treacherous world

The small black box timely broke the awkward atmosphere.

Bai Yutang wanted to walk over to the table, but he saw the fourth son looking at him eagerly... Bai Yutang glanced back, hesitated for a moment, then took Zhan Zhao's hand and walked back... At first he wanted to pull his sleeve, but He pulled his wrist, ignored it, and dragged him back to the table to let him sit down, and sat down to look at the black box himself.

Just about to open it, Zhan Zhao stopped, "I'll do it!"

Bai Yutang frowned, Zhan Zhao was probably worried that there was a poison gas trap, don't get caught by it yourself, that would be interesting, the two of them caught blind.

But of course Bai Yutang couldn't give the box to Zhan Zhao, he was well versed in tricks, so he naturally knew that such a small box couldn't hold many tricks.Be careful, open it gently... There is no poisonous needle, no poisonous gas inside, but the most speechless thing is... three nothing!

Bai Yutang frowned, and looked into the box for a long time, turning it upside down, there was nothing inside but an empty box.

"Hey."

Zhan Zhao got impatient waiting, and asked Bai Yutang, "What's inside? Don't be a secret!"

"Nothing." Bai Yutang shook his head.

"Huh?" Zhan Zhao wondered, "Nothing?"

"It's just a black box with nothing in it." Bai Yutang said, putting the things in Zhan Zhao's hands and letting him touch them himself.

Zhan Zhao fumbled around and found it was just a very ordinary heavy wooden box. There was indeed nothing inside, not only nothing, but also no pattern.

"How could this be?" Zhan Zhao frowned, "Brother can't hide something useless..."

"Someone took it away?" Bai Yutang thought that someone else might have acted preemptively, but on second thought...

"will not!"

The two spoke almost at the same time, and looked at each other subconsciously... Zhan Zhao acted instinctively, he couldn't look at Bai Yutang, but Bai Yutang could see him.Zhan Zhao's eyes now lack the original aura and the occasional flash of cunning, but are more dazed.

Bai Yutang rested his chin gently on the table with one hand and looked at Zhan Zhao's eyes. This kind of expression is still rare.Although Zhan Zhao looks a little like a Jiangnan native, the toughness in his bones is really not comparable to that of ordinary people.Just because he ran out alone this time with an eye injury, it is enough to show that his personality is far from being as gentle as it appears on the surface, and he is actually very kind.

Hearing that Bai Yutang was silent, Zhan Zhao was not sure what he was doing, so he stretched out his hand and touched Bai Yutang's face impartially...

Bai Yutang stepped aside, Zhan Zhao was stunned for a moment, and said in his heart that it felt like this when he started... A flash of inspiration, he said, "Oh, don't move!"

"What for?" Bai Yutang was puzzled.

"I remember your face. I can see that it feels different from what I remember." Zhan Zhao said, reaching out his hands to touch Bai Yutang's face.

"Oh..." Bai Yutang held his wrists, "This...isn't it necessary?"

"I'll have a basis for the next time I touch people's faces." Zhan Zhao said it very logically, and Bai Yutang was not a coy person, so he thought... let him touch it.

Zhan Zhao straightened Bai Yutang's face, stretched out his hands, and touched them gently and slowly.

Bai Yutang was embarrassed, he didn't look there, and wanted to look elsewhere, but Zhan Zhao turned his face back, "Don't move, be more honest."

Bai Yutang was a little weak, and Zhan Zhao told him not to move, so he had no choice but to look at the person in front of him at close range... It's not embarrassing for Zhan Zhao not to be able to see, but Bai Yutang can see clearly.Zhan Zhao's face was right in front of his eyes, and his hands were still touching it... No matter how it felt, it was indescribably awkward.

Xiao Sizi and Xiao Liang looked at it with wide eyes, and said in their hearts - unexpected progress!

Zhan Zhao touched it for a while, and touched the bridge of his nose a little more. Bai Yutang's nose looked tall and straight, but not obtrusive.But now that I touch it, it still feels very prominent.Zhan Zhao suddenly remembered that Zhao Pu's face had sharp edges and corners, and it must have been mountainous to the touch.

Thinking about it, Zhan Zhao found it interesting, and even raised the corners of his mouth.

Bai Yutang could see clearly, so he didn't know why he was laughing.

"Are you alright? Bai Yutang couldn't take it anymore, his face was itchy and his whole body was uncomfortable, so he couldn't help asking Zhan Zhao.

"En." Zhan Zhao withdrew his hand, and said to the fourth son, "Fourth son, come, let me touch it."

The fourth son ran over, and Zhan Zhao pulled him to his side and stretched out his hand to knead his face. It was really different from Bai Yutang's hand feeling just now... one is the backbone, the other is sensual, the other is the ribs and the other is the bun... Thinking of this, Zhan Zhao laughed again.

Bai Yutang roughly understood what he was laughing at, shook his head, then lowered his head and continued to look at the box.

"Why did you say no?" Zhan Zhao asked Bai Yutang, remembering the serious matter of the conversation just now.

"If someone took it away... then there shouldn't be a box left to make us suspect. You can seal the wall!" Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao, "You think so too?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, "Well, my brother must have intentions for leaving things behind... It's just this black box, what is it used for?"

Bai Yutang also picked up the box and looked it over, "The sides of the box are smooth. It seems that it has been used frequently and has been used for a few years. There are some scratches inside...the marks are very new, and they seem to have been made recently." Talk, but in order to let Zhan Zhao understand, he had to say everything he saw.

"Such a small box can hold very small things." Xiao Liang looked aside and asked, "Could it be jewelry?"

Bai Yutang looked at the box and said, "It should be just right to put down a bracelet."

"You can put pills." The fourth son said, "Daddy often uses a box to put pills or powder."

Bai Yutang felt that medicinal materials should have a smell, so he picked it up and smelled it, and frowned, "It smells strange."

"What smell?" Zhan Zhao also took it and smelled it, frowning, "Mmm, sandalwood?"

The fourth son was curious, so he leaned over and took a sniff—Ah Choo!

Zhan Zhao hugged him well, "Don't ask so close, this is more pungent than sandalwood."

The fourth son rubbed his nose and said, "It's like incense in a temple."

"It's really like the incense burned in the temple..." Xiao Liang smelled it again, "It's a little more pungent than sandalwood, and it smells better than the incense burned in the temple."

Zhan Zhao was wondering... Bai Yutang suddenly remembered something, reached for his luggage on the table, and said, "By the way, I remembered!"

Everyone looked at him, and saw that Bai Yutang took out a string of rosary beads, sniffed them, smiled, and handed them to Zhan Zhao to put them under his nose, "Smell!"

As soon as Zhan Zhao heard it, he immediately grabbed Bai Yutang's wrist, "Nod after smelling it, it's the smell!"

"Yeah." Both children agreed.

"This is a mahogany bead." Bai Yutang stuffed the bead into Jinzhao's hand, "Sister-in-law asked each of us for one, do you know how the smell comes from?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head, not understanding.

"This kind of rosary is usually made of peach wood and placed in the ancestral hall of your family. You burn incense and pray to Buddha for an hour every day to show your sincerity. If you recite it for 49 days or 81 days, or even for several years, you can keep peace. Rosary beads Because it has been placed in the incense-burning Buddhist hall for many years, it has been smoked with this strange smell. The original fragrance of mahogany is very special, mixed with the smell of incense... it has become like this, more pungent than sandalwood, and more fragrant than incense It smells better."

Zhan Zhao understood when he heard it, and returned the rosary to Bai Yutang, but Bai Yutang blocked it, "My sister-in-law gave it to you, wear it."

Zhan Zhao was a little embarrassed, and asked, "How long has sister-in-law been studying?"

"One year."

Zhan Zhao was surprised, but also moved in his heart, how could He De make Mrs. Lu read the scriptures for so long.

"You have them too." Bai Yutang took out two small skewers and gave them to Xiaosi and Xiaoliang. On the skewers of Xiaosizi was a little piggy carved in peach wood, which was very cute.

Both children thanked them and put them on happily.

Seeing that Zhan Zhao seemed to be very concerned, Bai Yutang said, "My sister-in-law's family was in a disaster and many people died. Now there are many relatives who are still alive or dead, so she has been chanting for an hour every day for more than ten years. Anything she feels Friends who are worth making will read a string of beads for them to keep them safe."

Zhan Zhao nodded, and Yutang helped him put it on.

Zhan Zhao reached out to touch his wrist, "You wear it too?"

Bai Yutang unbuttoned his sleeve and felt it for him, and there was indeed a string.

The fourth son and Xiao Liang looked at each other again - they touched their faces and their wrists too!

"No matter what is hidden in the box...it should be the same object that has been burned for a long time, and the scratches are very new...Could it be put in recently?" Zhan Zhao said to himself, "It should not be the elder brother who sent blessings Give me something... He doesn't believe in this, and he lost the amulet he was given before."

"Why?" Bai Yutang was puzzled.

"It has something to do with the elder brother's life experience. The elder brother was conceived by the mother, which is also known as ghost pregnancy as the saying goes. Have you heard of it?"

Bai Yutang frowned. I have heard of this saying before. The so-called ghost pregnancy refers to a woman who is unmarried and pregnant, but is still a virgin. It is said that she conceived after intercourse with the ghost... It is a common folk method It was set on fire.However, this situation is mostly deceitful, who would believe such absurd things.

"Brother's mother is my neighbor. She is a single woman, and she doesn't know her origins. She spins yarn every day and lives a poor life. My mother often helps her, and she becomes a good friend after coming and going, but the neighbors don't like her very much. .”

"Why?" Bai Yutang was puzzled.

"I don't know about that." Zhan Zhao shook his head, "I only found out when my mother occasionally mentioned it later. As for the reason, my mother never mentioned it."

"Your elder brother doesn't have a father?" Bai Yutang was puzzled.

"I really don't know about this. Some people say he is a gangster, and some say he is my father's good brother. There are different opinions. But his mother never said it. Later, his mother had nowhere to hide, so she came to my house to beg my mother. If he is found Mother and son will not even want to live. Mother took her in and let her have a baby at home, and lied to outsiders that she was happy, and when the baby was born, she said it was our child." Zhan Zhao said, lightly Sighing lightly, "Not long after the eldest brother was born, his mother suddenly left without saying goodbye and never came back. Is there no impenetrable wall in the world? There are a few women in the neighborhood who like to gossip and spread rumors. For some reason, the eldest brother has become a devil." , I was often bullied when I was young, and I decided to practice martial arts only after seeing him being beaten. So in his life, he hated monsters and monsters the most, and he didn't even believe in Buddhas and Bodhisattvas."

Bai Yutang was a little surprised that Zhan Zhao's elder brother had such a bizarre life experience.

Afterwards, Zhan Zhao sat in the room holding the box in a daze, the fourth son and Xiao Liang fell back to rest, and Bai Yutang took a bath behind the screen.

He has been waiting day and night to find Zhan Zhao for the past two days, and he is really afraid that he will miss it. Zhan Zhao knows that this person has always been extremely clean, so it is really difficult for him.

The room was quiet except for the sound of rushing water. The fourth child lay on the bed and couldn’t fall asleep. Seeing Shi Shi confused by his side, he grimaced at it. Shi Shi seemed to have misunderstood the meaning and turned around. Just run to the screen...

With a sound of "bang", the screen was knocked over by the stone... and fell directly inside...

Bai Yutang was taking a shower behind the screen, when he heard a "boom", the screen fell down in front of him, he quickly stretched out his hand to block it... the screen fell to the side and fell to the ground.

Seeing that he was in trouble, Shi Shi quickly got under the bed of the fourth son and the others.

Xiao Liang also woke up, Zhan Zhao was even more taken aback, but the fourth son, like Shi Shi, knew that there was trouble, and covered his head under the quilt.

"What's wrong?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Bai Yutang sighed, "There are clothes in the bag in your hand, help me to get another one, this one is on the floor."

"Oh." Zhan Zhao went to look through Bai Yutang's baggage. He didn't know if Xiao Sizi and Xiao Liang had woken up, so he stood up and took the bundle over, "I'll bring it for you and you can pick it yourself."

"Yeah." Bai Yutang nodded, wiped the water off his face, and lay down on the tub wall to wait.

Seeing Zhan Zhao approaching, remind him to be careful.

Zhan Zhao took a few steps carefully, walked to the side of the bathtub smoothly, stretched out his hand, Bai Yutang took it, and took the clothes.

Zhan Zhao wanted to help the screen, but Bai Yutang put the inner coat on his body and tied it with a belt, "I'll do it!"

"Oh."

Zhan Zhao heard the sound of water and knew that Bai Yutang had come out, so he backed away... He couldn't see and had no sense of direction, so he backed up to Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang wanted to let him go, he would definitely hit the bathtub... So he had to stand still and remind him, "We're going to hit you." He tried to help him.

Zhan Zhao was startled, turned his head quickly, changed direction, and turned a little harder...

Zhan Zhao turned his head, and Bai Yutang was walking forward, just bumping into his chest... Zhan Zhao felt his chest was wet...wet.

Bai Yutang was quite embarrassed, and quickly helped Zhan Zhao who was spinning around on the spot, "Don't move!"

Zhan Zhao also realized that he might be standing in the wrong position, so he froze in place.

Bai Yutang raised the screen on the side first, stretched out his hand and pulled Zhan Zhao to sit on the edge of the bed, and put on his coat awkwardly, but Zhan Zhao suddenly turned his ear and asked, "Is there a mouse?"

Bai Yutang thought of himself first, and felt that Zhan Zhao was not joking, so he looked again, Shitou blinked—it wasn't his name.

"No..." Bai Yutang seemed to have heard Xixi Suso's voice.

"Hush." ​​Zhan Zhao frowned, and asked, "What's the sound?"

Bai Yutang was wondering when he heard screams from downstairs.He hurried to the window and opened it to take a look, frowning...

"Ah!" Xiao Liang and Xiao Sizi were startled, and they saw pedestrians running in all directions on the street, and thousands of gray water mice ran past... from North Street to South Street.

At this time, someone shouted loudly, "Water rats are out of the river, a disaster is coming, a disaster is coming!"