Longmen Memoirs

"You're welcome." Chen Mo said, looking around the room.

There were busy children all around, and the small bedroom was filled with all kinds of shouts and soft conversations. Ms. Kamiya stood by the window sill, holding a small hammer in her hand, and a small The boy stood next to her and handed her the nails.

The windows that had been in disrepair seemed to require a lot of effort to be put back into use. There were slight sweat stains on Ms. Kamiya's temples, and he stretched out his sleeve to wipe them.

The dazzling sunlight shines in from outside the window sill, spreading their shadows far away in front of the window.

"Is there anything else you can help me with?" Chen Mo asked.

The little girl shook her head.

"No or don't you know?"

"……do not know."

"Has Ms. Kamiya prepared toiletries for you?" Chen Mo asked again.

“Kamiya’s mother didn’t say any of this.”

"Mother?"

"I heard someone say that..." The little girl raised her head, then lowered it timidly, and linked the index fingers of her two hands together. "Did I shout wrong?"

"No." Chen Mo shook his head.

"But you called her ma'am?"

"You shouldn't call her Miss...well...that's right." Chen Mo told a joke that only he could understand: "You can also call her Madam."

"What is it ma'am?"

"It's almost the same as mom." Chen Mo said.

"But Ms. Kamiya may like to be called mom. Even though she looks very cold, she is actually very easy to get along with." Chen Mo reminded: "But the premise is... you can't make her angry. . "

It would be better to say that every nun in the orphanage is easy to get along with, but Ms. Kamiya, who is responsible for teaching the children, does not seem to be approachable because of this responsibility itself.

"I know." She was still a little nervous. "I won't make Mama Kamia angry."

"Well, I can see that you are a good boy, don't worry, Ms. Kamiya has never been angry."

"Thank you."

"Someone will teach you what you need to do here." Chen Mo raised his hand and touched the little girl's head. The little girl subconsciously shrank her shoulders and did not hide away: "Actually, there is nothing to do. You are welcome to come. Everything will be fine here."

"Yes." The little girl nodded heavily, and she finally had the courage to raise her head.

Chen Mo had a shallow smile on his face, and she slowly laughed too. Among the crowded and busy people in the small orphanage, that smile was so insignificant.

The way Chen Mo looked at her couldn't help but think of Su Fox. That stubborn fox cub would never show such a smile. He didn't even say thank you to himself.

It was obvious that he had picked him up from the resettlement camp and was kind enough to prepare it for him. However, he had a slumped face all day long, as if he owed him millions.

Not cute at all.

But why was she so stupid in the first place? She foolishly picked him up from the resettlement camp and kept a smile on her face all day long, for fear that she would accidentally mess with this dirty and smelly fox cub. After losing it, he hugged his legs and hid in the corner of the tent.

It was as if he was the only person in the world who was the most miserable and lacked love.

Now that I think about it, as long as he can behave a little more well-behaved and cute, I will take him by my side no matter what, even if I risk my life and beg Uncle Wang to cry and make a fuss.

Sure enough, he is just a brat.When Chen Mo thought of this, his mood suddenly became much worse.

He later contacted Uncle Wang, hoping to ask him to help him find out where Su Li was assigned to, but no one answered the call. After a few months, he tried to contact Uncle Wang again, and the phone rang. But it was another person's voice.

He had lost contact with the fox cub, and there was no way he could write letters.

As if fate destined that they would never cross paths after leaving the resettlement camp, he and Su Li were separated in the corner of this huge city, so small that no matter how hard they struggled, they could not escape the shackles of reality.

"Don't cry out."

Chen Mo put down his hand and said to the little girl in front of him, as if he was talking to another figure who always shrugged his shoulders.

The night of April 1078, 5 in the Crystal Age

After Kamiya left, the continuous suppressed cries sounded in the orphanage late at night through the wooden walls. The branches of the tall oak tree outside the window flapped against the window again and again in the night wind, trying to cover up the room in this way. Crying of guilt.

Chen Mo was lying on the low window of the orphanage, holding a police badge tightly in his hand.

He wanted to fall into a deep sleep, but was awakened by the sound of crying again in the room.

From sobbing and whimpering to howling

Once a child's emotions are infected, they can never be stopped.

It will only end when they are tired of crying, but when they wake up the next morning, nothing will change.

Tears never change anything.

Chen Mo sighed softly. Amidst the cries of children, he suddenly hoped that he could grow up quickly, but what he would do when he grew up was completely blank in his mind.

Chapter 10 In the orphanage

June 1078, 6, Crystalline Era

Many years later, when you look back and think about what happened today, you will suddenly find it funny.

At that time, you were so naive, self-righteous, and a little ridiculous in your naivety.

The orphanage is like a small school, with only one class. The upper-grade students and the lower-grade students gather in the same classroom for classes. The children and the nuns removed the benches from the chapel and placed them in this room, and found wooden boards. Knocking and banging become the desks in this classroom.

The teachers in class are several nuns who take turns, including Ms. Kamiya, Ms. Theresa, Ms. Aisi, Ms. Teresa, and Ms. Lanmin.

Later, the orphanage finally got its own desks and stools, so the benches were returned to the chapel. The desks that took an entire afternoon to make were piled in the back of the orphanage by the children who were tired of new things. 's warehouse.

Ms. Theresa found many old books as teaching materials, most of which were donated from outside the orphanage. Sometimes volunteers from Longmen City would come here to hold activities.

Children usually enjoy this activity because their older siblings usually tell them interesting stories and bring them gifts.

Chen Mo watched from the window many times as Ms. Theresa struggled to drag cardboard boxes full of books into the orphanage from the door.

The books are used by others and vary from old to new. Some children like to pick out newer-looking books and can’t wait to write their names or mark them, because in the eyes of most people, this is the only way they can be used. Only then can you truly belong to yourself.

These children are experiencing [{#

They have lost too much, so they think of using such a simple and straightforward way to hold it in their hands as much as possible.

Ms. Teresa probably saw this, but there was nothing she could do. Although she regarded the orphanage as her own child, in fact she had never had any experience in raising children. Even as a teacher, the nuns in the orphanage did not outstanding.

They can only do their best to teach the orphans what they know, but they don't know where to start teaching and what to teach them so that they can learn. Many of them have never even gone to school.

They don't know how to teach, and they even make jokes many times. They have no choice but to teach the children while also learning step by step, for fear of making any mistakes.

From time to time, they would take out their textbooks and read them, and even get together late at night to discuss issues in this area.

Several times, even while cooking, Chen Mo saw a textbook that was the same as the children's textbook spread out next to Ms. Lan Min's kitchen cutting board. She would take a look at it from time to time, so that during that period The food has always been terrible.

They tried hard to lead these children to the path they expected, and tried hard to let them learn to survive, so that after they left, they would be able to prevent themselves from starving to death in a corner of the city, or Go astray.

They understand the hardship and helplessness of life better than the children, and naturally understand what the future of these children will be like.

If these children in the orphanage went astray, it would seem to be a normal thing in the eyes of outsiders. Although they would not say it out thanks to their good "upbringing", orphans who have lost their parents' education In the subconscious mind of most people, they are the uneducated dregs of society.

They are indeed pitiful and worthy of sympathy, but this cannot be used as an excuse, let alone relied on.

The judge will not let you go just because you are an orphan, and the city will not take more care of you because you are an orphan. One day you will grow up and leave the orphanage. Only then will you realize that you are alone. , alone, like a duckweed floating in this world, rushing with the tide of life.

The only one you can rely on is yourself. No one will hold you in their arms when you feel wronged and sad. You can no longer remember who to call when you are helpless.

They are afraid that something like this will happen to their children one day, and that they will lose hope one day, so they always keep instilling the seeds of hope in them, without expecting it to really take root. They just hope that one day in the future, when they make a certain choice, they can still remember what they said that day.

I remembered that there used to be such a group of women, who regarded them as their children, and that I still had a home and family.

The children try their best to take on some tasks within their capabilities in the orphanage. The nuns will try their best to assign suitable tasks, such as cleaning the church, weeding the yard, or sweeping the floor.

Compared with other children with parents, this group of children are very obedient and less lively, but few people complain.

In fact, it is very simple. It is not gratitude or responsibility. The reason why they are like this is just because they are afraid of being abandoned.

People who are ineffective will be abandoned, and they try their best to show that they are useful. Only in this way, in the eyes of others, will they not be thrown away like trash thrown away.

Although the nuns have never had such an idea, most of them deeply understand this simple truth. Just like in the resettlement camp, only those selected to the construction site can leave. Same.

Amidst the laughter and joy of others, they could only hold their own bodies. They couldn't even find a piece of paper from the festival. All that was left to them were the warm memories of the past in their minds.

Cold and warm self-awareness.

Not everyone can be like Chen Mo, who has already guessed his future life, and not everyone can be as good at pretending, so hypocritical and "strong" like him, and can find ways to live his life even if he leaves here. Go down.

They appear more mature than children of the same age simply because they have experienced things that others have not experienced, but this maturity has its limits. At least they are still children and can only look at everything around them with a child's eyes.

They were forced to grow up and become alive, and in the process of growing up, they tried their best to experience the happiness that childhood should have.

Chen Mo is sitting in the corner of the second row by the window. At eight years old, he is not the oldest child in the orphanage. Today's teacher is Ms. Teresa.

He dragged a thick cardboard box and pushed open the classroom door. The pile of books almost reached the waist of a nun's uniform.

Longmen didn't know where she had gone again. The weather was hot. She dragged these books in from the door of the orphanage, with some beads of sweat on her face. The children suddenly became restless.

It was a book, even though it had been used by others, and even though they couldn't read all the words on it, it didn't matter. It was the only way they could understand the world, and it was also their only reliance in the future.

Ms. Teresa began to direct the children to pass out the books, and the classroom became noisy.

The few textbooks Chen Mo got were all used by others, and they were neatly placed in the drawer of his desk. In fact, he knew every word on them, but he only knew them. He didn't know that there were other things outside Longmen. What kind of world, it's like he doesn't know why a huge city can keep moving on land.

He sat at the desk and opened the book on the table that had been used by others amidst the noise.

There are various graffiti, and the owner's name - [Beatrix Swire's book] is written in beautiful font on the first page behind the cover, and there is a cartoon sticker with a tiger head next to it.

Beatrice - Poetry?

Chen Mo knew Shi Huaiya, and most of the books in his drawer came from this family, including the few books with the same names still placed under his drawer.

Shihuai【~

Chen Mo picked up the pen and wrote his name under his name as if he had gotten the same book before.

He originally wanted to cross it out, but then he thought about just writing the names of two people like this. After he left, the book would be handed over to the next person and he would write his name on it. After a long time, like Just like inheritance, this book will be filled with all kinds of names.

It's probably going to be fun.

In fact, he didn't know if the next person would cross out both of their names, but that didn't really matter.

He doesn't know anyone in the Shihuaiya family, and they will not have even the slightest relationship with someone like him in the future.

One is high and the other is as low as mud.He didn't expect to be lucky enough to climb up to this group of people, but some things were just so wonderful, and reality was often even more absurd and bizarre than the movies.

Chen Mo opened the book. In the bright sunshine, white clouds and breeze were floating over the blue city of Longmen.

He didn't know that outside the big iron gate of the orphanage, a high-end black car was turning around and slowly leaving. He also didn't know that there was a little blond girl lying behind the car window, staring at this room. Outside the white walls of the small orphanage, there is a swing tied to the bottom of the tall oak tree.

Chapter 11 Tallulah

The name home has different interpretations for many people. There are bright lights, parents, long-winded instructions, scolding, laughing and scolding, and steaming meals...

There are many things, but ultimately the words warmth and peace of mind cannot escape.

A place without these two words cannot be called home, it is just a cold house.

The night of April 1078, 9 in the Crystal Age

It rained heavily at night, and the rain poured down, hitting the car windows, and soon a thick mist appeared.

She sat quietly in the back seat of the car.

The lights of the cars pierced the dark streets, and the wipers silently wiped away the accumulated rainwater on the windshield over and over again.

The water splashed high next to the car, and the roar of the engine was masked by the heavy rain. The car walked alone through the night gantry. This bustling city during the day was as silent as death at this moment.

Through the thick car body, you can clearly hear the patter of rain hitting the roof of the car. In the wind and rain, the sound is as heavy and dense as a drum beat.

A soothing classical piano music slowly played on the car stereo. The melody was long and melancholy, making people immersed in it involuntarily.

She closed her eyes gently and leaned back on the seat. Her delicate and beautiful face made her look as noble as a sleeping princess.

The driver in the front seat was paying attention to the figure in the back seat from time to time. After noticing that the little girl in the back seat closed her eyes and seemed to be asleep, he secretly slowed down the car a little, making the car more stable.

City buses crossed with them and stopped, and long trams passed through the erected rails. There was no one in the car.

The car turned at the next intersection and drove onto a city highway.

Perhaps because of the heavy rain, the number of vehicles on the road gradually became sparse, and the scarlet taillights that were dazzling in the rain gradually disappeared into the depths of darkness.