Su Qing's heart tightened; Si Gui and the other two had returned yesterday.
This news will definitely spread, and then both the deceased's family and the police will probably come knocking.
Thinking of this, Su Qingci immediately regretted her actions. Why did she make such a fuss when the person was not even someone she knew?
At the time, I thought that since we had met, and they were fellow overseas Chinese, and I had even found their boat and fish, it would be a simple matter for me to let them return to their roots.
I didn't expect that this would implicate Xu Dasheng and his group.
I hope I'm just overthinking it, otherwise she really meant well but did something wrong.
Hidden among the crowd, watching the police load the bodies one by one into the trucks and drive them away, the solemn atmosphere at the dock immediately lightened considerably.
Some family members chased after the car, crying, while the other onlookers seemed to have no inhibitions and started talking loudly.
Before long, several versions of the rumors, such as "the wronged soul returns home," "the water ghost seeks a substitute," and "the Bridge of Helplessness at sea," spread and quickly swept through the entire town.
After the police officers handling the case left, Su Qingci lowered her head and headed east.
Si Gui said their village is called Yunhai Bay. You can get there by going east from the dock and crossing a mountain.
Once they reached a secluded spot where no one was around, Su Qingci released the bicycle she had received from the farm in Peach Blossom Town.
I cycled all the way over the mountains and finally found the Yunhai Village that Sigui had mentioned.
Upon entering the village, Su Qingci headed north. Many fishermen, hearing the commotion, glanced up at Su Qingci before lowering their heads to continue their work.
Their fishing village makes a living by fishing and selling seafood, and merchants often come to the village to buy their catch.
Not to mention those riding bicycles, quite a few people even came in cars; it's nothing unusual.
When Su Qingci arrived at the north side of Yunhai Village, there were only a few scattered mud houses in front of her. At the door of one of the houses, an old woman was deftly turning over the dried fish that were drying in the sun.
Su Qingci, speaking in a mix of English and Cantonese, asked, "Grandma, may I ask which family is Sigui?"
The old lady stopped what she was doing, looked up and examined Su Qingci, then pointed to a tiled house on the far side.
"There it is!"
"Okay, thank you."
"Oh, Sister Su, you're here~"
Su Qingci had just arrived at the door of the tiled house with her bicycle when she ran into Sigui carrying a fishing net and walking outside.
Upon seeing Su Qingci, his eyes lit up, and he quickly and warmly went forward to greet her.
Before Su Qingci could speak, Si Gui called out into the room, "Si Xiang, come quickly."
"Hey, I'm here!" A little girl, about ten years old, hurriedly ran out.
Si Gui placed the fishing net she was holding into her arms, saying, "Mom has already mended this fishing net. Take it to Aunt Er Ying."
"Okay!"
Si Gui watched his younger sister leave with the fishing net before beckoning Su Qingci into the house.
"Come on, Sister Su, let me push your cart. Please come inside and sit down!"
Looking at the low, dilapidated house in front of her and hearing the names Si Gui and Si Xiang, Su Qingci felt extremely heavy-hearted.
Longing to return home — yearning to go back to one's hometown.
Si Xiang --- homesickness.
"Si Gui, who are you talking to?"
A weathered and thin woman walked in from the backyard.
"Mom, this is Sister Su, the kind person I told you about last night. If it weren't for her, I might not have been able to come back this time!"
"Auntie," Su Qingci greeted the woman softly with a smile.
"Why."
Liao Fengmei rubbed her hands nervously, "I heard Sigui mention you yesterday. Thank you so much! If it weren't for Sigui's good luck in meeting you, I... I..."
Liao Fengmei choked up as she spoke, her tired eyes instantly filling with tears.
Then he put his hands together and raised them towards Su Qingci as if to bow.
She was an uneducated country woman who didn't know how to say nice things or prepare a grand gift of thanks. Faced with her son's savior, she really didn't know how to express her gratitude.
Su Qingci was startled by Liao Fengmei's actions and quickly stepped forward to stop her, "Hey, hey, Auntie, there's no need for this, really no need for this. I didn't help much, it was just a small favor, yes, just a small favor."
"Feng'er, what's wrong?" A weak and worried voice came from the inner room.
He vaguely heard his wife crying and realized that the debt collectors had come again. He quickly pushed himself up from the bed, wanting to get out, put on his shoes, and come out to support his wife and children.
Hearing her father's voice, Si Gui hurried to the room. "Dad, it's alright, it's alright. Our benefactor has come to visit. Don't worry, come, let me help you down."
Liao Fengmei warmly invited Su Qingci to sit down. Then, as if she had thought of something, she quickly pulled down a nice washcloth hanging by the door and wiped the table and chairs before inviting Su Qingci to sit down.
Su Qingci noticed that she secretly took away a tattered rag covered in grime that was hanging under the table.
Liao Fengmei was also a little embarrassed. It wasn't that she was concerned about saving face; although she washed the rag often, the grease on it was impossible to remove, and it looked black.
The little girl looks like she comes from a wealthy family in the city. If they saw her, they would probably look down on her for being dirty.
Su Qingci pretended not to see Liao Fengmei's little tricks. Liao Fengmei breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and went out to borrow tea.
Borrowing tea is a very common practice in the village.
Normally, people drink well water, and tea is only boiled when guests come. Some families also keep a kettle full of hot water with a handful of tea leaves inside, so they can just pour it out when they want to drink.
Because her family hasn't had any seafood to sell for a long time, and no merchants have come to buy it, they haven't been able to brew tea for quite some time. If they were to brew it fresh, it would take a long time, and the freshly brewed tea would be scalding hot, making it unpalatable in this hot weather.
So she simply went next door to borrow a pot of tea that was already filled, drank it, refilled it, and returned it to the owner.
Si Gui helped her father out carefully. "Dad, come on, be careful."
Su Qingci stood up nervously and looked at the other person. A thin man with a hunched back was walking towards the living room with his head down and small steps, supported by Si Gui.
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