The old woman was afraid that the style she knitted would not look good, and the young children were reluctant to wear it, but when Ash appeared another day, she put on the sweater she knitted, which made her happy to close her mouth. The old woman who has no relatives treats Ash as her own grandson.

And I think maybe Ash, who doesn't have a family, is the same. For him, the last place to get a little comfort was the old woman. Thus his other personality was formed.

This personality is also known as self-help personality in an academic sense. The self-help personality is characterized by forgetting reality and constructing a false worldview, which is sometimes dreamy and sometimes close to fairy tales. And in this world, he is the hero.

I don't know what the image of the old woman looks like in Ash's self-help personality, but it is likely to symbolize the image of salvation, such as mother, grandmother, teacher, etc. However, the frequency of Ash's visits to the old woman has a significantly lower turning point.

The old woman said that she once went to help a neighbor find a lost pet on a rainy day, and then near a deserted backstreet, she saw Ash. At that time, Ash was almost drenched, and the old woman felt distressed, so he hurried over.

When she got closer, she realized that Ash's face was bruised and swollen, and almost no part of her bare skin was intact. And Xiao Zhi, who was standing in the rain, looked up at the sky, cried loudly, crying heartbreakingly, let her listen to her ears, and tears fell when she listened.

The old woman said that it was the first time she saw Ash show this kind of appearance, what did Ash go through, what did she encounter that she had to release her pressure in this way? He's just a 16-year-old.

After crying for a while, Ash also found the old woman, and his expression when he saw the old woman seemed so complicated. Panic and helplessness, mixed with emptiness and despair. The old woman dragged Ash back to her house, afraid that he would catch a cold, so she put hot water and let him soak in the bath.

The old woman said that it was the first time she saw Ash's body that night - the fair and thin body was full of bruises and blood-red marks, and her heart was pinched. That night, she slept with Ash, Ash slept very soundly, and told her that grandma was my last support.

When he woke up another morning, Ash was gone, leaving behind only a small note with words of thanks. And after that, Ash hardly shows up at the old woman's house.

Listening to my own mood also became a little heavy, Lin asked the old woman softly, didn't she think about asking Ash the truth about the matter? The old woman said that of course I thought about it, and after that incident, I would think of Ash crying every night when I went to sleep.

"But...... How can it be so easy? The old woman sighed deeply and said, "Sometimes when I mention this matter vaguely, I can clearly feel that Ash is deliberately avoiding my question. If I forced him to answer, Ash would have said it, but that would have violated the original intention, wouldn't it? ”

I nodded slowly, and then asked the old woman when the last time I saw Ash. When the old woman said this, her eyes turned red again, and Lin took a towel to wipe her tears. But after that, the old woman's emotions could not be calmed down, and we had to give up for the time being.

Before you know it, the bus swayed to the terminal, and there was a desolate scenery here. As far as the eye can see, there is a gray-black "mountain range".

Not far away, there are rows of smoky heavy factories, and at the meandering river down the southern slope, you can see the deeply polluted abandoned river that glows eerily in the sun.

The industrial waste is estimated to have been discharged into the river, and the flow of water is not small, but the liquid flowing in it gives people a very viscous feeling, and I look at it, and I have the illusion that time is slowing down.

The bus driver said hello to the old woman and walked away, so he didn't have to worry about going back when he got here, because he could walk a little further through the factory to the vicinity of Minhua Street. From there, you can take the city bus back to the city center.

The old woman said that Ash's graveyard was facing east, and I looked that way, and in the distance I could see a huge mountain of garbage, surrounded by a wall made of steel and water. Walk through the middle avenue and walk a little further to a small forest at the foot of the mountain.

When walking on the road, the old woman said that after receiving the news of Ash's death, Ash's family immediately said that they wanted to be cremated, and even the ashes had to be poured directly into the toilet at that time.

Even such a kind old woman, when she talked about Xiaozhi's so-called "family", she was so angry that her body trembled slightly, and she didn't seem to dare to believe that there were such ruthless people in this world.

"Then now Ash's relics are all in your house, old woman?"

The old woman nodded silently and said that it was all in her house. And she originally didn't agree to cremation, and wanted to find a quiet place for Ash to bury it. However, she couldn't afford a cemetery at all, and she didn't even prepare her own cemetery, let alone Ash's.

So all she could do for Ash was to find a secluded spot at the foot of the mountain where she often took Ash to play, and erect a monument for him. She said she remembered Ash telling her that he loved the feeling of being alone in the forest, which reassured him.

I asked the old woman if there was anyone else who knew about this tombstone of Ash, and the old woman said she didn't know. She herself didn't tell anyone, and no one asked. But it seems that there are other people who will visit this tombstone.

The old woman also looked a little curious when she said this, saying that sometimes when she came to visit Ash, she would see some food and drink in front of the tombstone, and the area around the tombstone was also cleaned - even the food for herself was prepared.

"Food for you?" I was shocked when I heard this.

The old woman smiled wryly and nodded, saying that it seemed that she had come here after a long journey alone, and that the mysterious man would prepare desserts and drinks for himself, and they were all things he liked to eat.

At this, the old woman seemed to think of something, and called softly that the man had prepared letters and clothes for himself on his birthday.

"You don't usually do that, do you? Could it be Ash's relatives? I couldn't help but wonder.

"It's unlikely, if Ash really has such a good relative, it's impossible not to adopt him when he is alone."

"yes, then this ...... Is it an old woman, an acquaintance of yours? I looked at the old woman, but she shook her head.

The old woman said that she had asked the people around her, in fact, there were only a few people she was really familiar with, and they all asked around, and they all said that they didn't know and had never done this kind of thing.

"I don't know who he is, I don't even know if he's a man or a woman...... However, I at least understand that he has no ill intentions, and, I suppose, like me...... They all take Ash's kid very seriously. ”

“…… By the way, old woman, is the letter he left for you still there? ”

"Yes, I stayed."

I asked the old woman if I could follow her to her house to have a look, and she looked at Lin and me for a long time, and slowly stopped.

The old woman said that she had been a little curious since the beginning - who were the two of us? Could it be an acquaintance of Ash, why is he so concerned about his affairs?

In fact, Lin and I didn't mean to hide it from the old woman from the beginning, but we didn't have a chance to mention it. So I told her that we were special investigators and people from the public security organs. The old woman said in surprise. You're actually a police officer, huh?

"But...... Shouldn't Ash's case have been closed three years ago? I remember that the murderer has been caught, right? ”

I couldn't help but be stunned, and looked at Lin suspiciously, but Lin was also a little dazed. Obviously, I don't know what the case that happened three years ago was.

I explained to my old woman that we were investigating a number of disappearances that had already occurred, and that we had been asking about Ash in order to investigate some clues. After hearing this, the old woman nodded suddenly, it doesn't matter if that's the case, we can go to her house.

We thanked the old woman and soon came together into a quiet green forest. As the old woman said, she chose a place for Ash to be surrounded by a dense forest. We stopped in front of the tombstone and looked at the words written on it. There are quite a few things in front of Ash's grave.

"Looks like that person has been here again......"

The old woman smiled bitterly as she said this, and then slowly squatted down. Only then did I see that there was indeed a bento in front of the tombstone, as well as a bottle of mineral water. I know the brand of this bento, and it is estimated that I can't get it for hundreds of dollars.

Who is this man? He seemed to have expected everything, could it be that he was secretly following the old woman?

I looked around, but everywhere I saw was green trees, and there was no sign of people. Lin and I followed the old woman to worship at Ash's grave. As I prayed, I prayed for His blessings, but I also silently prayed for His Spirit to bless us in Heaven.

"Ash, Ash, if you're also a student in Class A in the third year, if you also want to stop the tragedy that's happening right now...... Just help. ”

However, just as I stood up after saying this silently, and was about to leave with Lynn and the old woman, suddenly there was a creaking sound not far away, and I subconsciously looked up - I found that the big tree had fallen towards me just now!

"Hangzi, run away!" Lin shouted anxiously, and the old woman turned pale with fright. I didn't have time to think about it, and subconsciously jumped in front of me, and the whole person fell to the ground in embarrassment.

"Boom—"

The moment the tree fell, even the ground trembled. I got up in a panic and immediately looked around, but there was no sign of anyone. Looking at the fallen tree in horror, I also had mixed feelings for a while.

Lin immediately ran over and knelt beside me, and hurriedly checked around, fearing that I was hurt. But luckily, I reacted quickly enough and just had some skin injuries.

This tree only looks like it is seven or eight meters long, and if it really hits me, even if it survives, it will only have half a life left. But...... Was it just a simple accident?

Maybe...... Is this a sign that Ash is expressing anger to me? I swallowed my saliva with difficulty, and after silently saying sorry in my heart for a long time, seeing that there was no reaction, I quickly pulled Lin and the old woman out of here.