"Pick one for me too."
"That's impossible. You'll have to do it yourself."
“Alright, I’ll write a letter. When you get to our village, there will be someone who can take care of you. Also, I keep dreaming about home lately, like something is calling me, but I can’t go back at all right now. I’ll give you some money, so you can buy some paper money and burn it for me at my great-grandmother’s grave.”
"Okay, don't reveal my identity in the letter."
Liu Jingze nodded.
Zhang Shouyi left the day after he finished speaking.
Liu Jingze stared blankly at the resignation letter on the table for a long time.
Zhang Shouyi left without asking for anyone; he simply took a train and traveled for three days and three nights to reach the city, and then took a bus. By the time he arrived in the village, it was already night, and there was nowhere to stay. Since the weather wasn't cold, he simply stayed at the entrance of the primary school.
"Comrade, why are you here?"
"Sir, I've come to visit relatives, but I don't know the way. It's getting dark, and I'm thinking of waiting until tomorrow to ask someone for directions."
"Come inside and sleep. There's only one bed; you'll have to sleep on the chair."
"Okay, thank you so much, sir."
"Comrade, you're not from around here, are you?"
"Yes, I came from the capital. I came here to live because of my poor health."
The old man poured Zhang Shouyi a glass of water. "I also have some cornbread here, would you like one?"
"Thanks, I'm hungry too." Zhang Shouyi hadn't eaten all day. He ate the cornbread, and it tasted sweet.
The old man was lonely, and today he finally had someone to talk to.
"Comrade, which village are you going to?"
"Grandpa, do you know Liujiatun?"
"Yes, I'm from Liujiatun."
"That's such a coincidence."
"Comrade, are you going to live in Liujiatun?"
"Yes, I'm prepared to spend the rest of my life here."
"Then you've chosen the right place. Let me tell you, Liujiatun is a place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. The current leaders are from here."
I also heard my grandfather say that the people here were all former royal servants, said to be guarding the dragon vein.
But that heartless Zhou Yuanqing actually looted a huge amount of gold here. That spendthrift son squandered it all.
"All the good things left by our ancestors are gone." The old man became a little emotional as he said this.
Zhang Shouyi knew that Zhou Yuanqing had obtained gold here, but that wasn't what he valued. He chose this place because he listened to the call of his heart.
"Grandpa, things are much better now. Our country will get better and better, and people's lives will get better and better too."
"Yes, things will definitely get better. We can do it."
Seeing the old man's excited expression, Zhang Shouyi didn't dare to say anything.
"Comrade, if you go to stay in Liujiatun, you must not choose the house closest to the mountain."
Why?
“That house belonged to a capable young man in our village. The couple both worked in the army and had a little girl who was sent back when she was five. When she was ten, disaster struck, and the couple also passed away. The little girl didn’t make it through; the whole family was gone.”
That house is very ominous. I heard that some people want to live there, but as soon as they enter the courtyard, they feel a chill.
That's why no one has dared to go in all these years.
Zhang Shouyi didn't believe it, but it still sounded quite creepy.
"Comrade, don't disbelieve me. That ten-year-old girl had a fever the day before, and then she disappeared the next day. The village chief took people to check, but there was no one or anything that broke in."
Then everyone went up the mountain to search, figuring the little girl might have been starving and gone up to find food. But after searching the mountain for over twenty people, we couldn't find anything. Even if she had been eaten by wolves, there should have been traces, but strangely, we found absolutely nothing.
Since then, we've never dared to go up the mountain in small groups. Isn't that eerie?
"That's a bit of a possibility. The little girl might have gotten lost and can't find her way out."
"We didn't dare go any further in; it felt like our hair was standing on end."
Zhang Shouyi didn't take it to heart and just listened to it as a story.
The next day at dawn, the old man told Zhang Shouyi how to get there.
"Do you need me to help send messages home or something?"
"I'm all alone at home now, so I'm not going back."
Following the directions given by the old man, Zhang Shouyi walked for more than an hour before finally arriving at Liujiatun.
He stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the surroundings, and genuinely felt that it was very nice.
He only brought a leather bag containing some changes of clothes, and of course, plenty of money.
He touched the letter in his pocket and went straight into the village, but as if drawn by something, his gaze involuntarily fell on the dilapidated house at the foot of the mountain.
Is this the strange family the old man was talking about?
Zhang Shouyi shook his head, saying he needed to settle himself first before going over.
"Young man, how do I get to the village chief's house?"
"Are you from outside?"
Zhang Shouyi nodded, "Yes, I am an outsider."
"Then come with me, I'll take you there."
"What's your name, young man?"
“My name is Liu Aidang, my nickname is Shitou, and the village chief you are looking for is my father.”
Zhang Shouyi thought to himself that he would really ask someone for help.
"Stone, how are things in the village now?"
"It's alright, at least no one will starve to death."
Zhang Shouyi looked at the short, thin young man and sighed inwardly.
"We're here. This is my home. Dad, someone from out of town is looking for you."
An elderly man with a slightly hunched back came out. His face was full of wrinkles, and he was very thin. You could tell from his appearance that he had a very difficult life.
"Comrade, what brings you here? Come in and sit down."
"Village chief, this is a letter. You'll understand once you read it."
Liu Maocai took it and saw that it was Jingze's notes.
After reading it, he looked at Zhang Shouyi and asked, "Are you sure you want to stay here?"
“Yes, I won’t lie to the village chief, I came here to die. I want to be buried on the mountain after I die.” Zhang Shouyi pointed to Daqingshan Mountain.
"Okay, since Jingze has said so, there's no problem."
"Village chief, I'll have to trouble you again. I'm going to stay here permanently. Could you find me a house? Building one is also an option."
"Comrade, there are no vacant houses in the village. If we were to build one, it would take several days to complete."
"Aren't there any vacant rooms?"
"Yes, they used to be from our village. The couple sacrificed their lives on the border. Their child lived at home for five years before disappearing too."
Zhang Shouyi found it a little amusing. What kind of fate was this?
"Okay, village chief, we'll stay there."
"But that house is very eerie. Nobody dares to go in."
"It's alright, I'm not afraid. Don't worry, village chief, even if something really happens, it's my fate."
Seeing his insistence, Liu Maocai didn't say anything. Eight years have passed, what could possibly have happened?
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