My grandfather's grave is on the west side of the village. It's a mass grave where most of the elderly people who die in the village are buried.
Ouyang Nan quickly found his grandfather's grave. It was an earthen grave, and six years had passed. Because no one had tended to it or added soil, a lot of the soil had been lost, and now it looked like a small mound.
The tombstone was quite eye-catching, with my grandfather's name engraved on it. The grave was surrounded by weeds, making it look very desolate.
The brother and sister placed offerings in front of the tombstone and then began burning paper money. Since they hadn't visited their grandfather's grave for many years, they planned to burn more paper money.
The brother and sister knelt before their grandfather's grave, recalling the moments from many years ago, and broke down in tears.
This is not an important time of year, and generally no one visits graves unless it is the anniversary of the deceased's death.
The mass graves are located in a large field, and the surrounding farmers can see them whenever someone visits a grave.
At first, people didn't pay attention. Normally, people would leave after burning paper money and setting off firecrackers.
Today, the people who went to the grave burned a lot of paper money and set off a lot of firecrackers, but after doing these things, they did not leave immediately. Instead, they knelt in front of the grave and wept bitterly.
The farmers around stopped what they were doing and looked toward the cemetery to see which family was visiting graves.
"Whose family is this? Why are they visiting a grave at this time? No one has died in the village recently."
"Did you notice that there were four people visiting the grave? The two in front were kneeling the whole time, and the two behind were standing without moving. I've never seen anyone visit a grave like that before."
"Yes, I noticed that too. These people don't seem to be from the village, especially the two standing at the back. They're really big and look a bit like government officials."
"Really? Let me take a closer look." In an instant, people began to pay attention.
“That doesn’t make sense. This cemetery is where people who have died in the village are buried. We should recognize the people who come to pay their respects, but these people are clearly not from the village. They must have come from out of town.”
"That grave seems to belong to Old Master Ouyang. He's been dead for many years, and it seems he has no servants. Could it be that the person visiting his grave is..."
“He also has a grandson and a granddaughter. The two siblings disappeared many years ago. Could it be that they have returned?”
"It's very likely that only Old Master Ouyang's grandson would be able to visit his grave, which means that the Ouyang siblings are not dead, they are still alive."
"Thank God, the two children are still alive. Let's go see them." Several farmers dropped the furniture they were carrying and headed to the cemetery.
Six years ago, Ouyang Nan took his younger sister out to beg. The villagers knew about it, but there was nothing they could do. They could only blame the two children for their bad luck in having such a cousin who ignored them and even took away their money.
After the two children went out to beg, they did not return to the village for several days. The villagers felt something was wrong and went out to look for them.
By then, the brother and sister had already been taken away by Zhao Xian, and the villagers had no way of finding them.
At that time, every village had a few people who went out to beg for food or flee famine. People were used to it and just hoped that the two of them would be safe.
All the villagers can do is repair the houses every year to prevent them from collapsing, hoping that the two children will have a place to stay when they return someday.
Several villagers arrived at the cemetery and began to observe the group of people who had come to pay their respects.
Kneeling in front were two teenagers, and behind them stood two burly men with broad backs and thick waists. They were obviously kung fu masters and had come to protect the two teenagers.
When the brother and sister left, they were only a few years old, still children. Six years have passed in the blink of an eye, and they are now over ten years old.
The villagers looked at the two teenagers in front of them. Ouyang Nan had changed a lot and was no longer recognizable as he used to be, but Ouyang Xiaoyu was only eleven years old and could still be vaguely recognized.
When Ouyang Nan saw that several villagers had arrived, he pulled Ouyang Xiaoyu to her feet.
An old man sized up the two of them, stepped forward, and asked cautiously.
"You must be old man Ouyang's grandsons. Your name is Ouyang..."
So many years have passed, the old man no longer remembers their names.
The brother and sister looked at the old man in front of them. He was an old man surnamed Li in the village, about the same age as their grandfather. Although the wrinkles on his face were deeper and his back was more hunched, the brother and sister recognized him at a glance.
Grandpa Li helped a lot when Grandpa was buried.
"You must be Grandpa Li. I'm Ouyang Nan, and this is my younger sister, Ouyang Xiaoyu," Ouyang Nan said excitedly.
"You are Ouyang Nan."
Old Li was so happy that he couldn't speak; his lips were trembling.
Several villagers nearby immediately gathered around and began to scrutinize Ouyang Nan and Ouyang Xiaoyu.
“That’s right, I recognize them now. They are indeed Old Man Ouyang’s grandson and granddaughter. Where have you been all these years?” a villager asked.
“Back then, my sister and I went out begging and met a kind person who not only took us in but also let us go to school.”
More and more people came to the cemetery at this time. The villagers were all working in the fields. News of Ouyang Nan and his sister's return spread quickly, and they all rushed over to visit them.
Gradually, people understood what was going on. It turned out that Old Man Ouyang's grandson and granddaughter had met a benefactor, who was none other than Marquis Zhengyang of Shuixian Village.
At that time, people did not know about Shuixian Village, let alone Zhao Xian.
The situation is different now. Everyone in the world knows about Narcissus Village, and the Marquis of Zhengyang of Narcissus Village is a remarkable figure in the Great Northern Dynasty, which is already widely known.
At this moment, Wu, the village head, also arrived. He was over fifty years old.
Back then, Old Man Ouyang was in a car accident, followed by the disappearance of Ouyang and his sister. These two events happened in quick succession, making Wu Lizheng feel extremely guilty.
Old Man Ouyang's death was a natural disaster and a man-made one, but he felt responsible for the disappearance of his two young children while begging.
The child was so young, yet he had to go out begging. In those days, survival was not easy.
Even if they don't encounter any danger, winter will come soon, and it will be difficult for children who lack food and clothing to get through the winter.
To his surprise, after so many years, his two children returned and were doing well, which brought Wu Lizheng a great deal of comfort.
With so many people gathered at the cemetery, it was not a good thing, so the village headman told everyone to return to the village.
There wasn't even a stool in Ouyang Nan's house, so it wouldn't be appropriate to go there. Wu Lizheng then led everyone back to his own home.
The sudden return of the brother and sister caused a sensation in the village, and villagers flocked to the village head's house to see what the brother and sister looked like now.
At the village head's house, everyone sat together, listening attentively as Ouyang Nan recounted the experiences of the brother and sister.
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