Chapter 3 Return to the Old Place

He Tiantian has been sitting on the ground, dazed, immersed in the pain of memories, unable to extricate herself.

"Aunt, why are you sitting on the ground?" Zhou Zhicheng sat and looked at his aunt He Tiantian sitting on the ground, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

He Tiantian woke up and said: "I... I'm fine... I'm fine..." While talking, He Tiantian quietly put the recorder in her shirt pocket.

Zhou Zhicheng helped his aunt He Tiantian to rest in the living room, and poured a glass of water and said: "Aunt, drink a glass of water. If you feel uncomfortable, tell me and I'll take you to the hospital."

"I may not have slept well last night, but it's not a big deal. You are sweating all over, go wash up quickly." He Tiantian kept her head down and talked, not wanting Zhou Zhicheng to see her helpless and resentful expression.

In this family, she is an outsider, and no one will be on her side at all.

"Well, I'll go take a shower. Aunt, if you feel uncomfortable, just tell me." Zhou Zhicheng grew up in his grandmother's house and is very close to his aunt He Tiantian.

After Zhou Zhicheng left, He Tiantian walked back to her bedroom with shaking legs and listened to the words in the recorder again.

He Tiantian burst into tears, choked silently, sobbed constantly, and almost couldn't breathe.

She lived like a clown in her life, living in the lies carefully compiled by others.

Only now did she understand why she didn't see her parents, making them die with regrets.

Only now did she finally understand that her childhood sweetheart didn't abandon her.

Only now did she understand why the Qi family was harsh on others, but "generous and tolerant" to her, a childless outsider.

Oh my God, what a stupid person she is!

He Tiantian felt extremely guilty, and her eyes fell unconsciously on the dressing mirror beside the bed. The woman in it was no longer young, her skin was still fair, but there were spots and wrinkles on her face. Those bright eyes were no longer as bright and clear as when she was young, and a few strands of white hair appeared faintly in her hair.

He Tiantian reached out and touched her face, muttering to herself: "I'm old..."

She had lived in lies for so many years, and suddenly she understood the truth of the matter. She hated herself, and hated the Qi family who deceived her even more.

He Tiantian felt that she was suffocated by the lies here, and there was a voice in her head, urging her to escape from this cage made of lies as soon as possible.

He Tiantian put the recorder in her bag and carried her bag out of the house.

With a blank mind, she walked to the train station unknowingly, bought a ticket to Nanshi, and got on the train.

She wanted to visit her hometown, where her parents used to live, to find her childhood memories, because only that time and place had the most real experience in her life, and it was also the happiest time of her life.

Nanshi is about four hours away from Huaishi now. This is the speed of the high-speed rail. In the past, it would take a day and a night.

He Tiantian sat in the car, lying on the small table in front of her, crying silently. The phone in the bag rang over and over again.

"Sister, your phone is ringing!" a middle-aged man next to her reminded her. He thought He Tiantian was asleep, so he reminded her.

He Tiantian lowered her head, took out her phone, and saw the two glaring words "husband" on the phone. She suddenly felt extremely absurd and ridiculous. She did not answer the call and turned it off directly...

The middle-aged man next to her saw this and realized that there was a conflict. He pretended not to see it and continued to talk to another person.

Looking at the black screen, He Tiantian felt less stuffy in her chest. She would never forgive the Qi family.

The train arrived at the station, and He Tiantian got off the train with the crowd and left the train station. Nanshi was very different from what she remembered. It had been more than ten years since she last came to Nanshi.

Standing in the crowded square, there were business people in a hurry, lovers discussing their itinerary intimately, people with their families sitting on newspapers waiting for the train, and elderly people, children and disabled people begging with small bowls everywhere.

In this big square, you can also see all kinds of life. Some people live to survive, and some people live to live. But no matter who they are, no matter how hard or tired they are, they all live in the real world.

He Tiantian used to think that she was lucky, but now she finds that she is the most miserable, like a shadow puppet, controlled by others, without freedom and self.

He Tiantian looked around, her eyes fell on the hanging super-large LCD display board in the square, a host was interviewing the richest man in Jiangsu Province.

This person is Huo Yingjie. He Tiantian also knows him, to be precise, she knew Huo Yingjie when he was young.

This person's appearance has not changed much. Time seems to be particularly kind to him, and has not left too much wind and frost on his face. He has a heroic square face, thick black eyebrows, and a straight nose. His eyes are still so wise, as if he can see through people's hearts. His inadvertent smile can always warm people's hearts.

The death of her parents made her very sad. When she needed comfort the most, she received the breakup letter that Qi Jianguo had someone imitate Huo Yingjie's handwriting to write. She hated herself for being useless and Huo Yingjie's indifference.

In that era, compared with life, feelings were even more insignificant and humble. She chose not to trust, chose to give up, and completely fell into the trap of lies.

For so many years, when she woke up in the middle of the night, she still hated Huo Yingjie, hated his indifference, hated his breaking of oaths, and changed his mind.

Now she knows that she hated the wrong thing.

Once you miss it, it will be a lifetime!

Staggering, she walked out of the square, called a taxi, and said a place name in her hometown dialect that had changed: "Master, go to Dayushu Lane!"

The taxi driver was an old driver. From He Tiantian's hometown accent, he could tell that He Tiantian had left her hometown for many years.

"You haven't been back for many years, right? Dayushu Lane is about to be demolished. Huo Yingjie, the richest man in our Su Province, is going to build a villa there." The taxi driver was very talkative. While driving, he explained the changes in Nanshi over the years.

He Tiantian looked at the buildings and trees that were constantly retreating, which were completely different from the low-rise buildings in her memory, and she was overwhelmed.

Even if He Tiantian didn't speak, the taxi driver was still very talkative.

Listening to the familiar local accent and looking at the different environment, the restless and resentful heart also calmed down.

"It's just ahead." The taxi driver said, "Dayushu Lane is most famous for the two big elm trees at the entrance of the lane. It is said that they are hundreds of years old and have been there since the Ming Dynasty. Now Dayushu Lane is also going to be demolished. When the local people talked about the demolition, they specifically included these two trees in the negotiation contract, saying that these two trees are hundreds of years old and have become spirits. They bless the local people. The demolition is OK, but the two trees cannot be cut down."

The taxi turned in front, and the two tall elm trees were as lush and leafy as ever, growing upwards strongly.

When I was a child, in the summer, many people moved their own small dining tables under the trees, usually to enjoy the cool while eating.

On weekdays, these two big elm trees are also the favorite places for children to play. Little boys roll iron rings and marbles under the trees; girls like to throw sandbags, hopscotch, and handkerchiefs.

At night, the adults came out to chat, brag to each other, and gossip about the neighbors. It was very lively.

Except when it rained, there would be a lot of laughter under the two big elm trees.

"Sister, we're here. It's 20 yuan in total." The taxi driver smiled, "These two elm trees are bigger, right?"

He Tiantian nodded and said, "Yes, they are big! Thank you!"

He Tiantian paid and got off the car.

Walking under the big elm tree, looking up at the tall branches and leaves, the big elm tree is still the strong and vicissitudes of the big elm tree, but people are no longer the same as before.

Things have changed!

She now has a deeper understanding of this word!

He Tiantian entered the alley between the two big elm trees. The alley was still as narrow and long, but the bluestone slabs on the road were not as bright as before, and layers of dark green moss grew near the wall.

The comings and goings of people and the laughter in my memory are gone. The families on both sides have moved out, leaving only the dilapidated old houses and weeds all over the ground.

He Tiantian's eyes were sore. Looking around, the loneliness of Dayushu Lane was just like her life, which had lost its brilliance and vitality.

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