Chapter 260: A Chance Encounter with the Dead
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At the entrance of the village, a broken stone monument was erected, engraved with "Songkou", which should be the name of this small village: Songkou Village.
Tianlan looked at it for a while, and felt as if he had heard this name a long time ago, but his memory was too complicated, he couldn't be sure if he had heard a similar name in a certain life, maybe it was the same name, after thinking about it, he didn't care, beckoned Furry back to the Wind Spirit Staff, and then entered Songkou Village alone.
Matsuguchi Village is much the same as he thought, it is a very inconspicuous small mountain village, the houses are all low flat wooden houses made of cedar wood, and the roof is covered with thick cedar branches, one is to keep warm, and the other is to play a hidden role, and it is not easy to be spotted by condescending beasts.
There are not too many people in the village, and you can only see some 'women' and 'women' walking around with babies who are less than one year old or children who are not very good at walking, and there are also old people who are hobbling.
Tianlan had already taken off the cloak and hood on his head, 'revealed' his true face, silently looked around at the silent crowd around him, and walked forward step by step, he suddenly understood why he was in the mountains where wild beasts were often infested, but there was no prime-age man standing guard...... Because there is no longer a man in the prime of life in this small village, only a group of old and young 'women' and children remain.
Why is this happening, he can also guess: not far from here is the battlefield of the two countries, all the men who can almost go to the battlefield must have been confiscated, and all that can be left is a group of useless 'women' and children, they have no pillars of the family, naturally everyone is in danger, not only to be careful of the beast 'tide' after the 'spring', but also to beware of outsiders.
Tianlan was silent, this is the consequence of the war, when the monarchs of the two countries order the war, they will never think of these border aborigines, because they are too small, compared to the so-called interests, these are ants that can be sacrificed at any time......
"Young Master Lan...... Is it Young Master Lan!"
Tianlan was slightly stunned, and then he noticed a skinny rickety old man in front of him, he was 'confused' for a moment, and did not recognize who the person in front of him was, until he looked at the old man's hopeful eyes and suddenly remembered: This person is the old servant in their house!
He still remembers that Songtao was in the house before he was born, and when he was a child, he had several years to be his full-time servant, and he could be said to be meticulous, as if he were his own flesh and blood, in the whole mansion, except for his brother, it was Songbo and his closest relatives, Songbo almost replaced his father, and he cared about him since he could remember, until he was twelve years old, Songtao returned to his hometown on the grounds of old age and decay.
He finally remembered where he had heard the name Songkou Village, and when he was two or three years old, the old servant Songtao chatted with him about the goodness of his hometown, and then he vaguely remembered the word Songkou Village.
It's just that after six years, Tianlan almost didn't recognize this old servant who was like a father and a friend to him, because Song Tao's changes are too great, in his influence, Song Tao has always been a capable person, even though he is just an ordinary person who has no cultivation, but he does three or four people's work every day, and he can still 'straighten' his waist without touching the ground, and he is full of energy, but now, Song Tao in front of him is like a frail old man, how can he have the demeanor of the year.
Songtao walked over slightly, raised his head and looked at him with a pair of cloudy old eyes, and his heart was full of 'mixed feelings', and he actually shed tears.
Tianlan subconsciously held Songtao's arms: "Songbo......!"
"Yes...... Be...... Young Master Lan, it's an old servant......"
Hearing Tianlan's voice, Songtao cried, couldn't cry, trembling and raised his wrinkled old right hand, barely reaching his shoulder, as if he wanted to 'touch' and 'touch' his face like he did when he was a child, but Tianlan had grown taller, and he was much shorter than before, and he could only reach his shoulder.
Tianlan gently grabbed Songtao's old palm, lowered his head, and pressed his cheek to his palm, feeling the unique warmth and smell of his palm, as well as the old wound on the back of his hand, Tianlan was finally convinced that this old man who was like a candle in the wind was his once close family member......
Accidentally met the deceased, Tianlan was not in a hurry to leave, first sent Songbo home, Songbo's home is at the other end of Songkou Village, it is also a small wooden house, not bigger than other people's homes, it will be enough for a family of three to live, there are few things in the wooden house, it seems empty''' 'dang', but it is very tidy, it is Songbo's style.
Tianlan looked at it, and there was no trace of other people's lives in the wooden house, as if Songbo lived alone, but he saw two small windmills and 'flower' drums on the 'flower' platform in the corner.
The little windmill and the little 'flower' drum are very familiar, it seems to be the gadgets that Songbo used to tease him when he was a child, before the age of five, his memory was not awakened, he was a complete child, carefree, but he probably didn't remember most of the things at that time, but he remembered all the things after the memory awakened.
The two of them sat side by side on the 'bed' couch, and Song Tao squeezed his hand tightly, as if grasping a life-saving straw, not daring to let go.
He sighed melancholy: "Young Master Lan, I haven't seen you for five years and eleven months, you have grown up, you are already eighteen years old...... Hehe, the old servant said that our Young Master Lan will definitely be handsome and 'fascinated' when he grows up, and sure enough, all the old man's children are all talented...... I'm so happy today...... old servant."
As he spoke, he wiped the moist corners of his eyes, and it felt like seeing his own child 'becoming'.
Tianlan's mood was more complicated, he saw that Songbo was naturally very 'excited', but looking at the poor situation of his current life, he couldn't bear it, and said: "Songbo, you are still the same as before, just call me Xiaolan, when you leave the house, you should get a consolation money, why do you ...... now?"
Song Tao understood what he said and explained: "Alas, Xiaolan, you also know that in the past few years of war, everyone has not had an easy time, how can I be embarrassed to swallow a huge sum of money by myself, and when I first came back, I gave it to the neighbors!"
Tianlan was silent after hearing this, indeed, Songtao is an old man, and too much wealth will only attract suspicion, so it is better to sell personal favors and live well.
He knew that Songtao had always missed his hometown, often thinking of his relatives at home, and he had a wish when he was old: to return to his hometown, so even though Tianlan was very reluctant at that time, he had to look at Songtao's back with tears.
Songtao asked about Tianlan's current situation, but he was just an ordinary person, and what Tianlan experienced was too far away for him, so Tianlan didn't tell him much, but simply 'handed over' on behalf of him, saying that he was much better now, and told Songtao not to worry too much.
Song Tao felt that today was the best day of the 'spirit' in the past six years, pulling Tianlan to chat, it turned out that he returned to his hometown to know that his wife had already died of illness, and his two biological sons were arrested and sent to the army many years ago, and the eldest left a daughter-in-law and a son, but because her husband did not return for many years, the wife left her son with the neighbors and went to relatives by herself, so Song Tao only had one grandson left.
Just last year, his grandson had just turned 15 years old, and the officers had come to this small village to arrest people and recruit them into the army, and they could not go into battle as soldiers under the age of 18.
This walk is almost the same as his two sons, it will be difficult to see each other again for the rest of his life, he is lucky to almost die directly on the battlefield, and most of his luck is a deserter, unable to return to his hometown, as for the promotion of honor, return to his hometown or something, how can they be ordinary people......
"Songbo...... Don't be too sad......"
Tianlan didn't know how to comfort him to be effective, so he had to say so.
Song Tao smiled bitterly and said: "Xiaolan, how can I say that you Songbo have also been 'mixed' in the General's Mansion for more than 30 years, and I have seen a lot of life and death, how can I not know the cruelty of war, in fact, I also thought that perhaps, this kind of thing will happen to me...... Hehe, it's nothing, it's really nothing, it's not just me, everyone in Songkou Village is in this situation, I'm not bad, at least I'm still healthy, haha......"
Listening to his unsmiling laughter, Tianlan felt a burst of sadness and said, "Songbo, before the end of the war, let me accompany you......"
Songtao took care of him for so many years when he was a child, and now that Songtao is old and has no one around, he should also go back to take care of this old man, what he thinks is that during this time, Songkou Village will live for a while, and when the war calms down, he will take Songtao back to the national capital and take care of his life.
Tianlan rarely has a utilitarian hierarchical concept in his heart, he thinks that the grace of receiving a drop of water should be reciprocated with a spring, and Songbo is not his servant, but his respectable and amiable elder, so he should do what he can for Songbo.
"Good...... Good ......" Song Tao trembled and kept saying yes, he knew Tianlan's identity, now in such a tense period, he is willing to leave all important things to accompany him a bad old man, how can Song Tao not be moved, it can be said that what Song Tao desires most now is someone to accompany him, even if it is just to talk, and in his heart, Tianlan is his child, there is no difference, he suddenly felt that he really returned to "home" today, a home with a family......
Tianlan chatted with Songtao, while secretly planning the specific matters for Songtao to settle down in the future, but these are a bit far away now, because his brother is the commander of Qinglong in this war, and he must be very busy during this time, and Tianlan himself is inconvenient to come forward, so he can't be in a hurry, but he believes that with him here, even if something unexpected happens in Songkou Village, he can deal with it in time.
Perhaps, this time, he can forget all the troubles of the outside world for a while and spend a peaceful time with his elders with peace of mind......
However, Tianlan didn't know that even if he intended to jump out of the whirlpool, once the gears of fate began to run, they could never stop, how could he choose tranquility.