Chapter 21 third quarter

"It's pathetic. The child may not be saved. So thin and drinking so much dirty water." Low and husky female voice.There was the sound of firewood crackling. Ion dreamed that he was lying next to the group of old men who were warming up by the underground cistern.It was a terrible dream. I was lying on the wet and cold concrete floor, next to a lot of water.The fish stirred up the splash and jumped up, and there was the monotonous sound of water dripping.so cold. Ion imagined the appearance of many fish wriggling in the black water, felt the horror and struggled his body.But this time Eita's voice came from nowhere: "I hate dreaming."

Great, Eita was not caught in the tunnel.He must be running errands for the old man here.Ion wanted to tell Eita that he was nearby.But for some reason, neither the body nor the mouth could move.Especially the mouth, which was so thirsty that he couldn't even move his tongue. "What if the child doesn't wake up?" It was the woman's voice again. "But he worked hard. I thought he was going to die like that, he was amazing." It wasn't Eita's voice.Was it the man who jumped into the water to save him?Huh?Ion wondered in his dream.Are these people talking about me?There can be no women in underground cisterns.

"But he might die if this continues. Hey, how many days is this?" "Three days." "It's been too long. If he doesn't wake up, he needs to see a doctor." Someone gently stroked Ion's hair, it must be the woman with the deep voice. Ion finally opened his eyes.The eyeballs are also dry.Even though he drank so much water, he felt that all parts of his body had lost moisture, and his whole body was completely dry.It's blinding as hell, and the eyes are out of focus.The image of the woman watching him finally condensed.Worried eyes. "Oh, he's awake! He's awake!" cried the woman.

The warm liquid dripped onto Ion's cheeks.It took Ion a long time to realize that it was tears. "That's great. You're saved." The woman stroked Ion's cheek with her warm hands.He wanted to thank him, but couldn't make a sound. "You're lucky. I happened to pass by and heard the singing." The man said from the side.Ion looked at the man.The two big front teeth, the mole on the cheek.It is iron. (Tie, ​​I finally met you. I am Ion, and I am your brother.) Ion tried to speak, but he was too weak.But he calmed down and closed his eyes. When he woke up again, Ian saw the blue plastic sheet reflecting the sunlight.Ian turned his neck and looked around. In the blue plastic tent, a woman was cooking with her back facing here.

"Thank you." Ion said, and the woman smiled back at him.Single eyelid eyes, eyes are very gentle.The skin was well tanned, but fairly smooth.Her tanned complexion indicated that she was a street sleeper. "You've been sleeping for a long time. You should be very weak now. Let's drink some boiled water first." The woman lifted Ion's body.He was dizzy for a while, pressed the rim of the plastic cup to his lips, and slowly sipped the boiled water.The boiled water is a bit sweet and delicious.The woman stared at Ion's face and asked, "You escaped from the ground, right? If you don't have to go back, just stay here and slowly recuperate."

"Where is this place?" "Ishou River Basin." Ian heard of it for the first time. "Is this a boat?" The woman smiled.The place where the front teeth are missing is very conspicuous. "No, it's Ebisu. The Imori River is a tributary of the Shibuya River. We are Sichuan people. Sichuan people are drifters who live by the river or in underground drains. But the underground drains are very dangerous when it rains, so now almost all Sichuan people They're pitching tents on dikes or revetments. Haven't you seen it?" Ion shook his head slowly.Luminous troops, dark men, and Sichuanese.After leaving Park Village, he met all kinds of people.But here was the iron he was looking for.Ion felt that he had finally reached the end, and looked around inside the tent.

The tent was small, and the simple bed Ion lay on plus the stove was enough to fill it up.He must have occupied the woman's bed. He heard the sound of someone banging a stick on the tent posts, and the iron came in.Ion was very excited.It has been several years since the parting, but it is impossible for him to mistake Tie's face. "Thank you for saving me. Your name is Iron, right?" Ian thought it was a waste of time even to thank him, so he couldn't help asking.The man suddenly stopped uneasily, glanced at the woman and shook his head. "No, my name is Copper."

Ion was confused.Copper is an illusion, and what I saw when I was young should be iron alone. "You are iron, I grew up with you." "Wait a minute. Actually I don't know who I am, so maybe I'm iron. But when I heard I was rescued, I said I was 'copper.'" The woman nods. "This kid, like you, got stuck in the fence of other drains. At that time he was seriously injured and lost his memory." "Look at this." "Bronze" took off his hat, and there was a huge scar on the top of his head. Seeing his head injury, Ion gasped.The crown of the head is sunken and there is no hair.

"A serious injury." "It's all right now." Copper said with a smile. "Then I'm not actually called copper, but iron? Is it copper or iron?" "Maybe it's iron, maybe it's copper. To me, it doesn't matter which. I always thought you were twins called 'copper and iron' when I was a kid." "Am I a twin? So it doesn't matter which side it is? Interesting." Iron smiled happily.When he smiled, the huge front teeth were quite eye-catching, and Ian's chest ached from nostalgia. "You were originally twins, but I heard that your younger brother Tong died soon, so you are iron. But when I was a child, I don't know why I saw you as two people. I think it must be because I hope you are two people. I have always wanted my parents, and you are very kind and will take care of everyone, I hope you will become my special existence, and being alone is very lonely, so I may be very envious of twins."

Ian recalled the past when he couldn't even trust his own memory and eyesight, and spent his days gloomy in the Colonel's room. He finally met Tie again, why is he still not in a cheerful mood?Thinking of this, his head suddenly hurt, and Ion pressed his head. Tie didn't notice Ion's strange appearance, so he sat down beside the bed and asked innocently: "Then is my real name Tie? From now on, I'll be called Tie. What's your name?" "Ion." Ion stared into Tie's eyes. "Don't you remember my name?" Iron shook his head.Although he was mentally prepared, Ion still couldn't help being disappointed.

"I said, Ion, how do you know about me? We knew each other since we were young, right?" "It was told to me by a man named Tin in the underground. He said he lived with you." "Tin? What kind of person?" "Don't you even remember Tin? Tin would be very happy to know you were alive." "I don't remember at all." Tie tilted his head and said in wonder.Ion remembered that the shrapnel of tin was in his pocket, and hurriedly fumbled for it.Fortunately, he stuffed the shrapnel into the small coin pocket. Even though it was washed strongly by the turbid current, the shrapnel was not washed away.Ian showed the shrapnel to Tie. "It's shrapnel from Tin. I want to give it to him the next time I see him." Tie lightly pinched the shrapnel handed out by Ian, turning it over and over to examine it carefully.His movements are very similar to that of Iron when he was a child. "I really want to think about Tin." "Tin is smaller than me, thin and thin. But he can play the guitar very well, and he has made a lot of songs, and your song. It's a very good song." "What kind of song? I want to hear it." Tie seemed very interested and leaned out.But when Ion was about to sing, a severe headache swept over him again, and he frowned.Iron patted him on the shoulder. "You talk too much. Let's sing after a good rest. 'Bronze' too, let's talk about it tomorrow." Ion suddenly felt tired and lay on his back on the bed.As a result, Tie looked at Ion and said, "Ion, thank you. I will come again. Let's play together when you are better." After Ian waved goodbye, he immediately fell asleep.That deep sleep is like dragging people into a warm swamp all of a sudden, making people irresistible. It was night when I woke up.The headache disappeared and was replaced by intense hunger.In the darkness, the sound of the sleeping woman's breathing is close to my ears. Ian remembered that when he was in the house, if he woke up in the middle of the night, apart from the shallow breathing of the child, he could also hear the deep breathing or snoring of adults.Were they in a large room at that time, a large group of people sleeping in the Datong bunk?Tie didn't remember anything, which made Ion feel extremely regretful. Suddenly he remembered something.If he wakes up in the middle of the night crying, someone will wake up and comfort him.Did someone say that that is your "good lord"? It must have been the Bronze Brothers who told him these things.But Iron doesn't remember anything.Ian has always believed that as long as he meets the copper and iron brothers, he can ask about his life experience and solve all the doubts. That's why he embarked on a long journey, but now his expectations were dashed. Thinking of the death of the chief and the sickness of the old woman in the locker shop, Ian was so empty that he almost cried.Holding back his tears on the bed, he noticed the woman turning over quietly. There was the sound of a tram in the distance.Then there is the sound of the engine of a car speeding across the nearby highway.There is no doubt that I am now on the ground.How will he survive in the future?Ion sighed. "Are you hungry?" The woman is in the dark.Ian was honest, the woman said in a yawning gentle voice: "Good sign. Can you bear it until tomorrow morning?" "thanks." "You are so polite." The woman smiled. "The people who took care of me before taught me, so I can't forget to thank you." Mogami, what's the matter with you now? "You said before, but you were still a child, right?" Am I still a kid?Ion felt as if he was a hundred years older. Ion tried to think of the night sky that should be above the thin blue plastic sheeting.Are there any stars?What shape is the moon? "By the way, I forgot to say, my name is Mizumori. There is another thing I forgot to say, I don't know if he is iron or copper, but the kid not only lost his memory, but also returned to his childhood. You found out, right? ?” Ahh, sure enough——Ian felt that the weird feeling turned into a definite shape. Ian continued to grow with the void in his past, but Tie was still stuck in the void.How sad. "Since we finally found him, I will protect him." Ian closed his eyes and said. The next morning, Ian ate Mizumori's porridge and scrambled eggs.Ian had never eaten decent food underground, and he thought it was so delicious that it couldn't be more delicious. "Ion, good morning, have you recovered yet?" Tie Lai, wearing a black hat, showed his face.Is he nineteen now?Although he looks thin and skinny, he is tall and straight with a big frame.Seeing Ion seemed to make him extremely happy, his black eyes were jumping with joy. "Well, much better. How about you?" "I'm fine. Hey, Ion, sing me my song." Ian sang the "Song of Iron" made by Tin to him.Tie listened with a strange expression on his face.After singing, Tie showed an unacceptable expression and said, "The song says I'm dead, but I'm still alive." "I can't help it, Xi doesn't know you're saved." Mizumori said from the side: "Well, I really want to tell Xi the news. Where is Xi now?" "Probably in a juvenile prison." Ion replied, Mizumori turned his head in surprise, while Tie looked ignorant. "Where is that place? I've never heard of that place." "Meet Tin someday. Just like I saw you." Ian's words seemed to reassure Tie, and he asked, "Can I see Tin's shrapnel again?" "Of course. I'll give it to you. You can give it to Xi." Ion put the shrapnel into Iron's palm and wrapped it up with both hands.