Su Congwen stopped and stood there, looking at the big tree quietly.
Hundreds of years old, the tree has weathered countless storms and yet it still stands tall. Its tangled roots and lush branches hold up a giant green umbrella. Beneath it, people who have lived here for generations, enjoying the cool air and chatting about family matters.
This tree has listened to countless voices, witnessed the history of this place, and still stands there silently for a long time.
When Su Congwen looked at the tree, he seemed to understand why Brother Zhang had to bury himself under this tree. Because as long as he saw this tree, he knew that he had returned home, and being buried under this tree seemed to give him the same tenacious vitality as him.
"Uncle, what are you looking at?" A childish voice next to him brought Su Congwen back to his senses.
Su Congwen turned his head and saw a small little girl with pigtails. She was wearing a flowery dress, her face was rosy, and she blinked her big eyes as she looked at him curiously.
"I'm looking at this tree." Su Congwen smiled.
"What's so good about this?" the little girl was puzzled. "Why do you adults like to look at this tree?"
"All?" Su Congwen smiled again, "Who else likes it?"
"My mother," the little girl replied seriously, "when she's not working, she likes to come here and sit and look at this tree. I don't know what's so beautiful about it."
Su Congwen looked at her cute little face and couldn't help pinching it. Sui Huan from his eldest brother's family should be about the same age as this little girl now, right?
?The little girl was pinched and stared at him.
"Ahem." Su Congwen felt a little guilty. "Uncle, can I ask you something?"
"What's the matter?" The little girl's attention was easily diverted.
"Is there any family with the surname Zhang in your village?" Su Congwen asked the little girl where Brother Zhang's home was.
"That's a lot." The little girl frowned and thought for a moment, then counted on her fingers, "Zhang Bieber, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Zhang, and Uncle Two..."
The girl met several people with the surname Zhang in one year. "In our village, many people have the surname Zhang."
"My last name is Zhang too."
Su Congwen was stunned for a moment, looking at the little girl's eyes. Suddenly, he took out the photo that Brother Zhang had given him from his bag. Looking at the girl's face in the photo and the little girl standing opposite him, Su Congwen's heart tightened. He anticipated something and asked, "Little girl, tell your uncle, what is your father's name? Is it Zhang Qingshan?"
The little girl's eyes widened when she heard this, but before she could answer, an anxious voice came from behind her.
"Flower! Who are you talking to? Come here!"
Su Congwen turned around and saw a young woman running towards him hurriedly. She took the little girl's hand, asked her to hide behind her, and then looked at him warily.
Huahua? Su Congwen's heart trembled.
The woman looked to be in her 20s, with beautiful features, but the wrinkles and fatigue on her face made people ignore her beauty, and she was dressed very simply.
"Who are you? Who are you looking for in our village?" The woman saw that Su Congwen was a stranger, and then saw the wound on his face, and took two steps back.
"Mom, uncle is here to look for Dad." The little girl named Huahua spoke, looking at Su Congwen with some excitement.
When she was only one year old, Zhang Qingshan left home. In her memory, there was no father at all. Many children in the village laughed at her and said she was a fatherless child. Every time, she came home crying. Every time at this time, her mother told them loudly that her father was a glorious soldier who was fighting outside to protect the country. She was a soldier's daughter and could not cry and had to be strong.
So later on, Huahua would tell the other children exactly what her mother said. Over time, her longing for and anticipation for her father grew stronger and stronger. She looked forward to his return every day, so she often stood at the entrance of the village looking out, waiting for her father to come home in his imposing military uniform and a big red flower, just as her mother had said.
When Su Congwen mentioned her father's name, Huahua thought her father was coming back, so she was very excited.
"Who are you looking for?" the woman said in disbelief. "Qingshan?"
"I..." Su Congwen didn't know how to start for a moment. He was not looking for Brother Zhang, but bringing Brother Zhang back.
"Is Qingshan coming back?" The woman was overjoyed at the thought of this possibility, and her eyes lit up with anticipation. "Is the war over? Is he coming back?"
"You are Sister Xiufang, right? I am Brother Zhang's comrade-in-arms. My name is Su Congwen. I came here this time for something. Is it convenient for me to go to your house to talk about it?" Su Congwen still couldn't bear to tell them the cruel truth here.
"It's convenient, of course it's convenient." Li Xiufang agreed repeatedly and said to Huahua, "Huahua, call me uncle."
"Hello, uncle!" the little girl called out loudly in a clear voice.
"Be good." Although Su Congwen was smiling, his eyes were sad. He didn't know how to face the mother and daughter later.
Li Xiufang and Huahua led the way in front, their steps brisk and impatient.
Su Congwen followed the two of them, his steps heavy and his heart becoming more and more depressed.
Finally arrived at Zhang's house.
Li Xiufang poured Su Congwen a glass of water and said, "Are you tired from the journey? Drink some water."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Su Congwen took a sip and organized his words in his mind.
"What exactly were you talking about just now?" Li Xiufang looked at him expectantly.
Su Congwen put down the cup, was silent for a long time, then stood up and knelt on the ground.
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