heart poison

A not-so-large river in the city runs obliquely in the north of Los Angeles. If Hua Chong and Liu Zhiqin drive home, they have to drive along Binhe Road and pass a bridge that is often congested.

In the past few years, Changlu District has devoted itself to creating a riverside leisure area. The greening on both sides of the river has been done well, and many fitness equipment and wooden trails have been built one after another.Every morning and evening, many people who live nearby rush to the river to exercise, take a walk, and dance in the square.

Most of these people are middle-aged and elderly people over the age of 60.

"The volume of the speakers here has already reached the level of disturbing the people?" There was some traffic ahead, and the car was slowing down on the Binhe Road. Liu Zhiqin just put down the window of the co-pilot, and was filled with the melody of the square dance, He quickly closed the car window, and said, "Fortunately, there is a rule in our community that square dancing is not allowed."

"It didn't happen before. It seems that the rules were established last year. At the beginning, no one followed them, but the property management was more responsible. They came to each door to persuade residents, and finally persuaded the residents who danced square dances with speakers every day to go to the nearby park." Chong said and looked outside, "But this is not only due to the property management. Our community is different from the community here. Most of the people living here are elderly people. The occupancy rate of our community is average, and basically They are all young people. When a small number of middle-aged and elderly people turn on the speakers in the community, they will inevitably be stared at, and they may be nagged by their own juniors when they go home. Jump in the park."

"So, square dancing also pays attention to 'there are many people'?" Liu Zhiqin slid down the car window to listen again, frowning, "But it's too noisy, they turned the volume up to the highest ?"

"Sure, how can you overwhelm other square dance teams if you don't drive to the highest level?" Hua Chong said, "Look, there is more than one square dance team by the river, right? My house's volume is low, and it must be overwhelmed by others. It's okay to dance like this." Interesting. Not to mention the large number of teams here, but in our community, before last year, the only two square dance teams were trying their best to sway each other with their momentum, and even raised funds to buy some awesome speakers."

"This is too much." Liu Zhiqin said.

"But they basically don't bother me." Hua Chong smiled, "I leave early and return late, and I only get quarreled on weekends."

"Weekends are the only time you have rest."

"That can't be helped, we are all old people, we can't fight." The car finally drove onto the bridge in the traffic jam, but the annoying music did not subside. It lasted 10 minutes, no matter how dirty it was. When she was swearing, no other voices could be heard in the whole community, and I guess every household was listening to her swearing."

"And then?" Liu Zhiqin asked.

"Then the square dance stopped for a few days, and when we danced again, the speakers of the two teams were both quiet." Hua Chong said, "It's impossible not to be ashamed. In the past, the residents and the property management were all nice and nice. Persuasion, no one listened, and a property manager was beaten. The girl scolded too dirty. A dancer may have never been scolded like this in her life. , That’s how you go door-to-door to persuade people.”

Liu Zhiqin looked at the people dancing under the bridge, and sighed, "I definitely won't be able to live here."

"You haven't considered setting up your home here, have you?" Hua Chong joked, "After all, I don't live here."

Liu Zhiqin smiled, "That's true."

"If you don't consider disturbing the people, when you are old, you really should come out to exercise and have some fun." Hua Chong said: "There are a lot of square dances here, but in fact there are also old people who just walk, boxing, and practice swords."

"I see." Liu Zhiqin said: "But they seem to be much older than the square dancers. Look, they are all gray-haired."

"Observation is really careful." Hua Chong nodded, "The old people who practice boxing and swords are generally around 80 years old, occupying a space, do not disturb others, and are not disturbed by others; while those who dance in the square are much younger. Usually around the age of 60, it is basically regarded as a generation behind. But it cannot be generalized, I have seen old men in their 90s who are still dancing in the square, and old ladies in their 50s who are practicing Tai Chi. "

"When I get old..." Liu Zhiqin suddenly changed the subject, "Go find a sword to practice with."

The bridge is not long, and it will come to an end when it is blocked. Hua Chong glanced at him, "You? Practicing swords?"

"It's okay to practice boxing."

"I thought you could do square dancing." Hua Chong joked, "Practicing with swords and boxing is too immoral, so square dancing is more suitable for you."

"What about you?" Liu Zhiqin asked.

"Of course I practice sword and boxing."

"That won't work."

"Could it be that you want to drag me to the square dance with you? Let's forget it."

Liu Zhiqin said with a smile: "If I am old and addicted to square dancing, you will definitely lie on the window and scold me with a hoarse voice."

"Like the girl in our neighborhood?" Hua Chong shook his head, "Leave me alone."

Liu Zhiqin cleared his throat, choked out the old man's voice, and said, "—Damn old man! Go home and cook!"

Hua Chong had goosebumps all over his body, "Brother Xiaoliu, are you a little high today?"

"no?"

"Shouting without you?"

"I'm just..." Liu Zhiqin's voice softened, with a bit of intoxicating aura, "I just think that I have you now, and I can grow old with you in the future, so I feel at ease."

Hua Chong's hand holding the steering wheel tightened slightly.

"When we are all gray-haired, it would be nice to go to a square dance together."

"Not bad." Hua Chong choked, "If you want to dance, you can do it alone."

"And you're upstairs yelling, 'Damn old man, go home and cook'?"

"'Damn old man' can't make it through, can he?"

Liu Zhiqin smiled with pressed lips.

After getting off the bridge, the front was unobstructed, Hua Chong increased the speed of the car, and when he heard Liu Zhiqin's laughter so close, his heart felt numb.

The car was parked in the garage of the community, Hua Chong called: "Brother Xiaoliu."

"Huh?" Liu Zhiqin was taking off his seat belt.

"We're not 'dead old men' now, are we?" Hua Chong had already bullied Liu Zhiqin with half of his body.

Of course Liu Zhiqin understood what he wanted to do, immediately wrapped his arms around his waist, and caught the kiss on his lips.

The car is cramped and not suitable for lingering, Hua Chong kissed for a while, then stood up, looking fixedly into Liu Zhiqin's eyes.

These eyes are deep, and countless emotions are hidden in them.

But when it looked at Hua Chong, the light in its eyes was always gentle.

"Flower team." Liu Zhiqin rolled his Adam's apple, rubbing his fingers on Hua Chong's back.

"Huh? What's the matter with the old man?" Hua Chong squinted his eyes halfway, condescending.

Liu Zhiqin smiled, "I cooperate with you, but you don't cooperate with me?"

"Tsk, don't you want me to call you a 'dead old man'? Why don't I cooperate?"

"'Dead old man' is not called now, we have to wait until we are all old..." Liu Zhiqin's index and middle fingers pressed Hua Chong's tailbone, up and down.

Hua Chong took a deep breath, bowed to touch Liu Zhiqin's forehead, and said in an angry voice, "Then what should I call you now?"

Liu Zhiqin didn't speak, and raised his hand to clasp the back of Hua Chong's neck.

??

The river in the city shimmered under the lights, and the riverside leisure area was lively for several hours. At nine o'clock in the night, the sound of gongs and drums and the noise of square dance speakers finally gradually subsided.People who had had enough fun dispersed in small groups, chatting about the gossip they had heard during the day.

So-and-so's daughter is in her late thirties and hasn't married yet;

So-and-so's son ran away with a man;

Whose family's daughter-in-law didn't even give birth to two sons;

So-and-so's man hooked up with a rich woman, abandoned her and ran away.

The 83-year-old Tang Qiuhai didn't like to hear this, so he walked alone at the end of the crowd.

He was wearing cotton velvet sportswear, and on his shoulder was a decades-old plastic bag, which contained handkerchiefs, rolls of paper, elderly mobile phones, portable radios, and a small thermos.

Every day after dinner, he would come to the river to exercise his body, first stretch on the fitness equipment, and then go to the place farthest from the square dance team to practice boxing.

His radio played pure and quiet music, but even if he put on headphones and turned the volume to the maximum, it still couldn't overwhelm the speakers of the square dance.

Fortunately, old man Tang has a good attitude and a good temper. He never argues with the dancers in the square. He quietly practices boxing under the willow tree, and he has the character of an outsider.

He lives alone in the nearby Wutong Community. The house was bought by his son and daughter. Some old house demolition funds were used. The interior decoration is relatively simple, with two bedrooms and one living room, which is enough for him to live alone.

There are many elderly people in Wutong Community, some live alone like old man Tang, and some live with their sons and wives, or daughters and sons-in-law.In the courtyard dam in the community, as long as it is not windy or rainy, there are many old people who are sitting or chatting.

A courier boy once said: "This is not a residential area, it is clearly a nursing home."

This is an exaggeration. After all, there are young people living in Wutong Community, but the elderly do make up the majority.

Old man Tang has a strong body. He didn't hire a nanny at home. When he returned home after exercising, he did laundry and made supper by himself. His hands and feet were very neat.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, old man Tang went to bed on time after calling his son and daughter, but woke up inexplicably several times in the middle of the night.

Many elderly people have sleep problems, and insomnia is common.But old man Tang always sleeps until dawn and rarely suffers from insomnia.

In the darkness, he sat on the bed vigilantly, and seemed to hear a sound outside the door.

Could it be a thief?he thinks.

The noise disappeared shortly after, and he waited for a long time. It was very quiet outside, as if the noise just now was just an auditory hallucination.

Old man Tang fell asleep, and heard the noise again before dawn.

He couldn't sleep, and he didn't go to morning exercises, so he ran to the property office early to reflect on the situation at night.

The property manager looked at the surveillance hastily, and comforted him: "Master, you are overthinking. You see, there is nothing in the video. Don't worry, the safety of our community is still guaranteed. There are no thieves or thieves."

Old man Tang was skeptical and asked a few neighbors, but they all said they didn't hear any noise.

But he was still not at ease.

Two days later, he woke up again in the middle of the night and heard a strange noise coming from outside the door again.

Now, he panicked, and called his son early in the morning, saying that he wanted to move to his son's house for a few days, and accompany his grandson by the way.The son refused on the grounds that there was no spare room at home.He called his daughter again, and she didn't want him to move there either.

Old man Tang was a little anxious, he didn't even punch, and locked the door after eight o'clock in the evening, for fear that someone would break in at night.

??

In the early morning, the Changlu District Bureau received an alert from the Binhe Police Station—a major homicide occurred in the Wutong Community. Eleven elderly people have been found dead so far.