Time

In midsummer, Wang Yutong woke up from the heat.

When she woke up, her skin was stuck to the mat, leaving marks. She wiped her saliva and sat up, a little dazed.

Her family lived on the first floor, and her bedroom window faced a row of small yards. Outside the yard was the road, and footsteps and voices could be heard from time to time. From the voices, she could tell that it was a colleague of her parents.

The hot light almost pierced the dark red curtains. Wang Yutong got out of bed, stepped on the uncool concrete floor with bare feet, ran to the kitchen and asked her mother who was choosing vegetables for a dollar, intending to buy ice cream from the small shop in front of the factory. eat.

The summer vacation was long and hot, and Wang Yutong had nothing to do because he didn't want to do homework.

"Don't play outside, be careful and get heatstroke."

Before Wang Yutong went out, she heard her mother talking.

"Know it."

She put on her slippers and bought ice cream. When she was walking back, she saw a piece of paper pasted at the gate of the factory. The paper had a black border on the white background, and in the middle of the top was written two words "obituary" in hard fonts. Character.

“我厂大修车间工人祁先军同志于公元1997年7月20日因病在家中过世，享年41岁。兹定于7月22日早八点在厂内礼堂举行追悼仪式，望厂内各位同志、朋友届时参加。

The factory funeral committee begged.

January 1997, 7. "

Wang Yutong looked at the obituary, and the ice cream in his hand had melted without realizing it.

When I got home, my mother, Qiu Xiuzhen, was washing clothes. Wang Yutong stood by the sink and said, "Mom, Qi Yin's father passed away. There will be a memorial service tomorrow."

Qiu Xiuzhen still had foam in her hands, she was obviously taken aback when she heard this, and frowned, "Oh, when did it happen? How did you know?"

"When I went to buy ice cream just now, I saw a piece of paper pasted at the gate of the factory, and it was written on the paper."

Qiu Xiuzhen sighed heavily, washing clothes more vigorously, white foam overflowed from the side of the washboard and dripped into the sink: "Your little classmate is really suffering too, Dad doesn't seem to be in good health all the time, so young She just passed away, and my mother is also sick in bed, who will take care of her in the future."

The 12-year-old Wang Yutong didn't know how to answer this kind of topic, so he had no choice but to jump up and down twice.

Qiu Xiuzhen thought for a while, turned on the tap to wash her hands, and dragged Wang Yutong into the room.

Wang Yutong watched her mother open the bedside table with her hands behind her back, took out a hundred-yuan bill from her black wallet, turned around and asked her, "Do you have any homework or snacks over there?"

Wang Yutong said, "Only a little snack."

"You take the money and snacks and send them to your little classmate's house. It's a condolence. See how her family is doing. If you need help, come back and tell your mother."

Wang Yutong looked at the money and said, "Mom, I don't have enough snacks, can I buy some more?"

Qiu Xiuzhen stroked Wang Yutong's head and smiled: "Okay, I'll give you some more money for you to buy. You children can buy whatever they like to eat, and buy some fruit and send it to you later. Do you want your mother to accompany you?"

Wang Yutong shook his head: "I'll just go by myself."

Wang Yutong took the money and went out wearing slippers, and came back halfway through the walk. Qiu Xiuzhen, who continued to wash clothes, saw her daughter kick the slippers at the door of the house, changed her cloth shoes and left again.

She went to the canteen and bought a bunch of Wangwang ice cream and Langweixian, and carried a heavy bunch of bananas. She counted the money and added two ice creams.Fearing that the ice cream would melt too quickly under the scorching sun, she quickly ran to Qi Yin's house with the bag in hand.

Qi Yin's family and Wang Yutong's family live in the same factory area, but their father is not in the same workshop.In a small city and a small place, there are familiar people on the road. The children of the two families are still in the same class. Even if the Qi family's parents are weird, the two families still have some intersections.

Qi Yin and Wang Yutong often went to and from school together, but she never talked about family affairs. Wang Yutong also vaguely heard from the conversation between her parents that Qi Yin's father liked to drink and beat others when he was drunk. Hard to escape.This matter was brought up to the Women's Federation, and a large group of people from the Women's Federation came to the factory to try to mediate. Qi Xianjun flew out with a wine bottle and smashed the head of the eldest sister of the Women's Federation, and finally the police were called.

Qi Xianjun was detained and lost money, but the matter of beating his wife and daughter was settled later. The neighbors all said: After all, this is their housework, and the couple will always have some stumbling blocks when they live behind closed doors. Can't manage it.

Later, Qi Yin's mother, Yang Su, fell from the second floor for some reason and saved her life. She became a high paraplegic and was permanently disabled. The factory leaders and colleagues went to visit her, but Qi Xianjun scared her back with a knife.

Everyone said that Qi Xianjun was crazy, some said that he had been out of his mind since he was a child, and some said that Yang Su's fall from the second floor was either an accident or because he was beaten by Qi Xianjun.

These people talked and talked for three years, and Yang Su lay in bed for three years without even a wheelchair.Everyone felt that Yang Su's life was not long, but Qi Xianjun was ahead of her, leaving behind a daughter who had just entered junior high school.

Qi Yin's house is on the second floor of the health center next to Wang Yutong's house.Wang Yutong didn't like going there very much. The health center gave her all memories of painful injections, bitter medicines, and unpleasant smells. The doctors in white clothes were very serious, which scared her.

Before Yang Su became paralyzed, she worked in the clinic. When she married Qi Xianjun, the factory allocated her the current house.

Wang Yutong remembered that the first time she came here to find Qi Yin was still at night.

Passing through the rusty iron gate with the faint light of the clinic, she accidentally bumped into the hanging iron chain, making a clang.Wang Yutong looked around, looking nervously into the depths of the darkness, always feeling that someone was staring at her.Last night, another Hong Kong horror movie was played on the video station in the factory, which seemed to be called "Returning Soul Night".If you wipe the cow's tears, you will see ghosts, and if you jump off the building in red clothes, you will become a ghost.

Stepping on the crooked brick road with one deep foot and one shallow foot, the weeds were grinding on her ankles, as if the hand of a little ghost was stroking her.She quickened her pace and rushed to the end of the brick road. When she stepped on the wooden steps, she could not see her hands and fingers even more frighteningly, and the unpleasant smell in the clinic still permeated her sense of smell, which lasted for a long time.

The dilapidated steps creaked, and the closer I got to the place with lights, the less I dared to relax.Gradually some vague outlines could be seen in the absolute darkness, Wang Yutong swallowed, maybe there was a ghost waiting for her at the next corner, killing her and taking her body as his own.The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. When Qi Yin, who had just taken a shower with loose hair, appeared at the stairs, she was so frightened that she almost rolled down the stairs.

After that, Wang Yutong only chose to come to Qi Yin's house during the day.

During the day, the corridor of the health center is still full of sunlight, shining softly on the white handrails, standing downstairs, you can see Qi Yin sitting by the window sill doing homework.Qi Yin found that she would smile at her, so he threw down the homework book to her, shrugged his narrow shoulders, and showed his lovely dimples.

"I know you are here to borrow homework."

Today she also came during the day, no sunshine, no smile and no dimples.

cloudy day.

Walking up the familiar steps, you can faintly hear crying.She was sure that the voice was not from Qi Yin, but it also made her feel heavy. She always felt that there was an unknown creature in front of her that was more frightening than a ghost, which made her walk slowly and hesitate.

Wang Yutong walked to the end of the second floor of the clinic, which was Qi Yin's home.

She knocked on the door, but no one answered.She knocked on the door louder, but still no one opened the door.

Wang Yutong walked around the door with a plastic bag and stayed for a while.She knew that Qi Yin was at home, so she probably didn't want to see anyone if she didn't come to open the door.I had no choice but to give up, thinking about going back first.

Wang Yutong folded the money, sandwiched it between two packets of Langweixian, took out the ice cream, squeezed it, and it was already a little soft.

Just tear it open, take one in each hand, and go home while eating.

When I got home, Qiu Xiuzhen's mother asked her, and she said that the things and money had been delivered, but no one opened the door, but there were people at home, so she left the things at the door.Qiu Xiuzhen hurriedly wiped her hands clean, and looked at her daughter with a bit of reproach: "What's the point of leaving it at the door? What about things that cost a hundred dollars? What if someone else takes them away? You child..." After finishing speaking, she hurried out. .

That night, Wang Yutong tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about what "death" was.

Can't see or hear it anymore?No matter how much you like the manga, you can't see it, you can't eat the delicious food, you can't see those people who talk funny, even Qi Yin... can't see her anymore?No longer knowing anything, lying in a place of eternal darkness, only one person.Can't move, can't speak, and eventually even the body rots, so alone forever?

Thinking of this, Wang Yutong was shrouded in unprecedented fear, and his whole body seemed to be hollowed out. On a hot day, he dragged the quilt out of the closet and covered him. It was only after dawn that I stretched out a little.

Finally, she ran to the door of her parents' room and knocked on the door. Qiu Xiuzhen came to the door and asked her what was wrong. She said she was afraid that she would not be able to sleep.

Qiu Xiuzhen immediately understood what was wrong with her daughter, and asked her husband to sleep in her daughter's room, and she slept with her daughter in her arms.

After sleeping dazedly for a while, Wang Yutong woke up with sweat on his forehead. After wiping it off, he pushed Qiu Xiuzhen who was still sleeping beside him.

Qiu Xiuzhen asked her why in a daze, and she said she was going to the auditorium.

Go to the auditorium?

"Qi Yin's father's memorial service."

Qiu Xiuzhen said "Oh", took the small alarm clock to check the time, smiled, patted her daughter's head and said, "It's not until six o'clock, don't worry, I'll take you to sleep after a while."

Wang Yutong got up to brush her teeth and wash her face. Standing by the sink by the window, the toothpaste foamed more and more. She saw the white mist surrounding the bald green hills behind the firewood house. .

After rinsing his mouth and face, Wang Yutong went to look for clothes to wear. Thinking of meeting Qi Yin today, he got a reward for progress in the final exam—a new pink dress to put on, and went to the mirror to see that it was pretty good.

Father Wang Jianguo was awakened by the sound of her rummaging through boxes and cabinets. He turned over and saw his daughter looking in the mirror.

"Hey, boy, what are you doing, you dressed up so beautifully in the morning." Wang Jianguo yawned.

"I'm going to attend Qi Yin's father's memorial service." Wang Yutong said.

Wang Jianguo got off the bed with bare feet, squatted in front of Wang Yutong and said, "Little boy, you can't dress like this when you go to the memorial service. You should wear dark-colored clothes, preferably black and white."

"why?"

"Red represents celebration, and everyone feels very heavy at the memorial service, so you should wear dark clothes to show respect for the deceased."

"So..." Wang Yutong immediately took off his clothes, "Then I'll change!"

Wang Jianguo had no choice but to rush out of the room.

The children are too careless. They are 12 years old and have begun to develop. Why are they still undressing in front of their father?

Wang Yutong finally wore a white short-sleeved shirt, a black suspender skirt and black leather shoes, and followed his parents to the factory auditorium.

It was Wang Yutong's first funeral in his life.

Before entering the auditorium, I saw wreaths piled up outside, and the sound of mourning and crying mixed together, which was low and muffled.Wang Yutong retreated instinctively, getting between Wang Jianguo and Qiu Xiuzhen.Qiu Xiuzhen touched her head and whispered, "Don't be afraid, that's Qi Yin's father."

Except for Qi Xianjun's distant relatives, all the people who came to the funeral were factory workers.

"You deserve it too. You drink all day and beat your wife, even with such a young daughter, who can be blamed for the sudden death now? You deserve it!"

"Is there someone crying inside? His wife?"

"Oh, his wife can't even speak, and the feces and urine are served by his daughter, so how can he have the strength to cry? His distant cousin invited him from the countryside to mourn. He started blowing, beating and crying at five o'clock in the morning. My house is upstairs, so noisy I..."

"He still has a cousin? Are you sure it's not that one?" The speaker raised a little finger.

"Crazy can have that?"

Qiu Xiuzhen coughed, and the few people who were eating melon seeds and gossiping turned around and saw Wang Yutong's big bright eyes looking at them curiously, pursed their mouths, and continued talking while holding the melon seeds.

"What's that?" Wang Yutong asked Qiu Xiuzhen.

"Children don't need to know." Qiu Xiuzhen was a little embarrassed.

In this way, Wang Yutong, who didn't understand at first, understood.

Finally found Qi Yin in the crowd.

After only seeing each other for a few days, Qi Yin's face became thinner, and her expression that day, who didn't like to laugh, was a little scary.

Qi Yin was wearing a summer white school uniform and a black pleated skirt, and was pushing a borrowed wheelchair. Yang Su was sitting in the wheelchair with her head tilted, her hair deliberately combed, and Wang Yutong saw the mess in her house before. The look is not the same.Yang Su's face was sallow, and the adults in black went up to shake hands with her and whispered to her, but she didn't respond at all, her eyes fell on the ground dully, Qi Yin stood behind her and said thank you one by one.

When the parents pulled Wang Yutong closer to the mother and daughter, Wang Yutong realized that the corner of her mother's mouth was drooling, but she didn't feel uncomfortable or ashamed at all, and didn't wipe it off as if she didn't know anything.

Her mother seemed to be getting worse.

Wang Yutong showed a look of fear, and at this moment, she and Qi Yin met each other's eyes.