When the first rays of sunlight in the morning shone on Shen Xi's face, he realized with some sadness that his grandmother was eighty-four years old.

The old people used to say, "Seventy-three, eighty-four, Hades does not invite himself to go." After reaching a certain age, "death" is no longer an unattainable illusory concept for them, but has become something that can be faced calmly.

The old man who was talking about it like this was already very open to life and death, not only did he have no fear, but even his children were ready to quietly find a suitable cemetery and longevity materials - in case of emergency. There are even some elderly people who will pick up their favorite coffin and keep it in the courtyard of their home, and wipe the dust on it from time to time. It's probably a bit like cleaning a new house in advance.

It's a pity that Shen Xi's grandmother can't be like other old people, unscrupulously joking with her own life and death with the juniors. She had been unconscious for three years, and it seemed like she would continue to be so.

Shen Xi seven years ago was still a local evil. Since graduating from junior high school, Shen Xi has been making a living in a "mixed society". He gathered a group of young people who were the same age as himself and had been poisoned by the "Crazy Boy" movie since he was a child. With a tattered BB machine pinned to their waists, they picked quarrels and provoked trouble, scourged shops, and became the "old faces" of the local police station before they were even 16 years old. I have to be detained every once in a while.

At that time, my grandmother had become a frequent visitor to the police station, and if Shen Xi missed lunch or dinner one day, and did not call back, the old man would silently pack a package from the box, load a change of clothes, and carry a dirty wooden cane of unknown color, and slowly walk three or four stops to the police station to ask which detention center his grandson was detained. Then he slowly walked to the detention center and gave Shen Xi the daily necessities he needed during his detention. Finally, he went home alone, boiled a few eggs from his own chickens, put them in his arms, and apologized to the people who had been harmed.

Eggs are not worth a few dollars, and it is basically not enough to compensate for the loss, but watching an old man in his seventies who can't walk steadily come to the door to apologize, and he doesn't move even if he is beaten or scolded, no matter how angry the bitter masters are, they will disappear. What's more, Shen Xi didn't commit a heinous crime, the bitter masters often looked at their grandmother and sighed a few times, and scolded Shen Xi for not being a thing, and the matter passed like this.

The days went on and on, from an hour when my grandmother could walk three stops to the police station to find out what was going on, to a whole day after three stops. She is aging rapidly, faster than her peers, even faster than older people.

Shen Xi was unmoved.

This is not because Shen Xi has any reason why he must continue to "mix society". There was no agreement with his dead companion, no lofty ambitions, and no positive reason to support Shen Xi to continue to be a gangster. He's just a jerk. Aside from being a bastard, Shen Xi didn't know what else he wanted to do, or even what else he could do.

Fighting, extortion, petty theft, these traits seem to have been deeply implanted in Shen Xi's genes by the dazed God, and he is proficient in these trades and enjoys them. The value of each case is not large, and it does not even meet the standard of filing a case. It's just two packs of bad cigarettes or a bottle of bad wine. It seems that for Shen Xi, bringing pain and inconvenience to others is far more important than what he gains.

At that time, no one would have thought that such a Shen Xi would have a prodigal son turn back one day, and everyone felt that Shen Xi would probably continue to be like this until one day he was put in prison and did not see the light of day, or simply a bullet, and everyone ended up relaxed. It's just that there are some poor grandmothers, and the old man is destined to be lonely and miserable at that time.

However, Shen Xi did turn back, but his grandmother didn't see this scene.

In the summer of the sixteenth year, Shen Xi was called to the police station to "assist in the investigation". Recently, there have been four or five cases of burglary in the area under the jurisdiction of the police station, one of which directly turned into a burglary and wounding case because the owner went home early. Such a serious case has naturally attracted the attention of the city bureau, and the criminal police team has been wandering around the police station area for four or five days, but there is still no progress. The police at the police station couldn't be idle, and hurriedly called many local snakes in the jurisdiction, hoping to get some tips.

When Shen Xi heard that it was the police who asked him this time, he immediately put up a score. No matter how the police do their job, they just don't say a word. Instead, he stared at the police comrade with a provocative expression.

It just so happened that Shen Xi was the last snake to be invited back today to "assist in the investigation", and the police comrade in charge of his work had just graduated from the police academy, and it was the time when he was full of enthusiasm and a little bit of a young man's bad taste. Thinking that there was nothing to do anyway, and it was not bad to tease the silly boy, Liu Ban, a young police comrade who had just stepped into his post, began to imitate the repeater. "Focus on the overall situation" and "the superior leaders attach great importance to it" are used together, and "ensuring the safety of one party" and "this is the responsibility of every citizen" fly together. From half past twelve at noon to six o'clock in the afternoon, he drank a bucket of pure water and swallowed four taels of throat candy, but Shen Xi still looked like he was not stingy, staring at the young policeman in front of him viciously, without saying a word.

Poor Liu Ban, who had just graduated, had been poured through a bucket of pure water, seeing that he would not go home again, the big vinegar jar in the house was afraid that there would be nowhere to put it, so he could only emphasize a few words such as "report to the police station as soon as possible once the problem is found", and then give up, wave his hand and let Shen Xi and himself live.

Shen Xi also knew his grandmother's habits, and after leaving the police station, he didn't go directly to the fox friends to mess around, but thought about finding his grandmother home quickly, lest she find someone everywhere to apologize and lose her face. It's just that on the only road home along the police station, I haven't seen a hobbling old man.

It wasn't until Shen Xi walked home scolding and saw the toppled bamboo fence and the black smoke gushing out of the window that he realized that something was wrong at home.

Grandmother was lying on the floor of the house, her hands tightly clutching the burden that should be sent to Shen Xi, and a staggering area of dark red flowed from under her body. It was almost surprising that such a skinny old lady could have so much blood in her body.

Shen Xi kicked the door open and was stunned for a moment before realizing what had happened. Shen Xi, whose eyes were red, seemed to squeeze out a howl from the depths of his soul, and rushed into the house and carried his grandmother out.

What happened later, Shen Xi didn't remember at all. I only remember that a lot of neighbors came to help put out the fire, and a lot of fire trucks came, and a lot of policemen asked anxiously beside him. Shen Xi didn't remember anything, only that the grandmother in his arms seemed to be getting lighter and lighter, and the lighter seemed to float to the sky. The light one seems to have to hold on to it with all its strength so that it doesn't fly out of the clouds.

The only belongings in the house were swept away, and the grandmother's head was smashed with a blunt object, and the blood flowed from here. Fortunately, Shen Xi came back in time, and the murderer's arson technique was also a little trendy, and my grandmother only inhaled a small part of the smoke, and with the efforts of the doctors, she temporarily saved a life. It's just that the wound on his head is too serious, and he won't wake up for a long time.

The police classified Shen Xi's case as the same person as several other burglary cases, and Shen Xi also mobilized all his fox friends and dogs, but there was still no progress. The murderer disappeared into the vast sea of people as if he had never appeared, and there has been no similar case since.

Together with Shen Xi, the police fell into a dead end.

My grandmother was admitted to the ICU and fell asleep quietly to the sound of a monotonous instrument. Shen Xi's activities became regular, and at two o'clock in the afternoon every day, he appeared on time in the intensive care unit on the fifth floor of the Municipal People's Hospital, lined up with other anxious or numb family members, and waited for an hour to visit.

The cost of 1,500 days in the ICU is almost sky-high for Shen Xi, and the per capita income of residents in Ningyuan County is no more than 10,000 yuan. The floating wealth is gone, and the family's savings are like snowflakes floating on the hot water, quickly disappearing without a trace. Shen Xi tried to raise money from all channels, and just after he borrowed all his fox friends and dogs, he hesitated.

It's not that fox friends are not unethical, but a group of old boys who have almost no concept of saving can take out a few bills from their pockets? The only remaining way to raise money is to go back to their old business and extort money from those street shops.

But just as he was thinking about how to start, Shen Xi, who had been blackmailed many times, stopped Shen Xi, who was passing by.

"Is your old lady better?" The chubby boss took out three hundred yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Shen Xi's pocket without saying anything, "You don't have much money, you should take it first." Some of the other neighbors tried to figure it out, and they were always able to come up with something. ”

Shen Xi was stunned, he looked up and down at this middle-aged man who had been blackmailed by himself, as if he had seen the most incredible scene in the world.

"Xiao Shen, when it comes to money, the neighbors can always think of a way for you. But there is one thing, you have to promise you, Uncle Zhao and me. The boss patted Shen Xi's shoulder, "You can't do it anymore." Your grandmother can't get up from the bed now, if something happens to you again, who will take care of the old lady who is still in the hospital?"

Shen Xi was silent for a long time. Nodding.

Back in the hut, Shen Xi sat on the stool for a long time. He didn't turn on the light, and the room gradually turned from golden at dusk to pitch black. Then the moonlight poured into the window, lightly gilding the furnishings of the room with a layer of silver.

Shen Xi suddenly raised his head and let out a long breath, as if he had made a decision. I got up and turned on the light, and pulled out a small yellowed notebook. After finding a number, I copied it in the palm of my hand. Then he pushed open the door of the house, found the public phone not far away, and carefully pressed them one by one according to the numbers in his hand.

"Hey?" a young woman's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Let Mr. Qian answer the phone, I'm Shen Xi. Shen Xi said softly.

"I don't know. The young woman was visibly impatient, "Just say whatever you want." ”

"This number was given to me by Qian Sanming. You can't do what I'm going to tell him. Don't get yourself in trouble, let him answer the phone!" Shen Xi raised his voice a little.

The woman on the other side of the phone was obviously frightened, and after more than ten seconds, with a crisp slap, a man's voice came through the phone, "Mr. Shen, I haven't seen you for a long time." ”

"Mr. Qian, I don't have much time to be polite to you. I agreed to your previous offer. But there is one condition. Shen Xi said in a deep voice.

"It's hard for me to imagine you'd make a condition with me. Or rather, it's hard for me to imagine that Mr. Shen would agree to that offer. Qian San was obviously a little surprised, but also with excitement that could not be concealed. "Say, as long as I can do it, just mention it. ”

"Give me half a million, cash. In the future, I will account for 30% of the net profit. ”

"500,000 is no problem, 30% net profit is too high, I can only promise you 10% and a half. ”

"Yes. Before three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, let people send the money to Ningyuan Central Hospital, and we will meet and talk about other things. ”