Chapter 4 three

Xiangzi had already run twenty or thirty paces, but he refused to run again, he couldn't bear to part with the camels.His property in the world, now, only his own life is left.Even a hemp rope on the ground, he is willing to pick it up, even if it is useless, it can comfort him a little, at least he has a hemp rope in his hand, and it is not completely empty.Escape is important, but what's the use of a naked life?He had to take the animals with him, and although he hadn't thought of the usefulness of the camels, they were a few things, and they were not small. He pulled the camel up.He didn't know much about camels, but he wasn't afraid of them because he was from the country and he dared to approach them.The camels stood up very slowly. He didn't care to check whether they were all tied together. When he felt that they could be pulled away, he took a step, no matter whether he pulled up one or all of them. Son".

As soon as he took a step, he regretted it.Camels—accustomed to carrying weights in their mouths—can't go fast.Not only do you have to walk slowly, but you must also walk very carefully. Camels are afraid of slipping; a puddle of water or a patch of mud can make them split their legs or bend their knees.The value of a camel is all in its four legs; when the legs are gone, it is all gone!And Xiangzi wanted to escape for his life! However, he refused to let them go again.Everything is left to God, and the camel that came for nothing cannot be let go! Because he was used to driving, Xiangzi had the ability to distinguish directions.Even so, he is a little confused now.When he found the camels, his heart seemed to be entirely on them; when he pulled them up, he couldn't tell where was where, it was so dark, and his heart was so anxious, even though he could look at the stars. He didn't dare to do it calmly; the stars—in his eyes—seemed to be more anxious than him, and those who touched me and I touched you moved around in the black sky.Xiangzi dared not look up at the sky.He lowered his head, he was anxious and dared not move forward quickly.He remembered this: since he was pulling a camel, he had to walk along the road, not along the hillside.From Moshikou—if this is Moshikou—to Huangcun, it is a straight road.This is the camel's road, and it doesn't go far at all. "Don't go far"

In the heart of a rickshaw driver, it has great value.However, there is no cover in this way! What if we meet soldiers again?Even if he doesn't meet a soldier, can people believe that he is a camel puller with his ragged military uniform, the mud on his face, and the long hair on his head?No, never like a camel puller!It looks like a deserter!It is a trivial matter for a deserter to be taken away by the officials; if the people in the village catch them, at least they will be buried alive!Thinking of this, he trembled, and the camel's hoof thumping behind him suddenly startled him.

If he wanted to escape for his life, he still had to give up these burdens.But he refused to let go of the rope on the camel's nose.Let's go, let's go, count where you go, talk about what you meet; if you live, earn a few livestock; if you die, accept your fate! However, he took off his military uniform: he tore off the collar; the pair of responsible brass buttons were also pulled off and thrown into the darkness without making a sound.Then, he draped the collarless and buttonless singlet over his body, and knotted the two sleeves in a knot on his chest, like a backpack.This, he thought, would reduce the suspicion of being defeated; his trousers were also rolled up.He knew it wasn't quite a camel puller, but at least it wasn't quite a deserter either.In addition to the mud on his face and the sweat on his body, it is probably enough to be called a "spot".His thinking is slow, but he thinks very thoughtfully, and he executes it as soon as he thinks about it.In the dark, no one saw him; he didn't have to do it right away; but he couldn't wait.He doesn't know the time, maybe it will suddenly dawn.Since he didn't walk along the mountain road, he had no chance to hide during the day; if he wanted to travel in the same way during the day, he had to make people believe that he was a "spot".Thinking of this, he immediately did so, and he felt a little happier, as if the danger was over and Peiping was in front of him.He had to get to the city in a steady manner, because he didn't have any money or food on him, so he couldn't waste any more time.Thinking of this, he wanted to ride a camel, save some energy and endure hunger for a while longer.But dare not ride, even if it is very safe, you have to teach the camel to kneel before he can go up; time is valuable, so don't bother.Besides, if he climbed that high, it would be even more difficult to see under his feet. If the camel fell, he would have to accompany it.No, let's go like this.

He probably felt that he was walking along the main road; he was a little confused about the direction and location.It was late at night, the fatigue of many days, and the fear of fleeing made him feel uncomfortable physically and mentally.When he walked some distance, his steps were so even and slow, that he gradually seemed to become sleepy.The night was still dark, and there was some damp and cold mist in the air, which made my heart feel even more uncertain.Look hard at the ground, there are always hills and hills on the ground, and when you put your feet down, it is flat.This kind of caution and being deceived made him even more restless, almost agitated.He simply ignored the ground, looked at the ground, and walked on the ground with his feet wiped.He couldn't see anything, as if the darkness of the whole world was waiting for him, he stepped out of the darkness and then into the darkness; the silent camel followed behind him.

Gradually getting used to the darkness outside, his heart seemed to stop moving, and his eyes closed involuntarily.I don't know whether to move forward or to stand still, I just feel the fluctuation of the waves in my heart, like a turbulent black sea, the darkness and the heart are connected as one, both vague, ups and downs, and in a trance.Suddenly there was a movement in his heart, as if he remembered something, and he seemed to hear some sounds, but he couldn't explain clearly; but he opened his eyes again.He was indeed walking forward, forgetting what he was thinking of just now, and there was no movement in the surrounding area.My heart beat for a while, then gradually calmed down again.He told himself not to close his eyes again, and not to think about it; getting to the city quickly was the first thing that mattered.But when he doesn't think about something, it's easy to close his eyes again. He must be thinking about something, and must be awake.He knew that if he fell, he could sleep for three days at a stretch.What are you thinking?His head was a little dizzy, his body was damp and uncomfortable, his hair was itchy, his feet were sore, and his mouth was dry and astringent.He couldn't think of anything else but to pity himself.However, he couldn't even think about his own affairs in detail, his head was so empty and dizzy, it seemed as if he just thought of himself and then forgot himself again, like a dying candle, which couldn't even illuminate himself. of.Coupled with the surrounding darkness, he felt as if he was floating in a cloud of black air. Although he knew that he still existed and was still moving forward, there was nothing else to prove where he must be walking. It was as if he was alone. Floating in the barren sea, I can't believe myself.He had never experienced such uncertain sadness and absolute loneliness.Normally, he doesn't like making friends very much, but when he is alone in the sun, with the sun shining on his limbs, and with all kinds of things in front of him, he will not be afraid.Now, he wasn't afraid, it was just that he couldn't be sure of everything, which made him unbearable.If the camels had been as dishonest as the mules, it might have taught him to pay attention to them, but the camels were so docile that he was impatient; Behind his back, it made him startle; he seemed to believe that these big animals would slip gently into the dark fork, but he didn't know that, like pulling a block of ice, it would gradually melt away. .

At some point, he sat down.If he died like this, he would not remember how and why he sat down even if he had knowledge after death.For five minutes, maybe one o'clock, he didn't know.He didn't know whether he sat down and then fell asleep, or fell asleep and then sat down.Probably he fell asleep first and then sat down, because his fatigue had already made him fall asleep standing up. He woke up suddenly.It's not the kind of natural waking up from sleep, but a sudden fright, like jumping from one world to another, all within the blink of an eye. What he saw was still darkness, but he heard a cock crow very clearly, it was so clear, as if something hard scratched his mind.He is wide awake.What about camels?He couldn't think of anything else.The rope was still in his hand, and the camel was still beside him.His heart was quiet.Too lazy to get up.His body was sore and lazy, he didn't want to get up, but he didn't dare to sleep again.He has to think, think carefully, good idea.It was at this point that he remembered his car and exclaimed "Why?"

"Why?" But shouting was useless.He went to touch the camels, but he still didn't know how many camels he had pulled.I figured it out, there were three horses in total.He didn't think it was too much or too little; he concentrated his thoughts on these three horses. Although he hadn't figured out what to do, he vaguely thought that his future depended on these three animals. "Why not sell them and buy another car?" He almost jumped up!But he didn't move, as if he should be ashamed that he hadn't thought of the most natural and easy way before.Joy was better than shame, and he made up his mind: Didn't you hear the cock crowing just now?Even if the rooster crows at one or two o'clock at night, it is not too far away from dawn anyway.Where there is a rooster crowing, there must be a village, maybe Beixin'an?There was a camel farmer there, so he had to hurry, he could arrive at dawn, sell the camels, and he could buy a car as soon as he entered the city.Cars must have been cheaper in times of war and chaos; he only cared about buying a car, as if selling camels would be easy.

Thinking of the relationship between the camel and the rickshaw, his spirits strengthened, and he seemed to have never had any discomfort in his body.If he thought that he could buy a hundred acres of land with these three camels, or exchange a few pearls, he would not be so happy.He stood up very quickly, picked up the camel and left.He doesn't know what the market for camels is now, but he has only heard that in old age, when there were no trains, a camel was worth a great treasure②, because camels are stronger and eat less than mules and horses.He didn't want to get three big treasures, he just hoped to exchange for a hundred and eighty ones, just enough to buy a car.

It was getting brighter as we walked; yes, the light was ahead, and he was indeed heading east. Even if he goes the wrong way, the direction is not bad; the mountains are on the west and the city is on the east, and he knows that.The surroundings were uniformly pitch black, gradually becoming darker and lighter. Although the colors could not be discerned yet, the fields and distant trees had already taken shape in the general grayness.The stars are getting thinner, and the sky is covered with a cloud-like gray mist, dim, but much higher than before.Xiangzi seemed to dare to raise his head.He also began to smell the grass on the roadside, and heard a few birdsong; because he saw the vague shape, his eyes, ears, mouth and nose seemed to have recovered their proper functions.He can also see everything on his body, although it is so dilapidated, but he can believe that he is still alive; as if he feels how lovely life is when he first wakes up from a nightmare.After seeing himself, he looked back at the camel—it was as ugly as he was, but also as cute.It was the time when the animals shed their hair, and the gray-red skin was already exposed on the camels, only here and there hung some scattered, weak, long hairs that could be shed at any time, like the huge beasts. beggar.The most pitiful thing is the long hairless neck, so long, so bald, crooked, stupid, sticking out far away, like a frustrated skinny dragon.But Xiangzi didn't dislike them, no matter how unseemly they were, they were living things after all.He admits that he is the luckiest person in the world, and God gave him three living treasures that can be exchanged for a foreign car; this is not something that happens every day.He couldn't help laughing out.

There is some red in the gray sky, and the ground and distant trees are obviously darker; the red gradually blends with the gray, some places become grayish purple, some places are particularly red, and most of the sky is grape gray .After staying for a while longer, the red was showing bright golden yellow, and the colors were showing a little light. All of a sudden, everything was very clear.Then, the morning glow in the east turned into a deep red, and the sky above appeared blue.The red clouds shattered, and the golden light shot out one by one, the horizontal ones were the clouds, and the straight ones were the light, weaving a magnificent spider web at the southeast corner of the sky: the green fields, trees, and weeds all changed from dark green to glowing. of emeralds.The trunk of the old pine was dyed golden red, the wings of the flying birds shone with golden light, and everything brought out a smile.Xiangzi wanted to yell a few times in front of the red light, since he was dragged away by the soldiers, he didn't seem to have seen the sun, and he was always cursing in his heart, with his head always bowed, forgetting that there is still the sun, the moon, and the sky.Now, he walked freely, and the light became brighter as he walked. The sun gave a little golden light to the dewdrops on the grass leaves, and also illuminated Xiangzi's eyebrows and hair, and warmed his heart.He forgets all hardships, all dangers, all pains; no matter how ragged and dirty his body is, the light and heat of the sun do not exclude him, he lives in a universe with light and heat; he is happy, he wants to cheer! Looking at the tattered clothes on his body and the three shedding camels behind him, he smiled.How strange, he thought, to be able to escape danger and walk towards the sun again with four such unseemly men and beasts!No need to think about who is right anymore, everything is God's will, he thought.He was relieved and walked slowly, asking God to bless him and not to be afraid of anything.Where did you go?I don’t want to ask, although men and women have come to work in the field.Let's go, even if you can't sell the camels for a while, it doesn't seem to matter; go to the city first, he is eager to see the city again, although there are no parents, relatives, or any property there, but it is his home after all. Every city is his home, and once he gets there, he has a way.There is a village in the distance, not a small one. The willow trees outside the village are like a row of tall and green guards, looking down at the short houses with some cooking smoke floating on them.It is very pleasant to hear the barking of the village dog from a distance.He went straight to the village, not wanting to encounter any good things, as if he was just saying that he was not afraid of anything, he was a good man, of course he was not afraid of the good people in the village; now everyone is under the bright and peaceful sunshine.If possible, he would like a little water to drink; it doesn't matter if he can't get water; since he didn't die in the mountains, what does it matter to be thirsty for a while? The village dog barked at him, but he didn't pay much attention; the eyes of the women and children made him uncomfortable.He must be a very strange camel puller, he thought; otherwise, why did everyone look at him like this?He felt very embarrassed: the soldiers didn't regard him as a person, and now when he came to the village, everyone looked at him like a monster again!He didn't know what to do.His stature and strength have always made him proud, but in the past few days, he has suffered a lot of grievances and hardships for no reason.He looked over the roof of the house and saw the bright sun again, but the sun didn't seem as lovely as before! On the only avenue in the village, pig urine, horse urine and sewage merged into many small stinking lakes. Xiangzi was afraid of slipping his camel, and wanted to take a rest.There is a relatively wealthy family in the north of Daoer, with a tile-roofed house behind it, but the gate is only blocked by a wooden fence, there is no wooden door, and there is no gatehouse.Xiangzi's heart moved; the tile-roofed house-the rich man; the wooden fence without a gate-the owner of the camel!Well, let him rest here for a while, in case there is a good chance to send the camel out! "Lose! Color! Color!" Xiangzi told the camels to kneel down; as for the slogan for mobilizing camels, he only knew that "color..." means kneeling; he used it very proudly to let the villagers understand that he is not a layman .The camels really knelt down, and he himself sat under a small willow tree generously.Everyone looked at him, and he looked at everyone; he knew that this was the only way to reduce the suspicion of the villagers. After sitting for a while, an old man came out from the courtyard. His blue cloth coat was uncovered, and his face was bright. He was clearly a rich man from the countryside.Xiangzi made up his mind: "Old man, is the water ready? Have a bowl!" "Ah!" The old man rubbed the mud roll on his chest, looked at Xiangzi, and carefully looked at the three camels. "There's water! Where's it from?" "West side!" Xiangzi dared not say the name of the place because he was not allowed to know it. "Are there soldiers in the west?" The old man fixed his eyes on Xiangzi's army trousers. "The teaching soldiers were wrapped up and just escaped." "Ah! There's no danger for a camel going out of the west exit, right?" "The soldiers have all entered the mountain, and the road is safe." "Yeah!" The old man nodded slowly. "Wait, I'll get you some water." Xiangzi followed in.When he got to the courtyard, he saw four camels. "Old man, keep my three horses, let's join together?" "Hmph! One handful? If I go back thirty years, I have three! The times have changed, who can afford to feed camels!" The old man stood still and stared blankly at the four animals.After staying for a long time: "A few days ago, I wanted to join forces with the neighbors and send them out of the mouth to release greens. The east and the west are also rioting. Who dares to leave! Let's keep summer at home, and I will feel anxious when I look at it. I feel anxious just looking at them, look at these flies! It will be hot tomorrow, plus mosquitoes, seeing the good animals suffer, really!" The old man nodded again and again, as if he had infinite emotions and complaints. "Old man, keep my three horses, put them together and let them graze outside the mouth. The romping animals, here all summer, will teach the flies and mosquitoes to kill them half to death!" Xiangzi almost begged. "But who has the money to buy them? This is not the time to raise camels!" "Keep it, give as much as you want; I'll sell them, so I can go to the city to earn a living!" The old man looked at Xiangzi carefully again, and felt that he was by no means a gangster.Then he looked back at the animals outside the door, and he seemed to really like the three camels in his heart--knowing that it would be no good to buy them, but those who love books want to buy them when they see them, and those who breed horses are reluctant to see them. The same is true for those who have passed three camels.What's more, Xiangzi said that it can be sold at a low price; when a knowledgeable person gets a bargain, he tends to forget whether it is good to buy something. "Young man, if I have money, I really want to stay!" The old man told the truth. "Let's just stay here, and see if we can do it!" Xiangzi was so sincere that the old man felt a little embarrassed. "Seriously, young man; go back thirty years, this is worth three great treasures; in this year, and with the chaos of war, I—you'd better go eat and drink elsewhere!" "As much as you give!" Xiangzi couldn't think of anything else to say.He understood that the old man's words were very true, but he didn't want to sell camels all over the world—if he couldn't sell them, there might be other problems. "Look, look, it's really hard to say twenty or thirty yuan, but it's really not easy to take it out; these days, there's no way!" Xiangzi also felt a little cold, twenty or thirty yuan?It's still a long way from buying a car!However, firstly, he would like to finish it quickly, and secondly, he did not believe that he could meet another buyer by such a coincidence. "Old man, give as much as you want!" "What do you do, lad; you can see that's not what you do!" Xiangzi told the truth. "Hey, you traded your life for these animals!" The old man sympathized with Xiangzi very much, and he was relieved that this was not stolen; although it was not far from stealing, there were still layers of soldiers in between.After the military disaster, nothing can be said according to common sense. "Come on, man, I'll give you thirty-five bucks; I'm gonna say it's ain't a bargain, I'm a bitch; I'd be a bitch if I got a dollar more! I'm over sixty; Hmph, teach me what to say!" Xiangzi lost his mind.When it comes to money, he has always been unwilling to let go.However, these days in the army, when he suddenly heard the old man's sincere and emotional words, he was embarrassed to argue any more.Besides, the thirty-five yuan cash that can be obtained seems to be more reliable than the hoped for ten thousand yuan, although only thirty-five yuan for one life is indeed less!Just say three live camels, no, no, they are only worth thirty-five yuan!But what can I do! "The camel is yours, old man! I just want one more thing, find me a small coat and something to eat!" "That's OK!" Xiangzi drank a breath of cold water, then took thirty-five yuan of bright cash, two pancakes with stick noodles, and wore a shabby white coat that covered his chest, and he was going to the city in one step! ① Spectrum, that is, the appearance.have similar meanings. ②Dabao, a silver ingot weighing fifty taels. ③Growing green, grazing animals to eat green grass.