Fire to the Abyss

After two or three hours of ups and downs, Xia Yan and Yang Ming arrived at Zhaojia Village, Beiyang Town, which was quite underdeveloped.

The cement road was only repaired to the village head, and there were only small gravel roads mixed with mud in the village. It rained a few days ago and the road surface was extremely muddy. The two had to park their cars on the side of the road and walk inside.The household registration address is only written in the village, and there are all mud houses here, the kind that can be crumbling in a storm, and naturally there is no house number.

To find Zhao Yang's father's house, he could only ask the villagers, but there were only a group of old, weak, sick and disabled in the village, who couldn't speak Mandarin well, so the two had to guess and find the way.Zhaojia Village is not big, with only a hundred people. Most of the villagers live on both sides of the main road—it is said that the main road is actually a wider gravel road, and only a small part is scattered around. Yang's father, Zhao Gang's family belonged to retail investors, so when Xia Yan and Yang Ming walked through many muddy paths and finally found Zhao Gang's house, half of their trouser legs were covered with mud, and their shoes were almost invisible.

The small earthen house of Zhao Gang's house looks smaller than other houses. There is a simple fence around the door of the house, and a few skinny chickens are surrounded.There was a bamboo forest outside the fence. Zhao Gang was chopping the bamboo in slow motion with an old sickle whose handle was almost worn out. Due to the reaction force of the chopping, the back of the sickle grinded Zhao Gang's tiger's mouth to blood.

Xia Yan and Yang Ming looked at each other, Yang Ming tilted his head and whispered, "Didn't the information say that Zhao was 48 years old just now? Why does it look like he's about to die?"

"Can you talk?" Xia Yan glared at him angrily, then put on a professional and friendly smile, and strode towards Zhao Gang, "Old Zhao, take a break, I'm from the city's police, come and get to know me Condition."

Zhao Gang stopped his movements and looked at Xia Yan blankly, apparently not knowing that his son was wanted.It was only at this time that Xia Yan could see Zhao Gang's face clearly. The right side of his face was covered with horrible scars, the brow bone was protruding, and only the white of his right eye could be seen. He was obviously half-blind.

As soon as he heard that he was the leader of the city, Zhao Gang quickly put down his sickle, limped to welcome the two of them into the house, took out two teacups covered with tea stains, and poured two cups of lukewarm water for them. .Xia Yan looked around the room, and briefly commented: It's really miserable.

Zhao Gang’s small adobe house is a vivid interpretation of what is meant by bare walls. There is only one table and two benches in the hall, and there is not even a concrete floor. The traces of water on the ground can completely tell where the roof is leaking.

Xia Yan chatted with Zhao Gang patiently for more than three hours, and finally agreed with Yang Ming's initial comment - this person is probably going to be buried.

Zhao Gang was not only blind, but also lame, and deaf.The dialect in the Beiyang area was very strong, and Zhao Gang spoke with a big tongue. It was the first time in Team Xia's career that he had such a difficult question.

Zhao Yang's mother died of illness not long after giving birth to him, and Zhao Gang had to raise the child alone.At that time, he worked as a long-term job for a wealthy family in Beiyang Town, so he brought his children to live with him.The family felt sorry for him, so they specially vacated the grocery room next to the villa for the father and son to live in, and kindly sponsored Zhao Yang to go to school.The father and son lived in Beiyang Town for more than ten years, until Zhao Gang had an accident while working on the construction site, and the construction site suddenly caught fire. The fire burned half of Zhao Gang's face, his right eye was blind, and his right ear was deaf. Saved a life.The accident was considered a work-related injury, so the employer paid for all the medical expenses and guaranteed Zhao Yang's education until he graduated from university.

At that time, although Zhao Gang's face was burnt, his hands and feet were fine, and he still stayed in that family to help.Unexpectedly, misfortunes never come singly. A few years later, when Zhao Gang went out to pick up his children and came home from school, he was hit hard, fell off the side of the road, and was hit by a small motorcycle and broke his leg.Zhao Gang lay in bed for more than a year before he could get out of bed, even though his well-meaning employer paid for his medical expenses again and let him live in a villa for the elderly in the future.But Zhao Gang was limping. After all, this accident had nothing to do with his employer. He only felt that he was useless and had no face to live here. After a while, he went back to his hometown alone, leaving Zhao Yang alone in the villa.

Zhao Gang made money by raising chickens and weaving bamboo baskets in his hometown. The meager income was barely enough to support himself.Fortunately, Zhao Yang didn't need him to support him, and even sent money back to Zhao Gang every year after he went to high school.However, since Zhao just returned to his hometown, the father and son have become strangers, and they seldom make phone calls, and Zhao Yang only comes back once in a while during the Chinese New Year.

Zhao Gang said that Zhao Yang has been a sensible and good boy since he was a child, and he helped him with various housework when he was a child. Maybe because his family was poor, he had a low self-esteem. He had no friends since he was a child. She has been a classmate since then, and the relationship is not bad. Zhao Yang always mentions her at home. After junior high school, she seems to have made friends with a little boy, and often goes to his house to play during winter and summer vacations.From Zhao Yang's mouth, Zhao Gang also heard him mention these two friends.

Zhao Gang knows this without mentioning Xia Yan, these two friends are Liu Xiran and his younger brother.The villa where Zhao Yang lives has also been investigated. The family immigrated abroad before Zhao Yang went to university and never came back.The villa was clean, without leaving any traces.

Of course, Xia Yan didn't tell Zhao Gang that his good son was already a wanted criminal. He only said that his classmates suddenly couldn't contact him, so they came to find out the situation.Zhao Gang's expression changed drastically after hearing this, and he hurriedly dragged his lame legs into the room to find his mobile phone, and dialed the number frantically. After connecting, there was only a cold female voice on the receiver—sorry, the user you dialed has turned off the phone.

Xia Yan glanced at Zhao Gang who was in a panic and repeated dialing in a complicated mood. He silently picked up the sickle and handed it to Yang Ming, signaling him to go outside and chop the bamboo.Yang Ming frowned, but still took the sickle and went out.Only then did Xia Yan stand up from the small bench, patted Zhao Gang on the shoulder, and slipped out the comforting words stored in his mind.

After Xia Yan patted his chest more than a dozen times to promise that he would find Zhao Yang and send him back unharmed, Zhao just calmed down a lot.When Xia Yan walked out of Zhao Gang's dilapidated house, Yang Ming had almost chopped off a piece of bamboo.Xia Yan grabbed Yang Ming and hurriedly said goodbye and went home.

On the way back, Xia Yan drove the car to a sudden stop in front of the entrance of the expressway without warning. He opened the back seat door, lay flat on the back seat, and said to Yang Ming, the co-pilot: "You drive , I can hardly keep my eyes open."

Yang Ming immediately protested: "I haven't passed the internship period for my driver's license, so I can't go on the highway!"

Xia Yan raised his head and rolled his eyes at him: "Brother Yan tells you to drive, and you can drive, even sixty yards."

Yang Ming bit the bullet and got into the driver's seat. He found that Xia Yan's face was abnormally pale.Reminiscent of the slightly hot feeling when Xia Yan accidentally brushed his forehead when he was pulling him, Yang Ming judged that this person probably had a cold and a fever.Of course, if the question is asked directly, Team Xia, who is strong and strong, will never admit it.

Yang Ming started the car silently, Xia Yan took out his mobile phone and made a call: "Hello, Xiao Xu? I'm Xia Lin's brother, hey, don't be so rude, just call me brother... Xia Lin didn't have anything wrong, I have a small favor to ask you for your help... That's it, Xia Lin insists on coming to the police force for an internship, but I won't listen to my advice. I can't take care of him when I'm busy. If he meets a vicious gangster and his arms and legs are accidentally removed, who can I cry to? Our family is only two brothers, and this child is very rebellious. My words don't work at all, I want you to help me persuade him... Hey, okay, Brother Yan can rest assured with your words... You ask him what he eats, hey, let me think about it, Xia Lin really likes corn For cakes, especially red dates, the one at Li Tang Kee at Changmen..."

Yang Ming thought to himself: I thought to myself, besides Xia Yan, there is actually another person who likes to eat that so sweet thing?

After Xia Yan finished talking on the phone, he continued to lie flat in the back seat. Yang Ming really kept at [-] yards and drove back to downtown Chengzhou. All the cars along the way had to detour around him. It's past ten o'clock.Xia Yan was paralyzed quietly on the back seat all the way, motionless, not sure if he was dizzy or really cold.

Yang Ming stopped the car with a bitter face, and looked back at Captain Xia who was tall and strong in the back seat. Although he was not as tall as his brother, he was still heavy enough.Team Xia didn't seem to be waking up at all. Yang Ming let out a long sigh. The thought of carrying such a big sack up to the fifth floor made him feel sad, and worried that his small body would be crushed by the sack.

Maybe it was because Yang Ming stepped on dog poop on the way to work in the morning, and he saw the savior as soon as he got out of the car.

Comrade Savior stood like a statue next to a dimly lit lamppost. If the profile wasn't so pretty, Yang Ming almost didn't notice it.

Yang Ming enthusiastically shouted to the savior: "Brother Lu, here, here!"

"Oh, it's Xiao Yang." Lu Yuan turned his head and took a look, then walked towards Yang Ming with a smile.

Yang Ming just watched Lu Yuan slowly approaching under the overlapping lights, his steps were slow and steady, his smile was moving in the night, with a sense of unreality as if he had passed away.Finally standing in front of him, the bright light illuminated his slender eyelashes clearly.

Only now did he understand why Xia Yan always gritted his teeth and said that Lu Yuan's laughter was a disaster for the country and the people.This person's facial features are very classically beautiful, with sword eyebrows and star eyes, a straight nose bridge, and slightly thin lips.A head of black hair was not combed too neatly, and a few strands were randomly drooping on the forehead, adding a kind of unrestrained temperament.The corners of his lips curled up, and his darker peach eyes were indescribably seductive under the smudged light.

This smile is very apt to be described as a disaster for the country and the people. For the first time, Yang Ming recognized Xia Yan's ability to express words.

"Xiao Yang, it's so late, what are you doing here?" It wasn't until Lu Yuan patted Yang Ming's shoulder lightly that he realized that he was distracted in a hopeless way.

"Brother Lu, you are here to find Team Xia, why don't you call and wait downstairs?" Yang Ming opened the back door, "Here, I brought him back."

"I just arrived, and I was stopped by you when I was about to make a phone call."

Lu Yuan glanced inside, Xia Yan was lying sideways on the back seat, with one arm pressed against his ear, completely covering his side face.The trousers were covered with mud from the knee down, staining the pads badly.

Lu Yuan frowned, while Yang Ming explained: "It's hard to go out to work today, and we both look like clay figurines. It's rare for Team Xia to sleep so unconscious. He's had a cold for the past two days. I guess I have a fever today when I go out in the cool breeze and drink cold water. I am wondering how to move him up there. Brother Lu, you are really my savior. With your help, my life will be safe. .”

"No need." Lu Yuan leaned over and stepped into the car, wrapped his arms around Xia Yan's shoulders and waist, and directly carried him out, "He's handed over to me, you can go home."

The mud on Xia Yan's trousers immediately made Lu Yuan's black coat into an impressionist painting. He just glanced at it indifferently, nodded at Yang Ming, and walked towards the dark corridor with Xia Yan in his arms.

Watching Lu Yuan's steady back gradually disappear, Yang Ming exclaimed, "Brother Lu is really strong", before getting back into the warm car.

Considering the salary level and the distance from the unit, Xia Yan carefully selected such a unit.Although the external environment is a bit poor - not only is there no elevator, and all the corridor lights are off after ten o'clock in the evening, but the internal conditions are not bad, and the area of ​​the house is large enough.Of course, for a superhuman like Xia Yan who can instantly turn any place into a doghouse, no matter how large the area is, it is not enough.

Lu Yuan stumbled all the way up to the fifth floor, and his original appearance could hardly be seen in his black clothes.The corridor was pitch-black, he couldn't move his hands to light up, and he had to protect Xia Yan, who was like a sleeping beauty in his arms, so that he wouldn't bump into each other.

Lu Yuan put Xia Yan on the ground, supported his waist, let him lean into his arms, took out the key from his pocket and opened the door, even though he had made a psychological construction of "the room may not be very tidy", Lu Yuan was still stunned the moment he turned on the light, thinking that Xia Yan's skill of making dog kennels might be inherited from his ancestors, and there is a tendency that the blue is better than the blue.

Lu Yuan glanced at the wooden floor, then at his shoes, and didn't think the floor was cleaner than his soles.The floor was full of various things, books, newspapers, water glasses, clothes, half of last night's beer... Even so, the floor was much cleaner than Xia Yan's muddy shoes.

Lu Yuan asked Xia Yan to sit on the ground against the porch, quickly took off his pair of leather shoes that looked like he had planted rice seedlings, then stared at his trousers for three seconds, and helped him take them off without saying a word.Xia Yan didn't resist at all, and still closed his eyes tightly, allowing him to fiddle with it. At this moment, Lu Yuan had time to touch Xia Yan's forehead, and it was really hot.

Lu Yuan put Xia Yan on the bed, secured him with two layers of quilts, and then started working in his house.He found that although Xia Yan's house didn't have a place to set foot on, the refrigerator was clean.Fortunately, there is still a box of antipyretics in the kennel.Lu Yuan boiled hot water and fed Xia Yan with medicine—Xia Yan still clenched his teeth tightly when he was in a coma, and Lu Yuan took a lot of effort to pry them open, and then used physical therapy to apply cold compresses to Xia Yan. In the middle of the night, the heat on Xia Yan's forehead subsided a little.

Lu Yuan tidied up Xia Yan's house so that he could meet people, and sat on the sofa in Xia Yan's bedroom with his clothes all night, and only woke up at dawn to cook a bowl of porridge with the little grain left in Xia Yan's house.Xia Yan slept quite honestly, basically maintaining the posture of last night.Lu Yuan rubbed his forehead and felt that the temperature was still within an acceptable range, so he picked up his heavily polluted coat and left.