We avoided the patrol camp on the street and touched the vicinity of the Dragon King Temple! The Dragon King Temple is dilapidated, there has been no incense for a long time, and it looks desolate and lonely! Brother Zhang whispered to me and Hei Ni, "Let's go to the temple and hide!" ”。 The three of us had nowhere to go, so we had to take shelter in this dark and dilapidated Dragon King Temple for the time being!

We walked into the temple and found that there was a statue of a god enshrined on the altar, the statue of the god was purple and bearded, and the eyes were angry, and a touch of clear light in the sky was sprinkled obliquely, shining on the body of the god, which was even more hideous and terrifying! Hei Ni found a place in the corner of the house, put her clothes underneath, and beckoned me and Brother Zhang to come and sit! The three of us sat on the ground and started talking a few nonsense, and after a while, we were all confused!

I had a dream that suddenly the sky was bright, and the boat on the dock was smoking, and it was about to leave! The three of us hurried and hurried, and we were about to catch up, when suddenly a big wave in the middle of the river hit and swept us all into the water!

I struggled and screamed, but I couldn't get out of the water, and kept sinking to the bottom! Just when I couldn't breathe, I suddenly heard a familiar and faint voice shouting: "Lao Cha, wake up, wake up, wake up, it's dawn, we still have to catch the boat!" ”。

I heard a shout in my dream, and I was shocked, and then I woke up and found that it was Brother Zhang pushing me, so I asked him, "What's wrong?" ”。

Brother Zhang looked at me in a daze, and said to me, "What's wrong with you?" It's dawn, and you haven't gotten up yet? ”。 I let out an "um" and then remembered that we bought today's ticket, and if I missed it, I don't know when the next boat will wait! I remembered the dream just now, and my heart was beating "thump", and I vaguely felt an ominous omen!

We packed up and hurried to the docks, which were crowded and crowded! I asked Brother Zhang and Hei Ni to wait outside the crowd, and I squeezed in to negotiate with the steamship company, who took my ticket and looked left and right, and finally took a closer look at the sun, and then listlessly told me that there was no place on the ship, and let me come back next week! When I heard this, I became anxious and asked him, "I have a ticket, why don't you let us get on the boat?" ”。 He glanced at me with slanted eyes and said expressionlessly, "Didn't I tell you everything?" The ship is full, you wait for the next one! ”。 After that, he ignored me anymore. I had to beg him in a low voice, "Brother, you are accommodating, see if there is any way to let us in?" ”。

When he saw that I was wearing a coarse cloth robe, he pursed his lips and said in a strange manner: "I look at you, let's go home early!" There are a lot of people here, and even if there is a vacant seat, it won't be your turn? ”。 After saying that, he pointed to a man who had climbed up the iron gate and shouted, "What are you doing?" Hurry up and get down, or I'll arrest you in the yamen!" ”。 The man who climbed the iron gate had to jump down again! Just as I was in a hurry, a group of people suddenly crowded in from outside the crowd, and the group of people protected a short and fat rich man, and they crowded to the door and muttered a few words to the steamship company's people, and the steamship company's people opened the door!

The fat man wiped the hot sweat from his head, nodded to the steamship company, and squeezed in through the crack in the door! The passengers waiting to get on the boat outside the door blew up with a "bang", and they rushed to the door with boxes and burdens! The crowd erupted in an angry roar: "Let's go in too!" Let's go in ...... too! ”。 The roar was like a wind blowing over people's heads, blowing the anger in people's hearts!

The steamship company was squeezed against the iron gate, and he shouted loudly at the top of his voice: "Don't squeeze it, if you squeeze it any more, you will die!" ”。 But the people could not hear his cries, and the crowd rushed forward wave after wave! Angry shouts and yells were everywhere, and the crowd toppled down the iron gates and rushed into the docks!

The people of the steamship company were pushed to the ground, trampled on a few more times, and lay on the ground screaming "oops, oops"! I beckoned Brother Zhang and Hei Ni to follow the back of the crowd and also poured into the dock! By the time we got on board, the cabin was already packed! We originally bought a second-class ticket, but because we couldn't squeeze in, we had to stand on the deck next to each other!

The deck is full of people, and as far as the eye can see, it is full of all kinds of heads! These heads are "buzzing", turning around, and the voices of calling for father and mother come and go! The three of us leaned together, and there was no place to stay, and from time to time there were people carrying boxes and burdens, singing and shouting: "Let one go, let one go!" ”。 I squeezed all over the stinky sweat, and I couldn't help but say anxiously: "What are you squeezing?" Don't you see people everywhere? ”。

Brother Zhang comforted me and said, "You can be content, you see that there are still people down there who haven't come up!" ”。

I stood on tiptoe and saw that there were still many people down there who couldn't get on the boat! I couldn't help but curse loudly, saying, "What the hell is going on? There aren't so many people on this ship, do you? ”。

Brother Zhang raised his hand with great difficulty, wiped the beads of sweat on his face and said, "That's it, it's really fucking evil today!" ”。

Behind me, a young man in a melon skin hat blinked happily and asked, "What's wrong?" You don't know? ”。

I asked what do you know? The young man fell to his feet and said, "So you don't know anything?" ”。

The steamer "whined" a whistle, and the deafening waves spread far, far and wide! I don't know when, the sun in the sky has been covered by dark clouds, the river is gloomy and bleak, the rolling and turbid river, mighty downstream, I look far away, can only see the sky that a touch of silver like light!

The young man happily put his toes on his toes, looked down at the boat, and said to me, "The boat seems to be moving......!" ”。

I asked the lad, are you on a boat for the first time? The young man's eyes flashed with excitement, and he nodded: "Uh-huh! ”。 I asked him again, "Where are you going?" The young man said that he was going to Shanghai to join his relatives! So I asked him, "Do you know why there are so many people today?"

The young man raised his eyebrows and whispered to me that there was a fire in Lingling City last night, burning down an entire street, and when the fire was extinguished, people found that Lingling City was plastered with posters everywhere! The unveiling post said that within three days, Lingling City would be burned to the ground! Mommy's squinting! Who isn't scared of this? It is said that the heavenly soldiers and heavenly generals have slashed foreign demons in the lower realm! You say it's scary! ”。

I wondered, "What does this have to do with the large number of people?" ”。

The young man pursed the corners of his mouth and said, "This has a big stake, do you think about who are those who kill foreign demons?" Those are all heavenly soldiers and generals, and no matter where those foreign men hide, they will inevitably be stabbed! Therefore, everyone in the city who has anything to do with foreign characters is afraid! ”。 He pointed to the entrance of the first and second class cabins and said, "See?" Those who came on board first were rich men who had made money! ”。

I glanced at Brother Zhang, and then asked the guy, "Which street was burned in the city last night?" ”。

The young man scratched his head and said, "It seems to be the south side of the city, I don't know where it is!" ”。 After speaking, he pushed an old man sitting on a bamboo basket napping next to him and said, "Uncle, last night, where was the fire?" ”。

The old man pursed his deflated mouth, which had lost only one front tooth, and said, "Huh? What did you say? Where is the fire? I heard that it was the tube alley not far from here that burned first, and then burned all the way to Nancheng! Hi! It's so miserable, so many people have been burned to death! ”。

I was taken aback, and hurriedly asked the old man, "Uncle, do you know that there is a widow's inn in Tube Alley?" Is it burning anywhere? ”。

The old man sighed, shook his head and said, "It's all burned out, there's nothing left!" ”。

I grabbed Brother Zhang's arm and gave him a look, Brother Zhang's face was also frightened, he let out a sigh of relief, and whispered to me: "Fortunately, we ran fast, otherwise we would have died last night!" ”。

Hei Ni looked sad and whispered, "I wonder what happened to a widow and her child?" Won't it burn to death? ”。 Brother Zhang and I didn't answer her, the river breeze gently blew Hei Ni's hair, a flock of water birds hovered in the lead-gray sky, and the steamer whistled again, the hull suddenly trembled, and the steamer started slowly!

The steamer staggered to the center of the river, where it turned lazily, the bow split the turbid river, "woo" whistle, dragged a long smoke, avoided the shoals and reefs, and suddenly left a trail of silvery-white water on the dusky water!

The hull of the ship began to shake, the passengers were drowsy, and the annoying mechanical noise drowned out the roar of the river! The sky gradually darkened, and from a distance, the sky was gray, foggy, and chaotic! Soon it began to rain lightly, and the rain became heavier and heavier, and the water became more and more misty! The people on deck held up their umbrellas, carried their luggage, and sheltered from the rain everywhere! I shoved the sailor a few pieces of silver, and he put us in the cabin! The cabin was also packed, and the air was filled with a strange smell of sweat mixed with feces and urine! The three of us were crammed into the aisle at the very end, where we could get shelter from the rain and fresh air!

I leaned against the bulkhead, and noticeably felt the hull rise and fall even more, and I squeezed near the porthole, and looked out over the river, only to see that in the darkness of the rain curtain, there were two huge waves like two mountain peaks!

The steamer was thrown high by the sudden huge waves on the river, and then fell down suddenly, and the screams of the ship immediately resounded one after another! People cling to everything they can to prevent being tossed by the waves again!

But the people waited for a long time, and there was no shadow of a huge wave on the river, except for the torrential rain that was as dense as a bead curtain! The surface of the river is as smooth as a mirror, and there is no wave at all! I stepped out of the cabin, leaned on the side of the steamer, and saw in the distance an endless river, and near it was a whirlpool of foaming water split by the bow of the ship!

The wind and waves on the river were calm, and I looked around, but I really couldn't understand how such a big wave could suddenly rise on this windless river.