|.| Chapter 4: Heroes (No. 6)

It was getting dark. On the prairie. A few bonfires lit up alone. Through the twilight, shine far away.

By the fire. There are more than forty new tombs. Each tomb is pressed with a piece of leather. On it are short knives, guns, or smoking bottles, which were the favorite things of the deceased. One by one, the horse thieves who were still alive walked past the graves. Sprinkle the wine from the wine bag all over each grave. Then straighten up one by one. Craned his neck and shouted, "Let's go. Brothers. If you're gone, don't come back. I was born in the wrong place in my life. In the next life, I will give birth to a rich and noble family. A group of wives and concubines. The circle is full of cattle and sheep."

"Let's go. Brothers. Take a companion on Huangquan Road. Don't pretend to be cowardly when you get there."

"Let's go. Drunk Meng Po soup early. Suffered from poverty for half a lifetime. What else is there to give up.."

"Let's go. In the next life, catch up with a peaceful and prosperous world. I won't have to worry about eating and drinking for the rest of my life."

"Let's go. Don't look back."

…….

The voice of sorrow echoed through the wilderness over and over again. Send blessings and hopes to all those who have passed away over and over again. Very few people shed tears. They would rather drink in large gulps. Since he is a thief on the horse. Sooner or later, everyone will have such a day. Blessing others is also blessing yourself. Bury someone else. In fact, it is to bury the expectations of life in this life little by little.

Zhang Songling couldn't stand the surrounding atmosphere a little. It made him feel depressed. Very confused. Although before that. He didn't know how many times he had said goodbye to his companions.

"Have a drink." Zhao Tianlong handed over a leather bag. Whisper a proposal." After drinking, hurry up and squint for a while. We can't stay here for too long."

"Hmm." Zhang Songling took the leather bag. I poured myself into two big mouthfuls. There was a fiery taste that went from my throat to my chest. The flames in my stomach were also hooked. Jumping. From the heart to the brain again.

He really wants to talk to people. But I don't know what to say. The great truths about the country and the nation that support his own efforts to move forward. This occasion seems very fake to speak. And to sum up the lessons of daytime operations. No one likes to hear it. I want to follow the example of other horse thieves to come forward and send a few blessings to the deceased. The familiar eulogy is too pale and weak. I'm depressed. There was a low sound of a horse-head fiddle in my ears. Tactful and long. Weeping and complaining.

Zhang Songling quietly turned his head sideways. The person who found the violin was a young man about his own age. Tall and thin. The long black fingers skillfully move up and down on the bow.

The low sound of the piano pierces deeper and deeper into the night. Gather together the sorrow in the eyes of the people and the anguish in the hearts. With the night breeze sent away. The horse thieves who were shouting gradually stopped shouting. The horse thieves, who were drinking, slowly lowered their wine bags. The group slowly gathered around. Slowly sit in a large circle around the violinist. Everybody's face. All swelled up with a bit of piety.

"Uh. Roar. Roar. Well. Yes. Hum. The lips of ......the violinist did not move. but emitted a long and strange series of syllables. High, high, low. It is as if the wind is passing through a tunnel. With the breath and memories of the ancients.

All of a sudden, it became quiet. The red star "snapped" and danced on the fire. Dozens of huge meteors glide across the night sky. Fall into the unknown on the steppe. Trigger a few long wolf howls.

"Whew.. Woo.."

"Whew.. Woo.."

Not high. But it's clear. The wolf seemed to be right next to the man. But you can't see him. The sound of its howl is subdued. The sound made by the violinist is faintly thought of. The same loneliness. The same vicissitudes .

Zhang Songling felt his soul detach from his body. Slowly rose into the air. Looking down from a high place. The grassland at night is peaceful and peaceful. All the smoke was blown away by the night wind. All the blood was also buried in the grass. Just a few minutes in between. The mountains became plains. The green field becomes a desert. A lonely felt bag has become a splendid palace. A splendid palace. In the blink of an eye, it was in ruins again. Turned into rubble. Turned into a grain of dust. Blown up by the wind. Fascinate the eyes of passers-by.

A group of bare-shouldered men approached from a distance. Carrying stones in his hands. Feathers on sticks. They chase wild deer in the grasslands. Hunt foxes. They struggle to survive. Fight each other for the ownership of a few cows and a horse. Their backs drifted away. Instead of a group of people dressed in cowhide armor. Soldier with a giant shield. With a terrible bull's horn. Throwing spears obscured the sky.

A spear that covers the sky. Soon it was replaced by feathered arrows that obscured the sky. The cowhide armor became a two-stop armor. The giant shield turned into a scimitar. When the scimitar and the two-gear armor are blown away by the wind. Copper nails sandwiched cotton armor and bronze artillery went to the steppe. Forthwith. The bronze cannon was transformed into a rifle. The plaster flag of the Japanese devil covers the sky and the sun.

Those devils with plaster flags set the tent on fire. Take away the cattle and sheep. Kill women, old people and small children. Never get tired of it. Zhang Songling's soul instantly fell back into his body from mid-air. Grab the 38 big lid that has been placed by your side. Instinctively jump up. His body was firmly held by Zhao Tianlong." Wake up. Wake up. Don't run around in the dark. You don't know the way at all."

Zhang Songling struggled a few times but couldn't break free. Opened his eyes blankly." What's going on. Brother Zhao. What happened to me just now.."

"You're nebutact." Zhao Tianlong slowly let go of him. Whisper in response." Howling is used to see off the dead. People who hear it for the first time. It's very easy to fall asleep." (Note 1)

"Uh. Roar. Roar. Well. Yes. Hum. The sound ......of the horse-head harp and chanting continued. The tone seems to have never changed. It seems to have undergone a thousand changes. The horse thieves sitting around the violin player had their eyes half-closed. The body sways back and forth with the melody of the piano.

Zhang Songling rubbed his face hard with his hand. Keep your head clear." What song is this. It's weird. I didn't understand a word. But it was as if he had been bewitched."

"We call it 'Howling'. It doesn't mean anything at all." Zhao Tianlong grinned. Shaking his head and answering. There are very few people who can sing. It's all passed down from generation to generation. I once heard my master sing it. My master learned from his master. Every time a battle is fought. He'll sing it once. It is specially used to see off the deceased."

"I see." Zhang Songling nodded lightly. Keep your ears up again and listen to the sounds around you. But I couldn't find the wolf howl just now.

The wolf was gone. Or never at all. Only exists in his fantasies. But the wolf's howl remained in his mind. It was like a part of his memory. Lonely and stubborn.

Note 1: Howling. The way of singing of the ancient steppe peoples. The history can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period or even longer. It is usually used to summon the spirits of warriors after a war. Or boost morale before the war . Festive period. There are also special people who chant.

151 Kanshu.com .