Within twenty-four hours, I was once again caught between the two. Millet was still on my right, but on my left was my sister. The first event of the race is a three-person four-legged run. In normal times, it must be the iron triangle of "Ye Kemi", but today Ye Boss and Ah Fang must be inseparable. The upper limit of three people met four people to be combined, and it was about to fall into the situation of "two peaches killing three soldiers", and my sister happened to find me in time and took the initiative to find me, the reason was that she didn't want to tie up with the sworn enemy fans - she was talking about Yue Yin. I thought that the three girls would form a team, but the current situation is that Xu Mu found Mu Zheng and Huang Minxue, my sister followed us, and Yue Yin took a camera alone to take pictures of Ye Ruiyang and Ming Ming.

"Is that good? Hang Yue Yin aside. "I watched my sister tie both of our legs to a rope.

"Who's your sister? Me or her? She said without looking up.

"It's good that Brother Chuan and Brother Tao are here. There are ten of us today, no matter how you count it, there is one more. Miller said.

"Alright, peace of mind, I'm kidding. Yue Yin told me that she wanted to film us. I know her too well, she's waiting for us to go out to the ocean. So give me a little more seriousness in a moment, but don't fall, and don't let her shoot if she falls! She tugged at my cheek, "I'll go and replace Yue Yin in the next round." ”

Standing on the starting line, there are all kinds of combinations around, there are two adults sandwiching a child, there are also three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, and three mothers in down jackets, eager to try, and the children ride on their father's neck to cheer them on. Ye Ruiyang's group, obviously on the left, Ah on the right, Ye Ruiyang in the center, the height of the three of them constitutes a "difference series", from a distance it looks like a slide, or a right-angled trapezoid that falls to the ground, which makes people laugh.

In the end, three people and four legs are different from two people and three legs, two people can rely on tacit understanding, and three people will talk about unity. My sister agreed, and the three of them shouted together, one is to step with the left foot, and the other is to step with the right foot.

"You don't really want to win, do you? Let's aim not to fall......" I will say in disbelief.

"What do you say! Aren't you still fighting for the first place in the field? "The right side of the face was also pulled.

"That's it, look at the people's Millet, and then look at you! Say this kind of frustration again, I'll clean you up with Miller! ”

I'm curious to know how they're going to "clean up" me, other than pinching my face.

As soon as the whistle sounded, several groups of people staggered and almost fell to the ground. Amid screaming and laughter, my sister and Miller trembled and grabbed me by the shoulders to hold themselves steady - fortunately I stood firm and didn't pull them both down. The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is cruel, and we have just taken the first step to realize this. Bold words were suddenly forgotten, running was absolutely impossible, we were walking on thin ice, rhythmically chanting "one" and "two", like toddlers, meticulously moving forward a little bit. As I grew to make my strides a little bigger, I thought about the swaying and bulkiness of sumo wrestlers on stage. It's still slow, but we're moving forward. In the sound of the clicking camera, Mi Le realized that we were a lot behind the leaders, and said seemingly casually that Boss Ye They were going to the end. My sister and I looked up and saw that the group of "equal difference sequences" was the only team that half-walked and half-run, Ye Ruiyang shouted the beat in the middle, and the three of them did not have the slightest incoordination, which can be called well-trained. The huge right-angled trapezoidal back has already touched the finish line. As for the three members of the band, I couldn't see their backs, and I couldn't turn back.

Want to be faster? I asked. No, it's a shame to fall, Yue Yin is waiting for us, my sister said. But it's a shame to be left behind, Miller said. It would be nice if we could finish it, I said. Let's stop talking about it and move on. It seems that neither a little faster nor the same stays, still softly shouting two simple beats and walking on their tracks. The neighborhood was noisy, not only laughing and shuttering, but also cheers from crossing the finish line and complaining after falling. They were happening all around us, but I felt a little vague and suspicious, as if they had little to do with the three people who were moving forward. All I had to focus on was simply stepping my legs and counting them, and then I was close to the people next to me, a little closer, to prevent them from falling. As we walked longer, we seemed to trust each other more, and we naturally picked up our pace. In the silence of each other, that safety and steadiness rose in my body with the sound of footsteps.

The moment we crossed the finish line, Ye Ruiyang and Ah Fang ran up to pick us up and helped us untie the rope by the way. The first few minutes of freedom of our hands and feet were a little uncomfortable, just as uncomfortable as the three of us were when we took the first step together. In the process of walking hand in hand, I seemed to forget about myself and become one with the two people next to me. But "self" seems to be everywhere, so much so that I reconfirm it every step I take.

"You guys are pretty good, although it's tenth, but the top ten have small prizes." Yue Yin slipped over and praised us, and then pointed out that we were too serious, and both of us, one on the left and one on the right, were infected by me, and their faces were expressionless, and they walked forward as if they were rushing to the execution ground side by side. As she spoke, she showed the photos to everyone, and sure enough, they were all in an unchanging and righteous posture. Everyone laughed, only my sister grabbed Yue Yin and asked her to delete the picture. After a while, the remaining three people came over in disgrace, patting their clothes as they walked, and they knew what was going on at a glance. Xu Mu reluctantly wanted to hammer Huang Minxue in public, saying that he was mischievous and deliberately dragged his feet, causing the two of them to fall several times. So Huang Minxue's classic assertion appeared again: Who is holding back whom? Puppies have hind legs.

This time, he blatantly grimaced at Xu Mu, even though he was already grimacing. Xu Mu pressed his hat and rubbed his short hair hard before it was finished. This is probably the first time we have witnessed her use of force against him in front of everyone.

"It's you who are uneducated! Haven't you heard that classic metaphor? Spring bears. It is to roll down the grass along the mountain grass with a fluffy bear and grunt down for a whole day. I just want the three of us to lie on the grass like bears! Huang Minxue said while taking off his hat to tidy up, but Xu Mu knocked on his head again, saying that it was enough for him to roll for a day, and the farther he rolled, the better. [1]

Ye Ruiyang must agree.

"It's a pity, it's winter, not spring, the grass is withered, and it's boring to roll." Xuexue shook his body, and the withered grass on his clothes fell one after another. So we went back to the check-in and waited for another race. I'll never know what's in Huang Minxue's head, but I like the story of the little bear, but I don't know what the bear rolling can metaphorize for.

This time, the two competed as a team. Hearing this, a premonition that I would be "robbed" again: If my sister and Miller both choose me, they will really be in a dilemma. It turned out to be self-inflicted, and my sister came straight to me and said you and Mile together. Ye Ruiyang's partner is, of course, Ah Fang, and Mu Zheng studied together, but as a result, it became Ming Ming, who was left aside. I quietly asked Mi Le if he wanted him to accompany Mingming, I formed a team with my sister, and my nose was shaved hard after speaking, and I was taught by him to listen to my sister obediently. Fortunately, Yue Yin and Ming Ming are very familiar, and the two of them got together, and my sister is naturally in a team with Xu Mu.

The relationship between my sister and Yue Yin should be very good, but she doesn't want to be a partner, is it just that she doesn't like the team supported by the other party? Not necessarily, obviously I am not so familiar with Xu Mu, probably my sister didn't go with Yue Yin in order to let Xu Mu have an acceptable partner. She just didn't say it.

The host said the name of the competition, and our faces turned red as soon as we heard it: "The Hand of the Son".

"It's so greasy! A good poem is ruined! My sister frowned, she must have wanted to pick but couldn't. Xu Mu took the initiative to pat her, saying that it didn't matter if she didn't want to play, she wasn't interested in this kind of game with a very crooked name. Before we could hear the rules of the game, we had one less group of people.

And after being led to the game location, everyone seems to feel a little bad - the host is standing at the door of the haunted house and saying the rules.

The game requirements are actually not difficult, this haunted house is a small maze, and the lighting is very dim, if you don't want to lose your companions, you can only hold hands. A certain number of combinations are added at a time to see which group comes out first within the allotted time. Of course, each group will have a communication device – you can quit at any time if you want to, and a staff member will come to pick you up.

This game seems to be worse than its name.

After the rules were announced, there was a commotion in the crowd, many of them adults and children, many of whom turned away after hearing this, but there were still many people who stayed to participate in the competition. After the dispersal, the ten people gathered together to wait for the play, and while we were chatting, we suddenly noticed a group of people standing next to us: most of them were wearing school uniforms and sneakers, all dressed as junior high school students. One of the men had a small flat head, and he was particularly tall, at least 1.8 meters, "standing out from the crowd". Just in confusion, Yue Yin said that she recognized it, it was a student of No. 54 Middle School, and like us, it was the football team of No. 54 Middle School, and she had seen the tall boy in the Mayor's Cup match report. When Ah Fang heard this, he wanted to say hello to them. Yue Yin led him away, and the other party was a little surprised at first, but soon he talked and laughed, after all, they were all the same age, and they had common hobbies. After a while, the tall boy walked up to us with two other classmates.

"Da Ka Hao, even called Chen Yanba, fifty-four middle land." The tall boy held out his hand while speaking the local dialect. He has thick eyebrows, small eyes that are sunken in their sockets, and a little out of place for his tall body, but he has a very kind attitude. Maybe I was standing at the front, he looked at me, condescending, and couldn't hide if he wanted to.

"Occasionally, it's Ke Peiwei, these are all teammates in the four places...... "I was also led by him to speak the local dialect, and reached out to shake him, and then leaned to the side a little crampedly. Everyone greeted him quite calmly.

"I know you. The goalkeeper of No. 1 Middle School performed very well and saved Kitagawa's penalty. But you're shyer than I thought. A boy about the same height as me walked up, his face was very thin, he wore a pair of dark glasses, and he looked like the kind of student who was good at math, "My name is Qiao Li, and I am a striker in the fifty-fourth middle school. If you hadn't saved that penalty, we might have to play against each other next term. ”

"It's not that there is no chance, we can see you in the final." Huang Minxue came out from behind the crowd, and the three boys in the fifty-fourth were also shocked by his appearance.

"This ...... What is it? Qiao Li's glasses almost didn't fall off.

"Don't worry about this netherworld, I'll send him where he belongs." Xu Mu pushed Huang Minxue in the direction of the haunted house, "You continue to talk." ”

I also faintly heard her telling him not to embarrass our school, and he replied that he was not wearing a school uniform.

"Hello, my name is Mu Zheng." Xuexue's partner stepped forward to say hello, and he shook hands with all three of them.

"I've known you for a long time, and I've also listened to your mother's lectures, in the Jiangyuan Library." The dark-skinned boy said that he was not very tall, but his hands were the largest of the three, and his hair should be naturally curly, "My name is Man Lin, and Yan Ba are both central defenders in the fifty-four." By the way, who is Ye Ruiyang? ”

Boss Ye, who was suddenly named, was inexplicable, and Ah Fang pulled him in front of them.

"You're Ah Fang's brother? I just talked to your brother, we are short of right-back, and your brother will definitely be in the school team next year. Besides, isn't Bayern Munich's 'Afon' a full-back? Man Lin shook his hand with him.

"Don't bully him." Ye Ruiyang "warned" him kindly.

"Rest assured. Man Lin has practiced boxing, with him, who dares to touch your brother's hair? Qiao Liyi said, everyone was "in awe", Man Lin was a little embarrassed, scratched his head awkwardly and said that it was a joke. Yue Yin asked if they were going to participate in the competition too, and the three of them all smiled and said that it would be good to take a look.

In between the words, the game has been played for four rounds, and the current best time is three minutes and eight seconds. However, in the end, there are only two pairs of partners who can complete the whole process, and they are naturally a couple combination.

All of us were squeezed to the final round. In normal times, I would never go to such a ghost place. But I feel like I have to go this time. Maybe it's because he knows that he is with Millet, so he is no longer so afraid; Maybe I felt like I had to show a little bit of courage in front of my sister today. I don't know, but this time I didn't run away.

But as soon as I entered the dark door, I habitually closed my eyes, and I had a conditioned reflex to the words "ghost city in the city". Luckily, Miller was ahead of me, and I just had to follow behind and hold his hand. In a short period of time, the slightest tension gradually wrapped around my body. I don't know what I'm worried about, there are no ghosts in the world - if only there were, but worries exist. The person who held my hand seemed to notice it, probably because my hand was hot, and he naughtily scratched my palm with his fingertips, a little itchy.

"Millet."

"I'm here."

I walked very slowly, very slowly, and stepped on Miller's heel a few times. I apologized to him and he didn't blame me.

Don't be afraid, I'll tell you if you want to change direction. He said.

Miller's soft words made me feel the reliability of his promises, but I couldn't see my own path. Maybe it's walking quite straight, maybe it's on the verge of falling. I couldn't tell where I was or how far I had to go until I left this dark labyrinth. The eyes are too important to see clearly, and they can't even sail without oars, it's more like going with the flow in the dark.

"We're a lot behind." I didn't care about the results of these competitions, but I couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know, how can you have the heart to look at others? Besides, I can't see it. ”

"Brother! Elder brother! "Ah Fang's screams from nowhere frightened me, and I almost didn't know where to go.

"How far have I gone?" I asked.

"Don't think about that. Just watch your step. ”

"Do you feel like I'm going fast?"

"It's you who is walking, and you think you can do it."

"But wouldn't it be a shame if we were the last one?"

"Didn't you say it today, it's good to be able to finish. Let's just finish this journey together. ”

I'm in a trance, whose hand is I holding and walking? Millet's or his own? At this moment, it seems that it is Mile who walks with his eyes closed, and I am the one who leads the way. Maybe people really aren't static.

If I could see other people, I think I would be able to walk with more peace of mind. I knew the gap between them and me, and I knew if I wanted to go faster or slower. But I don't know anything now, and the only thing I know is that it comes from my fellow travelers. There was a cheer that was almost coaxing, and someone had hit the line. I'm getting more agitated. Unlike the previous three-person four-legged run, I saw Ye Ruiyang's neat steps towards the finish line, and I knew that they were far away from me, and I couldn't catch up, and I didn't have to catch up. And now I don't know where I've gotten and I'm not sure if I should catch up. I can't see my own way or the way of others, and I want to stop where I am and crouch down with my knees crossed rather than keep moving forward, if Miller is not by my side. He was there, and told me unequivocally that he had always been there. It made me feel moved and nervous, and I wanted to run.

"Don't worry."

"I'm not in a hurry."

"You can't fool me, your palms are sweaty and hot. I actually understand that I'm here to play today, so there's no need to hurry. ”

As he spoke, I walked, still slowly, like a hunter waiting in the middle of a dense forest, approaching the prey that did not exist.

"We go very fast on a normal basis. I even wanted to be two or three times faster than others, because I knew that when I was walking, they were even running, running far ahead of me. I was so panicked that I was always afraid of being thrown farther away. So, today I have an opportunity to walk slowly and finish it, and I want to cherish it.

"Don't be distracted. However, if you don't want to play, just let me know and I'll call the staff. I'm right next to you, don't worry.

"It's amazing. At first, I was a little concerned about the people next to me, but then I noticed that you walked slowly and carefully, and gradually I was not in a hurry at all. ”

"Millet."

"Huh?"

"I feel like I'm on a horse, and you're leading me. The two of us walked together on the mountain path. ”

"Really? So where will we go over the mountain? ”

"I don't know. But as long as we keep going, we can always get there. ”

"Alright, then I'll tell you, we're here."

I hesitated for a few seconds before realizing that there was a light in front of me, even with my eyes closed. There was applause and cheers, and I heard everyone gather around. After a few minutes of "blindness", the scene in front of me was so bright, and the withered yellow earth was dyed with a layer of green, as if Miller and I had really crossed a hill, walked out of winter, and came to the land through which spring passed.

Congratulations, although you are the last place, at the end of the five rounds, only four groups of players have completed the whole course within the allotted time. The moderator told us. One of us got a giant rainbow lollipop, and Yue Yin had two - her partner didn't join her in accepting the prize. We discussed it and crushed the four lollipops through the plastic wrapper and turned them into small colored candy cubes, so that everyone could have a share, and even the extra could be distributed to the 54th middle school classmates who had made an appointment to meet in the finals.

[1] The bear metaphor is from Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood.

"Spring bears?" Midoriko raised her face again, "What spring bear?" “

"In the spring field, you are walking alone, and there is a lovely little bear walking opposite, covered with fur like velvet and with bulging eyes. It says to you, 'Hello, Miss, will you roll around with me?' Then you hugged the bear and rolled down the clover hill for a whole day. Awesome, you say, isn't it awesome? “

"It's amazing."

"That's how I like you."