The big gold tooth picked up the pen stand, looked left and right, and smashed it to the ground.

Xiao Duxue hit her head: "Don't touch my dad's things!" She did her best to hit the big gold tooth a few steps back, and he was angry. He threw the nail rake to the ground, grabbed Xiao Duxue by the collar and lifted her up: "My cousin is right, you are a nasty crazy girl. ”

Xiao Duxue opened her mouth and bit until there was a fishy smell in her mouth.

The big gold tooth let go of his hand, hugged his arms and shouted, "You dare to bite me? I'll kick you to death! He lifted his foot and kicked at Xiao Duxue, Xiao Duxue couldn't dodge, and between her waist and abdomen, tears flowed from pain.

"Don't hit her!" Xiao Lanshu protected Xiao Duxue behind her and yelled, "She's still a child!" It has nothing to do with the grievances of adults! ”

"Get out of here!" The big gold tooth took off the flute on the wall and tapped it: "I can't see that you, a teacher, can not only tell right and wrong, but also such useless things." ”

There is a tassel hanging on the flute, which is Xiao Lanshu's beloved thing. Xiao Duxue was afraid that it would be broken.

"Give me back the flute!" Xiao Lanshu said with a blushing face, "The things in this house, you can smash whatever you want." Only this flute is not something that people like you can touch. ”

"Yo, it seems that this flute is very important to you!" The big gold tooth's face was full of pride, "Since it's so important, it's even more smashed." ”

Xiao Lanshu grabbed the flute and pulled it hard.

The big gold tooth pushed him away with the brute force of the bag: "you! ”

Xiao Lanshu was pushed and staggered, standing unsteadily, and his whole body fell backwards. Xiao Duxue reached out to pull but didn't hold it, and watched him fall down, falling firmly to the ground.

"Daddy!" Xiao Duxue endured the pain and moved to Xiao Lanshu's side, "Dad, do you want it?" I'll help you up. ”

Xiao Lanshu lay upright, her eyes wide open, staring at the roof.

Xiao Duxue's heart was beating wildly: "Dad...... Father? Father......! ”

Blood flowed out from under Xiao Lanshu's head, and the extremely sharp nail rake pierced the back of his head!

The big gold tooth was stupid, and it took a long time for him to come back to his senses. He rushed out of the study and beckoned the troublemakers to disperse.

The courtyard was quiet again. The footsteps of death are always so silent and unexpected.

Blood was gushing out. Soon, Xiao Lanshu was lying in blood. Xiao Duxue knelt beside him, watching the accumulation of more and more blood, and had forgotten how to cry, how to grieve, and how to heal.

"Snow ...... Xue'er ......" Xiao Lanshu raised the flute with great difficulty, "Take it well...... Keep ......"

"Dad, don't talk...... Don't talk! Xiao Duxue took off her shirt and blocked it in the bleeding area, "You'll be fine!" I'm here, you're ...... You'll be fine...... It's going to be fine......"

Xiao Lanshu's smile was gloomy, and his eyes were no longer energetic: "Answer...... Promise Daddy...... Never...... Don't give up on your studies! ”

"I promise! I promise! I promise everything! Dad, please don't be okay! Xiao Duxue's tears flowed more than blood: "I beg you! You must not have anything to do, my mother and I can't live without you! I...... I haven't gone to college yet, I haven't achieved my dream yet...... You...... You can't leave me behind! ”

"Daddy too...... I can't bear to ...... you."

"I'm going to get you some medicine! Grandpa left medicine, I ...... I'm going to get it! ”

"Silly boy...... No...... No need......" Xiao Lanshu raised her blood-stained hand and wiped away Xiao Duxue's hot tears, "Dad...... Daddy Loves ...... Love...... Love you......! Before the words fell, the hand that danced and wrote, blew and sang and sang all the things fell!

Xiao Duxue wailed: "Dad! Daddy......"

The sun hid in the clouds, and the clouds became thicker. The shadows of the trees are longing, and the wind is gradually rising. Acacia birds flutter around in their cages, trying to find an outlet for their imprisoned anger.

Xiao Duxue held a flute in her hand, her face was like frost and snow, and she knelt beside Xiao Lanshu silently, like a stone sculpture with no thoughts, no feelings, and no sense. If it weren't for the tears pouring out of her eyes, it would have been easy to mistake her for a dead person. She looked at Xiao Lanshu's open eyes and the tears in the corners of his eyes, and her heart was full of holes. She just knelt, knelt, knelt...... Kneeling until Fu Xuefeng's voice sounded behind her. She looked at Su Wanyan, who was in pain and crying to death, and then looked at Fu Xuefeng, who was still kneeling quietly with tears in his eyes.

Fu Xuefeng desperately restrained his mania about blood, and his hands were about to bleed: Who is so cruel? Who is the ruthless man? Who was hurting her like this? I will definitely find him and make him pay for it with blood! He looked at Xiao Duxue, whose face was pale, and couldn't say a word.

Xiao Duxue closed Xiao Lanshu's eyes, and mourned for a long time at his blood-covered face before holding on to the table and getting up. Xu was kneeling for too long, his legs were numb like wooden sticks, and he couldn't walk at all. She stood upright, standing...... It wasn't until he could move that he staggered out of the study door like a puppet.

The sun outside the house was scorching, so white that people couldn't open their eyes, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood. Bees and butterflies buzz around the newly blooming flowers, and sleepy birds hide under the leaves, dreaming and napping.

The sky is blood-red, the earth is blood-red, the bamboo forests are blood-red, the trees are blood-red, and even the flowers are blood-red. The most incredible thing is that Xiao Duxue saw that her hair was also blood-red. In her eyes, the whole world is a sea of blood! It was as if she heard someone calling herself, and as if she heard someone talking, but she couldn't hear what was being said. She searched with wide eyes and found nothing. Everywhere I looked, there was only a blood-red—a void and blinding blood-red! Where am I? What am I doing? She walked in the direction from which the voice had come from, and suddenly felt a flood of fear sweep over her like never before. It's cold! Why is it so cold! She shrank and looked, trying to find a warm place, but without paying attention, Xiao Lanshu's pale golden face came into view. She froze, and suddenly her heart churned, and something hot gushed down her throat. With a "wow", a mouthful of blood spit out, spitting out Fu Xuefeng's body. Immediately after that, another mouthful, another bite...... As if vomiting, she vomited away the fear that had blocked her heart, and her body became lighter. She pointed to the sun hanging in the sky and showed a strange and distorted smile: "The sun, it's set!" With that, he fell to the ground.

Fu Xuefeng moved and hugged her in his arms.

For two whole days, Xiao Duxue struggled in her dreams. There was a fire all around, and she was in it, but she couldn't find an exit. She screamed desperately, ran desperately, desperately begged for help, but she never saw anyone and received no response. The fire burned her body, and she felt no pain, only the stench of flesh and the sound of bones cracking. The red liquid trickled from afar, gradually spreading over her feet, her waist, and her chest...... Until it didn't go over her head. The liquid turned from warm to hot, with wisps of blood. What a familiar smell! It seems to have smelled somewhere. Ah, by the way, I remembered, it's Daddy's blood! Daddy's blood? Father? Father...... Daddy is dead! No, it won't! He's not going to die! We said that we would read all Chinese and foreign masterpieces together, travel all over the famous mountains and rivers together, watch the sunset with our mothers, and enjoy every day of our lives together. He won't break my trust, he won't!

Cher...... Cher...... Cher......

Who's calling me? Who is it? Xiao Duxue followed the prestige, and it took a lot of effort to see the two figures in the fireworks. Who? Who's there?

It's me, Cher. I'm grandpa.

And me, Dad.

The smoke cleared, revealing two smiling faces.

Ah, Grandpa, Daddy, I've finally found you!

Silly boy, we've always been there for you!

I can't find you, I'm so scared!

Don't be afraid, we're all with you! Go back, this is not where you should be.

Xiao Duxue wanted to grab those two hands, but she couldn't.

The smoke suddenly rose, and the figures of Su Shi'an and Xiao Lanshu sank into the smoke again.

The fire is bigger, the blood is hotter, and Xiao Duxue's heart is broken! She roared wildly at the black sky until she was hoarse. Tears welled up in their eyes, as if they were red. His throat and eyes were uncomfortably blocked, and he opened his mouth and spit out a cloud of flesh and blood. Carefully identify, it turned out to be his own heart and lungs. She looked at her heart and lungs that were still beating, and smiled resentfully: If you weren't too weak, how could your family be ruined? Why? Why not protect your important ones? Why? Why?? Why??? She stomped frantically on the mass of heart and lungs until they burst into a mess of flesh. She casually wiped away her own flesh and blood from her body, spat on the ground, and turned to throw herself into the skyrocketing fire.

Behind him, Ye Hanchuan heard a tearing cry. The last trace of tenderness flashed through Xiao Duxue's resentful eyes, and she looked down at her body that was about to turn to ashes, and shed the last tears......

Fu Xuefeng guarded the lifeless Xiao Duxue, and for the first time knew what it was like to be frightened. When he was trying to survive in the open and the dark, he was not afraid; When he was hunted down all over the world, he was not afraid; When his brother betrayed his life by a thread, he was not afraid; From heaven to hell overnight, he was not afraid. But after watching Xiao Duxue that day, he knew what fear was: he was afraid that she couldn't stand the blow, he was afraid of the despair in her eyes, he was afraid of her weird and cold smile, he was afraid of the blood on the corners of her miserable white mouth, and he was afraid of her loveless heartbreak...... He was afraid that he would lose her because of it! He didn't dare to think about this question, and he didn't dare to think about what would happen to him if he lost Xiao Duxue. Is it sinking sorrow? Is it bloodthirsty madness? Or is it a killing spree? He put aside those terrible thoughts and kept his heart clear. Fortunately, Su Wanyan was busy with the funeral and entrusted Xiao Duxue to him, he didn't have much time to think about the future, and only took care of the sleeping person wholeheartedly.

On the day of the funeral, Xiao Duxue woke up, completely unaware of whether she was dead or alive. Marshmallow's warm snort sprayed on her face, and she suddenly remembered that she was still in the world.

There is the sound of drums in your ears. Is this going to be a memorial service? Her eyes fell on the black mourning dress next to the pillow, her eyes trembled slightly, but she did not shed tears, only dressed silently. When she got out of bed, her top-heavy vertigo nearly knocked her out, and she stood against the wall.

Fu Xuefeng pushed the door and came in, and was very surprised: "It's okay?" ”

Xiao Duxue looked at him for a moment, pointed to the clothes on his body and asked, "Do you want to wear linen and filial piety for your father?" Did you do it voluntarily, or did your mom ask for it? ”

"It's Dad, I do."

Xiao Duxue smiled with tears in her eyes.

The era is new, but weddings and funerals in mountain villages still follow the ancestral rules. If the deceased does not have a male to wear linen and filial piety, he cannot be buried in the ancestral grave, cannot be worshiped by future generations, cannot enter the family tree, cannot go to heaven, and can only be regarded as a wandering spirit. Therefore, families without boys either recruit sons-in-law or recognize godparents.

The courtyard was crowded with people, many of whom Xiao Duxue didn't know, who were students and poor families that Xiao Lanshu had sponsored before his death. Some of them had come from thousands of miles to bow to him and say thank you.

Xiao Duxue saw the coffin stopped under the osmanthus tree at a glance, her eyes were dark, and her body shook a few times.

Fu Xuefeng hurriedly stretched out his hand to help: "Don't be afraid. ”

Xiao Duxue stabilized her mood and picked an early-blooming white chrysanthemum and inserted it on her sideburns.

Su Wanyan touched her thin cheek and cried sadly.

Xiao Duxue said in a deep voice: "Mom, don't cry! Dad doesn't like to see his relatives cry for him, don't let him go uneasy. Let's go, let's send Dad on his last journey together. ”

The seventh aunt said, "Yes, the dead must be buried in the earth before the sun comes out, so that he can be reborn as a human being." You're all moving quickly, don't miss the good time! ”

"I have to wait, Xue Feng hasn't met the elders of the clan yet." Su Wanyan took Fu Xuefeng into the hall, where the incense case had already been set up. "Patriarch, seniors, I, Su Wanyan, in the name of the Xiao family, ask you to correct this child's name."

Fu Xuefeng sensibly knelt down in front of the incense case, met the elder who was sitting solemnly, and waited to listen to the training.

An old man with white hair held up the tablet of the Xiao clan and asked, "Fu Xuefeng, are you willing to recognize your relatives?" ”

"Yes!"

"Are you willing to share the ups and downs with the Xiao family, respect the old and love the young, have a beginning and an end?"

"Yes!"

"Will you abide by the ancestral teachings, abide by the rules of the Xiao family, be upright, be kind to others, guard against arrogance and extravagance, do things in a fair and upright manner, and be a person who stands up to the sky?"

"Yes!"

"He is a good son with righteousness! Today, in the name of the patriarch, on behalf of the people surnamed Xiao, I would like to recognize your identity as an adopted son with a different surname. From now on, the Xiao family will be your home. After a hundred years, your name will be included in the Xiao family tree along with the descendants of the Xiao family, and will be worshiped by future generations. Prostrate, prostrate! ”

Fu Xuefeng respectfully kowtowed three times, raised a bowl of wine above his head, handed it to Su Wanyan with great humility, and called "Mom" with great reverence. Su Wanyan took the bowl and drank it all. Xiao Duxue stood opposite Fu Xuefeng, her legs bent slightly, she saluted seriously, and called "brother".

"Licheng!"

Su Wanyan wiped her tears and said: "This gift of recognizing the son is so simple, eliminating many links, I know that you are old and perfect." Thank you! ”

"I can't help you, that's all I can do. The deceased is gone, and the living should strive to look forward. You still have such obedient and sensible children, you want to open up! ”

Su Wanyan wiped her eyes and nodded.

Xiao Duxue said, "Grandpa, we're going to see off Dad, and I'll thank you when it's over." ”

"Go ahead! Stick incense on Lan Shu for me. Hey......"

Xiao Duxue responded, and walked out of the hall with Su Wanyan in her arms.

The coffin had been lifted on the shoulders of the men. Fu Xuefeng walked in front of the team with Xiao Lanshu's photo in his arms, and Su Wanyan and Xiao Duxue held the wooden coffin left and right, slowly following. The soul caller and the weeping soul dragged a long cry, calling out the names of the dead, shouting one step at a time, one crying and one crying. The cry and the cry were sincere and moving, and the mourning was overwhelming, but the weeper and the dead were irrelevant and unfamiliar. But those who are bloody, only silently accompany the coffin that separates life and death, without crying or making trouble.

Xiao Lanshu's tomb and Su Shi'an's tomb are separated by a stone's throw away, but the position is slightly lower than Su Shi'an's, located in the lower left of it, the same bluestone tombstone, the same sitting south and facing north, surrounded by the same green trees.

The cemetery was originally a precarious wasteland. Backed by a small hillside, facing the overlapping mountains and green mountains, it is suspended on three sides and is self-contained. When Su Shi'an was alive, with the approval of Murakami, he exchanged land for land and put it under the name of the Xiao family. After that, Xiao Lanshu hired strong laborers and spent a few days to transform the wasteland into a square paddy field, and planted cypresses on the hillside, and sprinkled the seeds of wildflowers at the foot of the trees. Peach trees are planted on the left side of the ridge, pear trees are planted on the right, and thatch, wattle, wild thorn strips and vines are allowed to grow wildly in front of the ridge, gradually growing into a natural barrier. Over the years, it has changed from the barrenness of the day, especially in the spring, when the flowers are full of butterflies and bees, and it has become one of the most beautiful places in the village.

With just one glance, Xiao Duxue understood: Su Wanyan gave Xiao Lanshu the respect of the Su family. After 100 years, she can be buried in the lower right. The three tombs are arranged in the word "product", watching each other and accompanying each other.

Su Shi'an's grave was already half a man's length of grass. Xiao Duxue looked at the grass, and then looked at the green crops in the field, and sneered: I couldn't imagine that the good land in my grandfather's mouth finally became the funeral ground for the two generations of the Xiao family. She looked at the huge pit, and her eyes hurt so hard that she couldn't take it away.

The coffin was placed on the ground and slowly moved into the loess pit of the right size. The man carrying the coffin asked the master with his eyes: Are you buried?

Su Wanyan cried and fell on the vermilion lacquered wooden coffin, almost fainting.

Xiao Duxue opened her mouth and spit out two emotionless words in a voice that was neither high nor low: "Bury it." The mourners looked at her in amazement, looking at this girl who had never shed a single tear, and did not know whether to praise her for being strong or calling her ruthless.

Xiao Duxue always stood with her back straight, not speaking, not crying, not making trouble, not being painful or sad. No one knew what she was thinking, only that the girl had a cold aura. Especially her clear eyes, calm and indifferent, but intimidating for no reason.

With just a bag of cigarettes, a new grave was in front of me, and a life was completely gone.

Who said that when grief comes, it does not come individually, but in groups? This is clearly a lie! Because the sorrow in my heart is not a crowd, but an boundless and wanton ocean. Dad, I underestimated the power of grief, I thought I could save myself, but instead I accelerated my sinking. There was nothing I could do but let grief soak every cell of me. Dad, should I silently endure the cruel poisonous arrows of fate, or stand up against the endless suffering of this world? You tell me, what should I do?

No one answered. Because no one can hear the conversation between heaven and hell.

The first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell on the corners of the mountain village, so gentle that it brought tears to people's eyes. The funeral people gradually dispersed, and Su Wanyan also went back with the support of Aunt Qi. Xiao Duxue knelt in front of Xiao Lanshu's grave, and added soil to the grave one by one.

Fu Xuefeng stood aside, his gaze moving back with her movements.

The morning breeze was warm, blowing Xiao Duxue's clothes, blowing off the petals on the branches, blowing up the loess in the ground, and raising the red and sand dust between the heavens and the earth, covering the clear and clear sky of midsummer.

After the wind, the sun is shining. Xiao Duxue finished the last handful of soil, dusted off her body, and walked home. Fu Xuefeng examined her face, wanting to explore her heart, but saw that crescent-colored face, except for calm, there was only indifference.

Looking back at the old and new tombs surrounded by red flowers and green trees, Fu Xuefeng shuddered for no reason.