Jiang Ning used to like a passage very much.

The word loneliness is not lonely when taken apart, there are children, melons and fruits, animals, mosquitoes, enough to support an alley in a midsummer evening.

There are many laughs and smiles in the world, but I have two sideburns to spare.

The excitement of this world has nothing to do with you, this is called loneliness.

It took him five years to experience the bits and pieces of these words, and five years later, he chose to return to Liushi, where he had lived since he was a child...... Looking for relatives and settling down.

Liushi is still the same as when he left five years ago, and the city's prosperity is only visible on the evening of June, when the lights are on.

Hawkers on the side of the road, children running by playing, and the smell of food wafting out of the windows in the streets.

Standing at the corner of the street, he was extraordinary.

Spare two sideburns for me...... Spare two sideburns for me. Jiang Ning repeated this sentence.

Ten thousand lights are dim, but he is alone.

The man-made lake in the community has been filled, and the crumbling walls that are already crawling with creepers have been pushed and rebuilt. The original bumpy gravel road was replaced by a concrete road, and the old street lamp at the intersection also completely bid farewell to his career, replaced by a young and strong newcomer standing there, and everything was renovated without him realizing it.

Jiang Ning realized that he hadn't been home for a long time since the young and frivolous self vowed to break out of the world.

There are three reasons, I can't accept my incompetence, I can't face my brother's care, and I can't let go of the guilt in my heart. For the adult world, incompetence is a sin in itself.

Time flies, and Jiang Ning only realized the cruelty of this sentence at this moment.

He looked down at what he was carrying, a few cans of beer, some loose lo-mei...... The things in his hands had already spent the last of his money.

Jiang Ning is twenty-three years old this year, as the saying goes, a man stands at thirty, but in fact, he knows very well that there are very few people who can do this without fighting for his father and his mother's family background. And Jiang Ning is the mediocre part of the people who belong to the vast majority.

His parents died in an accident when he was 10 years old, and his only relative was his brother Jiang Li, who was five years older than him.

The eldest brother is like a father, Jiang Ning's childhood was not happy, but under Jiang Li's care, he finally lived a stable life, although he did not have the glory and wealth of big fish and meat, but he did not let him starve and eat a full meal after all. Jiang Li is an ordinary criminal policeman in the Liushi Criminal Police Brigade, he usually has many tasks, and he does not spend much time with Jiang Ning, most of the time, Jiang Ning likes to climb on the roof of the house next door after finishing his homework, stepping on pieces of tiles, and sitting on the roof to count the stars.

At that time, there were still stars in the sky.

Jiang Ning liked to paint very much when he was young, but such a money-burning hobby was obviously not enough to support Jiang Li's salary, so in the year of Jiangning's college entrance examination, he gave up the road of art examination and gave up going to university.

On the day of the end of the college entrance examination, Jiang Ning waited until late at night to wait for Jiang Li, who had just returned home from a mission, and he made the most important and ridiculous decision in his life - he was no longer in college, he wanted to go out to work hard.

The conversation is very simple, he talked to Jiang Li for the first time since he was a child, although he gave up his own life, but he always felt that Jiang Li was the most sorry.

"Brother, I'm not going to college anymore. I want to go out and work hard. ”

"What did you say?"

"I said I wanted to work hard. ”

"First sentence. ”

Jiang Ning took a deep breath: "I don't go to college anymore. ”

That time, Jiang Li beat him for the first time, the first time since he was a child.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Ning's screams woke up three or four families, and Jiang Li took a rolling pin and slapped him hard.

"Tell me again, do you go to college?"

"Don't read it!" Jiang Ning gritted his teeth, his voice unprecedentedly firm.

Smack!

"Do you read it?"

"Don't read it!"

Smack! again.

Repeating it several times, the rolling pin broke in half under Jiang Ning's scream.

Jiang Li sat on the chair panting, Jiang Ning knelt in front of him, his body was purple and blue, his eyes were red, and he didn't shed a single tear after all.

After a long time, Jiang Li let out a long breath, threw a card in front of him, and then got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Pack your bags and fuck me tomorrow...... I haven't eaten dinner yet, so I'll serve you a bowl of noodles. ”

*****

Jiang Ning took out the card from his pocket, five years have passed, and he has not touched a cent of the money in the card. The amount is still 30,000 yuan when he left home, and it is hard to imagine that Jiang Li's little criminal policeman with a monthly salary of less than 5,000 can still save this money while supporting himself and his younger brother.

And the vigorous self who once vowed to live has gone through the past five years, bumps and bumps, and after all, he was scarred by this world.

However, for the sake of life, who is not.

Walking to the downstairs of the familiar building, Jiang Ning glanced up, the windows of his house were open, and the lights were on, but there was no smell of food belonging to this time period.

It seems that Jiang Li didn't cook, Jiang Ning smiled, it's okay, I bought these things by myself to talk to him all these years, and the two of them haven't sat down for a meal for a long time, even if it's a simple meal.

As soon as he walked into the stairwell, Jiang Ning heard the commotion coming from the door of his house.

He hurried upstairs and saw the door of his house open, surrounded by a crowd of people, most of them next-door neighbors, and a few policemen.

For Jiang Ning, who has been accustomed to Jiang Li bringing his comrades-in-arms and colleagues to eat at home since he was a child, it is not uncommon to see the police, but he doesn't know any of the policemen standing at the door of his house at this moment.

Moreover, he didn't see Jiang Li in the crowd.

Zhang Xuemei, who lived across the door from his house, recognized him first, and shouted in astonishment: "Jiang Ning, are you back?"

"Aunt Zhang......" Jiang Ning just said hello to her, Zhang Xuemei walked over to him quickly, and grabbed him and walked towards the stairwell.

"Why are you back at this time? Zhang Xuemei looked up and looked at the young man who was already two heads taller than herself.

"I ......" Jiang Ning scratched his head, embarrassed to say that he failed to start a business, and finally came back to join his brother.

"I missed home, I missed my brother, so I came back. Jiang Ning said. "By the way, Aunt Zhang, what about my brother?"

"You don't know?" Zhang Xuemei looked at him. "Something happened to your family, I thought you were hiding outside......"

"What's wrong with my family?"

Zhang Xuemei looked at him, and the words she spit out were thunderbolts.

"Your brother killed someone. ”

***

Jiang Ning was stunned in place, his palms clenched, and he didn't throw away the things he was carrying because of Zhang Xuemei's words.

"Really. Seeing his look of disbelief, Zhang Xuemei continued. "Just a few days ago, it is said that when the police were dispatched, they killed a suspect, did you see those policemen, they all came to your house to investigate, your brother hasn't been home for several days, I thought he told you, let you not come back to avoid the limelight outside......"

Jiang Ning was stunned: "Impossible, my brother can't kill anyone." ”

"How is it impossible, this is all a matter of filing a case for investigation...... Xiao Ning, why don't you go home tonight and go to your aunt's house, if your brother contacts you, you can persuade him to turn himself in......"

Jiang Li killed someone? Jiang Ning didn't believe it.

The elder brother, who usually instills in himself the three views of fairness and justice for the country and the people, is absolutely impossible to kill, even if it is because of the task.

"Impossible, Aunt Zhang, it must be a mistake...... There's no way my brother could have killed someone. Jiang Ning handed her the things in his hand. "You can get it for me, and I'll go over and ask. ”

"Alas......" Zhang Xuemei originally wanted to stop it, but then thought about it, there are some things that he, as a younger brother, will know sooner or later.

Jiang Ning pushed aside the crowd and walked towards the house, there were several policemen who were collecting evidence inside, Jiang Ning knew that they were checking whether Jiang Li had returned home in the past two days.

"Stop. A black-faced officer called out to him. "Don't come in, don't wait for the busybody, you want to see the excitement and stand outside. ”

"I'm his family. Jiang Ning said.

The black-faced police officer was stunned for a moment: "Jiang Li's family." ”

"Hmm. ”

The black-faced officer glanced at his colleague and said. "You wait. ”

He took out the walkie-talkie and explained a few words, and then walked towards Jiang Ning: "Who are you?"

"I'm his brother. Jiang Ning said. "You are ......"

"Captain of the Second Detachment of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Liushi Municipal Bureau, Lin Qiang. The black-faced officer said. "Has your brother been in touch with you in the past two days?"

"Nope. Jiang Ning said.

Lin Qiang frowned, Jiang Ning's face was sincere, not like he was lying. He has also read Jiang Li's information, Jiang Ning is his only relative, and if something so big happens, Jiang Li should also tell his younger brother not to go home.

"Well, come with us. Lin Qiang said. "Don't be afraid, just ask you for some advice, and let you go home when it's over. ”

"Good. Jiang Ning knew that cooperating with the police investigation at this time was the most important thing, and if he refused, he would be suspected of shielding Jiang Li.

"Can I just walk around?" Jiang Ning asked, although this was his own home, but now in this special situation, he still asked Lin Qiang.

Lin Qiang glanced at him: "Yes, but you can't touch anything." ”

"Hmm. Jiang Ning nodded.

This house is left by the parents, two bedrooms and one living room, when I was a child, I lived in a room with my brother, and after my parents left unexpectedly when I was ten years old, this house was only lived in by two brothers, and it was a lot more deserted all of a sudden.

Jiang Ning wandered around the house, this place was still the same as before, when was the last time he went home? Jiang Ning forgot, it seems that it was two years ago during the Chinese New Year, he came back to have a meal with Jiang Li, and Jiang Li went out on a mission halfway through the meal.

Potted plants in front of the window, white walls with peeling paint...... Those memories that could not be found in the alley, Jiang Ning finally found some here.

He looked at the room a little distracted, as if a very real scene was happening in front of him...... He and Jiang Li sat cross-legged on the ground face to face, surrounded by empty beer cans, melon seed shells and peanut shells scattered on the ground, and the two brothers talked and laughed...... Come to your senses, it's all imagination.

It was as if the heart had been picked up by something.

After several police officers finished investigating, Jiang Ning walked downstairs under their 'escort'.

He looked at the police car in front of him, as if he had taken this step and there was no return.

He really didn't expect that when he returned home after two years, he would be greeted by such a change.