Chapter 8 Chapter 6 Rabies

Heizi is afraid of dogs. As soon as he heard the dog barking, his heart tensed up.When he saw a dog with its tongue sticking out and a fierce look on its face, he would run away from it.The fear of dogs comes from the begging time before he and his mother came to Quliu Village. Once, he and his mother came to the door of a family. They were about to open their mouths to beg, but a dog jumped out of the house, and the dog barked fiercely at them.If it weren't for the stick in the mother's hand, the dog would have rushed over. Heizi hid behind his mother, his eyes wide open in horror.

The dog's barking got the owner's attention. A middle-aged man came out of the room, and stared at them with his triangular eyes, "It's a beggar again. These days, we can't even eat enough, so how can we have leftovers for you?" The mother smiled all over her face, "You can do me a favor, and I can give you anything." The middle-aged man with triangular eyes got angry, "Get out, get out, don't make trouble here, I told you, we can't eat enough, how can we give you anything." The mother had no choice but to drag Heizi to another house.

The dog didn't bark after seeing its master come out, and Heizi looked back occasionally, only to see the dog that had stopped barking shoot towards his mother like an arrow from the string. Heizi let out a cry. Before Heizi could finish barking, the dog bit the mother's calf hard.The mother wailed, turned around and raised a stick to hit the dog, but the dog had already run back into the house.Heizi saw blood seeping from his mother's trousers.The mother limped away from the sad village with Heizi.There is a scar forever left on the mother's calf. Heizi also left a permanent scar in his heart.

Those scars shine brightly in Heizi's miserable childhood. Quliu Village, where the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, is not beautiful for Heizi.Spring is the season of hunger.Heizi is already in the fourth grade in elementary school.He grew up gradually in the changing world of Quliu Village. Wang Qixiang, a boy from Quliu Village, came into Heizi's field of vision this spring. Wang Qixiang was a little gloomy. He is an orphan.He lives alone in a mud hut.During the day, he would go to work with the members of the production team.In his free time and nights, he is a wandering soul in Quliu Village.

Heizi didn't know how his parents died.Heizi was a little afraid of him, but not as scared as he was when he was afraid of the fourth child.Wang Qixiang's gaze is like a soft knife. When he looks at you from a certain corner, that soft knife will cut your skin one by one.Heizi didn't know where this feeling came from, he really felt the sharpness of that soft knife. Wang Qixiang didn't dare to attack him head-on. Wang Qixiang knew that the two people behind Heizi, the dumb uncle and the boatman, were not to be trifled with, and any one of them could slap him to pieces.Wang Qixiang always seems to be alone and weak. He has no friends or relatives. Although he is a member of the production team, he seems to be outside the group.

It was one evening that Wang Qixiang really came into Heizi's field of vision. Heizi went to the field to pull rabbit grass. He was pulling rabbit weeds when he saw the dumpy Wang Qixiang rolling into a sweet potato field like a ball.The sweet potato field is full of sweet potato seeds that have just been buried in the soil and are waiting to germinate. The sweet potato leaves have not grown yet, and the sweet potato sprouts bright yellow buds.Wang Qixiang obviously didn't notice Heizi.At that time, the members of the production team had already finished work, and the fields were quiet.Seeing Wang Qixiang's sneaky look, Heizi felt a little scared in his heart. He lay down in the grass, not daring to breathe.When he was afraid, he suddenly had an idea: how could the orphan Wang Qixiang grow so fat?This is indeed a strange question.

Wang Qixiang touched the sweet potato field and used his chubby fingers to scrape away the soil, revealing the sweet potato seeds.Generally, the remaining sweet potato seeds are selected large sweet potatoes.When Wang Qixiang saw the plump sweet potato, he was very excited. He took out the sweet potato, wiped it on his clothes, and then put it in his mouth to bite.The sweet potato seeds were not tasty, Heizi had eaten them before, and they tasted bitter.Heizi didn't understand why Wang Qixiang ate sweet potato seeds so deliciously.Heizi gulped down his saliva as he watched him gobble up, his appetite was provoked by Wang Qixiang.

After Wang Qixiang finished eating the sweet potato seeds, he dug another sweet potato seed and hid it under his clothes, and it rolled out of the sweet potato field like a ball. Wang Qixiang looked left and right, for fear of being seen. Heizi suddenly yelled, and it turned out that a little frog jumped onto his arm.His cry caught Wang Qixiang's attention.Wang Qixiang was startled and ran away. Heizi breathed a sigh of relief. When he returned to the village with a basket of rabbit grass on his back, he saw Wang Qixiang at the entrance of the village. Wang Qixiang was sitting on the branch of the old camphor tree at the head of the village, looking condescendingly at Heizi who came into the village.

Heizi saw him. Heizi's heart skipped a beat. He saw Wang Qixiang stealing sweet potato seeds from the production team. Will Wang Qixiang kill him?He remembered a common saying that a dog that does not bark bites. Is Wang Qixiang, who is usually quiet and wandering like a ghost, a dog that bites? When he passed the old camphor tree in fear, he didn't dare to look up at the orphan Wang Qixiang.Wang Qixiang didn't speak, and he didn't do anything.When Heizi returned home, the stone in his heart fell to the ground.The next day, when he saw Wang Qixiang, his heart was blocked by a huge stone again.

He bravely walked towards Wang Qixiang who was standing in the corner, and whispered to the gloomy Wang Qixiang, "Qixiang, I didn't see anything." "What did you see?" Wang Qixiang's voice was cold, like the cold wind blowing through a broken window in a cold night. Heizi said, "I didn't see anything." "Crazy!" Wang Qixiang threw down a sentence and walked away. Heizi stood there dumbfounded, his head becoming hot with a buzzing sound. The mother said to Heizi: "Hei'er, it's the season of rape blossoms, you should pay attention to the dog, and run away if you see the dog."

In the season of rape blossoms, dogs tend to go crazy. This is the disease that the seasons bring to dogs.Heizi has never been able to understand the crucial connection between rape blossoms and dogs going crazy. Anyway, people say that dogs tend to go crazy this season, and the easiest way to identify a mad dog is to look at the dog's appearance. Beware of dogs with tails sticking out tongues and eyes showing fierce eyes. Dogs like this are often crazy dogs. This kind of dog likes to bite whatever it catches.Heizi has this kind of recognition ability. He saw a mad dog chasing and biting roosters and hens in the village, and was beaten to death under the siege of bold villagers. Heizi was very alert when walking in the village. Wang Qixiang's stealing of sweet potato seeds has never been discovered. Wang Qixiang's lonely eyes wandered over Heizi. He walked towards Heizi who was playing with ants under a tree.As soon as Heizi looked up, he saw the short and fat Wang Qixiang.He looked at Wang Qixiang, wondering what he wanted to do.Wang Qixiang knelt down in front of him. Heizi wanted to get up and run away, but his mother often said to him: "When someone bullies you, you should run quickly, to the dumb uncle, or to go home, or to a crowded place if you can't." Escaping is very important. effective way to protect yourself. His thoughts were dispelled by Wang Qixiang's rare smile. Wang Qixiang's smile looked so precious.In Heizi's memory, Wang Qixiang doesn't seem to have the ability to laugh. He has never seen Wang Qixiang smile.He didn't expect Wang Qixiang's smile to be so vivid. Wang Qixiang said, "Heizi, I want to make friends with you." Heizi couldn't believe his ears, he looked suspiciously at Wang Qixiang who was smiling all over his face. Wang Qixiang said: "Heizi, you don't have to look at me like that. I know you are a good enough friend. I want to make friends with you." Heizi remained silent, he couldn't accept this reality all at once. Wang Qixiang said: "Think about it, I want to make friends with you." Wang Qixiang left after speaking. Wang Qixiang had a strange smell coming from his dirty clothes.His clothes may not be washed once in half a year.Heizi came back to his senses and found that the ant had gone somewhere. Back home, he told his mother that the orphan Wang Qixiang wanted to make friends with him.His mother said, "Hei'er, what good will someone like Wang Qixiang do you?" Heizi couldn't figure it out.Mother said: "He will do anything for petty theft, you'd better stay away from him." Heizi nodded, he listened to his mother. But how did he face Wang Qixiang?This is indeed a tricky question.He didn't dare to say to Wang Qixiang directly: "My mother said, don't let me make friends with you." But he had to face Wang Qixiang who wanted to make friends with him. Heizi was on his way home from school. Wang Qixiang walked towards him. Heizi quickly ran to another road. Wang Qixiang quickly caught up. Heizi thought of a mad dog, and Wang Qixiang, who was chasing Heizi quickly, was like a mad dog at that time.Heizi ran desperately, and Wang Qixiang chased desperately. Although Wang Qixiang is short and fat, he really runs like a dog, with amazing speed.Wang Qixiang soon caught up with Heizi. Heizi stopped, out of breath, and his face turned blue. Wang Qixiang was also out of breath, and he said, "Hei... Heizi, you...why are you running so fast, I... I'm not a tiger, I won't eat you." Heizi looked at Wang Qixiang warily, he really doubted that Wang Qixiang would pounce on him and bite him hard on the neck. Wang Qixiang calmed down, and Heizi's breathing became easier, but he still looked shaken. Wang Qixiang smiled, and he took out a brand new pencil sharpener from his pocket.When he took out the pencil sharpener, Heizi's earlobe hurt reflexively, and he exclaimed, "No!" Seeing his nervousness, Wang Qixiang said, "Heizi, I don't understand what you are afraid of. I don't know how to cut your flesh with a knife. I just want to make friends with you. This is my gift to you." Heizi couldn't believe it. Wang Qixiang put the pencil sharpener in Heizi's hand, turned around and left.Heizi held the pencil sharpener in his hand, as if holding a burning coal. "I don't want your knife!" Heizi suddenly said loudly. Wang Qixiang turned around and smiled at him, then left without looking back.Heizi felt sad, he was at a loss for the gift Wang Qixiang imposed on him. Finally, he threw the pencil sharpener vigorously. The pencil sharpener drew a beautiful arc in the air, and then fell into a pond. With a plop, the pencil sharpener sank into the water and never floated up again. When Heizi was walking back with a basket of rabbit grass on his back, he saw the mad dog.The mad dog was walking towards him.The mad dog's tail hangs down, its tongue sticks out, and it walks like a drunk. Heizi was very unlucky. How could anything happen to him.The mad dog obviously spotted Heizi, and it chased Heizi.The paths in the country fields are narrow and slippery.Heizi stumbled and fell in the rapeseed field during his escape. The mad dog whimpered and rushed towards Heizi. Heizi let out a scream. He heard another scream, that of the orphan Wang Qixiang.Wang Qixiang appeared out of nowhere, rushed over, and kicked away the mad dog that was pounced on Heizi.The mad dog counterattacked and bit Wang Qixiang's thigh hard. This is how Wang Qixiang's scream came out. Immediately afterwards, Heizi witnessed a human-dog battle with his own eyes.After being bitten, Wang Qixiang was enraged. He rushed towards the mad dog, beating and kicking the mad dog desperately.The mad dog did not show weakness, screaming and biting wildly.Heizi did not expect the furious Wang Qixiang to have such astonishing courage and strength. He grabbed the mad dog's tail with bloodshot eyes, lifted it up and beat it down, and then picked it up and beat it down again.The dog's screams turned into dull whimpers again.In the end, during Wang Qixiang's desperate beating, the dog made no sound and died.Wang Qixiang threw the dog's body on the ground like a rag bag.The dog's eyes popped out, and its mouth was full of blood bubbles bubbling out. Heizi was stunned. Wang Qixiang was covered in blood and his clothes were torn in several places. He sat limply on the rapeseed field, when a gust of wind blew, the fragrance of rapeseed flowers spread all over the field. Wang Qixiang squeezed out a bright smile towards Heizi. That was the brightest smile Heizi had ever seen in his life, covering his life like sunshine.Heizi stood there blankly, he couldn't understand the meaning of that smile at all.Wang Qixiang stood up wearily, walked up to the stunned Heizi, took out another brand new pencil sharpener from his pocket, handed it to Heizi, and said, "Heizi, this is a gift from me, don't worry about it. Throw it away again, I just want to make friends with you, good friends." After speaking, Wang Qixiang staggered away. Heizi held the pencil sharpener tightly in his palm, like holding a token of life. After many years, Heizi traveled all over the country, leaving many precious things in the constant relocation, Only this small pencil sharpener is always with him. Two days later, Wang Qixiang fell ill. He had a high fever and talked nonsense.Heizi told his mother about Wang Qixiang saving him.Mother was very moved.She took a bag of rock sugar and a basket of eggs to visit Wang Qixiang.Wang Qixiang, who had a high fever, fell into a coma.The barefoot doctor in Quliu Village gave him antipyretic injections and medicine, but to no avail.The mother discussed with the boatman whether to send Wang Qixiang to the town hospital.The boatman refused at first, how much would it cost!The mother got angry, she thought she had to save Wang Qixiang, no matter what, Wang Qixiang got sick because of saving Heizi.The boatman agreed, but what if he has no money?My mother proposed to sell the big white pig raised by the family.The boatman had no choice but to rely on his mother. Early in the morning, the boatman put the burnt unconscious Wang Qixiang on a stretcher. With tens of yuan from selling pigs in his pocket, he and the dumb uncle carried Wang Qixiang to the town health center. That day, Heizi was restless and couldn't calm down to listen to the teacher's lecture.During that whole day, Heizi's heart was on Wang Qixiang, and the scene of Wang Qixiang fighting mad dogs in the rapeseed field kept appearing in his mind. As soon as school was over in the afternoon, he returned home quickly. Mother is chopping pigweed. "Mom, I'm so scared!" Heizi squatted beside his mother. The mother stopped her work and said to Heizi, "Mom is really scared too." Heizi was speechless. Knowing that the puntman hadn't come back, he walked toward the door.The sound of mother chopping pig grass sounded again. He came to the junction leading to the town and looked up the road. When it was dark, they hadn't seen them come back yet. Heizi's uneasiness became more and more intense, and he couldn't swallow the food, even though his stomach had already issued a strong protest and kept growling. In the middle of the night, Heizi heard a noise. He rushed out the door. He saw the puntman approaching with a torch. The boatman came into the house, his face very ugly. He said to Heizi's mother, "No, it's hopeless, he has rabies." Mother's tears flowed down. Heizi came to the dumb uncle's house.The dumb uncle is drinking sweet potato soup.Seeing him coming in, the dumb uncle hurriedly gestured to him, saying that Wang Qixiang had rabies, and he must not go to Wang Qixiang's small mud hut.Heizi's eyes widened, and something terrible finally happened.Originally, this incident would have happened to him, but now it happened to the orphan Wang Qixiang.While Heizi was afraid, he also felt deeply guilty. Regardless of the obstruction of the dumb uncle, he came outside Wang Qixiang's hut. It was pitch black in the cabin. The door was locked, and Quliu Village has a custom for people with rabies, which is to lock the patient in the house, not let him out, and let him die slowly in the house.If a sick person runs out and bites people like a mad dog, he will spread rabies to others.After the death of a person who had rabies, the body was burned. Rabies had the same nature as leprosy in that era. In the dark, Heizi said loudly to the quiet hut: "Wang Qixiang, I promise you, I will be your friend, Wang Qixiang, we are good friends!" Heizi yelled over and over again. Heizi's shout echoed in the empty village. There was no response to Heizi's shout. The room was dead silent. Heizi cried, he knew that another living life was going to leave this world, leave him, and enter the eternal darkness. His cries grew louder. The dumb uncle took the tearful son Heizi back home. In the next few days, the people in Quliu Village were disturbed by Wang Qixiang's shrill cries.Quliu Village set off a dog-beating movement.All the dogs in the village were beaten to death.In the dark night, there was no dog barking, only Wang Qixiang's shrill barking in the dark room.The barking sounded more and more like a dog barking.Heizi heard people say that people with rabies will grow dog hair, and then die like a dog barking in pain. It was impossible for him to see whether Wang Qixiang in the dark room had dog hair growing all over his body, but Wang Qixiang's barking at night did smell like a dog barking. Hearing Wang Qixiang's heart-piercing cry, Heizi's heart was sliced ​​by countless sharp knives. Finally, when the day came, Wang Qixiang's cry went out like a lamp that had run out of oil. People opened the huts.Wrapped Wang Qixiang's body in a broken mat and carried it to the wild river beach. They piled up a pile of dry firewood on the wild river beach. They put Wang Qixiang's body on dry wood.They lit a fire. Heizi didn't approach. He and his mother stood on the embankment looking at the raging fire, and murmured: "Wang Qixiang, you are my good friend. Wang Qixiang, you are my good friend forever." Mother made Heizi kneel down towards the fire. Mother said: "Kowtow to your benefactor." Heizi kowtowed vigorously. he whimpered. The fire is also howling in the spring wind.