Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 733 Painful Past

Today, Jinhua Granny and Blind Chen also said that this was a master of the older generation, a person from the Outer Eight Gates and Thousand Gates, and he was like his uncle, that is, he was of the same generation as Blind Chen's master. But after hearing what Jinhua Granny said today, Wang Zhan was a little confused. According to Jinhua Granny, he should be of the same generation as her, so how old was his master's generation, how old was he, and where did such a great generation come from? This was why Wang Zhan couldn't figure it out.

It was not until the school bell rang that Wang Zhan collected his thoughts. Since he couldn't figure it out, he would ask his master Qi Dasheng when he had the chance. He didn't know how his master was doing now, so he didn't even send a letter back.

Wang Zhan packed up his things, carried his schoolbag and lunch box, and led Wang Li out of the school. As soon as they reached the gate, Xiao Wu chased after them and shouted, "Brother Zhan, aren't you waiting for He Yushui?"

Wang Zhan said, "Keep your voice down. Let me see if there are any suspicious people at the school gate. Have you forgotten what I told you? Hey, where's Xiao Si?"

"He and He Yushui are in the back. The teacher asked them to move some things. I saw you coming out, so I ran out to tell you." Xiao Wu followed Wang Zhan and said as he walked.

The two did not leave the school, but stood at the main gate, looking out. Wang Zhan was looking to see if Jia Zhang was there, but he didn't see her. Xiao Wu was just looking around, he didn't know who it was, but he also followed Wang Zhan to look outside. Just when the two of them looked away and prepared to wait for Xiao Si and He Yushui, Wang Li shouted, "Brother, look over there, look quickly."

Wang Zhan followed the direction of Wang Li's finger and looked to the right side of the school. Over there was a residential area. All of them were newly built, ordinary red brick houses. All the houses were of the same style. No one knew which unit built them, but people had already moved in. At the outermost part of the residential area was a simple shed, where there was a stall selling buns and rice porridge. Xiao Wu once said that the buns at that stall were delicious. At one of the two dining tables in front of the stall was sitting Jia Zhang. She held a bun in each hand and ate while staring at the gate.

Wang Zhan looked at Jia Zhang and fell into deep thought. Why did Jia Zhang target He Yushui? There must be some reason. Wang Zhan whispered a few words in Xiaowu's ear, and Xiaowu turned and went into the school.

Wang Zhan took his sister to the south wall of the school. There was a low wall over there. Wang Zhan had asked Xiao Wu to inform Xiao Si and He Yu Shui not to go through the main gate, but to climb over the south wall. He would meet them there.

After the four people met up, they headed towards Wang Zhan's home. On the way, Wang Zhan was still looking at He Yushui, but He Yushui had no expression at all and just followed behind silently. Wang Zhan didn't say anything and just talked about other interesting things while walking and chatting.

After returning home, Wang Zhan went to the kitchen to cook. He Yushui took Wang Li to play in the yard. Xiaowu and Xiaosi were running around and fighting in the yard. The yard was in chaos.

After Wang Zhan finished cooking, he called everyone to eat. He hadn't done any homework today, so he had to eat and do his homework quickly. While eating, He Yushui suddenly said, "Brother Zhan, can I sleep with Lili today?"

Wang Zhan was stunned and asked, "Your brother can't find you?"

"I guess he has forgotten me a long time ago. I don't want to go back to that yard." He Yushui said as he lowered his head to eat.

Wang Zhan agreed readily because he felt that He Yushui seemed to have something to say to him.

While eating, Wang Zhan recalled the past between him and his sister and fell into silence.

Wang Zhan's home is in a small mountain village below Jinghai, Hebei. Ever since he can remember, Wang Zhan felt that his parents were a little different. His father taught in a private school in the village, and his mother stayed at home to take care of the husband and children. When he was two or three years old, his mother began to teach him to read and learn arithmetic. His father also taught him a set of boxing personally, but did not tell him the name of the boxing and did not let him show it in front of anyone.

Wang Zhan was very well-behaved since he was a child, and he listened to his parents very much. However, in his memory, his parents were always away from home. At that time, they never went away at the same time, and one of them would stay at home with Wang Zhan. At that time, Wang Zhan was happiest when his father took him to the Ziya River to fish. The small mountain village was very close to the Ziya River. Whenever his father was at home on his day off, he would always take him fishing.

Life was very comfortable at that time. Four years later, his mother became pregnant. It was the late autumn and early winter of 1948. After Wang Zhan knew about it, he never left his mother's side and always stayed by her side. His mother always smiled and said, "When it snows, you will have a little sister, right?"

His father looked at his mother in surprise and asked, "How do you know it's a girl?"

His mother rolled her eyes at him and said, "How could I not know what's in my belly?"

Wang Zhan was also looking forward to it. Finally, when the first snow was about to fall, his sister came into the world. Wang Zhan looked at the tiny wrinkled baby and asked his mother, "Mom, why is my sister so ugly?"

The mother smiled and said, "All newborn babies are the same. You were like this when you were first born."

At that time, Wang Zhan, in addition to helping his mother with work, took care of his sister every day. He felt that his life was very happy now.

But an unexpected change occurred. On the day of the heaviest snow, a man suddenly broke into his house. When the man entered the door, Wang Zhan saw the astonished expressions of his parents, but then his mother asked him to carry his sister to the inner room and told him not to come out without her consent and asked him to take good care of his sister.

On that day, when his father called him out, Wang Zhan saw his mother tenderly taking the child from his arms with tears in her eyes, hugging her daughter tightly, with reluctance, sadness and guilt in her eyes. Wang Zhan was a little overwhelmed. At this time, his father also asked his mother reluctantly, "Why don't you stay and I go by myself?"

The mother wiped her tears and said firmly: "No, I must go."

It was also on this day that my father had his first serious talk with Wang Zhan. I remember what he said, "Zhan'er, you have been obedient and sensible since you were young. This time, as a father, I am really talking to you like an adult. I know you are a little uneasy. Your mother and I are going on a long trip together. From today on, you are the adult of this family. When we are not here, you have to take good care of your sister and support this family, understand?"

Wang Zhan understood a little, but was a little confused. He asked his father, "Dad, when will you come back? Wherever you go, can't you take me and my sister with you?"

The father, who never smoked, took out a cigarette from somewhere, lit it, took a deep breath, and said, "I shouldn't have told you this, but, maybe..."

My father paused, took another deep puff of his cigarette, and said, "Your mother and I are going to Shanghai. No matter what, you have to take good care of your sister. If, I mean if, you have no food to eat here, remember there are two silver dollars under the stove. Take the money and take your sister to Peking, find the army there, and find a man named Li Wenbo. That's your Uncle Li. He will take care of you. Remember?"

After the father finished speaking, he showed a very painful expression, while the mother held my sister from beginning to end, tears constantly flowing.

(End of this chapter)