Chang Ling stretched his hand across the broken window sill and looked around. After the fight just now, the dilapidated thatched house became even more dilapidated. He tidied up briefly and stepped out before it was completely dark, preparing to find some materials to repair the house.
The gangsters were wailing in embarrassment as they fled. Almost half of the village knew that they had been beaten. There were many people standing on the originally clean streets, all talking in low voices.
When Chang Ling passed by, many villagers cast strange or fearful looks, but the moment Chang Ling looked at them, they all stayed away. After Chang Ling passed by, they continued to talk in low voices. This is true.
Rarely, sometimes someone would come up and praise Chang Ling for his bravery, and Chang Ling would politely respond with a nod, not paying too much attention to what these people said.
Overcoming the attention of those who were talking all the way, Chang Ling bought enough wood, thatch and other materials, and took the delivery boy back to the thatched house.
As you can see, this thatched house is in dilapidated condition. After the fight, even the beams are crumbling.
Chang Ling replaced the corroded beams and columns, re-paved the thatched roof, and papered new windows with window lattice paper. The house just had a fresh feeling.
"Boy Ling, boy Ling." Chang Ling was still busy when a hoarse, old-fashioned and kind voice came from the door of the courtyard.
"Grandma Zhang!" Chang Ling turned around, saw the person clearly, and quickly put down what he was doing.
Grandma Zhang lived next door to Lan Sheng and was always kind to Lan Sheng. Grandma Zhang also helped them a lot during their training in Changling. Ever since Lan Sheng said that Chang Ling was her fiancé, she affectionately called Chang Ling Ling Xiaozi.
"You just came back, and I thought you didn't have much to eat, so I brought you some." Grandma Zhang staggered into the yard, leaning on a cane in one hand and holding a case tray in the other.
Chang Ling stepped forward and supported Grandma Zhang. He accidentally glanced at the case plate with his hand and saw that what was on it was a few white-flour steamed buns.
Chang Ling was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved his hand and said, "I'm not hungry yet, so I can't eat this." After saying that, he looked at Grandma Zhang sincerely and motioned for her to take the food back.
Grandma Zhang is alone. She can't do much farm work even in her old age. Her life is not satisfactory. She can only eat some brown rice mixed with rice bran and wild vegetables to satisfy her hunger. How can she eat her white-flour steamed buns?
"I, an old woman, can't eat much, so I have a lot left over, but you young people should eat more." Grandma Zhang said and put the case plate on the table.
As soon as the case plate was placed on the table, Chang Ling picked it up again, but when it was handed to Grandma Zhang, she was unwilling to accept it.
After several attempts to refuse, Chang Ling was afraid of breaking Grandma Zhang's heart, so she had no choice but to refuse, so she invited Grandma Zhang to sit down and have some food with her. At first Grandma Zhang wanted to refuse, but in the end Chang Ling couldn't hold on and had no choice but to nod.
"Boy Ling, I heard that you got into a fight with those gangsters, are you not injured?" Grandma Zhang looked Chang Ling up and down with her cloudy eyes, and asked with concern before she could sit still.
"It's just a few scoundrels, they can't hurt me." Chang Ling sat down in front of Grandma Zhang with a calm expression, picked up the kettle and poured water for her. He didn't look down on these little scoundrels at all.
Grandma Zhang nodded, but still carefully scanned Chang Ling from top to bottom, and then she felt relieved.
"Is Lan Yatou okay? Why haven't you seen her back?" Seeing that Chang Ling was the only one in the house, Grandma Zhang asked.
Are you ok? It doesn't seem good. Chang Ling lowered his head like a child who made a mistake, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and the hand pouring water inadvertently paused for a moment.
After being stunned for a moment, Chang Ling gave Grandma Zhang a smile and said, "Lan Sheng, she's pretty good." He wanted to explain it away simply.
Sensing Chang Ling's slightly gloomy expression, Grandma Zhang thought the two had a conflict, and out of concern, asked more about Lan Sheng's situation.
But Grandma Zhang is an ordinary person, and there are some things that should not be discussed with her. Chang Ling just couldn't handle it, so he had to tell a lot of evasive lies, which made Grandma Zhang even more suspicious.
"Boy Ling, Lan Yatou is a good girl. Her temper is a bit stubborn, but now that you are married, you should stop acting like children and live a good life." Grandma Zhang had a vague feeling that Chang Ling was hiding something from her, and she opened her mouth Looking at Chang Ling with cloudy eyes, he comforted him with sincere words.
"Lan Sheng is very good and well-behaved." Chang Ling thought that Grandma Zhang had misunderstood just now, so he explained hurriedly.
Maybe because Lan Sheng is indeed very well-behaved, when talking about the dispute with Lan Sheng, Chang Ling's words became a little softer, and the corners of his mouth gradually raised unconsciously.
Seeing Chang Ling's silly smile, Grandma Zhang slowly put away her suspicious gaze and replaced it with an imperceptible subtlety.
After dispelling her doubts, Grandma Zhang stopped asking Chang Ling anything and just listened as a spectator. However, she was always deaf at critical moments and had to tell Chang Ling several times before she could hear clearly.
Grandma Zhang waited calmly for Chang Ling to finish speaking, with a faint smile on her face: "These days of war and chaos, it is difficult to live in peace. Seeing that you and Lan Yatou are living a good life, I feel relieved." After a brief pause, Grandma Zhang's eyes moved to Chang Ling's eyes: "When can I have a fat boy with Lan Yatou and enjoy the happiness of family relationship?"
Grandma Zhang's gentle eyes were like a meditative lake. When she looked at Chang Ling, the morning breeze stirred in vain, and gradually became meaningful among the ripples and mist.
"Hmm..." Chang Ling's face became hot, he coughed twice, and changed the subject: "Isn't Mengtan Village uneasy now?" With the arrogance of those ruffians, the villagers here will definitely suffer from them. Bullying.
"Alas, there is no peace in a remote country..." Grandma Zhang slapped her thigh heavily and sighed helplessly.
Grandma Zhang was quite indignant and told Chang Ling some of what happened in Mengtang Village. What surprised Chang Ling was that the word "Yuntian" was heard in Grandma Zhang's mouth, but she was as infamous as a demon...
In recent years, Yuntian and the Demon Clan have been fighting each other year after year, but the battlefields are all within the territory of Daqi, and the whole country has been implicated. The people were frightened and had no intention of farming. What's more, they took the opportunity to cause trouble and spawned many bandits.
Not long ago, the Emperor of Da Qi was seriously ill. In order to prevent changes, he ordered the army to mobilize to important towns. However, Mengtan Village is so remote that even the government officials have evacuated, making these ruffians even more rampant.
In order to save all sentient beings, all sentient beings suffered from it. It is no wonder that the people blamed Yuntian. But this was not Yuntian's original intention. Chang Ling was lost in thought and his face became increasingly embarrassed.
Without noticing the changes in Chang Ling, Grandma Zhang continued: "A few days ago, Gou Sheng in the west of the village suddenly died suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, the family was robbed. Not only did the family property be looted, but the Gou Sheng who was keeping vigil was also raped in front of the mourning hall. Wife, you have committed a sin..."
Grandma Zhang was so excited that her whole body trembled with anger.
"Did that group of people just do it?" Chang Ling's pupils suddenly shrank, his face became even more gloomy, and he regretted not killing them directly before.
"Who knows, those who have been stabbed a thousand times have done some immoral things." Grandma Zhang couldn't help but cursed, and the walking stick in her hand made a thumping sound on the ground: "I thought you and Lan Yatou would never come back after leaving. Otherwise, I would have to work hard to guard this house for you."
As she spoke, Grandma Zhang raised her head and glanced around the thatched house. She really seemed to be fighting to the death.
"No, no need." Chang Ling waved his hands repeatedly, fearing that Grandma Zhang would really argue with those scoundrels: "I probably won't come back often after I leave this time, so there is no need to keep watch."
"Okay, okay, it's better to leave this. It would be better to have a big fat boy with Lan Yatou as soon as possible." Grandma Zhang said several good words in a row. She looked into Chang Ling's eyes and was very pleased. There was a hint of disappointment mixed with the pleasure. .
Seeing Grandma Zhang's lonely look, Chang Ling realized that he had said something wrong and was about to correct it, but his ears suddenly felt hot after hearing Grandma Zhang's words. But thinking that Lan Sheng would be his wife in the future, and having children was inevitable, he nodded to Grandma Zhang in a strange way.
"Okay, okay, okay." Grandma Zhang said several more words in a row, and a smile appeared on her wrinkled face: "Lan Yatou has had a hard life since she was a child. Fortunately, now that she has a family, all the hard work has finally come to an end."
Grandma Zhang and Lan Sheng were neighbors. She watched her grow up and treated her like a relative.
Seeing that Lan Sheng had someone to rely on, he felt relieved and opened up his chatterbox, telling Chang Ling about Lan Sheng's past.
"Lan Yatou's parents were both honest people. They got married early but never had any children. Later, they spent more than ten taels of silver in exchange for Lan Yatou from a beggar." Grandma Zhang put her hands on the walking stick and immediately integrated into the scene at that time, her expression She was actually a little solemn: "At that time, Lan Yatou was little and very cute. She even made an appointment for a baby girl with the third grandpa's family at the east end of the village."
"Lansheng is engaged?" Upon hearing this, Chang Ling's heart suddenly tightened and his brows furrowed.
Seeing Chang Ling's concerned look, Grandma Zhang covered her mouth and snickered, and continued calmly: "They said they were engaged, but then the third grandpa's son won the election, and he didn't like Lan Yatou's family anymore. , regretted the marriage within a few days."
Hearing this, Chang Ling's heart tightened. It's no wonder that Lan Sheng was worried that he would be rejected if he couldn't get the dowry. Seeing Grandma Zhang looking at him, Chang Ling didn't show anything strange. He nodded slightly towards her and allowed her to continue talking.
"Later I heard that the third grandpa's son became a county magistrate and made enemies. The whole family did not end well." Grandma Zhang glanced to the side, very coldly.
Lan Sheng's parents took care of them when they were poor. When they became rich, they not only regretted their marriage on the spot, but also made a fuss at the time. Grandma Zhang was very angry about this and felt that they deserved retribution.
"How can you say that this baby's life is not good?" Grandma Zhang took a sip of water, her face became a little sad, and continued: "That year, Lan Yatou passed away at the age of six. As a rule, she had to take Lan Yatou to the temple to give birth to her. Pray for blessings. The whole family went there, but on the way back, they encountered a mountain monster. Except for Lan Yatou, they were all killed, and not even their bones were left."
As she spoke, Grandma Zhang took out an embroidered handkerchief from her arms and wiped tears from the corners of her eyes: "Lan Yatou was holding the red rope of prayer in her hand. She was covered in blood and stood firmly at the spot where her parents were killed. Who could pull her away? It doesn’t work.”
Listening to Grandma Zhang's words, Chang Ling lowered his eyes to the red string on his wrist. He knew that Lan Sheng had worn this red string since he was a child and it was of great significance. He never thought that it would have such a past. The bright red threads reflected in Chang Ling's dark pupils, constantly overlapping and intertwining, creating a sour feeling in the haze.
"Since then, the gossips in the village have been talking all day long, saying that she came here from Lone Star to seek her life. Girl Lan has suffered a lot in these years." Grandma Zhang threw out the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and wiped away her tears again.
Grandma Zhang had scolded those who gossiped before, but she was a single widow with no good reputation and could not do much to help Lan Sheng.
"Later, Girl Lan stayed at home for a long time. She didn't respond when I called her. It made me feel distressed to see her. This girl was so stubborn that she didn't want to come to my house. She was alone without a mother to care for her and a father to take care of her. Having no livelihood and running around all day long, my life is...sigh..." Grandma Zhang let out a long sigh as she spoke.
"Fortunately, Lan Yatou met you and had support. When she came over to me and told me that she was getting married, I couldn't believe it." Grandma Zhang held Chang Ling's hand with both hands and patted the back of his hand.
No one had talked to Grandma Zhang for a long time, so she happily chatted with Chang Ling, and told Chang Ling a lot about Lan Sheng's past until late at night, when Chang Ling sent her back to her residence.
Under the dim candlelight, Chang Ling sat alone in front of the bed, staring at the candlelight in trance.
After a while, Chang Ling blew out the candle, and the empty room was suddenly flooded with darkness.
In the past, Lan Sheng would always grab and play around with himself for a while before going to bed. His thin face looked irresistible, and his small body seemed to have endless strength. Even when he was sleeping, he could grab his arms until it hurt. .
The cold wind howled at night, and even though it had just been renovated, a cold wind still came from nowhere. Chang Ling wrapped herself in a quilt and listened, lying on the bed tossing and turning, and could only keep telling herself to close her eyes.
