Chapter 54 Crazy Rain/Rouge Rain 1

Du Yuanchao was doing as usual, and the black storm caused by the fire, which almost brought him to prison, did not seem to have left any trace of fright on him.As before, he appeared in front of the folks in Yau Ma Tei with well-dressed clothes and a kind face. There was no excitement, no doubt, no resentment, as if everything had passed, or even nothing had happened at all. When Qiu Zidong tried his best to pretend to be normal, he found that when Du Yuanchao was looking at him or talking to him, It was more normal than before, which made him panic instead.He couldn't help but think of what his old classmate Ji Guoliang said back then, and felt that Du Yuanchao was like an old well, which was thickly covered with old branches and leaves, deep, dark, and cool.But he still arrogantly wiped out this painful and desperate feeling from his heart: to hell with it! He still looked down on Du Yuanchao, even more than before.However, he no longer had the confidence to show this contempt on his face openly.

Often at the fifth watch, Qiu Zidong would be awakened by an inexplicable sense of fear. But Du Yuanchao didn't move at all.In front of the people in Yau Ma Tei, he never directly called "Qiu Zidong", but always called "Mayor Qiu": "You have to listen to Mayor Qiu's opinion on this matter." "Mayor Qiu knows, it's fine." He said As always, from time to time, Qiu Zidong was asked to attend important meetings that should have been attended by his leader.After the meeting, he will personally host it, and Qiu Zidong will convey the spirit of the meeting to the members of the team, the cadres of the production team, or all the people in Yau Ma Tei.

However, what Qiu Zidong deeply felt was the day-by-day emptiness and neglect. His absence from meetings to discuss major issues in Yau Ma Tei has become more and more frequent.Several times others have arrived, and the meeting has come to an end.When Du Yuanchao saw him, he said in a normal way: "Lao Qiu is here? Didn't the cripple Zhu inform you that there is a meeting today? The cripple probably forgot because of gambling." Then the meeting started.Before Qiu Zidong could sit on the bench, the meeting was declared over.Sometimes Du Yuanchao would symbolically ask, "Do you have any comments, Lao Qiu?" But before Qiu Zidong could say anything, Du Yuanchao announced the end of the meeting.As soon as the meeting was over, Du Yuanchao went out, and Zhou Tuzi all left the town committee one after another. Only he, Qiu Zidong, sat there alone and awkwardly.Sitting and sitting, he really wanted to throw the stool, smash the table and lift the roof of the town committee.

At times like this, he wanted Dai Ping, but Dai Ping had already been transferred from Yau Ma Tei.Sometimes, he would walk long distances tiredly to reach the school where Dai Ping is now, but Dai Ping became more and more indifferent and less and less interested, which made him very bored.On the way back to Yau Ma Tei, he felt disheartened and hopeless. During these days, he became obsessed with hunting. Yau Ma Tei is surrounded by vast reeds, wild ducks, pheasants, hares, weasels... There are many prey, so there are many hunters in Yau Ma Tei.Hu Jiu in the east of the town is the most famous.Qiu Zidong found Hu Jiu and said, "Lend me your shotgun to play for a few days."

Hu Jiu couldn't believe it: "Mayor Qiu, do you want to hunt?" "What's the matter? I can't hunt anymore?" "Can fight and fight, I just think, a mayor can hunt..." "Unqualified?" "No no no..." "Hu Jiu, don't you want to borrow this shotgun? It's fine if you don't, I'll borrow it from someone else!" "No, no, no." Hu Jiu immediately took down the shotgun from the wall, and gave Qiu Zidong a lot of gunpowder, "How can I not borrow it, the mayor thinks highly of me for borrowing the shotgun from me."

Qiu Zidong was a player in Yau Ma Tei when he was young, so he knew how to play with a shotgun. People in Yau Ma Tei were a little surprised when they saw Qiu Zidong appearing in the field dressed as a hunter with a shotgun on his back. Qiu Zidong didn't care at all. Next, the people in Yau Ma Tei will hear news from time to time: Mayor Qiu killed a pheasant weighing three catties; Mayor Qiu killed a hare weighing five catties; Mayor Qiu was lying in ambush among the reeds One shot fired and killed four wild ducks... Qiu Zidong forgot about the day and night, and threw himself into hunting frantically.

Qiu Zidong prowls the grass and crops, and haunts the woods and reeds. In the tension of hunting, there is only the excitement and joy of the whole body.No depression, no exasperation, no more empty boredom, he was so intoxicated with it, he didn't remember being a mayor at all.Holding a shotgun in his hand, he bowed his waist, and his footsteps were as light as a cat's claws, silently sneaking through the wheat field.Like a vigilant dog, he stood in the woods with rustling leaves, looking around.In order not to disturb a flock of wild ducks that just landed on the water, he would lie down on the ground fifty meters away, then grab the barrel of the shotgun with one hand, support it on his elbow, and crawl forward, completely ignoring the sharp reeds on the ground Stubble tore his clothes and flesh.When he lifted the dead duck, the blood of the duck mixed with the blood on his arm, and he would be so excited that he would cry out in the reeds, crying out tears.A pheasant that was hit ran away with serious injuries. He saw the river swimming and chased him all the way. His eyes were dim and his heart was about to explode.When he finally caught the prey in his hands, his eyes went dark, and he fell to the ground with a thump.When he woke up, he was still holding the pheasant that was still flapping its injured wings. For some reason, he wanted to cry a lot.

He often called Hu Jiu and other old hunters to hunt with him.When several people work together to encircle a fleeing weasel, he will feel greater excitement and satisfaction.If there were countless people from Yau Ma Tei watching the hunt, Qiu Zidong's excitement and agitation would have reached an unbelievable level. When rape blossoms bloom on both sides of the river, the entire Yau Ma Tei becomes a hunting ground. The occasional gunshots and the clamor of chasing prey made this spring noisy and restless.Life was a little unusual, a little colorful.The workers will stop their farm work and chase a rabbit.The students of Yau Ma Tei Primary School, who were in class, were disturbed by the noise outside. They forgot for a moment that they were still in class, and ran out into the field.Once, all the people in Yau Ma Tei were having lunch, when they heard the sound of chasing wild animals outside, one by one dropped the bowls in their hands, found sticks and the like, and ran out.After being shot by Qiu Zidong's shotgun, a shiny weasel with extremely beautiful body and extremely golden fur was chased all the way into Yau Ma Tei town.The town is full of alleys, and the alleys are full of holes for rainwater to flow into the river. The weasel appears here and there for a while, and the noise of being startled and exploded resounds through the streets and at the end of the alley for a while.Countless people are carrying countless sticks. The scene is very similar to the fighting between Yau Ma Tei and the neighboring Huangtugou Village in the spring of the 28th year of the Republic of China.

Qiu Zidong was dressed in a hunting suit, held the butt of the gun in his hand, raised the gun in the air, and directed people loudly. Yau Ma Tei people often see Qiu Zidong in tattered clothes scratched by tree branches and reed stubble hooks. Qiu Zidong was so happy that his soul trembled, tearing up his image as the mayor to the people of Yau Ma Tei.Du Yuanchao, who always had a smile on his face, was silently sullen. On this day, Caiqin met Qiu Zidong on the way back to Yau Ma Tei from Fengqiao. At that time, he was hiding behind a big tree and observing a hare foraging in the grass.Caiqin's footsteps startled the hare, and it ran away.Qiu Zidong was a little annoyed, and when he looked back at Caiqin, he laughed: "What a rabbit, you scared it away, sorry!"

Caiqin looked Qiu Zidong up and down, and couldn't believe for a moment that the person standing in front of her, whose skin was dark and rough due to the sun and wind in the wild, was the former white-faced Qiu Zidong. Qiu Zidong picked up the shotgun, glanced at a few magpies on the branches not far away, put it down again, and looked at the field under the sun: "Hunting is good." Caiqin didn't know what to say. Qiu Zidong leaned on the tree, put the butt of his gun to the ground, hugged Caiqin in his arms, and looked at Caiqin: there was a snow-white cloth tied around Caiqin's head. Although his face was pale, he looked slightly rosy, There is a little sadness in the eyes, but there is a charming and pure brightness——Qiu Zidong saw this brightness when he was a child, but when Caiqin grew up and married Fengqiao, it gradually disappeared, but now Back into her dark eyes again, though only a little.

For some reason, Qiu Zidong felt a little strange. A pheasant with a long tail fluttered up from the cotton field, left a colorful image in the air, and landed in the orchard not far away. Qiu Zidong said: "What a beautiful pheasant!" Saying goodbye to Caiqin, he picked up his gun and walked towards the orchard. Seeing Qiu Zidong's back flickering in and out of the forest, Caiqin couldn't help feeling a little sad. She walked towards the town and looked back after taking a few steps. Qiu Zidong disappeared into the grass. She stopped, wanting to see him again, but after waiting for a long time, she couldn't see him, so she sighed and walked towards the town.After walking for an unknown amount of time, she heard a violent gunshot in the air, and she couldn't help being startled. The gunshots seemed to shatter the sky, and it was like a huge stone hitting the ice, causing white cracks to appear on the ice. The sound expanded, spread to the town, and bounced from the town back to the field. In the back-and-forth circle, the gunfire faded away.Caiqin's heart felt sore, and her eyes became moist --- the Yau Ma Tei in her tearful eyes, even under the bright sun, was blurred. In front of Qiu Zidong was an apple tree, and under the tree was a killed male pheasant. Seeing this prey, he didn't feel impulsive, but sat down on the ground, holding the shotgun with both hands.The gun barrel is still curling up with light blue smoke.He was bored and looked at the motionless pheasant with dull eyes: the pheasant is colorful, with a circle of golden-purple feathers around its neck, shining like metal in the sun, and the long tails are very beautiful. Nice dapples that sway and swish when the wind blows by.The sun stung his sweat-drenched eyes. He blinked a few times, and when he opened his eyes, his vision was a bit blurred. When he looked at the pheasant again, he seemed to see a pool of bright colors on the grass. Not far away, the two fools were chasing a beautiful heifer. He once asked Zhu Diwa for his wife.Zhu Diwa said: "You go to find the girl, and if you find it, it will be yours." Where did the second idiot go to find it? The girl just came to Yau Ma Tei for a short stay, and she has already returned to Wuxi City.The second idiot couldn't find the girl, so he had to go to the field to look for cows in heat and cows in heat. The chased heifer ran past Qiu Zidong's eyes. The second idiot chased after him panting. Qiu Zidong remembered the way the second idiot triumphantly shouted "I set the fire" that day, and gritted his teeth and cursed: "Idiot!" He wished he could smash the second idiot's head with a single shot. But the second idiot came over, put his finger in his mouth, and smiled at Qiu Zidong. "Stupid!" Qiu Zidong yelled loudly, "Get lost!" But the second fool didn't roll away. He saw the pheasant on the grass, ran over and picked it up from the ground. "Put it there!" Qiu Zidong said. The second idiot didn't put it there, but took the pheasant and stepped back while laughing. Qiu Zidong raised his gun and pretended to shoot. Seeing the two fools, they turned around and ran away, but did not drop the pheasant in their hands. Qiu Zidong didn't chase after him, and didn't even give Er Fool a shout to stop him. He just silently raised his gun and aimed at the back of Er Fool's head, and didn't put down the gun until Er Fool disappeared from his sight. The weather was warm, Qiu Zidong put himself on the ridge of the field, put the shotgun beside him, and fell asleep.When I woke up, the sun was westward.He cheered up a little, and decided to walk out of the orchard, and then walk through a large bush to the reeds over there: when the sun is about to set, a large group of wild ducks will land on the water pond over there for the night. When we came to the reed marsh, the sun was still more than half a foot high. The wild ducks that went for food in the distance have not yet returned. Qiu Zidong found a quiet place among the reeds for the time being and sat down.He stuffed the gun barrel firmly with gunpowder.As dusk approaches, a bloodlust grows more violent, more and more shuddering to the soul.He wanted to shoot and kill those wild ducks until the blood stained the surface of the water, shining with the rays of the sun. While waiting, a white bird flapping its long wings landed on the locust tree outside the reeds. Qiu Zidong had never seen such a big bird before, so he suddenly changed his plan of ambushing wild ducks, and turned his mind to this big white bird.Among the reeds, he bowed his waist and lightly touched the locust tree. After a while, through the dense reeds, he vaguely saw the locust tree, and vaguely saw the white bird standing on a high branch with its wings drooping. Qiu Zidong looked up at it, raised his gun, and approached while aiming. Qiu Zidong flowed through the reeds like a stream of air, without making a sound.The white bird seemed to feel the wind and cold from the height of the branch, flapped its wings lightly, and landed on a relatively stable low branch that stretched out to the water. Qiu Zidong's muzzle slowly followed, and when the barrel of the gun was level, he couldn't help being startled, the gun almost fell from his hand to the ground: the muzzle was aimed at the back of a person's head! Qiu Zidong quickly recognized the man standing under the tree by the water from his familiar back: Du Yuanchao. Du Yuanchao obviously didn't notice the movement in the reeds behind him, and he still stood there motionless. The muzzle of Qiu Zidong's gun was originally falling slowly, but when it landed on Du Yuanchao's back, the muzzle of the gun hesitated and stopped in the air.After an unknown period of time, the black muzzle slowly rose again until it reached the original height——to the height of Du Yuanchao's head. This is a secluded place away from the village, with no one around. Except for the clouds, sunset, and evening wind, there are only newly blooming reeds, locust trees, big white birds, and fine ripples on the water. Du Yuanchao kept facing the water, and the wind blew, shaking his clothes and clean hair. Qiu Zidong aimed his gun at Du Yuanchao's head very accurately, but his hands kept shaking, and then his legs began to tremble, until his whole body began to tremble.So trembling that the reeds around him trembled too.He tried his best to calm himself down, but the back that was neither broad nor tall made him feel a bottomless emptiness and timidity in his heart. For a while, he closed his eyes tightly. But the gun was held up. After an unknown amount of time, Du Yuanchao seemed to have heard the movement, and turned his body sideways to the place where the sun was about to set. After a while, Caicel appeared. Du Yuanchao jumped up, jumped down, and then let out a tom sound. Qiu Zidong deduced that there was already a small boat parked on the shore, and Du Yuanchao jumped onto the boat.Sure enough, Du Yuanchao stretched out his hand to Caiqin, and said, "Jump into the boat, don't be afraid, I'll continue below." For some reason, Caiqin turned around and looked into the reeds. At that time, Qiu Zidong was still holding a gun. Caiqin looked at it for a while, then turned around and grabbed Du Yuanchao's hand, and with a light jump, Du Yuanchao took her to the boat, and their figures disappeared immediately. Qiu Zidong's gun was still in the air. The white bird flapped its wings and flew away, Qiu Zidong collapsed for a while, and fell to sit in the reeds, and the gun fell to the ground.When the wind blew, he felt that he was soaked in cold sweat. The sun went down. Qiu Zidong dragged his gun, pushed aside the reeds, and came under the locust tree.When he looked towards the water, he saw a small wooden boat sailing into the distant sunlight...