"Yongchang has not slept, I have something to say to him." It was the first thing he said when they got down the escalator.

"Bedtime," replied the clever ghost, pushing open a door. "Here it is."

Yongchang lay on a crude bed on the floor, sleeping deeply, anxious, sorrowful, and the closed iron windows made him look so pale, as if he had died—not the appearance of a dead man wrapped in corpse clothes and put in a coffin, but the image of life when it had just passed: a young and weak soul flew to heaven for a moment, and the filthy air of the world had not yet had time to defile the sublimating Holy Body.

"Don't talk about it now," said the old camel, turning away gently. "Tomorrow, tomorrow."

In the morning, Yongchang woke up and found that his old shoes were missing, and he couldn't help but be startled when he found a new pair of shoes with thick soles next to the bed. At first, he was happy, thinking it was a sign that he was about to be free.

As he sat down to have breakfast with the old camel, these thoughts suddenly came to naught, and the tone and face of the old man added to his panic, and he told Yongchang that he was going to take him to Zhang Fatzi that night.

"Just-just-stay there?" Yongchang asked impatiently.

"No, no, not to keep you there," replied the old camel, "we can't bear you. Yongchang, don't be afraid, you have to come back to us. Hahaha! We're not going to be so cruel and send you away. Oh no, it won't. ”

This kung fu, the old man was bending down to roast steamed buns on the fire, he teased Yongchang so much, while looking back, he laughed very seriously, as if to indicate that he knew in his heart, as long as there was a way, Yongchang still wanted to slip away.

"I wonder," said the old camel, with his eyes fixed on Yongchang, "you want to know what you are doing there?" ”

Seeing that the old thief knew everything about his thoughts, Yongchang couldn't help but blush, but he still had the audacity to say, yes, he really wanted to know.

"Think about it, what are you going to do?" The old camel asked him in turn.

"I really don't know." Yongchang replied.

"Phew." The old camel spat and examined the child's face, then turned away with a look of dejection. "Well, I'll tell you later."

It can be seen that Yongchang did not show any stronger curiosity on this issue, and the old camel was obviously very angry. However, in fact, although Yongchang was anxious, he was disturbed by the unconcealable treachery between the old camel's eyebrows and his own speculations, and he didn't care about continuing to ask questions.

He had no other chance, and the old camel was preparing for the door until dark, always with a gloomy face, and silent.

"You can light the candle," said the old man, placing a candle on the table. "There's a book here, take a look at it, and wait for them to pick you up. I wish you a good night. ”

"Good night." Yongchang replied softly.

The old camel walked towards the door, turning his head to look at the child as he went. He stopped abruptly and called Yongchang's name.

Yongchang looked up and saw the old camel pointing to the candle with his finger, meaning to ask him to light it. Yongchang complied. He put the candlestick on the table, and found the old camel still standing in the darkness across the room, his brow furrowed, and he looked at him intently.

"Be careful, Yongchang. Watch out. The old man waved his right hand as if to warn him. He's a reckless guy who doesn't even want his life when he initiates it. No matter what happens, don't say a word, you will do whatever he wants you to do. Be careful. The old camel spat out the last sentence heavily, his tense facial expression gradually turning into a sinister smile, nodded his head, and left the room.

The old man was gone, and Yongchang supported his head with his hands, and with a trembling heart, he repeatedly scrutinized the words he had just heard.

The more he pondered the old camel's admonition, the more he couldn't guess the true purpose and meaning of it, and he couldn't think of any evil purpose for sending himself to Zhang Fatzi, and this purpose could not be achieved by staying with the old camel.

He pondered for a while before he decided that he had been chosen to do chores for the robber, and that he would find another more suitable child. Xiao Yongchang has long been accustomed to going against the grain, and he has suffered a lot from staying here, and in the face of the ever-changing prospects, he can't cry even if he wants to. He was stunned, thought for a moment, sighed heavily, removed the candle, picked up the book that the old camel had left him, and read it.

He flipped through a few pages, and at first he was careless, but suddenly, his eyes lit up, and one of the verses captivated him, and in a few moments he was immersed in the book. This book chronicles the life experiences and trial process of a group of famous criminals, and the pages have been turned to filth and covered with finger marks.

In the book, he read about the horrific crimes that were enough to make people's limbs cold, the mysterious murder that happened on the side of a secluded road, the corpse was buried in a deep pit or thrown into a well without realizing it, and although these pits and wells were very deep, they could not be hidden, and after many years, they were still shaken out, and the murderers became crazy one by one, and in horror, they had to call for the truth, and loudly demanded that they be put on the gallows, so as to end their suffering.

And here, he read that some people lie in bed in the middle of the night, but they can't help the temptation of their evil thoughts and commit some bloody murders, which makes people's hearts beat and their limbs are limp when they think about it. The horrific descriptions were so true, so vivid, as if the pages of yellowed paper were stained red with blood, and the words echoed in his ears as if they were the souls of the dead whispering.

With a sudden burst of fear, Yongchang closed the book, threw it aside, and then fell down on his knees, praying to God not to let him do this sin, even if he fell to the ground and died immediately, and did not let him live to these heinous sins.

He gradually calmed down, his voice low and staccato, pleading with God to deliver him from the danger before him, a miserable orphan, who had never experienced the love of a friend or a flesh and blood, and now he was alone, desperate, surrounded by evil and iniquity, and if there was any aid for such a child, it would have come.

He covered his face with his hands, and a sound of knowing - startled him.

"Something!" He jumped up with a scream, and saw a figure standing by the door. "Who's there?"

"I, I." A trembling voice replied.

Yongchang held the candle above his head and looked towards the door. It turned out to be Azhu.

"Put the candle down," said Aju, turning his head to the side, "my eyes are glazed." ”

Yongchang saw that her face was blue, so he gently asked her if she was sick, and the girl turned her back to Yongchang, collapsed on a chair, wrung her hands vigorously, and did not answer.

After a pause, she exclaimed, "I didn't expect this to happen. ”

"What's wrong?" Yongchang asked. "Can I help? As long as I have a way, I will definitely help you. Definitely, really. ”

Azhu swayed around in her chair, her throat grabbing and making a rattica sound, gasping for breath.

"Azhu!" Yongchang shouted, "What's wrong with you? ”

The girl slapped her knees with one hand and stomped her feet on the ground. She stopped suddenly, wrapped her scarf tightly, and shivered.

Yongchang turned the fire up a bit. She dragged her chair to the fireside, sat down, and did not speak for a long time. Finally, she looked up and behind her.

"I don't know how it happens sometimes," she said, pretending to be as careless as she could get dressed. "Eighty percent of this is a damp and dirty house. Ready to get started? ”

"Shall I go with you?" Yongchang asked.

"Yes, let's go together."

"What are you going to do?" Yongchang stepped back and said.

"What are you going to do?" Azhu replied, her eyes rolled upward, and as soon as her gaze touched the child's eyes, she turned to the side again. "Oh. It's not about doing bad things. ”

"I don't believe it." Yongchang stared at her closely.

"Whatever you want," replied the girl with a forced smile. "Of course, it's not a good thing."

Yongchang could see that he could more or less win the girl's favor, and an idea came to him spontaneously, and he used his mournful situation to seek her sympathy. Then another thought flashed through his mind: "It's just eleven o'clock, and there are still many pedestrians on the street, and there will always be people who believe what they say." Thinking of this, he stepped forward and said with a little panic that he was ready. ”

Neither the flash of thought in his heart nor the meaning of his words could be concealed from this companion of his. As he spoke, Azhu's eyes had been staring at him, and then she looked at him again, and made it clear that she had guessed the thoughts that had flashed through his mind.

"Shh The girl bent down, looked around alertly, and pointed to the door. "You can't do it on your own. I've tried to the death for you, but it's useless, they're watching you very closely, and if you really want to escape, now is not the time. ”

Yongchang raised his head and stared at her tightly, the eager expression between Ah Zhu's eyebrows shocked him, it seemed that she was telling the truth: her face was pale and excited, and her whole body trembled, and she could see that she was not joking.

"I have already saved you once, and I will do it again, as it is now," the girl said in a loud voice, "and if it were not me who came to pick you up, but someone else, they would have been much worse than I am." I promised that you would go over there without making a noise, and if you couldn't, it would only hurt you, and me, and maybe kill me. Look here. I have suffered so much, all for you, the sky has eyes, this is all true. ”