desolate

"The Meteorological Observatory of Xihe Province issued an orange rainstorm warning at 6 am today. It is expected that from the 12th to the next week, there will be continuous intensive rainfall in Pingjiang City, Guihai City, Zaocheng and other places, and the precipitation in most areas will reach Forty to sixty millimeters, up to eighty millimeters in some areas, residents are requested to reduce unnecessary going out..."

It's hard to believe that anyone still uses this kind of FM radio.

Zhou Ze's first reaction when he walked into the consultation room was to make a series of evaluations of the surrounding environment that only he knew.Including the old professor with a bald head and no hair left in front of him.

It's not the same as imagined.Zhou Ze summed up this seemingly down-to-earth room in his mind.

The old professor's surname is Lu. After retiring, he went back to his hometown to set up a mental hospital. In fact, he borrowed a place to continue his research.

"Sit whatever you want." Professor Lu took a sip of tea water in front of him, and after tasting it for two seconds, a tea stalk popped out.

Zhou Ze hesitated for a second, and instead of choosing the seat opposite Professor Lu, he sat down on the chair near the door.

"My mother asked me to come."

The first thing Zhou Ze said when he sat down was to explain why he came - he didn't want to stay here.

Professor Lu has faced many cooperative or non-cooperative patients, and their reasons for coming here are so new that he is so used to it now that he regards this unique first encounter as an indispensable link.

Just like introducing yourself.

"I know." Professor Lu nodded, "Although your mother only took the courses for credits, I am very impressed with her."

It's not like a special compliment just to get closer.The flat tone was really just reminiscing with him.

There was a gloomy look on Zhou Ze's brow, but his good communication habits did not allow him to do any behavior or speech beyond the rules.

So he decided to deal with it in another way.

"Actually, I'm aware of my own problems..."

The radio signal suddenly cut off, and there was a haggard electric sound.

"..."

When the treatment was over, the hands on the clock had just reached lunch time. Zhou Ze politely declined the elder's offer to keep him for dinner. Not long after he walked out of the residential building, he saw his uncle who came to pick him up by the side of the road.

The sun above his head was shining vigorously, and he began to doubt the authenticity of the broadcast on the radio just now.

My uncle's car is a black SUV of some years old, and the body is full of signs of weathering.

My uncle was smoking with the car window open.

"Uncle." Zhou Ze greeted him from a distance.

In the next second, the young cigarette was strangled on the car body early.

"Come on, let's get in the car." Zhou Haiyang unlocked the car door and rolled up the window, "Didn't you eat?"

Zhou Ze sat in the back row, squeezed together with a pile of dusty stones: "No."

With a strong smell of smoke lingering at the tip of his nose, he hesitated for a second, then opened the window.

His actions just caught Zhou Haiyang's eyes.Soon, the windows were opened.

"Are you hungry? Want to eat something?"

Zhou Ze touched his empty stomach: "It's okay, I can do it."

Zhou Haiyang glanced at him in the rearview mirror, and then smiled: "You child, why are you so polite, you were not like this when you were young."

Seeing that he was about to recall the past, Zhou Ze had no choice but to interrupt, "Uncle, I'm already seventeen."

Zhou Haiyang only took him as an embarrassment, and didn't engage in memory killing again: "But you did well in school there, why are you back?"

Zhou Ze looked out the window, the car had already entered a new main road, the street trees were receding, there were no tall buildings here, and the road was much narrower than Linghai. Compared with Linghai, which is always fresh, this place is like a The city stagnated ten years ago, and the development of the outside world has no effect on it.

Glossy never has anything to do with it.

Zhou Ze made up a reason: "My mother is too busy to take care of me."

"She's real." Zhou Haiyang didn't doubt it at all, "But now the school has started for a long time, why didn't you come earlier?"

"It was decided temporarily." Zhou Ze said, "It's okay, no delay."

"Which school do you want to go to? No. [-] Middle School?"

Zhou Ze paused: "...Sixth Middle School."

Zhou Haiyang finally raised his head and glanced at him through the rearview mirror: "Sixth Middle School...it's just average."

Zhou Ze looked away guiltily.

"...Forget it, what did your mother say?"

"She does what I want."

Zhou Haiyang has also heard that Ma Wenjing is usually too busy to stay at home. After all, he has a big heart and doesn't like to ask for trouble: "Okay, since your mother has made arrangements, then I don't care, my studio It's very close to No. [-] Middle School—have you greeted the school yet?"

"not yet."

"Do you need me to go to school for the transfer?"

"Will it bother you?"

"What's the trouble with that."

Zhou Ze was silent, and accepted it: "By the way, uncle, I want to stay."

He had inquired that, except for the third year of senior high school, day students in the first and second grades of No. [-] Middle School did not need to go to evening self-study.It is always easy for adults to stumble over the reasons why children learn.As expected, when Zhou Ze said the reason, Zhou Haiyang let go.

It was quiet in the car.

In this regard, Zhou Ze is happy to see the results. To be honest, he really hates having a question-and-answer communication with another person. This kind of conversation process is like forcing him to take off his own clothes layer by layer.

He really doesn't have a hobby of "naking/running".

Afterwards, Zhou Haiyang took him to a local restaurant, the taste was not very good, but the environment was really not good.

When eating gradually becomes an act just for survival, the process will become more and more boring. Zhou Ze tried to slow down his movements so as to make himself look like he ate a lot.But the more so, the more unnatural he is.

Zhou Haiyang raised his head: "Isn't it delicious?"

Zhou Ze shook his head: "No, I got angry recently."

"I'll take you to have some light food before I tell you." Zhou Haiyang put down his chopsticks, "Miss Boss, serve a bowl of mung bean soup."

In fact, it has nothing to do with the dishes, Zhou Ze picked up two more grains of rice and said silently in his heart, but he didn't want to take away Zhou Haiyang's kindness.

The proprietress in a greasy floral apron brought a bowl of mung bean soup with crushed ice, and Zhou Haiyang pushed it in front of Zhou Ze.

Seeing this polite and gentle boy thanking him not too lightly, Zhou Haiyang didn't know what he thought of, and sighed insignificantly.

"Hurry up and eat. I'll send you to the store after eating. The ingredients in the car are still in a hurry to be delivered to customers."

The urging words were like a pardon order, Zhou Ze took two sips of mung bean soup, wiped his mouth and said he was full.

Just after eating, the sun, which was still hot at noon, was covered by thick clouds again.Such weather made Zhou Ze a little out of breath.

Zhou Haiyang's store is a studio he spent years saving to build—it's small and dilapidated.The studio is engaged in engraving, and usually takes on various seals or inscriptions in scenic spots.

Zhou Haiyang spent almost half of his life on the road of wanting to become an artist, but he didn't have the opportunity and talent.According to Zhou's parents' words, it means that you can't get high or low.

As soon as he delivered it to the store, Zhou Haiyang took his precious stones to a factory a little further away to polish them, leaving Zhou to look after the store alone.

The store should have just been tidied up, a lot of furniture hasn't been placed in its place, the only decent one is the table by the window, but it is also full of various tools.

The gentle twilight spreads inch by inch, and the twilight is undoubtedly beautiful.Seeing that the Sunset Gate was empty inside and out, Zhou Ze changed into the staff uniform in the body shop, and leaned against the window, fiddling with a piece of scrap in a strange way.

He doesn't like to be empty, because once his mind is empty, he will get stuck...or can't grasp his emotions.Zhou Ze described his mental state in this way.

The phone in my pocket buzzed.

Zhou Ze was a little surprised by the name on the caller ID.

"……mom."

"Reached?"

His mother is a woman who is used to rushing around, and she just goes straight to the point and cuts to the topic.

"arrive."

"Did you go to Professor Lu's place?"

"went."

"Although you are going back for medical treatment, don't slack off in your studies. I have communicated with the attached middle school. The punishment of expulsion will be revoked and changed to voluntary withdrawal. The No. [-] middle school has also communicated. Just let your uncle lead you to report—Xiao Zeyou You know, I have spent a lot of effort on this matter, although Pingjiang is small, but the management model of the No. [-] Middle School is not bad, it can just restrain you, be obedient, and don't trouble you, Uncle Haiyang."

The last sentence used some beautifying techniques, but Zhou Ze knew that there was a deeper meaning besides the superficial meaning——

A very oppressive exhortation, in exchange for Zhou Ze's well-behaved hmm.

"You have always been very good, but your ability to withstand stress is too low. This incident is also a warning to you. Professor Lu is very authoritative in psychology. Your illness is fine. You will transfer back next semester. The road of competition It’s impossible to go, from now to the third year of high school is a critical period, before the college entrance examination, you don’t want to think about anything.”

In the end, he added a sentence like a slap and a candy: "Take care of yourself in the past two years, and then you can apply to any school you want to study in any major."

When Ma Wenjing talked about long-winded speeches, she poured them out like beans, without giving anyone a chance to breathe.It is only when the "sugar" is given at the end that the speech speed will be slowed down a little, as if giving a great gift.

Zhou Ze held the phone: "Mom, I'm not sick..."

At this moment, a strange voice suddenly came from the phone.

"Mr. Ma, the reactor data is out..."

Ma Wenjing responded: "Okay, come right away...Xiao Ze, you see, I distracted myself from calling you when I was in a mess. If you were more obedient, I wouldn't have to worry about it—OK That's it, let's talk about it later."

With a beep, the phone was hung up.

Zhou Ze still had half of the words in his mouth, and finally had to swallow them with difficulty.

—He is not sick.

"If it wasn't for you..."

"Let's talk about it later..."

"If you could be more obedient..."

"If you can try a little harder..."

"..."

From Ma Wenjing's side, what he got was always the responsibility of being laid down by the innocent and empty promises one after another.

Zhou Ze resisted the urge to throw the phone out.But he couldn't suppress the irritability in his heart.

He picked up the white steel carving knife again.

But this time, the line under his knife was no longer as straight as before.

The blade suddenly trembled violently.

I don't know when it started, Zhou Ze's hand holding the carving knife became more and more forceful until his fingertips turned white. He felt as if he was suddenly thrown into a deep sea. His ears, nasal cavity, and even his whole body were filled with water. Can't even concentrate...

Cha-cha--

The white powder flew away with his movements.

The movements became more and more incoherent, and his hands became more and more rigid, and the flat stone surface was full of staggered lines.

Until the "jingle bell".

Only then did Zhou Ze suddenly withdraw from his tense state.

saved……

"Hmm! What a big ash..." A young voice floated in.

Zhou Ze quickly adjusted himself—throwing down the carving knife, tearing off the mask that blocked his breathing, a just-right smile that perfectly expressed his safety and well-being appeared on his face.

The guests who came in this time were two teenagers aged sixteen or seventeen.

One of them is a little shorter, with curly hair sticking to his forehead that looks very smart, he behaves sloppily and speaks sloppyly, and wears a pair of black and white Nikes on his feet, which are very popular on the Internet.

I don't know if it's because of people or shoes, but Zhou Ze always thinks it's fake.

There is another person--

Zhou Ze moved his gaze away.

The young man was tall and straight, at least he was at the top of the pyramid among a group of people of the same age who "haven't even grown their hair." Besides, his appearance was also very outstanding.Zhou Ze often had some confidence in his own eyesight. He could see that there seemed to be a lot of energy in this person.

However, Zhou Ze couldn't tell the specifics about this discovery. It may be seen from the tattoo on his shoulder, or it may be seen from the raised blue veins on his arm.

Anyway, he just saw it.

This sense of superiority that everyone is drunk and I am sober makes him regain a little bit of calm.

Zhou Ze greeted: "Hello, do you need any help?"

The tall boy looked over, and the sight made his chest burn.

Hearing his voice, the curly man happily said something that he couldn't understand even if he was killed.

"Can you engrave tombstones here? It's the kind that stands on the grave!"

Perhaps because he had never heard of such an unreasonable request, Zhou Ze felt that his smile was froze uncontrollably.