When he woke up, Mu Nan, who hadn't eaten the meal but was eaten first, lay down on the bed exhausted. Qin Huai was wiping his body with a towel. Mu Nan lay on the bed looking at him with his face sideways. The light was not turned on, only a bedside lamp was turned on, under the dim and soft light, even Qin Huai's stern eyebrows and eyes showed a different kind of tenderness.

Mu Nan stretched out his hand, and hooked Qin Huai's little finger with his index finger: "Brother."

Qin Huai held his hand instead, and responded in a low voice: "Huh?"

Mu Nan moved around, turned over and leaned on Qin Huai's lap: "Are you happier?"

Although he didn't know what kind of nightmare Qin Huai had, he could feel that Qin Huai's emotions were not right, that he was on the verge of losing control. So Mu Nan gave Qin Huai what he wanted, and he could find a way to divert Qin Huai's attention or It's also good to vent out that backlog of emotion in your chest.

However, that nightmare seemed to have had a great impact on Qin Huai. Even the first time Qin Huai was careful not to let him see blood, this time there was a slight tear. Naturally, the pain was very painful, but he cared more about whether Qin Huai had any pain. better.

Qin Huai looked down at him, his bright eyes were full of worry, dependence and concentration, which formed a strong contrast with the pair of eyes in the dream that gradually lost their warmth and color.

Qin Huai was in his lying position, caressed gently on Mu Nan's soft stomach, rubbing his palms lightly on the place where Mu Nan's life was taken in his dream, and his voice trembled in an inaudible voice: " Does it hurt?"

Mu Nan thought that Qin Huai was asking if the intense heat just hurt him, so he shook his head: "It doesn't hurt anymore, the medicine is cool, it doesn't hurt at all."

After being silent for a long time, Qin Huai finally opened his mouth, his voice was very soft, as if a needle had been pricked in Mu Nan's heart: "Nan Nan, I'm sorry..."

Mu Nan got up and sat on Qin Huai's lap, hooked his neck with both hands to watch his expression carefully: "Brother, you are really strange, what's wrong?"

Qin Huai hugged Mu Nan tightly, there were some things that he couldn't think about deeply, once he thought about it, there was nowhere to hide many things.

Qin Huai is not stupid. It can even be said that he has been a person with high IQ since he was a child. Many details that others would not notice at all can be analyzed in his eyes, not to mention that it is almost his own. Mu Nan, who was brought up, frowned slightly. He could analyze why Mu Nan was unhappy without thinking, so even though Mu Nan didn't say anything, he never really hid some things from him.

Qin Huai always knew that Mu Nan had something to hide from him, including Mu Nan's closeness and resistance to him when he first came back, maybe Mu Nan didn't realize it himself, at that time his whole body was tense, like a stick The strings that have been overloaded and stretched can be broken with just a light touch, so Qin Huai dare not ask, even dared not touch tentatively, so he could only coax carefully, following his wishes and pretending that he didn't know anything of.

And this nightmare coherently connected many details that he couldn't piece together into a complete story. He still remembered the first day he came back, the way Mu Nan woke up from the nightmare clutching his stomach, and then told him about the end of the world All kinds of prophecies, Mu Nan's predictive dream, stopped just before the collapse of the apartment building.

These details cannot withstand scrutiny at all, and many things can be connected in series after a short thought, but Qin Huai dare not think about it, it is a conjecture truth that he can't bear at all. The person is still by his side, lying in his arms with warmth and freshness, so what does that nightmare mean to Mu Nan?

Why is there no self in the dream, and where was he in the dream at that time.

Qin Huai calmed down these emotions very well, and when he let go of Mu Nan again, a smile appeared on his face again: "I have lingering fears about that nightmare, so I want to hug you, so I can feel it when I hug you." Woke up by myself."

Mu Nan looked at him: "What did you dream about, so scary?"

Qin Huai pinched his face with a smile: "I dreamed about bugs, do you want to hear it?"

Mu Nan shook his head again and again, that was too scary, he didn't want to listen, and couldn't help but asked: "Is it possible that I have been in contact with too many bamboo insects during this period, so I dreamed of insects?"

Qin Huai smiled and said, "Maybe, are you hungry? Get up and eat."

Mu Nan had starved to death a long time ago, and her stomach growled more than once.

Qin Huai let go of him, and still did not forget to say: "Sure enough."

Mu Nan: "So what?"

Qin Huai gently held the soft flesh on his waist: "Last winter, it was the last time I saw your little abs."

Mu Nan couldn't help but pounced on Qin Huai: "You eat it up and attack it personally!"

She was tossing too hard before, Mu Nan really felt the feeling of being unable to get out of bed, that waist is almost useless.

Qin Huai massaged him, set the small table for him, and put the small snack basket on the bed for him: "They are all discussing the next bamboo insect collection at Yu Zibai's house, yesterday's account has not been settled yet, I'll go over and have a look, you stay at home obediently, I'll go out later."

Mu Nan looked up at him: "Where are you going?"

Qin Huai said: "Wang Xiaoli is looking for me. It's not very convenient for him to come over there, so I go out to look for him, and I may come back a little later. If you are hungry, eat by yourself, don't wait for me."

Seeing that Qin Huai was going to the outer city, Mu Nan was a little worried: "I heard that it's very chaotic outside, you should bring some weapons."

Qin Huai: "Okay, I'll be back soon." Qin Huai walked into the cloakroom and came out with a bag on his back. Mu Nan glanced at him: "Remember to bring something for self-defense, go early and return early, don't Get into a fight with someone, and if something goes wrong, run away."

Qin Huai smiled: "Understood, little housekeeper."

Speaking of which, Qin Huai's time living here is not too short, but he hasn't really been to the outer city, but when he drove to work, he would look through the car window and the re-cleared driveway. This is the first time that the messy and disorderly environment has truly entered.

There are two or three tables in a simple shed. There are cards on the table, but only dice. Some shirtless or ragged men gathered in a crowd, shouting and cursing in this poorly soundproofed shed. There is nothing to hide in the room, those who win are elated and gamble more intensely, and those who lose are dejected and even red-eyed. They have no money or food in their hands but are reluctant to leave, so they try to borrow money from the shady man.

But he was kicked to the ground by a fierce man with a rough face, fat head and big ears. While eating soybeans, the man kicked the person who had been kicked to the ground and couldn't get up, and said in a vicious voice: "If you don't have money, you can think about it yourself." Find a way to get money, you haven’t paid back the money you borrowed last time, and you still want to borrow it, how many lives do you have?”

Ma San didn't dare to be angry when he was kicked on the ground, and apologized in a friendly voice: "Brother Ma, please lend me a little, I'm going to be lucky today, really! You can lend me a little, and I can make money immediately Return it to you! Brother Ma..."

Before Ma San finished speaking, the man named Brother Ma gave him a wink, and the two thugs next to him immediately stepped forward, picked up Ma San and threw him out.

Brother Ma walked to the door while knocking on soybeans, and pointed his index finger towards Ma San on the ground: "I will give you three days, I don't care if you steal or rob, if I don't see the money in three days, I will Take your life."

Brother Ma said this lightly, without even the slightest threatening tone, but it made Ma San's heart skip a beat. He knew that these words were definitely not a verbal threat. But now, saying it's going to kill you is really going to kill you.

It's very chaotic outside. One starved to death today, and another fell on the ground tomorrow. No one cares how people died, whether they committed suicide or homicide. A lot of people died, they had no family and no mouth, and they didn't even have a collection of ashes.

Knowing that it is impossible to borrow money today, no matter how hard he begs for nothing, he will only get a beating. After Ma Ge went in, Ma San clutched the kicked place and slowly got up , After slowing down, he couldn't help cursing in a low voice, then bowed his head and walked towards his home.

Before the end of the world, he was a poor ghost. He once had a wife, but he ran away with others, and slept in the scavenger station without children, so he was not crushed to death during the earthquake. I thought the world was in chaos. It should be him. The good days are coming, no one can control the sneaky and abducted ones, and you can pick up valuables from the ruins, but he didn't expect him to be so unlucky, he lost a game of gambling, and lost all the valuables he dug out before. about there.

I am poor and destitute, and when I think about sending bricks to the rich area before and seeing people living in air-conditioned rooms without worrying about food and drink, the jealousy and hatred for the injustice of the world is even more scratching.

After bypassing one after another extremely dirty and mosquito-filled alleys, Ma San finally returned home. That house was not a home. He couldn't even afford the cheapest hut built by the government. I went to gamble, so I found a corner to shelter from the wind and rain, and built a shelter with a waterproof snakeskin bag. Anyway, I just need a place to sleep, which is better than sleeping on the street.

But there is a place to sleep, but there is no food or drink. I guess I don't feel hungry at all. Now I am hungry, and the empty stomach is even more unbearable.

No money to gamble, no money to eat. Thinking of the foreign debts owed, Ma San thought in his heart that he might as well get a ticket. There was an old blind man at the intersection, and he had a granddaughter who was only seven years old. The boy is sold at a higher price, but he still lives here, maybe the old blind man will make some noise, so he has to find a way to avoid people and sell it farther away, although no one cares here now, But if you call the police, the police will definitely come and go through the motions, so don't find him.

While he was thinking about it, Ma San heard some movement outside. Before he got up from the ground, a man wearing a hat, mask, and black waterproof jacket opened the curtain of his house and walked in.

Before he could speak, the man came out with a pack of instant noodles and said directly: "Is Ma San right? I want to ask you something."

Ma San's eyes turned green when he saw the instant noodles, and he didn't care about the man's disguised appearance as a villain. The bag can be exchanged for at least five yuan. There is oil, salt, and noodles here. If you find a generous seller, you may be able to sell it for six or seven yuan.

He was calculating in his heart, but said on his mouth: "What do you want to inquire about?"

He didn't have much defense against this person. As far as his place is not even a house, what is worth grabbing? The whole house, including the clothes on his body, is not even half of it. The face is expensive, so I didn't think about the other party's plans at all. I just thought it was his luck that someone still asked him to inquire about things.

Thinking that he might be able to ask for something more from this person, Ma San said: "There is nothing in this alley that Ma San doesn't know about. If you want to know anything, just ask!"

The man seemed to have glanced at him, but the room was very dark, and it was still dark outside, only the faint street lights in the distance illuminated, Ma San couldn't see clearly, just waiting for him to take a closer look at what the man looked like When I was doing this, I heard the other party say: "I want to ask you about three people. They owe me money, but their names are lied to. One is 180 tall, has a burly appearance, has a scar on the left eyebrow, and one is tall and tall. Thin and small, there is a **** mole on the neck, and there is another one who is neither tall nor short, with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, and a bit stooped figure. They often gamble in this area. You are also a frequent visitor to the gambling house. You should know them. Tell me about them Name and address, and I can give you two bags of instant noodles."

Ma San licked his dry lips, eyes greedy: "Really?" This is really a pie that fell from the sky, and he really knows these three people!

Ma San didn't have the concept that he couldn't betray his friends, not to mention that they were just a group of like-minded collaborators, not even friends, but just like him, when he ran out of money, he found someone who could do it to grab money and food Drink, now that they are being chased by creditors, it's none of his business, so the name and address are reported directly, and then he looks at the man: "It should be the three of them, I'll tell you everything I know, that instant noodle ..."

The man seemed to smile, put down the backpack on his shoulders and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, the instant noodles are in the bag, come and get them."

After Ma San walked over with joy, a gloved hand covered his mouth instantly, and at the same time, a cold thing was pressed against his neck.

Ma San knew exactly what it was. When he owed people gambling debts, he was often threatened by this thing to chop off his fingers. The tone was gloomy: "I forgot to tell you, you are also the person I am looking for."

Qin Huai came out of the broken shed and walked away without looking back.

Ma San in the shed is not dead yet, but his wound is too deep, and the knife wants to cut his trachea, so even if he is not dead at this moment, he even clutches the wound and tries to struggle out, but there is no way With him exhaling and inhaling, death is only a matter of a moment.

The pre-death review that the old people often said did not happen to Ma San. He only felt a lot of pain. How could it be so painful? It was obviously the suffocation temperature of a hot person, but he felt so cold on his body, and the air gradually became thinner. When he could no longer breathe fresh air, his whole body struggled to convulsions and convulsions. No one knew what kind of pain he had experienced before he died in less than a minute.

There is no house number order in this randomly built shed, and the seat can only be judged by the surrounding environment. Fortunately, these gamblers basically live in this circle, so it is not difficult to find. Looking at the rag curtain without even a door, listening to the snoring inside, Qin Huai slightly lowered the brim of his hat, opened the curtain and walked in...

The outer city is chaotic, and it can even be described as disorderly. Some people really don’t have the ability and conditions to leave here. They don’t even know where to go after leaving here. They don’t know what’s going on in the city center. There is no one in the place, the green plants are almost sun-dried, and it is impossible to even dig the grass roots, so I can only stay here and use that meager effort to earn a little food for subsistence, and if there is more, it is really impossible to improve my life. that ability.

Some people have the ability to leave here, but they don't want to leave. This place is chaotic. It's a paradise for criminals. It's also a paradise for criminals. There's no one to control gambling. Half a corn tortilla can find a woman to have a good night. How could it be so cheap in the past? Things, leaving here, not as good as those rich people, but also being controlled by the government, how uncomfortable, it is better to stay here and enjoy the joy and wantonness that has never been seen before.

In the government's construction, according to the original plan, it was developed district by district, and then the living facilities and surrounding business districts were slowly rebuilt. Unfortunately, the disasters one after another were not expected, and the speed of reconstruction could not keep up. The number of people affected by the disaster has formed the current situation in the outer city.

Qin Huai had never been here before, but followed the impression in the dream all the way to the hut that suffocated him in the nightmare.

The windows were blocked, so he couldn't see what was going on inside, and there was silence all around, because it was almost dawn, and no matter who went out to work or wandered outside, they had to go home to avoid the fierce sun.

Qin Huai stood at the door masochistically, and even wanted to open the door to see if it was his dream image inside, until the voice of talking could be heard in the shed.

It was a family of three. The woman whispered that the family would run out of food tomorrow, and the man said that the construction site would be able to pay wages tomorrow. The rice and noodles could not be bought for the time being. Then they would buy some beans and grind them into flour, which could be the staple food for a few days. .

There was also the voice of a child in the room. He should be young, but he said very sensiblely that he would eat less in the future, so that Dad would not have to work so hard.

Although the people in the house spoke very quietly, this kind of shed has almost no sound insulation, and Qin Huai was standing outside their window, so he could still hear their conversation clearly, but it was also these conversations that dispersed the slightest noise. The haze in Qin Huai's heart, it's not his Mu Nan who lives here, everything is different.

Although street lights were gradually installed in the messy outer city, the camera hadn't been installed yet. Qin Huai walked all the way outside, taking off the black waterproof clothing that was on the outside, rolled it up and threw it on the side of the road full of garbage, and walked quickly. At the parking place, Qin Huai threw away his hat and mask, and even his gloves into the stinky ditch before driving home.

He wasn't worried at all that these things would be found out, not to mention the current technological means and whether someone would seriously pursue them, even his own anti-reconnaissance ability was enough to erase the traces of his presence.

Before he got home, he received a message from Mu Nan asking why he hadn’t replied yet, and he replied a voice message with a smile. He accelerated and pushed the accelerator, leaving the darkness of the dirty alleyway in the outer city behind the car, and drove into Dongsheng in the early morning. In the light of the sun.

Hearing the sound, Mu Nan hurriedly ran out to open the iron gate, waited for Qin Huai to park the car back in the garage, and then waited for him to go upstairs together: "Why is it so late, the sun will rise in a while, it would be better if we were closer , you are far away, even if you are in the car, the temperature rises together, how dangerous it is."

Qin Huai said: "Counting the time, when you sent me a message, I had already arrived at the gate of the community."

Mu Nan knew that he knew what he was doing, but he still couldn't help talking. Seeing him busy outside all night, he asked, "Are you hungry? Take a bath first or eat first?"

Qin Huai looked at him: "You didn't eat? I didn't tell you not to wait for me."

Mu Nan clicked his tongue: "Then you will always come back before dawn, I just waited for your meal, and I didn't wait for you when the clock ticked, I ate it myself."

Qin Huai said, "I'll take a shower first."

Mu Nan flipped through his menu and listened to the movement in the bathroom. The dishes were all selected. He didn't wait until Qin Huai came out. Just when he couldn't sit still and was about to knock on the door, the sound of water stopped. Shouted: "Brother, hurry up, you have been washing for a long time."

Qin Huai just put on a pair of shorts and came out wiping his hair: "Eat first if you're hungry, and slow down after washing your hair today."

Mu Nan held up his homemade menu: "Do you want to eat vegetables or fish today?"

The fish is a big fish weighing three to four catties. With some side dishes in a pot, two people can eat enough, so you can either eat fish or stir-fried vegetables, otherwise you won't be able to finish it.

Qin Huai said: "Eat fish, I haven't eaten for a while."

Mu Nan quickly took out the fish pot, took some green vegetables and some fatty beef and shrimp slips into the pot, and when the side dishes were cooked, Mu Nan asked, "What does Wang Xiaoli want from you?" ah?"

Qin Huai said: "It's a bit difficult for him to lead his mad wife, so he asked me if I have a job that makes a little money. I think I live in the second district, so I might have more connections."

Mu Nan: "It's fine to ask directly online, and I will call you over."

Qin Huai said: "It's because I want to see his current situation, and take a look at the situation in the outer city by the way."

Mu Nan didn't ask what's going on outside. He had already felt what was going on outside a year ago, and what's going on outside now is either a little better or worse. He's going to sell bamboo worms?"

Qin Huai, who had never met Wang Xiaoli at all: "Don't worry, he and Yu Zibai don't know each other, so it's not good to suddenly bring someone who is a stranger to both of them, and even though the matter of bamboo insects has been settled with the Cai family, Go once a week, but it’s not a stable thing after all, I’ll see if there’s a chance to introduce him to a stable job.”

Mu Nan felt that what Qin Huai said was also reasonable. Anyway, his brother was more meticulous than him, and he was more thoughtful in thinking about things than him. Finally, when the pot finally boiled, he poked the fish's face with a chopstick, and put the piece of fish meat in Qin Huai's hands. In his bowl: "You have worked hard today, and the fish-faced cheeks will make up for you."

Qin Huai picked up the piece of fish cheek meat and put it in his mouth, his eyes were dark and his tone was dark: "Well, it seems that I didn't take good care of you, you have to make up for me, it's my fault, next time I will work harder .”

Obviously it was hard work. He spent a whole night outside today, but Mu Nan, who deliberately misinterpreted the meaning, almost choked to death with a mouthful of fish!