27. “We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of others.”

The cold wind blew through, and the burning paper money in the brazier jumped out of the edge with the wind.

Tao Wanjia closed the door and went into the room, looking at the black and white photo frame.

"We were fine before. We even met during the Chinese New Year."

The boy looked distressed, and cried out because of her words, sobbing and answering:

"A few days ago, an elderly man in the village was celebrating his birthday and asked her to go back to help. While fetching water, she fell into an ice hole. There was no one around, and when I found her, she was already dead."

The room was dark and quiet. He Yu felt a chill on his back from the crying. When he looked up, he saw the portrait on the wall and felt confused. He unconsciously clenched Tao Wanjia's hand.

Tao Wanjia was in a heavy mood. He didn't say anything for a long time after listening. He stood in front of the portrait in a daze, but the image of Mai Xiang kept appearing in his mind like a kaleidoscope.

When I was little, the elders in the steel mill's residential building had a favorite catchphrase: "It's your destiny." It meant that a person's path and lifespan were predetermined, destined beyond human control. Tao Wanjia found these two words cold, like a lighthearted, detached sigh.

But now, looking at this portrait, she couldn't help but think of this sentence. Perhaps it was not indifference, but people's powerlessness against fate.

She had experienced many life and death situations and thought she was calm enough in the face of accidents, but at this moment it was still difficult for her to accept this fact.

People don't die only when they get old, but they can die at any time.

"Please accept my condolences. If you need any help, please let me know." She turned around and reminded him not to burn paper in the house before leaving.

But this sentence seemed to have touched a nerve in the boy. He cried more quickly and his tone became heavier. "They won't let me go to the grave. I can't find where she is buried, so I have to do this."

"Sister Xiao Tao, can you help me go see her?"

He lowered his head, tears streaming uncontrollably, dripping like a winding river.

"I want to know where she is buried. She passed away when she was so young. I'm afraid there are ghosts who might be bullying her."

He Yu was horrified when he heard this. He found an excuse to pull Tao Wanjia back to the next room, closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you scared?"

"No." He frowned slightly, "I just feel a little scared."

It was strange, everything about it was strange, but he couldn't really put his finger on it.

Tao Wanjia also felt the same way, but after thinking about it, she could understand what was said. Knowing about death and facing death personally are two completely different things. People can never accept sudden loss in their lives. She understood better than anyone that psychological comfort is also comfort.

Thinking of the fragrance of wheat, I couldn't help but sigh.

She remembered that at noon on New Year's Eve, Mai Xiang gave her a pair of couplets and a blessing character as a New Year's gift. She was cleaning the house at the time, and Mai Xiang saw that she had no hands free, so she took the initiative to take the glue and help her stick it on the door, and carefully aligned the two sides.

She was wearing a red sweater that day, no makeup, and had a healthy face. When she smiled, her eyes narrowed into crescents.

The girl was grateful to her from the bottom of her heart and really treated her as a neighbor sister who she could get close to.

Tao Wanjia's chest was blocked. For so many years, she could not turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. She stopped at the next door before leaving.

"I'll go back and pay my respects to her under the name of the owner of her barber shop. Do you think that's okay?"

She thought of a solution, and the boy quickly stood up from the ground.

He raised his hand to wipe the tears from his face and nodded excitedly.

He Yu remained silent on the way back.

After pondering for a while, Tao Wanji took the initiative to speak. He first introduced how he met Mai Xiang, and then briefly explained the story of the two.

She didn't intend to seek his understanding, but just told him the reason why she was going to help. If it was a stranger, she would just ignore it, but this person was Mai Xiang, so she would not stand idly by.

He Yu didn't expect her to say this to him, and he turned his head to look at her while waiting for the red light.

"I'm not trying to stop you."

He took her hand and said, "I'll go with you."

She always has things she wants to do. He Yu is still frightened when he thinks of the last time. He knows he can't stop her and he doesn't even think about stopping her. The only thing he can do is to stay by her side all the time. In short, he will never leave her alone again.

Maixiang’s hometown is in a small county town west of Rongcheng, which is farther away than Qi County. It takes nearly three hours to drive there.

He Yu finished his work in advance and went with her. Xiao Zhang didn't know the route, so the boy sat in the passenger seat and gave instructions throughout the journey. After the car left the highway, it drove into the rugged mountain road and it took a long time to reach the village entrance.

The surroundings were desolate and bleak, with the village quietly huddled in the mountains. The snow had melted, but the ground beneath my feet was still frozen hard.

The boy led the way, passing several new whitewashed houses and stopping at an old-fashioned house made of red bricks.

"Mai Xiang lived here since she was a child. This is her great aunt's house."

After saying that, he stopped behind her, sighed and lowered his head, "She also left from here for the funeral. Her family wouldn't let me in."

"It's okay, just get in the car and wait."

Tao Wanjia looked inside through the square doorway and said, "I'll tell you if I can get the address."

It was a narrow and messy courtyard with small branches and chicken droppings of various shapes scattered on the ground. The black dog tied under the tree suddenly jumped out when it heard the sound.

He Yu was afraid of dogs, and his heart was in his throat. Tao Wanjia took his hand and walked in amid the barking of dogs that was getting louder and louder.

"What do you do?"

A woman carrying a basin of feed walked out of the front door and stopped when she saw the two people at the bottom of the stairs.

Her face was full of wrinkles, and her hair, messy like dead grass and already gray, asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Tao Wanjia stepped forward and began speaking according to the prepared words: "Auntie, I'm Mai Xiang's boss in Rongcheng. I was out of town a few days ago and couldn't make it in time. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to take me to pay my respects to her."

"The boss of Maixiang?" The woman's words were tinged with dialect, and her brows furrowed. "Why haven't I heard her mention that she's a female boss?"

After he finished speaking, the dark wooden door behind him was pushed open.

The man smoking a pipe leaned against the door frame and shouted, "What time is it? Why aren't you cooking yet? Hurry up and cook! Someone is coming over this afternoon!"

"I'll urge you to feed the chickens and then cook." The woman responded, turned around and looked at her husband, and said, "These two people said they were the boss of Maixiang and came to visit the grave."

"Go to the grave, go to the grave, hurry up, why do you have time to entertain such irrelevant people?"

The man waved his hand, squinted his eyes and squatted by the wall to continue smoking.

Seeing this, He Yu took out a small stack of brand new money from his wallet, walked up to the other person and bent down to test him.

"This is just a token of my appreciation. Take a smoke with you. If you're busy at home, just tell us the general direction. We've come all this way, so hanging two pieces of paper is a thoughtful gesture."

"Brother, since I see you are an honest man, I won't hide it from you."

The man took the money and his expression relaxed. "The child is not buried here. According to the village custom, unmarried girls cannot be buried in the ancestral tomb. She drowned and died suddenly. Her aunt and I even performed a ritual for her. The tomb is far away. When you get home, just treat it as a visit. Now go back."

Tao Wanjia became angry when he heard this and was shocked that such absurd remarks could still be made in this day and age.

"I'm not afraid of distance. Just tell me where it is and we'll go there by ourselves."

"Hey, you don't understand me, do you? I told you to stay away from me!"

Seeing her persistent expression suddenly change, the man raised his hand holding the pipe and drove them out, stuffed the money into He Yu's hand, and chased them all the way to the gate.

"Are you okay, Mr. He?"

Xiao Zhang, who had been walking around the village, came running over and made a gesture to block his way when he saw the situation.

"I'm fine."

He Yu pushed his hand away and turned his head to tell Tao Wanji about his doubts.

"Something seems wrong with this family."

The two met each other's gaze, and Tao Wanji's tone darkened, "You discovered it too?"

He Yu nodded and glanced at Xiao Zhang, "Did you find out anything?"

"There are quite a few people in this village. Logically, in such a small place, everyone should know what happened to each family. But the few elderly people I just asked said they didn't know." Xiao Zhang lowered his voice. "I also found out about the well, but I didn't dare to go and see it."

"Where?"

Tao Wanjia left as soon as she said she would, and He Yu stayed by her side all the time. Xiao Zhang stood there for two seconds, but finally followed her.

Fortunately, it was noon and the dazzling sun shone directly on the top of the mountain.

The well was in a field behind the village. The well mouth was very large. When they walked over, someone followed them.

Tao Wanjia turned around and saw a girl about the same age as Mai Xiang.

"I've been watching you guys at the village entrance for a long time. You must be someone who is sincere to her since you came from Rongcheng."

She held the child in her arms, coaxing him while looking at Tao Wanji. Her face was obviously tired, her hair was messy, and her lips were dry and white. When she spoke again, her voice trembled.

"Save Mai Xiang, save her."

"I dreamed she was crying."