"And how did you escape?"

"I'm not in the city at all," He Gui said, "My family has a few acres of land outside the city, and I think it's about to be harvested, so I have to go and see it and stay for a few days." I don't know how much virtue the ancestors have accumulated, this day is set so accurately, that day we just cleaned up the cellar, ready to put vegetables in it, Lao Maozi came. This is because it is outside the city, if you think about it, it is all crop land, and the old Maozi cavalry can see it from afar, so there is time to hide in the cellar. I thought this girl had been following us, who knew that she was playing in the field that day, so that Lao Maozi was knocked down with one shot, fortunately she had a big life, Lao Maozi was in a hurry to enter the city, and she didn't have time to take a closer look at her, otherwise she had to make up for a shot. ”

"What about the Boxers in Hulan City?" Lin Hongwen asked, since the Russian reinforcements were stationed in Harbin, the shape has not been good, and the Boxers have basically withdrawn from Harbin half a month ago. Lin Hongwen has always held on to the hope that they will fight back, but now even Hulan City is gone.

"I don't know very well, but I think it's also dead and wounded, and the few who can move alive probably escaped like us." He Gui let out a long sigh, "Look at that kid, we met on the road, he heard that we were coming to Harbin, so he had to come with him, he was even more pitiful, he came from Hailan." ”

Lin Hongwen looked at the young man, he looked like he was in his early twenties, his face was covered with blood, and he lowered his head and was silent.

"Hailan Bubble? That's far enough. Lin Hongwen said.

"If you can live in peace, what are you afraid of", He Gui said, "That kid said, Lao Maozi killed all the people who soaked in Hailan, and the water surface of Heilongjiang was full of corpses, and the water was red." He relied on his good water nature to swim to the other side, and if he didn't pass it, he died. ”

"Kill so many people, and no one cares?" Lin Hongwen asked excitedly.

"Who cares", He Gui said, "As soon as the imperial court said that war was declared on the outside world, those old Maozi entered the northeast." You know our place here, earlier it was said that it was the dragon vein, and it is not allowed to be reclaimed, but it has been better in recent years, and it is also vast and sparsely populated, and there are only so many people in our army in the Qing Dynasty, and there are even fewer people in Hailan Pao, and Lao Maozi can do whatever he wants when he comes. Now that I heard that the Eight-Nation Coalition Army has entered the capital, and even Lafayette has run away, you say, who else can care about these things? ”

Without saying a word, Lin Hongwen seemed to be able to see the purgatory with continuous fire, corpses all over the field, and blood and water in the river, Heilongjiang, Hulan City, maybe the bodies of his father and brother were also there. Lin Hongwen only felt that the world was spinning, and he didn't know anything when it was dark in front of him.

25.

After fainting, he became seriously ill, and he has been tense since he recovered. He didn't want to believe that Lin Xingshen and Lin Hongming were dead, he had asked so many people, but no one had seen their corpses. But he also knew in his heart that as soon as the battle started, there were many dead and corpses. Besides, if it's okay, how can they not even have a message. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to burn paper money, he felt that if he cried, if he burned paper money, it would be as if these two people were really dead, until Sister-in-law Tian came to see him.

"I see that you haven't been here for a long time, so I wonder if you're sick", Sister-in-law Tian sighed, "I didn't expect such a big thing to happen." ”

"Auntie", Lin Hongwen looked at her with a confused expression, "Did you say that my father and my eldest brother are really gone?" I always felt like they were still there. ”

Sister-in-law Tian looked at Lin Hongwen's thin cheeks and couldn't help but redden, "You kid, why are you always so distressing", Sister-in-law Tian wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and continued, "I don't know how to answer you, I can only tell you about my own business." I told you that if my daughter had been here, she would have been a few years younger than you. It's a pity that she was separated from us before she was five years old, and I don't know if she is dead or alive. I burn paper money for her every year, of course I hope that she is still alive, but I am also afraid, what if she is gone? Qingming cold food, not even paper money, how to live below? Hongwen, you listen to me, if this person is still alive, it is a big fate, even if you set up a grave and burn paper money, it is nothing, so that you can feel better in your heart. ”

At the end of the year, the church in Qinjiagang was built. Lin Hongwen stood in a thick cotton suit and looked at the towering building of the minaret, and he remembered that Zhao Shun once smiled and told him that the Russians were going to build a church, and they didn't have to leave Harbin for the time being. Now the church is built, and the Russians are worshipping in it, but they are gone, no one alive, no corpse.

On the evening of the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, Lin Hongwen bought a few thick bundles of paper money and drew a circle at the intersection near the medical center. The fire reflected the snow red, and his body was a little warmer. Lin Hongwen said to himself while filling in the paper money, "Dad, big brother, I don't know if I should burn paper money for you, I don't believe that you are no longer here, they all say that dead people will dream, but I have never dreamed of you once, does this mean that you are still alive and well?" But I'm afraid", Lin Hongwen wiped his tears, paused for a while and continued, "I'm afraid that if you really go over there, you won't have money to spend and be bullied." I'm burning paper money for you now, if you really go over there, and you can give me a dream when you receive the money, didn't you say that you want to find a day to talk to me? I've been waiting for you, why haven't you come to me yet? ”

Lin Hongwen shed tears while burning, and didn't stand up until there were only black ashes left in the circle, "Dad, big brother, no matter if you are still there or not, I will live well and will not embarrass you", Lin Hongwen rubbed his knees, his hands and feet were already frozen, and it was very difficult to take every step, but he knew that he couldn't turn back, no matter how difficult it was, he could only move forward.

26.

In March (1), a letter made Xu Shihuai angry all over the house, Lin Hongwen glanced at him, and lowered his head to pack medicine, and finally Xu Shihuai finally couldn't hold it back, and walked over to Zheng Yun and Lin Hongwen and said, "You said that the little rabbit cub should come back in a few months, and went to Japan again?" What kind of Japan to go to! ”

Lin Hongwen was speechless, and Zheng Yun comforted him twice, "Qingzhi also wants to learn more things, he finally went out once, and it would be good to go to more places." ”

"What's good!" Xu Shihuai said, "I think he just doesn't want to come back!" ”

"No", Zheng Yun said, "Qingzhi has been in love with his family since he was a child, didn't you also say that it is not good for him to love his family too much?" ”

"When I was a child, I was a lover, and I didn't know what ** soup I poured when I went out, so I was reluctant to come back." Xu Shihuai said, and angrily went to talk to Cheng Yu again.

Zheng Yun sighed, "Master has also been old in the past two years, and people have become nagging. ”

"He misses his son, but he's embarrassed to say it directly", Lin Hongwen finished packing the medicine, looked at Zheng Yun and said, "I'm going to send the medicine to the miscellaneous market, do you want to bring something?" ”

"I saw the chestnut seller come back," Zheng Yun said, "I bought it before the Chinese New Year last time." ”

"Okay", Lin Hongwen walked out of the medical hall quickly, Zheng Yun looked at his back and felt a little strange.

"Hongwen is out again?" Cheng Yu asked.

"Well, I said I was going to the miscellaneous market to deliver medicine," Zheng Yun said.

"He's been running quite diligently lately," Cheng Yu said, "and he's always rushing to do errands." ”

"After I got better, I was like a different person, I talked less and less, I was diligent in running errands, and I didn't know what to think about."

Lin Hongwen delivered the medicine first, and then turned into the miscellaneous market and went straight to Sister-in-law Tian's stall, He Mu was already waiting, and when he saw him from afar, he beckoned. Lin Hongwen sat down and asked him, "How long have you been here?" ”

"It's been a while," He Mu said, "Little boss, why are you here now?" ”

"There are a lot of people in the hospital today, and I just finished my work", Lin Hongwen replied, and said to Sister-in-law Tian, "Auntie, let's have some sauce beef, and everything else is as usual." ”

Sister-in-law Tian agreed with a smile, and served it to them after a while, He Mu buried his head in eating hard for a while, although Lin Hongwen was not hungry, but he didn't come for a while, and he was a little hungry for beef, so he also ate for a while.

In the dream, he saw Lin Hongming stuffing the only bun he had when he was a child, seeing the rice jar at home that bottomed out, seeing Lin Xingxing's sideburns and frowning brows, and seeing the fierce people who came to collect rent. Later, when he recovered from his illness and sobered up, he couldn't stop feeling sad in his heart. He remembered that Lin Xingshen had given him money several times one after another, if he had taken Lin Xingshen's words to heart early and started some small business by himself, then Lin Xingshen and Lin Hongming might have been out of the road construction team a long time ago, and if they were not in the road construction team, there would be no follow-up. They have suffered all their lives in poverty and suffering, and if they live, they are afraid that they will not want to live like this anymore. The money that Lin Xingshen and Lin Hongming gave him before, plus his own savings, has a total of sixty or seventy taels, which is not a small amount, but it can be used for trading, and it is not a large amount, Lin Hongwen has never done this, and he is afraid that he will accidentally lose all this money. Fortunately, although he can't do it himself, he also knows how to look at others, and often come to the miscellaneous market to see those who do business, what is good to sell, what is not good to sell, what is good business, and what is bad business.

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(1) 1901