Winter is the most difficult season for every elderly person. It is often rumored that some colorless and invisible floating poison appears at this time, attaches to the back of people's necks, waiting from the spine to eat away at the vitality of the spirit, especially the elderly and children, but this is really just a joke used by people who have suffered from poison to intimidate children who do not like cleanliness. It is nothing more than the early death of a frail and sickly infant, or the cold and frail old people who run out of oil and run out of lamps, and fall down after seemingly accidentally, and finally pass away. Therefore, every old man is more or less afraid of the cold winter, maybe his front feet are shaking, and the next second he will step into the yellow spring.

Although this year is no exception, it is somewhat unexpected. Two weeks ago, two of the three old men who had seen Qingping Pavilion playing chess died on the same day a week later. It is the fierce old man surnamed Liang and the chubby old man surnamed Zhang, both of whom are more than eighty, and they both fell to the ground in front of their house in the early morning when the rooster crowed. Such a fateful way of dying is not in vain to call each other brothers of the opposite sex on weekdays.

The third master is the oldest old man in Huajie Lane today, it is said that his eldest brother and second brother were all a fall before he moved over, two bedrooms, and then a stroke, all warped, and his mother-in-law has also died for more than ten years, and it is lonely to guard the deep house compound at the entrance of the alley alone. Two close friends who are easy to get acquainted with, but they are whimpering in the invitation that can be expected tomorrow. He was bored all of a sudden, and after he couldn't find an old man of the same age, he met and talked to a few wrinkled old women, but the third master didn't seem to get along with them. Thinking about it, those mothers-in-law who are so old that they only have a layer of skin left still speak sharply and viciously, and they still don't cut it, where can the third master talk about them. Two days ago, Tingting also saw the third master standing in the alley, arguing with an old woman all afternoon. However, the two of them only repeated one sentence from beginning to end, "Why aren't you dead yet?" ”

Maybe it's too boring, every time it's not cold this week, the third master will hold a small bench, and then carry a bag of small snacks, and sit at the entrance of the alley all day. People come in and out from time to time at the entrance of the alley, and the third master doesn't care whether others are happy or not, and he has to chat with them when he drags someone. Therefore, many young people in the alley began to dislike the third master.

And this day was the day when Tingting injured his foot and was carried back from the hospital by Tang Quan. It may be that the cold winter has taken away too much of the sudden soul, and the heart is guilty, the sun hanging high is unusually warm, and even a few withered yellow sycamore leaves on the road are comfortably curled. When the father and daughter rode a small electric donkey to the mouth of Huajie Alley, they saw the third master squinting and peeling peanuts to eat.

The third master was already familiar with them, so he naturally got up and talked to them from afar, "Xiao Tang, why did you come back so early today?" He crushed a peanut and threw the red and white fruit into his mouth, which actually made a "squeak" chewing sound. Peanuts that are not so fresh and hot will also make people feel crispy.

Tang Quan nodded, saw this and hurriedly parked the car, without a look of concern for his daughter's condition, and respectfully stepped forward to say hello to the third master.

It is said that the third master is old, his eyes are not blind, his waist is not hunched, and his body is very good, but his ears are a little back, usually when Tingting and he play chess and chat, they have to get close to each other and the volume is much louder than usual, otherwise the third master will stubbornly let her repeat it several times.

"Oh oh, is it the pavilion that is uncomfortable?" The third master saw the pale pavilion on the back seat, and walked to the little electric donkey with concern.

"Well, a little fever, you don't have to worry too much. I may need your help though. Tang Quan rubbed his hands.

"Say, just say! What is needed is just mentioned! Xiaoting is just like my granddaughter. The third master waved his hand, which was a rare heroism.

"That'...... Do you still have any leftover realgar wine at home? Purple rhombus paste also needs a little ......"

"Oh?" The third master interrupted Tang Quan's words, looked at Tingting, who was hanging his head and was weak, and was slightly surprised in his words, "Could it be?" ”

"Yes, that's it."

"Then you quickly take the pavilion back to rest. You don't need to prepare anything else, I'll send it to you later. The third master waved his hand again and left quickly.

When he got home, Tang Quan gently put Tingting on the bed, hurriedly closed all the windows at home, closed the curtains, and then turned on a basin of steaming hot water, sat on the edge of the bed, shaking his hands and preparing to help his daughter take off her pants.

"Wait! I'll do it myself! I'll do it myself. ”

Tingting was so frightened that he hurriedly exclaimed. She was in the sixth grade, so she was a girl, and she didn't want her father to help her undress, not to mention that there were still a lot of old bruises on the base of her thighs, and he couldn't see them.

Tang Quanhan laughed, and his arm stopped and moved like a robot. With such a simple action, the atmosphere eased slightly, and Tingting was not as nervous and scared as before. She hid in the quilt and took off her pantyhose, blushing to change the topic, "My daughter is about to have her leg amputated, do you still have the leisure to chat with the third grandfather for so long?" And no matter how you look at this resentful monster, it is what she really thinks.

"Hahaha, what? Scared? Isn't it just an amputation? ”

"Huh?" She looked at her father in disbelief and said word by word, "What do you mean by 'isn't it just amputation'?" He couldn't get angry for a while, and waved his small fist in front of him, "Amputation!" Don't you feel distressed? ”

"Don't feel sorry for ......"

Tingting looked at Tang Quan, who was smiling hippie, and couldn't figure it out, "This is still my father." But she couldn't say anything with hatred.

"Hahaha! Don Jr., don't scare her. ”

The third master had already stood on the threshold of the bedroom at some point, holding a bamboo basket in his arm, which was filled with tile utensils of different shapes. Tang Quan, who had his back to the door, was frightened, "Ouch, it's the third master, you scared me." Well, the door, you closed it, right? ”

"I'll bring it with me when I go." The third master shook his head, handed the basket to Tang Quan, and said with disdain: "It's only been a few years, and your alertness is so bad?" ”

And Tang Quan picked up one of the clay pots with one hand and scratched his neck embarrassedly, "Isn't it a few years of stable life, they all say that they are stupid and have been out of battle for a long time." ”

This conversation clearly and bluntly revealed the past of the two of them, and Tingting naturally knew it as soon as she heard it, and she was even more convinced that her father and this mysterious old man must have been comrades-in-arms in the past.

At this time, the third master didn't pay attention to Tang Quan, walked to Tingting's bed, looked at her legs, as if confirming something, and then nodded, and said to her: "Xiaoting, don't listen to your father's nonsense, this symptom is very mild, just apply some medicine." But you can't eat any more today, if you're really hungry, ask your dad to cook you some white porridge, and get some sleep tomorrow morning. ”

"Really?" Tingting was overjoyed.

"When did the old man deceive someone?" The third master smiled and turned to leave. This old man, who was still in his nineties and still in good health, stepped to the gate in a few steps and closed the door heavily. This sturdy figure is afraid that he will live a long life.

Tingting, who was sitting on the bed, had not yet come to his senses, and let his father wipe the medicine on his legs, and the boulder on his chest collapsed, and a kind of relief was wonderful. Just a sentence from the third master, she couldn't believe it, after all, she was an experienced old man who had walked through many hard years.

After a while, the right leg that had been medicated slowly warmed up and gradually became comfortable. Seeing that the symptoms had eased, Tingting asked his father curiously, "How do you know that I'm fine?" Didn't the doctor say he had to amputate his leg? ”

Tang Quan, who was twisting the towel, suddenly had a steep force, his shoulders trembled like sifting chaff, and he gritted his teeth to squeeze the water in the towel to the point that there was not a drop left, "What kind of bullshit doctor, they deserve it too?" Can't see this symptom at a glance? He also amputated his mother's limb. Fortunately, it was me, if it was someone else, my daughter's leg would have been sawed off in vain. A bunch of waste. It seems that Tang Quan has released all the anger he had accumulated before, and he kept scolding.

"Wring it too dry......" Tingting gestured to the towel.

Tang Quan was slightly stunned, and threw the towel into the basin with a calm face.

So, how do you know? You haven't answered me yet. Why things that are not clear even to doctors, you will know. ”

Tang Quan, who was still angry just now, suddenly looked like a child who couldn't hide his secret, and began to stammer, "No, no, no, why." Just know. ”

Tingting saw that her father wanted to hide it from herself, she was very unhappy in her heart, and she was already quite dissatisfied with her father's silence before, taking advantage of the opportunity, she was ready to turn the offensive, "Don't hide it from me, what can't you tell me?" I know almost nothing about you, and the fact that you used to be a soldier is something that you are very proud of, so why hide it from me? ”

"You rummaged through my closet?" Tang Quan suddenly became serious, stood up and glared at her angrily, "Didn't you not let you move the cabinet?" Don't listen to me? ”

"I'm sure I can't look at the clothes if they don't fold neatly, and besides, why can't I look at them? I'm your daughter, why are you acting like you're guarding against me? Seeing that his father reacted greatly, Tingting also lost his temper, raised his face and stared at him wide-eyed.

"You know what? I'm here for your own good. ”

"I ......" Tingting was speechless, and she didn't know how to argue in the face of her father's words. Aggrieved, aggrieved, angry, she didn't want to live with a person closest to her in confusion, but she tried not to hurt his heart, so when the words came to her mouth, she only muttered in a low voice: "What if I know?" I'm not going to change my opinion, I'm not going to ......."

Tang Quan sighed silently, blaming himself for not hiding things better, and actually letting his previous identity be known to his daughter. In this way, some things must be properly explained to her, otherwise something will definitely go wrong.

"You didn't tell anyone else, did you?"

"Nope!"

"Friends, teachers, no one else is allowed to say anything! Do you hear that? ”

Seeing his eager appearance, Tingting suddenly had a thought of not thinking about it, and deliberately said some annoying words, "I don't, if you don't tell me, I'll tell others, I want everyone to know!" ”

Tang Quan was in a hurry, if his daughter insisted again and again, there was nothing he could do with her. At this point, he could only reveal a little to satisfy her curiosity. However, children are children after all, and if they know too much, they will eventually lose their words.

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"All the things."

"That can't be." Tang Quan bit the nail of his index finger, and seemed to have made up his mind, "I'll tell you about the general thing, but I can't say the specifics." Understand your father, okay? ”

Tingting looked at him, her usually amiable father was already full of sadness, her heart softened, so she could only nod and agree.

"You already know that I was a soldier and I was in the war, so I know how fragile life is. Don't look at me standing in front of you healthily now, but maybe if you don't pay attention, tomorrow, or even the next second, you may not see me. ”

"Don't scare me...... Tingting tightened the quilt on her body, she was both curious and scared about what her father was going to say.

"Am I scared of you?" Tang Quan cleared his throat and continued, "After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the army that was originally united with the outside world began to scatter and separate, and the members of each regiment were divided into many hostile forces because of the exchange of interests. I've stood in line before, walked through factions, and even though I was discharged early, I still couldn't escape the attention of the above. So I can only try to hide my previous identity as much as I can. 'Tang Quan' is a fake name, I have abandoned my previous name, and I dare not leave anything related to the past, including your mother's relics. Hiding the past so completely is just trying to keep you alive safely, you know? Speaking of this, his eyes were slightly red.

Tingting lowered his head, no wonder there was nothing for his mother at home. It's not that my father doesn't want to stay, but he doesn't dare to stay. The partition wall also has ears, and there is always no shortage of people who have a heart to bump into each other by mistake. The father just wanted to minimize the chances of danger, so why didn't he miss his dead wife? In order to survive, not even a single photo can be kept.

"Then why don't you get rid of the military uniforms and file bags in your closet? I found out? ”

Tang Quan sighed helplessly, with a little remorse, "That's what I faked, I just said, I wasn't originally called 'Tang Quan'." What I think is that if anyone is suspicious, I am also a veteran 'Tang Quan', not a ...... of the 938 Squadron."

For some reason, Tang Quan didn't continue, but how could the curious Tingting keep him silent?

"What was your original name?"

"Tang Xiaolong."

"Poof." Tingting originally thought that although her father's real name would not swallow mountains and rivers, it would be catchy anyway, but this 'Tang Xiaolong' made her really unexpected. Truth be told, it's a bit dirty.

"It's not good, is it? I didn't think it sounded good, so when I came up with a name, your mother and I had a hard time. Tang Quan flashed a smile on his face, moved his right hand, and quickly wrote Tingting's name. Tang, Xian, Ting. How awesome. ”

"Really? I don't think it's good, it doesn't feel like it's meaningful. Other people's names have meanings, but what about my name? ”

"I don't know. Your mother took it. ”

"Huh? Didn't you just say that you put a lot of effort into it, why don't you even know the meaning? ”

"Oh, be content. It's much better than me, isn't it? I was sent to the army when I was a child, and I didn't even know much about words, so I didn't know so many things. Tang Quan smiled and waved his hand.

Seeing that the atmosphere was gradually relaxed, Tingting's next sentence made the eyes between the two people full of tension.

"What's my mother's name?"

The corners of Tang Quan's mouth, which had just risen slightly, fell again, "I'm sorry, Tingting." I can't tell you anything about your mother. It's not that I don't trust you, I really can't say it. ”

has heard her father say so much, Tingting also understands her father's distress a little, and she didn't force her father anymore. My father didn't want to say it, so he didn't say it. She had a lot of other questions, though.

"I still have questions, since your name is fake, why is my name real? And the resume you forged is also the same, those exploits should not be easy to fake. ”

Tang Quan was stunned, this was not the first time he had noticed that his daughter had a meticulous thinking that was different from ordinary people. Maybe others won't pay attention to the details, but in the daughter's place, there is almost nowhere to hide. "Tang Quan was actually one of my comrades-in-arms, who died in the last battle. At that time, I already had the idea of escaping from the surveillance above, so I pretended to be the identity of 'Tang Quan', covered my face with bandages all over my body, and was seriously injured and discharged from the army, while my original name 'Tang Xiaolong' was recorded as killed in battle. You became an orphan of the war after the war, and of course I have the right to adopt you. ”

"Well, I see." Tingting pinched his chin thoughtfully. She always felt that there was a slight sense of disobedience in her father's explanation.

After only being silent for a while, Tang Quan yawned, in fact, he was using this to hide the panic in his heart, and frantically prayed that his daughter would not have any new problems.

"In short, for the sake of the lives of the two of us, I will never reveal your previous identity." Tingting looked at his father solemnly, "But, in other words, the symptoms of my leg are related to your military experience." ”

"Yes." Tang Quan complained bitterly in his heart.

"Is it related to poison?"

Tang Quan was taken aback again, "Tingting, how do you know?" My file contains only a few crude descriptions of the battles, how could you possibly know such a thing as poison? ”

Seeing her father's surprised and panicked expression, Tingting knew that he must have suspected that she had leaked the news to others at this time, so she hurriedly reported to him truthfully about the small talk between herself and the third master.

"Oh, it turned out that the third master told you."

Tang Quan's relieved expression made Tingting already expect more details. Such trust in a mysterious old man of unknown origin is definitely not the result of his father, who has always been vigilant, which proves that he and the third master may not only be comrades-in-arms who have been bloodied together, but also may have been hiding people who once stood in the same force and both absconded. But in this case, it is too coincidental, and it is impossible for two frightened fugitives to hide together, right? Being bumped into by someone with a heart will definitely increase the chance of being discovered, so why did his father have to be impartial and become his neighbor dozens of meters away five years after the third master moved to Huajie Lane?

The more Tingting thought about it, the more he consciously shook his head, wanting to clean up the messy thoughts in his heart, because there were more urgent questions at the moment, "So, so what?" What exactly does my wound have to do with the poison? ”

"You know the spell, right? Did the third master tell you? ”

"Well, I did."

"It looks like a thumbtack, but it's not a thumbtack, it's a small device in the spell that controls the power and precision of magic." Tang Quan lifted the white porcelain tea jar, raised his head and took a big sip, and continued, "That thing is called 'Compass Needle', and there are a lot of heavy metal elements and a little poisonous pollutants in it. ”

"That's right! In fact, my symptoms were poison contaminants. Tingting looked suddenly enlightened.

"Yes, it's been ten years since the war, and this is the important place of Dongjun, how can anyone have seen a poison infection, and one by one they have healed their scars and forgotten the pain." Tang Quan slammed the empty teapot on the table, looking a little displeased, "Fortunately, this infection is chronic, otherwise it would be really difficult to handle." ”

Hearing Tang Quan say this, Tingting felt that he was not so weak, he got up with a bone, sat on the edge of the bed, his little feet swinging back and forth, and groping for the direction of his shoes.

"What are you doing, lie down, you have to lie down all the time today. Don't take it lightly when it's okay, maybe it'll be repeated. ”

"Ah......" Tingting looked disappointed, "I've been absent from class for so long today, I want to read a book for a while, otherwise I won't be sure." ”

"Don't be in such a hurry, your grades are good enough, even if you miss the class for a day and your grades drop, that's fine, it's not good to be the first in the class every time, you have to give other students a little hope, right? You can rest well. Tang Quan got up, said arrogant words that ordinary fathers shouldn't say, and didn't bring a bamboo basket with bottles and cans, and left empty-handed.

"Father, where are you going?"

"I'll cook you some porridge, it's almost night."

"Oh, thank you."

"What are you thankful for with me, really."

Tingting lay quietly on the small bed, her eyes looking at the ceiling, she could clearly hear the sound of washing rice and the crisp echo of pots and pans being picked up, and her thoughts were full of waves crashing on the shore. Since the "pushpin" is the compass needle in the spell, it means that this prank was not done by Wang Yawen, who bullied her. How could a schoolboy have a spell, and even if she had a way to get it, it wouldn't have to go through a lot of work. It's just a minor infection that can't be killed, so why not just find a pushpin and apply a more potent poison? It was so unreasonable, she felt that there must be something strange about this matter.

"Now, I said father."

"Huh? What's wrong," Tang Quan replied vaguely outside the bedroom.

"Is there a magician with a spell in our school? Do ordinary magicians carry spells? ”

Tang Quan was stunned, he couldn't figure out this question. Why are there compass needles in schools? Spells can only be owned by armament magicians or high-level professional magicians, and even the official magicians of the police establishment are applied to the authorities and mortgaged their personal work numbers for temporary distribution, so it is impossible for someone to accidentally drop them. Most likely, there was a battle between magicians there, the spell collapsed, and the parts were left there. But this is a school, how can the surroundings be intact and no one notices the anomaly?

After Tang Quan explained her doubts to Tingting, Tingting became alert, she nervously reminded her in a tight voice, "Father, your current speculation is that there was a battle between magicians at school, but you yourself don't think it's reasonable, right?" Because you unconsciously think of me as an unintentional victim, but is there another possibility that someone deliberately used this compass needle to hurt me to get some information or something? ”