Chapter 5 5. Poison

Far, far away, in the middle of a vast expanse of water, there is a small island.The geographical position of the island is excellent. There is no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer. The rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year. From time to time, there will be gentle winds that bring drizzles, and the clouds will clear and the sky will turn blue.As is often said in myths, the land here is fertile and the products are abundant. The islanders are farming, fishing, grazing, and working.Surrounded by great waters, the fishing industry prospers, and there is more than enough fish to eat, cats, dogs, and all the pleasing animals in the wild.Later, I learned how to transport fish to some areas outside the big water, and I can exchange for various daily necessities and luxury goods.

Exquisite gold and silver jewelry is only one of them; in this way, several waterways are gradually opened, and business develops accordingly. One day, of course, a long, long time ago, someone accidentally caught a strange fish and showed it to everyone, but they all said they had never seen it before; they also invited the oldest person on the island and the most experienced person to see it. Said it was unheard of.As for the extent of the fish monster, there is no historical record, and there are many legends in the world today, so it is extremely difficult to verify.Some said that the fish was as red as charcoal fire, with a huge head and a fat body, and it was as long as a foot; headless.One can be summed up from thousands of folk legends: the fish has a good figure and a very beautiful color.That's all.

At first, just out of curiosity, the man fed the strange fish in a basin, and felt sorry for its loneliness, so he caught a vulgar fish to keep him company.Unexpectedly, several small fish came out.The pot is too small, so I put it in the pond. The small fish may "not move comfortably", or "glide away, come and go", which is really beautiful.The small fish was a bit bigger, but out of curiosity, the man selected the one with weird body and color to keep, and put the rest of the common people back into the big water.There are more than one strange fish and one sex, and they reproduce naturally, and another generation of strange fish is born; among them, there are those who are far more strange than their parents.The man kept the weirder ones, and put the rest back into the big water to swim away.If you choose to eliminate them, after several generations, the strange fish will become more and more strange and the species will become more diverse. There are those with bulging eyes, those with big bellies, those with long tails floating like belts, those with scales as round as pearls, some with colorful and bright bodies, and some with bulging eyes. The whole body is white and flawless, or it is like Zhu Rumo, or it is covered with gold and hung with emerald greens. It has various manners and strange things.This matter spread like wildfire and spread like wildfire, attracting famous tourists from other regions.In today's words, the tourism industry will also rise.Hotels and inns were built along the water, and the strange fish were kept in glass containers by category, and placed in the front and back of the hall, in the guest room, and beside the corridor for tourists to watch.Since then, the economy of the island has become more prosperous, the population has flourished, and the prosperity has been unprecedented.The lives of the islanders are also more colorful.At that time, the man was already in his old age, and he told the story of the past to future generations. Everyone pondered for a long time and felt a lot of emotion. They did not forget that the strange fish brought happiness to the people of the island. God fish too!In this way, every New Year's Day, there will be activities to sacrifice the sacred fish on the island.Afterwards, every family fed the god fish and worshiped it as if they were waiting for a god.Then there was the Divine Fish Contest, where everyone put on display the divine fish they cultivated and compared each other.The more novel the body color of the divine fish, the better the reputation of the owner, and the higher the prestige and status on the island.This event is a bit like bullfighting in Spain, cockfighting in South America, or cricketfighting in China.During the competition, if the fish species are mediocre, the owner's reputation will be greatly damaged, and it will be difficult to hold his head high in front of others for a long time.For this reason, there are also those whose wives and children are separated.Therefore, people worked hard and thought hard to make the fish mutate, breed deformities, and develop into strange species.How many years and generations have passed, the competition has been prosperous for a long time, and it has become a custom.The islanders, regardless of gender, age or age, are addicted to fish.During the competition, flags and flags block out the sun, drums and music are played together, and thousands of heads are jumping up and down.All kinds of gorgeous fish tanks are laid out like a maze, and countless divine fish sink and float in them. Although it is difficult to "go away and go back and forth", they are uniquely able to dance and pose.Strange categories emerge in endlessly, and Huang Huangran each shows his magical powers.The legend of the famous fish on the small island has been returned, and there is an endless stream of tourists who come to watch the fish on the island.

All of the above are things in the past, one or two thousand years ago, and fifty or sixty years ago.If there is no alternative, it will be easier to tell our story with a certain day not long ago. One day not long ago, at night, the stars were shining brightly and the moon was in the sky, and the island was surrounded by gentle breeze and gentle waves.A small boat, approaching from a distance, quietly approached the shore.Before the ship stopped, an old man jumped out of the cabin, staggered and ran a few steps, and threw himself on the beach.There was no movement for a long time.The moon was getting hazy, the wind was dying down, and the water made a soft sound against the side of the boat, but the old man was still silent.The moon was shining brightly, and the wind was rustling. The old man slowly got up, looked up at the sky and the earth, and sighed again. Then he thanked the boatman, picked up a small box, and walked to the island under the moonlight.The old man was dressed in very ordinary clothes, and his appearance was also very ordinary, but although he was covered with white hair, he moved quickly and walked lightly.He found a random hotel to stay.The furnishings in the guest room are good, as usual, there is a fish tank, there are several god fish in the tank, some with heads shaking their heads and some tails shaking their tails, they are all dumbfounded and naive.The old man looked at it for a while, then turned off the light, took off his belt and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

There was nothing to say all night. When the sky was bright, the old man appeared on the street in the center of the island, sometimes hurried, sometimes stopped to look around, sometimes bought some very common food on the island in front of the roadside stalls and ate while walking, and stopped again and again , Ask passers-by what to do.Around noon, the old man boarded the barren hill at the southern end of the island.This mountain is precipitous, nearly rising from the ground, and is the highest point of the whole island.On the mountain, there are verdant trees, jagged rocks, the roar of birds and animals, and the lush grass and flowers are endless.Just not seeing people.When approaching the top of the mountain, the old man shouted as he walked, calling a person's name.The sound of the spring is ding-dong, the clouds and mist surround it, the mountain road is rugged, and the road turns back to the peak.Soon, someone in the depths of the dense forest replied, "Who is it?" From a distance, it was as clear as a silver bell.The old man went looking for the sound, and saw two children, a man and a woman, playing in the forest.The boy climbed a tree and sang softly.The girl sat in the grass and concentrated on weaving a wreath.The boy picked the wild fruit and threw it at the girl.The girl ignored it, only caring about the wreath in her hand, while humming softly.A puppy yelled when it saw a stranger approaching.The girl quickly hugged the dog in her arms, and the boy asked from the tree: Did you call me grandpa?The old man said the name again.The two children said in unison that that was their great-grandfather.For fear of making a mistake, the old man asked again: Is your great-grandfather a doctor?The child replied no, and said: Our great-grandfather is specialized in treating diseases.The old man smiled and knew that his old friend was still alive.The two children were skipping ahead, and the dog.The old man followed behind.After walking for a while, I came to a small courtyard, surrounded by stone walls that were no taller than people, with three thatched huts, and the chai gate was concealed.The two children pushed the door and ran in, shouting: "Grandpa, someone is looking for you!"The old man also walked in, trembling a little, seeing that the yard was still full of herbs to dry.

After a while, the boy ran out of the house and said to the old man: "My great-grandfather said, if you want to search, you can search casually."After finishing speaking, the boy ran back into the house again, and there was the sound of chopping herbs in the room. Do you still recognize me, bro?said the old man. The old doctor also has all white beard and hair.He stopped the guillotine in his hand, brushed the weed off his body, and let the two children go to play in the woods. Brother, you don't recognize me, do you? Your people come so often, I can't remember who is who.When the old doctor was speaking, his eyes followed the two children who ran out of the hospital arm in arm.

The old man stood there inexplicably. Didn't the child tell you already?You can search inside and outside the house at will to see if they are all good medicines. Are you mistaken?I arrived on this island only last night. The old doctor smiled.You're putting on a good show, but you can still hear the island's accent. Why should I pretend?I am from this island, but it has been more than ten years since I left this island.I just came back last night. Only then did the old doctor look at the old man squarely.The old man moved closer to let him examine it carefully, looking into his eyes excitedly at the same time.The old doctor's eyes were cloudy.

It looks familiar, the old doctor said. The old man said his name. The old doctor started chopping herbs again, and the weeds flew around with his knives. The old man reminded him.Sixty years ago, there was a young man on this island who was the same age as you. He was so depressed that he wanted to die because he failed repeatedly in the Shenyu Competition.Do you remember this? I have lived on this island for ninety years, and I have seen many such people. The man I'm talking about lives on the east side of the island.The people living in the east of the island are all people who can't raise good fish, and they are all families where no one has shown their faces in the God Fish Competition for several generations.They all lived on the east side of the island, and they were people to look down upon.

What you said is not news. I didn't want to say anything news. Now the east of the island and the west of the island are upside down. Yeah?How did that happen?Sixty years ago, there were four families with the best fish farming on the island. They all lived in the west of the island. They were known as Yuxian, Yusheng, Yudi, and Yuwang.People who can raise good fish live in the west of the island, and people who are admired live in the west of the island. Why are you mentioning these?It's no secret yet. I know it's not a secret, I'm not interested in secrets. The old doctor took the herbs leisurely.The old man looked at the three rooms, a table and a few stools, a big bed and two small beds, everything else was filled with herbs.The old man picked up a piece of licorice and chewed it in his mouth.

This matter has nothing to do with me.The old doctor said that those four families were unable to bear children, and after they broke up, the family business would be over, and this matter has nothing to do with me. Why do you always think I'm here to investigate something? Haven't been investigating, you guys? us?I'm alone and only came last night. What are you here for? The old man was speechless for a long time.Then he said: I didn't expect that you don't remember that incident sixty years ago.I thought it was impossible for you to forget him.He was young then and determined to raise unusually good fish and live west of the island...  

I've seen too many people like this. He has no siblings.When his parents were young, they only wanted to raise good fish, but they had no time to have children. When they were in their forties, they believed that they could not raise good fish. That's why he was born.His parents pinned all their hopes on him again, and made him have a fierce fight with fish since he was a child. The old doctor stopped the guillotine again, and listened carefully to what the old man said. Remember him?the old man asked. No, said the old doctor.The old doctor had other things on his mind. He has been in love with those fish since he was a child.In his teens, he did manage to cook a few not-so-bad fish, but they were all vulgar fish after all.However, from this he believed that he had a bright future.Parents and neighbors said the same thing, saying he must be the kind of guy who could raise a horny guy.He did catch some good fish after that.Conceited and youthful, he vowed that within ten years at least he would surpass Yudi and Yuwang, otherwise he would not be considered him and would not marry. and after? later?Do you remember the night when he came looking for you?People are already extremely weak, with insomnia, anemia, poor heart and no appetite. Even if they were not crazy at the time, they would be crazy sooner or later if they continued to live like that.Fortunately, he also knew that death was a relief, better than going crazy. Others advised him to live on anyway, maybe there will be a day when he can raise good fish.Only you understand him. Now it seems that you have grasped his crux. The old doctor said: All the diseases on this island are because they want to raise good fish and are afraid of death. I was not afraid then. You are lucky. I wish I could die right away.I have been working for ten years, working hard from dawn to dusk, ten years!Never made a good fish again.I still live on the east side of the island, and even on the east side of the island people look down upon me, and if I'm right, I'm sure I won't be a good fish anymore.What is death?It is that everything does not exist, everything does not exist, nothing. I don't remember you, said the old doctor. Don't you remember the night I went to beg you?I want to die, but I'm afraid of hanging myself, jumping off a cliff, wiping my neck, lying under a wheel or drowning. I know you have a medicine made from fugu poison, which is dozens of times more poisonous than cyanide. Have you taken it? There is no pain at all... I never had that stuff!My medicines are all good medicines! You know me, so you gave me two pills of that medicine. nonsense!I don't have that medicine, and I haven't given you anything! You don't want to watch me go crazy, do you?You can't bear to watch me die little by little after being crazy enough, have you forgotten about this? Be as crazy as you want, be as crazy as you like, I never knew you. Why don't you want to recognize me? The old doctor ignored him, and started digging herbs again. You don't have to worry, in fact, it can be said that you didn't give me those two pills, in fact, I took them away secretly.You understood me so well at the beginning, you opened the safe with the medicine, pretended to be negligent and forgot to lock it, then we drank, and then you fell asleep when you were drunk, it was me who did not get your permission Next, take the medicine away secretly and leave without saying goodbye. The old doctor didn't lift his head.I have never been drunk. I mean the time sixty years ago. I haven't had a drop of alcohol in ninety years.If you are willing to search, just search inside and outside the house. What happened on the island?Why do you always think I'm here to search? You know better than I what happened on the island.Don't you think it's because I gave the people on the island bad medicine? As I said, I came back last night alone. At this time, the two children came back, the boy was carrying a basket full of wild fruits, and the girl was wearing a garland made of fresh flowers. They jumped into the house and threw themselves into the arms of their great-grandfather. You're not going to search anymore? No.I'm not doing the search either. Well, it's getting late. After the old doctor finished speaking, he went to play with the two children.Only the puppy stared at the old man vigilantly. When the old man returned to the hotel, he was depressed, so he lay down early, and couldn't help thinking about the day's events. He became more and more aware of the strangeness of the old friend's conversation, tossed and turned, and couldn't sleep well all night.The next day, at dawn, the old man got up and went to the island for a stroll.Sprinklers rang their bells, and in the mist, there were cleaners sweeping the streets.There are little fishing sails on the big water around, and sometimes the sound of sirens travels along the water surface to the island.Soon, the morning fog cleared, and all the shops opened. Some elderly shop assistants stood in front of the doors to greet customers, and the shelves in the windows were full of beautiful things.There are also small vendors who set up signboards on the side of the road, selling clothes or food, drumming their tongues to attract buyers.The streets are bustling with men and women, and the flow of cars and people is like a tide.Everything is normal.Newly built and under-built high-rise buildings can be seen everywhere towering into the clouds, and the long arms of cranes are raised in the morning sun.The old man walked from one end of the island to the other, looking for his former residence, but he couldn't find it. The private house had already been demolished and turned into an open-air square.The square is extremely wide and decorated extremely exquisitely. The floor is paved with marble, and the carved jade railings turn thousands of times.It is the place for racing fish.The old man looked for the elementary school where he had studied, and that elementary school had also been converted into a fish racing farm, no less than the former in terms of scale and grandeur.There are many such fish farms on the island. In the afternoon, the old man came to the barren hill in the south of the island to look for the old doctor.This time he changed the way of talking. The old man said: I probably made a mistake last time. The old doctor said: You must have made a mistake. What did you do wrong?the two children asked. The old doctor sent the child to play in the woods again. It appears that person is not you.You are not that person. of course not.I've never had that drug, let alone given it to anyone. I don't know anyone else on this island.Now that we know each other, I think we might as well make friends, shall we?We are all of this age again. That's a rare thing, said the old doctor.The old doctor was also more easy-going than last time, and smiled from time to time, and he still chopped the herbs. You still deal with these drugs all the time. It's all out of habit, and it's useless at all.I don't know why.Like those who keep fish, it's all about habit. Is it going to be a fish race again on the island? Now it's a half-monthly competition, a monthly competition, and it's endless. What about fish?How are the fish? There are many surprises, definitely beyond your imagination.There is a kind of fish that even has white eyeballs, but in fact it is just albinism.The man who made this fish became famous in no time. Who are the current fish fairy, fish saint, fish emperor, and fish king? You can't tell, it's him today, and someone else tomorrow.Once in a competition, an old lady made a fish that could not move at all. The appearance of the fish was not unusual, but it could make a sound, jingling, babbling, singing like a music box. a hymn.It took the old lady her whole life to come up with such a lust. I knew I could get good fish like this sixty years ago.But I tried my best and couldn't get it out. At that time, I really wanted to die.You know how uncomfortable it is to be looked down upon all your life.Then you gave me those two pills... not me.Ok?I am not the one who gave you that medicine. That's right, not you. It's not necessarily on this island, is it? ah?Oh, right, no.Not on this island.It wasn't sixty years ago either, it was earlier.By the way, it's not me, it's someone I've heard of.This man wanted to die, and one night he got two pills of poison, which were the kind of medicine that would make him die comfortably as soon as he touched his tongue.He was so drunk that he came to the beach by the island, thinking, as long as he threw the medicine in his mouth like this, he would roll into the big water, and all troublesome things would be over.When the tide falls, the water will carry his body with it.There is no longer him in this world, just like he never had this world.The world has the right to veto him, what about him?He also holds the veto power over this world.Thinking of this, he immediately felt relaxed all over.Look at the pills in your hand again, knowing that in the future, no matter when, no matter what kind of unlucky situation you encounter, you can easily veto them, just throw those two vetoes into your mouth.He took a long breath and felt relieved, his mind was as calm as the boundless water and sky.If so, why bother to die in such a hurry?He lay on the bank thinking about it for most of the night, and when it was almost dawn, he stole a small boat and rowed to the other side of the big water.While paddling, he said to himself, assuming that I am already dead, so what's wrong with going somewhere else to have a look? Besides, he has to leave this island. If he stays on this island, he will still go crazy. At dawn, countless contemptuous eyes will be cast on him, reminding or hinting: You are a man who has been struggling for ten years and can't support you. A person who breeds good fish, you are a person in your 30s and 40s who didn't breed lust.There were two other reasons why he had to leave the island.One is that he is afraid that the doctor who gave him the veto power will take back the two pills, which will be really terrible.What's more, he can't implicate the doctor, death is his own business, but others will think that the doctor killed him; of course, he can't repay the favor.So I didn't die, I put the two pills you gave me in my pocket, got into a small boat, and rowed hard... It's the first time I've heard of such a thing.I am not the one who gave you the medicine.Ok? The old man was stunned for a moment.Yes, not you.It's not on this island, it's another island.It wasn't me either, it was someone I'd heard of.I heard it from someone I didn't know while waiting for a train at a small station, and I had nowhere to go to find him, and I didn't know his name. That's right, said the old doctor. The man I heard got into a small boat and rowed for seventy-seven forty-nine days to a place beyond the great waters... Let's talk about something else. other?what else?Okay. You have been on this island for two days, do you have any special feeling? special feeling?what do you mean? For example, have you discovered anything unusual? What is unusual?I didn't see it. The old doctor hesitated for a while.Maybe nothing happened, that would be the best of course. What happened?Why don't you tell me?We are old friends for many years. We just met yesterday, and you got it wrong again. yes.I only came to this island the night before. Now there are more and more strange fish species on this island. I saw a fish without eyes in the hotel. That being said, in fact, there are no eyes where there should be eyes, but there is an eye under each scale.You probably didn't pay attention to this, did you?You know how hard it is to get a fish like that. I know.I've always expected to get such a good fish, but I never did it myself. The person who made this fish worked hard, and he hasn't had a full night's sleep for many years. You know, when a female fish throws her roe, if no one is watching, she will eat it all up.After the roe turns into a small fish, you have to pay attention at all times.There may not be one of the hundreds of millions of small fish that has the value of continuing to cultivate, you can't let it go, once you let it go, all the years of hard work will be in vain.You have to look carefully one by one.Perhaps only at a certain moment of the night will a fish show its strange endowment.How much time do you think a person can sleep? No one knows this kind of suffering better than me.I was, oh, the man I heard about wasted so many years of hard work, maybe he missed a few opportunities.Later, he rowed the boat to a place out of the big water, and never dealt with fish again.But he has no other skills, and can't do anything else.People in that place don't care who can raise lust.A fish is just a fish there, you can eat it, and you can also look at it.No matter what kind of fish, as long as it is alive and kicking, it is considered a good fish.But that place still looks down on people who can't do anything.How do you think this man I heard could stand it?He felt like an asshole, not even an asshole, nothing.He took out those two pills again... Do you know who took the top spot of Yuxian in the last competition? Who is sitting? An old man from the east of the island.He made a big fish, several feet long, covered in knots like he was wearing armor.It is actually a bunch of sarcoid tumors, some are red and some are blue, because there are abundant arteries and veins inside.This kind of tumor cannot be cut. That would screw up the whole circulatory system, right? correct.The fish itself was not that big, and those tumors accounted for more than two-thirds. The person I heard wanted to die at that time, but when he took out the two pills to take a look, he felt a lot more relaxed, and said to himself: I just thought that I had already thrown this medicine into my mouth. Yes, isn't it?Isn't it easy to throw this medicine in your mouth?As long as I'm dead and can't feel anything, why don't I try to do something else?He put away the medicine again.Guess what happened to him? Ok. There he got a job cleaning toilets. That fish is very edible, eats meat, and those tumors need enough protein and fat to feed them. He has been doing that job for several years, and he does it quite peacefully.Everyone said he wasn't doing a bad job.After several years like this, he didn't realize that he didn't have a wife yet. The old man and his wife kept feeding the fish for years.It can't be stopped for a minute, and once the flesh is cut off, the tumors will all shrink, and they will not be so colorful and eye-catching.The old lady feeds during the day, and the old man feeds at night.The old man has to go out to earn money during the day, you think, what time do you have to sleep? It's bitter, I know that.But if such a good fish can really be made, I think the old man must still be quite fascinated. Fascinated like a demon.You know how they get those fish?How do all the people on the island get those fish? Ok.how to do? Give the fish a little of whatever is new.Such as chili, vinegar, pepper water or something. I hadn't thought of that.Maybe it's useful? It's nothing more than stimulating those fish to see if there are any changes.Later, some chemicals were added to fish tanks or fish ponds. Some fish were still alive, and the small fish that could be reproduced had all kinds of shapes, including those with three heads and six arms, those without tails and fins, and those without eyes.This is a lot of work.Especially sulfuric acid and mercuric acid, etc., the ratio should be mastered properly, the fish will die if there is too much, and no good fish will be produced if it is too little. The person I heard was for the fish before, and never thought of getting married... The mercuric acid and sulfuric acid are mixed properly, and the fish have to be monitored day and night.Once you find a fish that has changed its appearance, quickly fish it out and put it in clean water. If you catch it too late, you will die, and if you catch it too early, it will return to its original shape, so you can't be careless for a moment.You think, is there still time to sleep? Isn't it, trying to get a good fish is no joke.That person went to the other side of the great water and worked as a toilet cleaner for several years, thinking that he should get married... Later, some people fed fish with other things, such as machine oil, Vaseline, carbon black, lead powder, etc. This method is safer.Someone made a group of strange fish in this way, and each fish had a long and thin piece of cartilage growing on its side.The man said something to them, and they all lifted the cartilage slowly.That man has been the top fish emperor for several years.But you have to keep saying something to them, or they'll forget about it.How much sleep do you think this person can have? Thinking that it was time to get married, he realized that he was just a toilet cleaner. There's a difference between "is a toilet sweeper" and "just a toilet sweeper".He stayed on the other side for several years.Only then did I realize that there is no paradise anywhere.He was forty years old then.I am afraid that it will be too late to learn anything, and it is better to die than to think about it.But he has those two pills, and he puts them in his close-fitting pocket, so why worry?Isn't it just a matter of throwing it in your mouth?Try to learn something else first.It's not too late to die if you fail to learn, isn't it? ... Recently, people all over the island are frantically looking for ancient coins, broken pottery fragments, fossil animal bones, ancient stones and stones, and grind them into fine powder when they find them.Prepared for fish to eat.It is said that a fish without a tail has been produced.I heard that there is also a kind of fish that has no head and no flesh, just a bone like a castor jumping in the water.I haven't seen it either.Those pottery pieces, fossils and so on are hard to find.you say.Searching day and night, grinding day and night, why sleep. Has anyone come to you to find medicine for the fish? No.That's not true.I don't have any extra medicine.What they were looking for was something out of the ordinary for the fish to eat. Then why are you always so scared? I?I'm scared?What's so scary about me at such an old age. Why do you always feel that pedestrians are coming to your place to search? Oh -- it's not because of the fish.Do you understand?They didn't suspect that I gave the fish some bad medicine.They know I never handle those fish.They are for something else. What's up? Humph.Just wait and see. What happened to the islanders? You don't see it at all? The old man shook his head.Stare into the old doctor's eyes.The old doctor lowered his eyes again, still kept chopping the herbs. You may wish to pay attention again.I do hope that's not the case. When the old man said goodbye and came out.I saw the two children still playing on the grass in the forest.He set out to alarm them.The little dog trailed him far away, wagging its tail and seemed no longer hostile to him.The old man stood on the hillside and looked down, and he had a panoramic view of the island. The humming and rumbling city was noisy, and prosperity was everywhere.The sun was about to set, and the whole island was brilliantly illuminated by the red light of the sunset. There are lights and festoons everywhere on the island, whether it's shops, hotels, institutions or factories.Flowers are placed on both sides of the main street in various patterns, flower towers, flower mountains and flower seas.The aroma is tangy and intoxicating.Flags and flags of various colors are dotted all over the fish competition grounds, and a fish-shaped flag is embroidered on a long flag in the center of the field, fluttering in the wind.Looks like the big game is coming.Dozens of elderly managers were busy in each arena, struggling to spread a long red blanket on the marble floor, humming and coughing.The carpet was scarlet and eye-catching, hundreds of meters long, covering the winning platform all the way.The award-winning platform is on top of dozens of steps, inlaid with gold and jade, as splendid as a palace, majestic and majestic.The band is rehearsing, and there are soft sounds coming from all corners.From time to time some colored balloons with broken threads took to the sky prematurely. Pedestrians on the street are talking about the fish competition, recalling the results of the last competition, predicting who might be the top four this time, regretting that their own fish species are not amazing at present, and asking each other about news about novel fish species .All are in high spirits, talking and laughing happily, and in high spirits. The old man wandered around the island, walking all over the streets and alleys, but he couldn't see anything unusual.The old man was tired from walking, so he sat down on a rock near the water to rest and eat something.So trapped, he lay down on the beach with his head resting on a rock. When the evening glow disappeared, the water rose again. The night diffused. The old man had a dream in a daze.I don't know why I dreamed of two children and the puppy again.The two children jumped up and down beside him, calling him grandpa, stroking his eyebrows and tugging at his beard, singing the song he was familiar with when he was a child... Suddenly, the island seemed to be illuminated by a flash of lightning or a volcano erupted. The bright light shook the island with a bang, igniting the island and even the sky and surrounding water.The old man woke up with a start and looked carefully. It turned out that tens of thousands of lanterns in several arenas were all lit up together.It's nothing weird, it's just testing the lights.The bang was nothing but the excited cheers of the people.The old man yawned a few times, then thought about the dream just now in a daze, but felt that there seemed to be something mysterious in the dream.After thinking for a while, he couldn't figure it out, so the old man stood up and walked around. Soon there was the muffled sound of cannons, singing and dancing, gongs and drums, horns, whistles and shouts... It is not surprising that many years ago, when the competition was approaching, The same is true, people are preparing for the competition. The old man didn't go back to the hotel all night, and mobilized all his senses of sight, hearing, and smell to pay attention to everything on the island.In the middle of the night, the lanterns were extinguished, and the sound of cannons stopped early, and the island was silent.The old man walked the streets and alleys alone, as light and alert as a cat.Every house is closed.All the lights were turned off again.There was no sound in every house.The street lights also seemed to be dimmed.The temperature dropped a lot at night.The old man was sitting under a tree feeling a little cold and bored, when he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from all around him, at first it was small and weak, then it became clearer, and it gradually became a piece of sound. be loud.This is rare.The old man got up and tiptoed to the door of the house. When he listened closely to the crack of the door, there was indeed that sound in the courtyard.He looked in through the crack of the door again, a flickering torch lit the dull faces of an old couple. There is a fish tank in the middle, and the old couple is kneeling on the left and right sides of the tank, feeding the god fish.The sound was nothing more than their chirping whispers, or there were also noises made by the god fish eating. He looked through the cracks of the doors and looked at a few more, but nothing more.But the number of people is different, some are a family of several people chanting like praying, some are alone talking to themselves as if making a wish, all of them are equally pious, dull and methodical, and carefully feed the god fish.The old man secretly sighed: I have been away from home for many years, and I have even forgotten such a familiar thing.My heart was sad, and I couldn't help but burst into tears, so I comforted myself: It wasn't like this sixty years ago, there weren't many people who were so fascinated by fishing, and their voices weren't as loud. He didn't notice any unusual phenomenon on the island until the stars were sparse and the moon was setting and the sky was dimming.The old man climbed up the barren hill in the south of the island again. As soon as he entered the door, the old man said: Brother, I am afraid that something is wrong with your own nerves. You still don't see anything?said the old doctor. The old doctor has already woken up early to chop up those herbs.The two children sat in the middle of the yard holding a bowl to eat breakfast while feeding the puppy.The small courtyard is quiet and serene, with birds singing and insects singing all around, the air on the mountain is cool and has the fragrance of resin, and the sunlight in the gaps between the trees dyes the mist golden.Even the sound of the old man cutting the grass, the sound of the two children eating, and the sound of the puppy drinking water can be heard far away. Still didn't see it.Of course I didn't see it, because everything was normal.I'm afraid you're not quite right yourself. The old doctor smiled, disapproving. don't laugh.In fact, you recognized me the first time I came back, but why didn't you recognize me? I really don't know you. Take a look, these are the two pills you gave me that night sixty years ago.The old man took out a small bottle from his arms and poured out two white pills for the old doctor to see. The old doctor said without looking at it: I didn't give you this medicine. Why do you have to do this?Your suspicions are too heavy, and your spirit is not normal.In fact, no one came to search you, and nothing unusual happened on the island. The old doctor told the two children to eat quickly, and then went to the woods after eating. I brought these two pills back to give you back.I want to tell you that it was your two pills that saved me.I have to thank you. That's not me, and it's not on this island, is it?It's not you either, it's someone you've heard of.isn't it? no.It's you, it's me, and it must be on this island.Later I rowed the boat to the other side.Where did I say it last time? Speaking of you suddenly want to get married. good.But I am forty years old, and I have no other skills except cleaning toilets.那地方也绝不是天堂，人们还是不大看得起扫厕所的。你信吗？只要有差别，就不可能有彻底的平等。我就又想死。我就又拿出这两粒药来，喝足了酒想借着醉劲儿把这药吞下去。死真不是件绝对的坏事，你想想，只要有那么一点勇气，你就可以和所有的人都平等了。isn't it?所有的人都得死，不管你是什么了不起的人物，死了，烂了，变作尘埃飞散了，化成轻烟不见了，就全一样了，谁也不会看不起你了，你也不必看不起谁了，这么想着，我又镇静下来。 你干嘛不弄弄鱼呢？ 我要是弄鱼，说实在的，凭我这两手在那地方没人比得了。可那地方的人不太关心鱼，认为一切鱼既然生出来了，就都是好鱼。 老大夫点点头。and after? 哦，我就又活下去，学了几年木工，学得挺一般。后来又学了几年打铁和裁缝，都学得很一般，对了，我忘了告诉你，在这期间我结了婚。老婆比我小十岁，也曾经中了魔障似的光想死。我头一回见到她是在水边的悬崖上。我看出她想往下跳可又不敢，就走过去对她说，你可着的什么急？她就哭，说自己活在世上算个什么东西。我说，能这么想就好了。我就把那两粒药拿出来，给她讲了那药的作用。她说她真想要一粒。我就分给她一粒。她说，那你还够吗？我说这样咱们俩就都够了。她就要吃。我说，你再想想，也许不用这么着急。她想了一阵子，问我，这药会不会失效。我说只要拿到了就永远有效。她又仔细看一遍那粒药，问我是不是肯定没骗她。我说这可怎么证明呢？现在我们都只有一粒了，没办法证明。她又问我，是不是对所有的人都有效。我说这也没办法证明，不过对已经死了的人肯定无效。她于是放了心，同意跟我回家去，作我的老婆。 这时岛上响起沉闷的炮声。 鱼赛快开始了？ 是呀，又要开始了。 我实在看不出有什么不正常。 Let's go on.and after? 我们夫妻俩先开了个小杂货店，以后又做了些别的买卖，再以后又学了些别的手艺，总之，五行八作差不多样样都干过。仍不免常常惭愧、自卑，到底弄不清自己算个什么东西。想到死时就记起那两粒药，互相提醒，那两粒药不是稳稳当当揣在我们的怀里嘛。这样愈来愈活得平静，不去想自己算个什么还是不算个什么，自己想干什么就干什么，能干什么就干什么，愿意出去跑一阵便跑一阵，愿意扯开嗓子唱一阵便唱一阵，愿意读点什么或写点什么就读点什么写点什么。忽然有一天，我发现我已经九十岁了，她呢，八十了，这才意识到我们很久很久没提起那两粒药了，知道再也用不着它。 你们有没有孩子？ Of course there is. 有孙子吗？ Have. 是不是连重孙子也有了？ 也有了。 老大夫松了气，不住点头。 what happened? 老大夫不回答，默默盘算一回。 直到炮声一阵响似一阵。 What's wrong with you?老人问。 老大夫说：兄弟我求你件事行不？把我身边这两个孩子带走。 What happened? 带他们离开这个岛，到大水以外的地方去。今天就走，现在就走。 岛上到底发生了什么？ 你来这岛上三天了，除去在我这儿，还在哪儿看见过孩子？ 老人幡然醒悟。 这两个孩子是岛上最后的孩子了。不孕症在这岛上流行多年了，岛上没人再能生养。 你也治不了？ 他们怀疑是因为我给岛上的人都吃了坏药，没人敢来找我看病了。就这样吧，我留下来再试试，就把这两个孩子托付给你了。 老人带了两个孩子从山后小路下到岸边，早有一只小船横在那里。三人上船，砍断缆绳。 其时，岛上号炮声声不断，鼓乐喧喧不息，甚嚣，且尘上。 那老大夫立于荒山之顶，向他们挥手告别。 小船渐行渐远。不久听见船侧有嗤嗤喘息声，原来那只小狗洑水追来。两个孩子搂住小狗便有些凄然。老人想起那两粒药忘记还给老友，取出再看，连连叹息。两个孩子见了药丸，每人抢过一粒放在嘴里。老人惊时，却见孩子嚼得香甜，嚼了一会，吐出一块白色胶状物，放在嘴上吹成泡泡，泡泡爆响，清脆悦耳。 再看小岛，早无踪影，惟余一片茫茫大水。 一九八六年二月二十一日