Chapter 141

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"……village head?"

Lian Yun stared at the old man in front of him without blinking.

Lanna noticed that she was in a bad mood and tried to touch her stiff hand, but found it cold.

"My Lord!" Lanna called her softly, anxious.

The Lord of Buli Lake was stunned for a moment, then looked at Fang Suo, the only person he knew, who was frowning: "What's going on?"

Fang Suo pondered Lian Yun's recent mutterings twice, then walked up to her and asked tentatively, "My Lord, do you... know the City Lord?"

These words seemed to bring her back to her senses.

She finally took action.

"You, you don't remember me?" Lian Yun asked in a high-pitched voice, his eyes fixed on the old man in front of him without relaxing for a moment.

Because of nervousness, he didn't even realize that he was holding Lanna's hand tightly.

Lana gently stroked Lian Yun's back with his other hand and looked at the city lord opposite with a worried look on his face.

The city lord pointed at himself, his face hesitant. "Although... little girl, you may have seen me before? But I really don't know you."

Seeing Lian Yun's face turn pale, the city lord hurriedly added: "Or, could you give me a little reminder?"

Lian Yun bit her lower lip and stared into the old man's eyes. "I, Lian Yun. I grew up in the village. You sent me to college, and you were very happy that someone finally got into college. We often set up a big table in the yard and ate with my uncles and aunts. We..."

Lian Yun suddenly stopped.

She gently closed her eyes, hiding all emotions.

Only Lanna could hear her almost inaudible whisper: "No. I grew up by your side. How could you not recognize me?"

"You are not the village chief."

After a moment, Lian Yun opened her eyes, and only a tear fell from the corner of her eye.

Looking at the girl again, she no longer had the uncontrollable emotions she had just now.

"Excuse me. You look so much like an old friend of mine."

Lian Yun forced a smile.

"I haven't seen him for so long. I miss him so much."

But... they really look alike.

The city lord breathed a sigh of relief and smiled easily: "I see. Come to think of it, I also find you very kind."

Lian Yun paused: "Really?"

The city lord pulled chairs over for the three of them as he spoke. "Of course. Do we look a lot like the people around us?"

Both of them have oriental faces with soft and delicate features.

Especially the city lord, although he is old, it is still not difficult to see the elegance and grace of his youth.

"Maybe we really met in our previous life." The city lord smiled.

These words touched a corner of Lian Yun's heart, and she almost couldn't help crying again.

"Perhaps so."

Lian Yun answered softly.

Suddenly, this little incident happened, and neither the city lord nor Lian Yun's prepared words came in handy.

Lian Yun sat opposite the city lord, who poured a glass of water for each of them.

Lian Yun held the water cup with both hands, and suddenly a wave of sourness surged in his heart.

Most people in this world are accustomed to drinking cool or even cold water.

The glass of water in her hand is warm.

Is there really a previous life?

Even their appearance and habits remain exactly the same.

The city lord was very kind and gentle, and was truly a mirror image of her old friend, even the small details in their occasional conversations were so similar.

Lian Yun kept getting distracted as he watched.

The city lord did not ask any prepared questions. Instead, he tactfully asked some questions about Lian Yun's "old friend".

Under his guidance, Lian Yun unknowingly talked about many little things that she even thought she had forgotten but were still engraved in her heart.

Every day and every moment she spent with them was the motivation that kept her going after she received the bad news.

Those little things may be insignificant daily routines for others.

A dish, a smile... these were things she could only recall.

She looked at the city lord in front of her, seeing his sincere concern and smile, and fragments of memories emerged in her mind one after another.

Holding a transparent umbrella, she walked along the muddy mountain road towards the collapsed village in the heavy rain and storm. The mountain road was crowded with rescue teams with red and blue car lights, and their tires were stuck in the mud.

Her knees and above were covered in yellow mud, and she took one deep step and one shallow step. The umbrella in her hand was blown apart, and raindrops as big as beans hit her face unhindered.

She could hardly see the road ahead, but she had to keep going.

The rescuer vaguely saw the little girl alone in the car that was forced to stop, and was about to get out to dissuade her when his companion suddenly told him.

He was studying abroad and was the only survivor who escaped the disaster.

He stopped in silence.

Watching the thin figure walking away, sometimes deep and sometimes shallow.

…

She didn't know how long she had been digging. The cracks between her nails were filled with mud, and there were traces of red seeping out, but she couldn't see it.

She could not hear the pouring rain, the shouts of the rescue team, or the friction and collision of broken bricks and stones.

She could only hear her own thunderous heartbeat, her heavy breathing and coughing, and faintly, the cries for help from her loved ones...

Where is it?

The village is buried, where are they?

Where is the yard where we eat together?

She saw the small bamboo basket that the aunt next door always hung on the clothesline in front of the door. Where is she now?

She saw the jujube tree where she often went to pick dates with the village chief. Where was he now?

"Found one!"

"It's an old man! His mouth and nose are blocked. Take..."

Lian Yun only remembered that he stumbled and ran after the crowd.

She couldn't squeeze in, so she could only stand at the outermost edge, pinching herself hard to force herself to stay awake.

Until the voices of the crowd were gradually replaced by the wind and rain.

They silently made way for Lian Yun.

Lian Yun walked mechanically with his heavy legs to the stretcher.

The village chief's face was covered in mud and couldn't be cleaned no matter how hard he tried.

He could only lie helplessly in the rain, letting it wash over him.

Lian Yun stretched out his hand and placed it on his left chest.

The only sound that could be heard was her own heartbeat.

Lian Yun knelt beside him and whispered in his ear, "Grandpa, do you remember me?"

I am your most beloved child. You said I wanted to become a cloud in the sky, fly freely, and fly out of this mountain.

The scene before her eyes gradually blurred, and the solemn face of the village chief slowly overlapped with the kind smile of the city lord.

He shook his head.

"Don't look back, kid."

“……!”

Lian Yun suddenly sat up from the bed, with tears still hanging on her eyelashes. She took deep breaths, as if to make sure she was not dreaming.

She clenched her fists, felt her own strength, and sighed.

Lian Yun looked towards the blue window and saw the sky outside which was just beginning to brighten.

They were placed in a house on higher ground, and from the window they could see half of the city.

As soon as the morning came, everyone started to get busy.

Although they said they were busy, they all had calm and light smiles on their faces, as if they had not heard the news that the mainland was about to face war not long ago.

Perhaps they know clearly and know that worrying is useless.

It’s better to enjoy the present moment.

Lian Yun leaned against the window, breathing in the exceptionally fresh air, and the heavy feeling in his heart gradually dissipated.

If it was really under the rule of the village chief, it would probably be not much different from now.

He always seemed to be like "there is nothing worth worrying about in the world" and always kept his childish innocence. He would follow Lian Yun to shake the jujube tree, and together they would clear space on snowy days and hide behind the tree to catch birds.

The people in the village were influenced by him and had similar personalities.

If it were him.

It must be like this.

"grown ups."

Lian Yun heard a familiar voice calling him, turned his head, and found a head sticking out of another window.

The blond man held out his arm, holding an umbrella: "Sir, they said it would rain at noon today, so I went to buy an umbrella."

Lian Yun was stunned.

"Can we watch the rain under an umbrella?"

Lana felt that Lian Yun had never seen the rain here. If he got too excited and rushed into the rain all of a sudden, it would not be good and he would get sick.

Even if adults have medicine, he doesn't want them to get sick.

Lian Yun was helpless: "Lanna."

“I’ve seen rain…”

...But that was the only time I remember, and it was so unforgettable.

"But I don't want to get wet in the rain anymore." Lian Yun looked at him and suddenly said.

Yesterday they spent the entire afternoon on the second floor of the city lord's office, and the city lord asked her many questions about the past.

Facing the familiar face, Lian Yun could no longer control herself and said a lot. She was so excited at the time, with all kinds of emotions mixed together, that she couldn't even remember what she had said.

Lian Yun asked Lan Na as they walked.

The latter smiled and said, "It's just some stories that adults experienced when they were young. It's very cute. I remember there was a tree called 'jujube tree' among the trees we brought from the Elf Forest. Maybe we can plant one behind the house?"

Lian Yun's old face turned red, and he really revealed the matter.

"But the Lord also has something serious to say." Lanna changed the subject.

Lian Yun sighed, "Fortunately, I didn't forget what I was talking about. What did I say?"

Lanna said solemnly, "Before he left, the master said we would continue the conversation tomorrow."

Lian Yun's smile froze.

"Am I that talkative?"

Lanna said softly, "In times of great joy and sorrow, there is bound to be some confusion, but we are all happy to hear you open up."

Even if it's not to him, as long as adults have a place to talk, it's fine.

He doesn't want adults to suppress his emotions all the time.

Lian Yun pursed his lips: "Thank you."

She really hadn't spoken to anyone like that in a long, long time.

"Don't worry, sir. Since you were able to negotiate with the Lord of Buli Lake, and they already held a vote in the city, I don't think we need to be too anxious."

The outcome of this matter is almost certain.

"But we still have to show sincerity. Have all the minerals and plants been moved over?" Lian Yun asked.

Lanna nodded. "I went there early this morning and have everything ready. The city lord is probably at work by now."

When mentioning this, Lian Yun couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips.

This city lord is also interesting. He goes to and from get off work at fixed times every day and never stays for a second longer.

Pei Lianyun talked so much yesterday, so it can be considered as overtime.

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The author has something to say:

I highly recommend listening to the song "The Curse" during the Lianyun reminiscence segment for a better effect. (Singer Agnes Obel)