After Ye Chen used means to send the flowers away, the old lady's world was pure. Seeing that it was still early, the old lady stopped a taxi, just saying that she would take Ye Chen to an important place, but did not say where it was. Ye Chen saw that what her old man said was important, so he could only follow her over.

I walked in the car for another hour and still didn't reach my destination. Ye Chen calculated the time, and felt that he might not be able to return to the city before seven o'clock in the evening, so he asked the old lady: "Old lady, the place you said is in the deep mountains, right? What time can we return to the city today? I am afraid that it will be too late when I return home, and Han Ying will be in a hurry if he can't see us." ”

The old lady said: "Don't tell her, she is as busy as a spinning top every day, where does she care about our mother!"

Ye Chen didn't dare to be arbitrary, so he could only send a text message to Han Ying through WeChat. Han Ying knew that they had gone to the southern mountains, because he knew that they had already entered the mountains, so he didn't say anything. She knew that even if the old lady was so deaf that she couldn't tell the difference between east and west, north and south, she would still be the most sober person in the world in that matter.

Ye Chen received a call from Liao Kai, and they were about to arrive at their destination at that time. He talked to Liao Kaixu for a long time and hung up the phone. The old lady asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Ye Chen replied: "Captain Liao Kai of the police station, through me to learn about the situation of our school, the police and the people cooperate, it is difficult for them to find people like me to cooperate." ”

The old lady said with disgust: "There is no good thing in the officials." You don't want to be an official in the future, and if you have a child in the future, you will also educate your children not to be an official, even if you are an official, you can't take a penny from the people. ”

Ye Chen agreed: "If you don't make decisions for the people, it's better to go home and plant sweet potatoes." What you educate is that even if I take care of my students again, I may not have the opportunity to be an official, so you can rest assured. ”

"Men should do something meaningful to the society, the country, the nation, and the future. ”

When the taxi driver heard what the old lady said, he seemed to be particularly indignant about the corruption of officialdom, and he suddenly resonated and couldn't help but open the conversation. Soon, the two chatted.

The car soon drove to the foot of a hill. A small village at the foot of the mountain, inhabited by a dozen or twenty families, a small bridge, across a small river with living water at the source, on the stone road of the country street. The driver was waiting outside the village, and the old lady took Ye Chen to slowly cross the bridge and walk on the stone road.

After walking for a few miles, Ye Chen walked to the door of a family with the old lady in his arms. The family had a fence around the house, through which you could see the fruit trees and vegetables planted in the yard, the chickens in the chicken coop, and a few big red roosters and an old hen outside the cage, and they grabbed the ground with their claws and pulled out the small insects in the field to eat. There was no dog in the yard, but two big male geese came out unexpectedly, screaming, stretching their necks, and pecking at Ye Chen.

The old lady almost fell to the ground in fright, but fortunately Ye Chen helped her, picked up a wooden trunk, and stalemate with the two stupid geese for a long time.

Seeing the commotion outside, the owner of the courtyard came out of the hall, and saw that it was a thin old man wearing a cap with a hole in it, with a pair of eyes open, and he couldn't see the eyeballs, but when he moved his eyes, there was still a hidden essence shot out. The white goatee is wearing an old military uniform that has been broken with an unknown number of holes, and the color is still grass green, and it is not difficult to deduce from the color alone that it should be some age.

At first, he thought that a thief had come to steal the goose, but when he looked carefully at the two people who came to the door, he suddenly stood in place, trembled, pointed his finger, and quickly recognized the old lady.

He took two steps out, drove away the two stupid geese, took a few steps forward and held the old lady's hand, and said in an almost choked voice: "Old sister-in-law, I finally see you!"

The old lady said with tears in her eyes: "I haven't been here for a long time, I only let my daughter come to visit you, how many years have passed, it's rare that you still remember my appearance." ”

"Sister-in-law, what did you say, apart from Brother Han, the last thing I dare to forget is you. - Who is this?"

The old lady said, "I'll introduce you." This is my son-in-law Ye Chen, Han Ying is busy with work, and he came to accompany me today. ”

"Oh, and our Yingzi are really talented and beautiful, a natural pair!"

"Ye Chen, this is your Uncle Huang, your father's comrade-in-arms before his death. The old lady couldn't wait to introduce.

Ye Chen knew that Han Ying's father was a first-class merit in Vietnam's self-defense counterattack, and today he saw his comrades-in-arms and woke up like a dream. He stepped forward and shook the old man's hand and bowed one after another.

Lao Huang took the two into the house and sat on the stone bench. Although the living conditions are a little poor, because of his military background, he actually tidied up the things in the house in an orderly manner.

The old lady glanced at the furnishings in the house a few times, sighed and said, "Lao Huang, I asked Han Ying to give you money, but where did you spend it? Life is too short, why bother with yourself?"

Lao Huang smiled honestly, took out a stack of envelopes from the table, and said: "Old sister-in-law, Yingzi always gives me a lot of money, and you know that I am a person, even if I am rich, I still eat a full belly, and I am used to it." The money was donated by me, and I thought to myself that I was old and in good health, so I saved everything I could and donated it to the children in the mountains. - Look, these letters were written to me by children in the mountains, and there are pictures of them winning awards! ”

The old lady looked at Juanxiu's handwriting, as if she could see innocent smiling faces emerging on the paper. "That's great, you're so meritorious. - Why doesn't your wife see her?"

Lao Huang just shook his head, sighed, and said slowly: "Old sister-in-law, your brother and sister passed away two months ago. ”

The old lady said with a tense face: "During the Chinese New Year, I asked Han Ying to come to you, and after I went back, she also told me that my younger brother and sister are much better than you, why is it so quickly gone?"

"Yingzi came here and said that you are not in good health. In the spring, the two of us went to the back mountain to pick herbs, ready to dry in the shade and put them away, and when it came to your birthday, we went into the city to give you the body. On that day, I had already picked a large basket of herbs, and I saw a thousand-year-old ginseng plant, with small red flowers blooming on a cliff not far away, so I rushed to pick it, and your brother and sister followed behind me, and I saw that the ginseng was growing on almost a cliff, so I asked her to wait in the same place. I went for a long time and couldn't find ginseng. Just as I was thinking about returning, I suddenly blew a gap in the top of the mountain in the middle of nowhere, and the blown stones scurried around. Poor your brother and sister were hit in the face by a stone. When I got closer, half of my face was sunken and flesh was blurred. She couldn't say a word, she just looked at me with a pair of eyes, and she died not long after. ”

Suddenly, the old lady's face was gloomy, and she suddenly sobbed and cried sadly. Lao Huang also cried with him. Ye Chen just stroked the old lady's back and didn't let her cry because of excessive sadness.

Lao Huang stopped crying and said, "Old sister-in-law, I just got better, and you came to hook me again." Alas, if I think that this person will be born with death, birth, old age, sickness and death, wealth and longevity are not controlled by God, even if I cry and break my intestines, what can I do! Old sister-in-law, I don't cry, I won't cry anymore, and you won't cry anymore, so don't cry. I have boiled the mountain spring water and can make tea for you. ”

The old lady wiped away her tears and said, "Living to our age, life and death have been seen, but I can't bear my hard-working brother and sister." I'm sure I'll see you too, but I'm still late. I'll sit down for a moment, and I'm going to go and see her at her grave. ”

Lao Huang said: "I buried her on a hill more than a mile west of the old house, and I will pull the ground platoon to drive you over in a while." - Sister-in-law, I mentioned it to Yingzi, I asked Yingzi to find me a good coffin and burial place, did she mention it to you?"

The old lady smiled and said, "Where else do you want to go?" When Yingzi told me, I guessed that you had your own little Jiujiu, and you still used to hide it? Old Han and you were lifelong friends when he was alive, he was immortal and died early, but since he died, we have suffered many difficult and bitter days, even if we are brothers. I have the final say on the burial place, after all, I want to be in front of the water and behind the mountain, have feelings to embrace, gather the Tibetan wind, and bury it together with the place chosen by the old Han! The coffin is simpler, I have also told Yingzi, I will not let her tell you, since you ask today, I will tell you in person, and I will also rest assured, let's use the two jujube trees in the courtyard of the old house to make the coffin!"

When Lao Huang heard this, he was extremely happy, and the pain of bereavement just now immediately disappeared. He grabbed the old lady's hand, looked at the old lady with sincere eyes, and said, "Old sister-in-law, let me kowtow to you." As he spoke, he fell to his knees at the feet of the old lady.

The old lady panicked and immediately went to help him, Ye Chen's eyes were quick, and he had already helped Lao Huang. Lao Huang rolled out of two tears, and said with relief: "It just so happens that the child is here today, so I will explain all my future affairs, so as not to trouble in the future." ”

Ye Chen said: "Uncle Huang, the old lady came here to see your two in-laws, since the aunt is gone, why don't you follow us back to the city to live?"

Lao Huang and the old lady glanced at each other and barely laughed.

Ye Chen asked inexplicably: "Is there anything unspeakable?"

The old lady said: "It's not that your Uncle Huang doesn't want to leave this place, if they wanted to leave, they would have left here a long time ago." ”

Ye Chen said: "Could it be that Uncle Huang and his in-laws chose to live here by themselves? There are more than a dozen families in this small village, and they usually have to take a car to the town to buy firewood, rice, oil and salt, although it is said that they are close to nature, it is inconvenient to live. ”

Lao Huang said: "Ye Chen, in this world, although women and children can enjoy life, men can't have any lazy and slippery hearts. When I was younger, like your father-in-law, I was a playboy, I loved wine and music, I loved cockfighting, and I was addicted to football. If you want to enjoy life, I dare say, I also have a thousand tricks. But I have my own mission. ”

The old lady smiled and said, "You did too many bad things when you were young, and as a result, a short-lived ghost and an old man with no one to rely on. ”

Lao Huang said: "I'm talking to the child, don't interject you old women." Hey, you don't know, your old father-in-law—hahaha!"

The old lady's tears of laughter flowed out, and she slapped Lao Huang with both hands. Ye Chen's face was black, in order not to be too embarrassed, he barely squeezed out a few thin smiles, he really couldn't find any funny place in the conversation just now.

They laughed and laughed all the time, as if they had met just to have a good laugh. The unscrupulous laughter of a pair of old men is like a flock of birds flying in the afterglow of the setting sun, haunting freely in the vast and endless halo.

Lao Huang stopped laughing and brought out three cups, one for the old lady, one for Ye Chen, and one for Lao Huang himself. Lao Huang washed the tea very carefully, scalded the cup with hot water, and poured half a bowl of tea for everyone.

Lao Huang asked Ye Chen, "Do you know martial arts?"

Ye Chen said: "Uncle Huang, how can you see it?"

Lao Huang said: "You don't need to play dumb riddles with me, I see your temples bulging at both ends, and at first glance, you are a master with strong internal strength." ”

Ye Chen said: "I don't dare to be the name of this master, but it's okay to fight a few gangsters." ”

Lao Huang said: "Do you want to learn more advanced martial arts?"

Ye Chen saw that Lao Huang's question was very abrupt, so he had to look at the old lady and ask her for help on how to answer.

The old lady said: "Lao Huang, don't frighten the child, I haven't told him anything about the old house." ”

Lao Huang said: "Old sister-in-law, you are really confused, you should also order a coffin, watch it every day, and see if you are in a hurry to see what happens behind you." ”

The old lady said: "It's Yingzi's little girl who is not worried, so I don't have the heart to do serious things." ”

Lao Huang called the old lady to the courtyard, leaving Ye Chen alone in the house to drink tea. Ye Chen watched the two of them talk in the courtyard for a long time, and the two of them also looked into the house from time to time, under this situation, Ye Chen almost suspected that they would be sold to the mountain god by their gang.

Ye Chen knew very well in his heart that he knew that the ancestral house that the old lady was talking about should be near here. This Lao Huang is the guardian of the ancestral house. Lao Huang's identity is not only a comrade-in-arms of his father-in-law, but also a member of an organization that guards a secret together. And the secret must be inseparable from the ancestral home. The secret may only be known to the two people in the courtyard.

Ye Chen almost knew that they bypassed him and didn't let him hear it, because Lao Huang was not at ease with him. Lao Huang will test the old lady's mind, and the step of pouring out his feelings can be said to be the expression of his true feelings, or it can be said to test the distance between his heart, and when it comes to the critical time, he also has to confirm how the young man endorsed by the old lady is.

Ye Chen urged his true qi, and his ears listened a few feet farther. Lao Huang is not very at ease with him, and he is not defenseless against Lao Huang. If the death of the object that Lao Huang said is not true, maybe in fact, the real Lao Huang and his wife were all dropped?

"Are you saying that Yingzi doesn't seem to agree very much, and Ye Chen also knows too much about the ancestral house?" asked Lao Huang.

"I'm old, but my old woman is not stupid, I understand what Yingzi means. ”

"I also see that he has a problem. ”

"Oh?"

"People who are too beautiful often have a somewhat deficient heart. It is estimated that Yingzi is also confused by his beauty. I look at his appearance, the appearance of the sky, the posture of the dragon and the phoenix, but he vaguely reveals the cheapness, so he looks good but becomes a beggar selling his wealth - revealing his poor appearance. ”