Section I

In front of the fortune-telling stall, a dry-looking old man was palmistry to a teenage boy, and next to him stood the boy's friend, curiously watching.

"A broken palm pattern crosses the lifeline, with your birthday, tsk......" the old man said slowly, he squinted at the boy, "You belong to the White Tiger, you are ruthless, and you have been killing all your life, I am afraid that you will create a great slaughter." After speaking, the old man closed his eyes and was silent, looking like a master.

"No, you're wrong, sir." The boy's companions next to him said, "You don't have to cheat money with such nonsense." ”

The boy smiled helplessly, did not entangle with the fortune teller, and pulled his companion away. In his opinion, fortune-telling should not be real in the first place.

He is a very quiet boy, he smiles with a little shyness, he is very popular, and he has a happy home. He wants to be a doctor, just like his parents, in his opinion, aside from all kinds of utilitarian factors, as a doctor to help others, is a great thing, in this more and more materialistic society, the kindness and justice in human nature are always valuable.

…………

A quiet town, away from the bustling metropolis, the tranquil and beautiful scenery always attracts many tourists from afar. On a winding mountain road, a jeep is moving slowly.

"It's a rare vacation, and the work in the bureau is so busy that I'm going to die." The man in the driver's seat said, with dark brown hair and a relaxed smile on his manly face, "I say, Claire, are you sure you've got everything you need with you?" ”

"Oh, please, brother." There was a beautiful girl sitting in the passenger seat, she rolled her eyes, "You've asked me five times since you got in the car, and ......" she pointed to the back, which was full of all kinds of equipment, "Mr. Rayfield, don't you think we're a little too well prepared?" ”

"Well, be prepared, aren't you?" The man smiled a little awkwardly, he knew his sister was right, but as a soldier who had been on the battlefield, he was used to being prepared for possible accidents.

He didn't drive very fast, and although there were hardly any other cars to be seen on the road, the mountain roads were always narrow and winding, so it was not until the sun was already slightly setting that they saw the sign outside the town: Welcome to Neo.

Soon, the car drove into the town, which is a typical American town, although not as prosperous as the big city, but with all the infrastructure, and considering the population density of the town, it is actually much more convenient to live in a small town than in a big city.

"We've got to find a place to live and then have a good meal." The man said that after driving for most of the day, fatigue was inevitable, he slowed down and looked at the side of the road along the way, but soon he gave up, the town is not small, and it was obvious that it would not work to count on such luck, he parked the car in front of a grocery store and said to the girl, "I'll go and inquire." With that, he got out of the car and walked towards the store.

"Bring me a can of soda." Claire shouted through the open window, "Be sugar-free." ”

His brother didn't look back, just waved his hand. After a while, he returned to the car and handed Claire a can of soda, "The boss told me that it's the off-season for tourism now, so the motel is closed, and we might be able to try our luck in the center of town."

Claire shrugged and said she had no opinion, at which point the man's cell phone rang.

"Oh shit, it's the office phone." The man looked at the phone number and said, "Hello, I'm Chris. ”

"Chris, I'm Jill." A female voice came from the other end of the phone, "Have you arrived?" ”

"Hmm, I'm looking for a place to stay." Chris tucked his phone between his head and shoulders as he said, "I hope you're not here to inform me of the cancellation of my vacation." ”

"Oh, of course not. Actually, Captain Wesker is considering asking for leave for the others, but I don't think the Director will agree. "If you don't find a place to stay, I do know one, there's a small hotel at 5 Hall Road, where I stayed on my trip to Neo last year." ”

Chris was just about to ask more details, and Jill said, "No, the captain is here, I don't want him to see me gossiping during working hours, I wish you a good day." ”

Listening to the busy sound over there, Chris smiled helplessly, inquiring and driving along the way, until it was almost dark, and the two found the hotel that Jill said on the other side of town.

A small three-story apartment building looks very old, but the yard in front of the building is clean, and the lush flower ponds and walls with emerald ivy make it look chic.

Chris parked the car in the yard and walked out of the car with Claire.

"It looks good." Claire said.

"Hmm." Chris nodded, rang the doorbell, and after a while, the small window on the door opened, and a woman asked from inside, "Hello, is there something wrong with you?" ”

"Hello, ma'am." Chris said, "My sister and I came here for a trip, but we couldn't find a hotel, and my friend told me to come to you. With that, he dodged to the side so that she could see Claire standing behind him.

"Oh, okay." The lady said and opened the door, a very beautiful lady, estimated to be about thirty years old, is the most attractive age, under the golden hair, blue eyes are gentle and bright, "It's the off-season, so most of the hotels are closed, but you can stay here, the room is very rich, you can choose the one you like." ”

"Thank you so much, then." Chris said, "I'll go get the luggage, Claire, you can go and pick two rooms." ”

By the time Chris returned to the building with the two of them's luggage from the car, Claire had already checked in and chosen a room.

"The two rooms on the second floor, facing the courtyard, had a bathroom and toilet in the room, and a TV, which was nice." Claire said, "Mrs. Reuss said the room had just been cleaned up and could be stayed in. ”

"Thank you so much." Chris said, "My name is Chris, Chris? Rayfield, is this my sister Claire? Rayfield. ”

"Joanna? Royce, you can call me Joanna. The lady said with a smile.

"Mom, are there any guests?" A little girl came into the foyer, and she stood behind Joanna, who looked cute, like an enlarged doll, and her bright blue eyes looked curiously at the Chris siblings.

"This is my daughter, Shirley." Joanna looked at the little girl and said softly, she took her daughter's hand and said to her, "They will stay here with us for a while." ”

"Really." The girl said happily that children always like to be lively, she looked at the Chris siblings and said sweetly, "Hello, my name is Shirley." ”

"Hello, my name is Claire." Claire squatted in front of Shirley and said with a smile that she had always lacked resistance to such a cute little girl.

Claire and Shirley quickly got acquainted, so the two girls left together, I don't know where they went, Chris had to carry his luggage upstairs alone, fortunately with Joanna's enthusiastic help, Chris got two rooms before eating.

"Let's have dinner together in the evening." Joanna invited them, "It's just me and my daughter, there are kitchen and dining room on the first floor, you can cook and eat with us if you want." ”

"Oh, that's great, Mrs. Royce." "I like it, it feels like home." ”

After a while, Claire and Shirley returned, and the four of them sat together in Chris's jeep, went to the supermarket in the center of town to buy a lot of ingredients, and after returning to the apartment, the four of them enjoyed a hearty and lively dinner together.

"I'll sleep with Sister Claire, okay, Mom." Shirley blinked wide, pleading at Joanna.

Joanna looked at Claire, "Maybe that's going to get you in trouble......"

"No trouble, no trouble." Claire hurriedly said, "Shirley is lovely. ”

Chris shrugged his shoulders and smiled helplessly at Joanna, who hesitated and nodded at Shirley, "Remember to go to bed early." ”

"I will." Shirley nodded excitedly, then took Claire's hand and left.

Only Chris and Joanna were left in the hallway, and Chris and Joanna looked at each other and did not speak for a while, and after a while, Chris said, "Although I have said it many times today, I still have to say, thank you very much, Mrs. Royce." ”

"Call me Joanna." She smiled and said, "Actually, I'm very happy that you guys live here, it's usually just me and my daughter here, it's too lonely, you can also see, Shirley needs friends, and she is very happy today." ”

"yes." Chris nodded, "So, good night, husband...... Joanna. ”

Chris returned to the room and took a hot bath, the room was large, and the evening breeze blew in through the open window, bringing the smell of the mountains in the distance, making people feel relaxed from the heart. Chris didn't watch TV, tossed and turned around for a day, and after relaxing, the exhaustion came like a tidal wave, he turned off the light and lay on the bed, listening to the faint laughter of Claire and Shirley next door, and soon fell asleep.

Darkness covered the land, and the town became as peaceful and serene as the starry sky. An ordinary and happy day has passed, and every qiē seems so beautiful......

Section II

In the plain white mourning hall, sadness and silence dominated the people present.

On the wall are two black-and-white portraits of a middle-aged couple, still with gentle smiles on their faces.

The young man was wearing filial piety clothes, standing there stunned, and his somewhat thin figure looked lonely and helpless. He looked at his parents in the portrait as if they were still looking at him, with the familiar smile of his memory. He didn't want to believe it, so his parents left him alone.

He felt his heart gripped by something cold, and with a heavy pain, the originally bright world turned gray, like a statue on the wall.

Some of the relatives and friends around him were whimpering and crying, making the sadness in the mourning hall even more intense, but there was no trace of wetness on the young man's face.

…………

Chris has been feeling great these days, and in this small town away from the hustle and bustle, he feels completely free from the irritability of his daily routine.

He and Claire get along very happily with Joanna's mother and daughter, Shirley is a very cute little girl, which makes Claire, who is a younger sister, very satisfied her desire as an older sister, as for Joanna, I have to say, she is a very kind and attractive woman, faintly, Chris even feels that he seems to have some kind of affection for her.

It's summer, and Shirley doesn't have to go to school, so Chris and Claire often take her with them when they go fishing or have a picnic, and occasionally Joanna joins them. Now, they're camping at a lake outside town, Chris is fishing with Shirley, and Claire and Joanna are sitting around the campfire chatting.

"Shirley is so happy, really happy to meet you." Joanna looked in the direction of the lake, and Shirley was happily shaking the fishing rod under Chris's watch, "You know, it's been a long time since I've seen Shirley so happy." ”

Claire nodded, didn't say anything, as a woman, her mind is far more delicate than her brother Chris, in fact, in these days of getting along, she vaguely found that Joanna's mother and daughter's life in the town may not be as easy as they think.

Joanna hesitated, "I'm not a local, I met Shirley's father in my hometown eight years ago, when I was very young, I fell in love with him and conceived his child. She said slowly, with nostalgia and a touch of sadness, "Then he left without saying goodbye, and there was no news." I was so lost and didn't know what to do, Shirley had already been born, and you know, how difficult it is for an unwed mother to take care of her daughter alone. ”

"Originally, I thought he would disappear from my life and never be involved again, until three years ago, when I received a call from his lawyer informing me that he had passed away and that he had left me a not small sum of money, as well as two of his properties in the town, one where we now live and the other in the center of the town, which I later sold." Joanna's voice grew softer and softer, reflecting the flickering firelight, and Claire could see a slight tear in her eyes, "I only found out that he was married before he met me, and his wife is from the town......" Joanna said, with a choked voice in her voice, "I never thought that one day I would destroy other people's families." ”

Claire didn't speak, just listened silently, and she leaned over to Joanna and patted her on the back comfortingly.

Joanna smiled gratefully, wiped her tears, and continued, "Later, his wife left with their children, while Shirley and I stayed. You know, there's always been a bit of xenophobia in a town like this, and besides, there's a lot of people in the town who are Puritans, and they think I'm a morally degraded woman," she shrugged slightly, trying to make a look of indifference.

"I'm not welcome in this town, the women despise me, and the men often hit me like I'm a slut, but I can tolerate it, but Shirley is innocent, she's just a child, she's very obedient, and although she never talks to me, I know that she doesn't have a good time, both at school and outside." Joanna sadly said that there is nothing sadder for a mother than to see her child in pain, especially when the pain has to do with herself.

"I don't know much, but I think it's better to move out of this town." Claire hesitated for a moment and said, "Neither you nor Shirley are wrong, you don't have to put up with the malice of those people here." ”

"yes." Joanna nodded, "I originally planned to sell the property here before Christmas and leave here with Shirley. ”

"Mommy, Mommy." Shirley excitedly trotted all the way over, Chris followed her with a fish, Shirley pointed to Chris's hand, "We caught several fish, and I caught that one." ”

"Oh, yes." Joanna quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then gently held her daughter in her arms, "My Shirley is the best." ”

Shirley was so excited that she didn't notice Joanna's strange appearance, just laughing happily in her mother's arms, and Chris realized something, but didn't speak.

Quiet and easy life always goes by quickly, and on another Sunday, the Chris siblings go to the supermarket to buy groceries, while Joanna takes Shirley to the church in the town for worship.

Chris pushes the shopping cart while Claire picks up the list when Chris's cell phone rings.

"Oh oh, oh, it's not the captain, it's not the captain, it's not the captain......" Chris muttered as he pulled out his phone, and he was relieved to see the number displayed, it was Joanna calling.

Claire looked at Chris's exaggerated expression and shrugged helplessly, which made Chris a little embarrassed, he smiled at Claire and answered the phone, "Hey, I'm Chris, what's the matter, Joanna." ”

"Chris, I'm Joanna......" Joanna's panicked voice came from the other side of the phone, which made Chris have a bad premonition, "Something happened to Shirley!" ”

Chris's heart sank suddenly, but the soldier's good mental qualities made him calm down immediately, "Calm down, Joanna, where are you, what happened to Shirley?" ”

"I'm in church," Joanna said, with tears in her voice, "Shirley is missing!" ”