The bishop said goodbye to him heartily, and had just walked out into the street when suddenly, a hand slapped him heavily on the shoulder. 'Aha, Selvestre, you scoundrel, you're playing your old tricks again, aren't you?' Immediately afterward, a burly patrolman with an honest and reliable Irish face escorted the bishop back to the jewel shop.

"'Sorry to bother you, but did this person buy anything from you just now?' the officer asked. Of course not. The bishop denied it, 'Quick, tell him I didn't buy anything.' ''He bought. The jeweler confessed, 'He bought a necklace with diamonds and pearls from me—and it was all paid in cash.' ''Do you still have those bills handy, sir?'' the policeman asked.

So the jeweller took the £1,200 bill out of the cash register and handed it to the police. The policeman held the bill up, looked closely at the light, and shook his head in admiration. 'Oh, Servest, Serve!' he said, 'this is the most realistic counterfeit you've ever forged.' You're a counterfeiter!'

The bishop had a smug smile on his face. 'You can't prove anything,' said the bishop, 'and the people in the bank say they're true.' This is the real green pound. ''They think it's genuine, and that's what I believe. The police agreed, 'but I suspect that the banks have not been warned that Selvestre has fled to the city, and that the banknotes have not been sent to London for examination.' So saying, he reached into the bishop's pocket and pulled out his necklace. 'A diamond and pearl necklace worth 1,200 pounds, in exchange for fifty pence worth of paper and ink. The police said. Obviously, deep down, he was quite like a philosopher. Stop pretending to be a church clergyman, you should be ashamed. He said, handcuffing the bishop – he's not really a bishop, of course – and escorting him away. Before leaving, the police filled out a receipt for receiving the necklace and 1,200 pounds and handed it to the jeweller for the purpose of proving the case. ”

"Is that money really counterfeit?" asked Ashu.

"Of course not! It's all brand new bills, just taken out of the bank, and only a fingerprint and a little green ink have been added to a few of them to make them look real and fake, and a little more fun." ”

Ah Xiu took a sip of coffee, and the taste was even worse than in prison. "In this way, it is clear that the policeman is not a real policeman. And the necklace?"

"Definitely a genuine necklace. Drinkward said. He uncorked the salt shaker and poured a little salt onto the table. However, the jeweler was given a police receipt promising that he would soon be able to get his necklace back once Selvester was sent to jail. The police praised him as a good citizen, and he was so proud of it that he had even begun to think about telling the story to everyone at an old friend party the next night. At this moment, the police strode out with the guy pretending to be a bishop, with a necklace worth 1,200 pounds in one pocket of his clothes and a necklace worth 1,200 pounds in the other. They walked in the direction of the police station. After that, no one saw either of them again. ”

The waitress came back to clean up the table. "Tell me, dear," Drinkward said to her, "are you married?"

She shook her head.

"It's amazing how a lovely and charming young lady like you hasn't been snatched yet. He scribbled on the salt with the tips of his fingers, drawing short, thick square-shaped letters that looked like ancient Norse script. The waitress stood meekly beside him. Ah Xiu felt that she was not like a little lamb, but more like a little rabbit illuminated by the searchlights of an eighteen-wheeled truck, and fear and hesitation kept it from moving.

Drinkward suddenly lowered his voice, and Ah Xiu, who was sitting across the table, could barely hear what he was saying. "What time do you get off work?"

"Nine o'clock. She swallowed nervously, "Half past nine at the latest." ”

"What's the best hotel nearby?"

"Hotel Six," she replied, "and the rent is not very expensive." ”

Drinkward touched the back of her hand with his fingertips, leaving a small grain of salt on her skin. She didn't try to wipe the salt off. "For the two of us," his voice was barely audible, "it would be a hall of joy." ”

The waitress looked at him, hesitantly bit her thin lip, then nodded, and fled back to the kitchen.

"Well, forget it," Ashu interjected, "she doesn't look like she's of legal age." ”

"I never think about what is legal and what is not legal. Drinkward told him, "Besides, I need her." Not to play with her, but to use her to wake me up. There is an old recipe, which is very simple, and can warm the old man's blood. This secret was known even to King David: call a virgin to wake me up in the morning. ”

Ah Xiu was a little curious, wondering if the girl who was on night duty in the town that night was also a virgin. "Don't you ever worry about getting sick?" he asked, "what if you impregnated her? What if she had a stern brother?"

"Don't worry," Drinkward said lightly, "I've never been worried about illness. I'm not going to get sick. Unfortunately, most of the time, people like me are empty-shot, so we won't have a chance to breed. In the past, I would have left some descendants, but now it is unlikely. So don't worry about that. Many girls have older fathers, and this is not a problem. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, I was able to get out safely before they found out. ”

"So, we're going to stay here tonight?"

Drinkward scratched his chin. "I stayed at Hotel Six. As he spoke, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a brass-colored key with an address on it: Apartment 3, 502 North Hill Road. "And you, this apartment is waiting for you to live, in another city far from here. Drinkward closed his eyes, then opened them, his gray eyes glittering, and the two eyes were quite incongruous. He continued: "The long-distance bus arrived in this town in twenty minutes and stopped at the gas station. Here's your ticket. He pulled out a folded bus ticket and pushed it off the table along with the key. Ah Xiu picked up the ticket and looked at it.

"Who's Mike?" he couldn't help but ask. That's exactly the name written on the ticket.

"That's you! Merry Christmas. ”

"Also, where is Lakeside Town?"

"The happy home where you are going to live next month. One last thing, good things have to come together......" He took a small, ribbon-tied gift box from his pocket and pushed it off the table. The box stopped next to a bottle of flavored ketchup, the mouth of which was stained with a black stain of dried ketchup. Ah Xiu didn't touch the box.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Reluctantly, Ah Xiu tore open the red wrapping paper and found that inside was a light yellow-brown calfskin wallet, which had been used before and was a little shiny. In the wallet was a driver's license with a photo of Asho on it, but his name was Mike and his address was Derby. The wallet also contained a Mastercard credit card signed M. Ansel, as well as twenty fifty pound bills. Ah Xiu closed the wallet and put it in the inner pocket of his clothes.

"Thank you. He said.

"It's good to think of the money as a Christmas bonus. Now, I'll take you to the bus stop, and when you're in the bus and out of here for the north, I'll wave goodbye to you. ”

They walked outside the restaurant. Ah Xiu couldn't believe that the weather had become so cold in just a few hours. It's so cold that it won't even snow. It's aggressive cold, and this winter is going to be a tough one.

"Hey, Drinkward, those two stories of fraud you told me—the story of the loser and the bishop's, the bishop and the police—" He hesitated, trying to condense his thoughts and focus on a certain point.

"What's wrong?"

At this point, it occurred to him what question to ask. "They're all scams that require two people to work together, with one person playing a different role in opposition to the other. Did you have a partner in the past?" Ashu's breath condensed into a white cloud in the air. He secretly promised himself that once he arrived at Lakeside, he would spend a portion of his Christmas bonus to buy himself the warmest and thickest clothes.

"Yes," Drinward admitted, "yes, I used to have a partner. I have a little brother under him. However, those days are behind after all. By the way, there's the gas station over there, and if I'm not mistaken, it's a long-distance bus. "The bus has arrived at the parking lot, flashing its signal lights and turning. "Your apartment is on the key," Drinward instructed, "and if anyone asks, say I'm your uncle, and I'm glad to use the name Emerson." Have a good night's rest in Lakeside Town, Nephew Mike. I'll be visiting you this week. We'd travel together to visit the people I was going to visit. Until then, you have to keep your head down, live honestly, and don't get into trouble everywhere. ”

"...... my car?" Ashu asked.

"I'll take good care of it. Have a nice stay in Lakeside Town. Drinkward said as he held out his hand, and Ah Xiu shook his hand. Drinkward's hands are colder than zombies.

"God," he exclaimed, "your hands are so cold. ”

"I'll soon be able to do some exercise with my restaurant girl lover in the room at Hotel Six, and that will warm me up. As he spoke, he stretched out his other hand and grabbed Ashu's shoulder tightly.

In a moment of dizziness, Ah Xiu once again saw a double vision: he saw a gray-haired man facing him and grabbing him by the shoulder, but at the same time, he also saw another picture: for countless winters, hundreds of winter days, a gray-robed man wearing a pointed hat, walking from one settlement to another, he was on crutches, looking through the window of someone else's house, at the roaring fire and happy life inside, something he could never touch, never feel......

"Let's go. Drinkward's words interrupted his vision, his voice as if roaring, but reassuring. "Everything is fine, everything will be fine. ”

Ah Xiu handed the ticket to the driver for verification. "It's a bad day to travel," she complained, and then slammed out, "Merry Christmas." ”

The seats in the car were almost all empty. "When can we get to Lakeside?" Ashu asked her.

"Two hours. Maybe a little longer. The female driver said, "It is said that a cold snap is coming." She pressed a switch, and the door slammed shut.

Ashu walked to the middle of the body, found a seat and sat down, lowered the back of the seat to the bottom, and began to think. The monotonous rhythm of the car and the hot heat made him drowsy, and before he knew he was about to fall asleep, he had fallen asleep.

Between the earth, under the earth. The murals on the walls of the cave are painted in red moist clay, with palm prints, finger prints, and from time to time a few rough patterns of animals, people, and birds.

The flames were still burning, and the buffalo man was still sitting across the fire, staring at Ah Xiu with his huge eyes open like a puddle of black mud. The buffalo man's lips are tangled in brown fuzz, and when he speaks, his lips remain motionless. "Hello, Ah Xiu. Now, are you convinced?"

"I don't know. Ah Xiu said. He noticed that his mouth was not moving. Regardless of how the conversation between the two of them took place, it wasn't a vocal exchange anyway, nor was it any way of communication that Ah Xiu knew. "Are you real?"

"Believe!" said the buffalo man.

"Are you ......" After a moment's hesitation, Ah Xiu still asked, "Are you also a god?"

The buffalo man's hand reaches into the burning fire and takes out a burning branch. He grabbed the middle of the branch, blue and yellow flames licking his red hand, but it didn't burn.

"This land is not suitable for the gods to live in. The buffalo man said. But it was not the buffalo people who spoke. In the dream, Ah Xiu knew that it was actually the flames that spoke. In the dark depths of this underworld, it was the crackling, blazing flames themselves that spoke to Ashu.

"The land was brought out of the depths of the sea by a diving bird," said the flames, "it was spun by a spider, it was the excrement of a snake, and the body of a fallen father whose bones had become mountains and his eyes into lakes."

"This is a land of dreams and fire. Flame said.

The buffalo man puts the branch back into the fire.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ashu asked, "I'm not a big person. I'm nothing, just a decent physical trainer, a useless third-rate liar, and I'm not even the good husband I think I am......" his voice faded.

"How can I help Laura?" Ashu suddenly asked the buffalo man, "She wants to have life again." I said I was going to help her, and I owe her. ”

The buffalo man didn't say anything, he pointed up to the top of the cave. Ashu's gaze followed his fingers. A faint ray of light came through a small crack in the roof of the cave high above.

"Should I go up there?" Ashu asked, hoping that the other party would answer at least one of his questions, "Should I go up there?"

In dreams, ideas immediately become reality. Moments later, he reached the top of the cave. Ashur squeezed upwards through the rocks and dirt. He pushes forward in the dirt like a mole, he crawls through the dirt like a badger, he pushes the dirt away from its path like a marmot, he burrows in the dirt like a bear. But the soil was too strong and heavy, and his breathing gradually turned into small gasps, and soon he could no longer go any further, no longer able to burrow and crawl forward. He knew he was going to be suffocated somewhere underground.

His strength is not strong enough, and his efforts are becoming more and more weak. He knew that his body was lying in a well-heated bus, walking through the cold woods. However, if he stops breathing in a dream deep underground, he will also stop breathing in the real world. And now, his breathing had turned into a shallow gasp.