Chapter 10: The Old House on the Mountain

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As the courtyard door opened again, the memories that had been sealed in Wang Zheng's mind for a long time but never forgotten also opened. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

It was still the same winding stone road, and he used to watch his grandfather clean it with a broom in the morning, but now there are weeds around this stone road, and the road surface has long been covered with thick dead branches and leaves. Snakes, insects, rats and ants make this place their home.

Maybe only the jujube tree on the side is still slim and thick, and it is still the same as Wang Zheng's mind.

The kitchen on the right side of the courtyard is still standing intact, the bluestone walls are a little more mottled, and the roof tiles are damaged. If it was replaced before his grandfather's death, he would have replaced these broken tiles as soon as possible. But now it can only stay in memory......!

On the left side of the yard are the cowshed and pigsty, which were once well used by Grandpa, but have now been vacant for ten years. Only one peach tree, planted between the cowshed and the hall, is still full of life.

Follow the 'L'-shaped stone path through a courtyard that is nearly 20 meters long, and at the end of it is a hallhouse. The foundation of the hall is about half a meter above the horizon.

Therefore, at the entrance of the hall house, a two-story high staircase was piled up with bluestone, and after stepping on the stairs, there was a four-square-square platform, and on both sides of the platform were two rectangular stacks made of stones.

Inside the stack there are some '+' shapes, which were left at the beginning of construction, one is beautiful, and the other will also store some sundries. As for the countertop of the stack, there are eight pots of flowers neatly arranged.

Among them are phalaenopsis, oleanders, and daisies, but after a long time of no one has managed them, except for the more tenacious phalaenopsis orchid, which is still in full bloom, the others have dried up and rotted!

The door of the hall was locked, and after pushing the door in, a hall of about 40 square meters appeared in front of Wang Zheng's eyes.

In the middle of the hall is still hung the familiar middle hall of Wang Zheng, the content of the middle hall is a framed picture of the cold plum of Laxue, and on both sides hangs the couplet of the line of calligraphy, 'cold color stains the clothes add sword gall, and the dark fragrance fills the sleeves and intoxicates the heart of the qin'!

In Wang Zheng's memory, his grandfather liked this central hall very much, and every time he built a room, he would deliberately wipe it clean. But things are not people, and they are already covered with dust.

Looking at everything familiar in the room, Wang Zheng, who was a little sad in his heart, stepped in. The Eight Immortals table in the middle of the hall and the Chinese-style circle chair next to it can no longer sit because of the thick dust that has accumulated.

The same is true of the Maza on the side. However, Wang Zheng has no plans to stay in it too much. Passing through the hall, I pushed open the door of the wing room on the left, which was my grandfather's room. But now it's mostly empty, except for an old-fashioned shelf bed and cupboards and wardrobes stacked in the corners.

The almost completely unfamiliar aura made Wang Zheng quickly retreat. I walked through the hall again and came to the wing room on the right.

In the right wing, which is about 30 square meters, next to the window is a solid wood desk, and on the left hand side of the desk is a bookshelf made of same solid wood.

Seeing them, Wang Zheng seemed to see the situation when he was reading and writing his homework. But now the books on it are mostly empty. The few remaining books were also covered in a thick layer of dust.

In addition to the desk and bookshelves, the large piece of furniture in the right wing room is the single bed in the left corner. That was where Wang Zheng slept at night when he was a child.

Every corner here fills Wang Zheng's heart, even after being away for ten years, with memories and resentment.

Decade!

Ten years of changes have changed everything in the past!

He has grown from a child who once had little to do to a young man in the prime of his life, his parents who were once in the prime of life have become old, and his ancestors who were once old can only be traced in memories.

"Knock knock!"

Just when Wang Zheng was immersed in the memories of the past, a low knock came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Who's at home, is Jianguo coming back?"

The old man's voice brought Wang Zheng back to his senses, and he hurriedly turned around and went out to take a look, only to see an old man with white hair, a cane in his hand, and a green cloth short coat walking in from the courtyard gate.

"Second grandfather?"

Seeing the familiar face of the old man, Wang Zheng shouted respectfully, and hurriedly greeted him.

"Are you ......?"

"I'm Jin Zhu, don't you know me?" Wang Zheng said with a smile.

Jin Zhu is his nickname, and there are not many people who know his big name Wang Zheng in Wangjiawan, but almost half of the people here know the name Jin Zhu.

"Golden Pillar?"

The old man looked him up and down and suddenly understood, and said with joy on his old face: "You are really a golden pillar?"

"Yes, I remember when I was younger, I used to steal your old grapes!"

"Hehe, you leather boy just owe a beating...... I didn't expect that after so many years, you would also grow into a young man!" After looking at Wang Zheng again with a smile, the old man sighed with emotion.

"Hehe, yes, but second grandfather, you are still so old and strong!"

"No, no, no! I'm getting older, and my health is not as good as before. Without it now, I'll just stay at home and die!" After waving his hand, the old man lifted the jujube wood cane in his hand.

"Hey, Jin Zhu, why are you back? Today is not a New Year's holiday, but it is not the day to go to your grandfather's grave!"

"Hehe, I happened to be fine on vacation, I thought I would come back and have a look!"

"Come back and take a look! This Wangjiawan may be gone in time! I'm afraid I won't be able to see it even if I want to see it in the future!"

"Second grandfather, why do you say that?" Wang Zheng was stunned for a moment.

"Why? Look at the old guys in this village, there are a few young people in the village? They have all gone out to work, and few of them have come back except for the New Year! It is estimated that this Wangjiawan should also be removed!"

Looking at the old man who shook his head and sighed, Wang Zheng didn't say much.

Wangjiawan, with a population of just over 100 households, is not large, and in addition to the in-depth Qinling Mountains, the transportation is inconvenient, and the development potential is limited. In the future, as young people settle in cities with better conditions, Wangjiawan after the death of the older generation may really disappear into history as the old people speculated.

Of course, these are not what Wang Zheng really cares about.

"By the way, Jin Zhu, you just came back today?"

"Yes, second grandfather!"

"Let's go! This old house has been deserted for almost ten years, and there is nothing to eat here. Let's go to my house, it just so happens that the two of us have lunch together, and by the way, we can also chat!"

"Okay!"

Originally, Wang Zheng brought some lo-mei to eat at noon, but now 'the invitation of the elders does not dare to resign', and Wang Zheng also has some questions about Wangjiawan and wants to get answers from the second grandfather.

After locking the courtyard door again, Wang Zheng pushed the electric car and followed the second grandfather downhill.

"Hey, second uncle, whose family is this young man, why does he look so raw?"

Just as the two of them walked around the corner, a middle-aged woman about forty years old who was walking over with a hoe came over. Judging by her outfit, it was obvious that she had just come back from the ground.

"This is the golden pillar of Wang Fulai's family at the back of the village, and he came back to see his hometown today!"

Wang Fulai is Wang Zheng's grandfather.

"Jin Zhu, oh, remember! the one who grew up with our bare buttocks!" said the middle-aged woman suddenly.

"Aunt Wang, I didn't expect you to remember me! I haven't seen Wang Qiang for many years, is he okay?"

Wang Qiang is Wang Zheng's childhood buddy who grew up with a bare butt, and the two, together with some friends of the same age, often stir up and down Wangjiawan up and down. Those memories of the 'Wuthering Mountains and Forests' are the most unforgettable memories in Wang Zheng's heart. But since he transferred to the county seat when he was in junior high school, he has hardly seen him again.

Now, nearly a decade has passed, and the former playmates have become symbols in memory.

"Okay, our strong son got married last year!"

"Married?"

Wang Zheng was stunned. But it's not surprising to think that the vast majority of rural children who don't go to college will choose to get married early.

"By the way, Jin Zhu, where do you work now?"

"I went to the capital after graduating from university, and I just came back yesterday!"

"Beijing, that's a big city...... Oops, it's not early, my aunt has to go home to cook, so I won't talk to you, I have time to come to the house to play!"

"Good!"

After politely agreeing, Wang Zheng followed the second grandfather to his home in front of the village.

"Second grandfather, you live alone at home?"

"Well, since your second grandmother passed away three years ago, I have lived in this house alone!"

"Then Uncle Liang, ...... them?"

"They all work outside, and they don't usually come except for the Chinese New Year. Come, you sit down first, I'll cook for you!"

"Second grandfather, I'll do the cooking! Just let you taste my craftsmanship!" Wang Zheng is a young man in his early twenties, but he can't let his elders serve him.

Looking at the resoluteness on his face, the old man did not shirk excessively, and after a few polite words, he took Liu Dong into the kitchen.

The kitchen of the farmhouse is naturally not as good as that in the city.

Here, cooking is done on firewood, not electricity and gas.

Thanks to Wang Zheng's cooking skills when he was alone in the capital, he practiced a little bit of passable cooking. With the help of the vegetables from the second grandfather's house, I made a cucumber scrambled egg and fried shredded potatoes, and after cutting a plate of braised beef that I brought to me, a sumptuous lunch was ready.