twenty two
A Xiu's death was suspicious, and the Xu family felt guilty. Even if she was burned to ashes, they were still afraid.
Later, two old men took the poor woman's ashes back and buried them in the back mountain.
The back mountain used to be the livelihood support for the people of Xujia Village and Chenjia Village. Even if they no longer hunted or picked wild fruits, it was still the guardian mountain of the village.
The higher the mountain, the farther you can see, and you can even see the way out.
At fifty, one knows the will of Heaven, and at sixty, one is free from doubts. The two old men can do nothing about the evils done to their descendants. The only thing they can do is to make amends.
"I'll take my mother away and never see her again."
There isn't much affection between us to begin with, and the more we see each other, the more resentment we'll have. It's better not to see each other.
If you are going to break off the relationship, then do it completely.
After saying this, Xu Xiao hooked up with Chen Nan, who was obviously not in the right state, and walked out of the yard. The voices of the two girls were carried in by the wind, into the silent yard, into the yard that had witnessed countless dirty things.
"...Sister Xiao, I'm sorry."
"Nannan! I don't believe him, let's forget about it."
"But what if it's true?"
"It's all over."
Even though Xu Xiao said it was all over, Chen Nan still didn't go with her to pick up A Xiu. She felt guilty.
Xu Xiao had no choice but to leave her to Xu Xi's care, and then walked towards the back mountain alone with a shovel and hoe.
The back mountain is still quiet, with lush green trees, withered yellow leaves, and the loneliness of early autumn.
Birds no longer peered through the trees, but glided across the horizon, busily searching for food for the winter. Leaves rustled down, and looking up only revealed fleeting shadows.
A cloud of gloom weighed on Xu Xiao's heart, a feeling she couldn't quite articulate. She had never met Ah Xiu, nor had she ever heard the Xu family mention her.
Perhaps it was because of their blood connection, after knowing that the crazy woman rumored in the village was her mother, she felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart.
It was as if someone had dragged her into the water. It was icy cold and slippery, making her want to struggle and feel nauseous for no reason.
It was as if she had been cut open, her heart beating again and again, her bright red heart taken out, but the blood vessels were still connected to her body.
Every time her heart was squeezed, she felt her body go weak and her vision went dark. But when it was released, she felt nothing.
But it’s still mostly uncomfortable.
A fat hare ran past Xu Xiao's feet. This time she didn't reach out. She put down her tools and leaned against the tree roots, breathing softly.
When such a big thing happened, Chen Nanchi was in a state of absent-mindedness. Even when Xu Xi teased her, she just sat quietly by the side without any reaction.
Seeing her like this, Xu Xi said, "Shall I go find Captain Chen?"
For him, this kind of thing could only be dealt with by Chen Bei. After all, Chen Nan had left with Xu Xiao, and it was Xu Xiao who had handed him over to him. Only Xu Xiao knew what had happened along the way.
But Xu Xiao didn't say anything, and he didn't dare to ask.
Chen Nan's eyes suddenly flashed with light. She grabbed Xu Xi's hand and murmured, "You're right. I have to find Chen Bei. He must know about this! He must know..."
Xu Xi was confused. He wanted to ask, but in the blink of an eye, he saw Chen Nan stand up and run out. He was still needed to guard this place, so he could only watch Chen Nan run away.
He wasn't worried about Chen Nan getting hurt. The children in the compound were known for their strong constitutions, even when punished they were forced to do horse stance. In short, they might not be able to fight, but they could definitely withstand a beating.
"Huh! This is really strange. They are all so weird." After muttering a few words, he was busy receiving customers again.
The two old men have always been kind to others. Most of the people in the village came to visit them, and some even came back specifically to visit them.
If he hadn't seen something wrong with Chen Nan, he wouldn't have wanted to come over. Compared to Chen Nan, Xu Xiao was actually more off. His face was pale, but his eyes were gleaming. No matter how you looked at him, there was something wrong with him.
When you're thinking about something, you're bound to make mistakes. After making his third mistake, Xu Xi stood aside, looking at the busy crowd, his mind wandering slightly.
"What are you thinking about?"
An extremely cold voice sounded behind him.
Xu Xi turned around and saw Chen Bei standing there, staring at him expressionlessly.
"Chen, Chen Lian, Brother Chen! I'm not being lazy, it's just..." Swallowing his saliva, Xu Xi said tentatively: "Sister Xu was here just now, she took the hoe and left again, don't you want to go find her?"
"I'm looking for you." Chen Bei walked up and grabbed Xu Xi's collar with one hand. "Go to the next village to pick up Chen Nan. I'll watch over here."
"...How about I talk to Sister Xu before going?"
"Um?"
"I'll go right now! I'll go right now!" Xu Xi's body stiffened as he returned to the days when he was suppressed by the great devil Chen. He quickly came to his senses and responded casually.
"Xu Zhiqing? Eh? That's strange, he was here just now!" A man walked over.
Chen Bei looked at him: "What do you want from him?"
The man glanced at Chen Bei, who was wearing a white shirt and looked like he was from out of town. Thinking that many people from the Xu family had returned, the man hurried forward and said, "I don't know where that girl Xiao has gone. Now that the coffin has arrived, they need their own family to figure out how to arrange it! This is a big deal. Captain Xu and the others are here, and now only Xiao is missing... Forget it, I'll go look for Xu Zhiqing again. I have to find Xiao first!"
The man turned around and was about to leave, but was caught by Chen Bei. He scratched his head in confusion: "What are you going to do, young man?"
Chen Bei knew exactly where Xu Xiao had gone. When Chen Nan told him everything, he knew everything was wrong.
If the Chen family feels guilty towards Xu Xiao, then he should let her live a good life instead of having to deal with him under pressure.
When did you find out that Xu Xiao was pretending?
Perhaps it was Chen Nan who told him that Xu Xiao was crying.
He met Xu Xiao on the back mountain. She was very normal. If Chen Nan hadn't told him about this later, he would have always thought that Xu Xiao was normal.
However, Xu Xiao no longer trusted them. She was using everyone, including him and Chen Nan.
Xu Xiao is an extremely stubborn person. Tears are just a tool for her, a tool to make people believe in her.
Chen Bei curled his lips in a self-deprecating smile and said, "I'm Chen Nan's brother and Xu Xiao's brother. Can I represent Xu Xiao?"
He waited for two lifetimes, but in the end, he didn't dare to get close to her.
Hearing the sound coming from afar, Xu Xiao suddenly raised his head and looked at Fang Hui, who was approaching cautiously. "Brother Fang, did Chen Bei ask you to come?"
"..." Fang Hui sighed and sat down next to Xu Xiao. "You've already guessed it, and you're still asking me. Ah Xiao, tell me the truth. Do you believe what Mr. Xu says?"
Xu Xiao frowned slightly and twirled her lighter: "What difference does it make whether you believe it or not?"
The dead cannot be resurrected, not to mention that Ah Xiu has been dead for more than ten years.
Even if I wanted to seek justice for her, there was nowhere to go.
Fang Hui sighed heavily again. He remembered the identically bewildered expressions on the Chen siblings' faces when he left, so he could only continue, "This matter is simple enough. If you believe it, then investigate thoroughly. If you don't, then forget it."
He could still guess what the brother and sister meant. If the Chen family really felt guilty towards Xu Xiao, they would do everything they could to compensate her.
At the same time, the relationship of more than ten years was broken.
Fang Hui was rarely serious. He stared at Xu Xiao, as if he wanted to see through her, understand her completely.
Xu Xiao shrugged and chuckled. She stood up, put the lighter in her pocket, and handed a shovel to Fang Hui: "Forget it then. It's good that you came. It was originally prepared for Chen Bei. If he didn't come, you can take it."
After her rebirth, Chen Bei was always around her, so much so that even now, Xu Xiao felt that Chen Bei would appear.
In fact, even if he didn't say anything or ask anything, she would still explain it to him clearly.
The grudges of the previous generation were long gone. If she really cared, she would not let the Xu family go.
If she cares and wants to pursue the matter, she will not forgive anyone, nor will she stop because of someone.
Following his memory, Xu Xiao finally found a hillside where there was a stone tablet.
Before she was taken away by the Chen family, she had always been taken care of by two elderly people. The elderly people liked to take her to this mountainside, even if they did nothing, they could just enjoy the cool breeze.
After bringing her here twice, the elders would drive her up the mountain whenever they had something to do. From then on, the elders never came again, and only asked Xu Xiao to help bring tribute.
Xu Xiao's childhood was almost accompanied by this stone tablet, but it was not until now that she knew that this stone tablet was the tombstone of her biological mother, the tombstone of the poor woman who gave her life.
There are no words engraved on the tombstone. It is short and square. If you don’t tell people, no one would know it is a tombstone.
Even the cemetery is low, almost blending into the land, without any abruptness.
After Fang put everything back, he placed the fruits and candies he brought in front of the stone tablet one by one, and then stepped back.
Glancing at Fang Hui's actions, Xu Xiao felt somewhat helpless: "Brother Fang, there's no need to be like this."
"That won't do. This is our intention after all."
There was a funeral going on downstairs, and the last thing they needed was offerings and paper money. Before coming up, Fang Hui deliberately took some.
Xu Xiao lit a cigarette and sat aside, throwing the lighter to Fang Hui: "Okay, call me when you're ready."
As Fang Hui lit the fire, he said, "Ah Xiao, why don't you come and make some for Auntie?"
Xu Xiao didn't answer him, so Fang Hui had to turn his head and saw the girl sitting outside the slope with a lonely look on her face.
She was smoking, and the smoke she exhaled gradually blurred her eyebrows and eyes.
Even though they were only a few meters apart, Fang Hui couldn't see her features clearly, nor could he tell whether she was sad or helpless.
Maybe it was both, or maybe it was nothing. He just couldn't see clearly.
After a simple memorial service, Fang collected the fruit and extinguished the remaining fire before calling Xu Xiao: "Ah Xiao, let's begin."
Xu Xiao wanted to dig up Ah Xiu's ashes. Chen Bei guessed it, but he didn't dare to come, so he had to let Fang Hui accompany Xu Xiao on his behalf.
The soil was shoveled out bit by bit, and the black coffin gradually took shape.
The coffin is not of regular length. Rather than being a coffin, it is more like a few pieces of wood simply put together.
But you can see that the person who made this small coffin tried his best. Even though it is so simple, the inside is still well protected.
No insects or snakes got in, nor did they get out of the hole.
Xu Xiao refused Fang Hui's help. She bent down and took out a small jar from the wooden board. It was a dark-colored jar, and the opening was tightly sealed with cloth.
After wrapping the grave with black cloth, the two men restored it to its original state before walking down the mountain.
Looking at the Xu family standing guard in the yard from afar, Xu Xiao tilted his head and asked, "Where is Chen Bei?"
"He's here, but..." Fang Hui hesitated to speak.
But Xu Xiao didn't care about that. She handed the jar in her arms to Fang Hui and said, "Brother Fang, take it with you. I don't have any place to put it here."
Ji Hong was bullied by her once, he will always come back, the educated youth site is not safe.
Fang Hui could only agree. Before leaving, he looked at Xu Xiao earnestly and said, "Xiao, no matter what happened, you can always come to me."
He really doted on Xu Xiao and Chen Nan as his sisters. He and Chen Bei protected these two sisters together, and no one could bully them.
Chen Bei left and Xu Xiao didn't see Chen Bei.
Before he left, he left a message for Xu Xiao.
He said: "There's an urgent order from above. I need to evacuate with my team."
As the messenger, Xu Xi could only stand there awkwardly.
Seeing that Xu Xiao was not angry, he continued, "Captain Chen said that Fang Hui and I should follow you back to Beijing."
Xu Xi had been kicked out by his family, so he was naturally happy to be able to go back. As an outsider, he was worried about Xu Xiao and Chen Bei when he saw the unclear atmosphere between them.
Now that he knew he could go back, he wasn't very happy.
Xu Xiao nodded, as usual: "Wait until great-grandpa and great-grandma are buried, then we'll stay for a few more days and then leave."
She hasn't written an application yet. Even though she knows the two elderly people can't hold on any longer, she still holds on to a glimmer of hope. She feels she can hold on for a long time.
Xu Xiben was somewhat dissatisfied because Xu Xiao was too calm. He felt that this person had no emotions.
But when he saw Xu Xiao almost tripped, he realized that some people just don't like to show their emotions.
Coincidentally, Xu Xiao is such a person.
Chen Bei walked out from the darkness: "What did she say?"
"She didn't refuse, Brother Chen, are you really going to leave?"
He knew how much effort Chen Bei had put in to get here, but now he had to leave.
He didn't know what had happened, but he just felt that it shouldn't have ended like this.
"Yes." Chen Bei handed a cloth bag to Xu Xi: "Give her a pack of cigarettes a week. Forget it, give it to Fang Hui. He knows what to do."
When it comes to Xu Xiao, this mute always has a lot to say, and he can't stop talking, for fear that he will miss something.
But no matter what he instructed, he still left.
Xu Xi was also infected by this feeling of parting. He wiped his eyes and looked at Fang Hui who came from nowhere: "Brother Fang..."
Xu Xiao gave the jar to Fang Hui, and Fang Hui gave it to Chen Bei.
Fang Hui rubbed his hands. Digging was a physically demanding job, and his hand holding a scalpel couldn't bear it. Two blood blisters appeared on his palms.
He raised his hand to Xu Xi: "Do you have any medicine? Find me some."
As soon as he had something to do, Xu Xi was no longer sad. He nodded frantically: "There's some at the educated youth site. I'll go get it right away."
After saying that, he ran away and his figure disappeared in the bamboo forest.
Fang Hui couldn't help laughing: "It's still good to be young, it's still good to be young."
Old man Chen came and brought a wreath with him.
He said to Xu Xiao: "Girl, this old man heard something——"
Xu Xiao interrupted him: "Old man, that matter has nothing to do with you."
She didn't know how Old Man Chen knew about it, but she really didn't want to know what was going on. Whether Old Man Chen was involved in what happened that year or not, it had nothing to do with her.
But Old Man Chen was firm: "No, I must tell you."
The people around them noticed something was wrong when they saw them. They advised Xu Xiao, "Ah Xiao, if you have something to do, go do it first. You don't need to watch over here."
Captain Xu and his team are already here, so we'll go to them for all the trivial matters.
So, Xu Xiao is indeed free now.
Xu Xiao followed Old Man Chen.
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