On the night of July 7, the 26th year of the Republic of China, gunshots rang out at the Lugou Bridge, and the news quickly burned all over the country.

Shi Zhu had just graduated from middle school at that time, and he went to Zhu Guanglian to help as usual during the summer vacation. Shi Yushi originally planned to let Shi Zhu go to Banpu, the county seat, to study at the Normal School next semester, but unfortunately, after the Lugou Bridge Incident, the teachers rushed to tell each other and shouted against Japan, and the enthusiastic young people also enthusiastically joined the army to protect their families and defend the country, and many schools were temporarily suspended.

No one could have imagined that Shi Zhu actually made a difficult decision at this time: he would not go to school in the future!

In fact, this decision doesn't seem to be so difficult to make - Shi Yushi and Zhu Guanglian naturally won't agree to Shizhu dropping out of school, so the two persuaded Shizhu there, and seeing that Shizhu was indifferent, the two discussed, gave Shizhu four Yuan Datou and five Sun Xiaotou, and said to Shizhu: "You throw these silver coins on the ground, as long as the little head is facing the sky and the big head is facing the ground, we will allow you not to study." Otherwise, we won't say yes! ”

In fact, the two of them clearly wanted to break off Shi Zhu's idea of not going to normal school, and Shi Zhu also knew that the probability was too low. Unexpectedly, the stone pillar was thrown casually, and it really hit the luck of less than two thousandths - the small heads of the silver round were all facing upwards and the big heads were facing down. Perhaps, this is providence!

Seeing that many classmates and peers in the village had gone to join the army, Shi Zhu was also gearing up, so he said to Shi Yushi: "My grandmother, I also want to join the army and fight Japanese devils!" Shi Yu looked at the stone pillar and said, "No! For God's sake, I can allow you not to study, but I will never allow you to be a soldier! Have you forgotten what you promised your dad when he left? ”

Shizhu said: "I'm going to be a civilian, and I can't fight on the front line, isn't it?" ”

Shi Yushi said: "That's not a hit, if there is a real war, the cannonballs don't know which is civilian or military." Anyway, I resolutely don't allow you to be a soldier, and you are the only seedling left in the family, in case you have three long and two short, how can I explain to the ancestor of the Shi family? How can you call me a bad old woman? ”

Shi Zhu looked at the few strands of gray hair on his old ** and pondered for a moment, thinking to himself, he is not afraid of death, but if he really dies, how can the old woman who is more than half a hundred years old in front of him live? So he gave up the idea of being a soldier for the time being, and returned to his uncle with regret to continue to help.

Before his father left, Shi Zhu promised not to be a soldier and not to go to Liu Fulong for revenge, among which if he didn't go to be a soldier, Shi Zhu probably wouldn't go against the deceased's wishes, and his grandmother would never agree. But if he didn't seek revenge on the bandit Liu Fulong, as he grew up year by year, his heart became more and more conflicted, so that he finally decided that whether it was ten or twenty years, he must take revenge.

However, like opposing Shi Zhu as a soldier, Shi Yu also resolutely refused to allow Shi Zhu to go to Liu Fulong for revenge. This time, she said to Shizhu in a different way: "I am in my fifties, and half of my body is buried in the soil, and in a few years you will marry your daughter-in-law home and have a good baby." I don't want anything else, I just want you to be safe, hurry up and let me hold my great-grandson! ”

Shizhu couldn't bear to see his grandmother sad, so he had to promise not to go to Liu Fulong for revenge, but he never forgot it in his heart.

As early as four years ago, that is, in 1933, the easternmost part of the Longhai Railway was extended to Guanyun Laoyao Town, and in the second year, the No. 1 wharf of Lianyungang Port was also put into use. From time on, regardless of land or water, people, ships and goods from Lianyungang to the east and west are endless. Since Da Shizhu followed his uncle Zhu Guanglian to work in the port, whenever there were people from Xuzhou, Xinyi and the East China Sea, he would always inquire about the bandit Liu Fulong, intentionally or unintentionally.

Later, Shi Zhu identified one thing from the mouths of some soldiers, that is, the year after his grandfather's death, the Nationalist Government sent heavy troops to encircle and suppress Liu Fulong's gang, and in the next few years, the locals did not see Liu Fulong again.

As for Liu Fulong's whereabouts, some people say that he was killed at that time, and his body was secretly buried by his subordinates, some people say that he went to Liangshan, some people say that he fled to the desert in northern Saibei, some people say that he went to Taihu Lake to be a bandit, and some even say that he went to Jinggang Mountain, and there are various theories. Among them, the most important theory is that Liu Fulong fled to the Jiaodong Peninsula with his people, and it is said that he later crossed the sea to the northeast.

Shi Zhu himself also analyzed: It is estimated that Liu Fulong is not dead, otherwise even if he is secretly buried, this news will always be released by some of his subordinates. It is impossible to go south to Taihu Lake, the Northern Expeditionary Army came from the south, and there must be many government troops along the way to the south, and they have to cross the Yangtze River, so it is not easy to take such bandits to gain a foothold there, and these bandits will not take such a big risk. As for going to Jinggangshan, it must be hearsay, such a long way, the bandits would never do this, presumably some people with bad intentions insisted on linking Jinggangshan with real bandits to ruin the reputation of the Red Army. Therefore, Liu Fulong's biggest possibility is to go north, whether he goes to Liangshan or flees to the desert, he will definitely go to the vicinity of Jining in Shandong Province first, so Shizhu decided to go to Jining first, first, to inquire about the news, and second, to see Feng Qingyun; If he is sure that Liu Fulong is not there, then he will find an opportunity to cross the sea from Yantai to the northeast to find out the news in the future.

While he was resting, Shi Zhu went to Zhu Guanglian and said, "Uncle, I want to go to Jining to see Daddy Feng!" ”

Zhu Guanglian is a smart person, he glanced at the stone pillar and said, "You want to find out the news of Liu Fulong, right?" No, that's too dangerous! ”

Shi Zhu saw that his uncle already knew his thoughts, so he didn't hide it, and said bluntly: "I must avenge this revenge!" Even if you don't help me, I'll find a way to find out the news myself. ”

Zhu Guanglian looked at the seventeen-year-old boy in front of him, who was already as tall as himself, although his figure was still slightly thin, and he seemed to be weak at first glance, but his tone and eyes showed a sense of maturity and firmness. He knew that when the child was older, he would not be able to stand up to adults, and he would have to go outside to face the world by himself, and he also knew his nephew's temper, so he could only say to Shizhu: "You have to be careful yourself, remember, you can only inquire about the news, and you can't act rashly." If Liu Fulong really goes over there, you come back first, and then we will slowly figure out a way. ”

At this time, Shi Zhu was very happy in his heart, and he still said very calmly: "Uncle I, you can rest assured, I know it in my heart." However, this matter must not be told to my grandmother, otherwise she will definitely be in a hurry if she knows, and she is easy to get sick when she is older. ”

Zhu Guanglian saw that Shizhu was thoughtful, and he was even more relieved.

The next day, Zhu Guanglian gave Shi Zhu a train ticket to Xuzhou in the afternoon, and brought some money to Shi Zhu. Shi Zhu made a train for the first time in his life, and he was both excited and worried that he would take the wrong station, so Zhu Guanglian gave him a detailed description of the route, and told him how to make a ticket, how to enter the station and wait for the train, etc., Shi Zhu was not worried. But he always felt that the meaning of the name "train" was not good, and there was a cloud in Buddhism that "people should fall into evil with evil, and when their fate ends, all the fires of hell will come, and there will be a train to greet them", saying that "train" always feels a little like driving to hell, which makes people feel hairy in their hearts. But then he thought about it, it was just a name, it was a big deal, and besides, being a train was the best choice at the moment.

The stone pillar sits by the window, and from the inside, the view from the outside is unobstructed. With a few whistles, the train rumbled, and a puff of black smoke drifted past the window, turning into white smoke, and rows of low mud houses and green trees rushed backwards, and soon disappeared from the passengers' field of vision, and a few seabirds could be seen flying outside the window with the train.

Ten years ago, the stone pillar used to sit on a "horse-drawn carriage" to pass this route, but at that time he was still young, only a few memories still remained in his mind, this time the stone pillar deliberately paid attention to the surrounding scenery, after passing Sinpo in the direction of the East China Sea, there were large and small ponds in the distance or near one after another, these ponds were particularly dazzling under the lazy sunlight in the afternoon.

When he arrived in Hongzhuang, the grove evoked the sad memories of Shi Zhu again, rekindling the flame of revenge in his heart, ten years ago his grandfather Lao Shi was killed by Liu Fulong in this small forest that did not look big, Shi Zhu still remembers the moment when his grandfather fell down after the gunshot, and the whole world seemed to be frozen.

It is often said that it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years, and ten years later, Shizhu set foot on this road again, which is the first step to take revenge. Thinking about it, Shi Zhu's fists couldn't help but clench and slammed into his thighs.

When the train arrived at Tongshan Station, it was already evening, and it was getting dark, so Shizhu went out of the station and wandered around for a while before finding a shop, asking for two steamed buns, ordering a bowl of spicy soup, and rolling a steamed bun, and eating a full meal.

Shi Zhu had never been to the north, and he couldn't see the road clearly on the Jinpu Line at night, so he didn't get a ticket to Yanzhou at night, and curled up in the station all night. The next day, Shizhu took the earliest ticket and took the train to Yanzhou. When he came, Zhu Guanglian told Shi Zhu about the route to Feng Qingyun's house in Jining, Shi Zhu did not sit in Yanzhou according to his uncle's instructions, and after passing Zoucheng, he jumped off the train when the train slowed down in a town called Zhongdian, and then walked west.

Shizhu estimated that there were still more than 20 miles to Feng Qingyun's house, although the weather was a little cool in the morning and evening, but it was still hot around noon, so he found a willow tree and dragged some willow branches to weave a straw hat and put it on his head to block the sun, and walked all the way to the Si River.

The stone pillar looked around, and hey, this Si River is wider than the Niudun River at home, I don't know how much! Shi Zhu thought that he could swim over and get cool in the water, but he had walked so far on this hot day and didn't know what was going on in the river, so he didn't go directly into the water. The stone pillar looked at it from afar, and there were reeds, grass, and duckweed as far as the eye could see, and there was no bridge in sight, only a simple step made of a few stones not far away, and two small boats were tied to it, but there was no one in sight, and the boatmen must have stayed in the shade on this hot day.

Shizhu walked towards the boat to see what was going on, when suddenly a wave of children appeared out of nowhere, running to the village to the east and shouting: "Hurry, the little tiger has fallen into the river, hurry up and save your life!" ”

Shi Zhu was puzzled at first, thinking that there are tigers here? Besides, tigers are not afraid of water, so it doesn't matter if they fall into the river. But when he looked back, he instantly felt that someone had fallen into the river, so he quickly ran over, and took off his coat as he ran, and when he came to him, he saw two children pointing into the river, and saw a little boy struggling in the river.

The stone pillar kicked off his shoes, jumped into the river before he could even take off his pants, swam to the little boy as fast as he could, lifted the child's head, and slowly pulled it to the shore. At this time, the adults of the village also heard the sound and rushed to carry the little boy to the shore with the stone pillars. The little boy's face was already flushed, but it was okay, but he choked on a lot of water, pressed his stomach, and came back to life after spitting a few mouthfuls of water.

When everyone rescued the little boy, a woman in her thirties came to the village, who looked like the mother of the child, crying while running, and asked how the little tiger was doing.

After hearing from the villagers that Shizhu saved the little tiger, the woman went to thank Shizhu. When she was about to speak, the young man opposite who saved her child suddenly said to her in surprise and excitement: "Aunt Nizi......" It turned out that this woman was Feng Qingyun's daughter Nizi, and Shi Zhu recognized it at a glance, but she didn't have the two snake tooth pendants around her neck.

Feng Nizi glanced at the stone pillar, but she didn't recognize him at first. Although there are no "eighteen changes" when boys grow up, there are at least "seventeen changes" and "sixteen changes", when Shizhu was only seven years old, ten years have passed, and it is normal to not recognize it at first glance. Later, Feng Nizi saw a small scar on the head of the stone pillar, which was left by the stone pillar being scratched by a branch when it was in Mangdang Mountain, so she exclaimed excitedly: "It's a pillar, right?" You are the pillar! ”

Shi Zhu nodded hurriedly and said, "Well, Aunt Nizi, I'm a pillar......"

Ten years later, to see each other here in this situation, Feng Nizi and Shi Zhu felt incredible, and their hearts were both excited and happy. Seeing that Shizhu's pants were wet, Feng Nizi hurriedly beckoned him to her house and gave Shizhu a piece of her man's dry pants to change into. Her man and some people in the village often go fishing along the Si River in the direction of Weishan Lake, and they go home every few days, and they have not returned for a few days.

After Shizhu changed his clothes, he asked Nizi, "Auntie, you have been doing well in the past few years, right?" How's Daddy Wind doing now? ”

Feng Nizi said: "After I came back from catching snakes in Mangdang Mountain last time, my father didn't let me catch snakes again, and gave me to the little tiger and his father, and I married here in Baozhuang." Little Tiger's father is a fisherman of the Barefoot Gang, and people are real, our family of four is not bad, and I am content, don't people just want a family to be safe! It's just that the little tiger is a little withdrawn, unsociable, and doesn't play with the children in the village, but he occasionally follows others from afar and plays alone next to him. I didn't pay attention this time, he followed those children again, and went down to the river to bathe alone, if it weren't for you, I'm afraid this little life would be lost. Aunt is really thanks to you today, pillar! ”

Shi Zhu hurriedly said, "Auntie, when you say this, you will see outside." Besides, no matter which one it is, if you see a child falling into the water, you will save it. With that, he looked at the little tiger, who was still hiding behind Nizi, not daring to see anyone. Shi Zhu then asked, "Auntie, how is Daddy Feng now?" This time I wanted to ask him something. ”

Feng Nizi replied: "My father is now older, almost sixty years old, and his health was okay in the first few years, but he has become more and more difficult in the past few years. After my mother left last year, my father coughed a lot, no, I was going to see him. Feng Nizi hugged the little tiger to her lap and asked Shizhu: "Zhuzi, how is your family?" It's all still back, right? ”

Shi Zhu sighed and said, "After my father came back from Mangdang Mountain, he met bandits on the road, and he has been walking for ten years...... and then he paused, and then said: "Let's not mention this for now, let's go to Daddy Feng first." ”

With that, Feng Nizi and Shizhu were ready to leave. Nizi's youngest son was just over three years old, and he couldn't walk, so she left him behind for her grandparents to take care of; The eldest son, Little Tiger, can't take anyone else with him except for her and her man, so Nizi must take Little Tiger with her. Feng Qingyun's house is not very far from here, in Shajia Village on the other side of the Si River, from here along the Si River to the south of the waterway for more than three miles, after landing on the shore, go west for three miles.

When she arrived at Feng Qingyun's house, Feng Nizi ran into the house first, only to see Feng Qingyun lying on the bed, still coughing badly, and her face was not very good. Feng Nizi first cared about her father, shh ”

Feng Qingyun looked at the young man behind Nizi, glanced at it, suddenly sat up from the bed, couldn't cough anymore, stepped forward and grabbed Shizhu's hand and said, "You're a pillar, right?" Come on, sit down! I haven't seen each other for more than ten years, and I've grown so tall! "The appearance of the Shi family, Feng Qingyun can recognize it at a glance.

Feng Qingyun then chatted with Shizhu, and heard that the old stone was killed by the bandits after being separated ten years ago, he showed grief on his face, and suddenly sighed in his heart, and sighed: "I didn't expect that day to be goodbye!" With that, he fell into deep thought, as if the past had happened only yesterday.

After knowing the meaning of the stone pillar, Feng Qingyun said: "I heard about this Liu Fulong a long time ago, his original name was Liu Qingyu, in fact, he was also a poor child at the beginning, and later he became a bandit when you were almost as old as you." He has been doing evil in the East China Sea, Linyi and Zaozhuang for more than ten years, killing people without blinking, and I don't know how many people have been killed. According to people from the south, once in Tancheng, Liu Fulong killed 800 ordinary people in one day. ”

Speaking of this, Feng Qingyun became a little excited and coughed one after another. After lighting a cigarette pouch, he continued: "Later, when the officers and soldiers cracked down so badly, Liu Fulong hid and did not dare to come out openly, and he had not publicly appeared in that area for many years. A few years ago, after the little Japanese devil occupied the Northeast, some people said that he appeared in the Jiaodong area, and I estimated that he still ran from Jiaodong to the territory of the Japanese in the Northeast and became a lackey for the Japanese. Anyway, I haven't heard of him coming to us, and if I pass by here, I'll still hear some rumors. Zhuzi, you alone, it's not easy to find him for revenge. ”

It was dinner time between the words, and Feng Nizi had already prepared the meal and brought it to the table. Although Feng Qingyun's health is not good, he was even more sad after learning about the old stone, but the arrival of the stone pillar still made him happy in his heart.

When the wine was in full swing, Feng Qingyun talked about his youngest son, who went to Texas to serve in the army. Feng Qingyun said to Shizhu: "I didn't give my own son to catch snakes like me, although we do this, sometimes we can eliminate harm for the people, but most of the time it is still for life, the killing is too heavy, sooner or later it will be retributed." Pity my eldest grandson, withdrawn and unsociable, I hope this retribution will be repaid to me! Now that Beiping and Tianjin have been occupied by the Japanese, it is estimated that they will soon go south to attack Shandong, I only hope that my son can survive on the battlefield and leave a little blood for the Feng family! ”

This night Shi Zhu stayed at Feng Qingyun's house, and he had that dream again at night, there was still the little girl in the dream, but she looked a few years older and taller, and her back was as fresh and refined as a hibiscus out of the water under the afternoon sun, and Shi Zhu kept chasing her behind to see her appearance clearly, but she still couldn't see clearly. Later, Liu Fulong's gunshot sounded like a nightmare, and once again woke him up from his dream.

The next day, Shizhu planned to leave. Before leaving, Feng Qingyun invited the thorny dragon dagger at home, took the hand of the stone pillar and said: "Pillar, this dagger is said to have been cast by the extraterrestrial meteorite 'Tianfeng' during the Tang Dynasty, and it has been more than a thousand years, but it is still as new as ever. The ancestors of my family in the Great Song Dynasty specifically for the royal snake catcher, because of repeated miraculous achievements, the then Emperor Shenzong gave this dagger to the ancestors of my family. This dagger looks mediocre, but after being stained with blood, it can sharpen iron like clay, kill demons and demons, you have saved my grandson, and you want to avenge your father, I will give you this thorny dragon dagger, I hope to help you fulfill your wish. ”

Shi Zhu saw that the thorny dragon dagger was so precious, even if he saved the little tiger, he didn't dare to accept it rashly, so he resigned again and again.

Feng Qingyun said again: "Pillar, I'm old, half of my body has been buried in the soil, I don't want to catch snakes anymore, and I don't want my children to catch snakes." I really want to go with you to avenge your father now, but I am almost sixty years old, and I am already weak, so no matter how valuable this dagger is, it has no meaning to stay in my hands. It's you, young and vigorous, strong in blood, and you have to go to the bandits for revenge, your courage is commendable, but you can't do anything without a good guy in your hand. As the so-called sword is given to the hero, this thorny dragon dagger will be given to you, and I should stand side by side with you! With that, Feng Qingyun coughed a few more times.

After listening to Feng Qingyun's words, Shi Zhu stretched out his hands and respectfully took the thorn dragon dagger. He gently pulled out the dagger from the dagger, and when he saw that the dagger was still cold after a thousand years, he couldn't help but say, "What a good pick!" ”

After the dagger was returned to the sheath, Shi Zhu thanked Feng Qingyun and said: "Daddy Feng, I will definitely make good use of this hand, but this is really your heirloom, wait until one day I take revenge, and then return it to your old man." As you get older, you must pay attention to your body now, and I will definitely come back to see you when I have time. After the stone pillar finished speaking, he made a gesture and planned to leave.

Feng Qingyun still followed behind the stone pillar, reluctant to give up. "Zhuzi, go back and say hello to your grandmother for me. I'm in my sixties, so I guess I won't have a chance to meet again. Moreover, now that the Japanese devils are already planning to occupy China, it is estimated that they will soon be coming south along the Jinpu line. Many of us here are planning to flee to the west, and we are also planning to do so, but I am not in good health and do not want to drag the children down. You and your grandmother should also be careful, your Haizhou side is leaning on the Longhai Railway, and there is a seaport, and little Japan wants to send resources to the Central Plains, and sooner or later it will go to fight your Haizhou. Even if we all survive and want to see each other again, I'm afraid I don't know what year and month it will be! ”

Feng Qingyun said all the way, and only stopped when he sent the stone pillar to the Si River. At the end of that year, that is, a few months later, the Japanese occupied Jinan, continued to move south, and occupied Jining before the Chinese New Year.

When they arrived at the Si River, Feng Nizi ferried and sent the stone pillars to the other side. Shi Zhu looked at the wind and clouds on the shore, and kept waving goodbye to him, until the wood on the shore blocked the gradually blurred, slightly rickety shadow, and the stone pillar put down his hand. After going ashore, Shizhu said goodbye to Aunt Nizi and walked to Zou Cheng, took a train ticket to Tongshan, and bought a ticket from Tongshan to Lianyun the next morning.

After this trip, Shi Zhu thought with emotion, the train is really a good thing, saving a lot of leg effort, if it was left behind, how could it be so quick to go back and forth, it seems that the government is quite reliable to do this. It's just that Shizhu forgot to consider a situation, no matter how fast the train is, it has to rely on money to make a ticket, how can ordinary individuals afford to buy a train ticket so far?

When Shi Zhu returned to the "Guanglian Commercial Bank", it was already noon, just in time for lunch. After a few days of travel, he was quite tired, and he didn't care about talking at all, so he took a big bite to eat, and only after he was full did he tell his uncle Zhu Guanglian about the things on the road.

After listening to Shizhu's speech, Zhu Guanglian first praised Shizhu for being able to endure hardships and walked so far along the way, and then said: "Since that Liu Fulong did not go to Jining, then Bacheng went to the northeast." I don't think the time is ripe yet, and when there is an opportunity in the future, let's go to the Northeast to find out the news, but it's the territory of the Japanese over there, I'm afraid it's not easy to find! ”

"Yes, don't say it's going to take revenge, now it's a problem to even go to the Northeast, it's too far! Let's think about it first, and then go when we have the right opportunity. "The stone pillar should be with Zhu Guanglian.

Zhu Guanglian took a few sips of tea and continued to talk to Shi Zhu: "Zhu, what are the Japanese doing now to 'block navigation' and blockade our coastal waters, and now it is difficult to do business at sea, and it is estimated that there are not many good days on the port side." Recently, I want to negotiate some business with the troops and send supplies to them, if the negotiation is completed, it is estimated that there will be some profits, and you will be responsible for sending things in the future. I see that you are now grown up, it's time for you to exercise to a higher level, but you can't be proud of everything, you have to use your brain more before doing things, and you must be careful. ”

Shi Zhu nodded in agreement, and then said: "My uncle, I plan to go home in two days to see my grandmother, I haven't been back for many days, I don't know how my grandmother is now, and I don't feel at ease at home alone." ”

"Hmmm! You can rest first, it's been a few days. After two days of work, you go home and see your grandmother. After Zhu Guanglian finished speaking, he planned to go back to his room to sleep. After walking a few steps, he seemed to remember something, and then turned to Shi Zhu and said: "By the way, I heard that the troops stationed in this area of Haizhou belong to the 57th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, this is the authentic Northeast Army, which used to be the subordinates of Commander Zhang Xueliang and came from the northeast, maybe I can find out about Liu Fulong from them." After finishing speaking, Zhu Guanglian went back to the room.

Shi Zhu remembered Zhu Guanglian's words deeply, he really hoped that he could connect with the army at this moment, of course, he wanted to hear the news of his enemy from the Northeast Army, and second, he also hoped that Zhu Guanglian could negotiate this business, and then he could experience it himself. Now, as long as there is the slightest opportunity, he will work hard to fight for it.