"Come on, have some tea." Zhao Hong saw that the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward, so she quickly took out tea bowls from the kitchen and poured a cup of tea for everyone.
Jin Yayan lowered her head. The cup holding the water was an ordinary enamel cup with some paint peeling off the rim. In the brown strong tea, besides the floating tea leaves, there were also some residues from the thermos. She had also drunk such tea decades ago, and it was that kind of life that forced her to flee this place.
Seeing it again, Jin Yayan couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. She picked up the cup and took a sip reluctantly. The bitterness made it hard for her, who was used to drinking good tea, to swallow. She put down the cup and never took another sip.
Gu Xiashi just watched silently without saying anything.
"I didn't expect Mr. Xiao Jiang to be your nephew. This world is really too small." Jin Yayan folded her hands on her knees, wearing a shirt with a stand-up collar and a unique bow tie at the collar, a royal blue women's suit, and a hip skirt of the same color. Her hair was combed meticulously with hair oil, looking refined and noble. It was out of place in this slightly shabby house.
"Xiaobao is the son of my fourth sister. I don't have any children, so I naturally treat him as my own son." Gu Xiashi lowered his head, explaining the lie he had told her that day that he had four daughters and one son.
"Xiaoya, will you stay here for dinner? We don't have any good food at home. I'll go to the village entrance to buy some rump meat. You loved the braised pork with sauce that I made the most."
Zhao Hong suggested, but was stopped by Jin Yayan. In the past, braised pork with sauce was a delicacy that could only be eaten once or twice a year, but now it is not so rare, and the taste of people who loved this dish in the past is no longer the same as it was back then.
"Auntie Hong, you don't have to be so polite. I just wanted to thank Shitou for taking care of my dad over the years. These things are my little tokens of my appreciation. If possible, can you let Shitou take me to see the old house of my family? I'll leave after I see it." Jin Yayan hurriedly stopped him.
The things the bodyguard brought in filled the entire table, and there was almost no room for teacups. They were all written in foreign languages that I couldn't understand. They must have been brought from abroad.
"You're leaving now." Zhao Hong glanced at her son and asked, "Will you come back in the future?"
"Maybe you can come back for a walk when you have time." Jin Yayan smiled reservedly, and when she turned her gaze to the dull man beside her, she seemed a little obscure.
"Is that so?" Zhao Hong was sitting on a chair with her fists clenched on her knees. Suddenly she stood up and everyone was looking at her.
"Shi Tou, then you should take Xiaoya to the old house and your uncle Jin's grave. You should also take her to pay your respects there." Zhao Hong didn't know that her son had met the woman in front of him a few days ago and had taken her to the grave to pay his respects, so this conversation took place.
"Okay, follow me."
Gu Xiashi was silent for a few seconds, stood up, and walked out of the house with Jin Yayan. Jiang Yilu also wanted to follow, but was stopped by Zhao Hong.
"Grandma, what is the relationship between my uncle and Miss Jin?"
Jiang Yilu looked at the two people's backs as they walked away one after the other, and felt uncomfortable.
"What does it matter! It doesn't matter!" Zhao Hong sighed, shook her head and didn't want to say more, "Xiaobao, you came at the right time, your third aunt sent some seafood, and I was thinking of asking your uncle to bring it back to you. You wait here, grandma will get it for you." The moment Zhao Hong turned around, she tucked her moist eyes with her hands, and walked into her room with red eyes.
It’s a bad fate, it’s a bad fate.
Zhao Hong had long known that her son liked the little girl named Jin. At that time, her son was still young. Although he liked her in his heart, he didn't dare to say it out loud. He always felt that he was not worthy of her and was not good at speaking. He could only be nice to her. He did so many things secretly, but didn't dare let the girl know.
Later, the girl suddenly disappeared. During that time, her son was always depressed. Zhao Hong thought that he was still young and this immature love would eventually fade away with time, so she didn't take it to heart.
But she was wrong. The fact that her son has refused to get married for so many years is the best proof.
Zhao Hong knew all the causes and consequences, and she didn't dare to push too hard, because she knew in her heart that her son was filial. She knew that if she really threatened to commit suicide, her son might fulfill her wish and marry a gentle and considerate wife and have a few children. But Zhao Hong didn't do that after all. She only dared to nag him a few words when everyone was together, but she never used tough measures.
The son had someone else in his heart, so he was forced to pair up with another woman, which made life difficult for the son and the girl who married him without knowing anything.
But she is also a mother. No matter how clear-headed and understanding she is, sometimes she can't help but resent the woman who has been gone for more than 20 years without any news. She thinks that if she hadn't appeared, her son's life might not be like this.
But when she saw that woman again today, Zhao Hong felt relieved again.
They were not on the same page from the beginning to the end. The son could not give the other the life she wanted. When this unrequited love was over, the two completely different people would have to get along with each other, and the greater possibility was that both would suffer.
Twenty-five years ago, Jin Yayan and Gu Xiashi might have had a slight chance, but now, there is absolutely no hope for Jin Yayan and Gu Xiashi.
Zhao Hong saw it clearly and hoped that her son could see it clearly too.
******
The house that Old Man Jin stayed in had already become a dangerous building. At the beginning, the team wanted to help the lonely old man, so they entrusted all the sheep in the team to the old man to raise. The sheepfold was built next to the small thatched house. Old Man Jin didn't know how to raise sheep, and most likely Gu Xiashi did the work for him.
Later, when Old Man Jin died, the team took back the goats and kept them in the team's livestock shed, leaving the place unused. After Gu Xiashi approved the residential land, he never touched it. The goat feces that had been left there had dried into stone, and the whole house was filled with the stench of goat and feces, which lingered for a long time. Even if the villagers wanted to go up the mountain, they would deliberately avoid this place.
Jin Yayan covered her nose and dared not approach the place where she had lived for a while.
"Master left something for you, so I made this place like this so that no one dares to come." Gu Xia Shi turned around and explained. Jin Ya Yan hesitated for a moment and followed him.
The small thatched house was not big, with only two rooms. One was the room where Jin Yayan once lived, and the other was the main room. There was a bed in the room, which was the bed where old man Jin slept when he was alive, and he also died on this bed.
"After you left, the master locked your room and didn't let anyone in. Over the past twenty years, the things inside are probably covered in dust. But before he left, the master told me that you didn't like others touching your things, and he was afraid that you would be unhappy when you came back, so he asked me to keep an eye on it and not let anyone in."
The furnishings in the main room were exactly the same as when Jin Yayan left. The room was clean and there was nothing valuable. Jin Yayan walked to her door, looked at the lock that had long been rusted, and ultimately did not take the key that Gu Xiashi handed over.
"Over the years you—"
"I'm doing well. The skills my master taught me allowed me to live comfortably during the most difficult years, and I was able to help my sister's family, so you don't have to feel sorry for me." Gu Xiashi seemed to see what she was going to say, and answered without thinking, "The things my master asked me to give you are all downstairs, come with me."
If Zhao Hong could see the problem, how could Gu Xiashi not see it? Every move Jin Yayan made after she entered the room told him that there was no chance between them.
But the strange thing is that Gu Xia Shi didn't feel very sad. He did feel a little bitter, after all, she was the woman he had loved for decades. However, the Jin Yayan he met this time was too unfamiliar. Gu Xia Shi rarely saw the proud but immature shadow of decades ago in her.
What supported him for so many years was that obsession. Gu Xia Shi thought that he would love her forever, but when he really met the woman he had been thinking about day and night, he realized that in fact, the one he loved might have always been the girl in his memory, the girl who was beautified by memory as time passed.
It's not that the other person is not good enough. On the contrary, decades have passed and the girl has become more beautiful and better. But the gap of time is so difficult to cross. They have missed each other for decades, and that little bit of touching moment and that little bit of infatuation can no longer make up for it.
Gu Xiashi opened the lid of the cellar and waited at the entrance for a while. He took a candle beside him, lit it, put it on the rope, and slowly lowered it into the cellar. He paused for a moment. The candle did not go out. He made sure that there was enough oxygen inside before taking Jin Yayan down the stairs.
The cellar was not big and was empty inside. There was nothing in it except a few empty cabinets.
Gu Xiashi walked forward and moved one of the cabinets. A small path suddenly appeared in front of them. Jin Yayan didn't seem curious at all and followed Gu Xiashi forward.
The cellar inside was a different world, with shelves lined with clean antique utensils. If Jiang Yilu was there, he would have discovered that most of the items on display were found by him and his uncle when they were looking for treasures together.
Gu Xiashi brought an exquisite brocade box and a mahogany box.
"When you left, you didn't take many things with you. The things in this box are all your favorite jewelry back then. Master has kept them well for you." Gu Xia Shi opened the exquisite brocade box, which was filled with gorgeous and exquisite jewelry. Judging from the styles, they were all the ones that girls would like.
Jin Yayan took it. She was in such a hurry when she left that she didn't dare to take too many valuables with her. She only dared to take some ordinary gold jewelry and put it close to her body. It was those gold jewelry that helped her get through the most difficult time in Hong Kong City.
"And this box. You said at the beginning that if I had the chance to take it out of the villa on Iris Road, you would give me half of it. I have already withheld the other half. I begged him to return it to its original owner."
Gu Xiashi handed over another mahogany box: "So you don't have to bother me. Speaking of it, I still made a profit from that half box of gold bars." Gu Xiashi smiled. Jin Yayan was a little dazed, as if she saw the shy young man again.
She knew that he only said this to ease her guilt, and he was not really greedy for the half box of gold bars. If he was really that greedy, he would not take these things out again.
"I don't need these things anymore. You still have several nieces, and these jewels are just right for them at that age." Jin Yayan handed the box of jewels back. She didn't need these things now. "And you can keep the half box of gold bars. There are so many people outside now, it's not convenient for me to take them back. If I have the chance in the future, I'll come to you for them."
It's better to settle things clearly. Once they settle things clearly, the two of them will have no worries at all.
Gu Xia Shi was silent for a moment, took back the two boxes and put them back to their original positions.
The cellar returned to its original appearance, and two people walked out of the small hut one after the other.
"You, left..." Gu Xiashi stood outside the hut, looking at the woman's beautiful back.
Jin Yayan nodded: "I will leave early tomorrow morning." She hesitated for a moment, "If you need to find me for something, you can ask your nephew. He knows how to contact me."
"Okay, have a safe trip." Gu Xiashi smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were somewhat noticeable.
Jin Yayan suppressed her slight trembling and turned back into the proud and noble lady of a wealthy family, walking towards the bodyguard who was standing not far away.
Gu Xia Shi stood at the door, watching his receding back. The woman in front of him seemed to be the same girl who had resolutely left that year. Gu Xia Shi thought, if time could go back to that day twenty-five years ago, then, even if there was even the slightest possibility, he would try to keep her.
It’s a pity that the Gu Xia Shi twenty-five years ago didn’t have the courage.
It's nothing more than destiny.
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