Yulai likes this hometown river, which is close to the village. Every summer, the rain comes, and there are many children, like a group of fish, jumping up and down in the river, hiding cats and dogs, planing dogs, standing up and floating. When it rains, the ability to float is the highest. You can lie face down in the water, not only won't sink, but also your little belly is exposed on the water.
Mother doesn't let the rain play with water for fear of danger. One day, my mother saw the rain coming in from the outside, naked and tanned by the sun. Mother knew that he had gone to play with water again, so she lowered her face and called him over. She leaned forward and grabbed the broom on the kang. The rain came, and I thought I was going to be beaten, so I ran out.
Mom followed. The rain ran over and looked back. Shit! We're about to catch up. Where to run? Steel-toed was driving the cattle back from the river and shouted to Yulai from a distance, "Run to the river! Run to the river! " Raindrop recognized the meaning of the words and turned and ran towards the river. My mother was still chasing after me and finally caught up with me, but the rain came naked like a little loach, and I couldn't catch up with it. There was a splash and the rain plunged into the river and disappeared. Mother stood by the river and stared at the expanding hydrosphere.
Suddenly, a small head appeared on the water in the distance. The rain shook the water on its head like a duckling, wiped its eyes and nose with its hands, blew air in its mouth and looked at its mother and smiled.
two
Autumn.
Dad came back from selling reed mats in the bazaar and discussed with his mother: "I saw comrades working in the district saying that children can't go to school, at least they have to go to night school." Tell Yu to go to night school. Or I'll be blind in the future. "
Night school is in Sanzuaner's tofu room. This house is very shabby. The evening class was taught by a female teacher in Dongzhuang School, chubby, wearing blue pants and short hair. When the female teacher came to the blackboard, the buzzing sound in the room stopped immediately, only the sound of turning over textbooks was heard. Yulai took out his textbook from his pocket, which was mimeographed with earthenware paper, soft and bulging. I was afraid of rubbing it, so I asked my mother for a piece of red cloth, wrapped it in a book bag, and the word "I came" was written askew with a pencil on the cover. It's raining. Put the book on your lap and open it.
The female teacher leaned over, lit the words on the blackboard with her fingers and read aloud a way:
We come from China,
We love our motherland. "
Everyone read it gently with the fingers of the female teacher.
"We are from China,
We love our motherland. "
three
One day, Yulai came home from evening school, lying on the kang, reciting the text she learned that night. But he fell asleep on the way back.
I wonder when the door creaks. When it rains, I open my eyes and see a shadow. Mother struck a match and lit the lamp. When she saw it, it turned out that Dad had come back from the takeaway mat. He carried a bullet bag on his shoulder, a Grenade around his waist and a long rifle on his back. Why did dad suddenly dress up like this?
The father said to his mother, "The Japanese are sweeping again. The militiamen have gathered in the district, and it will take a month or two to come back. " Rain came to ask Dad, "Dad, is it far?" Dad reached into the quilt, touched Xiaoyu's bare back and said, "Where is this accurate?" Say far, say near. Dad turned to his mother and said, "Go to his grandmother's house in Dongzhuang tomorrow and tell his uncle what the district said, and ask him to bring the villagers' militia to the district as soon as possible." Mother asked, "Where is the school district?" Dad packed a bag of cigarettes and started smoking, saying, "Tell them to inquire in the villages around Hebei. "
Xiaoyu came and said something. The door slammed and I heard my father's footsteps and went out. After a while, I couldn't hear anything except one or two dogs barking in the street.
The next day, after breakfast, my mother went to Dongzhuang and said that she would not come back until evening. After noon, raindrops came to eat some leftovers. Because he was looking after the house and couldn't go outside, he squatted on the kang and read his literacy textbook wrapped in red cloth.
Suddenly I heard someone running in the street, shaking the house as if it were going to shake, and enough paper clattered.
Yulai slipped down from the kang, tucked the book in her arms and ran out. Just as she was about to cross the threshold, a man came in. Youlai bumped into the man's arms. He looked up, and it was Uncle Li. Uncle Li is a traffic policeman in the jurisdiction and often lives in Laijia.
Then I heard the Japanese screaming. Uncle Li is busy moving the half chaff jar in the corner. When the rain came, his eyes froze. "Ah! When was this hole dug? " Uncle Li jumped into the hole and said, "move the cylinder back to its original place." Just go to the other yard and don't say anything to anyone. "
12 years old Yu tried his best to move the cylinder back to its original place.
As soon as I arrived at the first house, I saw more than a dozen discerning bayonets coming in from the front door. He started to run to the backyard, and there was a gunshot behind him. Someone shouted, "Stop!" "Raindrop ignored him, like stepping on the wind, and ran towards the backyard. I only heard bullets whizzing over his head. But there was no door in the backyard, and the rain broke out in a cold sweat. There is a peach tree against the wall. When it rains, climb up. The devil has chased after the tree, grabbed the foot of the rain and pulled it down. The rain fell to the ground. The devil twisted his arm behind his back, tied it up and pushed it back into the house.
four
The Japanese searched the front and back yards.
There was also a disaster at home, and even the pillow was stabbed with a bayonet. On the edge of the kang sat a Japanese officer with red eyes. He asked Yu lai in Chinese and said, "boy, don't lie when I ask you something!" " He suddenly opened his mouth, his eyes were wide, and he looked at the rain's chest.
It's raining, look down. The original literacy textbook struggled for a while and then emerged from my arms. The devil took it in his hand, turned it over and asked him, "Who gave it to you?" Rain said, "I picked it up!" "
The devil showed his gold teeth, made a face and said softly to the rain, "Don't be afraid! Son, the imperial army cares! " Say, have him untied.
I put my hand down and felt numbness and pain in my arm. The flat-nosed officer touched Yu Lai's head with his hand and said, "It doesn't matter who gave you this book. I won't ask. Tell me everything else! A man ran in just now, did you see it? " Yulai wiped her nose with the back of her hand and muttered, "I was in the house and didn't see anything."
The flat-nosed officer threw the book on the ground and reached for it from his wallet. Rain came and thought, "What are you going to pay? Looking for a knife devil is angry and wants to dig the child's eyes! " I saw that he took out a white lollipop.
The flat-mouthed officer put the sugar into Yu Lai's hand and said, "Eat! You eat! You must tell me, where is he? " He held out his finger with a gold ring and said, "Here's the gold, too!" " "
Rain didn't pick up his candy or answer him.
Next to him, a devil swished out his knife and stared at the rain. The officer with a flat nose shook his head. The two chatted for a while. The devil rolled his eyes in the rain and put the knife back in its sheath.
The flat-mouthed officer suppressed his anger in his stomach, patted Yu Lai on the shoulder with his hand and said, "I like children best. That man, have you seen him? Say it! "
Rain shook his head and said, "I was in the house and didn't see anything."
The flat nose officer's eyes immediately became fierce and terrible. He bent forward and held out two big hands. Ah! Those hands twisted the rain's ears to both sides like talons. I grinned with pain when it rained. The devil took out his other hand, slapped Yu Lai twice in the face, picked up a piece of meat on his face and gritted his teeth. Raindrop's face immediately turned white, blue and purple. The devil punched him in the chest again. The raindrop staggered and stepped back. The back of his head was touching the cabinet board, but he was caught at once and his stomach hit the edge of the kang.
It took a long time to catch my breath after the rain, and a large group of bees buzzed in my head. His eyes were shining with golden flowers and his nose was bleeding. Blood dripped down and splashed on a few lines of the textbook:
"We are from China,
We love our motherland. "
The devil was tired of playing, but when the rain came, he gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't see it!" " "
The officer with a broken nose jumped up in anger and shouted, "shoot, shoot!" " Pull it out! Pull it out! "
five
The sun sank to rest behind the hill. The clouds in the blue sky are like pieces of red silk, reflected on the returning river, like cockscomb flowers. Reed flowers in the reed pond were blown by the wind and fluttered on it.
People in Lu Hua Village heard several gunshots by the river. The old people said with tears:
"Xiao Yu is a good boy! It's a pity to die! "
"Aspiring is not high."
The children in Lu Hua Village, who are good friends of Yu Lai, Tietou and Sanzuaner, cried when they heard the gunshots.
six
Uncle Li, a traffic policeman, waited for a long time in the underground cave and went to another exit without rain. He tried to push away the slate and reed leaves at the mouth of the cave. The yard was empty, there was no one there, and nothing happened everywhere. Suddenly I heard someone shouting in the street: "Tofu! Sell tofu! " This is the code word of Lu Hua village. Uncle Li knew that the enemy had gone far.
But why hasn't the rain come? He ran into the street and saw many people running towards the river. Only when he asked did he know that Yulai had been killed by the devil in the river.
Uncle Li burst into tears. He tirelessly followed people to the river.
When we got to the river, let alone the body, we didn't even see a drop of blood.
Everyone stood by the river. The returning river is quiet, and the river swirls down. Insects are chirping in the grass nest. I don't know who said, "Maybe the devil threw the rain into the river and washed it away!" " "Everyone will look down the river bank. Suddenly steel-toed cried, "ah! Rain is coming! Rain is coming! "
In the reeds, a small head appeared on the water. Rain still shakes the water on his head like a duckling, wipes his eyes and nose with his hands, picks up the reed and asks the people on the shore, "Is the devil gone?"
"ah!" Everyone cried happily, "The rain is not dead! The rain is not dead! "
It turned out that before filming, when the rain came, the devils were unprepared and plunged into the river. The devil hurriedly jumped into the water, and our little hero Yulai had already swam away from the bottom of the water.