Chapter 17 Fifteen, three gunshots

September 26, 200X at 9:45 PM "Hey, Jia, where are you going?" The boy with a fair face sat on the ground and looked at his girlfriend who stood up. The fashionable girl turned her head and said: "I'm a little hungry, go get something to eat, do you want to eat?" "I won't eat." The boy with a fair face tightened the tablecloth wrapped around his body, "You have to come back soon." The fashionable girl looked at him and sighed: "Look at you, you've been huddled there all day, wrapped in a tablecloth, you're more scared than me, do you still have a bit of manliness?"

The boy with a fair face defended, "I'm not afraid, but because I feel a little cold, so I wrapped it in this cloth." "You're cold because you're scared." "Jia... Someone was killed again, aren't you afraid?" "Of course I'm afraid. I'm still counting on you to protect me. Didn't you say that you would stay by my side and protect me? But look at you now, how dare you tell me to rely on you?" The boy with a fair face blushed and said, "Jia, don't say that, don't look down on me! I will do what I say."

"Is it because I want to look down on you? You want to impress me, but you have to do something. You've been nesting here all day..." The voices of their conversation gradually dropped, and I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation clearly—in fact, this kind of small quarrel between lovers should not be heard by others, it will make others laugh.It's a pity they didn't realize it until now. But having said that, without the wonderful dialogue of the "young couple" as an adjustment, I feel bored and can only stare blankly at the front.After a while, a single mother came and sat next to me and said, "Shall we chat for a while?"

"Okay." I moved a little to the side - obviously I am not the only one who is bored. "I have a lovely five-year-old son," she said, looking at me with loving eyes. "I know." I said nodding. "No, you don't know it all," she said sadly. "My son, was born with a disabled foot. He... can't walk." I opened my mouth slightly. She was obviously lost in memory, staring at the opposite wall in a daze, and said in a low voice: "When I was pregnant with him for seven months, the doctor who performed the B-ultrasound told me that the child's feet were deformed and advised me to do artificial surgery." Induced labor, aborted the child. But I was reluctant, I love him too much, I paid too much for this unborn little life. So, despite the dissuasion around me, I insisted on giving birth to him. For this reason, My husband and I are divorced. He can't face my paranoia and irrationality, nor my son's deformed right foot - the child's right foot has no toes, and the right leg is obviously much smaller than the left leg. The doctor said , this child can only live in a wheelchair forever..."

She looked up to the sky and took a deep breath, trying not to let the tears flow down, but she couldn't hide the choking and hoarseness of her voice: "But I don't believe it. I don't believe that my son's foot is really incurable. In order to treat him, I I went to every major hospital in the country and tried all kinds of treatments, but with little effect. I spent all my money and even sold my house in the city and moved to a small house in the suburbs But I don't care about these, as long as my son's foot can be cured, then everything is worth it." I felt sore in my heart, and couldn't help asking: "Then, are your son's feet better now?"

There was a gleam of light in her dim eyes: "Yes, it's getting better. I listened to an old doctor's suggestion that we should strengthen the passive movement of the weak side and give proper massage to promote the development of the weak side. I insisted on doing two For three years, I walked with his right foot every day, and massaged his foot for an hour before going to bed. It really had some effect. Now my son can walk a few steps while supporting the furniture at home. It was indescribably happy, but my son was still not satisfied. He said to me confidently, "Mom, I still want to continue exercising. I have an ideal, and I want to be a sprint champion in the future!"—he even told me not to Tell others that this is a little secret between me and him..."

Hearing this, I was already in tears, and the softest part of my heart was gently lifted.Unexpectedly, the single mother didn't cry. She let out a sigh of relief, looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, I've been talking to you so much, has it bothered you?" "No." I shook my head and said, "Thank you for sharing with me the joys and sorrows in your heart, and——your son's little secret." The single mother stared into my eyes for a long time, then whispered to me, "Let me tell you another little secret." She slowly put her mouth close to my ear, and said softly, "I think I understand what's going on. I know what's going on outside and inside."

I suddenly widened my eyes and looked at her in astonishment: "What? How do you know?" She said dully, "It's been so long, we should figure it out, shouldn't we?" My numb brain turned mechanically: "What the hell is going on?" The single mother stood up from the ground and said: "I also guessed, and I'm not completely sure, so I don't want to tell you. I'm afraid...it will affect you." I think the more she said, the more confused I became, and I was trying to get to the bottom of it.The single mother looked at me sadly and said, "Thank you for talking so much with me. From now on, you can do it yourself." After she finished speaking, she turned and left, walking around to a few rows of shelves.

I stood there dumbfounded, unable to react for a long time.What did she mean by saying we should all figure it out?What do you mean by being afraid of affecting me?What did she realize?Now that she has figured it out, why can't she tell us all?A series of problems spiraled sharply in my restless imagination and became bigger and bigger, weighing down my heart and making me unable to breathe. Just then, I heard a "bang" gunshot.There was some sort of explosion in my head as well with the gunshot.I seemed to foresee what was going on, and my eyes went black for a while.I struggled to get up from the ground and staggered to the place where the gunshot was fired.The scene in front of me makes me feel dizzy - the single mother who was talking to me a minute ago is now collapsed by the wall, and there is a pool of blood on the wall behind him.The bullet was fired from her mouth to the back of her head.And the red-haired punk knelt beside her, holding the pistol in his hand.

"No—!" I yelled hoarsely, tears welling up in my eyes. The sound of hurried footsteps - several other people in the supermarket also ran over at this moment, staring at the scene in front of them with gaping mouths. At this moment, the red-haired gangster seemed to realize something. He slammed the pistol away and explained hastily: "No, I didn't do it! I was just the closest. After I heard the gunshot, I ran here , I saw that she had shot herself! I stepped forward to confirm, and picked up the pistol that fell at her feet..." "That's enough! You murderer!" The fashion girl yelled sharply, "The facts are all in front of you, what else do you have to argue about! You haven't had time to escape this time, so we let us arrest you!" in force!"

She couldn't help but say to her boyfriend and middle-aged uncle beside her: "What are you guys doing standing there in a daze! Go forward and subdue him!" As if he wanted to prove something to his girlfriend, the boy with a fair face mustered up his courage and took two steps forward.The red-haired gangster picked up the pistol in a panic and pointed at the boy with a fair face: "Don't come here!" Everyone didn't dare to move, they froze there.I think I was so overwhelmed with grief that I didn't react.In fact, I should be able to deduce from the signs of the single mother who talked to me a few minutes ago, especially the decisive look she showed when she said the last sentence to me, that she did indeed die by suicide.If I had said a few words at this time to prove that the red-haired gangster should be telling the truth, maybe the tragedy that happened next could be avoided.Unfortunately, the grief and confusion in my head prevented me from doing anything. The little boy with a fair face didn't know what bewitched or stimulated he had been, but instead of his usual timidity and cowardice, he was still trying to get closer to the red-haired gangster.He stretched his hand forward, and at the same time moved forward slowly, and said in his mouth, "Hey, don't be impulsive, you put the gun down first, okay?" "I said, don't come here!" growled the red-haired punk, shaking his pistol, "Don't make me shoot!" "If you shoot, you will really be a murderer." The boy with a fair face looked directly at him. "Shut up! Stop being so hypocritical!" the red-haired gangster yelled, "Don't you think I'm a murderer? You've always suspected me, haven't you? Because I dress like this and my hair is dyed like this , You don’t regard me as a good person! You bastards who judge people by their appearance, don’t listen to my explanation at all, and convict me in a self-righteous manner!” "We didn't convict you." The boy with a fair face moved forward slowly, "What happened just now, let's sit down and talk slowly, okay? Put the gun down first." "Don't take a step closer!" The red-haired gangster has already retreated to the wall, his face has become extremely crazy, and the hand holding the gun is trembling due to nervousness, "You think I don't know what you are thinking now Is it? You hold me steady first, and when I relax a little, you will rush up and subdue me. Stop dreaming! I will not let you succeed..." "boom!" There was a shot. Everyone was stunned, including the red-haired gangster, who looked at the pistol suspiciously, as if he didn't know what he had just done.The little boy with a fair face in front of him also slowly looked at his chest with the same suspicious eyes, then covered his heart in pain, his legs softened, and he knelt down.The fashionable girl let out a scream, flew over, supported her boyfriend's body, and shouted: "Heng! What's wrong with you? Oh my god, don't scare me!" She raised her hand to see that it was covered with blood, and then Looking at her boyfriend's chest—there was a blood hole in her heart, she shook her head in pain, hugging him and crying loudly. "Jia..." The boy with a fair face looked at his girlfriend with difficulty, his voice was weak and hollow, "I am in your heart... am I considered a man?" "Yes... yes, of course you are." The fashionable girl held his face, weeping uncontrollably. "Really... That's great... Unfortunately, I can't protect you in the future... You have to... protect yourself... I love..." Before the last word "you" could be said, he suddenly He choked out a mouthful of blood, tilted his neck, and drooped his head weakly to the side. "Heng...Heng?" She yelled twice in panic and helplessness, shaking her body holding her boyfriend from side to side, crying and shouting again, but nothing helped.She put down her boyfriend's body in grief, and suddenly her expression changed, she raised her head, and pierced the red-haired boy with two eyes full of resentment and resentment like sharp knives, and said word by word: "You murderer!" "No... I didn't want to shoot." The red-haired gangster explained hastily, "The gun went off..." At this point, he seemed to realize how pale his defense seemed at this moment.And the fashionable girl had already stood up from the ground, as if she was about to rush forward to fight him desperately.The red-haired gangster suddenly yelled: "Okay! I know it's useless to say anything now! Damn it, I can't live anyway, and I will die sooner or later!" He brought the pistol in front of him, opened the chamber, glanced at the bullet inside, and said to himself: "The last bullet will be given to one of you." After speaking, he raised the pistol and pointed it at the bullet. Looking at us in astonishment from his own temple, he finally said: "Actually, you guessed it right, I am indeed a fucking street gangster. But let me tell you, I have never intentionally killed anyone—except myself!" "Bang!" The gunshot rang out for the third time today.He fell down in a daze among the bloody fireworks. This time, I finally really passed out.