"Yes, it's you——"
A few days ago, it rained heavily for several days in a row. A hole appeared on the roof of the kitchen in the old house of the Gu family, and rainwater kept pouring in. Gu Xiamen used the large water tank at home to collect the rainwater, and barely managed to cope with it for a few days. Now that the sun is out, he is also ready to repair the roof of the old house.
There were no other major problems. Gu Xiashi climbed onto the roof and took a closer look. It was just that the tiles had been exposed to the sun and wind for a long time, and many of them had already broken and weathered. Many of them needed to be replaced. Gu Xiashi estimated the specific number of tiles needed, climbed down from the roof, and prepared to go to the town to buy some bricks and tiles.
After climbing up and down, it took a lot of effort. Gu Xiashi felt a little hot. Two or three buttons of his grey shirt were undone, his sleeves were rolled up high, and he was too lazy to comb his hair, so it stood up on his head in a mess. He rode his broken bicycle in a rather unkempt manner, whistling a little tune, and walked towards the town.
Not long after he walked out of the village, he met the woman he had been thinking about day and night at the bend of the path.
As early as three days ago, Gu Xiashi received a letter from his nephew in the capital. His surname was Jin, and he was asking around to buy back the small western-style house on Iris Road. He couldn't think of anyone else except Yayan.
She is still alive, which is almost the best news Gu Xiashi has heard in the past few decades.
These past few days, Gu Xiashi has never stopped the conflicting thoughts in his mind. He wants to go to the capital to see him, but with what identity?
He worked hard to find a lot of work for himself, repairing the stove, mending the wall... Gu Xia Shi could only use labor to numb his restless heart, but he never expected that the woman he had been thinking about would appear in front of him first.
She has changed!
Gu Xia Shi looked at the woman standing straight in front of him. When she said goodbye to him twenty-four years ago, she was still wearing an indigo blue cloth dress with white floral patterns, loose black pants, and had bangs. There was a hint of immaturity and pride on her fair face.
She told him that she really couldn't stand such a life anymore and she wanted to leave here and go to the other side of the sea to find her mother. She said she wanted to leave this oppressive land.
Before leaving, she asked him to take good care of her father, the man who almost always lived in a wine jar and was also the old Eight Banners descendant who taught Gu Xiashi the treasure hunting skill.
Yes, she had lived a life of luxury in the first half of her life, with a garden house, a driver to pick her up at school, piano teachers and etiquette teachers. When Gu Xiashi saw Jin Yayan for the first time, he felt that she was a young lady who should be held in the palm of her hand and well cared for, and should enjoy the best of everything in life. Even at that time, the Jin Yayan that Gu Xiashi saw was already a poor girl who had fled, hiding her identity, and wearing the same homespun clothes as ordinary farm girls.
At that time, she had no maids or servants around her, nor did she have a mother who took good care of her. The only person who was with her was her alcoholic and decadent father, who could not accept the gap in their status.
But a person's temperament cannot be deceived. Even though the father and daughter tried their best to conceal it, the villagers still found out that something was wrong with them. The gossip and rumors behind their backs, as well as this shabby and secluded mountain village, forced Jin Yayan to leave this depressing place. She wanted to live the life she once had. Therefore, she sneaked away after being rejected by her alcoholic father.
She is still as beautiful as before, no, or even more beautiful, but on that exquisitely dressed face, Gu Xia Shi can hardly see the shadow of the girl back then. Gu Xia Shi thought, maybe she got everything she wanted.
"How have you been these years?" Jin Yayan came in alone, and the bodyguards she brought with her were guarding not far away.
She had changed beyond recognition, but Gu Xiashi, in the past few decades, had only a few shallow wrinkles on his eyes and was a little taller than before she left. Jin Yayan looked at the man who had hurriedly got off the bicycle and was restrained, and instantly recalled the boy who always obeyed her and was very smart, but always acted foolishly in front of her.
"Not bad, not bad." Gu Xiashi stiffened his body and looked down at his outfit today. He suddenly felt ashamed and thought that standing in front of her, he was even inferior to the bodyguards behind her. If he had known that she was coming today, he should have put on the clothes that Xiaobao brought him from Gangcheng. He didn't know what Yayan would think if he looked particularly sloppy today.
"Oh." Jin Yayan nodded.
There was silence between the two of them, an awkward silence surrounding them.
"What about him?" Jin Yayan finally spoke after a long silence.
For so many years, that man has always been the biggest taboo in her heart.
"The master passed away four years after you left. He drank too much and his nose was blocked by vomit. He couldn't be saved." Gu Xiashi loved Jin Yayan the most, and the person he respected the most was Jin Yayan's father, the man who was drunk most of the day. It was he who taught him this craft, which at least allowed him to support himself during the most difficult years and help his younger sister's family.
"Drinking and drinking. When I left, I knew that sooner or later he would die from this thing."
Jin Yayan, who had maintained a dignified demeanor since her appearance until now, showed hysterical behavior for the first time. When she heard the news of the man's death, her whole body trembled and her eyes suddenly turned red.
"Don't come over here!" The bodyguard in the distance saw that the situation here seemed wrong and was about to come over but was stopped by Jin Yayan.
"Master had a hard time too. When you left, Master was almost going crazy looking for you. I couldn't help it and told him where you were. Master got better after that, but he drank even harder. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he wouldn't stop. A few days before he left, Master kept saying sorry in his dreams and that he wanted to see you--" Gu Xia Shi didn't know what to say. Looking at the woman in tears in front of him, he immediately stopped saying the rest of the words.
"Where is he buried? Take me to see him."
Jin Yayan held her head high, as if this would prevent her tears from falling. She asked the man in front of her with a strong nasal tone.
"It's on the small hill in front. The management was strict in the past few years, and my master's identity was also problematic. I didn't dare to build a grave for him, for fear that it would be dug up by the Red Guards. It was not until the storm passed in the past two years that I renovated my master's grave and erected the tombstone." Gu Xiashi locked the bicycle to the side of the road and took Jin Yayan to the small hill not far away.
"If the master knew that you came to see him, he would be very happy." Gu Xia really didn't know what to say to Jin Yayan, so he told her some things about the master's life.
Jin Yayan did not say anything, just listened silently, and soon arrived at the tombstone of the old Eight Banners.
The tomb of my father Jin Chengyuan, presented by my daughter Jin Yayan. She knew that this was the tombstone that Gu Xiashi had erected in her name.
The father whom she loved and hated back then was buried under the yellow earth so long ago. She didn't know whether he was cursing her, the unfilial daughter, before he died.
Jin Yayan was a little dazed. In the past twenty years, she had gained a lot, but at the same time, she had also lost a lot.
"Thanks to you for taking care of my father all those years. I was too willful at the time and didn't consider your position. I have added this trouble, and I don't know if it will cause dissatisfaction from your wife."
Jin Yayan quickly wiped away her tears. Today was one of the rare times she lost her composure. After she gained a foothold in Gangcheng, she no longer allowed herself to cry. Even if she cried, she could only do so behind other people's backs and for no more than ten seconds.
It is because she is so harsh on herself that she is what Miss Jin is today.
Wife? Gu Xiashi wanted to tell her that he had not married yet, but if she asked him why, would he say that he was waiting for her?
He and she are as different as heaven and earth. He was not worthy of her before, and he is even less worthy of her now.
"How have you been these years? Why didn't your husband come with you this time?" Gu Xia Shi still had a glimmer of hope, although he also knew that this hope was very slim.
"He--he's very busy." Jin Yayan concealed her discomfort and answered after a few seconds.
"Oh." Gu Xiashi's heart ached slightly. Even though he had been prepared for this, he still couldn't avoid feeling sad.
"How many children do you have?" Jin Yayan asked back.
"Five, four girls and one son, each of them is very outstanding." Gu Xia Shi thought of his nephews and nieces and grinned.
"You must be a good father." Jin Yayan said sincerely, which was unlike her.
I'm afraid she will never have the chance to experience what it feels like to be a mother in her lifetime.
"I have been out for quite a while. I will send someone to rebuild this mausoleum someday and will also pay a formal visit. I hope I won't bother my sister-in-law then."
Jin Yayan nodded, she only lost her composure for a moment, and now she has returned to being the dignified and proud Miss Jin.
"No, there's no need to go through so much trouble." Gu Xiashi waved his hand. "I also have something else to do, so I won't see you off." The two separated at the foot of the mountain. Gu Xiashi got on his broken little bicycle and fled.
Jin Yayan just looked at Gu Xiashi's back.
In fact, she could see what Gu Xiashi was thinking back then, but she was too selfish and chose to pretend that she knew nothing and took advantage of his feelings for her so that he would take care of her old man. In the years in Hong Kong, especially in the first and most difficult years, Jin Yayan had thought about it. If she had chosen to accept her fate, stayed in that small village, and married that man, would she have her own children now and live a life that was not rich but warm.
However, the answer is still no. Jin Yayan is Jin Yayan. She is a proud phoenix. She enjoys the attention of the public and a life of luxury. Even if time goes back, she will still make the same choice as she did back then.
Jin Yayan withdrew her gaze, got into the car at the reminder of the bodyguard, and left the place again.
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