Unlike when he tried to touch the mobile phone before his death, Uncle Li made a decision very quickly and resolutely this time. He said that if he didn't go home for the New Year, he wouldn't go home, and he didn't even take a look at his children and grandchildren from afar, let alone secretly make an appointment with Aunt Li where to meet. Aunt Li whispered a few words to him, and silently expressed her support. In this way, Uncle Li must have spent the Spring Festival in Yaocheng.

In previous years, during the Spring Festival, Aunt Li directed him to clean up, buy New Year's goods, decorate the house, and prepare Chinese New Year's Eve meals...... Aunt Li is not around now, and she is in the dormitory, and Uncle Li doesn't know how to prepare for this year's Spring Festival for a while.

When it comes to cleaning, Li Yun does cleaning every day, and she is more diligent than the best cleaning aunts.

If you want to buy New Year's goods, they have two ghosts and two monsters in a room, so they will make some diet meal replacements, and others occasionally cook, but the results are not satisfactory. Roasted foods such as melon seeds and peanuts and the kind of loose mixed candies with festive packaging, none of them liked to eat; No one will come to greet them, so there is no need to prepare snacks to entertain guests.

Let's talk about decorating the room, pasting Spring Festival couplets, and hanging a few red lanterns. Uncle Li thought very well, and considering that there were four people in a room with different aesthetics, he consulted the opinions of three other colleagues.

"I don't care." Xue Xiaolian smiled, it didn't seem like a fake politeness, it didn't matter if it was true. After saying that, he closed his eyes and continued to bask in the sun.

I don't know what kind of sun she gets on this cloudy day in winter.

"Cheesy." Yi Xin has been in a bad temper for a while, and after complaining, he asked, "Has that person on the Internet found a way?" Can you put an expert number on it? ”

"He's still inquiring." Uncle Li replied, and then asked, "It's nice to post a blessing word, right?" I see the small shops outside now, and the cartoon zodiac. ”

"Whatever you want. Don't stick to my door. Yi Xin still disliked.

Uncle Li was splashed with two basins of cold water in succession, and turned his head to look at Li Yun.

"Everything." Li Yun didn't care about this either.

His family would post Spring Festival couplets during the Chinese New Year, but the Spring Festival couplets were either attached to the New Year's gift package issued by his parents' company, or they were small gifts from banks, insurance companies and other institutions. The red Spring Festival couplets and the edge of the word Fu are printed with the company's name. One year when he was in elementary school, the Spring Festival couplets prepared by his father's company were particularly "hearty", and the company's name was hidden in the Spring Festival couplets. Li Yun couldn't remember what the content was, but he remembered that the Spring Festival couplets had been pasted at the door of his house for two whole years - the next year the family did not receive the Spring Festival couplets as gifts, and the original pair was not torn off - when they were torn off, the two Spring Festival couplets had faded.

Li Yun told Uncle Li about this with a smile, which made Uncle Li laugh too.

After laughing, Uncle Li sighed in his heart.

He remembered that the Spring Festival couplets and blessing words in his family in previous years were also given by others. The three children, plus their old two, always have to receive some messy little gifts. Aunt Li also said on the phone before that this year, the neighborhood committee sent Spring Festival couplets, which were written by the residents of their community calligraphy class. The one in their house was written by an old lady in Building 18 or 19. She has only been in class for a year, and the old lady writes very beautifully.

Thinking about it this way, Uncle Li always felt that it was very boring to buy Spring Festival couplets, so he stopped this plan.

As for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, Uncle Li knew that it was impossible for the four of them to cook by themselves, and when they had to book outside, the Chinese New Year's Eve meals in major restaurants had already been sold.

Uncle Li can expect that during the Spring Festival this year, he will probably have to eat takeout and spend it coldly.

He sensed his loss and immediately adjusted his mood.

It's also a rare experience. In the past, the Spring Festival was lively and busy, so it will be a little different to spend the Spring Festival in this way.

Uncle Li persuaded himself like this, but when he received Yin Shikang's call, he was still excited, letting him know that he still wanted to have a lively Spring Festival.

“…… The three hospitals hold activities every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, and there are also activities on the few days of the Spring Festival. There are many patients in the hospital who cannot go home, and there are doctors and nurses who have to be on duty...... We also celebrate the New Year in the three hospitals, and there are activities every year. Would you like to come? ”

Yin Shikang laughed loudly, as if greeting an old friend, and his tone was kind and casual.

Uncle Li was immediately moved.

"I'll have to ask the three of them. They...... Yi Xin and Xue Xiaolian are both here, is it okay? Uncle Li hesitated slightly.

Needless to say, Yi Xin's temper is not like the kind of person who can fit into the atmosphere of the party. Coupled with the identities of the two, Uncle Li was afraid that if their company went, they would mess up the New Year party of the Third Hospital.

"No problem, no problem." Yin Shikang agreed, "The more people, the more lively." The Chinese New Year is to be lively. And ah......," he paused, "and we'll be relieved when they're coming." You know, there's been a lot of ghosts outside the three houses lately. They all want to celebrate the New Year. I'm also afraid that something will happen. You're all here, and I'm relieved. ”

Uncle Li laughed, and then he was a little glad that they had met Yin Shikang early. Otherwise, this year's Spring Festival will be really difficult.

Uncle Li thought so, and after hanging up the phone, he told Li Yun about the matter and they knew.

Li Yun immediately agreed, but Yi Xin was playing with a thick medical book without squeaking.

Uncle Li looked at Xue Xiaolian.

Xue Xiaolian's eyes were closed, and her eyelashes cast a shadow.

"I'm not going. The owner may come back during the New Year. Xue Xiaolian replied.

The answer was unexpected.

Uncle Li looked at Xue Xiaolian in a daze. His boss was never in mind in his New Year's resolutions.

Thinking of the salary he has received in the past few months, as well as the leisurely life of eating and living in vain and using the computer for nothing, Uncle Li felt ashamed. He immediately remembered something else. He "joined" last year, but at the end of the year, he passed in a mixed bag, completely forgetting the things that were summarized at the end of the year. In the blink of an eye, it is the Spring Festival, and the company has not said that it will hand in a summary report, and no one has sorted out the company's situation in the past year.

Uncle Li was deeply disturbed.

Such a slack working environment made him very uncomfortable.

If he hadn't retired a long time ago and was used to living a retired life, he would have noticed that something was wrong.

Uncle Li fell into deep reflection.

Even if the company doesn't ask for it, he is personally ready to write a one-year summary. In the past six months, too many things have happened, and there are too many ideas that need to be sorted out.

Li Yun didn't have the ideological consciousness of an old comrade like Uncle Li at this young age, so he asked Xue Xiaolian: "Does the boss want to come back?" He's coming back for the New Year? ”

"We don't live in the New Year." Xue Xiaolian gave a negative answer, "Only the New Year Beast wants to celebrate the New Year." The Year Beast is long gone. ”

Li Yun choked and didn't know how to answer.

"Just come back and see." Fortunately, Xue Xiaolian said to herself, "It's a ...... here." Home, right? ”

In the end, Xue Xiaolian's own tone was not quite sure. When she finished speaking, she laughed.

Yi Xin pouted.

"Does he know what's going on lately?" Li Yun asked.

"You mean the many lonely ghosts that have popped up?" Xue Xiaolian smiled again, finally opened her eyes, looked sideways at Li Yun, stretched her cervical spine again, stretched her slender neck, lay down again, and closed her eyes, "There is nothing special about Yaocheng, every city is different and the same." The boss likes to soar everywhere, not hide in the mountains and old forests for retreat. ”

Li Yun chuckled in his heart, and a sense of irritability arose.

"No big deal." Xue Xiaolian said comfortingly, "When the heavens and the earth disappeared, the world was still fine—oh, there was a war going on in the world at that time." However, it can be considered good. ”

Li Yun's shoulders drooped, and the whole person seemed to have been pulled out of his bones, so he could only lean on the back of the chair, smiling helplessly.

"You guys go to the third courtyard to play. Don't worry about the boss. He won't necessarily come back, either. Xue Xiaolian said understandingly, "I don't like the hospital, so I won't go." ”

Uncle Li nodded and looked at Yi Xin, the only one who didn't give an answer.

Yi Xin said perfunctorily: "Look at the mood that day." She lowered her head again, and flipped through the books spread out on the table, not knowing how many words she had read.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, early in the morning, Uncle Li called Li Yun.

After Li Yun finished washing, he saw Uncle Li standing like a wall at Yi Xin's door, so he took the initiative to step forward and knocked on Yi Xin's door.

In the room, the moans of those dried corpses came and went, as if they had been woken up by Li Yun.

Uncle Li couldn't hear the voice, but when Yi Xin hadn't gotten up yet, "Do you want to knock on the door again and call her up?" Or ......"

"She's awake." Li Yun said.

He could hear the tone of the dried corpses shift.

There was the creak of the bed being squeezed, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Yi Xin was sleepy-eyed, and the plush pajamas on her body wrapped her whole body, and she looked fat, but she couldn't raise her size.

"What to do? Did that guy contact you online? Yi Xin asked, with anticipation in his tone, like a child who was woken up early during the New Year, waiting for his parents to give him a red envelope.

Li Yun and Uncle Li looked at each other.

Uncle Li replied embarrassedly, "No." We're going to the Third Courtyard, you ......."

Yi Xin's face sank suddenly, just like a half-grown child who was taken away by his parents.

Syllable.

The door panel closed in front of Li Yun and Uncle Li, almost hitting the door frame and hitting the tip of their noses.

Li Yun heard the screams of pain in the room getting louder and louder.

This time, even Uncle Li heard a slight movement.

"Let's go." Li Yun said, "She wants to come, and she will come." ”

Uncle Li let out a "hey" and asked again: "Her boyfriend, won't he come back for the New Year?" ”

"Hmm. I don't come back for the New Year. ”

"Didn't make a phone call either?"

"Probably not." Li Yun said uncertainly.

He only knew that Yi Xin was explosive and irritable in the past two days, and Zhou didn't see a single pink bubble up and down, only a smell of blood wafting out.

If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't an extra corpse in Yi Xin's room, Li Yun would have suspected that Yi Xin had secretly gone to Beijing and sucked her boyfriend dry.

Li Yun and Uncle Li are going to participate in the Chinese New Year's Eve party organized by Yin Shikang, so naturally they don't need to bring ID cards.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, the buses were very crowded, and many small shops on the street were closed, but there was no shortage of people. Pedestrians and passengers, dressed in thick winter clothes and carrying large bags and small gift boxes, filled the space.

When passing through some residential neighborhoods, Li Yun saw through the window panes the joyful people and the cold and sluggish ghosts in the house.

"It's really getting a lot." Li Yun exhaled, and no mist formed in the winter air.

Uncle Li carefully grasped the bulge on the roof of the car and asked, "What?" ”

"There are more ghosts." Li Yun sat firmly on the roof of the bus, his body swaying slightly with the movement of the bus.

Uncle Li couldn't see the ghosts hiding in the residents' houses, looked down at the streets, and all he saw were living people.

"I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing." Uncle Li said suddenly.

Li Yun smiled bitterly, "How can this be a good thing?" ”

"Maybe that's for sure. The underworld is gone, doesn't it mean that fate is also gone? That's a good thing, right? Uncle Li explained, "This world is going to be full of ghosts, so there will be more places like the Three Courtyards, right?" Aren't there fewer evil spirits? There are two sides to everything, there are bad places, and there must be good places. ”

Li Yun's heart moved, and then he looked at the ghosts hiding in the living people's homes, and shook his head for a while, "I don't think they can turn into a new third courtyard." Uncle Kang is the root of the Third Hospital. Without Uncle Kang, no matter how many ghosts there are in the Third Courtyard, they will only give birth to evil ghosts. ”

Uncle Li thought about it and felt that it made sense.

"I'm optimistic. I always think about ......," Uncle Li sighed.

If you can stay in the world for a long time, if there is no gap between ghosts and humans, then there is no need to separate from your loved ones.

But death is an insurmountable boundary, not only because it is irreversible, but also because it can completely destroy everything in a living person.

A ghost like Yin Shikang is about a once-in-a-century experience.

Li Yun has also met some ghosts who have preserved their sanity, and he and Uncle Li have preserved their sanity, but he asked himself if he couldn't do what Yin Shikang was doing now. Even Yin Shikang, after he got out of the Third Hospital, he was nothing.

Thinking of this, Li Yun felt that a dark cloud was shrouded in his heart.

The Chinese New Year's Eve atmosphere in the streets and alleys, and the laughter of people, cannot dispel this cloud, just like the shops on the street that are closed because the boss goes home for the New Year, and like the ghosts that should not exist in those reunited families, always inadvertently making people feel a little lonely.

"Here we are." Uncle Li quickly let go of the matter, carefully passed through the sunroof on the roof of the car, landed in the crowd, and squeezed out of the car awkwardly.

Li Yun jumped directly from the roof of the car.

Uncle Li smiled: "Young people are still adaptable. ”

"It's not a good thing, is it?" Li Yun looked at his hand, "I'm getting more and more used to being a ghost, and I may forget that I'm a human being in the future." ”

Uncle Li looked at Li Yun's gloomy face and patted him on the back hard, "Don't be so depressed for the New Year." You young people, really...... Alright, let's go. ”

He dragged Li Yun across the road, and he still remembered to look left and right, paying attention to the coming and going vehicles, but he didn't want to walk more than ten meters and go to the zebra crossing in front of him to cross the road.

The gate of the third courtyard is directly opposite the station across the road, but there is no zebra crossing between the two. Drivers who often walk this way are very prepared, knowing that there are always people who are lazy and like to cross the road, so they slow down - in fact, they can't go fast if they want to. There is always a lot of traffic at the entrance of the hospital, and there is an endless stream of people who temporarily stop on the side of the road and enter and leave the hospital. It's simply impossible to drive through unimpeded.

However, the entrance of the hospital, which is usually crowded with private cars and taxis, is completely deserted at this time. There are also fewer people coming in and out of the hospital. Even in the emergency hall, the excitement of the previous day was gone.

After Uncle Li grabbed Li Yun across the road, he walked all the way, stepping on the lawn, to the administrative building.

Yin Shikang's chosen meeting place is naturally a place where there are not many people during the Chinese New Year. A group of ghosts can let go of the trouble, and they are not afraid of being bumped into.

They also "borrowed" decorations bought by the hospital to decorate a large conference hall in the administrative building.

Yin Shikang sent a photo to Uncle Li yesterday, and he was very proud of his effective organizational work.

Li Yun heard the music from afar, and he didn't know whether Yin Shikang had "borrowed" the audio equipment or "borrowed" a few mobile phones.

"Seventh floor, seventh floor......" Uncle Li took out his mobile phone and looked at the message from Yin Shikang, "Go out of the stairs and turn left to the third gate......"

"This way." Li Yun followed the voice to lead the way, which also saved Uncle Li trouble.

Pushing open the door, the sound of music suddenly amplified, and even Uncle Li heard the voice.

Li Yun, who opened the door in front, did not enter immediately.

Uncle Li probed and asked, "What's wrong?" Not here? ”

In the large conference hall, there are many snacks and drinks on the long table. Along the wall, there is a circle of Fu characters and cartoon zodiac paintings, as well as several unpaired lanterns, scattered between the Fu characters and the zodiac. The music was not played by a speaker or a mobile phone, as Li Yun thought, but an iPod. The iPod landed alone under the conference table, releasing music as if it were howling hoarsely.

"Why no one? Are we early? Uncle Li asked suspiciously.

Li Yun walked to the conference table at this time, picked up a disposable paper cup and looked at it.

"We didn't come early, they were gone." Li Yun frowned and motioned to Uncle Li to look at the paper cup.

The tea leaves in the paper cups have already been boiled, but the tea has long been cold.

"This ......" Uncle Li was stunned.

Li Yun's consciousness was completely released, and he observed the entire Third Courtyard.

"They...... in the delivery room. Li Yun's face changed, "Those ghosts are in the delivery room." ”

He said something hurriedly, and then he pulled his legs and ran away.

"Did anyone have a difficult birth? That's bad. Uncle Li hurriedly chased after him.

"The ghosts are in the delivery room! Uncle Kang, Yingying, the ghosts of the Three Courtyards, and the ghosts outside! Li Yun's answer came from outside the administrative building.

Uncle Li's footsteps stopped by the window, and when he looked down, he saw Li Yun falling to the ground lightly and running quickly towards the inpatient building.

At this look, Uncle Li also found out.

Yin Shikang also said on the phone that there were a lot of lonely ghosts and ghosts outside the Third Hospital. But they came all the way in, and they didn't see a ghost.

Uncle Li shuddered, didn't dare to delay, walked with his old arms and legs, grabbed the handrail of the stairs and ran down.