Is the boss fine today?

Patter, clatter, boom, boom.

It was so loud that Tan Yue had to cover his ears with his hands.

It rained heavily.

The back of my head hurts, and my whole body hurts.The temples are popping and the body is sinking.Every time he is near death, he has a feeling of falling, so he is more inclined to talk about hell, rather than "people will go to heaven after death".

My head is heavy and I don't want to get up.

The gray ceiling and LED light tubes were far and close to him, ready to collapse and kill him at any moment.

His fingers trembled, and after covering his ears for a while, he lost the strength and let go.He touched the phone that fell on the ground, and looked at the time, it was already evening.The inn's dinner service time is from 6:7 to [-]:[-], and it will not wait until it is out of date.

It's time to eat.

Tan Yue blinked, and slowly sat up from the ground, a little dizzy.He touched the back of his head, and there was a big swelling, but there was no bleeding. His shoulders and back were very painful, and he didn't know if the bones were broken.

The noose was still hanging innocently around his neck, but a piece of rope tied to the crossbeam connected to it was broken, and he was lying on his shoulders.

Tan Yue cut the noose around his neck, straightened the fallen chair, removed the rope, folded it and put it in the cabinet.Having done all this, he went downstairs.

There was a strange smell in the hall, maybe the rain caused mold somewhere.Lao Xing was not there, Situ and Zhao Zhao were sitting at both ends of the square table.He leaned over and glanced at the dishes on the table, there were still a lot left.

"Aha, Tan Yue. Are you looking so bad?" Zhao Zhao chewed his rice and pouted, "Let's eat together."

Tan Yue served a bowl of rice in the kitchen and sat down to join the meal.

Situ ate quietly, his menu was placed in a small bowl alone, it should be something that was not easy to catch on the plate.Zhao Zhao talked about his paintings and the poets he knew with his rice bowl in hand.Normally, Tan Yue would have rubbed his eyes against Situ's body, but he was tossed three-quarters to death by the hemp rope, and he was exhausted even for a meal, let alone observing Situ, which wasted so much energy.

Tan Yue's hands were still shaking, his shoulders were weak, and he couldn't hold the chopsticks properly.When picking up a beef ball, his hand was off, and the black spots in his eyes blocked part of the target. He poked his chopsticks on the table, and the chopsticks fell off.

"Ah." He sighed softly.

Situ asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Aren't your eyes good?" Zhao Zhao was puzzled.

"Not completely well." Tan Yu said weakly, "There is something in the eye."

"I'm sorry." Zhao Zhao patted his head.

"It will be fine tomorrow." Situ's voice was low and soft, and it sounded like he was pitying him.

After Tan Yue sat down for less than 5 minutes, Situ put down his chopsticks, probably finished eating.He is also wearing that ring today, and the lifelike sharp-billed animal is shining with mysterious silver light under the lamp, fascinating Tan Yue again.

"Just now I was talking about you with Ah Tu." Zhao Zhao said, "Brother, you are also an artist."

The more she talked, the more she recovered, and she was stunned: "What?"

Without saying a word, Zhao Zhao handed over an Apple mobile phone. On the screen was a black and white photo of a man with a skinny naked upper body, and his unshaven side face had a strange beauty.The photos look like they were scanned from a magazine.

There is also a line of small words below: Young photographer Tan Yue.

The more he talked, he was dumbfounded: "Where did you get it?" He remembered that this was a photo he submitted to a certain magazine in 2024.

"I sent a circle of friends, promise, this is a sneak photo, you are in a daze in the laundry room. My friend said, you are the girl of his dreams, and he sent the photo to me. I think, maybe he I took a flight with you all night." Zhao Zhao groaned twice, like a proud pig.

"It's disgusting while I'm eating." The more unhappy the conversation became.

"This one is pretty nice. You used to have this style. After shaving your beard, you look a lot younger." Zhao Zhao asked, "Are you still doing photography?"

Tan Yue shook his head.

"Do you want to add him on WeChat? He asks me to ask you on WeChat."

Zhao Zhao pushed a business card.The other party's nickname is Qingqing, so it can be seen that the circle of friends is full of landscape photos.He doesn't like to repeat characters, because people like to call him Yueyue since he was a child.

Tan Yue lowered his head and buried himself in his meal, his upper body was slumped, his waist was bent, and he looked tired.Zhao Zhao poked his head over to look at the screen of his mobile phone.

"Have you added any friends?"

"add."

He asked again: "Do you have a partner, Yue Yue?"

Why is it overlapping words again.Tan Yue frowned, "No."

"Oh, that's good, you are—ah!" Zhao Zhao suddenly yelled, leaning back and exaggerating, "Brother, I didn't expect you to be from the letter circle, no wonder there is blood on your clothes in the morning .Going out to play in the afternoon?"

"Ah?" Tan Yue couldn't understand his brain circuit, "What, a surprise, what letter circle?"

"SM, you understand." Zhao Zhao pursed his lips ambiguously, "Where did you play? Is there such a place in Mei Town? Or did you bring someone back to the inn? The old driver took me, I want to try too .”

The more inexplicable the conversation, "I don't play this."

"Then what is this?" Zhao Zhao squinted at him and tugged at his collar, "Strangle your neck, you have a lot of fun. Look at you so sluggish, have you been sucked dry?"

Tan Yue lowered his head, it turned out that two circles of red and purple marks had been strangled on his neck, and some places were even torn and oozing blood.It really does look like it just fought for [-] rounds.

He didn't bother to explain: "I don't know if there is such a place in Mei Town, I'll find it myself."

"Are you playing with women, or men?"

"Look at the person." Tan Yue said, and glanced at Situ. The other party looked natural, without squinting, and would never be disturbed by pornographic jokes. How like a dignified young lady who remembers not to see evil and not to listen to teachings.

Zhao Zhao was still making fun of him, telling him not to kill people in the inn.The conversation became more and more dull.Situ has been sitting, just sitting like this, quietly watching the two of them making jokes, without saying a word.

Lao Xing was not there, only Situ knew that he hadn't brought anyone back all day today, but he was silent.

The rain was much lighter at night, and it sounded like a girl crying through the wall.Tan Yue watched TV for a while, then put on his camera and planned to go for a walk.Situ was sitting behind the cashier playing Rubik's Cube, and the door of the inn was closed. Maybe it was because Lao Xing was away almost all day today so he didn't invite guests.

Tan Yue went to pull the latch, "I'll be back in a while, don't lock me out."

"Let me go with you." Situ suggested, "I'll take you shopping."

After talking over and over again, she refused: "No way? It's raining outside and the ground is wet. Be careful of slipping."

Situ insisted on going his own way, and had already taken out his crutches, "It's not in the way."

A wooden walking stick.The top is polished smooth, and it can be seen that Situ often uses it.Situ went to the door and pulled the latch, skillfully.He lowered his head and smiled at Tan Yue, "Have you brought your umbrella?"

He smiled softly and meekly.

"Take it, let's go."

In the dark light of the inn, Tan Yue stared at him unscrupulously.

Situ put on a very long windbreaker. He is tall and has long legs. He looks like a model with eye holes after a little dressing up.The more we talked, the more fortunate Lao Xing was not here, otherwise he would have lost his temper. His family's Miss Jingui would never keep a distance from unidentified passengers.

The two of them rode a huge black umbrella together, and the more they talked about holding the umbrella, the other hand wanted to wrap around Situ's shoulder, but after thinking about it, he was shorter than Situ, so he kept grabbing Situ's wrist to prevent him from fell.

Probably in order to cooperate with Tan Yue, Si walked a lot faster than before. The two soon saw a middle school with the words "Taiping Middle School" written on the plaque at the door. The school bell rang tremblingly, accompanied by a stream of people poured out from the school gate.

A group of boys and girls riding bicycles flew past the two of them. They were all wearing blue and white striped school uniform jackets, but they wore all kinds of jeans and sports pants on their legs.

"Why are you still in class in this weather?" Tan Yue said.

Situ explained: "This is a boarding school. Most of the students have only elderly people at home, and their parents are working outside. It rained heavily the day before yesterday, so the school left the students to watch, so as not to cause any problems on the way home. When the rain subsides, let the students go back quickly." Home."

As I listened to the conversation, I suddenly became suspicious: How do these teachers from Meizhen Middle School explain the existence of God?The biology teacher must be the most troublesome, just like when Tan Yue was in junior high school, a classmate who believed in religion since childhood used creationism to refute the biology teacher's teaching that humans originated from apes.

Living in this kind of land where man and god coexist, mysticism and materialism coexist, will children's thinking be very confused?Did Situ grow up like this?

The rain was pattering on the umbrella. Tan Yue had held the umbrella for a long time, and his hands were a little sore. He let go of Situ's hand, "Don't move, I'll change my hand."

After speaking, he went around to Situ's right and held an umbrella with his right hand.

Situ was very obedient, standing on the spot silently, like a frustrated man, he couldn't do anything.Tan Yue didn't know why he had the slightest sympathy.

The raindrops from the edge of the umbrella fell on Situ's shoulders, and Tan Yue wiped them off with his hand.Situ looked down at him with empty eyes.

He thought, it's a pity that these eyes don't suit Situ.He changed his words again and asked, "Is it really not curable?"

"I mean the eyes." Tan Yue added.

Situ didn't speak, and turned his face to look at him, his pupils were empty and there was nothing.The two did not speak for a long time.The laughter of young teenagers and girls flowed all around.

Situ got angry - the more he talked, the more he thought about it.

Tan Yue asked remedially: "Are you cold? Do you want to go back?"

"It's not cold," Situ curled the corners of his mouth and gave a puzzling smile. "Shall we go back?" he suggested.

The faster Situ's face changed, the faster the pace of Tan Yue's eagerness to end the tour.On the way back, I came across a funeral parlor, and there was a huge black-clothed paper figurine at the door, with clear eyebrows, a strong figure, a pale face, and the top of its head was almost touching the ceiling.

Situ asked him what he saw, and he said, "Paper figurines are the kind that are burned to the dead. It's so big. Will you burn it to be a bodyguard?"

"Yes, I'll take you to the funeral if I have a chance." Situ said.

"No." Tan Yue refused.

In the funeral parlor sat a little girl with dark skin and bright eyes.She was sitting right behind the giant paper figurine, black and white, short and tall, life and death, weird and stark contrasts.The girl was making paper flowers, raised her head and spoke a dialect, but the more she talked, the more she couldn't understand.

Situ translated: "She asked if she wanted to buy something."

"No, can I take a photo?" Tan Yue asked the girl.

Situ translated it again, and said, "She said yes."

Tan Yue retreated to the door and squatted down under the plastic shed to take a few photos.

The girl and the paper man, Situ and the paper man.

"Do you like photography?" Situ asked him.

"I used to like it." He pretended to be profound.

After returning to the inn, Lao Xing was still nowhere to be seen. The more we asked about it, Situ said that he had bought goods.The two locked the inn, and Tan Yue sat behind the cashier again, looking like a waiting gesture.Tan Yue sent Zhao Zhao a wechat message about locking the door, and the other party replied with a "hee hee" emoji, probably wandering somewhere.

Just as he was about to close WeChat, Tan Yue received a message from Qingqing.

- Is Mei Town fun?

The more I talked, the more I thought about Zhao Zhao saying that he was Qingqing's dream lover. Although I don't know whether this is Zhao Zhao's nonsense or Qingqing's original words, but he has already left Qingqing with the same stereotype as Zhao Zhao's talking about running the train. impression.

-Aventure is more fun.

Tan Yue replied like this.

Aventure refers to an affair in a narrow sense.The other party was the handsome blind man downstairs who was playing with the Rubik's Cube.However, they didn't have a relationship, and they didn't even kiss on the mouth. This was a one-sided affair.

Tan Yue felt a bit of physical emptiness because of this, so he couldn't help posting an emoji in Moments:

So boring and want to be raped.jpg.

He lay down on the bed, and saw the calendar on the bedside table reminding him that the tenth day of the lunar new year was coming.

From the first day they met, Situ has been bewitching him to participate in the sacrificial festival, and he doesn't know what's going on in it.He is very suspicious, but all doubts are limited to doubts.Even if Situ told him that the sacrificial festival was a trap now, Tan Yue would jump into it without thinking.He couldn't wait to die.

"The sacrificial festival should be very interesting, but it's a pity that we can't take pictures."

The more I talked about the taboo of the show, the more I regretted it.

In this way, the much-anticipated sacrificial festival came.