Lin Hongwen tugged at his cuffs and asked him to sit down, "I haven't done anything yet, why are you in a hurry, this can't work." ”

"You must go?" He Mu asked.

Lin Hongwen nodded, and He Mu said, "Okay, but you have to promise me, only this once, not for example." ”

"It's almost there", Lin Hongwen looked at the brazier, his voice cold, "If I don't want to, what are you going to do?" Sue sù Shi Ying? Threaten me? I told you I don't like people threatening me, you forgot? ”

"I'm not threatening you," He Mu said, "I said that as long as I am there for a day, I will protect you." Maybe you've forgotten, but I haven't. ”

Lin Hongwen glanced at him casually, "You have already paid me back the twenty taels of silver, we have already paid it off, you don't owe me anything." ”

"I didn't clear it."

"What?"

"Have you counted your money back?"

"Nope."

"The amount is insufficient, the difference is two dollars", He Mu looked at Lin Hongwen fixedly, "So, I didn't clear it." I won't pay back this money in the future, I owe you now, I still owe you in the future, and we can't pay it off. ”

Lin Hongwen glanced at him, then turned his head to look away, "Is it necessary?" ”

"I said yes," He Mu said with some sadness.

"Got it."

"Know what?"

"It's only this time, not an example", Lin Hongwen sighed and stood up, "It's late, go back." ”

49.

When Lin Hongwen passed over three days later, the three of them were busy. Lin Hongwen looked at Du Xinzhu, he hadn't seen him for several months, but he hadn't seen it at all.

"How is Uncle Du doing these past few months?" Lin Hongwen asked with a smile.

"Okay, I was worried at first", Du Xinzhu said, "but after the boss gave me a salary, I wanted to open it, and I should rest." I've lived most of my life, getting up early every day and staying up late, and I've never rested for so long. If you want to sleep until what time you want, tsk, these days, except for the inconvenience of going out, everything is good. ”

Lin Hongwen looked at him with a smile, "Seeing that there are no fewer of you, I am relieved." ”

"Ancestors bless", Du Xinzhu said, "life is better than anything else." ”

"I'm also thinking about it", Lin Hongwen said, "Originally, my body was not good, but this time I didn't get infected with the epidemic, maybe my father and my eldest brother have spirits in heaven to protect me." It's been seven and a half months, but I still want to burn some paper money for them. ”

"Big nephew", Du Xinzhu said earnestly, "If your father and your eldest brother have spirits in the sky and see that you are alive and well, they will be relieved." Don't always worry about them, because you're going to be sad. ”

Lin Hongwen looked at him with a smile, "That's what Uncle Du said." ”

"Uncle Du", He Mu took two big boxes and walked over, "I ordered some clothes from the shipyard, but the delivery went out and didn't come back, so I can only work hard Uncle Du for your trip." ”

"It's okay, it's okay", Du Xinzhu stretched out his hand to take the box, but Lin Hongwen inserted his hand in, "There are so many things, how can you let Uncle Du send it alone, anyway, I'm fine, I'll accompany Uncle Du on a trip." ”

"This can't be done", Du Xinzhu hurriedly excused himself. Lin Hongwen came out with the box as if he hadn't heard it.

"Big nephew, although I don't know if I don't do business, but the shop has lost a lot during this time," Du Xinzhu chatted with Lin Hongwen.

"Well, but it's okay, after all, the shop is your own," Lin Hongwen said, "and stop the loss when the door is closed." ”

"It's too", Du Xinzhu thought for a while and said, "Eldest nephew, you've been here for several years, and you haven't been to the river to play in winter, right?" ”

Lin Hongwen smiled and said no, Du Xinzhu said, "It's just right, we can go over the river today." ”

"Is the ice that thick? Don't fall into the water while walking", Lin Hongwen asked with some concern.

"No, no," Du Xinzhu said, "I went to see it two days ago, and the ice was already very thick, and many people were playing on it." ”

The two chatted all the way to the riverside, and Du Xinzhu stepped on it first, "Look, it's okay, right?" It's much colder here than you Shandong, and it's frozen early. ”

Lin Hongwen also stepped on it, and the two slowly walked towards Jiang Xin. Lin Hongwen has been talking to Du Xinzhu, so that Du Xinzhu didn't pay attention at all, they have gradually deviated from the original route. When he was about to reach Jiangxin, Lin Hongwen suddenly fell, and the box in his hand slipped out a long way away on the ice. Du Xinzhu shouted that it was not good, hurriedly ran over, caught up with the box, and just wanted to laugh, but found that the ice under his feet was cracking inch by inch.

Lin Hongwen took a few steps back, calmly looking at Du Xinzhu who fell into the water, he struggled to grasp the ice that had not cracked, and wanted to climb up to the ice and crack again. Du Xinzhu had no choice but to reach out and grab the ice surface and shout at Lin Hongwen for help.

Lin Hongwen smiled and said, "I asked you something, if you tell the truth, I will save you." ”

Du Xinzhu was already numb from the cold, he looked around, there was no one except Lin Hongwen. He remembered that he had gone straight to the other side of the river after coming down from the riverside market, and how could he deviate so much while walking. Du Xinzhu looked at Lin Hongwen, the man smiled innocently, but he suddenly remembered that night the fire flickered on and off, reflecting Lin Hongwen's face like a ghost, he was frightened and nodded at Lin Hongwen.

"What happened the night the Boxers entered the Tian family to burn the pot?" Lin Hongwen looked at him condescendingly and asked.

"I, I'm scared, I'm afraid of death, I secretly found a translator to tell the informant, they shouldn't have met with the Boxers, they were discovered by the Russians", Du Xinzhu froze his lips purple and his teeth chattered, "I was scared, I didn't go at all that night." ”

Lin Hongwen nodded clearly, "Uncle Du, do you remember what you said at the mouth of the Yellow River?" You said, 'The great country is now ridden by foreigners, and the Manchu Dynasty really has no character at all.' 'I still think you are the man with a good character, why are you the first to be coaxed when the matter comes to you?' ”

Du Xinzhu couldn't care about what he said, just begged, "Help me, eldest nephew, you save me." ”

"Okay", Lin Hongwen smiled, "I'll go find someone, you wait." ”

Lin Hongwen turned around and walked towards the shore, and heard Du Xinzhu shouting behind him, "Lin Hongwen, you can't die well!" The sound was loud at first, then it became quieter, and then it was completely quiet.

Lin Hongwen walked very slowly all the way, so slow that when he arrived at the riverside miscellaneous market, his hands and feet were numb from the cold. He begged for help from the people in Zashi'er with a wolf face, but when those people arrived there, Du Xinzhu had already frozen to death.

Lin Hongwen looked at Du Xinzhu's frozen corpse, his face was sad, Sister-in-law Tian couldn't help but hug him, he hid in Sister-in-law Tian's arms and shivered. Zhou Shiying and He Mu also rushed over when they heard the news, and when they saw Du Xinzhu's tragic situation, they couldn't bear to look at it directly.

"If I hadn't fallen, Uncle Du wouldn't have run to pick up the box at all", Lin Hongwen said to himself, "It's all my fault." ”

Zhou Shiying lowered his head and saw that Lin Hongwen's hands were still bleeding, "I don't blame you for this, you hurry up and deal with it, Uncle Du's aftermath is me and He Mu." ”

"Yes, Hongwen, you go back first", He Mu echoed, "If there is anything, we will go to you again." ”

Lin Hongwen glanced down at his palm, it should have been cut by the ice when he fell just now, and he didn't notice it all the way. The wound was not shallow, some of the blood stains had coagulated, but it was still bleeding. Lin Hongwen said that he was out of the way and refused to leave, so Sister-in-law Tian grabbed his arm and dragged him back, "What's the use of you here, hurry back." ”

The two dragged all the way to the hospital, and as soon as Xu Shihuai came out, Lin Hongwen was honest. Sister-in-law Tian explained the matter to Xu Shihuai, and then pointed to Lin Hongwen's hand and said, "This kid fell and didn't know if he fell elsewhere, so take a good look." ”

Sister-in-law Tian went back after explaining these words, Lin Hongwen didn't dare to choke with Xu Shihuai, and honestly asked Zheng Yun to wrap his hands. Xu Shihuai pressed the other place a few more times to make sure that there was no fracture before letting him go back to the house.

Lin Hongwen sat on the bed, looked at his hands, and laughed unconsciously. Zheng Yun told him that the wound was a little deep, and maybe he would have to leave a scar in the future, and if he left a scar, he would break the palm print. Lin Hongwen didn't care, what if he broke his palm print, in exchange for Du Xinzhu's life, he didn't lose at all.

Lin Hongwen thought of Chen Loach, although he was gone, he always remembered the words. Chen Loach said, "Hongwen, you remember, the water in the heart of the river is easy to freeze and not be sincere. It's nothing after counting nine, but before counting nine, you look as if the entire river is frozen, but in fact, the ice is not honest, and the thickness is uneven, especially in the heart of the river. ”

Lin Hongwen slowly unbuttoned the shirt on his long shirt, and his wrapped right hand made him a little inflexible. Lin Hongwen looked at the mirror, and Du Xinzhu's face suddenly appeared in the mirror, his eyebrows and eyelashes were covered with frost. Lin Hongwen lowered his eyes, "You died by yourself, no wonder others." ”

Since he had to cross the river, from the moment he stepped on the river, he was destined to have no return. The route that deviated from the direction, accidentally fell, the box thrown out, and the frozen river water all led to the road of no return step by step.

Lin Hongwen rubbed his right hand and lay on the bed, he thought of the small river in his hometown that gradually calmed down a few years ago, remembered Du Xinzhu's shouts that gradually weakened, and suddenly fell asleep with a burst of fatigue.