Chapter 4 Four

In the afternoon of the next day, Liu Sheng came to a village.There are no more than a dozen families in this village, all of which are poor huts.Although there are chimneys standing upright on the hut, there is no scene of the smoke rising into the air and scattering in all directions.Because of the sunlight, the road was covered with a layer of dust, and when Liu Sheng walked on it, the dust rose up like smoke.There were faint footprints of several pairs of people left behind on the road, but there were no traces of horseshoes, dogs, pigs, sheep or poultry.There is a short circuit that diverges from the side of the road, and under the divergence is a gully.There is no water in the gully, and a few yellow grasses grow sparsely.There is a small Banqiao on the gully.Liu Sheng didn't cross the Banqiao, so he didn't set foot on that path either.He walked into the hut by the road.

This hut is a hotel.There are several plates on the cabinet, all of which are large pieces of meat, boiled very white.There are three people in the store, one owner is thin and small, and the two guys are big and three thick.Although they were all wearing cloth shirts, they were neat and tidy, with no patches visible.In this year of great famine, it is a miracle that this hotel survived like grass in the cracks of a rock.Looking at the three people in the store again, although they may not be said to be full of red, they are not too yellow and emaciated.Liu Sheng came all the way, and rarely saw anyone who looked like a human being.

Liu Sheng left the city at dusk yesterday, and by the moonlight until the third watch, he rested in a broken pavilion, rolled up his body like a bundle, and fell asleep at the corner of the pavilion. The next day Xi Wei got up and started on her way again, now standing outside the hotel door, she felt her body shaking and her eyes fluttering.After coming here for more than a day without taking a sip of food, not drinking a drop of water, and constantly rushing on the road, it is naturally difficult to support it. At this moment, the shopkeeper greeted him with a smile on his face and asked:

"What do you want, sir?" Liu Sheng walked into the hotel and sat down at the table, all he wanted was a bowl of tea and a few pancakes.The shopkeeper promised and delivered it in a blink of an eye.Liu Sheng drank the tea in one gulp, and then slowly ate the pancake. At this time, a man with the appearance of a businessman walked in. This man was dressed in brocade clothes and embroidered satin, with an extraordinary appearance, followed by two family members, all carrying burdens.After the businessman sat down at the table, the shopkeeper brought the good water and wine, and pushed a full cup in front of him.The merchant drank the water and wine, then took out a handful of broken silver from his sleeve and slapped it on the table, saying:

"Meaty ones." The two guys hurriedly brought over two plates of white meat. The businessman just glanced at it, then pushed it to his family, and said: "Fresh." The owner hurriedly said: "Just go." After that, he walked into another hut with the two guys. After eating the pancake, Liu Sheng didn't get up, he was still sitting, and now he was much more energetic, so he looked at the three people nearby.Although the two family members also sat down, they didn't dare to touch the meat under their noses until the food the host asked for was served.The businessman drank cup after cup of wine, and after only a moment became impatient, he shouted:

"Not served yet?!" The shopkeeper heard it in the next room, and hurriedly agreed: "Just come, just come." Liu Sheng just stood up, shouldered his burden and was about to go outside, when suddenly a heart-piercing cry came from the next room, the voice was excruciatingly painful, piercing Liu Sheng's chest like a sharp sword.The sound came so suddenly that Liu Sheng was very frightened.This cry dragged on for a very long time, it seemed that the voice of a person's whole life was spit out in one mouth, and it whizzed past the hut.Yagyu seemed to see the rapidity of the sound piercing the wall.

Then the sound stopped abruptly, and in this short interval, Liu Yu heard the creaking sound of the ax from the bone.Therefore, everything that was seen at the vegetable market in the city yesterday was clearly reappeared at this moment. The yelling sounded again, and the yelling seemed to be cut off at this time, coming in pieces.Liu Sheng felt that the voice was as short as a finger, and it flew past him very neatly.In the shout of being chopped off, Liu Sheng clearly heard the sound of the ax chopping down.The sound of the ax and the shouting followed one another, filling the gaps in their respective voices.

Willow felt his hair stand on end.However, looking at the three people sitting nearby, they seemed to have never heard of it at all, drinking wine as if nothing had happened.The merchant glanced at the door from time to time, still impatiently. The voices from the next door started to get weaker, and Liu Yu could tell that it was a woman moaning. The groaning sound was not as fierce as before, it sounded very calm, not so calm as moaning, but like the sound of Yaoqin, or the sound of moaning.The sound was like dripping water.Three years ago, Liu Sheng stood under the window of the embroidery building, listening to the lady recite poems, and at this moment it was vaguely displayed again.Liu Sheng was immersed in the silence.But fleetingly, the voice next door was indeed moaning.Liu Sheng didn't know why he suddenly felt that it was the young lady's voice, which made him tremble slightly.

Liu Sheng didn't know that he was walking towards that door.When I came to the door, the shopkeeper and two assistants came out head-on.One of the men was carrying a blood-spattered ax, and another was carrying a human leg upside down, still dripping blood.Liu Sheng clearly heard the dull sound of blood dripping on the mud.When he looked at the ground, there were bloodstains all over it, and a fishy smell came out of his nostrils.It can be seen that countless vegetables have been slaughtered here. When Liu Sheng walked into the house, he saw a woman lying on her back with disheveled hair, one leg was slightly bent, the other leg had disappeared, and the broken part was bloody.Liu Sheng came to the side of the woman, knelt down, and carefully brushed the hair covering the woman's face.The woman's almond eyes are wide open, but there is no brilliance.Liu Sheng carefully identified it, and recognized it as Miss Hui.Unconsciously, the world was spinning for a while.I didn't expect to meet here after three years, and the young lady has been reduced to a vegetable.Liu Sheng burst into tears.

The young lady hadn't died yet, she was still moaning.The unbearable pain was clearly visible from her twisted face.Just because the voice was about to be exhausted, when the young lady's last voice turned into a groan, it was as thin and long as the gurgling of water.Although the young lady's almond-shaped eyes were wide open, she did not recognize Liu Sheng.What was shown in her eyes was just a strange man, and she begged him with a residual voice to kill her with a knife. No matter how Liu Sheng called, the young lady couldn't recognize each other.In the midst of helplessness and heartbreak, Liu Sheng suddenly remembered the lock of hair that the young lady had given him as a parting gift, so he took it out of the bundle and held it in front of the young lady.After a while, the young lady blinked her round almond eyes, and the moaning stopped abruptly.Liu Sheng saw the twinkle of tears in the young lady's eyes, but he didn't see the young lady's hand groping towards him.

With her last voice, the young lady begged Liu Sheng to redeem her leg so that she could die completely.And begged him to kill himself with a knife.After the young lady finished speaking, she looked at Liu Sheng very peacefully, as if she was satisfied.At this dying moment, to be able to meet Liu Sheng again, she had nothing else to ask for. Liu Sheng stood up, walked out the door, and walked into the hotel kitchen.At this moment, a family member is cutting off the flesh on the young lady's leg.The leg had been cut to pieces.Liu Sheng pushed his family away, took out all the silver from his bag and threw it on the stove.This silver is the rest of the silver donated by Miss Xiulou three years ago.When Liu Sheng picked up the broken leg, he saw a sharp knife on the table at the same time.Yesterday at the vegetable market in the city, the scene of the woman stabbing her young daughter to death with a knife appeared again.Liu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then resolutely picked up the sharp knife. Liu Sheng came to the young lady again, the young lady stopped moaning, she looked at Liu Sheng faintly, this was exactly the gaze that Liu Sheng imagined the young lady was standing in front of the window.Seeing Liu Sheng coming in holding his legs, the lady opened her mouth, but there was no sound.The young lady's voice has already died. Liu Sheng put his leg on the place where the young lady's broken leg was, and saw the young lady smiled slightly.Miss looked at the sharp knife in his hand, and then at Liu Sheng.Liu Sheng naturally understood what Miss was looking forward to. Although the young lady stopped moaning, her face became more and more distorted because of the unbearable pain. Liu Sheng couldn't continue to see the misery on this face, so he couldn't help but close his eyes.After a while, he groped towards the young lady's chest and felt the faint heartbeat. He seemed to feel that his fingers were beating slightly.After a moment, his hand moved away, and the other hand raised the sharp knife and stabbed down.The body below was suddenly retracted, and Liu Sheng froze, feeling the body slowly relax.When the body below stopped moving, Liu Sheng began to tremble. After a long time, Liu Sheng opened his eyes, but the young lady's eyes were already closed, her face was no longer twisted, and her expression was very peaceful. Liu Sheng squatted beside the young lady, looking dazed.Countless past events came in like smoke, and then scattered in all directions.For a while, it is the dazzling scenery of the back garden, and for a while, it is the embroidered building with clouds and emerald pillars, but in the end it is empty and vast. Then Liu Sheng picked up Miss, the broken leg was bending and dangling in his arm, he didn't notice it at all.Walking out of the butcher's house and walking to the shop, I can't see the businessman eating the young lady's leg with great interest.He stepped out of the hotel onto the yellow avenue.Looking far and wide, the surrounding fields are covered with yellow.In this sunny spring season, I can't see a little green, so how can I see the colorful scenery? Liu Sheng walked forward slowly, looking down at the young lady from time to time, but the young lady looked peaceful as if her wish had been fulfilled.But Liu Sheng's soul has been broken, and there are dreams to accompany him. After walking not far, Liu Sheng came to a river.The banks of the river are desolate, with a few withered willow trees resembling bones.There is still some water left in the river bed, although the water is muddy, it is still flowing, and there are some gurgling sounds.Liu Sheng put the young lady by the water, and sat down himself. Let's take a closer look at Miss.There are many bloodstains on the body, and there are many sludges.Liu Sheng then untied the ragged clothes on the young lady's body, and heard the sound of the clothes being torn.After a while, the young lady's body was revealed innocently.Liu Sheng used the water from the river to carefully wash away the blood and mud from the lady's body.Wash until the broken leg, the broken leg is riddled with holes, it is too horrible to look at.Liu Sheng couldn't help closing his eyes, and in the reenactment of the scene he saw in the vegetable market in the city yesterday, he moved the broken leg away. When he opened his eyes again, the broken leg came into view.The traces of chopping with the ax for a while remained here, like a tree stump after hacking.The skin and flesh of the broken leg were all intertwined and rotten.When the fingers touched it, the messy flesh was extremely soft, but the sharpness of the broken bones made the fingers panic for a while.Liu Sheng stared at it for a long time, and the dilapidated well seemed to appear vaguely. Soon there was a pool of blood on his chest.Liu Sheng carefully washed away the blood, and the skin and flesh of the wound stabbed by the sharp knife turned around, and the inside was still red, just like a peach blossom in full bloom. Thinking that the wound was stabbed by him, Liu Sheng trembled unknowingly.The thoughts accumulated over the past three years turned into stabs in the end.Yagyu couldn't believe this fact. After wiping the lady clean, Liu Sheng looked at it carefully again.The lady was lying on her back, her skin was as clear as ice and as smooth as jade.Miss is alive even though she is dead.But Liu Sheng sat on the side, but he was ignorant and unconscious, although he was alive, he was still dead. Then Liu Sheng took out his change of clothes from the bundle and put them on for the young lady.The young lady looked very petite in a baggy dress.This situation made Liu Sheng burst into tears. Nearby, Yagyu dug a hole with his fingers.I folded many dead branches to fill the bottom and sides of the pit, and then put the young lady in.Then cover the young lady with branches.The young lady hid, but she could be vaguely seen again.Liu Sheng covered it with soil, built a tomb, and sprinkled some river water on the tomb. Then I sat in front of the grave, but my mind was empty.Liu Sheng didn't wake up until a cold moon lifted into the sky.Seeing the moonlight shining in the tomb, there are many glowing lights reflected.Liu Sheng could hear the gurgling of the river, and thought that the young lady might be able to hear it too. If the young lady could hear it too, she wouldn't be so lonely. Thinking of this, Liu Sheng stood up, stepped on the avenue where the moonlight melted, and walked forward in the night when everything was gone.During the time when he was gradually away from the lady, Liu Sheng felt empty in his heart, and he could only hear the lonely sound of the pen in the bag beating the inkstone.