The sunset is like an old rascal who has eaten **, still tossing desperately, roasting the browned ground.

On the edge of the dead old locust tree, a hole was emitting dust and smoke, and sand and gravel and dust were constantly thrown out, and suddenly there was a clang.

A shovel with a curly mouth was thrown up, and a human head popped out, and the dirty muzzle was torn off, and two neat rows of white teeth appeared.

"Professor, I can't dig it anymore, it's a rock formation."

Looking at the young man's chapped lips and disappointed expression, Zhang Gulin was also a little distressed.

"Come up first, rest and rest."

Instead of resting, the young man picked up a shovel and began to fill in the cavern.

"I'll fill it in first, the babies in the village are running around, and it will be troublesome if they fall."

Zhang Gulin watched the young man wielding a shovel, a little unbearable, but in the end he still spoke.

"Xiao Yan, the exploration team did field research earlier, and there is indeed no underground river near Laohe Fort, why are you bothered?"

The young man kept his hands in his hands, panting, and said intermittently: "Professor, I have read in the local chronicles that there was a big river in the history of Laohe Fort...... This underground is designated as having water......

Zhang Gulin shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Xiao Yan, can you believe the local chronicles?"

"Our exploration team has done field research, there is a scientific basis, you are a teacher, you should believe in science, yes or no?"

The young man paused: "Professor, if I didn't believe in science, I wouldn't have to make so much effort to find water, just follow those villagers to burn incense and kowtow, and pray for alms from the Dragon King." ”

Thinking of the scene where Yan Yu forcibly broke into the exploration team and begged him to help him find a water source, Zhang Gulin didn't say anything more.

Seeing that the sun was finally about to go down, Yan Yu buried the cave steadily.

"Let's take a sip of water."

There were not a few drops of water left in the kettle, but Yan Yu took out a handkerchief and moistened it to wipe his hands.

The land of Laohebao has been dry for two years, and farming and drinking water have become the most fatal things, and everyone is unkempt, where is willing to spend water to wash their faces and hands.

Zhang Gulin frowned.

"Xiao Yan, this is a bit of a waste."

Yan Yu smiled awkwardly and explained: "Although I can't light the lights at night, I have the habit of reading in the morning, and those books are all ...... It's all a lonely remnant, and you don't dare to turn it ......over if your hands are dirty."

Zhang Gulin was stunned, but he didn't want to go.

"Show me your book of places tomorrow, and maybe I'll find something more precise."

Yan Yu's eyes lit up: "That's great!" ”

Zhang Gulin smiled and was about to speak, when a smoke rose in the distance, and he heard a call from afar.

"Teacher Yan! Teacher Yan! Oh no! ”

The black baby, who slipped naked and wore only torn shorts, ran over, was in a hurry, fell down, and crawled to him.

"Teacher Yan, the big and small pairs are lost, and my aunt is going to cry blind, ...... you Go back and see! ”

"Lost the child? How could it be lost! Yan Yu's face changed drastically, and he became anxious.

"I'll take you and see if I can help." Zhang Gulin picked up his backpack and shovel and stood up on his knees.

Yan Yu was not polite, and said to Hei Wazi: "You take the professor to go slowly, I'll go back first." ”

As soon as the words fell, Yan Yu ran up.

He was originally a scholar, digging a hole was a hard work, the sweat on his body had already been squeezed dry, and he ran up hot, but he didn't care about it.

When I arrived in the village, I didn't see the smoke, I could vaguely hear the crying, and when I arrived at the Lin family's earthen house, the yard was full of mothers-in-law.

A few affectionate ones were pulling Lin Xiaoyu and anxiously appeased, the latter had empty eyes and no master.

As soon as Yan Yu appeared, as if he had pressed a switch, all the sounds disappeared, all eyes were cast on him, and Lin Xiaoyu's eyes also had a glimmer of light.

After a brief period of embarrassment, the noise returned.

"It's a man to make up his mind!"

"Teacher Yan, tell me quickly, what can I do about this!"

Some people also whispered: "Every village has been turned over, and the baby may run outside, if the wild wolf is allowed to go......"

Before he finished speaking, he was already suppressed by a whispered curse.

Yan Yu walked forward and asked Lin Xiaoyu, who was living alone with a pair of twin girls.

"Xiaoyu, where are the children going to play today?"

Lin Xiaoyu's voice was hoarse: "Follow the other babies to pick sea buckthorn, and they are the only ones...... Alone they didn't come back......"

"Inside and out?"

Lin Xiaoyu just nodded slightly, but the aunts on the side were gossiping: "Isn't it, even the dry well has been seen, and the fertilizer pool has been stirred several times!" ”

Yan Yu swept around, and immediately frowned: "Have the men in the village notified you?" Why haven't you seen any of them? ”

The women bowed their heads one by one and were silent, and a fat aunt muttered in a low voice: "The men have all gone to the Qin family to kneel down to the Dragon King, and they have to guard it for seven days, this is a big thing, how dare you break it......"

"It's ridiculous! It's not a big deal to have a child! As soon as Yan Yu drank this, the woman didn't dare to say more.

"Xiaoyu, you are guarding at home, maybe they will come back, I will go and call the men back, while it is not completely dark, everyone will go out to find the best."

Lin Xiaoyu seemed to have a backbone, and hope surged in his heart.

The women were a little commotional, and seemed to want to obstruct Yan Yu's behavior, but Yan Yu was not surprised, earlier he wanted to mobilize the villagers to dig wells, but he was also restrained everywhere, and finally had to do it himself.

At this time, Hei Wazi and Zhang Gulin also arrived, and Yan Yu introduced to the woman.

"Auntie, this is Professor Zhang Gulin of the exploration team, a big leader from the provincial capital, the exploration team usually takes care of our village, you have to entertain him for me."

The women heard that it was the leader from the provincial capital, where did they dare to talk more, but the fat aunt wanted to open her mouth, and she was also choked back by Yan Yu's words.

"Third aunt, the leaders from the provincial city don't talk about feudal superstition, if you let him know about worshipping the dragon king, it will be very troublesome......

"This ......" The fat aunt gritted her teeth, was in a dilemma, Yan Yu didn't say more, picked up the four-horned horse lantern, and hurriedly went out.

The light of the horse lantern opened the darkness and illuminated the small circle, Yan Yu was like a fish living in a glowing bubble, swimming on the boundless black seabed, walking deep and shallow to Qinjiaao.

Although Laohebao Village is not very large, most of the people in the village have the surname Qin, which has been passed down from generation to generation and cherishes the clan bloodline.

There is a dragon king temple in Qinjiaao, and it is also the place where the ancestors sleep, and outsiders can rarely set foot in it.

There was a faint wolf howl in the distance, remembering the well-behaved appearance of the two children on weekdays, Yan Yu ran up, and after a while, he saw a fire in front of him.

The fire was shining, and there was a rhythmic crisp sound of bangzi ahead.

"Going around and going around...... Dou Dou ......"

Several men, dressed in colorful feather coats and wooden noodles, danced wildly around the fire, singing incomprehensible but terrifying ancient ballads.

In front of him is a wooden archway, Yan Yu once had an illusion, as if this is the separation of the world and the netherworld, stepping through this archway, that side is the underworld.

I always feel that there are more figures on the side of the fire than there are actually living people.

The fire gave Yan Yu a sense of security, but Yan Yu's horse lantern attracted vigilance!

A figure suddenly flashed out from the side, and shouted at Yan Yu: "What are you doing!" ”

Yan Yu was startled, almost missed the lamp in his hand, and hurriedly spoke: "It's me, it's me, Yan Yu!" ”

"Yan Yu? You guy, what are you doing here! Don't get out of here! ”

Yan Yu looked at it fixedly, it was really not that the enemies did not get together, the leader was tall and mighty, and his face was vicious, couldn't it be Qin Zhong, the son of the village chief!

Qin Zhong has been widowed for three years, lives with a child, and has been in love with Lin Xiaoyu for a long time, and often walks around the Lin family's courtyard.

He is a domineering and reckless person, and he does not twist, and has always regarded Yan Yu as a rival in love.

But Yan Yu knew that Qin Zhong was really kind to Lin Xiaoyu, and he was not verbose at the moment.

"Brother Qin, the big and small pairs are lost, it's dark outside, and the wolves are scurrying around, hurry up and ask everyone to help search for them, it's too late!"

"What did you say!"

Qin Zhong grabbed Yan Yu's collar, hurriedly let go, and ran quickly to the edge of the fire.

"Smack!" Qin Zhong was shaved with a big ear, and Qin Dayou, the village chief and patriarch, quickly threw a slightly indifferent glance at Yan Yu's side.

The fire beside him formed a sharp contrast with the horse lantern in Yan Yu's hand, which was quite a meaning of how fireflies dared to compete with Haoyue.

Qin Zhong covered his face and walked back quickly, drooping his head, and said angrily, "Let's go, I'll go back with you." ”

Yan Yu stopped him.

"No! What's the use of going back alone! ”

"This is a matter of human life, what is it for the old men of a village to sit down!"

Qin Zhong also gritted his teeth, but he seemed to be afraid in his heart, and he didn't dare to look in his father's direction, so he just sighed: "Do you want to hurry up and find the baby, or play like a mother-in-law!" ”

The men by the fire, like wolves in the night, looked at this side with both eyes, but they were all full of indifference and even reproach.

The fire crackled and burned, the sound of bangzi still went round and round, the crazy dancing never stopped, and the air was filled with the enticing smell of barbecue.

There was no food in the village, and the men gathered in the col to worship the dragon king, and it was understandable to hunt some game to fill their stomachs by the way, but remembering that the women and children in the village were digging the ground everywhere for a piece of rhizome, and the children like the big and small pairs disappeared for the sour and astringent sea buckthorn fruit, Yan Yu's heart was full of disgust.

It's just that Yan Yu also knows that nothing can be done, these people are hiding in the mountains to eat meat, but they make their wives and children hungry, how can they hope, they can only hold back their anger and follow Qin Zhong back to the village first.