Su Yue gently reached out and took Grandma Yang's hand, saying softly, "Grandma, it's not what you're thinking."
Grandma Yang's eyes showed confusion. "What is it?"
Su Yue pursed her lips slightly, her eyelashes trembling, and for a moment she didn't know how to ask.
Is it asking about the strange-looking old lady you just encountered on the street, and whether you had some kind of conflict with her since you seemed unusually cold towards her? Or is it asking about the little boy the old lady was holding, whose surname is Huo, and whether he has any uncles or other relatives?
No matter how you ask, it always seems to carry a hint of gossiping about other people's affairs, but if you don't ask in this way, you really can't think of any other way.
Su Yue's hesitant and conflicted expression only fueled Grandma Yang's curiosity.
Grandma Yang's eyes were full of concern as she pressed again, "Yueyue, what happened? Grandma will tell you everything she knows and can tell you."
Su Yue looked up and stared straight at Grandma Yang's face. After hesitating for a moment, she made up her mind to stop worrying and get straight to the point.
"Grandma, do you know Huo Xueshen?"
Grandma Yang was clearly taken aback, and her kind brows furrowed instantly. "Him? Of course I know him. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
She hadn't heard of Huo Xueshen in a long time, and didn't know if he was still alive.
Su Yue blinked slightly. "I just heard that little boy call out another little boy's name, surnamed Huo. It suddenly reminded me of someone in our village named Huo Xueshen. I wonder if he has any connection with that little boy?"
When Grandma Yang heard Su Yue say that Huo Xueshen was in their village, she suddenly gripped Su Yue's hands tightly, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, and said:
"He's in your village, and he's still alive."
Su Yue nodded emphatically, "He's still alive."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Yang slowly released Su Yue's hand, her lips trembling slightly as she murmured, "It's good that she's alive, it's good that she's alive."
If her deceased best friend were still alive, she would have been overjoyed to hear this news, but unfortunately, she will never have the chance to hear it again.
Su Yue sat there quietly, her gaze fixed on Grandma Yang, watching as her eyes gradually became unfocused, her thoughts drifting away.
After a while, Grandma Yang came to her senses, her eyes filled with reminiscence, and slowly said, "You mean that little boy named Huo Zhiyuan? He's the grandson of Huo Yunqi, that beastly older brother of Huo Xueshen, that's Huo Xueshen's nephew. The woman who just called me is Zhang Qiushui, Huo Yunqi's wife. You have no idea how outrageous they were back then. For their own benefit, they actually used her sick mother to trick Huo Xueshen into coming back. Huo Xueshen is too sentimental. When that movement first started, many intellectuals, rich people, and businessmen..." Everyone was labeled. His mother told me she was very worried about Huo Xueshen. After all, he had studied abroad, and perhaps he was frightened by the brutality he witnessed. He fell ill after only a few days. She repeatedly told Huo Yunqi not to tell Huo Xueshen about her illness, and to let him focus on working for the country at the research base. Who knew they would not only tell him, but also report him beforehand, having the Revolutionary Committee members wait for Huo Xueshen at home when he returned. As soon as Huo Xueshen came back, his mother didn't even get to see him before those bad people framed her and sent her to a desolate place for "re-education."
“His mother was in the hospital at the time. She heard from others that Huo Xueshen was caught by the Revolutionary Committee for trying to come back to see her. After being beaten and verbally abused, he was sent to the most difficult place for reform. His mother couldn’t bear it and went to the emergency room. She was hanging on by a thread waiting for Huo Yunqi to come. How could Huo Yunqi have the face to come after doing such a bad thing? The doctor saw her struggling to stay afloat with oxygen and felt sorry for her. Later, she asked someone to find me, and I went to see her one last time.”
Having heard from Yang Guohua that Huo Xueshen was reported by his own family, Su Yue was still shocked to hear Grandma Yang, an insider, recount the story in such detail.
In order to get the Revolutionary Committee to arrest Huo Xueshen, Huo Yunqi lied and said that his mother had died, which forced him to leave the research base. If he had just fallen ill, Huo Xueshen probably wouldn't have come back.
"Does Huo Yunqi have some deep-seated hatred for Huo Xueshen?" Su Yue asked, her brows furrowed.
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