"Brother."

didn't get a response, Rong Guanguan pulled his brother's sleeve and shook it: "Brother." ”

"Brother."

Rong Li's eyes were distracted, and when he heard Rong Guan call him, his dim eyes gradually had a fine fragment of light, and he lowered his eyelids and eased down.

"You give this to him."

Rong Li gave the takeaway bag to Rong Guanguan.

Rong Guanguan said: "Okay. ”

He didn't carry the bag, but held the box of dumplings that was still hot in both hands, and ran fast on two small short legs.

Panting, he ran up to the boy and crouched down, as tall as the boy with his legs aching.

Who said that children don't understand gentleness, the four-year-old said the most gentle words in the softest voice: "Little brother, this is for you to eat, it's still hot." ”

The boy sitting on the ground raised his head sluggishly, the dirt on his face obscuring his appearance, only a pair of eyes still had aura, and gradually, gradually, gradually tears welled up in his eyes.

"Thank you." He took the box of hot dumplings with dirty hands, almost crying, "Thank you...... Thank you. ”

Rong Guanguan took out a piece of hazelnut candy from his pocket and put it in the boy's hand: "No thanks." ”

Rong Li, who was waiting at the intersection, turned his head, his vision blurred by the approaching night.

The sunset in the distance has completely fallen, the dim twilight is pressed down, but the street lamps near are all on, sprinkled with silver and white all over the ground, darkness and light collide at the margin, one side is black and the other is white, it is two worlds.

They are children living in the same land, two worlds, one in the dawn and the other in the abyss.

Rong Guanguan returned to Rong Li's side, he kept looking back, he was still at an age when he didn't know what it was like, but he was like a little old man, frowning tightly.

"Brother, what about that little brother? Where does he sleep at night? Do you have any food for the next meal? ”

They will sleep on the street and will not have food for the next meal, but if they are lucky, maybe someone will be willing to give alms.

He is a child who lives by charity.

Rong Li looked at the child in the street lamp in silence, he carefully carried the box of dumplings, and moved in the direction of the lower street, holding the ground with one hand and dragging his disabled legs.

Rong Li replied: "Someone will come and take him away in the evening." ”

Rong Guanguan chased and asked, "Who is it?" That little brother's family? ”

It's a bunch of demons.

"Well, his family will come looking for him." Rong Li lied and led Rong Guanguan to his home, because it was dark and he couldn't see the road clearly, so his steps were very slow.

The child's palms are warm.

"Brother, what about you?" His eyes were also warm, even though the night was dim and dark, reflected in the eyes that had not yet been stained by the ukiyo, and the shadows were also clear, "Brother, at that time, did anyone look for you?" ”

No.

He crawled out on his own.

He told Rong Guanguan: "What Cheng Ji said is a lie to children, not true." ”

Only four years old, he doesn't need to know how dark the world is, he just needs to know that Grimm's fairy tales are true, that his nose will grow longer if he lies, and that Santa Claus will hide gifts in his socks.

Rong Guanguan was quiet, drooping his head and not speaking again.

The night breeze blows the trees on the roadside, and the fallen leaves rustle. The wind in late autumn is always cold, biting and cold, which can bring the cold air to the bone marrow, like a sharp and sharp needle, densely piercing into it.

As he descended the steps, Rong Li stumbled and almost lost his footing.

Rong Guanguan was scared out of his crying: "What's wrong with you, brother?" ”

Rong Li was silent, and his jaw was tense.

"Does your leg hurt?"

Rong Li let go of Rong Guanguan's hand and held the lamp pole, his eyelashes drooped, covering the emotion in his eyes: "Sit for a while and then leave." ”

The wooden chair was just behind the lamppole, only a few steps away, and he walked slowly, slightly lame, limped past, sat down, lit a cigarette, and smoked it into his lungs one by one.

Rong Guanguan sat next to him, picking at the wooden chair with red eyes.

Rong Li bit his cigarette and turned his head, he couldn't see it clearly, he could only see the outline, like a flickering shadow.

The kid was still on the side of the street, crawling very slowly, very slowly.

No one will come looking for him, no one will come to pick him up, no one will save him, if he is lucky, he will continue to live, if he is not lucky, he will die in some corner that no one knows, and when his body stiffens, when the body stinks, no one will look for him.

"Rong Guanguan."

Rong Guanguan's sad expression: "Huh? ”

Rong Li threw the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it before picking it up and throwing it into the trash: "You go to Xu Tanxi and let her take you home." ”

Xu Tanxi's shop is in front, there are lights inside, and she hasn't closed yet.

"What about you, brother?"

Rong Li got up and picked him up from the chair: "I'll kill the pig." ”

Rong Guanguan nodded, obediently went to the shop at the end of the street, Rong Li watched him arrive at the door of the store before turning around, he couldn't see the road clearly, so he walked along the side.

"Sister Xu."

The door was very heavy, and Rong Guan couldn't push it: "Sister Xu." ”

Xu Tanxi immediately put down the embroidery bandage in her hand, and the thin blanket on her lap fell to the ground and didn't care, she ran to open the door: "Guanguan, why are you outside alone?" ”

Rong Guanguan pointed to her: "My brother is there." ”

Rong Li had already walked away, Xu Tanxi could only see a small black shadow standing at the door of the store, he was very tall, and he was always very conspicuous in the crowd.

"Did my brother ask you to come?"

"Hmm."

"It's windy outside, come in."

Xu Tanxi led Rong Guan into the house, and she watched Rong Li go farther and farther through the glass door.

Why don't you bring a flashlight, what if you fall?

At nine o'clock in the evening, Rong Li had not returned.

Xu Tanxi was not worried that Rongguanguan was at home alone, so he let him stay, he said that he wanted to watch TV for a while, and he would go to sleep immediately, Xu Tanxi took him to the bedroom, turned on the TV, and let him sit on the bed and watch.

She went out to give Aunt Yin'e, who was out playing cards, to drop off her mobile phone at home, and when she came back, she saw Rong Guanguan sitting on a small wooden bench at the door.

"Guanguan," she walked over, "why haven't you slept yet?" ”

Rong Guanguan sat on the stool obediently and looked out of the door: "My brother hasn't come back yet." ”

She put the lantern on the ground and squatted down with the hem of her skirt: "It's late, I have to go to school tomorrow, and I have to go to sleep." ”

He wasn't sleepy yet: "I want to wait for my brother." ”

It was windy outside, Xu Tanxi touched his hand, it was cold, she was afraid that he would be cold, so she coaxed and said, "I'll wait here, I'll wake you up when my brother comes back, okay?" ”

Rong Guanguan was very cold, and shivered: "Okay then." ”

Xu Tanxi took him upstairs, and when he fell asleep, she put on a windbreaker and came down, she turned on the light at the door, walked to the corridor outside the courtyard, and looked at the alley in the distance.

A villager who returned late passed by and greeted her: "Xiao Xu, who are you waiting for?" ”

She just smiled and didn't say anything.

The moon is bright and the stars are scarce, the lantern is placed at her feet, the wind blows her plantain green skirt, she waits from the lights of thousands of homes to the dead of night, and waits until the lights are turned off in the neighborhood.

She lowered her head and looked at her toes.

The barking dog suddenly fell silent, and she suddenly looked up, and a vague figure in the distance stumbled towards her.

It's Rong Li back.

She carried the lantern and walked into the alley, and when she got closer, she saw that he was covered in blood.