After burying the two dead sisters with tears, Osmanthus and Xiangmei walked in the direction of Dadeng Town. When I arrived in this area, it was very familiar to the osmanthus flowers. The two did not dare to take the big road, so they chose the small road and walked, and sometimes there was no road, so they went in the direction of Dadeng, over the mountains and mountains. When they finally arrived at Dadeng Town, they did not dare to go in, until night fell, when the family lit kerosene lamps and there were no pedestrians on the street, the two of them entered the town and came to the back door of Chen's house. "Tuk Tuk" gently knocked on the door to the house, osmanthus knocked on the door, and Xiangmei helped to look at the wind.

"Who?" After a sound of footsteps in the room, the voice of the housekeeper's second aunt was heard.

"It's me! Sweet osmanthus. Osmanthus whispered.

The second aunt is afraid that her ears are not good, what? Sweet osmanthus? Impossible! Since the eldest lady left home, there is rarely any news of her, and the old lady usually hardly mentions the matter of the eldest lady, and occasionally when someone asks, she only says that she has severed the father-daughter relationship with her, and no longer says anything. This person seems to be in this home as if he doesn't exist at all.

"Is it really the eldest lady?" The second aunt put her ear close to the door.

"Second aunt, open the door! I'm Osmanthus. ”

It is indeed the voice of osmanthus. "Squeak" The door opened a crack, and the second aunt looked out from the crack in the door, confirming that it was really osmanthus, and hurriedly opened the door and hugged the osmanthus: "My son!" You're finally back, and you're about to die of your second aunt. ”

"Second aunt, I miss you too." The two walked in with tears in their eyes. Xiangmei hurriedly tied the back door from the inside and followed behind the two. Since childhood, Osmanthus and the second aunt have had a good relationship. Osmanthus grew up eating the milk of the second aunt, and the second aunt regarded the osmanthus as her own daughter. When they arrived in the hall, the affectionate words made Chen Xinlian and Qin Xiang in the inner room feel the arrival of the kind of things that they thought about and longed for day and night buried in their hearts. The two hurriedly rushed out of the inner room, they were stunned, and the people in front of them made them excited.

"Mom!"

"My daughter!"

Osmanthus rushed up and hugged her mother Qin Xiang tightly, for a long time, for a long time......

"Oops! Oops! Chen Xinlian coughed twice on the side, and the two separated. This old man, I am intimate with my daughter, and you should be jealous too? Qin Xiang said unhappily.

"Abba, I want to kill you!" Osmanthus hugged her father, Chen Xinlian patted her daughter and said, "Good daughter!" Good daughter! Everyone was in tears, immersed in the joy of the meeting......

Osmanthus pointed to Xiangmei and introduced it to her parents and second aunt: "This is Qin Xiangmei, the deputy captain of our art team." ”

"What a bright girl! How old is it? Qin Xiang grabbed Xiangmei's hand, touched Xiangmei's head again, and looked at her with loving eyes.

"Hello uncle and aunt! I am almost seventeen years old. ”

"Really? So the little girl came out to join the guerrillas, aren't you worried about Abba and Grandma? Qin Xiang asked with concern.

"Of course I'm worried. However, I ran out to join the guerrillas on my own, and they had nothing to do with me. Aren't you worried about Sister Osmanthus? Xiangmei asked rhetorically.

"Yes! Who in the world does not worry about his children? Children have their own ideals and pursuits, and we can't control them. "The government is corrupt and degenerate, the world is unstable, and the people are suffering, how can this small family of oneself be above the world? It's impossible. Qin Xiang sighed.

"Uncle and aunt, you are so nice! Much more open-minded than my parents. Xiangmei was very envious.

"It's not a question of whether you are open-minded or not, it's that your parents love you too much and are worried that something will go wrong with you."

"Xiao Qin, where is your family, and what are the names of your parents?" This yellow-haired girl joined the guerrillas at such a young age, it's not simple, what do her parents think? Chen Xinlian became curious.

"My home is in Qinjiawang Village, Tanliang Township. You may not recognize me when you say my grandma, but you may know me when you say my father. My dad's name is Qin Zhihao. ”

"Qin Zhihao? Is it Qin Zhihao, a well-known gentry in Nanliang County? ”

"She is the daughter of the wealthy gentleman Qin Zhihao!" Osmanthus replied.

"Your family is a big family, and you are the target of the Communist Party's land reform and struggle, how can your father allow you to join the guerrillas?" Chen Xinlian was very surprised.

"Although I can't choose my family, I can choose the path I take, it's my own business, and it has nothing to do with whether he allows it or not." Xiangmei said firmly.

"Alas! This is the greatness of the Communist Party! Even the family members of the target of the struggle have abandoned the Nationalist Government, which shows that this government is completely hopeless. Chen Xinlian's expression was gloomy, and he no longer had any illusions about the current situation.

"Alright, alright! Don't talk about that. You must be hungry, second aunt! Take Osmanthus and Xiangmei to dinner, and then, take a bath, change into clean clothes, you see, how can the girl's body be so dirty and smelly? ”

"Yes! Madam, let's go. The second aunt took osmanthus and fragrant plum to the kitchen.

After eating and bathing, Osmanthus and Xiangmei changed into clean clothes. Because Osmanthus had been away from home for too long, she had a lot to say to her parents, and several people chattered. Xiangmei said that living here is not a long-term solution, and that she plans to return to Qin Jiawang's home in two days, and then make plans after the guerrillas have news. Chen Xinlian promised to help find a car and send Xiangmei to Liangyou Town, and Xiangmei returned to Qinjiawang from Liangyou. After chatting for a while, Xiangmei excused herself and said that she was tired and wanted to rest, so that the three of them could have a good reunion and talk about their hearts. Qin Xiang called the second aunt and took Xiangmei to the osmanthus room to rest.

I said I was tired, but I was actually tired. But when a person is quiet, his mind is full of the tragic battle scene and the faces that were once alive and forever gone. Especially the white and handsome face, which made her wash her face with tears, tossing and turning, unbearable. Sometimes she cried bitterly, and sometimes her eyes stared straight at the top of the mosquito net. Su Cheng! Are you okay in heaven? Sister, I really miss you, I miss you so much! Without you, I don't know how to live and live? The way you put flowers on me, the look of your reluctance to me when you parted, and the figure that you have cared for me and protected me since I was a child...... Like an awl piercing into my heart, like the tip of a needle piercing my atrium. Brother, it hurts! Do you know the way? My sister's heart really hurts, it hurts! Brother, remember? In the care of the sunset, didn't you promise me to accompany me on the hillside with the sunset until I grew old? Why did you give up your promise, leave me, and flee to heaven alone? Please let me know! In my night, in my sleep......

The quilt was turned over, and the mosquito net was opened from time to time, and the second aunt used a pu fan to help clean the mosquito net, and took advantage of the weakness to drill into a few mosquitoes, and flew around "buzzing" in Xiangmei's ears. Not only is it noisy, but even worse, from time to time, it hurts and itches, and it is very uncomfortable. Late at night, Osmanthus took the kerosene lamp and returned to her room, she put the kerosene lamp on the table, untied her clothes, and went to bed lightly. ”

"Can't sleep, there are mosquitoes." Osmanthus searched carefully in the mosquito net, and sure enough, she found two mosquitoes that were full of food and didn't want to move, and "snapped" twice, and Osmanthus beat the two hateful mosquitoes to death, muttering in her mouth: "Look at how dare you bite." Then, he stretched out his hand out of the mosquito net and rubbed it vigorously, patted off the dirt on his hands, blew out the kerosene lamp, tucked the mosquito net, and lay down beside Xiangmei. When Osmanthus's hand touched the quilt, there was a wet feeling, and then touched Xiangmei's face, which was wet.

"You're crying, do you want Su Cheng?"

"Sister Osmanthus, I'm uncomfortable!" Xiangmei cried and threw herself into Osmanthus's arms.

"My poor sister, just cry well, and it will be better to cry. Alas! My poor sister......" Osmanthus gently stroked Xiangmei's head and shoulders and shook it gently...... Xiangmei is indeed tired, she is not only tired, she has not slept well for so many days, but she is also tired, thinking and worrying about her sweetheart day and night, and grieving for the death of her sweetheart, this longing and sadness have reached the limit. She was tired, she was sleepy, she really needed to sleep well, so that she could see her dream lover again in her sleep, and continue the chapter of love in her dreams......

In the arms of Osmanthus care, Xiangmei finally fell asleep and went to meet the brother of her dreams.

Two days later, Chen Xinlian found a truck from the town to pull goods to Nanliang County, and took Xiangmei back to Liangyou along the way. Before getting into the car, Chen Xinlian stuffed two pieces of ocean into Xiangmei's hand.

"No, uncle!" Xiangmei was embarrassed to shirk.

"Child, take it, it will be useful on the road." Xiangmei saw that she couldn't shirk it, so she had to accept it and said, "Xie Lu, Uncle Xie!" Then he got in the car and left Daden. The journey from Dadeng to Liangyou is not very far, the car quickly arrived at Liangyou, Xiangmei got out of the car and said goodbye to the driver, waiting for the opportunity to drive to Nanliang County. Xiangmei rented a carriage, sat on it, and went all the way back to Qin Jiawang. As soon as she entered the house, Xiangmei was locked in the house by her father Qin Zhihao, and she was not allowed to go there.

Osmanthus was in the hall, chatting with her mother over tea. After Chen Xinlian sent Xiangmei away early in the morning, he went to the town government office. The second aunt swept the ground at the gate with a broom.

"Yikes! The second aunt swept the floor? The second aunt looked up, ah! There was a person standing in front of me, maybe I was too focused on sweeping the floor, and I just found out. When I looked closely, the person who came was Chen Sicai, the nephew of the old man. Chen Sicai looks like a thief, with a big split head, wearing a thread coat on the upper body, shorts on the bottom, and sneakers on his feet. His family also lives in the town, and on weekdays, he is idle, not doing his job, and specializing in stealing chickens and dogs to take advantage. is not young, because he has no money, and he is so virtuous, and no woman dares to follow him. Although he has no ability, he dreams of getting rich, and often brags and chats with others, saying that sooner or later he will get rich, and he will definitely marry a pretty woman in the city and come back to show everyone. Some people look down on him, saying that he is virtuous, what kind of wealth does he make? It's hard to support himself, so it's better to call him "dead money". From then on, everyone called him "dead money". Today, Chen Sicai was idle, whistling while wandering on the street, passing by the door of his uncle's house, his heart moved, why don't he go in and see, what is there to take. So, he dragged his shoes into Chen's mansion "crying, collapsing".

"Dead money! What are you doing? The second aunt asked angrily.

"Didn't do anything? Wanted to come in and see my uncle. ”

"Your uncle isn't at home."

"Then I'll look at my aunt." Chen Sicai looked like a scoundrel.

The second aunt knew that he had come to cheat and eat and drink again, and swept the ground towards him angrily. The dust and pebbles kicked up flew into Chen Sicai's skateboard. He lifted his heels from side to side, moved his feet, touched the heels of his shoes on the ground, knocked out the sand in his shoes, put on his shoes, "hummed", and walked straight into the hall. When the second aunt saw this, she couldn't help but complain, the eldest lady was still in the hall, and she saw something bad! The second aunt hurriedly threw down the broom and shouted while chasing: "Madam! Wife! Dead money is coming, dead money is coming. Qin Xiang knew that this nephew was not a good thing, and he must have nothing good to do, so he hurriedly called Osmanthus back to the inner room, and he went up to block his sight.

"Ah Cai! Is there anything wrong with rushing to find your aunt? ”

"Can't I come to see my aunt if I don't have anything? I haven't seen you for a few days, I'll miss you so much, can you talk about your nephew? Chen Sicai seemed to vaguely see the figure of a woman, flashing into the inner room, swaying from side to side to see clearly, but was blocked by his aunt, so he had no choice but to give up.

"Auntie! Are there any guests coming? Chen Sicai asked suspiciously.

"Where's the guest? You're dazzled, I'm alone in this hall. ”

"Really? I seem to see ...... I saw a woman. "I looked left and right, and I wanted to go inside to see what was going on.

"I know that you have something to do with your aunt, so let's say, what's the matter?" Qin Xiang grabbed Chen Sicai and pushed him out. Chen Sicai caught a glimpse of two cups of tea on the coffee table and concluded that someone must be there. There are obviously people, but why do you say no? The only explanation was that the aunt didn't want him to know about the existence of this person. At this moment, the second aunt entered the hall and stared at him with her eyes. Helpless! I had to just stop thinking about it.

"Auntie! That's the case, recently, my mother has been unwell and has no money to take medicine, you know, I'm so filial, I can't see my mother sick and incurable. I want to borrow some money from my aunt. Chen Sicai pretended to be pitiful.

"Give you two oceans, hurry up!" Qin Xiang took out two silver dollars from his pocket, stuffed them into him, and pushed him outward.

"Auntie, you're so nice! On behalf of my mother, I thank you. Chen Sicai pretended to be very grateful. But in his heart, he was thinking that today, the sun really came out of the west, and he generously came out of his expectations. In normal times, you will have to go home empty-handed.

"If you get cheap, sell well, let's go! Dead money. The second aunt urged.

Chen Sicai went out, played with the silver dollar, pinched the center of the silver dollar with two fingertips, blew it on his mouth, and then put it to his ear and listened, "Zheng ......" The silver dollar made a slight metallic sound, which made him feel satisfied. But he still didn't find it enjoyable, and threw the two silver dollars into the sky alternately with his right hand, playing with the air as he walked. When he was in the middle of his head, a silver dollar was not caught, and it rolled forward with a "clang". Chen Sicai hurriedly stepped forward, bent down and was about to pick up the silver dollar, but found that the silver dollar was trampled on by a large leather boot.

"Fuck, which one stepped on my silver dollar?" When he looked up, his head was hit by a horsewhip again, and he was about to get angry, but when he saw the person clearly, his angry face instantly turned into a hippie smile. "Ahh Disrespectful! Disrespectful! It turned out to be Captain Luo of the Self-Defense Forces. "This person known as Captain Luo, called Luo Sanyou, is the captain of the Dadeng Town Self-Defense Force, and he has more than 20 guns under his command. Today, patrolling on the street, I happened to meet Chen Sicai, and when I saw him playing with silver dollars, I couldn't help but think: This rotten boy, who is so idle, where did he get the silver dollars, could it be that he was stolen? I'll have to ask him.

Luo Sanyou picked up the silver dollar on the ground and shook it in front of Chen Sicai, staring at him with his eyes.

"Dead money! Want it? ”

"Of course, of course!" Chen Sicai nodded and replied.

"If you want, you can tell me honestly, where did the money come from? If it's nonsense, Lao Tzu looks good with you. Luo Sanyou threatened.

"Captain, this is not stolen, it was given by my aunt."

"Maybe? Tell me something I understand, okay? Your aunt will give you money for no reason, and the ghost you are talking about will believe it, are you cheating and drinking again? ”

"There is no such thing, it is indeed my aunt who looks at me pitifully."

"Really? All right! I'll take you to your aunt and confront you face to face. ”

"Captain, forget it. My aunt is not available, and there are guests at home. ”

"Got guests? What guests? ”

"Looks like a woman." Chen Sicai shook off casually.

"Female? Could it be ......" Luo Sanyou couldn't help but feel excited, he thought of a person - Chen Xinlian's daughter Chen Guihua. During this time, the guerrillas were surrounded and suppressed, could Chen Guihua run home?

"That's not what I said!" Chen Sicai also came to his senses, if it was really his cousin Osmanthus, wouldn't I have betrayed her, thinking of this, he panicked.

"Look at you're nervous. The dollar is yours. If you catch Hou Liang and Chen Guihua, boy! It's not just a silver dollar, then you're really going to send it. Luo Sanyou said, returning the silver dollar to Chen Sicai.

"Really? I dreamed of it...... Hehe, I just don't dare. ”

"It's not in vain! Let's go! Why are you still stunned? Find someone to go! Luo Sanyou grabbed Chen Sicai and walked towards the Self-Defense Force station.

Qin Xiang held a fan in her hand and sat on a chair in the hall, fanning the fan, taking in the cold, and being in a daze. I heard from the second aunt that in recent days, the town's self-defense forces have searched people everywhere, saying that they are arresting communists and guerrillas, which can't help but make her worry about the safety of osmanthus flowers. She had to think of a way to keep her daughter from being harmed. While she was thinking about it, a noisy sound came from outside the door, and she suddenly felt uneasy, and had a premonition that something was going to happen soon, and hurriedly walked out. And called the second aunt: "Second aunt! Let's get out of here and see, what's going on? ”

"Hey! Here it comes. The second aunt also heard a sound and had already run to the gate first. Luo Sanyou took six or seven people, followed by Chen Sicai reluctantly, and as soon as he entered Chen's mansion, he rushed into the hall without saying a word.

"Hey! What are you doing? The second aunt hurriedly blocked the way of the group.

"Go, go, go! Get out of the way, we have business to do. Luo Sanyou put aside the second aunt, did not stop at his feet, and continued to walk forward.

"Who is so bold that they dare to trespass into the village chief's house in broad daylight?" Qin Xiang stood in the middle of the stone steps in front of the hall, crossed his hands, and glared at the group of people. The second aunt also ran to Qin Xiang's side and blocked the way of people together. Qin Xiang saw that Chen Sicai was also among them, so she understood what was going on, worried that she couldn't cope with it alone, so she pulled the corner of her second aunt's clothes and looked at the gate with her eyes.

"Hey, Mrs. Chen! It's me! Xiao Luo, Captain Luo. Brother, I am patrolling here, the weather is hot, I am thirsty, and I want to come into your place to ask for a glass of water. Luo Sanyou grinned and pretended to be very thirsty.

"Mrs. Chen doesn't dare to be, you still call me the mayor's wife, lest you don't know that this is the mayor's home, and you can go wild."

"Look where you say, how dare your little brother!"

"Ah Cai! You damned rich, say! Did you bring them to me to make trouble? I just gave you two silver dollars, and you brought these people to me to loot money, didn't you? Qin Xiang pretended to be very angry.

"No...... No...... No...... I didn't ...... Not...... Bring it, they want to come on their own, and I can't help it. Chen Sicai shook his hands on his chest.

"If it's not you, will they come?" Qin Xiang pointed at him and said. Chen Sicai didn't dare to make a sound, and hid behind with a dry face.

"Hey, hey, hey! Mrs. Chan, no! Mrs. Mayor, don't talk like that, what is to scrape your money, how ugly, we are all very clean. Luo Sanyou was very embarrassed and embarrassed.

"Then why are you coming to my house? It's not just about begging for two glasses of water, right? Qin Xiang said sarcastically.

"Madame Mayor, I'll just tell you clearly. I suspect that you have communist guerrillas in your house. ”

"Joke! Our family is an official of the Nationalist Government, and it is incompatible with the Communist Party, and it is too late for them to get rid of us. Otherwise, you want to frame it. Qin Xiang said coldly.

Luo Sanyou thought, it's not a way to entangle with her like this, it's better to break in, and when Chen Guihua of the Communist Party is caught, I will sue her for harboring, and even arrest her together, I think you dare to say that I trespassed on the official's house.

"Brothers! Leave her alone, rush in and search for me. Luo Sanyou waved his hand, and the soldiers rushed forward. Qin Xiang was stopped by Luo Sanyou and couldn't move, seeing that the soldiers were about to rush into the lobby, she was really anxious!

"Stop! Let's see who dares to enter my Chen Xinlian's house. At this critical juncture, Chen Xinlian arrived in time to stop them. When the soldiers saw that it was the mayor of the town, they did not dare to act rashly.

"Ahh It's the mayor, you're back, sorry to disturb your mansion. Luo Sanyou said embarrassedly.

"Captain Luo, it's not just that simple to disturb, right? Do you still have me in your eyes? Chen Xinlian's eyes were straight to Luo Sanyou.

"Mayor Chen, how dare my little brother! It's just that according to the tip, your daughter Chen Guihua has returned to the house, so ......"

"Do you mean him?" Chen Xinlian glanced at Chen Sicai with his eyes. Chen Sicai avoided Chen Xinlian's gaze and lowered his head. "The whole town doesn't believe this kid's words, and you believe it too?"

"This ......" Luo Sanyou had nothing to say. Oh, yes! This kid doesn't believe what he says, can he believe it?

"Captain Luo, you all know that I have already severed the father-daughter relationship with my daughter, how could she come back? If you don't believe me, you can go in and search, search, and see if I'm talking about it? However, there are many people and there are many people, and things are often lost at home......" Chen Xinlian looked at the soldiers and Chen Sicai with his eyes, and Luo Sanyou understood what he said.

"Why don't I go in and have a look?"

"yes, that's what I mean. Please! Chen Xinlian made a gesture of please. Qin Xiang was very anxious, and quietly pulled down Chen Xinlian, who glanced at her with a firm gaze. Qin Xiang saw that Chen Xinlian was so calm, so she didn't do anything anymore.

"You're all waiting outside, I'll go in and have a look." After Luo Sanyou gave orders to his subordinates, he swaggered into the hall.

Chen Xinlian took Luo Sanyou to look through room by room, rummaging here and there, but he didn't find the shadow of Chen Guihua, and it was extremely boring to find Luo Sanyou.

"Captain Luo, are you still watching?" Chen Xinlian saw that he was tired, and said with the trend.

"Okay, let's go!" The two of them came to the door of the hall.

"Captain Luo, think about it, my rebel girl, if he is not with the bandit leader Hou Liang, who else can he be with? As long as you catch Hou Liang, you can catch my rebel girl, isn't that reasonable? ”

"That's right! Right! Reasonable. Little brother is rude, brothers, let's go! Luo Sanyou made a gesture, took his subordinates, walked out of the courtyard gate, and walked away.

Chen Xinlian stood at the gate of the courtyard, looked at the distant figures of these people, breathed a long sigh of relief, and turned back to the hall. In the hall, Qin Xiang and the second aunt were anxiously waiting for Chen Xinlian to return to the house.

"Xinlian, what about my daughter? Why is it gone? ”

"Come out, osmanthus! The Self-Defense Forces are gone. Chen Xinlian shouted towards the door of the hall.

With a "squeak", the door on the left side of the hall opened, and the osmanthus turned out from behind the door.

"Yikes! Osmanthus, how can you hide behind this, how dangerous! If the Self-Defense Forces find this place, won't they be discovered? Qin Xiang said in fear.

"Mom, these stupid people, unexpectedly, this is called 'the most dangerous place, the safest'." Osmanthus said calmly.

"My dear baby, I scared my mother to death. If you get caught, I don't want to live. Qin Xiang burst into tears.

"Mom, my daughter worries you." Osmanthus helped her mother wipe away her tears.

"How did you come up with the idea of hiding here?" The second aunt asked curiously.

"I'll have to ask Abba." Osmanthus looked at Abba and said.

"When I was a child, I played 'hide and seek' with my daughter, and she hid here, and I couldn't find it. What's more, my daughter is now a guerrilla, and 'hiding' is a guerrilla's specialty! Chen Xinlian laughed as he spoke. "Oh, by the way, just now, my daughter said that those stupid people couldn't find her, you won't say that Daddy I can't find you, and I'm also a 'stupid', right?" Chen Xinlian quipped.

This caused everyone to laugh.

Qin Xiang stepped forward and checked the gate of Lower Heaven. The door consists of one door on the left and one on the left, each very thick and made of two-meter-high wooden planks. The door opens and closes from the inside, and when opened, the door and the doorpost of the next wing room form a right-angled triangular column with an opening on the top and closed on all sides. The entrance of the hall is made of large bluestone slabs, which are five or six centimeters high from the ground of the hall, which plays the role of preventing rainwater from entering and fixing the door closing. If a person hides behind the door and steps on the bluestone, he will not be able to see the whole person at all. What a place for Tibetans! Why didn't you notice it before? Thanks to it, my daughter's life was saved!