doomed [last days]

Lin Shen coaxed Shi Yiran to sleep slowly, while An Lu was sleeping soundly with Meng Shurong's arm in the kitchen.

Two spring beds were pushed together, and only one large mattress was spread.Meng Shurong lay on the inside, letting Anlu next to him hold his arm.She turned her head sideways, looked at the little girl's contented sleeping face, and suddenly remembered the night of the first day she came here.

Sleeping in the tent, only she and Anlu, should have been enclosed and safe like being surrounded by eggshells.But that night, she habitually sank into the quagmire of nightmares.Countless pairs of big hands grabbed her and dragged her into the abyss.Everything that happened during the day seemed to be imagined by her, there was no Anlu, no escape, she was still in that sour room, enduring the torment from morning till night.

Perhaps it was because she had a nightmare and did not sleep soundly, which woke Anlu up.When she was awakened by Anlu, she heard the little girl who opened her sleeping bag and lay down on her stomach say softly and slowly, "Sister Shurong, it's too dark at night, I dare not sleep alone, can I hold hands and sleep?"

Then slowly, the distance became closer and closer, and holding hands turned into sleeping with arms hugged.

She didn't believe what Anlu said.How could such a person who dared to drive alone and walk in the last days because he dared not sleep alone?Anlu is considerate of her, but she knows it clearly in her heart.

The cold heart was slowly melted, Meng Shurong moved to the side, and closed his eyes.

In the afternoon of early summer, the mountain wind brought the temperature of the sun, which swayed the Cymbidium in the yard and woke up the sleeping people in the house.

The closed eyelids slowly opened, and Anlu felt the closer distance between the two than usual, and an inexplicable dryness surged in his heart.In the past, she was the one who held Meng Shurong's arm. When she woke up, she would always see Meng Shurong lying flat on the side, or with her eyes open.Never before has he turned sideways to face himself like this.

Not only that, but Meng Shurong's brows were more stretched than before. Anlu was stunned for a while, then took back his hands holding Meng Shurong's arms, sat up and helped her tuck the corners of the quilt, and heard that she just babbled, seeing no one. After waking up, he walked out lightly.

In the yard, Shi Yiran was sitting on a stone beside the faucet, bending over to wash the apricots in the small basin.Hearing the sound, she raised her head, saw An Lu came out, and asked, "Are you awake?"

An Lu responded, and asked casually, "Is Miss Lin Shen still sleeping?"

"Well," Shi Yiran continued to wash the apricots, "I didn't call her, let her sleep for a while. Do you want to wash up, I will make room for you."

After finishing speaking, she pulled her white hand out of the water, and Shi Yiran took the small basin, stood up and walked under the shed.

After washing his face and blowing the warm mountain breeze, Anlu didn't bother to wipe it off. He walked over and asked, "Sister Yiran, what are you going to do?"

In the morning, Shi Yiran and Lin Shen picked so many apricots, and after eating a few of them, they didn't eat any more.Now that Shi Yiran was playing with the remaining apricots, she became curious.

Shi Yiran smiled, poured out the water in the small basin, and replied, "I picked some apricots that were not too ripe, and I'm going to make dried apricots, so I can save them. Anlu, bring me some salt."

Anlu nodded hastily. When she went to get the salt, Shi Yiran took some water in a small basin, just enough to cover the apricots in the basin.Put the salt into the basin, let the apricots soak in the salt water for half an hour, and kill them.

Shi Yiran sat in the shade under the shed when she was on the phone, and asked, "Anlu, when is your birthday?"

"Me? It's early, it's almost December."

An Lu was also sitting there, hiding from the scorching sun.If it weren't for the mobile phones that Shi Yiran and Lin Shen brought over, she might not even know what month it is.

However, Shi Yiran suddenly asked this, presumably because Lin Shen's birthday is coming soon.

A gossiping smile instantly appeared on Anlu's face, looking a bit treacherous, "Sister Yiran, is it Sister Lin Shen's birthday?"

Her voice was lowered a bit, but her tone was raised, and it looked a little weird with her crooked eyebrows and eyes.

After being told what was on her mind, Shi Yiran's expression became a little unnatural, but she still said softly: "Well, soon, I think when the time comes..."

"Do you want to make a cake?!" Although the conditions are not too good, but when it comes to birthdays, the most indispensable thing is the cake. Anlu was a little excited, and before Shi Yiran could finish speaking, he said, "Come on!" Don't be careless about your birthday!"

Cakes are impossible to make, what Shi Yiran thinks is that steaming a pot of hair cakes will be so interesting.She originally wanted to ask An Lu and Meng Shurong for their opinions, after all, the materials belonged to everyone.Unexpectedly, Anlu directly wanted to make a cake.

"We don't have that much material," the words were interrupted, Shi Yiran was not angry, she said with a smile: "There is still some yeast left after steaming steamed buns last time, I want to make some steamed cakes, everyone can eat them as a staple food."

"Well," Anlu was a little disappointed that she couldn't make a cake, but she suddenly said, "You can put some dried apricots in it then!"

Shi Yiran nodded: "After that, I smashed out the almonds and fried them."

"Smashing almonds, it's easy, I'll do it!" An Lu patted his chest, and suddenly asked softly, "Sister Yiran, when is Sister Lin Shen's birthday?"

"June 22nd."

"It's pretty stupid..." Anlu muttered, and suddenly remembered that his girlfriend was still by his side, and stuck out his tongue a little embarrassedly.

Shi Yiran smiled and said nothing.Everyone is already so familiar, so familiar that they depend on each other for their lives, and they are just joking with each other.

After a while, the phone rang.Shi Yiran pressed the button on the phone, then poured out the salt water in the small basin, and took some clean water to wash the apricots in the basin.An Lu was already sitting by the earthen stove, boiling water, while Shi Yiran took the opportunity to break open the apricots one by one, remove the pits, and put the apricots and apricot pits separately on two plates.

After the boiling water on the clay stove was boiled, some rock sugar was added into it. After the rock sugar was boiled, Shi Yiran threw in the broken apricots.It didn't take too long, three to five minutes, and after seeing that the apricots were almost ripe, she moved the pot down and put it on a small table built on the side.Pick up the apricots with a colander and place them on top of the pot to control the water.

After Lin Shen got up, he saw two people sitting in the yard arranging apricot pits on cardboard.

"Are you going to dry the apricot kernels?" She muttered, squatting directly beside Shi Yiran, and said, "It will take several days to dry, and it's best to take them inside at night."

The weather in June is more changeable than before. If there is a mountain rain in the middle of the night, don't want the preserved apricots.

Shi Yiran nodded, and urged her to wash her face, while she was busy fiddling with apricot stones.After the apricots on the pot had almost contained the water, several people were busy placing the apricots on the newly brought grate.The grate was made by picking some twigs and peeling them.After placing it, cover it with another layer of gauze, and just wait for it to dry in the sun.

"The water is quite delicious."

After everything was done, Lin Shen scooped a spoonful of water for boiling apricots from the pot, held a small bowl, and took a sip.

She sighed: "In the sandbars in the northwest, apricot skin water is a local specialty drink. What we have now is water boiled with apricot skin and apricot meat, almost, almost."

It's just that in their pot of "apricot skin and apricot meat water", there are so few hawthorn, tangerine peel, and licorice.

Hearing what she said, An Lu also took a sip, smashed his mouth, and said, "It's really delicious."

"It's delicious but you can't drink too much," Shi Yiran walked over and poked Lin Shen's arm, "After it cools down for a while, pour it into a bottle and put it in the refrigerator."

Lin Shen grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "Got it."

The two looked at each other, and the corners of their mouths were as curved as a crescent moon.The charming atmosphere made Anda Bulb next to her feel as if she was about to be blinded by herself, after she cleaned the bowl containing the apricot water, she said, "I'll wake up Sister Shurong, let her have a taste too. "

After finishing speaking, he got into the house quickly.

The sound of pattering footsteps softened instantly after entering the house.Anlu walked lightly to the side of the bed, and saw that Meng Shurong's posture hadn't changed at all, just like before she went out, lying on her side, facing her direction, sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, she couldn't bear to wake Meng Shurong up, she finally saw her sleeping so soundly.However, if you sleep a lot during the day, you should not be able to sleep at night.

"Sister Shurong?" She patted Meng Shurong's arm and called softly, "Wake up, it's time to get up."

Without calling twice, Meng Shurong slowly opened his eyes.Just after waking up, she seemed a little unresponsive, and her eyes were hazy, which made Anlu feel inexplicably terrified.She coughed lightly, and said, "Sister Shurong, sister Yiran has boiled apricot water, get up and drink some."

"Hmm..." Meng Shurong woke up, glanced at An Lu who was sitting on the side, and then sat up on the bed.

Before she got out of bed, Anlu told Meng Shurong about Lin Shen's birthday in a low voice. The other party was stunned for a moment, and immediately said, "It's time to have a good time."

"Sister Shurong, when is your birthday?" An Lu immediately asked.

Meng Shurong's eyes flickered for a while, and he said softly: "My birthday has passed."

past?This time, it was An Lu who was stunned.It's passed, was it the birthday a few days ago, or was it in those dark days... She was a little flustered, wondering if she had mentioned something that made her sad.

Meng Shurong had already moved to the side of the bed, noticing that the little girl next to her was in a low mood, pressed her teeth against her lips, and explained, "Before, I was very busy every day, so I didn't mention it."

Besides, she can only help everyone a little bit. If she needs strength but no strength, and knowledge but no knowledge, how can she be ashamed to ask for a birthday?

After she finished speaking, she was still a little dazed when she saw Anlu. After putting on her shoes, she pushed her lightly: "Aren't you going to drink apricot water? Let's go."