saint ruthless

43,

Sunlight slanted in through the curtains.Downstairs came the sound of selling soybean milk and fried dough sticks in the early morning.

A fluffy head emerged from the soft quilt.The person balled up on the bed groaned, rubbed his eyes, and stretched his waist.It was very quiet in the room.

Very quiet...?

The sleepy-eyed man suddenly sat up with a jolt.

When did I go back to the house to sleep?

Guo Changcheng tossed off the quilt and rushed out of the house, one of his legs went limp, and there was a bang, and the floor of the living room trembled.

Chu Shuzhi, who was sitting on the sofa, raised his eyes from the newspaper, glanced at Guo Changcheng, who was lying at his feet, and said calmly:

"Hey, come early in the morning to say hello, get back on your feet."

There are two breakfast bags in front of him, steaming slowly, containing Guo Changcheng's favorite soy milk and steamed buns.

Guo Changcheng fell down with tears in his eyes, and the tip of his nose was red, but when he heard a familiar voice, he raised his head and said excitedly, "Brother Chu!"

"Ah."

"Are you okay?" "Yeah."

"Do you still have a headache?" "It's gone."

"Really?" "Hmm."

Guo Changcheng didn't even bother to get up, he kept lying on the floor and looked at him with his neck up.Chu Shuzhi's expression was as usual, and he didn't look like he was in a trance or enduring pain yesterday at all.

Chu Shuzhi carried him to the sofa, patted the back of his head, and said, "Eat. Go out after eating."

Guo Changcheng replied dubiously, and looked at him a few more times, his expression didn't look like a fake, before he opened the bag carefully.

I took a bite of the meat bun.Hmm... It's his favorite stuffed pork and cabbage.

Thinking of complaining about that person with tears in his eyes last night, he only felt embarrassed now, but he still put on a fierce look and muttered vaguely, "Are you really alright? Tomorrow Zhao Chu and the others Come, I will definitely tell them that you have a headache, and ask them to check you up. Don't lie to me, or I will be very angry. "

Chu Shuzhi raised his eyebrows and let out a cry.Guo Changcheng's prestige that was stretched out immediately faded, and he continued to gnaw on the steamed stuffed bun with a guilty conscience, his mouth was stuffed like a big squirrel holding a pine cone.

The child ate quietly for a while, then asked again: "By the way, Brother Chu, didn't Zhao Chu and the others come here tomorrow morning? What are we going out for today? Visiting?"

Chu Shuzhi thought for a while, then nodded, "Well, that's a good idea."

"?" Guo Changcheng didn't understand very well, so he originally planned to go out to do what, but he didn't ask, he had never been able to figure out Brother Chu's thoughts.

After dinner, Guo Changcheng consciously ran to the garage to pick up the car, but was pulled back unexpectedly.Chu Shuzhi said lightly: "You don't need to take the car, it's not far anyway, let's walk today."

The two walked to the police station.There is no snow in the small town in the south, the sun is just right, and the winter air is a little mint-like cool.The annual holiday has not yet ended, the streets are decorated with lights and festoons, many shops have already opened, and the Spring Festival activities are being held, so it is very lively.

Guo Changcheng can't find a partner on weekdays, and he hardly travels. Now he sees the dazzling array of New Year's goods on the street, full of the regional customs of this small southern city, and his heart is tickled.Seeing that Chu Shuzhi was beside him, he restrained himself very much, while telling himself no, no, no, no, we are here for work, while sneaking a few glances at the side from time to time.

The child's careful thinking, Chushuzhi can see it in his eyes, and he doesn't expose it. Normally, at this time, he would usually strangle Guo Changcheng's neck and drag people directly to do business.

Today, though, was different, and he wasn't going to do that.

When Guo Changcheng's small eyes drifted towards a certain store for the hundredth time, Chu Shuzhi turned around and swaggered towards the store entrance. "Walk with me," he said.

As expected, I heard excited voices coming from behind. "Huh? Really? That's great—" he realized that he was exposing too much, and quickly took back the middle of the sentence, "cough, um, good brother Chu."

They walked around casually, and when they encountered some shops that Guo Changcheng seemed interested in, Chu Shuzhi stopped and waited for him, and let him go shopping without urging him.At the beginning, I just waited at the door of the store with my pockets in my pockets. Later, I saw that Guo Changcheng always looked back to him subconsciously, so I went shopping with the children.

After walking a few streets, Guo Changcheng has already hung many small things on his body. "Well, this bracelet is for Sister Hong, and the prayer beads are for Brother Lin Jing. The limited-edition specialty local dried fish is for the deputy department..."

He also asked Chu Shuzhi what he should bring to Zhao Yunlan before, and Chu Shuzhi said with a strange expression, buy something for Zhao Chu to treat your waist injury.Guo Changcheng didn't know when Zhao Yunlan was injured, but he thought it would be better to go back and contact his uncle to arrange a doctor for Zhao than to buy medicine casually.

All in all, Guo Changcheng was very satisfied when he saw the hand full of presents.He didn't realize that there was nothing in it that he bought for himself.

Except for the rather foreign hat on the head.

He just glanced at the window a few more times, and Chu Shuzhi came out with a shopping bag a few minutes later.It was the hat that was taken out, Chu Shuzhi put the hat on his head, folded his arms, looked at it for a while, and nodded. "Well, it looks a little less silly."

"It wasn't stupid at first." Guo Changcheng complained, but his cheeks were slightly dimpled, and he touched it several times when Chu Shuzhi couldn't see him, and he liked it very much.

Later, they passed by a witchcraft doll shop, and Guo Changcheng's eyes lit up.When Chu Shuzhi usually catches ghosts, he basically doesn’t do it himself. From skeletons to zombies, everything is convenient to manipulate. There are also many witchcraft dolls. Guo Changcheng gave him several big rabbit dolls.

It's just that I have never seen Chu Shuzhi use it when hunting ghosts, which makes Guo Changcheng a little disappointed.

They walked around the store, and Guo Changcheng caught one of them at a glance. The doll was dressed in black, black trousers and black scarf. He had a cool appearance and a stinky expression on his face, exactly the same as Chu Shuzhi.Chu Shuzhi glanced at it, but declined to comment.

But Guo Changcheng stared at him expectantly, his eyes were clearly asking, do you like it or not.Chu Shuzhi looked away uncomfortably, and reluctantly said: "...better than those rabbits before."

So Guo Changcheng went to pay happily.He was a little excited, this might be his first aesthetic recognized by Chu Shuzhi.

44,

It was already noon when the two arrived at the police station, Chu Shuzhi sat on the side by himself, and asked Guo Changcheng to inquire about the situation.He leaned on his chin and watched, the child was holding a small notebook and talking to the policeman, nodding his head from time to time, his delicate eyebrows were slightly frowned when he was thinking.

As expected, there was no useful information, and Chu Shuzhi didn't listen carefully at all, he was just watching the child in a daze.

Chu Shuzhi can still recall the appearance of the child when he first came to the special mediation office.

At that time, he was dumbfounded, like a quail in a daze, afraid to speak when he saw strangers, and would hide behind him when encountering anything.The little counselor at the beginning is much more stable now, and he can stand among the group of five big and three rough policemen with ease, gentle but not timid, and the logic of the interrogation record is much clearer than before.

When a child listens to someone talking, he always looks directly at the other person with sincerity, and there are cute dimples at the corner of his mouth, which is easy to make people feel good.

Chu Shuzhi was thinking ecstatically at the side, even if he didn't bring it with him in the future, this fool would probably be fine...

Before leaving, the policeman on duty told them that most of the people in the city had gone to the temple in the east of the city to pray for blessings these days. look.

The safety talisman in that temple is famous far and wide, and people from other cities often drive over to ask for it, but the quantity is very small, and it takes several years for the locals to get one, whether or not they can get one depends entirely on fate.

Guo Changcheng's heart was moved when he heard it.It's just that he remembered that Chu Shuzhi didn't like crowds and didn't worship ghosts and gods, so he obediently didn't make a sound.He straightened his hat and smiled happily. The man had walked the street with him all morning, and he was very satisfied.

But Chu Shuzhi seemed to have seen through his thoughts, patted the back of his head lightly, and asked, "Idiot, do you want to go to the Temple of Prayer?"

Guo Changcheng was a little surprised, Chu Shuzhi tilted his head and looked at himself, his eyes were gentle, as if encouraging, indicating that he didn't mind being a little more self-willed.

So Guo Changcheng spoke with a hint of expectation. "Are you willing to go, Brother Chu..."

The man hummed, and agreed very neatly, "Yes, anyway, idle is idle."

When we arrived at the foot of the Qifu Temple, the surrounding area was already bustling with people coming and going.A row of antique red lanterns hangs beside the path leading to the top of the mountain, and the solemn bells and the scent of incense from the top of the mountain waft over.

The stone step road up the mountain is specially designed.There are three winding rows, most people go up directly from the row on the left, and a few people walk along the two rows of stone steps on the right in a peculiar sequence of steps.Walk three steps to the left, and then three steps to the right, as if some kind of blessing ceremony.

Guo Changcheng read the instructions on the wooden sign to pray for blessings, and asked Chu Shuzhi to rest on it first, and he walked slowly according to the requirements of praying for blessings. "I'll go with your share," he said.

Chu Shuzhi wondered: "Why do you go with me?"

Guo Changcheng said seriously: "I will go up and down again. There are not many stone steps, so it won't take long."

Chu Shuzhi felt that the child was so silly and cute, so he patted his head lightly: "I have time to wait for you, so I might as well go with you."

Guo Changcheng counted three from the left and three from the right, hopping up and down like a big rabbit, stopping from time to time, smiling and turning around to wait for Chu Shuzhi, and would urge him after waiting for a long time.Chu Shuzhi also laughed, and had nothing to do with him, so he said helplessly:

"Whether you lose face or not, elementary school students are not as excited as you."

When we reached the top of the mountain, the sight suddenly opened up, the temple was full of people, and the various shops outside the temple extended to the halfway up the mountain, and it seemed that they were preparing for the temple fair at night.

There is a huge ancient tree standing in the main courtyard, the branches are covered with red ribbons, and the tree is red from a distance, as if it is burning quietly and solemnly.

The staff said that this ancient blessing tree has a history of hundreds of years, and the prayers who come here can write their wishes on ribbons and hang them on the tree to seek blessings.

Guo Changcheng asked, "Can I hang a few more straps?"

The staff member smiled and said, "No way, one per person, if you hang too many, it won't work."

Guo Changcheng was worried, he made the calculations, uncles and aunts, everyone in the special mediation department, children in the orphanage... He wanted to make too many wishes, and one tape was not enough.

Chu Shuzhi didn't hesitate, wrote a few strokes, went to the tree and hung it up.What he wrote was that Guo Great Wall was safe forever.

When he came back, Guo Changcheng was still struggling with his chin.Chu Shuzhi smiled and said, "Is it that hard to imagine?"

Guo Changcheng said, "It's rare to come here once, and I can only make one wish, so I must make the most important one."

Chu Shuzhi naturally knew that there were countless people in his little head, so he thought about it and reminded: "Why don't you write about... world peace."

Guo Changcheng scratched his head in embarrassment, stared at the ribbon and thought for a while, finally picked up a pen and wrote a few words very solemnly, walked under the tree, and hung it reverently in thousands of fluttering reds.

"What wish did you make?" Chu Shuzhi was curious.

Guo Changcheng said with a smile, "I can't say it, it won't work if I say it. Brother Chu, let's find that hard-to-find peace talisman they said."

Chu Shuzhi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.However, Guo Changcheng forgot that Chu Shuzhi is not an ordinary person, and his eyesight is excellent. When they passed under the tree, Chu Shuzhi still couldn't resist his curiosity. He looked up casually and found the child just now. Straps to hang on.

It might not be the same kind of words as world peace, Chu Shuzhi guessed.But when he saw the words written on it, his steps stopped.

It was written stroke by stroke in delicate handwriting: May Brother Chu be safe and happy.

45,

They went to the temple to ask around, and were told that no one had asked for the peace talisman today.

"It seems that it really depends on fate." Guo Changcheng was a little disappointed.Chu Shuzhi comforted him by saying that there would be a temple fair in the evening, and the child regained his spirits.

It was still early, and they went shopping in the temple again. When they saw volunteers recruiting to distribute blessing bags to children before the temple fair, Guo Changcheng went to help.

Chu Shuzhi rested on the bench beside him and waited for him.After the child changed into his work clothes, Chu Shu saw that it was a puppet bear with a big head coming out holding a bunch of lucky bags.The look was an instant hit with the little ones, and he was mobbed all of a sudden.

Guo Changcheng is obviously too tall compared to this puppet outfit, and the bear's head is so tilted that it can't fall off.

Many children not only asked for lucky bags, but also lined up to beg to be hugged. Guo Changcheng patiently picked them up one by one, and did whatever he was asked to do.Chu Shuzhi could imagine the expression of the child in the big-headed doll, probably a little shy and flustered, but he smiled nicely.

The setting sun was reddish, and the children around him gradually dispersed. Chu Shuzhi saw the little bear staggering towards him, and stopped beside him.He stretched out his hand to himself, and on the furry palm lay the last little lucky bag.

As if to say, here you are.

Chu Shuzhi smiled, lowered his eyes, and asked him in a voice so soft that only he could hear: "I don't want the lucky bag, I want the person who divides the lucky bag, is that okay?"

Guo Changcheng didn't hear it clearly, and tilted his head in doubt. The bear's head was about to fall off again, and his vision was blocked. He quickly adjusted the position by holding his head.

While he was in a hurry, he suddenly felt Chu Shuzhi gently hug him through the puppet suit.It was ethereal, restrained, like the hug any passer-by would give him if he thought the big-headed doll was cute.

The paw holding the bear's head paused for a second.

He couldn't see anything, and didn't know what the man's expression was, but he still clumsily hugged the man back with his bear paws.

Chu Shuzhi let him go quickly.

Guo Changcheng finally adjusted his gaze, looked at the person in front of him, wanted to say something, hesitated to take off the hood, but was held down by Chu Shuzhi.

"Hey, hey, you're so unprofessional, don't pick it up."

Little Bear (Guo Changcheng): "..."

Chu Shuzhi sent him to change clothes, and he was not allowed to take off the headgear, so the child had to walk away pitifully holding his head, and stopped from time to time to look back, seeing Chu Shuzhi standing there all the time, before going in.

After a while, Guo Changcheng came out, holding something in his hand, jumping and waving at Chu Shuzhi from afar, and ran over excitedly.

"This is... didn't you say to ask for light before?" I saw a brown box in his hand, and in the box lay the peace amulet that was said to be obtained only after several years.

The hair on Guo Changcheng's forehead was wet with sweat, and a few drops of sweat were still sliding down his thin cheeks, but he was so excited that he didn't have time to pay attention. "That's right! The people in the temple said that sometimes they would leave some to be gifted to volunteers, but today they gave me the only one!"

While wiping the child's sweat carefully, Chu Shuzhi sighed, "Oh, it seems that your good fortune is very good." He plucked the child's hair, and wanted to put the hat on him, "Don't catch a cold gone."

Hearing this, the person who was taking the peace amulet out of the box was so frightened that his hands trembled, he grabbed his hat and jumped far away.

Chu Shuzhi: "?"

Guo Changcheng checked carefully to make sure that the hat didn't touch his forehead, then carefully folded it back into the bag, muttering: "This is the hat you gave me, you can't wear it when it's all sweaty, it will get dirty." Dirty."

Chu Shuzhi looked at him and said nothing.

Guo Changcheng walked over with a smile again, and stood in front of him, with a sly gleam in his eyes.

"Close your eyes," said the child.

Chu Shuzhi complied.He felt the child approaching, and the soft breath brushed the side of his face, and then backed away.

Guo Changcheng hung the peace talisman around his neck.

Chu Shuzhi rubbed the frosted rune with his fingertips in a daze, and when he raised his eyes again, there were too many things in his eyes.

He asked softly: "Don't you want this very much, you finally got one, so just give it to me?"

Guo Changcheng, however, had bright smiles written on the corners of his eyes and brows, and said, "From the beginning, I just wanted to ask Brother Chu."

46,

As soon as it got dark, the temple fair began with a bang.

All the red lanterns hanging on the treetop eaves were lit up, and the whole mountain was dyed a gauze-like reddish color.

Lighting the fire from far to near, bearers in traditional costumes came from the mountainside carrying sedan chairs lit with sacred fire, passed by the shops, passed by the crowd, and finally came to the old praying tree, lighting up the circle around the old tree candle light.

The flutes of the musicians sounded melodiously, empty and peaceful.The candlelight swayed, and a fiery red tree fluttered in the night. This ancient tree seemed to have truly turned into a mortal altar. The countless wishes on the tree floated to the nine heavens accompanied by the melodious sound of the flute.

It was as if the wishes of the mortal world had really reached the ears of the Nine Heavens Gods and Buddhas.

Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi, together with the crowd of onlookers, stood a little far away and stared at this solemn scene.

"Brother Chu." Guo Changcheng suddenly called out to Chu Shu.

"Huh?" Chu Shuzhi turned his head slightly to look at him, the child's cheeks were softly dyed by the red lantern and firelight.The child looked at him, his eyes seemed to be asking, do you know what I wished just now.It seems to be saying, look, the gods in the sky have heard our wish.

But the child didn't say anything in the end, silently held up the corner of his clothes, shook his head with a smile, and said, "It's all right."

After the ceremony, the shops all the way from the front of the temple to the foot of the mountain became lively.Liuhua, ribbon-cutting, lucky bags, gadgets for blessing and celebrating the new year are dazzling, and there are many shops selling all kinds of snacks.

The more you go to the mountainside, the more colorful it is. There are all lantern shops, like a sky full of stars in the night.

A boss smiled and yelled at them, "The Lantern Festival is coming soon, why don't you buy a lantern and hang it at home?"

Chu Shuzhi's heart moved for a moment, and he didn't know what day and night it was for a moment.It turns out...it's another year of Lantern Festival.

Guo Changcheng stopped in his tracks and tugged at him, his eyes full of anticipation. "Brother Chu, why don't we buy one too."

Chu Shuzhi nodded, and the child went to the shop to take a closer look.After a while, he picked up an apricot red lantern with a poem on peace, looked back at him, and smiled with crooked eyebrows: "Brother Chu, do you think this is any good?"

"Is this good?" In the dream, there was once a boy who held a light yellow snowflake lantern and asked him this way while standing in a dimly lit place.

Chu Shuzhi was in a trance, the lanterns were dazzling and bright, as if he had crossed the long river of time in a small boat, and stood at a sparkling Lantern Festival in a distant time.

The smile of the person in front of him was prettier than that of a lantern, and he crossed the circle of reincarnation and walked towards him slowly.

For a brief moment, he heard the unspoken words deep in his memory.That voice said, it was too late to meet you in this life, and in the next life, I will go to you sooner, okay?

As time goes by, they really meet again in the vast world of mortals.

Thousands of years ago, children once fell in love with him, but now children have no love interest.Maybe he has broken through life and death in several generations of reincarnation for thousands of years, let go of karma, no longer clings to feelings, and only crosses all sentient beings in the world.

However, when such a child solemnly wrote down his prayer stroke by stroke, he didn't write about the world, nor did he write about the many people he cared about, he just wrote.

May Brother Chu be safe and happy.

Thousands of years have passed and vicissitudes have passed. In fact, the old man has never changed. Guo Changcheng treats him differently after all.

Chu Shu thought, he was content.

It's good to have no feelings, so that if he is not around in the future, the children will be less sad.

Thousands of thoughts were passing through his mind, Chu Shuzhi stepped forward, and wanted to say a thousand words to that person, but finally he only said one sentence: "Lanterns must be in even numbers to be auspicious. Pick another one and make a pair." ,OK."

Guo Changcheng was stunned for a moment, only felt that this sentence seemed familiar in a distant place, but he had never heard it before.So he laughed and said,

"Okay, give this one to me, and I'll pick a better looking one for Brother Chu."

The night is getting deeper, the lights of Wanjia have stopped, and the insects are buzzing outside the window.

Tired from walking today, Guo Changcheng was sleeping soundly, with a peaceful and satisfied expression, and the hat he just bought was still beside his pillow.

Chu Shuzhi stopped by the door and stared at him for a while, then turned and left the hotel, his dark figure quickly disappeared into the night.

The room returned to silence, and there were only two lanterns hanging quietly in the living room, one light yellow and one apricot red, swaying relative to each other.