Chapter 1·New Year’s Eve

On New Year's Eve, the sky was covered with snow.

The snow started falling at noon and didn't stop until night.

Meng Fansheng and Xu Qingyu were walking side by side in a remote and quiet alley in Beiping City.

The north wind carried a bone-chilling chill, and the two of them hugged each other tightly and tightened the woolen scarves around their necks. Their originally relaxed and comfortable pace also sped up a lot.

Nowadays, the war is tense and the people are in dire straits. This year's Spring Festival is far less lively than in previous years and is very miserable. There is no trace of the joy that the festival should have in Peiping. Everything is gray and gloomy, showing a sense of desolation and decadence.

Xu Qingyu said with some indignation, "The current situation is so chaotic. Even if we work hard to study, what will it do?"

Meng Fansheng looked around nervously, fearing that others would hear his treacherous words, "Be careful, have you forgotten why Mr. Li was taken away by the gendarmerie a few years ago? But he made it casually after drinking.

He was reported for his opinions. I heard a few days ago that he was still in prison and suffered a lot. Why are you complaining now, son?"

Xu Qingyu sighed, "I can't say anything anymore. Why are we talking about freedom and ambition? Guangzeng, I'm really frustrated. I wish I could go back to the countryside to farm. It's better than swallowing my anger and being inferior here."

It’s a good day whether there are ghosts or not.”

Guangzeng was the nickname given to Meng Fansheng by his teacher when he was studying. After hearing Xu Qingyu’s words, he couldn’t help laughing and said, “Have you forgotten what the teacher said? The night will eventually end. This is the darkness before dawn.

If you give up at this time, wouldn’t all your previous ideals and ambitions be nullified? Keep at it!"

Xu Qingyu shook his head and sighed, "I wonder when the dawn will come?"

They were now in the most dilapidated area of ​​Peiping City. There were no lights on the courtyards on both sides of the alleys. It was dark in the middle of the night and looked particularly gloomy. The crisp sound of firecrackers came from the wealthy area in the distance, adding some excitement to this dull Spring Festival.

Share joy.

"Look, the poor can't even afford to eat, but the rich still have the leisure to set off firecrackers and enjoy the flowers!" Xu Qingyu exclaimed, his face full of sarcasm.

Meng Fansheng knew his character and was notoriously cynical in school. He smiled, took his arm and quickened his pace, and soon reached the deepest part of the alley.

The door of the courtyard was closed tightly, and there was no sound inside.

Xu Qingyu looked in through the crack in the door and saw no one, "Are you asleep?"

"Probably not, it's still early." Meng Fansheng shook his head, "I saw her in poor health when I came here a few days ago, and I was always worried about her. I just have time to come and see her today!"

Xu Qingyu looked at him with a malicious smile, "Why do I think you are a drunkard and don't care about drinking?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Meng Fansheng's face turned red in the night, "Her brother and I were classmates. I received his help when I was studying in Nanjing and benefited a lot. Now that my old friend has passed away, his sister has ended up like this again.

, if I didn’t come and take a look, I would really be in vain.”

Xu Qingyu smiled and said, "I only said one sentence, and you just said it in such a long way. It can be seen that there is no three hundred taels of silver here."

Meng Fansheng rolled his eyes at him and started to call the door. After a while, a cautious female voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

But Meng Fansheng recognized her voice and said with a smile, "Is it Wu Ma? I am Meng Fansheng, and I came here specifically to visit Rongxuan."

"Hey, it's Mr. Meng." Mother Wu exclaimed in surprise, and hurried over to open the door, "Mr. Meng, it's snowing so heavily, and it's the day of family reunion during the Spring Festival. How come you have time to come?"

Seeing Xu Qingyu behind Meng Fansheng, Wu's mother hurriedly saluted and said, "Mr. Xu, wish you a happy New Year."

Xu Qingyu returned the gift with a very polite tone, "How are you? Guangzeng and I are not from Peiping. We are reunited after thousands of miles apart, sitting together at the sandalwood table. We are thinking about each other when we raise our chopsticks, which reflects the meaning of this moment.

', but we were like, 'Lying alone late at night, who will dust the bed?'. The party organized by the school was nothing new, so we sneaked out."

Wu Ma was a servant and had not read for a long time. She could not understand his elegant words and was a little confused for a moment.

Meng Fansheng laughed speechlessly at the side and asked Wu's mother, "How is Rongxuan's health? Did she sleep?"

"Not yet, I am reading a book at the moment." Mother Wu asked them as she invited them into the courtyard, "Mr. Meng will help me to persuade Miss. If you keep lighting a lamp and reading like this, your eyes will be damaged! I said

She refuses to listen to anything and has a very stubborn temper, but she listens to you the most." She spoke with a Jiangnan accent.

Meng Fansheng's heart moved and he nodded with a smile.

The room that Bai Rongxuan and Wu's mother rented was on the west side. It was the smallest and coldest house in the whole courtyard, but the rent was also the cheapest. At this moment, Bai Rongxuan was wrapped in a quilt and leaning on the bedside reading a book. She is from the south and is not used to the cold in the north at all.

Even though a small stove was lit in the house, she still felt the coldness coming from all directions, surrounding her tightly and unable to stop it, making her shiver from time to time.

When Meng Fansheng and Xu Qingyu entered the room, they saw this scene.

Bai Rongxuan, who was ill, looked extremely pale, like a pearl glowing with cold light. She was holding a thick book in her withered hands. She was reading it carefully. On the low table in front of her bed, there was a burning ink burning.

Candles. There is a stove burning on the side of the door. There is only some gruel in the pot above, and there are not a few grains of rice in it. Other than that, there is nothing else in the whole room. Although the room is shabby, it has been cleaned.

Clean and spotless.

When Bai Rongxuan heard the commotion, she couldn't help but raise her head. When she saw Meng Fansheng and Xu Qingyu, a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes, but she soon became calm and generous, and joked with a smile, "These are really distinguished guests.

On the snowy night of New Year's Eve, these two came through the snow. They are indeed teachers from Peking University. They are quite poetic." She had been ill for a long time and her face was very ugly, but her eyes were extremely dark and bright, as if they were smudged by the stars.

Meng Fansheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled, took off his scarf, and patted the falling snow off his shoulders, "It's rare that school is on holiday, so I came here to see you. How are you doing? Are you still coughing?"

Just as Wu Ma was about to answer the call, Bai Rongxuan had already rushed to say, "It's much better. I haven't coughed much today. It shows that the doctor you introduced is really capable." She put the book aside and then said, "Wu Ma

, there is no reason to let the guests stand and talk, hurry up and borrow a stool."

Wu Ma glanced at Bai Rongxuan distressedly, and didn't know much to say. She hurriedly went to the next door to borrow two stools, and went to the kitchen to find a kettle to boil hot water.

Xu Qingyu saw Meng Fansheng sitting not far from the bed, politely separated from Bai Rongxuan at a distance. The two of them looked at me and I looked at you, but no one spoke. He was a little funny and said deliberately, "

Rongxuan, why do you call Guang Zeng Brother Meng, but call me Mr. Xu? Isn’t that too foreign? Why don’t you also call me Brother Xu, and it will appear close to you.”

Bai Rongxuan was stunned for a moment when she heard the sound, and then she laughed shyly.

Meng Fansheng cleared his throat awkwardly, "Why are you talking so much today? If I had known this, I shouldn't have brought you here."

Xu Qingyu pursed his lips in grievance, "What? You think I'm too redundant and an eyesore now?"

Meng Fansheng had a straight face, "Can you be more serious?"

"Okay, okay! Shut up, is that okay?" Xu Qingyu winked and stood at the door with his arms folded, looking like a child venting his anger. Wu Ma walked in with a kettle and said, "Hey, Mr. Xu

, what’s wrong with you? Are your eyes uncomfortable?”

Xu Qingyu chuckled and pursed his lips inwards, "It's hot inside, I'll cool down here for a while."

Wu Ma took advantage of the situation and looked over.

Meng Fansheng is a typical scholar. He is enthusiastic, shy, and has a talented appearance that makes people feel friendly. Mother Wu likes him from the bottom of her heart. If he can get together with her daughter, she will be a hundred and twenty

She was supportive. So she just smiled and said, "I don't have good tea at home, so I can only treat these two gentlemen to drink hot water." She skillfully added new firewood and put the kettle on the stove to boil water.

Meng Fansheng asked about Bai Rongxuan's condition again, talked to her for a long time, and saw that she did not cough, so he felt relieved. Xu Qingyu was bored aside, so he went outside to enjoy the snow on the pretext of going out for convenience. Bai Rongxuan

Worried, "Wu Ma, please go out and take a look. It's still snowing outside. At least take an umbrella and don't let Mr. Xu catch the cold."

The year is bad and times are tough, so getting sick at this time is no joke.

When Wu Ma heard the sound, she quickly found an old oil-paper umbrella from the corner and hurried out.

Bai Rongxuan and Meng Fansheng were the only two people left in the room.

Meng Fansheng rubbed his hands in embarrassment, "Um... do you want some water? I'll pour it for you."

Bai Rongxuan shook her head, "Brother Meng, sit tight. I have something to ask you."

"What's the matter? You just said it, why are you talking about please?" Meng Fansheng rarely saw Bai Rongxuan showing such a serious look, and this expression made him feel vaguely uneasy.

Bai Rongxuan thought for a while and then said, "My body is definitely dead. Although I have regrets in this life, there is nothing I can do about it. The thing that worries me the most now is Wu Ma. She followed me from south to north, eating

It's been a lot of hard work. A few days ago, her son wanted to take her back and raise her.

, she couldn't trust me and refused cruelly. I thought now that I can't delay it any longer no matter what. I also know that it is very difficult to buy tickets at this time, but I still want you to think of a way and tell Wu Ma no matter what.

Send her back to her son so that I can feel relieved..."

It was actually a tone of explaining the aftermath.

Meng Fansheng was greatly surprised and frowned, "What are you talking about? Who will take care of you when Mother Wu is gone? You are just thinking so wildly that your illness will never be cured."

Bai Rongxuan smiled miserably, "I know my body very well. Brother Meng, I treat you as my own brother before I dare to entrust you with me on my deathbed. Please help me with this last favor no matter what." When she got anxious, she actually

Coughing violently.

Meng Fansheng panicked for a moment. The difference between men and women made it hard for him to help. Just as he was about to go find Wu Ma, Bai Rongxuan grabbed him. Meng Fansheng looked down and was even more shocked. Bai Rongxuan actually coughed.

A lot of blood came out. Bai Rongxuan held on to the edge of the bed, panting for a while, and then pointed to the water glass on the table.

Meng Fansheng brought the water cup to her hand, and Bai Rongxuan rinsed her mouth, and asked him to use a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth. After doing this, she was extremely tired, her face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, and her head was covered in cold sweat.

When Meng Fansheng saw this scene, he also realized that something was wrong. It was not that Bai Rongxuan didn't cough, it was just that she was afraid of people worrying, so she gritted her teeth and refused to cough in front of others.

He stood there, muttering unable to say a word.

After a long time, he said slowly, "Don't worry, I will help you send Wu Ma back to her hometown, to her son."

Bai Rongxuan nodded and smiled softly, looking very relieved, with a bit of relief in her expression that she had never seen before.

Meng Fansheng secretly cried out.

Xu Qingyu and Wu's mother happened to open the door and came back. Xu Qingyu said excitedly, "The snow outside has stopped and the stars are shining in the sky. It looks like the weather will be good tomorrow."

Meng Fansheng couldn't continue talking about this topic, so he quickly collected his thoughts and said with a forced smile, "It's getting late, we should leave. Rongxuan, you should also go to bed early, and save those books for reading when the weather is good. Pay close attention to yourself

eyes."

Bai Rongxuan was very happy to get his assurance and nodded naturally, "I understand."
To be continued...