Chapter 83: Yellow Leaves Dancing in the Autumn Wind (Two Chapters Combined into One)
It used to be the most beautiful yard in the village, but now it is deserted and only the swing is floating on the windy day, waiting for the little man who once lived there to sit on it with a smile.
Amid the creaking sound of the swing, Zhao Shiqing closed her eyes. In the bright autumn sunshine, even with her eyes closed, she could still see a warm orange-yellow glow. Zhao Shiqing simply took out a handkerchief and tied it around her eyes. Unfortunately, her handkerchief was too small. A black cloth was handed to her. She raised her eyes and met Xiao Zhen's: "Use this."
If it were usual, Zhao Shiqing would definitely be curious about why Xiao Zhen carried a black scarf with him to cover his face, but today, she just felt lucky.
She covered her eyes with a black scarf and was instantly plunged into darkness.
Suddenly, I heard the laughter of a child in my mind, followed by the gentle instructions of the old woman: "Hold on to the rope and sit tight. Grandma is going to push."
It was like fireworks exploding in my mind, first one, then three, four, and countless others. The colorful fireworks were bright and dazzling, illuminating the dark world without any image.
However, she couldn't see what they looked like, and she was like a lost little animal, groping around, trying to find a way home.
"Mother is the most partial. She made braised pork for Grandpa, the miracle doctor."
The little girl's voice rang out again, and Zhao Shiqing was stunned. Braised pork...
"Doctor Yang loves braised pork the most. He's going to the capital in a few days, and he won't be able to eat it there. So before he leaves, your mother should make a few more meals so he can have as much as he wants."
The old woman's voice seemed to be right next to his ear. Zhao Shiqing subconsciously stretched out his hand, but there was only emptiness there.
"Is there no braised pork in the capital?" The little girl spoke.
"Doctor Yang often said that your mother's braised pork was the best he had ever tasted."
A smile appeared on Zhao Shiqing's lips. No wonder she always felt that the braised pork made by her master was a little lacking in taste. It turned out that she had once eaten the most delicious food in the world.
"Miss, be careful!" Ling Bo's exclamation suddenly pierced the eardrum.
Zhao Shiqing woke up suddenly, and the rotten hemp rope of the swing frame broke with a sound. The moment her body fell, someone grabbed her waist.
The cool breath of the young man hit my face, and in contrast to this breath was the warmth coming from my waist.
Was it Xiao Zhen who supported her?
"Miss, are you okay?"
"You little bastard, how did you push the swing? You almost threw my good granddaughter to the ground!"
Ling Bo and Zhen Wuduo rushed over together. Zhao Shiqing felt the hand that had been holding her waist suddenly withdrawn. Ling Bo untied the black scarf from her eyes. The sudden light made Zhao Shiqing feel uncomfortable for a moment. She reached out to cover her eyes, but the old woman's voice suddenly rang out in her mind again: "Don't touch it. Doctor Yang said it will take three days to remove it."
Zhao Shiqing was stunned, her hand stopped in the air. Did the doctor Yang who liked to eat braised pork mentioned by the old woman ever treat her eyes?
She closed her eyes again, wanting to hear what the little girl said next, but she waited for a long time, and the voices of the old woman and the little girl never sounded again.
Zhao Shiqing opened his eyes helplessly, looked up at the broken swing, and murmured, "What a pity."
The autumn wind blew up fallen leaves all over the yard. Zhao Shiqing stretched out her palms, which were as smooth as jade. These were hands that had been carefully cared for by maids and nannies since she was a child. There were no calluses from practicing martial arts, and no traces of hard work.
A tear rolled down the corner of her eye. She was truly a blessed girl. Even in those few short years when she was forgotten, she was the one who was carefully cared for.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten the people who doted on her, and it was very likely that she had never even seen them in person.
A yellow leaf fluttered in the air and landed in her palm, followed by another, two...
Zhao Shiqing looked at the three yellow leaves in her palms, and sadness spread from the bottom of her heart to her whole body. She closed her palms tremblingly, keeping her hands tightly connected with the three yellow leaves.
"I have grandma, dad, and mom. They didn't abandon me. They love me very much, very much..."
The following words were replaced by sobs, and tears gushed out like a dam breaking.
Zhen Wuduo stamped his feet anxiously and tried to ask her several times, but Ling Bo grabbed his clothes tightly. Zhen Wuduo: "You..."
Ling Bo shook her head at him, signaling him not to speak.
Ling Bo regretted it. If she had spoken more quietly when she reminded the Second Miss that the rope was broken, the Second Miss would not have been frightened and her emotions would not have been so out of control.
Out of control, this is the most appropriate word Ling Bo can think of.
She has been with Zhao Shiqing for several years, and this is the second time the second young lady has cried so sadly.
The last time was when she heard the news of the death of the former King Liang. The second lady refused to believe it at first, and then she cried so hard that she couldn't speak.
......
Zhao Shiqing didn't know how long she had been crying. When she finally spoke again, she found that Xiao Zhen had stood beside her again without her knowing when. "Let's go inside and take a look."
The door that was originally closed was now open, and Zhao Shiqing followed Xiao Zhen in a daze.
All I could see was dust, but there were countless overlapping footprints on the ground, and almost every room showed signs of having been turned over.
Zhao Shiqing saw it, Xiao Zhen saw it, and even Zhen Wuduo who followed in saw it.
"I've been robbed before, not just once! Damn it, you even dared to steal from my daughter, you're courting death!"
He uttered the last few words with gritted teeth. Zhao Shiqing couldn't help but look at him in surprise. This fat, white old man suddenly became so fierce.
Zhen Wuduo met Zhao Shiqing's gaze and instantly turned back into a funny and cute old man. He smiled and said to Zhao Shiqing, "My dear granddaughter, you are remembering your childhood, right? Let me introduce myself. I am your grandfather, your dearest grandfather."
Zhao Shiqing then remembered that when she just woke up, she seemed to hear someone calling her granddaughter. Yes, Mr. Zhen came to look for his daughter. It turned out that his daughter was her mother.
"Grandpa, are you sure I am your granddaughter?" Zhao Shiqing asked.
"My dear granddaughter, I checked with the village head. Your mother's name is Fu Xiaoying, and my poor daughter is also called Fu Xiaoying.
When Wu was hit by a flood, your grandmother gave birth to your mother while fleeing. Unfortunately, she passed away and entrusted your mother to a passing couple.
Unfortunately, my sister-in-law who told me this was illiterate, and I didn’t think much about it. Over the years, I mistakenly thought that their surname was Shi, which means stone.
Later, I found your grandmother's grave. The tombstone was erected by your kind grandparents in the name of your mother, and the name on it was Fu Xiaoying.
Back then, your family settled in Zhuxitang. Later, your grandfather started a cloth business, and your father went to the county town to study. So your grandfather simply moved to the county town with your grandmother, your mother, and the whole family.
Your father and your mother were childhood sweethearts. They grew up together and got married when they grew up.
Unfortunately, not long after they got married, your grandfather passed away, so your father and mother returned to Zhuxitang to mourn for your grandfather. Five years later, you were born in this small courtyard.
Zhen Wuduo looked at Zhao Shiqing and became happy again. He pointed at his eyes and said to Zhao Shiqing, "I have been holding back and didn't say it. That brat didn't let me say it. My dear granddaughter, your eyes are so beautiful. Just like me, you look like your grandmother. I can't say how, but you just have the shadow of your grandmother. I have wanted to tell you for a long time. It's all because of that brat. If he hadn't forbade me to do so, we would have recognized each other long ago."
Xiao Zhen's face was as gloomy as water. "Am I not your good son? How come I have become a bad boy now?"
What's wrong with me?
I don't mind that you don't like taking a bath, how dare you say that to me?
Zhen Wuduo's joy infected Zhao Shiqing, and she also smiled, but when she saw Zhen Wuduo's old eyes, her smile disappeared.
"Grandpa, your eyes are triangular, they are nothing like my eyes."
Zhen Wuduo: "They are not triangular eyes, but almond-shaped eyes. When I was young, your grandfather was very handsome and elegant, and people nicknamed me the Jade-faced Little White Dragon. My dear granddaughter, please don't disbelieve me. Grandpa won't lie to you. When you are old, your eyes will be like yours."
Zhao Shiqing suddenly felt that she had no hope. Her eyes were indeed almond-shaped. Would her eyes become triangular like this when she got older?
"Grandpa, I want to cry again." Tears welled up in Zhao Shiqing's eyes instantly. There was no way. She hadn't cried enough in the first place, and she couldn't be stimulated at this time. If she was stimulated, she would cry again.
Zhen Wuduo was panicked. He had just recognized his eldest granddaughter and made her cry.
"My dear granddaughter, don't cry, don't cry. You haven't met your uncle yet, right? Grandpa is telling you, although you only have one father and one mother, you have more than a hundred uncles. This is one of them. You little brat, come over and help me coax your niece!"
Xiao Zhen......
At this moment, the yard suddenly became noisy, and Loach's voice came in: "Who told you to climb over the wall? Get out!"
Xiao Zhen glared at Zhen Wuduo, then turned and walked out.
Chen Lizheng was old and couldn't stop them, so Li Laosi and his sons actually climbed over the wall and came in.
Li Laosi didn't take the skinny little loach seriously. He wanted to go into the house with his sons, but was stopped by Jiang Ping and Cai An.
Although Li Laosi and his sons were big and strong, Jiang Ping and Cai An were both martial artists. They stretched out their hands to block them, and the father and sons could not get in. However, they were unwilling to give up, so they stood in the yard and started cursing.
"Who knows who you are? Maybe you're a big-name bandit. Ah Da, go report it to the police!"
At this moment, Xiao Zhen came out from inside: "Go report to the authorities? Great, there's a thief in this house, and there's more than one thief, there are footprints all over the floor, it's just right to let the government investigate thoroughly.
Jiang Ping, Cai An, take them all down!"
Li Laosi and his son had just experienced the power of Jiang Ping and Cai An. They felt guilty and turned around to run, but it was too late. Jiang Ping and Cai An were ordered to attack together. In just a few rounds, they tied up the father and son.
Xiao Zhen said to Niu Qiu, "Jump over the wall, unlock the gate, and invite Chen Lizheng in."
Loach was startled, blushed, and said awkwardly, "How did Master Zhen know that I could open a lock?"
Xiao Zhen said calmly: "I checked it."
loach......
He didn't know that Xiao Zhen was Shen Guanyue's brother. If he knew, he would understand.
Of course, the people around his younger brother had to be thoroughly investigated. In other words, Niu Qiu was an abandoned baby picked up from a mud pond. Otherwise, Xiao Zhen would be able to investigate all of his ancestors for eight generations clearly.
Loach went out, opened the lock easily, and invited Chen Lizheng, who was anxiously waiting outside, in.
Xiao Zhen did not hide anything and explained to Chen Lizheng the relationship between Zhen Wuduo and Zhao Shiqing and the Shi family.
Upon learning that not only was Zhen Wuduo a relative of the old Shi family, but that Zhao Shiqing was the blind girl from back then, Chen Lizheng was shocked. But then he became puzzled: "Hey, the old Shi family treasured this child so much, how did they lose her? Oh, and where are her parents? How come the child found herself, but they didn't come back?"
Xiao Zhen shook his head. Who knows? He hasn't asked Zhao Shiqing yet, so he doesn't know how much she remembers. Zhao Shiqing was crying so hard just now that he didn't have the heart to ask her.
Xiao Zhen invited Chen Lizheng into the house. Seeing the mess and footprints all over the floor, Chen Lizheng cursed, "What a disgrace! This is a disgrace to Zhuxitang!"
He turned and walked out, pointing at Li Laosi's nose and said, "Li Laosi, I think you're rotten from the root. I used to think you were a takeover man, but now I know you've even learned how to sneak in and pick locks. You're rotten so be it, but you've also led your sons astray. I'd like to ask your Second Master Li if he cares about this!"
Then, Chen Lizheng said to Niqiu, "Young man, please invite Mr. Li Er to come over. He lives at the house with the crabapple tree at the east end of the village. Tell him that I asked him to come and seek justice. There's a thief in the Li family, and I want to ask him if he can help!"
When he heard that they were going to ask for help from Master Li Er, Li Laosi panicked all of a sudden. When he was young, he was a gangster in the county town. Once when he was collecting protection money, he happened to be run into Master Li Er. Master Li Er brought several nephews to chase him and beat him up. They beat him in the street, tied him back to the village, and beat him again in the ancestral hall. He was beaten so badly that he couldn't go out for a whole month. Since then, he never dared to go back to the county to be a gangster again.
Now Li Laosi is also a grandfather, but when he sees Li Er Taiye from afar, he still has to walk around him. His fear of Li Er Taiye has long been engraved in his bones.
He begged for mercy quickly: "Village head, please, don't call my second uncle over. He is old and can't get angry. If you have any problems, come to me. Don't disturb him."
Chen Lizheng snorted coldly: "Let me ask you, have you ever come to Lao Shi's house to steal things?"
Li Laosi cried out in injustice: "What did you steal? I took a few quilts, two vases, a pot, and a few household items. Is that considered stealing? We're all from the same village, how can that be considered stealing?"
"If it's not stealing, what else can you call it? Did they let you take it?" Chen Lizheng yelled.
Xiao Zhen asked in a deep voice: "You have come here more than once, right? You only took these? I don't believe it!"
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