beyond the horizon

What is more frightening than the rumbling thunder is the endless silence in the tent at this moment.

Luo Yunxi crossed his arms and sat on the chair opposite the bed. Boiling water was boiling on the stove. Wardler removed the white cloth covering Hazab's forehead, steaming a burst of steaming blood, and the edge of the wound was covered with water. The sting turned white, and Hazab hissed.Luo Yunxi didn't move at all, only a pair of glass-like eyes turned around when he heard the sound, Hazabu bit his lower lip quickly and stopped making a sound.When Wardle helped him clean up the dirt around the wound, Hazab's nose was already covered with a layer of fine sweat, and he took a small breath, and the sound of panting was as scorching as the sound of boiling water.

Wardle walked to the other side, pressed the red-dyed towel into the hot water basin, and the red strands drifted away.Luo Yunxi stood up, Hazabu even held his breath.

He had never seen Luo Yunxi angry before, those spring-like eyes softened his natural sharp outline, but now the spring has also dried up.The wind and rain were raging outside, as if the entire tent was about to be lifted from the ground, Luo Yunxi was expressionless, the candlelight made his nose cast a gloomy shadow on his cheek.

Hazabu's head started to hurt again, and he was very dizzy. One Luo Yunxi became two.Da Lantai struck so hard that when the stone hit him, he thought he could see brains splashing out.

"Where did you go, with whom, and why did you fight?" Luo Yunxi asked, his voice was dry and hoarse like a cracked river bed.At this moment, he has become the most ordinary teacher, sternly questioning his disobedient students, his eyes are full of anger and disappointment-of course Luo Yunxi has always been a teacher, but Hazabu feels that Teacher Luo at this moment is very strange.

He opened his mouth timidly, his eyes moved from Luo Yunxi to Waldler, but he couldn't say a word.

The cloth towel was thrown into the water, and the bloody spots fell on the ground, turning into dark dots.This splash was incomparable to the continuous rain outside, but it was enough to wet the three people in the stalemate in the room. "Luo Yunxi!" Wardle threw the cloth towel and called out his full name, warning him not to speak to Hazabu in that tone.After speaking, he looked at Hazabu who was covering his wound with cotton gauze, and swallowed involuntarily.

He felt as if he knew how it all happened.

No, I know for sure.He thought, Hazab didn't want him to associate with Dalantai, and he was not allowed to steal and rob again. Before they left the juvenile prison, they made an oath together, and after they came out, they lived a good life and never went back to the prison.But this stupid boy, what's the difference between fighting and stealing?Anyway, everyone was disappointed in them—the instructor, uncle, Director Li, and even strangers who had never met before. They looked at me with sympathy and regret, as if they should grow into another look that everyone expected.

Yes, they could have been different.Both Erji and Abba are still living in this world. He and Hazabu should be raising sheep and singing loudly under the vast sky. No one in the Naadam Conference can steal the limelight from their brothers. Hazabu raised them since he was a child That white horse—blessed by the God of Longevity, it is definitely the strongest and most beautiful horse on the grassland, and the Yunqing horse is no match for it. Its mane is as flowing as a cloud, and it can run faster than the wind. The young Haza Buhui chased the sunset on horseback and ran towards the sky that was burned red by the setting sun.

They deserved this kind of life instead of standing in the dark assembly line of the factory for a long and tedious day, because they are the youngest workers, so their wages are only half of others.They shouldn't steal the sheep from the neighbor's house. When they dragged the sheep's head and walked forward, the immature lamb followed them and chased them all the way with a delicate voice. tears.

Hazab's tears flowed to the ewes, to the heavenly Erji, to the lambs, and to themselves.The prairie under our feet bears the reincarnation of countless lives. Their laughter, sorrow, and inexhaustible tears are now replaced by hot blood.He really wanted to know if even a sliver of hope could grow in this piece of soil that they had tried their best to water?

For a moment he thought that Luo Yunxi would be different—the teacher always smiled, and his patience seemed to be longer than the meandering Ergun River. He never placed any unrealistic high expectations on them, and even That bracelet - when he woke up early this morning, he found it on his hand. He guessed that it was made by Luo Yunxi, and even had a little expectation that it was made by him.

Waldler originally thought that after the bad weather passed, he would persuade Da Lantai to change his target, because the teacher from Handi seemed to be a really good person.But he didn't expect that Hazab would go to Dalantai first—yes, there is only one explanation for Hazabu's injury, he knows Hazabu too well, and his younger brother will go to tell Dalantai not to Come to bother my brother, and stay away from my teacher.Dalantai was merciless in his strikes, he was a vicious vulture, and Wardler was glad that Hazab was only injured in the head.

But now, Luo Yunxi's anger and disappointment had materialized and weighed heavily on their shoulders.Since their father passed away, they have been boarding at their uncle's house, and the feeling of being under the fence is not good. There are two more mouths to eat rice, and the aunt's unintentional look of disgust is enough to make the two children who are not full quickly put down their hands chopsticks.So he took Hazab and ran away, even if they had no one to rely on, and went to steal and rob, at least they still had freedom.

They are like children lost in the crowd, unable to find a hand to hold.

"It's all my fault. When we were in the juvenile detention center, we didn't deal with each other. I, I was so angry that I took the initiative to fight with others." Hazab said, an important crisis was brewing in his chest rising and falling with his breathing. Decided, there was a thin film of water in his eyes, and there was a little panic, because he was not sure whether he could bear the consequences of the next sentence, "Mr. Luo, I didn't correct it, I made another mistake Wrong...you take me back." At the end, his voice became very soft, and the ending was swept away by the wind before it landed.

Luo Yunxi just stared into Hazabu's eyes for a long time and silently.

Hazab lowered his head while dodging his gaze.After his father left, he was afraid of a sudden snowstorm at night, afraid of being beaten, afraid of starving, afraid of being looked down upon.Now he is also afraid of looking into Luo Yunxi's eyes.

"Did you hurt the other party?" Luo Yunxi asked.

"……Yes."

With a sigh, "You shouldn't, Hazab." Luo Yunxi said, his fingers tightened and his nails dug into his palm.If he is a serious student of his own, then at this moment he will sternly scold him, tell him to get out of the classroom, and bring the parents to the school, and then the school will record him as fighting or even intentionally hurting others, and the result of welcoming him is suspension or expulsion .

But he is his own student, not just his own student.He won't remember the taste of the students' meals, won't tuck their quilts and tie bracelets for them in the middle of the night, and won't look at their short trouser legs in annoyance and satisfaction.This temporary yurt is not only a classroom, but also a home.

Hazab's heart sank, sinking into the wind and rain, suffering in the deepest part of the thunder and lightning.

Wardler looked at Hazab with red eyes. His younger brother, with eyes as bright as onyx and shoulders as broad as mountains, was obviously braver than anyone else, and his eccentric heart was like a newborn lamb.He thought, I still have to leave, because he never felt that Luo Yunxi could replace any missing important role in his life, and he had learned not to expect anyone.

But if he can, he wants Hazzab to stay.

"It's all my fault," Wardler said, he was clutching the towel tightly, thin red dripped from between his fingers, he looked at Luo Yunxi with burning eyes, "I have something to do Hiding it from you."

Luo Yunxi quietly listened to Wardler's account of the cause and effect of this incident.

"So you colluded with those friends from the juvenile detention center to rob me. Hazab knew about it, but he didn't want to tell me, so he went to 'solve the problem' by himself?" He repeated without emotion.

"Yes." Wardle said through gritted teeth.

"Do you know that this is against the law? You two have a criminal record. If you are caught again, it will not be as simple as going to the juvenile detention center."

Hazab curled up in a corner of the bed.The wound on his head stopped the bleeding. He felt chills all over his body and his teeth chattered. He could only hug himself tightly with his arms and hold back the shiver by grabbing the fabric on his shoulders.He even heard Wardle's confession in a daze just now. Teacher Luo seemed to have spoken, but he couldn't hear what he said at all.He was a little nauseous, the raindrops hit the roof of the tent quickly, he thought the tent was leaking, he reached out to wipe his face and found that it was his own tears.

Luo Yunxi didn't know how to feel for a moment.The farmer warmed the snake, but was bitten back by the snake, what would the farmer think?

Wo Dele didn't speak, Luo Yunxi asked again, "You and that, Dalantai? You have a good relationship?"

"No..." Waodele held his breath, thinking about Luo Yunxi's question, but found that he was also a little at a loss for the answer - he didn't even like Dalantai.

"Did he threaten you?"

Wardler remained silent.

"Tell me the address of Dalantai." Luo Yunxi finally said.He felt a little tired, physically and mentally exhausted, the harsh weather outside the house tormented his body, and the undisciplined children inside the house devastated his heart.He could feel that his enthusiasm for coming to support teaching in the first place was gradually extinguished with the heavy rain, which was a very bad omen.He tried his best not to think about it again.

"If he threatens you, then you are not friends. It's getting late, go to sleep." He lowered his head and said to Wardler, without looking at Wardler.At the same time, he noticed that Hazab was too quiet. He knelt by the bed and stretched out his hand to Hazab's forehead, thinking that he had touched a piece of red-hot coal.He prepared some commonly used medicines in the luggage he brought from Beijing. He took out a tablet of anti-inflammatory medicine and a tablet of paracetamol, and fed Hazabu with warm water.

He turned around to put a water glass, only to find that Hazab, who was burned and confused, was holding a corner of his clothes tightly.

"Don't go..." Hazab muttered while lying sideways on the bed, his eyelids were slightly opened, and the overly slender eyelashes were wet and stuck together in clusters.He might not even recognize who he was holding, but Luo Yunxi's heart was suddenly touched, and water patterns rippled in circles.

don't go.He said this to his mother and his father, but they still left without looking back.

"Well, I'm not going." His fingers lightly rubbed Hazab's knuckles, and the boy also had small wounds cut by withered grass.He seemed to be speaking to Hazab, and he seemed to be speaking to his little self.

At night, Wo Dele was lying on the bed, and heard Luo Yunxi suddenly say, don't be afraid.The voice was very soft, with no preface or afterword, and it was not even known who it was addressed to, but Wardle felt a strange sense of relief.

They are not snakes, and I am not a farmer, Luo Yunxi closed her eyes and thought.Hazab burrowed into his arms again, covered in sweat after taking the medicine, how could there be a snake with such a high body temperature in this world.

"Teacher." Luo Yunxi seemed to hear Hazabu calling him, the voice was thin, and he didn't know if it was a hallucination.

"Don't be afraid." He tentatively responded.

The next day it cleared up, and another child came to class.Hazabu was lying on the bed honestly. Luo Yunxi was studying dance performance, not medicine. He tried his best but could only wrap his head like a watermelon. Pat Hazab on the head to see if the watermelon is ripe.

Hazab was so wronged that he drank two extra bowls of soup for lunch.

As for Luo Yunxi, it was as if nothing had happened, and life went on as usual. On the contrary, Wardle became more and more uneasy, because Luo Yunxi didn't want any of them to leave as he expected.

The students rested this day, Luo Yunxi did not prepare lessons at home, but said that he had something to go out.Teacher, what are you going to do?Hazab asked.Luo Yunxi said that buying a motorcycle will make it easier to visit in the future.

He opened the curtains, the weather has begun to warm up, and fresh green can be seen in the deep layers of the land facing the sun.

"Teacher!" Hazab uttered again. He sat up from the bed, tensed all over, and asked as if he was facing an enemy, "Are you... are you coming back?"

Luo Yunxi was amused by him.

"Where else could I go?"

Luo Yunxi is going to buy a motorcycle, but there is another thing before that.

Wardler gave him the address of Dalantai, and he asked a few sheep herders, and finally found it after going around.It was a felt tent that was a little smaller than the one he lived in. He said hello in a substandard Mongolian language, waited outside for a while, but did not receive a response, then lifted the tent and tried to go inside. took a look.

It was empty inside, except for a stove in the middle, and the clothes and cloth bags hanging all around showed a kind of shabbyness over the years.

"Who are you?" Someone behind said, Luo Yunxi was startled, put down the curtain and turned around.The boy standing in front of him was dressed in shabby clothes and was about the same age as Waldle, but his eyes were gloomy, which made people feel uncomfortable.

"You are Dalantai, right?" Luo Yunxi stood up straight, it was unnecessary to ask, he could tell from his eyes that he was the one who injured Hazabu.Da Lantai was also injured a little bit, but if he didn't know, Luo Yunxi would think he was scratched by a cat a few times.That's it?Luo Yunxi completely forgot his identity as a teacher at this moment, he almost wanted to knock Hazabu on the head in his heart, I really feed you so much food for nothing every day.

Da Lantai looked at Luo Yunxi up and down. The other person had a face and clothing of a foreign race, so it was not difficult to guess who it was.The stupid younger brother of Wardler a few days ago--it seems to be called Hazab?He can't remember clearly, anyway, that kid was also a coward when he was in the juvenile prison.It's just that he didn't expect that such a coward would dare to warn himself not to pester Wardle in the future, and not to think of that teacher.Dalantai smiled. On this grassland, he had never seen a dog and a wolf negotiate terms.A few of his friends pushed Hazabu to the ground, and he remembered that he could always hear girls talking about how handsome Hazabu had a face, so he picked up a stone beside him. Without even thinking about it, he slammed down on that face.

Now it seems that the "teacher" from the Han area is coming to educate him.

"Teacher, are you going to come to my house to teach me?" Da Lantai asked with a sneer, "They say you are a dancer, are you going to teach me backflips?"

"Although it is said that teachers should always teach without discrimination, you may have misunderstood me. I am not that kind of good teacher. I have a bad temper and never accept scum as students." Luo Yunxi said flatly, "You It's better to stay away from my students in the future."

Da Lantai's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he glanced at Luo Yunxi again. This Han man's neck was as slender as a reed, and he could easily cut it off with one hand.He was sent to juvenile prison for stabbing a neighbor who was arguing with him before. After that, his knife was confiscated by his father. Now his father is out to herd sheep and will not go home until the sun sets. Enough time to smash the bridge of the nose of the overwhelmed teacher with his own fist.

"Why?" Dalantai grinned, pinching his finger bones.

Luo Yunxi sighed, "Son, you don't want to fight with me."

When Luo Yunxi was still teaching in Beijing, she led a top class in the dance performance department, and there were more girls than boys in the class.One year, when outsiders came in to harass female students in the school, he stipulated that after class, each boy should send two girls back to the dormitory. So he went into battle himself and escorted these students back to the dormitory at night.

Coincidentally, one night, he and the female students in his class were walking back along the tree-lined path, talking and laughing, and three young men turned out from behind the tree. They looked like they were not students. , It should be a few hooligans hanging around nearby.The children in the ivory tower had never seen this kind of battle before, their legs were already weak from fright before anything happened, and they couldn't even shout out. Luo Yunxi pulled them all behind to protect them, and stopped them in front of the three of them. .

Several female students had their own versions of the scene that day. One said that Teacher Luo was like making a movie. He could knock down three of them with one hand, and beat those hooligans to kneel on the ground and kowtow to us!The other said that it is not true, Teacher Luo is much better than the movie, and movie stars are not as handsome as Teacher Luo.In short, Luo Yunxi became famous in the first battle on campus, and the students loved to hear these things, and passed them around. In the version he heard in a few days, he could fly in the sky.

But Luo Yunxi does have a lot of talents. Apart from practicing hard, he is probably good at fighting. He strikes fast and ruthlessly. If he hadn't been a ballet teacher, he might be able to take Sanda classes.This is probably why Mr. Luo is extraordinarily gentle and patient on weekdays. After all, if you really want to be serious, few people present can beat him.Because of his extraordinary talent, he is extraordinarily open-minded in ordinary life.

He didn't deal with Dalan very hard, and he couldn't hit Hazabu on the head just because he hit him once.But Luo Yunxi's punch still made Da Lantai see blood, and the boy turned his head and spat out a tooth in the palm of his hand.They fought for a few rounds and rolled to the ground together. Luo Yunxi's hands were surprisingly strong, riding on Dalantai and holding him down, as if he was going to nail him into the ground that hadn't completely thawed.His eyes were also bright, looking down from top to bottom, asking who is the leading wolf on the grassland now.

Dalantai struggled in vain, and finally slammed the ground in frustration, announcing his complete defeat.

Luo Yunxi stood up, brushed the dead grass off his body, "Stay away from my children in the future." He solemnly reiterated again.

When he arrived at the market, many stalls were already closed.Luo Yunxi turned a few corners based on memory, and finally found a place to buy agricultural equipment.

In addition to the state subsidies in the past few months, Director Li also asks someone to send money from time to time, saying that Teacher Luo has worked hard to take care of Hazabu and Wardle. It was originally returned, and sometimes I heard that Director Li's health was getting worse, and he would secretly put a few big tickets in it.After going back and forth like this, he finally managed to save enough money for a motorcycle.

There were not many styles for him to choose from, so he glanced at it and said he wanted the yellow one.Because it looks a bit bigger than the others, there is room for more people in the back seat.As for why he had to bring one more person with him when he went to visit, and which person to bring, he didn't take the time to think about it.

Just as he was about to hand over the money and deliver the goods, he heard a few loud horse crows from far behind him, and he followed the sound to find that the horse dealers from the animal husbandry trading area were driving the remaining horses back. At home, the mature horses go ahead, and the foals follow behind.Suddenly, Luo Yunxi saw something, "Wait a minute!" He heard himself shouting to the horse dealer, "Please wait a moment!"

The day was too long for him.Fighting is physical work, and he really walked a long way. When he went there, he thought he could come back on a motorcycle. If that was the case, he would still have time to cook for Hazab and Wardle.But it must be too late now, and he prayed that the two children would remember to leave his share of dinner when they returned home.

Probably because he disliked him for walking too slowly, the little pony behind him mercilessly put his head on his waist.Luo Yunxi turned his head and glared at the black pony, but the pony couldn't understand it at all. It blinked the same black eyes and looked at him curiously, while another pure white pony beside it raised its nose and cautiously looked at him. Smelling Luo Yunxi's cuffs, he opened his mouth to chew the next second, but Luo Yunxi hurriedly dodged it.

The setting sun dyed the whole sky red, and the golden clouds were dazzling and warm. Luo Yunxi led two ponies and walked slowly under the clouds.Something that was about to go out was burning again in the bottom of his heart along with the clouds.

He's tired, but that's okay.He knew he would be home soon.