That night, the woods were very uneasy.
The disc-like moon is white and bright, bright enough to illuminate the road.
However, there is no road in the forest, and the leaves are dense, so most of the moonlight is blocked. Only a little sneaks through the gaps in the leaves and sneaks to the ground. As the cold wind scares the leaves, a faint halo of light is also on the ground of the forest. Panic dances.
There was no human being in the forest, but there were many things, once alive things, running in terror.
They ran, running as if their lives were lost.
This forest was their habitat, but now they have no choice but to escape.
What drives them away is a round ball of light.
The ball of light beat rhythmically in the forest, running towards the village.
It was a man, a man carrying a lantern.
The light emitted by the lantern is very dim, and some of it shines through the holes in the lantern, onto the tree trunks, or into the infinity. The man didn't pay attention to the sweat flowing on his face and running around in his clothes, because his heart had already been completely occupied by nervous pressure.
In the dark forest stained by the moonlight, he stared at the forest path illuminated by the lantern while running. He didn't know how many forest creatures his running frightened.
In front of him was the path he was used to walking on, but it felt strange at night because the night fog on the ground obscured the path, and because the lantern was too dim, he only used half of the grease he usually saved to light the way. Maybe it would be faster to throw away the lantern this time and just rely on memory.
With a "click", he kicked a thick branch under his feet. He stumbled and almost fell. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, otherwise he would have almost missed something important.
He knew that no matter how sore his feet were, he had to run, get to the village as quickly as possible.
The only person who can save his wife is Mrs. Li in the village.
Sister-in-law Li is the only stable woman within a radius of five miles. He couldn't help but recall the day before yesterday when his wife felt the fetal movement in her belly becoming more intense, and he hurried to the village to find Sister-in-law Li...
"Sister-in-law Li, please be kind, my wife is about to give birth..."
"I know, I know," Sister-in-law Li said nonchalantly while fanning herself with a cattail fan under her melon shed, "but I can't just live with you in the woods. If someone else comes to find me, What to do?"
"Sister-in-law Li..." He was very anxious: "If my wife is going to give birth, I will not have time to come to you. Besides, there is no one else in the family, just the two of us. If I abandon her and come to you, she will What if no one takes care of you...?"
Mrs. Li blinked, walked back into the house, poured a bowl of water, and sipped it slowly.
"Let's do this. From now on, I will fetch a load of firewood every day for free..."
She sighed loudly: "Brother Chen, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I really can't help."
As he spoke, he turned away in disgust.
Sure enough, that evening, the labor pains began.
He anxiously lit the lantern, rushed out of the hut without looking back, and ran as fast as he could to the village down the mountain.
He was accustomed to walking the five-mile road on weekdays. Although the forest path was rugged and not as flat as the road, he could walk it easily. However, in the chaos of the night and his anxiety, the mere five-mile road was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
He was thinking about his wife's pain in his mind, and his feet were moving faster and faster.
Half of the fat at home lit the lantern in his hand, and the other half was placed in a broken bowl and lit in the center of the hut.
My wife is afraid of the dark, and has to wait for him to come back alone at home. There is not enough oil, but she has no choice but to do so.
Because he often walked around in the mountainous area, the straw sandals had long been worn out and worn out. Now he was running along the forest path covered with twigs and fallen leaves. The broken straw sandals were more like an obstacle, forcing him to slow down.
He was so tired of running that he simply took off his straw sandals and held them in his hands, stepping on the prickly grass and dead branches that could make his feet bleed. On the contrary, the thick calluses on his feet worn out over the years helped him reduce the pain. A lot of pain.
In his anxious mind, a clear scene suddenly emerged - what happened when he was five years old - something he should have forgotten.
He saw his mother lying on the wooden bed, crying in pain, even the sheets were torn, and cold sweat was pouring on her forehead like water...
He has no siblings.
My mother died while giving birth to her second child. At that time, his father ran down the mountain to find Grandma Wen. When he rushed home, all he saw was the child cowering and shaking on the ground, his wife who was already cold on the bed, and a large pool of blood on the bed. , is dripping to the ground drop by drop.
The most horrifying thing was that lumps of coagulated blood fell out of my mother's mouth, and a section of her tongue lay under her arms.
He didn't want to, he didn't want his wife to be like his mother.
From then on, my father frowned deeply and locked up the deep sorrow in his heart. He never smiled again for the rest of his life. His hair turned gray prematurely, his body declined prematurely, and he died of depression before he reached his prime.
Before his death, his father entrusted the young man to his friends at the foot of the mountain, asking him to consult with his uncle when he was in danger. We all had been displaced here because of the war, and we had always supported each other.
And his wife is the uncle's daughter.
After his father died, he worked hard to support himself at the age of thirteen, and often visited his father's friend at the foot of the mountain. The friend saw that he was a good character but poor living alone, so he betrothed his daughter to him when he came of age. Someone can take care of the home.
Although the young couple's life is not rich, they are loving and sweet. They have no requirements for life, and they are quite happy.
Unexpectedly, his wife's pregnancy actually aroused the fear that he had buried deep in his memory.
Chaotic scenes flew through his mind quickly...
The incense on the altar, the red candles in the bridal chamber, the dead branches falling on the ground, the rattling firewood in the stove, my father's memorial tablet, the singing of birds...
Little did he know that he was not the only one running in the woods.
His hearing had been distracted by the tension and chaos, so that he did not notice the noise and commotion in the forest, which was not synchronized with his heavy footsteps...
In fact, he couldn't see those things. All he saw was the swinging lantern and the path illuminated by the light.
The gloomy night wind sliced through the trees, playing sharp music;
Through the gaps between the branches, it blows life-threatening music;
Photographed on the leaves, it makes a mysterious noise...
Those winds are not wind.
They ran in panic, too scared to look back.
They all ran down the mountain and flocked to the villages where the smoke had gone out. The villagers were either already asleep or about to go to bed in order to save lamp oil.
They brushed against the trees, passed through the gaps between the branches, and flapped the leaves. The whole forest was filled with the music played by the strong wind.
The man, seeing the lights of the village, was suddenly happy and worried.
He was worried that Mrs. Li would be taken to another home to deliver the baby. He was frightened by this fleeting thought. He quickly quickened his pace and said unconsciously: "Namo Amitabha..."
His words frightened the things around him, and they immediately jumped several feet away from him.
Only then did he suddenly realize that the forest was not peaceful just now. Suddenly, he was surrounded by silence.
It was eerily quiet. He stopped in confusion and listened carefully.
Even the wind suddenly stopped. There was no wind around, and there was no sound except his breathing.
His instinct told him that he must continue his journey immediately.
Obviously, there was something here that he shouldn't be exposed to.
