Chapter 372 Connecting the Upper and the Lower

One day in May 2015, I was concentrating on writing a story on the rooftop of Uncle Tiedan's house in Yanque Village, when I suddenly received a call from Uncle Tie Dan from Jindu.

"David, you hurry to Province G, go directly to the labor camp hospital, your father Gu Yuanshan is dying-he wants to see you for the last time-" Uncle Tiedan's voice was hurried and low.

I held my phone in a daze for a long time before I said, "I know!"

Uncle Zhiguo drove me directly to the labor camp.

Rushing to the door of the ward, I stopped, hesitated and refused to go in, Uncle Zhiguo said: "Go in, perhaps, this is the last time you see him, Gu Yuanshan, after all, it is your father!"

Looking through the glass window on the door, there were many people around the bed, and I couldn't see Gu Yuanshan's appearance at all, and I was secretly anxious in my heart.

Uncle Zhiguo pulled me to push the door in, and the people around the hospital bed turned their heads to look at me and took the initiative to make a way.

I saw the skinny Gu Yuanshan lying on the hospital bed, stretching out his shriveled hand towards me, with tears in my eyes, walking towards him step by step, feeling extremely heavy under my feet, as if filled with lead, unable to lift my heels.

Since I first met Gu Yuanshan, it has only been two months, and he has lost his spirit, like a lonely soul who refuses to leave in the world.

Gu Yuanshan stared at me with sunken eyes, a glimmer of light flashed in his pupils, and he struggled to sit up, Uncle Tie Dan helped him, and Aunt Li Fenglan was in tears and stuffed a pillow on his back.

I glanced nervously at the people around me, the adults were all solemn, the children had tears on their cheeks, and a little girl was crying in a low voice.

When I kept a distance of more than an arm's length from Gu Yuanshan, I stopped, unwilling to go any further, my heart was extremely afraid, afraid that Gu Yuanshan would catch me and let go.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Gu Yuanshan's eyes, and he stared at me directly, that gaze was a little crazy, and I couldn't help but be clever.

Gu Yuanshan asked me tremblingly: "Jinsong-are you, are you my son?"

My lips twitched twice, but I didn't make a sound, I didn't recognize him as my father, but I couldn't bear to let him leave with the mystery.

I nodded slowly after a fierce inner struggle. Gu Yuanshan squeezed out a smile with difficulty, stretched out his hand to me, and I stood there as if I had been pointed.

Gu Yuanshan's hand trembled in mid-air, and I always hardened my heart and did not reach out to meet his confession.

Gu Yuanshan finally couldn't hold it anymore, his hands hung down weakly, and his eyes were still looking at me faintly.

"Your father, he's gone—" Uncle Iron Egg's sad voice rang in my ears, and my heart grieved, but I didn't shed a single tear.

There was a lot of crying around, I don't understand, why are so many people sad when a person who has done a lot of evil has been duly punished?

I tried my best to suppress my emotions, and kept reminding myself: Gu Yuanshan is an irresponsible man who abandons his wife and children, and he is an executioner who does a lot of evil, and he is not worthy of your tears for him-

However, only I know that my heart, when I first saw him, never stopped crying. I wept for the tragic fate of Gu Yuanshan's childhood and youth, wept for him to be looked down upon and lost his beautiful love because of his inferiority complex, and even more for his complete transformation of humanity.

According to the last words of taking care of Yuanshan, his ashes were brought back to Yanque Village and buried next to his grandmother and my ancestors.

Gu Yuanshan's funeral was very simple, before he closed his eyes, I didn't call him dad, as the eldest son, I held his urn and sent him on his last journey, Xiaozheng held the portrait and followed me.

Standing in front of Gu Yuanshan's tombstone, I couldn't hold back any longer, and tears rolled down. Aunt Li Fenglan burst into tears and pleaded bitterly: "Jinsong-even if your father is not in every possible way, but he is already gone, you can call him and let him go on the road with peace of mind-I beg you-"

I was silent, and Aunt Li Fenglan knelt down in front of me with a puff, wept bitterly, looked up at me, and said, "Jinsong—I beg you—I will make amends for you on behalf of your father—"

"Auntie, don't force me—I beg you, don't force me!" He just left, but he knew how many times my mother had taken me to a foreign land, how many times she had suffered and how much she had suffered? He had not yet atoned for his sins—why should he escape with death—I would not forgive him, I would not forgive him, and I would not be able to forgive him in this life—" I left Aunt Li Fenglan, who was kneeling and weeping bitterly, and ran towards the mountains and forests.

"Jinsong-Xiao Jinsong-"

“david——”

"Brother-brother-"

Behind me was the shouts of the crowd, and I stood on the edge of the cliff, crying out to the sky with tears streaming down my face.

My hoarse shouts echoed in the mountains and forests, and Uncle Tie Dan stood a few meters away from me, quietly looking at my back.

After a long time, I pulled at my throat again and shouted: "Gu Yuanshan-you go all the way! When you get there-you must be a good man-"

I knelt on the ground facing the cliff, and Uncle Tie Dan was afraid that I would have an accident, so he rushed over and hugged me. I lay in his arms and wept bitterly, like a child who didn't know anything about the world, looked up at him with teary eyes, and asked, "Uncle, why—why is my father Gu Yuanshan?"

Uncle Tie Dan patted me on the back and whispered, "David, you are no longer a child, your father has no choice! No matter what kind of person he is, he is your father, others can dislike him, but you can't!"

Gu Yuanshan's death made me very sad for a while, and I called my mother across the ocean and told her: "Gu Yuanshan is gone-"

My mother was silent at the other end, and after a long time, I heard sobs, and I suddenly understood that my mother had been in her heart for more than twenty years.

As the saying goes: how deep the hate is, how deep the love will be, if you don't love or hate, that's a stranger -

I asked softly, "Mom, hereareyoucrying"

“oh,david,momdidn'tcry!goodbye!”

When I hung up the phone, I couldn't calm down my sad mood for a long time, and I could imagine my mother's infinite sadness on the phone.

I murmured in my heart: "Gu Yuanshan, you should be content, you are sorry for so many people, but no one really resents you—everyone is sad for your departure-"

Aunt Li Fenglan, accompanied by Uncle Tiedan, sent a relic left to me by Gu Yuanshan, which was a thick hand-copied notebook.

Aunt Li Fenglan sobbed and said to me: "Jinsong, this is what your father wrote in the last stage of his life, spending all his waking time—he didn't want to leave a broken chapter on your story after his life came to an end—he told me to give it to you, hoping it would help you—"

I picked up the notebook, put it on my chest, looked at Aunt Li Fenglan guiltily, and said apologetically: "Auntie-I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

"Jinsong, I have never blamed you, I just ask you to read the words left by your father with your heart, I hope that one day, you can understand him and truly forgive him! Tomorrow, I will leave Yanque Village with your sister, your veins are flowing with your father's blood, and at any time, you are brothers and sisters who will never stop family affection!" Aunt Li Fenglan said many words in one breath, and every sentence was like a heavy hammer, beating my heart, very painful.

I asked worriedly, "Auntie, where are you going to take your sister?"

"Go to a place where there is no shadow of your father, live an ordinary life, raise your sister in peace and stability, let her grow up healthy and healthy without burden!" Aunt Li Fenglan took a deep breath, looked at me, and squeezed out a smile.

"Auntie, you have to take care, I will go to see you!"

"Okay, you're busy, I'm leaving!" Aunt Li Fenglan got up, and I followed behind her, silently watching her distant back, with tears in my eyes.

Uncle Tie Dan patted me on the shoulder and said, "David, there are some things that you have to let go of! Look at a person, don't always hold on to his mistakes, look at it from a different angle, perhaps, it will change your initial point of view! Rest early!"

I nodded silently and sent Uncle Tie Dan downstairs, and then, I couldn't wait to open the notebook left by Gu Yuanshan, I was curious about what he left behind in the last stage of his life.

Turning the title page of the diary, tears welled up in my eyes. Gu Yuanshan wrote:

Jinsong, my dear son, I am not in a position to ask for your forgiveness. I have done evil to your mother, and I have harmed you—I have not known you existed for more than twenty years, but you can imagine how much your mother hates me!

If I knew that there was such a lovely son as you, when your mother returned to China for funeral, I would definitely follow her with a dead face, go to the other side of the ocean, take you back, and atone for your sins!

Jinsong, I am a heinous sinner, even if I die, it will be a stench for 10,000 years. I am not worthy to be your father, and at any time, don't tell anyone that you are Gu Yuanshan's son-

I continued to flip through the diary without crying, Gu Yuanshan wrote on the second page: One wrong step is a lifelong mistake, if I take the right path, I will be a good official supported by the people; if Ma Xuan'er takes the right path, although I don't have much culture, I will also be a business wizard; I have ruined the lives of countless people with my life-in our group of people, only Tie Dan is the most successful, seemingly inconspicuous, but with his persistence, from the bottom of society, step by step, down-to-earth walk, and finally created a miracle-

Until late at night, my cheeks were still filled with tears, and I pondered deeply: When I write in the future, should I be merciful to Gu Yuanshan? No-I should treat that history fairly and write a true story, even if my biological father, he is a wicked person with great sins-

〈End of Volume〉

...

(Nine-headed Bird Academy)