C20 The Dream of a Great Scholar

The autumn rain continued for half a month and a few days before the thick gray in the sky was finally swept away, and sunlight shone from the layers of clouds. The haze that had persisted in the hearts of the Dai villagers for many days also dispersed layer by layer like clouds. But in an instant, the weather became hot again.

The Dai village was brimming with vitality. The fence, the bamboo room, the window, and the wings of the chickens and ducks were all covered with sparkling water droplets. The villagers of the Great Tea Village walked out of the house. After the longest rain in the past few decades, the people of the Great Tea Village were already so depressed that they came out to take a breather.

Therefore, in the small village, it was rare to see people coming and going. It was like a bustling street that was as big as a city.

The man from Dai village wore a coarse robe and a scarf on his head. The woman was wearing a cylindrical skirt. The colorful totem carvings on the skirt made every skirt have its own uniqueness. The upper half of their bodies were wearing sleeves that looked like dancing clothes, and their heads were covered in thick black hair. Under the accompaniment of the man's Elephant-Foot Drum, they started dancing a butterfly dance.

Here, the people of Dai Village said, "If there is a dance, there must be a drum. If there is a drum, there must be a dance. " When the drum beats like an elephant's foot, there will be singing and dancing. The people of Great Tea Village follow the drum beats. They rushed over from all over to join the camp. Maybe it was to celebrate the end of the autumn rain, or maybe it was to celebrate nothing. Dai villagers had always been good at singing and dancing. The men followed the beat of the drum and started to dance on the basis of the butterfly dance. He started to dance like an elephant.

They kicked the drum surface of the drum with exaggerated movements, and their cheeks were illuminated by the sun with oil. They looked at the stream outside the village. It was even more rapid than before, and the water was wider.

There were students from Tea Village Primary School who did not come to class today. Yu Er, the student council member, was 15 minutes away from 10 o'clock. She walked towards the entrance of the village. The newspapers of the Great Tea Village Primary School were sent once every twenty days. Usually, the newspaper delivery staff would put the newspapers in the small store at the village entrance to exchange for cardboard boxes. Sometimes, Yu Er would be able to accurately grasp the time and meet up with the newspaper delivery staff.

However, this also required the newspaper sender to not waste any time on the road. Sometimes, the newspaper delivery staff might even be sent to do other unrelated work. It was very likely that the newspaper would only be sent over the next day. Therefore, the sender and Yu Er had long made an agreement. If they hadn't seen him for too long when they came to get the newspaper, they wouldn't have to wait any longer.

Every time at this time, Yu Er would make another trip to the Little Merchandize Shop at the entrance of the village during lunch break the next day. The newspaper would usually be placed in a cardboard box at the entrance of the Little Merchandize Shop. For the past two times, besides the newspapers, there were also a few rolls of paper notes worth one yuan and five horns. Those were the money Yu Er earned from selling the Mountain Mushroom.

Today was quite a coincidence. Yu Er saw a bicycle slide down the winding mountain road in the distance. The person riding the bicycle was wearing a green postman uniform.

Yu Er received a total of 40 newspapers from the two types as scheduled. Smelling the ink smell coming from the newspaper, she hugged the newspaper in front of her chest. This time, there was no additional mountain mushroom money.

The reporter looked at the little girl and asked with a smile, "Yu Er, are there any more mountain mushrooms? If you do, bring them over. It's not easy to walk down the rainy mountain road for a while. I'll help you bring them to the county town. Just like before, bring the money for selling over next time. "

" No. " Yu Er shook her head. "It has been raining all this time this month. Mama was unable to go up the mountain to harvest the mountain mushrooms. "

"Alright then, take the newspaper properly. I'll be heading back right away. After a rain, there won't be a lack of mushrooms on the Big Tea Mountain. Once it's done, I'll be able to exchange for some change again. " The messenger turned his bicycle towards the direction it came from and stepped onto the beam of the bicycle. He stomped on the ground and said, "But when I come back, it will be the end of October. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you guys reach the city in time. You guys can only make a trip by yourselves. "

"There's no other way. " Yu Er looked at the messenger. She stood straight with the newspaper in her arms and wore a brand new red scarf around her collar.

"You have to study hard, Yu Er. At the primary school in the mountains. It's really not easy. " The man turned his head and looked around. He saw a mountain village in a shallow basin. There was the sound of an elephant's foot drum. He thought about how difficult it was to obtain knowledge in the mountains. He also admired their efforts to obtain knowledge. After sending newspapers for so many years, This was the first time he had seen a newspaper being used as an off-campus book for students. The teacher who came here to teach. . . This is truly admirable. He turned around and pedaled his bicycle towards the uphill road.

"Yes. I got it. " Yu Er looked at the reporter's back and said softly.

Before the rain started, Yu Er's mother would go to the mountain from time to time to harvest the mountain mushrooms. Sometimes, her father would tidy up the tea field and finish the task of making tea leaves before following her up the mountain. The two of them would be able to pick a basket of fresh mountain mushrooms in half a day. Her father would make another trip to the county town. These mountain mushrooms could be exchanged for a few yuan worth of ingots as a family allowance.

Big Tea Village was poorer than they had imagined. The longer Tao Huizhen stayed here, the deeper she looked. The way she could trade for a source of life was too simple and limited. This was the root of the problem. But to the people of Dai, It was better than before. That time, Yu'er's mother and Tao Huizhen said, Put it five years ago. Pick this basket of mountain mushrooms. No one wants it when you go to the county to sell it.

Why? Tao Huizhen asked.

No reason, it was because the place was too poor. Which family would still want to buy mountain mushrooms? He could just go up the mountain and pick them himself. Dai villagers were not afraid of working hard and suffering. They were just afraid that some things, no matter how hard they worked, could not be exchanged for. Speaking of which, In the past two years, things had changed. In the county, there were some merchants from the Twin Western Chambers of Commerce in Na Province. They specialized in collecting mountain goods. There were also many families in the county who were also very generous. Occasionally, they also buy our mountain goods to eat at home.

Without a doubt, in the eyes of the Dai people, The Mountain Mushroom that had never been sold before was now sold. This was a type of 'improvement'. Tao Huizhen sighed emotionally and nodded her head. Even though she had spent an entire day collecting the mountain mushrooms, she could only sell them for a few yuan. She felt as though the price she paid and the rewards she received were not proportionate. However, in the eyes of the Dai villagers, these few yuan were already pretty decent. They just went up to the mountain to make a move. It could be exchanged for a few yuan. Yu'er's mother felt that it was quite easy to get this money. When she said these words. . . She smiled, and there were some fine lines on her forehead.

At that time, Tao Huizhen could not really understand Yu'er's mother's feelings, but after a few years, she gradually understood.

After Yu Er learned that her father often went to the county town to sell mountain mushrooms, she once again saw the messenger. In her hand was a bamboo basket mountain mushroom. From then on, the agreement between the sender and Yu'er began. If the two of them could not meet. . . Yu Er would also place Shan Wu in the Little Merchandize Shop. The next day, in the cardboard box of the Little Merchandize Shop, Shan Gu was gone. Replacing it was a newspaper filled with the scent of ink. There was also some ballots.

The money that Yu'er's mother got in exchange for picking mushrooms, Tao Huizhen also benefited from it. On a day in mid-September, Dai Village suddenly became hot and stuffy. Tao Huizhen saw the sky at the end of her vision. The blue sky was slowly covered by a touch of grey. It was that day that Tao Huizhen and Yu Er's mother talked about the topic of picking mountain mushrooms. Coincidentally, it was Yu Er's family's turn to deliver food to the few people in the school. Yu Er's mother brought three green-skinned salted duck eggs. They were buried in a bowl of raw glutinous rice.

Tao Huizhen saw that there seemed to be something in the glutinous rice and reached out to touch it. The duck eggs were still warm. Tao Huizhen's heart also heated up, and then her entire body also heated up. She looked at the small Dai village woman in front of her. The third year Yu'er was about to catch up to her height.

At that time, Tao Huizhen was shocked that Yu'er's mother did not say it clearly. Instead, she buried the duck egg in the glutinous rice. Tao Huizhen noticed the expression of the short woman. When she saw Tao Huizhen reach her hand into the glutinous rice, she turned her face away.

Yu Er's family's conditions were very poor. To their family, three salted duck eggs. . . They probably wouldn't be willing to eat them all at once. The way they lived was the usual way of living for the people of Da Tea Village. Even though their living conditions had improved, they were still very careful. They didn't dare to be careless. In fact, during the process of taking turns to get food for the three people from the school, Yu Er's family always took the most basic pickles and potatoes.

The only thing that Tao Huizhen had eaten was "meat and meat. " A few times, most of them came from the fixed few families. Compared to other families, they were slightly better. Wu Hui Yan's family was one of them.

So Tao Huizhen held the salted duck egg in her hand. At that time, she did not know what to say. She did not know whether to thank or to be surprised. She did not know if she should accept it or reject it. At that time, she felt very uncomfortable in her heart. She would rather not have seen these three salted duck eggs. She wanted to return the salted duck egg to Yu Er's mother.

Yu Er's mother refused without any surprise. She held Tao Huizhen's hand and said that it was cooked by Yu Er herself. She wanted to give it to her teacher to eat. I heard from the child that today is Teacher Tao's festival.

Tao Huizhen shockingly remembered that today's date was September 10th. This was the most precious gift she received this year. She stared at the three salted duck eggs for a long time without saying anything. It was the day before the rain. Tao Huizhen thought that no matter what, she had to stay as long as possible in Da Tea Village Primary School. In the past few days in Dai Village, no matter if it was Elder Li. . . Dao Xiaotong, the children, and the parents. . . They had treated her well. She dropped another two of the three salted duck eggs in her hands and left one for Yu Er's mother again and again.

"Two for me, Elder Lee, and Teacher Dao. This one is enough for Yu Er to eat. "

"Teacher Tao, I just need to cook another one for the child. Today is your holiday. "

"There's more?"

"[There is, the Mountain Picking Mushroom earned dozens of good duck eggs!]"

"Then you must cook one for Yu Er. She is too hardworking in her studies. My festival is also her festival. " Tao Huizhen smiled and said.

. . .

When Yu Er returned with the newspaper, it was just after ten o'clock when Tao Hui Zhen was giving a lecture. Yu Er held the newspaper with one hand while the other hand held Ah Liang's dejected head. Ah Liang reluctantly stepped into the school dormitory's threshold. His eyes were somewhat stubborn as he looked at Yu'er. Then, he quickly looked at Tao Huizhen and lowered his head once again.

"Why are you wandering around in the grass and not studying?" When they entered the school dormitory, Yu Er grabbed Ah Liang and questioned him.

Tao Huizhen immediately understood the reason behind the scene in front of her. She put down the textbook. Among the few students who did not come to class today, Ah Liang was one of them. Yu'er should have seen him on the way and forcefully pulled him to school. Tao Huizhen looked at Ah Liang solemnly. She was also very interested in the questions Yu'er asked.

Ever since Ah Liang started to rain, he often stopped attending classes. Tao Huizhen had once found Ah Liang's home. There were a few times when she didn't see anyone at her home and could only return in disappointment. Later, Tao Huizhen found Elder Li to help her. Elder Lee said that he had seen Ah Liang appear at the foot of the Great Tea Mountain. He held a bamboo basket in his hand. He was wandering around with the scarf on his head, but he did not respond when she called him. He slipped into the depths of the bamboo forest.

After that, Elder Lee also went to Ah Liang's house to ask about it. His parents told him that they rarely asked about Ah Liang and didn't know about his school affairs.

Elder Lee told Tao Huizhen that Ah Liang did not come to class. However, he did not stay at home every day. Although Ah Liang was mischievous and mischievous, However, he was very filial. He saw that his parents were busy with the farm work, so he thought of ways to help them take care of some family matters. He listened to Ah Liang's parents. Recently, Ah Liang was the one who had been doing the housework of digging bamboo shoots, cutting wild vegetables, and fetching water. He used very little time to do what he was capable of and what he was doing the rest of the time. No one knew. Whether he came to school or not, his parents didn't seem to care. Elder Lee recalled.

What made Tao Huizhen feel gratified was that even though Ah Liang didn't study very hard, He often wanted to leave the school, but he had never caused any trouble. He seemed to have his own paradise. He wanted to block everything, and then wholeheartedly enter his own world. Tao Huizhen often saw it in his eyes. She could read a kind of desperation, or a kind of selfless light.

What on earth was he doing?

Every time Ah Liang made a mistake, Tao Huizhen would guide him alone for a while. He liked musical instruments, so Tao Huizhen taught him about music theory and drew a simplified book for him to read. In the process of Tao Huizhen guiding him, he was no different from other children. He listened attentively, but he was more interested in things outside of the classroom.

What was interesting was that Tao Huizhen could occasionally feel it. He worked hard in the class to cooperate with the contents of her lecture, not because he liked to learn from her. Instead, he wanted to let Tao Huizhen know about the lessons that Tao Huizhen had painstakingly prepared. It was not in vain. This meant that the child's mind was very meticulous, but at the same time. . . Tao Huizhen felt that he was walking on the edge of somewhere, or rather. . . He had already fallen into an abyss. Although the abyss was not dark, Tao Huizhen still thought that. . . Children like A'Liang should focus all their attention on learning. She tried her best to pull Ah Liang out of the abyss.

"Ah Liang, why aren't you coming to class? Always running around outside the village. What are you running around for? I'm asking you a question. " Yu'er once again interrogated Ah Liang who was like a gourd.

After listening to Yu'er's questioning, Ah Liang hesitated for a long time, as if he was thinking about whether or not to reveal the secret to the public. At the end, he blurted out, "I'm looking for inspiration. "

"What inspiration are you looking for? Nonsense! Don't come and read!" Yu'er fully displayed the strictness that a student council member should have. She was very angry. She was much smaller than Ah Liang. She dragged Ah Liang from the entrance of the village all the way to Da Tea Village Primary School, and it took her all her strength.

"I'm really looking for inspiration, I'm working on composing. " At this moment, Ah Liang took out a small square book that was rolled up into a roll. He flipped open the cover, revealing a row of crooked words. His eyes lit up as he said, "Yu'er, If you don't believe me, look. This is what I wrote about the people and matters of Dai Village. Many great literary tycoons started writing. It starts from their hometown. I, A'Liang, am bound to walk the same old path as them. I want to be a writer, the sea of words will be mine to roam freely "

" Ah Liang, where's your Elephant-Foot Drum? " A male student sitting in the front row asked with a meaningful smile.

"What do you care? Elephant-Foot Drum doesn't match my temperament. Just wait and see. Sooner or later, I will print my words on the newspaper that you are reading. My pen name has already been written, so I will be called Big Wenhao Ah Liang. " Ah Liang said as he pulled Yu'er's hand away. " Don't catch me. I still have to find inspiration. "

"I won't let you go. You lie all the time. " Yu'er tightly grabbed Ah Liang's arm.

"Why aren't you letting me go? Look at what I wrote. I didn't lie to you. "

Yu'er patted the book that Ah Liang handed over and the book fell to the ground. "I don't want to look. I just forbid you from skipping classes. You haven't been here to study for a few days. " Yu'er struggled to hold Ah Liang back. "My work. " Ah Liang's hand was unable to catch it. A trace of regret flashed through his eyes. The boy was a head taller than her and saw that his work had been beaten to the ground. He effortlessly pushed her to the ground. Yu Er's face instantly turned pale. She sat on the ground and started to cry.

"Ah Liang!" Tao Huizhen hurriedly walked down from the podium and picked up Yu Er who was sitting on the floor. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and asked, "Yu Er, is it painful from the fall?"

After Tao Huizhen asked this question, Yu Er started to cry even more violently. Beads of tears rolled down her face and fell onto the newspaper that was tightly hugged in her embrace. She leaned tightly in Tao Huizhen's arms. This little crybaby quickly wet Tao Huizhen's shirt. Tao Huizhen felt her tears were boiling hot, as if they could burn her skin.

Ah Liang was stunned. He saw Yu Er leaning in Tao Huizhen's arms. She used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. The muscles at the corner of her mouth moved a few times. He picked up the small notebook from under his feet and patted the dust off it. He said, "You knocked down my work perfectly fine. Why else would I push you? Yu'er, you're too light. You fell with a light push. . . "

" Why aren't you here to study? In order for us to learn culture, Teacher has been working very hard every day. You don't even know. . . She woke up early and came home late, but she still had to take care of us. And because of you, she has to go around asking about your whereabouts! Look, even the teacher has lost weight. Look at the teacher's hands. They have all been grinded by the blackboard. . . "

Ah Liang looked at Tao Huizhen's fingers. He subconsciously swallowed his saliva.

"Teacher Tao stayed in Dai Village because of us. She also wanted to return to her hometown. She also wanted to return to her parents' side. That day, I even saw Teacher secretly crying. If you don't come to study, it will make the teacher's heart cold. " Yu'er started to sob. Her tears flowed down to her chin and condensed into even bigger droplets of water.

Tao Huizhen wiped away the tears from her chin. There was a heavy feeling in her heart that was getting heavier and hotter.

Ah Liang lowered his head and looked up at Tao Huizhen again. The corners of his eyes were glistening. He looked down and saw Tao Huizhen's red fingers again. Finally, his head drooped down heavily. He held the small square book in his hand tightly.

"Ah Liang, you say sorry to Yu Er. " Tao Huizhen reached out and patted Ah Liang's back.

"Yu Er, you couldn't help but push me. I'm sorry. "

Yu-er's eyelashes were still covered in tears as she buried her face into Tao Huizhen's embrace. A'Liang revealed a depressed expression. Suddenly, he felt that the small square in his hand had been taken away. He subconsciously went to catch it. It turned out that Tao Huizhen had taken his work. "Your work was confiscated by me first. Leave it with me for safekeeping. When you don't skip class every day, I'll return it to you. " Tao Huizhen said.

A'Liang scratched his head, and he seemed to be unwilling, but he didn't ask Tao Huizhen for it either. He stared at Tao Huizhen's worn out fingers for a while, lost in thought.

Tao Huizhen pondered for a while, then took out her small wallet and looked inside for a while. Finally, she took out two notes worth fifty dollars from her small wallet and gave them to Ah Liang. She told him to go to the Little Merchandize Shop to buy everyone's Wahaha and in-laws shrimp bars. This was already the fifth time Tao Hui Zhen bought snacks for the children. After Ah Liang went out, Tao Huizhen brought Yu Er to the school dormitory entrance. The two of them sat on the threshold and chatted a little.

Yu Er grew up in Big Tea Village. When she was nine years old, she was infected with pharyngitis. Many people said that she was hopeless. The Dai doctor in the village shook his head repeatedly. When he left her home, his face was full of regret. Wazi had a high fever, and a layer of skin had fallen off his pale lips. He asked her if she was afraid, but she shook her head and said that she was not afraid of death.

Perhaps it was because of Yu Er's courage that she had bought herself precious time. She had a continuous high fever, and at the same time, she suffered from the pain of almost being unable to breathe. She endured it one by one. Later, during the treatment at the county hospital, it had a critical effect. Not long after, she had completely recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

When Yu Er was ten years old, Old Li introduced her to Da Tea Village Primary School. The smart Yu Er worked hard and was very eager to learn. Very soon, she became the class group's learning committee member. She was 12 years old this year, and her life had never been out of the mountains.

The name "Yu Er" was given by her father. In fact, behind the two words "Yu Er," there was also a Dai Village language, which formed the name of the three words. But from the time she was sensible, everyone called her "Yu Er. " Slowly, it became her current name.

However, she didn't have a surname. It was said that the "Yu" wasn't her surname. When Tao Huizhen asked about her father's surname, Yu'er also shook her head and said that she did not have a surname.

What was worse was that Yu Er's parents did not fulfill the marriage registration. She naturally didn't have a birth certificate, and thus Yu Er didn't have a family register. Tao Huizhen hugged Yu-er's shoulder. The importance of telling her the account. Yu Er's eyes widened when she heard this, and a panicked light spread out from the center of her pupils. So, it turned out that. . . She was a person with no status, a person without an account card.

Tao Huizhen smiled gently and said, "Don't worry. The police station can think of a way to settle the matter of the registered account. Yu Er won't always have an identity. You just have to worry about your studies. Also, Yu-er needs to be as brave as before. "

At this time, Ah Liang carried a large bag of snacks that he bought from the Little Merchandize Shop and appeared in front of the school building. . .

At night, the tea village fell into silence once again. This was also the first time that Tao Huizhen had turned on the lights in the Hanging Bamboo House to correct her students' homework. After that, she prepared a lesson plan for the next day's lesson. The lessons she learned became tense. The time she had to use natural light to prepare the teaching plans outside the bamboo house was already far from enough. Recently, she could only turn on the lights and work overtime at night.

When she was ready for the next day, the watch on her wrist was already pointing at 9 o'clock. Tao Huizhen yawned and was about to sleep on the bed when her eyes were attracted by a curled-up small square book. It was placed at the corner of the table. It was the "work" that Ah Liang spoke of.

Tao Huizhen could not help but think about this question. What exactly was Ah Liang doing?

Perhaps she could find some answers from his "work. " Tao Huizhen felt that if she wanted to pull Ah Liang out of the "abyss," she would have to step into the abyss first. She picked up the book.

Ah Liang roughly wrote one thing in his "work. " There was an orphan in the village. She said to Ah Liang, Do you believe that there is a peacock on Big Tea Mountain? Ah Liang used to be very familiar with this orphan, but he sometimes pitied her. Sometimes, he also hated her and had not spoken to her for a long time. This time, they met while digging bamboo shoots. She asked directly. She seemed to have completely forgotten about Ah Liang's cold shoulder from before.

Ah Liang hesitated for a moment before answering her. He said that a few years ago, the peacocks of the Great Tea Mountain had already been determined to be extinct. There could not be any peacocks.

The orphan shook his head, firmly believing that there were green peacocks on this mountain. She said that she heard the cries of the green peacocks. Even if she didn't hear it, she firmly believed it. The reason why people didn't see the peacocks was because there were other wild beasts on the mountain, scaring the peacocks so much that they didn't dare to come out.

Ah Liang suddenly became silent. He wrote in his novel: In the next few days, he met an orphan. An orphan was wandering around the foot of the mountain. He told him that peacocks were auspicious birds of Dai people. Only the Dai village of peacocks was truly a beautiful and comfortable Dai village. She hoped to walk a few more roads. She wanted to scare away the wild beasts. As long as there were no wild beasts on the Great Tea Mountain, the Green Peacock would have a quiet home. Then the Dai village would be even better.

Ah Liang thought to himself that he wanted to be a great scholar. When a great scholar started writing, he could only write about the local customs and the landscape of his hometown. Originally, in his eyes, Dai Village was a small place that was not worth wasting his pen and ink on. However, after listening to the words of an orphan, there was a place in his heart that was struggling and expanding restlessly.

If a green peacock appeared on the Great Tea Mountain, he could add this line to his writing of Dai Village. Because that was the real Dai Village.

The next day, Ah Liang wanted to tell his idea to the orphan. He also wanted to do his best to build the home of the peacock. He also wanted to go as far as possible, scatter the wild beasts, scare away the wild beasts lurking on the mountain, and let the peacock go home. But on this day, he didn't see any orphans in the bamboo forest or at the foot of the mountain. . .

He felt depressed. He stood in the bamboo forest and looked up at the bamboo that pierced into the clouds. The sunlight shone down. He felt that the world was spinning. What should he do. . .

"What kind of choice are you going to make next? Ah Liang. " Tao Huizhen kowtowed silently in her heart. This" work "suddenly stopped here. Ah Liang's handwriting was written here, and the book was confiscated by her.

From his work, Tao Huizhen did not see the substantial problem Ah Liang was facing. He and the orphan only wanted to "save the peacock. " From the current situation, Ah Liang still hadn't made up his mind on what to do. But obviously, these days of absence. . . It was related to this. Perhaps he was already on his way to "try his best to get as far away as possible. "

Tao Huizhen suddenly recalled the story that Dao Xiaotong had told him.

She closed the small square book and placed it by the table. She was about to get into the blanket. A shout came from downstairs, "Teacher! Teacher, you haven't slept yet?" The person who came might have seen that the light was still on and knew that Tao Huizhen had not slept yet. From the sound of it, it was Ah Liang.

Tao Huizhen got up and looked down from the balcony of the bamboo building. A blurry figure stood in front of the staircase on the first floor of the bamboo building. The light that leaked down from the stairs happened to hit the figure's feet. He was barefooted.

"Is it Ah Liang?"

"Teacher, it's me. I brought you some herbal medicine that has been brewed. Dad said this medicine can stop pain and heal wounds. Put it on teacher's finger. " Ah Liang looked up and said.

Tao Huizhen nodded silently and looked at half of the sky in the south. After the rain, the night sky was exceptionally clear. There was not even a trace of clouds. She then saw the stars in the deep sky of Natsuya. She retracted her gaze and ran downstairs.