【Summer Five】Iron City Wall

Farewell to Wang's second child, Xia You drove Wutiao home, wishing to appear in front of her parents who had been missing for half a year.Losing their two children for no reason, Minako and Hiroki were naturally very anxious, but they couldn't find anyone after digging three feet, so they could only stay in the fifth district and wait.

At that time, they slipped home with their dirty clothes, and the soles of their shoes left a few strings of mud marks on the door carpet, so they were in a mess.

As usual, Xia You took out the key from the crack of the door and opened the door, and called "Mom" to Minako, whose back was facing the sofa, with a slightly unstable tone.The other party was almost frozen, and it took a long time to slowly turn around, staring at the entrance in disbelief, not daring to recognize him for a long time.

Seeing his family again after half a year, no matter how calm and mature he is usually, Xia You was still choked up by the impact, and he was speechless with his mouth open.As a result, he and Minako stared at each other for a long time, and it was Wutiao who rushed out and called "Auntie" to break the situation.

The teenagers received a hug like a storm, and Minako hugged them tightly while wiping her tears, as if she was afraid that the two children would disappear again if she let go.

When everyone calmed down, Minako took Hiroki and began to question her.Where I went, what I did, and whether I was injured, I told the truth in every detail, and I had to suffer a few blows that were neither serious nor serious.Hongshu was not surprised when he heard them talk about his experience in Dakong, he just pushed his glasses and said that he guessed that there was such a possibility, otherwise he wouldn't have no information no matter how hard he searched.

Minako was out of breath for a long time, and suddenly began to cry silently again.This time it was a mixture of sorrow and joy—it was lost and found again, but I didn’t know how much the children I loved since childhood had suffered, so I felt powerless.Hong Shu repeatedly comforted, and Minako covered her eyes and urged them to wash up and eat, and then find a time to go to the hospital for an examination, so as not to fall into serious illness.

In short, the parents passed the test safely.Xia You didn't know if they noticed the difference between him and Wujo, or maybe even if Minako noticed the pairing ring, she couldn't get distracted in the overly agitated emotions.In any case, returning to the surface means that life that was once derailed will return to peace, even if some things are no longer different.

For example, he and Wutiao, such as high school, or the "job" that Wang Laoer mentioned.

After discussion, Hongshu intends to continue to give them high school status, which will only be used as proof for taking the unified examination in the future, and ordinary attendance is no longer required.Xiayou and Wujo are really much above the usual level—especially in the half year of the big hole, nourished by practice and new theories, the source code that is enough to break through Walden Pond has proved everything, even if they tacitly conceal it from their parents over this matter.

What prompted their decision was a letter from Andre.

The letter itself was written by Wang Lao Er. The old man was stationed at the dock to guard the gate for the purpose of that secret passage, and he would go in and out of the big hole from time to time, bringing news of some old friends.

The letter said that since they received the nominated orders under Lao Chen, many customers on the surface were also very interested in these two talented teenagers, and jobs were assigned to them one after another.

"I call it 'post delivery'." Andre wrote in the letter, "The consignor may come from anywhere, and ask the delivery person to go to the location to complete the order by name, and then deliver the order to the recipient. This is a kind of It’s a disguised delivery job, but you have to travel a few more times and have more relationships.”

In short, the postman will have the authority to freely enter and exit the five to two districts, and the remuneration is quite high.This is undoubtedly very attractive-at least for Xia You, his inner thirst for knowledge is above all else, which motivates him to take this hard-won job.

The parents had no objection: they seemed to be familiar with the miracles created by Xia You and Gojo. When they heard of such a thing, they only discussed safety, without any intention of dissuading them.

Until a certain weekend, Hongshu specially called them to the study room, and said in a deep voice: "Just for this, if you really want to set off for the high-level section, don't forget what I said. It's no different than the fifth district, you will definitely contact More and more real social forms, and these things may not be satisfactory. Even if you are in the cracks, you must remember to see with your own eyes and judge with your own brain, and it is strictly forbidden to dig into the corners."

Xia You suddenly remembered that winter when he was a child, his father's inscrutable expression in the campfire, and five seemingly bold but meticulous inferences.

"I will." He replied, a little hesitant.

Hongshu seemed to have spotted the gap, and his eyes behind the lens flashed coldly.He sat behind the desk and said slowly: "Then, I have something to talk to Wu alone, so Jie should go out first."

Xia You didn't know why, but Hong Shu was always serious, so he pushed open the door and left without saying a word.

In the study room, only Wutiao and Hongshu are left beside the bookshelf.The latter's gaze seemed to pass over the five ring fingers, like a superficial touch, without causing much disturbance.That gaze finally fell on Wutiao, it was very deep, as if extremely solemn.

"Wu, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course, uncle just say it." Wutiao stood where he was, with professional bibliographies stacked neatly behind him.

Hong Shu stared at him deeply, and said in an unprecedentedly serious tone: "Please watch over Jie for me. Please pay more attention to him in everything. If you notice something is wrong, don't keep your hands. Be sure to wake him up."

The books spread out on the table shook slightly, and the table legs creaked.

"May I ask why?" Wu Tiao said with a cold expression.

Hong Shu ignored his inexplicable emotions, pondered for a moment, and explained: "That child... I am not at ease. He looks tough, but inside he is more fragile than anyone else - but as long as you are by his side, Probably nothing will happen. I think so, and I want an answer from you."

Wujo was a little surprised, but finally nodded and said: "No problem, I will keep an eye on him."

In this way, they took over the first job from Mr. Wang's second-hand dealer, and will set off for the client's location in a few days.Enclosed with the letter are all the necessary information and two passes - issued by the Authority, which allow the holder to travel legally between the second and fifth districts.

In order to reach the location of the first client, the two had to take a cruise ship and go to the suburbs of the second district through the Grand Canal: the other party was an excellent scientific researcher stationed in the second district, and Wutiao and Xia You were nominated to go to the residence to discuss details.

Xia You, who only took a long-distance cruise when he was "relegated" to the fifth district, never imagined that one day he would be able to return upstream from the end of the Grand Canal, even if it was just for making a living.

On the day of boarding, Hiroki and Minako both came.

The largest port in the fifth district is shining in the setting sun, and a cruise ship with a height of four or five floors is parked on the river.All kinds of people in uniforms of different colors ran across the deck, and the containers were placed into the cabin in sequence by the robotic arm. Several staff members stood on the high platform and waved batons, making symbolic whistles.

There is a lot of people at the pier, most of them are special types of workers who come to deliver goods.It is rare for them to be able to enter and leave the rest of the area, so these gathered people can only stand on the shore and watch the goods they are responsible for transporting are loaded onto the cruise ship in an orderly manner, and then turn around and leave before the ship leaves.

Xia You stood on the gangway, stretching out his hands to shade his eyes.On a higher place is Wutiao who is holding on to the handrail and looking up at the sky. The breeze blows his silver hair, revealing a small piece of snow-white nape.

They were waiting for the ticket check, the sun was not dazzling, and the worries of the parents in the seeing-off crowd came into view.

"Jie." Hong Shu called out steadily, and the gold-rimmed glasses reflected a deep light.

The wind sent this call into Xia You's ears. He turned around, put his forearm on the armrest, and leaned towards his father who was below, signaling that he was listening.

"The ears of wheat are not golden, and the sea is not blue;"

In the free and melodious sea breeze, Hong Shu and Xia You looked at each other, and there were many deep meanings in the eyes that the latter could not clearly see.

"The city walls are not always black, nor are they pure white."

Wutiao also looked over, frowning slightly, as if he was puzzled by Hongshu's repeated hints.But the speaker was still not in a hurry, and his concern for the teenagers was clearly written in his eyes.

"Remember: there is always more than one road under your feet."

The siren blared and the waves rolled.The sails gradually swelled, and the sailors retreated to their posts. A white line appeared between the sea and the sky, approaching from the distant horizon, bringing about a foot-high wave.

The gangway was about to be raised, and the second officer urged the travelers to board.Xia You nodded hastily, wondering if Hongshu saw it, and was dragged into the cabin by Wutiao.

The eyes dimmed, and the sound of the hatch closing came from behind.Wu Tiao firmly held Xia You's hand, tightened his fingers, and the ring gently rubbed against the skin, bringing out a somewhat icy touch.They searched for the cabin according to the ticket, their footsteps were hidden in the chaotic rush, their heartbeat was fast, but they were not disturbed.

The ticket that Wang Lao Er got was unexpectedly good, and he actually chose a place only one flight of stairs away from the deck.Although it is a third-class cabin, the facilities inside are not very simple, much better than the Big Hollow.

Perhaps it is only because this cruise ship sometimes provides short-term services for a few distinguished guests, so the room layout is reasonable.

Xia You pushed the suitcase under the bed, took out a book from his backpack, and prepared to read it while resting.Wutiao wandered in and out, mumbling a few words "this is it" from time to time, but he didn't seem to be too disgusted.

Thinking about it, the Big Void really changed them, not so much, but really profound.

The cruise ship anchored and slowly started to move.The hull was a little bumpy, but fortunately Xia You didn't get seasick. After reading a few pages, she felt sleepy, so she planned to lie down and take a nap.Before going to sleep, he vaguely saw Wu Tiao open the door with a pale face and went out, and suspected that it was just an illusion, after all, this guy has not been as pale as a piece of paper every day.

When he woke up, it was already bright outside, and it turned out that it was the next morning.Wutiao was not in the house, so Xia You went to look for him on the deck with a book between his hands - based on what he knew about Wu Tiao, he would probably like to stay in such a windy place.

Facts have proved that Xia You guessed correctly.As soon as he stepped on the deck, he saw the thin, tall and thin figure in front of the railing facing the bow.

The boy's white shirt was blown up by the wind, and the smooth and graceful waist and abdomen lines could be vaguely seen under the turbulence of the clothes, like a big bird fluttering its wings.Sunglasses covered most of his expression, only Wujo squinted his eyes, facing the sky in the oncoming sea breeze and sunlight, so light that he could disappear on the spot at any time.

Xia You quietly stared at his back, and suddenly wanted to fiddle along those few curves, rubbing and playing with his fingertips repeatedly, until he bent his back and gave it to her personally.

Whenever the sense of security recedes like an ebbing tide, he tries to confirm the existence of Wu in this way—to make him emotional, make him beg for forgiveness, make him call out "Jie" with pleading words, so as to distinguish dreams from reality.

Xia You stepped forward and gently stopped beside Wutiao, bathing in the same sunshine with him.

"Seasick?" He asked coldly.

Wu Tiao seemed to have been poked sorely, and pursed his lips reluctantly: "No, at most I feel a little uncomfortable, and I haven't been out to sea for too long."

They all habitually call the Grand Canal the "sea". Perhaps because humans who grew up in the Golden Age have never seen the ocean, they subconsciously use the closest impression of the Grand Canal as a substitute.

With a smile, Xia You took out a mint candy from his pocket, removed the wrapper and handed it to Wutiao.The latter took it skillfully, put it in his mouth, and finally relaxed a little.

They looked into the distance together, and the boundless sky was reflected in their eyes.

The sea breeze blows from the back to the front, and the sparkling waves can be seen faintly on the river.The waves surrounded the hull, and the white foam was smashed and smashed by the propeller, and they probed incessantly, gathering again into a mighty tide.