That year, Jin Gerong horses, the two armies of the south and the north went on expeditions.

Millions of people starved that year, and the homeless were like carp crossing the river.

Hu Xiaomeng and his disciples of Liyuan almost walked around Beiping City, and they were accustomed to suffering losses and hardships.

There are some difficult ruffians in any village in Beiping City, Hu Xiaomeng is the senior brother of the disciples of the pear garden, he is the oldest, and the master who plays the drum and gong is too old, maybe a push will be braided, he learns to deal with all kinds of sudden situations alone, carrying the girder of the pear orchard, and he doesn't even dare to get sick, if he falls ill, the pear garden will be over, and these little disciples will have to starve to death.

But he was only sixteen years old after all, and that's it.

Xiao Wu that year was innocent, even after Jiang Sheng left, he was still very prosperous, there were countless little brothers around him, all of them were driven by him, if anyone was bullied at school, he would help others bully him if he gave him a piece of candy.

The third-grade Xiao Wu is basically the number one little bully in the school, and even the leader of the fifth grade students has to call out to the little fifth brother when he sees him, and countless little girls in the school have expressed their love for Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu's desk belly is stuffed with a lot of small notes and love letters.

Little Five would hold the little girl's hand in a grand manner at school, and sometimes she would deliberately show off in front of me.

Because Xiao Wu is the little bully of the school in Qiantang Town, Zhao Dahai is naturally very popular, he often follows Xiao Wu behind and points at the senior students, especially the stubborn temper of the bones, basically he has to be beaten by them three times a day.

When Mr. Zhang saw Xiao Wu's arrogant appearance, he would go up and kick Xiao Wu twice every time, he scolded everyone, and punished the students who participated in the brawl to stand on the playground, Xiao Wu naturally did not dare to act against Mr. Zhang as presumptuously as before.

Until one day, when I handed over the class poster in red to Mr. Zhang's office, I saw the news on the front page of Ta Kung Pao that Chen Gongbo had been sentenced to death, deprived of public rights for life, and confiscated all his property, which was already a month ago.

The news in the country has become closed due to the civil war, and there are not many people who buy newspapers, and I am too young to listen to adults discuss current political news, so I only happened to see it now.

At the end of May, I have a gut feeling that Jiang Sheng is coming back.

During Jiang Sheng's absence, I worked hard to study every day, and I always kept in mind the study methods that Jiang Sheng taught me before, writing and doing problems every day, memorizing poems in the morning, and recalling the texts I learned during the day at night.

And Jiang Sheng came back on June 1, I don't know who sent him back, but when I came home from school with my schoolbag, I saw Jiang Sheng standing in the yard helping my mother collect clothes.

Jiang Sheng saw me in the sunset covered by clothes and bedding, the glow wrapped him, and in a trance I felt that there was light on him, and he called my name: "Jiang Rong." ”

I pouted and cried, Jiang Sheng hurriedly carried his clothes into the house, then ran out and hugged my shoulders and said, "Jiang Rong, what are you crying about, how did I hear my mother say that you still hit the wall?" ”

Jiang Sheng said as he lifted my hair and touched the scar on my forehead that was almost gone, I remembered Jiang Sheng's farewell and the grievances I had missed him for the past few months, and pushed him away.

"Jiang Rong, I'm still angry, I haven't seen you for a long time, I miss you so much." Jiang Sheng scratched his head and said.

At that time, Jiang Sheng was wearing a white shirt, and his hair had grown a little long, so he didn't dare to enter the house with me.

After I entered the house, I wiped my tears and threw my schoolbag to the bedside, and I was extremely happy that Jiang Sheng had finally returned.

"Jiang Sheng?" Xiao Wu's voice came from outside.

I looked through the window and saw Xiao Wu laughing and jumping on Jiang Sheng's body, Xiao Wu said: "I knew that you would definitely come back, why did you go to Little Japan and don't tell me anything!" ”

"Dead fat man, come down, why haven't I seen you get fat again for a while!" Jiang Sheng said, his voice a little hoarse.

Xiao Wu and Jiang Sheng were fighting, and the two quickly went out shoulder to shoulder, at that time the mother was making dumplings with his father in the hall, and the father said: "Chen Gongbo was sentenced to death, and I don't know when he was shot, the newspaper said that it was in the Suzhou court, do you want to see him for the last time?" Xu is still in time. ”

Mother originally saw that Jiang Sheng and Xiao Wu were naughty and still full of laughter, but when she heard her father's words, she shook her head and said, "That's his life, such a big man can't be reached by our ordinary people, don't mention it again." ”

Then the mother and father fell silent for a long time.

In the evening, Lao Jiang came back from the outside to see the doctor, and kissed and hugged Jiang Sheng, although Jiang Sheng was already very tall, he still looked thin in front of Lao Jiang, Lao Jiang was very happy, and asked: "Baby grandson, do you miss grandpa?" ”

"Of course." Jiang Sheng said.

Lao Jiang laughed and wanted to take Jiang Sheng to the town to rub it, but his father hurriedly said, "Dad, there are a lot of dumplings at home, don't go out so late." ”

The veteran said: "It's good that you can eat these dumplings with both of you, eat your own full, and I'll take our grandson away." ”

"Grandpa, I'm going too." I looked up at Lao Jiangyang and begged.

"What are the little girls wandering around with our old men at night, you honestly stay at home and play cutting~" Lao Jiang said angrily, whether I was angry or not, I led Jiang Sheng out of the door.

Lao Jiang borrowed Zhao Fugui's bicycle to take Jiang Sheng to the town, and when he came back, it was only half past seven in the evening, Xiao Wu and a group of children waited at our door for a long time, and when they saw Jiang Sheng go home, they dragged Jiang Sheng to the wheat field behind the tunzi to play.

When Jiang Sheng came back in the evening, it was already the middle of the night, and his mother heard the movement and came out of the hall and whispered: "The water in the tank is already lukewarm during the day, and there is hot water in the thermos, just wipe your body." ”

"Got it, Mom, go back to sleep." Jiang Sheng said.

Mother went back to the hall, and soon there was the sound of water in the courtyard, and after a while, Jiang Sheng took a bath and entered the side room, he wiped the water droplets on his body and carefully got on his bed.

The smoked mosquito grass behind the door was still burning, and the room was a little stuffy, Jiang Sheng took out his dirty pants from his suitcase and changed them for himself, and then lay on the bed.

"Brother." I lay on the side of the bed and looked at Jiang Sheng faintly visible in the darkness.

"Jiang Rong, why haven't you slept yet?" Jiang Sheng asked in a low voice.

I got up and got out of bed and climbed onto Jiang Sheng's bed, Jiang Sheng moved inside to make way for me, he was shirtless, and he didn't seem to know what to say for a while.

I said, "Brother, I miss you so much. ”

"I miss you too." Jiang Sheng said, touched my forehead as usual, and when he saw the sweat on my head, he picked up a banana fan and fanned me.

I didn't say much that night, I fell asleep on Jiang Sheng's arm, and I don't know when Jiang Sheng slept, and when I woke up the next day, Jiang Sheng had already gotten up.

After we had dinner, Jiang Sheng and the children of Sanlitun walked towards the town together, mainly because Xiao Wu was reluctant to Jiang Sheng, and insisted that Jiang Sheng go to school with him.

Because Jiang Sheng didn't register to pay the tuition when the third grade started, so it's not good to go to class with us directly, originally my mother wanted Jiang Sheng to go to school to listen to two days of classes first, but my father said that it was going to be a summer vacation now, and I couldn't learn anything when I went, and then we would start school together after the summer vacation, and my mother didn't say much.

Jiang Sheng was alone in Sanlitun and there was no one to play with him, so he was willing to follow everyone to the school in the town, and he just hadn't seen Mr. Zhang and the brothers in Liyuan for a long time, Jiang Sheng wanted to go and see.

After arriving at the school, he first went to Mr. Zhang's place, and then went to the pear orchard, but the pear orchard was closed at that time, and he heard from the old people who were enjoying the shade at the entrance of the nearby hutong that Hu Xiaomeng took a group of brothers and sisters to the countryside to perform on a tour, and he didn't know which village he went to.

Jiang Sheng sighed in his heart, Liyuan Peking Opera is the quintessence of China, when did it fall to such a point? He heard that Master Long and Master Guan were sick in bed and injured their muscles and bones, so he hesitated to go in and have a look, and stood in front of the door for a long time, but he didn't knock on the door after all.

When Jiang Sheng returned to Qiantang Town from Liyuan Town, the rickshaw drivers at the entrance of the Hutong were all so hungry that they were all yellow and thin, and the originally lively Hutong Street has now become more and more depressed, and the shops that used to sell pastries have long since closed, and only a few medicinal herb shops are still doing thriving business.

Hunger and poor sanitation conditions, hot heat and typhoid fever and other diseases are full of Beiping City, some hungry and red-eyed homeless people beg on the roadside, and even go forward to drag other people's feet to stutter, some of them lie on the floor to sleep on hot days, sunburned like a dead catfish, if the passerby to kick it, they can barely wake up, scold two hooves cheap.

When Jiang Sheng went to the entrance of Uncle Qin's hall with the sun under the sun, he happened to see the shopkeeper Yu of Guanghe Restaurant coming out of the hall hall, and the shopkeeper Yu saw Jiang Sheng and greeted him: "Young Master Xiao Jiang hasn't seen you grow a lot taller for a few months, are you here to find the third young master?" ”

Jiang Sheng nodded and asked, "What about Changqing?" ”

Shopkeeper Yu pointed to the entrance of the hall and said, "The third young master is still in the council hall, and Young Master Xiao Jiang can go in and find him, but the third young master has always had a bad temper recently, and he will scold anyone who provokes him, so Young Master Xiao Jiang is more leisurely when he speaks." ”

"Thank you for the reminder." Jiang Sheng thanked him and stood at the door of the conference hall waiting, Qin Changqing's rebuttal was heard in the hall, and it was obvious that he was angry.

Uncle Qin said: "If today is the world of the national army, and the underground national army is beaten to the ground, if you want to be stubborn and support the underground national army, you are not afraid of thousands of people planted in your hands!" ”

"Yes, third brother, we all know that you have always been good at ideas, but this time you are wrong, if Dad does not supply the medicinal materials and supplies to the national army in time, once the country is settled, Beiping City will inevitably treat us as a thorn in the eye of the snake first, and we will not even have a chance to be neutral."

"That's all I say, the underground national army is closer to the grassroots, most of them are from peasant backgrounds, although they are not formal, but it is not as simple as you think, today's words are here, I am too lazy to say, they all say that I am young, how many books have they read when they eat and wait for death? And do you know what it means for the countryside to surround the city? Qin Changqing snorted and reflexively went out.

As soon as Qin Changqing, who was angry, walked out of the door, he saw Jiang Sheng facing him with a smile and shouted, "Changqing." ”

Qin Changqing looked at Jiang Sheng, whose eyes were curled into crescent moons, his expression was in a trance, thinking that he had seen it wrong, he stretched out his hand to touch Jiang Sheng's face, only to find out that it was real, the beads of sweat on his face, as well as the soft hair, were all Jiang Sheng.

"Jiang Sheng, why are you back again?" Qin Changqing suppressed the excitement in his heart.

Jiang Sheng said: "I just arrived in Peking yesterday and stayed at home for one night, and today I followed my sister to the school to meet Mr. Zhang, and came to see you again." ”

Qin Changqing nodded, led Jiang Sheng to his bedroom, and asked the housekeeper in the courtyard to get some popsicles and pastries.

Qin Changqing and Jiang Sheng asked him where he had been these days while eating popsicles, and the two chatted for a long time, and Qin Changqing took some chilled fruit wine and Jiang Sheng to drink a few glasses.

Jiang Sheng stayed at Qin Changqing's place for an afternoon, and Jiang Sheng said goodbye to Qin Changqing when school was about to end in the afternoon, Qin Changqing was reluctant, but he knew that Jiang Sheng had never liked to listen to persuasion, so he didn't force it, and called a rickshaw to send Jiang Sheng to the school gate.

After Jiang Sheng got out of the car, he bought some horn honey and sugar ginger slices, and went to the pharmacy to buy a few bone pain patches.

After returning home, Jiang Sheng put the croissant and sugar ginger slices at the head of his father's bed, his father was still sleeping at that time, and pretended not to wake up when he heard the movement, and his mother came in from outside and asked in a low voice: "Jiang Sheng, now that life is so poor, you don't want to buy these things." ”

Jiang Sheng nodded and said, "I heard him say that it was bitter to take medicine that day, oh yes, I also bought a few patches of bone pain patches." ”

"We have this bone pain sticker, and your grandfather will make it, and the effect is better than this." Mother said.

"Oh, then I'll put it here, don't tell him I bought it." Jiang Sheng said and walked out of the house.

After Jiang Sheng walked out of the yard, his father opened his eyes, and his mother smiled and said, "I knew that you were pretending to be asleep, and you also said that Jiang Sheng was prejudiced against you, so I didn't buy delicious food, but also bought you bone pain patches." ”

My father was a little surprised, but he was also relieved.

That night, Jiang Sheng suddenly shouted for no reason, and his mother heard the movement and entered the house with a mutton fat lamp, and saw Jiang Sheng lying on the bed, already soaked with sweat, and asked, "Have you had a nightmare?" ”

Jiang Sheng hummed, then closed his eyes again, his mother took a sweat towel to help Jiang Sheng wipe his sweat, and then sat on the edge of his bed to fan him.

After eating the next morning, Shen A-Niang came to our house, and when she saw Jiang Sheng, she couldn't help wiping away her tears, and she had to let Jiang Sheng go to her house for dinner at noon.

Shen A-Niang was afraid that Jiang Sheng would be embarrassed, so she asked Zhao Dahai to ask for leave to play with Jiang Sheng at home, and when she was eating at noon, the phone at Shen A-Niang's house rang, and there was a woman on the other end of the phone, saying that she was looking for Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng ran to answer the phone excitedly, and then couldn't help crying, he spoke Shanghainese and the woman on the other end of the phone kept talking, Shen A-Niang and Zhao Dahai couldn't understand it.

Many years later, Zhao Dahai still remembered Jiang Sheng who was crying that day, and he said that he never thought that Jiang Sheng would cry so recklessly and desperately, crying so much that he felt his heart tremble next to him.

It was June 3, 1946, the day Jiang Sheng's father, Chen Gongbo, was shot.