Chapter 8 Chapter Seven The Most Spiritual Thing

"There is someone in the water!" Ai Nan said tremblingly, "It's a child." The stone ran to the edge of the water, and the ripples splashed by Ai Nan on the water surface were spreading. "Under the water!" Ai Nan said in shock. The stone sank into waist-deep water without thinking, and his hands were visibly shaking as he picked up the baby clothes. "Fill again and see if there are any children under the water?" Ai Nan's begging voice made Shi Shi grit his teeth and start groping in the water. He searched the entire small pond, but found nothing.

Shi Shi came out of the water, quickly stood with his back to Ai Nan, and said in a panic, "Let's get out of here." Ai Nan put on her clothes with trembling hands.After walking out of the woods by the pond, Ai Nan said: "Brother Shitou, hurry up and see if the strings of that erhu are broken after you get back." Stone said that such a thing would never happen.He puffed out his chest, acting as if he could protect Ai Nan. This evening, the only four people left in the nursing home—Ai Nan, Shitou, Brother Yao and the photographer gathered in the yard to eat edamame.The photographer clamored for a drink, saying that he had discovered the origin of the little red shoe in Ai Nan's room and that he should congratulate him.Brother Yao really brought out the wine—he didn't have an erhu to play this evening, so he felt very lonely.

The discovery of the photographer was purely accidental.This afternoon, while he was taking a nap in his room, he suddenly heard the childish voices of children outside.The photographer was very sleepy at that time, because he stayed in the room where Ai Nan lived all night to observe the movement, so he usually slept very deeply in the afternoon nap.However, he still managed to open his eyes, where is the child?He opened the door sleepily and walked out. Looking up, he saw three children playing under the banana tree.The photographer suppressed the feeling of panic and walked over and asked, where did you come from?What are you doing here?One of the 6-year-old boys said, we live in the east of the town, and we want to pick the plantains from this tree to eat.At this moment, the photographer saw a 3-year-old little girl with bare feet, and asked her why you don’t wear shoes, and the little boy answered first, that she lost one of her shoes when we came to pick plantains last time. .At that time, we heard a noise in the grass, and we were afraid that a snake would come out, so we ran away quickly.She also lost one of her shoes somehow.After returning home, she was scolded, and her mother said she was a wild girl, so she didn't give her shoes to wear.

That's it, the photographer let out a sigh of relief.He took out the little red shoe from the room, and the little girl happily took it and said that it was the shoe she had lost.The photographer said you should go back quickly, there are empty houses everywhere, and there are really snakes, it is very dangerous to run around here. The origin of the little red shoes turned out to be so simple, and Ai Nan felt a little relieved: "So, the little handprints we found on the boiler room door were also left by these playful children?" The photographer said it must be so.There are more than a dozen families living in the east of the town, and the children left these traces by running around without incident.He wiped his beard and said triumphantly, "How about it? It's still useful for me to stay in the room over there."

At this moment, the photographer's sober mind and sincere desire to solve Ai Nan's problems made Ai Nan think that he does not look like a dead person reappearing.If she was in the city, she would never believe such a thing, but after arriving in Fengdong Town, which is like an empty city, she feels different. The important thing is that the publications that Professor Xu saw clearly stated that this one is called Lan Mo. The photographer fell into a well and died a year ago.Ai Nan thought, it's not good to keep this mystery in her heart, so she might as well find a chance to be alone with the photographer and ask this matter clearly.

The photographer and Brother Yao were drinking wine, Ai Nan and Shitou were also sitting at the table eating edamame, the yard had already darkened, and a few sparse stars appeared in the night sky.Brother Yao suddenly said: "Shitou, go and take out my erhu. Don't tell me that you don't know anything, I don't understand what you are thinking? Tell you, it's useless to hide the qin, just like The stars are like the stars in the sky, you close your eyes and they still shine in the sky. Go, take out the piano, if you don’t have some music at this time, the wine will be in vain.”

Brother Yao's calm insight made Shi Shi suddenly lose the courage to argue.He faltered and said, "Qin? Where is Qin, let me look for it for you." Stone intentionally searched in and out of several houses, and then handed over the old erhu to Brother Yao helplessly. Brother Yao started to tune the strings, Ai Nan panicked, and the baby clothes in the pond flashed before her eyes.She was afraid that the piano could really reflect some omen, so she said vaguely, I went back to the house to have a look, then got up and left the yard.When he walked into the room, Shi Shi also came in, and he said, Sister Ai Nan, don't be afraid of this piano, there is no such thing as death if the string is broken, it must be something Brother Yao said to scare people.Ai Nan said you don't understand Shitou, who can explain such things.

Brother Yao sat on the bamboo chair and tuned the strings while calibrating the pitch. The photographer sat directly opposite him, touched the black body of the piano and said that the erhu was considered an antique.Brother Yao nodded triumphantly, held the piano with one hand and held the bow in the other, and drew a long single note. Suddenly, there was a sound of "collapse", and a string broke! Brother Yao lost his voice in shock, and kept shouting, "It's over, it's over."The photographer said strangely that it would be all right to change a string.Brother Yao ignored it and sat on the bamboo chair in a daze.

Hearing Brother Yao's exclamation, Shi Shi ran to the yard to have a look and then came back to the room. He told Ai Nan that the strings of the piano were broken, but you were not there, don't be afraid, it must have nothing to do with you. Seeing Brother Yao's bewildered look, the photographer also lost interest in drinking.He got up to say goodbye, and before leaving, he came to the door of Ai Nan's room and said, "Would you like to go to the room over there?" Seeing Ai Nan shaking his head, he said, "Are you still afraid? Well, wait until I tell you about the baby." Once you figure it out, you can go back to live there with peace of mind.”

After the photographer left, Ai Nan and Shitou came to the yard and saw Brother Yao still sitting there in a daze, like a statue. "You're fine." Brother Yao looked at Ai Nan and said with a long sigh, "but the photographer will die. The string broke when he started playing the violin, which shows that he has too much evil spirit. I shouldn't let him touch it." My Qin, I didn't expect him to be like this..." "Is this piano really that accurate?" Ai Nan really wanted to hear Brother Yao say that it was just a coincidence that the strings were broken and people died in the circus.

Brother Yao said: "I don't think it's wrong. My master is over eighty years old. This kind of thing happened to him several times when he used this piano, and he died in the end." "You said I'm fine, is the photographer going to die instead of me?" Ai Nan asked with a complicated mood. Brother Yao said: "It can't be called a replacement, it's his own life. In short, one person deserves to die every time. If you are hit by a photographer, your disaster will be avoided." "If a dead person appears, will the strings break?" Ai Nan asked. "I don't understand what you mean." Brother Yao said, "Dead people? I have never met them, and I have never brought Qin to a funeral. I don't know what Qin will do when he sees someone who is dead." Ai Nan spent the night in fear.Shi Shi still insisted on staying with her in the room, but she couldn't bear him to sit on the stool and stay up late, so she said you go back to the room and sleep, I'll be fine, and it's not convenient for me to be here.After hearing the last sentence, Shitou blushed again, and said embarrassingly, then I will go back to my room, call me if you need anything. In the middle of the night, Ai Nan had a dream. She dreamed that the photographer was dead and hid in the coffin. The lid of the coffin had not been closed. Ai Nan glanced at the white cloth covering his face, and her heart felt tense.Many people nearby were discussing whether it is necessary to put his camera in the coffin. An unidentified person said that it could not be put in. There are tomb robbers here. At this moment, the photographer suddenly stretched out his hand. Out of the coffin, as if asking for his camera... Ai Nan woke up in shock. She remembered that the photographer had done the first half of the dream, and he had told her about it.Ai Nan found it very strange that the photographer’s dream came into her dream again. The same dream was made by different people, it’s a bit like the same room being lived in by different people... Ai Nan couldn’t figure out the reason behind it , After falling asleep in a daze, I dreamed that she was talking about dreams to the photographer. She said that I also had the dream you had, and I was very scared.The photographer said this meant that we were going to a place together.The environment of this dream was a corridor, the front was very dark, the photographer stretched out his hand to hold her while talking, Ai Nan backed up again and again, and then woke up after falling in the dream. After dawn, Ai Nan dared not go to the north courtyard to see the photographer.A night of chaotic dreams made her heart jump, and she felt that the photographer was in danger.However, instead of looking at it, she felt more suspenseful and more frightened, so she asked Shitou to go with her, and went straight to the courtyard where she had lived before. When Ai Nan and Shitou walked out of the yard, Brother Yao was washing his face by the well.He glanced at Ai Nan's back, and suddenly regretted that he shouldn't have told her about the mystery of the erhu.Thinking that Ai Nan might witness a terrible scene in the room in the north courtyard, his heart felt heavy. It was the second time that the strings of this ancient erhu were broken in his hands. The first time the strings were broken, the circus actress was killed. Her name was Xueer, and she loved to listen to him play the piano when she was free at night.That night, when the string broke, he was terrified in his heart, thinking that the person closest to the piano would die when the master said that when the string broke, he worried about Xueer all night, until he denied the master's words in his heart. Be more practical, he thought, it might not always be like this, maybe it's the master's nonsense, how can there be such a mysterious thing in the world?Unexpectedly, when the circus was moving the next morning, Xueer really died. Why did the heavy wooden box on the car hit her on the head? Brother Yao left the circus with Feimeizi and Heiwa, all because of Xueer's death. she.He wanted to smash the violin a few times, but the fern girl said that she couldn't smash it. Since the violin has magic power, would you survive if you smashed it?Can't blame this Qin, it's Xue'er's own life. Now, seeing that the piano will kill another stranger, Brother Yao fell into deep fear.The reason why he hung the erhu on the wall and didn't replace it with new strings immediately.It was his fear that something would go on.He suddenly realized that he couldn't stay in this desolate mountain for long.Maybe one morning, he will leave this erhu on the wall forever, and go out to find another way of life by himself. Brother Yao came up with such an idea because their group itself is about to disband.Hei Wa went to a distant county and never came back. It is said that he and one of his concubines opened a casino outside.The news was told to him quietly by the fern girl, who said that she was not allowed to tell anyone, and if Heiwa had no conscience, let him go.Fern girl was crying to death on the hillside outside. She told Brother Yao that we all came from the circus and I’ll tell you that we might consider breaking up. Now, let's find another way of life. Brother Yao thought, maybe Meizi Wenzi went to the mountain to visit her mother's grave this time, maybe it was as a farewell, and when she came back, the time to break up was coming soon.Brother Yao made up his mind that he would never take this erhu with him no matter where he went.It is terrifying for a person to have a premonition of the life and death of others, and he cannot bear the torture of waiting for the result. The courtyard is very quiet in the morning, and the sunlight in July reflects speckled patterns under the trees. Many incomprehensible things are hidden in the patterns on the ground.Brother Yao wandered around the yard like a trapped animal, sometimes pricking up his ears to hear if there were any sounds in the distance. When Ai Nan and Shitou came to the north yard, there was no movement around except for a few birdsong.The door of the room Ai Nan lived in was wide open, and there was no one inside.Ai Nan's heart was a little tight. She and Shitou went to the courtyard next door. When they pushed open the door of the photographer's room, they saw him sitting at the table playing with his camera. "What happened? Your complexion is not very good." The photographer looked at Ai Nan strangely. "You, are you okay?" Ai Nan asked nervously, "Didn't you stay in that room last night?" "Why not, I still want to find out the baby's answer, of course I lived in your previous room." The photographer said lightly, "But it was peaceful and quiet all night, I just came back to this room , when I left, I opened the door to let the wind blow the moisture. Ai Nan, I said, don’t be afraid. Didn’t the little red shoes that you thought were so scary before turn out to be a false alarm? I don’t think there is anything wrong with this baby. As long as I find this child and that woman again, I will definitely talk to her, I think there is still nothing to be afraid of." Ai Nan breathed a sigh of relief that the photographer was unscathed and in a safe state. She once again doubted whether Brother Yao's erhu had that kind of magical power.She told the photographer about it, and she also said that she was worried that she would not be able to see him when she came here today. The photographer laughed. He said that there is no such absurd thing. Seeing that I smashed Brother Yao's piano in the past, it wouldn't hurt half of my vellus hair.He said Ai Nan, do you remember, those stupid guys got us to the coffin, we are not safe yet.He said that he has a lot of life and evil spirits can't get on him, that's why he dared to live here alone. Ai Nan's heart was completely relieved. She was a little ashamed of the photographer's courage and confidence. She no longer believed that the photographer would appear after death. These are absurd ideas. Ai Nan told the photographer to wait for me, and then walked out of the room.Shi Shi also followed, looking at Ai Nan inexplicably.Ai Nan said I'm fine, Shitou, you go back to the south, I have something to say to the photographer. Stone left obediently, Ai Nan found the magazine in Professor Xu's room, and then went back to the photographer's room.She opened the page of the article that recorded the death of the photographer Lan Mo, and handed it to the photographer. The photographer followed Ai Nan's finger to read the text, and smiled happier than before.He said it was fun, these hearsay authors, I will scare them when I return to Beijing. It turned out that Lan Mo's death was told by his father.Because Lan Mo did not inherit his father's painting career and started photography, and he was not in Beijing all the year round, nor did he visit his father, the old man was very angry with him.One day, a friend called the old man and asked about Lan Mo's whereabouts. The old man said to the phone angrily, "Lan Mo is dead! Don't look for him." After speaking, he pressed the phone. "Then why do you say you died in the well?" Ai Nan still asked in puzzlement. "It's just a nonsense made up by those good people." The photographer said, "I like to shoot some weird things, and I did take a picture of a water well. The work is called "The Death of Water", maybe , someone connected the two things together, and these people’s imaginations are richer than mine. No, I have to go to this publication to clarify after I leave the mountain.” Now that the matter is clear, Ai Nan also feels that this kind of rumor is ridiculous."I almost saw you as a ghost, too," she said. The photographer joked that it would be better if it was a ghost. There would be no troubles in the world, no worries about life and death, and it would be very free and easy.Ai Nan said how do you know that ghosts are free and easy, maybe they are full of worries like people, wandering around and longing to find a home. The death omen of the ancient erhu did not work, the mystery of the photographer's death was solved, and the little red shoes of unknown origin were lost by a farmer's child in the east of the town. The relief of waking up from a nightmare.If, again, the little girl named Maizi can be found, and the truth about the woman and baby who appeared in Ai Nan's room at night can be found out, then this empty town like Fengdong Town will be nothing to be afraid of. Ai Nan regained her trust in the photographer, and they went all the way to the pond to find the baby's clothes.The photographer said that after he found it, he would go to the east of the town and ask to see which family's baby lost the clothes. Maybe he could find out what happened to the baby in Ai Nan's room. After all, the entire Fengdong Town only had The people at the east end of the town have children and babies. By the pond, the icy baby clothes were still crawling by the water. Ai Nan remembered that it was picked up by the stone and thrown there.Ai Nan picked it up and felt a chill in her hands, so she handed the clothes to the photographer. Ai Nan and the photographer came to the east of the town, and they saw the lonely house on the hillside on the left from a distance, and the mysterious dead old woman slept in it year after year.The photographer stopped when he saw the house, and he stared intently with an inexplicable yearning expression on his face.At this moment, a person came out of the house, it was Hu Erer, when did he come back from the mountains?The photographer yelled Hu Laoer's name into the distance, but Hu Laoer stopped. Ai Nan and the photographer walked up the slope.Hu Laoer smiled honestly, and said he came to burn some incense for the old woman.Every time before entering the mountain and returning from the mountain, he would come here to offer incense. He wanted the old man to bless his wife safe and happy underground, and at the same time bless him to find the evil black bear. Hu Laoer also said that he met Liu Sheng and Professor Xu in the mountains, and Sister Fern was with them.Fern sister met Liu Sheng and Professor Xu after going to the mountain to visit her mother's grave. "Is Liu Sheng okay? Have they found any ancient fossils?" Ai Nan asked with concern. "Liu Sheng is fine, just a little tanned." Hu Lao Er said, "They set up a tent in Bison Ridge, saying that there are a lot of exposed rocks in that area, but they haven't found what they're looking for yet." Ai Nan asked, "When will they come back?" Hu Laoer said that they had no plans to come back, they were still roasting game for me by the tent, Liu Sheng said that he was about to become a hunter.Ferngirl taught him a way to hunt hares, and they seemed to be happy. Ai Nan let out an "oh", feeling that Liu Sheng had already forgotten her.She remembered what Liu Sheng said when she was going out, this trip to bury her father's ashes is also considered a long-distance trip, we haven't had a relaxing time in several years, and I will make you happy after going out.Thinking of this, Ai Nan was so wronged that she almost cried. Hu Laoer saw the baby clothes in the photographer's hand and asked what was going on.The photographer told the story, Hu Lao Er repeatedly shook his head and said that there are no babies in more than a dozen families here, but Mrs. Zeng, who is opposite Po, has a nursing child, but she has taken the child back to her mother's house for many days. .Besides, when Mrs. Zeng was at home, she would not go to the pond west of the town to wash clothes.There are several ditches here, and no one has ever traveled that far to wash clothes. "There are many children here, right?" Ai Nan asked. "Is there even a question? The men have all gone out to work, and the rest are old people and women, and every family has children. Why? What do children do?" Hu Laoer was a little surprised. The photographer told about meeting three children in the yard, and said that he wanted to find these three children to confirm whether they were from the east of the town. "They said they lived here?" Hu Er Er asked in disbelief. The photographer nodded affirmatively. "No way, the children here never go to a nursing home." Hu Laoer said, "When a child in our family cries, the adults will scare him and say that if he cries again, he will be thrown into a nursing home! The child will be sent to the nursing home immediately!" Stop crying, they are afraid to go there." "Why is this happening?" Ai Nan asked curiously. Hu Laoer said that many years ago, shortly after the nursing home was vacant, a child ran into it to play and never came out again.It was getting dark, and the adults at the east end of the town lit torches and went in to search. Countless courtyards that looked exactly the same made everyone dizzy, but they couldn't find the child in the end.A year later, on the anniversary of the child's death, the child's mother had a dream in which she saw her child eating plantains in a yard of a nursing home.The next day, the woman made an appointment with some relatives and went to the nursing home to look for it. The child was found in a room, and only a pile of bones remained. It was the fragments of clothes and shoes that proved that it was the child who died.Since then, every household here will warn their children not to play in the nursing home. The photographer said disapprovingly: "However, I did see three children, two boys, about five or six years old, and one girl, about three years old. I also returned the shoes that the little girl lost before. She. They told me she lived at the east end of town." "Surely there won't be such a thing." Hu Lao Er said, "You still recognize those children, right? I'll go door to door with you to look for them." The photographer said of course he did.In this way, Hu Lao Er accompanied the photographer and Ai Nan to the nearest house. More than a dozen families were visited, and the photographer did not find the child he had seen.Except for Mrs. Zeng, who has locked the door and gone back to her mother's house, there is no baby in each family.Several women were still frightened when they saw the baby clothes in the hands of the photographer. They said that the clothes they picked up in the pond should be thrown away as soon as possible. On the way back to the nursing home, Ai Nan's heart tightened again.She asked the photographer if he really heard the three children say that they lived at the east end of the town?The photographer said absolutely right.What's going on here?Children can't tell lies, and the photographer frowned and wondered. "Could it be a ghost child?" Ai Nan said suddenly.The photographer was shocked, and he said that such a thing would not happen.He said he would not be afraid and would live alone in the yard to observe. After Shi Shi returned to the south courtyard, he was depressed all the time.He didn't like that Ai Nan always treated him like a child, and when she and the photographer had important matters to do, she sent him away.In fact, he is already an adult, at the age of 16, he is about the same height as Ai Nan, but his body is thinner, but he has already done things like an adult. When stealing goods from a train, he can push down a heavy wooden box When the car came, even sister fern praised him as a good boy. Brother Yao stopped playing the erhu, so he sat in the yard thinking about things, and sometimes stared blankly at the sky, as if there was an arithmetic problem written in the sky.When he saw the stone coming back, he asked the first sentence: "What's wrong with the photographer?" Shitou said nothing happened, thank God, your erhu is no longer working.Brother Yao also breathed a sigh of relief, and said after a while of silence: "It's hard to say, but I hope this piano doesn't work. It's just that my master said that the snake skin stretched on the speaker of this piano is an elf snake, so When it receives a bad omen, it will forcefully break the strings." After Brother Yao finished speaking, he turned and went into his room, staring at the old erhu hanging on the wall for a long time.He heard the sound of the stone splashing cold water on the side of the well platform, and thought to himself why this kid was crazy, as if he had a high fever and was about to cool off. After Shitou rushed his head, he sat on the edge of the steps in a daze, a cicada hissed monotonously on the tree, and Ai Nan's shadow was always shaking in front of his eyes.He smelled a warm breath in his nostrils, which was emanating from Ai Nan's body.He looked down at the palm of his right hand, which had stayed on the back of Ainan's hand. The past night made the stone obsessed. He felt that he was already a strong man, and he protected her.Suddenly Ai Nan's naked body by the pond flashed in front of his eyes, and before Ai Nan had time to cover her chest with her clothes, he saw her breasts.He waded frantically into the water to retrieve the baby clothes, but his blood burned inside him even in the water. It all started when Ai Nan came to the dinner party with Ms. Fern.Ai Nan's eyes and smile made Shi Shi feel warmer than ever before.A few strands of her hair touched his cheek as he poured her beer into a glass.This night, Ai Nan turned stones into immovable iron filings like a magnet. Maybe it was because of the lack of sleep recently, Shi Shi fell asleep unconsciously while sitting on the bamboo chair, until someone shook him awake, and when he opened his eyes and saw Ai Nan standing in front of him, he thought it was a dream. Ai Nan smiled and said, "I'm going out to take pictures, will you accompany me?" take pictures?Shi Shi was stunned for a moment, and saw Ai Nan holding slender jeans and a white T-shirt, as if he was going to the wild.The expression on her face also looked relaxed, and that warm smile emerged again. "Photographers say that taking pictures outside can relieve people's tension." Ai Nan explained, "I haven't taken pictures for many years. Instead of being suspicious and worried about being photographed every day, it's better to enjoy the natural scenery here. , leave some photos to go back as a souvenir.” Shi Shi was overjoyed by Ai Nan's invitation. He jumped up and said let's go, and at the same time took a bulging travel bag from Ai Nan's hand and said, "Let me carry this bag for you. What's in it?" "Clothes." Ai Nan said, "bring a few more sets of clothes, and change them when taking pictures." Ai Nan smiled after finishing speaking, and there was a flash of a girl's expression. This day was Ai Nan's happiest day after being trapped in Fengdong Town.After she talked to the photographer about the flickering children and read about life ghosts and death, she suddenly felt a kind of relief.Anyway, life is just a short process, so why should she worry all the time?Perhaps, Liu Sheng had already shaken off the predicament of living here. He roamed the mountains, set up tents on Bison Ridge, and roasted game. How happy he was. On this day, Ai Nan completely relaxed her body and mind, which had been in a tense state for many years.In the sound of the camera's "click click" shutter, she remembered the feeling of wanting to be a princess when she was a little girl.The photographer ran back and forth to find the ideal shooting spot for her, and Shi Shi, carrying her travel bag full of clothes, followed her closely at all times, much like a faithful caddy on a golf course. At noon, when the sun was at the top, they rested in a forest. The photographer said that this time is the top light, which is not suitable for taking pictures.The photographer took out the dry food and water he got from Boss Wan, and everyone sat around under the tree to eat. This was a field activity in the student days. Ai Nan seemed to hear the laughter of the old classmates in his nostalgia. , how happy she was then. It was also on this day that Ai Nan truly discovered how beautiful the uninhabited mountains are.On the slopes where the vegetation is as green as a carpet, beside the clear streams with jagged rocks, in front of the razor-like cliffs that represent natural forces, and on the ancient tree roots exposed like pythons, her body, emotion and spirit are all in harmony. Found support.She suddenly realized that she had forgotten herself for many years. She was the powerful middle-level of the company, the "Manager Ai" in the eyes of her subordinates, and the cogs and screws on the crazy chariot of business.For many years, except for the wedding photo taken when she married Liu Sheng, she has not left a single photo.And she is getting old, a 30-year-old woman, her youth is going away step by step. Fortunately, in this vibrant mountain, Ai Nan felt that her body was also infected. Her face was radiant and her skin was crystal clear. This is what the photographer told her. The shy eyes of Shitou standing by the side confirmed that the photography The word of home has credibility.Ai Nan was intoxicated by the satisfaction of being a woman that she hadn't experienced for many years.When she hid behind the rock to change her clothes, she could clearly feel the expectant eyes on the other side of the rock. Ai Nan is not a conservative woman, she almost agreed with the photographer's proposal to take a group of photos.She knows what it means to freeze a body that is not yet aging on a photo, and some of her female companions have already left such youthful souvenirs. However, although she has this impulse in the green mountains, Still restrained, the key is the presence of the boy Shitou.She couldn't take off all her clothes in front of the camera anyway.Of course, she showed the beauty of her body as much as possible.Beside a mountain stream, she took a group of swimsuit photos——when she found the swimsuit in her clothes bag, she realized that she was actually prepared. The photographer was right, taking pictures in the wild can relieve days of fear and tension.Ai Nan really got carried away, until the photographer held up the camera and wanted to take pictures, but a little girl appeared nearby and brought Ai Nan back to reality. There is a forest not far away, and the photographer saw a little girl walking out of the forest in the lens, which just formed the background behind Ai Nan.The photographer put down the camera and shouted not far away: "Hey, come here—" But the little girl turned around and ran into the forest. When Ai Nan turned to look around, the little girl had disappeared.Shi Shi said that he was looking at Ai Nan just now and didn't notice the distance. "What does that girl look like?" Ai Nan asked eagerly. The photographer said in surprise: "It seems to be the girl I met in the nursing home. She looked more than 3 years old and wore a dirty skirt. There were two other little boys at the time." "It's the girl who asked for the little red shoes, right?" Ai Nan asked as she walked towards the woods. The photographer said it was true, but why did the farmers at the east end of the town say that they did not have children to go to a nursing home? It seems that this mountain will show its other side of mystery to people when it is almost dusk.It was at this time when the photographer took this picture of Ai Nan, the sun had already set very low, and there was only a red light shining between the two mountains. A special backlight effect.Unexpectedly, this photo was miscarried—the little girl appeared in the background before the shutter was pressed. Ai Nan, the photographer and Shi Shi walked into the woods back and forth.The forest was on a hillside, and they climbed up the tree trunks. The light here was much darker than outside. "Wheat——" Ai Nan called out suddenly.She believed that the little girl was Maizi, the girl who disappeared after hitchhiking in her car, and only she would keep appearing around her. The woods swallowed Ai Nan's shouts, and there was no movement. How can a little girl over 3 years old run so fast? The three of them climbed to a very high slope in the woods, and then sat down panting to take a breath.This is a small area with slightly flat terrain, Stone said, and he looked around. The sun had completely set, and the gloom seemed to grow thicker every minute.The photographer said that we should go back, otherwise it will be difficult to find the way when it gets dark.Ai Nan stood up, looked disappointedly at the quiet surroundings and said, let's go. Suddenly, a stone's cry came from a distance, "Come and see, what is this?" Ai Nan and the photographer ran towards the stone, and saw a tomb-shaped pile of stones on the ground, with a small doll on the top. "This is a tomb." Stone judged. The photographer reached for the doll on the top of the grave, which was made of rags, not the kind sold in the store. "Is there a child buried here?" Ai Nan asked in horror. The stone is already unloading the tomb made of stones, and it is very convenient to open it, just move the stones away. At this moment, an unnamed bird sang strangely in the woods, and Ai Nan's short-term happiness disappeared completely. Seeing that the strange tomb had been uncovered little by little, she reached out and grabbed the camera. The arm of the family, in case I can't stand the stimulation and fall down. Liu Sheng returned after five days in the mountains, and Ai Nan found some strangeness in him.In addition to being tanned, he speaks louder, and he often goes topless because of the hot weather, and he drinks more intemperately. "You should drink less alcohol, otherwise it will be a waste of time when you go back to work." Ai Nan said to Liu Sheng worriedly. "Actually, it doesn't matter whether you go back to work or not." Liu Shengheyi lay on the bedside and said, "People can live no matter what, don't you think life in the mountains is still the same?" Ai Nan gave Liu Sheng a strange look: "What? You don't want to go back? Well, I'll go back alone." "You can't go anywhere." Liu Sheng sat up and said, "Boss Wan said that the road will take at least a month to clear." Ai Nan sighed and said, "You can't be drunk all day long if you live here. If you become addicted to drinking, what will you do when you go back? Doesn't the boss of the company have problems with your drinking?" "Don't mention the company!" Liu Sheng raised his voice again, "What kind of shit company, I absolutely don't want to mention it here." "Oh!" Ai Nan put her finger to her mouth and gestured softly to Liu Sheng, "Everyone else is asleep, can you speak softly?" This was Liu Sheng's first night after returning from the mountains.In the south courtyard, the windows of Feimeizi, Yaoge and Shishi have all turned off the lights.Ai Nan didn't want to quarrel with Liu Sheng, so she began to make the bed and prepare to sleep. Before dinner, Ai Nan asked Liu Sheng if you would live with me or in the yard to the north when you come back, because Liu Sheng said that the place where you lived before was quieter, but Ai Nan only wanted to stay here, she thought of appearing in the middle of the night The baby is still scared to death.Liu Sheng said jokingly, a long absence is better than a new marriage, why?You won't drive me away, will you?When they said this, the atmosphere between the two was very good, but at night they contradicted each other, as if they were suppressing their anger. Ai Nan changed into her pajamas and tried her best to calm down.After going to bed, she hugged Liu Sheng sideways and asked, "Have you thought about me these few days?" "I think." Liu Sheng replied reluctantly.Ai Nan stopped talking, feeling a little uncomfortable. After a moment of silence, Liu Sheng asked, "How have you been these few days?" "What about you?" Ainan asked back. Liu Sheng said it was all about looking for ancient fossils all over the mountain.爬过了很多山崖，连古化石的影子也没看见，徐教授已经表示就此罢休了，他说也不遗憾，毕竟享受了山中风光，这也是他来此地的目的之一。他说回来后休整休整，等路一通，他的学生就会开车来接他回成都去了。 “胡老二说，你们将帐篷搭在野牛岭，还烤野味吃，很快乐吧？”艾楠问道。 “哦。”刘盛说那是遇见蕨妹子之后的事。蕨妹了进山给母亲上坟后，在野牛岭附近遇见了刘盛和徐教授。蕨妹子便参加了他们的行动，但她显然对古化石不感兴趣，却更热衷于打野兔来烤着吃。刘盛说蕨妹子带他去一个坡上打野兔，没有猎枪和弓箭，他们就用石头，像原始人一样，嘿，还真打到了。只是回野牛岭时差点迷了路，转到天黑时才看见了搭在岭上的帐篷。 讲到山中的事，刘盛渐渐兴奋起来。艾楠也给他讲了自己几天来的经历。尤其是拍照以后，在山林中看见婴儿坟墓的事。只是，这座用石头简单垒成的坟墓形状的石堆，将石块全部搬开后，下面什么也没有，但为什么又有一个布娃娃放在这里呢，这有点像一种原始的祭奠，只有真的死了人才这样做的。 “我总觉得，是我们孩子的魂在跟着我们。”艾楠抱住刘盛的头说，“你别再离开我去山里了，如果孩子的魂真的显形，你这个做父亲的也该看看她。是个女孩，我怀孕后一直想吃甜的东西，女伴们都说这证明我怀的是女孩。” 刘盛咕哝着说：“什么魂呀，我老爸就埋在这里，他怎么就没出现过？何况是一个还没出生的孩子，引产时只是一团嫩肉而已。” “她都有心跳了呀！”艾楠在床上坐起来，愤怒地盯着刘盛。是的，愤怒！她觉得他一点儿良心也没有。她伏在枕头上哭了起来。 石头在自己的房间里醒来，他听见有隐隐的哭声。这是艾楠的声音，他睡不着了，心里突然憎恨起刘盛来，一定是他在欺负艾楠了。 石头是用了很长时间才入睡的，他一直在想着陪艾楠出去拍照的经历。那时她多么快乐，她真的光彩照人。后来，发现了放有布娃娃的婴儿坟墓后，艾楠变得悲伤起来，下山时他一直扶着她的胳膊，他感到她柔弱无骨的身子一直在发颤。这让石头的心里发痛。今天，刘盛回来后他替艾楠松了一口气，以为刘盛陪着后她会好一些。没想到，都快半夜了，艾楠却在屋里轻声地哭起来。 石头从床上坐起来，在漆黑中伴陪着那隐隐的呜咽声直到消失。突然，外面传来轻轻的脚步声，石头心里一紧，这深更半夜的，艾楠可不能赌气往外面走呀！他跳下床，将门开了一条缝，正好看见艾楠穿着一条白裙子向院子外面走去，她的背影显得特别的孤单，仿佛暗夜中的一个影子。 石头走出门跟了过去。艾楠穿过一个院子又一个院子，石头跟在后面，以便她出现危险时便冲上前去。石头为自己能这样做感到满意。 然而，艾楠并未往疗养院的外面走，却在荒芜已久的一个个院子里游动。石头原以为她会走到外面的山坡上坐下来散心的。那时，他就会走上前去，安慰她保护她。 这样一来，石头一下子不知道艾楠半夜从房间里走出来要做什么了。这些院子里房间破烂，门窗坍塌，院子里的杂草丛中潜伏着毒蛇。石头所住的那个院子当初进入时，都是烧了几大堆火才将那些毒蛇赶走了。后来又定期在周围喷洒雄黄酒，才保住了大家居住时不受骚扰。这些情况，艾楠是知道的，今夜她怎么如此胆大妄为了呢？ 不行，必须叫住艾楠才行。石头加快脚步赶上去，就在这时，艾楠的背影一闪就不见了。石头定神看了看，艾楠消失的地方正是一扇敞开的房门，里面暗黑得什么也看不见。 “艾楠姐———”石头着急地叫了一声，便一步跨进了房门。没想到，黑暗中一张女人的脸正对着他的鼻尖。这张脸因干瘦而显得十分狭长，嘴唇很薄，仿佛遮不住牙齿似的。 “嘿嘿———”这女人干涩地笑了一声，脸孔以下的白色衣裙也在抖动。石头惨叫一声转身就跑。那狰狞的女人也没有追赶他，石头沿途跌了两跤后才跑回自己的院子。 天哪，自己怎么就将那个背影看成了艾楠呢？都怪自己太粗心，石头惊出的冷汗已使衣服冰凉地贴在背脊上。他轻移脚步走到艾楠的房门前，轻轻推了推，房门从里面闩得紧紧的。艾楠没有出来过，石头将悬着的心放了下来。 石头回到自己的屋里睡下，耳边突然响起“嘿嘿”的笑声，他用被子蒙住头，还是没有办法，那张干瘦的女人的脸孔又显现了。他意识到不能一个人呆在屋里，不然刚才留下的刺激会和他纠缠不休的。但是，这半夜时分找谁去呢？ 石头开门出去，敲开了幺哥的房门。幺哥睡眼惺忪地问他做什么，他也不回答，进屋关上房门后便盘腿坐到幺哥的床上。然后低声地将今夜发生的事对幺哥讲了一遍。 “我们这院子里也窜进鬼来了！”幺哥震惊地说，“看来，真是该散伙了，人还未走鬼就来赶人了。” “散伙就散伙吧。可还是得等到公路通车大家才能走，这之前必须想想办法才行。”石头惊恐地说。蕨妹子从山里回来后已经公开讲了散伙的事，石头不知道散伙后自己该去哪里，心里本来是有点凄凉的，只是当前自己一心想着艾楠的安全，才将这种凄凉感放在一边了。 幺哥说对于鬼魂，惟一的办法是去弄点冥钱来烧烧，然后在院子里滴上红公鸡的血，也许能够保住一时平安。石头说好，明天就去万老板那里找这些东西来。 这夜石头没敢回房去单独睡觉，他挤在幺哥的床上，临睡前望了一眼挂在墙上的二胡，弦已断了，它究竟会要了谁的命去呢？ 天亮后，石头听见有人在井台边洗脸，他知道是艾楠起床了。他走了出去，径直走到艾楠的面前。 “艾楠姐。”他叫了一声，说不出另外的话，眼泪已经在眼眶里打转了。昨夜的惊吓过后，他此时莫名其妙地有点委屈的感觉。 “你怎么了？”艾楠摸着他的头说。石头便将昨夜的经历讲了一遍，讲完后发觉蕨妹子不知什么时候已站在他的身边。 “我们这里可是从来没闹过鬼呀。”蕨妹子说。 艾楠心里一沉，是我住在这里才将鬼带来的吗？她无言以对。 “没办法，给这野鬼烧烧纸吧。”蕨妹子说。 “幺哥都安排了。”石头答道。 其实，人活在世上纵有万般牵挂，一旦死去，千丝万缕的放不下也就斩得干干净净了。期待、困惑、焦躁、幸福、恐惧这些走马灯一样围着人转的东西也随之烟消云散。 刘盛一边往父亲的坟上添土，一边想着与死亡有关的道理。这个下午天气很昏暗，像是要下雨的样子。刘盛停下铁铲望了一眼迷茫的山野，他想父亲在这里呆着确实比城市附近的公墓清静得多，只是盗墓贼太可恶，听艾楠说他进山的当天墓就被掘开了一个洞，还是摄影家来掩上土的，他心里难受，便来坟上添添土祭奠一下父亲。 添完土后，刘盛扛上铁铲往回走，在疗养院外面的山坡上看见石头拎着一只大红公鸡远远地走来。 “哪里找来的这只公鸡？”刘盛待石头走近后问道。 石头说是去镇东头的农户家买的，天黑前就要宰了它，将血滴在院子周围，这样野鬼就不敢进院子来了。 刘盛隐隐知道一点这种民间习俗，但不知是否真的有效，不管怎样，今天晚餐有好吃的了。他的鼻孔里又闻到了酒的香味。想到艾楠对他喝酒的反对，他皱了皱眉头，蕨妹子就说过，喝酒还是有好处的，尤其是在这种偏僻之地，喝了酒的人可以让鬼魂近不了身。 这只公鸡给艾楠带来的信息是，它是镇东头曾大嫂家里的，石头费了不少口舌才将它买下来。石头说，问了好几家农户都没有这种大公鸡，刚好遇上曾大嫂抱着婴儿从娘家回来了，曾大嫂说她家养着大公鸡呢，但是不卖，她婆婆说大红公鸡可以避邪的。 艾楠听了石头的讲述后，若有所思地“哦”了一声，便到北边院子里找摄影家去了。整个镇东头就只有曾大嫂有一个婴儿，她想约摄影家一起去看看，以便和那个半夜出现在她床上的婴儿对照一下。 艾楠走进院子时，看见徐教授正在打太极拳，他凝神静气，一招一式风生水起。看见艾楠后，他收住了动作，便将艾楠往他屋里引，他以为艾楠是来找他的了。 “不，”艾楠说，“我找摄影家有点事。” 徐教授仍然让艾楠先进到他的房里。他压低声音说：“你找他做什么？你不是看见那杂志了吗，摄影家身份不明可得小心点。” 艾楠笑了，她将摄影家所讲的死亡传言真相对徐教授讲了一遍。 “哦。”徐教授将信将疑地说，“一个人死而复生我倒是不太相信，但如果身份暧昧还是应谨慎对待才是。” 徐教授讲的话也有道理，在这荒山野岭，远道而来却又萍水相逢的每一个人可能都有些云遮雾障，谁会将自己完全显露出来呢？在去镇东头的路上，艾楠瞥了一眼摄影家的侧面，他的腮部和下巴长满黑色的胡茬，他就是摄影家蓝墨吗？一个人的名字只是个符号，比如她遇见的小女孩叫麦子。比如她自己叫艾楠，加上蓝墨，如果他们3个人从一出生就分别取对方的名字，每个人的命运会有变化吗？ 艾楠和摄影家在去镇东头的路上胡思乱想着，一抬头已经看见曾大嫂的房子了。从这里可以望见对面坡上那座死老太婆的房子，艾楠突然想起曾大嫂曾经看见过死老太婆的房子显灵，她和摄影家就是那个夜里遭到劫持的。 曾大嫂是个大手大脚的山里人，身材粗壮，面容和善。艾楠说他们来问一下，石头刚才是否在她家买了只大公鸡。他们担心石头随便在哪里抓了一只鸡没有付钱的。 “给了钱的给了钱的。”曾大嫂连声说道，“我本不想卖这只鸡的，可石头说是拿去救命，怎么办呢，就卖给她了。” 艾楠说：“曾大嫂真是好心人，你有几个孩子？” 曾大嫂竖起三根手指头，然后说：“最小的一个还在吃奶呢。” 艾楠立即说她最喜欢婴儿了，她要曾大嫂将婴儿抱出来看看。 曾大嫂乐呵呵地进里间抱婴儿去了，艾楠对摄影家使了个眼色，意思是要他待会儿可要看清楚啊。 婴儿抱出来了，很可爱的女孩，圆圆的脸，一双大眼睛东张西望，显然对生人有点好奇。 不对，这不是出现在艾楠房间中的婴儿，那婴儿瘦小一些，头发枯槁。摄影家也用眼神表达了与艾楠相同的看法。 除了眼前的这个小生命，整个风动镇再没有第二个婴儿了，艾楠在心里问道，天哪，她在房中遇见的真是死孩子的魂呢？ “这孩子真乖！”艾楠对曾大嫂说，尽力掩饰自己刚才的走神。 “一个丫头，没什么用的。”曾大嫂说，“要不是孩子她爹在外面打工寄钱回来，我也只有将这丫头送人了。” “这里的人家会将女孩子送人吗？”摄影家好奇地问。 曾大嫂说：“也不一定，要看这家人能不能养活她了。有时遇到天旱，玉米都没吃的，你说咋办？” 摄影家叹了一口气。 走出门来，艾楠对摄影家说：“这一下全清楚了，出现在我那里的婴儿，还有你在院子里遇见的3个孩子，都不可能是这些农家的。没办法了，等着公路疏通后赶快离开这里吧。” “鬼魂，”摄影家说，“说有的和说没有的其实都拿不出证据。但不少人遇见过，包括你和我，我想如果真是鬼魂的话，下次再遇见也是扯不住他们的。你伸手去抓什么也没有，我想结果会是这样。” 艾楠感叹道：“真是不敢相信。” 这是个昏暗的下午，头顶上压着乌云，天边却很亮，这使对面坡上的那座房子有一种剪影效果，看上去有种不太真实的感觉。 “我们进那屋里去看看，曾大嫂以前看见的显灵不知是怎么回事？”摄影家突然提议道。 “不不！”艾楠本能地叫道。她想起以前误进入那房子时，看见老太婆直挺挺躺在床上的样子。 “你不是还说可以协助我完成那幅摄影作品吗？怎么，连屋都不敢进，以后怎么拍照？” “谁说不敢进屋了？”艾楠不愿示弱地说，“只是拍照的事我还没想好，能不能做那事以后再说吧。我今天陪你进去也罢，这是看在你在山洞里救过我的命的份上。”