At this moment, Zhao Xian looked at Ouyang Nan, seemingly lost in thought, as if he had something to say.
"Brother, is there something you need?"
"Ouyang Nan, how many years have you and Xiaoyu been in Narcissus Village?"
“My sister and I have been in Narcissus Village for six years. I was eight years old when my sister was five.”
Zhao Xian nodded and said:
"Time flies so fast. Six years have passed in the blink of an eye. Soon you will leave Narcissus Town and live in the capital. You will have to work in the Hanlin Academy and study hard to prepare for the imperial examination three years from now. It will be difficult to have time to go home."
I brought you and Xiaoyu out back then, and so many years have passed, but you've never been back to your hometown. When your grandfather passed away and was buried, the villagers all helped out.
So many years have passed, the villagers should still remember you. You should go back and let them know how you are doing now, so they don't have to worry.
When you go back this time, you must visit Grandpa's grave. If we don't take care of it, the earthen mound will disappear in no time. When you go back this time, please repair Grandpa's grave.
You must pay a visit to those who helped you in the past to express your gratitude.
Zhao Xian's words reminded Ouyang Nan of his childhood, and his eyes welled up with tears.
"Brother, I understand. I'll make some preparations now, and tomorrow morning I'll take Xiaoyu back to our hometown to visit Grandpa's grave and see the villagers."
Tomorrow we're going back to our hometown to visit. Ouyang Xiaoyu is very happy. She's eleven years old this year, and her memories of those days are a bit blurry, but she still remembers her grandfather's appearance vividly.
Thinking of her grandfather and the tragic situation she and her brother had faced, Ouyang Xiaoyu couldn't help but cry.
Early the next morning, Zhao Xian prepared two carriages and arranged two attendants to protect the brother and sister's safety.
As they were setting off, Zhao Xian took out several silver notes and handed them to Ouyang Nan, saying:
"After you go back, besides taking care of a few important things, you should also repay the people who helped you."
"This time when I return to the village, I must keep a low profile and avoid making a fuss."
With tears in his eyes, Ouyang Nan accepted the silver note, nodded, and said:
"Don't worry, brother. I will do my best to handle the things you asked me to do after I return to the village."
After Ouyang Nan and Ouyang Xiaoyu got on the bus, they left Shuixian Town and headed to the village where the siblings had lived as children.
The two carriages traveled for a day, and at dusk they arrived at a small town. Ouyang Nan stopped the carriages and looked around the town.
The town was not far from his hometown. He used to come here often when he was a child. The last time he and his sister came to this town, they met Zhao Xian.
At that time, he and his sister had become little beggars. After Zhao Xian treated them to noodles, he took them away and six years passed in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, they met their benefactor here, and their fates changed from that moment on.
"We'll spend the night in the town and continue our journey tomorrow morning," Ouyang Nan instructed.
Next, they found an inn and settled in. Then, they went to the noodle shop where the brother and sister had eaten noodles before. The waiter immediately came forward to greet them, and Ouyang Nan ordered each of them to have a bowl of noodles.
The noodle shop remained unchanged; the table near the door was still there, seemingly waiting quietly for the brother and sister to arrive.
The group sat down at the table, and the noodles were quickly served.
The town is not far from the village where Ouyang Nan lived as a child. Back then, it took Ouyang Nan and his sister half a day to walk to the town, but now they can get there in less than half an hour by horse-drawn carriage.
It was already morning, and most of the villagers were farmers who had gone to work in the fields, leaving few people behind.
The two horse-drawn carriages entered the village without attracting much attention, except for a few children who came to watch the spectacle.
The carriage stopped in front of the door. The house in front of them was already dilapidated. Seeing this, the brother and sister burst into tears.
In Ouyang Nan's view, after his grandfather passed away, he and his sister left their hometown, and the old house his grandfather left behind should have collapsed long ago.
It was an adobe house after all. When my grandfather was alive, he would replace the straw on the roof every year. Six years have passed, and the straw on the roof has long since rotted.
To Ouyang Nan's surprise, the straw on the roof was still there, as if it had just been replaced recently.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Nan was stunned. Could the house be inhabited? He then began to examine it carefully.
The front of the house was overgrown with weeds, and the brass lock on the door was rusty. The old house must have been uninhabited for a long time.
Ouyang Nan was very familiar with the brass lock on the gate. When his grandfather went to work in the fields, he would leave them at home. If they wanted to go out to play, they would lock the gate with this brass lock and hang the key around their necks.
Years later, the old house remains unchanged. It is likely that the villagers add straw to the roof every year to maintain the house and prevent it from collapsing.
My sister and I have been away from our hometown for many years without any news. The villagers must still be thinking about us and hoping that we can come back and have a place to settle down.
Seeing the objects brought back memories, and the brother and sister's eyes welled up with tears. The brass lock hung on the gate, but the key was nowhere to be found.
Ouyang Nan took a few steps forward, walked to the door, and tried to open the brass lock, but the lock was already broken. As soon as he touched it, the brass lock fell off.
This brass lock holds childhood memories for him and his sister, and now that it's in such a dilapidated state, Ouyang Nan feels heartbroken.
Ouyang Nan bent down, picked up the copper lock, and prepared to go back and have it repaired so he could keep it as a keepsake.
Next, Ouyang Nan slowly pushed open the door and went inside.
Fourteen-year-old Ouyang Nan was very tall, and the low doorway made it necessary for him to duck to enter.
The room was dark and damp, covered in dust, and some of the wooden furniture was rotten. The large water vat stood alone in the kitchen.
This is the place where my sister and I lived when we were little, and everything still feels so familiar.
After inspecting every corner of the house, the brother and sister slowly walked out of the old house.
The two horse-drawn carriages at the entrance attracted many village children, who ran over to watch the spectacle.
Most of these children were only five or six years old. They were probably not even born when Ouyang Nan and his sister left the village.
The children didn't recognize them, of course, but the brother and sister felt very close to them. Ouyang Xiaoyu took some snacks from the car and shared them with the children.
It was morning, and the adults had all gone to work in the fields. There weren't many people in the village, so Ouyang Nan prepared to go to his grandfather's grave.
Ouyang Nan had the driver wait at the door to guard the carriage. The brother and sister took some paper money and offerings from the carriage, and with two attendants, they walked out of the village.
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