, when we get there, let's be a couple..." The little boy kissed her ears, eyes, and heavy mane, with sweet saliva flowing from his mouth... The pony said—— Her eyes were watery, full of tears: "Little brother... I have been waiting for you for a long time... I have one request, that is, after you and I get married, you will never mention the word horse..." Xiao The boy readily agreed.Ma Ju said: "Little brother, close your eyes!" The little boy closed his eyes.Only one sound was heard, like a horse croaking.The boy opened his eyes and found that standing in front of him was a charming girl.I saw her long golden-red hair, heavy like the mane of a colt; two watery blue eyes, like gems in the water; and her delicate mouth, whoever saw it wanted to kiss.The boy was about to ask, "Are you the pony?" but immediately remembered the oath.The girl said: "Little brother, my name is Cao Xiang." The little boy married Cao Xiang under the dragon incense tree that night.No mention of the night scene.The next day, the husband and wife continued to trek through the swamp hand in hand. After all the hard work, they finally came to this place... The black man pointed in the direction of the village with his hand, and then stopped talking.The flames are peeling and peeling, and the aroma of cassava is getting stronger.Now a sheep's head sticks out into the light, and now a calf's head sticks out.The little bastard stared at the flames with fascination, but his mind was thinking of the red pony that turned into a beautiful little girl with a sound.

How did you know he was thinking about the red pony? At that time, I also had such doubts. My grandfather said, why would he not miss the little red pony?Don't you miss that little red pony?Tell me honestly, grandson, I ask seriously, what are you thinking now?The grandson stared at the beating flame in a trance, as if he had lost his soul.Aren't you thinking about the little red pony right now?You can't fool my experience. No wonder, no wonder, I said to myself, what a beautiful red pony!Eyes like water, hooves like flowers, lips like petals!Our herbivorous family has multiplied and lived in this lowland for several years, generation after generation, which man has never heard of the story of the red pony?Who hasn't thought of the red colt in his daydreams?As soon as it makes a sound, it turns into a charming and handsome girl.Missing such a beautiful girl, what kind of mountains and seas can stop people?You, me, grandpa, grandpa's grandpa, men from generation to generation, always at the peak of their feelings, can't help calling: ma! ma! ma!It almost became a great cipher.

Grandpa said that the black man took the roasted cassava out of the fire, grabbed a handful of withered grass, wrapped the two ends of the cassava, and broke it hard, the cassava broke in half, and the rose-colored potato flesh was steaming. He handed half to the little bastard and took the half for himself.In just a blink of an eye, he filled his stomach with cassava.The little bastard blew on the cassava, his mouth was too hot to bite. The fire gradually dimmed, the embers were dark red, and the surrounding scenery gradually became outlines.The shadows of cattle and sheep were shaking, and the whistle insects screamed sharply. The burst of sound was so sudden that it made one's heart tremble.There was a sound in the swamp, far away, the little bastard heard the snorting of the foal.The smooth satin-like horsehide is as if you can touch it.

"And then?" asked the little bastard. "Do you still want to know what happened next?" the black man asked with a smile.There was something very scary about his laugh, and the little bastard felt it. "Of course I want to know. Every time my grandfather tells me a story, there is a beginning and an end." "When they came here, there was not a single human in this place. Weeds were everywhere, and there were wolves, insects, tigers and leopards hidden in the weeds. They set up grass sheds, opened up wasteland and farmed land, hunted and caught fish, raised chickens and dogs .One year passed, and Cao Xiang gave birth to twins, two boys. Another year passed, and Cao Xiang gave birth to another pair of twins, two girls."

... After Cao Xiang ate the eggs of the colorful ball fish by mistake, she lost her fertility.She toiled day and night, spinning yarn and weaving hemp, growing vegetables and melons, gradually haggard, and her big eyes were foggy.The little boy had long since grown into a strong man, and he devoted himself to the land, regardless of his wife or children.In the blink of an eye more than ten years, two men and two women grew up.They secretly made love with them.Laughing while doing it.When he found out, he shot a man and a woman to death on the spot with a shotgun, and the remaining man and woman hid behind their mother.With tears in her eyes, Cao Xiang tried to excuse the child...he cursed: Kill you two bastards raised by mare!Before he could say a word, there was a loud noise, like a landslide, and red smoke rose from the ground, and a fiery red horse was swept away by the billowing smoke... Ma! ma!The boy and the girl hugged and shouted.He regretted it at once, and the arrows of hatred shot from those big tearful eyes as the colt rose in the smoke pierced his heart.In just one day, he changed from a fat and strong man to a black and thin living corpse... "He wandered around singing songs about wolves. Wolves, wolves, lay eggs Four directions—the sound is like a dog barking, flying with fire—bring the ganoderma lucidum, build a nest in the incense of the dragon—this bird is extraordinary, this bird is a divine bird—you can see this bird, life is boundless—” Grandpa said, the black man stood up, didn't say goodbye to the little bastard, and walked to the grave singing a nonsense song.What does he sing?I asked.Grandpa said he sang: Brothers and sisters having sex, the population is not prosperous-- webbed hands and feet, people and donkeys having sex with each other--resurrected by skins and sheep and then perished-resurrected by wolves... Grandpa picked the ashes and said nothing . "Is the little bastard still squatting there to eat cassava?" my grandson asked me. Grandpa told me: The little bastard didn't eat cassava. He touched the webbing between his fingers, stood up, and walked step by step towards the dark village. "and after?" Grandpa was tired and fell asleep lying on the grass. So the story of the colt crossing the swamp was told... (full text)