If I don't have money to go to college, I can only go to slay the dragon.

The rain hit the windows with a loud bang, and lead-colored dark clouds rolled up the sky of the coastal city. The lightning flashes seemed to open a single eye for the black clouds, and then the muffled thunder that rolled over was the unruffled and powerful sign behind the clouds. Breathing heavily.

Chu Zihang stood at the door of the classroom. The eight-level wind blew the flag on the playground of Shilan Middle School trembling wildly. Several senior students were bending around the flagpole to avoid the rain and tried to lower the flag, but it was obvious that they failed. . One boy accidentally touched the button and opened the umbrella in his arms. The wind blew the umbrella and flew him backwards. Another boy jumped up smartly and tried to hug him, but they were both blown inside. There were drowned ducks in the muddy lawn.

Cars were honking continuously on the playground, and the car lights from all directions reflected the shadow of the flagpole on the rainy night. The loudspeakers sounded like a ragtag band without a conductor. The louder the sound, the more irritated the people who heard it were. Car banquet In an ordinary playground, students scurry around like headless flies, most of them wearing black raincoats. It reminds people of the tadpoles in kindergarten textbooks who can't find their mothers.

Chu Zihang under the eaves stretched out his hand, and the rainwater splashed on his hand, letting him know: Oh, it turns out that the rain really fell from the sky - this level of rainfall is everywhere in the world. Silver waterfall hanging curtains, everything is washed by the water hazy, it is difficult to tell whether it is rain falling from the sky to the ground, or the water on the ground flowing back to the sky.

It's raining all over the sky.

The phone vibrated and received a new message. Chu Zihang lowered his head and deleted it silently. He leaned against the wall with his hands folded and stared blankly at the chaotic car show in the rainy night. Outside the school gate, only the messy playground was left, which was splashed by the heavy rain.

"Waiting for someone? Still can't go home?"

The voice came from the right side of Chu Zihang. A boy from the lower grade walked to Chu Zihang and squatted down. Together they sat on the eaves of the teaching building and watched the mirage of rising and falling rain.

"Waiting for someone."

Chu Zihang replied that this junior boy, whom he had never met before, was not an acquaintance, but he was not a cold-faced evil star who rejected people thousands of miles away. He even said that few people in Shilan Middle School dared to talk to him, no. People who know him well say that his zodiac sign belongs to the refrigerator, and you can feel the bone-chilling chill inside from his pupils before you even open the refrigerator door.

"Oh, it's good to wait for someone, it's good to wait for someone, at least there will be someone to pick you up in this weather." The boy in the lower grade looked slightly younger than Chu Zihang, and he should be from Shilan Junior High School.

He and Chu Zihang had obviously never met before, but they squatted down next to Chu Zihang so naturally.

The heavy rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the big raindrops are blown by the wind in the air, hitting each other and breaking, and scattering water splashes on the ground. The wind is getting stronger and the dark clouds are rolling.

Chu Zihang looked down at the silent boy squatting next to him, and suddenly said his name: ".Lin Nian?"

As if he answered the code correctly, the boy in the lower grade subconsciously looked up at him and touched his cheek with some confusion. It was unclear how Chu Zihang, who had also never met him before, recognized him: ".You How do you know my name, my name is written on my face?”

"As a transfer student from the junior high school, your entrance exam score was number one, you were praised for your speech under the national flag, and the president of the high school student union personally issued you the admission notice." Chu Zihang turned his head and continued to look at the rainy night. , "I was in the audience at the time. You were wearing a white T-shirt with the Guirenniao logo and black casual pants that day, and your shoes were a pair of white Nike sneakers."

"Wow, you have a really good memory. Your grades should be pretty good too, right?" The boy nodded and thought to himself, this guy is really free. He didn't even take a nap while talking under the national flag to memorize the logos on the clothes of people on stage.

"It's not bad." Chu Zihang didn't say that he was also the first in his grade to get a scholarship this year. After all, being the first in his grade couldn't change the fact that now the two of them were standing under the eaves, taking shelter from the rain like wet crows.

"I was studying in a public middle school before. The condition for entering Shilan Junior High School is that if I get the top score in the city's high school entrance examination in the third year of junior high school next year, otherwise I will be expelled from school." The boy laughed.

"But on the first day you entered the junior high school, you beat someone into the infirmary." Chu Zihang looked down at him and asked, "Why? Aren't you afraid of getting a demerit and being asked to quit?"

"You should be a good student in school, right?" The boy used his hands to catch the rain out of boredom, "You've never had a fight?"

"Been beaten."

"Then we have something in common." The boy said, "There was a man in the second grade of junior high school who said my shoes were fake, so I beat him and threw his shoes into the urinal in the toilet. "

"Why?" Chu Zihang asked subconsciously.

"Why?" The boy clapped his wet hands, "That pair of shoes was given to me by someone else."

"But if it's true or false, what the boy said is right." Chu Zihang asked.

"What do you mean?" The boy turned to look at Chu Zihang.

"I have no ill intentions. My last birthday gift was a pirated DVD of "Shrek", which was also fake." Chu Zihang was silent for a moment, trying to show that he had no ill intentions.

"Oh, who gave it to you?" The boy was a little stunned by the topic.

"My dad." Chu Zihang paused before answering.

"Your dad is really awesome. But it's kind of intentional. I sneaked in through the back door of the cinema to watch that movie, and I only watched half of it, from beginning to end, because in the end, people from the theater came in to check the tickets. I had to Sneak out in the dark in advance." The boy scratched the back of his head and said.

"Why don't you buy a ticket?" Chu Zihang asked.

"I can't afford it." The boy looked Chu Zihang up and down and said with a smile, "After all, I don't have a great dad or mom to give me pirated DVDs for my birthday. I only have one sister in my family."

"." Chu Zihang was silent for a moment and seemed to understand. After a while, he said hesitantly, "If you still want to watch it completely, I can lend you the disc. In fact, someone had already brought it to me before he gave it to me. I went to the cinema to watch it.”

"But I don't have a DVD player at home." The boy sighed and looked at the rain and became stunned again.

Chu Zihang didn't speak anymore, and the two of them just watched and listened to the rain quietly.

"You're a pretty nice person. If you have a chance, can I go to your house and watch a movie on your next birthday?" the boy said suddenly.

"But on my birthday, my family usually has a barbecue party instead of watching a movie." Chu Zihang said.

"Well, I won't watch a movie, but there will be a barbecue party."

"I remember your name. I can invite you next time I celebrate my birthday, if you have time," Chu Zihang said. He paused and then continued: "What will you do if the rain doesn't stop?"

"Run out and find a way to take the bus. You can take the No. 6 bus to the subway station."

Chu Zihang glanced at the heavy rain outside that seemed to flood the world: "My father will come to pick me up soon. Where do you live? I can give you a ride."

"Are you on your way? I live on the outskirts of the city. It's pretty roundabout."

When he heard about the suburbs of the city, Chu Zihang was startled. He did not expect that the boy would live so far away. This meant that after enrolling in Shilan, he would have to take the subway and bus for an hour or two every day to reach the school. According to Shilan Seven It is a tradition to study early at 30 a.m. If you want not to be late, you have to set out around 5 a.m.

"Sure enough, it's still too far? How about forgetting it? I'll run back by myself when the rain subsides. I run very fast. During the entrance physical test, the school's high school track and field department wanted to poach me." The boy smiled. .

"No, after I drop you off, the car can take the beltway and go home. It's not too circuitous." Chu Zihang said.

"That feeling is good, that feeling is good." After receiving the reply, the boy rubbed his hands and turned his head to look at the pouring rainy night and stopped talking. He felt as if he had finished what he needed to say and the purpose of his trip had been achieved.

Chu Zihang was startled, but he inexplicably remembered the first thing the boy asked him when he came to talk to him.

The xenon lamp drew two lines of white light through the playground and shone on the ground floor of the teaching building. Chu Zihang and the boy who were standing together squinted their eyes. The latter seemed to realize something and stood up to block the car light with his hands. When the car owner saw their reaction, he cleverly switched the high beam to low beam, kicked the accelerator and flicked the black limousine that stood out on the playground to the front of the teaching building.

Two ruts were drawn on the ground, and the stagnant water was crushed so much that two one-meter-high water curtains were raised. Fortunately, Chu Zihang pulled the boy back to the classroom door to avoid becoming a drowned rat.

Parked in front of them was a black beast that broke through the rainy night. A faint white vapor rose in front of the xenon lights. The flowing black body separated the rainwater from the roof on both sides. Two "M" overlapping to form a mountain-shaped logo stood tall. Shining brightly in the heavy rain, this is a Maybach 62 worth 9 million. It's a pity that he came a little late today because the car show in the playground has ended. If he had come half an hour earlier, he would probably be greeted by the respect of most car owners. Instead of just performing water-drifting in front of two and a half-year-old children like now.

"Wow, your dad is really rich." The boy said looking at this nice car with Shen Xiong's low roar.

Chu Zihang turned to look into his eyes, but unexpectedly did not find any envious gaze in them. When he saw the steel monster in front of him that could not be blown by the tenth level of wind, he seemed to be watching the guided missile tank that was pulled during the military parade on TV. Unexpectedly, I avoided saying that I was really fucking awesome and there was no regrets in my heart.

The man in the driver's seat of the Maybach opened the door, took out the black umbrella from the door frame, and trotted toward them. He held the umbrella in front of him with difficulty in the strong wind and rain, as brave as a small tank. , but the pace of running is inevitably a little out of shape, like a tank dancing, which makes people want to laugh.

It’s hard to imagine that a person coming out of a car of this level would be as bowed down and submissive as he was. Even though the man himself was very good-looking, when he ran towards Chu Zihang with an umbrella, he looked like a He was as attentive as a father who prepared a bowl of fresh hot pork intestines for his son as a midnight snack.

This is like an ordinary father. When he got out of the Maybach and opened the umbrella, he could only see his son under the eaves not far away. The beautiful car behind him was just a steel tool that turned on the headlights to shine in front of him. It was only at this time that Chu Zihang realized that the gaze of the boy next to him towards the man in the rain suddenly became indescribable. It was a very complicated emotion, which was obscured by the silver light of the heavy rain after a fleeting moment.

"This is my dad. He has no money. He is just a driver." Chu Zihang whispered to the boy.

Maybe it's empathy.

Chu Zihang knew that the boy had no parents, and now the man drove such a nice luxury car through the rainy night to pick him up. The contrast between a rich father and a father who loved him might make the boys around him feel sad. What emotion did he have to say this sentence that he would never say to others in normal times.

"See, you drive a Maybach. It's awesome, brother. I will definitely eat for two when I go to your house for BBQ." The boy said with a low smile.

"Okay." Chu Zihang said.

"Your friend?" The man rushed to the eaves with an umbrella and looked at the boy next to Chu Zihang and asked.

"Isn't it possible?" Chu Zihang said, his tone was very calm, but everyone could hear the slight irritation. The boy beside him didn't say anything but just stood unpacking the shoulder strap of his schoolbag.

"Yes, of course. I must be happy when I see my son making friends." The man slapped his thigh, his face was as slumped as a drowned rat after being beaten by the wind and rain, but his face was still beaming with joy, "Where does your friend live? I'll drop him off on the way. I'll go over there and take you home. The wind is very strong tonight. I heard that the strongest force today is level 10, but I brought the car here and the wind of level 12 couldn't blow us away!"

Chu Zihang's face darkened a bit when he saw the man giving a thumbs up gesture to the steel monster in the rainy night. The man alertly realized that he seemed to have said the wrong thing, so he immediately shut up and put on an umbrella. He smiled and walked in front to escort the two boys. boarding.

Chu Zihang got into the back seat and wanted to reach out to the boy, but found that the boy was standing outside the car in the heavy rain, staring blankly at the school gate. He also turned around and looked through the rear view window, and saw a man wearing a hooded coat. A slender figure in a black raincoat was running towards them quickly in the heavy rain. Her flat women's shoes stepped in the puddles and accidentally sprained her feet several times. Fortunately, her owner's balance was very good and she didn't. Fell into standing water.

"Sorry, my family has come to pick me up. I won't bother you this time." The boy put his head into the warm Maybach and said apologetically to Chu Zihang, then turned around and ran towards the slender figure in the rainy night. .

Only then did Chu Zihang believe that the boy really ran very fast as he said. Even the seeded athletes in the track and field department could not catch up with him when he ran towards that figure. The black clothes were swaying in the strong wind like a tadpole tail. Trembling wildly, it is very much like those two hearts that are getting more and more anxious to get along.

The person who braved the current level 8 wind to pick up the boy was a tall and beautiful girl. The light makeup on her face melted away in the rain, but it still couldn't stop her beauty. The men holding umbrellas outside the car quietly blew He whistled and muttered that his wife was no less generous than him, making it seem as if he had never been divorced.

Chu Zihang in the car didn't care about the man beside him, he just looked at the boy and the girl from a distance from the rear view window. In the strong wind and heavy rain, they put on the same black raincoat and headed outside the school gate in the rain. He ran away, jumping high into the puddle with his four feet. At this moment, Chu Zihang discovered that the boy today seemed to be wearing the same pair of white Nike sneakers from the opening ceremony. Suddenly, he understood Why would a transfer student from junior high school fight a classmate he had never met just because the other student mocked him for a pair of fake shoes?

Regardless of whether those shoes were fake or not, there was no doubt that they were given by the girl who came to pick him up on a rainy night. The girl might be her sister or someone else. She spent more than half of a month's meager salary. , gave that boy a birthday gift. They were a pair of brand new white sneakers that fit her feet perfectly. She praised him for how good they looked and asked him if he liked them. He said he liked them very much. So no matter who jumps out and says that his shoes are fake, he will beat them up, because the girl gave him these shoes. Even if the shoes are indeed fake, he will beat them up just because of those shoes. It was his birthday gift. What she gave could not be fake or fake.

"Isn't it pretty good?" Chu Zihang said softly.

If a man can give him a pair of shoes in front of his father on his birthday, whether they are real or fake, he will unpack them and wear them on his feet. If a gangster laughs at his shoes, he will take out his bamboo sword and wear them on his feet. Hit him on the head with the kendo learned in the Children's Palace until he was bleeding and apologized to him.

At home, the pirated "Shrek" disc given to him by his man is still on the bookshelf. He has read it over and over dozens of times. When he can memorize the lines, he will watch it again. He has been waiting to receive one for his birthday next year. A disc of "Shrek 2", whether pirated or genuine.

"What did you say? It was raining so hard just now that I didn't hear clearly." The door of the Maybach was closed, and the heated seats spurted out hot air that warmed Chu Zihang's whole body for an instant. He took his eyes back from the rear view window and looked towards The man in the driver's seat, his cold eyes softened a lot for no reason, "It's nothing."

"It's fine. I'm telling you, it's a good thing I didn't go to the car wash this morning. It's a contactless car wash. It's 80 per time. If I wash it,"

The boring topic started. The man in the driver's seat kept talking. The voice in Chu Zihang's ears was slowly filtered by the sound of rain outside the window. The Maybach started the engine and drove out slowly. From the boys and girls running in raincoats. The warm air-conditioning heater overflowed from both sides, floating out of the gate of Shilan Middle School in a flicker.

At the school gate, a boy wearing a black raincoat on the side of the road watched from a distance as the Maybach cut into the rain waterfall like a sharp blade, like a bookmark cutting through a tragic story. He will revisit this scene countless times in the future when he turns the page.

The Maybach dashed into the rainy night and never returned.

"What's wrong?" the person next to him asked the boy softly.

"Nothing." The boy said.

"It's just that it's raining really hard today." The boy looked up at the sky, and heavy rain fell on his cheeks.

He did not speak. He closed his eyes and quietly felt the touch of the rain on his face. In the darkness, through the thunder of the dark clouds, he listened carefully to the tragedies that were destined to happen on the rainy night.

god.

Maybach.

Crazy torrential rain.

A man who goes to God to wield a sword.

A cowardly boy running away from his back.

The rain falls and the darkness flows wildly.

"Yeah, it's raining really hard today."

With the rain running down his face, the boy wearing a black raincoat opened his eyes and spoke softly.

Chu Zihang stood alone at the bus stop in front of Shilan Middle School. The No. 6 bus in the distance was approaching the bus stop with flashing yellow lights. The rainy street was deserted and sparsely populated.

It was raining all over the sky and it was hard to tell whether the water was coming from the sky or from the ground.

He was the only one standing on the street in the heavy rain, alone.

Everything is like that day that will never fade away in my memory.

June 3, 2009, heavy rain in the coastal city.

To this day, he still walks alone in rainy nights. He has returned to his hometown on countless rainy nights, and persistently rebuilds the sandcastle on the seaside based on the scenes in his memory.

On a rainy night, the boy wearing a black raincoat in front of Shilan Middle School returned to his old place. He could no longer find the Maybach running towards the elevated road in the stormy night and the man in the car who was talking nonsense.

Things are different and people are different.

ps: Let’s not talk about the combination of chapters. More than 5,000 words cannot be regarded as one chapter or two chapters. Anyway, I just finished writing what should be written, alas.