The white light flashed again. It was a windy March day in Jiangnan. Hongjun and Lu Xu floated above the willow embankment. They watched as their father propped up a small boat. Their childhood selves lay on the edge of the boat, watching the fish in the lake.
Their mother, who was beside them, suddenly flung out her slender hand and splashed water on little Hongjun's face. Little Hongjun's face was full of astonishment. Their mother burst into laughter.
Hongjun and Lu Xu couldn't help but laugh.
Amidst the thunder and torrential rain, a Hei Jiao flew over from the temple at the top of the mountain and transformed into Yang Guozhong.
Hongjun and Lu Xu looked into the courtyard. Yang Guozhong and Kong Xuan stood side by side in the porch, looking up at the rain.
"He's not the one who forced us to move," Hongjun said.
"It's strange." Lu Xu looked at Kong Xuan and Yang Guozhong and said in surprise, "Why does your father sometimes seem to have a grudge against Xie Yu, but sometimes he seems to be a friend?"
Hongjun frowned and said, "It's been a few years. Maybe they've reconciled. Or maybe, he was deceived by Xie Yu … Do you hate him? "
Lu Xu replied, "Life is unpredictable. Birth, old age, illness, and death are all destined. What's the use of hate? If I wasn't controlled, my parents wouldn't have died. Just like you, I killed my parents. "
"But the one who caused all this was Xie Yu," Hongjun said seriously.
"What's done is done. What's the use of hate?" Lu Xu said, "Besides, Xie Yu will die sooner or later."
"You saw the future?" Hongjun asked.
"I believe it," Lu Xu replied.
Spring passed and autumn came. Yellow leaves fell. Amidst the changing scenery, Hongjun suddenly returned to Chang 'an many years ago. At that time, he had already grown up. He quickly ran out of the hospital and kept looking back.
"Hongjun Kong!" His mother's voice was loud.
Little Hongjun sighed and made a hand signal to Little Li Jinglong on the courtyard wall. Little Li Jinglong immediately hid behind the courtyard wall, while Little Hongjun hurriedly went to the flowerbed and pretended to look down at the earthworms.
"Mother is going out for a while." Mother tidied up the embroidered bag in her hands and said, "Go to Xi City and sell your things. What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Everything is fine." Little Hongjun answered in boredom.
"Why haven't you been complaining about eating meat recently?" Jia Yuze asked in surprise, then walked out.
"Why was my family so poor when I was young?" Hongjun said.
Lu Xu replied, "When I was young, my family was even poorer than yours."
Hongjun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His mother had to embroider to support the family, and his father was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that he had gone out to practice medicine to earn money.
"Brother! Brother! "Little Hongjun shouted towards the wall.
The young Li Jinglong popped his head out again and said, "Your mother left?" As he spoke, he put down a crooked rope ladder. Little Hongjun climbed up and the two of them put away the ladder.
Hongjun and Lu Xu flew over the wall. At that time, Li Jinglong was not even ten years old. He opened a food box and handed it to Little Hongjun.
"Look at how hungry you are." Lu Xu said expressionlessly.
Hongjun was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into a hole to hide his face. When he was young, he was simply too embarrassing. However, Lu Xu immediately comforted him and said, "When I was young, I also ate everything. My family was too poor, so I never had enough to eat."
Hongjun didn't know who to blame. Looking at his childhood self, he felt very sad.
After eating, Little Li Jinglong and Little Hongjun played chess in the corridor. After a while, Little Li Jinglong opened a book and Little Hongjun taught him how to meditate and cultivate.
"Why are you always so gloomy?"
"Because there's a demon in my heart."
"Is the demon in your heart a dispirited demon?"
"… …"
"It can be cured. Don't worry, leave it to Brother."
"It can't be cured. My parents can't cure it either. They quarrel every day."
"Do you hate him?" Lu Xu said.
"I fell in love too early." Hongjun said helplessly. "What can I do?"
Hongjun and Lu Xu sat side by side on the wall. Time flew by and the sun shone brightly. Hongjun gradually began to feel a trace of familiarity. It was as if the memories that belonged to him were slowly returning little by little.
Little Li Jinglong taught Little Hongjun how to dance happily in the courtyard. The two of them pushed and tripped each other as they bathed in the sunlight.
"What's wrong now?" Little Li Jinglong said.
Someone outside shouted for Li Jinglong. Little Hongjun took a step back and said, "Someone's calling for you. You should go."
"I'm not going." Little Li Jinglong looked serious as he smiled at Little Hongjun.
Little Hongjun was once again dejected.
"Brother will teach you how to make balls." Little Li Jinglong held a wooden stick and kicked out a ball. When the two of them were halfway through playing, Jia Yuze came back and looked around the room. Little Hongjun hurriedly climbed up the wall. When they said goodbye, the two of them each leaned against the wall and looked at each other seriously. Little Hongjun wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he flipped over and ran away.
Hongjun said absentmindedly, "If a seven year old child told you that there's a demon living in his body, would you believe it?"
Lu Xu was startled. Hongjun frowned slightly and said, "Many children like to make up whimsical stories. No matter who they say it to, no one will believe it, right?"
Lu Xu muttered, "Do you think he's already become Di Renjie's chess piece?"
On the other side of the wall, Li Jinglong put away the wooden stick on the ball and went under the eaves. He picked up a book and lowered his head to read.
"No." Hongjun shook his head gently and said, "Look at his eyes. There's no hint of lying in them."
Lu Xu also noticed that Little Li Jinglong always smiled when he talked to Little Hongjun. Whenever he saw him, he would smile as if his entire person had changed. After Little Hongjun left, Little Li Jinglong seemed to be still happy. When he heard voices coming from next door, he couldn't help but raise his head to take a look.
Hongjun suddenly said, "Can you recall the day I first met him?"
"I'll try." Lu Xu said in a low voice. He then closed his eyes and held Hongjun's hand tightly.
Time flew. It was late autumn. Kong Xuan's family moved into the courtyard. Little Hongjun just got off the carriage. Nine year old Li Jinglong passed through the back alley, carrying a bamboo tube. There were insects chirping inside the bamboo tube. Before he stepped into the house, he inadvertently turned his head to take a look.
Little Hongjun stood outside the carriage and stared blankly at Li Jinglong.
When Li Jinglong saw Hongjun, he stopped in his tracks and froze on the spot.
Little Hongjun looked curiously at the bamboo tube in Li Jinglong's hand. No one spoke to the other. It was as if time had frozen.
Kong Xuan called out from the courtyard, "Hongjun!"
Little Hongjun hurriedly went in. Little Li Jinglong's face seemed to be filled with surprise. Hongjun thought to himself, What are you so surprised about?
"He's surprised at your beauty." Lu Xu said.
This was Hongjun's subconscious world. Lu Xu could sense it as soon as he thought about it.
Lu Xu said, "Look at him. He's so dirty. Most of the children you see on a daily basis are not much better."
"Jinglong's family is rich." Hongjun smiled and said, "The playmates he makes should be okay."
Although that was what he said, Hongjun's appearance and temperament when he was young were different from ordinary people. He could also see that compared to the current Li Jinglong, the young Li Jinglong was not as handsome as he was now. Instead, he was slovenly and looked a bit like a hooligan, like a big child who liked to cause trouble everywhere.
Li Jinglong's mother passed away very early, and there was no one to take care of his food and clothing. It was not until he was in his teens that he slowly learned to behave like a young master. Later on, when he joined the Long Wu Army, he became a soldier and had a solemn and self-disciplined charm. When he was young, his entire person was oily and not at all likable.
"This is your first meeting." Lu Xu said.
"It's quite normal." Hongjun replied in a low voice, "But we didn't talk, so it doesn't count."
"I'll look for it for you again." Lu Xu said again.
Lu Xu closed his eyes. The light scattered, and the autumn air was refreshing. Not long after the Kong family moved in, the boxes and sundries were still piled up in the courtyard. Little Hongjun was obviously bored, so he rummaged through the things and found a book. It was the demon painting scroll that he once gave to Li Jinglong.
He lay down in a pile of cloth, flipped through the scroll for a while, and fell asleep in the pile of cloth. Coincidentally, Little Li Jinglong climbed up his family's camphor tree to dig out a bird's nest. He inadvertently turned his head and saw Little Hongjun sleeping soundly under the autumn sun. He forgot about the bird's nest, lay down on the branch, and stretched out his body to look down.
Little Hongjun was sleeping soundly. Little Li Jinglong looked at him for a while and said to him, "Hey!"
When he didn't get a response, Little Li Jinglong threw a stone over to wake him up, but he still didn't get a response. Little Hongjun looked at him vigilantly, then turned around and went back into the house.
"The first time we spoke, it was like this." Lu Xu said, "It's quite normal."
Hongjun originally thought that their childhood meeting had some kind of meaning of fate. He didn't expect that it was as ordinary as the countless trivial things that happened in the thousands of ordinary days and nights in this world.
"What about the first time I spoke to him?" Hongjun asked again.
Lu Xu answered, "I guess …"
"Okay." Hongjun said helplessly, "Although it must be very normal, I still want to see it."
The white light flashed, and it was still the same wall.
Little Hongjun raised his head and looked at the blue sky on the other side of the wall. There was a heavy lock hanging on the gate of the courtyard.
Little Hongjun put his ear to the door and listened to the noise coming from outside. His expression was lonely and sad, like a caged bird.
He listened for a while and took out a scale hook with a rope attached to it.
Lu Xu: "…"
Hongjun held his forehead with one hand.
Lu Xu: "You learned how to climb walls at this age, but I was still catching earthworms in the snow …"
Hongjun: "Don't say anymore …"
Little Hongjun swung the hook a few times, but it didn't catch and fell down. He had an idea and turned to hook the wall of his neighbor's house. The tiles on the wall were not easy to hook, but the wall of his neighbor's house was hooked.
Little Hongjun used all his strength to climb up the wall. It was a good idea to sneak out using the wall of his neighbor's house. He was panting as he climbed up the wall. Suddenly, a person appeared on the opposite side. Little Hong Jun instantly screamed, and Little Li Jinglong followed suit and shouted as well. Little Hongjun never expected that there would be someone climbing on the other side of the wall. Little Li Jinglong reached out and grabbed him tightly.
"What are you doing?!" Little Hongjun shouted.
"I'm letting go," Little Li Jinglong said expressionlessly.
"Don't!" Little Hongjun hurriedly shouted, "Don't let go!"
"Call me brother." Little Li Jinglong said, "Your mouth is so soft."
Little Hongjun's face instantly turned red. He happened to climb the wall just now, but he clearly remembered that he didn't touch it, so he shouted, "No!"
"You kissed me."
"No!"
"I'm letting go!"
Little Hongjun had never been bullied like this before. He instantly burst into tears. Little Li Jinglong hung one hand on the wall and hurriedly said, "Okay! No! No! "
"Brother …"
As soon as Li Jinglong gave in, Little Hongjun gave in. His face was full of tears as he screamed with a pout.
Little Li Jinglong was instantly pleasantly surprised. He didn't expect Little Hongjun to give in. He immediately climbed onto the wall and pulled Little Hongjun up to hug him. Then, he received another loud cry. Little Li Jinglong carried Little Hongjun horizontally and actually climbed over the wall and jumped down!
In mid-air, Hongjun and Lu Xu looked over curiously.
"Here's something for you to eat, don't cry."
"I'll kiss you, don't cry …"
"Hey, hey, hey, okay, don't cry!"
"I want to go home …"
"Try this first, then I'll send you back."
The crying on the other side of the wall suddenly stopped. Little Hong Jun seemed to be chewing something in his mouth and kept pushing Little Li Jinglong who was squeezing towards him away. The two children had their backs against the wall and squeezed back and forth. Little Li Jinglong seemed to find this very amusing and laughed heartily.
"What's your name?"
"You're called Hongjun, right? You're Doctor Kong's son … "
"Don't go. I still have more here. Look, this is even more delicious … Yes, yes, come back, come back, this is right. "
The camphor leaves rustled. Under the summer sun, Little Li Jinglong and Little Hongjun's figures flashed and appeared in every corner of the backyard of the Li residence. Sometimes, the two children were hammering pills, and sometimes, they were fishing for shrimps in the backyard fish pond. When it snowed, they even made a snowman.
The walls of the Li residence and the Kong residence were also torn down and replaced with a thicket. At dusk, Kong Xuan stood in front of the thicket and called Little Hongjun to go home. Little Hongjun waved at Little Li Jinglong and turned to go back to eat dinner.
After Little Hongjun left, the courtyard gradually became desolate. There was no one left in the Li residence.
"Where's his father?" Lu Xu asked.
"He went to war." Hongjun replied, "Either he's busy in the yamen, or his father is a military official."
Little Li Jinglong returned to his room and ate a few snacks. He lay in the corridor and looked at the sky. Hongjun's mother's laughter came from next door. When he listened carefully, he heard Kong Xuan telling a joke. He said that Hongjun looked like a featherless chicken. Little Li Jinglong couldn't help but laugh.
The light turned dim. Little Li Jinglong was lying on the bed. He was sick. His forehead was full of sweat and he couldn't stop gasping for breath. In the dim room, Little Hongjun slowly approached the sick Li Jinglong.
Little Li Jinglong couldn't stop gasping for breath. He turned his head to look at Little Hongjun and whispered, "Father … Mother …"
Little Hongjun turned his head to look at him. Little Li Jinglong's chest rose and fell as he slowly gasped for breath.
Little Hongjun hugged Little Li Jinglong and leaned against his body. He quietly hugged him and listened to his heartbeat.
"I'm so cold …" Little Li Jinglong said, "Your father … Where's he?"
"He went on a long trip." Little Hongjun hugged him and whispered, "He's been gone for a long time. Brother, what's wrong?"
"I'm going to die." Little Li Jinglong replied. When he spoke, his chest was like a bellows. "Stay with me for a while … Don't go …"
Little Hongjun jumped off the bed and ran out. When he came back, he was holding a bag of medicinal herbs in his hand and began to boil medicine for the patient on the bed. Little Li Jinglong opened his eyes. His vision gradually became blurry. He grabbed aimlessly with one hand. Finally, Little Hongjun climbed onto the bed and fed him the medicine.
Little Li Jinglong's face was pale. His whole body trembled. He gritted his teeth and couldn't swallow the medicine. The medicine flowed down the corner of his mouth and flowed onto the bed. Little Hongjun tried a few times, but it ended in failure. Little Li Jinglong could only breathe out and no longer breathe in.