Guarding the Pure Land

第二章：二．心中的谜题

当砍伐完所需数量的树木后，山谷里的人们就停止了工作。把砍下来的树木运下山的责任落在了天华、罗欣等人的身上。所有的树木都聚集到了一起，这个时候，所有人都得离开了。然而，他们离开的原因、之前来过这里的人以及他们做了什么，仍然是个谜。没有人在场回答这些问题，因为这段时间，他们村里的“所有人”都呆在室内，没有出去。过了七天，大家就冒险出去排队，把烧好的木炭扛回家。最奇妙的事情发生了——木炭运完的第二天，山谷里就飘落着洁白的雪花！

天华从家里运完木炭后，就独自出发了。他到达了一座远处的山上，整个山谷和下面的村庄都清晰可见。虽然距离他住的地方很远，但天华还是能看到他家升起的浓烟。如果他现在在家的话，他就能享受一顿美味的晚餐了。然而，他却选择了另外的选择。未经父母同意，他独自一人冒险外出。天华三度同时来到这座小山，但他内心却希望得到不同的结果。

“天华又出去了？” 安排好饭菜后，秦岚说道。

“是。”坐在桌边的梦龙若有所思地答道。

“从两年前开始，他每年这个时候都会来到这座山上，他在想什么？” 秦岚也坐下来说道。

梦龙沉默地望着远方的山峰，转身说道：“我们先吃饭吧！”

秦岚无奈的摇了摇头。

太阳缓缓落下，把橙色的霞光洒在山上，天华躺在温暖的暮色下，看着自家的房子升起炊烟。如果他在家的话，他立刻就能享用一顿美味的晚餐。然而，他选择放弃这个前景。没有经过父母的允许，他独自出来了。天华已经三次来到这座小山了，但他心里却希望得到不同的结果。

“天华，我们可以谈谈吗？” 吃完饭，天龙看着天华。

天华点点头。

"Tianhua, why do you come here every night before the snowfall for the past three years?" Tianlong asked.

Tianhua remained silent, only gazing at the falling snowflakes. Tianlong watched him quietly.

"Dad, look at the snowflakes falling on the ground. Although they will quickly melt when they land, they continue to fall," Tianhua said.

Tianlong looked at him, silent, waiting for an explanation.

"When the snowflakes accumulate to a certain extent, slowly... the snow will gradually cover the earth, creating our favorite scene. The snow covers the entire mountain village! We don't care about the melted snow; in our memories, it will forever be the snow we love that covered the village. Although they will melt soon, at least they have blossomed into a beautiful scene in this world, and we deeply remember their beauty!" Tianhua said pensively.

"Yes, they are beautiful, but everything has its own way of existence. Although snowflakes are beautiful, they cannot last forever," Tianlong said.

"If I had to be like that big tree in the forest, even though it can last for 10 or 20 years, it will eventually be mercilessly felled by people, so that no one will remember when this tree grew here. Then I would rather be a snowflake, short-lived but beautiful," Tianhua declared loudly.

At this moment, the snowfall intensified. The wind also began to pick up. The clothes of the two fluttered in the wind. Although they stood close together, their images became somewhat blurry.

"Tianhua, things in this village are not as you think. There are many things you don't know, but you are still young, and we cannot tell you everything!" Tianlong said.

Tianhua looked at his father, his eyes full of doubt.

"Do you remember when you asked me about the bell sounds from below the mountain? Do you remember how I answered you at that time?" Tianlong asked.

Tianhua nodded.

"Although I want to tell you, I can't. Even if I tell you now, you will soon forget!" Tianlong said.

Tianhua looked at his father, even more puzzled now. The two stood facing each other, silently staring at each other for a long time.

"If I ask you where the road to the outside world is, you won't tell me, right?" Tianhua suddenly asked.

"The road to the outside world, Tianhua, who told you about it?" Tianlong asked in surprise.

Tianhua then revealed what he had heard that night by chance. Tianlong remained silent, sighed, and looked into the distance.

"Do you want to see the outside world?" Tianlong asked.

Tianhua looked at his father and nodded firmly.

"It's getting late; let's go back!" Tianlong said, and they walked down the mountain.

Tianhua followed, but Tianlong walked quickly. Tianhua noticed that he had faintly seen his father's figure just now, but it quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.

Back home, he saw his mother placing the prepared meal on the table.

“快把身上的雪抖掉，你昨晚就没吃饭了，肯定饿坏了！洗把脸来吃饭吧。”看到天华回来，秦岚说道。

天华应了一声，就进去洗脸了。一进门，就看到父亲走了出来。天华惊讶地叫道：“爸爸！” 梦龙应了声，看着他，道：“去洗把脸，吃饭吧！”

天华看着父亲，父亲穿着和以前一样的衣服，但身上却没有一丝雪的痕迹。雪虽然抖掉了，但还是会有一些水渍的，但现在，连水渍都看不到了。天华陷入沉思，呆呆地看着父亲。

“你怎么还站在那里？” 天龙看着没有洗脸，盯着自己的天华问道。

天华闻言，应了声，走开。

吃完早饭，天华回到自己的房间，躺在床上，看着窗外飘落的雪花。渐渐地，他闭上了眼睛。