"Any news?" Ruijue asked with a sad look on her face as she greeted Juexin, who came into the room.

"The situation is even worse," Juexin shook his head and said, "The army in the province has suffered another great defeat, and I heard that Commander Zhang's army has reached the north gate. He walked to the window and sat down on a wicker chair.

"Isn't there going to be another street fight," Ruijue said in horror.

"Who knows? It depends on whether the Overseers are willing to give up their territory," Juexin said anxiously, but to comfort Ruijue, he added, "But I think there will be a peaceful solution." ”

Ruijue was silent and walked silently to the back room. She went listlessly to the bed, sat down on the edge of the bed, looked at the Haichen who had been smiling in her dreams, and gently stroked his rosy cheeks with her hand. At this moment, Haichen is even more precious to her, as if someone is going to take Haichen away from her. She couldn't bear to leave him, and sat beside him stupidly, staring at the window. There was no sound outside, the pendulum was shaking regularly, and the sound of "ticking" and "ticking" seemed to be beating on her heart.

Heavy and anxious footsteps sounded in the outhouse, and someone apparently had walked in in a panic. Ruijue was taken aback, and quickly stood up and walked to the outhouse. She saw Juemin standing in front of the desk talking to Juexin.

"Second brother, what news did you hear?" Ruijue stood on the threshold and asked Juemin in a frightened and anxious voice.

"I just saw wounded soldiers coming into the city, one after another, I don't know how many," said Juemin excitedly; "It's terrible, they are sleeping on the shelves with blood, some have rotten hands, some have broken feet, blood is dripping along the way, and they can't stop screaming. There was a man lying on his side, his left forehead protruding an inch of flesh not far from his temple, dripping blood incessantly, and his face was so ugly, like a blank piece of paper. I can see it clearly. It's scary. ......" he paused and explained, "so it seems that the battlefield must be not far outside the city." If we lose another battle, street fighting will inevitably fall. ”

"Doesn't it matter to us here?" Ruijue asked anxiously.

"Maybe it doesn't matter, but I hope the defeated soldiers don't set fire everywhere like they did the previous time," Kyawmin replied.

"I didn't expect that after two or three years of quiet time, I would encounter such a thing again. People won't let you be quiet! What's the meaning of this life? Juexin, who had not spoken at these times, suddenly stood up, said the above words irritably, and went outside. Juemin and Ruijue remained in the room.

Then Juehui and Shuhua walked in.

"I've got another trick to watch," Jue Hui's loud voice broke the awkward silence in the room.

"Third brother, aren't you afraid? I'm glad to see you look," Juemin said distressedly, glancing at Juehui.

"Afraid of what? The days passed quietly, so I simply let them perform a full martial arts, which was lively and lively. But tomorrow the school will probably be closed," Jue Hui said nonchalantly.

"Third brother, you are so bold!" Ruijue looked at Juehui in surprise.

"If you see this trick too much, even the faint of heart will become bold. To be honest, they have been fighting for years, and I am still a me, and what are I afraid of? ”

Juehui's words can't dispel the horrors of others. It was at this time that Ming Feng opened the curtain and came in and invited them to lunch.

"I don't want to eat it," Ruijue was the first to say lazily.

"I don't want to eat it either," Shuhua continued.

"You're useless! Such a coward! I don't even want to eat when I hear the slightest news! Jue Hui said mockingly, the first to walk out.

After lunch, before six o'clock, Juexin, Juemin, and Juehui talked in Zhou's room for a while, and then went out together, intending to go to the street to inquire about the news. When they came to the gate, the two doors were tightly closed and the poles were up, and the inside of the gate was very dark. Old man Li, who was guarding the door, told them that the traffic outside had been cut off.

The three of them turned back and talked about the merits of the armies of both sides.

"Prepare to listen to the gunshots tonight," they said when they met Keding at the second gate. Keding told them with concern: "When you go to bed tonight, everyone should be careful and take care of each other!" ”

It was much quieter than usual in the mansion that night, and everyone was afraid to speak loudly, and even walked a little lighter. As long as there is a slight sound, everyone's heart will be pounding. The fire in the kitchen was extinguished early, and no one wanted to "kill the night" for a snack. The ladies bandaged up the most important things and hid them in the cellar or around them. In each room, the husband and wife and children looked at each other, with tired eyes and terrifying hearts, to endure this long night.

With a nervous expression, Keming walked to the door of each room and relayed the words of the old lady, telling everyone to be careful at all times, and it is best not to take off their clothes when sleeping, so that it is easy to escape when something happens.

In this way, the air of terror became thicker, as if some earth-shattering catastrophe was about to come. Juehui's mood also changed a little. "Escape, where are you going to flee?" He began to feel that things weren't fun. Immediately before his eyes was a picture: a bullet fell in the middle of the street, touched the stone slab, flew up, and got into the body of the servant who was standing beside the stone jar, and he pressed the wound with his hand, and with a sharp cry, he fell to the ground, and with a twitch of his body, he died, and there was a pool of blood left on the ground. He had seen it with his own eyes, and although more than three years had passed, it was still clearly imprinted in his mind. He is also a living person, and the people in front of him are as flesh and blood as him. He remembered the picture, remembered the terrible end, and he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, even terrifying. The electric light stung his eyes. "This light!" He said irritably, he wished the lights would go out immediately and bury himself completely in the darkness.

At ten o'clock, a crisp voice suddenly sounded, and its aftermath rippled in the air for a while.

"Fire," Juemin whispered to Jue Hui with his head leaning over the table, with a pale face and distracted eyes.

So there were three or four gunshots in quick succession.

"In this way, the situation is not too serious, and the soldiers defending the city are just scary," Juehui reluctantly explained in a calm voice. Before he could finish his sentence, suddenly there was a loud gunshot, which rang out several times in succession, and then stopped. After a short time, the gunshots rang out again, this time very densely, like a torrential rain. From time to time, guns flew over the roof, "snorting", and one moment the tiles here broke, and the other there the tiles fell again. Haichen began to cry in the next room. There was another miserable and evocative sound outside.

"It's over, it's over!" Ruijue sighed in the next room. As soon as Haichen's crying stopped, the old lady coughed loudly in the upper room.

"Boom", a strange thunderclap shook the air, followed by a "boom", "boom", "boom", as if countless grains of iron sand were scattered from the sky, and the whole house was shaken.

"Cannon, let go of the cannon," Ruijue said next door, her voice low and trembling.

"Boom", "Boom", "Boom,...... The cannons were fired three times in succession, and by the third time, there was a loud noise behind the mansion, as if the wall had collapsed, and the house shook for a while.

"It's over! They hit with such artillery. We're dead! I went to see what was shelling in the back, as if the wall had collapsed. I don't know what happened to the third father? Juexin stomped his feet next door and said.

"You don't go out, it's more dangerous outside. You can't go! Ruijue almost cried to stop him.

Juexin sighed and said, "Now that the three of us are together, if a cannonball flies, everyone will be finished." ”

"Guns don't have eyes. If you go out, you will die, and if you don't go out, you will die, and it is better for everyone to die together. Ruijue said with a sob. Haichen began to cry loudly again. At the same time, the cannon was also sounding.

"How can I get by! If you want to die, just die happily," this is Juexin's voice, a cry of misery, despair, and terror. Jue Hui couldn't listen any longer next door, and he covered his ears tightly with his hands.

A high-pitched, miserable cry swirled through the air, as if deliberately wrenching the fragile hearts of these men. The lights went out suddenly. The entire mansion immediately became a dark world. "Light up!" It's almost a common cry. There was a commotion in every room.

Brother Juemin did not make a sound, nor did he go to light the lamp. Juehui lay upright on the bed, and Juemin sat at the table, and they didn't even move.

The sound of the cannon stopped for a while, and the gunfire was still densely ranging, and suddenly a human voice came from a distance, shouting, shouting and killing, and it became one. Is it cheers? Is it a scream? Is it a wail? It was not clear to men, but it gave a terrible sight: after a charge, a spark shone brightly, and the shining spear pierced the flesh and blood of the jumping man, and blood came out with the bayonet. Many lively people fell, and immediately turned into corpses with broken heads and broken feet. The rest of the people screamed wildly, like bloodthirsty beasts, looking for its prey. ……

Here, in this mansion, there is only darkness, horror and anticipation. But outside the city, on the ridges and on the hillsides, there were many people who played with their lives, and they were fighting, struggling, and dying. This thought tormented Brother Juemin so much that even in the darkness they could not be quiet for a moment, and there were still red and white shadows shaking before their eyes.

"These terrible times!" Juexin let out a long sigh in the next room and said bitterly, eliciting a sympathetic response in Brother Juemin's heart.

"Is there any other way? Let's figure it out! Ruijue cried out in despair.

"Jue, you better go sleep for a while, I see you're tired too," Juexin comforted with concern.

"How can you close your eyes at such a time? The cannon will fall at any moment," Ruijue replied with a whimper.

"Jue, don't be sad. If you want to die, there is no way to do it. It's up to everyone's lives, you have to sleep," Juexin reluctantly made a quiet appearance and then persuaded.

In the next room, Juemin lit a match and lit a lamp. The dim light the size of a bean flickered weakly, illuminating only a small part of the room. Juemin fixed his distracted gaze on Juehui's pale face, and said in surprise, "What? Your face is so ugly! ”

Jue Hui lay on the bed and didn't move, and quietly replied, "You're not the same!" So the two men looked at each other, but could not find a proper word. Bullets kept falling on the roofs, cannons roared in the air, and houses were shaken to the ground. Haichen began to cry again.

"There's no way to wait like this, I said I had to sleep," Jue Hui resolutely stood up and unbuttoned it.

"It's fine to sleep, but you don't have to take off your clothes," Juemin said to stop Juehui, but Juehui had already undressed and gone into the bed. Jue Hui covered her head with a quilt, and sure enough, the sound of gunfire gradually became blurred.

The next day it was a sunny day, and the sun rose with a new light, and it was clear that the mansion was still unharmed, except for a few places where some tiles were piled up, and there were fragments of shells and guns. There were piles of broken tiles on the roof, and the ridge of the left wing had fallen off a corner. However, the sound of gunfire has ceased to be heard.

Early in the morning, Brother Juemin went to their stepmother's room and found the third aunts, Zhang and Shuying, with their hair shaggy and tired faces. The floor was covered with thick felt, and the contents of the room were messy, with four square tables placed side by side in the center of the room. It is said that last night Zhou and Shuhua slept under the table, and surrounded them tightly with quilts, so that they could not breathe a little wind, thinking that they could avoid bullets. The stepmother told them that the third aunt and Shuying also slept here last night, and a cannonball fell on the patio behind their house and broke a corner of the wall, so they moved out immediately. The people of Awakening also sleep here. Now Granny Yuan is carrying him outside to play.

"About three o'clock it was as if a cannon flew over your roof and hit your roof on the ridge, and then the tile broke a great mass. The young grandmother cried and hugged Hai'er and ran to the upper room. I was afraid that you would be hit by a cannon in your room, so I tried my best to call you, but I didn't answer. The guns are so dense outside that no one dares to go out to see you. Later, Ming Feng went out to see, and your door was closed tightly, and the room was not damaged. Only then did we know that nothing had happened to you, so we were relieved. You must not sleep like that again tonight, and you should always be on your guard. Zhou Shi spoke, the tone was originally very fast, she continued to speak without a little frustration, and said so many words in one breath, the words came out of her mouth, like beads rolling down from a smooth stone, all the way to the end, rolling non-stop.

"I've always woken up easily in my dreams. I don't know how, I didn't think I had slept so soundly last night, and there was so much commotion outside," Juemin explained to his stepmother with a smile.

Juexin and Keming came in from outside.

"Does it matter now?" Seeing their calm faces, Zhou asked more relieved.

"Probably nothing," Keming replied with a smile, still in his steady tone. "There is no obstruction outside today, and there is not a single soldier nearby. The streets are also quiet, and there is no panic. It is said that the enemy had occupied the arsenal the previous night, and the provincial consul had asked the British consul to intercede, and the overseers agreed to go into the field. There will probably be no more fighting. Everyone had a night of false alarms. Then he said to his wife, Zhang, "You can go back to the house now and rest, you were tired all night last night, and you look very tired." ......" After that, he politely said to Zhou: "Sister-in-law, let's take a rest now, I disturbed my sister-in-law last night." ”

They had spoken a few words, and Keming took his wife and daughter back to his room. Brother Juexin remained in the room and chatted with Zhou.

The day passed peacefully. "Probably there will be no more fighting," everyone thought. But when the sun went down, the situation suddenly changed.

At this time, the whole family, except for the old lady, sat in the courtyard and gossiped about the events of last night. Suddenly, Yuan Cheng ran in angrily and said, "Mrs., third master, Mrs. Gu is here." Then through the side door came Mrs. Zhang, followed by Jean and another young woman. They were all dressed in homely clothes and had no skirts tied. Although the three women had different expressions on their faces, they all had a little panicked, as if they had encountered something very wrong.

They stood up to welcome them and greeted them one by one. Everyone was about to speak, when suddenly a thunderclap sounded in the clear sky. Everyone caught a glimpse of a ball of fire flying through the air, and then as if something had exploded, there were several "bang" and "bang" sounds in succession. The crowd hurriedly ran into the hall.

The cannon was fired four or five times in succession, and only after a short break. The sound of gunfire rang out again. The sound came from the northeast corner of the city, as dense as a shower. Then the machine guns rang out. The voice suddenly became more urgent, as if thousands of horses were galloping. So the cannons that had been erected over the city began to be put down. This time, no more than last night, the sound was closer, and more than a dozen cannons were opened at the same time, and the windows and walls "rubbed" the ground, and even the ground shook.

Everyone hid in the hall and did not dare to say a word, their faces turned blue, and they looked at each other blankly.

Everyone felt the irresistible terror, and they all knew that they were approaching the edge of life. The crowd waited quietly, no **, no wailing, no struggle. No matter whether Juexin met Mei, no matter how Mei came to this mansion after a few years of turmoil, it never brought a new feeling to everyone. The horror of death, which constantly flew through the air, drove away all other senses.

The sky was getting darker, and the sound of the guns stopped for a moment, but the gunfire was still as dense as before. "How was the night going?" This thought began to torment the crowd. At that moment there was a loud noise very close, and the walls immediately shook violently, and the sound dispersed, and the aftermath was like firecrackers, mixed with the sound of falling stones.

"It's over, it's over!" Zhou stood up with a pale face and said in a trembling voice that she was going to go to her room. She was about to open the curtain, but Mingfeng ran out of it and almost knocked her to the ground.

"What's the matter? What's up? Many voices asked in unison.

Ming Feng's face was colorless, he gasped for breath, and he couldn't say a word for a long time.

The old lady also lifted the curtain and came out of his room, and Aunt Chen followed behind. And all the people stood up.

"What's wrong?" He asked one after another.

"I'm in the third lady's room...... A cannon fell...... Pierced the eaves through a hole...... The glass on the window was also shattered. …… There was smoke outside the window...... I'll just run out......" Mingfeng stammered in fright, and it took a long time to say these words.

"It's not okay like this, everyone gets together, one or two cannons come, and the whole family is finished. We have to think of a way," the old lady said in horror and coughed again.

"I think the only way to go, or everyone disperses, go to the relatives' houses in each room to take refuge, and choose a few safe places to go. Dad can go to Tang's house, it's safe there," Keming suggested.

"You can't go to the East Gate, maybe the South Gate and the West Gate are safer," said Mrs. Zhang, who had escaped from the East Gate, and her house was occupied by the army.

Before Mrs. Zhang could finish her words, there was another loud noise on the roof. Everyone knew that another cannonball flew by. Then there was another explosion, this time a little farther away, and it must have landed in the mansion next door.

They hurried outside, and as soon as they reached the hall, the servants came to stop them, saying that the gate was locked, the street was full of sentry posts, and the traffic had been cut off.

Everyone had to go back. Now that there was no other way to dodge the shells, they went to the garden as Juexin had suggested.

They entered the garden and seemed to have entered another world. Although the sound of bullets and cannons still rings in people's ears, everything around them is enough to make people forget that they are in a terrifying environment. Everywhere there is green grass and red-white flowers. There is life everywhere. The garden is covered with a veil of dusk, adding a layer of mystery. Although everyone was nervous and unintentionally noticed the scenery at this time, every flower, grass, tree and stone in the garden was obviously standing there, and could not escape everyone's eyes.

The people walked out of the pine forest to the lakeside. The lake is light blue, and the red glow reflects on the surface of the water for half a day, dyeing it a rose-colored color. But the water was already shrouded in twilight. The crowd didn't take a closer look, so they walked along the lakeside and the pine forest towards the water pavilion.

At the end of the pine forest, there is the water pavilion. They made a small turn and walked to the main entrance of the Water Pavilion. Clumps of Guanyin bamboo are covered with dark gray roof tiles. A few magnolia trees on the land in front of the door are blooming full of white flowers, and a burst of fragrance is sent to the end of people's noses.

Keming opened the door and let the old lady go in first, and the rest of the people also went in one after another. Su Fu lit the kerosene hanging lamp. The old lady lay down tiredly on the ■ bed, and the rest of the people sat down on chairs and stools, respectively. There are three houses in a row of this water pavilion, and this is the middle one. Then several servants and maids came, and they hurriedly packed up the two rooms next to them into temporary housing, one for the man and the other for the hostess. All of this was quickly set up because of the large number of people.

At this time, the sound of the cannons had stopped, and the sound of gunfire had also stopped for a while. When the person opened the window facing the lake, he saw a cool water. A crescent moon hangs high in the sky, casting a faint silver light on the water, adding to the coolness of the water. The evening incense building opposite stood deserted under the silver light, and in front of the building was a snow-white flower. There are also mountains, stone walls, peach trees, and willow trees, each with its own color and shape, and in the silvery moonlight, they all seem to contain an ulterior secret.

"I've been here five years ago," said Mei, who had been distressed for a long time by the longing for her mother and brother who had been trapped at home, and was momentarily distracted by the sight before her, leaning against the window and looking at the evening incense building on the other side, as if she were looking for something there, and after a while, she turned her eyes to the willow tree by the lake, and said the above sentence with a lament. This was said to Jean, who stood beside her, silently looking at the sky. The sky is piled up with layers of clouds, just like white waves one by one. The moon slowly sails through the clouds. Jean buried her head to look at Mei, who pointed to the willow tree by the lake and said, "This weeping willow silk has also grabbed my heart." …… Now...... It's spring again. ”

"Sister Mei, let me tell you," Qin did not answer Mei's words, she remembered another thing, so she happily pulled Mei's sleeve and said, "On the night of the Lantern Festival this year, we are rowing here, and we all want to invite you here to play together, how good." You're here now. ……”

Mei turned her head to look at Qin, her face was not happy, but her eyes were shining with tears, she squeezed one of Qin's hands and said, "Sister Qin, I appreciate your kindness." Actually, what's the benefit of me coming here? Don't you know my heart? The scenery in front of me is certainly the same as in the old days, but this grass and trees, mountains and rivers, which one does not evoke a painful memory for me? Even if my heart is like ashes, it is difficult for me to easily forget the past. ”

Qin glanced at Mei in surprise, and then secretly looked at the people behind her, knowing that no one had heard Mei's words, so she sent her head over and said in Mei's ear, "Sister Mei, why are you saying such things here?" Aren't you afraid they will hear it? In fact, it's not hard to forget the past, why do you bother yourself like this! ”

As soon as Qin said this, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her, and she turned around and saw Ruijue leading Haichen over.

"What are you two talking about here quietly?" Ruijue said with a smile.

Mei turned around, her face flushed slightly, and she couldn't answer for a while, but she let the piano interface speak. Qin said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, you came just in time, we are criticizing you for this and that." At this time, Mei also laughed, and she hurriedly argued: "Sister-in-law, don't believe her words." ”

"Cousin Mei, how dare I compare with Sister Qin? She has read a lot, she is entering a new school, she is good-looking, and she has the courage to ......"

"What else?" Jean asked deliberately solemnly.

"And ...... That's a lot! Ruijue couldn't help laughing. She walked up to them, changed the subject and said to Mei: "Cousin Mei, I have wanted to meet you for a long time, I often hear them talk about you, and I heard that you went to other counties, and then I heard that you came back to the provincial capital, and I never had the opportunity to see you, I only blame myself for not being blessed." What is the wind that brought you here today? It's an unexpected event. …… It seems like we've seen it somewhere before. ”

"No, I don't have this blessing yet!" Mei pursed her lips and smiled, but she immediately restrained her smile and added gently: "But the current cousin is plumper than in the photo." Without waiting for Ruijue to answer, she picked up Haichen's little hand and asked, "Is this Hai'er?" ”

Rui Jue replied with a smile: "Yes," while burying his head and saying to Haichen: "Hai'er, quickly shout to watch the fish." ”

Haichen looked at Mei with his small eyes and called out twice without hesitation.

Mei smiled at Haichen gently, leaned down to pick him up, stroked his cheek and said, "He is very much like a big cousin, especially this pair of bright eyes." She asked, "How old are you this year?" ”

"It's not even four years old, it's been five years." Ruijue replied.

Mei put Haichen's face close to her cheek, kissed him a few more times, and said "really good" one after another, before letting him down, sending him to Ruijue and saying, "Sister-in-law, you are so happy, you have such a Ning Xin'er." Her voice changed a little.

Jean hurriedly used words to diverge. The three of them talked happily. Ruijue suddenly felt that she liked Mei very much, although she and Mei had only talked about it once.

Everyone went to bed early this night. Keming and Juexin still went back to sleep outside so that they could take care of everything. Brother Kyaw Min also slept outside. They didn't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with their grandfather, so it was more free to go outside and sleep in their own room. They have had a few experiences and are more courageous.

[Note 1] Private words: that is, personal words or secret words.