Zhao Zimai gently pushed the door open, but stood at the door and did not step in.

He saw two people sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, who looked like a mother and son in their age. The woman is in her forties, with a jinghai cloth skirt, half of her hair pulled into a bun is half white, her body is fat, and she is gasping when she speaks.

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy sitting next to him was born delicately, and although his clothes were just as simple, he looked like a scholar. At this moment, he was washing vegetables while listening intently to the woman.

"Your uncle was your age at the time, and he was more delicate than you. The two eyebrows seem to be finely outlined with a brush, without a trace of clutter, like a female doll. He also liked to read, and he could easily memorize those complicated and difficult sentences, and even the village gentlemen praised him for being smart. ”

The woman recalled the past, and couldn't help but have a smile on her face, but soon, the smile was replaced by melancholy, she sighed, and said softly, "But such a good Xiaohuan, why is it gone?" If I hadn't gone to see the lanterns with my father and mother that day, if I hadn't walked the streets and had to find the carp lantern for Xiao Huan, wouldn't he have had an accident? ”

The boy hurriedly put down the dishes, rubbed his wet hands on his clothes, and then went to pull his mother's hand, "Mother, don't worry, I will study hard and gain fame." At that time, I will put up notices on all the castle towers in the whole world, and I will definitely find my uncle. ”

Although childish, these words can bring some hope, so the woman's eyes lit up, but the light was fleeting, and soon dimmed. She shook her head, with a bit of ruthlessness and firmness, "No, Xiaohuan is long gone, I know this very well in my heart." Although I don't want to admit it in my heart, although I don't have any evidence, I just know that he is long gone, and I can't lie to myself. ”

"But even if you say that, you still hope that your uncle will come back," said the boy, pointing to the west wing behind him, "the window paper is new, the pillars have just been painted, and the house is cleaner than the one we live in." ”

Hearing him say this, the woman briefly refreshed herself, "Actually, I always feel that Xiao Huan is still there, not his person, but his soul." ”

The boy was stunned, "Soul? ”

"I have ...... There was a time when I didn't dare to enter this room for a long time, but then I slowly got better. ”

"Don't dare to come in? Why? The boy stared at the window of the West Wing and did not look back for a long time. So Zhao Zimai also followed his gaze, and he suddenly felt that behind the window of the black hole, there was a pair of red eyes looking at him, so he couldn't help but shiver.

"At that time...... At that time, I always dreamed of him," the woman's voice suddenly became a little more uneasy, "but his appearance is no longer Xiaohuan, his eyebrows and eyes are blurred, and he is still a little fat, like ...... It looked like I had been soaked in water for a long time, but after a while, I never dreamed of him again. Actually, I wanted to see him, even though I was scared, but for some reason, he never came again. Her voice grew quieter and her brow furrowed, as if she were trapped in a painful memory.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, fluttering and sprinkling, like a thousand butterflies rushing towards you, with a low whistling.

Zhao Zimai couldn't hear the conversation of the mother and son clearly, but he didn't want to listen to it now. He walked into the courtyard, walked straight to the west wing, silently pushed open the door, and stepped in.

The furnishings in the room were extremely simple, a clean bed and a desk, and other than that, there was only a wooden box more than half a person high, which was quietly parked in a corner of the room.

"This box is Tao Huan's book." He walked over to the box and stood still, his fingers rubbing his fingers over the lid. After a while, he slowly opened the lid of the box and rubbed a few times on the yellowed books, "The books are all turned over, it seems that Tao Huan is really a child who is bent on books, as his sister said." ”

But how can such a person know the dangers of the world? Compared with his neighbor who has endured all the hardships of life, seen the cold eyes of others, and only wants to seek fame and fortune, he is too simple.

Fear...... He didn't even know what he was dying for.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zimai suddenly felt a little sad, he raised his head, and his eyes looked through the window to the Yan family across the wall. He knew that Tao Huan was in that courtyard, in that big black urn. Although he has turned into a world-famous decoction, his soul is still staring at the Tao family and does not want to disperse.

There was a commotion outside the courtyard, followed by a group of mermaids passing by, carrying vases and jade painting scrolls, jewelry and jade pendant sachets, and a large group of hula and poured into the Yan family's house.

"Mother, I heard that Dr. Yan cured the governor of his old illness, you see, these things are all gifts sent by the governor to Dr. Yan." The boy seemed a little envious.

"I think about it, I also have something to give you, Xiao Huan is gone, this jade plate will be handed over to you, okay, you also have the blood of the Tao family." The woman said as she took out a jade plaque from the placket of her clothes and stuffed it into the boy's hand, "It was handed down by the ancestor of the Tao family, you have to put it away, don't drop it." ”

The noise outside is still constant, and the occasional laughter is heard, which makes the place even more bleak. Zhao Zimai looked at the jade plaque in the boy's hand: ivory white, boxy, medium and upper texture, and engraved with the words "rich, noble, longevity, and happiness". In his opinion, it is not a good thing, but in a family like the Tao family, it can already be regarded as a family heirloom.

"In the past, Xiao Huan always wore it, but on the night he disappeared, this thing was left in his house, so this is also a relic of your uncle. You keep it alive, don't lose it. ”

The boy nodded in agreement, carefully took the jade card into his arms, and said word by word, "Mother, I promise you, I will study hard, I will not let you down......"

At this point, he suddenly paused, looked back in the direction where Zhao Zimai was standing, and his eyes showed a look of horror, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.

Zhao Zimai's heart trembled, and he wanted to leave Tao Huan's house immediately, but his wrist was suddenly cold, which provoked him to subconsciously bow his head and look at the box of books below: a soaked hand grabbed him, and under the hand, from the yellowed page, a head poked out, on top of which was a red cloth, and the cloth was embroidered with a golden carp.