Chapter 8 third quarter

We greeted the New Year in the first grade of high school under the bridge.New Year's Day is A Yuan's birthday, but we have never given her a birthday.Even if a cake is prepared, A Yuan, who is an illusion, can't eat it. Similarly, she can't blow out the candle.So we don't do anything, the three of us just play cards all the time. The playing cards were brought by A Yuan, so although it is an illusion that does not exist, Mu Yuan and I can both see it and draw the cards with our hands. If others saw us playing that poker, they would be surprised.Our posture seems to be the kind of staring at the empty space, and sometimes screaming out suddenly.

However, that year, Ah Yuan had no energy at all.It seemed that he had worked too hard and was exhausted. "Her family seems to be very nervous about money. Mom is in the hospital." Mu Yuan quietly told me.Mu Yuan always talks to A Yuan in places I don't know.Once again, I really feel that this man is really unreliable, and it is inevitable that I feel a little sad. "So, she works more?" Mu Yuan and I used to set: "Ah Yuan will suffer because of his parents".I began to regret why I had to say such hasty words in the first place.Therefore, we tried to make the setting "A Yuan is the daughter of a capitalist".But afterwards, Ah Yuan was not saved because of this.

"I want to know more about myself being an illusion." One day, A Yuan said. "For example, I can't touch the world you are in, and I can't move things. Even if I touch Xiao Shen's cheek, it is as hard as plaster. But in this way, can it be called 'I touched'? Because I Just like your dreams, once you interfere with others from a material point of view, it will have a very bad impact in reality. It is really incredible. I go to school, but I can talk to others normally. Places can also handle guests very well. However, in my world, whether it is a 'school' or a 'part-time job', they are all made by you, and they appear in order to form a part of 'A Yuan'.'Grandma 'That's right. Although you don't realize it, you must think so subconsciously. If I don't see you, maybe I will feel that I am an ordinary person, but why should I play with you like this?"

Hear this, I say this. "But there will always be one time in this life, the world I live in, and the world you live in, the barrier between the two will disappear." "No, absolutely not. Physically." Muyuan said so. A Yuan was noncommittal, but just put on a embarrassed expression. During the rainy season in the second grade of high school, it rained heavily for many consecutive days.This city already had a lot of precipitation, but the rainy season of that year was very special.Maybe I will never forget it. After the rain, the river increased, and under the bridge where we often meet, everything was submerged in water.The same goes for the sewers.At this moment, the entrance of the sewer must be sucking rainwater like a bottomless pit. On a rainy day, I looked out the window, thinking about it, and suddenly trembled.Thinking of that in my head, I couldn't help but feel cold all over.

One Sunday evening, I was watching TV in the living room when my mother came in pale.The rain that was still pouring down just now is about to stop. "The stone bridge next door said that his family's little extension has not seen him since daytime. It seems that he is not at home. Where can he go in this rainy day?" I thought at the time, how could such a thing happen.It was drowsy outside, but it was not quite dark yet.Should be able to come back before then.After all, Xiao Shen is already in the first grade of elementary school, and there have been several incidents that made people around him worry.

For example, before he got home by eight o'clock at night, his parents were going to call the police.I took a walk under the bridge with the mentality of just in case, and found him sleeping soundly at the entrance of the sewer. "It's okay, it must be hidden in a drawer or something." "But, I searched everywhere." "Even if you look for it several times, there will still be places you can't find. He will definitely appear in places you didn't expect." "There are a lot of flood accidents in this city, so I'm worried. Little Zenkuan, don't fall into the river."

At night, Xiao Shen did not appear, but conclusive evidence appeared.An old man who lived nearby said that when he was delivering blackboard newspapers during the day, he saw a boy who looked like Xiao Shen by the river. Mom looked even more worried.The rumor that Xiao Shen fell into the river immediately spread around. The rain stopped during the night.I couldn't sleep, so I walked towards the river.The river where Xiao Shen was mentioned was the river with the entrance to the sewer. Confused, Xiao Shen, did he want to walk under the bridge as usual, but fell into the river instead?Didn't he know that the place was already underwater because of the flood during this period, and he went there to play as usual?This thought popped into my head.

On the bank of the river, many adults fiddled in the river with long sticks.The flashes of the flashlights lined the banks of the river, making it look like a festival. There I met Mu Yuan.Mu Yuan seemed to already know the general situation. "Do you think he's still alive?" When I asked this question, Mu Yuan answered coldly. "Isn't it still daytime when I saw him last? The possibility is very small, isn't it? He will die when he is damned." I never want to see your face again.Wood Park said.Mu Yuan said nothing with a gloomy face, clicked, and took pictures of the surrounding scenes.Anyway, if something happens, I never want to see your picture again.I say the same.

I have class the next day, but I still rest at home and stay idle.The sky was overcast, but there was no rain.In the end, Xiao Shen did not come back last night. During the day, there was a phone call looking for me.My mother said, "It's Chun Nanjun." After I heard this, I picked up the microphone and hung up immediately. "I went for a walk." After my mother finished speaking, she left the house.I naturally walked towards the river.The grown-ups from last night were gone.Heard from mom that they were searching the lower part of the river.The adults didn't seem to notice the entrance to the sewer.

The river was only slightly fuller than usual.This amount of water should not cause any water to flow into the sewer. Near the bridge I met A Yuan. "Oh, long time no see." A Yuan smiled and waved to me.Because of the continuous rain, we have not met under the bridge for a while.So we seldom see each other during the rainy season.Of course, it’s another story when A Yuan came to my house and Mu Yuan’s, but she never came. "How? Are you okay? ... What's the matter? Why are you crying?" I told A Yuan about Xiao Shen.At first, she thought I was joking like a prank, but when she soon realized that I was serious, her face turned pale, and she became uneasy like a squirrel or something, helpless.

I had just finished telling A Yuan about Xiao Shen when I heard a squeak and a bicycle stopped in front of me.It is Wooden Garden.I was not happy to see that guy's face, so I turned my head away. "Why are you here, I called you." Mu Yuan glanced in A Yuan's direction and shouted, "Just right!" "Xiao Shen's matter, is it true?" A Yuan grabbed Mu Yuan and asked.He said he grabbed it, but he didn't actually grab Mu Yuan's clothes. "Anyway, the fall into the river should be real. But, I just know one thing. It's good news." Mu Yuan's glasses flickered, and his tone was very confident.At this moment, A Yuan and I look forward to it like a child from a poor family listening to the oracle of a sage. "Today, at the morning meeting of the elementary school, the principal seemed to specifically talk about Xiao Shen. Oh no, I don't have time to talk slowly now, and now I must hurry up." Muyuan looked into our eyes and continued. "That's exactly what happened. Xiao Shen's ghost appeared in elementary school. It was said to be a ghost, but it was actually just a voice. There was no one around, but a faint voice shouted 'help me...'. Listen It was Xiao Shen's classmate who heard the voice, a girl in the first grade of elementary school. She said that it was indeed Xiao Shen's voice. The little girl was terrified, as if she couldn't help throwing it up at that time. But how to find it in the surrounding area? I couldn't find Xiao Shen. This story is very popular in the school." Help me... I seem to have heard this voice too, and I can't get it out of my head.What exactly is Mu Yuan trying to say? "Gengping, now is not the time to stand still! A Yuan, I will leave it to you to lead the way! Really, it is great that A Yuan is here!" Mu Yuan held the flashlight in my hand. With a kick, A Yuan started to run. "Don't you understand? The place where the girl heard Xiao Shin's voice was the place where the wallet fell. Xiao Shin, who fell into the river, was miraculously sucked into the sewer. No, it may be that he was It is not certain to go inside. Anyway, he is still alive! Then, on the way to be rushed in, he was caught by something or something, at the place where there is an iron grid on the ceiling, Xiao Shen yelled. Moreover, a girl happened to hear it. It’s a miracle that so many lucky things come together, live when it’s time to live!” A few of us, led by A Yuan, rushed to the depths of the sewer, the place where the iron grid was embedded in the ceiling. However, Xiao Shen was not there. "It must have been washed away." So, are we going to search the entire sewer? !I thought worriedly. "If it was washed away...could it be at the bottom, where there is water?" As soon as Mu Yuan finished speaking, Ah Yuan left us and ran away quickly.No matter what, A Yuan worked hard.That attitude made me wonder if she had ever worked so hard since we met. There was no other way, so Mu Yuan and I had no choice but to let the flashlight we were holding roll up and walk straight down.That way, you should be able to get there. It was the first time since elementary school that he had to go deep into the sewer like this.In the sewer, great changes have taken place.It must be because it has just rained.It was damp and had a foul smell.It might be the smell of rotting fish or something.However, it is incredible that the size of the space does not seem to change.We should have grown in height, are we back to childhood in this darkness? "Ah Yuan, this name is the name of a cat." While walking, Mu Yuan said. "Gengping has also seen pictures of cats in my room, right? That is the first king of A Yuan, and the current A Yuan is the second king. It was a name made up on a whim when the chicken killing incident happened in the fourth grade of elementary school. A Yuan was originally The name of a cat I had in kindergarten." "At that time, for some reason, I told the teacher that Ah Yuan was a girl, which was incredible. Because there was no need to lie and say it was a girl." "... At the beginning, A Yuan I was a male cat. I didn't realize that it was a female cat until its belly grew big. However, it died in a traffic accident. Just before it was about to give birth to kittens My father put the dead A Yuan in a cardboard box and let it float away along the river in rainy days. However, just before it floated away, I seemed to hear something making a small sound in the box Maybe it's the kitten. I think, although A Yuan is dead, maybe the kitten in his stomach is alive, so he was born in the box. However, there is no confirmed time at all, so my father just let it go The river drifted away. Of course, that river, that's the river there." "You said it was a rainy day, so maybe the cat was sucked into the sewer. Then, maybe it sank where we're going now." "That's why I feel a little scared, about that place." When I said this, I suddenly remembered another thing.The story of the cat in the wood garden is very similar to the story of my chicks floating in the gutter. That day, when we were still primary school students, Muyuan listened impatiently to me talking about my sins as if he was listening to the commentary of a TV program he had watched before. He probably overlapped himself and me at that time. Thinking about it this way, I think I can understand the mood of Muyuan who sheltered me.At that time, he probably wanted to save himself by protecting me. For Mu Yuan, the creation of A Yuan was actually to bring the kitten back to life.A Yuan is not the incarnation of a cat, she is an out-and-out illusion.Moreover, she might also be Mu Yuan's act of atonement for the cats. As for me, I just got a foot in the relationship between Mu Yuan and A Yuan.But I didn't realize this, and raised my hand to make A Yuan like a chick was born again. ...or maybe I'm thinking too much. At the same time, we have already walked out of the big tunnel at the bottom.We suddenly tensed up. As before, the water accumulates there.It should be that the water that flowed into the sewer yesterday gathered there.However, the water level has not changed much from before. What kind of structure is this?There is also very little garbage floating on the water.I shone a flashlight on the water surface, and the black water surface, like gasoline, swayed and reflected light.It was shaking, although there should be no wind. he is there.Lightly, Xiao Shen floated on his back.Next to him was A Yuan who was soaked in the water from the waist down.She seemed to be swimming, and even her hair was soaked.A Yuan patted Xiao Shen's cheek with his hand, and stared at him lovingly.It was really like a mother, and even now I can recall how it was. After that, we confirmed that Xiao Shen was still breathing, so I carried him home.Mu Yuan kept pressing the shutter, taking photos of the surroundings. Since he has been missing for more than a day, everyone has given up hope that Shinobu will survive.Even in this situation, we were able to bring him back, so Muyuan and I became heroes.Xiao Shen's mother thanked us with tears in her eyes.It was the first time for me to be treated like this by adults, so I wondered if I should take this opportunity to ask for something. When asked where we found Shin, we replied, "He was locked up in the elementary school's sports warehouse."As for being seen by the river, it was explained that it was on the way to the school.The reason for saying this is because the river has been searched everywhere, and we don't want people to know where the sewer entrance is. The grown-ups who listened like this just said, "Is that so?" Enough is enough.She didn't seem to notice that Xiao Shen's clothes were all wet.Of course, the matter of Mu Yuan and I becoming heroes is nothing. I wanted to ask my parents for a computer, but they said "what are you talking about" and rejected me. About a month after that, I told A Yuan about the computer, and she said: "Oh, it's really useless, don't you lie and tell a lie that can make you a hero? For example, from A Yuan's hands Rescue the abducted Xiao Shen, etc. Anyway, I already have a record of killing chicks." "I'm really sorry about this matter! I will never let you bear the blame for me again!" "I don't care!" Saying so, A Yuan laughed.A Yuan, who is always in a daze after returning from the sewer, can laugh so naturally, I am really happy to see it. This conversation was with A Yuan while walking.A Yuan walked towards the bus stop.It was dark all around, and it was already dark.After this, A Yuan will go home alone.Of course, the home that does not exist anywhere in the world only exists in the heart of A Yuan, who does not exist. This home is actually very unreliable. Although the surroundings were dim, there were street lights beside the road at the bus stop, and A Yuan's figure on the ground was vague.Of course, that shadow is also an illusion. The bus arrived shortly after, just as our conversation had just ended.I think that's just right.The driver saw me and opened the door.A Yuan looked back at me again.She looks so small.Ah, yes, I just found out that I outstripped her a long time ago.She was already in high school, but she was still wearing a purple baseball cap. Although she had been wearing it since the beginning, this guy had completely changed compared to the beginning.I think so. "……be careful" In fact, it was very short time, but I felt like it took a long time to say the words of parting.A Yuan walked briskly, got on the bus, and the bus started.She sat in the last row, smiled and waved to me.This was the last time I saw A Yuan. The next morning, while watching TV, there was news of a traffic accident.The accident happened very close, and it was a fall from a slightly larger bridge after passing three or four stations.Somehow a bus collided with a large truck on the bridge and the bus just fell into the river. The driver and most of the passengers died.Only one child was miraculously saved. The name of the deceased is displayed on the screen. "The dead, there are six people in total", the last sixth person is A Yuan's name. Huh?I thought about it and read the newspaper again.The bus that had the accident was the bus that A Yuan took yesterday. Mom watching TV says: "Oh, I don't know at all. Isn't it nearby? Alas, five people died." Five people?I stared at the TV again, and it was still "six people".Ah, yes, I quickly understood that this was still an illusion. In my mother's view, it was "the dead, a total of five people".Not wrong.In fact, whether it is on the display screen or in the newspaper, it is also written in this way.It's just that for me, the sixth dead man is especially for me to see... For the next few days, Mu Yuan and I waited for A Yuan under the bridge.No matter what, we still can't believe it, and this feeling is always lingering.Anyway, Ah Yuan is an illusion, how could he die in an accident?We always feel that when we are waiting in a dull mood at the entrance of the sewer, she will appear quietly, and then suddenly shout "I'm coming!", and reappear in front of us. However, I don't know how long I waited, but A Yuan didn't come either. "...she really disappeared." After Mu Yuan said these words, I began to slowly accept A Yuan's death.No, I don't know if the word "death" is right or not.A Yuan was originally a hallucination, so maybe a word like "disappear" might be more appropriate.However, for us, it still feels like she is "dead", so I feel very sad. "A Yuan's mother will be very sad too, right?" After I said that, Mu Yuan said in an unprecedentedly severe tone: "How can you think of A Yuan's mother! There is no such person! Do you want more people to be sad!?" Not long after, he dropped out of high school and went to a distant street to learn about cameras. As for me, I continued to study absent-mindedly, and just sent away my long high school life.When I saw the final report card, my mother was going to faint.But nothing, I don't care. Then, a year after the accident... Mu Yuan entered the coffee house a little later than the agreed time.He was somewhat surprised when he saw Xiao Shen sitting next to me.I didn't tell him before that I would also bring Xiao Shen, who was in the second grade of elementary school. On the bridge, many bouquets have been placed. The traces left by the accident have been repaired after all, but seeing the broken handrail, you can still imagine, oh, this is where the bus fell off the bridge.Looking down, it is very high here.I wonder if Ah Yuan died without pain, I thought.However, I also thought that words like "no pain" or "happiness" might not be appropriate for Ah Yuan, so I stopped thinking about it.Because she is an illusion after all. The wind whizzed.After putting away the flowers we bought, we closed our hands.Xiao Shen imitated us. I closed my eyes and recalled what happened to A Yuan.Although it has been a year, I still remember everything about her.Her gestures, her voice, everything about her.Well, this feeling... like seeing her again. I was just like this, obsessed with this fantasy, feeling as if I could see the A Yuan depicted in my mind standing in front of me as soon as I opened my eyes.Looking forward silently in my heart, I opened my eyes, of course she was not in front of me. "Let's go back." Wood Park said.Xiao Shen and Mu Yuan held hands together.Ah, I nodded and turned around. The wind rattled the shirt. In front of us, who were about to return, stood a child.Wearing a purple baseball cap and shorts. I was so shocked that my heart almost stopped beating. "...Ah Yuan?" No, not her.Looking carefully at the child's face, it was not A Yuan.It's a boy I don't know. "Sorry, I got the wrong person." After I apologized, the boy said suspiciously: "Could it be that A Yuan, the woman in the hat who died in the bus? Do you know that person?" Mu Yuan and I looked at each other.How could this child know about A Yuan? After detailed questioning, it turned out that the child was the only teenager who survived the bus accident.A full year ago, he seemed to be sitting in the last row of the bus. "The seat in the last row... At that time, A Yuan sat in the last row..." "Well, at first I thought there was no one in the last row." The boy nodded and continued: "However, at the moment of the accident, a woman sitting next to me hugged me tightly, so that I survived without serious injuries. Everyone said that it was a miracle that I didn't die. That I wore a purple hat, so from then on, I began to wear the same color hat. At that time, my sister really hugged me tightly. I also smelled a sweet smell of chewing gum. But, That older sister probably died just like that. Mom said she was going to come to the door to thank her, but the strange thing is that it seems that all the men who died in the bus were men." We went into the coffee shop. I kept replaying what the boy said over and over again in my mind. My sad mood has not changed, but I have been brooding over A Yuan's death before, but now that I know the truth, I feel more comfortable. "I have time to learn to dive." I said to Muyuan. "Then, I'm going to be flushed down the sewer to retrieve those toys from the past. You know, the plastic monster dolls that are flushed there are selling for a good price at this time." "Hey? If you want to say this, you have to make a new map of the sewer. If you don't have something to guide you, you won't be able to come back even if you get in there. Let's count your steps as before. However, in that There might be something even more remarkable to be found inside." "Something more remarkable?" "Rumors say that there seems to be a gold mine buried around here. That is to say, this sewer was built to hide this huge treasure. Thinking about it this way, can't you understand why there is such a long underground tunnel? Well, it's just a rumor." "Okay, let's go find it now!" At this time, two cups of coffee and ice point were just served. "Ah, yes. You said you never wanted to see my picture again, so I never showed it to you. See!" Mu Yuan took out a few photos from his pocket and handed them to me.A Yuan was photographed in the photo.For those who don't know him, he must not see A Yuan, and they must think it is a scene photo.This is a photo that only makes sense to me and Mu Yuan. In the last photo, there is no one.There are only walls. "That's the wall at the bottom of the sewer. About a year ago, I took the photo when I rescued Xiao Shen." On the wall, between the two names of "Genghei" and "Juyuan Junnan", "A Yuan" is written with a marking pen. "Ah, she has been by our side since the fourth grade of elementary school, this A Yuan. This text is also an illusion, right?" Hearing these words, Xiao Shen raised his head from the freezing point. "Sister A Yuan, I still remember." "Ah, you can't forget her, boy. But you haven't seen A Yuan's appearance, because you can't see her." Hearing Mu Yuan's words, Xiao Shen shook his head. "No, I've seen it before." "lie!" "But I did see her in a dim place. I was floating in a place like water, and there was no one around. I was very scared. Sister A Yuan came to me at this time, so I didn't cry. On the contrary It was Sister Ayuan who saw me, with an expression as if she was about to cry." I immediately realized that this was what happened when I went to rescue Xiao Shen.It turned out that Xiao Shen could see A Yuan at that time. "We were all there then, boy. Do you remember?" After Mu Yuan finished speaking, Xiao Shen frowned and replied: "Liar, you are not here." "This guy actually forgot about us." Muyuan shrugged his shoulders. In this way, we have been with A Yuan for eight years.Although, hallucinations are fleeting things. Speaking of our relationship, if Ah Yuan didn’t play with us, he would probably stay in that world forever.Didn’t Ah Yuan also say the same thing: “When I go to school, I can talk to everyone normally, and I can deal with customers very well at the part-time job.” And if I’m hallucinating, I think the world of hallucinations is happier .Illusion and play with people who live in the real world, probably only to endure the continuous feeling of loneliness and alienation.Even if she's the one we've worked so hard to create, there's no reason for her to be with us. After I asked Mu Yuan about this matter, Mu Yuan just said: "Ah, there are still many reasons, right?" As I was leaving the coffee shop, I said: "You know, this guy, A Yuan, used to like me." I just wanted to make a little joke, but Mu Yuan was quite surprised. "What, you know?" "what?" "No, I have been hesitant to tell you. It was A Yuan who kept me from telling you, because if I told you, Gengping would be very sad when she died. Me, A Yuan discussed it with me a long time ago, she said I like Gengping, what should I do. The time was probably in middle school, at your house, when you were protecting A Yuan, after that. This problem is complicated, because it is a hallucination that fell in love with someone. She fell in love with you You should have known at the time that what will happen next is impossible. As a bystander, this matter itself is not normal. So, I just said to her, as long as you are happy. In the end, she still had no choice. You confessed to this road, but chose the road of being together as friends for a long time." I understood it all at once. Why hasn't Ah Yuan disappeared in these eight years.This is because she doesn't want to disappear.