"Who is he?" Li Ruzhu asked.

"He's none other than your father, Erhu." Yi Sunsin's mother said.

"He? This nest has abolished the nod to the Japanese people, what else can you do! I don't think so. The big tiger shouted against it.

"Big Tiger, in front of Zhu'er, you can't say that. Erhu is your brother and Zhu'er's father after all. Yi Sunsin's mother said in a reproachful tone.

"Third aunt, it's not me who buries him. Look at his bear appearance in front of the Japanese people. It was as if the Japanese were his ancestors. You said that our old Li family came up with such a bad seed. I think it's useless to look for him. "The big tiger still insists on his opinion.

"Okay, Big Tiger, in front of Zhu'er and so many friends, stop talking nonsense. If you don't look for Erhu, do you have a better candidate? Yi Sunsin's mother scolded.

"No, anyway, I don't think the two tigers can help us in this matter. It's better to think of something else. Scolded by the third aunt, Dahu lowered his head and said sheepishly.

"Alright, that's it. Since Da Ming's friend wants to hurry as soon as possible, Da Hu, you hurry up and eat something, and then go down the mountain immediately with Zhu'er, and go to Erhu overnight to see if he can think of a way. Yi Sunsin's mother said in an unquestioning tone.

"What? Let me go to him and ask him for help! Oh, third aunt, didn't you mean to embarrass your nephew? You know, he and I are the most at odds with each other. You'd better find another ......" Da Hu didn't expect that the third aunt would let him go to see the second tiger, and his heart was suddenly unhappy.

"It's an order!" Before Dahu could finish speaking, Yi Sunsin's mother slammed the wine glass in her hand on the table, and stared at Dahu with two domineering eyes.

"Okay, good aunt, third aunt, I, I can't go! I'm afraid of your eyes. The big tiger shrank his head on the table, not daring to look directly into the eyes of the third aunt.

"Okay, third grandmother, my uncle and I will get up in a while." Li Ruzhu felt that asking her father for help was not a feasible way, so she replied.

To be honest, Li Ruzhu, like Dahu, is reluctant to go down the mountain to meet his unsuccessful father. But he is different from Dahu, and many years of military life have made him develop a forbearant character and the habit of obedience. And under the existing conditions, he really couldn't think of a better candidate than his father.

In any case, the most important thing at the moment is to find a way to get through the checkpoint, and as for personal wishes and preferences, those are secondary.

"Zhu'er, after you two go, you must be affectionate and reasonable to your father. After all, your father was raised by me, and although others are a little timid and cowardly, your father's essence is not bad. Don't be vindictive with your father, talk to him well. I think if he can do it, he'll help with that. These adults are here to rest tonight, and I'll arrange it, so you don't have to worry. Seeing that Li Ruzhu readily agreed, Yi Sunsin's mother softened her tone a lot.

After sending off Dahu and Li Ruzhu, Luo Shiyin and the others ate some wine and food under the warm greeting of Li Sunsin's mother. Then they were arranged to stay and rest.

Asan at night is a little scary. Except for the occasional dog bark, there was barely any sound in the town. Perhaps because of a frightening experience during the day, the people of the town turned off their lights early and closed their homes as soon as it got dark. The long streets were deserted.

Li Ruzhu has not returned to Asan Town for more than ten years since she left her hometown when she was eighteen years old. Looking at the familiar and unfamiliar streets and alleys under the night in front of him, smelling the friendly and somewhat forgotten local atmosphere, and stepping on the bluestone paved stone steps in the alley under his feet, which he had played with his older Uncle Li Sunsin countless times in his childhood, Li Ruzhu and Dahu came to the door of their antique courtyard together.

"Wangwang......" The two had just approached the courtyard gate, and there was a sound of dogs barking in the courtyard.

Dahu hesitated for a moment, but still took the initiative to step forward and knocked lightly on the door twice.

"Who?" After a while, two light coughs came from the courtyard, and then, a familiar voice from Li Ruzhu came from inside the door.

"I, Big Tiger. Open the door! The big tiger said impatiently to the door.

The man inside seemed to hesitate, but he removed the latch and gently opened the door.

"Yes...... It's big brother, come in! Although he had already heard that it was the big tiger outside the door, the second tiger who opened the courtyard door still carefully confirmed it before opening the courtyard door completely.

"Don't call me big brother, look who's coming!" The big tiger didn't look at the second tiger at all, he looked at Li Ruzhu beside him, and said to the second tiger.

"Yes...... It's Jewel back. Fast...... Come in the door! Erhu stretched out his head and took a closer look, only to recognize that it was his son who he hadn't met for many years who came back, and he was so happy that he couldn't even say anything.

Ever since the Japanese occupied Asan, Li Ruzhu had heard about her father's appointment as the chief of security for the Japanese people. At that time, he found it difficult to accept such a reality, thinking that his father's behavior had disgraced the entire family, and he could not hold his head up in front of his familiar fellow villagers. He considered his father's actions to be unforgivable. On the way here from Feiyun Peak, Li Ruzhu had already made up his mind in his heart, and after seeing his father, no matter what excuse his father made to justify his shameful behavior, he was not ready to forgive his father.

Seeing that her father had opened the two courtyard doors and looked at her with anticipation in her eyes, Li Ruzhu wanted to call her father, but when the words came to her mouth, she still couldn't call out.

"Humph!" Dahu understood Li Ruzhu's expression, which made him more determined in his dislike of Erhu, he glared at Erhu viciously, let out a muffled snort in his nose, and then took Li Ruzhu's hand and wanted to turn away.

"Uncle, don't go!" Although Li Ruzhu also wanted to take a look at his father and turn around and leave, he had not forgotten the purpose and task of this trip.

"That's it...... You see...... It's already at the door, so let's get in! The second tiger seemed to be talking to the big tiger, but his eyes were looking at his son.

"If not...... For the sake of the pearls, I didn't bother to go to your door. Dahu probably remembered the purpose of his and his nephew's coming here at this time, so he made an excuse, turned around and strode close to the courtyard gate, and provocatively and deliberately carried Erhu on his shoulder, knocking Erhu into a flash, and almost fell.

Li Ruzhu deliberately walked into the courtyard door with her head down, so as not to meet her father's gaze.

There was little change in the yard, and it was still as clean and orderly as his father had been before he left home.

"Come inside, it's cool in the yard." Erhu closed the courtyard door in a bit of a hurry and urged.

Walking into the main room on the north side, Dahu didn't say a word, sat on the chair facing the door, stilted Erlang's legs, and looked obliquely upward.

Li Ruzhu calmed down, walked into the door, and walked straight to the long fuchsia Eight Immortals table on the east side of the room. He knew that for as long as he could remember, there had been a portrait of his mother on it, and that his father would wipe the frame of the table of the Eight Immortals and his mother's portrait whenever he had time, for fear that it would be stained with a trace of dust.

Li Ruzhu silently looked at the head of the kind woman in the photo frame. I heard my father say that his mother died of an illness when he was three years old, so in his memory, the image of his mother is vague and abstract. Only when he is an adult and sensible will he sometimes look at the portrait of his mother on the table of the Eight Immortals and imagine what his mother looks like. Every time he was disappointed. The clear face of the mother at the table could not always draw a living image in his mind. For him, motherhood is a nihilistic concept.

This time was a little different from the past, Li Ruzhu looked at her mother's portrait, and her eyes couldn't help but be soaked with tears. In an instant, his mother's voice and smile seemed to flash in front of his eyes, especially his mother's kind eyes, which seemed to be saying kindly to him who had returned to his homeland after many years of absence: "My child, for so many years, I have suffered alone outside. Mom misses you all the time. ”

"Mother-" Li Ruzhu couldn't suppress the grief and depression in her heart, and for the first time in her life, she knelt in front of her mother's portrait and wept bitterly.

"Child, stop crying. Get up! Seeing Li Ruzhu crying bitterly, Dahu quickly got up from the chair and took the first step to pull Li Ruzhu up from the ground.

Erhu wanted to come over and pull up his son, but when he saw that Dahu took the first step, he withdrew his already raised legs, stood in place, turned his head to the side, and secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and then walked to the cabinet on the west side and poured two cups of warm water, and brought them to Dahu and Li Ruzhu, who had already sat down.

Dahu didn't refuse, picked up the water cup, and drank it "coo-dong".

Li Ruzhu sat on the stool in front of the table in a daze, he had not yet recovered from Fang Cai's pain.

"Or ...... Shall I make you both something to eat? Erhu wanted to sit on another chair and talk to the two, but looking at Dahu's appearance, he tried it, but he still didn't dare to sit down.

"Alright, alright, look at your cowardice. Sit down if you want. The two of us have already eaten. I came to you today because I had something to ask for. Dahu stared at the erhu who wanted to sit but didn't dare to sit and said.

"Alas, alas, good. Big brother, I'll sit. If you have anything, you can say anything, and talk about what you don't ask for. The second tiger sat down cautiously, his eyes always looking at the big tiger, and he looked a little scared.

"Anyway, you and I know what Zhu'er does. No, a few of his friends want to go with him through the Japanese checkpoint on the south side of the town, and want to get you a few passes. "The big tiger doesn't want to be verbose with the second tiger, so he just gets straight to the point.

"This ...... I'm afraid it's not easy to get it. When the second tiger heard the big tiger explain his intentions, his face suddenly turned embarrassed.

"I knew it was useless to look for you. But the third aunt and his old man just didn't listen, and said that you are not bad in nature. I'm 'phew'! Seeing that the second tiger didn't want to help, the big tiger suddenly became angry.

"Uncle, don't be in such a hurry first, let's think of a way." Seeing that the uncle looked anxious to leave, Li Ruzhu, who had been drinking water slowly, hurriedly put down the cup and said.

"Big brother, I know that you have been looking down on me since I became the chief security officer of the Japanese people. But I also have my own troubles! Erhu said with a sad face.

"Bitter? Okay, today in front of Zhu'er, I want to hear what kind of hardships it is, so that you are willing to be a lackey of the Japanese people. Come on, come on, you say come and listen! Faced with the complaint of the second tiger, the big tiger did not agree.

"Big brother, you know, Zhu'er died young. Her death has always been a piece of my heart. I feel ashamed of her, I owe her. If I hadn't been just trying to make money, going to the Japanese country to do business, leaving her at home alone, and running the whole family with the young pearl, she wouldn't have been seriously ill.

"Yes, at that time, the Japanese country was in war, and there was a shortage of various materials, and my second brother took this opportunity to earn some money. With this money, I built the most decent house in town. But just when our husband and wife were looking forward to a better life, Zhu'er and his mother left me. The two of us worked hard to build a new house, but Zhu'er and her mother only lived there for a few days before she died.

"Since we got married, he has always followed me to worry about being tired, and he has not enjoyed a single day of happiness. Before he died, he took my hand with one hand, touched Zhu'er's face with the other, and prayed in a weak tone that I must promise her two things: first, to take care of Zhu'er, who is our only son. He must be brought up as an adult; Second, take good care of our compound, because it is the fruit of our labor. Under no circumstances should the house be left in the wrong hands. I didn't hesitate to say yes to her.

"Now, just because I know some Japanese dialect, the Japanese people are forcing me to do things for them, otherwise they will confiscate my property. I also didn't want to be called a traitor, and I was very conflicted at that time. But once the house was confiscated, there was no place to put the tablet after Zhu'er's mother died.

"In the end, after much thought, I decided to take over the errand of the Japanese people. I'd rather suffer some grievances and infamy, and I can't let Zhu'er and his mother sleep on the streets with me! Big brother, Zhu'er, maybe you think I'm arguing for myself. Whether you understand me or not, I have no regrets about my choice. Erhu said, a little emotional, and two lines of hot tears were left along his shriveled and thin cheeks that had been through vicissitudes.