It's no wonder that Zhao Qingshan's entire family is in Kyoto City. Even the wooden box containing his wife Wu Baolian's soul is with him. In Zhaojiagou, apart from an old house, Zhao Qingshan really has nothing to worry about.
People are like that; they like to stay where their hearts are. Zhao Qingshan was no exception. Furthermore, Zhao Qingshan had been very busy in Kyoto over the years. Besides checking the pulses of several leaders every month, he also spent his free time taking care of his four grandchildren.
"My grandma has not been in good health in the past two years. There is something she wanted to wait until you returned to Zhaojiagou. Over the years, my grandma has been looking forward to your return, so she took the opportunity of my visit to Kyoto City to ask me to bring a message to you, old secretary." Zhao Cao looked at Zhao Qingshan, who was smiling, with a troubled look in his eyes.
The words that Aunt Gu asked Cao to bring to Zhao Qingshan were really unpleasant to hear, and Zhao Cao was a little reluctant to say them. However, since it was Aunt Gu's request, Zhao Cao had no choice but to do so.
"Gu Daya, if you have something to say, why don't you call me? You are such a troublesome girl to run around, and you are not tired at all." Zhao Qingshan thought that Zhao Cao came to Kyoto specifically to deliver a message for Gu Daya, and he couldn't help but say with a smile.
Mentioning Gu Daya reminds Zhao Qingshan of his decades in Zhaojiagou. Zhao Qingshan has lived in Zhaojiagou for more than half his life. When his wife, Wu Baolian, was alive, she and Gu Daya were as close as sisters. After Wu Baolian's death, Gu Daya cried bitterly.
"My grandma, she's not in a good mood when she's on the phone. Village calls have to be made to the brigade headquarters, and when someone calls, Uncle Youtian is always on guard at the brigade headquarters! Grandma is afraid that Uncle Youtian will eavesdrop and damage your image in Uncle Youtian's heart. But this is not the case, and she feels uncomfortable." Zhao Cao answered honestly.
Zhao Youtian was the village chief of Zhaojiagou. After Zhao Qingshan stepped down as the village party secretary, Zhao Youtian was in charge of the affairs of Zhaojiagou.
What's so mysterious? Are you afraid Uncle Tian might eavesdrop? Zhou Yuanyuan's ears perked up a little.
Zhao Qingshan was also puzzled. After hearing what Cao said, it seemed as if there was some secret between him and Gu Daya that they were hiding from others.
"Hey kid, come on! I'm listening!" The smile on Zhao Qingshan's face faded. As he got older, he'd met more people. Zhao Qingshan considered himself upright and honest, so he wasn't really afraid of a flower blooming from the grass.
"Old Secretary Grandpa, my grandma asked me to bring you this message: Even though you, Zhao Qingshan, have become rich in Kyoto City over the years, you should not forget Wu Baolian who is buried in the Daqing Mountain!" Zhao Cao imitated Aunt Gu's vicissitudes of life in saying the latter part of the sentence.
Zhao Qingshan was stunned. So, Gu Daya came here to speak up for Wu Baolian?
Zhao Qingshan felt guilty for his own thoughts.
Before Zhao Cao said this, Zhao Qingshan thought that Aunt Gu wanted to blackmail him by taking advantage of some old incident.
After all, the Zhao family's life was different now. In the eyes of the Zhaojiagou villagers, Zhao Qingshan was now living a life of extraordinary wealth, with promising sons and daughters, and Zhao Qingshan himself was a renowned doctor. Even if Aunt Gu wanted to seek some benefits from Zhao Qingshan for her descendants, it wasn't impossible.
Zhao Qingshan didn't expect that Gu Daya asked Zhao Cao to make such a serious trip because of his wife Wu Baolian.
From Cao's narration, Zhao Qingshan finally understood why Gu Daya asked Cao to make such a trip.
The couple Zhao Qingshan and Wu Baolian are a "legendary" existence in Zhaojiagou.
When Wu Baolian was alive, Zhao Qingshan and her husband shared a loving relationship that was the envy of all the women in Zhaojia Village. After Wu Baolian died, Zhao Qingshan buried her on Daqing Mountain. Even during the years when feudal superstitions were prohibited, Zhao Qingshan would often secretly visit Wu Baolian's grave to pay his respects.
In the years immediately following Wu Baolian's death, the Zhao family had several waves of matchmakers come every year to find Zhao Qingshan a match. Zhao Qingshan rejected them all, insisting on being both the father and the mother, raising a pair of children.
In the eyes of the women in Zhaojiagou Village, Zhao Qingshan became a "love saint", and Wu Baolian became the envy of the ladies in the village. She could hold on to her husband's heart even after her death. Except for Wu Baolian, no other woman in the surrounding area could have such a talent.
Gu Daya was the same. She had always been proud that her good sister Wu Baolian married Zhao Qingshan, such a loyal husband.
Gu Daya's sense of pride came to an abrupt end ten years ago.
After Zhao Qingshan moved to Kyoto City, he never returned. Every year around the Qingming Festival, Gu Daya would always look forward to Zhao Qingshan's appearance in the village, but every year, Zhao Qingshan disappointed her.
Every year before Qingming Festival, Gu Daya would pick a day and quietly go up the mountain in the middle of the night to clear the weeds on Wu Baolian's grave, and then arrange to pay tribute to Wu Baolian.
Because of this, even if the villagers of Zhaojiagou had never seen Zhao Qingshan, when they saw the offerings in front of Wu Baolian's grave, they would think that Zhao Qingshan had gone back to pay homage to Wu Baolian, but just did not enter the village.
Before asking Zhao Cao to deliver the message, Aunt Gu had specifically called Zhao Yunxiang and found out that Zhao Qingshan had not remarried in recent years. That's why she asked Zhao Cao to stop by Zhao Qingshan's house. Otherwise, Aunt Gu wouldn't have asked Zhao Cao to do this "hateful" thing.
"Old Secretary Grandpa, please don't be offended! My grandma has a stubborn temper. She doesn't want to blame you. She is thinking that she doesn't have much time left to live. She is afraid that after she is gone, Grandma Baolian will..." Zhao Cao's explanation was a bit messy, but Zhao Qingshan understood it.
What Aunt Gu meant was that she was afraid that after she died, no one would take care of Wu Baolian's grave!
"No, no, I also want to thank your grandmother for reminding me." Zhao Qingshan came back to his senses and couldn't help feeling ashamed of his negligence.
This was the custom in Zhaojiagou. If no one in the family came to pay respects to the deceased every year, the villagers would look down on the family. Gu Daya had quietly helped Zhao Qingshan pay respects to Wu Baolian over the years, and Zhao Qingshan truly owed her a favor.
Zhao Qingshan really didn't think about going back to the village to pay tribute to Wu Baolian.
In Zhao Qingshan's view, Wu Baolian's spirit has always been with him, and the grave on Daqing Mountain is just a burial of Wu Baolian's body. Zhao Qingshan also holds homage to Wu Baolian at home.
After Zhou Yuanyuan found a soul-nourishing technique for Zhao Qingshan, he devoted all his attention to nurturing Wu Baolian's soul. Every morning and evening, Zhao Qingshan would recite the "soul-nourishing technique" Zhou Yuanyuan had taught him several times to the soul-nourishing wooden box.
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