"No...no relocation?"
Zhou Shuhua was stunned, not expecting Zhou Qiqi to refuse so decisively and without any mercy. She felt a pang of sadness, but still bit her lip and said humbly:
"Qiqi, I know you have a grudge against me, but it's about your father, Zhou Jianbang! He... he has nothing to do with our grudges! Think about it again! Don't let our grudges make you ignore your father's wishes..."
Zhou Qiqi listened quietly until she finished speaking before putting down her pencil and looking at her calmly.
"I said I wouldn't move because I was standing on my father's side."
She got up, walked to the cabinet on the kang (heated brick bed), carefully opened a small locked wooden box, and took out an envelope from the bottom.
This was the other letter that was taken out of the earthenware jar that day. It was also handed over to the police when the evidence was submitted. Zhou Shuhua never had a chance to look at it closely, only knowing that it was about the jade pendant.
Zhou Qiqi took out the letter and handed it over.
Zhou Shuhua accepted it with trembling hands.
The handwriting on the letter was even more illegible and weak than the one entrusted with the orphanage, clearly written by Zhou Jianbang when he was on his deathbed.
The message was brief, basically telling Zhou Qiqi that the jade pendant was related to his background.
At first, he was obsessed with finding his relatives, but unexpectedly, this obsession caused Qi San Niang to suffer from exhaustion and fall ill, eventually dying.
Zhou Shuisheng was heartbroken and realized that finding his relatives wasn't so important; cherishing the people in front of him was the most important thing.
My current name is Zhou Shuisheng, and I am Qi Lin's man. Although my life has been short, I have lived it to the fullest and I am content.
After burying Qi San Niang, he buried the jade pendant in an earthenware jar and from then on left the search for relatives to be left to fate, no longer forcing it.
When Zhou Qiqi grows up and gets this jade pendant, she will leave everything to fate. If she wants to find her relatives, she can do so; if she doesn't want to, she can keep the jade pendant as a memento.
【Qiqi, if you truly help me find my family, please tell them for my father that my name is Zhou Shuisheng, born of water, and that I will live a happy life. Don't worry about me.】
The signature reads: Zhou Shuisheng.
Zhou Shuhua was very familiar with the handwriting on the letter; it was vigorous and powerful, yet carried a strange gentleness and tranquility.
Zhou Shuhua read the letter word by word, and then she could no longer hold back her scalding tears, which flowed out in torrents. Afraid that her tears would fall and wet the letter, she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe them away.
But the more she wiped away the tears, the more they flowed, and she couldn't stop them no matter what she did.
More than twenty years have passed...
The younger brother, who was presumed dead, was actually still alive, and living so lucidly, so...happily.
He relinquished his obsession with finding his roots and chose the name "Zhou Shuisheng," as well as the peace that Qi Lin and this land brought him.
However, the Zhou family has been tormented by the mental block that "Zhou Jianbang is dead" for more than 20 years.
"Okay...okay...Qiqi, you're right."
After a long while, Zhou Shuhua finally raised her tear-filled face, her voice choked and hoarse:
“His name is Zhou Shuisheng. Auntie is confused and has been trapped in her own thoughts. He is here with Lin Meizi, San Niang, and everything he cherishes... He is willing to stay here.”
She took a deep breath, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, "Aunt... if you're willing to grant his wish, then let him... be a happy and carefree Zhou Shuisheng."
She wiped away her tears, looked at Zhou Qiqi, and her eyes were pleading:
“Well… we won’t move the graves, but those two graves… are really too simple. Qiqi, could you… ask your aunt to do something to help build a proper grave for Shuisheng, your mother, and Qi Sanniang, and erect a tombstone? Is that alright?”
Looking into Zhou Shuhua's red eyes, at the cautious anticipation and the earnestness after relief, Zhou Qiqi's tense lips finally softened slightly.
"Don't move the courtyard and coffin. They're fine as they are."
Her voice was calm, but no longer cold, "If you want to repair it... then build a courtyard around it and erect a monument."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shuhua's dim eyes instantly lit up, as if she had received a tremendous favor, and she repeatedly said:
"Okay! Okay! No problem! We'll just repair the yard and erect the monument! We'll repair it well! As long as you agree to let your aunt do this, your aunt will feel... at ease!"
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell directly onto the letter in Zhou Shuhua's hand, a letter bearing the marks of time. The three characters "Zhou Shuisheng" stood out clearly in the light.
With the matter settled, the room fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Fortunately, at that moment, footsteps could be heard outside.
Shen Huaichuan's tall figure walked in, holding several sheets of paper covered in writing. As he lifted the curtain, he spoke...
"The people who will build the cemetery have been contacted. They are an experienced team from the county, and the cost of materials and labor is listed here."
After he finished speaking, he came in and saw Zhou Shuhua. He nodded and greeted her, "Teacher's wife."
Zhou Shuhua was taken aback. After hearing what Shen Huaichuan had just said, she subconsciously glanced at the few sheets of paper that still smelled of ink.
She then realized that Qiqi had already planned to build a tomb for her parents!
An indescribable feeling welled up inside me, as if something was stuck in my throat.
From searching for relatives to overturning the case, and now to repairing the grave and erecting the monument, every single thing on this trip has been meticulously arranged by her niece, whom she had been so critical of.
Her mind is so meticulous...
How could I have been so blind back then?
Zhou Shuhua's heart was in turmoil, and she suddenly remembered the inexplicable chest pain she felt when she first met Zhou Qiqi.
At that time, she only felt that this girl was annoying her, whether it was illness or anger.
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