Hunter and Hussar

Chapter 48

Within 24 hours, I was caught between the two again.Mi Le is still on my right, but my sister is on the left.The first event of the competition is a three-person four-legged run.In normal times, it must be the iron triangle of "Ye Kemi", but today Ye Boss and A Fang must be inseparable.The upper limit of three people meets four people who want to form a team, and they are about to fall into the situation of "two peaches kill three warriors". My sister happened to find me in time and took the initiative.I thought the three girls would form a team, but the current situation is that Xu Mu found Mu Zheng and Huang Minxue, my sister followed us, and Yue Yin took photos of Ye Ruiyang and Mingming alone with a camera.

"Is this okay? Leave Yue Yin alone." I watched my sister tie our legs to a rope.

"Who is your sister? Me or her?" She said without raising her head.

"It would be nice if Brother Chuan and Brother Tao were here. There are ten of us today, no matter what counts, there is one more." Mi Le said.

"Okay, An Xin, I was joking. Yue Yin told me that she wanted to shoot us. I know her too well, she is waiting for us to make a fool of myself. So be serious for me later, don't fall, fall Don't let her take pictures!" She tugged at my cheek, "I'll replace Yue Yin in the next round."

Standing on the starting line, there are all kinds of combinations around. There are two adults sandwiching a child, there are also three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, and there are three mothers in down jackets, eager to try, and the children are riding on their father's neck to cheer them on.Ye Ruiyang's group is obviously on the left, Ah Fang is on the right, and Ye Ruiyang is in the middle. The heights of the three of them form an "arithmetic sequence", which looks like a slide or a right-angled trapezoid falling on the ground from a distance, which makes people laugh.

Three people with four legs is different from two people with three legs. Two people can rely on tacit understanding, but three people need to talk about unity.My sister made the rules, and the three of them shouted together, one is to step with the left foot, and the other is to step with the right foot.

"You don't really want to win, do you? Let's aim not to fall..." I said suspiciously.

"What are you talking about! Don't you still fight for the first place in the arena?" The face on the right side was also pulled.

"That's right, look at Mi Le, and then look at you! If you say such frustrating words again, Mi Le and I will deal with you together!"

I kind of wonder how they'll "clean up" me, other than pinching my face.

As soon as the whistle sounded, several groups of people staggered and almost fell to the ground.Amidst the screams and laughter, my sister and Mi Le pulled my shoulders tremblingly to stabilize myself—fortunately, I stood firmly and was not pulled down by them.The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is cruel. We just took the first step and realized this by coincidence.The rhetoric was immediately forgotten, and it was impossible to run. The three of us walked on thin ice, chanting "one" and "two" rhythmically, like toddlers, moving forward meticulously.When I gradually dared to take a bigger step, I thought of the swaying and clumsiness of sumo wrestlers when they took the stage.Moving forward is still slow, but we are indeed moving forward.In the sound of the cracking camera, Mi Le realized that we were far behind the leader, and seemingly casually said that Boss Ye and the others were coming to the finish line.Only then did my sister and I look up and saw that the group of "Arrays" was actually the only group that half-walked and half-runned. Ye Ruiyang shouted the beat in the middle.The huge right-angled trapezoidal back has touched the finish line.As for the three members of the band, I couldn't see their backs, and I couldn't look back.

Want to hurry up?I asked.No, it's embarrassing to fall down, Yue Yin is waiting for us, my sister said.But it's a shame to be left behind, Miller said.It would be nice if we could finish, I said.Let's stop talking and move on.It seems that it neither speeds up nor remains the same. It still shouts two simple beats softly and walks on its own track.There was a lot of noise nearby, not only laughter and shutters, but also the cheers of crossing the finish line and complaints after falling down.They happen around us, but I feel a little vague and suspicious, as if they have little to do with the three people who are going forward.All I have to focus on is to simply step my legs and count, and then put myself and the people next to me a little closer, a little closer, to prevent them from falling.After walking for a long time, we seemed to trust each other more, so we naturally picked up our pace calmly.In the silence between each other, that kind of safety and steadfastness rose in my body with the sound of footsteps.

The moment we passed the finish line, Ye Ruiyang and A Fang ran up to pick us up and help us untie the rope.The first few minutes when the hands and feet were free were a little uncomfortable, just like when the three of us took our first steps together.In the process of walking forward hand in hand, I seem to forget myself and integrate it with the two people beside me.But "self" seems to be everywhere, so that I re-confirm it every time I take a step forward.

"The three of you are pretty good. Although it is No.10, there are small prizes for the top ten." Yue Yin sneaked over and praised us, and then pointed out that we were too serious. I was infected, with a blank expression on my face, and I walked forward patronizingly, as if rushing to the execution ground side by side.As she said that, she showed the photos to everyone, and they were all in a dignified and righteous posture without changing their faces.Everyone laughed, only my sister grabbed Yue Yin and asked her to delete the picture.After a commotion, the remaining three came over in disgrace, patting their clothes as they walked, and they knew what happened at a glance.Xu Mu insisted on hammering Huang Minxue in public, saying that he was playing tricks and deliberately slowing down, causing the two of them to fall several times.So Huang Minxue's classic thesis reappeared: who is holding back who?Puppies have hind legs.

This time he blatantly made a grimace at Xu Mu, even though he was already a grimace.Xu Mu pressed his hat and rubbed his short hair hard to finish.Probably the first time we've seen her use force against him in front of everyone.

"You yourself are uneducated! Haven't you heard the classic metaphor? The little bear in spring. It's rolling down the grass in the mountains, hugging the furry little bear for a whole day. I just think the three of us are also like little bears." Lie on the grass as well!" Huang Minxue said while taking off his hat and tidying up, but Xu Mu knocked him on the head again, saying that it is enough for him to roll for a day, and the farther he rolls, the better. [1]
Ye Ruiyang must agree very much.

"It's a pity, it's winter, not spring, the grass is all withered, and it's useless to roll around." Xuexue shook her body, and the dry grass on her clothes fell off one after another.So we went back to the checkpoint to wait for another race.I will never be able to figure out what is in Huang Minxue's little head, but I like the story of the little bear, but I don't know what the bear rolling can be compared to.

This time the game is a two-part team.Hearing this, I felt a premonition of being "robbed" again: If my sister and Mi Le both choose me, it will be a real dilemma.Facts have proved that this is self-indulgence, my sister came straight to me and told me that you should go with Mi Le.Ye Ruiyang's partner is of course A Fang, and Mu Zheng goes to learn from each other, but the one who gets left aside becomes Mingming.I quietly asked Mi Le if he wanted to accompany Mingming. My sister and I formed a team, and my nose was severely scratched after I finished talking, and he taught me to obey my sister's words.Fortunately, Yue Yin and Mingming were very close friends, and the two of them got together, so my sister was naturally on the same team as Xu Mu.

My sister and Yue Yin should have a good relationship, but they just don't want to be partners. Could it be that they simply don't like the team supported by the other party?Not necessarily, obviously she didn't know Xu Mu that well, probably her sister didn't go with Yue Yin because she wanted Xu Mu to have an acceptable partner.She just doesn't say it.

The host said the name of this competition event, and we all blushed when we heard it: "Hold your hand".

"It's too greasy! A good line of poetry has been ruined!" My sister frowned, she must have wanted to put down the pick but couldn't.Xu Mu took the initiative to pat her, saying that it doesn't matter if she doesn't want to play, and she is not interested in this kind of game with a boring name.Before listening to the rules of the game, we lost a group of people.

After being led to the game location, everyone seemed to feel a little bad—the host was standing at the door of the haunted house to say the rules.

The game requirements are actually not difficult. This haunted house is a small maze, and the lights are very dim. If you don't want to lose your companions, you can only hold hands.Every time a certain number of combinations go in, see which group comes out first within the specified time.Of course, each group will have communication equipment - you can quit at any time if you want to, and there will be staff to pick you up.

This game seems to be worse than its name.

After the announcement of the rules, there was a commotion in the crowd. Many of them came together with adults and children. Many children turned around and left after hearing this, but there were still many people who stayed to participate in the competition.After we dispersed, the ten people got together again and waited for the stage. We were chatting when we suddenly noticed a group of people similar to us standing beside us: most of them were wearing school uniforms and sneakers, and they were all dressed like junior high school students.One of the boys has a crew cut and is particularly tall, at least 1.8 meters tall, "standing out from the crowd".While wondering, Yue Yin said that she recognized him. He was a student of No. 54 High School, and like us, he was on the football team of No. 54 High School. She had seen the tall boy in the Mayor's Cup match report.After hearing this, Ah Fang wanted to say hello to them.Yue Yin led him there, the other party was a little surprised at first, but soon started talking and laughing, after all, they were all of the same age and had common hobbies.After a while, the tall boy came to us with two other classmates.

"Hello Dakar, my name is Chen Yanba, 54 Zhongdi." The tall boy stretched out his hand while speaking the local dialect.He had bushy eyebrows and small, sunken eyes, somewhat out of proportion to his tall stature, but with a very kind manner.Maybe I was standing in the front, but he looked at me, condescending, and couldn't dodge even if he wanted to.

"My name is Ke Peiwei, and these are my four teammates..." I was also led by him to speak the local dialect, and I reached out to shake hands with him, and then turned my body to one side a little awkwardly.Everyone greeted him calmly.

"I know you. The goalkeeper of the No. 54 Middle School performed very well. He saved Beichuan's penalty kick. But you are shyer than I thought." A boy who was about my height walked up. Wearing a pair of dark glasses, he looks like the kind of student who is good at mathematics, "My name is Qiao Li, and I am a striker in No. [-]. If you don't save that penalty, we may have to fight next semester."

"It's not that there is no chance, we can meet in the final." Huang Minxue emerged from behind the crowd, and the three boys in No. 54 were also shocked by his appearance.

"This... what is this?" Qiao Li's glasses almost fell off.

"Don't worry about this thing in the underworld, I will send him to where he should go." Xu Mu pushed Huang Minxue to the direction of the haunted house, "You guys continue talking."

I also faintly heard her telling him not to embarrass our school, and he retorted that he was not wearing a school uniform.

"Hello, my name is Mu Zheng." Xuexue's partner stepped forward to say hello, and he shook hands with all three of them.

"I've known you for a long time, and I've heard your mother's lectures in Jiangyuan Library." The dark-skinned boy said, he was not very tall, but his hands were the largest among the three, and his hands were powerful. The hair should be naturally curly. "My name is Man Lin, and Yanba and Yanba are both central defenders in the 54. By the way, who is Ye Ruiyang?"

Boss Ye, who was suddenly named, was puzzled, and A Fang pulled him in front of them.

"Are you Ah Fang's brother? I just talked to your brother. We are short of a right back. Your brother will definitely be able to enter the school team next year. Besides, isn't Bayern Munich's 'A Fang' a full-back?" Man Lin also shook hands with him.

"Don't bully him." Ye Ruiyang "warned" him with a kind face.

"Don't worry. Man Lin has practiced boxing, with him around, who would dare to touch a hair of your brother?" Qiao Li said, everyone was "in awe", Man Lin felt a little embarrassed, scratched his head awkwardly and said It's just for fun.Yue Yin asked them if they were going to participate in the competition too, and all three of them forced a smile and said that they just had to watch it.

Between speaking, the game has gone through four rounds, and the current best score is three minutes and eight seconds.However, there are only a few couples who can complete the whole process in the end, and they are naturally lovers.

All of us were squeezed to the final round.Normally, I would never go to such a ghost place.But I think I have to go this time.Maybe it's because I know I'm with Mi Le, so I'm not so afraid anymore; maybe I feel that I have to show a little courage in front of my sister today.I don't know, but this time I didn't escape.

But as soon as I entered the dark door, I closed my eyes habitually, and I had a conditioned reflex to the words "Fengdu Ghost Town".Fortunately, Mi Le walked in front of me, so I just had to follow behind and hold his hand.Within a short period of time, the slightest bit of tension gradually entangled in my body.I don't know what I'm worried about, there are no ghosts - if only there were, but the worry is there.The person holding my hand seemed to have noticed that my hand was probably hot. He scratched my palm playfully with his fingertips, making it a little itchy.

"Mile."

"I am here."

I walked very slowly and stepped on Mi Le's heels several times.I apologized to him and he didn't blame me.

Don't be afraid, I will tell you if you want to change direction.He said.

Mi Le's soft words made me feel the reliability of his promise, but I couldn't see my own path.Maybe it's going quite straight, maybe it's on the verge of falling.Before leaving this dark labyrinth, I cannot know where I am, nor can I guess how long the road is.Eyes are too important. I can't see clearly, and I can't even sail without oars. It's more like drifting in the dark night.

"We are far behind." I never cared about the results of these competitions, but I still asked involuntarily.

"I don't know, how can I care to look at others? Besides, I can't see it either."

"Brother! Brother!" Ah Fang's scream came from nowhere, which made me tremble in fright, and I almost didn't know where to stay.

"How far have I traveled?" I asked.

"Don't think about it. Just watch where you step."

"Do you feel like I'm walking fast?"

"It's you who is leaving, as long as you think you can."

"But if we are the last one, wouldn't it be a shame?"

"Didn't you say today that it would be nice if we could finish the journey. It would be nice for us to finish this journey together."

I was in a daze, whose hand was I walking with?Miller's or your own?At this moment, it seemed that it was Mi Le who was walking with his eyes closed, and it was me who was leading the way.Maybe people really aren't static.

I think I can go on with more peace of mind if I can see other people.I know the gap between them and me, so I know whether I should go faster or slower.But now I know nothing, and my only certainty comes from my fellow travelers.There was a burst of cheers similar to booing, someone must have crossed the line.I'm getting more restless.Different from the previous three-person four-legged run, I saw Ye Ruiyang's neat pace towards the finish line without any ups and downs in my heart. I knew they were far away from me, and I couldn't catch up, and I didn't have to.And now I don't know where I've been, and I'm not sure if I should catch up.I can't see my own way or the way of others. Rather than keep moving forward, I want to stop at the same time and squat down with my knees hugged. If Mi Le is not by my side.He was, and made it clear to me, that he was always there.This made me moved and nervous, and I wanted to run.

"Don't worry."

"I'm in no hurry."

"You can't lie to me. Your palms are sweaty and hot. I actually understand that you are here to play today. There is no need to hurry."

He said, I walked, still very slowly, like a hunter waiting in the dense forest, approaching the prey that does not exist step by step.

"We usually walk very fast. I even want to go two or three times faster than others, because I know that others are walking when I am walking, and they are even running. They are still running far ahead of me. I I was very panicked, always afraid of being left behind. So, today I have an opportunity to walk slowly and finish it, and I want to cherish it.

"Don't be distracted. But if you don't want to play, just tell me and I will call the staff. I'm right next to you, don't worry.

"It's amazing. When I first started walking, I was a little concerned about the people next to me. Later, I found that you walked slowly and carefully, and gradually you didn't worry at all."

"Mile."

"Ok?"

"I feel like I'm on a horse and you're leading it for me. We're walking on a mountain path together."

"Really? Then where will we go over the mountain?"

"I don't know. But we can always get there if we keep going."

"Okay, let me tell you, we're here."

I hesitated for a few seconds before realizing that there was a light in front of me, which I could feel even with my eyes closed.There was applause and cheers, and I heard everyone crowding up.After a short "blindness" for a few minutes, the scene in front of my eyes was so bright, the withered and yellow land was dyed with a layer of green, as if Mi Le and I really crossed a hill, walked out of the winter, and came to the land where spring passed .

Congratulations, although you are the last one, but after five rounds of competition, only four groups of players completed the whole course within the stipulated time.The host told us.One of us got a giant rainbow lollipop, and Yue Yin got two—her partner didn't accept the award with her.The three of us discussed and crushed the four lollipops through the plastic wrapping paper and turned them into small colorful candies, so that everyone can have a share, and even the extra candy can be distributed to the children. Make an appointment with the 54 high school students who will meet in the final.

[1] The metaphor of the little bear comes from Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood".

"Bear in spring?" Midori raised her face again, "What bear in spring?"

"In the spring fields, you are walking alone, and a cute little bear comes across, with fur like velvet and round eyes. It says to you: 'Hello, miss, roll with me Okay?' Then you hugged the bear and rolled down the clover-covered hillside for a whole day. Did you think it was great?"

"marvelous."

"That's all I like about you."

(End of this chapter)