Longing for my love to return
Zhong Weiguang? Who is he?
Si Mucheng resisted the urge to turn back and look at Shen Guixiang. He realized they seemed to have overlooked one crucial question: how many sons did the Zhong family have? Because Shen Guixiang mentioned Zhong Weinian, they naturally assumed there was only one Zhong Weinian and had never verified it. In Shenxi Village, the old man hadn't mentioned Zhong Weinian's name, so had they been searching in the wrong place?
The man's expression gradually turned serious. Si Mucheng suddenly gave an awkward smile: "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I was too careless. I remembered the wrong name. Please don't take offense, Uncle."
He had initially intended to brush it off, but the suspicion in the man's eyes hadn't dissipated. He narrowed his eyes and said, "If you're not mistaken, Zhong Weinian is my uncle."
Okay, it's confirmed. The Zhong family back then probably had two sons.
Seeing that he couldn't fool anyone anymore, Si Mucheng sighed, "I'm sorry..." He had just started to speak when the man continued, "But my uncle passed away sixty years ago."
Si Mucheng completely lost control of his neck. He jerked his head back to look at Wen Ya, his head almost leaving a blur, his face filled with undisguised shock. Shen Guixiang was clearly also taken aback by this outcome and immediately froze.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hallway froze.
The man looked back and forth between Si Mucheng and Wen Ya, even more puzzled: "You don't know? You're really here to see my uncle?" The man's tone was certain: "So you're not from the propaganda department, nor are you here to offer condolences. Who are you?"
"I..." Si Mucheng really didn't know how to cover up this lie. At this moment, Wen Ya stepped forward, her voice cold: "We were entrusted by someone to come and find Zhong Weinian."
"Entrusted by someone?" The man frowned. "Doesn't this person know that my uncle has passed away?"
"Yes," Si Mucheng began to lie again, "My grandfather was Zhong Weinian's classmate. He went to the south many years ago and never came back. A few days ago, he said he dreamed about his youth. He said he's getting old now, and every day he lives is one less day he has left. He was wondering if he could see him one last time. The old man is getting old and can't withstand the long journey, so I came first to see how Zhong Weinian's health is. You just said... Zhong Weinian passed away?"
Wen Ya glanced at him without saying a word. Well, he used Grandma and now he's using Grandpa.
Si Mucheng's words seemed plausible, and the man's expression gradually relaxed. He exhaled and said, "Oh, so that's how it is. Sigh, let's not go and upset my dad about my uncle's matter. This matter is taboo in our family. Even when my grandparents were still alive, they couldn't mention my uncle's name."
Seeing Shen Guixiang frantically wandering around, Si Mucheng asked, "So, what exactly happened?"
The man sighed: "Let's go, let's find a place to talk."
The man said that he had never actually met Zhong Weinian, because he died at a very young age.
The man had never met any uncles or aunts since birth; he assumed his grandparents only had his father as a child. Then one Mid-Autumn Festival, during a family meal, his father got drunk and muttered "elder brother." His grandmother then burst into tears, and his grandfather locked himself in his room, deeply saddened. Only then did the man learn that he had an older uncle named Zhong Weinian.
Of course, his father told him everything about Zhong Weinian. His father said that his older brother had been his role model since childhood. He was gentle, knowledgeable, filial and hardworking. Almost everyone praised the Zhong family for having such a fine son.
But he fell in love with a girl from his hometown. The girl was good in every way, except that her family had a bad class background, so the man's grandmother would never agree to the marriage.
"Later, my uncle planned to elope. He sent the girl away first, but my dad found out when he tried to run away under the cover of night. My dad said that the house was in an uproar. My grandfather locked my uncle up and scolded him, but my grandmother was the first to refuse to hit him. My dad later told me that if he had known earlier, he shouldn't have told on him. He should have just let my uncle run away. Because after only a few days of being locked up, news came from the city that the girl had drowned."
“At first, my uncle really couldn’t accept it either. He cried and made a scene. My grandmother was even more afraid to let him out and tried to persuade him in every way, but it was no use. Later, she found that the food that was sent in had not been touched. By the time she realized something was wrong, my uncle was already lying in bed on the verge of death. He protested by going on a hunger strike. No matter how much my grandmother begged him, he would not eat or drink a single drop of water. He committed suicide in such a tragic way.”
The man finished speaking, but Si Mucheng was unable to shake off the fact for a long time.
They had assumed that Zhong Weinian's failure to keep the appointment was because he regretted it and had let Shen Guixiang down, but they never expected it to end like this.
Everyone remained silent for a long time before the man sighed deeply: "Although it's hard to accept, your grandfather is probably older than my father, and he's still thinking about my uncle all these years, so the two of them must have a good relationship. Don't tell the old man about this. I'll trouble you young people to think of a reason to keep it from him. He's so old, he can't handle extreme joy or sorrow. We've all said that every day we live is one less day we have left, so let's not add to his sadness for no reason."
Si Mucheng choked up, but could only nod.
Before parting, Si Mucheng suddenly asked, "Uncle, do you know... where his grave is? I'll go and offer incense for him on behalf of my grandfather."
"Okay, good job, kid. You've got a kind heart."
So, they returned to Chenxi Village.
Before getting out of the car, Si Mucheng said to the driver, "Brother, please wait here for a moment, we'll be right there."
The driver knew they hadn't had much luck along the way, so he didn't say much, only saying, "No rush, you can go ahead. Anyway, you've hired my car today, so I'll wait for you here."
Thank you.
Since leaving Shouping County, Shen Guixiang has remained silent. Si Mucheng knew that "she" was shocked, because even he found it hard to accept.
Zhong Chengyuan said that Zhong Weinian's grave was on the mountain behind the old house. Si Mucheng couldn't help but sigh. When they were looking at the hawthorn trees there that morning, they never imagined that Zhong Weinian was actually on the mountaintop.
The two people and the ghost walked along the ridge to the dilapidated house of the Shen family. Then they slowly walked up the hillside behind the house, passing the old house of the Zhong family, and then walked along the mountain path through the woods. Finally, they saw several grave mounds behind the trees.
Si Mucheng looked over and saw that the larger tombstone belonged to a joint burial tomb. Judging from the names on the tombstone, it belonged to the two elders of the Zhong family. The two tombstones next to it showed signs of weathering and looked much older than the two elders' tombstones, clearly indicating that they were much older.
The grave next to the two old people's tombstones had the words "Zhong Weinian" engraved on it. It seemed that the person they were looking for was now resting there.
The Zhong family's graves are all here, but whose is the fourth one? Si Mucheng walked over curiously, only to find that the tombstone clearly bore the three characters "Chen Guixiang".
“This…” Si Mucheng looked at Wen Ya and Shen Guixiang in surprise.
Shen Guixiang clearly hadn't expected her grave to be here; she stared blankly at the two graves that were so close together. Although ghosts don't shed tears, Si Mucheng felt that she was crying.
“So, we’ve met so long ago…” Shen Guixiang said softly.
Si Mucheng was speechless for a moment. People's joys and sorrows are not shared, and all he could do was remain silent.
"I used to think that if I saw him, I should question him or hate him. But as time went on, I felt that love and hate didn't matter anymore, as long as I could see him one more time, I would be content. I never expected it to be like this. How could you... be dead too?" She had never thought he would die. Even if he broke his promise, he should have been alive and well, living a long and healthy life. That way, her existence and her obsession would still have meaning. She wanted this man to feel guilty. But it turned out that he had already kept his promise sixty years ago.
Shen Guixiang raised her hand and gently stroked Zhong Weinian's tombstone, like a lover's caress.
Where is his soul?
Wen Ya paused for a moment before saying, "It has probably already been dispersed by the Celestial Master and sent into reincarnation." Shen Guixiang was only imprisoned by something in the river by a twist of fate, which is why she has stayed in the world for sixty years.
“I see,” Chen Guixiang said softly, “That’s fine too…”
What's so good about it? Perhaps it's that he doesn't have to endure the pain of obsession, being held back by unresolved worldly ties, unable to find peace from them.
"Never mind," Shen Guixiang smiled. "Let's leave it at that."
Something within "her" had loosened; it was the loosening of her obsession. Si Mucheng could see the black mist emanating from Shen Guixiang's body, gradually dissipating. He exhaled; it seemed Shen Guixiang's obsession had been resolved.
Just as Wen Ya was about to speak, she suddenly sensed something, turned her head, and listened intently. In that instant, a whooshing sound came from the woods behind her, and something rushed straight towards Chen Guixiang. Wen Ya stepped forward to block Chen Guixiang's path, calling out loudly, "Xiao Feng!"
Wen Xiaofeng, who had been chasing butterflies in the grass, immediately pounced over and caught the flying object. It was a small copper bell with a plush toy hanging from it.
When Wen Ya saw the bell, her brows furrowed instantly.
Someone shouted, "Tell your chicken to give me back my bell!" Then a young girl emerged from the woods. She had her hair in a bun, wore a black overall vest, white casual pants with the cuffs rolled up, brown platform boots, and a backpack; she looked quite dashing. However, her expression was sour, as if she was unhappy about something.
Wen Ya removed the bell from Wen Xiaofeng's mouth and looked at the newcomer: "Shangguan Qin? What are you doing here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
