Ji Si'an screamed and woke up from her dream, and just as she was in shock, there was a knock on the door of the room.

"Xiao An...... You...... Are you alright? "It's the stepmother's voice.

"I'm fine...... It's just a nightmare. Ji Si'an said as calmly as possible.

The man outside the door hesitated for a moment, probably a little worried, but there was really nothing to say between them, and after a few moments, the stepmother told her to rest well and left.

Outside the window, it was still dark, and the surroundings were quiet. She glanced at her phone, and it was just after 4 a.m., which was the coldest time of the day.

The nightmare just now made her break out in a cold sweat, and it was a little uncomfortable at this moment. After all, she was a guest living in someone's house, and she was afraid that getting up and washing would disturb others' rest, so she wiped her hair and chest with her own pillow towel, and then lay on the bed, quietly waiting for the sunrise to come.

Life in the countryside is fraught with inconveniences. Even after the beginning of spring, the tap water brought back from the precinct is mixed with ice ballast, and you can only wash your face if you mix it with hot water. A basin is used by a father and a younger brother, and a stepmother is used by the younger brother, and then he is himself.

Fortunately, her stepmother saw her concerns, and she found a new basin for Ji Si'an. But it didn't take more than 5 minutes for the new basin to reach her before it cracked due to aging and the weight of the water......

'You mourning star, stay away from my house...... Bad stuff ......'

The invectives of those years rang out in his mind spontaneously, and Ji Si'an couldn't help but shudder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to......"

The words of apology came out of Ji Si'an's mouth autonomously.

"It's alright...... Poor conditions at home...... The basin is too old...... I'll find you another ......."

The grind of life has changed their initial appearance.

The stepmother didn't blame her, but still emphasized the poverty of the family.

Years of work in the fields have made the woman in front of her lose her former demeanor, her originally fair skin has been tanned and dry, her former slender figure has long been out of shape, and her once straight spine has been crushed......

Ji Si'an had cursed this woman who had brought her infinite pain countless times, but now she ...... really saw her old age when she was over half a hundred years old, and her heart was not as happy as she imagined. That breath was blocked in my heart like this, and I couldn't send it out or let it out.

"You don't have to bother. I'll go to my grandmother's house and go back to Chenghuang. ”

She only felt that as soon as her words came out, everyone present exhaled lightly, and the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

Ji Si'an sighed in his heart again that he really shouldn't have returned to his hometown on a whim. Sure enough, they kept their distance better.

Grandma's old house and my father's house were only two families apart, but they were dilapidated. This is also the reason why Ji Si'an did not choose to stay here last night.

The yard of my grandmother's house is very large, and when I was a child, my grandmother planted melons and fruits. When she is thirsty, picking some cucumbers and tomatoes in the vegetable field is her greatest pleasure.

Ji Si'an took out the key and took some effort to open the rusty door lock. Pushing open the creaking courtyard door, the stone-paved courtyard was no longer what it used to be, and weeds grew happily between the cracks in the stones, even the withered yellow was above her knees.

The stone courtyard walls on the east and west sides have collapsed for some time, but fortunately, the devil yam in the courtyard is slightly sheltered so that this devastation is not seen.

This hundred-year-old house used to be the only tiled house in the village, and my grandmother was a little proud when she mentioned it.

"The roof of our house is hand-woven by craftsmen."

"Your grandfather said that when they built this house, they made meat for the craftsmen every day. Strangely, the better they ate, the slower their project progressed. ”

"He didn't understand it at the time. But the ancestor said that this was a good thing. ”

"Now it seems like a good thing. Don't look at our house is old, but it won't leak. The newly built house of Lao Gao's family in the first two years still leaks rain every summer......"

It is such a proud house, and now it has become one of the few dilapidated houses in the village. The earthen kang in Westinghouse had long since collapsed, and the food that had been stored was sold out when she was treating her grandmother's illness. The stove in the hall was still there, but the iron pot had been broken into two pieces. Only the water tank, which had been sewn by the craftsmen, still stood stubbornly by the stove.

Stepping over the high threshold, Ji Si'an came to the East House. The bright and warm bedroom of my childhood became cramped and dim. Once inside, it took her eyes a while to get used to the familiar furnishings of the house.

Under the window on the right-hand side is an earthen kang that can accommodate four or five people, and next to the innermost side of the earthen kang is an iron stove. On the left-hand side are two red lacquer cabinets, and there are two red lacquer boxes on the cabinets, which are grandmother's dowry ...... Because of the age, the wood is a little rotten.

When my grandmother died, she took out the old clothes from the red lacquer cabinet and put them on with the help of her neighbors.

Grandma had a premonition in her heart when she left, and she asked Ji Si'an to carry those clothes and even bedding to the edge of the village and burn them.

She said she was afraid to leave these things to make her afraid......

What's so scary about that, that's grandma, it's grandma who raised her for so many years......

This memory made her heart bitter.

Her stubborn grandmother packed everything before leaving, and didn't even leave a single old photo.

Now, when she comes here again, only through these wooden red lacquered furniture can she find the shadow of the old man.

Ji Si'an looked at the two red lacquer boxes that had been covered with black pulp and was a little distracted. When she was a child, she liked these two boxes the most. When she is bored, she flips through it and always finds something new.

Sometimes it's a cloisonné copper tire, sometimes it's a few glass beads, and when you're lucky, you can turn out a few iron coins......

With that in mind, she opened the box again. This time, there was a blue and white batik cloth bag inside......

This is the ...... my grandmother left me Ji Si'an looked at the cloth bag, and his hands trembled with excitement.

When did grandma put it in?

Did she know I would come back?

If only I had come earlier......

……

In his thoughts, Ji Si'an picked up the cloth bag.

The cloth bag is very light to start, and there is only a fluttering card inside through the cloth. Grandma was illiterate, so Ji Si'an didn't think about paper at first.

Could it be a picture of grandma? She wants to keep it for herself?

Thinking like this, Ji Si'an opened the cloth bag......

Inside is a train ticket, a train ticket from Chenghuang back to his hometown, and the time is ...... It was July 1, 2000.

Ji Si'an only felt that his head was about to explode, his eyes were black, and his ears were buzzing.

Whose train ticket is this?

Why did grandma leave it to me?

Does this train ticket have anything to do with the mother's murder?

……

Countless questions raced through her mind, and she held on to the cabinet until her nails were buttoned into the cracks in the wood and her fingers were stained with blood, and she was a little sober from the chaos.

A few days ago, the news brought by Li Muzi made her give up the case of her mother and sister for a while. Just when she was determined to let go of the past and look forward, the clue came up unexpectedly.

Did they not want me to give up?

Are they still unwilling?

……

These thoughts exploded in Ji Si'an's mind, and it took her a long time to calm herself down.

(End of chapter)