The cold wind is howling, and snowflakes are flying all over the sky. Looking as far as the eye can see, the earth is completely white, without a trace of green life. The sky is covered with dark clouds, as if they are about to collapse. The thick clouds have cut off the blue sky and the bright sunshine. It is like a huge giant between the sky and the earth. The oven, torn by the wind and snow, will refine the people inside into dregs and become vague dust.
There is a vast expanse of white in front, back, left and right, with no sunlight and no distinction between east, west and north. A lonely figure walks like an ant in the wind and snow, step after step, leaving a long string of footprints.
The ice-covered land was cold and hard, as if it would shatter the feet that stepped on it. The cold wind blew into Chu Xiang's clothes, wreaking havoc in his body, stirring up countless knots on the surface of his skin. Chu Xiang's heart felt like The icy snow seems to have been frozen, and the biting cold wind cannot be felt.
At 21 degrees north latitude, it is evergreen all year round, the sun is hot, and people are scorched to death every year. Winter only lasts for two short months, the temperature never drops below zero, and it never snows. However, drastic changes have changed everything. The land, the home, the people, everything is different.
In a deserted city, a completely different hometown, the word home has never been so heavy, weighing Chu Xiang out of breath.
Like most people, Chu Xiang has been away from home since college. He is only at home for more than a month throughout the year. After graduation, it is even less. He is home for ten and a half days a year. He always wants to make money and then go home to serve his parents. The elderly parents gradually become estranged, and the appearance of the family gradually becomes blurred. Until a huge change occurs, everything is shattered into a blank, and the parents can no longer be seen.
People are always like this, only when they are lost do they feel precious.
My family is gone, but I am still there, but am I still me?
Looking at the white land in front of him, Chu Xiang hoped that someone could give him an answer, but no one could give him an answer.
After a while, Chu Xiang sighed silently. He knew that he was no longer the same person as before. In order to survive, too many people give up their persistence, and I am no exception, becoming the most annoying person before.
When people are young, they always imagine that they will always remain innocent, upright, and kind, and become the perfect person they imagine, detached from the world, indifferent to fame and fortune, just like the heroes in the books. However, people will always change, and this change often comes unexpectedly, easily destroying the original intention, making people become philistine, cunning, cold-blooded, intoxicated, and complacent.
He moved slowly, and the closer he got to that familiar place, the more panic he felt. It was the first time that Chu Xiang understood this word so deeply.
Gray shadows loomed in the wind and snow, and the surrounding scenery became more and more familiar. Chu Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly, not knowing whether it was because of the heavy wind and snow or tears in his eyes, and he did not dare to take a closer look at the dilapidated scene around him.
No matter how long the road is, it will eventually come to an end, not to mention that this road is not long. In the blink of an eye, we are already at home. Looking at the familiar place in front of him, Chu Xiang's heart was inexplicably throbbing, hesitant and scared. This was a scene he had never expected. When he arrived at the door of his house, he didn't dare to go in, or even open his eyes to look carefully.
The low walls are covered with moss and have been cracked by the ice and snow. The redbud flowers at the door have long since withered and died. The bright yellow house has been washed away by the sea water and has long lost its former warm and vibrant color like the morning glow. Covered in ice and snow, , there are only a few dead longan trees left in the yard, still stretching towards the sky.
The iron gate had long been corroded and rusted by the sea water, and the two remaining iron rods were unyielding and unwilling to leave. As he slowly walked into the gate, Chu Xiang's heart palpitated even more, as if his heart had been hit hard by a sledgehammer, and he was shaking all over. . Turning his head with all his strength, Chu Xiang's eyes rested on five small mounds of earth in the courtyard that were about to be flattened by the sea water. Five stone tablets had fallen on them. There were faintly visible words on the stone tablets, which was shocking.
Chu Xiang suddenly looked up to the sky and howled, and the fluttering snowflakes seemed to be unable to bear to hear the sad voice and drifted away from the small courtyard. He lifted up five stone tablets that had fallen into the soil. The stone tablets that had been soaked in sea water for half a year were already covered with moss. Chu Xiang carefully scraped off the mud and moss on them. The writing on the five stone tablets was Hao Ran's: The tomb of his father Chu San. , the tomb of mother Duan Lihong, the tomb of sister Chu Huaiyu, the tomb of younger brother Chu Kun, and the tomb of nephew Du Zitong.
Five tombstones, the destinations of five relatives, everything changed after that distant war.
In an inexplicable war, the roaring nuclear bombs buried one-fifth of the entire earth's population. Most of the remaining people died due to various reasons such as radiation. Now less than one-tenth of the surviving population. Since the outbreak of the war, when the earth approaches perihelion in November, the temperature will rise sharply, the ice and snow will melt, and the sea level will rise. In April, the earth begins to move away from the sun, the temperature will drop, and soon fall below zero, and the sea level will rise. It will drop slightly. By the end of April, the whole country has entered sub-zero temperatures. Places above 20 degrees latitude are all covered with ice and snow. Huge glaciers have formed, and the sea level has dropped. At the end of May, the water surface is exposed again.
The extremely cold climate has brought death to countless people who escaped the disaster of war. Every day, people are taken away by the cold wind and become statues in the world of ice and snow.
Now is the time when the sea water has just receded. The receding tide has taken away the strong radiation, but it has also taken away the vitality of this land.
After planting the tombstone back on the grave, Chu Xiang sat down on the ground, and the howling cold wind quickly dried the moisture on his face. Five tombstones stood side by side, like giant peaks inserted into his heart, blocking his heart severely. Chu Xiang was speechless, and there was no sadness, only the uncontrollable throbbing in his heart, and moisture dripping from his eyes.
Sadness has long become a rock sinking in the bottom of my heart, standing firm despite the turbulent waves.
There is only one person left in the family now. Is this their luck to be alive, or their misfortune? If living is called luck, then there will be no misfortunes in this world, because all the misfortunes are dead.
Chu Xiang sat alone in silence. Before he came back, he wanted to come back. Now that he was back, he didn't know what to say. Living, such a pitiful word, as humble as the dust on the soles of your feet, as if you are not even as good as an ant. The good memories of the past were gradually expelled by killings, and the bloody storms that appeared in my mind made my heart become colder and colder. If my parents knew about my current behavior, or they would not recognize this son, maybe I would leave with them. This world is the best choice, but I don't want to go back here.
Looking up at the sky, Chu Xiang let out a long sigh, took out the wine bottle, and took a sip of wine. The cold wine slid down his throat, and the coolness spread across his chest and abdomen, and then spread out like a raging flame. However, it could not shake the rock in his heart. Half a point.
Chu Xiang sighed again.
He didn't drink before, but now he drinks more and more. Sometimes a sip of wine can keep people energetic, make the enemy's sneak attacks fail, resist the cold, and make one forget the past. Wine also has a certain anti-radiation effect. , although Chu Xiang is no longer afraid of radiation below 1,000 roentgens per hour, I don't know when his body started to become as strong as steel, just like the cold heart in his chest.
The heat in his chest dissipated, as if bringing back the emotions of this body, Chu Xiang murmured: "Dad, Mom, your son has changed. I wonder if you can still recognize him, this road, and you The expectation was too far gone.”
After a long time, Chu Xiang sighed: "Perhaps, I should try to look back and not make you feel uncomfortable for me."
Chu Xiang took another sip of wine, as if a ball of fire spread out in his chest, and touched the cold words "Chu Huaiyu" on the tombstone: "My sister, I always told you not to be so naive and not to be so nice to others, but When I stopped being nice to people and began to speculate on their intentions when I saw them, I realized what a rare quality that is."
"But in this world, if you are good to others, others will be good to you." Chu Xiang continued, just like he always liked to argue with his sister before, he had nothing to say but still refused to admit his mistakes.
After saying this, Chu Xiang suddenly laughed. It turns out that some things have not changed. Probably, simple feelings can always last longer than complicated people's hearts.
The softened expression suddenly disappeared when he saw the words Chu and Kun. After a long time, Chu Xiang sprinkled the wine in the bottle in front of the Chu and Kun monument, and whispered: "The Great Wall will end in loess, and the heroes will be famous." Forever, if I don’t work hard to promote my ambition, there will be nothing to write about in the history of the future. Xiao Kun, if I don’t tell you this, how wonderful it would be. Dad said that you are the best fortune teller he has ever told, and we are the best. For the future of our family, you will live up to our expectations. You have been outstanding since you were a child, far better than me. If you were not so outstanding and I did not teach you these things, it would be great, and our brothers would not be separated by Yin and Yang."
Destiny is unpredictable. Chu Xiang knew in his heart that such a result was not his responsibility, but he still couldn't forgive himself. Instead, he felt even more guilty. If he could have arrived there a day earlier, this result would not have been like this.
His mood was gloomy and agitated, going up and down like a roller coaster. Chu Xiang felt extremely uncomfortable, and he suddenly looked up to the sky and roared. The wind and snow turned sharply, and the surrounding areas were turbulent.
After a long while, Chu Xiang drank all the wine in the bottle, touched Wang Zitong's tombstone and said, "Xiao Tongtong, my uncle tried his best, but still couldn't find your father. Please forgive me for my incompetence."
Throwing away the wine bottle, Chu Xiang found a stone, cracked it open, and carved on the stone tablet one by one: The tomb of brother-in-law Du Songwu was planted between Du Zitong and Chu Huaiyu. He was silent for a long time and said: "You are also the victim of suffering." Man, may you find your way back.”
Burning cigarettes and drinking wine, Chu Xiang breathed in the familiar smell of smoke and looked at the six tombstones in front of him. For a long time, Chu Xiang murmured: "If everything is for survival, to live, survival is no longer a problem now. I have already There is no reason to go against your own heart. Mom and Dad, I hope you can guide me on the way forward. I will try my best to become the person you want me to be. Xiao Kun, let me go to the ideal I taught you. Let’s achieve it.”
After pouring all the wine he brought in front of the grave, Chu Xiang picked up the knife, looked around, jumped up to the roof, and looked at the village in the distance. That was childhood, a beautiful childhood. I wonder if the beautiful childhood can bring back the memories of the past. Now, he can only find the beautiful memories of the past and try to drown the rocks in his heart with the beautiful past.
