Chapter 52 Past Events in the Village, Painful Memories
Jiang Ning helped the Third Uncle to a wasteland. The weeds that could grow to half a person's height seemed to be restricted by some invisible barrier here. There were only shallow grasses that were not higher than the ankles.
But to be honest, this place can't be considered a wasteland, because there were piles of earth one after another, and there were stone tablets with words in front of the earth. Here, there were all graves!
"Girl, if you are afraid, just stand here, you don't have to help me over." The Third Uncle said sympathetically.
Jiang Ning shook her head and said nothing. What's there to be afraid of dead people.
The third aunt instructed Jiang Ning to take her to one of the graves, then she sat down on the grass, lit a candle, and burned paper money while slowly speaking: "Lilin, Xiaoman, I'm here to see you..."
Jiang Ning looked at the tombstone and saw "The Tomb of Beloved Son He Lilin and Beloved Grandson He Xiaoman". It turned out to be a joint burial tomb!
The pain of losing a son is already extremely painful in the world, and I never thought that this old man also suffered the pain of losing his grandson. Jiang Ning's pupils shrank slightly, and it was difficult to connect the old man in front of her with the kind old lady who washed her hair before.
Jiang Ning stepped back a few steps so as not to disturb the old man mourning his children and grandchildren. But when she turned around, she glanced casually and seemed to see the two words "Liu Ming" on a certain tombstone.
Jiang Ning's heart tightened. She stood there hesitantly for a moment, but she still walked over and pulled away the last word covered by the grass. It was indeed the word "An"!
The entire tombstone read: "The Tomb of the Late Father Liu Qingzhi and the Late Mother He Shuyun, Lieutenanted by the Son Liu Mingan."
Another joint tomb!
It was the joint tomb of Liu Mingan's parents!
The wind was blowing softly. The world was silent. Only the low voice of Third Uncle’s wife came with the wind: “…I’m fine. I just suddenly dreamed of you two last night and couldn’t sleep all night. Today I thought of coming over to talk to you…”
“…Don’t worry about me and the old man. We are both in good health. The old man can eat three bowls of rice in one meal, and I can eat two bowls…”
“…The chicken at home hasn’t laid eggs for two days. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. If it doesn’t lay eggs, I’ll ask the old man to catch it and sell it…”
Third Uncle’s wife was hunched over, looking tired and old. She lowered her head slightly and kept muttering about the family’s affairs one after another. In the wind, it sounded like sobbing. Jiang Ning knew that it was a deep longing.
Jiang Ning waited quietly with Third Uncle for more than half an hour, and only went forward to help her up when she saw her getting up.
Third Uncle looked at Jiang Ning gratefully, and then reminded her: "Jiang girl, don't come near this mountain in the future. There are too many deaths on this mountain, and it is full of evil spirits. It is not good for you." Jiang
Ning discovered the last time she went up the mountain that this mountain is rich in resources, but rarely visited by people, which is unreasonable. Now that Third Uncle brought it up, she couldn't help her curiosity, so she asked: "Third Uncle, what happened on this mountain?"
Third Uncle turned her head and looked at Jiang Ning for a while, her expression a little tangled. Soon, she sighed and began to slowly recount the past of the Lotus Village: "In the past, everyone in the village loved to go to the mountains to hunt, and live off the mountains. Even I, an old woman, would go up the mountains every few days to dig wild vegetables and pick mushrooms, but that was more than ten years ago..."
The Third Uncle's Wife stopped and looked up at the tall and verdant mountains: "Later, He Wu's father saw a wild boar drinking water in the valley, and came back to tell everyone. They all thought that there couldn't be only one wild boar, there must be at least several. That thing has thick skin, strong flesh, and sharp teeth, and it takes at least three or five men to catch it, so a dozen young men in the village made an appointment to go up the mountain together..."
A dozen young men? Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes, turned her head and looked at the grave behind her, she was shocked.
When the third aunt said this, she sighed again, her eyes showing infinite sadness: "It rained heavily that night, they hid in a cave to avoid the rain, and then..."
The old woman choked up, painful memories flooded her heart, Jiang Ning could feel her body trembling slightly.
"The cave collapsed, they were dead, all dead... My son, my grandson, everyone, all dead... We couldn't even find the bodies. We went up the mountain and only found the sticks and ropes they brought at the entrance of the cave. Going further in, it completely collapsed, nothing was left... These graves are just cenotaphs, just to fulfill the wishes of the living..."
After saying this, the eyes that were always smiling in Jiang Ning's memory were filled with tears.
Jiang Ning finally understood why no one came to this mountain, and why Liu Mingan advised her not to go up the mountain. She was not good at comforting people, and any comfort was in vain. At this moment, all she could do was remain silent.
The third aunt wiped her eyes with her sleeves, then led Jiang Ning to her home, saying as they walked: "Jiang girl, do you know how people outside call us Lotus Village?"
Jiang Ning answered truthfully: "I don't know. I don't like to move around, and I haven't had much contact with people outside."
"Widow Village!" The third aunt asked herself and answered, then went on: "There are more than ten widows in this village overnight, including Liu Mingan's mother, He Yiyi's mother, He Wen and He Wu's mother, He Zhenhu's mother... These young wives all lost their husbands overnight and became widows. Then they had to raise their children. How hard it is!"
Jiang Ning sent the third aunt all the way home. When she was about to say goodbye, she heard the old woman stop her and said earnestly: "Jiang girl, Ming'an is a child with a miserable life. His father would not have gone up the mountain at first, but he went just because he said he wanted to eat meat. Later, something happened and he thought he had harmed his father. He ran to kneel beside his father's grave in the rain at night. How could a six-year-old child withstand such abuse? He fell seriously ill and suffered from a chronic disease that took him several years to recover... "
The third aunt-in-law said something else, but Jiang Ning did not hear it. She was only thinking about her previous words. Liu Ming'an had briefly told her about this experience before. Jiang Ning thought he knelt for a whole night because he was too sad about losing his father. She never thought there was such a cause and effect behind it.
"What about his mother?" Jiang Ning asked after a while.
"Ming'an's parents loved each other very much. His father passed away and his mother almost lost half her life. Coincidentally, their only son also fell ill at that time. Alas! Poor mother, a woman, went to seek medical treatment everywhere without telling Ming'an, and had to find a job to earn money. She lived frugally but never let Ming'an suffer a single bite of food. When Ming'an's health finally improved and the life of the orphan and widow was about to get better, she became ill due to overwork and died..."
The third aunt sighed repeatedly, her eyes full of sympathy, and added, "At that time, Ming'an was only thirteen years old."
Jiang Ning was stunned, and her mood was so complicated that she couldn't express it in words.
"Haven't you ever wondered why the house you live in now is so small and shabby, how can it accommodate a family of three?" Third Aunt asked again.
Jiang Ning nodded. She was naturally puzzled. Liu Ming'an told her that he had moved once, but that house was bare and had only one bed. It didn't look like a home at all, but more like a temporary residence.
Hearing what the Third Uncle said, it seemed that there was something hidden.
Sure enough, the Third Uncle said, "Ming'an's real home is at the other end of the village. After his mother died, he moved out and left that house for the villagers to store firewood and rest. He built a shabby house on the other side. No one could guess why he did this..."
Why?
Perhaps it was to avoid being reminded of his mother by the sight of the house. After his mother died, Liu Ming'an abandoned that house, which meant that he would never have a home again.
Jiang Ning had never had a family, so she couldn't understand Liu Ming'an's mood at that time, but she knew that when Liu Ming'an made this decision, he must have been heartbroken.
"Jiang girl, do you know why I'm telling you this?" The Third Uncle stretched out her hand full of old cocoons and held Jiang Ning's hand, asking with a loving face.
Jiang Ning shook her head.
"Ming'an has a hard life but a kind heart. I treat him as my own grandson." The Third Aunt looked at Jiang Ning steadily and said pleadingly, "I can see that you are not an ordinary girl. Ming'an's life has been much better after being with you. I just hope that no matter what happens in the future, you will remember that he spent all his belongings to buy you back, and don't do anything to hurt him, okay?"
Jiang Ning's eyes flashed with Liu Ming'an's face with a gentle smile, and his gentle and smiling words seemed to echo in his ears. The corners of her lips under the veil unconsciously curled up.
The Third Aunt heard the young girl in front of her solemnly promise: "Don't worry."
After Jiang Ning left the Third Aunt's house, she did not listen to her and stay away from the mountain. Instead, she came to the foot of the mountain again and walked into the cemetery.
Jiang Ning stood in front of the tombstone of Liu Mingan's parents, staring at the three words "Liu Mingan" on the tombstone.
Thirteen years ago, the six-year-old Liu Mingan knelt here,
what was he thinking? Six years ago, the thirteen-year-old Liu Mingan knelt here, what was he thinking?
Every year after that, when Liu Mingan worshipped his parents, what was he thinking?
Jiang Ning felt that her mind was in a mess. The words of the third aunt echoed in her ears like a devil's curse, disturbing her thoughts over and over again.
Liu Mingan actually had such a life experience!
Every time Jiang Ning thought of this name, her heart felt like being pulled by someone. She slowly stretched out her hand and pressed it on her beating heart. She knew that she had a new feeling called "heartache".
I should be nicer to him in the future, Jiang Ning told herself.