Snow.

Chapter 1-Dream

“Qiaohua, come here quickly! What are you doing lying there when the teacher has left?” These resounding words accompanied by the summer cicada chirping rushed into Zhang Qiaohua’s ears. Zhang Qiaohua opened his eyes in a daze and looked around. A handsome-looking boy came running towards him smiling, and the words that had just disturbed his sleep must have come out of this boy’s mouth. Zhang Qiaohua shook his head to clear his mind, then squinted his eyes again and looked over. It turns out that the speaker is the son of the owner of the restaurant next door Liu, Zhang Qiaohua’s 3-year classmate, Liu Qirui.

“What are you still standing there, they are asking you to have dinner! ” he said while walking towards Zhang Qiaohua. “Aha! Look at your face! They are written some things. Let me look!” Said reaching out to touch Zhang Qiaohua’s face. Zhang Qiaohua slapped his hand away and said unsymnically, “Enough, Liu Qirui, don’t push your luck. After that, he looked at his hands. Always feel that there is somewhere not quite real. But he had no time to think carefully, he was pulled up by Liu Qirui. “Dilly-dallying why our two families to eat together today you forget? your parents and Yan’er long past, now just the two of us, you’re not hungry? I’m starving.” Liu Qirui pulled a big step forward. Zhang Qiaohua froze looking at the surrounding environment, still, feel familiar and a little strange. “The person in front of me is also clearly my best friend. Why still feel strange?” He thinks. However, he looks down at his stomach. “Yeah, that’s right hey feel hungry.” Then put down the heart of the anxiety, and Liu Qirui while joking around and running towards home.

Liu family compound is worthy of business repair of the wealthy, the entrance of the two huge stone lions look solemn and majestic. The Liu and Zhang families are neighbors and family friends. Zhang Qiaohua, Zhang Qiaoyan and Liu Qirui are to play since childhood partners. The two young boys just stepped into the home, they saw the table not far away from the food, mountainous and seafood dazzling, Zhang Qiaohua looked at cannot help but gulp. “Brother! ” a little girl in a pink jacket dress ran towards them and hugged Zhang Qiaohua. This was Zhang Qiaohua’s younger sister Zhang Qiaoyan. “Aha, how come the little ninny doesn’t remember your brother Rui?” Liu Qirui said with a smile, patting Zhang Qiaoyan’s pigtails. “Brother Rui,” Zhang Qiaoyan soft glutinous brittle opened his mouth. ” Hahahahahahaha, you are so cute let’s go to eat! ” Liu Qirui laughed, and picked up Qiaoyan and walked towards the dining room with Zhang Qiaohua.

Zhang Qiaohua sat down and looked at the aromatic food in front of him, a little stunned hesitant to move his chopsticks. Always feel where a little strange. He looked at the table with laughing family members, a kind uneasiness and come to his brain…

Chapter 2- Reality

“Bang Bang Bang” along with three loud booms, the entire cave entrance began to shake. From time to time, there is debris rolling down the mountain wall. Zhang Qiaohua sat up in shock, Zhang Qiaoyan clinging to Zhang Qiaoyan’s arm and cried out. Zhang    Qiaohua shielded Zhang Qiaoyan under his body and comforted: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be an afraid brother is here Yan’er don’t be afraid! After few minutes, the shaking stopped. Zhang Qiaohua came back to his senses, he looked around fixedly, there was Liu Qirui’s body lying at his feet, 30 minutes ago, Liu Qirui went out to find food and came back badly injured, and finally, he did not make it through. Zhang Qiaohua touched Liu Qirui’s cold body, and tears could not stop dripping down. “Snap, snap,” it turns out that everything good just now is a dream.

Three months ago, the Japanese army suddenly attacked Northeast China. Obviously, both the Zhang and Liu families were not spared. The Japanese army stormed their yard and burned, killed, and looted. By the time the three children returned home, they were just in time to see the cruel Japanese army chopping off Zhang’s mother’s head. They darted to hide in the small cave at the back of the mansion, which was a secret base for the three of them. It was very hidden and hard to be discovered. They hid in the cave and watched as the Japanese soldiers recklessly hacked and abused their families. The three men hugged each other in a group and could only cry silently. Grief is not over, and there are more difficult things waiting for them.

Chapter 3 – Escape

In December, it was snowing heavily outside. Zhang Qiaohua searched the mountains and fields and failed to find a bit of food. The Japanese had already invaded the whole town, go out is dead. Only in the mountains to find some wild fruits, digging some wild vegetables to feed. But the snow-capped northeast has left the entire mountain without an inch of grass. “It really wants to kill me; I didn’t even dig a stalk of grass.” Zhang Qiaohua struggled to dig in the snow with a bamboo stick, his hands were red and swollen, full of frostbite. His cheeks were also crusted with a thick layer, and the north wind cut painfully when it blew. His cheeks were also crusted with a thick layer, and the north wind cut painfully when it blew. “This is not the way to go on, we must flee outward, I can stand it but Yan’er may not be able to.” Zhang Qiaohua said indignantly as he threw down the wooden stick in his hand. The family’s happy time at home before the war was recalled, could not help but sore eyes. “I have to pull myself together, Yan’er still needs me.”

In the cave, Zhang Qiaoyan curled up on some straw. The previously tender white little face has now also become dirty, she looks like sleeping, but her cheeks are red and her breathing is not particularly steady. “Yan’er, I am back! We still have to go…. Yan’er! “Zhang Qiaohua just walked into the cave while talking and flicked the snow on his body. He turns around and sees Zhang Qiaoyan’s scarlet little face, hurriedly run over. ” Yan’er what happened to you?” Zhang Qiaohua reached out and touched Qiaoyan’s forehead. “Shit! Fever! I must leave immediately to take Yan to find medicine,” he said, he carried Qiaoyan on his back and disappeared quickly in the snow-capped mountains.

Chapter 4 – Snowy Starry Sky

It was not that easy to leave, during the time they were hiding in the caves. The Japanese army had already invaded the entire northeast region, and now the northeast was already full of corpses. Zhang Qiaohua carried Zhang Qiaoyan difficult to walk in the snow, but also to avoid the Japanese army around. 3 months without much food how he can support. Not to mention that he is actually a 15-year-old child. He kept trying to hide from the Japanese troops stationed around him but was unfortunately found by one of the soldiers on patrol. He was waiting for a hail of bullets, and with his familiarity with the town, he was able to escape, but he was still unfortunately shot in the arm.

Eventually, he collapsed in front of a broken temple, and he supported to carry Qiaoyan to go inside. A sharp pain came from his arm, and scarlet blood almost invaded the entire sleeve. But Zhang Qiaohua could not care less about the pain in his arm, because Zhang Qiaoyan had gradually lost consciousness because of the high fever, and no matter how Qiaohua called out to her, she did not respond.

“Yan’er, please wake up, don’t sleep. I really can’t live without you! ” Qiaohua, who was holding Qiaoyan, sobbed uncontrollably. He felt a deep sense of helplessness, and he didn’t understand why it had turned out this way. They originally have happy and harmonious life but it was all shattered by this war. “Why? Why did this have to happen to us! ” he cried out with all his might, but no one can help him. There is not even food around let alone medicine that can save Qiaoyan. “Brother…. ” Qiaoyan opened her mouth weakly. “Yan’er! Yan’er you’re awake.” Hearing her shout Zhang Qiaohua came back to his senses and hurriedly looked down at her. “Brother, I feel so cold. I feel…. So hungry…. ” “I’m sorry Yan’er I’m sorry.” Zhang Qiaohua cried and hugged Zhang Qiaoyan tightly in his arms. “I’m so tired brother…. I want to sleep for a while.” “No Yan’er please don’t sleep. Hang in here, okay? I will definitely find medicine for you.” Zhang Qiaohua panicked and picked up Qiaoyan and he wanted to go out of the door. “Brother, I think I saw mommy and daddy; I miss them so much. They picked me up. I want to go with them. Sorry… Brother.” Before the words fell, Zhang Qiaoyan’s skinny little hands slipped from Zhang Qiaohua’s arms and she was never to be heard again….

Three days later, Zhang Qiaohua was lying on a pile of grass in the temple. He has been lying here since Zhang Qiaoyan died of illness. Like a shell drained of soul, without any life. The blood on his sleeves had formed clots, but the wounds on his arms had festered. His lips also became dry and cracked because of the long lack of water, he looked at the starry sky printed in the dilapidated roof as if he could not feel anything. The memory goes back he saw himself as a child and under the same starry sky, his mother and father sitting on the stone table laughing and drinking tea. His little sister and he is sitting on the grass counting the stars. This feeling seems very familiar and feels a little strange. “If there was no war, how good it would be.” Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. “Mom and dad sister, I’m coming to you, I hope there is no war in heaven.”

The night sky was filled with snow again, no one can make it through that winter…