This night, Xu Shun always felt restless, his heart was like hanging a stone, he couldn't tell what it felt, it seemed that he couldn't even breathe smoothly, he was always tossing and turning, and it was difficult to sleep. He was torn and felt that everything was not real, like a dream. When he dreamed that he was alive*, that he had saved the water, he thought, what a glorious and great dream it was! But he wanted to wake up quickly, and he went back to his normal life. He is an ordinary person, why did he encounter this ridiculous story, and what should he do if he is in it? Is it to face the unknown? Or is it an escape? He didn't know. He felt that his brain was not working, and he just wanted to let himself fall asleep and not think about anything. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, these real and annoying things kept pouring into his mind, and he really couldn't get into anyone. Simply, he sat up. This is a single room specially prepared for him by the Mahei Lama. It wasn't what he wanted, but he couldn't refuse. At the moment, he felt uncomfortable. Troubles still surround him, making him fidget. He has not smoked for several years and suddenly wants to smoke, life is not easy, he has quit smoking a few years ago, even if he is tired and difficult, he has never thought of smoking again, but at this time, he can't suppress this impulse, he just wants to quickly take a cigarette in his mouth, and then spit out thick smoke, let himself be lost in the smoke.

Xu Shun wrapped up a thick coat, walked out of his room, and walked towards the room where the rats lived.

At this time, the rat slept soundly. Xu Shun carefully opened the mouse's bag, he knew that this guy's bag would not be without anything and no cigarettes. Even though it was an earthquake, it rained, and even though a lot of things were lost, his cigarettes and lighters were still there, and they were still well protected by him! Xu Shun took out the cigarettes and lighters that the mouse had carefully saved, and thought to himself, this kid still did a wise thing! With a cigarette and a lighter, he walked out the door gently.

There is no wind at night, but it is very cold, it is very simple, there is no stinging sensation of the wind, but his face is numb from the cold, Xu Shun tightened the robe on his body and leaned on the stool at the corner of the eaves.

The night was quiet and there was not a single sound. Xu Shun turned on the lighter and pulled out a cigarette from the cigarette case with trembling hands. I haven't smoked for a long time, and even my movements have become unfamiliar, but I still seem to be very proficient, maybe this is the impression engraved in my bones, like a brand that cannot be dissipated. He skillfully and naturally lit the cigarette, then put it in his mouth and took a deep breath, then looked up at the sky, and slowly and leisurely exhaled the white smoke rings.

There are a few stars scattered scattered in the sky, like a few pairs of blinking eyes, staring at the land. Xu Shun stared at the stars in a daze, and the stars seemed to be staring at him in a daze. They just like that, staring at each other. Xu Shun thought to himself, what kind of world is this? Do the stars see the same world as the world we came from? Why are we here? Why did you encounter such a funny and bizarre thing? But it's all true, am I real? Am I really alive*? Everything was incredible! But the people here seem so real and sincere, if they really never left this village, is this village really a place of seclusion? If they didn't leave, then why did Ngawang Ho* speak Han and Mahei Lama also spoke Chinese?

Just when he was falling into endless thoughts, suddenly, he was startled, it turned out that Wang Feng patted him on the shoulder, this slap scared Xu Shun a lot, and also pulled him out of the confusion of thinking.

"It's so late and so cold, what are you doing here?" Wang Feng asked.

"What about you? What are you doing here? Xu Shun asked rhetorically.

"I got up to go to the toilet and saw you here." Wang Feng said.

"Oh, me, I'm here to recuperate!" Xu Shun smiled at Wang Feng, "Do you want one?" He handed out a cigarette.

"I don't smoke this." Wang Feng waved his hand.

"It's okay if you don't smoke it, I haven't smoked it for several years, this thing is not good." Xu Shun shifted his body and motioned for Wang Feng to sit down next to him.

Wang Feng straightened his robe, put his hands in his mouth and let out a breath of heat, then rubbed his hands and sat down next to Xu Shun.

"I said I haven't seen you smoke in the past few days. Since you don't smoke it, why do you smoke it again? Since you quit, it's better not to smoke. Wang Feng said.

"Annoying! I just want to smoke inexplicably, and it's much more comfortable to smoke." Xu Shun said, and exhaled a puff of white smoke in enjoyment.

"By the way, what did you say we are experiencing now, how can there be such a strange thing in the world." Xu Shun looked at Wang Feng suspiciously, he was counting on hearing something tangible from Wang Feng's mouth.

"To be honest, I'm really surprised, but we did come here, you are real, I am real, the people here are real, we are all real, this place is real."

"Is the water source thing real?"

"I think so! The water outside has indeed dried up, and the water here is gradually drying out, although I don't know why, but it is a fact that there is no water. Wang Feng said.

Xu Shun suddenly remembered his doubts, and he asked Wang Feng, "Do you remember?" What did Ngawang Huo say to us when we first met him? ”

"What?"

"What language does he speak?"

"What language?" Wang Feng suddenly remembered and said, "Ngawang Huo* speaks Chinese. ”

"That's right, it's indeed Chinese, but we didn't pay attention to it at the time." Xu Shun said.

"But how can he speak Chinese?" Wang Feng asked again.

"Herein lies the problem. If they had never been out of the village, how could Ngawang Ho* speak Chinese? Xu Shun looked at Wang Feng and said, "There is also the Mahei Lama, who can also speak Chinese." ”

"That means that there must be people here who have gone out and gone to the outside world, otherwise it would be impossible to explain how they can speak Chinese."

"I'm afraid I'll have to find out if I have to find out about Lama Mahei."

"Without further ado, go now!"

So, the two of them were as excited as if they had discovered a new continent, as if the answer was right in front of them!

Ignoring the cold of the night, Xu Shun also quickly extinguished the cigarette butts, and they couldn't wait to come to the door of the Mahei Lama's room.

Xu Shun vigorously knocked on the door of the Mahei Lama: "Open the door, Mahei Lama, open the door quickly!" Open the door! ”

Awakened by this sudden and rapid knock on the door, the Mahei Lama got up and asked as he got dressed, "Who?" ”

"I'm Xu Shun. And Wang Feng! ”

"It's so late, what's so in a hurry?" Mahei opened the door.

"Come in first, it's cold outside!" Lama Mahei let out the door, and when Xu Shun and the others came in, Lama Mahei closed the door tightly.

There was still a burning charcoal fire in the stove in the house, and the Mahei Lama stirred up the charcoals that were about to burn out, and then added some firewood to it, and soon the fire was burning again, and the whole room became bright and warm. There was still a teapot simmering on the stove, and soon, the water in the teapot boiled and gurgled loudly, and Lama Mahei lifted the teapot and brewed two steaming butter teas.

"It's cold, let's warm up with a cup of butter tea first!" Ma Hei brought two cups of butter tea to Xu Shun and Wang Feng.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sit around the stove, it's warmer by the fire." Mahei Lama said.

The three of them sat around the stove, holding hot butter tea in their hands, and a sip of it could directly warm their stomachs and hearts. Xu Shun forgot about business for a while and enjoyed the warmth.

"Mahei Lama, I'm sorry to disturb you so late. We still have some questions that we don't understand, and we want to ask you. Wang Feng opened his mouth first.

"Okay, just ask any questions, and I'll tell you everything I know!"

"Thank you! We want to know, how do you know how to speak Chinese? Didn't you go out before? How do you know the language outside? Wang Feng asked.

"It's true that I haven't been out of the village. My Chinese dialect was taught to me by Ngawang Ho*. Not only me, but also some other lamas in the temple, all taught us by Ngawang Huo*. ”

"Then why did Ngawang Huo* speak Chinese?" Wang Feng asked.

"This ...... I don't know where he learned it. ”

"Has anyone in the temple always spoken Chinese?" Wang Feng asked again.

"Yes, I don't know when it started, it's been since I knew, and every session of the life* will speak Chinese, and then teach us."

"Did Ngawang get out of the village alive?" Xu Shun asked anxiously.

"I have never gone out, nor have I heard him talk about it."

"Then how did he learn Chinese?" Xu Shun asked one question after another, he thought, he must figure it out.

"Perhaps, it was taught by the previous living*!"

"Where did you learn your previous work*?"

"This ...... I don't know. ”

"Have you been living with Ngawang Huo*? Never separated? ”

"Yes, they have been living together, except for the time he spent in retreat."

"Retreat?"

"Yes, retreat!"

"What retreat? What is the closure? ”

"Practicing the Dharma and scriptures in retreat is not to be disturbed by outsiders. Each year there is a month of live* retreat. ”

"A month?"

"Yes."

"Where to retreat?"

"I don't know."

"Don't know?"

"Yes, I don't know. During the retreat, he would leave the temple, but we don't know where he went. Living* retreat, outsiders are not allowed to disturb or explore, and after the retreat is over, the living* will naturally come back. ”

"That is, you don't know where you have lived this month?"

"Yes."

"And what will happen when he comes back from retreat?"

"His Dharma and his practice will improve a lot, he will preach the Dharma to us, and he will teach us many other things, such as language, writing! Chinese is taught every time you come back from a retreat. ”

"I know, if he is not in the temple for a month, then he must have left the village and gone to the outside world."

Through a conversation between himself and the Mahei Lama, Xu Shun came to this conclusion.

"Out of the village? However, we couldn't get out of this village, we never went out. Mahei Lama said in surprise.

"Just because you haven't gone out doesn't mean you haven't gone out. It's just that you can't let you know when he goes out, so they will say that he is going to retreat and cultivate. Xu Shun added.

"If you can go out, why don't you tell us?"

"Because you said that you have been guarding this place for generations, and your mission is to protect one thing here, which is the water source, so you cannot go out. The water source here is an important secret, and you have taken care of it all your life, but you still don't know where the water source is, so you can see that this secret must not be known to outsiders. Therefore, you can't get out, and people from outside can't come in, so you can better protect it. Xu Shun was even more convinced of his own judgment.

"So there is a way to the outside world?

"Yes. If my guess is correct, Ngawang Hok* has gone out, and all the previous Hokho* have gone out, and they know the way out. However, this path is known only to the living*. ”

"What about the water source? Where is the water source? ”

"I don't know where the water is. However, as the great secret here, the water source, like the way out, is known only to the previous people*. ”

"But how do you know about the succession of the successors?"

"I've thought about this question too, I don't know yet, but I think that when I'm alive*, I'll tell my new successor alive* in some way, such as a suicide note, or whatever."

"However, this time, Ngawang Huo* did not leave a suicide note to tell us this!"

"That's because it happened so suddenly. The sudden earthquake caught everyone off guard, and Ngawang Ho* did not have time to give instructions to Xinhuo*. And when we saw Ngawang Huo*, he had run out of oil, but he still used his last strength to leave us those few words. ”

"But that's just your guess."

"We're really just guessing. But now Ngawang Ho* is no longer there, so we have no way to verify it. ”

"According to you, the reason why we speak Chinese is because Ngawang Huo* has been outside? And here is the road to the outside world? ”

"Yes, or else, do you have a more reasonable explanation?"

Lama Mahei shook his head, he really couldn't find a more plausible explanation. And what Xu Shun said sounded like it was very reasonable, and there was no way to refute it.

"But you don't know where the way out is?" Mahei Lama said.

"Now, we don't really know, but we do at least know that there must be a way out here, and there is hope that we will not be stuck here forever." Xu Shun said happily.

"But you can't go out yet, and you still have to save our water!"

"Don't worry, find the way there and find the water source together, and there will be no delay. If my feeling is correct, there must be a close connection between the two. Maybe if you find one, you'll find the other. ”

"I'm not against you going out, I just want you to help us find and fix the water source before you go out! May the Buddha bless this land and never suffer more from unwarranted disasters! Mahei Lama prayed.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine!" Xu Shun said.

Bidding farewell to Mahei Lama, Xu Shun and Wang Feng became excited.

"I think we should tell everyone about this, everyone has been suffocated here during this time, and they are all worried because they can't find their way out, and now we will be happy to tell you the good news." Xu Shun couldn't wait to share the news.

"Well, at least we've made sure that there is a way out of this place now, and we'll tell everyone about this so that everyone can cheer up." Wang Feng said.

They rushed back to where everyone lived, and they wanted to share the news with everyone right away.

The sleepy-eyed group of people were all shouted by the excited Xu Shun one by one, and everyone rubbed their misty eyes and looked at Xu Shun with misty eyes.

"What are you calling us up for? Tell me something, it's cold and sleepy. Yang Li was full of dissatisfaction with Xu Shun's behavior of waking everyone up in the middle of the night.

"I promise you won't be sleepy after I'm done!" Xu Shun looked like he was swearing.

"What could be more important than sleeping! Even when the sky falls, I'm still sleepy. Besides, what important things can you do! Yang Li cast a disdainful look at Xu Shun.

"Say a few words, listen to the end of the conversation." Her husband couldn't stand it anymore.

"Say it, talk about it, and go to sleep when you're done." Yang Li looked unconvinced.

"We've made sure there's a way out here!" Xu Shun said loudly, "How is it, are you excited?" ”

"What do you say? Have you found your way out? The rat couldn't sit still anymore and cried out happily.

"It's not to find it, it's just to be sure, to be sure there's a way out here." Xu Shun added.

"Did you find it?" Yang Li asked.

"Not yet, but since I know there is a way, I will definitely be able to find it." Xu Shun said.

"Since you haven't found it, what else are you talking about, it's only if you find it, it's nonsense if you don't find it." Yang Li looked like a yin and yang weird.

"At least we have hope, not as clueless and hopeless as we did before. At least others will look for it, unlike some people, who don't do anything, and know how to talk coolly. Tian Tian couldn't get used to Yang Li's appearance and went back.

"Who do you say? Who do you say will do nothing? Don't you say this about me? Am I not doing it? I was injured because of the injury. Which of you has me miserable? Yang Li looked aggrieved.

"Yes, yes, you're injured......" Tian Tian really couldn't get used to Yang Li's fake appearance, and said softly, "You deserve it!" ”

"Who do you think deserves? How can you say that? I didn't have any sympathy at all, and I still hurt so much when I spoke! Yang Li was about to cry as she spoke.

"Alright, almost." Her husband Shi also looked disgusted with her, and Yang Li restrained a little.

"How did you know there was a way out?" Tian Tian asked.

So, Xu Shun told them about going to find the Mahei Lama!

Tian Tian suddenly stood up after hearing this, and she said in surprise: "This is really incredible! I didn't expect it to be true! ”

Everyone looked at Tian Tian's reaction, and they really felt incredible. They didn't know what Tian Tian was talking about.

"What do you mean? What is true? Xu Shun hurriedly asked Tian Tian.

Tian Tian didn't answer, she turned around and took out a cloth bag from the bag she was carrying, opened the cloth bag and took out a picture album, she looked at the picture album as if thoughtful, and said:

"This story has to start with my grandmother."