beyond the horizon

Luo Yunxi went out at noon that day and made a phone call to the guard station.When he came back, he hung his thick coat by the door, and a thin layer of sweat broke down his back. Only then did he realize that spring had really arrived.

As far as the eye can see, the grassland is full of fluffy fresh green.He was in a trance for a moment, it turned out that winter had passed.

The sun is high at noon, so you won't feel cold even if you wear unlined clothes.Luo Yunxi moved a stool and sat outside washing the mutton. The sheep were slaughtered by Wodele and Hazabu. The head of the sheep was placed on a stone. Luo Yunxi asked what was so special about it. The two children looked at each other and smiled Not answering.Two horses were grazing not far away, and they were as tall as a person. The black one belonged to Wardler, whose name was a mouthful, which was Mongolian for "starlight", while the white horse was Hazab's heart, he called it "white mulberry".

Hazab still remembers what an evening it was.The sky was vast, behind Luo Yunxi was the golden sunset glow, holding two horses with one hand, and waving at them from a distance with the other hand.As soon as he saw the white horse clearly, he froze in place, like, how could it be so similar, it was as if his horse had come back to look for him again.Luo Yunxi got closer and closer, and Hazabu couldn't help but ran to meet him. The boy's pace had never been so light and powerful. He stepped through the thin ice layer on the surface of the frozen soil, and smashed the whole winter bravely, and spring broke through the ground. .His shadow became a single and narrow line in the red setting sun, sticking to his running feet.He wanted to hug the white horse's neck, but somehow he threw himself into Luo Yunxi's arms first, and the two shadows were pinched into a complete shape on the ground.

"Hazab!" Luo Yunxi shouted from a distance, he had wrapped two legs of lamb that had been cleaned, and was just in need of a free coolie to deliver to his neighbors.Over the past few months, the neighbors have helped him a lot, giving him a ride, and sending him some fried rice and milk chews from time to time.But Hazab didn't respond to him, "Hazab!" He could only shout again, and Baisang raised his head from a distance, looking at him with puzzled dark eyes.

One person and one horse looked at each other for a long time before Hazab came running from a distance.He seemed to be holding something in his arms, a bulging mass, trembling with his footsteps.

"Ms. Luo, guess what I brought back?" Hazab stood still in front of him, with shiny beads of sweat on his forehead.The spring breeze blew away the frozen Ergun River, wrinkling people's hearts. Hazab smiled and showed a row of neat white teeth.The thing on his chest arched twice, it was alive, Luo Yunxi was also a little curious.

"Is it a cat?" he asked.Of course, there are cats on the prairie. Once his student secretly brought a black and white milk cat to class, but the cat ran away.They almost overturned the tent to catch the cat, and they failed the class.

"No," Hazab said proudly, but then his expression became worried again, and his two thick black eyebrows were slightly frowned, "Teacher, do you want a cat?"

"No, I'm guessing." Luo Yunxi shook his hands, wiped off the water stains on the cloth towel on his knees, and prepared to welcome the little surprise in Hazabu's arms, "Show me quickly." He was gentle He said with a smile, unconsciously carrying a bit of coquettishness in his tone.

Hazabra opened the zipper of his tracksuit, and a little lamb poked its head out of his arms.

It was a very small lamb, smaller than a dog, its curly fluff was still white, and it smelled of hot milk.He stuffed this ball of fresh life into Luo Yunxi's arms, which was completely unexpected by Luo Yunxi. He opened his hands and dared not let go, like a novice father, the grass-scented wind spanned the entire area. A pastoral area, gently wrapping the two of them.The little lamb's pink mouth bumped around, reaching Luo Yunxi's little finger, and bit it gently.Only then did Luo Yunxi come to his senses. There were several pots of freshly cut mutton around him, and there was a lamb in his arms. He was at a loss, and hurriedly put the lamb on the ground.

Hazabu seemed to have expected Luo Yunxi's panic, he bent down and hugged the lamb back into his arms, his hearty laughter melted into the wind.

"Teacher, don't be afraid, it is different." He held the lamb and turned slightly to show Luo Yunxi the tuft of colored silk tied on the lamb's ears.This is a custom. Every year, the herdsmen will randomly pull out a sheep from the sheepfold and tie it with colorful silk, which means that it is selected and can avoid the fate of being slaughtered for the rest of its life. People have different views on life and death. If it was a few months ago, Luo Yunxi would have reservations about this, but now he is learning to understand all of this.

"I bought it from that herdsman." Hazab said proudly. He is young and strong. He recently earned some money by helping several migrating families assemble and dismantle yurts and drive cars. Teacher Luo, but Teacher Luo said that this is your money, you can keep it for yourself and spend it as you like.

Hazab shook the lamb in his arms. In his eyes, it was no different from the kittens and puppies raised by urban children.The herdsmen on the mountain in the distance were grazing sheep, and the flocks of pure white lambs were like clouds left on the earth from the sky, but he picked up a small one and held it in his arms. Luo Yunxi felt that he looked much happier than before.

"Has Wardle gone to look for Sai Yin again?" Luo Yunxi asked, Sai Yin was the girl they met in the market that time.From the day when the wind on the prairie began to warm up, Wardler visited Sai Yin almost every day, and sometimes he would even take the initiative to talk about Sai Yin's illness to Luo Yunxi, "She is getting better, according to her mother, It is the doctor who has changed to a new medicine that is very effective."

"Oh, you've already met her mother?" Luo Yunxi deliberately teased him at this time.Wardler's face flushed a little, but he no longer walked away without saying anything, just sat there sullenly, turning half his body away from the teacher.

Hazab said yes, Wardle went early in the morning.Now he finally realized that his brother liked Sai Yin, and he was happy for Wardle.

"I just went to the nursing station to make a call. Zhao Xiaoqin is the female teacher who came with me from Beijing. She said that she wanted to organize a bonfire party tonight. She would bring her students to our place. It’s a celebration of the successful end of the winter term.”

"Bonfire party?" Hazab's eyes lit up.

Luo Yunxi pursed her lips and said with a smile, "Yes, Teacher Zhao sings very well. I can let her show you off then."

Hazab shook his head solemnly after hearing this, "I want to hear the teacher sing."

But Luo Yunxi didn't take it seriously, he stood up and rubbed the lamb's head, the fur in his palm was warm and fluffy, "You ask a lot." He said casually.

By the time the pickup truck was loaded with songs and drove into the grassland, the sun was already westward.

Zhao Xiaoqin seemed to be in good spirits. As soon as they met, they hugged Luo Yunxi warmly, and their students winked and smirked at the two teachers.

Luo Yunxi and the parents prepared some mutton and sun cakes together. The age span of the students is very large, from a few years old to teenagers, but they are all in the same excited mood. Some active ones have already gathered in a pile Let's dance.Compared with his previous days, the past few months can be said to have undergone earth-shaking changes, but sometimes he has to admit that people are really more tenacious than weeds. Now Luo Yunxi looks at all this before him, and he is very familiar with it. It seems that there is an illusion that he grew up in this grassland singing and dancing since he was a child.

The accordion that Zhao Xiaoqin gave him was busy, and he hadn't touched it until now. Now it was turned out from the corner, and the surface was covered with a layer of fine dust.He wiped it with his hands, adjusted the length of the shoulder straps, and put the accordion on his back.He tentatively pulled the bellows, pressed a sound, and sporadic eyes watched over him, and he looked down at the black and white keys, not realizing that he was about to become the focus of everyone.More syllables flowed out from under his fingers. On the night outside Moscow, Katyusha, he didn't know many melodies, but it was novel enough for the ignorant children on the grassland.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyelashes drooped, the bridge of his nose was straight, the wind was blowing the hair on his forehead, and the expression on his face was solemn and gentle.The accordion strayed into this world with the melody of the Soviet Union, and he was also a Han Chinese who strayed into this land. Yingouyue desert sand, snow-capped mountains and grasslands eroded him and reshaped him.At some point, Zhao Xiaoqin began to sing along softly, and the children quieted down, sitting in a circle around the two of them.

Luo Yunxi heard the clattering of horseshoes, and he looked up to see that it was Hazabu running from a distance on a white mulberry.He also stared at Luo Yunxi, the young man's gaze was always so clear, with stars flowing in his eyes.

At the end of the song, his fingers stopped and pressed on the keyboard.The students protested dissatisfiedly, but then another pot of hot sun cakes came out of the oven. The smell of meat instantly distracted the children, and they dispersed and gathered at the dining table.

The bonfire had already been set up, and the sun was sinking little by little. Hazabu did not dismount, so he reined in his horse and stopped beside Luo Yunxi.

"Teacher," Hazab said, he stretched out his hand to Luo Yunxi, "I want to take you somewhere."

"I can't ride a horse."

Luo Yunxi put the accordion aside and refused, Bai Sang didn't even put on the saddle and stirrups.But Hazab didn't take his hand back, he waited full of expectation, he was still too young, recklessness and fearlessness were not considered shortcomings at this age, but the spear of a warrior.Astride the horse, Hazab already has the body shape of an adult man, with mountains and rivers rushing in his veins, but his expression is shy, and he still belongs to a child who has not grown up.

Luo Yunxi sighed, unable to hold on any longer.No one could turn Hazab under his gaze.

He handed Hazabu his hand. Hazabu's palm was a circle bigger than his. It was dry and rough by the wind and sand. He firmly held Teacher Luo's hand in his palm.Without pedals, Luo Yunxi didn't know what to do, and looked up at Hazab.Hazabu bent down, looking like he was about to fall off his horse, but in fact his shoulders and arms were as strong as an iron mountain, encircling Luo Yunxi's waist at once - the teacher is so thin, he thought, with one arm Almost able to close it, Luo Yunxi's body temperature was transmitted to his arms through the material, reminding him of the white lamb in his arms during the day.He liked the little lamb, but his heart had never beat so fast before.

Luo Yunxi didn't expect this.He couldn't control a small exclamation, and subconsciously grabbed Hazab's collar with both hands to stabilize his balance. Hazab picked him up from the ground and put him on his horse's back.As if anticipating how panic Luo Yunxi would be, Bai Sang obediently lowered her head and remained motionless.

Without a saddle, he couldn't even maintain his balance. He lay sideways against Hazab's arms and couldn't move. The heartbeat in his ear was muffled, and he couldn't tell who had a heavy rain in his chest.

"Teacher," Hazabu looked down at Luo Yunxi, who was trembling, and patted his leg. "You have to spread your legs." He is still sitting sideways on the horse, if Hazabu Let go of the grip around his waist, and he will slide down in no time.

The bonfire was blazing under the night sky, and Luo Yunxi's mind was gurgling into a pot of porridge. He spread his legs apart in a panic, and rode on the horseback. Hazabu's arm still did not move.The position made their bodies fit perfectly, with their backs pressed against their chests and his forehead just touching Hazab's chin.

The Hazabul horse turned in one direction, shook the rein with one hand, and Bai Sang began to walk slowly.

The horseback was more bumpy than Luo Yunxi imagined, even at this speed, he would still crash backwards into Hazab's arms.Hazab has the aroma of fresh grass stalks and a little lamb's milk.His body gradually relaxed, and the bumps became less noticeable.

"Where is this going?" Luo Yunxi finally thought of asking.

"Look at the lake." Hazab said without thinking, "After passing the forest in front, there is a lake in the depths. I used to go there when I was a child."

Luo Yunxi took a look, it was not a very close distance.

"Aren't you going to play with them? Don't you eat sun cakes?"

"In the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to eat, and the teacher will make it for me alone." He spoke boldly and confidently, and Luo Yunxi was angry and funny, reflecting on whether he spoiled these two students too much.There is a large temperature difference between day and night in the grassland, and it was still the temperature of wearing single clothes at noon. At this moment, the wind also cooled down. Luo Yunxi did not expect that the two of them would walk so far, and they were still wearing single clothes, which had no effect on keeping out the cold.Another gust of wind passed, and he flinched. Hazabu remained silent, but moved forward, resting his chin on Luo Yunxi's shoulder.

The heat warmed his whole body from the back, and Hazab clumsily used his body to keep warm and shield him from the wind.Bai Sang carried them through the deserted wilderness, they didn't even need to look up, they could see the starry sky ahead, as long as they kept walking, they could go to the deepest part of the stars and mountains.

"Mr. Luo, will you go?"

He was fascinated by the stars, and suddenly heard Hazab asking him behind him.Hazab's voice seemed to be wet by rain. It was not the first time he asked Luo Yunxi this question, but at this moment, this question was endowed with a deeper meaning.

"Wodele and I both regard you as family. Really, although he doesn't say anything, I know he likes you very much. We will be very good in the future and won't cause trouble for you—"

"Hazab." Luo Yunxi interrupted him, he didn't know what he was going to say next.Won't you leave?It’s true that he came to teach, but he never planned to spend his life here before. He has his own students here, but his students in Beijing are also waiting for Mr. Luo to go back—but Hazabu and How could Wardle be counted as an ordinary student.

Family, he repeated the word sourly in his heart.

As if aware of Luo Yunxi's hesitation, Hazabu said in a panic, "It doesn't matter if the teacher wants to leave! I, I know that the teacher also has his own family, and the family must be with the family after all, I understand..."

He spit out a long paragraph of words like a cannonball, as if as long as he gave all the reasons in advance, Luo Yunxi would not have the chance to say decisive words in person.

"I have a family, but I have always been alone." Unexpectedly, Luo Yunxi said so calmly.He has never told anyone about himself, but tonight can be an exception, the wind and the stars gave him courage, he believed that Baisang would keep the secret for him, and Hazabu—he wanted to tell Hazabu .

"Not long after I was born, my parents separated. No one wanted me. I was raised by many people, relatives or teachers in the nursery class. They took turns to take care of me. At most three years, at least only A few days. Later I went to study. Others have to choose a good school, and I have to choose which school I can live in. I really liked going to school at that time, because there were so many classmates together, it seemed that I was not alone. But every weekend I have a holiday When I went home, I revealed my secrets, other students have homes to go back to, but I don’t, so I can only stay in the school dormitory, and I’m still alone.”

Hazab listened quietly behind him.

"My parents are actually pretty good. In the years before I started working, the cost of living was never less than mine. It was my mother who remarried first. I heard that my father also found another one a few years ago. The two are now separated. I have a child of my own, all of whom are a family of three, and live a very happy life. I heard about it, but I haven’t seen it, and I think it will definitely not fit in, and it’s inappropriate to embarrass everyone.”

"When I became a teacher after graduation, they didn't understand why I chose this path. I was not thankful for my hard work, earned little money and had no reputation. In fact, I think it is very good to be a teacher. There are so many students counting on you to accompany me. looking at you. All students need a teacher, whether they like you or not, they all need you instinctively-how good, I have never been 'needed' by anyone since I was a child, and no one wants to stay with me, so Just live with a unique savior spirit, suitable for being a teacher." At the end, he used a teasing tone.

"So Hazab, you mean a lot to me, you and Wardler more than any of my students. Got it?"

Hazab didn't speak, but just tightened his arms.He was sad, Erji and Abba loved their brothers, but they were gone, Teacher Luo's family was all there, and no one wanted him.He couldn't tell which was more heartbreaking, and he couldn't figure out why there were so many suffering people in this world. He only knew that Mr. Luo was stronger than them. He said these things with a smile, and he thought of Eji and I still want to cry when I'm dad.

Teacher Luo is the best person in the world.There may be some who are better than Luo Yunxi, but Hazabu doesn't know them, so they don't count.

"I understand." Hazab said, his throat seemed to swallow blood and sand, "Teacher, hurry up, we have to ride faster, the lake is ahead."

"Wait--"

Hazab didn't care at all, clamped the horse's belly with his legs, and urged the horse to run completely.He often did this when he was a child. When he was unhappy, he would gallop wildly on horseback, raising a cloud of sand to chase the sun that was about to set.

He also galloped with Teacher Luo on horseback.

This time Luo Yunxi really screamed, he clenched the snow-white horse's mane tightly with one hand, and clasped the other hand firmly on the hand that Hazabu was holding him, with five fingers embedded in the gap between his fingers.He has never experienced such a galloping horse on the vast land, his thoughts are blown away by the wind, the thin clouds are surging, and the bright moon is hanging high, he can't think, the world has become clean and pure as new, only the sky and the earth are left .

No, more than that.And Khazab, of course Hazab.He can't ride a horse, and the horse can't run by itself, so how could he be alone.

They traveled through the clouds and the galaxy, through the wind, opened the forest, and saw a lake.

The lake is like a piece of emerald inlaid in the forest, it is the eyes of the earth gazing at the sky, and it holds the tears from the clouds.

He had never seen such serene beauty.Luo Yunxi turned her head in surprise, and wanted to call Hazab to look at the reflection of the moon in the lake, but only saw Hazab staring at her eyes.