Longing for my love to return
After going around in circles, I still had to go to Shouping County.
Si Mucheng wanted to ask something more, but the old man seemed to have opened a floodgate of words and took the initiative to say, "I remember I had to call Zhong Jianguo Uncle back then. After he passed away, Zhong's younger brother took our mother away. Zhong's younger brother used to work in the county government, and later he was transferred to the city. I heard he has retired now. However, his two children work in the county, so he went back to the county to take care of his grandson."
These words convey only one message: Zhong Weinian is indeed surrounded by children and grandchildren. One wonders if he still remembers his childhood sweetheart in the dead of night.
Si Mucheng couldn't help but glance at Shen Guixiang, the young female ghost staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought.
"Grandpa, do you have the Zhong family's address in Shouping County?"
"I don't know." The old man shook his head, thought for a moment, and realized that the person was looking for relatives, which was quite difficult, so he took out his phone and said, "Let me ask for you."
That couldn't be better.
Si Mucheng watched the old man skillfully swiping his smartphone and sighed, "There are still many good people in the world. Look at him, he's met so many helpful people along the way." Thinking of this, he turned back and winked at Wen Ya, his expression extremely smug.
He simply couldn't believe that Wen Ya could have such a smooth experience on her own. If it were her, she would rather die than ask anyone.
Wen Ya was puzzled and tilted her head slightly, showing a hint of confusion.
Si Mucheng's expression, as if to say "You know how good I am now," only made Wen Ya more confused.
The old man quickly found out and shoved his phone screen in front of Si Mucheng's eyes: "I've found out for you, look."
"Thank you so much, sir!"
Si Mucheng found the driver under a big locust tree by the roadside in the village. He was playing chess with a villager. Si Mucheng smiled and said, "Brother, you're here."
The driver saw him coming over and said, "Hey buddy, you found it?"
Si Mucheng shook his head: "No, they said they moved to the county. We still have to go to Shouping County."
"Shall we set off now?"
"No rush, let's find a place to eat first before we leave."
Since it was still early, Si Mucheng told the driver to have some fun while he went to find Wen Ya.
This is Shen Guixiang's hometown. She died far from home. Although her heart was not with her family and relatives in her hometown, returning here after many years would always bring a different kind of sorrow.
Next to the dilapidated house of the Shen family, there was a hawthorn tree. No one took care of it, but it grew domineeringly, with a thick trunk and shady green leaves.
Shen Guixiang stood under the tree, looking up. Sometimes, she felt that those things from her previous life were like yesterday. Perhaps the long waiting time passed in the blink of an eye, and she didn't seem to feel much. In any case, she didn't live to see him, and the time that passed in between had nothing to do with her. Her time had already come to an abrupt end in 1965.
“This was planted by my father when I was a child,” Shen Guixiang said, turning to Wen Ya. “It wasn’t this big when I left home.”
Wen Ya remained silent. There was no shade where she stood, and the scorching sun beat down on her, but she seemed unaffected, and no sweat appeared on her forehead. Wen Xiaofeng, on the other hand, had already wandered around, chasing butterflies in the nearby weeds.
Shen Guixiang didn't expect Wen Ya to pay any attention to "her," and only said to herself, "I wonder what my father and mother felt back then." "She" ran away for no reason and died mysteriously. As an unmarried woman, who knows what kind of rumors would circulate about her. "She" couldn't hear these things now that she was dead, but "her" parents would definitely have to accept them all.
It wasn't until she heard with her own ears that her parents left their hometown because of her that she realized how willful she had been back then. All she had ever wanted was to be with her lover.
“It’s not your fault,” Wen Ya suddenly said.
Shen Guixiang looked at her, and Wen Ya continued, "No one is to blame. It's just that everyone has their own fate. If you have to blame someone, you can only blame fate for playing tricks on you."
Shen Guixiang stared blankly at the hawthorn tree, then suddenly laughed: "Actually, I had a feeling about why Brother Weinian didn't come. He probably figured it out. Being with me would mean betraying his parents and family, and his future would be bleak. That's fine too. Even if I hadn't died, he would have kept his promise, and he might have regretted it later. If that's the case, it would have been better if he had backed out from the start."
She only asked to see him one more time, just one more time, and then she would be free from all her worries.
Wen Ya looked at "her" quietly, her lips moved, but in the end she didn't say anything.
Shen Guixiang suddenly remembered something: "There's something I've thought about and I still have to tell you. Actually, I haven't been able to stay sober for the past sixty years."
At first, "she" knew she was dead, and was trapped by the river because she was thinking of Zhong Weinian. But as time went on, "she" gradually became confused, unable to remember things or herself, and only remembered that she was waiting for someone.
Later, she heard someone speaking in her ear, asking if she wanted to be resurrected and telling her about a magical artifact that could help her. She replied with something and then suddenly regained consciousness.
“It felt like someone rang a bell in my ear while I was half asleep, and my mind instantly cleared.” Shen Guixiang pointed to the cloth bag that Wen Ya always carried. “I think it must be related to your treasure.”
Wen Ya frowned, realizing something was amiss. "What did that voice sound like when it spoke to you?"
Shen Guixiang just shook her head: "Actually, I don't really feel it. It's just a feeling that someone is talking next to me, but I can't say for sure whether there is such a person."
Wen Ya nodded and said nothing more.
At this moment, Si Mucheng returned and said, "We've found the driver. We'll set off for Shouping County after lunch."
He actually wanted to inquire further and gather more information, but he was afraid of giving himself away. He figured the more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so he decided to take it one step at a time.
The group grabbed a quick lunch at a random spot and then drove straight to Shouping County.
However, Wen Ya had been silent since before lunch, and Wen Xiaofeng nestled on her shoulder, as quiet as a toy.
Si Mucheng noticed her silence and thought she was unhappy, so he started to tease her, pointing out the car window and saying, "Master, look at that cloud in the sky, doesn't it look like Xiao Feng?"
Wen Ya subconsciously followed his finger and looked. The weather was clear, and there were indeed large patches of clouds on the horizon, but they were blurred together and their shapes were indistinguishable. Before she could speak, Wen Xiaofeng on her shoulder flapped its wing, the wingtip brushing past Si Mucheng's chin, as if in protest.
Si Mucheng's dog eyes crinkled into a smile: "Doesn't it look like you? The one next to you looks just like you, with furrowed brows and a fierce expression."
That's utter nonsense. How could a perfectly good cloud have such clear details? Wen Ya said with a hint of helplessness, "You're talking nonsense again."
Si Mucheng said, "No, I'm not." Then he looked very seriously into her eyes, "So, why are you unhappy?"
When it came to the Resurrection Lamp, Wen Ya glanced at the driver in the front row and whispered, "I'm not upset. I'll talk to you later."
Si Mucheng didn't ask any further questions, he just nodded: "Okay."
The driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror and chuckled, "You two seem to have a really good relationship. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"no."
"You noticed!"
Wen Ya and Si Mucheng spoke at the same time, then exchanged a glance. Wen Ya's eyes were full of disapproval, and Si Mucheng, for no apparent reason, lost his joking mood, his smile fading slightly.
Wen Ya continued, "We are siblings." Since the excuse is to find relatives, of course, the family members should be together.
Si Mucheng did not refute, and the driver quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Don't mind me. I just thought you two didn't look alike."
"Cousins".
"Oh, I see."
Both sides felt somewhat awkward, so the topic was dropped.
However, for some reason, Si Mucheng stopped talking after that, and the carriage became even quieter.
Upon arriving in Shouping County, Si Mucheng asked the driver to find a place to park the car and wait for them, while he and Wen Ya got out of the car to look for them.
After getting off the bus, Si Mucheng regained his energy. He had only gotten a general location from the old man, and his flirtatious nature kicked in again as he asked his way there. Fortunately, the surname Zhong was not very common, so he got the information without much effort.
They arrived at a residential building and were asking a middle-aged woman for directions when she suddenly grabbed a man next to her and said enthusiastically, "What a coincidence! Isn't this the Zhong family's? Chengyuan, you're here to see your father."
Si Mucheng looked over and saw a man in his fifties carrying fishing gear, looking like he was going fishing. He glanced at Si Mucheng and Wen Ya with a puzzled expression: "Looking for my dad?"
The middle-aged woman nodded: "You two talk. Young man, this is the Zhong family. If you need anything, just ask him."
Si Mucheng quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much!"
After watching the middle-aged woman leave, the man turned his gaze back to Si Mucheng: "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Si Mucheng smiled and said, "Uncle, we're from the city's propaganda department. We've come to visit our former leader. Is Director Zhong here? May we go see him?"
The man's doubts vanished, and he smiled, "Oh, thank you for your concern, organization. You've come all this way, it must have been hard for you. My dad's upstairs, let me take you up."
Si Mucheng nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you."
Wen Ya glared disapprovingly at Si Mucheng, thinking, "He's really bold."
Si Mucheng pursed his lips. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't very well say that he was entrusted by the female ghost, or he would only be regarded as a lunatic or a feudal remnant.
To make his act more convincing, Si Mucheng started talking to the man: "How is Director Zhong Weinian's health? How's his spirits?"
To everyone's surprise, the man stopped in his tracks, frowned, and turned to look at Si Mucheng: "Zhong Weinian?"
Si Mucheng smiled and nodded: "Yes, I remember he must be eighty by now, right?"
The man's face darkened: "But my father's name is Zhong Weiguang."
Si Mucheng's smile froze.
"So, who exactly are you looking for?"
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