青兒早上醒來，天色還沒完全亮。今天他們說好， 要去尋找和拜訪當年那位親歷慘案的小姑娘。
木屋火坑裡的火早已熄了，只剩下一堆灰白色的餘燼，偶爾閃出一點暗紅色的火星。
外面的風很大，昨夜那場大雪，把整個山林妝點成銀白色世界。
青兒披上羊皮襖，推開木門，一股凜冽的寒氣立刻撲面而來。
眼前的松林披滿白雪，靜悄悄， 好美， 美的令人驚嘆， 令人驚艷， 大自然的畫筆， 真正鬼斧神工，非人力可比
太陽還沒有升起。東方的天空泛著淡淡魚肚白。幾隻寒鴉從樹梢飛過，在雪地上留下淡淡暗影。
青兒深深吸了一口氣。冰冷的空氣進入肺裡，她不由地打了一個寒戰，精神為之一振。
她低頭看看雪地，昨晚下的雪，足有一尺多厚。
就在這時，身後傳來木門轉動的聲音，盧正鋼也走了出來。他肩上背著獵槍，腰裡別著獵刀，手裡還提著一把短斧。青兒早上醒來，天色還沒完全亮。今天他們說好， 要去尋找和拜訪當年那位親歷慘案的小姑娘。
木屋火坑裡的火早已熄了，只剩下一堆灰白色的餘燼，偶爾閃出一點暗紅色的火星。
外面的風很大，夜裏下了一場大雪，把整個山林妝點成銀白色世界。
青兒披上羊皮襖，推開木門，一股凜冽的寒氣立刻撲面而來。
眼前的松林披滿白雪，靜悄悄， 好美， 美的令人驚嘆， 令人驚艷， 大自然的畫筆， 真正鬼斧神工，非人力可比
太陽還沒有升起。東方的天空泛著淡淡魚肚白。幾隻寒鴉從樹梢飛過，在雪地上留下淡淡暗影。
青兒深深吸了一口氣。冰冷的空氣進入肺裡，她不由地打了一個寒戰，精神為之一振。
她低頭看看雪地，昨晚下的大雪，足有一尺多厚。
就在這時，身後傳來木門轉動的聲音，盧正鋼也走了出來。他肩上背著獵槍，腰裡別著獵刀，手裡還提著一把短斧。
他走近青兒， 看了一眼雪地，說： 「這場雪太大了， 今天還能去嗎？」
青兒沈默了一會兒：「去， 這點雪算什麼？ 我們得抓緊時間， 這些老人年齡大了， 萬一有個三長兩短， 我們失去的， 就是再也無法彌補的珍貴口述歷史， 那才是真正的遺憾呢， 你說呢？。」
盧正鋼笑了笑：「妳要是不怕雪大， 我絕對沒有問題， 只是這些天我們不停地到處跑， 妳的身體挺得住嗎？」
青兒笑了： 「 我沒問題， 倒是你要考慮一下， 是不是要休息一天？」
這一年來，他們已經習慣了這種生活。
走幾十里山路，拜訪一位老人，記錄一段往事，再走幾十里路返回。
有時一天下來幾乎沒有收穫，有時卻能得到一些極其珍貴的口述歷史資料。
他們回到屋裡，吃了些昨晚剩下的烤肉和玉米餅， 作為早餐。帶了一壺水。跨包裡裝了幾個玉米餅子，便冒著大雪出發了。
雪很深。每走一步，腳都會陷下去，拔出來非常費力。青兒走在前面，她從小在山裡長大，對林中的道路比盧正鋼熟悉。
一路上，四周靜的嚇人，只有他們踏雪的咯吱聲。 潔白的雪地上， 偶爾能看見野兔留下的腳印，有時也能看到狐狸在雪地裡穿行的痕跡。 這些盧正鋼不懂， 都是青兒為他解釋。
走了大約一個時辰，前面出現一條冰封的小河，河面覆蓋著厚厚的積雪。
青兒停下腳步，望著遠方，不知道在想什麼。
盧正鋼走到她身邊：「累了？」
青兒搖搖頭，沉默了一會兒，她忽然問：
「正鋼，你還記得第一次認識我，是什麼時候的事？」
盧正鋼愣了一下，隨即笑了。
「當然記得。」
「什麼時候？」
「那場籃球比賽。」
青兒轉過頭看他：「真的？」
「當然是真的。」盧正鋼說：
「那天妳們和清華女籃比賽。最後一分鐘，比分仍然落後一分，大家都覺得今天沒希望，輸定了。 可誰也沒想到，是妳， 像一個小精靈， 一支出弦利箭， 搶下籃板，從後場一路衝過來，連過對方兩個後衛，最後三步上籃， 刷的投進一球，贏了。」
青兒忍不住笑了 ：「你記得那麼清楚？」
「那是當然， 太精彩了 ， 現在我腦子裡， 還清楚記得當時的場景， 厲害的青兒， 一球定乾坤， 激動的觀眾湧進球場， 把妳圍了起來，又是握手， 又是擁抱，後來全場有節奏地高喊 ； 青兒，青兒，我們愛你 ，。。。。。。那個場景我一輩子都忘不了 。」
青兒笑了， 盧正鋼也笑了，笑聲在空曠的山林裡傳得很遠。
笑過之後。四周又恢復了令人有些不安的死一樣的靜寂。
過了一會兒，青兒輕聲說：「那時候真好。」
盧正鋼沒有接話，因為他知道，她說的不是籃球，而是那個還沒有被打成右派的快樂女孩， 那個相信只要努力讀書，就能改變命運的純潔女孩。
他們都沉默了，雪地上只剩下兩人不斷向前的踏雪腳步聲。
又走了一段路，青兒忽然說：「有時候我會想， 如果我當初不整理那些俄國人侵略中國的資料，不研究江東六十四屯慘案， 是不是就不會有後面的那些事。」
盧正鋼停下腳步， 認真地看著她說：「妳後悔了嗎？」
青兒沉默，許久，才輕輕搖頭： 「我也不知道， 只是有時候覺得是不是值得？ 那些死去的人，已經死去五十多年了，現在誰還在乎他們 ？」
盧正鋼望著遠方白茫茫的山林， 半天沒有說話， 過了好一會兒， 他才慢慢地， 一個字一個字地說：「妳、在、乎。」
青兒沒有說話。
盧正鋼繼續說：「妳爺爺在乎，那些失去親人的人也在乎。只不過很多人，現在只是不敢說而已。」
風忽然凌厲吹過， 捲起地上的雪粉撲向人臉。
盧正鋼抹去臉上的雪， 接著說：「如果大家都不說，那麼再過幾十年， 一百年，就沒有人知道， 當時真正發生過什麼事情了！」
青兒低著頭，沒有吭聲， 一步一步， 繼續慢慢向前走。
不知道為什麼，她只覺眼眶一熱，淚水便不自覺地流了下來。
就在這時，遠處山坡上忽然傳來一聲長長的狼嚎，淒厲，瘮人，讓人不自覺地感到緊張。
兩人幾乎同時停下腳步，盧正鋼下意識地舉起獵槍，青兒則向聲音傳來的方向望去。
白雪覆蓋的山坡上，隱隱約約出現了一個黑點， 不像是狼， 倒像是一個人，又像是一棵樹。
不過距離太遠，看不清楚。
盧正鋼不由地皺起眉頭：「那是什麼？」
青兒看了很久，緩緩搖頭：「不知道。」可是她心裡忽然生出一種說不出的感覺，那種感覺比聽見狼嚎更可怕，像是有人，正在遠遠地注視著他們。
雪地裡，寒風再次吹了起來，而遠處那個黑點既沒有消失， 也沒有移動， 就像是一根木樁，一動不動地立在山坡上，像是在等待著什麼。
（未完待續）When Qing'er awoke the next morning, dawn had not yet fully broken.
They had agreed the night before that today they would set out to find and visit the little girl who had survived the massacre all those years ago.
The fire in the cabin's fire pit had long since burned out, leaving only a mound of pale gray ashes with an occasional ember glowing a dull crimson.
Outside, the wind was still fierce. The heavy snowfall during the night had transformed the entire forest into a world of dazzling silver.
Qing'er slipped on her thick sheepskin coat and pushed open the wooden door. A blast of icy air struck her face at once.
Before her stretched a silent pine forest blanketed in snow.
It was breathtakingly beautiful—so beautiful that it left one speechless.
Nature itself had painted this magnificent scene, a masterpiece beyond anything human hands could ever create.
The sun had not yet risen. A pale band of light spread across the eastern horizon. Several black crows flew over the treetops, casting faint shadows across the snow.When Qing'er awoke the next morning, dawn had not yet fully broken.
They had agreed the night before that today they would set out to find and visit the little girl who had survived the massacre all those years ago.
The fire in the cabin's fire pit had long since burned out, leaving only a mound of pale gray ashes with an occasional ember glowing a dull crimson.
Outside, the wind was still fierce. The heavy snowfall during the night had transformed the entire forest into a world of dazzling silver.
Qing'er slipped on her thick sheepskin coat and pushed open the wooden door. A blast of icy air struck her face at once.
Before her stretched a silent pine forest blanketed in snow.
It was breathtakingly beautiful—so beautiful that it left one speechless.
Nature itself had painted this magnificent scene, a masterpiece beyond anything human hands could ever create.
The sun had not yet risen. A pale band of light spread across the eastern horizon. Several black crows flew over the treetops, casting faint shadows across the snow.
Qing'er drew a deep breath.
The icy air filled her lungs, sending an involuntary shiver through her body, yet at the same time refreshing her completely.
She looked down at the snow.
The storm during the night had left more than a foot of fresh snow on the ground.
Just then, she heard the cabin door creak open behind her.
Lu Zhenggang stepped outside, a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder, a hunting knife tucked into his belt, and a short-handled axe in his hand.
Walking over beside Qing'er, he glanced at the snow and asked,
"This snowfall is really heavy. Do you think we can still go today?"
Qing'er remained silent for a moment before answering,
"We're going."
"This much snow is nothing."
"We have to make the most of every day. Those old people are all advanced in age. If anything should happen to them, what we'll lose will be priceless oral history that can never be recovered."
"That would be the greatest regret of all."
"Don't you agree?"
Lu Zhenggang smiled.
"If you're not worried about the snow, then neither am I."
"I'm only concerned about you."
"We've been traveling nonstop these past few days."
"Can your body handle it?"
Qing'er smiled.
"I'm perfectly fine. I'm more worried about you. Maybe you should think about taking a day's rest."
For the past year, this had become their way of life.
They would walk dozens of li through the mountains to visit an elderly survivor, record another fragment of history, and then walk the same long distance back home.
Some days yielded almost nothing.
On other days, however, they uncovered oral testimony of extraordinary historical value.
They returned to the cabin, ate the leftover roasted meat and corn cakes from the night before for breakfast, filled a kettle with water, packed several more corn cakes into their shoulder bag, and then set off into the snowstorm.
The snow was deep.
With every step their feet sank into it, and each step required considerable effort to pull free again.
Qing'er walked in front.
Having grown up in these mountains, she knew the forest trails far better than Lu Zhenggang.
Throughout their journey, the forest was eerily silent.
The only sound was the crunch of their footsteps pressing into the snow.
Now and then they spotted the tracks of a hare crossing the pristine white ground, and occasionally the winding trail left by a fox weaving through the forest.
Lu Zhenggang knew little about such things, and Qing'er patiently explained each set of tracks to him as they walked.
After about an hour's journey, they came upon a small river frozen solid beneath a thick blanket of snow.
Qing'er stopped and gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
Lu Zhenggang walked over beside her.
"Tired?"
Qing'er shook her head.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked,
"Zhenggang... do you remember the first time we met?"
Lu Zhenggang paused for a second before smiling.
"Of course I do."
"When was it?"
"At that basketball game."
Qing'er turned toward him.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Lu Zhenggang smiled as memories returned to him.
"That day your Peking University women's team was playing against Tsinghua. With only one minute left, your team was still trailing by a single point. Everyone thought the game was over. No one believed you could still win."
"But then you suddenly burst forward like a woodland sprite... like an arrow released from a bow. You grabbed the rebound, sprinted the entire length of the court, slipped past two defenders, and finished with a perfect layup."
"Swish. The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop. And you won the game."
Qing'er could not help laughing.
"You remember it that clearly?"
"How could I not?"
Lu Zhenggang laughed.
"It was unforgettable. Even now I can still see it happening. Amazing Qing'er. One shot decided the entire game."
"The crowd rushed onto the court, they surrounded you, everyone wanted to shake your hand, they hugged you. And then the whole gym began chanting together, over and over— 'Qing'er! Qing'er! We love you!'"
"I don't think I'll ever forget that scene for the rest of my life."
Qing'er laughed.
Lu Zhenggang laughed as well.
Their laughter echoed through the empty mountains, carrying far across the snowy wilderness.
When the laughter faded, however, the forest once again returned to its unsettling, deathlike silence.
After a while, Qing'er spoke softly.
"Those were wonderful days."
Lu Zhenggang said nothing.
He knew she was not talking about basketball.
She was remembering the cheerful young woman she had once been,—before she had been branded a Rightist.
The innocent girl who had believed that through study and hard work she could change her own destiny.
They fell silent again.
Only the steady crunch of their footsteps remained, breaking the stillness of the snow-covered forest.
After walking a little farther, Qing'er suddenly said,
"Sometimes I wonder..."
"If I had never gathered those materials about Russia's invasion of China... if I had never researched the Sixty-Four Villages East of the Heilongjiang… Would everything that followed have happened at all?"
Lu Zhenggang stopped walking and turned to look at her seriously.
"Do you regret it?"
Qing'er remained silent, only after a long while did she gently shake her head.
"I don't know."
"Sometimes I simply wonder whether it has all been worth it ? Those people have been dead for more than fifty years., who still cares about them now?"
Lu Zhenggang gazed across the endless white wilderness, for a long time he said nothing.
Finally, speaking slowly, one word at a time, he answered,
"You... do."
Qing'er remained silent, Lu Zhenggang continued,
"Your grandfather cares, the families who lost their loved ones care. It's just that many people no longer dare to speak."
A fierce gust of wind suddenly swept through the forest, sending powdery snow flying into their faces.
Lu Zhenggang brushed the snow from his cheeks before continuing,
"If no one speaks, then another few decades from now, perhaps another hundred years, no one will ever know what truly happened here."
Qing'er lowered her head without saying a word.
Step by step, she continued walking forward through the snow. For reasons she could not explain, her eyes suddenly grew warm.
Before she realized it, tears were quietly rolling down her cheeks.
At that very moment, a long wolf's howl echoed across the distant mountains.
It was shrill, haunting.
A sound that instinctively filled one's heart with unease.
Both of them stopped almost at the same instant.
Lu Zhenggang instinctively raised his rifle, Qing'er turned toward the direction from which the howl had come.
On a distant, snow-covered hillside stood a tiny dark shape.
It did not look quite like a wolf, it looked more like a person… Or perhaps merely a lonely tree.
The distance was too great to tell.
Lu Zhenggang frowned.
"What is that?"
Qing'er stared at it for a long time before slowly shaking her head.
"I don't know."
Yet an indescribable feeling suddenly rose within her, it was even more frightening than the wolf's howl.
She had the strange sensation that someone was watching them… watching them from far away.
The icy wind swept once more across the snowy mountains.
Yet the dark figure neither disappeared nor moved closer, it remained standing motionless upon the hillside, like a weathered wooden post...
As though it had been waiting, waiting for someone.
（To be Continued)
