A few days later.

…… When I got up in the morning, Xiaoying still cooked early. But I couldn't find my grandfather.

"Grandpa, grandpa, it's time to eat!" Shadow's crisp voice echoed through the empty room.

"Little Shadow."

A voice answered her.

The voice was familiar.

Old, husky, but kind.

Xiaoying was shocked, turned her head suddenly, and some hot porridge spilled out on her hand, but she didn't notice it at all, and a happy expression began to bloom on her face.

"Grandpa! You're sober, great! ”

She put down the porridge and threw herself directly into her grandfather's arms.

Grandpa's tears flowed down his face, and he stroked Xiaoying's head with his big rough hands, and patted her on the back.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoying, I've suffered you these days."

"It's not bitter, it's not bitter, it's not bitter." Her eyes turned red, but she desperately endured it.

"Grandpa, it's good that you're awake. Scared the shadow to death. ”

ran over happily in vain and spread joy around the two of them.

"In vain." As soon as Grandpa stretched out his hand, he jumped into Grandpa's hand in vain. Rubbed his grandfather's hand excitedly.

Grandpa touched Baibai's head with his hand.

It's even happier in vain.

In the past two days, Grandpa's behavior has been normal. It seems that the recovery is almost complete.

Last night, the cold wind was blowing outside the house, and Grandpa and she were warming themselves by the fire. Next to the lying in vain.

Seeing that the old master was energetic again, he was unusually happy in vain, and ran around the house several times as if he were happy. Then obediently lie down beside the master. Xiaoying grinned and watched the room scurrying around in vain.

"Grandpa, I boiled some porridge to replenish my body, you can drink more."

Xiaoying said, handing the porridge to her grandfather.

Grandpa took two sips and nodded, "Well, it tastes good." ”

"I learned it from my aunt next door. She said that this is very useful for people who are recovering from a serious illness, grandpa, you drink more. ”

Grandpa said, "You don't look good, so drink a little." ”

"I'm fine." Shadow smiled.

Grandpa took a few more sips.

Have you been to school these days?

"Well, school." Xiaoying lied, grandpa is like this, how dare she go to school. In addition to doing some farm work, he takes care of his grandfather on weekdays.

Grandpa nodded. Xiaoying, this girl is smart and a good material. Although he and his grandmother have no culture, Xiaoying can't do it, and if the family has conditions, they must let Xiaoying go to school, so they can't delay her.

What have you learned?

Well...... Xiaoying suddenly panicked, but she quickly calmed down.

Fortunately, I haven't rested when I've been free these days, and I've been reading some books.

"I learned some poetry. I'll recite it to you. ”

"Okay." Grandpa put down the bowl. Look at the shadow.

Shadow cleared her throat and began to recite the poems she had read these days.

Grandpa listened attentively. Although he didn't understand what it meant, he thought the poems were extraordinarily beautifully written.

Suddenly, Xiaoying coughed violently, and then lost her breath. She coughed so hard that her chest hurt.

"Baby, are you alright?" Grandpa patted her back in distress.

"It's okay, it's okay." She hurriedly answered.

"It's been a little cold for the past two days, maybe it's frozen, I'll just go drink some water."

"Well, go ahead."

She stood up, walked to the firewood room, and poured herself a cup of hot water.

Could it be that the condition has worsened again? She was a little scared, she heard that this disease could not be cured, and her grandmother didn't leave like this.

Thinking like this, she became more and more uneasy. As soon as I was nervous, my chest began to hurt again. She couldn't help but cough softly again. Because I was afraid that my grandfather would hear and worry, I covered my mouth.

Suddenly, she felt something damp pouring out.

Slowly opened his hand, a trace of scarlet blood, and the color on the white hand was particularly eye-catching.

She stood there for a few seconds, quietly washed her hands, and returned to the house with a glass of water.

Inside the house, the old man was teasing Bai Bai, falling to the ground in vain and refusing to get up, and his nose whined and made a coquettish sound, which made Xiao Ying, who had just entered the door, laugh out loud.

"Grandpa, look, I can't eat you in vain these days, and you've lost a lot of weight."

"Haha...... It's good for nothing, but you can eat more in the future. The old man stroked its head, closed his eyes and rubbed it twice with great pleasure, and let out a satisfied whining.

Grandpa's hand gradually slowed down, staring at the fire.

"Do you miss grandma again?" Xiaoying asked cautiously.

"Hmm." Grandpa came back to his senses: "Your grandma left too quickly. I haven't had time to say a good word to her. ”

Xiaoying didn't know how to comfort her grandfather, so she sat obediently on the side and listened to her grandfather quietly.

"Baby, do you know the story of the mountain in our village?"

Shadow shook her head.

She only heard very fragmentary, very fragmentary fragments, but it was never clear what they were.

She also pestered her grandfather to ask, but he never refused to speak. Maybe it's sad to talk about it.

Grandpa lit a cigarette, squinted his eyes, and glanced out the window, the outline of the mountain was vaguely and a little unclear, but the thick smoke wrapped around him was clearly visible, and it looked particularly hideous on such a night, very much like a grimace with a terrible face, Xiaoying couldn't help but shiver, and moved a little closer to the fire.

"Our village is poor, and our ancestors have lived here for generations. In the past, people were even poorer, always worried about food and drink, and people were desperately busy, but they couldn't always support the family. Maybe it's because there are too many people in the family, and there is always not enough food to eat. ”

"But at that time we had beautiful mountains and rivers here, there were always fat fish swimming in the water, there were always all kinds of birds flying in the sky, and every morning we could always hear the birds singing beautiful songs, and the woods were always lush, and although they were dangerous, there were many animals jumping around. Hares, bears, deer, little squirrels, the bold, always go into the mountains to catch some game and bring it to the family, so that they can fill their stomachs......"

"At that time, the air was clean and clean, and every breath was intoxicating......"

Xiaoying listened with relish, these scenes were now rare. There were fewer fish, and only a few poor fry were left swimming in the river, which seemed to never grow much, and there were fewer birds, let alone singing. The woods were cut down, and the critters lost their homes and died......

Grandpa took a puff of his cigarette: "But then a group of people came." The nightmare in the village began.

They cut down the woods, caught the animals in the woods, and fished for them on a large scale, but at first people stopped them, because the resources here belong to everyone. Their actions like this make people angry. Later, a few days after they had done so, their house was set on fire. Later, they withdrew. We thought it would be fine. Later, they began to recruit workers. At first, people didn't believe them. But the village was too poor, and the price they offered was too attractive. People think they're good people at first glance. So many people joined in, and took the initiative to replenish fish and shrimp, catch jungle animals, and cut down trees to send to them. Later, they squandered almost all the resources here, and the people realized that there was nothing left to fish, so they went to the other side of the mountain. ”

"I thought the days were finally quiet."

After Grandpa said this, his brows furrowed.

"Grandpa, isn't our village inaccessible? How did those people get here?

"They drove those big birds and landed directly into the mountains. That big bird must be something very advanced, we've never seen it before. You can actually fly in the sky. Some people say that they are immortals, otherwise how could they fly in the sky. Now that I think about it, there were a few strange people in our village before, and I didn't care about it at the time, because the people in the village were very hospitable, and they had been treating them well. ”

Grandpa continued, "When they got there, they started recruiting people to do things, and they opened all kinds of factories, and they built everything. Because the village itself is barren, and now the animals and fish and shrimp are almost caught, people regret it, but it is useless to regret it, and now as long as someone goes to work, they can get money to feed their family. People were worried that they would not be able to support their wives and children, so they went. All sorts of factories began to be built. What they produce sells well wherever it is delivered, and the workers earn money to support their families. ”

"But there was smoke billowing everywhere, and the smoke could not be dispersed, and after so many years, it all accumulated, and it turned into smoke around the peaks, and it was not gone for a long time, and the winter wind was so bitter. And the wind blew into the villages, and the people breathed in the haze, and they all got sick.

The air couldn't be better anymore. Not even out of the sun. ”

"What a sin, what a sin." Grandpa shook his head.

"That......" Xiaoying was shocked when she heard it. So Daddy...... It's so close, so it's easier to get sick. ”

"Hmm." Thinking of his son, the old man choked up, felt sad for a while, and suddenly couldn't talk anymore. He snuffed out his pipe.

"Grandpa, do all the people in the village know about these things?"

"You should know everything. It's just not certain. But nine times out of ten, they are the ones who make trouble. Do you think that before they came, we had everything here, except for the plague or something, there had never been such a large-scale disease, who else but them? ”

"It's just that people are greedy, and they know that they are dying, but they can't give up the money. For the money, I knew it in my heart, and I had to go to the mountains to work for those people under the pressure of pretending that nothing was the same. After all, someone who gives food will not starve to death for the time being. Sooner or later, a village will be finished. ”

Xiaoying didn't know what to say, just looked at the burning flames.

Grandpa sighed and said, "It's fortunate that I'm old enough to jump out, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see clearly." If it was left in my youth, I would have to support your grandmother and several children at home, and there was nothing to make money, I knew that there was a problem in the mountains, and I had to go, so I couldn't watch my wife and children starve to death. ”

Grandpa said this, and was silent for a long time.

"Go to sleep, Shadow."

Xiaoying has mixed feelings. He answered and went back to his room to rest.