It’s only been a few years since leaving Ge Village, but the scenes and people in the village have already changed.
The field that Heavenly Thunder sent Xiao Xian to before has been replaced by a smooth cement road.
The old house of the Zhu Family has bee the village’s technical guidance station, and the White Pear Tree behind the house has just lost its pear blossoms, with green fruits filling the branches.
Xiao Xian walked alone in the village, seeing only unfamiliar faces. No one recognized her.
These past few years, the living conditions in the village have improved. Many young people who went out to work returned to the village with their wives to settle down and build houses.
Walking in the village, there were no more dirt roads, and the erected electric poles and the sound of televisions from the houses were both strange and familiar.
Xiao Xian stood outside the old house for a moment before heading towards the direction of White Dragon Pond where Zhu Shijun’s grave was located.
"Mom, what are you looking at?" Sister-in-law Lian’s second daughter saw her mother standing at the door for a while, hurriedly ran out, and after a while, returned with disappointment on her face.
"I think I saw Xiao Xian. The same Xiao Xian I told you about before, Mr. Zhu’s granddaughter, the smart and capable one," Sister-in-law Lian thought she saw a figure much like Xiao Xian. The person also had a ponytail and was carrying a hiking bag.
"You must have seen it wrong. It’s the season for exploring the countryside, and there are many tourists from other towns. Everyone going up the mountain carries a hiking bag. Besides, wasn’t it said that family’s child also..." Sister-in-law Lian’s daughter wanted to say that Xiao Xian was missing and then said to be dead. But before she could finish, she was stopped by a glare from Sister-in-law Lian.
The child named Xiao Xian was cared for by Sister-in-law Lian for several years, and they were very close. Sister-in-law Lian never wanted her family to talk about the child’s death.
"Hey, let’s not talk about it. I asked you to prepare the Ingot Candle, roast chicken, and fruits. Have you made them ready? It’s only a few days until Tomb-Sweeping Festival, and I need to go to the old man’s grave to sweep it," Sister-in-law Lian’s eyes reddened again.
"We prepare every year, and there’s always a surplus. The village chief and Ergouzi, and even the Dongnan Miao Village, all need to prepare a few copies each year," even while saying this, Sister-in-law Lian’s daughter obediently went to prepare, so as not to upset her mother.
Following the mountain path upwards, Xiao Xian began to feel as if she had vaguely returned to the past.
The trees on the mountain were well-protected, and the scenery at White Dragon Pond was just as before.
Passing through the sunlight flickering through the leaves, Xiao Xian saw a graveyard.
In recent years, the government has been promoting cremation, and fewer people in the village were buried using the old methods. There hadn’t been a new grave in the mountains for a long time.
Zhu Shijun was also cremated and sent back. According to his will, there was no need for a tombstone or grave, just to have his ashes scattered in the paddy fields and green mountains of Ge Village.
The village chief, however, didn’t want to dispose of the old man’s remains so casually. After a village vote, they cordoned off a small piece of land near White Dragon Pond for burying the old man.
No matter how people outside the mountains gossiped about the old man’s character, the people of Ge Village didn’t care nor believe it. They only knew that without this displaced old man, Ge Village would still be the way it used to be.
The mountain folk never forget their roots. The green mountains and waters, a tombstone made from mountain stone, and the crookedly engraved tombstone by the villagers were their final tribute to the old man.
"Grandfather, I am back," Xiao Xian put down her hiking bag and knelt in front of the old man’s tombstone, wiping the clean and fresh-looking tombstone with her hands.
It was evident that the village regularly sent someone to clean the area. There were no extra weeds around the grave, and a neat row of pine trees was planted.
"Xiao Xian has been useless, immersed in sadness for the past two years, even neglecting Grandfather’s affairs," Xiao Xian choked up, "If I hadn’t left, if..."
"No ifs, sister. The wood has bee a forest, the rice has been cooked, and you have many things you need to do. I believe Mr. Zhu’s spirit in heaven wouldn’t want you to indulge in sorrow and be unable to extricate yourself," a tender yet firm voice came from behind, and Xiao Xian looked up.
A little girl of about six, with pigtails, stood opposite her.
When she saw the little girl, Xiao Xian had the illusion of seeing herself just when she arrived at Ge Village.
The little girl was only six or seven years old, but her tone of speech and the wisdom reflected in her eyes demonstrated one thing: she was no ordinary little girl.
"Are you... Taohua?" Xiao Xian recalled the baby girl in the temple. The little girl born with a hint of remorse.
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