Of Mountains and Rivers

If it is in northern China, where the four seasons are distinct, it is usually in the middle and late November, and it has basically entered winter. Chu Huan can’t remember the days he lived in the Liyi tribe, but he just roughly calculated it. He vaguely felt that it was coming soon. It's the Gregorian year.I don’t know which calendar the Liyi tribe uses. Anyway, in terms of temperature, it’s only at the level of early autumn, and it’s almost the same as when Chu Huan first came here—if you’re afraid of the cold, add a thin windbreaker jacket, don’t be silly. The boy has thick skin and strong firepower, so he doesn't wear anything, so he doesn't do anything.

The leaves in the forest are still green, the grass is lush and lush, and even the snakes are not about to hibernate, but they are slightly afraid of the cold when the dew is heavy in the morning and evening.

At that time, Nanshan mentioned "winter", and Chu Huan still felt a little unbelievable: "Fengshan? You are so far south here, is it so cold in winter?"

Nanshan replied: "You will know when winter comes."

But when will winter come?

If possible, he hoped that winter would never come, but he restrained himself from thinking so rarely, delusions were a drug that aggravated the pain.

On the No. 14 morning just after that day, Chu Huan got up before dawn to exercise routinely as usual, but as soon as he opened the door, he froze.

The mist that originally floated on the river has undergone a great shift overnight, covering the entire land. Looking around, you can see that the distance is vast, it is a strange scene surrounded by clouds and mountains, and the high ceilings of the clan's houses are all over the ground. A little tip appeared in the white mist, like flying through the clouds.

The entire valley and plain became ethereal, and people standing in it seemed to have stepped into the Nantian Gate with one foot.

...That's good, he ascended to the sky ahead of time before he died.

Chu Huan took off his frosted glasses, wiped them with his cuffs, and then walked into the thick fog. The temperature did not actually drop, but the trees in the forest showed signs of winter.They may have collectively had a big worry, and they all went bald overnight.There was a thick layer of frost-covered leaves on the ground, but in the air there were only dead branches that had been slaughtered, propped up there in all directions, propping up a heavy dead air.

Chu Huan lingered in front of the familiar forest for a while, and then he understood without warning in his heart—it turned out that this was the winter of the Liyi tribe.

He didn't continue walking, turned around, and went straight back to his residence.

I don't know if it was his illusion, Chu Huan felt that the fog seemed to be thicker than when he just went out, so he figured out the meaning of "seal the mountain" by touching the scene.

Chu Huan returned to the house and quickly packed his luggage - in fact, he didn't have much luggage, except for the spike and the knife that Nanshan gave him, basically everything else could be thrown here.

He sat on the already cold edge of the bed in a daze for a while, quietly mingled with the loneliness before dawn, stayed for a while, found a half pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, held them in his hand and looked at them over and over again. , and finally stuffed it back.

Firstly, Chu Huan's cigarette addiction is not too heavy, and secondly, he does not want to pollute the green mountains and green waters of the Liyi tribe with nicotine and carbon monoxide.

...And when he was in the county seat, Nanshan seemed to have made it clear that he didn't like him smoking.

At this time, there was a rustling sound, Chu Huan raised his head, and saw the little poisonous snake crawling along his bed.

It seemed to be afraid of the cold, so it quickly crawled over Chu Huan's arms and shoulders, and burrowed straight into his arms. Halfway through, it touched the three-edged thorn that Chu Huan folded and hung inside the windbreaker.It suddenly hesitated in its movements, the little snake spat out its letter, tried it on the shell of the three-edged thorn, then quickly dodged, made a big circle, bypassed the army thorn, and got into Chu Huan's sleeve , a small triangular head popped out from inside, looking at him with its head poking around.

Chu Huan: "I'll leave right away."

The size of the snake's head sticking out was a little bigger, and it seemed a little surprised.

But...how could the snake be surprised?

Chu Huan: "Come out, or I will take you away with me in a while."

The little poisonous snake hesitantly stretched out half of its body, its cold scales rubbed against the back of Chu Huan's hand, but its body tightly wrapped around his arm.

Chu Huan: "What are you doing? You want to go with me?"

The little poisonous snake hissed and spit out the letter.

"No," Chu Huan stretched out his hand to catch it, "I still have to buy you a mouse, it's so troublesome——"

This time, the cunning snake grabbed his sleeve with one bite, and broke the snake's body into a paper clip. The tail was still in Chu Huan's sleeve, refusing to come out no matter what.

Chu Huan struggled with it for a while, and the veins on his hands were almost strangled out by this little beast. He found that it was a piece of snake brand dog skin plaster. "Let him go. Anyway, it doesn't cost much to raise such a little thing. Just don't let it run around after work."

So he went out like this, with this chic bracelet and a simple bag on his back.

As soon as the door opened, Chu Huan was startled—Nanshan had been waiting for him for some time.

Nanshan was leading a snow-white horse with two bamboo tubes hanging around the horse's neck, and the aroma of wine could be smelled from a long distance away.

One of the two stood outside the door, and the other stood inside the door. At first, neither of them said a word. At this time, it was really unnecessary to say anything.

"You..." Nanshan's eyes fell on the luggage behind him, his jaw was tense, after a while, his throat moved slightly, and then he said in a low voice, "Let's go, I'll see you off."

His long hair was neatly tied up, making him look younger, and he put on that funny waistcoat again, and the harmonica was still foolishly hanging around his waist—just with an extra belt.

Seeing Nanshan, the little poisonous snake that was originally wrapped around Chu Huan's wrist and refused to leave immediately softened. He dared not continue to be a nail householder, and obediently slipped out and crawled away.

Chu Huan shrank his hands uncomfortably, feeling that the sleeves were suddenly empty, and the wind was blowing in.

He didn't talk nonsense, and got on the horse. The white horse seemed to know the way, and Nanshan didn't need to lead it, it would automatically follow him.

As he walked, Nanshan took off the harmonica and played it near his mouth.

Chu Huan actually had a harmonica when he was a child, which was played by Chu Aiguo for him. Unfortunately, it has been lying in his drawer for so many years, and he has not figured out what sound comes out of which hole, but Nanshan can already play it like a leaf flute. He played all kinds of tunes proficiently.

Maybe things like music do depend on talent.

Chu Huan is always inattentive, but when he listens to Nanshan's music, he is engrossed.

Nanshan's music has a lot of joy, anger, sorrow, and joy, and it never bothers to cover it up. It is as strong as a sip of strong wine. After one sip, the internal organs will be stirred up. It makes people feel very real, no matter the pain. Or joy, I am indeed alive.

Not The Walking Dead, nor a muddy day.

The two had no words all the way, and quickly passed the houses and fruit trees, and then Nanshan led the horse and took him across the mysterious river that was isolated from the world.

Chu Huan couldn't help but glanced back along the way he came, seeing nothing but nothing.

The noisy voices of those little brats in his memory became hallucinations, passing by his ears, Chu Huan lowered his head, and saw Nanshan's dark eyes.

He was so handsome, the only one Chu Huan had seen in his life, the handsome who would be imprinted in his heart no matter how casually he glanced at him.

Chu Huan's gaze passed over his lips, and he lingered for a moment involuntarily. After being noticed by himself after a while, Chu Huan turned his eyes away a little uncomfortable, thinking that if he continued to think so wildly, it seemed easy to make mistakes.

He had no choice but to divert his attention abruptly, begging for nothing to turn his nostalgia into a meaningless sigh: in the blink of an eye, he has been here for three or four months, time is really like water.

"Hey," Chu Huan reached out and tapped Nanshan's shoulder, "Is the one hanging around the horse's neck wine?"

Nan Shan took off one of the bamboo tubes, unscrewed the lid, took a sip himself, and then turned around and handed it to Chu Huan.

The two stood by the river, you drank the wine in a bamboo tube one by one, Chu Huan stroked the soft mane of the white horse, and laughed: "Do you think I am also drunk driving? If you are caught drinking and driving once in our place, you will have to be locked up in a small black room for half a year."

Nanshan listened to his casual jokes, and didn't give any face. He neither smiled nor answered, but said bluntly: "I'm very sad when you leave."

Chu Huan: "..."

His smile faded, and finally he sighed, stretched out an arm, put his arms around Nanshan's neck, and pulled him into his arms.

The scent of sweet-scented osmanthus flashed past the tip of his nose like an illusion, and Chu Huan suddenly rubbed his head against the gentleman secretly—he felt that since he had distracting thoughts, he shouldn't be free from taboos, so he patted Nanshan on the shoulder restrainedly, and then Let go of him and get on the horse.

"I'll scatter it around the station last time, right?" The white horse paced back and forth, and Chu Huan casually moved the horse's head, making it circle around Nanshan a few times , and then took off the other barrel of wine hanging from its neck, "I'll give this to me, goodbye."

After speaking, he lightly clamped the horse's belly and drove the horse straight.

He walked leisurely and calmly, but he never looked back once.

Nan Shan couldn't help shouting: "Chu Huan..."

Chu Huan turned his back to him and waved his hand from a distance.

A banquet in the world.

Nan Shan always stood where he was, watching the white horse finally leave without dust, watching Chu Huan leave as cleanly and without delay as when he came.

"The words of the ancestors may not necessarily be true."

Nanshan heard a familiar voice behind him say, he didn't turn his head, but looked down at his feet: "Elder."

The elder came out of the thick fog, his bony face was expressionless, like an old monster coming on stage.

"It is said in the holy book, 'There is a person on the other side of the river who can communicate the past and the future, and connect the present world and the end times', maybe there is, but didn't the teacher you talked to say that? There are 60 people there. "

Among the Liyi tribe, the counting unit of "billion" has exceeded their cognition level. When the elder said it, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, as if recalling the shock brought to him by the unimaginable number: "They, men, women, old and young , You can look anything, you go to the 'boundary', just a little distance away, just meet someone, just brought back, how could it be him?"

Nanshan bowed his head and remained silent.

"I know what you mean." The elder said, "You want to find a way out for the children, so I won't stop you, but can you lead us there with an outsider? How small is this way out? Like a hair on fire in the dark, you can't catch it."

Nan Shan didn't say a word, nor did he explain. His eyes were not as sharp as those of many young people. There were mountains there that were indestructible and unshakable.

He just turned and walked back into the river, wading and walking back.

After Chu Huan left Nanshan's sight, he was not in a hurry to hurry.

After crossing a mountain, he felt that the half-barrel of wine made him feel a little overwhelmed. Chu Huan reined in his horse, found a big tree, and sat down to rest.

Then he simply decided to lean against the tree and sleep.

This time I didn’t sleep well, Chu Huan was woken up by the “rustling sound” of reptiles crawling. The winter here is not as cold as in the north, and sometimes it can even reach more than 20 degrees. Reptiles are inevitable in the wilderness. Chu Huan Huan didn't have anything to repel insects and snakes with him, so he had to be more vigilant.

As a result, when he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar little poisonous snake, swaying from side to side and spitting out messages in front of him.

Chu Huan: "..."

I know people, I can understand people's words, and I can track them here through the river full of mist for thousands of miles...

Chu Huan grabbed the little poisonous snake hesitantly, held it up in front of him and shook it: "I said, are you really a snake spirit?"

Immediately afterwards, Chu Huan heard another rush of footsteps. He turned his head in surprise and saw a big pig running towards him.

That... pig?

The pig ran up to him, slammed on the brakes, and stood still with its chest up and its head raised in a fearless spirit like sending hams thousands of miles away.

Then a small, bald head lifted up from behind the pig, baring a row of small deciduous teeth, and smiled brightly at Chu Huan.

Chu Huan: "..."