Flower Moon

Chapter 5

After Hua Ling fed the porridge to the child, she looked around and found that the food in the bowl at the end of the table had not been touched, and the child who was supposed to be sitting there had not shown up for a long time.

"Where is Ah Yin?" Hua Ling asked.

"Ayin played around for half the night last night, I'm afraid she hasn't gotten up yet." One of the children replied, and Hua Ling's complexion immediately became a little colder.

Hua Ling said in a deep voice: "You go and tell her, if she doesn't show up again, then she will be locked in a dark room."

As soon as the children heard the word 'black room', they immediately showed a look of panic and fear, as if they had heard the most terrifying thing in the world.There was even a rustling sound in the next room.Soon, a child with disheveled hair ran out rolling and crawling.Her hands were holding the wide waistband of her trousers, and she hadn't even put on her shoes.

In fact, Ah Yin had already woken up, but it was cold outside the bed, and she didn't want to get up.When she heard Hua Ling mention the "black room", she quickly struggled to get up and sat down at the table in a hurry.

Although she was wearing shabby and ill-fitting men's clothes, it was obvious that she was a girl.

"Brother Hua, Hualing, I just had a headache...so...that's why I didn't get up. You, you must never lock me in a dark room!"

The girl named A Yin seemed extremely nervous, Hua Ling glanced at her, and said in a low voice, "Eat."

"Yes!" Ayin nodded hastily, and only then did he notice the food in the bowl, his eyes suddenly burst into strange brilliance, and he didn't even care about using the spoon, he picked up the bowl and put it in his mouth.

Tao Yue'er stood not far away, watching them put the cakes into her mouth one by one, divide the porridge, and after swallowing an unknown amount of saliva, starry stars appeared in front of her eyes.

She suddenly felt that she might be starved to death in this life.

That is too miserable!

Tao Yue'er's stomach was growling, and she finally survived until the children had finished their breakfast.They each went to the well to rinse with their iron fists in their hands, and Hua Ling picked up the extra empty dishes on the table, stacked them one by one, and put them back in the tree hole.

Seeing that he was done, Tao Yue'er staggered over immediately, and said angrily, "Hua...Huagong, when will you take me to die?" Her voice was hoarse, her tone was helpless, her eyes were full of love plead.

Hua Ling froze and looked back at her.His eyes were as indifferent as ever.Nothing.It was clearly an expressionless face, but in Tao Yue'er's eyes, there seemed to be a sneer of sarcasm on the corner of his mouth.

Hua Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "Now."

Tao Yue'er followed Hua Ling through the front yard and walked to a lonely low house at the westernmost end of the back yard.

The house looked no different from the other houses. They were all houses made of piled earth, with a dilapidated appearance, and the door and window lattices of this house were covered with cobwebs, as if no one had stepped in for a long time.

"What's in here?" Tao Yue'er swept the ashes on the door panel, trying to peek through the crack of the door, but it was pitch black inside, and she couldn't see anything.

Hua Ling pushed Tao Yue'er forward, at the same time she took a step back, and said, "You'll know when you go in."

Tao Yue'er was not ready, she threw herself directly at the door, dust was everywhere in an instant.She landed on a dark wooden board in the dust and smoke.

"Then, farewell." Hua Ling stood outside the door, finished speaking slowly, and then closed the door.

Before the last ray of sunlight was cut off, Tao Yueer saw through the light that the board in front of her was actually the cover of the coffin!
Tao Yue'er suddenly jumped away and stood on the spot in a daze, unable to recover for a long time.

——Hua Ling, even the coffin is ready for her so soon?

He is too thoughtful!
Tao Yue'er didn't know whether to be grateful or moved, but quickly denied this idea.

The hut has two rooms, but no windows.Tao Yueer's surroundings were pitch black, and she couldn't see her fingers.She groped around the coffin, only to find that the coffin was not in the shape of an adult, and it should be custom-made for the children in this courtyard.

Tao Yue'er made up her mind at first, she really wanted to open the coffin to have a look, but she was afraid of offending someone inside.She could only sit down against the coffin and look around, suddenly she didn't understand, what did Hua Ling ask her to come to this room?
Is there something fatal in this?

No……

Was he trying to starve her to death?Or scare her to death?

She is timid, but she is not even afraid of death, is she still afraid of ghosts and the dark?
Just when Tao Yueer was full of doubts, a gust of wind blew by, and a barely audible sigh suddenly came from the inner room.

Tao Yueer trembled, looking in the direction of the sound, she saw the passage between the inner and outer rooms, suddenly there was an oil lamp, the light of the fire was so faint that it could be ignored, it could only illuminate a foot in front of it. wide place.No wonder Tao Yue'er didn't notice at first.

"Who's inside?" Tao Yue'er asked, but no one answered her for a long time.She felt curious, so she got up and walked towards the candlelight.

Tao Yue'er groped forward cautiously, and when she came to the oil lamp, she slowed down her pace, but her clothes still brought a breeze.As the breeze blew, the oil lamp flickered several times, as if it would never go out.Tao Yue'er's heart suddenly tightened, and she prayed that it would never be destroyed!

Fortunately, the candle was not extinguished in the end.It struggled and jumped a few times, then continued to burn to death.

Tao Yue'er bent down and picked up the candlestick, and walked slowly into the room.Through a half-foot-long corridor, I came to the back room, only to realize that this may not be a house for people to live in.

Tao Yue'er took two steps forward, and a musty smell came to her nostrils, and then her knee hit an object.Tao Yue'er lowered the candlestick, and saw a pale face suddenly appeared in front of her!
"Ah!" Tao Yue'er screamed, almost throwing the candlestick out in fright!

That person's face did not look like a living person, and the gray-black aura spread all over his body, as if he had been dead for many days...

Tao Yue'er's legs were weak, but she braced her mind and settled down.She lowered the candlestick again. This time she was mentally prepared and thought it would be much better, but she still felt terrible when she saw this face again—it was the face of a girl about eight years old.Her hair was stuck to her scalp in strands, her eyes were wide open, her cheeks were sunken, her lips were half-opened, and large bruises appeared on her face.On top of the blue spots, there are small black bumps, some of which are thick, some are cracked, and some have white hair... In short, it looks like it is in the late stage of the epidemic.If Tao Yue'er hadn't heard her sigh before, she would have thought that she would die with regret.

"Why are you locked up here alone?" Tao Yueer asked her softly.

The girl didn't move, and naturally she didn't answer him.Tao Yue'er thought she was too ill to speak, so she didn't continue to ask.

Tao Yue'er picked up the candlestick and walked around the small room. The room was small and narrow, only a small bed could be accommodated, surrounded by walls.After a while, she had finished her visit.

"Hey……"

There was another almost inaudible sigh, Tao Yue'er lowered her head, and focused on the girl again.She switched the candlestick to her left hand, and reached down with her right hand, trying to hold the girl's hand.But she groped on the bed for a long time, but she couldn't touch the girl's hand.

Tao Yue'er lowered the candlestick to light up a corner of the flowered quilt, and when she opened it, she found that the girl's limbs had shrunk due to long-term bed rest.

Such a poor child, no wonder Hua Ling placed her here alone...

Tao Yue'er sighed and put down the quilt, and sat down on the edge of the bed, with her head facing the girl's chest.Candle flames dance on the left hand side, always bringing only a glimmer of light.Although it is fiery red in color, it is surrounded by the glaring darkness all around, as if it will disappear anytime and anywhere.

"I'm here to be your companion. On the way to Huangquan, you and I won't be lonely anymore."

……

"How old are you? How long have you been here? Do they usually ignore you?"

……

"Are you curious, I am in good health and have well-developed limbs, why did I die here?"

……

"Actually, I don't have to die... It's just that living is really empty and meaningless to me..."

……

"No one needs me... No one loves me... I don't love anyone else... Then why am I living so hard?"

……

(End of this chapter)