"Xiaofan, I'm not bragging to you, your aunt's bamboo tube rice is amazing, much more delicious than those so-called big meals. I specifically told her on the phone to make more, you will need more soon.
Eat, don't be polite."
"Yingying is eleven years old this year. The last time she came back, she was only a little tall, like a carrot head. Her mother said that she has grown much taller and a little fatter now. I don't know that her mother is just trying to make me happy.
It’s still true…”
Master Liu Meng's words from five years ago echoed in his ears, and the scene when he followed Master Liu Meng here five years ago flashed through his mind. Chen Fan's eye circles were frighteningly red, and his tears kept flowing out like broken beads.
Welling up in his eyes.
He trembled and walked towards the last house in the village step by step. His steps were steady and slow, as if every step he took was very difficult.
At this moment, this man who never bowed his head in the face of danger, never feared death, never frowned when hit by a bullet, this man who became the first dragon tooth in thirty years, while crying, a look of fear appeared on his face.
expression.
That's right——
It's fear!
The unspeakable fear centered on his heart and continued to spread around his body.
To him, the dilapidated tile-roofed house at the end of the village seemed to scare him more than the Palace of Hell.
Because Master Liu Meng’s mother, wife, and daughter were there.
There is the concern of that honest and resolute man.
Chen Fan was afraid of seeing them and he didn't know how to face them.
But... in the oath he made three years ago, in addition to bloody purgatory to avenge his master, it also included going to his master's home, kowtow and admit his mistake!
Because... he knew that he had to face what he had to face eventually. Escape was not the answer. He couldn't escape. Escape meant cowardice, and it also meant being sorry for the master who died for three years to block bullets for him!
In the dark night, the resolute figure, shivering, finally arrived at the end of the village.
Then, his dazed expression disappeared instantly, his brows were tightly knitted together, and doubtful eyes appeared in his eyes.
Because unlike other houses in the village, the dilapidated tile-roofed house in front of me had no lights on and the door was locked. It seemed that no one was inside.
Without hesitation, Chen Fan put his backpack on his shoulders.
The backpack was filled with gifts, which Huangfu Hongzhu bought before boarding the plane. It weighed several dozen kilograms, but to Chen Fan, it seemed as if it weighed nothing and he did not feel any difficulty at all.
After picking up his backpack, Chen Fan stepped forward and tried to push the old wooden door.
Crunch!
With a soft sound, the door opened, and the sound of the door opening was particularly clear in the quiet night.
"Ying... Yingying, is that you?" After the door was pushed open, a voice came from the room. The voice was not loud, but the tone sounded very weak.
It was the voice of an old woman.
Hearing this voice, Chen Fan was secretly relieved, but also quite curious.
After all, today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Why is Grandma Li the only one in the master’s house?
With curiosity, Chen Fan took a deep breath and stepped into the tile-roofed house.
At the same time, the light came on in the right room of the main room of the tiled house, and a slight sound came out.
In the room, an old woman with pale hair, thin body, and sallow complexion pulled the light cord tied to the head of the bed, sat up with difficulty, and tried to get out of bed.
"Grandma Li." Chen Fan saw the light and walked toward the room with his backpack on his shoulders, shouting as he walked.
"It's not Yingying, it's...who is it?" The old woman's yellow face covered with black spots showed a trace of doubt. She gritted her teeth and got out of bed, but her body was shaking uncontrollably, as if
You can fall down at any time.
The next moment, Chen Fan pushed open the wooden door of the room, and the old woman's thin body came into view.
"Plop!"
When he saw that the old woman with a kind smile on her face and a strong body was now as thin as a piece of firewood, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind, Chen Fan's pupils suddenly dilated, his whole body shook violently, and the backpack on his shoulders instantly fell to the ground.
.
"Who are you?" The old woman seemed to have poor eyesight. After squeezing her eyes hard a few times, she finally saw Chen Fan clearly in front of her and asked doubtfully.
Gudong!
Chen Fan swallowed hard, stepped forward with red eyes, supported the old woman, and said with a trembling voice: "Grandma Li, I am Xiaofan."
"Xiao Fan?" The old woman tried her best to think about it, but she didn't have the slightest impression. It seemed she couldn't remember Chen Fan.
Chen Fan nodded vigorously: "Well, I'm Xiaofan. Five years ago, Uncle Liu and I came to see you. Have you forgotten?"
Uncle Liu...
Upon hearing these three words, the old woman's whole body suddenly became extremely stiff.
Then, the old woman seemed to remember something, her face was full of excitement, and her body was shaking: "You...you...you are Xiaofan! You are Xiaomeng's comrade, Xiaofan, right?"
"Well, well, Grandma Li, it's me!" Chen Fan bit his lip, nodded slightly, and then slowly helped the old woman to the bed.
"Look at me, I'm so old and confused. I didn't recognize you, Xiaofan. But, Xiaofan, you are much taller than you were five years ago. Well, you are also much stronger." The old woman's wrinkled face
A gratified smile appeared on her face, but... As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something, her whole body shook again, she grabbed Chen Fan with both hands, and asked nervously: "By the way, Xiaofan, why are you doing this?"
Are you here? Where’s Xiaomeng? Why didn’t he come with you?”
boom!
Hearing these words that had been repeated tens of thousands of times deep in his heart, Chen Fan's face instantly became as pale as paper, and the muscles in the corners of his eyes trembled uncontrollably. Even his body trembled slightly.
Shivering.
"Xiaofan, promise me something?"
"Master...Master, tell me."
"After I die, cremate my body. Don't bury it in the tomb of the martyrs. Keep it in our Dragon Ya. In addition, don't tell my family about my death. When your grandma Li enters the coffin, Yingying will grow up."
Tell them again."
"Answer...answer...answer...yes...yes...I..."
"I promise you!"
"master!"
…
Just when Chen Fan tried to tell the old woman about Liu Meng's death, the scene before Liu Meng's death suddenly flashed in his mind, and he also recalled the conversation between the two.
For a moment, his mouth opened wide, as if there was a fish bone stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say a word.
Generally speaking, the elderly have a strong sense of certain things.
At this moment, the old woman saw that Chen Fan was hesitant to speak and had a strange expression. She subconsciously thought of something, shook her body violently twice, and her breathing became rapid: "Xiao...Xiaomeng, he is
Didn't something happen?"
Suddenly seeing the old woman's behavior, Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat, and then he said without thinking: "No, Grandma Li, nothing happened to Uncle Liu. It's just... he's been too busy at work recently and can't come back from leave, so let him
Let me see you, auntie, and Yingying."
After all, Chen Fan still didn't tell the story about Liu Meng's death, not because he didn't dare, but because he vaguely felt that something was wrong with the old woman's mood, and was afraid that the old woman would not be able to accept this huge stimulus.
For this reason, after saying this, he quickly helped the old woman sit by the bed and said quickly: "Grandma Li, let me get you a glass of water."
After saying that, Chen Fan didn't dare to stay, and quickly walked to an old table opposite the bed, picked up the thermos and poured water.
"Busy at work, busy at work again, alas..." The old woman sat beside the bed, talking to herself with dull eyes. Although her mood had stabilized and her breathing was no longer rapid,
"Grandma Li, come, take a drink first." After Chen Fan poured the water, he noticed that the water temperature was not too high, so he took it directly to the old woman.
The old woman didn't move or even blink.
"Oh, I know work is important, but...even if I'm busy at work, I should still call back. I've been looking forward to it during the day and night, for three years, three years...he hasn't called back even once." The old woman said
As he spoke, he burst into tears and had a wronged expression on his face.
Seeing this scene, Chen Fan's eyes immediately became wet, and tears welled up in his eyes, making his vision extremely blurry.
In a trance, he saw an old man complaining about his children.
More of it is missing.
"Grandma Li, Uncle Liu said that after finishing this period, he will come back to see you." Chen Fan bit his lips to prevent tears from falling, and at the same time tried his best to control his emotions and prevent his voice from getting distorted: "By the way,
Where are Grandma Li, Auntie and Yingying?"
The old woman, who was originally in tears, was shocked when she heard what Chen Fan said. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and she cried even harder than before.
Tears completely wet the old woman's old face. She didn't speak, she just cried. Until the end of her crying, she couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hands, her expression extremely painful.
Seeing the old woman's abnormal behavior, Chen Fan couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
When he came to the tile-roofed house before, he felt very strange when he saw that there was no light in the house. Later, he found the old woman there, and his doubts and worries gradually disappeared.
In his opinion, Liu Meng's wife and daughter were not at home, and it was probably Liu Meng's wife who took her daughter back to her parents' home.
After all, it is a custom in many places to go back to your parents’ home to pay New Year greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
After making such a guess, Chen Fan deliberately mentioned the two of them just to change the topic, prevent the old woman from continuing to pester Liu Meng, and try to stabilize the old woman's mood.
Now, when I saw that the old woman's mood had not stabilized, she was even more sad than before. When she was sad, her intuition and reason told Chen Fan that something had happened to Liu Meng's wife and daughter!
"Grandma Li, where did Auntie and Yingying go?" After an idea emerged in his mind, Chen Fan didn't stop and asked immediately.
At this moment, even he himself didn't realize that his tone was full of deep worry!
