Chapter 221 He Came Too
Gray clouds gathered from all directions, obscuring the light from the sky. Like a vast, all-encompassing net, they joined forces with the surrounding mountains and rivers, encompassing the small village!
Wen Ni descended from the highway along the bumpy mountain path.
After walking for about a kilometer, I finally saw a cluster of low houses on the flat ground not far away.
As she walked around, she noticed that most of the low houses were empty, and some were even quite old, with fallen bricks and tiles and tilted foundations!
The village roads are mostly dirt roads, uneven and bumpy. You can imagine that after rain, the roads become muddy and difficult to navigate, let alone for vehicles. Even pedestrians have to struggle to walk on them!
In the houses along the roadside where people live, most of the inhabitants are middle-aged or elderly people over fifty years old.
Wen Ni's appearance clearly aroused their curiosity and observation.
"Hello, do you recognize these two people in the photo? They also lived in this village about sixty years ago."
"I don't know him!" The villager shook his head.
“Girl, I’ve only lived in this village for about twenty years, so I’ve definitely never seen them before.”
"But you can ask Old Lady Li at the east end of the village! She used to be the village's barefoot doctor, and it seems she's always lived here and has never left! She should know more about the old people and old stories than we do!"
"Grandma Li... okay, I understand! Thank you!"
After greeting the villagers, Wen Ni followed the village road eastward to find the old lady Li they had mentioned.
The village was small, and after walking for only a few minutes, Wen Ni arrived at a low house in the east of the village.
At a glance, you can see an old woman sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of the courtyard!
The old woman had a hunched back, white hair, and a weathered face full of rough wrinkles. She was leaning on a sturdy wooden stick, which she used as a walking stick.
Looking from Wen Ni's direction, behind the old woman's house was a desolate mountain, which was now covered with dark clouds, resembling a huge whirlpool! The old woman sat alone below, like an ancient tree that had watched over countless changes of time!
The mystery of history and the weight of life, mixed with the dampness of the rainy earth, come rushing towards you!
Wen Ni was deeply shocked by what she saw!
It took her a long time to come to her senses, and she steadied herself and walked forward.
She bent down slightly in front of the old man, smiling gently at his cloudy, weary eyes.
"Grandma, why are you sitting here all alone? It's cloudy, and it's going to rain soon! Shall I take you back inside?"
"Little girl...you're not from our village, are you?" the old woman asked instead of rushing back. Her voice was hoarse and her speech was slow.
“Grandma, I’m not from this village. I came from somewhere else specifically to find a place I’ve always known!” Wen Ni nodded in reply.
She estimated that the old lady was probably around eighty years old, and at that age she might have some memory of people and things from the past!
So she changed her mind and asked, "Grandma, how old are you? Have you always lived in this village?"
“Yes… From the year I was born until now, a full eighty years, I have never left this place for a single day…” The old woman said, waving her hand and revealing a slow smile, “My husband is also from this village!”
"Well, there's something I'd like to ask you. Do you know if a couple once lived here for a while? Their names were Lu Jianxun and Li Zhongfang!" Wen Ni patiently slowed down her speech so that the old lady could hear her clearly.
“Li Zhongfang…”
The old lady pondered the name repeatedly.
As if from a long time ago, she sat motionless for a long time, recalling the events, before finally raising her face and saying softly, "Indeed, I do... have some recollection."
“Young lady, you are too young to know this, but there used to be a young man named Li who was sent to the countryside in our village. He was a skilled doctor and everyone in the village went to him for treatment.”
"This Doctor Li has two daughters. His younger daughter fell in love with a young man who was traveling around here when she was a teenager. Later they got married, but the world was in turmoil, and the man was drafted into the army. A few years later he returned and took his younger daughter, who was also his wife, with him..."
“From what you’ve told me about your experiences, it really sounds like the two people I asked about!” Wen Ni exclaimed with delight, “Grandma, your memory is amazing!”
"Hmm... Although I'm old, my memory is still pretty good. I know roughly what's going on in every household in this village!"
The old lady chuckled, then looked up at Wen Ni with a hint of doubt, "But, young lady, who are you to them? Why are you here looking for them? They haven't lived here for a long time."
“I’m not here to find anyone. I just want to know where their old house is.” Wen Ni didn’t hide anything and confessed. After thinking for a while, she added, “Actually, I… am their granddaughter.”
“My grandmother passed away more than ten years ago. This time, it’s my grandfather’s birthday, and I want to help him find some memories of my grandmother to take back with him, which is why I came here!”
"Granddaughter? You're their granddaughter? Then you really are a thoughtful child!"
The old lady repeated herself thoughtfully, her cloudy eyes scrutinizing Wen Ni's features before raising her hand and pointing to the lonely house at the edge of the village road.
"If I remember correctly, the Lu family couple used to live there."
"There? After all these years, that old house is still there! That's wonderful!"
Wen Ni's eyes lit up. She straightened up with her schoolbag on her back. "Thank you for showing me the way, Grandma! The wind is getting stronger. It's bound to rain soon. Let me take you back to your house first!"
"Alright, then I'll trouble you, young lady."
The old lady didn't refuse. She took Wen Ni's hand and followed her as she slowly moved into the house.
In just a few short minutes, raindrops started falling outside, wetting the bricks on the ground.
“On rainy days, the mountain roads are difficult to travel, and buses won’t come. If you can’t make it back in time and have nowhere to stay, you can come stay with me. My children are all gone, and my husband passed away years ago. I’m all alone, so you can stay in a spare room…”
"Okay, I understand, thank you Grandma."
Wen Ni nodded to the old lady again.
Looking at the increasingly dark sky, she turned and hurried toward the old house without stopping!
The distance between them is no more than 100 meters.
When Wen Ni arrived at the old house, she turned around and could still see the old lady standing in front of the door. The old lady was staring at her without moving, as if she was worried that Wen Ni had come to the wrong place.
Wen Ni felt a surge of warmth in her heart and waved to the old lady from afar!
Seeing the old lady turn around and go into the house, she reached out and pushed open the long-sealed door in front of her.
The courtyard inside the gate was overgrown with weeds, some as tall as half a person.
Behind the weeds, the row of low houses is in disrepair, with bricks and tiles falling off. The houses are leaning to the right and are already dangerous buildings, as if they will collapse at any moment!
To the left of the courtyard is a cowshed covered with a pile of discarded iron plates.
There were some rusty pots and pans on the ground inside the shed, indicating that homeless people had lived here at some point.
Wen Ni raised her hand and gently placed it on the weathered wall.
Trying to sense the past hustle and bustle from this desolation.
My ears twitched, and I suddenly heard a rustling sound behind me!
The rustling sound of clothes brushing against the weeds.
And then there were those footsteps, getting closer and clearer!
Above the dark sky where dark clouds churned, a silver-white bolt of lightning flashed and struck, followed by a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth!
The silver-white dagger slid down Wen Ni's sleeve into her palm.
She took a sidestep and turned, her movements swift and decisive, the sharp blade pressed firmly against the man's neck!
Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
The light was as bright as day, clearly illuminating the person's face.
"Lu...Lu Jinye?"
Wen Ni looked dazed and stammered, a rare occurrence for her.
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