Early the next morning, I was woken up by the noise of the streets. Because I slept on a makeshift bed in the firewood room, the firewood room was transparent on all sides, and the sound outside could be heard very clearly.

I got up and walked to the gate of the courtyard to look out into the street, and when I saw Yinghui and Ani, who had gone out to buy groceries together, they had just returned, and I asked them, "What happened on the street?" ”

"It was said that he was shot at the mouth of the western vegetable market." Ani said.

I was shocked, hurriedly got dressed, and hurriedly ran out into the street, where many people were rushing to the entrance of the Western vegetable market.

Before I could get to the place, I heard a bang, and I stood still, not daring to go any further, for fear that I would see the scene I least wanted to see, and the scattered crowd passed past me one after another, and the street slowly became empty.

In the distance, a man in military uniform collapsed in a pool of blood, and several soldiers of the firing squad were standing around, equipped to carry the body onto the truck.

I walked over slowly, and I met Section Chief Zhou, and I asked him, "Section Chief Zhou, is this ...... It was ...... who killed."

When Section Chief Zhou saw that it was me, he immediately sighed: "Alas, Major An, you have to mourn." You're a step too late, and Company Commander Duan has already corrected the Fa...... The order came from above, and suddenly it was said that it would be carried out immediately, and we had to obey the order, I wanted to inform you so that you two brothers could see each other for the last time, but I don't know where Major An lives......"

I couldn't hear what Section Chief Zhou was talking about, I walked over indifferently, standing in front of the corpse, Duan Biao was lying on the ground, he was shot in the back, a big wound, that was from the Zhongzheng rifle can bring about the killing, the blood stained his entire back, and under him was a large pool of red blood.

I was half-on my knees, trying to turn him over, and a firing squad soldier came to help, and I yelled, "Get out of here, fucking get out of here!" ”

The soldier stepped back in surprise, and Section Chief Zhou behind me ordered: "Don't disturb Major An, alas, the deceased is gone, Major An, I won't be accompanied by military affairs." ”

Section Chief Zhou left with someone.

I pulled Duan Biao's body and flipped him over, Duan Biao's face was very calm, his eyes widened, as if he was staring at the sky and the sky, and as if he was staring at the vast beings in the rolling red dust.

I stretched out my hand and closed his eyes, muttering, "Old Duan, don't look at it, what's there to see in this rotten world......"

A trembling voice came from behind him: "Brother An, what's wrong?" ”

I glanced back, and it was Ani with a panicked face. When she saw me running out suddenly, she followed me uneasily.

I said to Ani, "Go find the car, I'm going to bury Lao Duan." ”

Ani agreed, turned around and ran, and after a while, Ani found a cart, and she not only found the cart, but also bought paper money, incense, candles, and some wine and food offerings.

I dragged and put Duan Biao's body on the cart, because Duan Biao was very large, it was very difficult to drag him, and my body was covered with his blood.

I pulled the cart in front, Ani pushed in the back, and we walked a long way out of Linmeng City before we stopped at the edge of a small forest. There were only a dozen pine trees in the woods, arranged in a staggered manner, and a few meters away was a stream that flowed through it.

I looked around: "It's right here, the feng shui here looks good, it's not worse than Qiu Dong's." ”

Ani didn't know who Qiu Dong was, so I didn't have to explain at all: "Qiu Dong is also our brother, buried on the Tianshui River embankment, and Lao Duan is always very envious of the feng shui there. ”

Ani Oh Oh agreed, and then patted her head again: "Oh, stupid to death, Brother An, I forgot to buy a coffin, you wait for me, I'll go buy it back." ”

I stopped her: "Forget it, the soldier is the life of the horse leather shroud, if you prepare him too carefully, he will not get used to it." ”

Ani: "Oh, just wait, I'll be quick." ”

Ani waited for me to move Duan Biao off the cart, and she dragged the cart again and trotted all the way back to Linmeng.

I tore off my inner lining, went to the stream to wash and moisten it with water, and came back to Duan Biao to wipe the blood on his face, Duan Biao was calm as if he was asleep.

It's just that he exchanged death for peace and no worries.

I stood up and began to identify the northeast direction, but today it was cloudy, the sun was covered by dark clouds, and I was a person with a very poor sense of direction, so I turned around for a long time and did not determine which was the northeast direction.

I sat on the ground dejectedly, looking at Duan Biao's mocking expression as if to say: Anzi, you are really useless, you can't even find the direction.

I looked at Duan Biao and smiled bitterly: "Old Duan, I'm really useless, I can't even find a direction, without you in the future, if there is any charge and retreat, I may run in the wrong direction with my brothers, Lao Duan, you said that if that's the case, I can't be regarded as an escape......

I spoke to a dead man about my worries, and the dead man had no more worries, he was only responsible for sleeping peacefully. I suddenly realized that I had lost not only a brother who had shared our troubles, but also another self. I fell to my knees in the dust, crying uncontrollably, not knowing whether it was for the dead or for the living, and I grieved even more for the sake of grief.

Ani, who came back with the coffin, looked at me crying on the ground in surprise: "Brother An, what's wrong with you?" ”

I raised my red and swollen eyes: "Ani, I can't find the northeast direction that Lao Duan wants......"

Although Ani couldn't understand why her eldest brother An was so sad about a direction issue, she still comforted me: "Brother An, don't cry, I can find the northeast direction." ”

After going back and forth between Linmeng, Ani's face was full of dust and sweat, but she couldn't see the slightest tiredness, she stood in place and looked at it for a while, pointing to the direction of the stream: "Brother An, it's the northeast." ”

People who live in the mountains all year round always have a way to tell the direction without relying on the sun, and this method is not available to people living in the plains.

Although the coffin was very thin, compared to those brothers who died in battle, Duan Biao had the most extravagant funeral.

I dug a grave deep enough that Ani reminded me, "Brother An, if you dig again, you will have to dig out the water, but it's not good." ”

Because it was too heavy, the two of us almost fell into the tomb carrying the coffin, almost throwing Duan Biao's whole person out, and it is estimated that after a while of tossing, this thin coffin will be torn apart.

When he was buried in the ground, I didn't come to grieve, Duan Biao was buried in the southwestern border farthest away from his hometown, as he wished, I buried his head in the northeast direction, hoping that his soul could follow the direction, go back to his hometown, go back to the white mountains and black waters that he dreamed of.