Fu Shen also found it a bit strange and couldn't help but ask, "Dad, you're in the village, but you don't seem to care at all about what's happening there?"
Huo Xueshen gently held Ping An's small hand and said, "Why should I care about them? Putting aside everything else, if Yueyue hadn't come to the cowshed to find me that noon, I wouldn't even recognize her. But speaking of which, Yueyue, how did you know that I could leave Shuiwen Village next year?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Shen looked at Su Yue in confusion, not expecting her to have said such a thing.
In my dream, both she and I were living a miserable life. Could it be that my father was in the same situation?
Su Yue's eyes flashed, and she said, "I was just talking nonsense. I saw that you weren't feeling well at the time, so I said those things on purpose to encourage you. Look, you've come back ahead of schedule, without even having to wait until next year."
Huo Xueshen smiled gently and said, "You really encouraged me. After hearing this, I felt an indescribable joy. Although I knew the hope was slim, at least I had something to look forward to. In the village, we can't receive any news from the outside world, and the villagers never communicate with us. We are like strangers to each other. We don't even know their names."
Recalling that night, Tang Jianguo hurriedly found him and said that someone from above had come to pick him up.
At that moment, he felt no joy, but was instead enveloped by intense unease.
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, he followed Tang Jianguo to his home.
When he saw the person who had brought him to Shuiwen Village, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally began to settle down.
Fu Shen asked with a hint of inquiry in his eyes, "Dad, you've been in Shuiwen Village for so many years, and you don't know a single villager?"
Huo Xueshen shook his head, his tone slightly helpless: "I only know the village secretary and a few people in the cowshed. The place where I work is not in the same place as the villagers, so I never run into them on weekdays."
Fu Shen's voice was so low that only he could hear it as he muttered to himself, "No wonder I didn't know..."
Huo Xueshen only caught the words "no wonder," and a puzzled look appeared on his face. "No wonder what?"
Fu Shen: "No wonder Yueyue said that when she saw that your physical condition was not good and that you were completely out of the public eye, it would be hard for anyone to bear it."
Su Yue glanced at Fu Shen with a smile, thinking to herself: He must be saying that he didn't know she almost fell into a trap when she followed Jiang Huaidong back to the village.
Huo Xueshen paused, his thoughts drifting back to the time when he first arrived in Shuiwen Village. At first, things were alright, but after four or five years of this kind of life, things became unbearable.
He felt like a walking corpse, living in a daze every day, completely unaware of what he was doing.
He couldn't hear any other sounds; the whole world was so quiet, it felt like he was all alone.
Fu Shen paused for a moment, then continued, "Yueyue and I have retrieved everything Grandma left you. We'll give it to you later so you can take it home."
Huo Xueshen snapped out of his daze upon hearing this and waved his hand. “You can keep it. I don’t want it. I have a lot of money now. The higher-ups have already paid me back my old salary. When I get back, I’ll ask Commander Lu to bring out the bankbook for you. I didn’t have time to prepare any gifts for you this time.”
Knowing that the account he had transferred money to overseas was currently unable to process transfers, he opened a new savings account and deposited the money into it.
He originally planned to meet Aunt Yang this time and then take his own life when he got back.
He carefully packed his personal belongings, but worried that bringing them out would arouse suspicion, so he ultimately didn't bring them.
At this moment, he was filled with regret, wishing he had brought them all with him.
Su Yue and Fu Shen exchanged a knowing glance, and Fu Shen asked, "Don't you want to see what Grandma left for you?"
Huo Xueshen smiled dismissively: "It's just a house deed, what else could it be?"
Su Yue said with a bright smile, "Dad, there are indeed others. I'll go get them for you to see."
After saying that, she stood up and quickly walked out of the main room.
Huo Xueshen wanted to stop him, but it was too late. He looked at Fu Shen with a hint of reproach: "Why didn't you say anything? I didn't give you anything when I came to visit. You can keep the things your grandmother left behind."
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